A Thread Unbroken (14 page)

“Chai, what are we going to do? They’re going to let that old hag take her, and you know what she’ll do with her.” They had returned the baby and her basket to the place beside the bed, but when hours went by without Mother showing the baby any attention, they had taken her out of the room.

“We don’t know that for sure, Josi. Maybe the boys were just making up stories—but I don’t want to take the chance. We have to find a way to convince Lao Chan that a girl will benefit his household.”

Hours after the sun set, Lao Chan and the boys came in, tired from the long day fishing. When he discovered his wife had given birth, he was very excited, but his glee quickly evaporated when he looked at the child snuggled in Chai’s arms.

“It’s your fault. You with your stubborn ways and sharp tongue—you brought bad luck into our home.” With that he stomped away, leaving Chai shaking and speechless.

He stayed behind closed doors with his wife for an hour before he came back out and told them the baby would leave in three days. He had heard from another fisherman that the old woman was tied up in an emergency case that would take that long before she could make it back out to the water village. Chai knew he’d wait for the woman, as he made it clear with his actions that he didn’t want to touch the baby girl.

Chai tried to talk sense into him, but he shushed her up and told her to mind her own business, then slammed the door on his way outside.

Tao was the only one of them who showed the baby girl any attention or appreciation. He came and welcomed her to the family, and the baby wrapped her tiny fist around his finger and made him chuckle. But even he was too afraid of his father’s wrath to voice his opinion on the status of the child’s gender and imperfection.

Bo, once hearing that it was a girl, didn’t bother to even look at her. Instead he taunted them with comments about the “swim” his little sister would soon be taking and how they’d better hurry and say their good-byes. Chai could see Josi visibly wince at the veiled threats Bo dropped as he paced around the room, doing his best to intimidate them as they hurried to finish their chores.

Even though the girls were tired from waiting on Mother, cooking for the family, and taking turns caring for the baby and the small boys, neither of them could go to sleep for want of looking at the petite infant. They had already worked out which of them would get up first with her and then would alternate shifts. But they both hoped she would sleep for at least a few straight hours. They had also whispered to Tao to stay away lest he wake her up.

“I’m so angry, Chai. They want to get rid of her. We can’t let them take her.”

The child lay between the girls on their pallet. The receiving blanket had disappeared, and they had wrapped her as warmly as possible in one of Lao Chan’s old, worn shirts. After cutting a bigger hole in the bottle nipple, they had gotten her to eat enough to satisfy her big appetite. It took some practice, and the first session was a huge mess, but they had gotten the hang of squeezing a bit into her mouth, pausing to let her swallow, then squeezing again. Now she lay staring alternately at them, her eyelashes fluttering innocently.

“Look at her long fingers, Josi. She looks like royalty. Let’s name her.”

“We should really wait until her one month is up, then announce her name and give out red eggs—but I guess that won’t happen. So what should we name her?”

Chai picked the baby girl up and cradled her close. “Hmm, you agree she has royal hands, right?”

Josi giggled. “Chai, I never know what you will come up with next.”

Chai put her finger to the tip of the baby’s nose. “I hereby name you Zetian, after the famous empress who became the first female emperor. She was known for her fairness to the lower classes, and she campaigned to raise the status of women. But we shall call you Zee until you grow into your majestic name.”

The baby looked solemnly at Chai, as if she understood an important event was taking place.

“How do you know so much? Is that all true?”

“Yes, Josi. My father told me all about her, and then I read a book about her. Zetian even instructed famous scholars to write biographies of women, because she wanted more female history recorded. He said I’m like her because I’m headstrong and independent, and he told me I’m smart enough to be a leader myself one day. You, me—even baby Zee—we can
be
something, Josi. We don’t have to be content to work as house slaves in this stinking village, or anywhere, for that matter. I’m going to be a writer, you wait and see.”

“My father has always told me that I need to be able to cook and clean better than anyone, because no one will want to marry me, and I’ll be lucky to get work as an
ayi
in a rich household.”

“Josi, your father is old-fashioned and sees things the way it used to be. Outside of our village, in the bigger cities, people
think differently. There your limp won’t even be noticed. You can do anything you want! Have a career, get married—whatever. Do you know that my aunt is a manager in a bank in Ningde? She has her own apartment and isn’t even married. All we need is an education. Don’t let anyone tell you to settle for less, Josi, because you’re smart and beautiful.”

Josi smiled shyly. “I don’t dream to be a manager or have a big career or anything like that. I just want to find someone who will love me for who I am. You give me hope, at least. And I agree with your father, Chai. You’re very smart—and stubborn.” She laughed briefly, but then her smile fell, and her eyes filled with tears. “Do you think our families have looked for us?”

“Josi! Of course. Why would you even doubt that?”

“
Wo bu zhi dao.
My father always said he wished I were a boy, to help him more with the chores. I think it would be easy for him to forget me.”

“Well, I know my father will never forget me. And I know he’s looking for us and will never stop. If he doesn’t find us in this stinky fishing town, we’ll find our way home one day, Josi.”

Between them, the baby girl let out a long, throaty burp and then started at her own noise. The interruption lightened the mood, and the girls giggled again.

“She’s got a lot of personality, this one.” Chai tickled the tiny foot that continued to kick right next to her nose.

“I love the name Zee. But do you think we should really name her, since she’ll be leaving so soon?”

“Yes, she is officially our little Zee. Believe me, Josi; we won’t let them harm her. Trust me. I’m working on a plan.” Chai pursed her lips together, thinking through the details. She wasn’t ready to share them yet, for she was still deciding if it would work.

“She looks like a tiny doll.” Josi used her finger to stroke Zee’s eyebrows until the little girl’s eyes slowly shuttered closed, her long eyelashes lying softly against her cheeks. Josi nudged Chai and put her finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. They both snuggled down under the covers and moved as close to Zee as possible to share their body heat.

“Good night, Chai.”

“Good night, Josi,” Chai whispered back.

“Goodnight, Zee,” they both whispered in unison and then giggled softly.

J
un and Josi’s father sat outside their houses, leaning back in their bamboo chairs, smoking their long brown cigarettes. Jun had waited until his friend stopped bragging about the new business venture he was putting together and the car he had finally been able to afford before he brought up the subject of the girls. He was tired of pretending interest when all he wanted to do was discuss their next steps to finding their daughters.

“We have to find them, Shen.” Jun blew smoke rings and watched them float toward the moon.

“I know, but what else can we do? The police are no help at all.”

“There has got to be something else—someone else that we can call. I have followed the path from where I was working that day, through town and back home at least twenty times. I have asked every shopkeeper, and no one saw them. How can that be?”

“When do you find time for all of this, Jun? Aren’t you working?”

“Yes, I’m working. I go in before the light of day and get off at dark, but in time to talk to the shopkeepers before they close for the night. They all know me by now and start shaking their
heads when they see me in their doorways.” Jun used the heel of his boot to dig a small hole in the soil—back and forth he dug, deeper and deeper, lost in thought.

“Last week I called that man from Beijing who started a website for missing children. He posted Chai’s photo on there, and you need to get me one of Josi to send to him, too. He also drives a van around with the photos blown up and posted on the side of it—he stops in different cities and hands out fliers. Maybe someone will see her photo and recognize her.” Jun leaned forward in his seat. “They found a little boy last week who was stolen from outside his mother’s shop. Some man had brought him home and told his wife the boy was his child, born from his mistress. Can you believe that? Just stole the boy and tried to pass him off as his own! But he’s home now. I saw the reunion on the local news. It was something, Shen.”

Shen sighed. “Jun, I must tell you, people in the village say you bring too much trouble with all of your coming and going to the officials. They’ve asked me to talk to you and convince you to let it go. Do you think maybe they ran away? We worked Josi fairly hard, caring for the little ones and helping out her ma. And she had full responsibility for the animals while I worked. Perhaps she was tired and wanted to be free.”

“
Bushi.
At fourteen years old, you think they would do that? Chai would never run away. She was happy, even doing her chores. And she is much too smart to do something so stupid. Chai is destined to be a great woman.”

“
Aiyo
, Jun. How do you know this? They are but girls, and though we are very sad to lose Josi, it is not like losing a son. It has been over a year now. You must let go and move on with your life. You have aged so much—you’re killing yourself with this
useless chase.” Shen took a final drag on his cigarette and flicked it into the grass.

Jun stood and faced his neighbor, his eyes flashing with anger. “Never say that to me again, Shen, or I must cease to call you friend. I will never give up looking for Chai. I don’t care what my neighbors think. Don’t you know the saying ‘A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion?’ And the world is different now. Women hold up half the sky. Where would you be if not for your mother? Would you let something terrible happen to her and then go on with your life like it never happened?”

Jun’s hands hung in tight fists at his sides, shaking with rage. “Josi is your child, man. Speak sense when you talk to me, or keep your mouth closed. My daughter is as good as any son, and probably better. And what have you done to help find them? Nothing!”

Shen stood up, nose to nose with Jun. “Don’t tell me what to say. We have lost more than you, for who is there to help us now with all of our children, and to cook and clean? Feed the pigs? You only have one other child in the house now—not much work to do. You didn’t lose much.” He turned and stomped away, back to his own home, muttering one final shot, “You need to let this go, Jun.”

Jun sat back down in the chair and stared at the moon and the stars. Only his shaking hands gave away his barely controlled anger at his ignorant neighbor. He had always been a peaceful man, but he was changing. There was a fire building in him as each day passed. For just a moment, he wished he could put his hands around Shen’s throat and squeeze—just for one glorious instant. As a matter of fact, he was fighting a strong urge to
run through the path and down to the canal, a need to demolish everything in his way.

Why am I the only one still trying to find the girls? Why?
He fought to calm himself, not wanting to wake his youngest daughter. Finally, after many deep breaths, his heart rate slowed, and he leaned back.

He whispered, “Chai, I know you are out there somewhere, maybe even staring at the same moon. I won’t forget you, and I will
never
give up. Be strong, and be smart, like a mighty emperor. Take care of Josi, and find your way home, daughter.”

Hours later, when Wei came to check on her husband, she found him asleep in the chair facing the moon, the same place she had found him every evening since that day—keeping watch and waiting for Chai. She sighed, then went back inside and returned with his heavy quilt, tucked it around him, and returned to bed.

W
ei stopped at the guard shack and showed the young man the photo pass hanging from the lanyard around her neck. He feigned interest and then waved her through. He yelled and beckoned for her to hurry and get out of the way for the dark sedan that was coming around to pull through the gates.

Watching him stand at attention in his rumpled and too-large suit, Wei marveled at how the guards for the rich expat houses continued to get younger and younger.
Do the foreign residents really think the boys are any good as security when a strong wind could literally blow them over?
However, Wei knew that for the young men, who most likely did not have the means for an education, getting this work was a windfall for their families.