是你自己挑的

Come, come, come over here. Come and sit on Nanny's lap.

Nanny, I want to go to sleep.

Sleep — I'll let you go to sleep in a moment. First help Nanny with one small thing, all right?

Look at this.

Every child here has to come to this room once, and eat one piece of candy like this.

Once you've eaten this candy, you'll have food from now on.

Here — choose one yourself.

I want this one.

Good.

Remember, you chose it yourself.

Each of these sweets is a part of your body.

The one you chose is one of your legs.

My leg? Nanny, I don't want it, I want that one.

Once you've chosen you can't change. Remember — one leg short, and if you behave, you still get fed.

The same, not changed at all. It's you who've changed, Miss — you're a rich woman now.

That little hole in the back wall — is it still there?

When I was small, I went out through that hole.

That was long ago. You're different now. You've no need for that sort of place.

I've no need. The children inside still do.

Who's there? You... you're... it can't be, you died long ago!

Nanny.

You've come back for me! You're a ghost!

Feel my hand. I'm warm. Ghosts are cold.

I'm alive. Do you still remember Xiaolan?

Xiao... Xiaolan...

You can't remember. Of course — you've sold too many children.

The children's record book should be right here.

Found it.

Why are you here?

She isn't dead yet.

What?

When I came in, she could still speak.

The Huo family's men are downstairs. They could come up any moment. Have you worked out what to do?

You think I hadn't worked it out?

It's so late, and raining this hard. Why aren't you upstairs asleep?

We're singing.

In the daytime Nanny said we don't sing well, said rich people don't like it, and told us to practise more.

Sir, will you hear us sing one, please?

No need, no need.

Does sir think we sing badly too?

Then we'll sing one for you.

We studied this a long time. It isn't Chinese.

Nanny said rich people are sure to like it.

The children sang it through, and through again. The one upstairs gained a good deal of time.

All right, that's enough singing for today. All of you upstairs to bed.

Do you all sleep on the second floor?

Ren Susu.

There's no such person here.

You're going to marry my elder brother, and you're out doing this.

Tonight — you did it, and so did I.

Whoever talks, neither of us survives.

No. Back at the orphanage — if that old woman had crawled out and called for help, and you couldn't get out, what then?

It's none of your business.

There's a high threshold at the door. She couldn't get over it. It was raining outside.

I'm going to marry your elder brother. Whatever I do, only he may question me. You may not.

Whether I may or not is not yours to decide.

In those days she was still called Susu.

Susu, drink some water first. Slowly, don't drink too fast.

Xiaolan, I can't eat.

One more bite. If you don't eat, how will you get well? Don't finish it all at once, keep some back.

That was the place they grew up in — until the Huo family came.

Still lying there? Get up.

Nanny, she's ill! She's really ill!

Ill or not, get up. The Huo family have chosen you. It's good fortune.

She really can't get up!

If she doesn't go, who goes? Who earns for us?

I'll go. Nanny, I'll go.

I can sing, and I can dance. Let me go.

Nanny, I'll go.

Susu was ill for three days.

When she woke, it was Xiaoqing who told her: Xiaolan went to the Huo house in your place.

From that day on, Xiaolan never came back.

Nanny is dead. Every paper in the city is running it.

I've never understood. We did something this big — what do we get out of it?

Nanny has vanished, the police are investigating, the papers are writing. Tell me — would the Huo family dare touch the orphanage children now?

They'll even have to treat those children a little better.

What the Huo family sells, they sell only to the rich. We'll start with the buyers.

Where is the book?

A few days ago there was the aeroplane, and now the woman and the book are gone together.

Put those two together and someone is moving against the Huo family.

I'll go to the orphanage now and ask who was there last night.

Wait. Don't only ask the grown-ups. Sometimes the children know more.

If you've nothing on today, come out with me.

I won't. I have to go back and try the wedding clothes.

And Qingyi? Do you really not think of him at all?

My business. He doesn't need a part in it.

He says nothing, and that's best. You know me — I don't turn back.

My brother has an urgent matter today. The wedding clothes can't be fitted.

Second young master, these have to be settled today, or there won't be time.

I see the second young master is the same height as the headmaster.

Might I trouble you to try them in his place?

What does my sister-in-law think?

Then I'll trouble the second young master.

But I'm not the groom. I don't want to try them.

The day is close. Even if the second young master won't help me, he wouldn't want the wedding to go wrong.

Miss Fang usually ignores me. What's brought me to mind today? And in someone else's clothes.

Let me put it another way. Your spending money this month — your sister-in-law will cover it.

Second young master, this one the headmaster chose himself.

Miss Fang's family has money and ships. This one is too old-fashioned. It doesn't look good.

I want that one.

She watched him the whole time, and never said a word.