A Girl's Heart Always Leads Her

by Paperback Writer

This is a work of fiction, fantasy, and imagination - a Chinese Cinderella story of sorts, dedicated to (and inspired by the works of) the amazing Babykeiko.

Ming-Na Chang's parents, now deceased, had come to the US via Hong Kong in 1996 right before the British handover to China. A 24-year-old University of California medical researcher on a 2-week holiday in the mainland, she was traveling in a hired van to spend a day exploring her parent's ancestral home, a village deep in western China.

Far away from Mianyang, the nearest major city, the coal-fired haze of the gray-hued sky was now a brilliant blue. She watched the beautiful landscape roll by, the hillsides of terraced tea farms, the blooming plum blossoms, the reflection of the ponds, the numerous birds, the farmers with their oxen plowing the fields. It was all so new, yet so familiar. It reminded her about how her mother would say, "Ming-Na, remember if you ever feel lost, a girl's heart always leads her to her family."

Ming-Na had been raised in San Francisco's Chinatown, so although she spoke fluent English she also spoke some limited Mandarin. "Fengjiang hao mei!" she said to the driver, trying to comment on how beautiful the countryside was. She had thought it strange that when she came out of her hotel that morning and approached the cab stand, all the drivers walked away except this one. What was also strange was that he didn't even try to negotiate a price; he just nodded at the first amount she mentioned and opened the door for her.

Just before reaching the village, the driver turned down a muddy rutted road and stopped in front of a nondescript 2-story building. She asked him in Mandarin what the place was. He replied in broken English, "You go! You go! Director inside! Go now!" Confused, she stepped out of the van, and without waiting for the door to close, he sped away.

Having nothing to lose, she walked up to the door of the building, and knocked. The door was answered by a woman who looked to be about 10 years older than Ming-Na. What took Ming-Na back was the woman's very strong resemblance to her own mother, tall with long straight black hair and that unmistakable and familiar profile.

"Ni hao, Mei Mei." The woman said in Mandarin. Ming-Na was further stunned, as the woman had just welcomed her and referred to her as 'Little Sister'. The woman led her into a conference room, where a small dark girl had brought a metal teapot and was pouring fresh hot tea into two cups. She finished pouring, left the pot on the table, and quickly went and stood in a corner of the room awaiting further instructions.

A conversation Ming-Na had overheard right before her mother's funeral came back to her – the aunties were talking about informing "the other sister", the eldest daughter left behind because they were so poor when her parents fled to escape the Communists. As soon as they saw Ming-Na, though, the aunties changed the subject and started discussing the flower arrangements.

And now here was this woman who looked incredibly like her mother. She took a chance, and ventured to say, "Jie Jie?" using the term 'Big Sister' in Mandarin. The woman broke into a huge smile.

She then responded in English. "Yes, Mei Mei, it's me, Ai-Shi. I am your lost sister. I know it must be a shock to you. We could not meet until mother had died because of her shame at having left me behind. But now, here you are. Are you married yet?" Ming-Na shook her head no.

Her sister continued, "I am not married either, but I have a lover high up in the government. He grew up in this village before being chosen to go to university, but he has never forgotten the village, or me. He makes sure that the orphanage is well-supplied, so we can use western-style diapers instead of using split pants only. In fact, it was he who arranged for the van to bring you here. The man who drove you is Mr. Wu, his personal driver."

She went on, "I have been working at this orphanage for the past 20 years, and have been the Director for the past 7. It's not big and shiny and modern like those in Chengdu or Changsha, but it's a good place. We house 25 children here, and they are well taken care of. She gestured at the girl in the corner, who was small with dark hair and darker-skinned than most, but with jade-green eyes, very rare in China. Underneath the dirt that covered her from head to toe, Ming-Na could see she was actually quite pretty.

"This girl is Dong Ji. Her name means 'winter', which is when we suspect she was born. She is 6 years old, a very serious child, but very obedient. She has been in this orphanage since she was only a few months old, brought her after being left on the doorstep of the village police station. She is Mongolian, and has a dark skin pitch on her right arm which is considered very bad luck. No one will ever want her as a daughter, so she stays here. We have her earn her keep by running errands, helping the cook, scrubbing floors and helping take care of the babies." Ai-Shi turned and issued a rapid-fire command too fast for Ming-Na's American ears to understand.

Dong Ji left the room, but shortly returned with a small infant, and handed it to Ai-Shi. "Leave us," she barked in Mandarin, and the girl vanished. "This is Tian, the sweet one. She is 6 months old." She handed the baby to Ming-Na, who looked at the infant face and was amazed at how much the infant resembled her own baby pictures. "She is both my pride and my shame, Mei Mei. Few know that she is my own daughter. Her father is the government official I mentioned. He took up with me two years ago. I became pregnant a year later – since I was not married to him and it was a violation of Party policies, when she was born he wanted me to leave her to die from exposure on a hillside in winter."

"When I found out from our aunties you were coming here, I informed him immediately. I begged and pleaded with him to reconsider, and he agreed to let her live if you would take her as your own." She hung her head down. "I am sorry, Mei Mei, but he is a powerful man in the Party. If I don't do as he wishes, I will lose my job, and have to pay a heavy fine, and Tian and I will both be turned out, nowhere to go and penniless. I didn't know what else to do. Please forgive me for asking this."

Tears were running down Ai-Shi's face now, as she struggled unsuccessfully to maintain her stoicism. "Stay the night, get to know her. She's a wonderful child. I'll have Dong Ji help you with her – she really loves the baby. Tian is like the only family she has."

That evening, following an incredible banquet that Ming-Na was sure cost her sister a month's wages, she retired to her assigned room in the second floor. The baby lay on the bed quietly, having just been fed by Dong Ji, who again stood in the corner. Ming-Na undressed the baby from her 4 layers of clothes, typical of the Chinese – they think if a baby is cold it will sicken, and so bundle them up in layers year 'round. Naked, the baby was even more beautiful, her hair and skin so soft, her almond-shaped eyes so perfect.

Ming-Na turned to Dong Ji, and instructed her in Mandarin to come out of the corner. The girl instantly obeyed. "Where do you usually sleep?" she asked the girl.

The girl pointed down. "Under the stairs, Auntie," was her response.

"Would you like to sleep in this room with us? I may need your help if Tian cries in the night." A smile briefly shot across the girl's serious face, then vanished. She nodded her head in agreement. Taking the baby, she artfully changed her diaper and laid her in the crib, then curled up on the floor beside it.

Ming-Na reached down and pulled her up by her arm. Dong Ji flinched, as if she was expecting to be beaten. "No, Dong Ji, I don't want you on the floor. The night may get chilly, so I want you in the bed with me. Do you have nightwear?"

The girl shook her head no. Ming-Na thought it over, then told her, "You can wear my shirt over your underwear, then. Strip off your dirty clothes." Reluctantly, the girl peeled off her dirty work clothes, but had no clothing on underneath. Her skin was covered in dirt from head to toe. Fortunately, there was bathtub down the hall. "When was the last time you washed?" Ming-Na asked. Dong Ji just shrugged. "Go prepare a bath for yourself," Ming-Na ordered, and without bothering to put her clothes on, the girl ran to comply.

After a few minutes the baby fell asleep, and Ming-Na walked down the hall to check on Dong Ji. She sat in the tub, splashing about like a normal little girl. Sure enough, there was a dark skin pigmentation patch on her arm, but Ming-Na knew it was only cosmetic, that laser treatments or even protein therapy could correct it. The soap remained dry and untouched in the holder. "Dong Ji, I know you've given baths to the babies, but have you ever taken a bath yourself?" Ming-Na asked. The young face looked at her and shook her head no.

Shaking her head and giving a sigh, Ming-Na picked up the soap and a washrag that was hanging next to the tub. "Hold still!" she commanded, and the girl cowered as if she was going to be beaten again. Her cowering turned to giggles, though, as Ming-Na washed every bit of her from her head to her toes, even washing the girl's greasy hair. Being extra gentle, Ming-Na even reached under the water's surface and thoroughly washed the girl's private parts, making sure the washcloth managed to make contact with the girl's inner labia lips and anus. Instead of squirming away, Dong Ji sighed, closing her eyes and pressing her vulva against her caretaker's hand.

Suddenly overcome with a flood of maternal feelings, Ming-Na leaned over and kissed the girl's forehead. The girl threw her arms around her neck with such speed it was if as she had touched a bear trap. "Ayi! Wo ai ni!"" she cried out, which Ming-Na knew meant "Auntie, I love you." Ming-Na was a little stunned, not quite sure how to respond, so she just held the dripping and naked girl to her chest. Finally, she managed to reach for a towel, and the girl relinquished her vice-like embrace so Ming-Na could dry her off.

The bathwater was now black with dirt but Dong Ji looked like a different child, her pretty face and dark Mongolian skin now washed clean of smudges and filth. Wrapping her in the towel, Ming-Na lifted her out of the tub and carried her back to the room like a fragile flower, and sat down on the bed with the girl in her arms. The little angel did not want to let go, just wanted to be held, as if Ming-Na was the last person on earth. Tian, meanwhile, slept soundly in the crib.

Finally, Ming-Na spoke in a low voice, "Dong Ji, let's get into bed. My T-shirt and underwear are wet from bathing you, so we'll have to sleep naked." The youngster slid out of her embrace and under the blankets naturally, like an otter slipping from a rock into the water. Hanging her clothes to dry, Ming-Na slid under the blankets herself. Immediately, Dong Ji clung to her again, the little naked body pressed against her breasts and torso. Now that she was clean, she had a pure scent, a mixture of bar soap and little girl. Ming-Na moved her hand down the girl's back, rubbing her, and Dong Ji groaned.

All of a sudden, words began pouring out in her little voice in a whisper, her Mandarin tones almost musical. "I'm sorry, Auntie, I'm so sore. I work very hard. I want to do well, and make Madame happy. I clean and slice the vegetables for Cook, I scrub the wok after she finishes, I scrub the floors, I feed and change the babies, I sweep the halls before I'm allowed to eat my dinner. If I take too long, I don't get enough to eat and sometimes Madame hits me but I never complain, Auntie, never. I'm a good girl; I really want someone to adopt me, even though Madame says no one ever will because I'm bad luck. Do you think someone will adopt me, Auntie?"

Not quite sure how to respond, Ming-Na said reassuringly, "You are a very good girl, Dong Ji. I don't know how anyone could not love you or want you in their family." Burying her face in Ming-Na's breasts, the young waif began to cry, just a little at first, then sobbing more and more as her long-contained emotions began to pour out to her new confidant.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. It was Ai-Shi. "DONG JI! Is that you making all that noise, you foolish girl? Be quiet at once, or I'll come in there and beat you!" Now scared, the little one buried her head against Ming-Na and pulled up the blanket.

Startled by the shouting, Tian began to cry as well. Ai-Shi roared, "Now look what you've done, you awful child! You'll wake the good children asleep as they should be!" The door opened, and she walked in carrying a leather belt. "Get over here so I can punish you!"

"Auntie, please protect me!" the frightened girl whispered. Ming-Na stroked her hair, and kissed the top of her head.

"It's OK, Ai-Shi", she said in English. "The child was having a nightmare, that's all." Ming-Na switched to Mandarin and instructed Dong Ji to bring Tian to her. As soon as Dong Ji picked her up, the baby stopped crying immediately. "There, you see? All is calm again," she told her sister.

Ai-Shi narrowed her eyes and spoke directly to Dong Ji. "You may have my American sister fooled, you brat, but if I hear one more sound from you tonight, I will take you outside and whip you until you're raw." She turned and stormed out.

Frightened again, Dong Ji began to whimper quietly. Ming-Na held her close again, her hands seeming to take on a life of their own as she rubbed the girl's back and legs. Dong Ji whispered, "Qing wei wo quanchang anmo". She was asking for an all-over body rub. Ming-Na smiled, touched at how this lonely little housegirl was savoring her caresses and reveling in the rare personal attention.

'Good thing I took a massage class,' she thought to herself. Putting the baby back into the crib, she uncovered her helper's six-year old body, and stretched her out on the bed face down. She was momentarily distracted by the innocent little buttocks and wanted to squeeze them, but was determined to do it right and so started with her face, rubbing her forehead and neck to get her to relax, then moving to her fingers, hands and arms. Ming-Na then shifted down to Dong Ji's feet, calves, and thighs, giving them all a through going over. From the top of the young girl's thighs, she moved on to the buttocks and back. The girl was a batch of knotted muscles, but Ming-Na persevered and slowly got them out.

Once she finished working on the girl's shoulders, she was sweaty herself from the effort, in spite of the fact the temperature had dropped significantly since the sun went down. She turned on the one dim overhead bulb and turned Dong Ji over. Speaking in Mandarin, she asked "How are you feeling now?"

Looking up with those beautiful eyes, her hair spread out on the pillow next to her, to Ming-Na the naked girl looked like a young model in a glamour magazine.

"Oh, Auntie", she whispered, "Your hands feel so good, please don't stop touching me!" Ming-Na began massaging Dong Ji again at the shoulders, then rubbed downward across the pectoral area of her flat chest, her fingers gently arousing the little nipples. Dong Ji giggled softly. Ming-Na then moved her attention to the girl's abdomen, deeply massaging the diaphragm muscle, finally reaching the young girl's hairless mons. Dong Ji slowly opened her legs, exposing her slit. "Qing," she whispered, "qing, Ayi!"

After hearing her small seductress beg 'please, please, Auntie,' Ming-Na found herself unable to resist. She slipped her fingers down and explored the silky valley, and was surprised to find it wet. Her index finger probed in between the girl's inner labia, and was further surprised to find the hymen missing. As Ming-Na's finger went deeper and her thumb circled the tiny clit, Dong Ji began to moan softly.

Handing her the pillow, the older woman warned, "Hush, girl, or Ai-Shi might hear you!" Obediently, Dong Ji held the pillow over her face to silence herself, as her body began to show signs of an impending climax. Ming-Na lowered her head to the girl's pussy and included her tongue in the stimulation. The taste was unbelievably sweet. She roamed her tongue around the labia and clit, up into the vaginal entrance, and even let a finger roam down her perineum and press on her little anus. Dong Ji arched her back and pushed up with her heels, the moaning now louder despite the muffling effect of the pillow.

With a sharp cry, the body of the girl went rigid, then she curled into a tight little ball on the bed as she climaxed. Ming-Na moved behind her little angel so she could hold her close, stretching out and kissing her head and face with warm affection. After a while they both began to doze.

Ming-Na woke in the middle of the night. Tian was fussing, but Dong Ji was not in the room. Climbing out of bed, she walked downstairs to the kitchen to get Tian a bottle. On the main floor next to the kitchen, as she passed her sister's room she heard sounds coming from behind the closed door - sounds of a woman about to have an orgasm. The door was slightly ajar, so Ming-Na peered in. In the dim light and shadows from the low-wattage overhead bulb, she could see Ai-Shi sitting naked on the edge of the bed, Dong Ji kneeling on the hard floor in front of her.

Her face was in between Madame Director's spread thighs, lapping her pussy. There were clearly red marks on Dong Ji's ass cheeks, as if she had been spanked – hard. Ai-Shi's hand was on the back of the young girl's head, forcing it harder against her cunt. Ming-Na could only make out part of what was said, as her education in Mandarin had not included sexual vocabulary. "Yes, that's it, lick me, you .................., use your tongue, drink me up. I'm going to.........in your mouth, you filthy ....................... Does my Chinese .................. taste better than her American one? You horrible little ....................., I should beat you one more time for touching her. I'm going to......... soon, you wretch. Keep your mouth on my .............. and drink every drop, or this time I'll make sure you won't be able to sit for a week."

Shaken and not sure what to do, Ming-Na quietly went back into her room, changed Tian's diaper and gave her the bottle, and fell asleep with the baby beside her. She was awakened by the infant fussing again, but before she could rouse herself two little hands had picked Tian up. Dong Ji was back, still naked. "Don't get up, Auntie," she whispered, "I'll take care of Tian."

After walking her around the room for a few minutes and rocking her, the baby was still fussing, so Dong Ji lay her down and undid the diaper, exposing her tiny vulva. Dong Ji softly stroked it, and the baby quieted down immediately, making soft cooing noises. "That's right, baby," she whispered, your Dong Ji is here, and she'll make everything all right." Shifting the baby's position around, the older girl held her so her own tiny nipple was in Tian's mouth. The baby sucked on it as her tiny pussy was being caressed, and soon fell asleep again. After putting the baby down, Dong Ji climbed into bed again with the speechless Ming-Na.

"You see, Auntie, I'm very good with babies!" Feeling something snap inside her, Ming-Na reached down and put her lips on the young girl's. She could smell and taste the faint tang of her sister's juices as they kissed. Dong Ji was an excellent kisser for her age, it was plain someone had been teaching her. Their tongues went back and forth, as the smaller girl began to hump her pussy on Ming-Na's thigh. Then she broke the kiss and slid down to a waiting breast, sucking the nipple with enthusiasm.

At the same time she was sucking on Ming-Na, she took her small fist and worked it into her lover's pussy, sliding it in and out. Ming-Na closed her eyes and let Dong-Ji take over. With the girl's fist sliding in the woman's slick pussy and her mouth working on her nipples, Ming-Na didn't take long to reach her own climax.

Stifling her own cries of passion, she wrapped the little girl in a strong embrace as her orgasm swept in, holding Dong Ji tightly, waves of pleasure moving through her, until it finally subsided.

Kissing her again and again, she whispered, "I won't leave without you, Dong Ji. Tomorrow, I'll tell the Director you're coming home with Tian and me. We'll make it work somehow!" Snuggling close against her new love, Dong-Ji smiled.

"Xie xie, Mamma," she whispered, thanking Ming-Na for giving her hope.

In the morning, Ming-Na softly kissed the girl sleeping under the covers of her bed. She was now convinced she was in love with the little creature, and could not leave her behind. Her mind was made up– and her heart was set. She went looking for her sister to discuss adopting both girls. In the kitchen she found her sister. Ai-Shi was sitting at the table, a strong glass of maotai in front of her. At 130 proof, the clear liquid was so strong it was rumored it could also be used as a substitute for paint thinner. The bottle was almost empty, and Ai-Shi sat with her head in her hands. Ming-Na got a bottle for the baby's breakfast from the refrigerator, then gently asked her sister, "Jie Jie, what's wrong?"

"She loves you. You're going to take her away from me," Ai-Shi responded. Ming-Na was confused.

"I thought that's what you wanted – so your lover would not have her left exposed." Ai-Shi looked at her.

"No, you damned fool, not Tian - Dong Ji. She loves you, and you're going to take her from me. I can see it already. You're going to take my other daughter as well!" Stunned, Ming-Na was speechless at what her sister just said.

"Yes, dear baby sister, you heard me right," Ai-Shi went on drunkenly. "Seven years ago, a Mongol road work crew came through the village looking for a place to stay the night and for something to drink. They had been drinking for several hours when they came out of the tavern, and I happened to be walking by. There were six of them, too many too fight, and all very strong.

The filthy pigs grabbed me, and tore my clothing off. They threw me in the back of their large truck, taking turns holding me down while each had their way with me. Afterwards, I complained to the village policeman, but there was one of him and six of them, so he called me a whore and told me to go home."

"I became pregnant – I even know which one was the father, because he had the same skin discoloration on his arm as Dong Ji does on hers. Fortunately, winter came early. I wore bulky clothes all the time, so no one outside the orphanage knew of my plight. I gave birth in February in the kitchen, with the old cook helping. Then, at the first opportunity, I left the baby at the station for the policeman to find. He brought her to me here in the orphanage, with no clue she was my own blood. I raised her, but at a distance, going out of my way to be harsh and not to show favoritism that might give me away.

When my lover came back to the village and fell in love with me, he never knew she was my daughter. No one knows, except the cook. I love her, Ming-Na, but I hate her too. Every time I look at her Mongolian features I see the faces of those men, and I get so angry..."

Ming-Na cut in sharply, "That's why you beat her! Ai-Shi, how could you? She's innocent. All she wants to do is please you, you know that. You beat her, use her for your own pleasure, then you beat her again! All because of something she had nothing to do with. Ai-Shi, let me take them both, please. I will love Tian and Dong Ji, and give them both everything, so they can have a happy life. You know how much Dong Ji adores Tian – she shouldn't be separated from her sister like you and I were kept apart! Please, Jie Jie! I love her! Please!" Ming-Na fell to her knees, begging as the tears ran down her face.

Wracked by her emotions, Ai-Shi was now crying as well. She finished off her maotai in one swift motion. "You're right of course, Mei Mei," she said, regaining her composure. "I will eat bitter as our mother had to. It will be best for both of them. And me, I'll have my lover, and the last time he visited me he promised to marry me in the spring, so I may even have a chance to have more babies. It gives me double happiness that the sisters shall not be separated, and makes me happy that my own lost sister will be raising my girls and give them a good life."

Two days later, thanks to the governmental influence of Ai-Shi's lover, a packet arrived from the US Consulate in Guangzhou containing passports and visas for newly-adopted sisters Tian Chang and Dong Ji Chang. The girls were going home to America with their new mother, Ming-Na. As her mother had foretold all those years ago, Ming-Na's heart had indeed led her to her family.