Tangled Vines (3 page)

She left those thoughts behind and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, we have two hours before the doors open. Peony, you and Ivy are in charge of that display window. I want you to find a way to display my T-shirts but also add some of the antique items sitting over there next to the wall. Make it look like an old Chinese living room with a flash of urban.”

The two girls came back to get the box of T-shirts, racing against each other to be first to look through the styles. Linnea figured she’d let them work for a little while before she intervened to explain the definition of urban.

“Maggi,” Linnea began again, “it’ll be a huge help if you just entertain Poppy while Nai Nai helps me clean up.” Her sister was doing great after her recent surgery by the Shanghai doctor to remove the sac of membranes from her spine, and Linnea was surprised that the operation had given Maggi such a different outlook on her future. Spina bifida could be cruel and her sister might not ever be able to walk, but at least now she had control over her bladder and no longer had to wear the embarrassing diapers. And since the surgery had done so much to minimize her
pain, Maggi was gaining more strength in her lower body and had even learned to lift herself up and could get in and out of her chair by herself. And Linnea couldn’t believe how talented she was with the knitting needles! She was even learning how to embroider and crochet. In her eyes, Maggi was nothing short of amazing.

“Nai Nai, the broom’s back in the storeroom. You can sweep, or I’ll sweep while you polish the glass countertop. As soon as the girls get the display going, I’ll help them get it perfect.”

Nai Nai answered her by immediately going to the storeroom for the broom.

Linnea looked at her other sister, Lily. What could she have her do to feel helpful?

“Lily, I have a box of porcelain teapots and cups over there in the corner. There’s a shelf right in front of the box. Please unwrap everything and set them up. I’ll put them in the right places after you get them all out.”

Lily would probably be even more careful than her sighted sisters, Linnea thought to herself as she watched Ivy lead Lily to the corner where the box of porcelain sat. The empty wall behind the girl caught her attention and she sighed. She’d forgotten she needed to hang one example of all her vintage shirts across the wall for a display. Luckily her Ye Ye would be there shortly. He could help her attach the lines and then clip the shirts up. He could also open the register and get her starter money organized.
He’ll feel important to be handling my money,
she mused. With her hand on her chin, she stared up at the wall, imagining the best way to hang the shirts to get the most attention from shoppers.

Behind her she felt a poke of something prickly on her backside and turned around.

“What are you standing around gawking at, girl? You’ve got work to do!” Nai Nai prodded her again with the broom and smiled, showing the adorable gap between her two front teeth.

Linnea jumped into action. She felt a shiver of excitement traveling up her spine and tingling through her fingertips. Thanks to her family it was all going to be okay—everything was coming together and in a few hours she would embark on the next stage in her life. Vintage Muse was going to be a smashing success—she’d settle for nothing less.

H
ours later, Calli perched on a small porcelain garden stool outside of Linnea’s store and watched the ruckus inside through the large glass window. Beside her, Lily sat serenely with her violin and played a woeful song, catching the eye of many passing pedestrians. Calli had to wait until Lily felt she’d done enough inside the store before she could be talked into resting. Even then her daughter couldn’t be still and had instead mesmerized strangers with her music. It amazed her how fast Lily had caught on to playing when Benfu had begun to give her lessons. Her natural gift for the violin was astounding.

Surprisingly, a few people had asked them about selling the violin.

“Nai Nai, did you hear that? Sell Viola? That’ll never happen,” Lily mumbled after the first customer walked away. One man in particular practically drooled over it until Calli had sent him on his way. He’d scribbled down his number and told her if they ever changed their minds, he could get them a great price for it. Lily hadn’t wanted to offend the man, so appeased him by tucking the paper into the lining of her violin case, where Calli knew it would probably never be thought of again.

It had been a good day. Calli shook her head in wonder. Linnea
was something else. Not only had she negotiated a great profit for the antique snuff bottle she’d found for sale from an old man on a back street, but her designer T-shirts were flying off the shelves. Calli wasn’t surprised, as Linnea had always been one of the most independent of all their daughters, but she felt she’d burst with pride each time she’d heard someone compliment one of the vintage shirts that Linnea had worked so hard to create. Her daughter—a designer! Who would have thought it?

Calli had hung around all day, watching shoppers swarm the store in their attempts to be the first to discover new finds and old treasures, until her old knees couldn’t hold out any longer and she had to go outside to rest and get some peace from the chaos. She didn’t know how, but baby Poppy had slept in the corner of the shop right under all that noise for the last hour.

Calli looked down the street at the other shops. Linnea had picked a good place with lots of foot traffic. It was an old historical street that many locals and foreigners used each day for shopping and many had stopped in to see for themselves what they could find at the new store. Calli didn’t think Linnea was going to have to spend any money for advertising—thanks to simple word of mouth.

Earlier in the day, a few other store owners came around to be nosy under the guise of greeting them and stopping to hear Lily play. So far all the neighbors seemed to be thrilled to have Linnea in their midst. The old man from the kite store had even brought over a cup of green tea while she was sitting outside earlier. He was an interesting fellow—a kite maker—who said he was fourth generation and taught by his ninety-year-old grandfather, whose own father had made kites for the imperial family. Calli couldn’t wait to hear more of his stories. She also thought she might be able to snag a discount to get the girls a few kites once they got to know each other.

Another shopkeeper from across the way had rushed over and insisted on helping Linnea with her display of vintage shirts in the window. To Calli, he looked like a cartoon character with his rolled-up jeans and huge white sunglasses. She could barely see his eyes through the shaggy hair that nearly covered them.

His store,
THINGS OF LING
the sign read
,
was across the road, and from what Calli could see through his front window, it looked like a hodgepodge of homemade jewelry, incense, and Buddha statues. Calli examined the different strands of beads and colorful scarves the fellow had added to Linnea’s display from his own stock and had to admit the man—Sky, he called himself—knew how to spark interest. Of course all the borrowed items were tagged with prices, so he was obviously a savvy businessman to take the opportunity to get his merchandise in front of fresh eyes. But it was good that Linnea had someone near her own age to welcome her, seeing how most of the shop owners were older, probably even what the girls would call
ancient
.

Calli looked up from her view of the street as the door opened and another satisfied customer skirted around her, rummaging through the bag hanging from her arm. By the looks of the shape at the bottom, she’d also bought one of the vintage T-shirts that were selling so fast. Calli couldn’t believe the fascination with the simple shirts but she was happy for Linnea. She remembered when she was Linnea’s age and the stark, unfeminine clothes she was forced to wear during Mao’s reign. It was a wonder that Benfu had even seen her for who she was under the masculine clothing, but he had…and their love had bloomed despite the lack of what today’s generation would consider stylish must-haves.

“Calli, are you okay, m’love?” Benfu poked his head out of the store.

She turned to see his worried look, ironic since he was the one diagnosed with tuberculosis, even if his symptoms had all but disappeared in the last year. But that was the way it had always been, with him taking care of and protecting her. He was the one who’d carried the most physical and emotional scars heaped on him during the Cultural Revolution. And he was the one who’d given up his ties to his old life out of loyalty to her when the biggest tragedy of all had happened—when her own child was taken from her as she slept. But Calli also knew she was so lucky the gods had favored her the night they led a young, starved, and beaten Benfu to seek refuge in her courtyard.

She could still remember that moment, decades ago, when she’d found him outside her home in the middle of the night. He’d been doing his best to bend his beaten body into a position low enough to sneak a drink from their spigot. Before he’d looked up, she’d thought she’d caught a criminal on the loose, a vagrant, or maybe even some sort of lunatic. She’d never forget how frightened Benfu was just before he’d lost consciousness from his injuries. All Calli knew was from the moment they’d locked eyes, they had made a connection that hardship and time had only made stronger. Though many would consider their family to be living on the outside of society because of her husband’s profession, Calli was proud to be a scavenger’s wife.

She smiled up at him. “
Dui le
. I’m fine. Just tired. You ready to go home yet, Benfu?” She hoped he’d say yes. She was not only drained, but she needed time to start making some of her home-cooked noodles for the evening meal.

Benfu nodded briskly. “Let me tell them we’re going. And I’ll clean Jasmine up; we kept her busy painting some chipped pottery. I’ll just be a minute. I think Linnea is about to lock up for the day.”

A smile lit up his face and Calli admired the way his dark eyes still sparkled. “Oh, Calli, it’s been quite an adventure! I’m happy for our girl.”

With that he disappeared back into the shop. Calli knew Benfu
was right. It had been an adventurous year for their Linnea. She’d just about worked herself to the bone trying to save enough money to open her own store. She usually worked six days a
week selling shirts at her street stall, and then spent hours on the weekends searching the back markets for antiques to buy. Calli had even combed some of the shops that catered to foreigners and found a few treasures. Watching her daughter work so hard was tough on all of them. Some nights Linnea dropped off to sleep on her pallet without even the energy to eat dinner.

Calli was surprised to admit it, but though they were getting too serious for her taste, she was actually glad Linnea had Jet around to force her to take a few breaks and enjoy some afternoons. It was only with the boy’s persuasion she got any rest at all. Calli thought it amusing how protective Jet was of Linnea, reminding her of the young romance she and Benfu had shared.

Yes, Jet had proved to be a valuable friend to all of them. Calli couldn’t imagine where they’d be if he and Linnea had not met. Because Jet’s father worked in a branch of government and he’d used his connections to step in, they were now getting the financial assistance from the state they needed to support their family. And even Benfu’s treatments for tuberculosis were covered. He was feeling better than he had in years. It had been a lucky time for them recently; of that she was sure.

Calli stood and opened the door to the shop. “Lily, you wait until Ivy’s ready to go, okay?”

Lily looked so lost in her music that Calli wouldn’t have thought anything got through to her, but she gave a quick nod.

Calli pulled the door open and the bell rang loudly. She was going to have to hurry Benfu along after all or he’d never get a nap in before dinner. She shook her head. Her brood of daughters took a lot of energy to keep up with, but it made their life anything but boring. Calli needed to rush home and start preparation for the evening meal.

“Benfu? Where’s Poppy? I’ll take her and Jasmine with me, and you can follow with Maggi and the others when you get done.” With a loud jangle the door slammed behind her and she went to gather their two youngest girls.

Even though she was tired, she wouldn’t trade her life for anyone else’s. Though fate had taken her child from her so many years ago, it had later brought her many other daughters to soften the grief. She was a lucky old woman and she knew it.