Peach Blossom Pavilion

by Mingmei Yip

  "Thank you, Sister Pearl," I yelled, then dashed toward the door.

  She called out at my back, "Remember, this instrument is sacred. And don't forget your pipa either."

  I turned around. "Sister Pearl, I won't."

  "Come back and I'll teach you how to tune the qin-as well as your mind."

  So from that day on I was secretly learning to play this venerated instrument. At the start of each lesson, I'd meticulously tune the seven silk strings, while stealing glances at Pearl and wishing I could look as beautiful and play as elegantly. I would practice until my fingers bled and grew calloused, and my shoulders felt stiff and sore. But strangely, my heart was filled with joy at the sad tunes of the qin.

  Needless to say, I dared not forget singing, painting, nor playing my pipa. Pearl warned me again and again if I didn't learn the other arts well, she'd stop teaching me the qin. But her worry was unnecessary, for I was good at all my lessons! Mr. Wu, the painting teacher, was so pleased with my talent that he showered me with gifts-brushes of all sizes, ink stones engraved with scenes of the four seasons, rice paper sprinkled with simulated gold flakes. He also praised my poems, telling me that some were so good that they could be used as opera lyrics. He predicted that I'd be famous soon, very soon. Mr. Ma, the opera teacher, said I had a voice like a lark's, which possessed the charm to entice the sun to rise and cajole it to set. But he also flattered me by continuing to accidentally brush his hand all over my body.

  Word about my talents began to spread. Some customers asked to look at my paintings. Some halted by my door to listen to my singing. Others sighed with pleasure when they had a chance to glimpse my fingers performing acrobatics on the pipa. My poems were passed around and discussed as if they were works by Li Bai or Du Fu.

  One afternoon while I was practicing "Spring Moonlight over the River" on the pipa, Fang Rong burst into my room. She dropped onto the chair, breathing heavily while eyeing me happily. She studied me so hard and so long that I felt color rise in my cheeks.

  "What is it, Mama?" I asked, putting down my instrument.

  She shot up from the chair and went to the mirror, motioning me to follow her.

  Our reflections stared back at us from the polished surface. Mama smiled mischievously, cocking an eye at me. "Xiang Xiang, less than a year living in Peach Blossom, see what a lovely girl I've made of you."

  I looked at my own image for long moments, and for the first time I agreed with her. But I felt embarrassed to say yes, so I remained silent.

  She lifted and tousled my hair. "But you know what? Today you'll look even prettier, for I'm taking you out to have your hair styled! "

  I turned to stare at her. "Styled?"

  "Yes, most girls never even heard of it, let alone have the money to have it done. So lucky you! "

  But I had heard of it. "You mean like ... those stars in a movie?" Of course I'd never seen "those stars" in a real movie, only in newspapers and magazines Baba had brought home from the warlord's house.

  "Exactly! Do you want to look like a movie star?"

  I turned back to look at the mirror and saw my head nodding like that of a childless woman kowtowing to Guan Yin for a baby boy.

  It was a hot, sunny Friday afternoon. Besides me, Fang Rong also took two other girls to have their hair styled. One, voluptuous and very silly acting, was called jade Vase, and the other, to my surprise, was Spring Moon. I was glad that Mama had arranged for Spring Moon to share the rickshaw with me while she shared hers with Jade Vase. Spring Moon seemed to have recovered from that horrible night and the scar on her arm turned out to be quite small. Now, I'd finally have the chance to discuss with her in detail the strong stench and scurrying rats of the dark room-and maybe even fuck. But we ended up gawking at the rarely glimpsed city life outside the turquoise pavilion. Our eyes couldn't detach themselves from busy Nanking Boulevard with its famous red-and-gold signboards. Our fingers kept thrusting here and there to point out remembered sights.

  Spring Moon pointed at a grand building and said proudly in her high-pitched voice, "Look, that's Xing Xing Department Store where I used to shop with my parents."

  I craned my neck and saw three Western-dressed tai tai studying merchandise with great intensity. Behind them shuffled amahs burdened with overflowing shopping bags.

  While my eyes were appreciating the society ladies' elaborate makeup and brocade dresses, Spring Moon's finger had already shifted to an even grander building next to Xing Xing, her voice climbing higher and higher in the air. "Look, this is Sincere Department Store. My father once bought me a gold necklace in the jewelry department on the third floor!"

  She plunged on excitedly, "My father also used to take me to the Heavenly Tune Pavilion open-air cafe on the top floor of the Wing On Department Store. There, I could see the whole city, including the China Peace Company, the International Hotel, and the race track!"

  When the speeding rickshaw had left the two stores and the three tai tai behind, a silence fell between us.

  To leave her to her thoughts, I turned to take in the scenes on the street.

  A vendor, with two baskets in front, yelled at the top of his voice, "Fresh and aromatic roasted chicken! Your money back if it's not aromatic!"

  Next to him an elderly woman, kneeling, begged by knocking her head loudly on the ground.

  A noodle seller, bare-chested and leathery-faced, was banging a brass gong to attract attention.

  Under the scorching sun, a red-turbaned, black-bearded Indian policeman frantically wielded a baton to direct traffic. Sweat poured down his dark face like black bean sauce.

  Then I spotted two small children followed by doting parents swarm into a candy store. When I saw the big smiles on the parents' faces, my heart was seized with grief mixed with bitterness. Since the first day I'd been taken to Peach Blossom, despite the fact that I had a mother, plus another set of "parents" unexpectedly dropped onto my lap, I still felt orphaned. I poked my head out of the rickshaw so that Spring Moon wouldn't see the tears streaming down my cheeks.

  Just then her voice rose next to my ear, startling me. "See, Xiang Xiang, that's Mali Pig For! "

  I wiped my tears while craning my neck. "Who?"

  "The famous Hollywood movie star! Over there, on the signboard of the Peking Theater! "

  Now I saw the picture showing the huge head of a foreign woman with wavy hair and a dreamy look. Next to her were several English words that I tried but failed to read. I turned to Spring Moon. "Can you read those chicken's intestines?"

  She smiled proudly. "Of course." Then, her lips pouted like a chicken's ass, she began to read. "Poor Little Rich Girl."

  "Wah! Where did you learn English?"

  "My father used to hire a private tutor to teach us." A pause, then she asked regally, "Xiang Xiang, have you ever seen a movie?"

  Pathetically I shook my head.

  A smile bloomed on her face. "My father used to take me to all the movie theaters: the Peking, the Embassy, and the Lyceum. If you have a chance to go inside these places, I bet you'll be impressed. They're like palaces! "

  Spring Moon's eyes turned red. I looked away into the distance across the harbor behind the hazy skyline. A ship was blowing its whistle as it passed another. Like a pair of scissors, a third ship slid soundlessly through the sapphire waves, its American flag fluttering in the breeze like a brightly colored dress.

  America! I muttered to myself. I hoped someday I'd be able to leave Shanghai to see the world, places such as America where I could meet this famous, strange woman called Mali Pig For.

  Two rickshaws sped past ours; the coolies' bare feet kicked up clouds of dust.

  Everything outside Peach Blossom was so real, so lively ... and yet illusory. Life seemed a deep, confused dream.

  When I was about to turn back to talk to Spring Moon, the rickshaw suddenly pulled to a stop, jolting us forward. Fang Rong paid the two heavily sweating coolies, then, with an imperious air, led us into the hairstyling establis
hment.

  The walls of the shop were covered with mirrors, giving it a spacious, mysterious look. Pasted on the mirrors were pictures of Chinese movie stars; all had shiny, styled hair like black waves gleaming under the moon.

  Upon seeing us, several men, white towels draped over their arms, hurried to greet Fang Rong. They smiled obsequiously at her but scrutinized us like wolves. After we sat down, Mama told them to fix each of us a different hairdo.

  She thrust a pudgy finger at jade Vase. "She has an ugly mole on her forehead, so give her the weeping willow bang to hide it." Then she motioned to Spring Moon. "Her face's too round and her forehead too low, so give her the one-line bang to cover everything." Finally she turned to me, smiling generously. "This one's lucky; she'll get the glamorous star-studded sky."

  Wah! I almost burst into happy laughter. Star-studded sky! But I had no time to relish this honor, for the three hairstylists, smiling knowingly, had already begun to muss our hair with expertly moving fingers.

  It took more than an hour for the three men to cut, wash, and style our hair. We looked at each other in the mirror and discovered that Jade Vase's forehead was covered by a narrow patch of soft hair hung low like weeping willow branches. Spring Moon's face was framed with thick bangs and straight hair down the sides, which magically made her round face look slender. For myself, I was pleased to see my hair pulled backward to reveal my much-envied high forehead and melon-seed face. Moreover, my threethousand-threads-of-trouble were decorated with a gold clasp blossoming with pearls! My face seemed to have changed. Suddenly it looked glamorous . . . as if I were a real movie star who'd dance with swirling dress to dreamy music in a grand ballroom hung with glittering chandeliers!

  A sob woke me from my intoxication; I turned and caught Spring Moon's gaze. Her teary eyes lingered on my face like a cat pathetically pawing a fish bone.

  "Spring Moon," I took a deep breath, "why-"

  Mama's coarse voice roared in the air. "Spring Moon, stop that! Don't envy the others. You should be grateful not only that you're still alive, but that you're alive with styled hair and a slender face, instead of one that looks like a puffed bun!"

  Spring Moon shut up at once. After that, Mama quickly paid and led us out of the shop. This time she didn't had rickshaws. To my amazement, she led us along the busiest section of Nanking Boulevard, where our rickshaws had passed earlier! More surprises came when she led us into a fabric store and announced, "Pick what you like and I'll have them tailored into Chinese gowns and Western dresses for all three of you."

  These generous words pouring from her mouth now sounded to me as enchanting as qin music! Holding bolts of floral satin against my skin, I felt weak with happiness. Jade Vase oohed and aahed and aiiya-ed while her fingers ran over rolls of silk that cascaded before us like rainbowed waterfalls. Even Spring Moon's sad, watery eyes now sparkled.

  Half an hour later, when the shopping spree had finally come to an end, Mama asked cheerily, "All right, it's hot, so do you girls want some ice cream to ease the heat before we go back?"

  Ice cream? I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. Baba had tasted it only once-at the warlord's house-and had told me it was something soft as silk and sweet as sugar. It melted so fast in your mouth that you had to lick it hard like you did a wound.

  It took the three of us a few seconds to absorb the good news before we blurted out together, "Yes, Mama! "

  Sauntering down the busy boulevard with the glittering starstudded sky on my head, visions of new dresses, and the ice cream melting tenderly in my mouth, I'd never felt luckier. The corners of my lips kept lifting despite my efforts to press them down-people on the street might think that I was crazy smiling to myself!

  I delicately licked my ice cream, trying my best to prolong the enjoyment of its soothing coolness and sweetness. My eyes were taking in the colorful displays of merchandise behind shop windows. While watching, I noticed we were also being watched. Young girls stared at us with envy while suppressing giggles. Some men threw lewd glances in our direction. Workers blew whistles. Several tai tai pointed red-nailed fingers at us and whispered to each other, sneering.

  I turned to ask Fang Rong, "Mama, why do these people keep staring at us?"

  She put on an air like the Empress Dowager's. "Ah, my daughter, what a silly question. Why? Because they're jealous of you, that's why!" She pointed to a bony girl of ten in rags begging at the curb, "You think people will find her pretty?" then to a middle-aged, stooped amah, "or her?" finally to a flat-chested and plain-faced girl selling pancakes at a street stall, "or this bamboo pole?"

  Mama burst out laughing. "Ha, ha, ha, my gorgeous little treasures," she paused to scan the three of us before turning to pinch my cheek, "especially you, Xiang Xiang, you'll be the queen of attention soon, very soon!"

  As she said this, it seemed now that all eyes were riveted on me. Feeling dazed and dreamy, I licked hard at the ice cream, savoring its fast-melting sweetness, while assuring myself that all this good luck did not merely exist in a dream. I touched my Guan Yin pendant and secretly prayed that this day would go on forever.

  Just when I was relishing the tender softness on my tongue, suddenly I felt my arm being bumped. Before I knew what had happened, commotion stirred around me like oil hissing on a hot wok.

  Mama's voice clanged like a broken gong, shaking the air around her. "Catch the little thief!"

  It was then that I realized my ice cream had gone. It was now tightly held in the filthy hand of a bony, ten-year-old boy. He was desperately licking it while trying to dash across the street infested with swishing cars.

  "Watch out!" I screamed to him.

  Mama smacked my star-studded sky while casting me a murderous glance. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you think this brat deserves to be hit?"

  When a gap appeared in the heavy traffic, the boy sprinted, fol lowed by a cacophony of screeching, honking, shouting, and cursing.

  "Oh my heaven! He's going to get killed!" I yelled again.

  Mama, after glaring at me with another killer look, hurried with the three of us to see what had happened.

  To my great relief, the little boy was not killed-he was not even hit. But his feet seemed rooted to the ground, and his face was so pale that he looked like someone who had just emerged from the yin world, with ghosts still clinging to his legs to try to pull him back. The ice cream had spilled on the ground and was draining down the gutter like blood scared white.

  The driver jumped out from the car and spat. "Fuck your mother's cunt, you dog-fucked little bastard! Next time watch before you cross!" With that, he shoved the dazed-looking boy back onto the pavement. Before the driver got back into the car, he again hollered, "Get out of the way! I'm driving to pick up the president of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce! " Then he slammed the door and sped away. After that, traffic immediately resumed.

  Spring Moon clapped. "Mama, he's fine!"

  Now it was her head that was jolted by Mama's slap. "Why do you feel so happy about this little piece of dirt? He should be smashed like ground beef! "

  Then, to my surprise, she flung her big torso toward the boy and grabbed him. Mama was as strong as a bull. The boy, thrashing bony arms and legs, screamed like a chicken being slaughtered. Almost in no time, a few hooligans began to gather around us, cheering and hollering.

  "Yes, strangle that little beggar! "

  "Wah! A woman beating a man to death!"

  "Hey, come and watch Peking opera, free! "

  Just when they were fanning up the fire of this street drama, a fortyish man with blond hair and a white suit appeared from nowhere. He stepped toward the two blurs of jostling flesh and, with a move of his sinewy arms, disentangled them.

  Silence instantly fell among the watching crowd. Everyone's eyes were glued to the foreigner, waiting to see what direction the drama would take. To my surprise, instead of losing her temper and cursing this yanggui zi-foreign ghost-Mama squeezed a big grin and spoke in accented Eng
lish. "Sorli, sorli, mister. Miss understanding, miss understanding."

  Still more to my surprise, the "barbarian" spoke, in perfect Mandarin. "What happened?"

  Mama replied in Mandarin, her grin stretching bigger and bigger, until it almost reached outside her face. "Meishi, meishi." Nothing, nothing.

  "Nothing?"

  Right then Jade Vase chimed in, pointing to the little boy. "He tried to rob my sister Xiang Xiang's ice cream."

  The man turned to scrutinize me. His eyes were two blue beads, strangely cool yet soothing-like my vanished ice cream. Just when I felt color rising to my cheeks, he turned to look at the boy, who was shivering in his rags under the hot sun. "Are you very hungry?"

  The boy nodded until his head almost dislocated from his neck. "My mother is sick and we haven't had food for three days."

  To everybody's surprise, the foreign devil took out his leather purse, pulled out several copper coins, and gave them to the boy. "Now buy some food for the family and go home."

  The boy snatched the money, plopped down on the ground and kowtowed, then scurried like a mouse across the busy boulevard.