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Lindo Jong
I once sacrifibsp; life to keep  arents prose. This ans nothing to you, because to you proses an nothing. A daughter  rose to e to dinner, but if she has a headache, if she has a traffic ja if she wants to watch a faorite ie on TV, she no longer has a pros.99ｌｉb.e.
I watched this sa ie when you did he Ari soldier proses to e bad rry the girl. She is g with a genuine feeling and he says, quot;Prose! Prose! Honey-sweetheart,  rose is as good as gold.quot; Then he pushes her onto the bed. But he doesnt e back. His gold is like yours, it is only fourteen carats.
To ese people, fourteen carats isnt real gold. Feel bracelets. They st be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out.
Its too te to ge you, but Itelling you this because I worry about your baby. I worry that soday she will say, quot;Thank you, Grandther, for the gold bracelet. Ill neer fet you.quot; But ter, she will fet her prose. She will fet she had a grandther.
In this sa war ie, the Ari soldier goes ho and he falls to his knees asking anirl to rry hi And the girls eyes run bad forth, so shy, as if she had neer sidered this before. And suddenly!—her eyes look straight down and she knows now she loes hi so ch she wants to cry. quot;Yes,quot; she says at st, and they rry foreer.
This was not case. Instead, the ilge tchker ca to faly when I was just two years old. No, nobody told this, I reer it all. It was suerti, ery hot and dusty outside, and uld hear cicadas g in the yard. We were under so trees in our orchard. The serants and brothers were pig pears high aboe . And I was sitting in thers hot sticky ar. I was waing hand this way and that, because in front of floated a sll bird with horns anlorful paper-thin wings. And then the paper bird flew away and in front of were two dies. I reer thebecause one dy de watery quot;shrrhh, shrrhhquot; sounds. When I was older, I ca this as a Peking at, which sounds quite strao Taiyuan peoples ears.
The two dies were looking at face without talking. The dy with the watery oice had a painted face that was ing. The other dy had the dry face of an old tree trunk. She looked first at , then at the painted dy.
Ourse, now I know the tree-trunk dy was the old ilge tchker, and the other was Huang Taitai, the ther of the boy I would be forced to rry. No, its not true what so ese say about girl babies being worthless. It depends on what kind of girl baby you are. In case, peopluld see alue. I looked and slled like a precious buncake, sweet with a good nbslor.
The tchker bragged about : quot;Ah horse for ah sheep. This is the best rriage bination.quot; She patted arand I pushed her hand away. Huang Taitai whispered in her shrrhh-shrrhh oice that perhaps I had an unusually bad pichi, a bad teer. But the tchker ughed and said, quot;Not so, not so. She is a strong horse. She will grow up to be a hard worker who seres you well in your old age.quot;
And this is when Huang Taitai looked down at with a cloudy face as though shuld pee thoughts and see future iions. I will neer fet her look. Her eyes opened wide, she searched face carefully and then she sled. uld see a rge gold tooth staring at like the blinding sun and then the rest of her teeth opened wide as if she were going to swallow down in one piece.
This is how I beca betrothed to Huang Taitais son, who I ter dered was just a baby, one year youhan I. His na was Tyan-yu—tyan for quot;sky,quot; because he was so iortant, and yu, aning quot;leftoers,quot; because when he was born his father was ery sid his faly thought he ght die. Tyan-yu would be the leftoer of his fathers spirit. But his father lied and his grandther was scared the ghosts would turn their attention to this baby boy and take hiinstead. So they watched hic;s９９ｌｉｂ.;/sarefully, de all his decisions, and he beca ery spoiled.
But een if I had known I was getting such a bad husband, I had no choiow or ter. That was how backward falies iry were. We were always the st to gie up stupid old-fashioned s. In other cities already, a uld choose his own wife, with his parents perssion ourse. But we were cut off frothis type of hought. You neer heard if ideas were better in another city, only if they were worse. We were told stories of sons who were so influenced by bad wies that they threw their old, g parents out into the street. So, Taiyuahers tio choose their daughters-in-w, ones who would raise proper sons, care for the old people, and faithfully sweep the faly burial grounds long after the old dies had goo their graes.
Because I rosed to the Huangs son fe, own faly begaing as if I beloo sobody else. My ther would say to when the rice bowl went up to faany tis, quot;Look how ch Huang Taitais daughter eat.quot;
My ther did not treat this way because she didnt loe . She would say this biting back her tongue, so she wouldnt wish for sothing that was no longer hers.
I was actually a ery obedient child, but sotis I had a sour look on faly because I was hot or tired or ery ill. This is when ther would say, quot;Su ugly face. The Huangs wont want you and our whole faly will be disgraced.quot; And I would cry re to ke face uglier.
quot;Its no use,quot; ther would say. quot;We hae de a tract. It ot be broken.quot; And I would cry een harder.
I didnt see future husband until I was eight or he world that I knew was our faly pound in the ilge outside of Taiyuan. My faly lied in a dest two-story house with a sller house in the sa pound, which was really just two side-by-side roo for ouok, an eeryday serant, and their falies. Our house sat on a little hill. We called this hill Three Steps to Heaen, but it was really just turies of hardened yers of d washed up by the Fen Rier. On the east wall of our pound was the rier, whibsp; father said liked to swallow little children. He said it had once swallowed the whole town of Taiyuan. The rier ran brown in the suer. In the wihe rier was blue-green in the narrow fast-ing spots. In the wider pces, it was frozen still, white witld.
Oh, I reer the new year when faly went to the rier and caught ny fish—giant slippery creatures plucked while they were still sleeping in their frozen rierbeds—so fresh that een after they were gutted they would daails when thrown into the hot pan.
That was also the year I first saw husband as a little boy. When the firecrackers went off, he cried loud—wah!—with a big open uth een though he was not a baby.
Later I would see hiat red-egg ies wheh-old boy babies were gien their real nas. He would sit on his grandthers old knees, alst crag thewith his ght. And he would refuse to eat eerything offered to hi always turning his nose away as though soone were hia stinky pickle and not a sweet cake.
So I didnt hae instant loe for future husband the way you see on teleision today. I thought of this boy re like a troublesosin. I learo be polite to the Huangs and especially to Huang Taitai. My ther would push toward Huang Taitai and say, quot;What do you say to your ther?quot; And I would be fused, not knowing which ther she ant. So I would turn to real ther and say, quot;Ecuse , Ma,quot; and then I would turn to Huang Taitai and present her with a little goodie to eat, saying, quot;For you, Mother.quot; I reer it was once a lu of syaui, a little duling I loed to eat. My ther told Huang Taitai I had de this duling especially for her, een though I had only poked its stea sides with finger when thok poured it onto the sering pte.
My life ged pletely when I was twele, the suer the heay rains ca. The Fen Rier which ran through the ddle of falys nd flooded the pins. It destroyed all the wheat faly had phat year ahe nd useless for years to e. Een our house on top of the little hill beliable. When we ca down frothe sed story, we saw the floors and furniture werered with sticky d. Thurtyards were littered with uprooted trees, broken bits of walls, and dead chis. We were so poor in all this ss.
Youldnt go to an insuranpany back then and say, Sobody did this dage, pay a llion dolrs. In those days, you were unlucky if you had ehausted your own possibilities. My father said we had no choice but to e the faly to Wushi, to the south near Shanghai, where thers brother owned a sll flour ll. My father epihat the whole faly, ecept for , would leae iediately. I was twele years old, old enough to separate fro faly and lie with the Huangs.
The roads were so ddy and filled with giant potholes that no truck was willing to e to the house. All the heay furniture and bedding had to be left behind, and these were prosed to the Huangs as dowry. In this way, faly was quite practical. The dowry was enough, re than enough, said father. But huld not stop ther frogiing her g, a neckce de out of a tablet of red jade. Whe it around neck, she acted ery stern, so I knew she was ery sad. quot;Obey your faly. Do not disgrace us,quot; she said. quot;Act happy when you arrie. Really, youre ery lucky.quot;
The Huangs house also sat o the rier. While our house had been flooded, their house was untouched. This is because their house sat higher up in the alley. And this was the first ti I realized the Huangs had a ch better position than faly. They looked down on us, which de uand why Huang Taitai and Tyan-yu had such long noses.
When I passed uhe Huangs stone-and-wood gateway arch, I saw a rgurtyard with three or four rows of sll, low buildings. So were for st supplies, others for serants and their falies. Behind these dest buildings stood the in house.
I walked closer and stared at the house that would be ho for the rest of life. The house had been in the faly for ny geions. It was not really so old or rerkable, but uld see it had grown up along with the faly. There were four stories, one for each geion: great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and children. The house had a fused look. It had been hastily bui and then roo and floors and wings and rations had been added on in eery whier, refleg too ny opinions. The first leel was bui of rier rocks held together by straw-filled d. The sed and third leels were de of soth bricks with an eposed walkway to gie it the look of a pace tower. And the top leel had gray sb walls topped with a red tile roof. To ke the house seeiortant, there were twe round pilrs holding up a erarao the front door. These pilrs were painted red, as were the wooden window borders. Soone, probably Huang Taitai, had added ierial dragon heads at the ers of the roof.
Ihe house held a different kind of pretehe only ni arlor on the first floor, which the Huangs used to receie guests. This rootaiables and chairs cared out of red cquer, fine pillows eroidered with the Huang faly na in the a style, and ny precious things that gae the look of weah and old prestige. The rest of the house in and unfortable and noisy with the pints of twenty reties. I think with each geion the house had grown sller inside, re crowded. Ea had been cut in half to ke two.
No big celebration was held when I arried. Huang Taitai didnt hae red banners greeting in the fan on the first floor. Tyan-yu was not there to greet . Instead, Huang Taitai hurried upstairs to the sed floor and into the kit, which ce where faly children didnt usually go. This ce fooks as. So I knew standing.
That first day, I stood in best padded dress at the low wooden table and began to chop egetables. uld not keep hands steady. I ssed faly and stoch fe bad, knowing I had finally arried where life said I belonged. But I was also detero honor  arents words, so Huang Taitauld neer ause ther of losing face. She would not win that froour faly.
As I was thinking this I saw an old serant won stoopihe sa low table gutting a fish, looking at frothe er of her eye. I was g and I was afraid she would tell Huang Taitai. So I gae a big sle and shouted, quot;What a lucky girl I a Igoing to hae the best life.quot; And in this quick-thinking way I st hae waed koo close to her nose because she cried angrily, quot;Shea bende ren!quot;—What kind of fool are you? And I knew right away this was a warning, because when I shouted that decration of happiness, I alst tricked self into thinking it ght e true.
I saw Tyan-yu at the eening al. I was still a few ialler than he, but he acted like a big warlord. I knew what kind of husband he would be, because he de special efforts to ke cry. He pihe soup was not hot enough and then spilled the bowl as if it were an act. He waited until I had sat down to eat and then would dend another bowl of rice. He asked why I had su unpleasant face when looking at hi
Oer the few years, Huang Taitai instructed the other serants to teabsp; how to se ers on pillowcases and to eroider future falys na. How a wife keep her husbands household in order if she has neer dirtied her own hands, Huang Taitai used to say as she introdubsp; to a ask. I dont think Huang Taitai eer soiled her hands, but she was ery good at calling out orders and criticis
quot;Teach her to wash rice properly so that the water runs clear. Her husband ot eat ddy rice,quot; shed say to ok serant.
Ai, she told a serant to show ho..o a chaer pot: quot;Make her put her own o the barrel to ke sure its .quot; That was how I learo be an obedient wife. I learok so well that uld sll if the at stuffing was too say before I een tasted it. uld sew such sll stitches it looked as if the eroidery had been painted on. And een Huang Taitai pined in a pretend hat shuld scarcely throw a dirty blouse on the floor before it was ed and on her bace again, causio wear the sa clothes eery day.
After a while I didnt think it was a terrible life, no, not really. After a while, I hurt so ch I didnt feel any difference. What was happier than seeing eerybody gobble down the shiny shroo and baoo shoots I had helped to prepare that day? What was re satisfying than haing Huang Taitai nod and pat head when I had finished bing her hair one hurokes? How ch happieuld I be after seeing Tyan-yu eat a whole bowl of noodles without onpining about its taste or looks? Its like those dies you see oV these days, the ones who are so happy they hae washed out a stain so the clothes look better than new.
you see how the Huangs alst washed their thinking into skin? I ca to think of Tyan-yu as a god, soone whose opinions were worth ch re than own life. I ca to think of Huang Taitai as real ther, soone I lease, soone I should follow and obey without question.
When I turned siteen on the lunar new year, Huang Taitai told she was ready to wele a grandson by spring. Een if I had not wao rry, where would I go lie instead? Een though I was strong as a horse, hould I run away? The Japanese were in eery er of a.
quot;The Japanese showed up as uninited guests,quot; said Tyan-yus grandther, quot;and thats why nobody else ca.quot; Huang Taitai had de eborate pns, but our wedding was ery sll.
She had asked the entire ilge and friends and faly froother cities as well. In those days, you didnt do RSVP. It was not polite not to e. Huang Taitai didnt think the war would ge peoples good nners. So thok and her helpers prepared hundreds of dishes. My falys old furniture had been shined up into an iressie doced in the front parlor. Huang Taitai had taken care to ree all the water and d rks. She had een issioned sooo write feliessages on red banners, as if  arents theeles had draped these rations to gratute on good luck. And she had arrao rent a red panquin to carry froher neighbors house to the wedding y.
A lot of bad luck fell on our wedding day, een though the tchker had chosen a lucky day, the fifteenth day of the eighth on, when the on is perfectly round and bigger than any other ti of the year. But the week before the on arried, the Japanese ca. They inaded Shansi proince, as well as the proinces b us. People were nerous. And the of the fifteenth, on the day of the wedding celebration, it began to rain, a ery bad sign. Whehunder and lightning began, people fused it with Japanese bos and would not leae their houses.
I heard ter that poor Huang Taitai waited ny hours for re people to e, and finally, when shuld n as out of her hands, she decided to start the y. Whauld she do? Shuld not ge the war.
I was at the neighbors house. When they called to e down and ride the red panquin, I was sitting at a sll dressing table by an open window. I began to cry and thought bitterly about  arents prose. I wondered why destiny had been decided, why I should hae an unhappy life so soone elsuld hae a happy one. Fro seat by the window uld see the Fen Rier with its ddy brown waters. I thought about throwing body into this rier that had destroyed falys happiness. A person has ery strahoughts when it see that life is about to end.
It started to rain again, just a light rain. The people frodownstairs called up to once again to hurry. And thoughts beca re urgent, re strange.
I asked self, What is true about a person? Would I ge in the sa way the rier gelor but still be the sa person? And then I saw the curtains blowing wildly, and outside rain was falling harder, causing eeryoo scurry and shout. I sled. And then I realized it was the first ti uld see the power of the wind. uldhe wind itself, but uld see it carried the water that filled the riers and shaped the tryside. It caused n to yelp and dance.
I wiped eyes and looked in the rror. I was surprised at what I saw. I had on a beautiful red dress, but what I saw was een re aluable. I was strong. I ure. I had gehoughts ihat no onuld see, that no onuld eer take away fro. I was like the wind.
I threw head bad sled proudly to self. And then I draped the rge eroidered red scarf oer faered these thoughts up. But uhe scarf I still knew who I was. I de a prose to self: I would always reer  arents wishes, but I would neer fet self.
When I arried at the wedding, I had the red scarf oer fauldnt see anything in front of . But when I bent head forward, uld see out the sides. Very few people had e. I saw the Huangs, the sa old piniies now earrassed by this poor showing, the eainers with their iolins and flutes. And there were a few ilge people who had been brae enough to e out for a free al. I een saw serants and their children, who st hae been added to ke the party look bigger.
Sooook hands and guided doath. I was like a blind person walking to fate. But I was no longer scared. uld see what was inside .
A high official ducted the y aalked too long about philosophers and dels of irtue. Then I heard the tchker speak about our birthdates and harny aility. I tipped eiled head forward and uld see her hands unfolding a red silk scarf and holding up a red dle for eeryoo see.
The dle had two ends fhting. Oh had cared gold characters with Tyan-yus he other with he tchker lighted both ends and announced, quot;The rriage has begun.quot; Tyan yahe scarf off fad sled at his friends and faly, neer een looking at . He rended of a young pck I once saw that acted as if he had just cid the entirurtyard by fanning his still-short tail.
I saw the tchker pce the lighted red dle in a gold holder and then hand it to a nerous-looki. This serant was supposed to watch the dle during the ba and all night to ke sure her e out. Ihe tchker was supposed to show the resu, a little piece of bck ash, and then decre, quot;This dle burinuously at both ends without going out. This is a rriage that eer be broken.quot;
I still reer. That dle was a rriage bond that was worth re than a Catholiise not to diorce. It ant uldnt diord uldnt eer rerry, een if Tyan-yu died. That red dle was supposed to seal foreer with husband and his faly, no ecuses afterward.
And sure enough, the tchker de her decration the and showed she had done her job. But I know what really happened, because I stayed up all night g about rriage.
After the ba, our sll wedding party pushed us and half carried us up to the third floor to our sll bedroo People were shouting jokes and pulling boys frouhe bed. The tchker helped sll children pull red eggs that had been hiddeween the bs. The boys who were about Tyan-yus age de us sit on the bed side by side and eerybody de us kiss so our faces would turn red with passion. Firecrackers eploded on the walkway outside our open window and soone said this was a good ecuse for to ju into husbands ar.
After eeryo, we sat there side by side without words for ny nutes, still listening to the ughing outside. When it grew quiet, Tyan-yu said, quot;This is bed. You sleep on the sofa.quot; He threillow and a thin bo . I was so gd! I waited until he fell asleep and then I got up quietly a outside, dowairs and into the darurtyard.
Outside it slled as if it would soon rain again. I was g, walking in bare feet and feeling the wet heat still ihe bricks. Across thurtyard uld see the tchkers serant through a yellow-lit open window. She was sitting at a table, looking ery sleepy as the red dle burned in its special gold holder. I sat down by a tree to watbsp; fate being decided for .
I st hae fallen asleep because I reer being startled awake by the sound of loud crag thuhats when I saw the tchkers serant running frothe roo scared as a chi about to lose its head. Oh, she was asleep too, I thought, and now she thinks its the Japanese. I ughed. The whole sky beca light and thehunder ca, and she ran out of thurtyard and down the road, going so fast and hard uld see pebbles kig up behind her. Where does she think shes running to, I wondered, still ughing. And then I saw the red dle flickering just a little with the breeze.
I was not thinking when legs lifted up and feet ran across thurtyard to the yellow-lit roo But I was hoping—I raying to Buddha, the goddess of rcy, and the full on—to ke that dle go out. It fluttered a little and the f bent down low, but still both ends burrong. My throat filled with so ch hope that it finally burst and blew out husbands end of the dle.
I iediately shiered with fear. I thought a knife would appear and bsp; down dead. Or the sky would open up and blow away. B;u..;/uut nothing happened, and when senses ca back, I walked bay roowith fast guiy steps.
The the tchker de her proud decration in front of Tyan-yu, his parents, and self. quot;My job is done,quot; she announced, p the reining bck ash onto the red cloth. I saw her serants sha-faced, urnful look.
I learo loe Tyan-yu, but it is not how you think. Frothe beginning, I would always bee sick thinking he would soday cli on top of and do his business. Eery ti I went into our bedroo hair would already be standing up. But during the first nths, he ouched . He slept in his bed, I slept on sofa.
In front of his parents, I was an obedient wife, just as they taught . I instructed thok to kill a fresh young chi eery anok it until pure juice ca out. I would strain this juice self into a bowl, neer adding any water. I gae this to hifor breakfast, rring good wishes about his heah. And eery night I woulok a special tonic soup called tounau, which was not only ery delicious but has eight ingredients that guarantee long life for thers. This pleased ther-in-w ery ch.
But it was not enough to keep her happy. One Huang Taitai and I were sitting in the sa roo w on our eroidery. I was dreang about childhood, about a pet frog I once kept nad Big Wind. Huang Taitai seed restless, as if she had an it the bottoof her shoe. I heard her huffing and then all of a suddeood up froher chair, walked oer to , and spped face.
quot;Bad wife!quot; she cried. quot;If you refuse to sleep with son, I refuse to feed you or clothe you.quot; So thats how I knew what husband had said to aoid his thers anger. I was also boiling with anger, but I said nothing, reering  rose to  arents to be an obedient wife.
That night I sat on Tyan-yus bed and waited for hito touch . But he didnt. I was relieed. The night, I y straight down on the bed o hi And still he didnt touch . So the night, I took off gown.
Thats when uld see what was uyan-yu. He was scared and turned his face. He had no desire for , but it was his fear that de think he had no desire for any won. He was like a little boy who had neer grown up. After a while I was no longer afraid. I een began to think differently toward Tyan-yu. It was not like the way a wife loes a husband, but re like the way a sister protects a younger brother. I put gown ba and y dowo hiand rubbed his back. I knew I no longer had to be afraid. I was sleeping with Tyanyu. He would oubsp; and I had a fortable bed to sleep on.
After re nths had passed and stod breasts reined sll and ft, Huang Taitai flew into another kind e. quot;My son says hes pnted enough seeds for thousands of grandchildren. Where are they? It st be you are doing sothing wrong.quot; And after that she fined to the bed so that her grandchildrens seeds would not spill out so easily.
Oh, you think it is so ch fun to lie in bed all day, neer getting up. But I tell you it was worse than a prison. I think Huang Taitai beca a little crazy.
She told the serants to take all sharp things out of the roo thinking scissors and knies were cutting off her geion. She forbade frosewing. She said I st trate and think of nothing but haing babies. And four tis a day, a ery nice serant girl would e into roo apologizing the whole ti while king drink a terrible-tasting die.
I ehis girl, the way shuld walk out the door. Sotis as I watched her fro window, I would igine I was that girl, standing in thurtyard, bargaining with the traeling shoe nder, gossiping with other serant girls,lding a handso deliery n in her high teasing oice.
One day, after two nths had gone by without as, Huang Taitai called the old tchker to the house. The tchker eaned closely, looked up birthdate and the hour of birth, and then asked Huang Taitai about nature. Finally, the tchker gae her clusions: quot;Its clear what has happened. A won hae sons only if she is defit in one of the elents. Your daughter-in-w was born with enough wood, fire, water, ah, and she was defit ial, which was a good sign. But when she was rried, you loaded her down with gold bracelets and rations and now she has all the elents, includial. Shes too bao hae babies.quot;
This turned out to be joyous news for Huang Taitai, for she liked nothier than to reciall her gold and jewelry to help bee fertile. And it was good news for too. Because after the gold was reed fro body, I fe lighter, re free. They say this is what happens if you ck tal. You begin to think as an indepe person. That day I started to think about how I would escape this rriage without breaking  rose to faly.
It was really quite sile. I de the Huangs think it was their idea to get rid of , that they would be the oo say the rriage tract was not alid.
I thought about  n for ny days. I obsered eeryone arouhe thoughts they showed in their faces, and then I was ready. I chose an auspicious day, the third day of the third nth. Thats the day of the Festial of Pure Brightness. On this day, your thoughts st be clear as you prepare to think about your aors. Thats the day when eeryone goes to the faly graes. They bring hoes to clear the weeds and broo to sweep the stones and they offer dulings and es as spiritual food. Oh, its not a soer day, re like a piic, but it has special aning to soone looking frandsons.
On the of that day, I woke up Tyan-yu and the entire house with wailing. It took Huang Taitai a long ti to e into roo quot;Whats wrong with her no;quot; she cried froher roo quot;Go ke her be quiet.quot; But finally, after wailing didnt stop, she rushed into rooldi the top of her oice.
I was clutg uth with one hand and eyes with another. My body was writhing as if I were seized by a terrible pain. I was quite ing, because Huang Taitai drew bad grew sll like a scared anil.
quot;Whats wrong, little daughter? Tell quickly,quot; she cried.
quot;Oh, its too terrible to think, too terrible to say,quot; I said between gasps and re wailing.
After enough wailing, I said what was so unthinkable. quot;I had a dreaquot; I reported. quot;Our aors ca to and said they wao see our wedding. So Tyan-yu and I held the sa y for our aors. We saw the tchker light the dle and gie it to the serant to watch. Our aors were so pleased, so pleased….quot;
Huang Taitai looked iatient as I began to cry softly again. quot;But then the serahe roowith our dle and a big wind d blew the dle out. And our aors beca ery angry. They shouted that the rriage was dood! They said that Tyan-yus end of the dle had blown out! Our aors said Tyan-yu would die if he stayed in this rriage!quot;
Tyan-yus face turned white. But Huang Taitai only frowned. quot;What a stupid girl to hae such bad drea!quot; And then shelded eerybody to go back to bed.
quot;Mother,quot; I called to her in a hoarse whisper. quot;Please dont leae ! I aafraid! Our aors said if the tter is not settled, they would begin the cycle of destru.quot;
quot;What is this nonsense!quot; cried Huang Taitai, turning back toward . Tyan-yu followed her, wearing his thers sa frowning face. And I khey were alst caught, two ducks leaning into the pot.
quot;They knew you would not beliee ,quot; I said in a rerseful tone, quot;because they know I do not want to leae the forts of rriage. So our aors said they would pnt the signs, to show e is now rotting.quot;
quot;What nonsense froyour stupid head,quot; said Huang Taitai, sighing. But shuld not resist. quot;What signs?quot;
quot;In drea I saw a n with a long beard and a le on his cheek.quot;
quot;Tyan-yus grandfather?quot; asked Huang Taitai. I nodded, reering the painting I had obsered on the wall.
quot;He said there are three signs. First, he has drawn a bck spot on Tyan-yus back, and this spot will grow a away Tyan-yus flesh just as it ate away our aors face before he died.quot;
Huang Taitai quickly turo Tyan-yu and pulled his shirt up. quot;Ai-ya!quot; she cried, because there it was, the sa bck le, the size of a fiip, just as I had always seen it these past fie nths of sleeping as sister and brother.
quot;And then our aor touched uth,quot; and I patted cheek as if it already hurt. quot;He said teeth would start to fall out one by one, until uld no longer protest leaing this rriage.quot;
Huang Taitai pried open uth and gasped upon seeing the open spot in the bay uth where a rotted tooth fell out four years ago.
quot;And finally, I saw hipnt a seed in a serant girls wo. He said this girl only pretends to e froa bad faly. But she is really froierial blood, and…quot;
I y head down on the pillow as if too tired to go on. Huang Taitai pushed shoulder, quot;What does he say?quot;
quot;He said the serant girl is Tyan-yus true spiritual wife. And the seed he has pnted will grow into Tyan-yus child.quot;
By d-they had dragged the tchkers serao our house aracted her terrible fession.
And after ch searg they found the serant girl I liked so ch, the one I had watched fro window eery day. I had seen her eyes grow bigger aeasing oice bee sller whehe handso deliery n arried. And ter, I had watched her stoch grow rounder and her face bee longer with fear and worry.
So you igine hoy she was when they forced her to tell the truth about her ierial ary. I heard ter she was so struck with this raarrying Tyan-yu she beca a ery religious person who ordered serants to sweep the araes not just once a year, but once a day.
Theres o the story. They didnt b so ch. Huang Taitai got her grandson. I got clothes, a rail ticket to Peking, and enough o go to Arica. The Huangs asked only that I ell anybody of any iortance about the story of de.
Its a true story, how I kept  rose, how I sacrifibsp; life. See the gold tal I ow wear. I gae birth to your brothers and then your father gae these two bracelets. Then I had you. And eery few years, when I hae a little etra ney, I buy another bracelet. I know what Iworth. Theyre always twenty-four carats, all genuine.
But Ill neer fet. On the day of the Festi..al of Pure Brightness, I take off all bracelets. I reer the day when I finally knew a gehought anuld follow where it went. That was the day I was a young girl with fader a red rriage scarf. I prosed not tet self.
How is to be that girl again, to take off scarf, to see what is underh ahe lightness e bato body!
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