Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
But he’d chosen to do this one by himself, which meant that he had to do all the talking. So far, this was the one drawback to his grand scheme.
“Are you here on vacation?”
West glanced up before his butt touched the seat to find four sets of eyes locked on him. He straightened and bowed his head in polite greeting. “Good morning. No, not vacation. I’m a reporter. I’m here writing a story about the kingdom of Gaoxing and the royal family.”
Silence and puzzled looks followed.
It was the same response he got from everyone he spoke to. Confusion. Surprise.
Not an ounce of hostility or even that lurid thrill of talking about gossip.
Just…surprise, as if they couldn’t fathom that anyone outside of Gaoxing would be interested in them. The surprise usually shifted to humble pride in their home and the Jin family, though.
“You’re not one of those American reporters who…” One woman began and then stopped, whispering to her friends as she tried to find the correct word in English. West bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling as she struggled to find a polite way to ask if he was a nasty gossip columnist.
“I’m not planning to write anything negative about the Jin family,” West reassured them in Mandarin. The people of Gaoxing spoke a language that was a mix of Mandarin and Japanese, thanks to the mixed heritage that made up their history.
They all looked at him in shock.
The woman with a short bob of black hair clapped her hands together and laughed. “You speak our language!”
West held up a hand and smiled. “A little. I speak a little Mandarin.” Which was a tiny understatement. He spoke and understood it passingly well. The trouble started when people used a lot of slang or when multiple people were talking at once. He’d lose the thread of conversation. Thankfully, most of the population was at least bilingual, with English being a popular second language.
The server who greeted him at the door chose that moment to bring over a tray with a teapot, a cup, and a small plate with a fruit tart. He thanked her and took his seat at last. She’d already poured the first cup, and there was still enough in the pot for another. He wrapped his hands around the handleless ceramic cup and allowed the warmth to soak into his chilled fingers. Tendrils of steam laced with the wonderful scent of apples, rose hips, and a mix of other ingredients danced across his nose.
Okay, if Gaoxing was a secret level of hell and they were all plotting against him, he could accept it if he could continue to just sit in a quiet shop like this and drink tea every day.
As the first sip slid down his throat, he closed his eyes and sighed happily.
A hand landed on his arm, and he blinked his eyes open to see one of the older women with large round glasses smiling at him. “I didn’t think Americans appreciated tea like we do.”
“I am discovering what I have been missing my entire life,” he admitted, flashing her the first genuine smile he’d put on his mouth since arriving in Jin.
“Relax. Go slow. Savor your tea,” she admonished.
Her instructions were tempting. To just sink into this slice of quiet and relish the taste of his drink while letting all the old worries and ghosts fall away from his shoulders. But that was not why he’d come to this island. He had a job to do that could have a big impact on the people of this interesting place.
West placed his cup back on the table and turned in his chair to face the gathering of women. “If you don’t mind me disturbing your game, may I ask your thoughts about the royal family?”
“Not at all,” the woman with the bob said with a wave of her hand.
“Though I doubt our thoughts are any different from others you’ve spoken to,” Large Glasses murmured as she rearranged the line of white tiles in front of her. West did not know how mah-jongg was played. Maybe something to do with getting sets or pairs of matching images. It didn’t matter; these women were clearly practiced experts, and they continued their game while they talked to him.
Their ringleader was right. They had nothing new to say.
Emperor Jin Jiang Yu was a strong and fair ruler who had served his country well for the past thirty-three years. They were all saddened by the emperor’s illness. They all said prayers for him and lit incense for his recovery.
Crown Prince Jin Long Wei was so handsome. So kind. No one had a heart as big or as compassionate as the crown prince. No one gave more of himself for the good of his people. No one protected his people like the crown prince.