Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (25 page)

When dinner was almost over and we were
peeling our fruit for dessert, Niang suddenly ordered Ah Yee to bring the package lying on her dressing table. My heart leapt when I saw my aunt’s familiar handwriting. Then I noticed with a sinking feeling that the package had already been opened.

‘We have here a package sent to you by your aunt,’ Niang began with a smug smile. ‘It contains some
very
interesting material!’

‘The package was addressed to me,’ I protested bravely. ‘May I ask who gave you the right to open it?’

Her smile vanished in an instant. ‘You are insolent and obnoxious! How
dare
you ask such a question? We opened it because your aunt is not to be trusted. She’s a wicked woman who is out to destroy her family.’

‘I don’t agree,’ I began. Seeing the sharp frown on my father’s face, I quickly added, ‘But you are entitled to your own opinion, just as I am to mine.’

She gave a cynical laugh. ‘I’m not about to argue with someone as stupid as you! See for yourself.’

Trepidation rose quickly somewhere in my stomach as she handed me the package. I had a sudden foreboding of something dangerous lurking within, a mysterious object beyond my comprehension. Otherwise, why was Niang leering and
capering as she dug her tentacles ever deeper into my heart? Worst of all, I had to cope with this situation alone, without help from anybody. Certainly not from my father.

‘What’s in the package that can be so bad?’ I thought as I took it in my sweaty hand, trying to reassure myself. I looked up at Niang and glimpsed a chilling smile on her face. Was it
triumph
I saw written all over her features? What was she celebrating? Why was she so happy?

I had once seen a cat beside a pond, waiting to pounce on some hapless goldfish swimming in the water. I thought with something akin to horror, ‘Niang is enjoying this! But why?’ Then I plunged my hand bravely into the package. Initially, my fingers felt nothing but a tangled nest of shredded paper padding. After groping around for a while, I finally pulled out a small, oblong, cardboard box.

At first I was relieved, thinking I had worried over nothing. But then I opened the box. Inside was a pair of glittering silver flying wings; the same wings that the American pilot, Ted Lawson, had torn off his shirt and given to me on the night of his rescue. As I stared at the badge with my mouth half-open in alarm, I heard Niang’s cold voice saying, ‘What
is
this and where did it come from?’

I pulled every scrap of shredded paper out of the package to look for Big Aunt’s letter, but there was none. ‘Didn’t Big Aunt send a letter with this box? Where is it?’ I asked.

‘Answer me first!’ she commanded.

‘How would
I
know?’ I said in a deliberately nonchalant voice. ‘What do
you
think it is?’

‘You and your aunt are playing with fire!’ she said menacingly. ‘Your father and I think this badge must have belonged to one of the American pilots. On the back of it are the words “US Army Air Corps”. If the Japanese find this in our possession, all of us will be given the death penalty!’

A shiver went down my spine. When I looked at Niang’s cold, beautiful face, I felt a spasm of panic and fear. If I wasn’t careful, something dreadful would happen. ‘What does Big Aunt say in her letter?’ I persisted desperately. ‘She sent it to
me
! It’s
my
letter! Let me have it!’

‘Your father tells me that your aunt’s godmother lives in Nan Tian. He visited that island many times as a boy, and has even been to Grandma Liu’s house. He thinks your aunt must have been involved in some way with the Americans. Your aunt is a bad influence. In fact, she’s downright dangerous! Your father and I have decided that you are to have nothing more to do with her.’

A chasm opened and I could hardly breathe. I
wanted to scream, but a voice in my head told me to remain silent. Then Father said sadly, ‘Big Aunt has always been patriotic, but this time she has gone too far. She must have helped the American airmen who crash-landed on Nan Tian Island.’

‘What’s wrong with that?’ I asked defiantly. ‘Whose side are you on anyway? Japan, or China’s ally, America!’

‘How
dare
you speak to your father in that tone of voice!’ Niang exclaimed. ‘You are getting more and more insolent! Without your parents, you are
nothing
! Do you hear me?
Nothing!
’

‘I may be nothing,’ I replied, seething with rage, ‘but I want Big Aunt’s letter. She sent it to
me
, not
you
!’

Without a word, Niang got up from the table and gave me a resounding slap on my right cheek. Then she slapped my left cheek with the back of her hand, as hard as she could.

‘Get out of the room! From now on, you are not allowed to see Big Aunt ever again. If you do, I will send you to an orphanage. Your problem is that you have bad blood from your dead mother. If you are smart, you will never mention a word to anyone about this emblem. Forget that you ever saw it. This goes for you too, Ah Yee!’

‘What about Big Aunt?’ I asked. ‘Are you going to tell the Japanese about her?’

‘That’s none of your business!’ Niang said ominously. ‘As far as you’re concerned, your aunt has gone away and will never come back. Your father and I will decide what to do with this emblem.
And
with your aunt! Now get out!’

Ah Yee came into my room later that night and found me crying. She sat at the edge of my bed and burst into tears herself.

‘I’m worried about what Niang might do to Big Aunt,’ I told her. ‘My stepmother is up to no good.’

Ah Yee wiped the tears from my cheeks, bruised and swollen from Niang’s slaps. ‘Miss Ye Xian! How did things reach
this
awful state between you and your Niang! What will become of you?’

‘Please help me!’ I pleaded. ‘I must go to Nan Tian and rescue my aunt. I have friends who will help me. I have money. Remember the little red packages of money we children get from grownups during Chinese New Year? Father gave me a porcelain piggy bank a few years ago and told me to store all my money in it in case of an emergency. Well,
this
is the emergency!’

I rummaged through my drawers until I found my piggy bank. Without any hesitation, I broke it in half against the window sill and emptied its contents on my bed. Ah Yee counted the money
with me and we were thrilled to find a total of 48 yuan (dollars) and 60 fen (cents).

‘There is no going back now,’ I said. ‘Breaking my piggy bank was like breaking free from my parents. I’ll leave the broken pieces on my desk, with a note telling them mat I’ve gone to look for my aunt and not to worry about me…’

‘But you are still only a little girl of twelve,’ Ah Yee protested. ‘How do I know you’ll be safe?’

‘I know the food market where you shop every day. If I need you, I’ll send someone there to contact you. I’ll show them a photo to recognize you by. The person will say the code words: “Little green horse”. You must answer: “Old green horse”…’

‘How did you come up with “green horse” as a code?’ Ah Yee interrupted.

‘Easy! We were both born in the year of the horse! Green is my favourite colour, and yours, too. I trust you, Ah Yee. Don’t look so worried. When I grow up, I’ll take care of you. I promise.’

‘Just look after yourself and be very careful!’ she sighed.

I packed a few of my most intimate possessions and stuck them in my school bag with my books. First of all, I took my black leather diary, and then my imperial yellow growth chart, toothbrush, pyjamas, underwear, and a group photo taken a
long time ago when I was a baby. It showed my mama, my father, Big Aunt, Ah Yee and me having a picnic in the garden behind our house.

I slept very badly because I knew it was the last night I would spend in my father’s house. Next morning, I ate breakfast at the usual time, took my school bag as if I was going to school, and went to the Martial Arts Academy instead. The boys had already left, so I found Grandma Wu alone. One look at me and she told me I needed to sit down.

We sat opposite each other and I poured out my tale of woe. As my story progressed, she became increasingly alarmed.

‘Do you know what your stepmother is planning to do with Lawson’s flying wings?’

‘Not exactly. I only know that she hates my aunt and plans to harm her.’

‘Is there any possibility that she might betray your aunt to the Japanese?’

I winced. ‘There’s
every
possibility.’

‘Then your aunt’s life is in danger. She must go to Chungking as soon as possible. Although the Japanese are angry at the Americans for invading their homeland, they resent us Chinese even more for helping them. Our agents have informed us that the Japanese high command in Tokyo is planning to do something dreadful to the people living on the coast of Zhejiang Province. They want to
punish them so severely that nobody in China would ever dare help the Americans again.’

‘Is Big Aunt still in Nan Tian?’ I asked, deeply afraid.

‘I fear she’s still looking after her godmother, Grandma Liu, in Nan Tian. I sent her a letter by pigeon immediately after your father took you back. I told her you missed her and that she should write directly to you at your father’s address since you’d be living at home. In her return letter she mentioned that there were many more Japanese soldiers in Nan Tian. Since then, I haven’t heard from her or my son.’

‘I wish I’d never asked for Big Aunt to write to me at my father’s address. Oh, Grandma Wu! If only I could turn the clock back! I’m so worried. Will she be all right?’

‘I don’t know,’ Grandma Wu replied gravely. ‘These are troubled times. I’ll send my son an urgent note by pigeon today. Maybe he’ll be able to give us up-to-date information. For now, let’s talk about you. What are your plans?’

I sprang out of my chair and knelt in front of her. ‘Please don’t force me to go home! I beg you. My parents have forbidden me to see my aunt ever again. I would rather die than go home to my stepmother!’

‘Calm down and sit in your chair. Let’s analyse
the situation. Since you have no intention of living with your Niang ever again, you must go into hiding at once. Let’s wait and see what your aunt wants you to do before deciding on anything else. She might even want to take you to Chungking with her.

‘For the time being, you can stay here with me and the boys. Obviously, you can no longer go to school or show your face around the neighbourhood. Never answer the phone, and beware of every knock on the door. This is a matter of life and death, not only for you, but for all of us.

‘Instead of school, I want you to work out a rescue plan to get the American fliers out of Bridge House. Don’t look so worried! Remember, the best cure for worry is to do something positive. Fearing the worst for your aunt is actually worse than the worst that can happen to her. That’s because fear is endless and formless, whereas even the worst outcome has an ending.’

I felt a surge of pride that Grandma Wu had faith in me to come up with an escape plan. ‘What have you heard about the captured Americans?’ I asked.

‘Altogether, eight airmen were captured. We must never forget them! They have risked their lives for China and are our benefactors
en ren
, (
). Five of the eight came from the plane
Bat out of Hell.
Ivanov has provided Marat with their names: Bill Farrow, the pilot; Bobby Hite, the co-pilot; George Barr, the navigator; Jake DeShazer, the bombardier; and Harold Spatz, the engineer-gunner. Their plane ran out of fuel in Japanese-occupied territory and all five parachuted into the waiting arms of Japanese soldiers.

‘The other three fliers were from the
Green Hornet
which ran dry less than four minutes from the coast. Their plane crashed into the sea and broke apart a short distance from shore. Two of the crew died in the crash. The three who survived were Dean Hallmark, the pilot, Robert Meder, the co-pilot, and Chase Nielsen, the navigator. Chinese guerrillas hid them at first, but they were betrayed and captured by the Japanese.’

‘How are they being treated?’

‘Terribly! Ivanov tells us that all eight are now locked in a single cell crawling with lice, rats and bugs. They haven’t been allowed to bathe, shave or change their clothes since their capture. They have to sit cross-legged on the floor, without talking or moving or even leaning their backs against the walls. Otherwise they get beaten. Food consists of maggoty rice and a few pieces of bread. Their cell is so small there isn’t even enough floor space for everyone to lie down at the same time to sleep at night. They have to take turns. A naked light
bulb hangs from the ceiling and burns twenty-four hours a day. Their “toilet” is an open wooden bucket in one corner overflowing with excrement. Two of the airmen have already come down with dysentery and beri beri.’

‘We must get them out!’

‘Their cell has a barred window 25 feet above the prison garden. The garden in turn is surrounded by a wall 30 feet high and faces a busy street.’

‘What are the bars made of?’

‘Solid steel. Here’s Ivanov’s diagram of the layout of their cell. Study it carefully. We need you to come up with a plan!’