The Continuous

Part 2 Chapter 38: Hair Stick

(Spoken in Chinese)

The night ended shortly after when the man was the only remaining male client and when he slammed his head on the table, passing out after being drunk.

"One night," Hua said smiling, "in one night you managed to make what the girls take a month to make."

"You seem almost upset though?" I said, confused that despite her smile she didn't want to acknowledge my accomplishment.

"I am," she said counting the money the man had given her for the perfume, "angry that I could have been doing this since I first opened my establishment."

I reached out my hand and placed my palm up, "My cut," I said motioning for her to hand me the agreed upon amount.

She let out a sigh and handed over the money to me. I could tell she was looking at me intently as I continued to count the money.

"What?" I asked.

"Can you teach my girls to do what you just did tonight?"

"If you continue to pay me like this...I'll be your best investment," I said smiling.

She came around the counter and stood in front of me, she looked at me and bowed.

"I'll see you here tomorrow, show me that this wasn't just a one-time thing."

I nodded and headed out.

***

I came back and Hua made me try out the same tactic on two different men. It didn't matter who she put me to entertain, both men fell for the same tricks that the first man had. I displayed myself as an innocent and dumb girl fascinated by even the way that the men would breathe. Pointing out the beauty in their talk, the looks they gave me, the way they blinked, even the simplistic work that they did as soldiers, and of course their money.

***

It had only been a couple of months that I had begun working with Hua and at times I walked away with enough money for me and my sister.

"Are you leaving again?" Yingtao asked me, holding onto my robes.

"I am," I said as I was already at the front door, trying to break her hand free of my robe.

"Don't go," she said heading back inside to our shared room before quickly coming back out with a little bag.

I took the bag and pulled on the string to open it. Inside were a few coins that I knew she was storing to buy her paints.

I shook my head and gave her the bag back, "Yingtao...don't worry. I'm not doing what you think I am. You keep your money, in fact..." I said, opening a drawer of our only cabinet, "This is for you."

"What is it?" She said opening the box that I had pulled out for her.

"Just open it," I said smiling.

"You...you got this for me," she said whimpering as her eyes started to grow tears.

"Do you like them? I didn't know if this is the exact color pallet you wanted to color with but I thought this would suit you."

"I don't want it," she said, handing me back the paints I had gotten for her.

"But why not, I bought them just for you," I said, trying to get them back into her hands.

"No I don't want them," she said pouting, "Not if you have to go there to work for them."

"I'm not doing anything I shouldn't do," I said, crouching down to meet her eyes.