The Street of Precious Pearls

Excerpt from Book:

At the entry of customers, numerous clerks and underlings, so it seemed to Kuei Ping, swarmed forward with greetings and formal offerings of stools upon which to sit and with cups of tea to drink. The head of the shop and his partners ?icked their long-stemmed pipes from sleepy lips and rose, as though from deep meditation, struggling a bit with the light that would penetrate into their eyes, even in the darkened room, as they bowed,offering the courtesy of the miserable place to the pleasure of their honorable guests.

The eldest among them with his own hand took from an attendant each cup of tea as it was brought and offered it with a low bow to his guest. Kuei Ping, lifting her gaze now and then from the ?oor, caught a glint of joy of the coming bargain in the corners of the shrewd old dealer's mouth and in her grand mother's eyes, even in the midst of courtesy and greeting.