A Rehabilitation Center For Baozhai

Robin and Wang had taken Baozhai home to the farm the following day. By the evening, she had become ill and it was obvious she was suffering from substance withdrawal. It had taken a further two days for her to recover enough to understand the seriousness of her situation. Her excuses initially sounded reasonable but as evidence of her misdeeds and extravagant lifestyle were uncovered by family investigations in the city; her parents no longer listened to her accusations of how she had been mistreated by her brothers, particularly Wang.

Drugs, violence and standover tactics reminiscent of all that they stood against throughout history had pushed Joseph to threaten to disown her and call the authorities. At the urgings of his wife, he had relented and arranged a place for her in a secure rehabilitation center. It would be some time before she would be welcome back into the family and he was clear about that fact as she prepared to leave the farm.

"Please Mama, don't let them do this to me, I love you so much, I'm a good girl you know I am. I just need another chance to live my life the way you wanted," she pleaded seeing her mother's tears. "I could stay here on the farm where you could look after me properly, don't let him send away like this."

"Joseph, are you sure this is necessary?" Antonia asked softly.

"She is fooling you again," he replied not having taken his eyes from his daughter who had grinned slyly as Antonia turned to her husband. "She takes all and gives nothing back not even contrition." He looked at Baozhai sadly, "You have shamed your family and taken no responsibility for your actions." Joseph said. "Your brother has accepted the responsibility for his actions and you would let him take responsibility for yours as well."

"I've done nothing wrong, Papa!" Baozhai yelled in frustration.

"That is why you must go," he said softly reaching out to touch his daughter's cheek in a rare show of affection. "You don't understand how very wrong you have been." He kissed her forehead and nodded at the men standing on either side of her. "Be well, Baozhai," he whispered and watched as she was manhandled onto the light plane screaming obscenities at everyone around her. Then he took his wife's arm and led her inside their home.

"Poor Wang, he had no idea," Antonia sobbed. "How long will he punish himself?" she wondered out loud.

Wang had been beside himself as each new revelation about Baozhai's life came out in the days following their arrival at the farm. He had stayed through all of it despite his father understanding that his role in Baozhai's demise was not intentional. Joseph had called her a master manipulator and accepted some of the blame for her current situation, as all his sons did now. It was different for Wang, though, being her twin and having what he thought was a close bond with her.

He had watched her leave from the windows at the front of the house. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes as she was taken away. His concern now what that she would one day be allowed to return. His mind wandered back over all of the revelations that had come out since their arrival here.

The slave girl who served as Baozhai's housekeeper had been found beaten and miserable in a tiny room within her apartment. Grateful for her rescue she had told all of Baozhai's secrets and had been brought to the farm to heal and confront her Mistress. She told of lavish weekly parties that degenerated into drug and alcohol fuelled orgies. She spoke of her obsession with Wang and her rage over his new girlfriend. Mostly she recounted the incidents of Baozhai's violent temper when something didn't occur exactly as she had planned it. The girl had been in fear of her life in recent weeks as Baozhai's violent outbursts had become more frequent.

Until faced with the battered girl, Baozhai had maintained that she had never hurt anyone and all she had done was offer Changying and her mother some friendly advice because she didn't want to see Wang hurt. When faced with the girl and her story she had pronounced her a liar. The girl was clearly jealous of her and just trying to cause trouble within the family.

After finding the girl, Romeo and Jules had begun a deeper investigation and the evidence of her psychopathic nature mounted up. The tantrums they had experienced were nothing compared to how she reacted when people not in the family crossed her. The money she had taken from Wang was just a mere drop in the bucket compared to the debts she had amassed and it would seem that she was heavily involved in the designer drug scene, not only as a client but as a distributor too.

Baozhai had hidden that side of her life well, though, and with each shocking revelation, the brothers knew they should have paid closer attention to her and done something sooner. If not for her reaction to Wang's relationship with Changying they would probably all be none the wiser and Baozhai would have eventually died of an overdose or worse yet killed someone. As it was, they weren't certain she hadn't.