Chapter 4

"There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.

There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.

You feel it, don't you?"

(Jalal al-Din Rumi)

"Azad amca, here's the change you asked for."

Hearing Efe's voice, Yin Chu quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and placed the frame where he had found it.

The young man came bustling back into the shop, carrying a dark clothes pouch in one hand and a fine copper tray with three glasses of hot tea in the other.

"Ah! Good boy. Put it here." Azad said, pointing to a low table not far from them.

Yin Chu looked curiously at the golden colour of the drink. It was lighter than the mint tea he had just drunk, and its aroma was reminiscent of the caramelised fried fruit that Wei Mei Te had prepared for him as a child.

Guided by that childhood reminiscence, and without realizing it, he hypnotized his way towards the glass, greedily sniffing the fragrant tea.

"Wait! It's not complete." Efe stopped him, before he could take the glass.

Yin Chu looked strangely at the boy in front of him, who in turn was looking at him with a good-natured smile plastered on his face.

"Let Uncle improve it." The boy concluded, motioning with his hands and fingers as if moving them to the rhythm of the music that only he could hear.

Azad had walked away in the meantime; when he returned, he was carrying a saucer on which he had placed some roots and twigs. Yin Chu stared at them in bewilderment.

Did Azad want to put those things in the tea? He wondered doubtfully.

"Cinnamon, cloves and ginger." The man explained, pointing one by one to the items lying on the saucer.

"What are they for?" Yin Chu asked curiously.

"Mehmet's apple tea is good but not very tasty. These spices will enhance the flavour."

"And they will help you relax your nerves, melt away accumulated stress, and relieve muscle pain after running," Efe added, listing with his fingers the benefits he would reap from drinking the hot drink.

"Efe..." Azad interrupted him with a note of caution in his voice as he added those little bits to the tea.

"Azad amca, let me show off some of the wisdom you have instilled in me over the years. I don't want my new friend here to think I'm just a pretty package, devoid of the gift inside." Complained the boy, crossing his arms in a gesture of annoyance.

Azad let out a chuckle as he stirred the liquid in the three glasses.

Yin Chu looked in astonishment at the boy who was pretending to be offended. He had just called him 'friend' even though he had only known him for a few minutes, even though he knew nothing about his background, even though he knew that he had no money.

In retrospect, Efe, Ayaz and Azad were doing their best for him without expecting anything in return. If they had been like his so-called friends, the dummies his parents demanded he hangs out with, he would have been unceremoniously brought back to the fold by now.

Lost in his considerations, he did not notice that Azad was handing him a glass of tea with both hands.

"Oh...Xièxiè nǐ," he said supersensibly, seeing the glass in front of him.

"What did you say?" Efe asked, both eyes wide.

"Uh? Ahh...Xièxiè nǐ means thank you in Mandarin."

"Ah! I get it. That would be our teşekkürler."

"Excuse me?"

"Teşekkür...oh, never mind. I'll have time to teach you Turkish. Now is not the time. Come on, take out the spices and taste your tea."

Yin Chu didn't have to ask twice. He grabbed the glass, took out the spices floating in it, and then took a sip of the golden drink. Multiple flavours enveloped his palate like a comforting balm.

The sweetness of the apple mixed with the sharpness of the orange, the smoothness of the cinnamon aroma mixed with the spiciness of the cloves and the freshness of the ginger. All his taste buds were stimulated with a single sip. And the knot she felt at the base of her stomach melted away as if by magic. Even though it was still scalding, he didn't take long to finish it.

"Easy! You don't want to burn your tongue." Azad warned him with a small smile.

"It's too good. It reminds me of the caramelised fruit my bǎomǔ used to make me when I was a kid."

"Your...? Who's that? Your sister?" Efe asked with a strange glint in his eyes.

"No, she was my nanny." Explained Yin Chu, handing him the picture frame he still held close to show his new friend, the only joy in his life.

"See, that's her." He said, pointing to the middle picture.

"Azad amca, do you know Kuş's nanny?" Efe asked after observing the smiling face of the girl in the picture.

"Yes. She was my salvation when I moved to Nanjing. She prevented bad people from ruining my shop. She then took care of me, teaching me the language and many things about Chinese medicinal herbs. A pure soul." Explained the man with a smile on his face and a veil of melancholy in his eyes.

"What a coincidence! And now you've met his darling."

"It is no coincidence. Allah sent him to me so that I could finish my work through him." Azad affirmed enigmatically.

"What do you mean?" Efe asked, confused.

"One should never rush the answers. All will be revealed in due time."

Yin Chu contemplated the man at his side. He was certainly very old, but his benevolent gaze and open smile gave him a certain jaunty boyish air. His salt-and-pepper hair and beard framed a complexion the colour of leather, and his aquiline nose gave him a noble air. His bearing and way of speaking made one think of ancient times, of wisdom far away in time. It was the first person who had fascinated him so much; watching him closely, he could see many of the qualities of his bǎomǔ in him again.

Just then, Azad turned to look at him in turn. "''Yin Chu, why don't you go change? If you go through that door, you'll find a small bathroom." Azad proposed, handing him the garment case brought by Efe. Yin Chu took the case and, at a slow pace, headed in the direction indicated by the man.

When he had entered the shop earlier, he had not noticed the presence of the door. As he got used to the dimness of the shop, he realised that it was bigger than it looked and that it wasn't even as battered as he thought. It just looked a bit messy.

Carefully he passed a couple of large earthenware jars and entered the bathroom. Carefully he placed the case over the small sink. He slowly pulled down the zip and froze to look at the contents. He looked at the garish red waistcoat that stood out above the strange dark clothes.

Rather uncertainly, he took off his soaked shirt and wrinkled trousers and put on the strange clothes. After a few minutes, he hesitantly walked out and joined the two people who were happily conversing.

"How wonderful!"

Yin Chu looked at Efe, who was staring at him with wide eyes and hands clasped in front of his mouth. He felt rather awkward wearing those clothes and wasn't sure if he had worn them properly. With an uncertain step, he approached Azad.

"Um...How...Do I look okay like this?" He asked, unsure.

Azad stood up and positioned himself in front of him.

"Not really." He said, extending a hand towards him but stopping instantly. "Here, actually, you should put the sash on...Fix your shirt there..." Yin Chu tried to follow the directions but to no avail. Finally, Azad asked him, "Can I do it?"

"Yes, please." He nodded with a sigh of relief.

Azad removed the fiery red sash he had tied around his waist. He adjusted the strange shaped dark blue trousers and the same colour shirt over his shoulders, wrapped the wide sash around his waist, closed it at the side, and finally closed the gaudy bright red waistcoat with golden decorations on the front. [1]

"Now that's better." He said, looking at the final result.

"I'm sorry the clothes are a bit loose on you. Dad is much bigger in the shoulders and belly. But I must say you look wonderful, Kuş." Efe exclaimed, all delighted.

"Why do you keep calling me...Kuz?"

"Ahah, it's Kuş, not kuz. It means little bird. Does it bother you that I call you that?"

"N-no, no. I was just wondering why you called me that."

"Because you look like a scared little bird right now. You see, among us friends, we always give each other nicknames. Even Ayaz gave me a nickname..."

"Salak." A deep voice from the doorway interrupted him.

The newly-named boy returned with a calm step and his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. A satisfied smile lit up his face.

"What does that mean?" Yin Chu wanted to know, contemplating Ayaz's smiling face.

"Wonderful creat..."

"Stupid." He hastened to correct his friend before bursting into laughter.

"How come you're so cheerful all of a sudden?" Yin Chu asked in amazement.

"I just thought back to the look on the faces of those four oafs when we managed to load them into the back of a truck bound for Bursa." Confessed the boy as he continued to laugh.

"We...?" Efe asked, puzzled.

"Yes," the boy said, having regained control of his giggles. "I found Sevilen amca shopping at your father's. When I explained the situation, he immediately called his sons to help me out. We tracked down the men in black and, with an excuse, took them out of the bazaar and loaded them into the truck."

"You...hurt them?" Yin Chu asked anxiously. After all, those men were just doing their job. He didn't want them to be hurt because of him.

"No, don't worry. I'm against unnecessary violence." Said the young man, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah! His grim look is enough to make people walk away instantly." Efe teased him again.

"Do you want me to shove you into a jar?" Ayaz said to him, looking at him with the famous grim look.

"There it is! Did you see it?" Efe asked him before hurriedly walking away.

"Come here!" Ayaz exclaimed, trying to catch him.

"You won't catch me... Ouch!" His escape was suddenly interrupted by someone at the door.

"Burada ne yapıyorsun, Efe?" (What are you doing here, Efe?)

"Kız kardeşim!" (Sister!)

Yin Chu peered towards the door to see who the new person was. He noticed that Ayaz's shoulders stiffened imperceptibly for a moment at the sound of that voice. Then he saw Efe walk slowly back in, his back never to the door. Turning back, he collided with Ayaz's muscular chest and stopped.

Yin Chu looked at the spot where the boy looked a little scared and saw a girl about his age. Two black pearls framed by long eyelashes, flowing hair that fell wavy past her shoulders, a complexion that was slightly darkened by the sun, and an elegant slender figure made it impossible to take his eyes off her.

"Baby girl! Come, what a nice surprise!" Azad exclaimed as soon as he saw her at the door, walking towards her.

The girl looked at the people present with a strange air, she lingered with her gaze on her clothing, but as soon as she noticed Ayaz's figure behind her brother's, she lowered her eyes and blushed slightly.

"Can I help you?" Azad asked, trying to regain her attention.

"Huh? No, mum sent me to find Efe. We knew he would sneak in here, but since he's not answering his phone, we got worried." Explained the girl.

"I'm a grown man myself. What do you want to happen to me?" Efe asked with his chin raised in a defiant tone.

"Well! You could get two slaps from me, for example." Ayaz replied, resting a hand on his head to bring it down.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" complained Efe, trying to break free of the older boy's grip.

"Why would I?"

"Because we're broth...ouch! Friends. Because we're friends." Efe quickly ran after receiving a dirty look from his sister and a pinch on the arm from the boy behind him.

"Tan, come. I would like to introduce you to Yin Chu." Li interrupted Azad, escorting the girl right in front of him.

"Oh! Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Tan, and I am Efe's younger sister." Said the young girl, offering him her hand.

Embarrassed, Yin Chu bowed stiffly.

"Nice to meet you." He replied in one breath while keeping his head down.

"You made an impression, little sister." Said Efe with a grin.

"What?" Yin Chu raised his head suddenly, risking a collision with Tan. "No, no no, that's not it, she didn't impress...I mean, she's stunning, but she didn't...Someone help me!" He let out, seeing that he was doing more harm than good with his words. He felt like he had offended both Tan and Efe and made a bad impression in front of those who were so kind to him.

"Ahahahahah! You should see yourself; you look so funny right now. Your skin has turned every possible shade of red. You're even redder than my dad's suit."

Efe's laughter infected everyone present. Yin Chu, relieved not to have offended anyone, laughed in turn.

"Ah! That's why I thought I recognized them. Efe, couldn't you have given him something better?" Tan commented after calming down.

"Why? He looks great."

"Yes, but the clothes are too big for him." Tan objected.

"Don't worry, I'll take him shopping later."

"Any excuse to hang around. Shouldn't you be in the lab helping your mother right now?" Ayaz asked.

"Huh? I'll call her and tell her I have an emergency."

"Don't even think about it. You're coming away with me now. I'm not going to slog alone." Tan intervened, grabbing him by the ear before he could pull his phone out of his jeans pocket.

"Ha ha ha! Sis, have mercy. I have to help a friend in need."

"You will help him after you finish your work. Azad amca, we are going. See you tomorrow." Said the girl dragging her brother towards the door. "Yin Chu, it's been a pleasure; I hope to see you again." She said with a warm smile on her mouth before turning to look at Ayaz with her cheeks dyed red and giving a quick nod.

"Ah! That boy will never get his head on straight." Ayaz commented after the two brothers exited the shop. "Azad amca, I'm going too. I just had to run a quick errand, and I overstayed my welcome. Little Yin Chu, take care."

"T-thank you for what you did for me."

"Don't mention it." He said before walking away while nodding his hand in greeting.

"Then my Sumac, we'd better go and buy some clothes and necessities before we go home," Azad said, as soon as they were alone.

"I will pay you back by working, I promise." He affirmed, bowing again to his benefactor.

"Don't think about that now. You've had enough worries for one day." The man reassured him, getting him up.

Continuing to talk, they walked out of the shop. Azad closed the shutter and then led the way for him to the exit. The sun outside was particularly bright, especially after being in the half-light for so long. The light and heat seemed more intense but more benign than when he had entered the bazaar.

Yin Chu felt lighter than ever. He took a deep breath of air and let a sigh of relief escape his lips.

He should have felt worried, anxious, or lost, but none of those feelings surfaced in his heart. All he could feel was peace and the knowledge that he would finally live as he wanted to.