Free Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang

that way.”
    Fitting two fingers under Yinan’s chin, she raised her sister’s face and frowned, stalling for time. “Why on earth do you want to know a thing like that?”
    Yinan shook her head.
    Junan felt she’d caught a bird in her hands. Yinan’s long lashes beat against her cheeks. “It is all right,” she said. “It’s fine. You’ll see, when it happens to you, I suppose.”
    “Maybe I won’t.”
    Junan smiled kindly. “That’s not true.” She thought about Yinan’s question. “It’s good,” she said. She paused again. “It makes him belong to you.”
    “Do you belong to Li Ang, then?” Yinan sounded frightened.
    “No,” Junan answered. “Don’t be ridiculous.” But she wondered if her sister might have guessed her secret. Inside her chest of drawers, under a pile clothes, she’d hidden the fancy box of candies confiscated from Yinan. She was saving them for Li Ang’s New Year’s visit. She reminded herself there was no way Yinan could know.
    The first few times that she and Li Ang had made love, she had felt a moment of fear when he left behind his initial caution and began to work himself into her, forgetting who she was. Her own slender arms and legs were only a pittance against his strength. He had launched himself into her, like a boat into the waves, while in her mind she stood and watched from shore. But after a moment, she’d begun to feel pleased with the way that he thrashed and flailed, gasping against her, as if she were the answer for some desperate need. This physical need had given her a sense of power.
    She looked forward to his New Year’s visit. She wouldn’t admit it to Yinan, but she wanted him to come to her. Their last time together, she had begun to relish the weight of his body on her own, the warm, smooth skin over his muscles and bones, the movement of his body when he breathed. That time, when he made love to her, she had begun to have the physical sensation of going deep inside herself. Afterward, she lay awake and considered this feeling. It could not be love. But it was unlike anything she’d known. And she knew that this urge would be impossible to explore further without involving Li Ang: that she must ask something from him, however silently. She steeled herself against this request, this possible indebtedness. She took on her desire with clenched teeth. She could not imagine how it might end, or what it might be like to give in to this hunger, to yield.
    THE HOUSEHOLD BEGAN preparations for the Year of the Rooster. It was the first time Junan had been in charge of New Year, and she was abashed to learn how little money there was to spend. She compensated for the short funds by choosing the brightest, noisiest red azaleas and the largest lanterns. She piled the few dozen tangerines in such a way that the stack appeared larger than it actually was. She made Gu Taitai save money by buying the pig at the market and roasting it herself. The traditional chicken would be prepared by Gu Taitai. Hu Mudan said she had a source for chickens, promising Yinan that Guagua would be spared.
    A week before the holiday, she set three dozen eggs to steep in tea leaves, salt, and anise. She bought red paper and set Yinan to work with her calligraphy brush. Later, when she walked past Yinan’s door, she caught sight of her sister sitting on the floor folding a paper bird, surrounded by finished banners she had spread out to dry.
    On New Year’s Eve, their father called the sisters into Mma’s room.
    “Mao Gao has approved the photograph,” he said.
    From her bed, Mma muttered, “An older dog will jump at the chance.”
    Junan found herself unable to speak. She opened her mouth and closed it. Despite her preparations, the news had taken her by surprise. Finally, she thought of a question. “When will the wedding be?”
    “After the Harvest Festival.”
    Junan realized how soon Yinan would leave. She turned to her father and grandmother. Mma stared straight ahead