At the time of my birth, Big Sister was six and a half years old. My three brothers were five, four, and three.

Though many Chinese parents still prefer sons, daughters are not so much despised.

But then Mama dies giving birth to you. If you had never been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you.

"How do you expect me to read this, my precious little treasure?" I knew she was pleased because she was smiling as she hugged me.

She likes to be the center of attention.

She is very intelligent.

She is the family favorite.

She is bad luck for the family.

Mother Agnes suddenly called my name in front of everyone. She announced that I had one a special award for wearing the weekly medal for more weeks than any other student.

"Take that! Medal winner! Teacher's pet! Who do you think you are? Showing off week after week!" Big sister cried as she slapped me with her strong right hand.

"How do you expect me to read this, my precious little treasure?" I knew she was pleased because she was smiling as she hugged me.

But then Mama dies giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you.

It was not considered beautiful to men for women to have big feet.

They thought it was better for their health.

They thought women should develop arthritis.

they did not want women to run or jump.

"It hurt so badly I couldn't sleep. I screamed with pain and begged my mother to free my feet, but she wouldn't."

"In my day, small feet were considered feminine and beautiful. if you had large, unbound feet, no man would marry you, this was the custom."

"Just be thankful this horrible custom was done away with thirty years ago. Otherwise, your feet would be crippled and you wouldn't be able to run or jump either."

"I had a pair of perfectly normal feet when I was born, but they maimed me on purpose and me lifelong arthritis so I would be attractive."

Adeline was bad luck.

The Japanese were after them.

They had business to take care of in Shanghai.

Tianjin was extremely dangerous.

After the strangeness wore off, we weren't particularly bothered because Father travelled often on business.

A few months later, our stepmother, Niang took our younger brother (fourth brother) and also left the house. Nobody knew where they went.

But then Mama dies giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you.

Many Japanese men in business suits came to the house looking for him, even on Sundays. They came with Japanese bodyguards who wore surgical masks on their faces and carried scary-looking bayonets with big sharp knives at their tips.

There were classes within the family.

Father lost all his money.

It was not in the French concession.

Father was wealthy.

"Here we are!" Father said, looking around proudly as we gawked in open-mouthed wonder at the Burgundy velvet couches, matching velvet curtains, and the thick woolen carpets partially covering a teak parquet floor.

"The second floor is where your father and I, and your younger border and sister, have our rooms. You are not allowed to enter any of these rooms on our floor without our permission."

Father's Shanghai house was on Avenue Joffre, deep in the heart of the French concession.

As we climbed the stairs, Big Brother muttered,"To her, we are not separate people. Here we have to become one single unit known as all of you."

She is left alone at school.

She does not have new clothes.

She slept on a different floor than the other children.

She has no food.

I knew I looked ghastly with my dirty school uniform, scuffed and smudgy tennis shoes, straight, unpeeled hair, bitten fingernails, and swollen eyes red from crying.

"The second floor is where your father and I, and your younger border and sister , have our rooms. You are not allowed to enter any of these rooms on our floor without our permission."

One by one they were greeted and led away by their anxiously hovering mothers. Eventually, I was the only one left. Nobody came for me.

As I salivated, I imagined the taste of the food sliding down my throat. Breakfast seemed such a long time ago.

He is always traveling for business.

It is hard to recognize her voice on the phone.

He hires Ah Mao to pick her up.

He gives her a map.

"Speak up!" he shouted. "There is so much background noise. Who is this? "It is your daughter, Fifth daughter, Wu-Mei."

Every morning Ah Mao could be seen sweeping the seat, washing the sides, brushing the canopy, and polishing the brass.

Next time you go anywhere for the first time," he admonished as he handed me a map of Shanghai from the glove compartment of the car, "read this map and find where you are and where you wish to go."

After the strangeness wore off, we weren't;t particularly bothered because Father travelled ofter on business.

Adeline

Niang

Aunt Baba

Big Sister

Aunt Baba handed the candy to Niang, who waved it back and forth, attempting to entice her daughter to go to her,

All of us beckoned to her and vied for her attention as she teased us by half advancing and then quickly retreating back to Aunt Baba's side.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Big Sister added in a stern voice, trying tp curry favor with Niang, The rest of us remained silent.

Repeatedly, Niang signaled her baby to come to her. But to Little sister, her mother was a strange and she ignored her.

For not preventing the fall of the candy dish.

For laughing when the candy dish fell and broke.

For asking Niang to stop hitting Little Sister.

For not yelling along with the other family members.

"Bad girl!" the four-year-old Fourth Brother screamed at his baby sister.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Big sister added in a stern voice, trying to curry favor with Niang.

I knew I should remain silent, but words choked me and I felt compelled to spit them out. Finally I could bear it no longer.

Quaking with terror, I blurted out, "Don't beat her anymore. She is only a baby!"

She enjoyed talking the distance to school.

She disrespected Father

She is not the oldest sibling.

She refuses to give a sincere apology for sneaking money from YeYe without their knowledge.

To have her on "her" side.

She wants her to be the nanny.

She ruined the "letter" plan.

She is the first to apologize.

Adeline thinks PLT truly understands her.

Adeline talks to it as if it were her baby sister.

Adeline ignores the duck completely.

Aunt Baba is worried about the duckling's safety.

PLT greeted me expectantly at the door, but I rushed last into the bathroom to wash away the blood tricking down my arm.

She then walked over and looked our bedroom door, followed and watched by PLT every step of the way.

When she hears Jackie barking, she scampers away from the window as if she is afraid. When I get involved with homework and ignore her, she comes over to see what I'm doing. She knows a lot.

Aunt Baba was both startled and amused. " I just heard you speaking to PLT as if she was your baby sister, in a tone both loving and proud. Do you think she knows what you are saying?" she asked.

That each of us has within us something precious and unique.

The idea that it is lonely living with a stepfamily.

That brothers and sisters can be annoying.

It was difficult growing up in Shanghai.

Dragon Eyes

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