The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai

by Bangqing Han

  Pearlie guffawed. “Mr. Wang is getting up to a bit of trickery now. Where did he get such a good idea, to say he was in the Old City?”

  “He kept his secret well, though. Even his friends couldn’t find him, and not for lack of trying,” said Little Rouge.

  “Mr. Wang, you’re a patron of long standing,” said Pearlie. “Even if you want to see somebody else, it doesn’t matter. It’s not as though our maestro won’t let you!”

  “Whoever you choose to see is none of my business. And yet you had to keep it from me and make it look as though I’m jealous and wouldn’t let you go. Now that’s infuriating!” said Little Rouge.

  In the face of this perfect duet, Lotuson could only remain silent. He made an awkward attempt at a smile. Finally, when Pearlie had finished her chores and gone downstairs, he said to Little Rouge, “You mustn’t listen to idle gossip. We’ve been together for three or four years; don’t you know me by now? Even if I want to see somebody else, I’ll tell you all about it first. Why would I keep it from you?”

  “I wouldn’t know why,” said Little Rouge. “Ask yourself. All along you’ve been calling other girls to occasional parties, one from this house and another from that. Have I ever said anything? Yet now you want to keep it from me; what for?”

  “But there’s nothing going on. I’m not keeping anything from you.”

  “I think I know the reason, though. You’re not so much keeping it from me as planning to jilt me for someone else, right? I’d like to see you do that!”

  When Lotuson heard this, he changed color and looked away. He said with a sneer, “I didn’t come for three days, and you call it jilting you. Have you forgotten all the things I said to you before?”

  “That’s the whole point. If you haven’t forgotten, then tell me: Where have you been these three days? Who’s the girl? If you’d only tell me, I wouldn’t be quarreling with you.”

  “What would you have me tell you? I said I was in the Old City, and you won’t believe me.”

  “You’re still trying to pull the wool over my eyes! I’ll ask you again when I’ve found out.”

  “Very well then. Since you’re too angry to talk about this right now, we’ll wait a couple of days. When you’re in a better mood, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  She snorted and was silent for a long while.

  “Let’s have a smoke,” he coaxed her.

  So she went to the divan with him, hand in hand. He took off his jacket and lay down to smoke. But she just sat passively at the other end. He wanted to make some light conversation but could find nothing to say.

  Suddenly they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was the servant girl, Goldie. As soon as she saw Lotuson, she said, “Mr. Wang, I’ve just been to your residence to invite you here, but you’re here already!” Then she said, “Why didn’t you come the last few days, Mr. Wang? Were you angry with us?”

  He made no reply.

  Little Rouge said testily, “Why would he be angry? I’ll slap your face for that! Angry, indeed!”

  Goldie said, “Mr. Wang, when you don’t come, our maestro gets so upset we have to go again and again to invite you. Don’t be like that again, please?” So saying, she moved a cup of tea over to the opium tray, hung up his jacket, and was about to go.

  Seeing the blank look on Little Rouge’s face, Lotuson said, “Let’s get a bite to eat, all right?”

  “Just tell her what you want,” Little Rouge replied.

  “You’ll have some, too, won’t you? Let’s eat together. If you don’t want any, we won’t bother.”

  “Then tell her what you’d like.”

  He knew she liked fried noodles with shrimp, so he ordered that. Little Rouge told Goldie just to call down for the servants below to order it from the Garden of Plenty. Shortly afterward, the noodles were delivered, and Lotuson asked Little Rouge to join him.

  She frowned. “I don’t know why, but there’s a sour taste in my mouth.1 I’ve got no appetite.”

  “Have a little anyway.”

  Reluctantly, she put a tiny amount on a small plate and ate it. Lotuson, too, did not eat more than a few mouthfuls before he called to have the dish taken away.

  Pearlie brought a hot towel and reported, “Your steward is here with your sedan chair.”

  “Did he say what it’s about?” Lotuson asked.

  Pearlie called toward the window, “Master Talisman!” Hearing this, Talisman came upstairs at once and handed Lotuson an invitation. He opened it, saw that it was from Elan Ge for a dinner party that night at Snow Scent’s, and set it aside. Talisman withdrew. Lotuson returned to the divan to smoke. Then he suddenly thought of something and told Pearlie to bring his jacket.

  Pearlie took the jacket down from the clothes rack, but Little Rouge stopped her with a bark. “What’s the hurry? Where d’you want to go?”

  Pearlie signaled Little Rouge with a glance, saying, “Let him go to the party.” That put a stop to Little Rouge.

  Lotuson happened to look up and see it. He wondered what Pearlie was up to. Could they have found out about Constance?

  As he was wondering, Pearlie helped him put on his jacket, saying, “When you get to the party, send us a call chit right away. Don’t go and get anybody else, now.”

  “What are you saying this for?” said Little Rouge. “Let him call whoever he wants.”

  After putting on his jacket, Lotuson held Little Rouge by the hand and asked with a smile, “Aren’t you going to see me out?”

  She wrenched her hand free and sat down in a chair instead. He pressed close to her and whispered many little endearments. She just looked down and started to clean and groom her fingernails, completely ignoring him. After a long while, she finally said, “I don’t know what’s the matter with your heart, it’s changed so.”

  “Why d’you say I’ve changed?”

  “Ask yourself.”

  He still pressed for an answer. She pushed him off with both hands. “Go! Just go! Even the sight of you makes me mad!”

  He pretended to smile and left.

  ::

  1. This is a pun on the common Chinese metaphor for jealousy, drinking vinegar. E.H.]

  CHAPTER 5 :: An empty slot is speedily filled by a new love, and a new arrangement is kept from an old flame

  It was evening. The lamps had just been lit when Lotuson Wang got in the sedan chair that took him to Snow Scent’s house in East Co-prosperity Alley. Talisman announced him, and a maid propped up the bamboo curtain and welcomed him into the room. He saw that only Amity Zhu and Elan Ge had arrived; they were chatting. Lotuson went in, and they saluted each other and sat down. Then Lotuson called Talisman over to tell him, “Go to Yao’s across the way to see if the things for the upstairs room have all arrived.”

  After Talisman was gone, Elan Ge asked, “I saw your note today and thought, but there isn’t any Constance in this alley! Then the menservants said there’s a Constance moving in across the way tomorrow—is that so?”

  “I’ve never come across the name Constance, either,” said Amity Zhu. “Where did you find her?”

  “I’ll thank you all not to mention it later when Little Rouge is here, all right?” Lotuson said smiling. The other two laughed uproariously.

  A moment later, Talisman came back to report. “Everything is ready in the room. They said the four lamps and the bed were delivered only a little while ago. The bed is set out already, and the lamps are hung up.”

  “Now go to Lucky Spring Alley and tell them,” Lotuson ordered.

  Talisman said “yes, sir” and withdrew. Before he left, he told the two sedan-chair bearers, “Don’t go away, you two, not till I’m back.”

  When he approached the end of the alley, a shadowy figure loomed up in the dark and took his arm. He saw that it was Amity Zhu’s steward named Longevity Zhang.

  “What is it?” he said, annoyed. “You gave me a start!”

  “Where’re you going?” asked Longevity.

  “Le
t’s go and have some fun.”

  The two of them walked with arms around each other’s shoulders to Constance’s in Lucky Spring Alley. They told the old serving woman to send word upstairs.

  “Is Mr. Wang coming?” Constance opened the window to ask Talisman.

  “Master is at a dinner party. He’s probably not coming,” he said.

  “Who did he call to the party?” said Constance.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is it Little Rouge?”

  “I’ve no idea.”

  “I see you have your master’s interest at heart!” she said with a smile. “Who else can it be if it’s not Little Rouge?”

  Talisman made no answer. As he walked out of the alley with Longevity, they discussed where to go for a little sport.

  “Well, there’s only Orchid Alley.”

  “It’s too far away.”

  “Or we could go to Third Pan’s and see if Verdure Xu is there.”

  “Let’s do that.”

  The two of them turned toward Security Alley and groped in the darkness to Third Pan’s door. They first peeped in through the gap in the door. When they tried to push it open, they found it was latched. Longevity knocked twice, but there was no answer. He kept knocking, and finally a maid asked from within, “Who is it?” “It’s me,” Talisman answered.

  “Our Miss has gone out. Sorry,” said the maid.

  “Open the door anyway,” said Talisman.

  They waited for a long time, but it was still dead quiet inside; the door remained shut. Longevity lost his temper. He turned sideways and started kicking hard at the door, making a racket and cursing at the same time.

  “Coming! Coming!” Alarmed, the maid opened the door. On seeing them, she said, “Why, it’s Master Zhang and Master Talisman! I was wondering who it was.”

  “Is Master Xu here?” Talisman asked.

  “No, sir.”

  Longevity saw there was a light in the side chamber, so he barged into the room with Talisman at his heels. They saw a man come out from behind the bed curtains clapping his hands and stamping his feet in great mirth. It was none other than Verdure Xu.

  “So we’re intruding!” the two said in unison. “Sorry to disturb you.”

  The maid who came in behind them laughed, saying, “Why, I thought Master Xu was gone, but here he is—in bed!”

  Verdure Xu lit up the opium lamp on the couch and invited Longevity Zhang to smoke. Longevity, telling Talisman to go ahead, pulled open the bed curtains and crawled straight in. There came the noise of tangled limbs tussling in bed, and then a woman shouted, “What d’you think you’re doing? Don’t you ever get enough?”

  The maid hurried forth to make peace, “Please don’t, Master Zhang!” But Longevity refused to let go. Verdure Xu grabbed him and pulled him up in one quick movement, saying, “All you do is horse around! There’s a time for everything. Don’t you have any sense at all?”

  Longevity brushed his own cheek with a finger—a gesture indicating “shame on you.” “Giving your girl a hand, eh? But is she your girl? Shameless!”

  The streetwalker Third Pan draped her padded jacket over her shoulders and got off the bed. Longevity kept staring and making grimaces at her. She pulled a face and gave him the evil eye.

  He pretended to duck his head between his shoulders in fright. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I’m so scared!”

  Stumped for a better reply, she could only come up with, “Watch it, or I’ll lose my temper!”

  “Lose your temper? Even if you’re to lose your trousers, I …” Then he stopped and went up to whisper a few words into her ear.

  Third Pan cried out in exasperation, “Listen to him, Master Xu! Listen to what this good friend of yours is saying!”

  Verdure Xu pleaded with Longevity, “It’s all my fault; I’d be much obliged if you’d overlook it, my good brother.”

  Longevity said, “That’s all right, since you’re begging to be let off. Otherwise I’d want to ask her: we’re all friends here, is Master Xu longer than Master Zhang by three inches?”

  “You have your sweetheart, Master Zhang,” she answered. “I can’t please you, so there’s only Master Xu to help me out a bit.”

  “Listen to the way she says Master Xu,” Longevity said to Talisman. “Now, that makes him happy, doesn’t it? He’s so happy, his soul will be called away!”

  Talisman said, “No, I don’t want to listen. Nobody ever calls my name!”

  “You’re a good friend, Master Talisman,” she said smiling. “Why don’t you put in a good word for me?”

  “Speaking of friends …” said Longevity.

  Verdure Xu roared out, cutting him short, “I’ll give you a clout in the face if you dare say any more.”

  “Fine, fine. Let’s just say I’m scared of you, all right?” said Longevity.

  “So! The joke’s on me now!” Verdure Xu rolled up his sleeves and rushed over to beat Longevity, who escaped hurriedly into the courtyard with Verdure in hot pursuit. Longevity pulled out the door bolt and rushed into the alley, heading east. Just then someone came out of the dark and bumped into him.

  “What’s going on?” the man exclaimed. The voice sounded familiar.

  Verdure Xu walked up to him and asked, “Is it Constant Blessing?”

  The man answered to the name. So Verdure Xu took him by his arm and returned to the house, calling to Longevity, “Come in, I’ll let you off this time.” Longevity crept in after them, bolted the door, and peeped at the man through the bamboo curtain. It was Cloudlet Chen’s steward, Constant Blessing. Longevity hurried in to ask him:

  “Is the party over?”

  “How would it be over so soon? The girls’ call chits have just been sent downstairs.”

  Longevity Zhang thought for a moment. “Talisman, I have to go.”

  “I’m coming with you,” said Verdure Xu. So saying, they left in a flurry. Third Pan did not even have time to see them out.

  The four of them walked out of the alley together and headed east until they got to Pebble Road. Longevity continued ahead innocently. Verdure Xu grabbed him to tell him to go south.

  “I’m not going,” Longevity said to Talisman.

  Verdure Xu pushed him from behind. “Not going, eh? Try being stubborn!”

  Longevity nearly fell down. He had no choice but to cross Zheng’s Wooden Bridge with them. When they got to New Street, a serving woman standing by the roadside rushed over and called out, “Master Constant!” She pulled him along by the sleeve and kept talking as she walked on, leading them to a house. She pushed the door open and walked in. In the house, an old woman of sixty or seventy sat by herself against the wall. The room was lit only by a dim oil lamp on the table.

  The serving woman greeted her as “Old Mrs. Filial Guo” and asked, “Where’s the opium tray?”

  “Still on the bed,” Old Mrs. Guo replied.

  The maid hastened to fetch a spill, went into the inner room, and lit the wall lamp. It was made of tin plate and had a reflector mirror in the glass dome. She turned it up high and invited the four men to come sit down. Then she lit the opium lamp.

  “We don’t want any opium. Go and fetch Second Wang,” said Constant.

  The woman answered yes and went.

  Old Mrs. Guo groped her way into the room, her head wobbling, holding a foreign brass water pipe. “Which of you gentlemen will have a smoke?”

  Constant Blessing accepted the pipe, saying, “Never mind this routine of politeness.”

  She went back to sit in the outer room.

  “What kind of a place is this?” Longevity asked. “I must say you people know your way around.”

  “What kind of a place does it look like to you?” said Constant Blessing.

  “Well, it looks like nothing to me. A streetwalker house? Not really. A place for moonlighting housewives? Doesn’t seem right. Opium den with girls? Doesn’t look like that, either.”

  “It is an opium den with a girl,” said Constan
t Blessing. “But they have guests inside, so they borrow this place for us to sit here a while. Got it?”

  As they were talking, they heard the door creak. Constant Blessing looked out quickly and saw that it was indeed Second Wang. The minute she came in, she greeted him, “Master Constant.” She then asked for the names of the others and apologized, “Sorry, you’ve come at a bad time. If you don’t mind the squalor, sit here for a while and have a smoke, all right?”

  Constant Blessing looked at Verdure Xu to see what he thought. Xu, seeing that Second Wang was rather outstanding for an opium den girl, decided that it was all right to wait for a while, so he nodded his agreement. Second Wang then went to the outer room herself to fetch a pipe and two boxes of opium; she also told Old Mrs. Guo to have the serving woman make tea. Longevity saw that there was just one bed in this inner room; the space was so cramped, there wasn’t even room for a table. He called out: “Talisman, we’ll go on ahead.”

  Verdure Xu could not very well detain them further, so Longevity took his leave and went back with Talisman to Snow Scent’s house in East Co-prosperity Alley. The party was over by then.

  “Where have Mr. Zhu and Mr. Wang gone?” he asked.

  Everybody said they had no idea. Longevity hurried away to look for Amity Zhu, while Talisman went searching for Lotuson Wang at Little Rouge’s in West Floral Alley. He saw Wang’s sedan chair at the door and hurried in to ask the bearers, “When did the party break up?”

  “Not long ago,” they replied.

  Talisman was relieved to hear that. Just then, the maid, Pearlie, happened to be carrying a water kettle upstairs. He went up to her to ask a favor, “Please mention to my master that I’m here. Much obliged.”

  Pearlie did not answer but beckoned for him to come up. He tiptoed up after her and sat down in the middle room while Pearlie went into the bedroom. It was a long wait, and he got impatient. He turned his head to listen carefully; there wasn’t a sound, but he dared not go downstairs. He was at the point of dozing off when he heard Lotuson cough and then the sound of footsteps. A moment later, Pearlie lifted the door curtain and beckoned to him. He went in and saw that Lotuson was sitting by himself on the divan yawning, saying nothing. Pearlie was busy preparing a hot towel. Lotuson took it, gave his face a wipe, and finally told Talisman to get the sedan chair ready to go home. Talisman answered “yes, sir” and went downstairs, shouting for the sedan-chair bearers to light the lanterns. When Lotuson came down and got into the chair, Talisman followed it back to Wang’s residence on Fifth Avenue. Only then did he report: