Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Qing Dynasty: FINAL DRAFT
Chapter One
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their lights shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.” She seemed oddly uncomfortable.
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding to give Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank.
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a, uh, a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward, but his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Okay,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
Lan was silent, watching sadly as
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grip. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) said ‘Officer Wang’ at the top.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours and don’t try lying to us.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. An impoverished-looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for many minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and higher in pitch.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What have I done? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have betrayed and dishonored you country. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“A man from the department saw you together. You were too close for it to be just a friendship. And even if it was just a friendship, that is outlawed too,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused on their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
Chapter 3
“Excuse me?” Sun said, still standing in her empty jail cell. Bao was sitting at his desk, and Wang was sleeping. Many hours had passed. It was probably nighttime. “Um, excuse me?” she repeated. Bao kept his head down, pretending to write something, and Wang snorted loudly. “Excuse me,” she said, a little louder this time. Still no reaction. “Listen to me!” she yelled. Bao jumped.
“What?” he said. She smiled sweetly at him. “What is it?”
She paused before she spoke. “Bao, are you married?”
“What? Why?” Bao said nervously. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just wanted to. Just wondered. Why, do you have a problem with telling me? I mean, I’m just a girl, and I just want to know more about you.” She sighed, brushing her hand through her hair.
He straightened up and looked smart.
“So, are you married, strong, smart, Bao?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Bao and putting on an innocent face.
“No, I’m not married. I’m totally free. Not engaged, either. No, never have been,” he said a little too anxiously.
“Well, I’m not with anyone either. But I’m looking for a strong man. A smart man.” She paused for effect. “Someone like you, Bao.” She glanced over at Wang to make sure he was still sleeping. He was snoring loudly.
“Oh,” he said. Man, he was bad at this, she thought.
“Yeah, you would be perfect for me.” Was she playing it too much? She smiled sweetly at him again, and stuck her hand out of the bars. “Come here, Bao,” she said, motioning at him with her finger.
“Alright,” he said, obviously dumbstruck. She definitely wasn’t playing it too much. He walked right up to her, just out of reach.
“Come closer,” she said.
“Uh, I don’t know about that,” he said, trying to sound authoritative.
“Please?” she said pleadingly, cocking her head and pouting. She motioned again with her finger. “I want to see your badge.”
He took a step toward her. He was now in reach. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his badge and pulled him closer. “Wow,” she said. Then, too quickly for him to react, she pulled he other hand through the bars and punched him, knocking him out. She grabbed his collar and slid him down to the ground slowly and quietly so that she did not wake up Wang. She leaned down and took the keys from his belt, holding them so they wouldn’t jingle, and unlocked the cell door. Sliding it open, Sun stepped over an unconscious Bao and tip-toed out of the room. Once away from the police officers, she walked down a long hall, where she found the door to the outside. She walked calmly out of the police department so that she did not look suspicious, but broke into a run once she was a block away. She did not know where she was going; there was nowhere she could go. Her sister had betrayed her, and she would again if Sun showed up at the house. She could not go to Ayan’s house; he was at home with his mother and father.
Darkness had fallen, and again it was a starless night. Sun slowed down to catch her breath, but she did not stop walking. For some reason she couldn’t stop. Her feet just kept on going.
She was entering the city limits, where the worst people in Guangzhou hung out. The opium dealers bought and sold their drugs here. The women who were not good enough to be geishas but still sold themselves lived here. Escaped criminals hid from the police here. The homeless and extremely impoverished also called this place home. But the people who were looked down on the most (and the ones who were feared the most) lived here. They were called the untouchables. They were the ones who society had thrown out. There were a few things that made you an untouchable—either you were a traitor or a disgrace to your country and family. The untouchables were the ones who had committed unspeakable crimes, such as a married man who was with a second woman or a woman who purposefully disobeyed her family. No one knew whether they were dangerous or not. No one knew much about them. They all stayed as far away as they could.
Sun walked briskly, taking long strides and rarely looking up. She could tell that people were looking at her. She stared at the ground, following the cracks in the street with her eyes. She hoped and prayed that no one would notice her.
“Hello, miss,” said a high male voice behind her. She began to walk a little faster and ignored the voice. “You, girl, I’m talking to you,” the voice said again. She sped up a little more, and her breathing became labored and anxious. She jumped when a firm hand grabbed her shoulder. The hand turned her around. A few scraggly looking men were staring back at her. They looked about twenty-five or so. The shortest one stood in front of her. Behind him were three tougher looking men that were just as dirty as he was. Sun backed up a little.
“Hey, stop, we wanna talk to you,” the short man said. She stopped. “I’m Ping. This is Yuan, Ming Yue, and Zhi.” He motioned to the men behind him as he said their name. “What’s a pretty little girl like you doin’ down here in the Limits?” Sun did not reply. She kept her head down. “Do you speak?”
She looked up when he said that. It was exactly was Ayan said to her when they first met. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Speak up. Ming is a little hard of hearing,” Ping said. Yuan and Zhi laughed, and Ming looked oblivious.
“Yes,” she said, a little louder but still quite soft.
“Good. Well, do you need a place to stay? Cause, we got room for someone like you. We’ve always got room for a pretty lady.” Yuan and Zhi laughed again. Ming started picking his nails and continued to look stupid.
“No, thank you,” she said, beginning to turn so that she could walk away.
“Aww, come on, kid. We can show you a good time,” Ping said.
“Yeah, we can show you a good time,” Yuan said, echoing Ping. He nodded at his friends as if he had said something really funny and smart. When they didn’t laugh, he looked back at Sun and looked tough.
“Our place is just over there,” Ping said, nodding his head toward a row of shacks on the side of the street. “Or,” he said, taking a step toward Sun. “We could just find a little alley. We’ve got plenty of those in the Limits.”
Sun shook her head and took a step away from him. For every step he took towards her, she took a step away. She squeaked quietly when she hit the wall of a shack.
“So, what do you say?” Ping said, stroking her cheek. She saw this as an ideal time to run. Yuan, Zhi, and Ming were too far away to grab her if she bolted, and she knew that she could struggle out of Pings grasp. But her body wouldn’t move. It was as if her back was glued to the wall and her feet were tied to the ground. She was shaking; she was so afraid of the men that her body just stopped working.
“Get away from her, Ping, you bastard,” a strong, elderly voice said.
Ping looked away from Sun, turning towards an old man with a cane. “And what’re you gonna do if I don’t, old man?”
“Tell your mother,” the old man threatened, a little humor in his voice.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Ping said. But obviously the man could. Ping motioned to his followers and began to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “If you ever wanna take me up on that offer, you can find us in the fourth house down on the third street over there.” He pointed to the same line of houses he showed her earlier. He gestured rudely at the old man and then walked away.
Sun slid to the ground, and began to cry. She put her head in her hands and brought her knees up to her chest. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and then the old man spoke. “It’s alright, dear, they’re gone now.” He stood her up and led her around to the other side of the shack. They walked together into a small, one room house with a bed and a little stove. Although she did not know him, she felt very safe in the company of this man. He sat her down on the bed and then placed himself next to her.
“Dear, what is your name?” he said.
Sun wiped her eyes but did not look at him. “Sun,” she said.
“Well, hello Sun, my name is Nurhaci.”
Sun gasped.
“Yes, I am a Manchu. But my people have shamed me. I was a doctor once, and I did some bad things.” He paused, waiting for her to speak. When she did not say anything, he continued. “I have lived here for many years, hiding from my people. What are you doing here?”
She did not answer his question, she just said, “Why did Ping listen to you?”
He did not seem surprised that she didn’t answer his question. “The people of the Limits so not listen to me because they respect me, they listen to me because they fear me,” he said.
“Because they think you could tell the Manchus that they are here. When really, the Manchu are searching for you also. Don’t they wonder why you live here and not in a Manchu area?”
“You’re a quick learner. Yes, they probably do, but they would not question me.”
“They don’t want you to get angry.”
“I believe so, yes,” he said. He stood up and grabbed a dirty looking pot from the ground, and put it on the stove. Inside of it was a small amount of cooked rice. “So, now can you answer my question? What are you doing here?”
Again, she ignored his question. “If the police are looking for me, how can I get out of the country?”
Chapter Four
When Sun woke up in the morning, she quickly got dressed and prepared to leave. She and Nurhaci had worked out a plan the night before—she was to find Ayan and escape the country with him by boat. The men working the docks would let any Manchu general’s son on the ship for a low price.
“Thank you, Nurhaci,” Sun said, stepping out of the doorway of his little shack.
“It was nothing,” Nurhaci replied, patting her on the shoulder. “If there is anything you ever need, just come and see me.”
“If I ever return to China, you will be the first person that I come to visit,” she said.
“Be safe,” he said, waving to her as she took a step away. She turned and began to walk toward the center of Guangzhou, away from the man who saved her life and was now helping her escape from the country. It was so early that the sun wasn’t even peeking over the horizon.
Sun was now walking back into the city, wearing new clothes and a hat to disguise her face. She was walking toward her love and her freedom. Nurhaci had helped her work out a plan. She was going to walk to Ayan’s house, where he was home alone, tell him the plan, and take him to a ship boarding for Britain. Nurhaci had given her Manchu clothing, so she would not be questioned by the ship’s crew. Once in Britain, they would find a place to live—maybe buy a little house in the countryside and they could become farmers. It might work. No, it had to work.
No one was out of their houses at this time of the morning. People in the Limits were quite lazy. She walked slowly; she had a lot of time to spare. The ship boarded in two hours, and Ayan’s house was near the docks. She was now entering downtown Guangzhou, where men prepared for the morning market as usual. The few people that were awake avoided her eyes; they all thought she was a Manchu. That was a good sign.
After a few minutes, Sun entered the high class Manchu area of Guangzhou. Men were walking out of their houses in expensive suits, their wives and children inside eating breakfast or still sleeping. No one gave her a second look. They all just thought that she was a Manchu girl going out for an early morning walk.
She had never been to Ayan’s house before. All she knew about his house was that it was surrounded by a large wall, and the only entrance was a locked gate. His family belonged to the Niohuru clan, and that would be labeled next to the entrance. He told her that if she was ever in trouble there was a secret passageway for servants that he used as a child. She was supposed to find the house, and look for a small wooden door at the north side of the wall. The door was always locked, but if she waited for a servant to come out she could catch the door and get inside. The servants were mostly Chinese, so they wouldn’t notice that she was different. There was a long hallway with two doors and a small laundry crawlspace. The crawlspace was at the end of the hall. Once the hall was empty, she could squeeze through the laundry drop and up in to the servant’s quarters. There was a door straight across that would lead to an outside walkway. She would take the left fork and then enter the largest door. That door led to another hallway, where there was another door with decorations. That was the door to his room. She could not be seen, and the only time she could do this was very early in the morning.
“Ayan?” Sun whispered, slowly closing the decorated door behind her. Ayan’s room was very big; rice paper curtains separated the sleeping area and the entrance area. Large windows let in light where the lantern light did not reach. Sun slid through the curtains, walking toward the sleeping form of Ayan. He lay on a bed that sat on the floor. He didn’t snore; he just breathed loudly. “Ayan,” she said, kneeling down and shaking his shoulder softly. He groaned and rolled over onto his side. She kissed him on the cheek and he opened his eyes. A few emotions passed over his face—first, it was surprise to see her there. Then, his look of astonishment faded into a smile. But after he’d had a moment to think, his expression turned into one of fear.
He quickly sat up. “What is wrong?” he said, looking her up and down to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Why are you here? Are you okay? Did someone find out?”
“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to his lips. “Everyone is okay. I will explain things to you later. Just get dressed and we must leave. They stood up together and he walked over to his changing area.
He paused for a second. “Why are you wearing Manchu clothing?” he said, entering the changing area behind another set of rice paper curtains.
“Because we are going to escape. A man helped me work out a plan. In an hour a ship leaves for Britain, and we are going to be on it.”
He came out from behind the curtains, fully dressed. “Why so suddenly?” he said. “You must explain things to me before I leave all of this behind.”
“Alright. Sit down and I will tell you.” He did as he was told. “The police found us out. Someone told them about us. They came and arrested me yesterday.”
“What?” he said, looking even more worried.
“No interruptions,” she said, shaking her finger at him.
“Fine.”
“So, they arrested me. But I escaped.”
“How did you do that?” Ayan said, cutting her off again.
“I said no interruptions! I ran away, and then I reached the Limits. I met a man there, Nurhaci.” Ayan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she shushed him. “He helped me work out a plan. I know that I cannot stay here. I am a wanted person in Guangzhou. I must leave. I want you to come with me.”
He took a moment to respond. “I will come with you. I would go anywhere with you,” he said, standing up and pulling her into a big hug.
She pulled away and took his hand. “Gather a bag of clothing for both of us. Take some belongings we might be able to sell. We will need money too. Go quickly.”
“Wait one more second,” Ayan said to her. “When we get to Britain, will you marry me?”
* * *
“Ticket, please,” the Chinese ticket collector said, looking up at Ayan. Sun’s new fiancé towered over the small man wearing a blue sailor suit. Ayan handed the man a ticket. “Thank you, sir. Have a good trip.” The man tipped his cap to Ayan and Ayan nodded in return. Sun and Ayan walked onto the ship together.
“Let’s go to the front. The sun is rising,” Ayan said, looking down at Sun with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Sure,” she said. The ship began to move as they moved toward the front. “What do we plan on doing once we arrive in Britain?”
“I’m not really sure of that yet,” he said, glancing away from her for a second. “But we can figure something out.”
“We will need a house. Maybe a farm. We could raise animals and grow things. I’ve always wanted to live on a farm. How will we get the money, though?”
“Shhh,” he said, his smile widening. “Live in the moment. Enjoy the ride. Anyways, we have a few months to decide while we are stuck on this ship, remember?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I guess I have a little while to decide.”
Ayan chuckled and smiled at the young woman standing beside him. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her, not in secret. They were going to have a real life together. Finally he could hold her in his arms, watch the sun rise, and not worry about a thing.
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their lights shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.” She seemed oddly uncomfortable.
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding to give Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank.
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a, uh, a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward, but his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Okay,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
Lan was silent, watching sadly as
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grip. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) said ‘Officer Wang’ at the top.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours and don’t try lying to us.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. An impoverished-looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for many minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and higher in pitch.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What have I done? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have betrayed and dishonored you country. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“A man from the department saw you together. You were too close for it to be just a friendship. And even if it was just a friendship, that is outlawed too,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused on their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
Chapter 3
“Excuse me?” Sun said, still standing in her empty jail cell. Bao was sitting at his desk, and Wang was sleeping. Many hours had passed. It was probably nighttime. “Um, excuse me?” she repeated. Bao kept his head down, pretending to write something, and Wang snorted loudly. “Excuse me,” she said, a little louder this time. Still no reaction. “Listen to me!” she yelled. Bao jumped.
“What?” he said. She smiled sweetly at him. “What is it?”
She paused before she spoke. “Bao, are you married?”
“What? Why?” Bao said nervously. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just wanted to. Just wondered. Why, do you have a problem with telling me? I mean, I’m just a girl, and I just want to know more about you.” She sighed, brushing her hand through her hair.
He straightened up and looked smart.
“So, are you married, strong, smart, Bao?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Bao and putting on an innocent face.
“No, I’m not married. I’m totally free. Not engaged, either. No, never have been,” he said a little too anxiously.
“Well, I’m not with anyone either. But I’m looking for a strong man. A smart man.” She paused for effect. “Someone like you, Bao.” She glanced over at Wang to make sure he was still sleeping. He was snoring loudly.
“Oh,” he said. Man, he was bad at this, she thought.
“Yeah, you would be perfect for me.” Was she playing it too much? She smiled sweetly at him again, and stuck her hand out of the bars. “Come here, Bao,” she said, motioning at him with her finger.
“Alright,” he said, obviously dumbstruck. She definitely wasn’t playing it too much. He walked right up to her, just out of reach.
“Come closer,” she said.
“Uh, I don’t know about that,” he said, trying to sound authoritative.
“Please?” she said pleadingly, cocking her head and pouting. She motioned again with her finger. “I want to see your badge.”
He took a step toward her. He was now in reach. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his badge and pulled him closer. “Wow,” she said. Then, too quickly for him to react, she pulled he other hand through the bars and punched him, knocking him out. She grabbed his collar and slid him down to the ground slowly and quietly so that she did not wake up Wang. She leaned down and took the keys from his belt, holding them so they wouldn’t jingle, and unlocked the cell door. Sliding it open, Sun stepped over an unconscious Bao and tip-toed out of the room. Once away from the police officers, she walked down a long hall, where she found the door to the outside. She walked calmly out of the police department so that she did not look suspicious, but broke into a run once she was a block away. She did not know where she was going; there was nowhere she could go. Her sister had betrayed her, and she would again if Sun showed up at the house. She could not go to Ayan’s house; he was at home with his mother and father.
Darkness had fallen, and again it was a starless night. Sun slowed down to catch her breath, but she did not stop walking. For some reason she couldn’t stop. Her feet just kept on going.
She was entering the city limits, where the worst people in Guangzhou hung out. The opium dealers bought and sold their drugs here. The women who were not good enough to be geishas but still sold themselves lived here. Escaped criminals hid from the police here. The homeless and extremely impoverished also called this place home. But the people who were looked down on the most (and the ones who were feared the most) lived here. They were called the untouchables. They were the ones who society had thrown out. There were a few things that made you an untouchable—either you were a traitor or a disgrace to your country and family. The untouchables were the ones who had committed unspeakable crimes, such as a married man who was with a second woman or a woman who purposefully disobeyed her family. No one knew whether they were dangerous or not. No one knew much about them. They all stayed as far away as they could.
Sun walked briskly, taking long strides and rarely looking up. She could tell that people were looking at her. She stared at the ground, following the cracks in the street with her eyes. She hoped and prayed that no one would notice her.
“Hello, miss,” said a high male voice behind her. She began to walk a little faster and ignored the voice. “You, girl, I’m talking to you,” the voice said again. She sped up a little more, and her breathing became labored and anxious. She jumped when a firm hand grabbed her shoulder. The hand turned her around. A few scraggly looking men were staring back at her. They looked about twenty-five or so. The shortest one stood in front of her. Behind him were three tougher looking men that were just as dirty as he was. Sun backed up a little.
“Hey, stop, we wanna talk to you,” the short man said. She stopped. “I’m Ping. This is Yuan, Ming Yue, and Zhi.” He motioned to the men behind him as he said their name. “What’s a pretty little girl like you doin’ down here in the Limits?” Sun did not reply. She kept her head down. “Do you speak?”
She looked up when he said that. It was exactly was Ayan said to her when they first met. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Speak up. Ming is a little hard of hearing,” Ping said. Yuan and Zhi laughed, and Ming looked oblivious.
“Yes,” she said, a little louder but still quite soft.
“Good. Well, do you need a place to stay? Cause, we got room for someone like you. We’ve always got room for a pretty lady.” Yuan and Zhi laughed again. Ming started picking his nails and continued to look stupid.
“No, thank you,” she said, beginning to turn so that she could walk away.
“Aww, come on, kid. We can show you a good time,” Ping said.
“Yeah, we can show you a good time,” Yuan said, echoing Ping. He nodded at his friends as if he had said something really funny and smart. When they didn’t laugh, he looked back at Sun and looked tough.
“Our place is just over there,” Ping said, nodding his head toward a row of shacks on the side of the street. “Or,” he said, taking a step toward Sun. “We could just find a little alley. We’ve got plenty of those in the Limits.”
Sun shook her head and took a step away from him. For every step he took towards her, she took a step away. She squeaked quietly when she hit the wall of a shack.
“So, what do you say?” Ping said, stroking her cheek. She saw this as an ideal time to run. Yuan, Zhi, and Ming were too far away to grab her if she bolted, and she knew that she could struggle out of Pings grasp. But her body wouldn’t move. It was as if her back was glued to the wall and her feet were tied to the ground. She was shaking; she was so afraid of the men that her body just stopped working.
“Get away from her, Ping, you bastard,” a strong, elderly voice said.
Ping looked away from Sun, turning towards an old man with a cane. “And what’re you gonna do if I don’t, old man?”
“Tell your mother,” the old man threatened, a little humor in his voice.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Ping said. But obviously the man could. Ping motioned to his followers and began to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “If you ever wanna take me up on that offer, you can find us in the fourth house down on the third street over there.” He pointed to the same line of houses he showed her earlier. He gestured rudely at the old man and then walked away.
Sun slid to the ground, and began to cry. She put her head in her hands and brought her knees up to her chest. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and then the old man spoke. “It’s alright, dear, they’re gone now.” He stood her up and led her around to the other side of the shack. They walked together into a small, one room house with a bed and a little stove. Although she did not know him, she felt very safe in the company of this man. He sat her down on the bed and then placed himself next to her.
“Dear, what is your name?” he said.
Sun wiped her eyes but did not look at him. “Sun,” she said.
“Well, hello Sun, my name is Nurhaci.”
Sun gasped.
“Yes, I am a Manchu. But my people have shamed me. I was a doctor once, and I did some bad things.” He paused, waiting for her to speak. When she did not say anything, he continued. “I have lived here for many years, hiding from my people. What are you doing here?”
She did not answer his question, she just said, “Why did Ping listen to you?”
He did not seem surprised that she didn’t answer his question. “The people of the Limits so not listen to me because they respect me, they listen to me because they fear me,” he said.
“Because they think you could tell the Manchus that they are here. When really, the Manchu are searching for you also. Don’t they wonder why you live here and not in a Manchu area?”
“You’re a quick learner. Yes, they probably do, but they would not question me.”
“They don’t want you to get angry.”
“I believe so, yes,” he said. He stood up and grabbed a dirty looking pot from the ground, and put it on the stove. Inside of it was a small amount of cooked rice. “So, now can you answer my question? What are you doing here?”
Again, she ignored his question. “If the police are looking for me, how can I get out of the country?”
Chapter Four
When Sun woke up in the morning, she quickly got dressed and prepared to leave. She and Nurhaci had worked out a plan the night before—she was to find Ayan and escape the country with him by boat. The men working the docks would let any Manchu general’s son on the ship for a low price.
“Thank you, Nurhaci,” Sun said, stepping out of the doorway of his little shack.
“It was nothing,” Nurhaci replied, patting her on the shoulder. “If there is anything you ever need, just come and see me.”
“If I ever return to China, you will be the first person that I come to visit,” she said.
“Be safe,” he said, waving to her as she took a step away. She turned and began to walk toward the center of Guangzhou, away from the man who saved her life and was now helping her escape from the country. It was so early that the sun wasn’t even peeking over the horizon.
Sun was now walking back into the city, wearing new clothes and a hat to disguise her face. She was walking toward her love and her freedom. Nurhaci had helped her work out a plan. She was going to walk to Ayan’s house, where he was home alone, tell him the plan, and take him to a ship boarding for Britain. Nurhaci had given her Manchu clothing, so she would not be questioned by the ship’s crew. Once in Britain, they would find a place to live—maybe buy a little house in the countryside and they could become farmers. It might work. No, it had to work.
No one was out of their houses at this time of the morning. People in the Limits were quite lazy. She walked slowly; she had a lot of time to spare. The ship boarded in two hours, and Ayan’s house was near the docks. She was now entering downtown Guangzhou, where men prepared for the morning market as usual. The few people that were awake avoided her eyes; they all thought she was a Manchu. That was a good sign.
After a few minutes, Sun entered the high class Manchu area of Guangzhou. Men were walking out of their houses in expensive suits, their wives and children inside eating breakfast or still sleeping. No one gave her a second look. They all just thought that she was a Manchu girl going out for an early morning walk.
She had never been to Ayan’s house before. All she knew about his house was that it was surrounded by a large wall, and the only entrance was a locked gate. His family belonged to the Niohuru clan, and that would be labeled next to the entrance. He told her that if she was ever in trouble there was a secret passageway for servants that he used as a child. She was supposed to find the house, and look for a small wooden door at the north side of the wall. The door was always locked, but if she waited for a servant to come out she could catch the door and get inside. The servants were mostly Chinese, so they wouldn’t notice that she was different. There was a long hallway with two doors and a small laundry crawlspace. The crawlspace was at the end of the hall. Once the hall was empty, she could squeeze through the laundry drop and up in to the servant’s quarters. There was a door straight across that would lead to an outside walkway. She would take the left fork and then enter the largest door. That door led to another hallway, where there was another door with decorations. That was the door to his room. She could not be seen, and the only time she could do this was very early in the morning.
“Ayan?” Sun whispered, slowly closing the decorated door behind her. Ayan’s room was very big; rice paper curtains separated the sleeping area and the entrance area. Large windows let in light where the lantern light did not reach. Sun slid through the curtains, walking toward the sleeping form of Ayan. He lay on a bed that sat on the floor. He didn’t snore; he just breathed loudly. “Ayan,” she said, kneeling down and shaking his shoulder softly. He groaned and rolled over onto his side. She kissed him on the cheek and he opened his eyes. A few emotions passed over his face—first, it was surprise to see her there. Then, his look of astonishment faded into a smile. But after he’d had a moment to think, his expression turned into one of fear.
He quickly sat up. “What is wrong?” he said, looking her up and down to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Why are you here? Are you okay? Did someone find out?”
“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to his lips. “Everyone is okay. I will explain things to you later. Just get dressed and we must leave. They stood up together and he walked over to his changing area.
He paused for a second. “Why are you wearing Manchu clothing?” he said, entering the changing area behind another set of rice paper curtains.
“Because we are going to escape. A man helped me work out a plan. In an hour a ship leaves for Britain, and we are going to be on it.”
He came out from behind the curtains, fully dressed. “Why so suddenly?” he said. “You must explain things to me before I leave all of this behind.”
“Alright. Sit down and I will tell you.” He did as he was told. “The police found us out. Someone told them about us. They came and arrested me yesterday.”
“What?” he said, looking even more worried.
“No interruptions,” she said, shaking her finger at him.
“Fine.”
“So, they arrested me. But I escaped.”
“How did you do that?” Ayan said, cutting her off again.
“I said no interruptions! I ran away, and then I reached the Limits. I met a man there, Nurhaci.” Ayan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she shushed him. “He helped me work out a plan. I know that I cannot stay here. I am a wanted person in Guangzhou. I must leave. I want you to come with me.”
He took a moment to respond. “I will come with you. I would go anywhere with you,” he said, standing up and pulling her into a big hug.
She pulled away and took his hand. “Gather a bag of clothing for both of us. Take some belongings we might be able to sell. We will need money too. Go quickly.”
“Wait one more second,” Ayan said to her. “When we get to Britain, will you marry me?”
* * *
“Ticket, please,” the Chinese ticket collector said, looking up at Ayan. Sun’s new fiancé towered over the small man wearing a blue sailor suit. Ayan handed the man a ticket. “Thank you, sir. Have a good trip.” The man tipped his cap to Ayan and Ayan nodded in return. Sun and Ayan walked onto the ship together.
“Let’s go to the front. The sun is rising,” Ayan said, looking down at Sun with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Sure,” she said. The ship began to move as they moved toward the front. “What do we plan on doing once we arrive in Britain?”
“I’m not really sure of that yet,” he said, glancing away from her for a second. “But we can figure something out.”
“We will need a house. Maybe a farm. We could raise animals and grow things. I’ve always wanted to live on a farm. How will we get the money, though?”
“Shhh,” he said, his smile widening. “Live in the moment. Enjoy the ride. Anyways, we have a few months to decide while we are stuck on this ship, remember?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I guess I have a little while to decide.”
Ayan chuckled and smiled at the young woman standing beside him. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her, not in secret. They were going to have a real life together. Finally he could hold her in his arms, watch the sun rise, and not worry about a thing.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Qing Dynasty: Exposition to Resolution!
Chapter One
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.” She seemed oddly uncomfortable.
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank. Sun let go of her sister’s hand
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Lady, don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay. She will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward. But his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Okay,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
“No, Mother, don’t,” Lan pleaded. “Don’t let them take her.”
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner, sir,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grasp. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that on his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) the name Wang was indented.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours or we can press more charges.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. A poor looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for fifteen minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and more high pitched.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What am I charged with? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have been charged with treason. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“A man from the department saw you together. You were too close for it to be just a friendship. And even if it was just a friendship, it is outlawed too,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused in their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
Chapter 3
“Excuse me?” Sun said, still standing in her empty jail cell. Bao was sitting at his desk, and Wang was sleeping. Many hours had passed. It was probably nighttime. “Um, excuse me?” she repeated. Bao kept his head down, pretending to write something, and Wang snorted loudly. “Excuse me,” she said, a little louder this time. Still no reaction. “Listen to me!” she yelled. Bao jumped.
“What?” he said. She smiled sweetly at him. “What is it?”
She paused before she spoke. “Bao, are you married?”
“What? Why?” Bao said nervously. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just wanted to. Just wondered. Why, do you have a problem with telling me? I mean, I’m just a girl, and I just want to know more about you.” She sighed, brushing her hand through her hair.
He straightened up and looked smart.
“So, are you married, strong, smart, Bao?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Bao and putting on an innocent face.
“No, I’m not married. I’m totally free. Not engaged, either. No, never have been,” he said a little too anxiously.
“Well, I’m not with anyone either. But I’m looking for a strong man. A smart man.” She paused for effect. “Someone like you, Bao.” She glanced over at Wang to make sure he was still sleeping. He was snoring loudly.
“Oh,” he said. Man, he was bad at this, she thought.
“Yeah, you would be perfect for me.” Was she playing it too much? She smiled sweetly at him again, and stuck her hand out of the bars. “Come here, Bao,” she said, motioning at him with her finger.
“Alright,” he said, obviously dumbstruck. She definitely wasn’t playing it too much. He walked right up to her, just out of reach.
“Come closer,” she said.
“Uh, I don’t know about that,” he said, trying to sound authoritative.
“Please?” she said pleadingly, cocking her head and pouting. She motioned again with her finger. “I want to see your badge.”
He took a step toward her. He was now in reach. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his badge and pulled him closer. Then, too quickly for him to react, she pulled he other hand through the bars and punched him, knocking him out. She grabbed his collar and slid him down to the ground slowly and quietly so that she did not wake up Wang. She leaned down and took the keys from his belt, holding them so they wouldn’t jingle, and unlocked the cell door. Sliding it open, Sun stepped over an unconscious Bao and tip-toed out of the room. Once away from the police officers, she walked down a long hall, where she found the door to the outside. She walked calmly out of the police department so that she did not look suspicious, but broke into a run once she was a block away. She did not know where she was going; there was nowhere she could go. Her sister had betrayed her, and she would again if Sun showed up at the house. She could not go to Ayan’s house; he was at home with his mother and father.
Darkness had fallen, and again it was a starless night. Sun slowed down to catch her breath, but she did not stop walking. For some reason she couldn’t stop. Her feet just kept on going.
She was entering the city limits, where the worst people in Guangzhou hung out. The opium dealers bought and sold their drugs here. The women who were not good enough to be geishas but still sold themselves lived here. Escaped criminals hid from the police here. The homeless and extremely impoverished also called this place home. But the people who were looked down on the most (and the ones who were feared the most) lived here. They were called the untouchables. They were the ones who society had thrown out. There were a few things that made you an untouchable—either you were a traitor or a disgrace to your country and family. The untouchables were the ones who had committed unspeakable crimes, such as a married man who was with a second woman or a woman who purposefully disobeyed her family. No one knew whether they were dangerous or not. No one knew much about them. They all stayed as far away as they could.
Sun walked briskly, taking long strides and rarely looking up. She could tell that people were looking at her. She stared at the ground, following the cracks in the street with her eyes. She hoped and prayed that no one would notice her.
“Hello, miss,” said a high male voice behind her. She began to walk a little faster and ignored the voice. “You, girl, I’m talking to you,” the voice said again. She sped up a little more, and her breathing became labored and anxious. She jumped when a firm hand grabbed her shoulder. The hand turned her around. A few scraggly looking men were staring back at her. They looked about twenty-five or so. The shortest one stood in front of her. Behind him were three tougher looking men that were just as dirty as he was. Sun backed up a little.
“Hey, stop, we wanna talk to you,” the short man said. She stopped. “I’m Ping. This is Yuan, Ming Yue, and Zhi.” He motioned to the men behind him as he said their name. “What’s a pretty little girl like you doin’ down here in the Limits?” Sun did not reply. She kept her head down. “Do you speak?”
She looked up when he said that. It was exactly was Ayan said to her when they first met. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Speak up. Ming is a little hard of hearing,” Ping said. Yuan and Zhi laughed, and Ming looked oblivious.
“Yes,” she said, a little louder but still quite soft.
“Good. Well, do you need a place to stay? Cause, we got room for someone like you. We’ve always got room for a pretty lady.” Yuan and Zhi laughed again. Ming started picking his nails and continued to look stupid.
“No, thank you,” she said, beginning to turn so that she could walk away.
“Aww, come on, kid. We can show you a good time,” Ping said.
“Yeah, we can show you a good time,” Yuan said, echoing Ping. He nodded at his friends as if he had said something really funny and smart. When they didn’t laugh, he looked back at Sun and looked tough.
“Our place is just over there,” Ping said, nodding his head toward a row of shacks on the side of the street. “Or,” he said, taking a step toward Sun. “We could just find a little alley. We’ve got plenty of those in the Limits.”
Sun shook her head and took a step away from him. For every step he took towards her, she took a step away. She squeaked quietly when she hit the wall of a shack.
“So, what do you say?” Ping said, stroking her cheek. She saw this as an ideal time to run. Yuan, Zhi, and Ming were too far away to grab her if she bolted, and she knew that she could struggle out of Pings grasp. But her body wouldn’t move. It was as if her back was glued to the wall and her feet were tied to the ground. She was shaking; she was so afraid of the men that her body just stopped working.
“Get away from her, Ping, you bastard,” a strong, elderly voice said.
Ping looked away from Sun, turning towards an old man with a cane. “And what’re you gonna do if I don’t, old man?”
“Tell your mother,” the old man threatened, a little humor in his voice.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Ping said. But obviously the man could. Ping motioned to his followers and began to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “If you ever wanna take me up on that offer, you can find us in the fourth house down on the third street over there.” He pointed to the same line of houses he showed her earlier. He gestured rudely at the old man and then walked away.
Sun slid to the ground, and began to cry. She put her head in her hands and brought her knees up to her chest. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and then the old man spoke. “It’s alright, dear, they’re gone now.” He stood her up and led her around to the other side of the shack. They walked together into a small, one room house with a bed and a little stove. Although she did not know him, she felt very safe in the company of this man. He sat her down on the bed and then placed himself next to her.
“Dear, what is your name?” he said.
Sun wiped her eyes but did not look at him. “Sun,” she said.
“Well, hello Sun, my name is Nurhaci.”
Sun gasped.
“Yes, I am a Manchu. But my people have shamed me. I was a doctor once, and I did some bad things.” He paused, waiting for her to speak. When she did not say anything, he continued. “I have lived here for many years, hiding from my people. What are you doing here?”
She did not answer his question, she just said, “Why did Ping listen to you?”
He did not seem surprised that she didn’t answer his question. “The people of the Limits so not listen to me because they respect me, they listen to me because they fear me,” he said.
“Because they think you could tell the Manchus that they are here. When really, the Manchu are searching for you also. Don’t they wonder why you live here and not in a Manchu area?”
“You’re a quick learner. Yes, they probably do, but they would not question me.”
“They don’t want you to get angry.”
“I believe so, yes,” he said. He stood up and grabbed a dirty looking pot from the ground, and put it on the stove. Inside of it was a small amount of cooked rice. “So, now can you answer my question? What are you doing here?”
Again, she ignored his question. “If the police are looking for me, how can I get out of the country?”
Chapter Four
When Sun woke up in the morning, she quickly got dressed and prepared to leave. She and Nurhaci had worked out a plan the night before—she was to find Ayan and escape the country with him by boat. The men working the docks would let any Manchu general’s son on the ship for a low price.
“Thank you, Nurhaci,” Sun said, stepping out of the doorway of his little shack.
“It was nothing,” Nurhaci replied, patting her on the shoulder. “If there is anything you ever need, just come and see me.”
“If I ever return to China, you will be the first person that I come to visit,” she said.
“Be safe,” he said, waving to her as she took a step away. She turned and began to walk toward the center of Guangzhou, away from the man who saved her life and was now helping her escape from the country. It was so early that the sun wasn’t even peeking over the horizon.
Sun was now walking back into the city, wearing new clothes and a hat to disguise her face. She was walking toward her love and her freedom. Nurhaci had helped her work out a plan. She was going to walk to Ayan’s house, where he was home alone, tell him the plan, and take him to a ship boarding for Britain. Nurhaci had given her Manchu clothing, so she would not be questioned by the ship’s crew. Once in Britain, they would find a place to live—maybe buy a little house in the countryside and they could become farmers. It might work. No, it had to work.
No one was out of their houses at this time of the morning. People in the Limits were quite lazy. She walked slowly; she had a lot of time to spare. The ship boarded in two hours, and Ayan’s house was near the docks. She was now entering downtown Guangzhou, where men prepared for the morning market as usual. The few people that were awake avoided her eyes; they all thought she was a Manchu. That was a good sign.
After a few minutes, Sun entered the high class Manchu area of Guangzhou. Men were walking out of their houses in expensive suits, their wives and children inside eating breakfast or still sleeping. No one gave her a second look. They all just thought that she was a Manchu girl going out for an early morning walk.
She had never been to Ayan’s house before. All she knew about his house was that it was surrounded by a large wall, and the only entrance was a locked gate. His family belonged to the Niohuru clan, and that would be labeled next to the entrance. He told her that if she was ever in trouble there was a secret passageway for servants that he used as a child. She was supposed to find the house, and look for a small wooden door at the north side of the wall. The door was always locked, but if she waited for a servant to come out she could catch the door and get inside. The servants were mostly Chinese, so they wouldn’t notice that she was different. There was a long hallway with two doors and a small laundry crawlspace. The crawlspace was at the end of the hall. Once the hall was empty, she could squeeze through the laundry drop and up in to the servant’s quarters. There was a door straight across that would lead to an outside walkway. She would take the left fork and then enter the largest door. That door led to another hallway, where there was another door with decorations. That was the door to his room. She could not be seen, and the only time she could do this was very early in the morning.
“Ayan?” Sun whispered, slowly closing the decorated door behind her. Ayan’s room was very big; rice paper curtains separated the sleeping area and the entrance area. Large windows let in light where the lantern light did not reach. Sun slid through the curtains, walking toward the sleeping form of Ayan. He lay on a bed that sat on the floor. He didn’t snore; he just breathed loudly. “Ayan,” she said, kneeling down and shaking his shoulder softly. He groaned and rolled over onto his side. She kissed him on the cheek and he opened his eyes. A few emotions passed over his face—first, it was surprise to see her there. Then, his look of astonishment faded into a smile. But after he’d had a moment to think, his expression turned into one of fear.
He quickly sat up. “What is wrong?” he said, looking her up and down to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Why are you here? Are you okay? Did someone find out?”
“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to his lips. “Everyone is okay. I will explain things to you later. Just get dressed and we must leave. They stood up together and he walked over to his changing area.
He paused for a second. “Why are you wearing Manchu clothing?” he said, entering the changing area behind another set of rice paper curtains.
“Because we are going to escape. A man helped me work out a plan. In an hour a ship leaves for Britain, and we are going to be on it.”
He came out from behind the curtains, fully dressed. “Why so suddenly?” he said. “You must explain things to me before I leave all of this behind.”
“Alright. Sit down and I will tell you.” He did as he was told. “The police found us out. Someone told them about us. They came and arrested me yesterday.”
“What?” he said, looking even more worried.
“No interruptions,” she said, shaking her finger at him.
“Fine.”
“So, they arrested me. But I escaped.”
“How did you do that?” Ayan said, cutting her off again.
“I said no interruptions! I ran away, and then I reached the Limits. I met a man there, Nurhaci.” Ayan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she shushed him. “He helped me work out a plan. I know that I cannot stay here. I am a wanted person in Guangzhou. I must leave. I want you to come with me.”
He took a moment to respond. “I will come with you. I would go anywhere with you,” he said, standing up and pulling her into a big hug.
She pulled away and took his hand. “Gather a bag of clothing for both of us. Take some belongings we might be able to sell. We will need money too. Go quickly.”
“Wait one more second,” Ayan said to her. “When we get to Britain, will you marry me?”
* * *
“Ticket, please,” the Chinese ticket collector said, looking up at Ayan. Sun’s new fiancé towered over the small man wearing a blue sailor suit. Ayan handed the man a ticket. “Thank you, sir. Have a good trip.” The man tipped his cap to Ayan and Ayan nodded in return. Sun and Ayan walked onto the ship together.
“Let’s go to the front. The sun is rising,” Ayan said, looking down at Sun with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Sure,” she said. The ship began to move as they moved toward the front. “What do we plan on doing once we arrive in Britain?”
“I’m not really sure of that yet,” he said, glancing away from her for a second. “But we can figure something out.”
“We will need a house. Maybe a farm. We could raise animals and grow things. I’ve always wanted to live on a farm. How will we get the money, though?”
“Shhh,” he said, his smile widening. “Live in the moment. Enjoy the ride. Anyways, we have a few months to decide while we are stuck on this ship, remember?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I guess I have a little while to decide.”
Ayan chuckled and smiled at the young woman standing beside him. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her, not in secret. They were going to have a real life together. Finally he could hold her in his arms, watch the sun rise, and not worry about a thing.
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.” She seemed oddly uncomfortable.
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank. Sun let go of her sister’s hand
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Lady, don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay. She will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward. But his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Okay,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
“No, Mother, don’t,” Lan pleaded. “Don’t let them take her.”
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner, sir,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grasp. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that on his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) the name Wang was indented.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours or we can press more charges.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. A poor looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for fifteen minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and more high pitched.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What am I charged with? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have been charged with treason. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“A man from the department saw you together. You were too close for it to be just a friendship. And even if it was just a friendship, it is outlawed too,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused in their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
Chapter 3
“Excuse me?” Sun said, still standing in her empty jail cell. Bao was sitting at his desk, and Wang was sleeping. Many hours had passed. It was probably nighttime. “Um, excuse me?” she repeated. Bao kept his head down, pretending to write something, and Wang snorted loudly. “Excuse me,” she said, a little louder this time. Still no reaction. “Listen to me!” she yelled. Bao jumped.
“What?” he said. She smiled sweetly at him. “What is it?”
She paused before she spoke. “Bao, are you married?”
“What? Why?” Bao said nervously. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just wanted to. Just wondered. Why, do you have a problem with telling me? I mean, I’m just a girl, and I just want to know more about you.” She sighed, brushing her hand through her hair.
He straightened up and looked smart.
“So, are you married, strong, smart, Bao?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Bao and putting on an innocent face.
“No, I’m not married. I’m totally free. Not engaged, either. No, never have been,” he said a little too anxiously.
“Well, I’m not with anyone either. But I’m looking for a strong man. A smart man.” She paused for effect. “Someone like you, Bao.” She glanced over at Wang to make sure he was still sleeping. He was snoring loudly.
“Oh,” he said. Man, he was bad at this, she thought.
“Yeah, you would be perfect for me.” Was she playing it too much? She smiled sweetly at him again, and stuck her hand out of the bars. “Come here, Bao,” she said, motioning at him with her finger.
“Alright,” he said, obviously dumbstruck. She definitely wasn’t playing it too much. He walked right up to her, just out of reach.
“Come closer,” she said.
“Uh, I don’t know about that,” he said, trying to sound authoritative.
“Please?” she said pleadingly, cocking her head and pouting. She motioned again with her finger. “I want to see your badge.”
He took a step toward her. He was now in reach. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his badge and pulled him closer. Then, too quickly for him to react, she pulled he other hand through the bars and punched him, knocking him out. She grabbed his collar and slid him down to the ground slowly and quietly so that she did not wake up Wang. She leaned down and took the keys from his belt, holding them so they wouldn’t jingle, and unlocked the cell door. Sliding it open, Sun stepped over an unconscious Bao and tip-toed out of the room. Once away from the police officers, she walked down a long hall, where she found the door to the outside. She walked calmly out of the police department so that she did not look suspicious, but broke into a run once she was a block away. She did not know where she was going; there was nowhere she could go. Her sister had betrayed her, and she would again if Sun showed up at the house. She could not go to Ayan’s house; he was at home with his mother and father.
Darkness had fallen, and again it was a starless night. Sun slowed down to catch her breath, but she did not stop walking. For some reason she couldn’t stop. Her feet just kept on going.
She was entering the city limits, where the worst people in Guangzhou hung out. The opium dealers bought and sold their drugs here. The women who were not good enough to be geishas but still sold themselves lived here. Escaped criminals hid from the police here. The homeless and extremely impoverished also called this place home. But the people who were looked down on the most (and the ones who were feared the most) lived here. They were called the untouchables. They were the ones who society had thrown out. There were a few things that made you an untouchable—either you were a traitor or a disgrace to your country and family. The untouchables were the ones who had committed unspeakable crimes, such as a married man who was with a second woman or a woman who purposefully disobeyed her family. No one knew whether they were dangerous or not. No one knew much about them. They all stayed as far away as they could.
Sun walked briskly, taking long strides and rarely looking up. She could tell that people were looking at her. She stared at the ground, following the cracks in the street with her eyes. She hoped and prayed that no one would notice her.
“Hello, miss,” said a high male voice behind her. She began to walk a little faster and ignored the voice. “You, girl, I’m talking to you,” the voice said again. She sped up a little more, and her breathing became labored and anxious. She jumped when a firm hand grabbed her shoulder. The hand turned her around. A few scraggly looking men were staring back at her. They looked about twenty-five or so. The shortest one stood in front of her. Behind him were three tougher looking men that were just as dirty as he was. Sun backed up a little.
“Hey, stop, we wanna talk to you,” the short man said. She stopped. “I’m Ping. This is Yuan, Ming Yue, and Zhi.” He motioned to the men behind him as he said their name. “What’s a pretty little girl like you doin’ down here in the Limits?” Sun did not reply. She kept her head down. “Do you speak?”
She looked up when he said that. It was exactly was Ayan said to her when they first met. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Speak up. Ming is a little hard of hearing,” Ping said. Yuan and Zhi laughed, and Ming looked oblivious.
“Yes,” she said, a little louder but still quite soft.
“Good. Well, do you need a place to stay? Cause, we got room for someone like you. We’ve always got room for a pretty lady.” Yuan and Zhi laughed again. Ming started picking his nails and continued to look stupid.
“No, thank you,” she said, beginning to turn so that she could walk away.
“Aww, come on, kid. We can show you a good time,” Ping said.
“Yeah, we can show you a good time,” Yuan said, echoing Ping. He nodded at his friends as if he had said something really funny and smart. When they didn’t laugh, he looked back at Sun and looked tough.
“Our place is just over there,” Ping said, nodding his head toward a row of shacks on the side of the street. “Or,” he said, taking a step toward Sun. “We could just find a little alley. We’ve got plenty of those in the Limits.”
Sun shook her head and took a step away from him. For every step he took towards her, she took a step away. She squeaked quietly when she hit the wall of a shack.
“So, what do you say?” Ping said, stroking her cheek. She saw this as an ideal time to run. Yuan, Zhi, and Ming were too far away to grab her if she bolted, and she knew that she could struggle out of Pings grasp. But her body wouldn’t move. It was as if her back was glued to the wall and her feet were tied to the ground. She was shaking; she was so afraid of the men that her body just stopped working.
“Get away from her, Ping, you bastard,” a strong, elderly voice said.
Ping looked away from Sun, turning towards an old man with a cane. “And what’re you gonna do if I don’t, old man?”
“Tell your mother,” the old man threatened, a little humor in his voice.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Ping said. But obviously the man could. Ping motioned to his followers and began to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “If you ever wanna take me up on that offer, you can find us in the fourth house down on the third street over there.” He pointed to the same line of houses he showed her earlier. He gestured rudely at the old man and then walked away.
Sun slid to the ground, and began to cry. She put her head in her hands and brought her knees up to her chest. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and then the old man spoke. “It’s alright, dear, they’re gone now.” He stood her up and led her around to the other side of the shack. They walked together into a small, one room house with a bed and a little stove. Although she did not know him, she felt very safe in the company of this man. He sat her down on the bed and then placed himself next to her.
“Dear, what is your name?” he said.
Sun wiped her eyes but did not look at him. “Sun,” she said.
“Well, hello Sun, my name is Nurhaci.”
Sun gasped.
“Yes, I am a Manchu. But my people have shamed me. I was a doctor once, and I did some bad things.” He paused, waiting for her to speak. When she did not say anything, he continued. “I have lived here for many years, hiding from my people. What are you doing here?”
She did not answer his question, she just said, “Why did Ping listen to you?”
He did not seem surprised that she didn’t answer his question. “The people of the Limits so not listen to me because they respect me, they listen to me because they fear me,” he said.
“Because they think you could tell the Manchus that they are here. When really, the Manchu are searching for you also. Don’t they wonder why you live here and not in a Manchu area?”
“You’re a quick learner. Yes, they probably do, but they would not question me.”
“They don’t want you to get angry.”
“I believe so, yes,” he said. He stood up and grabbed a dirty looking pot from the ground, and put it on the stove. Inside of it was a small amount of cooked rice. “So, now can you answer my question? What are you doing here?”
Again, she ignored his question. “If the police are looking for me, how can I get out of the country?”
Chapter Four
When Sun woke up in the morning, she quickly got dressed and prepared to leave. She and Nurhaci had worked out a plan the night before—she was to find Ayan and escape the country with him by boat. The men working the docks would let any Manchu general’s son on the ship for a low price.
“Thank you, Nurhaci,” Sun said, stepping out of the doorway of his little shack.
“It was nothing,” Nurhaci replied, patting her on the shoulder. “If there is anything you ever need, just come and see me.”
“If I ever return to China, you will be the first person that I come to visit,” she said.
“Be safe,” he said, waving to her as she took a step away. She turned and began to walk toward the center of Guangzhou, away from the man who saved her life and was now helping her escape from the country. It was so early that the sun wasn’t even peeking over the horizon.
Sun was now walking back into the city, wearing new clothes and a hat to disguise her face. She was walking toward her love and her freedom. Nurhaci had helped her work out a plan. She was going to walk to Ayan’s house, where he was home alone, tell him the plan, and take him to a ship boarding for Britain. Nurhaci had given her Manchu clothing, so she would not be questioned by the ship’s crew. Once in Britain, they would find a place to live—maybe buy a little house in the countryside and they could become farmers. It might work. No, it had to work.
No one was out of their houses at this time of the morning. People in the Limits were quite lazy. She walked slowly; she had a lot of time to spare. The ship boarded in two hours, and Ayan’s house was near the docks. She was now entering downtown Guangzhou, where men prepared for the morning market as usual. The few people that were awake avoided her eyes; they all thought she was a Manchu. That was a good sign.
After a few minutes, Sun entered the high class Manchu area of Guangzhou. Men were walking out of their houses in expensive suits, their wives and children inside eating breakfast or still sleeping. No one gave her a second look. They all just thought that she was a Manchu girl going out for an early morning walk.
She had never been to Ayan’s house before. All she knew about his house was that it was surrounded by a large wall, and the only entrance was a locked gate. His family belonged to the Niohuru clan, and that would be labeled next to the entrance. He told her that if she was ever in trouble there was a secret passageway for servants that he used as a child. She was supposed to find the house, and look for a small wooden door at the north side of the wall. The door was always locked, but if she waited for a servant to come out she could catch the door and get inside. The servants were mostly Chinese, so they wouldn’t notice that she was different. There was a long hallway with two doors and a small laundry crawlspace. The crawlspace was at the end of the hall. Once the hall was empty, she could squeeze through the laundry drop and up in to the servant’s quarters. There was a door straight across that would lead to an outside walkway. She would take the left fork and then enter the largest door. That door led to another hallway, where there was another door with decorations. That was the door to his room. She could not be seen, and the only time she could do this was very early in the morning.
“Ayan?” Sun whispered, slowly closing the decorated door behind her. Ayan’s room was very big; rice paper curtains separated the sleeping area and the entrance area. Large windows let in light where the lantern light did not reach. Sun slid through the curtains, walking toward the sleeping form of Ayan. He lay on a bed that sat on the floor. He didn’t snore; he just breathed loudly. “Ayan,” she said, kneeling down and shaking his shoulder softly. He groaned and rolled over onto his side. She kissed him on the cheek and he opened his eyes. A few emotions passed over his face—first, it was surprise to see her there. Then, his look of astonishment faded into a smile. But after he’d had a moment to think, his expression turned into one of fear.
He quickly sat up. “What is wrong?” he said, looking her up and down to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Why are you here? Are you okay? Did someone find out?”
“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to his lips. “Everyone is okay. I will explain things to you later. Just get dressed and we must leave. They stood up together and he walked over to his changing area.
He paused for a second. “Why are you wearing Manchu clothing?” he said, entering the changing area behind another set of rice paper curtains.
“Because we are going to escape. A man helped me work out a plan. In an hour a ship leaves for Britain, and we are going to be on it.”
He came out from behind the curtains, fully dressed. “Why so suddenly?” he said. “You must explain things to me before I leave all of this behind.”
“Alright. Sit down and I will tell you.” He did as he was told. “The police found us out. Someone told them about us. They came and arrested me yesterday.”
“What?” he said, looking even more worried.
“No interruptions,” she said, shaking her finger at him.
“Fine.”
“So, they arrested me. But I escaped.”
“How did you do that?” Ayan said, cutting her off again.
“I said no interruptions! I ran away, and then I reached the Limits. I met a man there, Nurhaci.” Ayan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she shushed him. “He helped me work out a plan. I know that I cannot stay here. I am a wanted person in Guangzhou. I must leave. I want you to come with me.”
He took a moment to respond. “I will come with you. I would go anywhere with you,” he said, standing up and pulling her into a big hug.
She pulled away and took his hand. “Gather a bag of clothing for both of us. Take some belongings we might be able to sell. We will need money too. Go quickly.”
“Wait one more second,” Ayan said to her. “When we get to Britain, will you marry me?”
* * *
“Ticket, please,” the Chinese ticket collector said, looking up at Ayan. Sun’s new fiancé towered over the small man wearing a blue sailor suit. Ayan handed the man a ticket. “Thank you, sir. Have a good trip.” The man tipped his cap to Ayan and Ayan nodded in return. Sun and Ayan walked onto the ship together.
“Let’s go to the front. The sun is rising,” Ayan said, looking down at Sun with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Sure,” she said. The ship began to move as they moved toward the front. “What do we plan on doing once we arrive in Britain?”
“I’m not really sure of that yet,” he said, glancing away from her for a second. “But we can figure something out.”
“We will need a house. Maybe a farm. We could raise animals and grow things. I’ve always wanted to live on a farm. How will we get the money, though?”
“Shhh,” he said, his smile widening. “Live in the moment. Enjoy the ride. Anyways, we have a few months to decide while we are stuck on this ship, remember?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I guess I have a little while to decide.”
Ayan chuckled and smiled at the young woman standing beside him. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her, not in secret. They were going to have a real life together. Finally he could hold her in his arms, watch the sun rise, and not worry about a thing.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The Qing Dynasty: Exposition-Climax
Chapter One
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.”
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank. Sun let go of her sister’s hand
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Lady, don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay. She will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward. But his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Thank you. You are a kind man,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
“No, Mother, don’t,” Lan pleaded. “Don’t let them take her.”
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner, sir,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grasp. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that on his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) the name Wang was indented.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours or we can press more charges.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. A poor looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for fifteen minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and more high pitched.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What am I charged with? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have been charged with treason. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“Someone knows. I don't know how, but they came to us and turned you in. They saw you two together,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused in their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.”
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank. Sun let go of her sister’s hand
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Lady, don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay. She will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward. But his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Thank you. You are a kind man,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
“No, Mother, don’t,” Lan pleaded. “Don’t let them take her.”
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner, sir,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grasp. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that on his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) the name Wang was indented.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours or we can press more charges.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. A poor looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for fifteen minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and more high pitched.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What am I charged with? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have been charged with treason. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“Someone knows. I don't know how, but they came to us and turned you in. They saw you two together,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused in their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
The Qing Dynasty: Exposition
Chapter One
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Wen, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Wen had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Wen said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Wen said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Wen was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Wen finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.”
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?”
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Wen said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Wen seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Wen had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Wen?
Suns thoughts were interrupted by Wen, ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two military official officials are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank.
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Wen, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Wen had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.
Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Wen said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Wen said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Wen was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Wen finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.”
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?”
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Wen said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Wen seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Wen had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Wen?
Suns thoughts were interrupted by Wen, ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two military official officials are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank.
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Plot Outline
Outline
Characters:
- Ayan, age eighteen. He is a Manchu boy, who is the son of a rich Manchu military official, Bayan. He is arranged to marry a Manchu girl, Mei, who is the daughter of another rich military official. He is in love with Sun.
- Sun, age seventeen, a poor Chinese girl. She is also arranged to marry. Her fiancé is named Yuan, a Chinese merchant. She is in love with Ayan.
- Bayan, Ayan’s father. He is an important man and very close friends with the emperor. His son marrying a Chinese woman would be seen as a betrayal, and he would disown Ayan.
- Wen, Sun’s older sister, is the only one who knows about Ayan and Sun’s relationship. She does not approve, but she will not fight her sister, because she doesn’t want her to end up the way she did. (In an unhappy marriage with a man she doesn’t love.)
I. Exposition
- Ayan and Sun are secretly in love
- Manchu-Chinese marriages are banned
- Chinese are punished for inter-racial marriages
- Their parents, especially Ayan’s dad, disapprove
- They keep their relationship a secret
II. Rising Action
- Someone finds out, tell authorities
III. Climax
- They are separated
- Sun is put in jail
- She outsmarts a guard
- Escapes
IV. Falling Action
- Sun finds Ayan
- They run away out of China to Britain
V. Resolution
- Live together in Britain
External Conflicts—Manchu-Chinese marriages, relationships, and even personal meetings banned. Arranged marriages for both woman and man are already planned.
Internal Conflicts—Feel like they are deserting their families… What they are doing is “dishonorable”.
Connection—This story’s plot flow goes from confusion to order, dilemma to decision, and problem to solution, because both main characters have solve their own internal dilemmas, problems, and confusion. If Ayan and Sun chose to be together, they must leave their current life and start a new one away from China. They will be thrown out by their families and shunned by the Chinese and the Manchu.
Characters:
- Ayan, age eighteen. He is a Manchu boy, who is the son of a rich Manchu military official, Bayan. He is arranged to marry a Manchu girl, Mei, who is the daughter of another rich military official. He is in love with Sun.
- Sun, age seventeen, a poor Chinese girl. She is also arranged to marry. Her fiancé is named Yuan, a Chinese merchant. She is in love with Ayan.
- Bayan, Ayan’s father. He is an important man and very close friends with the emperor. His son marrying a Chinese woman would be seen as a betrayal, and he would disown Ayan.
- Wen, Sun’s older sister, is the only one who knows about Ayan and Sun’s relationship. She does not approve, but she will not fight her sister, because she doesn’t want her to end up the way she did. (In an unhappy marriage with a man she doesn’t love.)
I. Exposition
- Ayan and Sun are secretly in love
- Manchu-Chinese marriages are banned
- Chinese are punished for inter-racial marriages
- Their parents, especially Ayan’s dad, disapprove
- They keep their relationship a secret
II. Rising Action
- Someone finds out, tell authorities
III. Climax
- They are separated
- Sun is put in jail
- She outsmarts a guard
- Escapes
IV. Falling Action
- Sun finds Ayan
- They run away out of China to Britain
V. Resolution
- Live together in Britain
External Conflicts—Manchu-Chinese marriages, relationships, and even personal meetings banned. Arranged marriages for both woman and man are already planned.
Internal Conflicts—Feel like they are deserting their families… What they are doing is “dishonorable”.
Connection—This story’s plot flow goes from confusion to order, dilemma to decision, and problem to solution, because both main characters have solve their own internal dilemmas, problems, and confusion. If Ayan and Sun chose to be together, they must leave their current life and start a new one away from China. They will be thrown out by their families and shunned by the Chinese and the Manchu.
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