Disney Princess Beginnings by Disney Book Group

Author:Disney Book Group
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2020-01-06T16:00:00+00:00

“I’m only joking!” Mulan said. “The matchmaker would certainly make us eat them raw,” she added with a grin.

“Excuse me.” The matchmaker’s voice cut through the room. Mulan froze. She’d been so caught up in laughing with her friends, she hadn’t noticed the matchmaker enter.

The matchmaker sneered at Mulan. “Silk weaving is one of the most treasured and special skills in China. Silk thread can be used for clothes, for paper, for fishing line, to trade for other items…If you are skilled in raising silkworms and crafting silk, it could benefit you and your family in countless ways. It is not a joke.”

Mulan blushed. As if she needed to disappoint the matchmaker further!

The matchmaker continued to speak about the marvel and beauty of silk, explaining how it came from silkworms that fed on mulberry leaves, and how merchants would travel for miles and miles to purchase the fabric. At least some of this was information Mulan didn’t know, and she paid attention with interest, despite her embarrassment. The lectures the matchmaker gave were usually the only time Mulan ended up learning anything.

When it was time for the activity of the day, the matchmaker had each girl take a small reel and a bucket of the fuzzy silkworm cocoons. After soaking the cocoons in hot water, the girls unraveled the filaments onto their reels. Mulan worked, her nimble fingers twisting the fibers into threads. She had always loved watching her grandmother weave silk, enchanted by the fact that from these worms and their cocoons, something so unexpected could be produced.

When the matchmaker finally called, “Time is up, girls,” Mulan had wound a tight figure eight of silk. Na had not managed nearly so much.

A thrill ran through Mulan as she admired her work. She was certain that she had made more thread than the rest of the girls…until she saw where the matchmaker was now standing: next to Ying, who had managed to reel more than double what Mulan had produced. How was that even possible? Mulan had unwound all the cocoons she’d been given!

But the matchmaker was praising Ying again, without even a glance in Mulan’s direction. Mulan supposed she should be proud of what she had accomplished, but now another day’s lessons were over and still no one was close to equaling Ying. Even if there was no besting her, it would be nice to at least learn some of what she knew. Mulan could see a similar disappointment in Jin’s, Chen’s, Na’s, and Mei’s faces as they headed toward the door. Mulan remembered that she wanted to speak to them about her idea. “Wait up,” Mulan called to the girls.

She gathered her belongings, pushing down her disappointment with the day’s lesson. When she turned around to leave, she ran smack into Ying, who was looking into her bag on her way out. Both girls stumbled, falling to the ground.

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