Peach Blossom Pavilion (20 page)

"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 Xiang, 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.

"Xiang Xiang, my little beauty, how I've missed you!" His corpse-like body was shrouded in an indigo gown embroidered with the character shou-longevity. His lips split to reveal two rows of long, yellowish teeth, and an expanse of gum the color of a bruised eggplant. His hand, clawlike, reached to grab my waist.

I swallowed hard. Then, remembering Pearl's teaching and Fang Rong's warning, I immediately went to sit on his lap.

"Aii-ya, Big Master Fung," I threw him a flirtatious glance, "why didn't you come earlier? You make me wait and wait till my heart rots! " My hand, with an effort of my will, wandered to caress his cheek.

He took hold of my hand and passionately drilled his tongue into my palm, creating a wave of nausea that sloshed across my stomach.

I half-pushed him away, giggling. "Big Master Fung, please, it tickles! "

"Tickle? Ha! Ha! Ha! You'll soon be tickled to death when my jade stalk tickles open your soft petals!"

I didn't know how to respond. Then from the eight immortals table I picked up the wine pot and poured us both full cups.

"Big Master Fung," I handed him a cup with an orchid hand and a soul-sucking glance, "please drink this respect wine from your humble Xiang Xiang for the celebration of our dragon and phoenix night."

When Fung took the cup and drained the liquor, I secretly poured mine onto the potted plant next to my chair.

Immediately I poured him another cup. "Big Master Fung, this one is for your health and longevity."

Obediently he finished his second cup while I again swiftly poured mine to feed the plant.

"Big Master Fung," I poured him a third one, "this is for the prosperity of your business."

Now he cast me a chiding glance. "Wait a minute, Xiang Xiang. I don't want to get drunk right away."

"Aii-ya, Big Master Fung," I said, pulling my dress to reveal a large part of my bare leg, "I don't believe a veteran like you can get drunk so easily."

Fung's hand wandered to rest on my thigh. "All right, Xiang Xiang, but don't get me drunk. For I want to savor our wedding night."

The last two words sent a tremor across my chest. But I put up my best smile and lifted the fine porcelain cup to his lips. He happily drained his third cup. Poor cup, to be molested by such ugly lips!

Now I poured him the fourth cup. "Big Master Fung, this is-"

"Enough, Xiang Xiang, no more drinking. I want to strike the red-"

"But Big Master Fung," I pulled my handkerchief and flung it at him playfully, "this is for your offspring, so how can you turn it down?"

"Offspring?" he mumbled, face glowing and eyes glazed with alcohol. "All right, then you have to share it with me."

I used my sheer willpower to suppress another wave of nausea.

Suspecting nothing, he willingly took a big sip of the wine. Then, to my surprise, he leaned close to me, pried open my lips, and spat the wine from inside his mouth into mine.

The liquor burnt all its way from my throat down to my stomach. I choked. Fung laughed, then started to caress my back affectionately. Then passionately. And I knew the most dreaded moment was to come.

This time, with mutual understanding, we went straight to where we were destined-the bed.

Before long he was on top of me, thrusting his rotten stalk inside my precious gate.

When he had finally finished his feats of thrusting and collapsing, he stuck his tongue into my mouth again, noisily sucking my saliva for one last time before he got dressed. Paradoxically, after all his vigorous stunts, he looked even younger and livelier.

Now he narrowed his eyes and looked back at the disheveled bed sheets. Seeing that I had presented him with the bloody zhuang yuan seal, a look of utter satisfaction crept into his fuzzy eyes.

He hollered, "Hao! From today on my business will prosper and I'll have great longevity!" He took the seal from my hands, drained one more cup of wine, laughed deliriously, and staggered out the door.

PART TWO

13

Life Went On

espite my miseries, life went on. Peach Blossom seemed to prosper more than ever, and Mama and De had never looked happier. Especially Mama. As thick ingots of silver were pressed into her hands, she would break into a huge, toothy grin and her eyes would grow as round as gold coins.

As for me, I'd become more and more accustomed to the ways of life in this gold-powdered hell. I tried to concentrate on attracting the richest guests and not dwell on the humiliation of selling my smile and my skin. I could only remind myself of Mother's advice: "We can't beat fate, but we can play along and make the most out of it. Try to be happy." Or Pearl's: "If you find a customer terribly, unbearably, indescribably repulsive, just close your eyes, hold your breath, and imagine during the whole time you're but a corpse that somehow manages to squirm and moan."

Fortunately, Peach Blossom Pavilion, though a prostitution house, was a high-class one, so we did not have to spend every minute stirring the clouds and rain. There were several services we provided to customers besides the obvious.

Ho dacha-drinking the big tea-was the best, because I entertained my customer just by playing the pipa and singing. I was also expected to pour his tea and wine, prepare his opium pipe, and sit by him when he was gambling, but these were easy. When the customer first arrived, a niangyi, woman servant, would set before him a pot of tea and a plate of roasted watermelon seeds. Then, when he was feeling more relaxed, he'd pick a sister and, as a gesture of respect, the chosen one would bring out her most refined cup and delicately pour him tea. After that, the niangyi would bring out snacks-tiny sweet dumplings, dried apricots, honeyed dates, dragon eye pulp.

Normally we would serve a customer to ho dacha for up to two hours, but if he kept us overtime, extra money would be charged. They had to get acquainted with us in this way, before we would consider agreeing to have sex. But, of course, that was the eventual outcome.

As I was glad to delay sex by serving to "drink the big tea," Pearl chided me, "Xiang Xiang, don't try to fool yourself. How long can you avoid sleeping with a customer in a prostitution house? Better strive, like me, to make them beg for your favors."

In Peach Blossom Pavilion, Pearl was the busiest sister in answering calls for parties. This was called chutang chang-singing outside the hall, or chuju-out to a party. In fact, I didn't dislike this, for we would be invited out by a customer-but only after he'd become acquainted with us-to a party, an elegant gathering, or a banquet. But first he had to send a formal invitation on red paper addressed to us with the proposed restaurant's name. Of course, we were permitted to go out not in order to have a pleasant time, but to entice the guest into asking to stay overnight at the turquoise pavilion. We called this a zhuju. That generally meant he'd sleep with a sister, but sometimes a customer liked the girl so much he'd even pay to spend the night without having sex, especially when she was having her period. This was called shou yint- ian-guarding the female day.

But the service best loved by all mamas was chi huajiu, drinking the flower wine. Instead of inviting the sister to a restaurant, the customer would sponsor a banquet in Peach Blossom. Because it lasted much longer than the ho dacha, the customer had to pay several times as much. Nor was the establishment shy about adding charges for extra dishes and wine to the already overpriced menu. Despite being cheated, the rich customers still seemed happy to show off their wealth to their favorite courtesans.

Sometimes we were lucky enough to make a lot of money for doing very little. Here I saw another side of Pearl. One evening, she told me that a rich silk merchant Mr. Luk would be sponsoring a banquet for us and two other sisters.

Pearl said, her expression serious, "Xiang Xiang, since this will be your first time to serve at `drinking the flower wine,' I want you to be very careful and not make any mistakes. So watch and learn from me."

For the special occasion, Pearl put on a fish-turquoise, highcollared jacket with matching skirt, while I wore a pink silk top with elaborately knotted floral clasps over matching pants.

Pearl had always advised me to meet customers a few minutes late, but this time she led me to the banquet hall twenty minutes early. When I asked why, she smiled mischievously. "So we'll get the upper hand and show the others."

When Pearl and I entered the room, Mr. Luk was sitting at the banquet table. A niangyi had already laid out the first course of shark's fin soup and was now offering him a towel. After wiping his face, the silk merchant stared at us with bulging eyes.

We sidled up to him in our shredded golden-lotus steps. Once seated beside him, Pearl picked up the water pipe and wiped it carefully with her silk handkerchief. "Mr. Luk, smoking with a good meal makes you happier than an immortal. Please let me light it for you."

Luk looked as happy as if his newest wife had just given birth to a son. "Miss Pearl," he put down the towel, "your name hasn't been spread in vain." When he began to suck his pipe, Pearl winked at me. I immediately picked up the flask and leaned close to himPearl had said this forced a customer to notice you-and poured him a full cup of wine.

Now he turned to look at me with admiration. Before he could say anything, Pearl was already speaking. "Mr. Luk, I hope my little sister Xiang Xiang pleases your eyes."

The silk merchant let out a belly laugh. "Ha! Ha! Don't be so modest, Miss Pearl. Both of your amorous names have been sounding like thunder in my ears. That's why I'm here tonight."