The Warning Voice (30 page)

There remained only the matter of Zhang Hua to be dealt with. It was Zhang Hua's grandfather who had originally held the managerial post on one of the Imperial Farms. His father simply inherited the post when the old man died. While holding it, he had made the arrangement with Mrs You's first husband, who was his good friend, as a result of which Zhang Hua and Er-jie were engaged to each other from their earliest infancy. Some time after that he lost all his possessions in a lawsuit and the family were reduced to penury so dire that even food and clothing were a problem, and taking on a new daughter-in-law was, for the time being, wholly out of the
question. Then Er-jie's mother had remarried, and for fourteen years or more they had been completely out of touch. Their whereabouts were eventually traced, however, and Zhang Hua's father summoned to Ning-guo House and induced to sign a deed of revocation releasing Er-jie from her betrothal. He did not want to sign it, but was too intimidated by Cousin Zhen's air of affluence and authority to object. After he had signed, Mrs You handed him twenty taels, and that was that.

Everything had now been taken care of. All that remained was for Jia Lian to name the day. The calendar was consulted and the third of the sixth month, which was just beginning, was found to be the earliest auspicious day. On that day, it was decided, Er-jie should be received as a bride in her new home.

But for that event you must await the following chapter.

In the last watch of that same night, only an hour or two before the dawning of the third, Er-jie, seated in a plain chair without bridal trimmings, was carried to her new home. The incense and paper-offerings for the ceremony, the wedding-feast and marriage-bed had all been made ready long before she arrived. Jia Lian, also in a small, plain carrying-chair, arrived shortly afterwards. The bride and groom made their prostrations to Heaven and Earth, the paper offerings were set fire to, and Mrs You conducted her heavily-veiled daughter into the marriage-chamber, gratified to observe the transformation wrought by a completely new and expensive-looking outfit of clothes and jewellery.

The phoenix-gambollings of the nuptial couch and the mutual delight and cherishing which they engendered are here passed over. Suffice it to say that the more Jia Lian saw of Er-jie, the more he loved her, until the desire to make some gesture expressive of his feelings became overwhelming. All he could think of was to behave in every way as if Er-jie was
his only wife and Xi-feng did not exist. He ordered Bao Er and his wife to call her ‘Mrs Lian' and always referred to her himself in that way when he was speaking to them. When he went back to Xi-feng, as from time to time he was obliged to, he would tell her that he had been doing something at the Ning-guo mansion; and Xi-feng, knowing how well her husband got on with Cousin Zhen and how frequently he was consulted by him, suspected nothing. In spite of their numbers, few of the Rong-guo domestics concerned themselves much with Jia Lian's activities, and even the few who had the time and curiosity to nose out what he had been up to were more anxious to win favours by playing up to him than to gamble on the uncertain advantages of giving away his secret. Everything seemed to be working out very smoothly and Jia Lian felt immensely grateful to Cousin Zhen for having made it all possible.

The allowance Jia Lian made to cover the day-to-day expenses of his little household was fifteen taels a month. On days when he was unable to come, Mrs You and her two daughters dined together. On days when he was there, he and Er-jie would dine together and Mrs You and San-jie would eat separately in their own room. Besides paying Er-jie the allowance, Jia Lian handed over all his private savings to her to look after for him. He told her everything about Xi-feng, down to the most intimate bedroom particulars, and promised her that as soon as Xi-feng died, she should move into the mansion and live there openly as his wife. It cannot be said that Er-jie found any of this displeasing. In the meantime the little household was managing very comfortably.

It was already lighting-up time when they got there, but the courtyard gate was still open. Their arrival was so quiet and discreet that they managed to get inside it unobserved. The pages tied the horse up in the stable and took themselves off to the servants' quarters to await further orders, while Cousin Zhen entered the living-room alone. He found San-jie and her mother sitting there. The lamp had just been lit. Shortly after he had finished exchanging greetings with them, Er-jie herself appeared and made him welcome. Tea was served. Cousin Zhen smiled over his cup at her as he sipped his tea.

‘Well, do you think I'd make a good marriage-broker? If the husband I picked for you is no good, I doubt I could find you a better! Your sister will be coming to see you shortly, by the bye, and bringing you a present.'

Er-jie had already given orders for food and wine to be brought and for the courtyard gate to be barred. Since their visitor was a member of the family, it seemed reasonable that the usual restraints should be relaxed. Presently Bao Er came in with some things and took the opportunity of offering his respects to Cousin Zhen.

‘You're a good fellow, Bao,' said Cousin Zhen affably. ‘I'm sure that's why Mr Lian chose you for this job. No doubt there will be even more important work for you in the future. So don't go drinking outside and getting yourself into trouble, will you? If you do as I tell you, I promise to make it worth your while. And let me know if there's anything you want here. Mr Lian is a busy man, and not all the people in his household are to be trusted. It's better to ask me. He and I are not only cousins, you know; we are also very good friends.'

‘Yes, sir. I shall do my best to give satisfaction, sir,' said Bao Er. ‘I realize it would be more than my life is worth to get into any trouble.'

Cousin Zhen smiled and nodded.

‘Good. As long as you know.'

For some minutes the four of them sat drinking together; but Er-jie knew that it was not for a family evening that Cousin Zhen had come and soon found an excuse for getting herself and her mother out of the way. She told him that she had to go to the other side of the house for something and was afraid to do so on her own. As soon as she and Mrs You were out of the room, Cousin Zhen drew up closer to San-jie. His behaviour became so familiar that the two maids in attendance grew embarrassed and slipped off to the kitchen. They were content that Cousin Zhen and San-jie should enjoy themselves in any way they chose, Provided that they did not have to stay and watch.

Cousin Zhen's two pages were all this time drinking with Bao Er in the kitchen, while the Mattress stood at the stove with her back to them. When the two maids burst in and began laughing and joking with the boys and asking to be given some wine, Bao Er was far from pleased.

‘What are you girls doing here? You ought to be in the sitting-room. Suppose they want service in there? There'll be trouble.'

His wife turned round wrathfully from the stove.

‘Silly old fool! Why don't you get your nose back into your winecup? The sooner you're flat on your back snoring and your little winkle tucked up out of harm's way, the better it'll be for all of us! What's it to do with
you
whether they want service in there or not? I'm here to see to all that. If there's any rain falling it won't fall on
your
head. So what are you worrying about?'

Bao Er was well aware that it was largely to his wife that he owed his favourable position with Jia Lian. He did little himself these days but draw his pay and drink his wine; but so exemplary was the Mattress's service of Er-jie, that although Jia Lian knew of Bao Er's failings, he had so far refrained from taking him to task about them out of consideration for her. Bao Er's awareness of this kept him in obedient subjection to her. And so, when he heard himself addressed by her in this way, he merely drank a few more cups in silence and then took himself quietly off to bed.

The Mattress had a few drinks herself now with the pages and the two girls, anxious to make herself as agreeable as possible so that the pages would give a good report of her to Cousin Zhen. But just as this little party in the kitchen was beginning to warm up, it was interrupted by a sudden knocking at the gate. The Mattress hurried out and opened it as Jia Lian was dismounting from his horse. In answer to his question whether there was anything to report, she whispered into his ear that Mr Zhen had come and was at this very moment in the guest-room in the west courtyard. Jia Lian went straight to his own room, where he found Er-jie sitting with her mother. The two women seemed somewhat flustered by his arrival, but he pretended not to notice.

‘Bring us some wine,' he told the Mattress. ‘I think I shall have a cup or two and then go to bed. I feel rather tired tonight.'

At once Er-jie was all over him, taking his coat, fetching him tea, asking him about his day – in short, showering on him all those little wifely attentions which so enchanted him. Presently the Mattress reappeared with their wine. Old Mrs You said that she did not want any and went off to bed. The two of them sat down together to drink it. One of the two maids, who had now been persuaded to resume their duties, came over from the kitchen to wait on them.

Meanwhile Jia Lian's trusty servant Rich – the only attendant he had brought with him on this visit – had been tying his master's horse up in the stable. Finding another horse there already, he was able on closer inspection to identify it and to deduce what the Mattress by her whispering had attempted to conceal from him: viz., that Cousin Zhen was somewhere on the premises. Sure enough, on going to the kitchen when he had finished tying up the horse, he found two of Cousin Zhen's pages, Happy and Lively, sitting there drinking. They, too, when they saw him enter, realized that both their masters must be present; but neither party was going to admit what each knew the other one must know.

‘We couldn't keep up with the master,' said Happy and Lively, ‘and it was getting too dark to go home, so we came here to beg a night's shelter.'

‘There's plenty of room here for you to sleep,' said Rich expansively. ‘Make yourselves at home. Actually
I
came here to bring the mistress her monthly allowance. Now that I've given it to her, I think
I
shall spend the night here as well.'

‘Come and have a drink then,' said Happy. ‘We've had a lot to drink already.'

Rich sat down and poured himself some wine; but before he could drink any, there was a sound of neighing and trampling from the stable and he and Lively had to run out and shout at the horses. The two animals sharing the same manger had taken a dislike to each other and started kicking. It was only after a great deal of shouting and whoaing that the pages succeeded in quieting them and tying them up on separate sides of the stable.

While they were doing this, Happy was able to drink several more cups of wine, and by the time they got back into the kitchen, he was already glassy-eyed. The Mattress was evidently waiting for an opportunity to retire.

‘Well, boys,' she said to them as they entered, ‘I'll leave you to it then. I've made you a pot of tea, so you can help yourselves. I'm going off to bed.'

The boys were reluctant to let her go, and there was a good deal of kissing and fondling and noisy ribaldry before she finally succeeded in extricating herself. She closed the door behind her as she went, and Rich and Lively proceeded to bar it on the inside, preparatory to going to bed. When they went back to look at the kang, however, they found Happy sprawled out in the middle of it, already fast asleep.

‘Come on, there's a good chap, get up and lie down again properly!' they said, shaking him. ‘Don't be so selfish! Where are
we
supposed to go?'

‘What about a bit of bum-cake?' mumbled Happy, momentarily returning to consciousness. ‘Turn and turn about. Fair shares for all.'

The others, seeing that he was too drunk to reason with, blew the lamp out and settled themselves on either side of him as best they could.

The commotion in the stable had caused Er-jie's apprehensiveness to return, but by forcing herself to keep up a flow
of chatter, she succeeded in distracting Jia Lian's attention away from it. So successful was she that, after a few more drinks, he began to grow amorous and, having first sent the girl off with the dirty things, proposed that they should bar the door for the night and begin undressing. Er-jie was beautiful at any time, but in only a crimson shift, with her fashionable coiffure shaken out into billowing black clouds and her face all soft and glowing with desire, she possessed an extra dimension of beauty that was not revealed in the daytime. He hugged her to him with a delighted laugh.

‘They're always telling me how perfect that termagant wife of mine is,' he said, ‘but the way you look tonight, she's not fit to carry your shoes!'

‘I may have looks, but I've got no class,' said Er-jie. ‘Without class, one might just as well not be good-looking.'

‘Why do you say that?' said Jia Lian. ‘I don't understand.'

‘You all treat me as if I were a fool,' said Er-jie tearfully.' ‘You think that I know nothing –'

‘No!'

‘– but though we've only been married two months –'

‘I
know
you're not a fool!' he insisted.

‘– though we've only been together for so short a time,' she continued, ‘I already feel that I'm yours completely and for ever, in this life or any life to come. Because you are my husband, I shall always look up to you and never, never deceive you.
My
future is assured. But what is to become of my sister? We can't let things go on the way they are at present. We must think of some permanent solution for her.'

Jia Lian laughed reassuringly.

‘Look, I'm not a jealous man. I know about your past and it doesn't bother me. You really mustn't worry. I realize that now we are married you must feel awkward about Cousin Zhen being here, but surely the solution would be for Cousin Zhen and your sister to have a formal union and after that we can forget our inhibitions and make it a foursome. What do you say to that?'

Er-jie wiped her eyes.

‘It's very nice of you to suggest it, but I don't know what the other two would think of your idea. For one thing, my
sister is such a funny girl. And for another, I don't know whether your cousin would like having everything dragged out into the open.'

‘It'll be all right,' said Jia Lian, ‘you see! I'll go over and have it out with him now. There's no time like the present. It's only a question of breaking the ice.'

He strode off, the bolder for being a little drunk, to the courtyard on the western side of the compound. Light was streaming through the sitting-room window. He pushed the door open and walked in.

‘Where's the big chief, then?' he cried. ‘Cousin, I've come to pay you my respects!'

Speechless with embarrassment, Cousin Zhen rose to his feet and motioned him dumbly to a seat.

‘What's this?' said Jia Lian, noting his embarrassment. ‘After we've always been such good friends, and after all you've done for me – because if I cut myself into a million pieces, I still couldn't begin to show you how grateful I am – you're not, surely, going to start feeling uneasy on
my
account? My dear coz, from this day on I want you to carry on exactly as you used to in the past. Otherwise I shall give up any idea of getting myself an heir and stop coming here altogether!'

He tried to kneel down at this point, but Cousin Zhen, who was becoming quite frantic with embarrassment, quickly reached out to stop him.

‘All right, Lian,' he said, ‘all right. Whatever you say, coz. I'll be guided by you.'

‘Come on, let's have some more wine!' Jia Lian said to the servant-girl. ‘I'm going to drink with my dear cousin.' He turned to San-jie with a leer. ‘Why don't you and my dear cousin share a cup? You and Zhen drink a cup together and I'll drink a cup to your future happiness. To Zhen and San-jie!'

San-jie leaped to her feet and, pointing her finger at Jia Lian from where she stood on the kang, fixed him with a withering look of contempt.

‘Don't try the talking horse on me, my friend! If you two want to drink, I'll watch you drink. But count me out of it.
People who work shadow-puppets should be careful not to break the screen. You surely can't be so stupid as to imagine that we haven't seen by now how things really stand in your household? If you and your cousin thought that by spending a few taels of your stinking money you could buy my sister and me for your whores, you were very much mistaken. You see, I know all about your old woman and how scared you are of her. I know that it's because of her that when you married my sister you had to smuggle her out here like a man who's stolen a gong and doesn't dare to play on it. Well, I should like to meet this Feng lady and find out just how many heads and arms she's got. If we can reach a satisfactory agreement, well and good; but if there's the slightest difficulty, I'm perfectly prepared to take her on and fight it out with her single-handed. But before I do that, I promise to have the liver and lights out of you two, or my name's not “San-jie”! – You said you wanted a drink, didn't you? All right, I'll drink with you.'

She picked up the wine-kettle and poured out a cupful of wine; then, having drunk half of it herself, she threw an arm round Jia Lian's neck and pressed the winecup to his lips.

Jia Lian was shocked by this onslaught into instant soberness; and Cousin Zhen, ill-prepared for such strident shrewishness by what had passed earlier in the evening, was almost equally taken aback. The two of them, for all their boasted experience, found themselves reduced to a condition of tongue-tied helplessness by this single unmarried girl.

But San-jie had not finished with them yet.