Chinese Cinderella (3 page)

6. Our stepmother gave us European names when she married my father. When my brothers and I attended schools in Hong Kong and London where English was the main language, my name became Adeline Yen.

7. After I married, I adopted my Chinese American husband Bob Mah’s last name and my name is now Adeline Yen Mah.

8. Big Sister’s (
) name is Lydia, Big Brother’s (
) is Gregory, Second Brother’s (
) is Edgar, Third Brother’s (
) is James. Fourth Younger Brother’s name (
) is Franklin. Little Sister’s name (
) is Susan.

Chapter One

Top of the Class

Autumn, 1941.

A
s soon as I got home from school, Aunt Baba noticed the silver medal dangling from the left

breast‐pocket of my uniform. She was combing her hair in front of the mirror in our room when I rushed in and plopped my school‐bag down on my bed.

‘What’s that hanging on your dress?’

‘It’s something special that Mother Agnes gave me in front of the whole class this afternoon. She called it an award.’

My aunt looked thrilled. ‘So soon? You only started kindergarten one week ago. What is it for?’

‘It’s for topping my class this week. When Mother Agnes pinned it on my dress, she said I could wear it for seven days. Here, this certificate goes with it.’ I opened my school‐bag and handed her an envelope as I climbed onto her lap.

She opened the envelope and took out the certificate.

‘Why, it’s all written in French or English or some other foreign language. 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. ‘One day soon,’ she continued, ‘you’ll be able to translate all this into Chinese for me. Until then, we’ll just write today’s date on the envelope and put it away somewhere safe. Go close the door properly and put on the latch so no one will come in.’

I watched her open her closet door and take out her safe‐deposit box. She took the key from a gold chain around her neck and placed my certificate underneath her jade bracelet, pearl necklace and diamond watch – as if my award were also some precious jewel impossible to replace.

As she closed the lid, an old photograph fell out. I picked up the faded picture and saw a solemn young man and woman, both dressed in old‐fashioned Chinese robes. The man looked rather familiar.

‘Is this a picture of my father and dead mama?’ I asked.

‘No. This is the wedding picture of your grandparents. Your Ye Ye was twenty‐six and your Nai Nai was only fifteen.’ She quickly took the photo from me and locked it in her box.

‘Do you have a picture of my dead mama?’

She avoided my eyes. ‘No. But I have wedding pictures of your father and stepmother Niang. You were only one year old when they married. Do you want to see them?’

‘No. I’ve seen those before. I just want to see one of my own mama. Do I look like her?’ Aunt Baba did not reply, but busied herself putting the safe‐deposit box back into her closet. After a while I said, ‘When did my mama die?’

‘Your mother came down with a high fever three days after you were born. She died when you were two weeks old . . .’ She hesitated for a moment, then exclaimed suddenly, ‘How dirty your hands are! Have you been playing in that sand‐box at school again? Go wash them at once! Then come back and do your homework!’

I did as I was told. Though I was only four years old, I understood I should not ask Aunt Baba too many questions about my dead mama. Big Sister once told me, ‘Aunt Baba and Mama used to be best friends. A long time ago, they worked together in a bank in Shanghai owned by our Grand Aunt, the youngest sister of Grandfather Ye Ye. But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck.’

Chapter Two

A Tianjin Family

A
t the time of my birth, Big Sister was six and a half years old. My three brothers were five, four and three. They blamed me for causing Mama’s (
) death and never forgave me.

A year later, Father (
) remarried. Our stepmother, whom we called Niang (
), was a seventeen‐year‐old Eurasian beauty fourteen years his junior. Father always introduced her to his friends as his French wife though she was actually half French and half Chinese. Besides Chinese, she spoke French and English. She was almost as tall as Father, stood very straight and dressed only in French clothes – many of which came from Paris. Her thick, wavy, black hair never had a curl out of place. Her large, dark‐brown eyes were fringed with long, thick lashes. She wore heavy make‐up, expensive French perfume and many diamonds and pearls. It was Grandmother Nai Nai who told us to call her Niang, another Chinese term for ‘mother’.