Wild Ginger - Anchee Min [7]
I knocked on the door. It was half open. A limping dog came out. "Come on in," Wild Ginger greeted me. "Maple's here, Mother."
I entered the hallway. It was spacious. Off it were old white rooms with windows on three sides. The leaf-patterned curtains were drawn, making the light inside dim and soft. Lying on an old sofa, Mrs. Pei, a middle-aged, gray-haired woman, welcomed me. She was very thin although still pretty, like an old porcelain goddess. Layers of sheets and blankets covered her from the waist down. In front of her, scattered across the floor, were a variety of potted plants. There were orchids, thick-leaved bamboo, camellias, and red grass.
"Mrs. Pei," I said politely.
She made an effort to sit up, but her strength failed her. She lay back down and gasped, "Excuse me." She looked nervous. "Water, Ginger. Come on in, Maple dear. Has anyone seen you coming to the house?"
"No. I hid behind the fig tree for a long time before I knocked at your door. I made sure no one saw me."
Mrs. Pei sighed with relief.
"Have you seen the bulletin?" Wild Ginger asked me.
"That's why I'm here, to tell you about it. It's on everybody's door."
"The neighborhood activists posted them this morning." Her voice was strangely distant and matter-of-fact.
"What ... are you going to do?" I turned to look at Mrs. Pei.
Mrs. Pei said nothing. She stared at the ceiling.
"Does Mother have a choice?" Wild Ginger poured me a cup of water. "She made the mistake of marrying a foreigner. She has to live with the consequences. She knew that. But it's not fair to me. I am the victim. I am the casualty of her battle. But, Maple, let me tell you, that marriage was not a crime, it was a mistake. A human error."
"It was not a mistake." Mrs. Pei pushed herself to rise. "Nor an error. He is your father!"
"Mother, enough. I hate that man."
"How dare you disrespect your father! You daughter of no piety!" Mrs. Pei groaned.
"I hate that very thought."
"You carry his blood."
"I am disgusted."
"You don't know who he was."
"He was a spy."
"He was not."
"Why did he come to China? What business did a foreigner have to do with China?"
"He loved China. He was a diplomat. It was his job. He wanted to help China thrive."
"No. He was a spy. Spying was his job. He was sent by the Western imperialists. Helping China thrive was his disguise. It was false. Helping the Western imperialists to exploit China was the truth. You were too blind to see it. You were foolish."
"You bastard!"
"The sound of truth hurts your ears, doesn't it?"
"How could you trust what the authorities tell you?"
"I trust Chairman Mao's representatives! I trust Chairman Mao!"
"You've been brainwashed!"
"Watch out, Mother! You are sounding dangerous!"
"I am your mother. I'll risk my life to tell you the truth!"
"You are a pitiful victim."
"Shut up!"
"I pity you, Mother. I truly do. And I pity myself too, although I don't want to."
"Don't listen to her, Maple..." Mrs. Pei fell back to the sofa. Closing her eyes she breathed with difficulty. Her chest was rising and falling. "Ginger is mad, like the rest of China."
"I am not mad, but you definitely are, Mother! You have been living in a dream created by that Frenchman, and worse, you refuse to wake up."
"Ginger!"
"Wake up, Mother!"
"Ginger! I should have listened to my great-aunt! I should have given you the name she had suggested, 'Plain Water.' It was to calm you and tame your character. Oh, how I rejected and upset her! She hired a fortuneteller who told us that there was too much fire in you when you were born. I was told that you would burn yourself into a wasteland. But I didn't care. I liked the passion that fire signified! Your father and I named you Wu-Jiang, 'Wild Ginger,' because we loved the fire in you! We thought that it was special. Your father treasured the wildness. We hoped that you would grow up to be as free as you want to be. But how could I have known it would turn out like this! What a retribution!...Maple,