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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."
"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.
When Tiger and Clever helped her up, Second Treasure's hair was in disarray and her makeup completely smeared. She looked like a demon. Her sense of grievance made her reckless. She jumped straight off the ground and, crying and cursing, was determined to kill herself by hitting her head against the wall. Would Lai have stood for such a scene? His temper flared, and he barked, "Come!"
His four sedan-chair bearers and four menservants immediately appeared at the door, standing at attention. Lai swung his arm and barked, "Smash!" The eight men instantly tucked up the hems of their robes and, swinging their arms and brandishing their fists, started to smash everything in sight. Furniture, drapery-nothing escaped save the paraffin lamps.
Knowing Lai was beyond persuasion, Iron Hua slipped away and left in his sedan chair. The called girls also escaped in a swarm. Tiger and Clever, shielding Second Treasure, fought their way out of the crowd. Stumbling and half carried out of the room, Second Treasure was so deeply shocked that her tears dried up.
Lai liked nothing better than smashing rooms and was extremely thorough about it. If any item remained intact, his servants would be thrashed for it, no excuses allowed. It was hard to imagine what karmic debt Second Treasure owed from her last life to run into such a fiend. Everything in her room, regardless of size or value, was laid waste in the blink of an eye.
Simplicity Zhao the timid brothel keeper was nowhere to be found. As for the menservants, who among them would come forward to beg for mercy? Mrs. Zhao heard the noise faintly and kept asking, "What's going on?"
Second Treasure ran tottering into the study across the way and lay down on the opium divan. Clever followed close behind and stayed with her. Tiger, seeing how badly things had gone, just walked into the mezzanine room in a daze to think things over. Lai was left to do as he pleased until he saw fit to stop and lead his ferocious pack away. Only then did the menservants go and find Simplicity so they could check how things were.
The room was covered in debris; they could not even set foot in it. Even the bed and the wardrobe had been knocked over and left with gaping holes. Only the two paraffin lamps hanging from the ceiling were left to burn brightly.
Simplicity, not knowing what to do, looked around in vain for Second Treasure. Then he heard Clever call out across the way, "In here." He rushed over to find the study was pitch-dark.
When a manservant brought a wall lamp in, he saw Second Treasure lying stiffly on the divan.
"Where have you been injured?" Simplicity asked in a panic.
"Second Miss is all right. What about the room?" Clever said.
In reply, Simplicity could only shake his head mutely. Second Treasure abruptly stood up. Supporting herself on Clever's shoulders, she dragged herself slowly and painfully to her room. When she took in the state of the room, her heart contracted in pain, and she howled in misery. This finally brought Tiger out of the mezzanine room. Second Treasure was persuaded by everybody to control her tears. They helped her back to the opium divan and discussed the matter together. Simplicity wanted to take it to the magistrate.
"Taking Lai the Turtle to court?" Tiger said. "You can forget about the county and the district courts, and even the foreigners are scared of him, so where can you take the case?"
"Just from the way he talked, one could tell he wasn't a decent sort. It was your fault for sucking up to him!" said Second Treasure.
Tiger held up her hand dismissively and countered in a harsh voice, "Lai the Turtle came here uninvited; I wasn't the matchmaker. You were the one who offended him, and now you got hurt, you blame it on me! Fine, we'll have this adjudicated tomorrow in a teahouse, and if I lose, I'll pay the damages." Having said that, she turned around abruptly and went off to bed.
This further added to Second Treasure's anger and misery. She told Simplicity to supervise the menservants in cleaning up the room and then managed to make it painfully down the stairs, supported by Clever. The minute she saw Mrs. Zhao, her tears flowed.
"Mother . . ." She did not know what to say.
Mrs. Zhao, unaware of what had happened, told her to go. "You go upstairs and keep the guests company; I'm quite well now."
This made it doubly difficult for Second Treasure to tell her the truth. Instead, she told Clever to warm the reboiled medicine and give it to Mrs. Zhao in bed.
"I'll be all right here. You should go," Mrs. Zhao again hurried her.
Second Treasure bade her to take care and lowered the bed curtains. Clever was told to stay behind to keep watch while Second Treasure made her way slowly upstairs. As her room was covered in dust and debris, she returned to the study. Then Simplicity came in, carrying a drawer in both hands. It contained odd bits of jewelry and a small bundle of silver dollars.
"The money and pawn tickets were scattered on the floor. I don't know if anything is missing," he said.
Second Treasure could not bear to look it over, so she pushed it aside. After Simplicity had gone, it was all quiet. She tried to think things over but could see no way out. She wept silently for a long time. There was a dull ache in her chest and her legs were sore, so she went over to the opium divan and lay down.
Suddenly, there was clamoring and banging at the front door. "Oh, no! Lai the Turtle is back," Simplicity rushed in to report.
Second Treasure felt no fear; she stood up straight and stepped out. Seven or eight menservants who had swarmed up the stairs bent down on one knee to salute her, smiling ingratiatingly. "Third Young Master Shi is now the county prefect of Yangzhou. He asks Second Miss to go there at once."
Her joy was beyond description. She rushed back into her room and called for Clever to dress her hair. Her mother came in wearing the phoenix headdress and serpent-patterned jacket of an official's wife. She called Second Treasure's name fondly and then beamed. "Didn't I tell you? Nothing could go wrong with a man like Third Young Master! He's sending for us now, isn't he?"
"Mother, when we get there, don't mention what's happened before."
Mrs. Zhao kept nodding.
Clever was calling for "Second Miss" from downstairs. "Miss Flora has come to congratulate you," she said.
"Who told her the news? It beat the telegram," Second Treasure asked, surprised.
Before she could go out in welcome, Flora Zhang was already standing before her. Second Treasure smiled and asked her to sit down.
"You're all dressed. Are you going out for a carriage ride?" Flora asked abruptly.
"No, Third Young Master Shi is asking us to go to him," Second Treasure replied.
"That's nonsense! Third Young Master Shi died a long time ago. Didn't you know that?"
Second Treasure thought for a moment, and it seemed to her that Third Young Master Shi was indeed dead. She was just going to question the menservants when they turned into monsters and jumped at her. The fright made her shout with all her might. She woke up covered in a cold sweat, her heart palpitating