ends.
"You'll be fine," said Stepmother. "You'll be fine." Her voice changed the second time she said those words. It sounded weak and strangely without emotion. "We have to hurry and bandage your feet before your blood has a chance to circulate there again," she said. "If we dawdle, you will bleed badly and the pain will be more terrible than you've ever dreamed. It will be savage. You'll wish you were dead."
Why was Stepmother saying such things? Xing Xing wanted to put her hands over Wei Ping's ears.
Wei Ping said nothing. She merely wept softly, her head heavy on her own chest. She breathed with difficulty.
"Your left foot will be smaller than your right now," said Stepmother.
Wei Ping still said nothing.
"So if you want me to act properly, I must do it fast," said Stepmother. "Remember the old saying: 'The eagle swoops down when the hare stirs.' You are not the first girl in China to lose a toe on a bound foot. Even without raccoon devils, it happens. And smart girls look at it as an opportunity. Let's be smart, Wei Ping; now your feet will be much smaller than we'd dared to hope."
Wei Ping gave no reaction. She seemed not to understand.
But Xing Xing understood perfectly. Stepmother's face appeared transformed into a monster face twisted with this monstrous idea.
Stepmother turned to Xing Xing. "Get me the cleaver."
Wei Ping still gave no reaction.
Xing Xing knew for sure now that Wei Ping didn't ti understand. If she had understood, she'd have screamed no. Xing Xing didn't move.
"Get it, Lazy One," hissed Stepmother. "It's your fault we had the demon raccoon in the house. And that fish must be a demon too. Get me that cleaver or I'll use it on your face, so everyone will know you invite demons into decent homes."
Xing Xing ran outside. She grabbed the bowl with the beautiful fish that was still waiting at the foot of the jujube tree. She ran with it to the pool, her eyes and nose streaming, and dumped the fish in the water at the very moment she heard Wei Ping's shriek.
Chapter 9
Xing Xing squatted by the pool, with her right arm tight around her calves and her left hand dangling in the water. Her forehead pressed on her knees. "Mother, Mother, what can I do? Where can I go?"
The beautiful fish sucked at the tip of her thumb.
She turned her head and rested her cheek, instead, on her knees, so that she could look at the fish while she talked to the spirit of her mother. "I didn't mean to bring a demon into the house. I thought I was simply having pity on an unfortunate creature."
The fish now moved to the tip of Xing Xing's index finger.
"But I should have guessed, of course. The wretched spirit of that raccoon was responsible for his misfortune. How could I have trusted him?"
The fish sucked on the tip of Xing Xing's middle finger.
"And I didn't trust him, not really. After all, I brought the beautiful fish with me out to the jujube trees so he wouldn't eat her."
The fish sucked on the tip of Xing Xing's next finger. Then it moved on to suck at the tip of her pinky. The fish's white scales were without blemish, pure white brightness, like the positive energies of the universe. Father had taught Xing Xing that there were two kinds of energies: the negative yin and the positive yang. All things needed both: the stillness, darkness, and cold of yin as well as the movement, brightness, and heat of yang. Without one, the other could not be, for what is brightness without dark? Harmony resulted from a balance of the two.
Xing Xing had always felt more affinity to the yang within her than to the yin, even though she was a girl, because her own name evoked a sense of brightness. Now she thought about how the animal that most embodied yin was the tiger and the animal that most embodied yang was the dragon. And this beautiful white fish wanted to become a dragon, so she, too, was more drawn to yang than yin. Xing Xing and the fish shared a bond.
"I'm glad he didn't eat you," said Xing Xing, moving
"You'll be fine," said Stepmother. "You'll be fine." Her voice changed the second time she said those words. It sounded weak and strangely without emotion. "We have to hurry and bandage your feet before your blood has a chance to circulate there again," she said. "If we dawdle, you will bleed badly and the pain will be more terrible than you've ever dreamed. It will be savage. You'll wish you were dead."
Why was Stepmother saying such things? Xing Xing wanted to put her hands over Wei Ping's ears.
Wei Ping said nothing. She merely wept softly, her head heavy on her own chest. She breathed with difficulty.
"Your left foot will be smaller than your right now," said Stepmother.
Wei Ping still said nothing.
"So if you want me to act properly, I must do it fast," said Stepmother. "Remember the old saying: 'The eagle swoops down when the hare stirs.' You are not the first girl in China to lose a toe on a bound foot. Even without raccoon devils, it happens. And smart girls look at it as an opportunity. Let's be smart, Wei Ping; now your feet will be much smaller than we'd dared to hope."
Wei Ping gave no reaction. She seemed not to understand.
But Xing Xing understood perfectly. Stepmother's face appeared transformed into a monster face twisted with this monstrous idea.
Stepmother turned to Xing Xing. "Get me the cleaver."
Wei Ping still gave no reaction.
Xing Xing knew for sure now that Wei Ping didn't ti understand. If she had understood, she'd have screamed no. Xing Xing didn't move.
"Get it, Lazy One," hissed Stepmother. "It's your fault we had the demon raccoon in the house. And that fish must be a demon too. Get me that cleaver or I'll use it on your face, so everyone will know you invite demons into decent homes."
Xing Xing ran outside. She grabbed the bowl with the beautiful fish that was still waiting at the foot of the jujube tree. She ran with it to the pool, her eyes and nose streaming, and dumped the fish in the water at the very moment she heard Wei Ping's shriek.
Chapter 9
Xing Xing squatted by the pool, with her right arm tight around her calves and her left hand dangling in the water. Her forehead pressed on her knees. "Mother, Mother, what can I do? Where can I go?"
The beautiful fish sucked at the tip of her thumb.
She turned her head and rested her cheek, instead, on her knees, so that she could look at the fish while she talked to the spirit of her mother. "I didn't mean to bring a demon into the house. I thought I was simply having pity on an unfortunate creature."
The fish now moved to the tip of Xing Xing's index finger.
"But I should have guessed, of course. The wretched spirit of that raccoon was responsible for his misfortune. How could I have trusted him?"
The fish sucked on the tip of Xing Xing's middle finger.
"And I didn't trust him, not really. After all, I brought the beautiful fish with me out to the jujube trees so he wouldn't eat her."
The fish sucked on the tip of Xing Xing's next finger. Then it moved on to suck at the tip of her pinky. The fish's white scales were without blemish, pure white brightness, like the positive energies of the universe. Father had taught Xing Xing that there were two kinds of energies: the negative yin and the positive yang. All things needed both: the stillness, darkness, and cold of yin as well as the movement, brightness, and heat of yang. Without one, the other could not be, for what is brightness without dark? Harmony resulted from a balance of the two.
Xing Xing had always felt more affinity to the yang within her than to the yin, even though she was a girl, because her own name evoked a sense of brightness. Now she thought about how the animal that most embodied yin was the tiger and the animal that most embodied yang was the dragon. And this beautiful white fish wanted to become a dragon, so she, too, was more drawn to yang than yin. Xing Xing and the fish shared a bond.
"I'm glad he didn't eat you," said Xing Xing, moving
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