Chapters (93)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Books by Kelly Yang
- Back Ad
- About the Publisher
“So the baby can have US citizenship,” she says matter-of-factly. Ming explains that in mainland China, only kids with foreign passports get to go to the international schools.
“Fascinating,” I say. I think of my own mother and how she traveled from the Philippines to Hong Kong and then to the United States and how proud she is that I have US citizenship, saying the government could never take it away because I was born on this soil.
The madam of the house, Mrs. Woo, scolds Ming in Mandarin to quit yakking and get to work. “You guys have three hours! The mothers have all gone out shopping. They’ll be back soon, and they want their rooms clean. Hurry up!” she says.
Ming and I get to work changing the sweaty sheets off the sunken beds. As I’m wiping down the gummy bathroom counters, I ask Ming about her parents coming to the spring concert.
“It’s going to be their first time in America!” She smiles as she grabs a plastic baby bath bucket and scrubs.
“Are you going to introduce them to Florence?” I ask.
Her face falls. “No,” she says. I put down my rag and look at Ming through the cloudy mirror. Ming sighs. “I’ll just tell them she’s my friend. It’s easier this way.”
Easier for whom?
I stand there, waiting. Finally, Ming stops scrubbing and tosses her sponge into the baby bucket.
“Okay, you want to know? When I was seven, my uncle came out to the entire family. And you know what happened? My whole family disowned him. He was told never to come back to any family functions. I wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to him, even though he’s the whole reason I started playing the violin. They didn’t want me to xue huai, to be corrupted by him.”
My heart breaks listening to her tell her story. “I’m so sorry,” I say.
“Now you know why I’m never telling my parents,” she says. “Or going back. I’m not going to live the rest of my life in a sham marriage, just so my parents can save face. I’d rather stay all by myself in the US.”
I reach out and put a plastic-gloved hand over hers. She picks up the sponge and starts scrubbing again.
“It’s a small price for freedom,” she mutters as she scrubs, looking around at the grimy bathroom and stuffy bedroom, which reeks of diapers and throw up. “And we all have one.”
Forty-Three
Claire
“When were you going to tell me you’re dating Vincent Li’s son?” my mom shrieks over the phone.
I put down my psychology assignment. “How’d you know?” I ask.
My mom sends me a link. “There are pictures of you guys shopping in Beverly Hills on Weibo! Do you know who his family is?”
I shrug. “I have a vague idea.”