“Who was it?” Sai Ma demanded.
Tommy,I answered in my head, but I couldn’t implicate him. He wouldn’t put a dead rat in the phonograph. I didn’t know anyone who would.
The only answer I could come up with was Prince Cannonball. But if I named the cat, Sai Ma would send Susu to hunt him down. Susu would tie him up in a rice sack, then drown him in the toilet, and that would be the end of our cantankerous little friend.
Sai Ma must have sensed me hesitating, for she set the scissors on a table and put her hands on my shoulders. “Yut Ying,” she said, honeying her tone. “Tell me the truth. If you admit to your wrong, the punishment will be far less severe.”
“I did speak to a boy,” I allowed. “He was just a guest who was looking for the toilet.”
“That’s all?”
“And Mr. Zhou,” I added. I glared at the maid. “Susu was there. She spoke to him.”
At that, Sai Ma let go of my shoulders. “What did Mr. Zhou want?”
“He was looking for Madam Chan,” said Susu quickly.
“And he saw Yut Ying.”
“On the way to the parlor.”
It should have made me worry how dramatically Sai Ma drew her breath and folded her hands one over the other, as if we were characters in one of the operas she so loved.
“I suppose this is how rumors begin,” she mused. “Not even thirteen years old, and the center of sordid gossip. You have to keep yourself fresh if you’re going to marry well.”
I didn’t understand what she meant, which amused her. “Your mother kept you so innocent,” she said. She stroked my hair. “You’re a pretty girl. Some advice for you: Don’t get too pretty. A man’s attention is more trouble than it’s worth. You trust me to take care of you, don’t you?”
She’d asked me that question before, months ago, when I first arrived in Hong Kong and still thought the world of her.
“Yes,” I lied. “I do.”
“Clever girl.” Sai Ma sat on the settee, dismissing the maids with a lift of her chin. She picked up my scissors. “Lily, your sister has beautiful hair, doesn’t she?”
Lily glanced at me uneasily before responding, “Yes.”
“I want you to cut it.”
My sister’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“You’ve been wanting to leave Saint Maria’s Academy. Shall I speak to your baba about finding you a school closer to home?”
It was cruel of Sai Ma to dangle this opportunity in front of Lily, who was still young and still loved her. The yearning on her face made my chest tighten.
It’s fine,I mouthed to Lily.It’s only hair.
Sai Ma passed her the scissors. “Cut it short, above her ears.”
“I can’t,” Lily whispered.
I grabbed the scissors from my sister. In one swift motion, I reached for the back of my ponytail and made a decisive snip.
It was so much hair. The shorn black locks tumbled past my shoulders, their ends prickling my arms as they fell. I bit the inside of my cheek, holding back tears.
Lily made a gasping sound. “Gah Jeh!”
“It’s done,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. I set the scissors back on the table.
The corners of Sai Ma’s lips twitched into a smile. “So black and silken,” she said, sifting a lock between her fingers. “I’ll give this to Gu Ma to sell.”
