Bride of the Moso Prince (33 page)

Nobul…”

“There isn’t much between us, except, you know what. It’s just an affair. It
isn’t
mean
t
to last.”

“You’re always so cool about relationships. Sharon,” Charlene stared at her, observing her expression, “but you look sad.”

Sharon looked away. She was lying and was hoping that Charlene wouldn’t see through her.

“Well, I am.” She confessed finally, “I realized it in Lijiang that I, I had some other feelings for him. And I got pretty scared.”

“Why should you? Don’t you want to fall in love?”

“Not really. Especially when it would only be one-way. The Moso, they don’t love, do they?”

“You’re letting Dr. Lewis’ crap influence you, sister.”

“But what he said did make sense to me, although I’m reluctant to believe it. Besides, from what I’ve seen and heard, the Moso are practical and not at all romantic.”

Charlene sighed. “It might be just appearance. Don’t forget how vehemently Nobul defended his culture. There must be some truth in his own argument. They might be simply hiding their ‘impractical’ feelings due to their custom. Besides, Nobul is a quarter Han. That should give you some hope?”

Sharon shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m leaving as soon as the main exhibition room is set up. I’m myself a practical person.”

Charlene was going to say something when they heard the voice of Sadama, calling them to lunch from the courtyard.

When Nobul returned to Shangari-la it was lunch time. He ate silently, while listening to Sharon and Charlene talking about Lijiang with Sadama, who hadn’t been there for years.

“But you must go again soon.” Sharon cried, Iit must have changed since you were there last time.”

“Yes,” Sadama nodded, “I do miss the silverware market.”

After lunch Charlene and Sharon went for a walk. Nobul sat by the hearth and had tea with his mother.

“So what did
Naruma
say to you?”

“She asked me to …give Namu children.” Nobul said with difficulty.

“I’m surprised that she would do that.” Sadama sighed, “The old woman had doted on you and never asked you to do things against your will. How one changes in the face of death…what are you going to do?”

Nobul finished his cup of tea before answering her question. “I can’t do it.”

“It’s not an easy decision for you, I know.” Sadama said softly, “But we’re in debt to her. don’t forget how she helped us when your grandmother was in jail.”

“But it doesn’t give her the rights to force me into a relationship.”

“Oh son. You’re taking relationships too seriously. No one expects you to stick with one woman for lifetime. We Moso value freedom more than love.”

“Mother, we’re not totally Moso. My grandmother’s Han blood is strong in me. Besides, I,” he stopped abruptly. He was going to confess to his mother his feeling to Sharon.

“Don’t be stubborn, son. The Moso way isn’t bad at all.”

“I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s just that I prefer something different.”

“Tell me son, what do you want exactly? I’m tired of reading the riddles of your mind.”

Nobul, under his mother’s solicitous eyes, suddenly became timid. Would Sadama be disappointed with what he was about to say? He had been avoiding the moment for years and now was time to face it. Taking a deep breath, he said slowly and clearly, “I want my children to live under my roof.”

Sadama was silent for a moment. Then she sighed, “I expected it, son. After all, you’re a quarter Han. I would rather you not do
ing
it, but there is a solution.”

Nobul looked at his mother with surprise.

“Namu could marry into our household.”

“What?” Nobul cried out with disbelief. It was out of his expectation.

“It’s not totally against the custom. You don’t have a sister, that’s why your wife could be adopted to our family.”

The solution didn’t cheer Nobul up. “Is
Naruma
going to be happy with that?”

“I think so. We’ve talked about that possibility. She would be happy about it if you were willing to.”

Nobul wouldn’t speak.

“Think about
it, child. It might be
Naruma
’s last wish.”

When they were on their way back to the island Nobul was unusually silent. The request that
Naruma
had made was torturing his mind. To refuse her would be ungrateful and cruel, and to agree would be against his will. But what was really bothering him was that it would be unimaginable for him to go against his will. True, he had always been rebellious against his fate. But when necessary, he would do what he didn’t enjoy doing in order to please others. Why would it be so difficult for him to sacrifice his happiness this time? All she had asked for was that he would give Namu children. It wasn’t too much. In fact it was little. A handful of sperms would do. Namu was a fertile woman. It could be accomplished by a couple visits. He had had one night stands in the past. He might be able to do it if he could simply pay less heed to the title of a father… he might be able to work on that… he thought, except that there was more holding him back… he found the idea of going to bed with Namu, or any other woman utterly unthinkable. And he knew the reason.

He looked at Sharon who was enjoying the scenery as if it were the first time she was taking a boat ride in the lake. The delight on her face amused him. He pulled her to him and kissed her. Her soft moans told him how much she enjoyed his kiss. Already he wanted her. He wanted her by his side every day and night. He wanted to eat with her and to sleep with her. He wanted her to be his lover, and to be the mother of his children. And the realization that she would leave him soon made him angry. He had to do something to keep her and she had to stay with him! Otherwise, otherwise, it would be pointless to eat or to sleep, to carve wood or even to open a museum! He stopped his frantic thought. That was nonsense. He had lived happily for a long time without her. Surely he could live again without her? He kissed her earlobe and made her moan again. Stop it, she said, while looking at his lips, I don’t want to go wild in the middle of the lake. He pulled himself away from her in order to look at her from a better angle. May goddess forgive him! He thought. For she had become his goddess. She had gotten hold of his heart. She had spun a web over him. There was a feeling, a very powerful feeling that was taking control of him. He had never experienced it before. It was like some kind of spell that put him under the control of another person— a person of opposite sex.  Heavens! It might be what the Han called love.

Chapter 13

However eager they wanted to start the exhibition room, there was endless preparation holding them back. Nobul’s assistant had gotten a set of photos from the Southwest University in Chengdu, and had the pilot deliver them to the island, along with a box of frames. Thus for the next two days, Sharon found herself translating the English notes into Chinese, while Nobul hand wrote them into index cards. She had suggested typing and printing from a computer but he believed that handwriting would look better. He was right. His handwriting was excellent. The assistant also told them over the phone that the American explorer had taken more pictures but the university hadn’t gotten the rights for everything. Sharon decided that she would contact the National Geographic Society once she got back to LA.

It took them another day to put the framed photos with descriptions on the walls. Nobul adjusted the ceiling lights to give good effects. And when it was done, the exhibition room looked half ready.

“Tomorrow we’ll put in the rest.” Nobul said before they left the room shortly before midnight.

“But where are the rest of the displaying objects?” Sharon asked curiously.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” He stamped a kiss on her forehead.

They got up at dawn, as both of them were eager to finish the work. At seven, the sun was high up on the sky but was threatened to be covered up anytime by piles of thick clouds around it. Heavy fog hung over the mountain tops.

“It will rain in the afternoon.” Nobul observed after breakfast, “Let’s try to finish as much work as possible in the morning.”

Sharon frowned, “Why? We work indoor anyway.”

He smiled slyly. “We could work in the storm, of course. But,” he came behind and bent towards her, his breath tickled her ear, “Or we could nap. There is nothing cozier than snuggling in a warm bed in the sound of a storm…”

Even better, curling beside a body exuding constant heat, moaning in competition with the sound of the rain. She thought as his hands cupped her chin first, and then fell on her shoulders. She could almost see the steam rising, out of the canopy, and painting a layer of mists on window panes, making the world outside unreal and irrelevant.  Her lips went dry with her imagination.

“Why don’t I help you with the dish right now so we can start working as soon as possible?” Sharon murmured a suggestion.

“Good idea!” his voice was husky and his hands rubbing gently on her shoulders were in no hurry to move away.

Finally he removed his hands and took the dishes resolutely.

             
“So how shall we get started?” She asked as soon as she entered the exhibition room.

             
“Let me see,” He looked around and went to the back of the room “I’ll be back.”

While waiting for him to return, Sharon stood admiring the interior design of the room which she had
worked on
since she had moved to the island two weeks ago. Only a few days ago the room was still strewn with woodwork here and there, but today everything was in its right place. Sharon glanced over every detail of the house, from the ground to the roof. Even without any display, the structure of the house was a spectacle itself. The chiseled pillars and beams, the caved window panes. The pictures on the wall, so far the only tangible aspect of the her effort, made her proud. The fact that she would be leaving soon saddened her and she moved from one corner of the room to the other, feeling the tables, shelves, and the pillars with her finger tips.

             
When she was next to the female pillar she stopped and studied the carved phoenix in earnest, knowing that it was dedicated to the Empress, Nobul’s grandmother. The bird was painted in gold, matching the color of the dragon of the male pillar. The grace of its posture was depicted with the curvature of its neck and the twists of its feather tails. Stunning! Sharon whispered as she felt the phoenix with her fingers. Knowing that Nobul’s hand had given birth to that master piece of art, she was overwhelmed with pride. She had seen how many hours he had spent working straight on a carving a single feather. With her eyes closed, she kissed the tail of the phoenix, understanding at that moment that an art was always a part of the artist that had created it.

             
Nobul, who had already come back to her noiselessly, pulled her to him and stroke her lips, “your lips are itching?”

             
“Yes,” She said, slightly pursing for a kiss.

             
Smiling, he moistened her lips with his and quickly pulled himself away, “We won’t be able to do anything if we keep gluing to each other like this.”

             
“Come over here,” he took her arm and led her to the back, where a door on the wall opened to a dimly lit storage room.

             
Inside there were tools and wood panels, butter churner, a mill, a loom, fishing spears, iron tea kettles, bronze and brass kitchen utensils, bamboo woven basket, etc…

“These are Moso artifacts. Help me to think about where and how we should display them.”

             
Lit by the faint amber light, the room resembled a mysterious treasure cave out of
a thousand and a night
.  From the dusts on the top she could tell that these objects had been lying here for ages.

In one corner there were a couple of big wooden boxes. Sharon went over and saw that both boxes were filled with straws. Nobul brushed the straws aside and revealed the treasures beneath them. In one of the boxes, there were silver plates, bowls, and spoons. And in
an
other, were sets of delicate china wares, including tea cups, kettles, and vases.

“The silver wares were made by local artists.” Nobul explained, “But the China wares were imported from the Han. Some were part of my grandmother’s dowry. Others were gifts from the Han emperors from various dynasties. This vase is dated to the Tang Dynasty.” He took out a small flower vase and handed it to Sharon.

Sharon was in awe as she took it from his hand. It was an enameled vase with two handlings, exquisitely shaped and yet opulently decorated. Various flowers were painted in their natural colors: plum blossoms in pink, chrysanthemums in yellow, peonies in red, and orchid in blue. Branches of green leaves weaved through them. The interior was turquoise instead of white, and it was glazed. Sharon quickly put it back to his hand, afraid that she would break it.