Bitter Winds (7 page)

“W
atch out, Lily. We’re entering a disaster zone,” Ivy grumbled as she guided her sister around another row of electric scooters. “Yesterday this whole block was cleared out, but today the bikes are back.
Aiya,
they don’t give us any room to walk without falling into the street!”

It was expected. The local police took trucks around Wuxi every day and confiscated thousands of bikes parked illegally. People had to pay fines to get them back, but then the next day or so the trucks moved on to patrol different areas and the bikes were right back where they started. Ye Ye was saying more and more that there simply wasn’t enough space in the city for all the commuters—bikes or cars. With their new place, they were no longer protected by the quaintness of Beitang. Now they were in the busier area and Wuxi was bursting at the seams. With all the new foreign companies coming in, expansion would only continue to happen until one day it would be in the leagues of Suzhou and Shenzhen.

Ivy tried to slow down, but Lily continued to drag her along,
oblivious to the many obstacles in their path. Ivy was glad they lived on the quieter side of town, but even so they still moved within a constant state of chaos from so many people squeezed into such a tight space. There were times that Ivy dreamed of seeing the sparsely populated mountains and villages that others were able to visit on national holidays. One day—she swore to herself—one day she’d also have the money to travel and see the world.

Lily gave Ivy’s arm another tug. “Come
on,
Ivy. We’re wasting half the day just getting there. I don’t have to move so slowly. You’re supposed to be my eyes . . . so do your job.”

Ivy could tell her sister was teasing her again. They’d called a truce only a few days ago after Lily had awakened screaming from another nightmare and Ivy had comforted her. Now each of them was trying not to set off the other. Ivy just wished that Lily would slow down. But almost overnight, her sister wanted to experience everything. For years she’d been content being sheltered because of her blindness, but in the last few months she’d turned into a different person. Ivy felt like she was losing her sister and she didn’t like it. Without Lily, she was nothing and would serve no purpose in the world.

“Do you think there will be other musicians there?” Lily asked.

“I don’t know. From what I remember of last year’s festival, it’ll mostly be vendors. I think the religious ceremony for the Wuxi founder, Taibo, was yesterday. But today they’re having a huge erhu display. I saw in the paper they’ll show how the instrument is made and even give lessons on how to use it.” Ivy nudged her sister. “Want to learn a new instrument?”

“No. I’ve barely grasped this one. I sure don’t need to move on to a new one.”

Ivy knew that wasn’t true. Her sister was a born musician and played like an angel.

They arrived at the bus stop just as it pulled up to the curb. Ivy guided Lily to get in line behind the others waiting to board. She was glad they were at the back so no one would shove them to move faster. They were headed to the Wuxi Wu festival and Lily had brought her violin, trusting it to Ivy for safekeeping.
With so many little street thieves around, Lily wasn’t safe holding it.

Ivy wished they didn’t have to go to the festival. They’d told Nai Nai they were going to help Linnea at the shop, and she hoped they didn’t get caught in a lie. Lately in her quest for experiencing new adventures, Lily was getting her into too many possible snares.

Finally everyone in front of them had boarded the bus and Ivy led Lily to the steps. She quickly placed her hand on the handrail.

“We’re at the door. It’s three rungs. Up now.”

Lily stepped up and paused.

“And again,” Ivy said, coming up right behind her.

Lily stepped again.

“And one more time and turn left.”

Ivy looked around the bus to see it was jam-packed.
There wasn’t an empty seat to be found. People looked at them curiously and Ivy felt her cheeks flush. It was obvious to them that Lily was blind from the white cane she carried, even if they hadn’t noticed her eyes that stared out at nothing.

But did anyone offer up their seat?
No, of course not.
Ivy felt like cussing all of them as if they were dogs but she kept her voice even for her sister. “Lily, the bus is full. We’ll have to stand.” She guided Lily’s free hand to a handgrip hanging from the ceiling. “Here, let me hold your cane.” Lily handed her the cane and Ivy juggled the violin case as she folded the cane and tucked it under her arm.

“Hold on to the back of this seat with your other hand.” She ignored the look of disgust the guy in the seat shot at them and held back the urge to tell him her sister wasn’t contagious. Instead she put Lily’s hand securely on the headrest behind his neck just as the bus driver stomped on the gas, almost throwing both of them off their feet before they caught their balance.

Lily laughed but Ivy didn’t. She bit her lip to keep herself from going up and knocking the driver upside his head for his careless driving.

The passenger who’d given them the disgusted look was now staring rudely at Lily. “So, can they fix her eyes?” he asked.

Ivy felt the heat rush up her neck.

“Um . . . my eyes are—,” Lily started to answer, but Ivy put her hand on her shoulder and interrupted, directing her anger at the stranger.

“Forget about her. What about you? They might be able to fix her eyes someday, but you’re out of luck because they can’t fix stupid.” Ivy glared at the man, daring him to say another word. Luckily he looked away.

Lily leaned her head toward Ivy. “You don’t have to get so worked up, Ivy. It really doesn’t bother me.”

Ivy didn’t trust herself to answer. Some people were so inconsiderate. And stupid.

A few stops later and finally the bus pulled up in front of the pavilion.

“We’re here,” Ivy said, and put her arm out for Lily to grab.

Together they got off the bus and Ivy led the way to the gates. All around them music blared and people crowded together, slowly moving through the many stands of foods and collectibles.

“I smell some good street food.
Mmmm
. . .
is that turnip dumplings?” Lily said, shuffling along. She put her nose
higher into the air and sniffed. “I can smell all the different treats, but tell me what you see.”

Ivy looked at her sister and saw the smile on her face. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t overwhelmed. It was crowded, loud, and hot. But Lily was enjoying it! Her sister was nuts. She sighed. “I see too many people—that’s what I see.”

Lily laughed. “What else, grumpy?”

“Besides the hordes of people, there are vendor stands selling everything. Cricket cages, hand-carved whistles, stick candy—oh, there’s a woman over there selling sunglasses.” Ivy turned her sister in that direction. “Come on, we’re getting you a pair.”

Ivy hurried Lily over to the table and picked up a pair of knockoff Ray-Bans.

“How much?” she asked the vendor, a small woman wearing a huge red apron and a wide-brimmed straw hat to keep the sun off her face. The woman stood behind the table, straightening the rows of sunglasses.

“Fifty reminbi.”

“Tai gui le,”
Ivy said. “These aren’t even real!” She wasn’t paying that, but she hoped the woman would come down to something she could afford. She was tired of all the stares Lily’s blank eyes attracted. They’d never needed to shield her eyes before, but now that they were venturing out more every day, Ivy wanted her to have some privacy.

“You say how much.” The woman put her hands on her hips, starting the bartering game.

“Fifteen,” Ivy answered.

“Just forget it, Ivy. I don’t need them,” Lily whispered to her.

Ivy felt a rush of irritation. Leave it to Lily to wimp out. Her sister hated conflict, even if it was only a means of negotiation. Ivy thought briefly about the story their Ye Ye always told them when they asked how he’d chosen their names. He’d chosen her name because she was strong and stubborn like the vines growing on the side of their home. But Lily was named for her delicate and quiet nature, just like a lily swaying in the wind. She had to admit, he’d pegged them just right.

The woman took the sunglasses from Ivy’s fingers and put them back on the table. “
Aiya
. You’re too cheap. Go away.”

“Fine. I’ll give you twenty.” Ivy was losing patience fast with the woman. How dare she think she could get a foreigner’s price when it was obvious she was a local.

“Hao le
.
”
The woman picked up the glasses and handed them to Ivy, holding her hand out for the money. She studied Lily’s face. “
Aiya,
your sister, she looks just like you but she’s blind,
dui
?”

Ivy ignored her question like she did every time she heard it. She pulled the money from her pocket and laid it in the woman’s hands, then walked away, Lily beside her. They moved to a place out of the way and Ivy put them on Lily’s face.

“Now you look like a celebrity.” She’d used up a lot of her money, but it was worth it. She’d just have to put more hours in at Linnea’s store to earn more.

Lily smiled. “You should have gotten some, too.”

“You’re the star, not me. So let’s go find a place for you to give your concert so we can get out of here.”

As they walked around the pavilion, the music got even louder until it was almost too loud to even hear each other. Gradually they found themselves enveloped by the crowd gathering around the stage.

“It’s the Wuxi Dance Troupe. They’re doing a number,” Ivy said loudly, bringing Lily closer with her to read the sign that named the group and listed their accolades.

Ivy smiled when Lily started moving her head to the beat of the music. It amazed her how much more her sister got into the events around her when all Ivy wanted to do was go home and get out of the chaos.

“What are they wearing?” Lily hollered her way.

Ivy sighed. Even without their usual twintuition, she recognized the longing showing on Lily’s face, and Ivy knew she wasn’t going to budge until her curiosity was satisfied. “There are six women and they’re wearing long yellow satin skirts, as bright as the sun. They have on Western-style hats—you remember the kind with the big bills that Ye Ye told us cowboys in America wear.”

“What else? Are they pretty?”

“
Dui
, they’re really pretty. They’re wearing crisp ivory jack
ets trimmed in a pink as soft as the petals of a rose, and they have knotted lucky-tassels tied around their waists. All of them wear their hair long and straight. They look enough alike to be sisters!”

The girls all kicked, then jumped in unison, and those in the crowd yelled their appreciation at the precise choreography, some even whistling loudly. Ivy used her elbow to nudge back the couple moving in closer next to them. The crowd was getting thicker and she needed to get Lily out of the middle of it.

“They must be wearing slippers made of the softest leather. I can’t hear their feet hitting the stage,” Lily said.

Ivy nodded, forgetting for a moment her sister couldn’t see he
r. She watched as one by one, each girl dropped to the floor in a dramatic dying pose until the last one did one more pirouette around the stage, then joined them, the music ending abruptly. The crowd erupted in applause. The perfectly synchronized movements were so mesmerizing—Ivy wished Lily could see them.