Chinese Cinderella (171-185)

Summary:

School was very horrible for Wu Mei, who is also known as Adeline. She felt very alone, since all the other students were visited by their mothers, and no one even thought about coming to see her. It was the last day of the term and the girls were all sitting together talking while they waited for their parents to come. They were having a lot of fun and when Adeline developed a headache her and her two friends Mary and Rachel went to the harbor and Adeline told them about all her aspirations. They made a pact together, promising that they would always be there for each other, wherever they are. After school was over and all the students left, Adeline was the only one that was left in school since her parents never even bothered to pick her up. She was very sick and had a high fever and even coughed up some blood. She was hospitalized and her friend Mary visited her all the time, and was basically her only visitor. When she a little better her father’s chauffeur came to get her and drove her home. Her “mother” Niang allowed Adeline to say at home with them until she recovered.

When she came home she immediately ran to her grandfather, Ye Ye. They caught up on the things. She found out that her older sister had a baby and her brothers were going to be able to go to England to study. After being told that, she became sad because it was always part of her dream to go study in another country. That dream of hers was always interfering with the fact that she is a girl and her parents would never allowed that. Her grandfather told her to have faith and to always have hope that she would have a better future. He reminded her that if she has hope and worked hard, she would be able to accomplish anything she wanted to and because of the belief that Ye Ye had in his granddaughter, she promised herself that she would work even harder.

            She went back to school after a week and all she did was sit in the library and just read. Adeline heard about this playwriting competition that was going to take place and she wondered whether or not she should enter. She went to Mother Louisa who was her teacher and asked her about what she should do and was given very wise advice and she took it very gratefully. She dedicated it to her grandfather, because she was the one who always believed in her.

Quote: “Genius is ten percent inspiration, ninety percent perspiration” (Mah 184)

Reaction:

When I read this quote, I immediately was taken aback by how true it was. This was an old saying that was said to her by Mother Louisa. What I believe it means is that you can be the smartest person ever, but if you do not work hard you will not be able to achieve the success that you have always wanted to, which is why you should always work hard.