a rush of gratitude through her, and she dragged her eyes open.
Beautiful and exquisite Ah-Peen Oie stood above her, the blessed packet of opium in her hand. “It is time,” she said, her voice soft.
The words took a moment to filter into Mei Lien’s comprehension. And then she scrambled to her knees and reached for the packet. But Ah-Peen Oie drew away, out of reach. Mei Lien dropped to her hands. Beg, she would beg. But her headache pressed harder, and her breathing turned shaky.
“Tonight,” Ah-Peen Oie continued, “you will attend the banquet. You will accept your destiny. And you will pay back every cent you owe me.”
The woman’s words might have been daggers a few weeks ago, but now they were simply a statement of truth—a truth that Mei Lien had to not only accept but take ownership in. She wanted to live now. Live for the next dose of opium. “Yes.” Her voice came out a rasp.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I will work to pay you back the money.” Producing the entire sentence had been taxing, and Mei Lien fought for a full breath.
The scent of jasmine surrounded her as Ah-Peen Oie bent and administered the powder. Mei Lien sank to the floor and leaned against the bed, the bitter taste like nectar on her tongue. The powder took only moments to calm her trembling and quiet her headache. Mei Lien had entered another existence—one in which she could clearly see that this was her life now, that it was prudent to accept her destiny, just as Ah-Peen Oie said.
The next hours were spent in preparation as Ah-Peen Oie directed one of her servants to help Mei Lien. After she’d bathed and scented her body, Mei Lien dressed in a pale peach cheongsam. The servant drew Mei Lien’s hair into an elegant twist, then applied careful makeup.
When Mei Lien was led to a mirror in another bedroom, she stared at her own transformation. Gone was the girl from the Hong Kong countryside. Mei Lien looked like the women she had been warned about, the women who had no other choices in life. In her reflection, she might see the shape of her mother’s eyes, but Mei Lien also saw a young woman who had no future. No hope for a different situation. But she would pay back her contract, if only to protect her mother.
“I’m sorry, Ah Ma,” Mei Lien whispered to her mother’s eyes.
Then she turned away from the mirror and took the dose of opium offered by the servant.
Mei Lien was ready. The girl from the country was gone, replaced by a woman who would forget herself and focus only on what it would take to protect her mother.
When the hour of the banquet arrived, Mei Lien walked with the other courtesans into the dining room. Silk hangings adorned the walls. Elegant sofas sat next to teakwood furniture holding painted vases. The women were to take their places before the guests arrived. None of the other courtesans spoke to her, but their gazes told Mei Lien that she was not a welcome addition. She supposed it was because she might give them competition.
But whichever man chose her tonight would not be getting Mei Lien, the young woman from Hong Kong. He would be getting an alternate version. She was a ghost now. Just like her ancestors.
The first two men entered and greeted the courtesans with surprising grace and courtesy. Mei Lien gave a shy smile as she’d been instructed to, and although she’d told herself to show no reaction, her pulse raced despite her resolve. She didn’t want to be in this room. She didn’t want the eyes of these men to peruse her.
Mother, she thought. You are the only thing important to me. Nothing else matters.
Mei Lien didn’t know what she said, or how she managed to laugh and titter at the men’s stories and compliments, but the hours somehow passed as each course was served. The compliments directed toward her were many, and each time a man paid her special attention, Ah-Peen Oie’s eyes flashed with approval.
When the dessert was served, one by one the courtesans began to leave the room. They were soon followed by the men who had arranged with Ah-Peen Oie for the night’s payment.
“You are from Hong Kong?” a male voice asked, and Mei Lien looked over to see who had spoken.
The Chinese man was younger than most of the other men in the room; Mei Lien guessed him to be only