“I am going to take a walk in the courtyard and catch some fresh air.” I tell Doctor Liu, who is apparently occupied by everything he just saw.
I walk out of the room and make a quick turn to the kitchen when no one is watching. When I was in the kitchen sanitizing surgical equipment, the young servant girl told me the delivery door leads to Bahe River.
I quickly sneak out the delivery door and start running again.
4 General Wei
I have been staying within the fences of our yard most of the time. It was way too risky showing off knowledge beyond this time period and way too scary just thinking about what might happen to Xiongnu. I do not regret doing the surgery, since without my daring act, he is definitely dying. But I do need to put my own safety first.
I still run, just switch to early morning and on different route. Sometimes I think it is funny: Who would ever thought my love of running would have to be kept as a secret.
With Papa home, everybody looks more relaxed and more relieved. He is like a working horse, takes a lot of our chores away from us. He likes to joke that he is repaying us, especially Niang, for all the hard works we have done while he was away.
We did not sell any of the duck eggs, instead we soaked about 100 of them in salted water and sealed them with mud in clay jars. For the rest of the duck eggs, Papa decided to hatch all of them. Other than putting duck eggs under our own hatching hen, Niang was out every day visiting our neighbors and relatives asking for the favor of hatching duck eggs with their hens. Usually, every family will have about a couple of hens in their house yard and they are willing to do it for us with a gift of five chicken eggs.
The fish farm is also on the way. Papa and Ponu made a few large top-open bamboo baskets. Instead of catching fish one by one with bamboo net, they can now capture basketful fish by simply lifting it up. I was totally amazed on their invention. After all, I cheated on ideas with all my past (or rather future) knowledge. But ideas from Papa are genuinely creative.
However, there is still one thing I need to remind Papa. I simply don’t know how to start the conversation. In order to have a real fish farm, a helping hand is always needed in the reproduction process. If left alone, majority of the small fish would end up as the food for bigger fish and they will never get the opportunity to grow big. I have seen fish farmers extract sperms and eggs from male and female fish by massaging their belly, then mix them and keep them in a separate tank. Until small fish comes out and grow to certain size, they are cared for in isolated tank without the danger of bigger fish. I just cannot imagine start a conversation like this with Papa, Ponu or anybody in that matter.
When Papa finally got around making me the mooncake mold, I started working on jello, since I was not sure if he would ever have time for it. But the mold turned out to be marvelous. Papa is quite a carpenter. He made a couple of molds with simple but elegant geometry patterns and a couple of beautiful flowery patterns.
The recipe for mooncake requires a lot of ingredients and they are not handily available. The type of mooncake I have worked on is called ice-skin mooncake. Its translucent smooth marble like skin and decorated shape make it more like a piece of art. But it also tastes awesome. The wrapper for mooncake requires four major ingredients: rice, sweet rice, wheat, and wheat starch. Wheat and rice only need to be grounded into fine powder. But for wheat starch, which gives the translucent look, it needs to be washed away with all the glutens. As for sweet rice, it needs to be soaked, grounded and squeezed dry. After mixing and steaming them, with the right ratio, I colored them in different colors: green (with green tea), purple (with taro juice) and red (with safflower juice). There are three kinds of stuffing: green bean paste, red bean paste and mixed chopped nuts. They all been added with honey. Wrapping different stuffing with different wrappers, I made a total of nine kind of mooncakes with different wrappings or stuffings. I don’t know which one General Wei will like, but hopefully he will like at least one.
It is also quite tedious making the jello. Unable to find a supermarket with the boxed gelatin powder. I have to make the gelatin from scratch: boil pork skin in water, then scrap off all the residues fat from the cooked skin; Chop them into small pieces and boil them again in a fresh port of clear water for two hours. After numerous filtering with linen cloth, the clear liquid then becomes the gelatin water, which I can work with just as the store sold one. I like to make jello with flowers and fruits inside. In the middle of fall, I can only find sweet olive flowers, lotus flowers and mums flowers. Gently put flowers or diced fruits in clear gelatin water in small tea cups, adjust their look and position with a chopstick, in couple of hours, the jello is ready to eat. It looks like beautiful flowers or colorful fruits frozen inside an ice cube.
It is a lot of work making gelatin and mooncakes. But every time thinking of General Wei, my forever hero, will have the chance eating them, I know it will worth every bit of the effort.
If staying alive is my only goal in this world, meeting General Wei is the huge bonus, lottery size.
On tenth day of August in Han’s calendar, five days before the mid-autumn festival, my whole family, put on our best dresses, wore our best wooden clogs, hopped on a rented buffalo wagon, and went to visit General Wei in capital Chang’an, which is about 40 Li (12 miles)away.
But he was not home. The guards told us he went to Weiyang Palace and they do not know when he would be back. Disappointed by me, expected by Papa, we left them our gift contained in three tiered, red lacquered wood box.
It has dampened my spirit big time. I did not feel like doing anything since we came back. I am not sure if those guards will truly give the gift to General Wei. After all, they looked at us like a bunch of poor peasants. Although Papa knew one of the guards, with whom they went to war together, it is still very clear we are just like so many other visitors flocking in front of General Wei’s front door. After the last astounding victory over Xiongnu, including 15,000 captives and millions cattle and story of how Xiongnu’s Right Worthy Prince ran for his life with only his concubine following, General Wei has been made the Generalissimo of all armed forces. Eleven generals under his command have been made Marquesses.
Papa promised me to visit General Wei again at Spring Festival, which is about four months away. Who knows if he will be available at that time? I know everyone at home must think I am very childish, I don’t blame them. How can they imagine the excitement in meeting a legend two thousand years in the past? How can anybody imagine that?
The only thing that cheered me up is when Jinu came home yesterday and he brought me the handsaw and handplane that I had him make for me. I showed Papa these two tools and he immediately liked them. So I gave them to him. With Papa’s carpentry skill, I know he can make better use of them.
“Shiaonu! Shiaonu!” Ponu runs to me when I am standing in the silt pulling out lotus root from the swamp.
“What is it?” I ask him. Summer is gone, all the lotus roots are ready to be pulled. They can be made in lots of dishes: soups, desserts, and salad. Niang likes the lotus root desserts with olive flowers and honey.
“General Wei is here.” He says while helping me put the lotus root in the basket. “Hurry.”
I cannot believe what I am hearing. “You mean, he is here? Here in our house?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” He grabs the basket with his right hand and extends his left hand to me. “Hurry, let’s go home.”
So we run home.
There is already a crowd at the front door of our house. Neighbors are talking and cheering. But they are kept away by two guards in uniform. There are five horses with their reins tied on the tree branches in front of our house.
Ponu and I get in without any trouble.
They are all in the front yard. Everybody is standing while one guy with a short cloak is sitting by the stone table. I assume he is General Wei. Another two guards are standing behind him.
They all turn to us when Ponu and I come in. Papa stops us first when h
e sees us. He quickly scolds me in low voice. “Where are your shoes? How did you get yourself so dirty?”
I open my mouth but don’t know what to say. I forgot my wooden clogs by the pond. Papa shakes his head in disapproval, then he turns to General Wei.
“Please pardon their rudeness, General Wei.” Papa says. “They are my younger son and daughter. They have lived in the country all their lives. They don’t know how to behave properly.”
Wow, I stare at Papa with my eyes wide open. I am not used to such a humble tone.
General Wei, with a smile on his face, looks at Ponu first, then at me. I feel my blood rushing towards my ears, since I can hear nothing but blood whooshing sound.
He is not quite what I expected. He is at his thirties with long and narrow face. He is very good-looking with straight nose and soft eyes. But he attracts others not by his external beauty, but by his calm and gentle disposition. He has the power of soothing others by just looking at you. His slender build and almost artistic temperament makes him more like a highly intelligent professor in college than a macho general that kills thousands in battles. Two small dimples, partially covered by his mustache, make him look like he smiles all the time. If there is anything betraying his professor outlook, it must be his rough skin, frown lines as well as the crow’s feet at the outer corner of his eyes, which only add the age-perfected grace to the overall enchantment surrounding him.
My mind has drifted away about General Wei when Papa’s raises his voice to me.
“Shiaonu.” His voice is stern. “Pay your respect to General Wei and stop the staring.”
I blush right away. Even in my most laid-back San Diego beach style, staring is still very rude.
Then I become panicked. I don’t know how to perform a curtsy in Han’s style. Nobody ever taught me that. Quickly searching all the scenes I have seen on Chinese movies and TV dramas, I think it should be holding both hands together by the side of waist and then lower on one knee. But I don’t remember which side hands should be and which leg should be lowered. So I put my hands on my left side and lower my left knee. In the middle of all this, through the corner of my eyes, I see Ponu simply bow down with his two hands holding in front of him. I stop what I am doing midway and repeat what Ponu just did. Then I know I was wrong when I heard the sneer. Only men are supposed to pay respect that way.
I have made a big fool of myself.
While everyone laughs and Papa swallows a hard embarrassment, General Wei, ignoring everyone, stands up and walks to me. He puts his right hand on my head. I only reach his chest. He should be about six feet tall.
“Your name is Shiaonu?” he asks. His voice is gentle and warm.
“Yes,” I answer sheepishly, with my face burning red.
“I have really enjoyed your mooncakes and jellos. They are beautiful and delicious. I have never had anything like them before. Thank you very much!” His eyes are soft and his words are softer.
My heart has been stolen by his kind words, gentle manner and considerate nature.
“You really like them?” I ask him foolishly.
He nods to me with a smile curling up his lips.
“Oh, that’s so wonderful. That makes my day. No, that makes my year. No, no, no, actually, it makes my whole life. I am so glad. I am so happy. I am going to laugh loud.” I don’t even know what I am talking now. My laughters cannot be contained in my chest any more. They escape out loudly and cheerfully.
“General Wei ate my mooncakes and my jellos. And he just told me he loves them.” I yell loudly and proudly.
I have finally reached out to somebody who is not only two thousand years away from my time, but also a hero being worshiped as a god in history.
NOTHING CAN TOP THIS!
Laughter joins me again. I must have been the best entertainment for them today. But I don’t care. I don’t care and I really don’t care. None of them understand the significance, none of them understand my joy, and none of them understand the impossibility.
Then the thought that nobody in this world understand me saddens me.
I have been coping relative well in this ancient world. But at this moment, I just want to share this exciting news with someone, anyone. But not a single person in this world. I suddenly miss my mom, my dad, and my grandparents. If any one of them knows about what have happened, he or she will be able to understand my joy and celebrate the historical moment with me. But no, not a single one here. I am here all alone, with a secret that is too big to bear. I don’t know if anybody has noticed my missing, or if there is another imposter has already taken over my body and everything mine has become hers, just like what I have done to Shiaonu. If they don’t know I was gone, how will they ever come to help me? If so, will I, by myself, ever find a way to go back? Or if I will ever be able to go back.
The thought of never be able to go back finally hits me. All these time, I have kept myself busy in seeking ways to hide my true nature and blending with the world. But now I feel being abandoned.
Tears well up in my eyes. The excitement of meeting General Wei as well as the feeling of abandonment, all surge out at the same time. My face is covered with running tears and I try to stop them by keep wiping my eyes with my sleeves.
General Wei looks at me with a surprise in his eyes. He probably has never seen anybody switch from laughter to tears instantly. And he is probably wonder what he said caused my tears.
I believe I have successfully shocked everyone. They are all in silence.
I feel Ponu’s hand reaching to me. I turn to him, with teary eyes. He pulls me inside his arms and lightly pats on my back.
“It’s all right. It’s all right.” He calms me like I am a baby.
“Ponu,” I sniffle. “I must look like a fool.” I hide my face further into his arms and continue sobbing.
I hear Papa apologize to General Wei again. “My daughter is a country girl. She really does not have any manner at all. Please forgive me for not teaching my daughter properly.” Papa’s words make me want to laugh.
“On the contrary, I like Shiaonu a lot. She is just like a crystal, with all emotions clearly shine through. She has a heart of Linglong.” Linglong heart usually describe people who likes to think more and can feel more emotions than others.
“Thank you for your kindness. General Wei.” Papa says. “Shiaonu is truly a very smart kid. She can see things others don’t see. She can think of things others has never thought of.”
I raise my head away from Ponu’s chest. “I am very sorry that I have made such a scene. Please forgive me. I am just very glad that you like the desserts I have made.”
Through my red puffy eyes, I see General Wei is looking at me thoughtfully as if he is evaluating me.
“There is nothing need to be forgiven. “ He says. “Many have lost the freedom of laughing or crying at will. Enjoy it when you can do both freely.”
I wipe off my last tear. “Thank you. From now on, I will behave like a lady.”
Somebody made a snorting sound. General Wei turns and gives a sharp look at one of his guard, who I paid no attention to.
“Just be yourself.” General Wei says.
“Shiaonu,” Papa turns to me. “General Wei wants to know if you can make more mooncakes and jellos. He’d like to present them as gifts to Emperor Wu and Empress Wei at the Moon Banquet.”
Empress Wei is the sister of General Wei, who gave birth to the oldest son for Emperor Wu.
“I will be honored. When do you need them?” I ask.
“Can it be ready by the mid-autumn festival, which is two days from now?”
“How many you’d like me to make?”
“How about four for each serving. I will need 100 servings.”
“It will be ready by noon in two day.”
“That is perfect.” General Wei stands up. “I will send someone to pick them up.”
Then he waves to one guy, who bring out a purse in gold thread. “This is the fee. If it’s not enough, jus
t let me know and I will send more.” General Wei says to Papa.
Papa pushes back a little. Then with the insistence from General Wei, he takes the purse.
General Wei then turns to me. “Shiaonu, hopefully I will see you laugh more in the future.”
A little embarrassed, I say to him “I will.”
General Wei says goodbye to us and walks out. We walk out with them and see them get on their horses.
I then remember our duck eggs.
“Wait, General Wei, just wait a little.” I say to him. “I have something for you.”
I run back to our kitchen and take one Jar of salted eggs. It’s heavy, so when I carry it to them, I am out of breath.
“They are salted eggs from our own ducks. You can boil them like hard-boiled eggs.” I say to him. “They taste great when you drink wine.”
General Wei laughs. “Shiaonu, thank you very much. I am sure I will enjoy them a lot.”
Then he turns to one guy. “Qubing,” he says, “Get the eggs.” Then he laughs and rides off.
I freeze with the name Qubing. Can it be true? Qubing, Huo Qubing, General Wei’s nephew? The one who has been called “Empire’s Two Pillar-Stones” along with General Wei?
I raise my head to see the guy on the horse approaching me. He is in the dark shadow and I cannot tell what he looks like.
He lowers his body, extends his right arm and takes the jar away.
“You are still a weird girl with lots of weird thoughts.” He whispers by my ear. “And a little liar too.”
Ugh…I finally recognize him.
5 Family History
What were inside the purse are two gold cakes, gold ingots made in cake shape. Each one is about the size of my palm and weight about 200 grams. It’s my first time ever see gold in Han. Usually we use the money coins made of copper in round shape with a square hole in the middle. People likes to link them together through the middle holes with a string for easy carrying. Then there is silver, which to my family, it’s a rare item. But gold cake, I wonder if my parents have ever seen them.
My Soul is in the Sky Page 4