Along the River: A Chinese Cinderella Novel

by Adeline Yen Mah

  A Note About

  Chinese Cinderella

  Adeline Yen Mah’s family considered her bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her. They made her feel unwanted all her life. After the death of her stepmother in 1990, Adeline felt compelled to give up her career as a physician to write her life story. Her adult memoir, Falling Leaves, was published in 1997 and became an international bestseller. Then, in 1998, Adeline wrote an autobiography for children in response to the many letters she received from young people who also felt unloved and unwanted. The result, Chinese Cinderella, is the true story of Adeline’s childhood, and has become a much-loved book for young people all over the world.

  The book you are holding now, Along the River, was inspired by the many imaginative stories Adeline created when she was young and found solace in writing about empowered young women. Chinese Cinderella is her own story; Along the River relates the adventures Adeline created for CC.

  ALSO BY ADELINE YEN MAH

  FOR YOUNG ADULTS

  Chinese Cinderella

  Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

  China: Land of Dragons and Emperors

  FOR ADULTS

  Falling Leaves

  A Thousand Pieces of Gold

  Watching the Tree

  This is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2009 by Adeline Yen Mah

  Photographs copyright © 2009 by The Palace Museum, Beijing, China, reproduced by permission of The Palace Museum, Beijing

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in paperback in Australia by Allen & Unwin, Sydney, in 2009.

  Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

  Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/teens

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Mah, Adeline Yen.

  Along the river : a Chinese Cinderella novel / Adeline Yen Mah. — 1st American ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: CC suffers a bad fall and, in order to treat her injuries, she undergoes hypnotherapy that reveals her connection to an eleventh-century girl named Mei Lan, who defied convention to befriend a household servant who was a brilliant artist.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89669-9

  1. China—History—Song dynasty, 960–1279—Juvenile fiction. [1. China—History—Song dynasty, 960–1279—Fiction. 2. Reincarnation—Fiction. 3. Hypnotism—Fiction.] I. Title. PZ7.M27633Al 2010 [Fic]—dc22 2009042980

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  For my husband, Bob,

  and many thanks to my Australian publisher,

  Erica Wagner

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1. Woman in Black

  Chapter 2. Coma

  Chapter 3. Hospitalization

  Chapter 4. Hypnotherapy

  Chapter 5. A Real Awakening

  Chapter 6. Barbarian Orphan Boy

  Chapter 7. Painting Lessons

  Chapter 8. Jade Dog

  Chapter 9. Cricket Fight

  Chapter 10. Visit to the Capital

  Chapter 11. Along the River at the Qing Ming

  Chapter 12. Mei Lan’s Confession

  Chapter 13. Prime Minister’s Son

  Chapter 14. Baba’s Birthday Party

  Photo Insert

  Chapter 15. Dragon Rock Painting

  Chapter 16. Marble Snail

  Chapter 17. Decision

  Chapter 18. Two Gifts

  Chapter 19. Flight

  Chapter 20. Is Anything Impossible?

  How to Pronounce Chinese Words

  Glossary of Chinese Words

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Woman in Black

  CC first noticed the woman in black when she stopped at the spice booth to buy salt and soya sauce. The market was packed with people. They crowded the narrow aisles between the stalls, jostling each other and bargaining for the best value. Children raced around, playing hide-and-seek along the cramped passageways, while stallholders called out to passersby, waving their merchandise in the air and shouting out prices.

  In all the noise and bustle, CC couldn’t be sure how long the woman had been watching her. As soon as their boat had docked in the river town of Feng Jie , Wu Nai Nai (Grandma Wu) had sent her and David on shore to pick up essential supplies. They had been told that Feng Jie was “safe,” but it was impossible to be sure in these dangerous times.

  “Look out for one another but try not to appear as if you’re together,” Grandma Wu had said as she handed each of them a straw basket and some money. “Don’t talk to anyone unless you have to, and of course don’t breathe a word about the American pilots hidden on our boat. Even though Feng Jie is ruled by our President Chiang Kai-shek, Japanese secret agents and collaborators lurk everywhere and we’re in constant danger until we get the airmen to Chungking. Their safety depends on your silence.”

  CC paid for her purchases and packed them into the basket at her feet. As she straightened up she saw the woman in black staring intently at her. Quickly, CC moved away, but she couldn’t resist glancing back. The woman was following her, heading in the same direction. She quickened her steps and turned the corner. The woman also turned but maintained a certain distance. Now CC had no doubt: the woman was after her, for sure. But why?

  She looked around for David, but he was nowhere to be seen. Her heart quickened and she felt the first trickle of panic. Trying to behave naturally, she continued to buy the foods on Grandma Wu’s list: eggs, vegetables, sesame oil, tofu, sugar, rice, flour and fresh fruits. She glanced nervously over her shoulder, hoping against hope that the woman would be gone. But no! There she was, peering furtively from behind a stack of dried cabbage, as if not quite certain that CC was the one she was looking for. But almost sure …

  Should she make a run for it? No—better behave calmly. Was this woman a Japanese spy? Surely not. She looked so kind, almost motherly. But maybe that was only a disguise. What if she approached CC and started a conversation? Then perhaps suddenly—WHAM! A hand around the arm. Come with me! Japanese secret police! CC shuddered.

  The woman did not look Japanese, but she could be a Chinese collaborator. Did she know about the American pilots hidden on the boat, only a few hundred feet away? Grandma Wu and Master Wu had listened for news on the radio every day since they had rescued the Americans, but they had heard nothing. So they assumed that nobody was searching for them.

  “Keep calm, CC. Behave normally,” she muttered to herself. But the woman was inching slowly toward her. Their eyes met briefly. CC immediately looked away. She felt her heart racing and a cold sweat running down her back. How scary! What did the woman want? CC braced herself.

  All at once the woman was righ
t in front of her, blocking the way! CC stared, paralyzed with fear. Would she arrest her? How many years in jail for helping American pilots to escape from the Japanese?

  “Excuse me. Are you the niece of Ye Jia Ming ?”

  So the woman had recognized her. But how? There must be millions of twelve-year-old girls in China who looked like her. But the woman had said Ye Jia Ming, which was Big Aunt’s maiden name before her disastrous arranged marriage. What else did this woman know? Would CC be taken away and tortured for information about the airmen? She parted her lips to speak, but no words came. Her mouth was dry. She had only one desperate, agonizing thought: she must say nothing, because, back on that boat, the Americans’ lives depended on her silence! She needed to get away from this woman as fast as possible.

  She threw her basket of groceries at the woman, and ran—brushing past a meat-vendor’s stall and knocking over a vegetable stand. “Stop her!” the angry merchants yelled, but CC was too quick for them. She had no idea where she was going. She only knew she had to escape—fast! The sound of her feet mingled with the pounding of blood in her ears, blocking everything but fear. Suddenly she was hurtling down steep stone steps toward the pier, taking them two at a time. But, halfway down, she was blocked by a group of workmen carrying large boxes balanced on shoulder-poles. The woman in black would surely catch her now.

  It had started to rain and the light was fading. People were yelling and pushing behind her. She needed to get away, but how? Bodies in front, terror behind.

  Beside her was a drainpipe leading up to the roof of a building. Out of desperation, CC grabbed onto it and clambered to the top. She had a momentary sense of exhilaration as she looked down at her pursuers. Without kung fu training, they would never be able to catch her. Then, just as she felt as if she might actually get away, her feet slipped on the wet roof shingles and her body plunged into the void.…

  Coma

  David cried out in horror as CC fell from the rooftop, landing with a sickening thud on the dirt below. He had been watching from behind a fishmonger’s cart and had seen CC’s encounter with the woman in black.

  A crowd of people immediately gathered around CC’s inert body, including two policemen in uniform. The woman in black was saying something to them. David edged his way closer. He had no idea what to do. Could CC possibly survive such a fall? Then his heart leapt when he saw her chest moving up and down. Although her eyes remained closed, she was breathing and therefore must still be alive!

  “I have no idea why she ran away from me,” the woman was saying. “I thought I recognized her from a photo. I just wanted to ask for news of her aunt. Nothing else.”

  “These are troubled times,” one of the policeman said. “The girl might have been afraid of something or somebody. Who knows?”

  “Thank goodness we’re safe here in Feng Jie!” someone in the crowd said.

  “Still, there are many pro-Japanese collaborators,” the policeman said. “One cannot be too careful. Does anyone know this little girl?”

  David stepped forward. “Her name is CC,” he said. “She’s my friend.” To his embarrassment, he started to cry.

  The woman in black said sympathetically, “She should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. I know the Medical Director of the missionary hospital here. He’s an American—Dr. Richard Allen. You need to take your friend there in a rickshaw. I’ll write a note and tell him what happened. By the way, is your friend the niece of Ye Jia Ming?”

  “I have no idea,” David said guardedly.

  “Ye Jia Ming was my classmate at middle school, and a close friend. I stayed with her once in Nan Tian, before the Japanese massacre. She had many photos of her niece throughout her house. Your friend looks just like the girl in those photos.… She is her niece, isn’t she?”

  “I already told you I don’t know,” David replied with a hint of irritation.

  “I feel so bad about her falling like that. Here’s the note for the hospital, and this is my card with my name and telephone number. Phone me and let me know how she is. I’m sorry I can’t accompany you to the hospital, but I’m late for work. Do you have money to pay the rickshaw driver?”

  “Yes,” David said. “Please tell him the address of the hospital.” He looked at the card and saw that the woman’s name was Jiang Fei Fei .

  The rickshaw driver seemed to take forever to wend his way through the crowded streets. David kept looking at CC’s white, unconscious face, and willed her to wake up. He hadn’t realized, until now, how much he always relied on her bravery and sense of humor in dangerous situations. When they got to the hospital, two orderlies and a nurse came running out to help. The woman in black had telephoned in advance and spoken to Dr. Allen.

  David handed over the note and was told to wait while CC was taken into the examination room. He sat outside in the waiting room. People kept going in and out, but no one said anything to him. He was about to go down the corridor to look for her when a tall foreigner in a white coat rushed by with a chart in his hand. So he grabbed the man’s jacket and asked in a hoarse, anxious voice, “Please tell me what’s happening. Is CC going to die?”

  The man stopped and looked kindly at David.

  “Hello, kid! Are you with the unconscious girl?” he asked in fluent Chinese. “What did you call her—CC? Did you bring CC to us?”

  “Yes, I’m David. Her real name is Ye Xian , but we all call her CC.”

  “Well, David, my name is Dr. Allen. Your friend CC has twisted her foot and ruptured some ligaments in her ankle, but it’s her head we’re more worried about. She’s had quite a fall and is still unconscious. We need to admit her to the hospital and keep her under observation until she wakes up. Does she live in Feng Jie?”

  “No, but I can get Grandma Wu.”

  The doctor patted him on the shoulder. “That would be great! By all means, go and get her grandma. Be as quick as you can!” Seeing the anxiety on David’s face, Dr. Allen added in a gentler voice: “Try not to worry. People’s heads are my specialty. Your friend is in good hands with me.”

  Hospitalization

  As soon as Grandma Wu saw David running alone toward the boat with his dirty, tearstained face, she knew something must have gone terribly wrong. But she wasn’t prepared for the dreadful news he brought. Dropping everything, she hurried over to the hospital at once.

  After speaking to Dr. Allen, she knew she faced a difficult choice. Should she stay with CC in Feng Jie, or go back to the boat and escort the American airmen to safety? In the end she ordered her son, Master Wu, and the three boys David, Sam and Marat to deliver the Americans to Chungking. She herself left the boat to look after the comatose CC, staying at the guest hostel attached to the missionary hospital and sitting by CC’s bed every day.

  Jiang Fei Fei, the woman in black, came to the hospital the morning after the accident to check on CC. She worked as a nurse attached to the local Red Cross station and was much saddened to hear that Big Aunt had been killed by the Japanese. Jiang Fei Fei and Grandma Wu soon became friends. Through Fei Fei’s contacts, Grandma Wu was able to get the latest news from Chungking.

  Although CC had broken no bones, she remained unconscious and required constant monitoring. Day after day, Grandma Wu helped the nurses wash and turn her from side to side as she lay, white-faced and still, on the narrow hospital bed. She wanted to be there when CC woke up, mainly to reassure her but also to stop her from saying anything indiscreet about the American airmen and the rescue mission.

  During the first ten days, there were momentary signs that CC was emerging from her coma. Her eyelids would flicker and she would mutter something indistinct. But then she would lapse back into oblivion. From time to time, she called out quite clearly “Ah Zhao ” and “Gege (Older Brother)!” but nothing she said made much sense.

  Dr. Allen continued to hope that CC would make a full recovery. He instructed Grandma Wu to keep talking to her as if she could hear everything. So Grandma Wu passed the days chatt
ing to CC and reading to her from newspapers and books she found in the hospital library. However, as day after day went by and there was no change, she couldn’t help worrying. The only good news was from Jiang Fei Fei, who reported that the Americans had arrived safely in Chungking. A ceremony had been held during which President Chiang Kai-shek himself had awarded the airmen medals for bravery, before flying them home to America. Soon afterward, Grandma Wu heard directly from her son that he and the boys were safe and well looked after by the Nationalist government. They would remain in Chungking until they heard from her.

  Then one morning, three weeks after her fall and without any warning, CC regained consciousness. On opening her eyes, she was amazed to find herself in a hospital bed, with Grandma Wu sitting at her bedside reading a newspaper. As nurses gathered in her room and celebrated her awakening, CC noticed that the date printed on the daily paper was July 25, 1942. Remembering the American pilots telling her about Independence Day as the boat approached Feng Jie on July 4, CC realized with a shock of recognition that she had been unconscious for three whole weeks!

  At first she could hardly stay awake for longer than an hour at a time. Repeatedly, she had to be reminded of where she was and how she had got there. She complained of a severe headache and often seemed confused. She asked about David, but could remember little about the day of her fall in the market.

  Gradually, the periods of wakefulness grew longer, but CC remained muddle-headed and sickly. She was plagued by blinding headaches, and her sleep was disturbed.

  Grandma Wu spoke to Dr. Allen about her concerns. “I know she has been very ill, but CC is really behaving most strangely. She often doesn’t respond to her own name and she forgets other people’s names too. She keeps calling me Nai Ma (Nanny or wet nurse). This morning the nurse woke her up so that she could dress her injured foot, but as soon as she brought the bandages near the bed, CC screamed and cowered away from her as if she were being attacked. It took a long time to convince her that the nurse was not going to hurt her. She also seems very sad about something. From time to time she mutters the name Ah Zhao over and over. I know she has recently lost her Big Aunt, whom she loved very much, but she won’t talk about it, and to be honest, I don’t think that’s the problem.”