to guide me Father smoothed the cover of the book as if it were a favorite pet or a beloved child’s cheek Except Han did not ever recall Father stroking his cheek so tenderly You are only twelve years old Han but your mother is not here to guide you and I’m busy with all this Father spread his arms wide His broad chest and muscular arms practically blocked the light coming through the windows The time has come for you to take possession of this collection of family wisdom He patted the book The sayings in here will teach you more than Tom Sawyer ever could Memorize these proverbs They’ll serve you in troubled times Han eyed the book The cover must have once been red but had since faded to the color of rotten salmon Proverbs was written in gold Chinese characters across
the front He slid the book back to Father You keep it It’s old and fragile I wouldn’t want to damage it Han hopped down from the stool and picked up the box of groceries Besides I’m busy too Helping out with the store Han balanced the box on one hip And at regular school every day I have to memorize multiplication tables and boring English grammar Father clicked his tongue Then I have to memorize couplets for Chinese school every night Han continued I can’t expect my brain to remember proverbs too Another tongue click louder this time A slow burn started in Han’s stomach Besides I like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer It’s exciting And funny He pointed at Proverbs I bet that’s not a bit funny Intelligence is endowed but wisdom is
earned Father said Han rolled his eyes When Mother and Meiying had taken Grandfather’s body back to China last year for a proper burial Father’s sense of fun had disappeared over the horizon with their ship He clung to Chinese traditions like they were a life raft and he was drowning Father saw Han’s eye roll His light-brown face flushed and he went to the table by the woodstove and picked up a pencil and notebook Returning to the counter Father set both items beside the book of proverbs There will be plenty of time to memorize some proverbs now that you won’t be reading Mr Sawyer Father’s voice was hard After you deliver that box to the Zhangs you will go to Chinese school Then tonight you will choose one proverb from this book You will memorize it write down an explanation of what it means and then show me your work You will do this
every day with a new proverb Han bit his tongue so he wouldn’t say something to make the punishment worse This is important Some of the anger leaked out of Father’s voice America is a confusing country Once we’ve saved enough money to buy property in China you and I will return and be reunited with your mother and sister You must keep the Chinese ways until we find our way home again America is my home Han thought these words but dared not say them Instead he spoke around the idea Why don’t we just bring Mother and Meiying back here Father smacked his palm against the yellowed copy of the English-language newspaper that had been pinned to the wall for years
