Part 14 (1/2)
Minli wrinkled her forehead in confusion, but was too eager to get home to her parents to ask any more questions. Minli hugged Dragon goodbye. He returned her hug warmly, but she could tell he was distracted. She held out the round ball she had taken from Dragon's head. ”Do you want this?”
”No,” Dragon glanced at it absentmindedly. ”You can have it.”
Minli shrugged again, but the urge to go home began to pull at her strongly. She waved goodbye to Dragon and began to run toward the village.
It was late at night when she finally reached home. The slumbering village was silent and as Minli crept into her home the pale goldfish greeted her.
”Shh,” the goldfish said to her. ”Your parents are sleeping. Welcome home.”
Minli was a little surprised to see a goldfish, but smiled a greeting. Moonlight misted over the rough floors and made the spa.r.s.e room glow silver, the goldfish bowl looking like a second moon. The shabby walls and worn stones seemed to s.h.i.+mmer as if a translucent silk veil covered them, muting any flaws and transforming the house into a dwelling of luminous light and delicate shadows. Minli had never seen her home look so beautiful.
Tiptoeing, she put her bag and the dragon's stone on the table and went into her room. Smiling, she climbed into her bed and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 47.
”Minli? Minli!” Ma and Ba's happiness burst from them like exploding firecrackers and even before she could open her eyes they had flung themselves upon her. The joy! How it flowed and flooded over her! More golden than the king's dragon bracelet, sweeter than a peach from the Queen Mother's garden, and more beautiful than a G.o.ddess of Heaven! Minli smiled, treasuring her good fortune.
Ma and Ba only stopped hugging her when her stomach began to grumble with hunger. Ma rushed to make a special breakfast, taking out the carefully saved dried pork to make Minli's favorite porridge, while Ba jumped to get some fresh water to make tea.
But when Ba went into the main room, he made a choking noise that caused Minli and Ma to come running.
”What is that?” he said, pointing. Minli followed his finger and saw him pointing at her traveling possessions on the table. The fish swam merrily around in its bowl as the silk of her brocade bag made the sunlight skip around the room.
”That is a bag given to me by the King of the City of Bright Moonlight,” Minli said. ”It is very fine, isn't it?”
”Not that,” Ba said, waving the bag away. ”That!”
And now Minli saw that he was pointing to Dragon's stone ball.
”It's just a gift from a friend,” Minli said, handing it to her father. Ba took it in his hands reverently, a look of awe on his face.
”This is not just any gift,” Ba whispered, and he took his sleeve and gently rubbed the surface of the stone. To Minli's great surprise, the grayness of the stone began to smudge away and a translucent, l.u.s.trous glow seemed to s.h.i.+ne through. ”This is a dragon's pearl.”
Minli and Ma stared. ”A dragon's pearl!” Ma said slowly. She sat down and looked at Minli. ”A dragon's pearl is worth the Emperor's entire fortune.”
Minli opened her mouth but before any words could come out there was a great shouting and clamoring outside on the street. Ba quickly, but carefully, put the dragon pearl back on the table before they all hurried out to see what the uproar was about.
”What is it?” Ma asked, grabbing a neighbor. The entire village had flowed into the street, talking and shouting like a flock of birds discovering a feast. ”What is happening?”
”It's Fruitless Mountain!” the neighbor said. ”Fruitless Mountain has turned green.”
”What?” Ba said.
”It's true, it's true!” another neighbor chimed in. ”Fruitless Mountain is no longer fruitless! And the Jade River is clear and fresh too!”
Minli, Ma, and Ba looked at the mountain. It was true. Fruitless Mountain was no longer a black shadow above them. As the day dawned, the mountain had transformed. A green lushness seemed to bloom from the rock - a jewel-colored splendor softened the sharp edges that had painfully sliced the sky. The sky itself seemed to be embracing the mountain. The wind softly caressed the newborn greenery with a nurturing breeze and skimmed the Jade River, the water now as clear as tears of joy.
”How is this possible?” Ma asked.
”Jade Dragon must be happy again,” Ba said. ”Perhaps she is reunited with one of her dragon children.”
Dragon! Minli thought, and her quick-thinking mind seemed to spin. Dragon said he was making his home on Fruitless Mountain. Could he be one of Jade Dragon's children? But how? Dragon was born from a painting, from paint brushes and ink stones... and like an echo, Minli remembered Ma talking about the artist who had come to Fruitless Mountain many years ago. Minli thought, and her quick-thinking mind seemed to spin. Dragon said he was making his home on Fruitless Mountain. Could he be one of Jade Dragon's children? But how? Dragon was born from a painting, from paint brushes and ink stones... and like an echo, Minli remembered Ma talking about the artist who had come to Fruitless Mountain many years ago. He took the mountain rock to carve into inking stones. He took the mountain rock to carve into inking stones.
Perhaps Dragon was born from an inkstone made of Fruitless Mountain, the heart of Jade Dragon. Then perhaps he was was one of Jade Dragon's children. And by bringing him to Fruitless Mountain, Minli had discovered how to make Fruitless Mountain green again. one of Jade Dragon's children. And by bringing him to Fruitless Mountain, Minli had discovered how to make Fruitless Mountain green again.
”Minli!” A villager, finally recovered from the shock of the green mountain, stared at Minli. ”You came back! Look, everyone! Minli has returned!”
As the neighbors clamored around, Ma sighed. But it was a sigh of joy, a sound of happiness that floated like a b.u.t.terfly in the air. ”Good fortune has come to the village,” Ma said, smiling. ”And to us, as well.”
”Yes,” Ba said, looking affectionately at Minli. ”But the best fortune is the one that returned.”
Minli smiled back. And suddenly, as she thought about her journey to and from Never-Ending Mountain, Minli realized that while she had not asked the Old Man of the Moon any of her questions, they had all been answered.
CHAPTER 48.
The goldfish man shaded his eyes as he pushed his cart along the Jade River. Yes, he was almost there. How long had it been? Two years? Perhaps three. Yes, the poor Village of Fruitless Mountain should be ahead soon, Yes, the poor Village of Fruitless Mountain should be ahead soon, he thought. he thought.
But, possibly, he was mistaken. When he had been there last, the most striking characteristic of the landscape had been the black mountain, its shadow casting gloom upon the village. But there was no dark silhouette in the sky now; in fact, the landscape looked like as if it were from a heavenly painting. A majestic green mountain sat in harmony with the deepening blue sky, the sun spreading its light for the last time before it set. Had he taken a wrong turn somewhere?
As he gazed, two flying figures in the sky caught his eye. Red and orange, a dragon and his mate frolicking amongst the clouds... wait, dragons? The goldfish man shook his head in disbelief, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. Only the dimming sky and feathery clouds fanning the wind were above. I must have been imagining things, I must have been imagining things, he thought. he thought.
The goldfish man pushed onward. The water in the fishbowls rippled and waved as the fish gazed calmly; their brilliant colors against the abundant green land glinted like gold and jade.
As he entered the village, the goldfish man again began to doubt if he was in the right place. Smooth stone lined the roadway and, instead of the rough board houses he remembered, rich wooden doors - some elaborately carved - lined the street. As he pushed his cart down the narrow street, lively children dressed in gay colors flew toward him like a festival of silk kites. ”Goldfis.h.!.+ Goldfis.h.!.+” they cried. ”Ma! Ba! Can we get one?”
Parents walked over and smiled indulgently at their children, and by the time the sun disappeared, the goldfish man had sold out of his wares. Clearly this was not the same poor village he had come to before, where only that one girl purchased a fish.