CHAPTER 63  ::  Contributions are pooled to facilitate a good match, and wise plans are made to redirect Twin Jade’s feelings

The clients who were having a tea party in the upstairs rooms were Lai the Turtle, Iron Hua, Fourth Qiao, and Seventh Qiao. Fourth Qiao had been a regular client of Twin Pearl, so he had called Twin Jade to parties several times for his brother Seventh Qiao. That was why, though the four of them had come together, they occupied two separate rooms. When Benevolence Hong and Cloudlet Chen arrived, Lai was chatting with Twin Pearl. Since Benevolence was an old client, Twin Pearl did not have to hurry downstairs to entertain him, so she just talked on with considerable animation. Twin Jade, hoping to ask Benevolence to pass on a message to Modesty Zhu, went downstairs and used the back door of Twin Jewel’s room as a shortcut. That was how she heard Cloudlet Chen and Twin Jewel talking and then saw Benevolence holding up a hand in warning. Twin Jade, shocked by what she had heard, was anxious to get to the root of the matter. But on second thought, she realized Modesty Zhu’s betrothal was probably to be kept under wraps and she had to be circumspect, so she walked into the room and greeted Cloudlet Chen and Benevolence Hong and then sat down to keep them company, not showing that she was in the know.

Presently Twin Pearl came in, and Twin Jade took the opportunity to go back upstairs. She waited until evening when the clients had all gone and the house closed for the night before she went to see Orchid Zhou. The latter, all kindness, told her to sit down.

Twin Jade said gently, “Since you bought me, Mother, I’ve dedicated myself to working for you. Except for you, I don’t have any other kin, and aside from work I never think of anything else. Now that Fifth Young Mr. Zhu is engaged to be married, that’s a business opportunity for you, Mother. You should invite him here and let me ask him about it, then you won’t have to worry he won’t give you money, Mother. Why did you keep it from me? For fear that he would give you too much money and you’d be too polite to take it?”

“I didn’t keep it from you,” Orchid Zhou replied. “Fifth Young Mr. Zhu said he was afraid you’d be unhappy if you heard about his engagement, so he told us not to talk about it.”

“You must be joking, Mother. I have so many clients, someone even better than Fifth Young Mr. Zhu won’t be too hard to find! Are you afraid no one will marry me? Why should I be unhappy?” said Twin Jade.

When she heard this, Orchid Zhou broke out into laughter. She then told Twin Jade all about Modesty Zhu’s betrothal to Script Li’s daughter at the end of the eighth month. Now Twin Jade recalled that during the last two months the word “wife” had always been on Twin Jewel’s lips. “She was mocking me!” she thought. Anger filled her heart, and she could no longer suppress her tears. Her weeping gradually grew louder.

Orchid Zhou regretted saying the wrong thing. Twin Jade resumed, “Elder Sister and I work for you out of filial duty, Mother, and you have never said a cross word to us. What bugs me is Twin Jewel. She gets no business at all, and the money that the two of us earn for you goes to feed and clothe her. She sits there with nothing to do and spends her time thinking up ways to laugh at me and run me down!”

“She wouldn’t dare, surely!” Orchid Zhou said.

Twin Jade then recounted in detail Twin Jewel’s innuendoes and sarcastic remarks, adding a little embellishment. The information made Orchid Zhou so angry she shouted repeatedly for Twin Jewel who hurried in, trembling with fear. Not bothering to question her, Orchid Zhou just picked up an opium pipe and aimed it at her head. But Twin Jade reached out and caught it in her hand, saying, “Mother, don’t! If you beat her now, she’ll just take it out on me later, and you’ll never know about it. If you’re fond of Twin Jewel, just let her return to the room upstairs. As for me, you can send me to work in a second-class house. There I wouldn’t be laughed at and abused, so I’d get some peace and work even harder to bring in more earnings for you, Mother.”

Outraged, Orchid Zhou threw down her opium pipe and demanded, “Am I fond of Twin Jewel? The only reason she’s still here is that your elder sister said that we’re sometimes too busy and it’s good to have Twin Jewel around to substitute at parties. Otherwise she’d have been sent away long ago. Why should I be fond of Twin Jewel?”

Twin Jade laughed ironically. “Mother, you’re always saying you’ll send Twin Jewel away, but she’s still here, right? And you say you’re not fond of her?”

Orchid Zhou became furious, “That’s not a problem. I’ll send her away tomorrow. Save your breath; there’s no need to dwell on this.”

“Don’t be angry, Mother. Twin Jewel and I both belong to you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re fond of us or not. Even if someone has to be sent away, the matter should be discussed first. What’s the hurry?”

Orchid Zhou pondered over this, her anger subsiding somewhat. Then she shouted at Twin Jewel to clear off and asked Twin Jade quietly what there was to discuss.

“Mother, I’m sure you can work it out yourself. Twin Jewel’s purchase price was three hundred dollars. Even if that was money down the drain, that’d be your total loss. But if she stays here, she brings no business, and her expenditure is exactly the same as ours. If that goes on for several years, won’t it be a terrible waste of money? The way I look at it, Mother, it’s better to let Twin Jewel go.”

Orchid Zhou nodded in agreement. Twin Jade continued, “Elder Sister’s business is good, so she needs Twin Jewel to substitute at parties. My business is just so-so. When Twin Jewel’s gone, I can substitute for Elder Sister at parties.”

Orchid Zhou again nodded. So it was that she and Twin Jade made the decision to resell Twin Jewel to Second Sister Huang’s house and Twin Pearl heard nothing about it. The next day, when Orchid Zhou told Pearlie to go to Second Sister’s and talk to her, a surprised Twin Pearl asked what it was about and only then did she learn of the decision.

“Mother, at your age, you really should do some good deeds!” Twin Pearl remonstrated with her. “Second Sister Huang is not the same kind of person as you. Under her, Twin Jewel will be wretched. If you’ve made up your mind you don’t want Twin Jewel, Mother, I suggest you talk it over. The client named Ni from the general goods store is quite close to her. We can invite him over and ask him if he wants her. If he does, then Twin Jewel will have a good place to go to, and we don’t lose on the ransom price, either. Don’t you think that’s the right way, Mother?”

Orchid Zhou, seeing the logic of this, recalled Pearlie and sent Worth instead to Great Prospects Grocery Store in South End with Twin Jewel’s card to invite the owner’s son, Mr. Ni, to come. Twin Jade was resentful of the fact that this arrangement would bring Twin Jewel a good match, but as it was Twin Pearl’s idea, she dared not object.

Shortly afterward, Worth returned, followed by Mr. Ni. He went into Twin Jewel’s room, where Orchid Zhou greeted him and proposed the match. Ni was overjoyed and agreed at once. But then a thought struck him: aside from the ransom price of three hundred, he needed another two hundred to pay for the wedding. How could he raise so much money at once? He began to hesitate. Afraid that the matter would fall through, an extremely worried Twin Jewel went secretly to beg Twin Pearl to think of a way out. Twin Pearl took the exceptional measure of inviting all her best clients, including Benevolence Hong and Fourth Qiao, and told them about this. She then suggested that they club together to help make up the deficit. As they were all kind-hearted people, none demurred. Benevolence even told Modesty Zhu about it. He also contributed a share but kept it from Twin Jade.

Soon it was the wedding day. Mr. Ni came with a band, lanterns bearing his family name, and a bridal sedan chair—the full regalia for marrying a wife. Twin Jewel kowtowed to his ancestors alongside him, drank with him from the same wine cup, and then sat beside him on the wedding bed, where they were inspected by the wedding guests. Three days after the wedding, she came back for the bridal home visit accompanied by Ni. Both of them kowtowed to Orchid Zhou, and he addressed her as “Mother-in-law” as he knelt down. Embarrassed by this, Orchid Zhou hastily bought a set of standard gifts for the son-in-law—a pair of boots and a hat—and gave it to him. She also gave a banquet in their honor, and they did not leave until late at night.

After Twin Jewel’s marriage, Twin Jade no longer had an enemy, so life was quiet and peaceful. Orchid Zhou wanted to persuade her to receive overnight guests again but had not yet spoken about it outright. Twin Jade, who was aware of this, made a plan. First she went to the kitchen and freed all the crickets she had been keeping in the hollowed centers of pears. Then she told Worth to buy very strong sorghum spirit on the excuse that she needed to clean opium stains on her clothes. Finally, she sent Pearlie to invite Fifth Young Mr. Zhu over.

Having heard that news of his betrothal had leaked out, Modesty Zhu knew a row was inevitable. Since there was no escaping it, he answered her summons apprehensively, overcome by shame and guilt. Surprisingly, a smiling Twin Jade welcomed him. She held his hand and made him sit down, looking as high-spirited as ever. Modesty, who could not make out her intention, just looked at her in silence. When evening approached, he got up to take his leave, but she drew him to one side and whispered tenderly, asking him to stay the night. He did not have the heart to say no, so he nodded and obeyed.

Soon it was time for the party calls, which came one after another. Twin Jade changed into party clothes and went out, leaving Clever Baby behind to serve Modesty a simple dinner in her room. After Twin Jade came back, a succession of clients came for tea parties; she was run off her feet. It was not until midnight that the carriages gradually left and the smoke in the room dispersed.

Twin Jade closed the front and back doors and bolted them. When she turned around, she saw Modesty taking off his shoes to get into bed.

“Let’s not go to bed yet. There’s something I need to do,” she said with a smile.

He asked in surprise what it was. She came over to sit beside him on the edge of the bed and leaned forward to put both hands on his shoulders. Then she told him to put his right arm around her neck and press his left hand on her heart. Looking him in the face, she asked, “When we were in Conical Hat Garden in the seventh month, we also sat together like this; do you remember what we said?”

Modesty knew they had vowed then to be husband and wife and to live and die as one. He was struck dumb, unable to answer, but Twin Jade pressed him. Finally, he just said, “Yes.”

“I thought you would,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got something nice here. Do have some.” She took out two teacups from a drawer. They were filled with a dark liquid.

“What is it?” he asked, startled.

“This one is for you. I’ll keep you company, too.” She was still smiling.

He took a sniff and detected the burning smell of sorghum spirit. “What’s in the liquor?” he asked in alarm.

She put the cup to his lips and urged him with a charming smile, “Come on, drink up.”

He tasted a little with the tip of his tongue and found it extraordinarily bitter. Realizing it had to be opium, he pushed it away. She had thought he probably would refuse to drink it, so she pinched his nose shut and, as he opened his mouth to breathe, forced most of it down his throat. He fell back onto the bed. As the bitter and fiery taste exploded in his mouth, he tried his best to spit it out. Finally, it spurted out like a red shower, covering the bedsheets and quilt. He propped himself up and was just going to spit some more when he saw Twin Jade pick up the other cup and gulp down its contents. He did not even have time to shout for help; he just threw himself at her, snatched the cup, and smashed it on the floor. Then she tried to grab what was left in the other cup. He managed to sweep it onto the floor, too. Only then did he shout for help.

Orchid Zhou, who was downstairs, had paid no attention when she first heard the sound of the cups breaking. When Modesty called out, however, she suspected something had gone wrong. Holding an opium lamp in her hand, she came upstairs to look around. Modesty rushed forward to unbolt the door and ushered her in. Orchid Zhou was shocked to see that his hands, mouth, and clothes were all stained by opium. Then she saw Twin Jade lying back stiffly in the leather chair panting, with opium smeared all over her face.¹

“What happened?” she asked in a panic.

Modesty just stuttered and stamped his feet in futile anxiety.

Fortunately, Twin Pearl, Clever Baby, and Pearlie had not yet gone to bed. One after the other, they came into the room and, seeing the situation, guessed what had happened. Twin Pearl immediately asked, “Well, did you drink any?”

Modesty just pointed urgently at Twin Jade. Twin Pearl understood and called out for a manservant to go quickly to the Hope Hospital to get an antidote.

Clever Baby fetched warm water for Modesty and Twin Jade to wash their faces and rinse their mouths. Modesty cleaned his hands and face and spat out the remaining opium. Twin Jade, furious, stood up abruptly, her eyes round with fury. She cursed him between gritted teeth. “You heartless rascal, you deserve to be chopped up into a thousand pieces! You said we’d die together, so why didn’t you die just now? When I go before the king of hell, I’ll come back and drag you there with me, you damned scoundrel! Let’s see where you’re going to hide!”

Orchid Zhou was still stunned, so Twin Pearl tried to reason with Twin Jade. “It’s true Fifth Young Master is at fault; he shouldn’t have got engaged. But you’re young, and there’re things you don’t understand. You shouldn’t listen to the nonsense clients tell you. Even if Fifth Young Master is not engaged, would he be able to make you his wife?”

Twin Jade shouted before Twin Pearl could finish. “Who’s talking about wives? You ask him, who was it who said we’d die together?”

Modesty slapped his thigh in frustration and said in tears, “It’s not my doing! Elder Brother arranged it all. I couldn’t get in a single word!”

Twin Jade rushed at him and poked him hard with her finger, cursing, “You swine, you’re good for nothing! Of course your elder brother arranged it! I’m asking you why won’t you die?”

Modesty was so frightened, he backed hastily away from her. In the midst of all this confusion, the manservant returned with a bottle of antidote that Pearlie hurriedly poured into two glasses. Modesty suspected that he had not yet spat out all the opium, so he immediately took a sip. Enraged, Twin Jade snatched the glass and threw it right at his face, splashing the solution all over his head. Fortunately, he twisted sideways, and the glass flew by his ear, missing him. Standing at a safe distance, he pleaded with her, “Please drink some of it. Once you take the antidote, I’ll do whatever you want, all right?”

“What do I want?” Twin Jade yelled. “I want you to die, that’s all I want!”

Orchid Zhou and Twin Pearl said in unison, “Leave the matter of dying till later. Just drink the antidote now.”

Pearlie and Clever Baby also tried everything they could think of to persuade her to take the medicine. Twin Jade snorted. “Stop all this wheedling! Just put it down, and I’ll take it,” she said. “Since he refuses to die, why should I die in front of him? I won’t take my own life until he drops dead.” So saying, she picked up the glass and sipped at it slowly. Clever Baby wrung a hot towel and proffered it. Twin Jade gave her face a quick wipe. Soon she felt her stomach churn. It was followed by a gurgling noise in her throat, and she brought up some water. Orchid Zhou and Twin Pearl supported her on either side and told her to concentrate on bringing up the opium. She kept cursing as she vomited. This lasted until daybreak, when her stomach finally settled somewhat. Everybody felt relieved, but it was too late for bed then, so an order was given to the kitchen to start the coal stove and heat up some congee for a snack.

Modesty knew that Twin Jade would not leave the matter alone, so he secretly begged Twin Pearl to think of a way out.

Twin Pearl frowned. “You know what Twin Jade’s temper is like, Fifth Young Master. Would she listen to anybody? Besides, we’re her own people, so it wouldn’t be right for us to speak about this. Even if we do, it’ll be no use. But if you ask a friend to come and persuade her, she may be willing to listen.”

Thus reminded, Modesty immediately wrote a note and told a manservant to go quickly to South End to invite Mr. Hong of the Flourishing Ginseng Store there. The others helped Twin Jade into bed and dispersed; Modesty, who had not slept himself, stayed to keep watch alone. His vigil lasted until noon, when Benevolence Hong graciously answered his summons. After welcoming him, Modesty asked him into Twin Pearl’s room and told him in detail what had happened the night before. He beseeched Benevolence to talk to Twin Jade.

Benevolence promised to do so and then walked over to Twin Jade’s room. He found her propped up in bed, her head down, taking a nap. Benevolence drew near and called her name softly. She opened her eyes and, seeing him, got up and asked him to sit down.

“Feeling all right?” Benevolence asked casually.

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.]