-
Adeline is born
Adeline is born, and her mom dies two weeks later. Adeline is considered bad luck by her family. -
Chinese New Year Diasters
Chinese people buy new clothes to represent the new year. The five stepchildren got ugly, drab clothes while Niang's two children recieved expensive clothes. The five children pmade a plan to send an anomynous letter expressing their problems to their father written in Chinese because Niang did not read Chinese. They planned for Big Sister to write it since her handwriting is like an adult's. When Third Brother went outside to go use the restroom, he saw Niang eavesdropping. He realized that she -
Father Remarries
A year after Adeline's mother's death, Adeline's father remarries to a Eurasian woman. The children call her Niang, the Chinese word for mother. -
New Siblings
A year after Father marries Niang, Niang gives birth to a son (Fourth Brother), followed by a daughter (Little Sister). -
The Silver Medal
Adeline came home from the first week of kindergarten with a silver medal and a certificate for leading the class this week. -
Mysterious Disappearances
One day, Father goes to buy post stamps and never returns. His disappearance is reported to the police. A few weeks later, Niang and Fourth Brother leave the house and never come back. The five kids, their grandparents, and their aunt are the ones left. The kids enjoy the absence of their stepmother because their grandparents let them have more fun and freedom. -
Death
Adeline's grandmother dies of a massive stroke. -
The Move
Six weeks later, the children board a train to Shanghai. They meet their father on the train, and they follow them to his house in Shanghai. Their grandfather, aunt, Third Brother, and Little Sister stay in Tianjin. They will join the others later. Their grandfather and aunt will stay in Shanghai to observe the 100 days of the grandmother's death, Thrid Brother will stay to recover from sickness, and Little Sister will stay because she is still too young. -
The Beating
The grandfather, aunt, Third Brother, and Little Sister finally join the others in the Shanghai house. Niang tries to make Little Sisiter come to her, but Little Sister has spent most of her life with the aunt and does not know Niang. Little Sister starts crying and accidentally breaks Niang's pearl necklace. Niang loses her calm when the necklace is broken and starts to slap Little Sisiter. Adeline tells Niang to stop, but she doesn't. Niang yells at Adeline to be quiet and hates her even more. -
Going Back Home
After YeYe's death, Adeline was as expected very discouraged. She didn't struggle with her academics but she did not act very happy around her classmates. A chauffeur was waiting for Adeline tp take her back to her house. But why? -
Plans of Rebellion
It is a Chinese tradition to recieve new clothes on Chinese New Year's. While Niang's two children got expensive new clothes, the five stepchildren only recieved drab, ugly clothes. The five children were enraged and decided to do something to rebell against Niang. They planned to write an anonymous letter to Father about their problems with Niang. Big Sister would write it, and it would be written in Chinese because Niang could not read Chinese. -
Joing the Other Side
When the five children were plotting their rebellion, Third Brother went to go use the restroom. He saw Niang with her ear to the door and realized that she was listening. He ran to the bathroom and threw up multiple times. He came back and informed the others that Niang was listening and burned the letter. A few weeks later, Niang invited Big Sister to sleep on the second floor along with Niang and the other, and Big Sister accepted. Big Sister joins Niang's side and goes against her siblings. -
Finding Inspiration
In school, Adeline has a writing assignment to write about her best friend. While most students wrote about their mothers, Adeline wrote about her aunt. Adeline recieves a very good grade and realizes she has a talent for writing. She begins to write more and enjoys it a lot. She thinks of writing as her escape from her abusive life. -
A New Friend
One of Niang and Father's friends bring a box of seven chcks for the children. Adeline names her Precious Little Treasure, or PLT for short. Adeline adores PLT, and Adeline thinks that PLT can undeerstand her. PLT becomes Adeline's new best friend. -
Death of a Friend
A few weeks after the seven children recieved their chicks, Father decided to use the chicks in an experiment to test their dog's obedience. Since Adeline is the most unloved of the seven, her chick is chosen to be used in the experiment. The dog disobeys Father and bites the chick. Adeline is heartbroken and carries PLT upstairs to sleep with her. When Adeline wakes up, it is evident that PLT is dead. Adeline holds a funeral for PLT, and Third Brother attends to show his sorrow. -
New Marriage
Ever since Big Sister moved up to the second floor, she and Niang had been getting closer and closer. The four other children believed that this was why they had been seeing Big Sister less and less, but that was only partially correct. Niang had been taking Big Sister to meet several possible husbands, and one has finally been chosen. Big Sister, who is only 17 years old, will soon be married to a 31 year old. -
Birthday Party Diaster
Niang has banned the kids from going to their friends' houses&vice versa, but Adeline accepts a friend's party invite. The party is on a holiday that is only taking place at Adeline's school,so Adeline is hopeful that she can fool her stepmother. Adeline comes home for lunch just like a usual school day, but she overshoots the distance and arrives home early. During Niang's questioning, Adeline's friend calls to see when Adeline is coming back. Niang learns about the party and punishes Adeline. -
Being Class President
Adeline was running for class president against their rival ( Chen Lei-lei ) who was bribbing the other classmates to vote for her by giving them gifts. She gave a speach and then left. When she returned to school the next day, it was voting time. She won the election to become class president though she never gave herself credit because Wu Chun-mei earned her the winning spot in the campaign because of her popularity and her athletic ability. -
Dangers of Friends as President
when Adeline came home from school after she heard the election results, her friends followed her and planned to congragulate her with a party since she became class president. However, because people were banned from coming to Adeline's house, Niang and Adeline's father were furious. Her friends were sent away because they were not welcome and did not come back. For this, Adeline had severe punishment. -
Kicked Out
For Adeline's punishment, she was sent away to boarding school in Tiajin. To show how her parents forgot her, Chinese name and her birthday so they could fill out a card. She was flone to a boarding school and left alone. When she arrived she went to bed and woke up the next day. She then learned that her parents left her in Tianjin just before the Communists were about to invade and if she were to stay, she would be persecuted along with the nuns at the school if they won the war. -
Still Here
Adeline was still in the boarding school in Tianjin. As fewer and fewer people left the school because of the risk that the Communists would win the war and invade Tiajin. -
Your "Aunt" is Here
While Adeline was outside in school yard, Mother Marie (nun at the school) came running toward her exclaiming that her "aunt" had come to take Adeline to Hong Kong with her before the communists came to persecute her. Adeline thought that Aunt Baba was coming to take her. Instead, it was Niang's older sister which she was very dissapointed about. She took her away from Tiajin and she sailed with her along with her husband and her children Claudine and Victor. Then, it was time to see Niang. -
Home to School (again)
After Adeline had come home, she stayed in Ye Ye's room. However she only stayed for a very short amount of time. Shortly after she had arrived home, she was sent away again to boarding school. 2 years later... -
Egg for me
2 years after Adeline arrived at boarding school, we see Adeline sitting at breakfast. After 730 eggless mornings, Adeline recieved an egg. (You recieve an egg from a visitor who would give you an egg using your number. Unfortunately for Adeline, her parents never gave her an egg because she was never visisted) but today she recieved an egg. Adeline thought it was a mistake, so she said that it couldn't be her egg because her parents knew she hated eggs. (She actually loved eggs)Who was it from? -
The Truth About the Egg
When Adeline hid in the bathroom to read her books in peace, she overheard Irene and Eleanor talking. Eleanor had revealed that her mother always brought her an egg, Eleanor always told her mom to not bring them because she hated them. She snuck into the kitchen and changed her number (31) to Adeline's number (37). She said that she didn't know that Adeline hated eggs. -
Pneumonia
After Adeline's friends Mary and Rachel left for Summer break, Adeline started having a headache. Eventually, her headache worstened and she started feeling much worse. At breakfast the next morning, Mother Mary felt Adeline's head and said that she was burning up. She fell ill and went home with her family for a week after before she went back to boarding school. -
Playwriting Competition
After Adeline becomes well again, she goes to the library and sees an anouncement in a magazine which had a announcement for a playwriting competition. Her story was about an imaginary African girl who was stolen from her parents from bandits She wrote it over the course of time that her class mates were gone on summer break at the end fo ehr mid-term. She dedicated the play to her grandfather but sadly, he never got the chance to see it. -
Passed away
Adeline was outside in the courtyard playing basketballl with her class mates when someone came to get her, She was told that her grand father YeYe had passed away. Adeline was very dissapointed since he was th one who inspired her to take place in the comeptition to begin with. After the funeral service, she went back to school. -
Acceptance
When Adeline was called back to her house, the reason why was because she had won the playwriting competition. It was on the newspaper stating that this was the first time that a Hong Kong school girl won this very special event. Adeline's father was very pleased with her and allowed her to leave Hong Kong and go study in England with her third brother. -
What Happens Next
After Adeline went to England, she practices as a physiscian 9in England for twenty-six years. She married and had two children. She never managed to grasp her parent's approval before her father passed away in 1988 and Niang passed away in 1990.