Fiction: Group 3
Daddy’s Girl
HKMA David Li Kwok Po College, Chandra, Pooja - 14, Fiction: Group 3
n a cloudy afternoon in Chikan Town
,
everyone was going back home after a long day working
in the fields including Qiangwei and father.
Qiangwei’s father seemed to be in deep thought. “Baba, what is concerning you?” asked
Qiangwei. “Nothing, dear. You’ve become a beautiful young lady, you’re nineteen and I’ve been thinking
about your marriage.” Qiangwei was dumbfounded, marriage? She was so caught up in helping her father,
she never thought about getting married. “Baba, I can’t think about marriage, we’ve got the farm and we
were thinking about keeping farm animals now that you’ve bought new land. Besides, we don’t have
enough money to even think about me getting married,” said Qiangwei, touch of disappointment surfacing.
How could Baba think she was so selfish that she wanted to get married and leave her miserable father with
a farm that needed help? “Sweetheart, stop worrying about me and we will continue this discussion another
time,” Baba said, entering the house and going to the backyard.
Qiangwei ran to a place where she always went when she saw her father counting their expenses and their
savings, when she wasn’t doing well in school, when she felt that there was no one who could understand
her. And finally she stopped at the sight of her mother’s grave. There it stood alone on the land with the
inscription ‘A loving wife and mother.’ “Ma, I don’t know what to do. I really wish you were here with
me.” Qiangwei sobbed sitting beside her mother’s grave.
After hours of solitude, Qiangwei came back home. “Qiangwei,” her father called. “Where have you been?
Anyway, I’ve prepared dinner for us. Let’s eat.” Qiangwei answered “Baba I’m not hungry. Please excuse
me.” Qiangwei went to her small room. She wasn’t ungrateful; it was small but yet cosy. With a small bed
next to a wooden dressing table. She plopped on her bed and wondered what she could to satisfy her father’s
wishes and stay true to what she believed in. Thinking throughout the night, Qiangwei finally came up with
an idea.
In the morning, Qiangwei decided to have a fresh start. When she woke up, she went straight to her father’s
room with a big smile and said “ Good morning Baba, yesterday night I was thinking about what you said
and I thought it would be right that I got married and started a family of my own.” Baba was overjoyed. He
thought convincing Qiangwei to get married would be a difficult task and he never thought it would be so
easy. “Qiangwei, you don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. Okay I must start finding families
who are-“Baba was cut off. “Baba, I said I would get married but I want to choose my husband, “Qiangwei
spoke sternly. “ Very well but you have to promise me that you will think about your welfare.” “I promise
Baba.”
After breakfast, Qiangwei went out so she could buy groceries. On the way, she walked past a building that
would always be familiar to her. She went in to find her ever-glowing friend, Chao-xing. Just like her
name, Chao-xing was like the morning light and was the only person who she could talk to. Growing up,
Qiangwei was a quiet girl she was always helping her father. She still remembered the day they met, on a
foggy morning of 1982 when Qiangwei accidentally pushed over a basket of vegetables that belonged to an
old shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was furious. Qiangwei didn’t stop crying until Chao-xing came up to her
and told her that the vegetables had a lot of bugs and worms and if Qiangwei hadn’t had pushed it Chao-
xing would’ve.
Chao-xing beamed as she saw Qiangwei walk towards her “What brings the timid Qiangwei to Chao-
xing’s one-storey house she calls a palace?” Qiangwei sighed “Nothing new really. Baba wants me to get
married. I don’t want to and since I love Baba I have thought of a master plan to solve all my problems. See?
It’s an everyday thing.” “Ha-ha. Funny, after sensing your sarcasm, I’ve learnt that you have come to seek
help from me? And what is this master-plan? ”Chao-xing asked. “You see I haven’t exactly thought of that
yet but I want to find a man who is willing to work with my father and me on the farm and it doesn’t
matter if he’s poor or rich, fat or thin, if he agrees to help my father I’ll be more than glad to marry him.
Chao-xing was shocked; never did she think that someone so innocent would take such drastic measures to
keep her father happy. “Qiangwei, you’re a really brave girl for doing this and I’m really proud of you.”
And that was all Qiangwei needed to hear.
When Qiangwei returned home, she was surprised to hear laughter coming from the living room. She
found a wealthy looking family, the mother wearing fine silk, father wearing expensive rings, and a
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