Light a Candle: a Story of Chinese American Pioneers on Gold Mountain by Jean Kuo Lee

Author:Jean Kuo Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / United States / 19th Century JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / Asian American & Pacific Islander JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
Publisher: North Star Editions
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Then Dr. Choy asked the man a series of questions about how he was feeling. After listening to the answers, he nodded and took out his box of needles.

Emma never missed the chance to watch Dr. Choy insert the acupuncture needles into a patient’s acupuncture points. She cringed every time she saw it. Yet Dr. Choy performed a fascinating medical art that really worked. When her mother had taken ill last summer, Dr. Choy’s acupuncture treatment had cured her fatigue and weakness.

After the treatment was over, the doctor rose to fill a prescription from the medicine cabinet for his patient. Emma shot back to her chair behind the counter.

She heard Dr. Choy grab handfuls of dried roots from one drawer and pinches of slivered bark from another. Paper crinkled as he wrapped the herbs and instructed the man to boil them into a strong drink. It was all part of his treatment plan.

“How long will it take for me to get better, doctor? I just signed up for the railroad job, and the crew will be leaving soon. I’ve got to be better by then.”

“We’ll try to get you better before the summer is over,” the doctor replied.

The man sighed. “How many treatments will I need? They are only paying us one-third the salary of the Irish workers. Can you imagine? And the white laborers get supplies as part of their pay, but we must pay for everything on our own. After paying for these treatments, what will I have left over to send to my wife and children overseas?”

Dr. Choy clucked his tongue. “I can help your body get better, but I cannot give you justice here in Gold Mountain.”

“I know, I know,” the man said. “The bosses want us to build their railroad, but that makes other workers jealous! Do you know what I overheard some of the white miners saying a few days ago? They said, ‘Taxing them just to be here isn’t enough! We’ve got to stop more from coming onto our shores! We’ve got to lower the pay of the ones who are here. Better yet, don’t hire the Chinese at all!’”

In the middle of the patient’s complaint, the door to the doctor’s office whipped open with a crash. A loud wailing filled the office and interrupted the treatment. A young boy’s crying and mumbling echoed through the passageway. Emma recognized it instantly.

“Charlie lied, and now his mama and papa won’t let him play with me anymore!” Beni cried.

Emma ran over just as Pa was setting Beni into a chair in Dr. Choy’s office. His tears had carved two rivulets down his dirt-smeared face. He held his leg and cried, “Oww!”

The doctor, flustered with the crowd in his office, finished his acupuncture treatment with his first patient quickly and then set his attention on Beni.

“Okay, my boy,” Dr. Choy said. “Are you crying about your leg or your friend?”

Beni sniffled and wiped his nose with a dirty sleeve. “Both,” he hiccupped.

“Well, let’s fix the leg first, hmm? That problem might be easier to help than the other one.

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