Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 331

New Tales of Old Shanghai
Shanghai Singapore International School, Ng, Hui Lim - 13
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0 th September 2016, 725 years after Shanghai was first became a city. Mei Mei and her family who followed
their father to Shanghai 3 years ago to earn a living, decided to take a day off to visit a famous ancient
garden in Shanghai, Yu Yuan Garden. After they bought the entrance ticket of RMB 30 each, the family
walked and enjoyed the view. Mei Mei was stunned with the centerpiece arrow ancient stone, a porous
3.3m, 5 tone boulder as rumors indicated it was meant for the imperial palace in Beijing but was salvaged after the ship
sank off in Shanghai. Mei Mei was attracted by this centerpiece and she can’t stop looking at it. Without knowing, her
family was walking further and further away leaving Mei Mei there admiring the centerpiece. Few minutes past, her
stomach rumbles which indicated its time for her to have lunch but when she moved her attention from the centerpiece,
she then found out that she lost her family!
“What should I do?”, Mei Mei was panic but still managed to brainstorm to figure out what to do next. The
only way that she could think of was to wait at the same place where she was separated from her family so they would
be able to find her. Slowly, she found herself a place to sit at the corner near a big stone and waited patiently for her
family to find her. It was then she spotted a Green Flower Porcelain vase rowing left and right on the floor. Mei Mei was
curious; how did this expensive vase ever row on the floor out of sudden? Then she took her steps and went forward to
investigate the vase. When she touched the vase, a blur gust of smoke appeared and soon Mei Mei disappeared in the
smoke.
It was too late for Mei Mei until she found out that she was trapped in a prison together with other kids of her
age. The prison cell was worn and damp with rats running around. No fresh air, no water, no food and no family. Mei
Mei was depressed; she will never see her mother again, she will never eat her mother’s homemade dishes and she will
never hear her mother’s night time story anymore. She started to cry and shouted out loud for her mother. “Keep your
mouth shut or else they will kill you!” the girl in braided hair and in shabby cloth sat next to her shouted. “Where am I?”
Mei Mei asked. “oh gosh, are you nuts or you lost your memory or what, we are the slave for the mighty boss, Du
Yuesheng. Our parents sold us to him”. “He will either put us in his gambling dens, opium divans or probably to his
brothels!”. “Oh no… I want to go home, I don’t want to be a child prostitute, I’m just 8 years old. Its wrong for you all
to treat us like that under the law” cried Mei Mei. Du’s follower heard what Mei Mei said and replied calmly, “My child,
accept your faith, just follow me to our brothel in Shiliupu, you will be trained by ganniang (foster mother)”.
On the other side, her mother finally found out that Mei Mei was lost. As soon as possible, her parents and
her siblings started to search for her in and around the garden. They’ve tried their very best to check every spot but
there was no sign of Mei Mei. Her mother was depressed; she thought that she will not ever see Mei Mei again. She will
never see Mei Mei playing with her siblings, she will never listen to Mei Mei guzhen practices and she will never see
Mei Mei’s smile anymore. Her mother sighed and started crying and her siblings were by her side calming her. Although
the family sigh over the lost of Mei Mei, although her siblings tried their very best to think of ways to get Mei Mei back.
“Wait a second…...” cried Mei Mei’s eldest sister.
“I’ve read lots of articles of either children captured or sold by their parents those days to Du Yue Sheng, the
tycoon of the place we are stepping now, the Shanghai International Continent, which means that Mei Mei can be
also…… caappp…..ttuuurrr…ed?” her eldest sister said in shiver. Mei Mei’s mom shouted and cried, “Come on, its not
time to joke, its year 2016 now!” “May Mei Mei be safe and sound, do not touch my daughter unless you have the right