by Alexa Kang
“Why? Of course I do.” A shy smile came to her face. “I’m going to be part of your family.”
Her words hit him like a whip to his head.
“Oh, look!” She hopped before the display window of a French cafe. “These look so pretty.” She gazed at the desserts on display. “They must taste delicious. Shall we go in?”
He didn’t want to. “It’s almost dinner time. Getting full now would not be very good.”
“Mmm.” She twitched her lips. “I know! How about we split something? Then we won’t be too full for dinner.”
That was an even worse idea. Too intimate. “No. Let’s each order what we want. My treat.”
She smiled and headed inside. He followed, hoping this little detour wouldn’t waylay them for too long.
A French waiter came to their table. “Good afternoon.” He bent toward Shen Yi. “May I take your order?”
Shen Yi scanned the English menu. They waited for her response, but she looked more and more distraught. She looked up at Clark. “Do they have chocolate mousse cake?”
Clark glanced at the menu. Chocolate mousse cake was the first item listed. He pointed it out on her menu. She showed it to the waiter with an awkward smile.
The waiter took down her order. “Anything to drink, miss?”
She stared at him and smiled again.
Didn’t she say she was taking English classes? “Would you like something to drink?” Clark asked her in Chinese.
“Oh.” She turned to him. “Lemon tea.”
“Lemon tea,” Clark said to the waiter and placed his own order for a coffee.
When the waiter was gone, she ducked her head. “English is so hard. My tutor gives me a list of vocabulary to learn every time we have a lesson. I have to memorize twenty new words each week. I told her that’s too many. It gets me all confused.”
Clark gazed down, remembering the old adage, “silence is golden.”
“My tutor must not be very good. Otherwise, my English would be better by now. Anyway, now that you’ve returned, you can teach me instead. I know you’ll do a better job than my tutor.” She put her elbows on the table and dropped her chin into her palms.
What would be the best way to decline without offending her? He froze in his seat, trying to think.
Thankfully, the waiter brought their orders and interrupted their conversation.
“Sugar?” Clark asked her, hoping to divert her thoughts to something else. “How many lumps?”
“Three.” She unfolded her napkin.
Avoiding her eyes, Clark put three lumps of sugar into her cup.
“Oh.” She took a sip of her tea. “My father and mother want you to come visit them.”
“Of course,” Clark said. Out of common courtesy, he had already planned to call on them.
“Now that you’re back and have your diploma, they want to talk to you about our plans.”
“Our plans?”
“Our plans to build our home and family.” She took a bite of her cake.
Clark almost stopped breathing. “About that . . .” He stared at his coffee. How could they follow through on this? This wasn’t a joke or a child’s game. It might have been cute when they were babies, but they were now adults. He and Shen Yi hardly knew each other. Did everyone actually expect him to spend his life with this girl? And what about her? Did she have no reservations of her own? This talk of wedding and marriage came all too soon. He’d barely disembarked the ship. He needed to figure out what it really meant.
He tightened his fingers around the coffee cup handle. “I think now may not be the right time yet for me to attend to that. I’m about to start a new job. I won’t have enough time to properly handle matters related to a wedding at the moment.”
“But your father would accommodate you, wouldn’t he? Certainly, our wedding is important to him too.”
“I’m taking a position as a foreign liaison for the government.” The excuse popped into his head. “It won’t be the same as working for my father. There’ll be a lot for me to learn. The work will be very serious. It’ll entail a lot of responsibilities. Settling into my job has to be my priority at this time.”
“You’re working for the government?” She tilted her head. “Your mother didn’t say anything about that.”
Because he hadn’t told his parents yet. He’d meant to ask for their approval. But now, it would no longer be a request. If he weren’t entirely committed to the decision before, he was now. Anything to postpone having to deal with making the marriage a reality. He took a deep breath. “I haven’t told her. I only decided this morning. I was planning to tell them tonight.”
“In that case.” She put down her fork. There was disappointment in her voice, but she quickly recovered. “A man of course has to focus on his work as a priority. You’re a smart person. I’m sure you’ll settle into your job soon.” She resumed eating her cake.
Clark stirred his spoon in his coffee. “Shen Yi?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure this marriage is what you want? I mean, your parents arranged this before you were even born. Nobody consulted you, but it’s your future at stake. What do you want? Have you ever given that any thought?”
She blinked, her expression blank. Then, her face brightened. “That’s so considerate of you to ask me. It shows you really care about me.” She clapped her hands together. “What I think is, marriage is an important decision, and parents are the ones to decide. That’s how it’s always been done.”
Clark dropped his hand on the table. He had no doubt now. Everyone except him had taken this engagement seriously. Shen Yi and her parents would be a tricky problem to manage.
7
Clark’s Decision
Returning home, Clark found Peng Amah in the living room tending a wound on his father’s knee. When his mother patted a scratch on his father’s forehead with a wet cloth, his father drew back and winced.
“Ba!” Wen-Ying called out as Mei Mei held her fist to her mouth.
“What happened?” Clark came closer to take a look.
“You father fell,” said Madam Yuan, grasping her husband’s forearm. “Hold still.”
Wen-Ying moved to make room for Clark. “He was touring the battery factory. He was about to leave when gunshots rang out. Someone came in shouting, saying the Japanese shot the Chinese soldiers. Everyone started running away. Huang Shifu immediately tried to rush Ba into the car. It was chaos everywhere. Ba tripped. He fell and hit his head on the ground.”
“Ba.” Clark sat down, worried. His father was more than fifty years old. A bad fall could take him months of recovery and cause him to suffer pain for a long time. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Just external skin wounds.” Mr. Yuan waved his hand as Peng Amah finished wrapping bandages around his knee and took the medication away. “What I worry about more are the Japanese. I haven’t forgotten what happened four years ago. They’re still at it. They want to take over Shanghai.” He was referring to the infamous January 28 Incident in 1932 Tang Wei had talked about. In that incident, the Japanese instigated an apparent anti-Japanese riot to move their military into Shanghai and attacked the areas around the city north of Soochow Creek. “Sooner or later, this is going to be an all-out war,” he said, pointing his finger in the air.
“Really, Ba?” Mei Mei curled her shoulders.
“Don’t say such outrageous things,” Madam Yuan scolded him. “You’re frightening everyone. This kind of talk was what led to the mad rush that made you fall. The Japanese and Chinese soldiers got into a scuffle, nothing more.” She glanced over at Clark, her eyes seeking his affirmation. “Uncle Six found out later it was an argument that got out of hand. People panicked, that was all.”
Perhaps. Clark wasn’t sure, but nodded anyway. No point worrying his mother any more with a situation they couldn’t control. But in his heart, he knew things weren’t so simple. Like Tang Wei said, the Japanese were crouching there l
ike a beast. The rush to panic showed how nervous people were. A brawl between the Chinese and foreigners from any other country would not have caused a stampede. The tensions underlying the presence of the Japanese could not be dismissed, nor could all the “incidents” that had been happening in the northern parts of China since Japan invaded Manchuria. Those incidents had driven the KMT further and further into retreat to the South.
How far did the Japanese want to push this? At what point would the tensions boil over into war?
Was there anything anyone could do to prevent war?
Sitting beside him, Wen-Ying looked to be deep in thought. She was the only one of them who didn’t look rattled. Why? He couldn’t tell. He couldn’t read her face.
Later in the evening, when Mr. Yuan retreated to the study to review the accounting books, Clark took the opportunity to approach him to discuss his plans. With the commotion at the factory earlier today coupled with his father’s fall, he wondered if he shouldn’t wait. But the longer he waited, the more anxious he felt. Delaying the talk was only a futile way of not facing his problems. Steeling himself, he knocked and opened the door.
“Ba.”
Mr. Yuan looked up from his desk. As lightly as possible, Clark stepped into the room and sat down in the chair across from his father. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do now that I’ve returned home. My plan was always to come back and help with our family business, but something else has come up.”
“What’s that?”
“Tang Wei asked me to join the KMT’s Foreign Affairs Bureau. He said the Bureau needs someone to help with building our relationship with America.”
Mr. Yuan took off his glasses. Clark waited, watching for his father’s reaction. He’d gone over in his mind a dozen times what he would say if his father disapproved. His announcements to Eden and Shen Yi about taking a job with the KMT came on the spur of the moment. He’d chastised himself afterward for acting so hastily and binding himself to a promise before he’d thought it through.
But when he did take his time to think, his feelings on the matter changed. What was life all about anyway? Was it enough to settle into Shanghai’s business community and be content? Was balancing the books at the end of the day every day all he wanted? As his family’s only son, he had the duty to continue his father’s and his family’s legacy. He understood that. He had no intention of abandoning his duty. But certainly, he could do more, couldn’t he? In this city filled with laborers, beggars, crooks and criminals, adventurers, and more than enough businessmen, taipans, and triads, he was one of the few people educated enough who could do something to make a difference. Shouldn’t he do more?
Inside, an urge to do something great began to burn. An urge to accomplish at least one blazing feat. The more he thought, the more compelled he felt to join Tang Wei’s cause.
If he had any remaining doubts, his father’s accident earlier today had put those to rest. The fragility of the KMT regime and China was very real. Japan’s aggression was growing and people were anxious. But as long as the powerful Western nations were on their side, they could hold the Japanese in check.
He could do his bit part. There would be plenty of time in the future to make money.
Mr. Yuan put down his glasses. “Is that all?” He relaxed and sat back in his seat. “A man’s ambitions run in all four directions. Your going for a look-see outside isn’t a bad thing.”
“You approve?” Clark gazed up.
“For the country and for the people. One ought to do that too. I won’t object to you doing something for a good cause. I’ve lived through the time when heaven and earth were in one big chaos. All the revolts against the Qing Court. The war with Japan over Korea, and all the struggles to establish a government after the imperial system was overthrown. If the KMT can keep the peace and I can concentrate on my business, it would calm my heart. Having American support would be even better. If they think you can help them with that, you might as well go give it a try. Anyhow, it wouldn’t hurt for you to make some connections within the government. Having people who can look out for you can make many things easier, especially in Shanghai.”
“What about our business enterprises? You don’t need my help?”
“I’m still strong as a tiger.” He slapped himself on the chest. “I’ve only fifty-four. I’ve got many good years left. There’s always Uncle Six too. As long as I and Uncle Six are watching, there’s no need for you to worry. Come to me when you’re ready to join us. It’ll be good for you to face some tests and challenges outside. Strengthen your character. You’ll be even more capable when you decide to return to the fold.”
Clark exhaled with a surge of relief. He’d been away from home too long. His father had always been a reasonable man. Forward-thinking and open-minded too for someone his age from a background so rooted in traditions. He wasn’t uncomfortable with changes in society and customs like his mother, who still prayed and sought answers from the gods and ancestors whenever she had problems and worries. How much had he missed out on learning from his father in the last six years? In the future, he must remember not to neglect to spend more time with the old man. He’d have to make up for the lost time and learn from his wisdom of the ways to be a good person.
“There’s just one thing,” Mr. Yuan said.
“What’s that?”
“The government is a nest for all sorts of crooks and scoundrels. On the one hand, I’d rather you don’t get mixed up with them. On the other hand, it’s impossible to avoid them. Heaven knows we’ve tangled with enough of them to protect our business. And don’t even ask me how much we’ve paid to the gangs to avoid trouble. It’ll be a good opportunity for you to learn how to deal with these types of people, as long as Tang Wei’s there to watch over you. Just be extremely cautious in everything you do.”
So his father had his own motives. Nonetheless, his father was right, and the time had come for him to learn to stand on his own. “I will, Ba.”
Whatever lay ahead, he felt ready.
Hidden in a tiny lane house with only a handful of tables, Xiao Zui Xian, meaning little drunken spirit, was not a restaurant Clark would have noticed if Tang Wei hadn’t invited him to come. The place’s decor was spartan and its service was casual. So how could he have guessed that it served some of the best local dishes in all of Shanghai?
The crystal stir-fried shrimps, tiny shrimps cooked with such purity that left no oil or grease on the plate, slipped right down from the tip of his tongue. The savory Grandma’s pork—those tender, salty, fatty pork pieces braised with sweet glazed sauce, melted in his mouth. The sugar and vinegar fish, deep fried to add texture to the combination of tastes, was the perfect snack to wash down with a beer.
“Here, here, have another glass.” Tang Wei filled both his own and Clark’s glasses. He raised his beer for a toast. “Here’s to wishing you step-by-step, rising high.”
“Thank you.” Clark clinked his glass. This was the first time he had joined Tang for a dinner and beers like real good friends. In the past, Tang was always his older classmate. Their interactions were limited to activities in school. It was a new experience, too, to see Tang a little bit drunk. His face had turned scarlet red.
“Did you have a hard time convincing your father to let you work outside?” Tang asked.
“I was worried he wouldn’t approve. But he was actually open to the idea. He thought it would do me good to see what the world outside is like.”
“That’s good.” Tang finished his beer and waved to the waiter to bring them another bottle. “I was worried he would insist that you follow him to work at your family’s company.”
“He wouldn’t mind me making some connections of my own within the government. It’s hard to believe that when he was a child, China was still ruled by the imperial court. His generation has been through a lot of turmoil and uprisings. With the KMT now keeping things more or less under control, I think what he really wants is peace. He’s a gr
eat admirer of Sun Yat-Sen for rebuilding the country from the start. I guess he’s indulging me a little now when I told him I’ll be helping the Party build relationship with America.”
“In that case, you better not disappoint him.” Tang threw a piece of pork into his mouth. “Our parents have seen too much turmoil. It’s now up to us to see to it they can live their golden days in peace. That’s why the work you and I do will be ever more important.”
“You’re right.” Clark took a sip of his beer.
“My only concern is Chiang Kai-shek isn’t paying enough attention to the Japanese threat. That worries me a little. He’s adamant about wiping out the Communists first.”
“Do you think Japan will dare to make a move and attack again?”
“Don’t you?” Tang asked. Lucidity returned momentarily to his eyes.
“I do worry,” Clark admitted. “There was an incident at our factory earlier this week. A fight broke out between the Japanese and some Chinese soldiers. It caused a stampede and my father fell and got hurt.”
“That’s how those dogs try to poke their way in. Too bad it’s a waste of breath right now to try to get the Party officials to listen. When you start working, you’ll have to do whatever you can to get the Americans to see how much they would lose if they don’t help us keep the Japanese reined in. Anyway, I won’t say any more. The more one says, the more one errs. Tell me about America. Did you ever get a chance to visit New York? How did it compare to Shanghai?”
Clark followed his lead and told him about the time he went to see the Statue of Liberty. In his mind, he reflected on what Tang Wei said. It was their turn now to make life stable, comfortable, and peaceful for their parents. His decision to work for the government was correct.
8
The Foreign Affairs Bureau
In front of the building that housed the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the KMT, Clark took his first step toward the first day of his first job. This was not the path he’d expected to take when he began his trip home from America.