by Wai Chim
Cap and I filed inside.
The room was very narrow with just a single bed, small dresser and a student’s desk. Next to the desk was a door that led out onto the balcony.
Guo had always been very neat so I wasn’t surprised that the bed was perfectly made and nothing in the room seemed out of place. Only his desk was messy with its piles of open books and papers strewn about.
Cap and I stood in silence, trying to make ourselves seem as small as possible in the tight space. Guo pushed past and plonked my box of chooks on the desk.
‘Do not step outside this room.’ He pointed an accusing finger. ‘You have no idea how much trouble I’d be in if they found you here. We’re not allowed to have people stay.’ He pushed a hand through his hair, which had grown long and shaggy in the weeks since I’d seen him. His face was still clean and smooth, but that was because Guo only had a couple of whiskers, not like the bushy beard Pa had sometimes grown.
‘I have to call Ma and tell her you’re okay. She’s been worried sick.’ With that, he started towards the door but stopped and turned back to us. I gulped loudly and tumbled onto the bed, trying to avoid his eyes.
‘Do not, I repeat, do not go outside.’ And then he left, shutting the door firmly.
Cap went straight over to the balcony door and stepped outside. Boys.
I shook my head and lifted the lid off my box to take Little and Lo out. My chooks flapped their wings, happy to be out of the crate and to explore their new surroundings.
But there wasn’t much to see and the chooks got bored quickly. I had to keep Lo from scrambling onto the balcony. Cap was leaning way out over the railing, gazing down at a group of university boys who were tossing a tennis ball in the courtyard.
‘Get back inside,’ I hissed.
Cap got up on his tiptoes as he watched one of the boys throw the ball way over his friends’ heads. It bounced once, twice, three times before disappearing into a thorny hedge.
‘Aww man,’ cried one of the boys. ‘Not another one!’ His accent was strong, his words coming out clipped and fast. It sounded very different to the way the men spoke in our village.
‘Chun, you threw it, you go get it,’ said another boy. His voice was softer and it was clear and crisp, like the way Ma always spoke. I realised it might be the city accent that she had never really lost in all her time living with Pa on the farm.
The boy called Chun went to fetch his ball while the other boys joked around, hurling insults at each other in a friendly way. Cap was listening, his eyes bright and shining. I was afraid the boys would look up and see him.
To my relief, Cap came back into the room. I pulled the balcony door shut to keep the noise outside and Cap and the chooks inside.
Cap flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. To pass the time, I took out a few stones and set them on the floor in front of Little. I pointed and waited patiently for her to peck the right one.
Cap rolled over onto his stomach to watch us. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Training,’ I said. Little had managed to pick the right pebble twice in a row but she was distracted now. I snapped my fingers to get her attention.
‘Training for what?’ Cap looked really interested and had propped himself up on the bed. I ignored him and pointed at one of the pebbles on the floor. But Little was too busy preening her feathers, reaching way back into the dimple of her wing. Finally, she turned back to our game and pecked at the pebble. I fed her some grains of rice that I kept for a reward.
‘Chickens are really smart. You can train them to play games,’ I said, beaming with pride. I had come up with the idea after reading a book I had borrowed from school. A group of scientists had trained chickens to peck at different-coloured stones or perform routines, such as walking in a figure of eight. Little and Lo were so clever and already good at dancing, I figured they would be easy to train.
But Lo had been impossible to teach and spent most of our lessons running away or getting angry if I tried to keep him still. After getting too many scratches on my arms, I’d given up and tried with Little. She was much easier to train, but it was still hard to keep her attention.
Cap looked on as Little pecked pebble after pebble, putting on a bit of a show. I was really pleased – she didn’t usually do this well. It was only after the seventh go that she suddenly let out a shrill squawk and beat her wings, sending the pebbles flying. I couldn’t help but giggle at my silly chook.
But Cap shook his head. ‘You’re doing it wrong.’
I rolled my eyes. What did he know about chooks?
But Cap was up to something. He was pulling random items out of his pockets: pieces of crumpled paper, a feather, a pencil that had snapped in two. Finally, he held up a sparkling metal dial dangling from a gold chain. It was an old pocket watch. He pushed the knob at the top and the case sprang open, revealing a cracked glass face. There were official-looking stars carved into the back of the case, a bit like the ones on the badges and pins used in the army. Cap held it out carefully, showing me proudly. ‘It belonged to my dad. He got it for bravery.’ I could tell that the watch meant a lot to him.
Cap got off the bed and moved to the window, holding up the watch face. The glass surface caught the rays of light that were streaming into the room. Cap turned the watch carefully in his hand.
And then I saw it. A disc of rainbow colours darted along the wall where the light was reflecting off the face of the watch. It jumped from the left to the right and then onto the floor as Cap angled the beam.
The second the rainbow hit the floor, Little pounced, her eyes wide. Cap stopped it in front of a pebble and she pecked. He moved it to another one and she pecked. They did this over and over and over, Little’s eyes never leaving the disc of light.
She was perfectly trained.
My jaw dropped and Cap gave me a cocky grin. I wasn’t annoyed anymore. ‘How did you know?’
Cap snapped the lid shut, killing the light. Little looked around, confused and disappointed. After a few moments, he reopened the case and the light sprang back to life. Little went right for it.
‘She likes shiny things,’ he said. ‘Why do you think they went after the woman with the jewels?’
I was amazed at how he had figured that out. ‘You’re really smart,’ I said. ‘You must get really high marks in school.’
Cap was silent as he watched Little dart about. Finally, he shut the lid again and looked at me. ‘I don’t go to school. I’m not allowed.’
My brow furrowed. ‘What do you mean? Everyone has to go to school.’
But Cap shook his head. ‘Uncle – who’s not even my real uncle, just an old friend of my dad’s – he melts gold and other metals into jewellery. He makes me work in the shop when all my cousins go to school. I have to work really hard or he gets mad.’ His voice grew quiet.
‘Is that why you ran away?’ I swallowed hard. My stomach felt queasy and my throat had gone dry.
Cap’s expression was hard and unreadable. ‘Some gold and silver jewellery went missing. I don’t know where it went, but Uncle said I took it. He was furious and hit me. He said he was going to call the police, have me locked up and put away.’
‘Cap, that’s awful. I’m so sorry,’ I said. That was why he’d been so worried about the guards at the station. Poor, poor Cap. I got up to give him a hug.
But Cap drew back, his face white. ‘You can’t tell anyone. Not even your brother.’
‘But I’m sure Guo can help,’ I protested, but Cap shook his head.
‘No. They’ll send me back to Uncle or put me in an orphanage. Promise me, please.’
I watched him, unsure. I really didn’t want to keep secrets from my brother. But Cap was begging me silently – I could see the fear in his eyes.
‘Okay, I promise.’
Before we could say anything else, the door opene
d. Guo was back.
Chapter Seven
Guo flopped onto the bed with his hands over his eyebrows to shield out the light from the window. He let out a deep sigh.
‘Ma was pretty angry, but she’s glad you’re safe.’ He took his hands away and looked at me. ‘Why do you keep causing so much trouble, Mei?’
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say.
Guo got up. ‘You guys can stay with me tonight. But Jin’s coming to get you first thing in the morning.’
‘NO!’ I cried. ‘You can’t send me back with him. I won’t go.’
‘That is ENOUGH!’
I froze. I had never, ever, ever heard my brother raise his voice. The sound of it made the thin walls of the room tremble. The chooks, who had been shuffling about in the corner, fell silent. I watched Guo pull himself up to his full height, his fists clenched by his sides. My empty stomach was squeezing itself and I felt ill.
‘Mei, that’s enough,’ he said again through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his voice steady. ‘It’s time to grow up and stop being a spoilt brat.’ His body stiffened. ‘What would Pa say?’
The tears I’d been holding back dribbled down my cheeks. A sob escaped, then another. I drew my knees up to my chest and cried into them. I couldn’t stop. Cap and my brother just stared as I sat on the floor, red-faced, snotty-nosed and bawling. It was Cap who came over and offered me the dirty hanky from his pocket. I blew my nose. The rough fabric scratched my face.
Finally, Guo sat down beside me and wiped my tears away. He tilted my face up and I looked into my brother’s eyes. Even though his face was hard and thin, his eyes were warm and gentle, the same ones I had always known. He touched my cheek and gave me a small smile. I threw my arms around him, hugging him tight.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered so only he could hear.
‘It’s okay, Mei. It’s okay,’ he murmured as he stroked my hair.
After a long moment, I pulled away. Guo stood up again, messing my hair, and I giggled. ‘Alright, I have to study,’ he said.
‘Aw, can we play? Cap taught Little such a neat trick.’ I wanted to show off her new skills.
Guo settled himself at the desk. ‘You guys play quietly, I have to work.’ And he hunched his shoulders over a thick textbook and began to read. I noticed that he mouthed the words, like Pa used to when he read to himself.
Cap and I couldn’t leave the room, so we sat on the bed and played noughts and crosses, although Cap insisted that it was called tic tac toe. Cap was really, really good. Often we tied, but he never, ever lost a single round.
‘You’re cheating!’ I cried as I threw my pencil down and crossed my arms in a huff. I had just lost my tenth game.
Cap smirked. ‘I’m not cheating. There’s just certain ways to win.’
‘Oh yeah, show me.’
Cap explained how you could play the game so you would never lose. It was really clever. Even Guo stopped reading for a while to learn.
‘How do you know all this stuff?’ I was amazed at how smart he was.
Cap shrugged, like it was no big deal. ‘I saw there was a pattern and worked it out.’
‘That’s pretty neat,’ Guo said and Cap beamed.
Evening came and Guo snuck us out of the dorm so we could have dinner. We couldn’t risk going to the school cafeteria in case someone saw us, so Guo took us to a noodle restaurant nearby. I was super excited. We always ate at home and I had eaten at a restaurant in the village only a few times in my life.
I spent a long time looking at the menu hanging over the counter, trying to decide what to get.
‘Come on, Mei. I have to go back and finish my homework,’ Guo grumbled.
Cap and Guo had both ordered a combination noodle soup that came with fish balls, tripe, liver and sheep’s intestine. The idea of eating intestine sickened me so I was being extra careful with what I chose. Eventually, I settled on wonton noodle soup with barbecue pork. We sat at the counter of the restaurant with our steaming hot bowls and a plate of salty fried bread Guo had ordered for us to share. I speared a plump wonton with the pointy end of my chopstick and bit into it, licking up the sweet, meaty juices as they dripped down my chin.
‘What are you studying at university?’ Cap asked my brother, his mouth full of noodles.
Guo sighed. I realised he looked tired even when he was just talking about his schoolwork. ‘I’m writing a paper about farming and agriculture. But Professor Law is really strict and difficult to please.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s like everything Pa taught me about farming was wrong.’
I snorted, spraying half-chewed bits of noodle all over the counter. ‘That’s impossible,’ I said. ‘Pa was the best farmer around.’
Guo stared solemnly into his half-empty bowl. ‘That’s what I thought too. But maybe . . .’ his voice dropped, ‘. . . maybe the way we’ve been doing things is old-fashioned.’
I scoffed but I could tell that Guo was lost in his own thoughts. We finished the rest of our meal quietly, except for the sound of our slurping.
Guo hustled us out of the restaurant. Everything in the city looked magical at night. The restaurant signs, the buildings and the grand gated entrance to the university were all lit up by blinding bright lights. We went past a beautiful stone fountain gushing water and it seemed to glow in the darkness. It was like something out of a fantastic dream. But Guo didn’t stop to look, not for a second, as he hurried us back through the campus.
As we walked through the main plaza, a high-pitched and nasal voice called out, ‘Mr Lin’.
We turned. A short, plump man stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in a grey vest and matching trousers and wore thick spectacles. His mouth was pinched towards his nose and he squinted in a way that reminded me of an underground mole.
‘Good evening, Mr Lin,’ he said. He walked with surprisingly long strides for a short man. The glow of the streetlights bounced off the dome of his bald head and the soles of his tan shoes clicked sharply against the footpath.
‘Good evening, Professor Law.’ Guo bowed his head respectfully, but I could tell from the way he gripped my hand that he was nervous.
‘Out for an evening stroll, are we?’ Professor Law stopped in front of us, his hands clasped behind his back as he rocked gently on the balls of his feet.
‘Yes, Professor. It’s a lovely night.’ Guo’s voice trembled when he spoke.
I shrank back when the professor looked at me. ‘And who do we have here?’ The professor’s eyes were as dark as coal and they looked big and monstrous behind the lenses of his round glasses.
‘This is my little sister, Mei, and her friend. They’re here visiting.’
Professor Law raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘I certainly hope they’re not staying with you.’
Guo shook his head firmly. ‘No, of course not,’ he said, trying to keep his words steady. ‘I’m just giving them a tour and our aunt is going to come and pick them up.’
Professor Law nodded but didn’t take his eyes off us. I could sense Cap clenching his fists beside me. He didn’t like the professor either.
‘Well, that’s good to hear. You don’t want to be distracted from your studies. I trust your assignment is complete already?’
Guo nodded eagerly. ‘Oh yes, of course, sir, to be handed in tomorrow.’
‘Good. No extensions, no excuses.’
‘Of course, sir, of course.’ Guo’s head was bobbing up and down like a rag doll’s.
Professor Law yawned loudly and then sniffled. It sounded like an elephant’s trumpet. ‘Well, I guess you’d best be on your way. I’ll see you at 8.30am for class, Mr Lin.’ And he spun on his heels and marched off, disappearing back into the shadows.
Guo waited until he was out of sight before letting go of my hand. I felt the blood returning to my fingertips. ‘Come on, we’d better get you guys
out of here in case he comes back.’
We scurried back to Guo’s tiny room. Little and Lo clucked softly as I pulled out the leftover bits from dinner. They gobbled up the noodles. I think it reminded them of the worms they were always digging up on the farm.
‘You guys should go to bed,’ Guo said. ‘I still have to finish my assignment.’
He took an extra pillow and blanket out for Cap, who happily settled on the floor beside the bed. Little and Lo nestled together next to him amongst the blanket. I lay down on the bed and Guo turned off the light. I squished myself up against the wall to make room on the narrow mattress for when Guo came to bed. Guo switched on his desk lamp and sat down in front of his books once again.
It didn’t take long for Cap to start snoring. He snorted and snuffled in, and then whistled out; he was worse than Bao! I pulled the pillow over my head and squeezed my eyes shut, trying my best to drift off. The gentle scratching of Guo’s pencil on the page eventually lulled me into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Eight
When I woke up, light was shining in from the window. It was morning already. I thought I would have woken up when Guo came to bed. But then I saw him still slumped over the desk, his head propped up by the mountain of books. Poor Guo had been working all night.
A door banged open down the hallway and Guo awoke with a start. ‘Present, Professor,’ he said, shooting up straight in his seat. He looked around, confused, but then he saw me and his face softened.
‘Good morning,’ I said and gave him a cuddle, burying my face in his shirt. It stank a little from not being washed, but I didn’t care because it reminded me of Pa when he was coming back from the fields. It smelt safe.
‘You shouldn’t work so hard,’ I said. ‘Ma would be worried if she knew you weren’t sleeping.’ His eyes were red with dark circles underneath.
