Chapter Thirty-Seven
The baby's birth had been a difficult one, compounded by Rebecca's inability to eat or drink. The pain of the birth was made worse by the pain of her need. When the child was finally pulled from her body, Chi Mei gave Rebecca opium-laced water which had an almost immediate calming effect. But the baby would only get relief from his need from his mother.
General Wei listened at the door of her quarters, furious that his former bride-to-be had given birth to another man's child. She was to be his to bear his children. He would be respected among all of China for having this woman as his wife. Now, to protect his investment, he had to tolerate the child. If he killed the child or sent it away, she would kill herself. He was convinced that she would. So the child stayed. But he would not allow it to be fed at his expense, nor would he bear the cost of satisfying the child's need passed to him from his mother. The child would be veiled at all times. Wei would not lose face because this woman had been unclean…used. No one would question the child if they never saw the child's face.
As soon as she could sit up, she began to give the child the nourishment he required along with the drug his body craved.
She had reached a silent agreement with General Wei…as long as he left her child alone, she would comply. Even though she did not openly disrespect him, he loathed her American customs, and when this loathing became anger he resorted to any number of forms of water torture to prevent any visible harm to her body, a body shown along with her eyes.
One evening, she had been paraded around on the deck on a chilly night wearing nothing more than a golden sash, a delicate set of red silk gloves, and the short, yellow veil that covered the lower part of her face. She had trembled from the cold, and when the audience left the ship, he ordered that her head be dunked in a tub of cold water over and over again until she was too weak to fight.
He did this again because she sang an American song to her child…one that Adam had sung to her…
Early one morning
Just as the sun was rising,
I heard a maiden singing
In the valley below…
When she was returned to her quarters, Baby Adam was screaming, not so much from hunger, but for the need of nourishment of another kind. His little body tightened and shook at the pain of being without. Exhausted, she summoned Chi Mei to bring him to her and sat on the bed against the wall patiently feeding her son, drifting off into precious unconsciousness and dreams of her life in her home with her husband.