Mae Li had loved Chen Zhu for years, and he loved her. As she
turned eighteen, she held high hopes that the matchmaker would contract their
marriage. The matchmaker chose someone
else for Mae Li, so she knew that the same had happened to Chen. She was beyond
distraught.
When Chen told her he would not disgrace his family even
though he loved only Mae, she knew she could never marry anyone else. As a
token of his love and a parting gift, Chen gave her a precious comb encrusted
with pearls that had belonged to his grandmother. Mae could not stay and watch
Chen marry another nor could she marry the brash man chosen for her, so she ran
away to Shanghai with only her few clothes and no money.
A naïve and penniless young woman from a small country
village did not do well in a city teeming with all types of people. She was
almost kidnapped by a brothel owner, but escaped. Starving, she searched for an
honest way to earn food, but none appeared.
When she was at her weakest, she took out her ancestor
tablet and prayed to her ancestors to help her. By this time she was so weak
from hunger and exhaustion, she could not rise. She had a sense of someone
pulling her up—an old woman—and knew nothing but being shaken awake to be fed a
bitter soup. Each time she woke, she was stronger.
Finally, Mae Li realized she was strong and left the bed.
When she did so, she met the woman who had saved her, Mrs. Tan, the Shanghai
matchmaker. Her hostess explained that she had seen Mae Li in a dream and
sought her. As fanciful as this sounded, Mae believed her, for how else had the
woman found and rescued her?
Mrs. Tan asked Mae to serve as her apprentice for one year
before she decided whether or not she would stay. Mae spent the next twelve
months learning to read and write, to judge which partners would make a happy
match, and to learn all the things she needed to become a matchmaker.
At the end of the training period, Mae changed her name to
Pearl because she was a different person. She assumed the role from the dying
Mrs. Tan. Before she passed away, Mrs. Tan gave her a magic coin that would
help her for generations to come across the world—until she chose her own
successor.
Pearl had agreed to remain alone in exchange for her power
and position, but she was content. She took
pleasure in helping make happy matches for her clients. After many years, a man
knocked at her door. She was shocked to see Chen Zhu.
His wife had died and he had come to search for Mae Li, who
told him she now went by Pearl. He was pleased to see she wore the pearl
encrusted comb. They exchanged a kiss and embrace, but Pearl told him of her
duty. Knowing they would love one another for all eternity, they parted. The first time was for his duty; the second for hers. But this
time, Pearl knew only peace because she was loved and had a purpose.
This story is a Prequel to The Power of the Matchmaker
Series – 12 stories in 12 months
BROKEN THINGS TO MEND by Karey White, January 2016
NOT ALWAYS HAPPENSTANCE by Rachel Anderson, February
IF WE WERE A MOVIE by Kelly Oram, March
LOVE IS COME by Heather B. Moore, April
FOUR CHAMBERS by Julie Wright, May
O’ER THE RIVER LIFFEY by Heidi Ashworth, June
CHASING FIREFLIES by Taylor Dean, July
BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN by Michele Paige Holmes, August
MR. WRONG by Janette Rollison, September
TO MOVE THE WORLD by Regina Sirois, October
KING OF THE FRIEND ZONE by Sheralyn Pratt, November
THE REFORMER by Jaima Fixsen, December
You can find this poignant story at Amazon http://amzn.com/B013FIOAE0
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