Peach Blossom Pavilion (29 page)

Suddenly her soft voice rose in the air, reciting a poem:

How could I respond? I looked around and noticed a few branches of plum blossom reaching up from beneath the balcony. The flowers bloomed with a robust pink like that which had once adorned Pearl's lips. My heart began to pound at the auspicious sign. While the petals blushed like a young girl, the ancient branches twisted like ancient calligraphy. The new petals and old branches conjured in my mind the image of an eager young student and his wise teacher-like the relationship had once been between Pearl and me.

Tears swelled in my eyes but I blinked them back.

I remembered Pearl's explanation of the qin piece "Three Variations on the Plum Blossom." The flowers' sheer tenacity to survive within a harsh environment, she'd told me, had moved thousands of poets and painters. Over many centuries, their numerous poems and paintings extolling the plum blossom's virtue had nourished wounded hearts and strengthened lost souls.

I turned to Pearl and pointed below the balcony. "Sister Pearl, look, plum blossoms!" That was all I dared to say, fearing if I went on she'd misunderstand and think I was trying to lecture her with what she'd taught me.

"I know," she said without looking at the flowers or me. A pause, then her soft voice rose again, "Xiang Xiang, have you also noticed the swallow's nest below the balcony to your right?"

I craned my neck and saw a nest half-hidden among pillars. To my delight, perching on the twigs was a swallow, now feeding her babies. Though her action of thrusting food into the eagerly opened beaks was so fast that it looked almost comical, my eyes were again in tears. I felt touched not only by the good omen of new lives and motherly love, but also by the hope that Pearl's mind, though seemingly oblivious, was once again sharp and clear!

I turned and caught her glance. To my delight, she spoke again, this time softly yet clearly, "Once a swallow is born in her nest, though she grows up and flies away, she'll always come back. Every year. Nothing-rain, snow, thunder-can stop her homecoming. It's a ritual of respect to her life journey."

Her remark reminded me of my conversation with my mother at the train station:

Xiang Xiang, we Chinese say falling leaves returning to their roots. You understand what this means?

Yes, Ma-no matter what happens, we should always find our way home.

But now five years had passed, and the only home I knew was Peach Blossom. And I'd never gotten a single word from Mother.

"Unless-" Pearl's voice rose, awakening me from my reminiscence.

"Unless what?"

"Her nest is destroyed."

I turned to look at her incredulously. "But who would have the heart to do such a thing?"

"Many things: a thunderstorm, a snowstorm, or even a strong wind. That's what nature does. Then there's destruction by men. The day will come when Peach Blossom Pavilion will be torn down."

I felt a jolt inside, for the thought that Peach Blossom would be gone someday had never entered my mind. Not that I liked living here serving those chou nanren, but like the swallow's tiny nest, Peach Blossom was all I had for a home. When Peach Blossom was gone, where would we all go? Even the rats in the basementthey'd scurry onto the street, but would they be smashed by boys, cars, or falling pillars?

Pearl went on, "Or it might also be destroyed by a little boy who happens to pass by, sees the nest, then throws a stone at it just for fun-" Suddenly she stopped.

"Sister Pearl?"

"Shhh . . . " She tilted her head, listening. "Someone's coming."

I heard footsteps sound closer and closer until from the corner slowly emerged a strikingly beautiful, richly attired woman-Red Jade. A strong fragrance scurried its way into my nostrils.

Her red gown was trimmed with lace in an intricate pattern like spider's webs. I had to acknowledge that she now looked like a true ming ji. Under the blood-colored mesh, the two globes looked as if they were about to burst their way to freedom. A gold and diamond spider brooch clung onto one of the full moons. On one side of her pomaded hair, a red flower precariously played hide and seek. A fan painted with flowers swayed indolently in her redgloved hand.

Like a voluptuous goddess-or a she-vampire-walking on earth, her beauty possessed the power to halt breath and transport souls. Now wriggling toward our direction, she kept flashing the sort of overtly flirtatious smile that Pearl had warned me not to use.

Pearl stared at her with contempt. But Red jade didn't seem to mind at all; the smile kept blossoming on her face.

We kept staring at each other for long moments before her jiggling breasts and wriggling bottom finally came to rest. "Oh how I envy your leisure. Especially you, Sister Pearl. Now even if I want to take a break, Chief Che won't let me. How I wish I could retire early like you!"

I blurted out, "You slut, why don't you just hold your tongue!"

Red Jade burst into laughter. "Ha! Me a slut? What about you," she thrust a red-gloved finger at me, then at Pearl, "and you, aren't you all sluts? That's how we make our living here, being sluts. But," she cast Pearl a meaningful glance, "of course you're not a slut anymore, you're retired. Congratulations! Now would you two like to come to my room for a glass of champagne to celebrate Sister Pearl's early retirement as well as my winning the contest?"

Pearl spat, "You bitch!"

Then, as Pearl was about to lunge forward, a yellow butterfly materialized out of nowhere, and began to hover around Red Jade-attracted to her strong perfume, I assumed.

Abruptly Pearl stopped, then tears swelled in her eyes while she croaked a wailing "Ruby! "

Her eyes glued to the butterfly and her expression transfixed, Pearl now looked as if her soul were being snatched away by a dark, unfathomable force.

"Wah!" Red Jade sneered with her shrill, saccharine voice. "How sentimental! You even give a worthless insect such a precious name. You," her high-pitched voice suddenly dropped many notches, "are just an ugly old bitch who crawled out from the rotten gate of another dog-fucked bitch!"

Before we could respond to this, Red jade lifted her fan toward the butterfly. The insect immediately rested on it.

She snapped shut the fan. Then she opened it back up and let the crushed yellow mess drop onto the ground.

Pearl's gold filigreed butterfly fell from her hair, hitting the floor with a dull plop.

19

Last Journey in the
Red Dust

-t was Aunty Ah Ping who found Pearl's body hanging from a rafter in the temple of the haunted garden. Later it was said that a yellow butterfly hovered by the hem of her gown.

The moment Fang Rong and Wu Qiang heard of Pearl's death, they went to search her room. I offered to help. Not only was I eager to do something for my blood sister, I also wanted to find her qin. But to my alarm, after everything had been turned upside down, there was still no trace of the instrument.

I asked Fang Rong, "Mama, have you seen Sister Pearl's qin?"

She thought for a while. "Ah, you mean that rotten piece of wood that Pearl called an instrument? I haven't seen it for a long time. Maybe she'd finally grown tired of it and thrown it away. I heard her play it once or twice a long time ago. But you know what it sounded like? A cat's meowing!"

Mama kept babbling on while my mind went blank. Now that Pearl had boarded the immortal's journey, the qin would be the only thing that would link me to her. And now even this tie was severed. An overwhelming sadness rippled through my heart.

As soon as Pearl's room was empty, Wu Qiang set off several strings of firecrackers to scare away evil spirits. With the explosions ringing in my ears instead of Pearl's ghost wailing, I stared at the empty space and realized that my dearest sister was forever gone.

It didn't surprise me that Peach Blossom had decided not to carry out a full funeral for Pearl.

When I asked Mama whether she was going to hire any Buddhist or Taoist priests to recite sutras for their daughter's soul, she said, "You think Peach Blossom is a charitable organization that we have all this easy money to spend?" She stared at me, her eyes forlorn, even the mole between her brows looked distressed. "Xiang Xiang, haven't you realized that every coin we earn here, if you break it open, will bleed?"

Mama was saying that all the money was hard-earned with sweat, tears, and blood. She was right. Only it was us who bled and she who got the money.

Then, to my utter disbelief, she announced that she was not going to Pearl's burial. She sighed, "Hai, Xiang Xiang, it's not that I'm so cold-hearted that I won't even accompany my dear daughter on her last trip in the red dust. It's because I don't have time. Look at Peach Blossom, it's packed every night. If I don't keep an eye on the minutest detail for one second, things will go wrong just like that!" Her thumb and middle fingers collided to create a small explosion. "Do you think Pearl will forgive me for that? So, in order to appease her soul, I can't go to her burial."

"But Mama, the burial will be held in the morning, not the evening! "

She shot me a chiding glance. "Xiang Xiang, if I don't have enough sleep in the morning, how can I take good care of the business in the evening?" Her tone held a scolding edge. "And don't forget I do this entirely for you and your fellow sisters, otherwise," she paused, then blurted out, "remember years ago that little beggar who robbed your ice cream and was almost hit by a car? If anything goes wrong in Peach Blossom, all of you will end up like him, you understand?" She smiled. "But generous-hearted as I am, I'll pay for her coffin and costs for the burial."

If someone kills herself, her ghost will hover near the place of suicide, harassing anyone who lives there. I wanted to tell Fang Rong that if she and Wu Qiang didn't go to pay respect at Pearl's burial nor hire monks to appease her soul, she would emerge from the yin world to pester Peach Blossom. But I had an idea forming in my mind and did not want to do anything to draw attention to myself.

Pearl was buried on a windy morning two days after her suicide. Mama had ordered that the incident be kept a secret. "I don't want her former customers to come, because Peach Blossom doesn't want our rich guests to catch bad luck."