by Bangqing Han
Twin Jade laughed derisively before replying, “Mr. Hong, don’t you act as if you haven’t heard anything. I know Fifth Young Master asked you to come and talk to me. I haven’t got anything else to say except I’m determined to die with him. Wherever he goes, I’ll follow, and there’ll be no end to it till we’ve died together. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Benevolence said gently, “Twin Jade, don’t be like that. Fifth Young Master has always been fond of you. The engagement was his elder brother’s decision, so you shouldn’t blame him for it. In this life, what does it matter if you’re called wife or concubine? Let me be the matchmaker, and I’ll see to it that you marry Fifth Young Master. How about that?”
With all her strength, she spat out, “Me? Marry that heartless scoundrel?” After this remark, she lay down, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep.
Seeing no opening, Benevolence recounted the conversation to Modesty, for what it was worth. More worried than ever, Modesty groaned and sighed, not knowing what to do. Benevolence probed Twin Pearl about what Twin Jade really had in mind. To his surprise, Twin Pearl had no idea, either.
“Is there somebody behind this, telling her what to do?” Benevolence said.
“Does Twin Jade need to be instructed by anybody? As for us, we’d only be telling her to work. Would we want her to make a scene?” said Twin Pearl.
Benevolence thought about it from all angles and still found it inexplicable.
“I suspect that Twin Jade behaves like this for two reasons: one is Fifth Young Master, the other is Twin Jewel,” Twin Pearl said.
Benevolence laughed and applauded. “You’re right! Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter.”
As Modesty stood there respectfully waiting to be enlightened, Benevolence pondered over the matter again. Then he laughed and clapped his hands again, saying, “Yes! I got it!”
Modesty inquired about his theory, but Benevolence said, “You keep out of it. You said whatever Twin Jade wanted, you’d let her have her way. Was that true?”
“Yes,” Modesty replied.
“I’ll untie this karmic knot for you, but it will cost seven or eight thousand, maybe up to ten thousand. Are you willing to pay?” Benevolence said.
“Yes.”
“Then everything will be all right.”
Modesty asked what ultimately would be the solution.
“I won’t tell you just now. When everything’s ready, you’ll see.”
Faced with a puzzle he was unable to work out, Modesty could only tell Pearlie to order dishes for a simple meal with Benevolence. Benevolence beckoned Twin Pearl to sit beside him. He put a hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear. It was a long and secretive conversation. Twin Pearl was perfectly in tune with him from the beginning, but when the conversation had finished and she had thought it over, she hesitated and said, “Well, we might try, but I’m not sure it’ll work.”
“I’m sure it will. It’s nothing to them,” Benevolence replied.
Thereupon Twin Pearl went into Twin Jade’s room as negotiator. Pearlie brought in the dinner just then, so Benevolence told her to set it out in Twin Pearl’s room. He and Modesty drank together, sitting opposite each other.
Presently, Twin Pearl returned to report on her mission. “There was some slight interest but also the fear that the matter would fall through and she’d be even more of a laughingstock.”
“Go and tell her that if it doesn’t succeed, I’ll hand Fifth Young Master over to her,” Benevolence said.
Twin Pearl again went to relay the message and then came back to report, “Everything is fine. She says Fifth Young Master is handed over to you for now.”
Benevolence laughed and clapped his hands in delight.
::
1. [Eileen Chang was of the opinion that Twin Jade uses fake opium (made of black pear paste) to stage this scene in order to get what she wants. E.H.]
CHAPTER 64 :: Anger makes Second Treasure pawn her bracelet, and a kick in her chest causes internal injuries
Having finished lunch in Twin Pearl’s room, Benevolence took Modesty into Twin Jade’s room to settle the matter face-to-face. Benevolence volunteered as guarantor so that Modesty could leave with him. Her face suffused with anger, Twin Jade glared at Modesty for a long, long time before she said, “Ten thousand dollars buys you your life; you got a bargain.”
Modesty, hiding behind Benevolence, dared not say anything. To lighten the atmosphere, Benevolence talked and joked as they walked out the front door. On their way, Modesty asked how the ten thousand dollars would be spent.
“Five thousand will be her ransom price, and the rest buys her trousseau so she can get married, and that’ll be the end of it.” Benevolence said.
“Who’ll she marry?” Modesty asked.
“That’s the troublesome part, the marriage. You keep out of it. Just get the money ready, and I’ll see to the rest.”
Modesty wanted Benevolence to go home with him to consult with his elder brother, Amity Zhu. Benevolence reluctantly accompanied him to the Zhu residence in Middle Peace Alley, where he talked to Amity in the outer study. Modesty made himself scarce.
Benevolence took his time relating the reason for Twin Jade’s suicide attempt and Modesty’s intention to buy her off. He then asked Amity to make the final decision. Amity went through a gamut of feelings: shock, regret, and utter devastation. As the matter had reached this state, there was nothing he could do. He sighed and said, “If spending all this money means there’ll be no entanglement afterward, I’ll go along. Still, ten thousand seems a bit much.”
Benevolence could only make a few noises to show agreement.
“I’m entrusting everything to you now,” Amity said. “If savings can be made somewhere, please use your admirable discretion.”
Somewhat shamefacedly Benevolence agreed and took his leave, so Amity walked him to the door, performed a salutation, and watched him depart. Benevolence walked out of Middle Peace Alley to look for a ricksha, but he saw none. Instead, he spotted a young man walking southward with a swaggering gait. At first, Benevolence paid no attention, but when the man drew near, he saw that it was his sister’s son, Simplicity Zhao, who was now much better turned out than before, being dressed in a fairly new lambskin-lined Nanjing silk robe and jacket. Simplicity stopped and greeted him. When Benevolence acknowledged him with a nod, Simplicity reported respectfully, “Mother has been ill for quite a few days and got a little worse yesterday. She misses you often, Uncle. Would you please come over and chat with her?”
Benevolence hesitated for a long while and then heaved a sigh and walked away without looking back.
Simplicity watched his receding figure helplessly and then returned home to Tripod Alley to report back to his younger sister, Second Treasure. “The doctor will be here soon.” He also recounted his encounter with Benevolence.
Second Treasure laughed derisively. “He looks down on us, but we don’t think much of him, either. A store owner like him is not much different from us courtesans who run brothels.”
As they conversed, the doctor arrived. After taking Mrs. Zhao’s pulse, he said, “The old lady is greatly weakened in her constitution. A little Jilin ginseng should be used.” He wrote the prescription and left.
To buy ginseng, Second Treasure took a small jewelry box out from beside Mrs. Zhao’s pillow. But when she opened it, there were only two dollars in the box. In a panic, she asked Simplicity where the money had gone. The latter replied, “We paid the rent this morning. That’s all we have left.”
Afraid that her mother would be distraught if she found out about this, Second Treasure decided to remove the jewelry box. She returned to her own room to consult Tiger, intending to meet the emergency by pawning the five new suits of fur-lined clothes.
“It’s all right if you pawn your own things,” Tiger said, “but you haven’t paid the silk shops yet, so it doesn’t seem right to pawn the clothes, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
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“The bills only amount to a thousand or so. D’you think I’ll fail to repay them?” Second Treasure said.
“Second Miss, now it may seem like very little to you. But when you run out, even a dollar is hard to come by, let alone a thousand!”
Second Treasure refused to feel crushed. She took off a gold bracelet and told Simplicity to pawn it.
“If it’s Jilin ginseng we need, why don’t we get some from Uncle’s store?” Simplicity asked.
Second Treasure spat at him before replying, “You’re the limit! How dare you speak of Uncle again!”
Simplicity covered his face and hurried off. Second Treasure went downstairs to check on Mrs. Zhao and found that she was drowsy, drifting in and out of sleep. When she called out, “Mother,” Mrs. Zhao stirred slightly and grunted faintly. She asked, “Would you like a sip of tea?” A long time passed, and still there was no reply. Second Treasure was deeply troubled.
At that moment, she suddenly heard Tiger call out laughingly, “Why, if it isn’t the Young Master! When did you arrive in Shanghai? Do go upstairs.” This was followed by the sound of boots going up the stairs.
Second Treasure left her mother’s room at once. Seeing a group of men in uniform clustered in the parlor she felt certain it was Third Young Master Shi. She flew upstairs and ran straight into Tiger.
“Who’s in the room?” Second Treasure asked.
When Tiger said it was Third Young Master Lai, not Shi, Second Treasure instantly lost heart. Her legs gave out, and she leaned against a pillar, panting.
“Third Young Master Lai is well known as Lai the Turtle,” Tiger said in a low voice, “but he’s really a good customer, unlike Shi, who’s just empty show. You haven’t had much business for over a month now; it’s time for you to try extra hard. If you get Lai the Turtle, you’ll be able to meet your expenses by year-end.”
Before she had finished speaking, someone started yelling in the room: “Quick, tell the wife to come! Let me see if she really looks like a wife.”
Tiger immediately urged Second Treasure to go in. Second Treasure saw two men occupying the seats of honor. One of them was Iron Hua, so the other had to be Third Young Master Lai.
Since Lai had been cheated of a considerable sum in gambling during his last visit to Shanghai, this time he decided to stick to a few respectable friends. Having heard that Twin Jade was the third of the “wives,” he had asked Iron Hua to bring him here to see what Second Treasure was like.
When Second Treasure walked up to him, Lai took the opportunity to pull her toward him for a good appraisal. Then he chuckled and said, “So this is Third Shi’s wife! Good! Excellent!”
Although she did not understand what he meant, she knew he was mocking her. She ignored him and turned instead to Iron Hua, “Have you heard from Young Master Shi?”
“No,” Iron Hua replied.
Second Treasure complained to him briefly about how Shi had asked her to marry him and then gone back on his words and married in Yangzhou.
“Did he settle his party bills?” Iron Hua asked.
“Before he left, he was going to give us a thousand dollars, but I said to him, ‘Since you’ll be coming back soon, there’s time enough to settle everything altogether.’ We had no idea then that that would be the last we saw or heard from him.”
As soon as Lai heard this, he jumped up, shouting, “Third Shi welshing on his brothel bills? That’s ridiculous!”
Iron Hua said with a smile, “I suppose there must be some reason behind it. How can you believe a one-sided account?”
Second Treasure immediately avoided all mention of the subject.
Tiger eagerly assisted in the entertainment of Lai. Second Treasure was open and polite in her manners. Unfortunately, Lai had taken a fancy to her and kept staring at her until she felt annoyed. She looked down and played with her handkerchief. He reached out surreptitiously, took hold of a corner of the handkerchief, and snatched it away. The handkerchief was torn, and with it two of Second Treasure’s long fingernails measuring over two inches. Shock, pain, and anger flooded over her; she would have given him a piece of her mind, but for the sake of business, she controlled herself. With her handkerchief in his hand, Lai gloated. Tiger took a pair of scissors and handed it to Second Treasure, who cut her fingernails off and put them in a pocket.
She thought she would slip away to avoid Lai when Simplicity peeped in opportunely at the door. Second Treasure walked into the center room, where Simplicity gave her the ginseng he had bought and accounted for the money from the pawnshop. She told him to go downstairs and brew the ginseng; then she counted the money and put it away in the wardrobe in her room.
Lai, faking surprise, asked, “Where does the young man come from? He’s a looker!”
“He’s my brother,” Second Treasure replied.
“I thought he was your husband,” he said.
“That’s nonsense,” Tiger said. She turned around and pointed at Clever. “Over there! He’s her husband.”
Clever, who was filling the water pipe for Iron Hua, was so embarrassed, she turned her face away.
Second Treasure, thoroughly disgusted, left her guests and hid herself in Mrs. Zhao’s room. Iron Hua, sensing her annoyance, straightened his robe and made to leave. Lai, however, could not tear himself away. Egged on by Tiger, he called for the menservants to set the dinner table for a party. Iron Hua could not very well stop him. Lai then asked where Second Treasure had gone off to.
“She’s downstairs, looking in on her mother,” Tiger said. “Her mother’s ill.” She told him about the illness, making up the details as she went along. This went on for a long time, and still there was no sign of Second Treasure, so Tiger told Clever to go get her. Wishing to give a slight hint to the unwanted guest, Second Treasure took her time in coming. Burning with impatience, Lai rushed up to her the minute he saw her, hoping to take her in his arms. She backed off in alarm. He got into such a state that he just waved his arms around and beckoned wildly. She stood at a distance from him, refusing to go near. Anger began to take hold of Lai’s heart.
“What’s your mother’s illness?” Iron Hua asked, pretending to be concerned.
Second Treasure picked up this lifeline at once. She put on a show of being deeply worried and talked incessantly with Iron Hua. Only then were Lai’s high spirits dampened.
Soon afterward, the menservants came in to set the table for dinner. Second Treasure again took the opportunity to slip away. Instead of inviting guests, Lai just called seven or eight girls. He also called three for Iron Hua, White Orchid not among them. Once the call chits had been taken downstairs, he dragged Iron Hua to the table and sat down, not even waiting for hot towels to be brought in. The menservants hurriedly sent up the wine pot, but Second Treasure was not even there to pour the wine for them.
Seeing that nothing was as it should be, Tiger rushed down to Mrs. Zhao’s room. She saw Simplicity sitting in a corner holding the candle, and Second Treasure feeding Mrs. Zhao the medicine with a teaspoon.
Tiger stamped her feet in frustration. “Second Miss! You must come! They’re already seated at the table! I told you to try to please the client, and you give him the cold shoulder instead.”
Second Treasure snapped at her in a low voice, “Who told you to fawn on him? He’s a pest! I don’t feel like seeing him.”
“If you don’t want someone like Third Young Master Lai for a client, why’re you in the business?” Tiger demanded.
Second Treasure turned red in the face.
“You’re the miss; I’m just the maid. It’s of course all up to you. Once the shopping bills and the money I put up have been settled, it’s none of my business.”
Second Treasure realized the hold Tiger had on her; there was nothing she could say. Tiger, now in a sulk, also ignored the party and instead just sat around the kitchen. Clever was left to cope alone at the table, trying her best to make conversation and tell jokes.
Simmering with anger,
Lai looked like thunder, but Iron Hua interceded, saying: “I’ve heard Second Treasure is a devoted daughter. Now I can see it’s true. She must be attending to her mother and can’t get away. This is admirable, truly admirable!” Thus placated, Lai smiled.
Having fed Mrs. Zhao the medicine, Second Treasure helped her lie down again and then returned to her own room to entertain the guests. It happened that the called girls were arriving just then.
“We didn’t call Second Treasure to the party, did we? Why has Second Treasure come without being called?” Lai gave voice to his displeasure.
Second Treasure pretended she did not hear. To prevent a row, Iron Hua asked for large wine tumblers to be brought and challenged Lai to the finger game. Lai gleefully stretched out his hand to do battle. Unfortunately, he was on a losing streak and went down a dozen rounds or more. He drank three tumblers himself; the rest of the wine was taken by the courtesans and their maids. Tiger also came in and drank a cup for him.
Refusing to admit defeat, he kept on playing. Toward the end, he lost another round, and when he looked around, he saw Second Treasure was the only one who had not drunk for him. He specified that this cup was for her, and she drained it in one gulp. When he reached out to take the tumbler back, he happened to touch the back of her hand. She resented the liberty, snatched her hands away, and tucked them in her sleeves.
This reminded him of her previous behavior. He put the cup down, grabbed hold of her collar, and ordered her loudly to come close. She fought against him as if her life depended on it and struggled free. His anger surged, his boot flew up, and he kicked her in the chest, sending her tumbling to the floor. Tiger and Clever rushed to the rescue, but it was too late.
Unable to scramble up right away, Second Treasure started crying and cursing. This made Lai still angrier, and he carried on kicking wildly at her. With nowhere to hide, she rolled all over the floor, crying and cursing all the while. Tiger held Lai around his waist and kept shouting for him to relent. Clever, who blocked him with her body, was kicked to the floor as well. Fortunately, Iron Hua was there to plead for them, and Lai finally stopped.