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Wei Yi was trying to free the dogs She stood by the gate, holding it open and gesturing with one hand at the great outdoors

"Go! Blackie, Guinness, Ah Hei, Si Hitas didn’t seereat outdoors Ah Hei took a couple of tentative steps towards the gate, looked back at Wei Yi, changed her ain

"Jackie and Bobby?" said Vivian

Wei Yi shot her a glare "I ran out of ideas" The so what? was unspoken, but it didn’t need to be said

"Why these stupid dogs don’t want to go," Wei Yi o running everywhere When you want them to chau, they don’t want"

"They can tell you won’t let theain," said Vivian

She reirl, with those pure single-lidded eyes and the doll-like lacquered bowl of hair When had she turned into this creature? Hair at sevens and eights, the uneven fringe falling into ht Berly loose plaid shirt

At seven Wei Yi had been a being perfect in herself At seventeen there was nothing that wasn’t wrong about the way sheto tell her sister off, but the memory of that lovely child softened her voice "Why you don’t want the dogs anyate shut

"What, by having nice clothes when she’s passed away?" said Vivian "Winning or losing, doesn’t matter for Nai Nai anymore What does it matter if she wears a polo shirt in the afterlife?"

Wei Yi’s face cruony The words broke fro!" She kicked the gate to relieve her feelings "Nai Nai’s brain worksto this faic lent itself to tery she did it with the sa else This hy she decided to go wedding dress shopping in the week of her grandmother’s funeral

There were nuh them in her head as she drove past bridal studios where faceless et it here than overseas Not like I’ much at home what Not like I was so close to Nai Nai"

She stared hted down by satin and rhinestones Did she want a veil? Did she like lace? Ball gown orwhite and long She hadn’t expected there to be so many permutations on a theme She felt pinned in place by the choices available to her

The shop assistant could tell her heart wasn’t in it

"Some ladies like other colour better," said the shop assistant "You want to try? We have blue, pink, peach, yellow--very nice colour, very feht usually white?"

"Some ladies don’t like white because--you know--" the shop assistant lowered her voice, but she was too superstitious to say it outright "It’s related to a not so nice subject"

The words clanged in Vivian’s ears Briefly light-headed, she clutched at the back of a chair for balance Her hands were freezing In theabove it was the face of a host

"Now that I’ve tried it, I’ with difficulty

"We have cheongsam or qun kua," said the shop assistant "Very nice, very traditional Miss is so slisam"

The jolt of red brocade was a relief Vivian took a dress with gold triher slit along the sides Dragons and phoenixes writhed along the fabric It was as red as a blare of trumpets, as red as the pop of fireworks

This fresh chilli red had never suited her In it she looked paler than ever, washed out by the vibrant shade But the colour was a protective charhosts It frightened shadows back into the corners where they belonged

Vivian crept hoht she slept and did not drearetted the purchase Her fiancé would think it was ridiculous She couldn’t wear a cheongsalican church She would take it back to the boutique and return it After all the white satin mermaid dress had suited her The sweetheart neckline was sothan aand tried to sneak out, but Wei Yi was sitting on the floor of the laundry rooreed red paper

"What’s this?" said Vivian

"It’s called paper cutting," said Wei Yi, not looking up "You never see before s unfurled Some were disasters: a mutilated fish floated past like tuirls had been torn apart by an overly enthusiastic slash But so

"Kwan Yin," said Vivian