The fruit arrived, and so did the laughter.
A Plate Ready to Carry
Lan had arranged the fruit twice before she was ready to carry it inside.
The first time, the grapes hid the peach. The second time, a leaf from the peach lay across the strawberries. Now the peach sat in the middle, with grapes on either side and the strawberries gathered near the front.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Her older sister Yue leaned over the plate. “I can see every strawberry.”
“And the peach?”
“The peach seems very pleased with its place.”
Lan smiled. She had promised to bring the fruit to the family table, and she wanted everyone to see it before they began choosing pieces.
She slid both hands beneath the plate. Yue went ahead to hold the beaded curtain at the doorway.
The Curtain Says Hello
“Ready?” Yue asked.
“Ready.”
Lan lifted the plate. It was heavier than she had expected, but the fruit stayed where she had put it. She walked carefully towards the doorway, watching the peach and the two bunches of grapes.
The curtain made a soft clatter as Yue raised one side. Lan stepped forward.
A strand of beads swung back and brushed the green leaf above the peach.
“Oh,” Lan said, stopping at once.
“Did something fall?”
“No. But the curtain touched the leaf.”
Yue looked at the plate. The leaf had tipped to one side, though the fruit beneath it had not moved.
“I can lift the curtain higher.”
She raised her hand. Most of the strands followed, but a few still hung down across the middle of the doorway. They swayed gently in front of Lan.
“I think they want to see the strawberries too,” Yue said.
A Way Through
Lan held the plate steady. “Could you move those ones to the side?”
Yue gathered the loose strands with her free hand. One slipped between her fingers and tapped the others.
“That one is still looking,” she said.
Lan laughed, then pressed her lips together to keep the plate from shaking.
“Let me try again.” Yue caught the last strand and held it with the others. A clear space opened beneath her arm.
“Is that enough?”
Lan looked at the space, then at the plate. “I think so. Please keep it there.”
She took one careful step, then another. The peach passed the curtain, followed by the grapes and the last strawberry. Once she was inside, Lan set the plate on a small table beside the door.
Yue let go. The beads fell back into place with a cheerful rattle.
Both sisters looked at the curtain. Then Lan examined the fruit.
“The leaf moved,” she said.
“Only a little.”
Lan straightened it above the peach. “Now it’s ready again.”
An Announcement for Fruit
Together they carried the plate to the family table. Lan held one side and Yue held the other. As they entered, their aunt looked up from the cups she was setting out.
“We heard you arrive,” she said. “What made the curtain so noisy?”
“It was welcoming the fruit,” Yue replied.
Lan placed the plate in the middle of the table. “It nearly welcomed the peach leaf first.”
Their aunt looked at the neatly arranged fruit. “Did everything arrive safely?”
“Every strawberry,” Yue said.
“And the peach is still pleased with its place,” Lan added.
Their aunt chose a grape and admired the plate before anyone else reached for it. Lan pulled up a chair beside Yue. From the doorway came one last small clink as the beads settled.
“That must be the final announcement,” Yue said.
Lan took a strawberry. “Then we can begin.”
Livora Gracely ♥
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