Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (11 page)

‘I’m sure my brother wrote this!’ Marat shouted jubilantly. ‘I’d recognize his handwriting anywhere!’

‘Fantastic!’ David cried. ‘How did he do this?’

‘Invisible ink?’ Sam guessed.

‘But where would he get it?’ asked Marat.

‘He could have used a number of things,’ Grandma Wu replied. ‘Milk, orange juice, lemon juice, onion juice or even urine. All organic substances contain carbon, and carbon turns brownish-black when it is heated. See how Ivanov used a brush when he wrote this? The pressure from the nib of a pen would have left marks on the paper. It’s addressed to you, Marat! Tell us what he says.’

Marat, I’m risking my life by writing to you but you’ve been on my mind every day since my arrest. You must destroy this as soon as you’ve read it
.

I’m a prisoner at Bridge House, headquarters of the Kempeitei. I have a cell to myself. The Kempeitei need my language sldlb. My job is to do translations seven days a week from morning till night
.

There are political prisoners here of every nationality. Normally there are twenty prisoners per cell. Men and women together. Insects and rats everywhere. It’s hell on earth
.

Sometimes they make me translate confessions from Chinese, English and Russian prisoners while they’re being tortured. The suffering is beyond anythingyou can imagine
.

The officer in charge of Bridge House is Major General Tonoshita. I’ve translated for him a few times. He appears to appreciate my knowledge of English because last week he told me that he wants me to teach him English
.

I daren’t write more. Don’t contact me. It’s too dangerous. My thoughts are with you. You must never forget the kindness of Master Wu and Grandma Wu. Tell them we are forever in their debt
. Yin shui si yuan (
)
when drinking water, remember the source!

Your brother Ivanov

None of us said a word when Marat came to the end of Ivanov’s letter. His eyes were blazing. ‘We have to rescue him!’

‘But how?’ Sam asked. ‘Bridge House is the stronghold of the Kempeitei. If we try to break in, they’ll simply arrest us and put us away…’

‘There are plans afoot even as we speak,’ Grandma Wu interrupted. ‘If we challenge the Kempeitei directly, we’ll all end up prisoners. We must find another way.’

‘How do we do that?’ David asked.

‘By putting a torch to Bridge House,’ Marat answered. ‘Then Ivanov can come home.’

‘If we burn down Bridge House,’ Grandma
Wu said gravely, ‘the Kempeitei will just move to another building. To get to the root of the problem we must destroy the
qi
of the men who arrested him. We have to go to the top, to the admirals and generals in Japan who gave the order to bomb Pearl Harbor. We need to fill ourselves with
qi
. When you know in your heart that you are right, you can fight against thousands and even tens of thousands. But if in your heart you know you are wrong, you will stand in fear even though your opponent is the least formidable of foes.’

‘But how do we take away their
qi
?’ asked Sam.

‘We have news from America,’ said Grandma Wu. ‘They are planning an attack on Japan and have asked us for help. Meanwhile, you must be patient. Continue your schooling and your kung fu practice. Becoming a kung fu expert will not only condition your body, it will expand your mind and give you self-confidence. Eventually, you will be brave enough to face any situation. Remember, no matter what people might steal from you in the future, they will never be able to steal your kung fu skills or your learning.

‘As for you, Marat, your heart is aching, but at least you know your brother is alive! Children, show Marat he is not alone!’

As we embraced Marat, I finally began to understand what it meant to belong to the Dragon
Society. We were all orphans in one way or another. We, the unwanted and despised, needed each other to fight injustice. United, we would rise from the ashes and prove our worth to the world.

8

Letter from Big Aunt

Early next morning, I was woken from a deep sleep by a mysterious sound.

‘Rap, rap,’ I heard. ‘Rap, rap, rap.’

I opened my eyes and looked around. Where was I? I still found it hard to believe that I was no longer in Father’s house.

‘Rap, rap. Rap, rap.’ I crawled out of bed and cautiously raised the rattan screen. Nobody there! Was it hail? But the streets were dry. Could it be one of the boys throwing pebbles at my window? Outside it was still dark, but the clock in my room said quarter past five.

I snuggled back under my quilt, but the rapping started again. This time I heard a cooing noise! Was it a ghost? I shivered and thought of hiding, but curiosity got the better of me. I crept to the window and whipped up the rattan screen as soon
as I heard the next rap. There, facing me on the other side of the windowpane, was a bird with dark feathers. It had a small bill and a skin saddle between its bill and forehead. It pecked the window twice more – ‘rap, rap’ – before fluttering into the air, losing a few feathers along the way.

‘Meet Da Ma (
), the homing pigeon, who has just flown in from Nan Tian Island,’ Grandma Wu said behind me.

I hadn’t heard her come in but turned to her in delight.

‘A homing pigeon!’

‘Open the window and let him in. The calligraphy teacher, Miss Cheng, who had this room before, used to feed him for me. I wonder if he has brought a letter from Grandma Liu.’

Da Ma settled in the room. He strutted about, bobbing his head up and down and cooing. Grandma Wu coaxed him with some seeds, cupped the bird gently between her hands and detached a metal canister from his leg. Inside the canister was an inner tube that contained three rolled-up sheets of paper and a key.

Grandma Wu glanced at the papers and said, ‘Two letters and a cheque! One letter for you from your aunt and one for me from Grandma Liu. This key is to your aunt’s flat.’

Big Aunt’s note was short and to the point.

My Precious Little Treasure
,

Grandma Wu wrote and said that your father and Mang have thrownyou out of their house. I was so worried until I heard that you’ve been staying with Grandma Wu at the academy. You’ll be much safer there than at my flat. I’m sending you my key. I have clean clothes and a spare uniform of yours in my bedroom closet. I’m also sending Grandma Wu a cheque
.

I know it’s difficult but you must write a letter of apohgy to your father. Tell him that you are staying at my place and going to school daily. If your father and Mang ask you to come home, then you must go back to them at once. They do not know that I have gone to Nan Tian
.

Grandma Wu is a wonderful kung fu teacher and a woman of honour. Take this opportunity to ham as much as you can. You could not be in better hands
.

I’m afraid Grandma Liu’s leg is broken in more than one place and it will take a long time to heal. Master Wu and I will be in Nan Tian for at least one more month. Meanwhile, study hard and take good care of yourself. I sleep more soundly knowing that you’re with Grandma Wu
.

Big Aunt

When I read Big Aunt’s letter, so many thoughts went through my head that I could not speak. Immense longing for her filled my whole being. Although I felt like crying, I did not want to burden
Grandma Wu with yet more of my problems. So I gritted my teeth and remained silent. Then I carefully folded Big Aunt’s letter and placed it with her key in the pocket of my school uniform.

Thankfully, Grandma Wu did not seem to notice my agitation. She was still absorbed in Grandma Liu’s letter. Finally, she sighed and turned to me with a slight frown. ‘There is something important you must do for us. Your aunt has left an envelope in the safe she keeps in her bedroom closet. Since you now have the key to her flat, you should go there as soon as it gets light. Take an empty school bag, pick up the envelope and your clothes, then bring them back here.

‘Unfortunately it’s best that you go there by yourself. It’s too early in the morning for a social visit and Japanese spies are everywhere. They will not suspect you because you are her niece and are in the habit of going there. Here is some money for a rickshaw. Be very careful.’

‘What’s in the envelope, Grandma Wu?’

‘Sometimes it’s better not to know,’ Grandma Wu said.

‘Please tell me!’ I begged. ‘I need to know. Telling me your secret will mean that you trust me.’

Grandma Wu sighed, then nodded. ‘The envelope contains the contact details of our agents.
We know them only by their code numbers, but their loyalty is unquestionable.’

‘Has my aunt been helping you?’

‘I didn’t know she was one of us until this very minute! Grandma Liu must have recruited her. The true identities of our agents are unknown to us. We refer to them only by their code numbers. It’s safer this way because there are so many traitors and double agents…’

I began to understand why Grandma Wu had to be so careful. I was finding out that life for a grown-up was no easier than life for a child. Now more than ever, I wanted to be part of the Secret Dragon Society.

Da Ma was still strutting around the room. ‘Do you and Grandma Liu always communicate this way?’ I asked. ‘By carrier pigeon?’

‘The postal service in Nan Tian is notoriously slow and there are no telephones. For years we’ve been using pigeons to carry our mail. They are fast, reliable and discreet.’

‘I had no idea pigeons could carry mail!’

‘Our ancestors have used pigeons for eight hundred years or more. Even the Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan had a pigeon-post system to service his enormous empire. Pigeons can also take photos! My son once designed a tiny camera out of lightweight aluminium. He attached it to the leg
of a bird to photograph the terrain as the pigeon flew between Nan Tian and Shanghai. From these aerial photos, he mapped out the cities, mountains, rivers, roads, bridges, railroads and airfields. But hurry now, CC, before the streets get too crowded.’

I tried to creep into Big Aunt’s block of flats inconspicuously, but no sooner had I put the key in the lock than I heard a familiar voice loudly calling my name. ‘Miss Ye Xian! Miss Ye Xian! Is that you?’

I looked around in alarm, my heart beating furiously inside my chest. Then I saw the thin, frail figure of my wet nurse, Ah Yee (
), hurrying up the steps. For a few seconds, I was tempted to run away. I knew she would never catch me because her feet had been bound since infancy. But as I watched her totter forth, swaying from side to side, I became increasingly uncertain.