A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China

by Amy Kwei

  Golden Bell rose and went to her father. He stood in front of the window, clasping his hands rigidly behind his back. She knelt beside him. She touched his hands and cried, “Forgive me, Father. I was rash, but I still don’t understand.”

  Righteous Virtue, his eyes rimmed red, pulled his daughter to her feet. “Go, prepare for Mrs. Chen. Once I was impetuous and said similar things to my parents.”

  MRS. CHEN WAS stout, her features swollen from excessive weeping. Clad in white sackcloth, the mourning garb, she knelt before the lord and tai-tai. She kowtowed and thanked them repeatedly for retrieving her daughter’s body from the river and providing the generous sum for her burial.

  Purple Jade received the mother with a quiet solicitude that always endeared her to her dependents. She called Mrs. Chen “Mei-mei” and asked after her welfare. She offered aid.

  When the visitor was finally persuaded to sit, Silver Bell edged close to her mother, whispering, “M-ma, ask her what went wrong!”

  Purple Jade held her daughter’s hand but ignored her request. Instead, she again asked about her visitor’s wellbeing.

  “Everyone has been so very kind.” Mrs. Chen began her narration amid quiet wheezes and sobs. “How could Snow Song choose death? It must have been the bitter fate I was born with.”

  Righteous Virtue, Purple Jade, the children, and the maids listened without comment, each with his or her own thoughts.

  “My Snow Song was a delicate child, so happy in the missionary school. The foreigners gave her a scholarship.” She stopped to wipe her eyes. “But she was also born with a cursed fate. Her father died three years ago and left us indebted to the kindness of our neighbors. The butcher is a widower and a kind man. Although he is twice her age, he makes a good living and adored the ground she walked on. She could have asked for the moon and he would have bought it for her. I pledged Snow Song to him. I thought she would want for nothing more in life.”

  Why, oh why can’t she see that was what killed her daughter? Orchid asked herself. Though I’m only a servant in this book-fragrant house, I know I would wish to die if I were not pledged to someone familiar with book-fragrant ways but to some old butcher!

  Waves of motherly empathy and fear swept through Purple Jade. She coughed to compose herself and sipped her tea to clear her throat. She offered her condolences but felt sure the girl’s values had been distorted by her education. Such a girl would rebel against being forced to marry a butcher, even though her family owed him favors and valued him as a benefactor. The girl had been taught to place her own inclinations ahead of her family’s welfare. She had been encouraged to gratify her selfish dreams and emotions.

  “They were to be married this coming eighth moon, when the proper three years of mourning had been observed,” Mrs. Chen continued. “But she was contemptuous of the butcher’s earthy, country ways. Oh, such a twisted fate!”

  Righteous Virtue groaned privately at the poor mother’s ignorance. Her thoughts had been so distorted by grief that she had accepted ill fate as a decree of heaven. Somehow, he knew that Westerners would rail against tragedy, but his countrymen accepted fate as a predetermined script. He shuddered to think that the meekness he so cherished had also victimized his people.

  “Oh, bitter fate! My Snow Song had learned so well in school. The foreign lady said she could even use forks and knives without any mistake. Such kindness!”

  Mechanically offering tea and words of comfort, Purple Jade distanced herself from the woman’s gratitude for useless customs.

  “What are forks and knives?” Silver Bell whispered to her mother.

  Purple Jade ignored her. “The gods are jealous of the good,” she said in a flat tone. She urged more tea on Mrs. Chen.

  “Ah, she was good, she was, my Snow Song.” Mrs. Chen cried anew. “It must be the jealous gods. Otherwise, how could so much kindness bring such tragedy?”

  “Was your daughter a good student?” Golden Bell asked. After all, the missionary school must teach more important things than table manners.

  “Oh yes, so many things I could not understand. My poor Snow Song, if only she could have talked to someone, someone modern like you. We did not understand her fancy learning in English.”

  Golden Bell nodded, but she lacked the words to comfort the woman. If she had known Snow Song, what could she have done to prevent this?

  Righteous Virtue discussed Mrs. Chen’s future welfare with controlled precision. Purple Jade continued to offer her condolences while her eyes focused on their forlorn visitor. When it was time for the woman to leave, Purple Jade pressed a freshwater pearl into her hand. “Since she died in the river, she must be buried with its treasure.”

  “Oh-me-to-fo, the Buddhas bless your kindness. You have saved her from the fate of a wandering ghost, and now you have ensured the comforts of her afterlife.” The old woman began to kneel again, but Orchid and Iris came to hold her up and lead her out to the frontcourt. There she was offered more tea, until a palanquin was hired to take her home.

  After Mrs. Chen left, silence filled the room like the rushing springs that filled West Lake. Righteous Virtue coughed to relieve the tension. “Jade-mei, you have given honor to our household. Ask Orchid to send tea to my study.” He left.

  “I still don’t know why she killed herself!” Silver Bell muttered in frustration.

  “The glove must fit the hand,” answered her mother. She patted her daughter’s hand and looked archly at Golden Bell. “Western manners and learning do not fit with life in this country.”

  “She could have gone to Shanghai.” Golden Bell faced her mother, still defiant. “She could have found work there if her English had been good enough.”

  “Shanghai is a big city,” replied her mother. “Without proper contacts, she would have had to take a job entertaining foreign sailors.”

  “So she died to save her honor?” Silver Bell asked.

  “Perhaps she thought so, my heart-and-liver. Perhaps she thought so.”

  “I can see why she didn’t want to marry a butcher twice her age!” Golden Bell argued. “I bet that Mrs. Chen could get pretty forceful, planning to eat meat everyday.”

  “Hush, Golden Bell. The poor woman has suffered too much already. At any rate, have you not learned the sage’s teaching that children are reared to take care of their parents in their old age? Her mother did what was necessary for their survival.”

  “All that will change,” Golden Bell retorted. When her mother did not answer, she shifted wearily in the stillness and then excused herself. Silver Bell followed.

  Purple Jade wobbled unaided into the courtyard. She needed fresh air. There, the outline of an opaque moon was etched against the bright blue evening sky. The colorless moon reminded her of her untenable position with Golden Bell. Her daughter would always admire the freedom of Western women but would not appreciate notions of family solidarity and personal sacrifices. For once, her usual fog of war worries dissipated. Instead, she felt a new throat-clutching anxiety about her family. The dull pain in her feet intensified her dejection, and she hobbled to a bench. Snow Song had killed herself because she did not want to marry an old man. Her husband was also getting old, but he needed a woman young enough to give them sons. Who might take on this task in the house? How could she accept a strange young woman with, perhaps, unsavory inclinations? Her husband had agreed to a concubine. Instead of finding peace, she felt the tumult in her heart reach a feverish pitch. She moaned and rubbed her feet.

  Orchid returned with tea. Together, they watched the setting sun color the moon to a pink globe. In the darkening light, Purple Jade watched, entranced. Her dejection vanished as the moon shone brightly in the dusky sky. An all-important decision had been made — the time of floundering was over. They would have an heir!

  BACK IN HER room, Golden Bell wanted to kick and scream at the strange turn of events. The enigma in the river was simply another case of the old oppressing the young. She would have killed herself too if she
had been forced to marry someone so repulsive. Now her father, who was a paragon of rectitude, had consented to taking a concubine!

  When Iris came in with tea, Golden Bell pushed it aside. “We’re all doomed. The old people will never change!”

  “Lower your voice, young mistress. Both of us will be in trouble if your parents hear you ranting.” Iris wiped away the spilled tea.

  “Why is everyone here so resigned to calamity? Mother convinced Father to take a concubine, and she had only kind words for that old hag who probably drove her daughter to her death!”

  “No one knows why Snow Song killed herself,” Iris replied. “She might have a delicate disposition, as her mother said. After all, she did have obligations toward her mother.”

  “I don’t understand you, Iris! You’ve studied with Miss Tyler all these years, but you’re always taking Mother’s side!”

  “I’m grateful to your family for treating me like a daughter.” Iris stood in front of her mistress like a sentry guarding the younger girl slumped in her chair. “You’re dear to me like a younger sister, but I can see the burden and responsibilities of a family such as yours. So many lives are dependent upon your parents’ wise decisions.” She tapped her mistress softly on the shoulder. “Young mistress, your mother will choose the concubine. She is getting a helpmate. Your parents are right.”

  Their long years of companionship had bred a tacit intimacy. Golden Bell’s heart understood, but her wounded pride would not yield. She began to cry. “Iris, do you mean our studies with Miss Tyler are for naught? Mother thinks our education is useless in this country! What are you going to do if mother wants you to marry a butcher or a farmer who can’t even read?”

  “Your parents will not marry me to a dumb egg.” Iris handed her young mistress a towel to refresh herself. “I had been an orphan for three years before my uncle brought me into this house to serve you. I’m used to hardships.” She watched her mistress closely. “If you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you my plans.”

  Golden Bell brightened. “What are your plans? Tell me, tell me!”

  “Nothing is definite, but the chauffeur said the foreigners in Shanghai want servants who understand English. They pay well, and I shall buy my freedom!”

  “Oh, how wonderful! Of course, you must run away, because Mother will never let you go. Oh Iris, when I come to Shanghai I’ll visit you, and maybe you will find me a job too.”

  Iris smiled at her childish mistress. She took back the towel. “Now, you must not breathe a word of this to anyone. At any rate, nothing has been decided. After dinner, you must go to your mother; bid her evening peace and apologize.” She offered tea to her mistress again. “Your mother did a very noble thing. It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “Father said the same thing. I know you are both right,” she wailed. “But why should women be treated like chattel?”

  “I don’t know.” Iris wrinkled her brow. “I don’t think the Westerners have a solution either. Miss Tyler is single and that is not natural.”

  “Do you think Miss Tyler came to China because she is single?”

  “I don’t know. But she would receive more help if she belonged to a family.”

  “Perhaps Mother really had no other choice.” A glimmer of empathy pierced the shell of her resistance. “Then she must have suffered terribly!”

  Mistress and maid looked at each other and fell silent.

  Everyone was very quiet at dinner that evening. Purple Jade retired to her room early. Orchid left to fetch the foot water.

  Golden Bell, puffy-eyed from weeping, came to bid her mother evening peace. She saw her mother by the window in a pensive mood. She knelt. “I’m sorry to have been presumptuous.”

  Purple Jade raised her daughter. “Did you try to talk your father out of our decision?”

  “Yes, M-ma. We argued. I didn’t understand.”

  “Hai, it is a pity you are not a boy. I like your spirit.” She hugged her daughter close. “But my heart-and-liver, life is not ideal. War or natural disaster can come unbidden. We can only try to do what is best for our family.”

  “Miss Tyler said America is strong because it adopts the best from many cultures. The women in America marched and received the vote. Now they are equal to men and can choose what they want to do with their lives!”

  “Miss Tyler is wrong to teach you to think only of yourself! Your father is the head of the household, and I manage affairs inside these walls. No one is free to choose self-gratification. The family’s welfare is the responsibility of both the man and the woman!”

  “I don’t think Miss Tyler wants to teach me to be selfish, but she is open to new ideas and would not stand for the oppression of women!”

  “I cannot understand all this talk of equality. If people do not obey their leaders, and children their parents, how do we maintain order? Our country is struggling to survive, so we must first protect our own family. I admire Miss Tyler’s devotion to her work. I’m sure she understands why we need an heir!”

  Golden Bell leaned on her mother. “I misjudged your purpose. You’re so brave.”

  “Fate has been kind to me.” She nodded. “You and Silver Bell are my gems, and your father is a true Chinese patriot — just as the marriage brokers told us more than eighteen years ago.” She rubbed her daughter’s back to soothe her. “He cultivates inner peace through his studies and now he will regenerate his household. Surely, the country will be at peace soon.” Gently nudging her daughter away, she stirred herself with effort. “How could anyone conquer a people with such moral strength?”

  “M-ma, do you think the East Ocean devils will conquer us?”

  “Never! We’re a vast country. Our culture has endured many foreign dynasties.” She sat down stiffly and took up her embroidery. “Like the silkworm, we twist and turn to form beautiful cocoons. Many of us will be sacrificed to weave the most supple silk.”

  “M-ma!” Golden Bell looked at her mother with new eyes. “I thought you were weak and fearful!”

  “The future is in the hands of fate.” Her mother shifted in her chair. “But for now, where are we to look for a suitable concubine?”

  Deep in thought, Purple Jade worked on her embroidery. Orchid returned with the foot water and began to unwind the bindings on her mistress’s feet.

  “Orchid, who do you think might be a suitable maiden for our lord?”

  “Tai-tai, the matter is too grave for your maid to consider.” Orchid was used to being consulted in private but was shy about giving counsel before Golden Bell.

  Sitting next to her mother, Golden Bell found herself drawn into the deliberation. “A maiden from a book-fragrant family will not come in as a concubine,” she said. “It has to be a cultured maiden from one of the trade families or a virtuous maid who could help you manage the household.”

  “Yes, there’s Lao Wang’s daughter, Pearl. She attends the missionary school in town, so she is not totally uncultured. Lao Wang will be pleased, but Pearl may be too modern.”

  “Pearl won’t do. She’s too much like a sister to me. The same goes for Iris.”

  “Tai-tai, the water is not warm enough. I’ll return with a pitcher of hot water right away.” As Orchid turned, she brushed a stray hair away from her big round eyes that sparkled like balls of onyx. All at once, Purple Jade knew. She waited until Orchid left.

  “Yes, of course, I have her at my feet every day!” Purple Jade exclaimed. “Orchid would make the perfect concubine. She has served me faithfully almost all her life. Although she’s almost twenty-three, she is still young enough to bear many sons.”

  “The household will be in great peace,” Golden Bell concurred. “You were only too close to see the obvious.”

  “Orchid will always be by my side. Yes, how could I have been so blind?”

  Orchid returned with the hot water and soaked her mistress’s feet.

  Golden Bell looked at her mother’s maid with new eyes and realized for the first time that h
er face had a pleasant round shape. “Orchid, in all these years, I’ve never noticed your round face. It is the traditional indication for happiness and prosperity.”

  “Elder young mistress, it’s getting late. Please don’t make fun of my looks.”

  “What remarkable eyes!” Purple Jade remarked. “Orchid, where did you inherit such big round eyes?”

  Orchid looked at her mistress uncomprehending. “Tai-tai, this is the only family I can remember.”

  “The ancient Chinese beauties may have long slanting eyes, but the modern movie stars all have big round eyes. So that should be all right,” Golden Bell said.

  Burning with unfamiliar emotions, Purple Jade clutched her daughter’s hand. Perhaps her husband might find the strange features pleasing also.

  “Look at me, Orchid.”

  Orchid looked up, her round eyes flashing.

  “My child, you have been like a daughter to me. I’d like you to remain in this house. Would you like to be our master’s concubine?”

  Orchid stared at her mistress in consternation. That was a stunning offer — to become a legitimate member of this family! And if she produced a son, she would become the mistress in this family. She burst out crying, “Oh my kind mistress, you do me too much honor. I’ll do whatever pleases you.”

  “Rise, my child. Tomorrow Lao Wang will find another personal maid for me in the country. You will train her,” Purple Jade said. Planning for the household always calmed her. “I shall present you to my lord on his fiftieth birthday. You will be my birthday gift to him.” Purple Jade winked at her daughter. “Let’s keep my choice a secret. We’ll need so much help for the birthday celebration, no one will notice my new maid.”

  Golden Bell tightened her grip on her mother’s hand. In spite of her playful tone, her mother seemed desperate. Looking at Purple Jade’s deformed feet, Golden Bell stilled the reproach in her heart. Her mother had secured not only new arms and legs and now a new womb. Tears welled in Golden Bell’s eyes. She controlled herself with an effort. Her own life would never mirror her mother’s. She would fly with her big feet. She congratulated her mother, bade her evening peace and left the room.