Alice-Miranda in China

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘I adore his films,’ Lucille gushed. ‘I hope that we will meet him again before the end of the trip.’

  ‘You will,’ Charles said. ‘I talked with Miss O’Reilly about bringing the children to the show on Friday night and the parents will come too.’

  ‘Then we must be perfect that night,’ Lucille said, fluttering her eyelashes and preening her hair.

  ‘Yes, we must,’ Lionel reiterated. ‘It seems we will have more than one VIP with us that evening.’

  ‘Now, it is time for bed,’ Winnie instructed. ‘I do apologise, but we are a family that rises very early in the morning, and tomorrow Coco and Sunny must go to training. We’ve arranged for your transport to school.’

  ‘Oh,’ Jacinta said, her voice tinged with disappointment. ‘I was hoping to train with Coco.’

  ‘Could we all go and watch?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Are you sure you want to be up at five in the morning?’ the old woman asked.

  There were nods all round.

  ‘We want to see everything,’ Alice-Miranda assured her. ‘After all, what’s the point of staying with a family unless you get a proper taste of their life? If your life means getting up very early, then we’ll do it too.’

  Lionel clasped his hands and grinned. ‘Then we should clear the table.’

  ‘Must we?’ Lucille groaned.

  Wai Po pretended to cover her eyes and waggled her head. ‘Oh no.’

  ‘For your safety, please do not move,’ Lionel instructed their guests. ‘On the count of three, two, one …’

  Without warning, Coco and Sunny somersaulted across the table, flicking three plates each at their mothers, who caught them with their chopsticks. Meanwhile, Charles had pulled a mini trampoline from under the table. Suddenly, he and his brother were catapulting over the children, scooping up the teacups as they went and stacking them high. Coco and Sunny flipped the plates containing the leftover cakes into the air and Lionel caught them in a tub, then thumped the lid on and tossed the container at his wife at a speed that might well have taken her head off if she hadn’t thrillingly caught it under her chin and flicked it at Wai Po. The family finished the show with Coco and Sunny catching the plates from their mothers and spiriting them to the kitchen sink.

  ‘What just happened?’ Sep said in bewilderment.

  ‘Teatime pack-up, Wong-style.’ Lionel bowed and pressed his palms together. ‘You like?’

  The four guests clapped and cheered wildly, stamping their feet and marvelling at the precision and skill of their hosts.

  ‘That was incredible,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Do you always do that?’

  ‘Not every night, but it gets things done quickly and we like to practise whenever we can,’ the old man replied.

  The party broke up, and Coco and Sunny took the children to their rooms. It wasn’t long before the girls were settled in their beds and chatting away.

  ‘Your home feels like it’s part of a tiny village even though it’s in the middle of an enormous city,’ Alice-Miranda remarked.

  ‘I suppose it is,’ Coco said. She’d worried that the girls may find the bathroom situation tricky, but it was quite the opposite. Alice-Miranda had made friends with three of their neighbours by the time they’d finished brushing their teeth.

  ‘Do you know everyone who lives in the hutongs?’ Jacinta asked.

  Coco thought for a moment. ‘Yes, I think so. For Chinese New Year we have a huge party and line the alleys with tables. Everyone cooks and we play games and red packets are given out. There are fireworks too, but last year Au Shen set Jiao Long’s roof alight. It was lucky there were so many people to help put the fire out.’

  Alice-Miranda was soon drifting off to sleep with visions of parties and fireworks dancing through her head.

  Jacinta was almost asleep too. Her mind wandered to Caprice and Susannah and what Coco had said about Felicity living in a mansion. A smile played on her lips. She couldn’t help wondering how Caprice would have handled having to share a bathroom in an alley.

  Alice-Miranda was awake early. In the half light of dawn, she threw on her tracksuit and headed to the communal bathroom, where she showered and dressed before Jacinta and Coco had even stirred. She almost bumped into Wai Po as she was re-entering the courtyard. The old woman bowed and smiled, then led the girl by the hand to the dining room, where a wall of cereal boxes lined the centre of the table. ‘For you,’ the woman said, and bowed again before leaving the room.

  Cherry walked in and smiled at Alice-Miranda. ‘Good morning,’ she said, helping herself to some congee that was bubbling away on a portable hot-plate. ‘I am sorry. My English is not as good as the rest of my family. And my mother’s is even worse.’

  ‘No, it’s very good,’ Alice-Miranda assured her. ‘It’s much better than my Mandarin.’ The child then ventured to say good morning and asked Cherry if she had a busy day ahead in the woman’s native tongue.

  The two spoke animatedly for a few minutes before Alice-Miranda faltered. ‘I think I’ve reached my limit,’ the girl apologised. ‘Have you always been an acrobat?’

  Cherry nodded. ‘But I am getting too old. My father-in-law is a lovely man, though, and makes sure that we all have a role. Our troupe is different to many others in that way.’

  ‘It sounds wonderful,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  Cherry glanced at the newspaper that was sitting on the table and let out a tiny gasp.

  ‘Is there something the matter?’ Alice-Miranda asked, looking over at it.

  ‘There has been a robbery at the Shanghai Museum,’ the woman said. ‘It doesn’t sound like much, but a wine cup from the Ming Dynasty was stolen. They say it is worth tens of millions of yuan,’ the woman said, showing her the article.

  Alice-Miranda’s eyes widened at the sight of the tiny cup decorated with a cockerel and hens. ‘Goodness, we saw that very cup at the museum a couple of days ago. I bought two replicas from the gift shop.’

  ‘It says the ancient artefact was stolen in plain sight, when the museum was open,’ Cherry said, her eyes scanning the article. ‘It happened two days ago but they have only just discovered that a fake has been sitting in its place.’

  Alice-Miranda thought for a moment. ‘That’s when we were there. How extraordinary. Surely they must have caught the thief on camera.’

  Cherry shook her head. ‘It does not say, but I would not want to be that person once they are caught.’

  ‘We also saw Summer Tan at the museum,’ Alice-Miranda said, forgoing the cereal for congee. She sprinkled some freshly cut scallion on top and sat down.

  ‘She is a remarkable acrobat – but what was she doing in the museum? I thought their show was playing in Hong Kong at the moment,’ Cherry said, looking a tad sheepish. ‘Coco is not the only one who admires her.’

  Alice-Miranda shrugged. ‘I was surprised to see her in Shanghai too. She was with a young man. I didn’t think she’d seen us, but then she came to speak with me in the shop. Actually, she said something quite strange – I think she must have got her words mixed up.’

  Their conversation was interrupted by the crunch of footsteps across the gravel. They were joined by Sunny and the boys, followed by Jacinta and Coco. There was a cacophony of greetings from everyone. Sunny plonked down and poured himself a bowl of cereal and directed the others to do the same.

  ‘Did everyone sleep well?’ Cherry asked the group, and they answered with yawns and slow nods.

  Coco looked over as her mother entered the room, and noticed that the woman wasn’t dressed for training. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a pretty blouse, not the usual leotard and tracksuit.

  ‘Mama, are you coming to rehearsals this morning?’ Coco asked.

  ‘Of course I am,’ Lucille snapped.

  Coco recoiled and frowned into her bowl of cereal. She wondered what had put her mother in a bad mood already this morning.

  Lucille was fuming. After the children had gone to bed last night, Bernard h
ad finally revealed his parents’ plans for the future. How dare her stupid father-in-law spend all their money on a school for peasant children? Now they would never move out of the hutongs. And when Bernard had told her that, despite being taken over by the Circus of Golden Destiny, they would remain in Beijing and not have to travel, the foolish man had thought she would be pleased. Pleased! What a ninny.

  Her mind was racing. The sale had not yet gone through and Benny Choo, the owner of the Circus of Golden Destiny, was coming on Friday night to watch them perform. If she had her way, it would never happen – at least not until her in-laws handed over control of the troupe to her husband and they could sell up and spend the money however she wanted.

  The children had been ferried in pairs through the hutongs on the back of Cherry’s motor scooter to the van that would take them to the theatre. Cherry and Lucille were making their own way there and Winnie, Lionel and their sons had left before breakfast.

  Even at this early hour, the traffic was starting to build. The van passed a pretty park and Alice-Miranda noticed a large group of older men and women practising tai chi. There were street vendors pushing their carts, and trishaws, their riders peddling furiously to keep up with the flow. The scooter drivers were the most impressive, dodging and weaving through the cars and trucks to find the fastest way to their destinations.

  Alice-Miranda gazed up at the giant blue sky with its silhouette of skyscrapers. ‘It’s such a beautiful day,’ she sighed happily, among the honking horns and the drilling at a nearby worksite.

  ‘Make the most of it. It’s not like this all the time,’ Coco said. ‘Last week we had to wear masks and we weren’t allowed to play outside.’

  ‘It’s hard to imagine that on a day like today,’ Sep said.

  Sunny grinned. ‘Like my cousin said, enjoy it while you can.’

  The van pulled up outside a large circular building with a red sign bearing Chinese characters. Beneath it was the word ‘Eternity’ in English.

  ‘This is it,’ Coco declared. She was bursting to show their guests her second home.

  ‘Is that the name of your show?’ Lucas asked, pointing to the sign.

  ‘No, it’s the name of our troupe. Ye Ye chose it because he wants our troupe to last forever,’ Sunny said. ‘Our show is called Believe.’

  ‘They’re great names,’ Jacinta said.

  The children alighted from the van and followed Coco and Sunny around to the back of the building, where they entered through a steel door.

  ‘How many people are in the show?’ Jacinta asked. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach getting busier.

  ‘There are about thirty altogether,’ Coco said, ‘but some have smaller roles and others much bigger.’

  There were a number of doors leading off the wide corridor.

  ‘Are these your dressing-rooms?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Yes, and that’s our grandfather’s office.’ Coco pointed at another door just as it opened and Deng Rou walked out.

  The old woman seemed taken aback to see the children. She spoke quickly to Coco in Mandarin, and before any introductions were able to be made, she hurried away.

  ‘Who was that?’ Lucas asked.

  ‘Rou. She’s been with the troupe forever,’ Sunny replied.

  Jacinta frowned. ‘Does she perform?’ It hardly seemed likely with the limp the woman had.

  Coco shook her head. ‘No, it’s a long story. Nai Nai can’t stand her, but Ye Ye says we have an obligation to take care of her.’

  Coco knocked on her grandfather’s office door but there was no answer.

  ‘I’m here,’ Lionel called, waving from the end of the corridor. ‘And you need to get started.’

  Coco bit her lip. Her grandfather was very particular about no one being in his office if he wasn’t there. She wondered what Rou was up to now.

  ‘Coming, Ye Ye,’ Sunny called back, and the children thundered down the hall.

  Jacinta’s eyes widened as they reached the stage area. The auditorium was cavernous and, much like the Circus of Golden Destiny, there was tiered seating on three sides. Long ropes were suspended from the ceiling and at least twenty young men and women were limbering up, turning cartwheels and walking on their hands.

  ‘I wish I could do that,’ Lucas said, staring at a fellow who was resting on his forearms with his legs curled back all the way over his head. His feet almost touched the ground. He held the pose for a while before a young woman lay on his legs. He then straightened up, took one hand off the ground and the two of them hung in the air. Their balance was breathtaking.

  Sunny disappeared and returned with several pairs of stilts. ‘Would you like to try?’ he asked. They weren’t old-fashioned timber ones but were curved and springy with an attachment for the feet and a strap for the knees.

  ‘I’m game,’ Sep said, stepping forward.

  ‘It’s not as hard as it looks. If you have good balance, you’ll pick it up in no time,’ Sunny said, distributing the apparatus to the four guests.

  Several burly young men came and helped the children put on the stilts, then held on to them as they attempted to take a few steps. Alice-Miranda wobbled a little to begin with but was soon walking all over the arena, with Sep and Lucas stumbling after her. Lionel clapped heartily. Bernard and Charles shouted words of encouragement too. Jacinta not only mastered walking in stilts, she swiftly began jumping with no assistance whatsoever.

  A huge trampoline was rolled onstage and several young acrobats with taller stilts began springing from the ground onto the trampoline, doing all sorts of flips and splits. Coco and Sunny joined them, and soon there was a trail of at least ten acrobats running and leaping and jumping.

  ‘Do you think I could have a go?’ Jacinta asked Lionel, as they both watched from the side of the stage.

  There was a glint in the old man’s eye. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked.

  Jacinta nodded. She sprang up and down on the spot to get used to the feeling, conscious of the fact that she had to work out how high she could push herself without losing control. Lionel indicated for Bernard and Charles to assist.

  Winnie had appeared and was standing with Cherry near the children. Alice-Miranda and the boys sat down while Jacinta prepared herself.

  She looked at Bernard. ‘My stomach feels a little bit funny.’

  ‘That is a very good thing. I don’t ever feel right about a performance unless the butterflies are having a boxing match in my belly,’ he said with a smile.

  Coco and Sunny stood on either side of the trampoline while their fathers positioned themselves to catch Jacinta should she fall. Jacinta listened carefully as Lionel instructed her on where she should aim to land and how high she should leap beforehand.

  ‘Remember, you can always abort – we would rather abandon than ambulance,’ the man said.

  Lucille was watching from the shadow of a doorway. ‘Oh, father-in-law, you are ever the comedian,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Or is it the clown?’

  ‘What is the matter with you?’ said Deng Rou, appearing next to her.

  Lucille looked at Rou with a thinly disguised sneer of contempt. ‘Don’t pretend with me. I know you far better than that.’

  Jacinta stared at the trampoline and the landing spot beyond it. ‘Well, here goes nothing,’ she said, and began to bounce.

  Lucas’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. ‘Come on, Jacinta,’ he whispered.

  Jacinta sprang into the air, executing a perfect backflip.

  ‘Woohoo!’ Lucas shouted, amid the claps and cheers from the troupe members. ‘I knew you could do it.’

  Sep leaned over and gave Lucas a friendly nudge.

  ‘That was excellent, Jacinta,’ said Sunny’s father. ‘Are you sure you’ve never done this before?’

  Jacinta was just about bursting. ‘Never, but that was incredible. I loved it! I wish I could do it again.’

  ‘Perhaps we can find a guest spot for y
ou in the show on Friday,’ Lionel said, glancing at his wife.

  ‘If you think Jacinta can manage it, but remember we have an important guest that evening,’ the woman replied.

  ‘Let’s see. I can’t promise anything, Jacinta, but I think you might be up for one somersault at least,’ Lionel offered.

  ‘Perfect,’ Lucille muttered.

  ‘Who is our guest, Ye Ye?’ Sunny asked. ‘You have been teasing us for days.’

  ‘All will be revealed soon, grandson,’ the old man said. ‘For now, we must practise our finale.’

  ‘Where is that other daughter-in-law of mine?’ Winnie looked around, wondering where Lucille had got to this time.

  Lucille sighed. ‘You will meet me in the first-aid room in ten minutes.’

  ‘Why?’ Rou wrinkled her lip.

  ‘Consider it an order.’ Lucille drew her shoulders back and stalked across the stage.

  Alice-Miranda, Jacinta, Lucas and Sep had front-row seats for the next part of the rehearsals. When Winnie peddled onto the stage, riding faster and faster, they held their breaths. The series of tricks was mind-blowing to say the least. Lucille and Cherry spun so many plates that they lost count. In the background, the male members of the family flipped and tumbled, creating human towers and demonstrating their phenomenal strength and balance, with Lionel as the anchor at the bottom.

  ‘Mr Wong is like Superman,’ Lucas said in disbelief. ‘Can you imagine how strong he must be?’

  Sep shook his head. ‘My dad can barely lift me on his shoulders in the swimming pool these days, and Mr Wong’s got to be at least twenty years older than he is.’

  Coco pedalled by on a half-sized red bicycle and began tailing her grandmother. Things were getting busier and faster when, all of a sudden, there was an enormous crash and several of Lucille’s plates hurtled to the ground, smashing into thousands of pieces.

  The children didn’t know where to look as the whole scene began to unravel. Winnie, who had been leaning back on her bicycle, sat up and brought the vehicle to a halt. Coco managed to stop too, and the tower of tumblers leapt gently to the ground.