Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka

Author:Lensey Namioka
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307434067
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2009-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Big Uncle made his move on an evening in late summer, when the first cool breezes began to blow through the courtyards. I sat outside with Mother and Little Brother. I was trying to teach him an English song about some mice who were blind. The maids were giggling, and even Mother wore a happy smile. Little Brother laughed so hard that he slipped from his stool and lay on his back, waving his legs in the air.

Suddenly the maids became silent, and I saw Mother’s smile fade. One of Big Uncle’s maids was coming through the round moon gate. ‘‘Miss Three, the master would like to see you.’’

‘‘I’ll come with you, Ailin,’’ said Mother, her voice trembling.

‘‘The master said Miss Three is to come alone,’’ said the maid.

I looked at the expression on Mother’s face. ‘‘Has he made a decision about my future?’’

Mother put her arms around me. ‘‘He has been approached by a matchmaker.’’ She swallowed hard. ‘‘Since your father’s death, Ailin, Big Uncle is the one who will be deciding your future. Please don’t make him angry.’’

The maid coughed. ‘‘The master is waiting.’’

I pulled myself gently from Mother’s arms. ‘‘I’d better go before Big Uncle gets even angrier with me.’’

Big Uncle was seated in his front room, sipping a cup of tea. He motioned me to a stool opposite him. As usual, he did not waste time in coming to the point. ‘‘We cannot support indefinitely a female who contributes nothing to the family.’’

I wanted to point out that if he had allowed me to continue school, I could have become a teacher and contributed my salary to the family. But I knew it would be useless.

‘‘As you know,’’ continued Big Uncle, ‘‘the Lius have broken off your engagement to Hanwei.’’

I certainly didn’t need a reminder of that fact, since it had been a recurring topic in my family. Besides, it had happened years before. ‘‘Mother said you had heard from a matchmaker,’’ I said.

‘‘If you will stop interrupting, I can explain.’’ Big Uncle took a sip of tea and studied the pattern of his eggshell porcelain cup. Suddenly I realized he was uncomfortable. That only increased my foreboding.

Big Uncle cleared his throat. ‘‘The second son in the Feng family wants another woman for his chamber. He already has two wives, but they’ve produced only girls, and the family isn’t ready to contract for another wife. Therefore, they decided on a concubine for him.’’

I felt hot blood rush into my face. A concubine was little better than a slave, since she was brought into the household without any contract or exchange of gifts between her family and the man’s family. She did not have the rights or standing of a wife, even a secondary wife. ‘‘If you do this to me, you will disgrace the whole Tao family!’’

‘‘You’re the last person to talk about disgracing the Tao family!’’ cried Big Uncle. ‘‘By refusing to have your feet bound, you’ve made it impossible for us to arrange

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