Daddy's Little Girl
Copyright by Giant Eagle 2002
Disclaimer:
The fictional characters of HZGG belong to Aunty QY. This story belongs to me. To Aunty QY and her publishers, please do not sue me for copyright infringement. I'm not making any money out of this. You are free to feature this story in your websites but do not try to claim the credits for writing it. I apologise for my awful translation of the famous [Shan Shui Tiao Tiao] song
This story is rate PG-13 due to some strong language use
Some important dates-
HZGG was set during the 25th year of Qian Long (1760)
Aisin Gioro Hong Li became Emperor of China in 1735, reign name Qian Long
Aisin Gioro Hong Li went to Ji Nan in 6th year of Qian Long (1741)
Zi Wei (and XYZ) was born in 1742.
The story below takes place around 1748 and is a sequel to "The Dragon and The Lotus"
"It's all because of you that I feel this way
All because of you that my heart wants to break"
"All Because of You" by Cher
The little girl woke up, frightened by the sudden loud crack. She looked around the darkness of her room frantically, wondering where the loud crack had come from.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash and her room lit up momentarily. She caught a glimpse of the [qin] next to her bed. Mama had begun teaching her the [qin] some time ago.
CRAAACK!
She jumped, her heart thumping. There was another flash and a loud crack. Outside, the raindrops began to fall. Scared, she slid off her bed and ran to Mama's room. Mama would tuck her into bed, hug her tightly, sing her favourite songs, and let her stay with her until the thunderstorm blew over.
When she got to Mama's room door, she was about to call out when she heard something. She strained her ears, wondering, if it was just her imagination. No, there it was. A muffled sob coming from Mama's room.
Terrified yet curious, she gently pushed the door open and tiptoed inside.
A single candle dimly lighted the room but she could see what was going on from her hiding area.
Mama was crying.
The little girl had never seen her Mama this sad. She wanted to go out and wipe the tears from Mama's face but something stopped her from doing so. She hid in the shadows and watched her Mama walk towards a [qin] in her bedroom.
Mama sat down, running her hands over the [qin] and began to sing:
[The Mountains are so far away,
So are the waters!
The mountains and the waters so far off,
And the journey goes on forever!
I watched the night go by, and watched another day go by,
I watched until my soul withered
My dreams seem so insignificant,
And so does the human race
If the Heavens were kind,
Heaven will grow old and time will come to an end,
A song is incomplete,
A melody is unfinished,
As the wind and the rain patter on relentlessly,
Who knows how long this sadness of mine will go on?]
The little girl hid in the dark shadows, mesmerised by the haunting sadness of the song and its melody. She knew the words but didn't really understand what they meant. But the way Mama sang it, it must be something really sad. She had to ask Mama about it.
Suddenly Mama got up. The little girl froze. Uh oh, Mama's seen me, she thought frantically and was about to scramble out.
No, Mama did not move towards her but towards an old chest in the room. The girl had seen this chest in her Mama's room many times but whenever she asked what was in it, Mama only smiled sadly. Well, she had sneaked in a few times when Mama was out but the chest was always locked *securely*.
Now tonight, she was going to have a peek of the contents in the chest. The little girl congratulated herself silently for not announcing her presence. A twinge of guilt hit her for being such a naughty, selfish girl but she wiped that train of thought from her mind.
The hinges creaked and squeaked in protest as Mama lifted the chest lid. The little girl craned her neck to get a better look. What treasures did it hold?
She was disappointed when Mama took out a foldable fan and a scroll. A big metal lock and a giant chest, just to hide a crummy fan and a scroll? But these things seemed very precious to Mama, seeing the way Mama held it.
Mama unfolded the fan, revealing a lotus flower painted on it. There was some calligraphy scrawled on it too but from where she was standing, the girl couldn't make out the words clearly. She squinted at the calligraphy disdainfully, thinking this writer's calligraphy sure sucks, I can do a better job than that. Why does Mama treasure such ugly chicken scratches?
"Damn you, Si Ye! Damn you!" Mama suddenly said angrily and hurled the fan down. "A pox on you!" She grabbed the scroll. A look of pure hatred flashed in her eyes and she looked as if she would rip up the scroll.
Then as quickly as her hatred flared up, it dissolved into sadness. She laid the scroll aside and knelt down to pick up the fan. She held the fan closely to her chest.
"Si Ye, where are you?" She sobbed as if her heart would break, "You...you promised me you'll come back for me in three months. It's been nearly six years. And our baby...she's so beautiful. Si Ye, come back to us, to me..." She laid her head on the pillow and cried herself to sleep.
All this while, the little girl hid in the shadows and watched. When she was sure Mama was asleep, she tiptoed out of Mama's room. The thunderstorm was still going on strongly but for some unexplained reason, she did not wish to go to Mama's side tonight. She went back to her room and crept into her bed.
Many times the little girl had asked Mama, "Mama, where's my Daddy? Why don't I have a Daddy like other children?" Mama never answered her questions but only looked sad. When she persisted, the glistening tears in Mama's eyes made her stop. So one day she told herself that Daddy was dead and did not pester Mama anymore.
Now tonight she knew. Daddy was still alive and had left Mama, left her before she was born.
"Where are you, Daddy?" She cried out into the darkness. "Why did you leave me and Mama? Don't you love us anymore?"
Outside, the wind and rain pattered on endlessly.
* The End *