by Wai Chim
‘Please, Ma,’ I added, not wanting to be left out. ‘I can look after Bao while you, Jin and Guo look at the kites in the markets.’
They exchanged another look and Jin gave Ma a little shrug.
‘Okay, you can go play if you want. We’ll be over by the lanterns.’ I had to hide my triumphant grin. Our plan had worked.
When we were out of sight, the three of us high-fived and charged into the bustling market. We headed for the food stalls, passing families bowing and wishing each other Happy New Year on the way. It didn’t take us long to find a lolly stall. I paid for a bag of lollies with my pocket money and Bao clutched the bag in his little hands as we made our way back.
It was the Year of the Horse, so the markets were decorated with majestic stallions leaping in the air, tossing their colourful manes. We hopped around kids dressed in shiny red outfits, twirling festive drums. There were stalls selling all sorts of New Year’s delights: fireworks and bright red banners, costumes and dresses and tasty New Year’s treats. The children crowded around them, clutching little red packets full of lucky money. I broke into a grin when I spotted a familiar stall.
It was the old toymaker that had made my pinwheel so very long ago.
‘Why, hello there, little Mei,’ the toymaker greeted me warmly. I blushed, surprised that he remembered me. ‘Still playing with your wooden pinwheel?’ he asked.
I shook my head, so that my long braid flopped about. ‘Not anymore, I’m a bit too old for it now.’ I pointed to the boys. ‘This is my stepbrother, Bao, and my friend, Cap.’
‘How do you do? Everyone calls me Old Dan,’ he said, revealing a toothless smile.
Old Dan was hunched over a peculiar box that Cap immediately stepped towards to investigate. It had a crank on one side and beautiful carved decorations on the other sides. Two large panels had matching mythical lion sculptures that looked like they were leaping out from a jungle of leaves. Their eyes were ferocious and hungry and I couldn’t help shuddering, even though I knew they weren’t real.
Nestled between the leaves of the engraved jungle were a number of dials, levers and clunky gears, like the insides of a clock. A metal cylinder sat inside the box. It had ridges and dots that ran in strange patterns along the surface. The cylinder pressed up against a metal plate, with thin metal strips sticking out like a comb.
‘Wow, what’s that?’ I asked.
The old toymaker smiled. ‘It is my own invention. I’ve been working on it for a while but it still needs some tinkering.’
‘What does it do?’ Bao asked.
‘It’s a music box. I’ve seen something like it before,’ Cap said, always keen to show off just how smart he was. He pointed to the cylinder. ‘When you turn the crank, the spool turns and the ridges and dots hit the teeth on the comb playing the notes.’
The toymaker looked surprised. ‘That’s exactly right. You’re quite clever aren’t you?’ Cap beamed and I rolled my eyes.
‘People have been building music boxes for centuries,’ Old Dan explained. ‘They used to give them as gifts to the emperor back in the Qing dynasty.’ He ran his fingers lovingly down the side of the frame following the lines of the natural wood grain. I could tell he was very proud of his work.
‘Can you show us how it works?’ I asked.
Old Dan smiled and reached for the crank. The cylinder turned. Just as Cap had described, the strange pattern of dots and ridges caught the metal plate, one by one. A sweet melody began to play that I recognised as a lullaby Ma used to sing to me when I was little.
‘Hey, cool, it lights up,’ Cap exclaimed. And sure enough, the toymaker had put in a string of lights above the metal comb. When the music played, the lights sparkled like jewels set in a golden crown.
‘That’s my own addition,’ the toymaker said. ‘I like a bit of shiny, don’t you?’ He winked. Finally, he brought the music to a stop.
‘What goes here?’ Bao asked, puzzled by the wide gap on one side of the box. There was another metal comb and the same jewelled lights but where the metal spool should have been to play the notes, there was nothing but an empty spindle.
‘Aiy, yes, that’s the part I haven’t finished yet,’ Old Dan said with a frown. ‘I was going to add another layer to the song, a second spool that would play at the same time. I have plans all drawn up but I haven’t had a chance to build it.’ He scrunched up his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth sagged. ‘I always thought that I would have a chance to finish it. But I guess it’s time to put away such childish things.’ His last words choked up.
I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
Old Dan looked up in surprise. ‘I thought everyone knew. The deputy director has been going around the village. I thought he would have come to your house by now …’
Cap wrinkled his brow and looked at me. ‘Does this have something to do with the man from last night?’
I knew something was wrong. ‘Please, Old Dan, do you know what he wanted? He had some papers with him and he sounded angry.’
The old man sighed and hung his head. ‘He came to our house last week. The regional ministry wants to put in a new freeway to the city and to do this they have to tear down Daoling Village. They are asking the villagers to sell their homes. Such a terrible way to begin the new year,’ he said, shaking his head.
My ears burned when I heard his words. ‘What? They can’t do that. It’s our village!’ It felt like I’d been punched in the gut. My whole body was numb.
The old man sighed again. ‘I’m sure your stepfather has it all under control, little Mei. He’s a very smart man and he will get an excellent deal for the farm.’
‘But Jin can’t sell Pa’s farm, he promised!’ I shouted, my voice rising above the chatter of the market.
Bao stuck out his lower lip. ‘Jie, did Pa do something wrong?’ he whispered. He had called me ‘older sister’ and Bao only did that when he was scared.
I was too angry to answer. I turned away and ran to find Jin.
‘There you are, Mei. Did you have a good game?’ Ma asked. ‘Where are Cap and Bao?’ But I ignored her and stormed over to Jin.
‘You promised you wouldn’t sell Pa’s farm,’ I blurted out. A few children around us looked up in surprise. Ma let out a gasp. ‘Hush, Mei, please. You’re causing a scene.’
But I didn’t care. ‘I know what that man wanted,’ I said before Jin could answer. ‘You’re going to sell the farm so they can tear up the village and build a freeway.’ I was shouting now, too heartbroken to notice the shoppers and stallholders gawking. ‘Tell me it’s not true. Tell me he’s not making you sell the farm.’
Jin didn’t say a word, but the look in his eyes said it all.
I was right.
It was too much. I balled my fists and my vision began to blur. Ma reached for me, but I tore away, my sandals slapping against the ground. I streaked out of the market, my heart thumping, my sobs getting louder and louder. But I didn’t stop running away, not even to wipe the tears streaming down my face.
Chapter Three
Jin eventually found me huddled with my chooks in a far corner of the cellar below our storage shed. Pa had built the cellar to keep us safe from typhoons, although Jin had been using it to store smoked carcasses. The first time I’d gone down there and found pig skins and cow parts dangling from meat hooks, I had screamed and run away. Thankfully, Jin had taken the carcasses out, so now it was just an empty space and the perfect spot to be alone.
I heard Jin’s footsteps on the ladder. ‘Mei,’ he called out softly in the darkness.
I answered with a sniffle and the chooks chirped around me.
Jin dropped down the stairs and came towards us, hunching over to fit his hulking body in the small space. He sat beside me.
‘Your ma loved the lollies,’ he said. I almost smiled, but then I remembered I was mad at him. I turned
my body away, scooping Little into my arms. I buried my face into her warm feathers. Except for the chooks’ soft clucks echoing in the chamber, we sat in silence.
Finally, Jin said, ‘You forgot something.’ He held out a little red envelope with golden dragons snaking across the front – my lucky money.
Lucky money had always been my favourite part of the new year. Not just for the money – I also adored the colourful envelopes it came in. Unlike the other kids who spent their money right away, I kept mine in the envelope for as long as possible, sometimes even until the next new year. Every now and then, I would take out the folded bills to admire them, inhaling their new-money smell. Ma always made sure she gave us extra crisp bills so the scent lasted much, much longer.
But this time I shook my head. ‘I don’t want it,’ I said, setting Little down and burying my face in my knees.
Jin sighed. ‘Mei, I’m sorry you found out about the plans for the freeway this way. I should have told you. Your ma wanted to say something but I thought you were too young.’
I lifted my head. It was hard to see because my eyes felt all puffy. ‘Why is this happening? Why do they want to tear down our village?’ My voice was hoarse from crying.
‘I don’t really know, Mei,’ Jin said. ‘Sometimes the government does things that we might not always agree with because they think it’s the best for everyone.’ He paused in thought. ‘The cities are getting bigger and more and more people are moving out of small villages like ours. I guess that’s why they need more roads.’
‘What’s going to happen to us if we can’t stay in the village?’ My voice dropped to a whisper.
Jin laid a firm hand on my shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, Mei. No matter what happens, your ma and I will look after you, Bao, Guo and Cap too.’
Suddenly, Lo let out an angry squawk as if he’d been listening. Jin chuckled.
‘And Little and Lo as well,’ he added. ‘I haven’t forgotten you.’ He winked at me and I gave him a small smile.
‘We’ll all stay together,’ Jin said. He wrapped his burly arm around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I sank into his embrace. But I was still worried.
‘What are we going to do about the plans for the freeway?’ I asked. ‘Won’t that man be angry that we said no?’
Jin sighed again and stroked my hair. ‘I don’t know, Mei. I honestly don’t know.’
A few days later, there was another knock at the door. Jin went to answer it. My heart hammered in my chest, worried that it was the deputy director demanding that we sell the farm.
But it was only Old Dan.
Jin greeted him warmly, but seemed surprised to see him. ‘Won’t you please come in?’ Jin said.
The toymaker shook his head. ‘I’m just on my way.’ He sighed heavily. ‘My son and I, we’ve sold our house to the deputy director. We’re leaving for the city tonight.’ He stared at the floor.
I was speechless. Old Dan was leaving the village.
Jin grimaced. ‘This has to stop. We can’t let this official bully us out of our village.’ He pounded his fist into his palm.
Jin’s face softened when he saw the pained expression on the older man’s face. ‘But of course, you must do what’s best for your family,’ Jin said. He clasped Old Dan’s shoulder. ‘I wish you all the best,’ he said solemnly. Old Dan looked grateful.
‘I was actually looking for your stepdaughter,’ Old Dan said. ‘Is Mei about?’ He spotted me peeking around Jin. Then Cap and Bao popped up out of nowhere and came to my side.
Old Dan grinned mischievously. ‘Come. I have a surprise,’ he said. The three of us followed him to the road where a big truck was waiting. There were beds, tables, lamps and chairs piled up in the back, tied down with long pieces of rope.
A lump formed in my throat when Bao asked, ‘Are you going somewhere?’
Old Dan didn’t answer as his Adam’s apple bobbed. Finally, he cleared his throat. ‘There was something I wanted to give to you all.’ He reached out and threw back a canvas sheet revealing what was underneath.
The wooden music box.
Old Dan traced the outline of the carvings with his fingertips. ‘There’s no room for it in our city apartment so I was thinking you could look after it for me,’ he said, his eyes watery.
My stomach twisted as I watched him pick it up and then set it delicately on the ground. The music box was more beautiful than I remembered, with the carved lions ready to leap off the frame. I had to say something but it was hard to keep my bottom lip from quivering.
‘Th … Thank you,’ I managed. ‘We’ll take good care of it.’ Cap and Bao nodded.
‘Father.’ A young man stuck his head out the truck’s front window. ‘It’s time to go.’
‘Well, I guess that’s it.’ Old Dan plastered on a smile and pulled the canvas sheet back into place.
The truck took off right away.
And with a final wave, the old toymaker of Daoling Village was gone.
Chapter Four
Cap took the music box and locked himself into the storage shed with some old tools that used to belong to Pa. We didn’t see him for days. He only came out for meals after Ma yelled her voice hoarse. He wouldn’t tell us what he was doing, only shared vague words about ‘making improvements’. Bao and I were miffed because we wanted to play but we weren’t really interested in tools and tinkering. So we let Cap be.
A few days later, Bao and I were playing in the front courtyard when we saw Cap striding up the hill, with my chooks in his arms.
‘Come on, Bao, I need your help,’ Cap said.
‘Yay! Cap wants to play!’ Bao cried. I frowned and reached for Little and Lo. Even with Cap, I always felt protective of them, like a mother hen.
‘Wait here, Mei,’ Cap said before disappearing back down the hill. Bao scampered after him, leaving me alone in the courtyard with my chickens.
I set them both on the ground. Little began to peck around, her hard beak tap-tap-tapping against the tiles. Lo strutted about with his head held high, letting out little rooster cries. Ma never let them near the house and I was nervous that she would be mad. I was also curious about what Cap was up to.
Finally, the boys returned, huffing and puffing as they carried the music box up the hill. Poor Bao looked like he was about to collapse, his small fingers struggling to grip the wood. I rushed over to help.
The three of us set the music box down gently. It felt heavier than before.
Cap swaggered about like Lo, clearly pleased with himself. He bent over and picked up Little, cooing into her ear as he stroked the back of her neck. I crossed my arms and scowled. ‘What are you doing?’
‘You’ll see.’ Cap was being very mysterious. Above the gap where Old Dan intended the second spool to sit, Cap had cut out a trapdoor. He lifted it up and gently placed Little inside.
My chook fit in the box well and Cap had closed three sides, so Little could look out of a cutaway window. She seemed quite comfy, standing there with her head cocked to one side. Cap then slotted in one of the metal combs so that the twinkly lights were in front of her face. Little bobbed her head from left to right, taking in her new surroundings.
‘Old Dan wanted to put in a second spool, but I had another idea,’ Cap explained. ‘Watch.’ He seized the crank and started to turn it.
As before, the spool spun and notes began to play, a sweet melody filling the air. It sounded as magical as when the toymaker had first played it. I was secretly relieved that Cap hadn’t done anything to ruin the music.
I looked at where Little was standing and gasped.
A tiny light bulb burned bright above the metal comb. And Little, always attracted to shiny things, pecked at it with her pointy beak.
A rich note rang out, loud and clear. Another light switched on and another and Little pecked again and again as Cap turned the handle. The n
otes came together in a stilted but recognisable pattern.
It wasn’t exactly a piano symphony but it was pleasant. Little grew more and more confident as she pecked, bobbing her head in time. She had a very natural sense of rhythm.
Not one to be left out, Lo began crowing in harmony to Little’s beautiful tune. It was a blend of caws and coos but together, they came together in a sweet little song.
CAW. BA-KAW. CAW CAW. COO. TING. TING TING.
My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide. Bao stared and Cap smiled like he had just won an Olympic gold medal.
My chooks were playing music.
I was stunned. ‘How did you even …?’
Cap grinned and slowed the song until the final notes petered out.
‘They’re going to need some practice and I might have to tweak the pattern a bit,’ Cap said. ‘But they’ll get better, and with time we can give them some more complicated songs.’ He beamed again, and I smiled back. He could be so clever.
‘Aiyah. What’s all the racket out here?’ Ma cried, throwing open the door. Her eyes went wide. ‘What are the chooks doing here? You know you can’t bring them near the house!’ she squawked.
‘But Ma,’ I said. ‘Look, Cap taught them this super neat trick.’ I seized the crank ready to show her how smart Little and Lo could be.
But Ma ignored my pleas. ‘Get those animals away from the house this instant.’
I stuck out my lower lip. Adults never listened.
Cap was already taking Little out of the music box. She looked disappointed, craning her neck towards the box like she still wanted to perform. I chuckled and took her from Cap’s arms.
Ma shook her head. ‘Where is your brother? The villagers will be here any minute.’
I crinkled my brow, stooping to pick up Lo. ‘The villagers? What villagers?’
‘Mr Yeung, Mr Chen, everyone is coming. After Old Dan left, Jin called a meeting. Your stepfather’s been fussing about it all day,’ she said.