Part 4, Chapter 9

In a town by the sea

Ch 9 

After growing weary of travel, Xun and Renping found themselves in a large city near the sea. Xun was immediately taken with the bustling port area, Renping agreed wholeheartedly. There was something calming about the sea. She couldn’t remember ever spending much time near the water, but now that she and Xun had decided to settle here for a bit it felt like a missing piece of her had been returned. 

“Renping! Look at this!” Xun held up a string of coral teething beads. They had been polished so smooth that they gleamed like satin in the golden afternoon light.

“They look lovely, why don’t you get them and then we’ll go and have a rest at the tea house across the street,” Renping said. She was a little worried that her friend had wanted to take this shopping trip today. Xun’s belly had swollen to the point where it looked disproportionate to her tiny frame.

“Alright, you worry wort,” Xun said with a serene smile. “I’m lucky you let me come out this long. Let’s have tea and then we can return to the pharmacy.”

Renping sighed in relief. The little pharmacy the two girls worked at had become very popular of late and Renping didn’t like to leave it for long. Renping had enjoyed learning from the doctors that came and went at all hours and Xun had been practicing delicate earth magic to improve the freshness and quality of the ingredients the pharmacist sold. 

Xun and Renping finished their drinks and applauded the story teller who worked at the tea house. He wasn’t very good, but it had been a long time since the two girls had enjoyed outside entertainment. 

As they walked back Xun leaned heavily on Renping’s arm. “Renping… I think we should hurry,” she said. Her breath was coming fast and heavy as her steps slowed.