Ping Li and I went back into the town, mainly to get away from the house, as the woman had scowled at us after Zheng Yan left. The streets were cobbled and quaint and not unlike the narrow alleyways in Shanghai. Small shops were open and the warm sun was pleasant on our tired bodies. I still felt twinges of pain where my wound had been stitched, but I hoped it would soon settle down. The doctor at the hospital had said to rest, but the tossing of the boat the previous night hadn’t helped.
We sat down on a stone bench and watched as people went by, but after an hour Ping Li said her husband should be back with the tickets, so we made our way to our room.
‘I hope my husband has managed to buy tickets for a sailing later today, but if we have to wait until tomorrow we’ll just have to put up with our landlady,’ said Ping Li.
This was a sentiment I heartily agreed with. We admitted that we were grateful to have survived the typhoon, although we realised we were in a strange country and had no one to turn to for help. As Macao was a Portuguese territory, we didn’t understand the language, so I suppose we were lucky that the owner of the house had a small English vocabulary, which I reckoned she had gleaned from British seamen who had stayed in her house over the years.
There was an ancient-looking clock in the room. It was now five o’clock and we were growing uneasy about Zheng Yan’s search for the shipping office, then when darkness set in we became really worried.
Ping Li said she would go and look for him. ‘Maybe there is a queue of people booking the ferry,’ she said.
I didn’t say that if that was the case it must be a very long queue. I was unhappy about her going out alone in the dark, so I said I would go with her.
‘You will look out of place here, Lizzie. The docks will be full of seamen and they won’t give an old Chinese woman a second glance.’
‘I’m not letting you go alone, Ping Li. If I wear my thick coat and tuck my hair into a cap, then neither of us will attract attention.’
She wasn’t convinced, but I had made my mind up, so we set off for the harbour looking like two old women, which wasn’t hard, as I was limping because of the pain in my side. By the time we got there it was scary, with shadows everywhere and not many lights. Luckily the place seemed deserted, as no doubt most of the ships would have had their cargoes loaded or unloaded during the day.
Ping Li whispered, ‘We must find the ticket office. That old crone said it was at the far end of the jetty.’ So we made our way gingerly past dark warehouses, but the place was a warren of narrow alleys that stretched into the darkness. We reached the end of the jetty, but there was no sign of Zheng Yan, so we retraced our steps, carefully watching we didn’t trip over any obstacles on the ground.
Ping Li was in despair. ‘Something has happened to him, Lizzie. Someone has murdered him and thrown him in the water. I just know it.’
I was thinking the same thing, but I couldn’t let Ping Li panic, otherwise there was a risk that we would also be murdered and thrown into the sea. I had an idea. ‘Let’s go back to the house and get the local police force to look for him.’
Ping Li looked wildly around. ‘Is there a police force in Macao?’
I was just about to say I didn’t know when a dark shadow emerged from the shadows and walked towards us. I almost screamed, while Ping Li gasped in fear.
‘Can I help you lassies?’ the voice said.
I couldn’t believe it. He was Scottish! I almost threw myself into his arms.
‘We’re looking for this woman’s husband. He came here to buy tickets for the Hong Kong ferry and he hasn’t come home.’
By now I could see his face, as he held a torch. He was tall and bearded, and was dressed in a dark seaman’s trousers and jersey. He said, ‘How marvellous to hear another Scottish accent. I’m working on a ship where everyone, including the captain, is Portuguese.’ He shone his torch on the ground. ‘Now, let’s look for this missing man.’
We were able to enter the alleys now, as we had a light, but it was a good half an hour before we found Zheng Yan lying behind a large crate. Our Scots friend knelt down and shone the torch on his face. There was a dark patch of blood behind his head.
‘It looks like he’s been robbed and they’ve clubbed him. Did he have money on him?’
I said he had.
‘Well, it looks like there’s nothing left.’
Ping Li began to cry. ‘We must get him back to the house, Lizzie.’
The three of us picked him up, but as he was unconscious we had to carry him.
‘At least he doesn’t weigh a ton,’ said the man.
We made slow progress, but we soon reached the house and put Zheng Yan on the bed. He groaned and I knew he was still alive.
The man went to the door. ‘I have to go, as my ship is sailing in a couple of hours, but I hope you manage to get some help for your husband. My name is Ian Murdoch and I come from Glasgow.’
‘I’m Lizzie O’Neill, and this is Ping Li, wife of Zheng Yan. Because of the typhoon we landed here last night instead of Hong Kong.’
He whistled. ‘God, you were all very lucky, as it’s killed hundreds. Look, I’m sorry, but my ship is going on to Singapore, so I can’t help you any more.’
I saw him to the front door. ‘Thank you so much, Ian,’ I said. ‘We would never have found Zheng Yan if you hadn’t come along.’
He waved as he went back down the road to the harbour.
Back in the room, Ping Li was trying to examine her husband’s head. ‘It’s a deep wound, Lizzie, and Zheng Yan seems to be dizzy.’
‘He needs a doctor, as he probably has concussion as well as a head wound. I’m going to ask the landlady where we can get a doctor.’
The woman answered her door with a scowl. There was a strong smell of alcohol on her breath. ‘What do you want now?’
‘We need a doctor for my friend’s husband. He’s been attacked and robbed at the docks.’
She gave me a sly look. ‘It will cost money for a doctor.’
I had a few Shanghai dollars in my purse and gave them to her. ‘I want him now, you understand?’
She scowled again, but an hour later an old man appeared with a medical bag. He looked at Zheng Yan and shook his head. ‘I can do nothing for this man. He just needs to rest.’
I was angry. ‘But you’re a doctor. Can’t you do something for his head wound?’
He said it needed stitches and that they would have to be done at the hospital.
‘Where is this hospital?’
‘You will have to pay for his treatment there,’ he said before picking up his bag and leaving.
‘I gave my last Shanghai dollars to the landlady to get the doctor and a lot of good he’s done,’ I said angrily.
Ping Li said if we wrapped Zheng Yan’s head up maybe things would look better in the morning. Quite honestly I doubted it, but I took my underskirt out to the tap in the courtyard and then wrapped the wet cloth around Zheng Yan’s head. There was still blood oozing out of it, but Ping Li tried to bring the edges of the wound together. He was still feeling dizzy and disorientated.
We took it in turns to sit up with him all night, but in the morning he wasn’t any better. We had no money for food and we hadn’t eaten in twenty-four hours. Then the landlady arrived at the door.
‘You will all go now, you only paid for two days.’ She saw the pillow that had been marked with blood from the cut. She almost screeched at us. ‘That will cost you more money.’ She held her hand out.
‘We’ve no money left, as we’ve been robbed.’ I told her. I went to my money belt and took out Mum’s wristlet watch. ‘You can have this as payment until my friend gets better.’
She turned the watch over in her hands.
‘It’s a gold watch,’ I said.
‘You can stay for two more days,’ she snapped, eyeing up the gold bangles in my belt.
I was furious with myself for letting her see them, and I suddenly had a strong suspicion that she was behind
Zheng Yan’s robbery. After all, why pick on an innocent-looking Chinese man amongst loads of other nationalities? He didn’t look like he was carrying money, so his attack could have been the result of a tip-off from this old crone to someone she knew.
I narrowed my eyes at her and was about to speak when she said, ‘Two more days, that’s all.’ She held up two fingers as if to emphasise the point before turning away.
Ping Li was upset. ‘Zheng Yan won’t be better in two days, Lizzie. Not without a doctor to look at him.’
I put my money belt on. ‘I’m going into the town to see if I can sell one of my gold bangles, but I want to go right now, as I think that woman had a hand in robbing us. I don’t want her getting in touch with her accomplice.’
Ping Li was worried. ‘Please watch out for yourself, as these people are bad.’
I went outside, but there was no sign of the owner, so I hurried into town to try to find a jeweller’s shop or pawnshop. I retraced my steps from yesterday but went further along the street. Every so often I stopped and looked behind me, but although people were walking about I didn’t see anyone who looked threatening. I was hoping that I had got out before the landlady had had time to tell her accomplice about my gold bangles. Then I thought that perhaps I was wrong, but I still wasn’t taking any chances.
I didn’t see any shop that was likely to buy jewellery and I was beginning to get worried. If I didn’t sell a bangle, then I would have to take them back to the house, and I knew the chances of being robbed were then very high.
I almost passed one narrow lane but doubled back and walked quickly down the cobbled road. To my delight, I spotted a small shop that had gold chains and rings in the window. I opened the door and a bell tinkled. A very attractive dark-haired woman was looking in one of the cabinets.
An old man approached the counter. He spoke to me in Portuguese. I said I didn’t speak the language, but I showed him the bangle. ‘I want to sell this, please.’
He took it and had a good look at it, but he answered again in Portuguese. I started to say again I didn’t understand, but the woman came over. ‘Please excuse me, but can I help you?’
I turned to her in desperation. ‘Oh, thank you. I’m trying to sell my gold bangle and I wondered if the jeweller was interested.’
She rattled off a stream of words and I wished I had been able to study Portuguese at school instead of French.
‘Mr Ramirez says it is South American gold.’
‘Yes, it is. It was a present from my aunt, who bought it when she lived in Rio de Janeiro.’
There was another round of conversation with the word ‘Rio’ as the only word I understood.
‘He will give you a good price for it.’ I had no idea what a good price was, but she said, ‘This is a good price and Mr Ramirez will not cheat you.’
I said I would take it, and he went to the back of the shop and came back with a thick wad of Portuguese notes.
I thanked them both and went to go back to the house. The woman left with me and she walked down the lane by my side. I was a bit suspicious, but she said, ‘You seem to be desperate for money. Has something happened to you?’
Before I knew it, I was telling her all about our misfortunes since leaving Shanghai and she said I should come back with her and have some tea. We walked further along until we came to a high wall with a bright-blue door set in it. She opened the door and I found myself in a beautiful cool courtyard with a small fountain in the centre.
We sat on a lovely sofa and she brought tea to a low table. ‘My name is Senhora Alveres and this is my home.’
‘I’m Lizzie O’Neill, and I’ve come from Shanghai with my friends Zheng Yan and his wife, Ping Li. My son, Peter, was evacuated along with my friend Elsie, as I was in hospital with appendicitis. My husband, Jonas, and his friend Alex were away on a trip to Peking to write a story about the Japanese bombing the city, but I’ve had no word since they left.’
‘Your husband is Jonas O’Neill, the author of Dragon Land?’ I was surprised. ‘Yes, he is.’
‘My husband and I love this book. Now tell me where you are staying?’
I told her all about the robbery and how we needed to get to Hong Kong, as well as the fact that we had to get out of the boarding house in two days.
‘I gave the landlady my mother’s gold wristlet watch and I suspect her of being involved in the robbery, but I can’t prove it.’
Senhora Alveres stood up. ‘Let us go and see your friends and this fiendish woman.’
‘Oh, it’s all right now that I have the money to get us to Hong Kong. Please don’t trouble yourself, as you’ve been so helpful to me.’
‘No, I want to go, as I don’t like visitors to Macao to be robbed and cheated.’
When we reached the house, the landlady rushed out and began to demand more money for the pillow, but when she saw Senhora Alveres her demeanour changed dramatically. She didn’t bow, but she began to whine how we had made a mess of her house. Senhora Alveres looked around in disdain.
‘I believe you have a watch belonging to this lady? I want you to give it back.’
I almost collapsed in surprise.
‘I only took it because I’m a poor old widow woman who has to make a living,’ she said.
Senhora Alveres held out her hand and the old crone slunk away, but not before giving me a malicious, sly look. She came back and put the watch in my hand. Senhora Alveres said that a car would be calling to take the injured man to a doctor and that we wouldn’t need our two extra days in her fragrant house.
Ping Li was speechless and so was I. I couldn’t believe my good fortune in meeting up with this obviously important woman who had loved reading Dragon Land. We soon gathered up our belongings and a man came and helped to carry Zheng Yan to a smart-looking car that we all managed to get into.
I was last to go, and as I turned the landlady glared and spat at me. I had the urge to go and give her a slap, but resisted it because she was no longer in our lives. To my surprise, we went back to the Alveres house and Zheng Yan was put to bed in a small apartment by the side of the building.
‘You can all stay here and I will call out my doctor,’ said Senhora Alveres.
Ping Li sprang forward and gripped her hand. ‘Thank you so much for all you kindness and may there be a blessing on your house.’
Senhora Alveres smiled and went away. Within an hour a very professional doctor appeared who gave Zheng Yan a thorough examination.
‘He has a bad cut to his head, which I will put stitches in, but he was lucky to be wearing a thick cap when he was hit because it cushioned the blow. He has wounds to his hands, legs and back, but they are not serious. He also has concussion, but hopefully in a few days he will get better. I will call in again tomorrow.’
I went to get some of the money I had received from the jeweller. ‘How much do I owe you, doctor?’ I asked.
He held up his hand. ‘It is all right. There is no charge.’
When I told Ping Li, she was overwhelmed. ‘How did you meet this good woman, Lizzie?’
I told her and also said, ‘She’s read Dragon Land and has heard of Jonas and Alex.’
With the money we were able to buy food, and Zheng Yan slowly got better. He still had difficulty remembering some things, but the doctor said it would all come back to him once his head had healed.
Senhora Alveres came every day to see us, and when she asked me where I came from I told her about Dundee and being a teacher before coming to Shanghai.
Her face lit up. ‘You are a teacher?’
I said I was, although I hadn’t taught since leaving Hong Kong.
‘I have two children, Isabella and Frederick, who are taught here at home. Their tutor had to leave to go back to Portugal and I am waiting for another tutor to arrive. He will be here in three or four weeks, and I am wondering if you can teach my children until then?’
I was taken aback, but I wasn’t sure if we could stay that long in Macao. ‘We wer
e hoping to go to Hong Kong as soon as possible. Once my friends are settled then I will get a ship home to my son. I will also try again to get in touch with my husband.’
‘How long do you think the money you have will last if you go now, Lizzie? I will pay you well, and when my tutor arrives you will have enough to give to your friends and to get back home.’
I thought about it and told Ping Li.
‘Well, Zheng Yan isn’t back to good health yet, but I know you are desperate to get home to Peter.’
‘Senhora Alveres said she would try to get news about Jonas, so I think I’ll accept her proposal and it will give you both more money to get settled.’
I wrote to Margaret that night and told her what had happened. I said I would be coming home soon and asked if she could get in touch with Jonas’s father in Ireland and give him the news that Jonas was missing but hopefully still alive.
I put my jade pendant around my neck, convinced it had been the source of our good luck in finding Senhora Alveres and Ian Murdoch.
47
THE KINDNESS OF
SENHORA ALVERES
I can’t honestly say I was happy and contented in Macao, even though we were well treated by the family. This was because I had had no word about Jonas or Alex, and as the days went on it seemed likely they had either been injured or killed. I couldn’t contemplate the fact that Jonas was no longer with us, so I kept trying to be positive about his disappearance. I also felt like my mother in 1917, and now I was in a similar situation I gained a deep understanding of how she must have felt about the news of my father’s fate. What worried me was the fact my letter said we were heading for Hong Kong and that he could be looking for us there.
We hardly ever saw Senhor Alveres, but his wife explained he was with the Portuguese government in Macao. I met Isabella and Frederick, who were delightful children. Isabella, who was seven years old, had long black curly hair similar to mine and she had an impish smile. Frederick was five, and he was quieter than his sister and inclined to hide behind his book while his sister prodded him and told him to look at the tutor. They both said, ‘Good morning, Senhora O’Neill,’ and I was overcome with emotion at their childish faces.
Dragon Land Page 30