My Splendid Concubine (35 page)

Shao-mei yawned.
A moment later, she said goodnight. She appeared exhausted and went up the stairs lifting each foot as if it were an anvil. Before she disappeared at the top, she looked back. There was a smile for Robert. It was flirtatious. Ayaou saw it and a chilly fog clouded her eyes.

Ayaou quickly cleaned up the table before they went u
pstairs. In the bedroom, she came to sit on his lap. She put both arms around him and kissed him passionately. She eagerly stuck her tongue between his lips. She was not attempting to hide her intent. He had been with Shao-mei the previous night.

Robert, on other hand, wasn
’t in the mood for passion. Though several days had gone by, he was still distracted by the conversation with William Martin, the American Presbyterian minister and was having trouble becoming aroused. His member was a limp noodle.

“
On the other side of the clouds there is a full moon tonight,” Ayaou said. “It’s when the wolves mate.” She took his ear lobe between her teeth and nibbled on it. “The female wolf howls into the wilderness until her chosen mate comes. Do you want me to howl for you, Robert?”

Ayaou curled her
fingers around his flaccid member. It flopped about like a worm. “Tonight I wanted you to relax,” she said, “but not that much.” She stopped what she was doing and peered at it. “What’s wrong with your sun instrument?” Her voice took on an almost scratchy sound. “You want to be with Shao-mei. You are tired of me.”

“
That’s not it, Ayaou. Be patient. I’m just as upset as you are that it doesn’t want to work. Something happened earlier in the week that still bothers me. Try harder, Ayaou. Don’t give up.”

“
I know what will work,” she said, and a determined look came into her eyes. She moved so her back was cradled against his chest. This revealed to him that she knew what aroused him the most. His hands explored her body. From this position he touched places he couldn’t reach when he was on top of her. His eyes devoured her shoulders, her arms, and the long curving line of her backbone down to her buttocks. He was getting excited and could not slow down—not to mention hold back.

Once she felt his swollen member
between her thighs, she moved away from him and faced Robert with her legs folded beneath her.

“
What are you doing, Ayaou? I’m ready. I don’t want to take any chances that my mood will change. Get back here.”

A teasing smile creased her lips.
“You are not allowed to become exhausted for you may lose your essence as a result. You must make sure that you peak no more than three times a week. It’s the Emperor’s recipe for longevity.”

“
I’m tired of hearing this, Ayaou. How am I supposed to control myself?” He reached for her.

She pushed him away.
“Do what the Emperor does,” she said. “Every time you feel like you’re going to let go, pull back. Wait for the tide to ebb and then ride it again. This is the way to achieve the balance of Yin and Yang. You must take time to absorb my juices—the Yin element, while I absorb your Yang element.”

The Chinese believed that if a man enjoyed the sexual plea
sure of many women without ejaculation, it extended his longevity. It was a wonderful idea, but Robert didn’t believe it. He absolutely hated the idea, since Ayaou was always urging him to pull out early.

She pushed Robert
onto his back and guided herself onto him until he was inside her. “I love the feel of you,” she whispered. “I want to make it last all night.”

If he were a wolf, he
’d cry to the moon and howl to the wilderness. Robert was so excited he was quivering. He pushed her off and pulled out. “Get on all fours,” he said, and she complied. Robert moved behind her and took hold of her shoulders. She rested her face on her folded arms. This accented her shoulder blades and the long curve of her back. “Sorry about your longevity plan, Ayaou.” He took her and in a few strokes had his orgasm.

After it was over, Robert rolled onto his back. He was sweaty and e
xhausted. Ayaou was gasping for air. The sound of rain was still pounding down outside the window.

“
I can’t move,” she said. “I can’t even open my eyes. I do not have the strength. I thought I was going to explode. Is this what it is like to be on a ship in a typhoon?”

Robert decided
the next time he saw William Martin, he would thank him but wouldn’t tell him why. In time, William and Robert would become lifelong friends. Martin would leave the ministry and work for Robert after he was Inspector General of Chinese Maritime Customs. That’s when Robert discovered Martin was an
Old Testament
man. William told Robert that his spiritual beliefs were strict and unbending like a Puritan, but Robert’s study of Confucianism and Buddhism and his wide acquaintances with men of many nations and diverse religions had made him into a broad-minded and tolerant man. He never told Martin his tolerance started with Ayaou and Shao-mei.

Nothing in his
life had prepared him for anything as intense as the love he felt for his two girls. Every experience with women before Ayaou had been only physical and always left him mentally exhausted from guilt. He had not known what love was. He was sure that a man and woman couldn’t reach such highs unless they were in love with each other—not just infatuated or full of lust.

After that, night—even when he was at the consulate or on a ship in the anchorage—a moment didn’t pass that he did not think about Ayaou and Shao-mei. He could be at his desk in the consulate imagining Shao-mei singing while Ayaou danced, or he’d see them bent over the wok in the kitchen. It was all sensual and arousing, particularly on rainy days when they slid their lovely bare feet into wooden sandals. They carried colorful umbrellas and walked out the door into the wet world.

The girls took Robert to visit their relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year. It started on the first day of the first lunar month in late January and ran into early February. Tee Lee Ping didn’t have confidence in Ayaou and Shao-mei to know the exact significance of the festival, so learning this became a part of the lesson before the festival.

Master Ping said,
“The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people. Wherever they are in the world, families will come together and celebrate. This festival originated about three thousand years ago during the Shang Dynasty. People sacrificed to the gods and their ancestors to close out the old year and start a new one. There are even special foods to eat during the festival like
laba
porridge.”

“
Wait,” Robert said. “I don’t know what this
laba
porridge is. I’ve never heard of it.”

Master Ping looked surprised. He glanced at Ayaou with disa
pproval. Then he turned back to Robert. “It is made with glutinous rice, millet, seeds of Job’s tears, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko. Do not hesitate to stop me and ask questions if you get confused.”

He jabbed a finger at Robert.
“Fireworks are most important, because the noise they make drives away evil spirits. That’s why during the Spring Festival, you will hear firecrackers all the time.

“
People clean everything to get ready for the festival. They want to start the New Year right. It is a new beginning.

“
All the door panels in people’s houses will have paper pasted on them. On these rice papers will be Spring Festival couplets highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. In addition, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be on the front door of every house to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.”

That wasn
’t the end of the lecture. Master Ping went into detail about everything people did. It didn’t help that Robert stopped him and asked questions when he did not understand something. The amount of information was overwhelming. Robert didn’t know how he could remember it all.

It wasn
’t enough that he had to remember what Tee Lee Ping had instructed him about the festival. After his teacher left, Ayaou and Shao-mei kept him up half the night teaching him how to behave around their relatives and friends.

“
Robert,” Ayaou said, “when you are with Chinese people be humble. Never brag as if you are better than they are. Many problems between foreigners and the Chinese are because of such behavior. It is a sure way to insult the Chinese and make enemies.”

A few days later Robert was introduced to this big society with countless aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews. They
lived in a village of boats in the river. Many remembered Robert from when he’d come to save them from the Taipings back in July of 1855.

After this first encounter, Ay
aou was so pleased with his behavior that he gained a longer lesson from her. She didn’t wait until the next day. They returned home after midnight, and she launched right into the lecture. She was supported by Shao-mei.

“
You were wonderful, Robert. Shao-mei and I are proud of you, but there is more you must learn.”

“
I don’t understand. Are you unhappy with me? Did I do something wrong?”

“
No, Robert,” Shao-mei said. She was sitting on his other side on the bench in the study room. “You were careful to behave exactly like Ayaou told you to. Anything you did wrong was not your fault. That is why we decided we must teach you more.”

Robert stifled a yawn. He
’d worked a full day at the consulate and wanted to sleep, but he also saw this as an opportunity to learn. He was determined to stay awake and pay attention. “I’m ready,” he said. “Please continue. I am grateful that you are willing to give up your sleep to teach me.”

“
He’s getting good, Ayaou,” Shao-mei said.

“
Yes,” Ayaou replied. She leaned over and looked into his eyes. “He looks like he means it too.”

“
Get started, Ayaou,” he said, losing patience.

“
I’m ready,” Ayaou said. She took a deep breath and started. “When in a conversation, try to get the Chinese to do the talking. We noticed that you talked a bit too much after dinner but not that much.

“
If you are talking to a Chinese mother, show interest in the education of her son or sons. Chinese mothers will talk about little else but the son’s education. Be interested in what they say even if it makes no sense and is boring. At the same time, do not make it look like you are trying to dig into their personal lives. Most of what they tell you will not be exactly the truth but what they want you to hear about them and their families.”

Shao-mei interrupted.
He had to swivel his head to see her. “That’s not clear enough, Ayaou. He looks confused. His eyes look like glass. Your words are bouncing off him. He is not learning what he should. Let me explain. The Chinese do not like to dump their bad news on others who are not part of the family. That means do not tell anyone your problems. Problems are like shit and no one wants to hear them. Welcome what you are told as if it is the truth even if you do not believe it. Never question their honesty. When a mother tells you her son is doing horrible in school, he is probably the best student. She does not want to look like she is boasting.” She took a breath.

Ayaou took ad
vantage of the pause, and he turned to her. “If they want to make you the center of attention, tell them it makes you uncomfortable. Say you do not deserve it. When you are a dinner guest, never take the best crab or the most food. If we have a Chinese guest to dinner, after we have finished eating, you wash the bowls and let Shao-mei and I brag about you our way. Remember that usually we mean the opposite of what comes out of our mouths and other Chinese will understand.”

“
And never be the last one eating,” Shao-mei said taking over. “If you are offered the best seat at the table and there are not enough chairs, take your bowl and chopsticks and stand in a corner and eat away from the others no matter what your rank or position. If you are told that one of the dishes of food tastes terrible, eat it anyway and say it is the best thing you have ever tasted no matter what it is like.”

“
If you act like this,” Ayaou said, and he had to swivel his head to see her, “you will make friends among the Chinese, who will admire you.” She started to open her mouth to continue, but Shao-mei interrupted.

“
No, Ayaou. You are putting too much on his plate. Let him sleep on our words. In the morning, we will test him to see what he remembers.” Robert wanted to hug her. A moment later, he was stumbling off to bed.

With advice from Ayaou and
Shao-mei, he balanced people on opposite sides of the political spectrum and remained friends with both. One of his girls was always in hearing distance. They watched over him like mother ducks, and he was their only duckling. If he made a mistake in the Chinese etiquette they were teaching him, he faced a lecture when they returned home. If he made no mistakes, then Ayaou rewarded him with wild sex the next morning before he went to the consulate. It was great motivation for not making mistakes.

Even with this level of scrutiny from his girls, he enjoyed the Ch
inese people he was meeting. What he was learning also put the books he’d been reading into perspective. As the fifteen days of traditional celebration went by, he went often enough to be accepted. People started to share their opinions freely with him. He made friends.