The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai

by Bangqing Han

  “We don’t mean to turn you down,” Cloud explained. “But we won’t feel at ease eating here.”

  “It’s our home-cooking. We’ll send the dishes over when they’re done, how about that?” she asked.

  Cloud agreed. As they were leaving, River Blossom again barred Jade’s way, refusing to let him go.

  “Come with us then,” Cloud said with a smile.

  Keeping a tight grip on Jade’s robe, River Blossom refused to ride in the sedan chair, so Cloud and Cloudlet walked with them, acting as a screen in front and behind so nobody could see her.

  As soon as they arrived at Belle’s, the Li’s manservant, Laurel Blessing, delivered a lidded bamboo basket up to Belle’s room. It contained four main dishes and four bowls of food. Cloud told Belle and River Blossom to join them at dinner and drink with them. Jade still wouldn’t touch a drop. Cloudlet, who had business to attend to, did not feel like drinking, so when the wine had gone three rounds he excused himself and had rice together with Jade and River Blossom. Only Belle kept Cloud company, matching him cup for cup. Hoping to drown his sorrow in wine, Cloud did not desist till he was tipsy. Cloudlet left immediately after dinner.

  Cloud arranged with Belle to clear out the mezzanine room for Jade to sleep there. Bereft of all hope, Jade had little to occupy his mind and actually slept very soundly that night. But River Blossom, who slept by his side, was plagued by nightmares and slept but fitfully. The next morning, she suddenly cried out tearfully in her dream, “Elder Sister, I’m going with you!” He woke her up hastily and held her in his arms. She kept sobbing, still looking dazed. He did not question her; they both dressed and got up. Word reached Cloud and Belle, and they, too, got out of bed earlier than usual.

  After breakfast, Jade wanted to go to East Prosperity Alley to have a look. Still worried about him, Cloud accompanied him there. River Blossom, who would not leave Jade’s side, went with him, too. He went back and forth three times that day, crying his eyes out each time. Cloud felt completely worn out at the end of the day.

  ::

  1. [This meant getting the coffin, burial clothes, and other necessities for the funeral. This was often done as a last resort in the hope that the worst omen would turn the tide. E.H.]

  2. [These were the bridal garments of a Chinese official’s wife; customarily, these garments were also used in funerals. E.H.]

  CHAPTER 43 :: An empty room is a potent reminder of lost love, and innocent words affirm that the dead will return

  Came the ninth day of the eighth month, Cloud Tao was wakened from his slumber by the sound of cannon, and he heard the sound of percussion and wind instruments coming from afar. Thinking he had overslept, he got up in a hurry.

  “What’s the matter?” Belle woke up, startled.

  “I’m late,” he said.

  “But it’s still awfully early.”

  “You sleep a little longer; I’ll get up first.” He called the maid in and asked, “Is Second Young Master up?”

  “Second Young Master was gone at dawn. He didn’t even take the sedan chair,” the maid replied.

  Cloud quickly washed and went over to East Prosperity Alley. When he got there, he saw two standing lanterns had been erected in front of the Lis’ door and a group of children were jumping up and down, trying to see what was going on. He got out of his sedan chair and went into the parlor. A tablet wrapped in white silk had been set up on the offering table in front of the coffin. Two tea tables, one on either side, held oblong gold-lacquered trays. On one were a bridal headdress and a wedding cape, on the other gold and pearl jewelry. Several women guests from the countryside stood around examining the display. They were full of admiration for the family’s “good fortune.” There were also a dozen male guests in Water Blossom’s room holding forth loudly. Some of them were rather uncouth, and Cloud figured that Jade would not be with them.

  He walked into River Blossom’s room. Cloudlet Chen was assigning duties for the funeral procession. The room was tightly packed. An old man with white whiskers sat at a newly installed desk against the wall. He was the bookkeeper and was now registering the mourners’ gifts in the funeral record book. When Cloud walked in, the bookkeeper stood respectfully to one side, not daring to greet him. Cloud asked him where Jade was.

  “Over there.” The bookkeeper pointed.

  Cloud turned around and found Jade bent over the round table, his head buried in his arms. He was completely silent, but occasionally his head and shoulders shook ever so slightly. Cloud realized he was quietly weeping and decided to ignore him. When the bearers had all left, he went up to greet Cloudlet and suggested that they should send Jade away on some pretext.

  “He won’t agree to go just now. We’ll see when this business is over,” said Cloudlet.

  “And when will that be?”

  “Soon. We’ll start once lunch is over.”

  As there was nothing Cloud could do about it, he went over to the opium divan to smoke. Shortly afterward, lunch was announced. Three tables were set in Water Blossom’s room; it was filled with the Lis’ relatives as well as the announcers, musicians, and cannoneers hired for the funeral. In River Blossom’s room, only one table was set; it was for Cloudlet Chen, Cloud Tao, and Jade Tao. They were just going to sit down when a manservant from Belle’s came in. When Cloud asked him what his errand was, he said it was to deliver a funeral gift. So saying, he produced a box containing a packet of money for joss sticks as well as Belle’s name card. Cloud thought it was a little laughable and paid it no attention. But right afterward came another bearer of gifts. The man was dressed formally in a summer hat with purple tassels, and he had a tray in his hands. Seeing that it was one of Harmony Qi’s stewards, Cloud immediately inspected the tray. It held three portions of money for joss sticks and three white greeting cards in the names of Aroma Su, Wenjun Yao, and Flora Zhang.

  “His Excellency is indeed too considerate. There’s really no need for this.” Cloud said to the steward, all smiles.

  The steward politely acknowledged Cloud’s comment and then told him, “His Excellency says that if Second Young Master feels unhappy, he is welcome to come and amuse himself in our garden.”

  “Please convey our thanks to His Excellency. In a couple of days, Second Young Master will go to the house to thank him personally,” said Cloud.

  The steward answered “yes, sir” and departed. Only then did the three of them take their seats for lunch. As there was an extra seat at the table, Cloudlet asked the bookkeeper to join them. But the bookkeeper felt it was too exalted a position for him and told River Blossom to keep them company instead. Not only did Jade abstain from wine, he actually refused all food and water. Cloud did not press him. Everybody else just had a little congee and then left the table.

  Cloudlet went outside the house to see to everything. Fearful of ridicule, Jade hid himself in a corner. Cloud noticed that River Blossom in white mourning clothes looked lovelier than ever. Moved by pity, he took her hand and walked over to the opium divan, where he made small talk with her. River Blossom was usually quick on the uptake, but now she just stared dumbly, replying to his questions like an automaton.

  As they were talking, a man suddenly pushed his way through the parlor, shouting orders, whereupon four men in red and black hats in the courtyard started to clear the way loudly. This was followed by three blasts of the cannon and nine strokes of the gong. River Blossom was so frightened, she ran off to the back of the room, while Jade was nowhere to be seen. Cloud stood up to watch. The parlor was jam-packed with people making an awful din, so Cloud could not tell whether the body had been laid out in the coffin. A moment later, there were again loud shouts to clear the street; the gongs sounded, and the cannon was fired as before. All those who wore mourning clothes as well as the hired women mourners started wailing. Cloud drew back and lay down to wait quietly. He heard drums and cymbals followed by bells and incantations and figured that they were performing the ritual cleansing after the body had be
en laid out in the coffin.

  After the cleansing, all was quiet for a long time. Cloud was about to inquire once again when Cloudlet pushed his way through the crowd and beckoned for him. He rushed out to discover that Jade was holding tight to the coffin with both hands, with the upper half of his body actually in the coffin. Fair Sister tried her best to pull him out, all to no avail. Cloud approached him from behind and forcibly dragged him into the room. The noise of gongs and cannon instantly rang out, and the sound of wailing rose to the skies. The coffin was sealed, and the spectators gradually dispersed. The music for the final send-off now began.

  Cloud kept watch at the door to stop Jade from going out. Water Blossom’s adopted brother led the way in paying last respects. He was followed by River Blossom, Beckon the servant girl, and the two girls sold to the house. After they had performed their kowtows, it was the turn of her relatives and the male and female guests to do their obeisances.

  Cloudlet hurried out of the front door to give instructions to the men, and the bearers swarmed into the parlor to remove the offering table and tie ropes round the coffin. At the report of a cannon, the coolies gave a shout and hoisted the coffin on their shoulders. The men in red and black hats sounded the gongs and shouted loudly to clear the way. They went with the drumming monks to the alley entrance and waited there. In the house, the coffin bearers slowly started moving. Fair Sister walked at the head of the family and followed the coffin, weeping. Some of the relatives would go with the coffin, others not. Everyone piled out of the house.

  Taking advantage of the confusion, Jade ducked under Cloud’s arm and got out, but Cloud dragged him back. Feeling helpless, Jade stamped his feet in frustration.

  “There’s no point in your going there now. I’ll go with you to Xujiahui tomorrow. That’d be the sensible thing to do. Even if you send her off all the way to the boat, there won’t be anything for you to do. What’s the point?”

  Knowing that Cloud was right, Jade gave up his struggle. Cloud wanted to take him to Civic Peace Alley right away, but Jade insisted on waiting until the funeral procession had returned. Cloud gave in, not realizing how long it would take.

  Jade thought of the things Water Blossom had left behind and wondered whether Fair Sister had put them away. He sneaked off to her room to take a look. The sight shocked him. The room had been emptied of most of its contents. The wardrobes and trunks had all been padlocked, and two benches had been thrown on the bed. The pendant lamp, with its glass broken, dangled there forlornly. Many of the paintings and calligraphy scrolls on the walls had also gone. Chicken and fish bones littered the unswept floor. Water Blossom was but newly dead, yet her room was already in ruins. At this thought, Jade burst into bitter tears again. Since Cloud was in River Blossom’s room, Jade could weep to his heart’s content. He approached the bed in tears. Suddenly a fluffy black ball rolled out from under the dressing table. Before he could look closely at it, it had vanished. Startled, he wondered whether it could have been Water Blossom’s spirit appearing in this strange guise to stop him crying, so he dried his tears.

  Just then Cloudlet returned ahead of the party. Jade hurried forth for information.

  “Everything is settled on the boat. It’ll sail down tomorrow,” said Cloudlet. “It’s best if you have lunch first before you take a carriage to Xujiahui tomorrow.”

  Impatient to leave, Cloud did not wait for the sedan-chair bearers. He told Jade repeatedly that they should go. As Jade walked out into the courtyard, a cat with a black coat and a white belly was sitting on the lid of the water jar chewing noisily. Realizing that the black ball he had seen was this creature, he sighed and then followed Cloud on foot to Belle’s in West Civic Peace Alley.

  It was a gloomy day, and toward evening it started to drizzle. To overcome the sense of depression, Cloud ordered a few of his favorite dishes and asked Cloudlet over for a drink after his business was done. Cloudlet brought River Blossom with him. Surprised, Jade asked why she was there.

  “She wants to see her brother-in-law. She has been pestering her mother for a while now,” replied Cloudlet.

  River Blossom leaned close to Jade and whispered, “Brother-in-law, d’you know that Elder Sister is all alone in the boat? We’ve all come back, even Laurel Blessing has left. If some stranger rowed it away, how would we find it?”

  Cloud and Cloudlet both laughed at this, while Jade tried to console her kindly.

  “It’s sad for her to have lost her sister,” Belle said.

  “Are you trying to make her cry?” Cloud said in reproof. “She has only just stopped crying; d’you want to set her off again?”

  Belle could see that River Blossom’s eyes were indeed filled with tears, so she put on a smiling face, took the girl’s hand, and drew her close. She then made conversation by asking her all sorts of questions: how old was she? who taught her to sing? how many arias had she learned? This tided them over till the meal was on the table. Cloud and Cloudlet had some wine. While Belle was able to drink a little with them, Jade and River Blossom had rice served early. Cloud noticed that Jade had only had about half a bowl of rice all day. He did not press him to eat more but said to him kindly, “You got up early today; d’you want to go to bed now? Go on ahead.”

  Jade, who felt sad and dreary, took the opportunity to excuse himself. He went to the mezzanine room with River Blossom and closed the door, saying they would go to bed. But once in the room he just sat there mutely like a puppet, looking at the table lamp. River Blossom nestled against him, but she, too, seemed preoccupied. After a long while, she suddenly said, “Listen, Brother-in-law, the rain has more or less stopped. Let’s go to the boat and keep Elder Sister company for a bit. We’ll come back later, all right?”

  He did not answer, just shook his head.

  “We can go if we keep it from them,” she said.

  Her foolish devotion aroused his grief. Sadness surged in his heart, and tears streamed down his face. At this sight, she cried out, “Why are you crying, Brother-in-law?”

  He held up a hand to keep her quiet, saying, “Hush.”

  She turned around to embrace him. When he had dried his tears and stopped choking, she said, “Brother-in-law, I have something to tell you. You mustn’t tell anybody else, all right?”

  “What is it?”

  “Yesterday, the bookkeeper told me Elder Sister is only going away for two weeks; she’ll come back after that.1 The astrologer has picked the day. He said she’s definitely coming back on the twenty-first. The bookkeeper is an honest man, so what he says must be true. He told me not to cry, for Elder Sister wouldn’t come back if she heard me cry. He also said not to tell anybody for fear that they won’t let her come back. So you shouldn’t cry, Brother-in-law. You have to let Elder Sister come back.”

  What she said caused him to break down completely. He wept aloud. Scared, she stamped her feet and called aloud desperately for help. The noise brought Cloud and Cloudlet. When they pushed the door open and saw the state of affairs, Cloudlet chuckled.

  Cloud frowned. “Don’t you think you’re overdoing it?”

  With a tremendous effort, Jade controlled himself. Belle told her maid to bring a basin of hot water and then said to Jade, “Second Young Master, you’d better go to bed after you’ve freshened up. It’s been a long day.” Having said that, she left with the others.

  The maid brought the water. Jade cleaned his face and then gave River Blossom’s face a wipe, too. After the maid had taken the basin away, he helped River Blossom undress, and they went to bed, sleeping side by side. Though wide awake at first, he gradually dropped off and was not even aware of Cloudlet Chen’s departure.

  The next morning was sunny and bright. Jade thought he would sneak off to the quay to find the funeral boat. But as soon as he got out of the mezzanine room, the maid stopped him, saying, “Eldest Young Master has left word that Second Young Master is not to leave.” Meanwhile, River Blossom rushed out to cling to him. He figured it was impossible to ge
t away, so he went back into the room.

  It was noon when he heard Cloud clear his throat. Belle came out of her room, her hair uncombed, to call for the maid. Seeing Jade and River Blossom, she greeted them, “We’ve just got up. Do come in.”

  They walked into her room to see Cloud. Jade wanted to tell the sedan-chair bearers to call a hackney so they could set off.

  “It’s too early. Let’s have lunch first,” Cloud said. Jade then turned to order lunch, but Cloud told him, “It’s been ordered.” Only then did Jade sit down on the divan. He looked at Belle as she dressed her hair in front of the mirror.

  Belle said to River Blossom, “Your hair is a bit messy, too. It needs combing. I’ll do it for you.”

  Bashful, River Blossom declined.

  “Why not?” Cloud said. “Go look in the mirror yourself. Isn’t it untidy?”

  Jade also tried to persuade her, which made her more ill at ease than ever.

  “Now that she knows you a bit better, she’s become more self-conscious,” Jade commented.

  “It’s all right; come on,” Belle said, smiling pleasantly. She pulled River Blossom to her side and started combing her hair. She asked casually who used to do her hair.

  “It used to be Elder Sister, but recently it’s been anybody. The day before yesterday, because I had to change to a blue binding,2 Mother did it for me.”

  Afraid that this would remind Jade of Water Blossom, Cloud changed the subject. Belle understood and said no more. Although Jade was sitting there sedately, his face expressionless, Cloud knew that his mind was in turmoil. Just then the menservants reported, “Lunch is here.” Cloud told them to bring it upstairs. Since River Blossom’s hair needed just to be tied into simple buns, it was a lot easier to manage than Belle’s hairdo and was soon finished. They lunched together.

  As soon as the meal was over, Jade told the chair bearers to call a hackney and have it wait at the mouth of the alley. Cloud had no choice but to set off at once with him and River Blossom. They headed southwest to a huge cemetery on a hill near the highway in Xujiahui. Toward its farther end, seven or eight diggers, sweating heavily, were working on a new grave. In front of it was a heap of bricks and tiles, and the hollow in the ground was lined with lime. They knew it was the right place and got off the carriage.