Free Year of the Golden Dragon by B.L. Sauder Page B

Take it.”
    After a moment he said, “If you my daughter, I tell you to telephone cousins. Surprise no good.”
    Hong Mei smiled. He was gruff, but kind.
    “You are right. Surprises are not such great ideas.”
    Seeming satisfied, the taxi driver turned the radio on and filled the car with the twanging sounds of Chinese opera.
    Would Ryan and Alex be at the ferry terminal? Is that why she imagined it? Or would they be going there only to take the boat across to Hong Kong Island, even further away?

Chapter 8

    Fragrant Harbour
    “Shark’s fin soup?” Alex asked as he looked down into the steaming bowl of broth. He picked up a small white porcelain spoon and gingerly dipped the tip of it into the thick soup. “What happened to the rest of the shark?” he asked, putting his spoon back down without tasting anything.
    Alex’s relatives laughed, as they’d been doing since they left the airport more than an hour before. Uncle Peter’s family had been there to pick them up, all except Nana and Yeye who met them at this restaurant instead. They wanted to save up their energy and not waste it by driving to the airport and back.
    Winston, Alex’s cousin, slurped his soup and said, “Just try a little bit. It’s one of my favourites, and it’s really expensive,” he added.
    Alex glanced beside him into the older cousin’s bowl and saw that it was nearly empty.
    “Do you want mine?” Alex whispered, looking over to make sure Uncle Peter hadn’t heard. “Quick, I’ll trade you.”
    Winston smiled and exchanged his empty bowl for Alex’s.
    “There’s plenty more food coming,” Winston said, taking a drink of his beer. “I’m sure there’ll be something you like.”
    Alex took a gulp of Coke. He knew he shouldn’t have another one since he’d had so many on the plane, but he was glad to have something normal . He looked over at Aunt Grace and wondered if she’d eaten anything yet. He’d only seen her drinking the jasmine tea she always had in Chinese restaurants. She said its floral scent reminded her of her grandmother’s garden.
    Aunt Grace noticed Alex watching her and winked at him. She looked down at her bowl of soup and rolled her eyes. Alex laughed. He motioned slightly with his chin toward the plate of sliced, black preserved eggs. Uncle Peter said the so-called hundred-year-old eggs were better than potato chips. Gross! Alex knew they weren’t really a hundred years old, but they did kind of look like it.
    He shifted his gaze to Ryan, sitting between their grandparents. Nana was pouring more soup into his brother’s bowl as Yeye beamed. Alex wondered if they even cared that he was there too. Nana and Yeye had barely said “hello” to Alex when they got to the restaurant and nothing since then. But they treated Ryan like a little emperor.
    “Wah!” Alex heard Winston exclaim.
    A waiter wheeled a metal cart up to the table. Displayed on a platter was the entire body of a roasted duck, shiny and brown. The server turned the cart one way, then the other, so everyone could get a good look. The duck’s long neck was stretched out and its head faced the diners. Eew! Alex quickly looked away.
    When the waiter was satisfied that everyone had had a good look, he turned the trolley sharply back toward the kitchen. The movement caused the duck’s head to flop around. Alex took a sip of his ice-cold Coke. Maybe it would calm his stomach.
    “Mmm,” said Alex’s cousin. “Peking Duck! They always show it to you before taking it back to slice up and then make soup.”
    “More soup?” Alex asked weakly.
    Winston laughed. “Yeah. While we’re eating the meat, they’ll use the rest of the body to make some soup for us. We’ll eat it near the end of the meal.”
    “The rest of the body?” Alex whispered. “Even the head?”
    “Of course, the head,” Winston said. “You can’t make soup without the head. But don’t worry,” he continued, deftly picking up a peanut with his chopsticks and