The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,87
her very soul.
She couldn’t complain, though. Huan Sun had put her to work sewing and repairing clothing that came into his shop. He had also insisted that she sleep on the only cot in the back room. Where Huan Sun slept, she wasn’t sure. He was awake long after she went to sleep and before she arose in the morning.
Mei Lien was grateful for every moment that she spent in this place, but every moment also seemed another moment closer to . . . what? She didn’t know, and her mind conjured up all sorts of images. At least for now, there was no Ah-Peen Oie to beat her, no Zhang Wei to beckon her, no days without water or food. No temptation of opium, although the sweet smell wafted in from the shop window now and again.
Mei Lien had gone through withdrawals the first week at the shop, but they were a small price to pay for her escape. Now, she only felt nauseous. Huan Sun’s meals were sparse, but regular, so it wasn’t because she was hungry. And although she slept a full night each night, she always craved more rest.
Mei Lien knew the cause of these symptoms, but she wouldn’t let herself think about it for fear her thoughts would make her situation into reality.
And she was determined to earn her keep for as long as Huan Sun tolerated her presence.
Now, Huan Sun walked into the main part of the shop where she worked. “Someone’s coming,”
He didn’t need to say anything more. Mei Lien turned and scurried past him to the back room. She moved into the narrow closet to her usual hiding place. When patrons entered the shop, it was her job to disappear. At the back of the closet, Huan Sun had constructed a false door, and she drew it open, then squeezed into the small space.
She closed her eyes as she steadied her breathing. Closing her eyes helped calm her. Huan Sun sometimes sensed things before they happened. The fact that he had discovered her in the middle of the night had been remarkable. And now, he knew someone was coming to the shop before the doorknob was even turned.
Voices sounded inside the main shop, and Mei Lien held her breath to listen. Men. At least two of them, their voices higher pitched than Huan Sun’s lower, more mellow tone. When she heard her name spoken, all the warmth drained from her body.
“She very pretty,” one of the men said. “You knew her at Ah-Peen Oie’s.”
“I visited many women there,” Huan Sun said, his tone remarkably even and calm.
“Ah-Peen Oie says you have not returned since visiting Mei Lien,” the man continued.
“My shop was robbed, and I had no money.” Huan Sun’s explanation was the truth, but the men in the shop weren’t satisfied.
“Every Chinese man is poor,” the man said. “Yet, every Chinese man visits the brothels.”
Huan Sun’s reply was muffled.
Then something banged. Mei Lien’s breath hitched.
“Don’t move,” one of the men growled. The order must have been directed at Huan Sun.
Mei Lien hardly dared to breathe, and she feared that her thudding heartbeat would be loud enough to give her away. Sounds of banging and clanking told her they were searching the place . . . for her.
Footsteps entered the back room, and even through the false door, Mei Lien knew the man was heading straight for the closet. The door clicked open, and he banged on the walls. Mei Lien nearly yelped, but she bit down hard on her lip, stifling a scream.
The next bang on the closet was right above her head. Panic lurched through her body. Her stomach roiled, and bile burned her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry out.
Someone called to the man in the closet, and he suddenly left. Mei Lien didn’t know what was happening, but new voices came from the front of the shop. A patron must have come in.
She could only wait and pray that Huan Sun would be all right, and that the tong would leave. The wait was agonizing, and Mei Lien had no idea how much time had passed. But when Huan Sun finally opened the false door, she ran past him to the latrine bucket. Falling to the floor, she vomited.
When her body had completely spent itself, she curled up on the floor next to the bucket.
Huan Sun crouched next to her and touched her forehead.