Unexpected Souvenir

China Mochi

Getting into China was probably one of the hardest things you've ever done in your entire life. It took forever to get the money for this trip, and then it took forever to get all of your paperwork squared away. Both your government, and the Chinese, made you fill out form after form after form to get your passport and visa.

But it was totally worth it.

Beijing is one of the most beautiful places you've ever laid eyes on. The architecture is one of a kind, and the culture is a mixture of new and old. The whole city feels that way. You'll be walking through the more recently built areas of the city and see modern wonders. Later, you'll be in an older district and see buildings proudly standing with an ancient air of imperialism.

Today you're walking through a market area looking for items on a list your friend gave you. You've been staying with her during your stay, and you decided the least you could do is get some groceries. You had thought it would be fun to go to an open market instead of some boring store, which is how you end up completely lost.

Every time you think you know where you are, something new appears and confirms your suspicions once more. You are definitely lost. On the bright side, you are getting your grocery shopping done. A bag made of sturdy material hanging from your arm has been steadily filling up with food as you try to figure out where you are. Some of it is from the list and some of it isn't. A couple of the vendors are just so convincing you can't say no, even though you don't understand half of what they're saying.

You finally begin to feel nervous when you take a turn that leads to a dead end. This is most definitely not where you're supposed to go. A quick pat to your front pockets reminds you that you left your cell phone back at your friend's house. You didn't think you'd need it, but it looks like you were sorely mistaken.

A gentle breeze tugs at your clothes and hair, and also makes you cough. The air quality isn't great in Beijing. You decide to turn back and try to ask for directions. It has been something you've avoided doing because your Chinese isn't the best, but you've run out of options. You either risk being laughed at or wandering around for another hour.

You retrace your steps for a while to try to get back to the stall where you bought some bok choy. The vendor had been very nice to you, and you thought he would be the best person to for ask directions. You walk a little while longer and slowly become more panicked as you do. It shouldn't be taking this long to get back to the bok choy stall.

Suddenly, a delicious smell fills the air around you, and you turn your head to see where it's coming from. A small restaurant with an open front is situated between two seafood sellers. You take another deep breath through your nose, and the scent of cooking food makes your stomach growl loudly. You've spent so much time trying to figure out where you are that you didn't notice how hungry you are. It wouldn't hurt to stop for lunch and get directions after that. Maybe the restaurant owner will help you out.

You walk under a small canopy covered in red cloth and sit in a chair around a long front counter. Just like the outside view of the restaurant implies, it's not a very big place. There are only a few other people here and they're sitting further down than you. They give you wary looks before going back to their food. You've been getting looks like that a lot since you've arrived in China. It's probably because you're very obviously not Chinese.

"Nín hǎo! Huānyíng lái dào wǒ de cāntīng! (Hello! Welcome to my restaurant!)"

The abrupt loudness of the voice makes you jump up in surprise. You look around to see where the voice came from, but you don't see anyone other than the two people from before.

"Zhèlǐ! Kàn zhèlǐ, aru! (Down here! Look down here, aru!)"

You do as the voice says, and you're surprised to see a round object smiling widely at you from the counter. It has a long brown ponytail and dark brown eyes, which shine excitedly at the sight of another customer.