It was the end of April and the tourists had started to return. Once more the streets were filled with the hum of excited chatter in all languages. The spring storms were shorter as were the gentle drizzles that fell now and then. Clouds gave way to clear skies more often now, warming the streets with the pleasure of spring.

Dee freshly washed and in decently cleaned clothing made her way onto the streets, stomach growling. It had been two days since she had last eaten more than a mouthful and she had no money. While she had made the little box of sweets last as long as possible, the treat had no chance at ever filling her up. Today she planned on getting one of those wonderful noodle soup bowls from Mr. Tang's cart. She salivated at the thought of the rich hot broth and thick noodles. Hopefully Mr. Tang would be very busy today so she could have a chance at slipping away with one of the bowls.

The day was early yet and Dee had to bide her time till lunch. There was plenty of traffic in and out of the bakeries and she was able to follow a few tourists who had purchased some of the "curious" delicacies the bakeries had to offer. For her diligence she was rewarded with a still warm sweet bean bun and a couple almond cookies. Still the small amount of food barely took the edge off her hunger. But it was almost lunch and she would get a bowl of soup.

Mr. Tang's cart was doing very good business when she arrived. It wasn't as crowded as she would have liked, but hunger drove her on this day. At the cart with him was a woman Dee thought to be his wife. She ladled out the bowls and placed chicken, beef, or pork on top before placing them under the pick up sign.

When the opportunity presented itself Dee rushed over and grabbed the closest bowl. Before she could make her escape, a hand closed over her wrist, causing her to spill hot broth on her hands and arms. She wanted to cry out in pain, however Mr. Tang cut off the chance by shaking her till she dropped the bowl.

"You try steal from me?" he asked in his thick accent. "Answer me or I call cops!"

Dee stood as still as she could wishing she could melt away and back to her bed. This was bad. This was very bad. If the cops came she would be taken to an orphanage, perhaps even back to Westside. She tried to think of something to say or do to change the situation.

"That's it! I call cops!" Mr. Tang said, straightening to shout for someone to get the cops.

"Please forgive my student. She seems to have gotten excited over the prospect of being allowed to get lunch for us today," a gentle voice said placing a hand on Dee's shoulder. She flinched, but remained silent. "She ran off before I could give her the money to pay. Please, how much for the bowl she took?"

Mr. Tang looked at the newcomer with obvious distaste. He had wanted to call the cops on this girl for a long time. The problem was he had never caught her stealing from him though he was positive she did. Looking at the fine silk robes the man who had interfered wore Mr. Tang decided to make the best of the situation.

"Six dollars," he said daring the man to challenge the obvious exorbitant price.

"Very well," the man said handing over the cash. "Again, I apologize. Come. Let's go find our lunch elsewhere." With that the man bowed to Mr. Tang and led Dee off, holding her hand in his.

Dee was frightened and confused at what had just happened. The strange man looked at her kindly enough, yet the grip he had on her hand was iron strong. She tugged to try and free herself to no avail. Her weapon was out of reach, tucked into a hidden pocket inside her sweater and she had no chance of reaching for it before the stranger noticed.

"You did not want the slop that man served. I will take you for a real lunch. Would you like that?" he asked looking down at her as they walked.

He was tall and dark black hair, like most of the residents of Chinatown. His hair, however, was neatly pulled back in a queue and he wore the mustache she had heard referred to as a Fu Manchu. Soft brown eyes watched her from under thick bushy eyebrows. Though the man was obviously Chinese, his accent was not as pronounced as many of the people she had heard. His voice was soft, almost musical as was his laugh when he heard her stomach growl.

"I will take that as a 'yes', little one." He said no more as he turned up the steps to a large building that looked as if it had been flown over from China. "Welcome to my home," he said stepping out of his shoes before entering.

Following his example Dee quickly took her shoes off and followed him inside. Her eyes had grown as big as saucers as she looked around the inside of the main hall. The sound of a tongue clicking in disapproval turned her attention from the décor to a woman standing in the doorway to the next room. The woman looked Dee up and down shaking her head at what she saw. Dee now felt terribly out of place as the woman came hurrying over to her.

"You are a mess! When was the last time you had a bath?"

"Be easy, Li Mei. This is the one I was telling you about. Please take her and make certain she is presentable for lunch?" the man said.

"Very well." She shook her head as she placed hands lightly on Dee's shoulders. "Come along. We have hot bath for you and clean clothing." Throwing a look over her shoulder at the man, Li Mei ushered Dee out of the entryway and off to the baths.
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