Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) (11 page)

Cece ventured outside, and the view was terrific, although somewhat hazy. The Bell Tower stood at the center of Xi’an, where four major roads crossed. Traffic circled around the tower, and beyond that, Cece could see all the old and new buildings that made up the cityscape. She could also hear the sound of the bell ringing from the platform below. But what grabbed Cece’s attention the most was the instrumental Chinese music coming from a large public square below. About thirty elderly people in the square practiced tai chi together, moving in slow motion with their arms and legs in a warrior stance.

Cece leaned against the balcony rail, studying them a while longer. Then she looked past the square, at the citizens crowding the streets, the signs written in Chinese, and the bikes, buses, and cars.... It was all so different from everything she knew, and it made her wonder if China would ever feel like a place where she could belong. Like she could be a part of this country, too.

She listened to the bell ring over the city.

Then she saw her purpose here with more clarity than ever before. Who cared what happened with Will and Jess? It was trivial compared to what she was about to embark upon in Beijing in a couple of weeks. She would be getting a chance to learn more about herself, and that was what she should be thinking about.

“Hey,” Kallyn said, interrupting Cece’s thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”

Cece straightened. “Oh, nothing.”

“It didn’t look that way to me. Care to share?”

“I was just thinking about...um...my heritage, I guess.”

“What do you mean?” Kallyn asked.

“Well... ” Cece rested her hands on the rail, then looked at Kallyn briefly before she spoke. “I’m adopted from China, and being here makes me wonder about myself and my past.”

“Wow. How old were you when you left?”

“Two.”

“Then you really don’t remember anything, huh?”

“No, but I hope I can make some sort of connection. I have the address of my orphanage in Beijing, and I thought I’d go there. See what I can learn.”

“Really?” Kallyn said. “What do you want to find out?”

“Oh. . . I don’t know.” Cece ran a finger along the balcony rail. “Maybe who my birth parents are. Why I was given up. Stuff like that.”

“Cece, I had no idea,” Kallyn said. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Cece pushed back her hair. “I guess it’s sorta weird for me to talk about it. Plus. . . I’m not exactly going with my parents’ blessings. I mean, my dad is okay with it—he thinks I should see where I grew up for two years—but my mom would totally flip.”

“What’s she worried about?”

“I think she’s afraid of what would happen to our relationship if I found my birth mother. But I’m not trying to replace anyone. I only want to know a little more, you know?”

“I can’t imagine not knowing who my biological parents are.” Kallyn turned to Cece. “You have to let me know if there is anything I can do, okay?

“Sure, Kallyn,” Cece replied, smiling. “Thanks.”

After everyone was done with the Bell Tower, they descended below the ground and resurfaced near the Drum Tower, a building similar in design to the Bell Tower. And as at the Bell Tower, students could pound a huge drum with a large mallet for a fee.

By the time they left the Drum Tower, Cece was eager to visit their last destination for the day, the City Walls. The group walked to its south gate, and Cece and Kallyn climbed a wide staircase made from giant blocks of stone until they were almost five stories aboveground. When Cece took the last step, she was impressed not only by the view, which was similar to what she had seen from the Bell Tower, but also by the sheer width of the walls themselves. Two lanes of cars could easily drive here. Cece also noticed that every hundred feet or so, a small building was built into the wall. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine soldiers patrolling the walls, protecting the city within, and using the buildings as defense posts. And just to her right atop the wall stood a much larger building with a sloped roof like the Bell Tower. Cece wondered what it was for.

Jenny and Mark gathered the group together once more. “Xi’an’s City Walls make up the most complete city fortress that has survived in China,” Jenny said. “The perimeter is nearly fourteen kilometers long.” She went on to explain how the smaller buildings had been used, and Cece had guessed correctly—as sentry buildings, in which soldiers could protect the wall without exposing themselves to enemy forces. Jenny also pointed out the ramps that were used by military horses, and she said the larger buildings marked the gates to the city.

When Jenny was done with her overview, Mark encour aged everyone to visit the larger building. “That is a gate tower, which served as a defensive outpost. There are three here on the City Walls. The one closest to us now is labeled as a museum, but truthfully it’s more like a store where they will try to sell you a jade statue of a winged lion called a
pixiu.
It’s worth seeing the mythic-looking creature. The
pixiu
is seen almost everywhere in China and is usually placed in pairs in front of businesses. They have been used for centuries to preserve wealth and fend off evil. The museum has a fairly large example in the lobby. If you donate some money to the
pixiu,
it might bring you some good luck. If that doesn’t interest you, you can simply stroll the walls, or, if you prefer more speed, you can rent an electric vehicle or bike over there.” He pointed to a makeshift building behind them. “But I have to admit, you might want to save that for another visit when you can come at dusk. The evening lights come on, and the view becomes truly unforgettable. All right, that’s it, everyone. Be back at the bus by three.”

When the group broke up, Kallyn looked at Cece. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Let’s see this
pixiu
Mark was talking about.”

Kallyn and Cece walked inside the museum, where a large statue of a winged lion was encased in glass. At the top of the glass was a slot where money could be dropped in, and covering the lion’s feet were bills and coins—currency of all kinds: Chinese, German, American...

“It’s like a fountain in the States,” Kallyn said.

“And they must really believe in it.” Cece had already spotted two one-hundred-dollar bills.

“Let’s make a wish, Cece.” Kallyn dug in her purse and pulled out a dollar bill.

“All right.” Cece took out a dollar from her wallet.

Kallyn closed her eyes and held up her money. “Are you ready?”

Cece dangled her bill above the slot and squeezed her eyes shut. “Yup.”

“One... two... three.”

She dropped the money in.

“What did you wish for?” Cece said.

“You’re not getting that out of me,” Kallyn replied. “It won’t come true if I tell you.”

“Uh, Kallyn, I’m not sure this is how the lion works.”

Kallyn laughed. “You can probably guess it anyway.”

Cece nodded. “You wished Ryan and you could live happily ever after, am I right?”

Kallyn blushed. “Maybe. . . and I bet I know your wish, too.”

“Perhaps.” Cece said, smiling.

They turned to leave the building.

“Cece,” Kallyn said. “I hope your wish comes true.”

Cece glanced over her shoulder at the lion. “Me, too.”

The following Monday, Cece met with Peter over lunch.

“I looked up the address,” Peter said the moment they sat down with their food. “It is in the south section of Beijing. Once you get to the city, it will be easy to reach by taxi.”

“That’s great,” Cece said as she started unloading her tray.

“Do you know where S.A.S.S. will be when you are there?”

“I was going to ask Jenny for the schedule today.” Cece reached for chopsticks from a glass container on the table. She passed Peter a pair. “She’s got office hours this afternoon.”

“Good,” Peter said. “Once we know, we can plan.”

“Exactly. So have you figured out how you’re getting to Beijing?”

“I will take the train like everyone else.”

“Well then, here.” Cece pulled Chinese yuan from her wallet, about 100 U.S. dollars. “I’m paying for your train ticket.” She laid the money on the table.

“Xiao Mei!”
Peter quickly covered the bills with his hand. “Do not wave money around like it is nothing. You are asking for trouble.”

“Oh, sorry!” Cece hadn’t been thinking. The amount on the table was easily a week’s pay for the average Chinese citizen.

Peter pushed the money toward Cece. “I cannot take this anyway.”

“Why not?”

“I am your friend.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Cece said. “You are doing me a favor. It’s the least I can do.” She put her hand on top of his and pushed it back. “Besides, my mom gave me extra money this summer in case of an emergency. I think this counts as an emergency, don’t you?”

“Well...” Peter looked unsure.

“Look, this is how we do it in America. I don’t expect you to go around buying train tickets you would have never bought in the first place if it weren’t for me. And besides, you need to save up for when you go to L.A. I insist.”

Finally, Peter accepted the money. “Thank you.”

“No, Da Ge
,
thank
you
.”

“But if I take this, you must now come to my house for dinner,” Peter said. “
I
insist.”

“Peter, you don’t have to do anything. Seriously.”

“No, Cece, this is how we do it in China. You do something, I do something, you do something, I do something.... It goes on forever. As does the friendship.” He grinned. “Besides, I am not the one who will go to any trouble. My mother is an excellent cook, and my dad loves to talk. I will do practically nothing.”

Cece smiled. “Well if it’s in the name of Chinese custom, how can I say no?”

“Tomorrow then?”

Cece didn’t even have to think it over. “Tomorrow.”

Later that afternoon, Cece returned to the dorm and stopped by the counselor’s office to see Jenny about the itinerary. When she went inside, she found Jenny working on her computer.

“Jenny?” Cece said.

She looked up from the screen. “Hello, Cece. How may I help you?”

Cece took a seat across from her. “I was, um, wondering if I could get the schedule for our Beijing trip.”

“Oh?”

Cece glanced at the floor. “You see, my mom is kind of super-uptight, and. . . uh. . . she’s really worried about me traveling outside of Xi’an. She wants to know when and where I’ll be the whole time I’m there.”

Jenny’s face clouded over with confusion. “But your mother already contacted me. Did she not get the e-mail I sent?”

“She did?” Cece said. “I mean, yeah, she did.”
Of course she did.
“Mom’s kind of bad when it comes to computers, and she wanted me to get it from you so I could tell it to her over the phone.”

Jenny turned to her computer. “No problem, Cece. I can e-mail you a copy. What is your e-mail address?”

Cece gave it to her, and Jenny brought up a document. She typed some more and clicked her mouse. “It’s all done.”

“Thanks, Jenny.” Cece got up to leave.

“By the way, Cece, I have a favor to ask of you as well. When you see Jessica, could you tell her to stop by my office? I need to give her a message from her parents.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Cece.”

“No problem.” Cece left the office and headed for her room.

When she walked in, Jessica was hovering over a skirt spread across the surface of her desk. It looked like she was... sewing? Since when did she turn into Martha Stewart?

“Hey, Jess,” Cece said. “I just talked to Jenny in the office, and she says she wants to see you.”

Jess didn’t look up as she pulled a needle through the skirt. “About what?”

Cece sat down at her desk. “She’s got a message from your parents.”

“My parents?” Jessica paused, then set down the needle. “Lovely.”

After Jess left, Cece worked on an evolution paper due that week. The topic was straightforward: present the arguments for and against the origin of man in Asia versus Africa and draw conclusions. She spent about twenty minutes, typing up an outline and enjoying the silence of the room. But just as she was about to begin her online research, Jessica burst in. “I can’t believe this,” she said, slamming shut the door.

Cece paused at her laptop and turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Jenny just gave me a lecture about my attendance.” Jess placed her hands on her hips. “She says I need to show up more for class and meet with my host, George.”

“I thought she had a message from your parents.”