Pearl of China

by Anchee Min

  “See the rug you walked on when entering this church?” Papa would open his preaching with the same sentence. “That’s the rug my daughter Willow tried to steal before she was saved by God. Yes, the same God who will change your life too.”

  Pearl wouldn’t tell me what was bothering her. NaiNai suspected that something was going on inside her family.

  “Absalom is in big trouble,” Papa came home and told us. “He is being investigated by the Christian headquarters in America.”

  “What did he do?” NaiNai asked.

  “He was suspected of cheating.”

  “On what?” I asked.

  “On his conversion numbers,” Papa sighed.

  We went silent. We knew that Papa was guilty.

  “Maybe you should stick your head out for him,” NaiNai said.

  “The problem is that Absalom doesn’t exactly know what I’ve done. He believes in my work so much that he recommended the investigators talk to me directly.”

  “Oh, no!” I was afraid for Papa.

  “You are going to let Absalom down.” NaiNai shook her head.

  Under the candlelight Papa’s slanting eyes narrowed into slits. He sighed and sighed.

  “How could you do this to Absalom?” NaiNai wiped her tear-filled eyes.

  “I only meant to help,” Papa responded. “Half of the people I helped convert are for real.”

  “Absalom can certainly count on me for a solid member,” NaiNai agreed. “Son, I want you to make it right for Absalom.”

  Papa went door-to-door to talk to the converts. “We must be prepared to protect Master Absalom,” he urged, describing the investigation. “Act like a real Christian when questioned. Try your best to memorize the key elements, such as Jesus bore mankind’s guilt down into the depths of the Jordan, and that Jesus inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.”

  Papa wouldn’t let people sleep until they could respond with the correct answers. By midnight everyone was exhausted. They kept giving Papa the wrong answers.

  “What did Jesus say to the crew of the ship?” Papa drilled again.

  “I don’t remember . . .”

  “Take me and throw me into the sea!” Papa shouted out for them.

  “What does the word baptism mean to Jesus?” Papa kept pounding.

  “His death!” people chanted. “Jesus’s own death!”

  The next morning Pearl arrived.

  “It didn’t work,” she reported. “Absalom has been fired.”

  “It can’t be true,” cried NaiNai.

  Pearl burst into tears. “A new minister is on his way as Father’s replacement.”

  Papa was shocked.

  “How is your mother doing?” NaiNai was concerned.

  “Mother is in distress. She told me that Father is going to lose his salary.”

  It took Carie a while to make us understand what had happened. Absalom had never paid much attention to his accounts. Papa had led Absalom to believe that he kept an accounting book. The trouble was that Absalom was unable to produce the book. Papa had spent all the church funds without bothering to make a detailed record. He had been taught by Absalom that as long as the money was spent doing God’s work, he had the right. To help increase the conversion numbers, Papa had loaned most of the church money to families whose homes had been destroyed by floods and storms.

  “Is your family going to starve without Absalom’s salary?” I asked Pearl.

  “I don’t know,” Pearl replied. “Mother has already told the servants that she might not be able to keep them.”

  “The town will not let its pastor and his family starve.” NaiNai turned to Pearl. “Tell your mother that you have my invitation to move in and live with us.”

  For the next few weeks, the town of Chin-kiang united in defending Absalom. The investigator from the Christian headquarters accused Papa of being a man of corruption with a history of theft. Absalom responded by saying that God had restored Papa’s soul. “Since his conversion, Mr. Yee has been a model Christian for the community.” Absalom acknowledged that his work needed improvement, but he refused to admit that he had been misusing the church funds.

  The new pastor arrived on a boat from America. He was a young man with red hair. He had a small head and a white face. If Absalom were a lion, this man would be a goat. He didn’t want to speak to Papa, who tried to negotiate.

  “God doesn’t negotiate,” the new pastor told Papa.

  At the next Sunday service, Papa presented a petition to the new pastor. It was signed by the entire town of Chin-kiang. It requested Absalom’s reinstatement or all the church members would leave.

  The young pastor could hardly believe what he read. When he avoided the subject and started to preach, people got up and left. Children swarmed after the young pastor. “Absalom! Give us back Absalom!” they shouted.

  The young man reboarded the same boat he came on and went back to America. He never returned.

  Before the month ended, Absalom was reinstated.

  A celebration was held at the church. Donations spilled from the paper box. Absalom was also asked to host the wedding between Carpenter Chan and Lilac. Within a year, a set of twins was born. Carpenter Chan and Lilac asked Papa to think up names for the boys. After discussing it with Absalom, Papa named them Double Luck David and Double Luck John.

  The town of Chin-kiang was peaceful and quiet until Carpenter Chan got in trouble with a powerful warlord.

  Although he was only in his early twenties, the warlord was famous along the Yangtze River. His nickname was Bumpkin Emperor. His territories included most of the canals in Jiangsu province. He had two sworn brothers, whom the locals nicknamed General Lobster and General Crab. Until now, their main enemies had been other warlords.

  It happened when Bumpkin Emperor entered the town and took a fancy to Lilac. He claimed that Carpenter Chan had stolen his mistress. The two men had a fight and Bumpkin Emperor swore revenge.

  Under Papa’s questions, Lilac confessed the truth. She had had a one-night affair with the warlord and agreed to be his concubine before she met Carpenter Chan.

  “Absalom knew my story,” Lilac said to Papa. “He told me that God would forgive and protect us as long as we accepted Jesus as our savior and we did! I thought my troubles were over.”

  Papa comforted Lilac and Chan, telling them to place their trust in God.

  Bumpkin Emperor returned the next day with his troops. He threatened to burn down the church if he was refused Lilac.

  Papa was out of his wits because Absalom was not in town. Absalom was away on a preaching tour. Papa was given three days to turn over the couple.

  Panicking, Papa sent a messenger to find Absalom.

  Pearl and I visited Carpenter Chan and Lilac, who had hidden themselves in the back of the church. Believing that they would not survive, the couple huddled together and sobbed. Pearl had an idea when she learned that Bumpkin Emperor was extremely superstitious.

  “I feel like I know this type of character from All Men Are Brothers,”

  Pearl told Carpenter Chan. “Please tell me the gods he worships.”

  “Bumpkin Emperor worships gods and ghosts of all kinds,” Carpenter Chan said. “He invites a ba-gua master to tell him what to do before engaging in battles. He burns incense and kowtows to not only Buddha, but also to the sun god, moon goddess, god of earth, god of war, god of water, god of thunder, god of wind and rain, and even the god of animals. Bumpkin Emperor believes in supernatural powers and fears the revenge of any god.”

  The three-day ultimatum had passed. Bumpkin Emperor arrested Lilac and Carpenter Chan and held a public rally. He was set to have Carpenter Chan beheaded.

  It was the first time Pearl and I saw Bumpkin Emperor up close. He had a pair of big frog eyes, orange skin, and meatball cheeks. His head was pear-shaped. His dark-brown uniform was made of wool with lace sticking out from both shoulders. There were medals pinned on his breast. Carrying a sword, h
e stood in the middle of the town square. Behind him stood a squad of his soldiers.

  Pearl and I walked toward Bumpkin Emperor. Pearl carried a bucket of ink. For the first time, she was without her knitted black hat. Under the bright sun her curly golden hair shone like autumn leaves.

  No one paid attention to Pearl at first. All eyes were on Bumpkin Emperor. Carpenter Chan and Lilac were tied with their hands behind their backs. Bumpkin Emperor announced Carpenter Chan’s beheading.

  The executioner was called to choose his ax.

  Lilac fell to her knees. She crawled toward her lover.

  The crowd begged Bumpkin Emperor.

  Papa and NaiNai prayed for God’s mercy.

  The soldiers drove the crowd back.

  In my ear, Pearl whispered, “Now!”

  Raising the bucket, she poured the black ink water over her head.

  “Angry spirit!” I shouted.

  Pearl pretended to be possessed by evil as she ran toward Bumpkin Emperor with ink dripping from her face.

  The crowd gasped. “Angry spirits!”

  “Black blood!”

  Pearl landed in front of Bumpkin Emperor. She waved her arms and kicked her legs, knotting herself into a ball, and groaned as if being tortured by invisible spirits.

  “What is this?” Bumpkin Emperor asked loudly. “Who are you?”

  Kicking her feet, Pearl uttered a string of words no one understood.

  “Speak! Who are you?” Bumpkin was visibly nervous.

  NaiNai turned to Bumpkin Emperor and said, “You must have done something to offend the gods.”

  The warlord got down on his knees in front of Pearl. “Can I help you, whoever’s spirit you are?” He tried to steady his shaky voice.

  “I must speak to the one who is in charge,” Pearl murmured in a husky voice, her eyes tightly shut. “I must speak to the general himself.”

  “I am the general,” Bumpkin Emperor rose.

  Pearl began to speak English.

  “What, what is she rumbling about?” Bumpkin Emperor became tense. “Which god are you representing? Is she talking to me?”

  “Yes.” I told the warlord that I could be his translator.

  “What is she saying?” Bumpkin Emperor turned to me.

  “She said, ‘The fire is at your door.’”

  “Fire at my door? What does that mean?”

  “In the name of the Holy Spirit . . .” Pearl continued.

  “Holy Spirit?” Bumpkin Emperor was confused. “Mother of a mule, I don’t understand!”

  “Would you like me to stop?” I asked.

  “Of course not,” he said. “Carry on, dammit!”

  “Well, she is not making sense.”

  “Do the best you can to make her words into sense!”

  I began acting, bending down to get close to Pearl. “Yes, I heard you . . . Went out to him? All the country of Judah? Wait a minute.” I turned to the warlord. “She said, ‘All the people of Jerusalem are going toward the river to confess their sins . . .’”

  Confused, Bumpkin Emperor cried, “Which god is this?”

  I shook my head.

  “A powerful God,” Papa said, raising his arm to point at the sky. “Perhaps the true God.”

  “What is his name? Tell me, please!” Bumpkin Emperor begged.

  “Angel,” Pearl uttered.

  “His name is Angel,” I translated.

  “I have never heard of such a god,” Bumpkin Emperor responded. “Is he new?”

  “He is ancient,” Pearl continued. “He’s been here since the beginning of time. Only the wise can hear him. He is mad at you.”

  “What . . . what does he want from me?” Bumpkin Emperor’s voice grew weak.

  Pearl went silent.

  “The God no longer wants to speak to you,” I translated. “The God is leaving.”

  “Please! Don’t go!” Bumpkin Emperor was scared. “Ask what business he had here! If he is a foreign god, who is his patron in China?”

  “I was invited by the Dowager Empress of your country,” Pearl began to speak in Chinese. “I was escorted here by the Imperial Minister-in-Chief Mr. Li Hung chang . . .”

  Before Pearl ended her sentence, Bumpkin Emperor fell down and kowtowed, hitting his forehead on the ground. “Your Majesty, I mean no offense! I . . . I deserve to die three thousand times! Please, forgive me!”

  Again, Pearl closed her eyes.

  “Please don’t leave! Grant me a chance,” Bumpkin Emperor begged. “Your Majesty, I am asking for a last chance!”

  “Release Carpenter Chan and his lady,” Pearl spoke with an imperial tone. “And leave Chin-kiang right away.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, I shall depart instantly.”

  “Well, let us have no doubt that God sent Pearl to save you,” Absalom said to Carpenter Chan and Lilac. “My daughter is no angel, but she is a good Christian.”

  Later, Pearl told me that she didn’t like what her father said, although she was happy that the trick worked.

  “I am sure your father loves you,” I comforted my friend.

  Pearl shook her head. “To tell you the truth, I am jealous of those whom he baptizes. He offers affection to strangers, to you, NaiNai, your papa, Carpenter Chan, Lilac, and almost everyone in the town. He will never spare affection for his own children. He is always cold with me.”

  “Absalom loves you, Pearl.”

  “I don’t feel it. My mother doesn’t feel his love either. Absalom shuts himself in the study so that he can be with God without any distraction!”

  “Your father is proud of you, or he wouldn’t say that you were a good Christian.”

  “Absalom cares about Chinese people so much that he’s willing to risk his life for them. In the meantime, he believes that they are heathens and he is their superior. He lives to convert people. He even wants a chance with the warlords.”

  “Absalom wants to convert Bumpkin Emperor, General Lobster, and General Crab?” I laughed.

  “Yes, and their fish wives, shrimp siblings, and snail concubines.”

  “That’s impossible!”

  “Oh, yes, God works miracles, hah, hah, hah!”

  “Papa will believe whoever saves his ass.”

  “My father is a nut and your father is a crook.”

  We laughed and put our fathers out of our minds.

  We walked to the outskirts of town, where someone was getting married. We joined the children who had been invited to the wedding to help inspire fertility. We were given nuts and seeds to throw at the new couple. The groom was a young peasant who was already drunk. He meant to thank the guests but instead he threw up. The bride was dressed in a bright-red embroidered costume. Her face was covered with a piece of silk. Pearl and I admired the costume and the bride’s glittering hair ornament. When the band started the wedding song, we joined in.

  Buddha sits on a lotus pad,

  Beautiful fingers orchidlike.

  Sun goes down and moon comes up,

  May your life be peaceful and tranquil.

  Mud walls and straw pillows,

  Fruits, seeds, and many sons.

  Happiness and longevity,

  May you have the spring and all its fair weather.

  CHAPTER 7

  The Boxer Rebellion hadn’t hit Chin-kiang until the first years of the new century. It had spread like a wildfire. Peasants from inland came wearing red turbans. They believed that foreigners were destroying China. It didn’t occur to me that Pearl and her family were foreigners. Pearl didn’t like Westerners. She had witnessed opium addicts in our town and had criticized the white folks and their opium trade. As far as she was concerned, the Boxers’ fight would have nothing to do with her.

  But times had changed. There had been incidents where foreign missionaries had been murdered in the northern provinces. Carie made sure that Pearl dressed like a Chinese girl and wore her black knitted cap at all times.

  Pearl came to me one day and told me that Carie ha
d been talking about their departure. “Mother said that a ship will come and it will take us all back to America.”

  Pearl’s words devastated me. I didn’t know how to respond.

  She looked disturbed and nervous.

  “But . . . you don’t know anything about America!” I said.

  “Mother said that America is a place where I would belong,” Pearl said matter-of-factly. “At least I will look like everyone else. I am sick of wearing this damn black knitted cap! I’ll burn it the moment I arrive in America.”

  “But you said that you don’t know anyone in America,” I insisted.

  “I don’t.”

  “Will you still go then?”

  “I don’t look forward to leaving, however much Mother tries to reassure me.”

  “To leave China is Carie’s wish, not yours!” I tried to sound calm, but it was impossible. I felt like crying. “You will not be able to find a friend like me in America!”

  “Perhaps not, although Mother promised that I would.”

  “She is tricking you.” I gave a cold laugh. “You’d be a fool to believe that.”

  “But I can’t stay if Mother decides to go.”

  For the next few weeks the departure became the only thing we talked about. But the more we talked about it, the deeper our sense of doom became. We ran up and down the hills and laughed, pretending that it was not going to happen. But time and time again we were reminded. For example, Wang Ah-ma became depressed because Carie told her to prepare to go her own way. The pregnant Lilac and Carpenter Chan came to visit Papa and NaiNai to update them on the murder cases involving foreign missionaries.

  Pearl and I learned that more people had joined the Boxers. The swelling numbers began to demand that the Imperial government throw out foreigners and shut down their businesses in China forever. When they didn’t receive the government’s response, they began to mob foreign banks and buildings and destroy the national railways. Our neighboring Christian churches were disrupted. Foreign missionaries were taken from their homes and publicly tortured. When the news reached us, Pearl and I realized that our days together were numbered.

  Pearl began to talk more about her “real home” in America, while I became cynical and irritable.