The Concubine's Daughter (31 page)

With the mooring ropes ashore, Li descended the gangway, stepping, as Miss Bramble had taught her, with the dignity and measured pace of one who could not be hurried. As befitted a person of station, she was wearing the smart uniform of the Double Dragon comprador, which she had designed herself—a fitted
sam-foo
of cherry red, the double-D crest embroidered in gold thread on its breast, her hair held by a comb of ivory and mother-of-pearl. Over her shoulder she carried a splendid sunshade of pale yellow silk, and in her hand a closed sandalwood fan.

Li stepped from the gangway. Wang the steward, smartly dressed in his crisp white uniform, followed a few paces behind, leading two deck boys loaded with an assortment of wrapped packages.

The unmistakable figure of Ah-Jeh appeared at the window of her
office. She hurried down to welcome the unexpected arrival, bowing before the young woman in red. The waddling figure, grown even fatter over the past couple of years, led the way, the
swish
,
swish
,
swish
of her
tzow
even more pronounced than Li remembered.

In the silk room, the same large room where her father had abandoned her, the packages were stacked upon the table. Li was made comfortable in the silk-lined seat reserved for visitors of importance, while tea was set before her in a silver-mounted cup.

“You do not recognize me?” Li asked when the superintendent showed no sign of it. “Perhaps because my face was bruised and swollen, my hair had been cut off and my body caked with mud and the droppings of swine the last time you saw me; I could not stand because you had crippled me. You saw me dragged from the river more dead than alive. You watched, I believe, from your window, cursing me from a distance because you had not the courage to face me.”

Ah-Jeh’s thin brows drew down in a moment of confusion; her mouth opened and closed like a fish in a jar. She looked so absurd that Li wondered how this pudding of a woman could have once controlled her life.

“Do not be alarmed; I have returned only on matters of business. First, I come to pay the
sung-tips
of the
mung-cha-cha
family. Let us settle this first.” Li found none of the satisfaction she had expected as Elder Sister stood speechless, her eyes, normally so alert, blank with shock and her pallid face flushed as though it had been slapped. Li did not prolong the superintendent’s astonishment. Her tone was expressionless, as befitting simple matters of business. She handed Ah-Jeh a sealed red packet. “You will find the sum far greater than their value to Ming-Chou, and of course there is a generous commission for your services in this matter.”

At that moment Li saw Ah-Jeh as a fat, overfed frog in a small and hungry pond, no match for the wily taipans of the Praia or the seasoned compradors of the Macao godowns. “If you have the authority to close this matter quickly and quietly, without disturbing the great Ming-Chou, your commission will be doubled.” Li shrugged, closing her fan with an air of indifference. “If this cannot be arranged, I shall have to
inform Captain Devereaux … we will be forced to reconsider our offer and perhaps withdraw.”

At the word “we,” Ah-Jeh raised an inquiring eyebrow despite the uncertainty of her position. Now that she saw with much amazement who she was dealing with, her eyes narrowed to mask her thoughts.

“I am comprador to the Double Dragon Trading Company,” Li went on, “under the authority of Captain Devereaux, to whom I am also personal assistant. I speak on his behalf because you and I are known to each other, but if you wish his presence it can quickly be arranged. I warn you, however, Di-Fo-Lo will not be so generous nor as patient as I; he will demand the presence of your master.”

Li found it difficult to suppress a smile at the superintendent’s discomfort, but took advantage of it. “Are not the
mung-cha-cha
known to be a little mad, sometimes rebellious and disobedient; did they not show defiance in my defense? Will life at Ten Willows not be easier for you without such bothersome creatures?”

Ah-Jeh opened the fold of the red packet and fingered the thick wad of banknotes with familiar efficiency. Li did not wait for a reply. “Have the
mung-cha-cha
brought here without delay.”

There was the slightest hint of mockery in the superintendent’s words. “This can be arranged.” She affected a sympathetic tone. “But I am sad to tell you that the Little Pebble no longer works in the groves. Her eyes do not see and her fingers cannot find the cocoons. Her basket is empty.”

Li felt a growing alarm. What punishment Pebble must have endured at the hands of the
sau-hai
for being her friend! But always there had been the laugh and the dance that reassured her:
I will be here waiting, little Crabapple
. Li summoned the courage to ask one hushed question, her mouth suddenly dry. “Is she gone to the Pagoda of Pity?”

Ah-Jeh sniffed. “She forfeited her rights when she too disobeyed the rules of the
mui-mui
.”

Li felt a stab of raw fury at the superintendent’s smugness. “Have her brought here, sick or well. Do as I say or I will bring down powers you cannot imagine to investigate her disappearance.”

Ah-Jeh was quick to respond, spreading her hands in a show of innocence. “She is no longer the responsibility of Ten Willows or of mine.” Again, the shrug of thinly veiled indifference. “Ask the
mung-cha-cha
; perhaps they know what has happened to their Little Pebble.”

“Send for them immediately,” Li snapped. “We will speak of other business while I wait.” She produced a second envelope, sealed with the chop of the Double Dragon and addressed to Ming-Chou in the bold, flowing hand of Ben Devereaux. “This is to be delivered by hand. I do not wish to look upon Ming-Chou’s face, so I pass this urgent duty to you. It contains certain requirements if the Double Dragon is to continue doing business with Ten Willows.” Ah-Jeh left the envelope untouched as Li raised her hand and Wang handed her a wooden spindle.

“The holds of
Golden Sky
and other Double Dragon ships carry many thousands of these each month, and in half the time of any junk on the coast. Ming-Chou’s price has been agreed upon and paid without fail. Yet when delivered, some spindles are found to be imperfect … the golden thread broken or knotted, the quality inferior, the weight inconsistent.” Li placed the spindle beside the letter. “This is now the standard spindle approved by the factories in Shantung and all the big silk cities. It is the exact size, shape, and weight required. From this day, every cargo will be inspected and all other spindles rejected. The Double Dragon will charge a fee for each rejection.”

Ah-Jeh’s protestations of innocence were cut short by the appearance of the
mung-cha-cha
, who had run from the groves, breathless and dirty. They stood hesitantly in the doorway, afraid to enter until Li went to them with open arms, calling out their names and repeating her own. Even then, they stepped back, their hats clutched before them, unable to believe this important lady was truly the little Crabapple.

Only one thing tempered Li’s joy at this reunion. “Where is Little Pebble?” she asked, half afraid of the answer. Her fears were quickly put to rest. “She is in the care of Giant Yun,” Garlic reassured her. “We will take you to her.”

“She will be happy to see you, Crabapple,” Mugwort said.

“We have missed you,” Monkey Nut agreed.

“We thought you had been taken away by the barbarian and sold as a slave,” Turtle added. “Pebble has made up many stories. Is it true that you are the only scholar in the harem of an Arabian prince who pays you in diamonds?”

“It is almost true”—Li laughed—“but he is not an Arab and he pays me in sapphires … and sometimes diamonds.” The
mung-cha-cha
looked at each other wide-eyed.

Li turned to Ah-Jeh. “If our arrangement is acceptable, please have these young ladies bathed in the mill bath house and let the masseurs attend to them. Please see that our business is concluded in two hours’ time.” She indicated the pile of wrapped packages. “Then have them put on these clothes, which are clearly marked with their names. Meanwhile, I would like to inspect the weaving mill.”

The sisters of
sau-hai
looked up from their looms as Ah-Jeh opened the door for Li. Accustomed to occasional visitors, they did not pause in the rhythm of their work.

For a few moments, Li walked among them, breathing in the stale air agitated by worthless fans, the clatter and clank of outdated looms, the cheerless concentration and the absence of laughter. From the steps leading to the superintendent’s dingy office, she looked down one last time upon the weavers of
sau-hai
, the gentle sisters who would have killed her with a smile. She felt no anger or thoughts of revenge, but only pity as she saw that the sisters of
sau-hai
had empty hearts; they had exchanged their souls for the white handkerchief and the colored parasol. Once outside, with the sun on her face, she said a prayer of thanks to Little Pebble for warning her of the price to be paid for a rice bowl that would never be empty,

Fresh from the delights of the bath house, dressed in
sam-foos
of silk, each of a different shining color, with pretty slippers on their feet and their hair brushed and tied with ribbons. the ladies of the
mung-cha-cha
were unrecognizable. Each of them held an open sunshade in pink and blue or green and yellow, as Li led the way along the loading wharf and up the gangway of
Golden Sky
.

Farther upriver at Giant Yun’s hut, Little Pebble was carried aboard, and the
mung-cha-cha
helped her to change her tattered
mien-larp
for one of quilted black chased with gold and silver thread. The family was complete.

“I knew you would not forget us, Crabapple. True scholars forget nothing of great importance.” Little Pebble grinned up at Li. “I am not as strong as I was. I can’t see very well … but I am still a dancer deep inside, and my heart is still filled with secrets.”

Golden Sky
came about, to sail five miles to the jetty of the farm of the old lord, Ah-Bart, who had joined his ancestors at last. As it came into view, the
mung-cha-cha
lined the rail, bewildered by this day of many miracles and amazed by what they saw: The cottage and its outbuildings had been repaired and repainted, with the door now the shade of lucky red. Broken tiles had been replaced, the garden tended, the mulberry trees pruned and heavy with cocoons. The largest of the outbuildings had been converted into a sorting and spinning shed; another contained a new copper boiler and all the necessary tools and equipment for making silk. Beside these a mill of brick and tile had been built, fitted with ample fans, combustion stoves, and the very latest in weaving looms.

There were goats in the newly built pen and pigs in the sty. The waterwheel was turning again with hardly a creak, while contented ducks paddled among the lilies and fat chickens ran loose in an orchard restored to its original glory. Tufts of jade-green rice were already sprouting on the rebuilt terrace, and a pair of donkeys grazed in the field, where a buffalo wallowed in a newly dug fishpond. A new iron plow and a four-wheel cart complete with harness stood waiting in the shed. Moored at the rebuilt jetty was a gaily painted sampan with a sky-blue sail and a diesel motor. Most wonderful of all were the rows upon rows of advanced mulberry saplings that had been planted in the empty fields.

Seen from the deck, the perfection of this riverside scene took Li’s breath away. When she had entered every item in the ledger and tallied up the total cost, the sum was so great she had wondered if it was indeed
possible. Only when Ben assured her that the money amounted to less than he spent on rum and tobacco in a year did she cease to be concerned. Indie Da Silva had arranged the entire operation, delivering materials and a gang of chosen men under the supervision of Wang the steward aboard a Double Dragon workboat.

She looked upon the faces of the
mung-cha-cha
, delighted by their amazement, as she spoke the words that fulfilled a dream she had once thought to be distant as the stars. “This farm is yours. It belongs to the
mung-cha-cha
family.” She held up a scroll. “This is a copy of the deed; it is in my name and I will be your agent in Macao and Hong Kong. It has been purchased by the Double Dragon Company, but you are its rightful owners. Our overseer, Little Pebble, will be your superintendent.”

She laughed with delight at their astounded faces. “It is proudly named ‘the House of the Kindly Moon.’ ” For a moment there was silence, until Pebble found her feet and began to dance, while her sisters clapped and cheered until they were hoarse.

Li had to raise her voice to be heard over the commotion. “The Double Dragon Company has also purchased the adjoining land and will help you build the House of the Kindly Moon into the most efficient and profitable silk farm on the Pearl River. They will buy all your silk and you will repay the loan over ten years.”

She waited for the excitement to settle down. “I have in mind a great friend who can read and write and who is mistress of the abacus. She lives not far from here and will help you in the ways of business as your comprador. She will know where to find me. I am half a day away and we can speak over the telephone.”

She turned to Giant Yun, who had stood well back, witnessing these proceedings with the widest of grins. Li bowed to him. “Ah-Yun, you are our father and our brother, our poet and our oracle. We beg you to join us, to be our guardian and to share our fortune for a hundred years.” The giant bowed his head, unable to find words as the
mung-cha-cha
surrounded him in their joy.

“There is a gardener’s lodge for you by the orchard, comfortably
appointed with a room for your precious shells and treasures of the sea. It is there whenever you wish to make it your own.” There was immeasur able gratitude in her smile and deepest respect in the tone of her voice. “The donkey in the field is for pulling the cart and the buffalo for the plow. Your great strength will always be needed to protect the House of the Kindly Moon and those who share its harmony. You are also master of the sampan, to transport your produce and see that there are always fish to fry and eels for supper.”