The Scavenger's Daughters (Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters, Book One) (8 page)

Peony raised her head as she heard Benfu’s footsteps. “Ye Ye! Why didn’t you let me go to the post office with you?” She gave him her most petulant look, her lip hanging so low Benfu wondered how she didn’t trip on it.

He shook his head. “Well, Peony, I didn’t see you out here when I left. You must have been hiding somewhere or did you take your invisible potion? Wait a minute—I can’t even see you now! Where did you go?” He frantically looked around, pretending not to see her right in front of him.

Peony laughed and Benfu sighed. He hated to break her cheerful mood with the postcard that he knew would cause her to be unhappy. But he also never wanted his girls to think he kept anything from them. Truth had always been the only answer in his book and he was too old to start changing now.

“I’ll tell you what.” He patted her head. “How about you and I go for a stroll? Hurry up now before any of your sisters see us.” He opened the gate and Peony shrieked as she rode through the wide arc it made. Then she jumped off and stuck her hand through one of his suspenders, holding on until she steadied herself.

He looked toward the window and saw Calli peering out. He nodded at her, then put his arm around Peony, leading her out of their courtyard. Calli would know they needed a moment alone.

Benfu and Peony headed to the busy street and they stopped at a sidewalk vendor. After the old woman running the tiny kiosk finished telling him what
a healthy-looking granddaughter he had, she then looked taken aback when she saw the color of her eyes. Benfu let Peony pick her yogurt drink and reached in his pocket for the three coins. He paid the speechless old woman, then led Peony to a bench alongside the sidewalk. They weren’t far from home, but just far enough that they wouldn’t be interrupted. Other pedestrians and commuters passed back and forth, paying no attention to what looked like an outing between a grandfather and his granddaughter. Even in the sea of people Benfu felt a sense of privacy and security.

“Sit down, Peony.”

Peony sat quickly and peeled the tinfoil from the top of the cup rim. She took a deep gulp and when she brought the cup down, Benfu couldn’t help but chuckle at the white mustache she sported.

“
Xie xie,
Ye Ye.” She took another swallow. His girls loved the yogurt drinks and he tried to treat each of them at least once a month.

“You’re welcome. Hey—listen. I brought you out here so we could be alone. I want to tell you something. You got another postcard.” He pulled it from his pocket and handed it to Peony.

She eagerly grabbed it and first turned it to see the photo. She stared at the picture of a white cat embroidered across a beautiful red tapestry.

“Look, Ye Ye. I used to have a cat just like that!” Her eyes widened as she stared at the postcard.

“You did? You’ve never mentioned it before. Are you sure?” Benfu was caught off guard, not expecting any revelations from that side of the card. It had been two years since he’d found Peony and not once had she ever mentioned having a pet. And he was sure that even if she did have a cat,
this
one wasn’t hers. This was just another piece of artwork and white cats were a common decoration for the Chinese, as they represented fortune.

“I know but I just remembered when I saw the photo. Her name was Xiao Mao—little cat. She used to play with my pigtails when I’d get on the floor with her. She batted them around.” Peony stared so hard at the photo, Benfu wondered that she didn’t bore a hole through it. Then she flipped it
over and strained to read the haphazard calligraphy. Parts of it were smeared and must have gotten wet somehow, and Peony struggled to make out the words. Benfu watched her face turn solemn. Then she handed it back to him.

“Ye Ye, can you read it? I don’t think I understand.”

Benfu took the card from her. He also couldn’t read parts of it but he thought he could make out most of the message. He cleared his throat.

“To my dearest Mei Jin Zhen, for that is your name. I have heard you being called Peony but in case you wanted to know, you were named after a beautiful golden pearl,”
Benfu read, then looked at Peony to see her reaction.

“Mei Jin Zhen…” She spoke in a low whisper, letting the name roll off her tongue softly.

He could tell she was happy to know her real name and he felt a stab of disappointment. Even though she was seven years old when she last saw her mother, Peony had only remembered that her mother called her Mei Mei, the common nickname meaning little sister. Giving her the name Peony had made her very happy at the time.

Benfu patted her leg. “It’s a beautiful name, Mei Zhen.”

Peony looked up at him quickly. “No, Ye Ye. I want you to still call me Peony. I don’t want anyone to call me Mei Jin Zhen until my mother comes back and I hear it from her first. Don’t tell the others, okay?”

He nodded his head. “Okay, let me finish here, Peony.”

Peony leaned back and through the corner of his eye, Benfu could see her mouthing her name silently to herself.

“She says,
‘I need to tell you that I will not be near you for some time. I have to go to a place far away to work. But when I am able, I’ll return and then hopefully we can be together again.’
” Benfu stopped reading. Just as he thought, Peony looked crushed. Even though they wondered if the woman really was near, it was an idea the child had held on to. And truthfully, the woman knew too much about them not to have been watching once in a while—even knowing she was called Peony told him she had indeed been
near. The thought made him wonder just how many mothers out there had hung around his home to check on offspring who landed there.

“But where do you think she’s going?” Peony asked.

Benfu put his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze.

“I don’t know, Peony. Maybe she’s a migrant worker. That would explain why she moves around to find work.” That really was the most logical answer, as the investigation into where Peony had come from had turned up nothing from the locals. It was as if the girl had been brought to Wuxi from far away, but even she didn’t know what town she was from.

Peony didn’t answer. Benfu wished he could see what was rolling around in her little head. He felt so helpless.

“Peony, I know this makes you sad, but maybe she really will come back. And in the meantime, you’ll always be a part of this family. We all love you dearly—you must know that. Right?”

A lone tear slid down her cheek before she quickly rubbed it away and jumped to her feet. She plucked the postcard from his hands and held it to her heart.

“I know, Ye Ye. And she’s coming back. She said so.”

Benfu watched her face transform from one of complete desolation to one filled with hope.

The constant resilience of the girl amazed him. It took so much to faze her and nothing could keep her down for long.

“Yes, Peony, that’s what it says. And you didn’t let me finish. But if you look along the bottom, she also says when she returns she’ll bring you a present. Now you have even more to look forward to.”

Peony smiled and then began skipping ahead. Benfu was glad the talk was over, and he was even glad that he had made it through another difficult moment and was able to remain straightforward. Life was hard but deception and lies would only make it harder. Perhaps the woman would never come back. He didn’t know but he hoped she would stand by her promise. But if she never did, at least Peony would grow up knowing that he and Calli had done their best by her and never hid the truth.

He stood and followed her down the path, back toward home. Hopefully he’d have a calm afternoon, but in a house full of women that was highly unlikely. He smiled as they walked, secure in the knowledge that though very poor, his was a home full of truths, cheer, and a measure of love some never got to experience.

B
enfu paused when he came to the intersection. Most days he would take a right but today he’d gone through another part of town to make a visit to a certain bicycle shop owner. Linnea had been fairly secretive about how she had lost her job but after a week, the details of the event had finally made it through the
hutong
grapevine and to Benfu’s ears.

He hadn’t reacted to his neighbor’s gossip; he had simply listened and nodded. But inside, he had immediately decided that Lao Joh needed an attitude adjustment. By the time he’d simmered over it all night, he’d left that morning with such a thunderous look on his face that none of his neighbors had even raised their hands in greeting as he went by. They didn’t know it but his concentration was from his intent on having a
conversation
with Lao Joh. Benfu wouldn’t stand for anyone putting his hands on any of his daughters. Ever.

Lao Joh had been surprised to see him, but even more shocked at the strength an old man like him still possessed as he brought him off his feet with just one large hand around his scrawny neck. It was more than just the week’s pay the man owed his daughter; Benfu felt it important that Lao Joh learn he wasn’t allowed to treat women just any way he wanted. He didn’t think the surly street vendor would be so quick to do it again to other young women, and the expression of humility on his face was a satisfaction Benfu didn’t expect. After his feet finally found solid ground again, Lao Joh had
asked Benfu to convey his deepest apologies and gladly handed over Linnea’s back pay plus a tidy bonus. Benfu couldn’t wait to give it to her but for now he needed to return to his usual path and get back to work. Feeling much better, he had moved on.

As he pedaled through town, he appreciated the change in his routine, seeing people he’d never seen and vendors selling items much different than those on his usual path. At one corner an old man hawked his wares to the young women briskly walking by.

“Louis Vuitton! Gucci! Coach! Three hundred reminbi for top quality!” Behind him hung a makeshift wire display of purses, bags, and scarves that Benfu knew had to be counterfeit from the prices the vendor was quoting. A few girls were already there inspecting a bag, looks of envy splashed across their faces.

He didn’t approve of selling fake items as it sullied the reputation of China, but he respected the tenacity of the man and nodded his head to him as he passed. He knew life was harder for some than others and he tried not to judge anyone his choice of livelihood. Though he’d never purchased such things, he expected that soon the man would have a few foreign women to haggle with and the local girls would disappear. The foreigners overpaid for everything, so they were where the real money was, and all the vendors competed for their attention.

As he came closer to a block of restaurants, he heard music pouring from one of them. People were coming and going and Benfu thought they must be having some sort of wedding banquet. Always the curious one, he stopped his bike and stood before the poster to see if it involved any families he knew.

But it wasn’t a wedding. The flyer advertised a Cultural Revolution reunion for those in and around the city of Wuxi. How ironic that he should choose a new path that morning and pass the restaurant at just this time. Could it be karma? Benfu had no desire to reunite with most of the people who surrounded him back then, but he did wonder what had happened to his old friend, Pei. He owed his life to the young boy and had thought about him
for years; he even hoped Pei’s path had smoothed out and he’d prospered after the revolution ended.