Ying-Ying St. Clair
In this chapter, Ying-Ying tells her story of when she went to the Moon Festival in 1918. She begins with telling us that she was dressed by her nurse, Amah, in a "heavy yellow silk jacket and skirt outlined with black bands," (69). This shows how important the Moon Festival was. The feast took place on a boat where Ying-Ying later watched a man gut a fish that was to be for dinner. When the cook was finished, she looked down and saw her dress speckled with blood from the fish. Hoping to disguise the other blood, she found some turtle blood and smeared it on her clothes as well. When Amah saw this, she stripped Ying-Ying of her clothes, leaving her in her underclothes and slippers. Amah then proceeded to go to the part of the boat where the party was being held, leaving Ying-Ying alone. During the celebration, when the fireworks began, Ying-Ying was startled and fell off the boat. Luckily, she was caught by another fisherman and she asked him to take her to shore. She had been told a parable that the moon lady could answer one wish per person on this day. Ying- Ying was found later that night by her family, her wish had come true.
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