A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China (16 page)

Golden Bell, puffy-eyed from weeping, came to bid her mother evening peace. She saw her mother by the window in a pensive mood. She knelt. “I’m sorry to have been presumptuous.”

Purple Jade raised her daughter. “Did you try to talk your father out of our decision?”

“Yes,
M-ma
. We argued. I didn’t understand.”

“Hai, it is a pity you are not a boy. I like your spirit.” She hugged her daughter close. “But my heart-and-liver, life is not ideal. War or natural disaster can come unbidden. We can only try to do what is best for our family.”

“Miss Tyler said America is strong because it adopts the best from many cultures. The women in America marched and received the vote. Now they are equal to men and can choose what they want to do with their lives!”

“Miss Tyler is wrong to teach you to think only of yourself! Your father is the head of the household, and I manage affairs inside these walls. No one is free to choose self-gratification. The family’s welfare is the responsibility of both the man and the woman!”

“I don’t think Miss Tyler wants to teach me to be selfish, but she is open to new ideas and would not stand for the oppression of women!”

“I cannot understand all this talk of equality. If people do not obey their leaders, and children their parents, how do we maintain order? Our country is struggling to survive, so we must first protect our own family. I admire Miss Tyler’s devotion to her work. I’m sure she understands why we need an heir!”

Golden Bell leaned on her mother. “I misjudged your purpose. You’re so brave.”

“Fate has been kind to me.” She nodded. “You and Silver Bell are my gems, and your father is a true Chinese patriot — just as the marriage brokers told us more than eighteen years ago.” She rubbed her daughter’s back to soothe her. “He cultivates inner peace through his studies and now he will regenerate his household. Surely, the country will be at peace soon.” Gently nudging her daughter away, she stirred herself with effort. “How could anyone conquer a people with such moral strength?”

“
M-ma
, do you think the East Ocean devils will conquer us?”

“Never! We’re a vast country. Our culture has endured many foreign dynasties.” She sat down stiffly and took up her embroidery. “Like the silkworm, we twist and turn to form beautiful cocoons. Many of us will be sacrificed to weave the most supple silk.”

“
M-ma
!” Golden Bell looked at her mother with new eyes. “I thought you were weak and fearful!”

“The future is in the hands of fate.” Her mother shifted in her chair. “But for now, where are we to look for a suitable concubine?”

Deep in thought, Purple Jade worked on her embroidery. Orchid returned with the foot water and began to unwind the bindings on her mistress’s feet.

“Orchid, who do you think might be a suitable maiden for our lord?”

“
Tai-tai
, the matter is too grave for your maid to consider.” Orchid was used to being consulted in private but was shy about giving counsel before Golden Bell.

Sitting next to her mother, Golden Bell found herself drawn into the deliberation. “A maiden from a book-fragrant family will not come in as a concubine,” she said. “It has to be a cultured maiden from one of the trade families or a virtuous maid who could help you manage the household.”

“Yes, there’s Lao Wang’s daughter, Pearl. She attends the missionary school in town, so she is not totally uncultured. Lao Wang will be pleased, but Pearl may be too modern.”

“Pearl won’t do. She’s too much like a sister to me. The same goes for Iris.”

“
Tai-tai
, the water is not warm enough. I’ll return with a pitcher of hot water right away.” As Orchid turned, she brushed a stray hair away from her big round eyes that sparkled like balls of onyx. All at once, Purple Jade knew. She waited until Orchid left.

“Yes, of course, I have her at my feet every day!” Purple Jade exclaimed. “Orchid would make the perfect concubine. She has served me faithfully almost all her life. Although she’s almost twenty-three, she is still young enough to bear many sons.”

“The household will be in great peace,” Golden Bell concurred. “You were only too close to see the obvious.”

“Orchid will always be by my side. Yes, how could I have been so blind?”

Orchid returned with the hot water and soaked her mistress’s feet.

Golden Bell looked at her mother’s maid with new eyes and realized for the first time that her face had a pleasant round shape. “Orchid, in all these years, I’ve never noticed your round face. It is the traditional indication for happiness and prosperity.”

“Elder young mistress, it’s getting late. Please don’t make fun of my looks.”

“What remarkable eyes!” Purple Jade remarked. “Orchid, where did you inherit such big round eyes?”

Orchid looked at her mistress uncomprehending. “
Tai-tai
, this is the only family I can remember.”

“The ancient Chinese beauties may have long slanting eyes, but the modern movie stars all have big round eyes. So that should be all right,” Golden Bell said.

Burning with unfamiliar emotions, Purple Jade clutched her daughter’s hand. Perhaps her husband might find the strange features pleasing also.

“Look at me, Orchid.”

Orchid looked up, her round eyes flashing.

“My child, you have been like a daughter to me. I’d like you to remain in this house. Would you like to be our master’s concubine?”

Orchid stared at her mistress in consternation. That was a stunning offer — to become a legitimate member of this family! And if she produced a son, she would become
the
mistress in this family. She burst out crying, “Oh my kind mistress, you do me too much honor. I’ll do whatever pleases you.”

“Rise, my child. Tomorrow Lao Wang will find another personal maid for me in the country. You will train her,” Purple Jade said. Planning for the household always calmed her. “I shall present you to my lord on his fiftieth birthday. You will be my birthday gift to him.” Purple Jade winked at her daughter. “Let’s keep my choice a secret. We’ll need so much help for the birthday celebration, no one will notice my new maid.”

Golden Bell tightened her grip on her mother’s hand. In spite of her playful tone, her mother seemed desperate. Looking at Purple Jade’s deformed feet, Golden Bell stilled the reproach in her heart. Her mother had secured not only new arms and legs and now a new womb. Tears welled in Golden Bell’s eyes. She controlled herself with an effort. Her own life would never mirror her mother’s. She would fly with her big feet. She congratulated her mother, bade her evening peace and left the room.

“Thank you,
Tai-tai
, thank you.” Grateful tears streamed down Orchid’s cheeks as she fumbled for a handkerchief.
The lord is a book-fragrant gentleman, not a licentious lout
, she told herself. He had always been kind. She knew he would be gentle. He was much older, but Ah Lee’s urgency was frightening. Chen Snow Song drowned herself because she would not marry a man twice her age. Her master was more than twice her age, but he was not a butcher; he was a fine, handsome man. Yes, the master would be patient. He would teach her the same way her kind mistress had taught her. Now her children would be heirs in this family. She would never have to move into some crude farmhouse. Orchid wept with elation. She could think of nothing that would threaten her new position in the Huang household.

“Here, take this.” Purple Jade handed her a silk handkerchief. At the sight of Orchid’s dewy, firm complexion, she moaned within:
Oh youth, oh my lost years
! Her eyes moistened. She pronounced very loudly to strengthen her voice: “Tomorrow Lao Wang must begin to prepare your new quarters. We’ll clear out and decorate the storage rooms next to the lord’s library. I’ll summon Dragon to bring me the finest silk. We will begin your trousseau.”

“
Tai-tai
.” Orchid massaged her mistress’s feet in the hot water. “You’ve been more than a mother to me. You’ve given me a permanent home and a place in this book-fragrant household. Should I bear a son, I shall still remember my origin and your kindness.”

“Dry my feet, my child. It won’t be long before another maid will do this for me. I know your heart and I’m pleased that you see the honor.” Purple Jade had resumed her mask of dignity. “Set up the chess board and invite my lord here for a game of chess tonight.”

Without another word, Orchid finished her tasks and left. Her heart was bursting with joy. Now this was truly her home. What an honor she had been given!

“Oh-me-to-fo,” Orchid silently prayed to the Buddha that night. “Bless my kind mistress, and bless me with many sons to repay the kindness of this house!”

Throughout the chess game, Righteous Virtue and Purple Jade felt distracted. Neither husband nor wife had mentioned the topic of a concubine again, but Righteous Virtue was uncharacteristically tame in his moves on the board. What a woman! he marveled.
How she is going to reward me for my fifty years’ honest endeavor!

Try as she might, Purple Jade found it hard to weave the webs of entrapment that had been the strength of her game.
Everything I love and value will be lost if we do not have an heir
, she reminded herself.
Orchid, the perfect gift, will meet the needs of the family. I must avoid facing Orchid alone in the days to come — the thought of her bright wide eyes, sprightly steps and firm young features already set my stomach churning. Purple Jade, keep yourself busy! Please, please, concentrate on your game!

I
N 1937, THE YEAR of the Ox, the Chinese Communist and Nationalist parties began negotiations for a united front against Japan. On the twentieth day, the fourth moon of the lunar calendar, Righteous Virtue celebrated his fiftieth birthday, buoyed by the hopeful mood of unity that pervaded his household and nation.

Banners and red lanterns inscribed with the symbols “FU” and “SHOU” (“good luck” and “long life”) festooned every hall. Potted miniature willows and flowering cherry trees (ping jing in Chinese. bonsai in Japanese) filled the house with warm hues. Sparkling silver vases, jade carvings and precious porcelains proclaimed this an auspicious day. Miss Tyler set up four tripods in four locations. She slipped from one position to another, recording the whole affair on camera from different angles.

Relatives and guests had been arriving all morning long. Those who came in motorcars and rickshaws had to dismount on the street, as they could not drive past the low stone sill under the front gate. Palanquins carried visitors through the gate. Winding past the spirit-screen wall facing the street, they alighted in the front courtyard. Waiting palanquins, rickshaws and motorcars lined the outside walls of their house and garden.

Righteous Virtue greeted the male guests in the front hall. In the library, gifts were presented to Lao Wang, the accountant, who duly recorded each one. The more intimate friends and relatives, accompanied by Righteous Virtue, paid their respects by bowing before the ancestor tablets.

Female guests were taken to either the second or the third court depending on their relationship to the family. Purple Jade received her intimates in the third court.

In the afternoon, two large ebony chairs draped with bright red brocade were centered on a platform in the first hall. Red silk cushions with glossy embroidery padded the seats. Paintings of Huang ancestors on two large scrolls hung behind the chairs. A houseboy lit a string of firecrackers on a bamboo pole two stories high, commencing the ceremonies.

“Oh, it’s time to start. It’s time to start!” Silver Bell shouted over the crackling explosions as she covered her ears.

“Oh, I just love rousing heat!” Peony replied, already flushed with excitement.

“Where’s
jei-jei
?” asked Silver Bell. “Mother said we have to be seated together, over there.” She pointed to the two smaller ebony chairs flanking the large ones.

Silver Bell wore a skirt of rose-colored silk, and a brocade jacket of the same color, with tiny plum blossoms embroidered in silver. Her braids had been wound with silver and rose ribbons. Not a single stray hair marred her peachy face and flashing eyes.

The guests began to assemble in the frontcourt. Glorious Dragon had invited Archie Strong. Strong was wide-eyed with curiosity and delight. He thanked his host for including him in this unusual splendor.

The rustling of lustrous silks and richly embroidered brocades filled the bustling courtyard. Strings of pearls, jade earrings, emerald rings, hairpins of jade dragonflies, coral butterflies, gold and silver combs, precious stones shaped cunningly into flowers of glistening hues, bracelets of gold, jade and carved ivory — all vied for attention.

Ladies milled about, dispersing their fragrance with a gentle flutter of their fans. The older women seemed to prefer fans made of ribs of carved ivory. Some men brandished black-lacquered fans, inlaid with tortoise shells; younger ladies giggled and flirted behind fans made of lacy sandalwood. Purple Jade carried a transparent silk fan of embroidered butterflies. The stitches were so fine that whenever she waved it, the butterflies seemed to glide through translucent air. The sweet scents of jasmine, rosewater, night orchid, lotus and lilac wafted through the air.