Henry read it out loud:
I am a very large dragon.
My tail winds through miles and miles of mountains, deserts, and grasslands.
I protected my people from those in the North.
Now in peace you may walk upon my back and gaze out in wonder.
If you can find out when I stopped growing, you will see one of my treasures.
“There’s something else.” Henry turned the paper so they could see. In big black letters at the bottom of the page were the words, DON’T SHOW THE ARTIFACT TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU CAN DELIVER IT. KEEP IT SAFE. There was one more line in smaller letters: If you need a clue, there is one right near you.
Violet shivered. “I’m worried we can’t keep the artifacts safe.” She looked around the restaurant. “What if some of these people work for the Argents?”
“I don’t think so,” Jessie said. “I don’t know how the Argents would find out we were coming to this restaurant. I don’t know how they’d even find out we’ve come to China.”
“Should I read the second riddle?” Henry asked.
“No, let’s work on one at a time,” Jessie said.
Henry read it again.
“How could you walk on a dragon’s back?” Benny asked. “Even if dragons were real, I don’t think they’d like it if you walked on them.”
“We know dragons aren’t real, so maybe it’s something like a statue of a dragon. We could walk on the back of that,” Violet suggested.
“But a statue couldn’t be miles and miles long,” Jessie said.
“Does this riddle make sense to either of you?” Henry asked Cousin Alice and Cousin Joe.
Cousin Joe shook his head. “I can’t make heads or tails of it.”
“I can’t either,” Cousin Alice said.
Violet tried to think about the riddle, but she was distracted by all the posters on the walls. She got up to look more closely at them. There was one of some pretty gardens, and one of some boats on a river. Another showed a big wall winding across the tops of some mountains. As she stared at it, she noticed the words on the poster.
Printed at the bottom it said, Tour the great Earth Dragon of China. She stared at it and then said, “I found something. Come look.”
The rest of the Aldens joined her. Benny looked up at the poster. “That is a gigantic wall.”
“It’s the Great Wall of China,” Henry said. “We learned about it in school. It was built to protect China from invaders from the North.”
Violet pointed. “See the words on the poster? Tour the great Earth Dragon.”
A man sitting at a nearby table overheard them. “Yes, Westerners call it the Great Wall, but it has several other names. Some here in China refer to it as ‘The Earth Dragon.’”
The Aldens looked at each other, and then Henry said to the man, “Thank you. We didn’t know that.”
Jessie said to the others, “Let’s go back to our table.” She thought the man was a regular tourist, but she thought that, to be safe, they shouldn’t talk about the riddle where anyone could overhear them.
They sat back down. “That was a good find,” Henry said to Violet. He picked up the riddle again. “I think we know what the first and second lines mean now.”
I am a very large dragon.
My tail winds through miles and miles of mountains, deserts, and grasslands.
I protected my people from those in the North.
“It does look big enough to walk on too,” Jessie said. “That fits the next line.”
“Yes, it is a very strong, thick wall,” Henry said. “It was built so that, in some parts, ten men or five men on horseback could walk side by side.”
“I still don’t understand the last line,” Violet picked up the riddle and read it. “If you can find out when I stopped growing, you will see one of my treasures.”
“It took a very long time to build,” Henry said. “Hundreds and hundreds of years, but at some point they stopped building new sections. Maybe it means when it was finished.” Henry pulled out his phone and brought up a website about the Great Wall. “This says it was finished in 1644. See if that’s the code for the case.”
“Should we open the case here?” Violet looked around at all the other people in the restaurant. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, but she was still worried.
“Let’s just take a quick look and then lock it back up,” Jessie said. She punched in the code and opened the lid.
Inside the box was a small clay disc. It had a Chinese character carved into it.
“I don’t know what this is,” Jessie said. “Does anyone have any ideas?”
“No, unless it’s a piece of jewelry,” Violet suggested. “But I don’t see any way to attach it to a necklace or pin it on.”
“It looks like a game piece, like a checker,” Benny said.
“Benny is right. It does look like a checker,” Soo Lee said. “But why is there only one?”
“It’s old, whatever it is,” Cousin Alice said.
More and more people came into the restaurant. Violet looked at each person carefully. All the people were making her nervous. Any of them could be working for the Argents. “Let’s close the lid before anyone sees it,” she said.
Henry closed the lid. “Now we just need to figure out where to take this.”
The Place of Many Puzzles
“Do you think the clue means we get to go to the Great Wall?” Benny asked. “I want to walk on top of it.”
“Maybe,” Henry told him. “We’d need to know exactly where to go. The information on this website says the Great Wall is more than ten thousand miles long, though the most well-known part is only five thousand five hundred miles long.”
“Only!” Cousin Alice exclaimed. “That’s almost twice the distance between New York and California.”
“Can we hear the other riddle?” Violet asked.
Before Henry could read it, the bells on the door jingled. A young Chinese woman who looked a few years older than Henry came rushing into the restaurant. She was wearing a black beret and was dressed in all black except for a bright red scarf around her neck. She had a big black camera bag slung over her shoulder. Many customers in the restaurant greeted her like they were her friends. She looked around the restaurant. When she saw the Aldens, she waved and made her way around the tables to them.
“Hello,” the young woman said. “I’m Wenwen Li. I’m so sorry I’m late. I should have been here when you arrived.”
“It’s all right,” Jessie said. “We had some wonderful dumplings while we waited.” Jessie introduced everyone.
Wenwen sat down and said, “Tricia Silverton asked me to help you.”
“Is Tricia here in Beijing?” Jessie asked. She thought they might finally be able to figure out what was going on.
“I don’t know,” Wenwen said. “I received an email from her about you just a few hours ago. It didn’t say anything about her being in the city. After that, a messenger delivered the envelopes.” She looked down at the table. “Good, I see my father gave them to you.”
“Did Tricia tell you how you were supposed to help us?” Henry asked.
“I act as her guide when she is here in Beijing.” Wenwen took the camera bag off her shoulder and set it on the table. “I want to be a travel photographer someday, so right now I travel all over Beijing and take pictures of all sorts of interesting sites. I know the city very well, and it’s easier for visitors if they have a guide who speaks Chinese. Tricia didn’t say exactly what she wanted me to help you with, but I just assumed she meant for me to be your guide.”
“Are you any good at riddles?” Jessie asked. She already felt like they could trust the young woman.
“I love riddles!” Wenwen said.
“Good, because we have one to solve before we can tell a guide where to take us.” Henry read the second riddle.
Your path will take you on a visit to the nine dragons near the northern sea.
All are f
antastic, but only one will help you continue on your quest.
Find a dragon that is the color of the sky right before the sun rises.
There are two, but only one is roaring.
Count from the right to find his place in line.
Then find the smallest of streets that matches that place.
Your next puzzle awaits you in a place of many puzzles.
Wenwen laughed. “I see why Tricia asked me to help. I showed her the spot in the riddle. It’s a place called the Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai Park. I can take you there, and then maybe we can figure out the rest of the riddle.”
“What’s the best way to get there?” Jessie asked.
“There is so much traffic today, it would be easiest to go by bicycle,” Wenwen replied. “My bicycle is right outside, and there’s a bicycle rental place down the street.”
“Fun!” Soo Lee said. “I knew this was going to be a good trip.”
“I think Cousin Joe and I will go to our hotel while you solve this riddle,” Cousin Alice said. “We’re tired from traveling. Soo Lee can go with you though.”
“Yay!” Soo Lee cried. “I’m not a bit tired.”
“We’ll see you at the hotel then,” Cousin Joe said. “I’ll call Mary and tell her you’ll call her when you are ready to be picked up. Good luck with the riddle.”
Wenwen told Cousin Joe where they were going, and then she took the children to a bicycle rental shop. Soon they were on their way through the busy streets. The park wasn’t far from the restaurant. It was very large, full of pathways and food stands and people. There was a lake in the middle of the park with many people in boats.
“What are these pretty trees?” Violet asked as they rode along. Pink flowers were just opening up on the trees lining the paths.
“They are wild plum trees,” Wenwen told her. “Many fruit trees grew here when the park was part of the imperial gardens. That was back when China was ruled by emperors and empresses. The Nine Dragon Wall is ahead. See the bright colors?”
They came to halt in front of a long tiled wall with nine vivid dragons on it. Each dragon was bigger than a person. The dragons were like the dragon on the stamp. None of them had wings, and they all had long bodies and tails.
“That is the most beautiful wall I’ve ever seen,” Jessie said with a gasp as they got off their bikes.
“I love all the colors!” Violet cried.
“The dragons are a little scary looking,” Benny said.
“Don’t be afraid of them,” Wenwen told him. “Dragons in China are symbols of strength and good luck. They look fierce because they were supposed to be powerful.”
“Look, there are smaller dragons all around the edge too,” Soo Lee said.
“Yes, there are supposed to be six hundred and thirty-five dragons total, if you count all the dragons on both sides,” Wenwen said. “I’ve tried to count them, but I always lose track.”
“Why was it built?” Henry asked. “Was it a part of a building at one time?”
“No, it was built just like this to stand by itself,” Wenwen explained. “These kinds of walls screened the entrances to gardens and houses. All of this was part of the imperial gardens. This wall is hundreds of years old. It’s about one hundred feet long and twenty feet tall. I’ve read there is a small copy of this wall in your country, in Chicago. Have you ever seen it?”
“No,” Jessie said. “I’ve never heard of it, but now that I know it’s there, I’d like to see it.”
“You’ll have to come visit us and we can all go see it,” Violet suggested.
“Yes, and you can take pictures of it,” Benny added.
“I may do that,” Wenwen said. “I’d love to take pictures all over the United States.”
“These dragons look like they are swimming,” Soo Lee said. Some of the tiles showed waves underneath the dragons.
“They are swimming,” Wenwen said. “Chinese dragons were thought to have control over all types of water: rain, lakes, rivers, and oceans. That’s why I think they are often shown with pearls, because pearls are found in the ocean.” She pointed at some large white pearls on the tiles.
Henry pulled the riddle out of his pocket. “I’m glad we got to see this, but it’s only the first part of the riddle.” He read the next part:
Find a dragon that is the color of the sky right before the sun rises.
There are two, but only one is roaring.
Count from the right to find his place in line.
“The color of the sky before the sun rises is black, isn’t it?” Benny asked.
“Yes, it’s nighttime then,” Soo Lee added.
“There’s no black dragon,” Violet said.
“The sky right before dawn isn’t really black,” Jessie said. “Don’t you remember when we’ve walked to school in the wintertime? It’s more like a dark blue.”
Henry smiled. “I see two blue dragons.” Both blue dragons were near the center of the wall, on either side of the middle dragon, a bright yellow one.
“Another part solved!” Wenwen exclaimed. “This riddle is fun.”
“We know there are two blue dragons, but then the riddle says to find the one that is roaring,” Henry said.
“They don’t really roar, do they?” Benny asked, taking a step back.
“No,” Jessie said. “Look, one has its mouth open like it could be roaring. The other one has its mouth closed.”
“Yes, that has to be it,” Henry agreed. “The one with the open mouth looks like it is roaring. The next line says, Count from the right to find his place in line.”
Violet counted. “The roaring blue dragon is fourth from the right.”
“The next line of the riddle is confusing,” Henry said. “Then find the smallest of streets that matches that place.”
“I suppose that means something has to match the word fourth, but I don’t understand the smallest of streets. What is the smallest of streets?” Violet asked.
“A lane?” Jessie suggested. “Or a path, but that’s not exactly a street.”
“How about an alley?” Henry said.
“That’s it!” Wenwen cried. “There is a street near here named Fourth Alley.”
“What about the last line?” Benny asked.
“Your next puzzle awaits you in a place of many puzzles,” Henry read. “Do you know what that means?” he asked Wenwen.
“I don’t, but once we are there, we may figure it out.”
They hopped back on their bikes and followed Wenwen to Fourth Alley. The street was full of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. They got off their bikes and strolled down the street trying to figure out what the last line of the riddle meant.
Nothing seemed to fit until Benny stopped in front of one small shop. “Is this a toy store?” he asked. The windows of the shop were full of small colorful toy animals made of cloth and some wooden items that looked like blocks glued together. Violet wondered what animal the toys were supposed to be. They had tails and ears and were very cute, but she wasn’t quite sure if they were cats or something else.
“You’ve found it, Benny!” Wenwen said. “This isn’t exactly a toy store. It’s a puzzle store.” She translated the sign on the front. “It says Three Tigers Puzzles. The wooden pieces in the window are called wood knots. You take them apart and try to put them back together the same way.”
“Wenwen is right,” Henry said. “Your next puzzle awaits you in a place of many puzzles.”
They walked into the shop. It was packed with games and puzzles of all sorts. There were also shelves full of the same type of cloth animals they had seen in the window. An older man was behind a counter. He was busy unpacking a box of more wood knots.
Wenwen spoke to the man in Chinese. He replied in English, nodding his head at the Aldens. “Welcome to my store,” he said. “I am Mr. Yao.”
“Do you know anything about owls?” Benny blurted out.
Mr. Yao smiled. “I do not, but I welcome to my store anyon
e who does.” He pulled a package off a shelf behind him and laid it down on top of the counter. “I have a package here for a group of young Americans who may be inquiring about owls.”
“That’s us!” Violet said.
“Why don’t you go ahead and open it?” Jessie said to Violet.
Violet ripped off the wrapping. Out tumbled some wooden shapes and a sealed envelope with an owl on it. Benny counted the shapes. There were seven of them. “I know all these are triangles and here is a square, but what’s this one?” He picked up the piece. “It’s like a rectangle, but not exactly.”
“It’s a parallelogram,” Jessie said.
Soo Lee picked up another piece. “There’s writing in Chinese on this one.”
“This one too,” Henry said. When they looked over all the pieces, they realized there were Chinese characters on both sides of each piece.
“It’s most unusual,” Mr. Yao said. “I sold Miss Silverton this puzzle, so when I received it back in the mail, I was worried there was something wrong with it. Instead, it had a note enclosed asking me to hold it for some friends of hers who would inquire about an owl.”
“I can read the characters for you,” Wenwen said, “if you put the puzzle together in the right way.”
“I don’t see how this is a puzzle,” Benny said. “The pieces don’t have pictures on them.”
“This is a different kind of puzzle. It’s called a tangram and people use it to make shapes,” Mr. Yao explained. “Each piece is called a tan. It is very popular here.” He motioned to a display shelf.
It was full of puzzles just like the one the Aldens had. “Tangrams first became well known in China during a period in history called the Tang Dynasty. That was more than one thousand years ago. Each tangram can make many, many shapes depending on how you arrange the pieces.”
“The easiest one is a rectangle,” Wenwen said. She quickly arranged the pieces so they made one big rectangle.
“Can you read the words now?” Henry asked.
Wenwen leaned over. “No, it’s just random characters. We should try a different shape, though it will take a very long time to try all the shapes.”
“We need to open the envelope to figure out what to do next,” Henry said. “I’m sure there is another riddle in it.”