Slowly, Mulan reached out a hand and lifted the delicate porcelain teapot. As she began to pour the steang liquid into the equally delicate cups—without spilling—she could alst hear her ther’s shoulders sag in relief.
Obviously pleased as well, the Matchker began to speak. “Quiet. Dere. Graceful,” she listed. “These are the qualities we see in a good wife.” She paused and looked directly at Fong Lin. The won, whose quiet judgnt Mulan had felt like daggers, did not ve a scle or blink. Her eyes bored into Mulan, watching every ve with fierce attention to detail. “These are the qualities we see in Mulan.”
Be cal
Mulan repeated to herself.
Calbr />
.
Be calnbsp; even though this won see terrible and therefore probably has a terrible son who is going to give you the sa terrible look every ti you do sothing you shouldn’t, which will be always
.
Because you are not, let’s face it, quiet, dere, or graceful.
Stopping herself, Mulan put the teapot down and ved on to the sugar. She felt everyone’s eyes on her as she ved around the table, fronbsp; cup to cup.
“They say,” the Matchker went on, not bothered or nonplussed by Fong Lin’s blank look, “that when a wife serves her husband, she st be silent. She st be invisible.” She stopped. Her eyes focused on Mulan, looking for the slightest hint of a trer, the sllest exhale of breath. Mulan was silent.
As she put a final cube of sugar into the last cup, Mulan returned to her seat. She had done it. Not a drop spilled. Not a ss de. Still, she wouldn’t allow herself the chance to sigh in relief. Not yet.
“The Fong faly honors the Hua faly with this exquisite tea set,” the Matchker went on, a glier of approval in her eyes. “A gift fronbsp; the Ierial Faly.”
Mulan, Li, and Xiu bowed their heads in gratitude. While it was tradition for the Matchker to not reveal details to either faly about the other faly, there was always a way to glean a little bit. In this case, as Mulan stared at the beautiful teapot on the table in front of her, she knew that Fong Lin’s faly was well-off, at least re so than hers. The Huas’ teapot was faded and their cups stched. This new one would stand out on their threadbare shelves. The pressure to be perfect felt even greater. Mulan’s faly would benefit fronbsp; her rriage to a sessful n. She had to pull this off.
Mulan was just starting to believe she could get