Peach Blossom Pavilion

by Mingmei Yip

  Pearl didn't really answer my question. "There's a yellow butterfly-" Again she stopped, her mind seemed to be wandering in some distant land. "She's the reincarnation of Ruby."

  "You mean her ghost dwells in a butterfly? Why do you think that?"

  "Because Ruby liked butterflies and yellow was her favorite color. What's more, whenever I go to the haunted garden to pay respect to her, there's always a yellow butterfly hovering around me. I want to be with her as long as it lives."

  "But butterflies don't live long."

  "I believe she's already been reincarnated many times."

  "Oh," I exclaimed, not knowing whether to believe this reincarnation business or not. But I was touched by Pearl's loyalty to her sister. If only I had a real sister like her!

  Just then Pearl spoke, "Xiang Xiang-"

  "Yes?"

  Now she stared at me with her eyes full of tenderness. "Would you like to be my little sister?"

  I was too overwhelmed to respond. Seconds passed before I said, "Sister Pearl, you mean ... but aren't we sisters already?"

  "Of course I don't mean that." She chided me affectionately. "You know what sworn blood sisters means?"

  I nodded. She went on, "I want us to be like that. You want that, too?"

  I felt too touched to say anything. That's exactly what I wanted-a beautiful, knowledgeable, and problem-solving big sister! This time my head nodded like a mallet hitting a drum in an opera battle scene.

  "Good, then go back to your room now. I need to prepare for the ritual. Come to my room tomorrow after three-thirty in the morning.

  The next day I sneaked into Pearl's room as planned. To my surprise, instead of being all dressed up for the "ritual," she wore no makeup; her jacket and pants, though silk, were plain white with no embroidery.

  "Sister Pearl," I sat down on the sofa next to her, "I thought you told me we'd have a ritual-"

  She nodded, arranging paraphernalia inside a basket.

  My heart beat fast with excitement and fear. "Are we going to run away?"

  "No, just to the garden."

  "You mean the haunted garden where you ..."

  She picked up the basket and took my hand. "Let's go."

  I was disappointed to see that this time the garden had no moons reflecting on puddles. It made me think of a girl, eyes shut, refusing to let people peek inside her soul. Silently I followed Pearl all the way inside the temple, my heartbeats synchronizing with her shredded golden-lotus steps.

  Inside the dilapidated hall, the lantern in Pearl's hand cast its beams on a spider's web, a broken window, a dust-covered chest resembling a wounded animal. I could not keep myself from looking up at the ceiling. Thick beams radiated out from the center. I wondered from which one Ruby's willowy body had dangled, and how many other sisters had twitched in midair, gasping futilely for one more breath on earth.

  With all the lifeless bodies hanging in my mind, I was too frightened even to take deep breaths, let alone ask Pearl any questions.

  Now I found myself in front of an altar, with Pearl by my side, lovely but ghostly under the lantern's ivory light. Her expression was sad, but her movements were precise. She wiped the dust from the altar with a rag, then lifted the faded altar cloth and reached underneath to take out a Guan Yin statue. Next from her basket she withdrew a small incense burner and put it beside the wooden Goddess. After that she took out a vase with fresh flowers, a plate with an assortment of fruit and another one with snacks, and a small tea set.

  After she'd finished arranging these on the altar in front of Guan Yin, she turned to me and said, very softly, as if fearing she might disturb someone-although I was sure no people were around-or even ghosts. I was not sure about their presence, but I couldn't prove their absence either!

  "Xiang Xiang, now we're going to light incense, pray to Guan Yin, then pledge our sisterhood in front of her as our witness. Don't ask any questions, just follow what I do."

  Pearl lit three incense sticks, then handed the last one to me. The strong aroma purified the stale hot air while tearing at my nostrils. Through the veils of smoke, Pearl's face looked unreal, like a beauty floating under water. Now she laid three tea cups in a straight line and poured tea.

  At this point, I couldn't help but ask, "Sister Pearl, there're only two of us."

  "No, three. You, Ruby, and me."

  "But she's dead!"

  "Only physically."

  I shivered, then looked around to see if a long-haired, whiterobed, and footless girl was floating in midair.

  But nothing quivered in the air except the eerie echo of Pearl's voice. "Xiang Xiang, offer incense and say a short prayer to Guan Yin. Just follow what I say." She knelt down, held the incense above her forehead, and muttered, "Bodhisattva Guan Yin, tonight please witness the pledge of me Pearl, my elder sister Ruby, and my little sister Xiang Xiang, to be sworn blood sisters." After that, she slightly turned toward me. "Xiang Xiang, now you say what I did."

  I knelt beside her and muttered the words nervously.

  She took out a needle and a miniature cup. "Xiang Xiang, give me your middle finger." As I was about to ask her what was all this about, she'd already stuck the needle in my finger.

  "Ahhh!" I let out a sharp cry, not quite from the pain, but from the shock.

  She ignored both, while concentrating on squeezing my finger until a trickle of blood began to drip. Too stunned to say anything, I just stared at my own blood swelling into a small crimson pool against the white wall of the cup.

  When my finger stopped bleeding, Pearl did the same thing to herself. Then she took out the picture of a young girl, poked the needle between her brows, and made a pretend dripping of blood into the same bowl.

  After that, she laid the picture on the altar. I uttered a startled cry, "But Sister Pearl, that's you!"

  "No, that's Ruby. She was seven years older than I. But we do look alike."

  Despite the heat, I felt my spine turning into an ice pillar. I stared at the picture and then at Pearl and then back, feeling she was both alive and dead at the same time!

  Pearl caught my expression and ignored it. Now she began to stir the blood in the cup. She then dipped her finger into the blood, smeared it on her forehead, then did the same on mine. After that, she swallowed the bloody liquid. She signaled me to drink the rest and I did, feeling too scared even to complain.

  She muttered another prayer, "Merciful Bodhisattva Guan Yin, from now on, no matter what will happen, Xiang Xiang and I, sisters linked by blood, will be of one heart and one mind. If either one betrays the other, she will be struck dead by lightning."

  The ominous "struck dead by lightning" gave me a jolt, followed by a sharp glance from Pearl. Fearfully yet faithfully, I repeated the prayer after her.

  Then, to my utter surprise, a yellow butterfly materialized out of nowhere, hovering above Ruby's picture.

  Pearl's eyes flooded with tears. "See, Xiang Xiang, here's Ruby. I knew she'd come. I just knew!"

  I stared at the creature, trying hard to visualize a pretty young woman, but saw only a yellow butterfly.

  12

  Beat the Cat

  he night after the ritual, I alternated between a light and a heavy heart. Light, because I felt happy that I was no longer completely alone in the world. Heavy, because I'd been dreading the day when Big Master Fung would return. But he hadn't-not yet. Mama told me he'd left Shanghai for some business-no one knew what kind, some said he smuggled gold bars, others said cigarettes-and wouldn't be back for some time. But since he'd already paid for my first night, I was not allowed to serve any other customer until he returned.

  During this time, I had nothing else to do except practice my arts and wait. It was a strange feeling to be happy one moment but fearful the next. This went on until one day I realized that my greataunt had not visited for several weeks.

  I felt elated to be rid of the nuisance, if only temporarily. But when I told Pearl during one of our casual conversations, she s
pilled her tea. "Damn! Xiang Xiang, you must be pregnant!"

  I was so shocked that my jaw dropped. "You mean by De?"

  She nodded, wiping the stain on her dress. "Did you drink all that soup Mama gave you?"

  "Yes."

  "That's supposed to keep you from getting pregnant, so how come . . . " Her voice trailed off.

  "Sister Pearl, what am I supposed to do?"

  "End your pregnancy." She stared intently into my eyes. "Let's do it right now, Xiang Xiang, before it's too late."

  I felt my blood curdling inside. "But how?"

  She didn't answer me, but went to shuffle in one of her drawers then came back with a small package. When she opened it, a bitter aroma tore at my nostrils.

  "What's that?"

  "Some special herbs: safflower, angelica, rhizome, and ox-knee root. The soup will make you bleed, but it will get rid of the baby."

  Pearl left the room and in a few minutes returned with a small stove and a clay pot. She filled the pot with water, then dumped in the herbs and started the fire.

  She let the contents boil for about an hour, then put out the fire and poured the concoction into a bowl. "Here, Xiang Xiang, now drink all of it."

  I took a tentative sip and spat out the liquid. "It's bitter to death!"

  "Xiang Xiang," she hissed, "stop being childish! Now finish it, for heaven's sake! "

  I gulped down the soup, holding my breath against the cat urine smell.

  "Good," she said, then poured the rest of the soup from the pot into the empty bowl. "Now go back to your room and rest. Finish this second bowl of soup in an hour. I'll come to see you tonight after I've finished with my guest." A pause, then she spoke again. "Just to be safe, also drink raw vinegar at least twice a day and jump real hard."

  Once back in my room, I jumped like a dog trying to catch a dangling piece of duck, then, after restlessly waiting for the hour to pass, forced myself to drain the second bowl of soup. It seemed to take effect quickly, for soon I collapsed on the bed and fell into a troubled sleep.

  When I woke up, it was already getting dark. I felt a terrible pain in my stomach and a splitting headache. I lit a candle, then, when I was about to get some water to soothe my parched throat, I noticed the whole bed sheet was soaked with blood. I put my hand between my thighs and felt the same warm, sticky liquid.

  "I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!" I screamed, then fainted.

  When I opened my eyes, Fang Rong's face was hovering above mine. "Good heavens! What happened?"

  My voice came out weak and frightened. "I think ... it's my great-aunt."

  Mama was carefully examining the bed sheet. I looked around and asked, "Where's Sister Pearl?"

  "Pearl? Why do you care about her? She's out with her favored guest."

  My heart sank. In a turquoise pavilion, no sister could afford to leave her favored guest for any reason. That meant I didn't know when Pearl would come back for me.

  Suddenly Mama sniffed the air around me, then a suspicious look fell like a shadow across her face. "What's that smell?"

  I was sure she didn't mean my period, but the herb soup.

  I pretended innocence. "What smell?"

  "Get up and let me check you! "

  As I was about to get up, severe cramps ambushed my stomach. I could only utter a weak, "Mama, I can't," before I collapsed again.

  When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital. Mama was talking to a middle-aged, white-robed man while beside her fidgeted Little Red, who kept glancing at me with a worried look.

  Mama asked him, "So Doctor, how come my daughter's period is so heavy? Is she all right?"

  The doctor, expressionless, said in a low, authoritative tone. "Normally a period shouldn't be so heavy." He paused to cast a glance toward my direction. "How old is she?"

  "Thirteen. Hmm ... almost fourteen."

  He pushed up his glasses, looking a bit puzzled. "Is she engaged?"

  For a moment, Mama seemed unable to reply, then, "No. Not yet.

  "Does she have an intimate friend?"

  Mama cast a sharp glance at me before she turned back to the doctor, grinning. "No. But why?"

  "The reason I asked is because this heavy bleeding looks to me like a miscarriage."

  "Miscarriage?" Mama's jaw almost dropped to her chest. Her eyes looked murderous enough to kill the unwanted baby.

  I'd expected a severe punishment after I'd gone back to Peach Blossom Pavilion. But to my surprise, nothing happened.

  When I finally had the chance to talk to Pearl, she said, "Big Master Fung is coming back. Believe me, Mama won't do anything to hurt you before that, because she has to present you to him in one piece."

  Pearl might be right about Big Master Fung's feeling, but not Mama's.

  The next evening, before I knew what was happening, Fang Rong sneaked into my room with a servant I didn't recognize. She stripped me naked and took something from him which I realized with horror were two sharp, red hot bamboo sticks. As he held me, she stuck them through my nipples.

  Tears spilled from my eyes while I screamed with pain.

  She hollered, waving her long, red-painted nails, which looked like blood dripping from gashes, "You lightning-struck-soon-dropdead-stinky slut, is your cunt so itchy that you can't wait for Big Master Fung, eh? Who is it that you've been fucking? ! "

  "Nobody, it's just my period." Better to have my nipples pierced than to be skinned alive, as De had threatened.

  "Your period? Don't try to fool me; the doctor said it's a miscarriage.

  "He wasn't sure. Mama. Believe me, it's just my period! " I couldn't afford to tell the truth, nor did I dare imagine the consequences if I revealed it.

  I kept screaming and pleading and insisting that it was my period until finally Fang Rong's expression softened.

  "All right, Xiang Xiang, I believe you this time." She spat, "But if you misbehave again, I'll beat the cat. You understand?"

  I nodded, swallowing both the bitterness and the pain.

  Then Mama pushed up my breasts and let out a loud chuckle. "Xiang Xiang, see how good a job I did? Now your nipples are so red and so beautifully swollen. I bet when Big Master Fung sees them, his jade stalk will thrust as high as the Himalayas!" After that, she burst into laughter and dashed out of the room with the servant.

  In a state of shock and humiliation, I hastily put on my clothes, then hurried to Pearl's room, but she was not there. I wrote a note and slipped it under her door. Back into my room, I lapsed into a painful, agitated sleep. Hours passed before I was awakened by the burning sensation in my breasts. I took off my top, spat saliva on my nipples, and pressed them cautiously with my fingers.

  I nursed my wounds and dozed until I heard the door creak open.

  It was Pearl. She dashed toward me, blood draining from her face. "Good heavens, Xiang Xiang! What happened?!"

  I told her about the punishment.

  "That wok-sizzled bitch! " Pearl pulled me into her arms and cooed, "Xiang Xiang, you'll be all right. It could be worse."

  "Like beating up a cat?"

  She nodded, eyes sparkling with tears.

  "What is it?"

  "A mama won't injure any sister's face or body, for that's her investment. Or starve her, for no man wants skin-wrapped bones. That's why even though the soup failed to work, Mama didn't punish Ah Ping, for she needs her to keep us looking nourished for the customers. The rule is: Hit the body but not the face. Or beat the cat but not the girl.

  "Mama did it to Ruby once when she failed to bring in money. She strapped her onto the bed, put a cat in her pants, then took a bamboo pole and frantically beat the cat. You can imagine how the poor creature went wild with her scratching." Pearl paused to stifle a sob.

  "I'm so sorry, Sister Pearl."

  A silence. She carefully examined my chest. "Now let me get something to soothe your nipples."

  Pearl left the room and came back with a small tin. She lifted the lid to reveal some white powder. "Xiang Xia
ng, this is opium. I'll massage it on your nipples, and after that you'll sniff some and go to sleep. When you wake up, both the pain and the swelling will be gone."

  After the massage, I took the opium and in Pearl's arms fell into a delirious sleep.

  When I woke up, the pain was still lingering on my breasts. I asked Pearl for more opium but she cast me a chiding look. "No, Xiang Xiang. You don't want to be one of the fallen sisters."

  Three weeks later, Big Master Fung, as predicted by Pearl, came back. Mama made sure that the servants carefully cleaned and lavishly decorated the welcoming-guests room, then placed fresh flowers and sprayed perfume in it.

  "Xiang Xiang, this time you'd better make Big Master Fung the happiest man under heaven." She glowered at me with eyes murderous enough to strike me dead on the spot. "Otherwise, beware of your skin!"

  Before I was pushed into the hall, I secretly touched the prechicken-blood-smeared zhuang yuan seal tucked inside my jacket. Then I muttered a prayer to Guan Yin around my neck.

  A huge grin broke out on Fung's face when I slid through the door in my shredded golden-lotus steps.