A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China by Amy Kwei Read Free Book Online Page B

killed!”
    “They’re half dead anyway!” Glorious Dragon scrunched down in the front seat and removed his disguise.
    “The service people — they’ll be hurt!” As if handling a medical emergency, Purple Jade rapidly creamed Orchid’s face and scrubbed away her makeup. “And I helped you!”
    “There weren’t too many people inside,” her brother muttered.
    “Some addicts were so debilitated, they couldn’t even groan,” Orchid said in an excited whisper. “I saw some serving girls drag out the limp ones.” Her whole body shook, but she now looked like her normal self with a flushed face.
    With trembling hands, Purple Jade helped her maid put on her old cotton suit. She combed her hair and braided it into pigtails. “Orchid, why didn’t you stop him? Why did you let him do this?”
    “I didn’t know what happened. I was twirling the paste, and Master Dragon was so fast . . .” She started to cry.
    “Hush, hush.” Glorious Dragon put on his suit jacket. He checked himself in the rear-view mirror and found the reflection acceptable. “Orchid, are you ready? We should slip out of the car and pretend we meant to go to the restaurant, but stopped to watch the fire.”
    The steel in his voice calmed the women, and they obeyed. They joined the crowd of spectators. All eyes were on the fire.
    Orchid wrapped her arms around her middle to still her jittery stomach.
    “Lucky the mansion is in a large garden, and the fire cannot spread,” someone said.
    “Poor cousin Yu Wei; his mansion is destroyed.” Purple Jade felt strangely exhilarated.
    “He sold his mansion. Remember?” Dragon sneered.
    “Oh yes, it’s now Prosperous Dream.” Purple Jade grabbed Orchid’s arm and leaned on her. Orchid felt reassurance from the familiar grip, and both women grew calm.
    “Not so prosperous for General Chin anymore, eh?” Glorious Dragon whispered.
    “Oh . . .” The women felt dazed.
    A tiny hand tugged on Purple Jade’s jacket. It was a little girl of about ten. “Please,” she said in a pleading voice. “What am I to do?” The innocent but overly rouged face stunned Purple Jade. The child wore a slinky
cheongsam
, with exaggerated slits going all the way up her thighs. It was obvious that the girl worked at the opium den. Many dens combined opium with prostitution, but Purple Jade had assumed the prostitutes would be nubile young women, not children.
    “What’s your name?” Purple Jade bent down to take the child’s hand and tried to still her wobbly voice.
    “Little Six,” the girl replied. “Will they send me back in there?”
    “No.” Purple Jade suppressed a gasp. “No one will miss you there. Where is your home?”
    “In the mountains somewhere. A man took me and brought me to Hangzhou two years ago.” She sobbed.
    Purple Jade draped her black silk wrap over the child and edged her away from the crowd. She hustled all of them into the car. “Dragon-
dee
, stop gawking at the fire. Drive us home!”
    “How are we to hide the child? You know the underworld controls all the opium dens.” Glorious Dragon scowled.
    “We’ll sneak her into the house and tell people we picked up this beggar girl outside the restaurant because we need a new scullery maid,” Purple Jade replied.
    Dragon started the car. Once they were on their way, Glorious Dragon instructed: “Little Six, no one must know you worked for the opium den or you’ll be sent back. You can tell people your parents left your home in the mountains because of poor harvests. They passed through Hangzhou and somehow left you behind.”
    “I never, ever want to be sent back! I will die before I tell anyone!” Little Six cried.
    Purple Jade creamed the child’s face and scrubbed it. “I’ll teach you to read.” She held the child close.

O RCHID’S FINGERS TREMBLED as she scrubbed away the smoky smell from Little Six’s skin before dressing the child in Silver Bell’s old play clothes. She would tell the kitchen staff that