Page 10

The next morning, Anyu awoke to the crisp chimes of bicycle bells on the street.

She sat up, disoriented, surprised at the dark attic, the beds, and the warm air.

Then she remembered finding Isaac in the jewelry shop and her job in the showroom.

She sprang up. Esther, brushing her wavy golden hair, told her to change into a decent dress.

She didn’t have one, so she dug out her best summer tunic—one of only two she owned—and put it on.

In the kitchen, the aunts were brining cucumbers and carrots and cleaning. Anyu gobbled down two pieces of bread and was ready to sell jewelry.

When she entered the showroom, it was still early.

The sun had just come out; the shop wasn’t open yet.

Near the empty shelves, Esther and Samuel were holding boxes with jewelry labels, watching Uncle David speak to a man wearing a green cloth cap.

He was here to collect protection fees, he said in Chinese.

Uncle David handed him a thick envelope and a bottle of vodka before ushering the man out.

Anyu would learn later that the Mandelburgs, denounced by the Bolsheviks, were no longer citizens of Russia and lived in Shanghai as stateless people.

Their jewelry shop had no protection from the Russian consulate run by the Soviets, nor from law enforcement in the French Concession, the French police.

They were obliged to obey the Chinese law, but with the Nationalists’ shaky control of the city and lack of proper policing, the Mandelburgs were targeted by robbers and thieves in the crime-ridden city.

To protect their valuables, they had submitted to the demands of the Green Gang, a massive gangster organization, who promised to provide safety for their shop on condition of monthly protection fees.

After the gangster’s henchman left, Uncle David let out a long breath and locked the front door. Esther urged Samuel to hurry up, and the two began to open the jewelry boxes. Then came a knock on the shop door.

“I’ll get it,” Anyu said.

“Don’t!” Esther said, leaning over the counter to see who was knocking. “Oh. It’s Mr. Walters, Uncle David.”

“Samuel, could you tell your father to come over?” Uncle David said and opened the door.

In came a middle-aged man with closely set green eyes, a round face, and round glasses that made him appear like an owl, flanked by four tall Indian men wearing turbans—the Sikhs.

A suitcase in hand, Mr. Walters scanned the showroom and gave Anyu an inscrutable look.

“Good morning, Mr. Walters. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” Isaac appeared from behind the curtain and led him to the meeting area.

Without a reply, Mr. Walters sat down, took out a small black pouch, and shook the contents onto a black velvet tray Isaac had provided—diamonds.

White diamonds, yellow diamonds, already cut, at least a dozen of them, some with a high level of clarity and producing brilliant fluorescence in the shop’s blazing light.

Isaac studied them with a loupe and a flashlight and nodded.

Mr. Walters presented another pouch, out of which tumbled rubies, emeralds, amethysts, and jade, gemstones in a spectacular show of color, which Isaac likewise examined.

Then he reviewed and signed a notebook Mr. Walters handed to him.

Finally, Mr. Walters buckled up his black suitcase, rose, and headed to the door, the four Sikhs following him.

The entire process was conducted with no verbal interaction except Isaac’s greeting.

“Is he the supplier?” Anyu asked Esther once the men left.

Isaac, holding the pouches, went inside the house.

The shop’s front door was locked again; Esther, Samuel, and Uncle David continued unboxing and displaying jewelry inside the glass cases.

It might be her imagination, but Anyu thought the gemstones’ delivery had enlivened the showroom.

“None of your business,” Esther said, limping toward a cabinet, holding a box.

“Is he deaf?”

Esther frowned.

“I knew it!” A deaf supplier. How unexpected.

“The shop will open soon, let’s get to work.”

“What can I do?” Anyu asked.

“Stay where you are,” Esther said. They were efficient, placing the pieces on stands lined with black and red felt and tucking a slip of paper marked with a price underneath.

It seemed there was a meticulous order about the setup.

Some locations were for rings and necklaces, some for brooches and pins.

When all was ready, Uncle David and Samuel returned to the workshop, Samuel grumbling about his stomachache.

The two aunts came in with their market bags; Esther opened a desk drawer near a shelf, withdrew a few bills, and handed the grocery money to one of the aunts.

It appeared Esther was in charge of the family’s finances.

Anyu leaned closer to the glass shelves; nestled inside were beauties of the finest designs, which she would come to learn in every detail: platinum brooches with crushed diamonds around sapphires and rubies, gold necklaces with pendants in rhombus, rectangular, and other geometric patterns, intricate earrings with thread-fine filigrees and gemstones, gold watches mounted with rose-cut diamonds, cigarette cases graced with ocean-blue enamel and flaming-red tinder cords, and silver-plated music boxes decorated with a brilliant-yellow sunburst.

“Do not touch anything.” With a key from her belt, Esther locked the glass case Anyu was studying.

“I won’t.”

“I mean it. If you touch anything without my knowledge, you leave.”

Anyu wondered why Esther had such an abrasive manner. She would have liked to befriend her. She had never made any friends. “I won’t.” Then she realized: “If I’m not allowed to touch anything, how do I show the jewelry to the customers if they want to see them?”

“You don’t take them out of the case. You tell me. I’ll take care of the customers.”

Anyu nodded. “I plan to sell a piece of jewelry today.”

Esther put her hand on her waist and tilted her head.

She looked as though she was about to laugh.

Her countenance was an envious image of symmetry and perfection, with large gray eyes, a smooth oval face, and a well-proportioned straight nose.

Anyu, who loved to sketch scenery to illustrate a certain emotion, thought she could draw Esther’s face right there, her visage inciting a feeling of awe and a deep sense of worship.

She was the most beautiful girl Anyu had seen.

“Only one? How about two?” Esther said.

“We’ll see,” Anyu said. “I like all these pieces. They are beautiful. Who made them?”

“My father.”

“All by himself?” She hadn’t realized one man was capable of designing and crafting all of the jewelry.

“He’s a dedicated man, and he’s a master jeweler.”

“How did he make them?” Those engravings, those designs, and those chains and clasps. It was a fine show of sophisticated craftsmanship.

Esther fixed her sharp eyes on her. “I wish I could answer your questions, but I’m busy. Could you move aside?”

Anyu retreated to the tall shelf along the wall, but then Esther came to open a cabinet and waved her away. She inched to the side to get out of her way. The space behind the counter was enough for six people, but apparently, it was too small for both of them.

At nine o’clock, when the golden sunlight poured onto the shop’s window, and carts and pedestrians streamed past on the street outside, Esther unlatched the door and flipped over the wooden sign to “Open.” Then she stood beside Anyu behind the counter with an aggravated look that needed no more explanation.

Anyu held herself straight. If she could sell a piece of jewelry on her first day, then Esther would be friendly to her. Maybe she could even sell something without talking to anyone.

An hour passed, and not a single customer entered the shop. Esther glanced at the clock on the wall, frowning.

Finally, a fickle flow of customers arrived—two tall foreigners in suits and fedoras.

Astoundingly, Esther greeted them with warmth and joy as if she had known them for ages.

Her face bloomed, her eyes brightened, and her lips curved into a smile.

Even her voice changed—it became as smooth as honey, intoning a mixture of Russian and Chinese.

The way she talked was graceful, warm, and polite, complimenting the customers’ taste; it was as though they were her friends or neighbors.

“What’s the occasion? A birthday? Fabulous .

.. Yes, this necklace has all the femininity and beauty, with the timeless charm of Edwardian jewelry.

Is this something your wife loves? Not sure?

Well, if you’re looking for something modern, the Art Deco design is quite fashionable .

..” Esther went on to talk about the platinum ring with a sleek marquise-cut sapphire, the perennial appeal of filigree jewelry, the perpetually popular bowknot motifs, and the allure of black onyx earrings with enamel.

In the end, the two foreigners purchased the sapphire ring she’d recommended.

Anyu didn’t say anything, but if this was the way to sell a piece of jewelry, she wouldn’t be able to sell anything in three months, or three years.

She had no idea about jewelry trends or what an Art Deco design meant, and she did not possess the charm, patience, or grace that Esther had. She had so much to learn.

“How much is this?” A Chinese man with glasses was pointing at a pair of earrings near her.