When A Mei was very, very young, she went with her mother to a temple fair. It was her first time out, and everything seemed new and exciting. The fair was packed with people and full of noise and bustle. Mei Niang bought so many things that her hands were full. When A Mei saw a monkey show by the roadside, she refused to leave. So Mei Niang made a deal with the little girl: she would put their things in the cart they'd arrived in, which belonged to an old acquaintance, then come back for her. A Mei could watch a little longer, as long as she didn't wander off. Who could have known that when mother and daughter parted, it would be for a lifetime...? A Mei waited and waited, until the monkey show ended and the moon came out, but her mother never returned! A couple beneath a roadside wall had been eyeing the little girl for a while. With no adults around and too afraid to speak, she must have been hungry and tired after waiting all afternoon. The couple sweet-talked and deceived her, and took A Mei away with nothing more than a sesame flatbread. From then on, A Mei's life was like a green plum: sour with a touch of astringency. She was passed from household to household until, as she gradually grew up, she was finally able to decide for herself where her life would take her. It wasn't until the male lead appeared that a ray of sunshine entered her life, warming the lonely heart she had carried for so many years... Parents who have lost their children can cry out loud, but I can't. I used to worry that I wouldn't grow up in time, that I'd die before finding them. Now that I'm grown, I'm afraid that they'll die before I can find them.
