Courtesans and Opium Read online

  “Why do you say five when there are six of us?” said Yuan You impulsively. “I take it you’re Brother Wu’s mistress?”

  Wu Zhen smiled but said nothing.

  Yuan You went on. “I still haven’t asked you your name.”

  “Her name is Cassia,” said Wu Zhen.

  Cassia asked each of the guests his name, by which time an elderly maid had served them tea and filled the water pipe. Cassia told her to light the lamp so that Wu Zhen could smoke his opium, then turned to him. “You haven’t been here in days. I sent someone out every day to invite you, but you never deigned to set foot here. I wonder what fair wind has blown you to our humble establishment today?”

  Wu Zhen pointed at Lu Shu. “Brother Lu here is on his first visit to Yangzhou, and the last couple of days we’ve been showing him around. That’s why I’ve not been to see you.”

  “What a pack of lies! But I’ve no time to argue with you now—I need to have my wash. Later on, when I get you on your own, I shall have a score to settle with you.” She called out to the maid to bring her the water for washing.

  At this point two more prostitutes came into the room. One was twenty-one or -two, with a chignon in the Suzhou Drop style held with a green bone double-headed hairpin. She had not yet put any flowers in her hair. She had a round face, arched eyebrows, and large, circular eyes. Her complexion showed faint traces of pockmarks, which were endearing rather than otherwise. She had two deep dimples and sparkling white teeth. On her ears she wore a pair of earrings that were between white and yellow, to which were attached a pair of imitation-jade pendants. She had on a worn white nankeen gown with a collar piece embroidered in jade green thread; on top of it an equally worn Suzhou-blue sleeveless jacket lined with white cotton; and a skirt of black imported cotton that offered a glimpse of jade green imported crepe over trousers. On her feet, which were less than four inches long, she wore a pair of white cotton stocking wrappers and wooden straight-soled and round-heeled shoes of import-blue cloth embroidered in fine white wool with images of butterflies flying among trees. The laces of the shoes were of greenish blue imported crepe. She wore no bracelets on her wrists. Although she was dressed only in cotton cloth, the simplicity of her makeup and the elegance of her demeanor set her apart from the typical prostitute with her crude vulgarity.

  Her companion, who looked about twenty, also had a Suzhou Drop that was fastened with a gilt hairpin, to which was attached a gilt double-ruyi2 symbol holding two roses. The rest of her hair was brushed into a Liu Hai hoop. She had an oval face, fine eyes and eyebrows, and brownish teeth. On each ear she wore three white-jade flattened-circle pendants. On her slender figure she wore a bleached white pongee gown with a collar piece embroidered in black silk; on top of it a jade green imported silk sleeveless jacket lined with pink silk and possessing a collar piece embroidered in black satin thread; a pleated skirt of black imported crepe; and pink imported-crepe over trousers. On her feet, which measured a little over five inches, she wore white water-crepe cotton stocking wrappers and wooden-soled shoes with white imported crepe uppers embroidered with flowers in many colors, openings decorated with symbols of goodwill, and laces of crimson imported crepe. On her wrists she wore foreign-engraved silver bracelets that were round on the outside and square on the inside.

  On entering the room, they greeted the guests in unison, “Gentlemen, Brother-in-Law!” then took seats near the veneered door and asked the guests their names, where they were from, and what work they did.

  “We haven’t yet asked you your particulars,” said Jia Ming.

  The girl in the Suzhou-blue jacket said, “My style is Phoenix, and I’m twenty-one. I was born in Yangzhou, but from the time I was a child I lived in Qingjiang. I’ve only been back in Yangzhou for less than half a month.”

  The girl in the jade green jacket said, “My style is Lucky, and I’m fifteen. I’m from Yancheng.”

  As they said this, a tinkling of bells was heard outside the door and in walked another prostitute of about sixteen or seventeen. Her hair was drawn back in an ingot-style chignon, in which she wore a gold hairpin and a gold ruyi. A gilt and kingfisher feather toothpick hairpin with a phoenix flying toward the sun motif was inserted at an angle in her hair; a rose hoop held two roses; and two more roses were inserted at an angle. She had a round, rather chubby face, and the rest of her hair was brushed into a fringe of curls. She had long, arched eyebrows and almond eyes. Two silver enamel patches adhered to her cheeks.3 She had a plump figure. She was wearing a pink nankeen gown with a collar piece embroidered in a large stitch with black satin thread, and over it a sleeveless jacket of purple-red wool lined with jade green silk panels and possessing an embroidered collar piece; a Moon Palace skirt of multicolored imported crepe; and crimson over trousers of foreign crepe. Two small gold bells and a crimson purse hung down beside her skirt. On her feet, which measured four and a half inches, she wore white imported cotton stocking wrappers and wooden-soled shoes with dark blue uppers embroidered with pink satin and silver openings with bat motifs4 and crimson imported-crepe laces. On her wrists she wore tortoiseshell and gold filigree bracelets inset with symbols representing the Eight Treasures. On the fourth finger of her left hand she wore a red-gold hoop-style ring.

  She entered the room with a broad smile on her face and greeted the guests with a “Five gentlemen,” then walked over and sat down beside the bed. “Master Wu! By not coming here the last few days, you’ve almost driven Sister Cassia to her death. I heard someone say the other day that you had a little unfinished business somewhere else.”

  “Enough of that!” said Wu Zhen. “I’ve just been ragged by her. The last thing I need is a red-hot girl like you laying it on.”

  The others began laughing and asked the girl her particulars. “My style is Paria,” she said. “I’m seventeen and I come from Yancheng.” At this point, Phoenix and Lucky got to their feet and, after urging the guests to stay, left the room.

  After a few inhalations of opium, Wu Zhen said to Cassia, “Call Sanzi in.” She told the maid to go and call him. The man who now walked in and stood respectfully by the door was in his early twenties. After he had greeted the guests, Wu Zhen turned to Mu Zhu and asked him, “Which one of those girls do you fancy? Later on she’ll keep you company.”

  Mu Zhu’s face turned scarlet, and he said nothing. Wu Zhen winked at Sanzi. “Master Mu isn’t saying anything, which must mean that none of your courtesans meets with his approval. Go to some other house and find him a good one. Then go on to the Jinyulou in the Scripture Repository and invite Miss Fragrance over. Tell her Master Lu is here.”

  “Brother, there’s no need to invite her,” put in Lu Shu.

  “But you won’t enjoy yourself unless she’s here. You’ll be too distracted.”

  “Now you’re making fun of me again.”

  Wu Zhen turned back to Sanzi. “For lunch, order us eight plates and four dishes, and for dinner two more dishes and four small bowls. Get them from a large restaurant. First and foremost the food has to be good; I don’t want any of your standard house fare. These five gentlemen are here today at my special invitation. Tell your staff to give them the best possible treatment and not neglect them in any way.” Sanzi left on his various errands.

  Meanwhile Cassia had washed and combed herself, put on her rings, and inserted two roses in her hair. She now wore a skirt and had her shoes properly laced. Lying down on the bed beside Wu Zhen, she satisfied her opium habit.

  The other guests bantered with Paria to the accompaniment of much laughter, but Mu Zhu drew Yuan You out into the courtyard and said, “Cousin, just now you were sitting beside that woman and cracking jokes with her. If her parents or husband or brothers caught you doing that, it’d be no laughing matter! Please let me go home.”

  Yuan smiled. “Don’t be afraid, Cousin,” he said. “Even if we do have a little fun with her, she’s a courtesan. Anyway, you have me here with you.”

  “You’re my cousin, and I
’m your cousin. Now you tell me that she’s a cousin, too.5 I simply don’t understand that relationship.” Yuan You couldn’t help laughing, but he didn’t like to deride his cousin. He pulled Mu Zhu back inside and sat him down.

  Outside the room someone was heard calling out, “Oh, there you are, Miss Wenlan. Come in and take a seat.” The door curtain opened, and in came a prostitute of twenty-six or -seven. She had a coarse complexion covered in freckles that she had powdered heavily, leaving her face with a smooth, pallid look. She wore a blue-green imported cotton gown and a black imported cotton skirt. On her feet, which measured something over six inches, she wore imported cloth shoes with small soles and large uppers, rendering her completely dependent on the strength of the laces. On coming in, she called out “Gentlemen!” and then greeted Cassia and Paria. Cassia asked her to take a seat. Apart from Yuan You, none of the guests knew her, and they asked her particulars. “You really don’t know her, Brother?” Yuan You asked Jia Ming. “Her name is Wenlan, and she comes from Xinghua. She’s now at the Qingzi house beside the landing on Seventh Lane. I went there once with a few fellows for an introductory tea party. There were four or five women present, but Miss Wenlan stood out among them. Even if she gets cross with me for saying it, the others were a bunch of gorgons, too hideous for words. I’ve heard a lover of hers say that she keeps the best bed in town!”

  “I remember your face, sir, but not your name,” said Wenlan with the trace of a smile, “and yet you start critiquing my humble self as soon as we meet. Now, if we were drinking, I’d fine you a very large cup of wine for that!” The riposte had her audience laughing. She then asked the men their names, and went on to ask Cassia and Paria theirs.

  In the midst of their conversation, Sanzi came in and said to Wu Zhen, “Lunch and dinner have been ordered from the Sunset Cloud. Miss Fragrance has been invited and will be along shortly.”

  Wu Zhen nodded and turned to Lu Shu: “You’d never have been happy if I hadn’t invited her, you know. When she gets here in a little while, you’ll have to use a very careful strategy in that matter we spoke of. When you succeed, your brothers will expect you to throw a gigantic party.”

  “There’s no need to make fun of me, Brother,” said Lu Shu. “If I’m lucky enough to succeed, of course I’ll treat you all.” They went on chatting for some time, until outside the door they heard talk and laughter from many different voices, together with the tinkling of bells and the clatter of wooden-soled shoes.

  If you are wondering who had arrived, please turn to the next chapter.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Guests play drinking games at a brothel banquet,

  And visitors stir up trouble at a tea party.

  The guests were chatting in Cassia’s room when they heard talk and laughter and the sound of footsteps outside the door. Then the curtain opened, and in walked a prostitute dressed in boys’ clothing. It was Fragrance, and they invited her to join them. After greeting the guests and introducing herself to Cassia, Paria, and Wenlan, she took a seat beside Lu Shu. While the maid busied herself serving tea and replenishing the tobacco, the servant who had come with Fragrance brought in a water pipe with fittings of foreign-engraved silver and an ebony stem incised with decorative images. On top of it was a tobacco pouch of jade green satin with a colorful design in gold couching. It had silver drawstrings, a foreign-engraved silver opening with lotus flower designs interspersed with silver circles, and four colorful tassels. After filling the pipe with genuine Renhe fiber tobacco, he handed it to Fragrance. She took the pipe in her mouth, and the servant blew on the paper spill until it flared up, and then proceeded to light the dry tobacco. Fragrance drew on the pipe a couple of times before holding it to Lu Shu’s mouth. He at once inhaled, and the sweet scent in his nostrils gave him a feeling of exhilaration. He and she gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes, far more intimately than the day before.

  Hearing word of the new arrivals, Phoenix and Lucky returned. Wenlan and Fragrance stood up and invited them over. Introductions followed, after which Cassia called out to Phoenix, “Come and have a smoke.”

  “No thanks, but you go ahead,” she said. “I’ve had all I want.” Cassia stood up and pulled Phoenix down to sit on the bed. “Come on, only a couple of puffs, just for fun.” Phoenix lay down, but not before preparing a pipe for Wu Zhen.

  “I’ve already been smoking for some time,” he said. “Help yourself.” She extended her invitation to the others, but they all said they didn’t smoke. She smoked a little herself, leaving Wu Zhen on the edge of the bed, then moved to the other side and prepared a pipe for him, after which they took it in turns to smoke.

  From where he sat, Mu Zhu saw them getting up and lying down, taking what looked like medicinal plaster from a little case, roasting it over the lamp, and then eating it, but he didn’t know what it was they were eating and didn’t like to ask. He sat where he was and stared blankly ahead of him. Then he noticed a low red lacquered table standing on top of a large square table, and on the former was something that looked rather like a wooden box or a toy pavilion. On the top and at each of the four corners were five shiny yellow objects that looked like tiny wax insects made of copper. On the front were two shiny brass posts and a sheet of glass inside which there was a piece of brass engraved with a design in gold. In the center of that was a round sheet of white porcelain, in the middle of which was a small hole as well as two glittering needles. At the edges of the porcelain were several black marks, some straight, some curved, which were neither characters nor magic symbols. From the inside of the object came a ticking sound like that of a willow switch on a donkey’s back. Mu Zhu was puzzling over this, wondering what it might be, when suddenly he heard eleven booming sounds from inside the box.

  At that moment Sanzi came in and removed the object to the dressing table and then, with the maid’s help, carried the square table to the center of the room. He brought in four plates of cakes and pastries and set them on the table, made fresh tea, and arranged the chairs. Cassia and her fellow courtesans invited Fragrance and Wenlan and the six guests to help themselves. “We’re still full,” said Jia Ming. “We’ve only just had breakfast. We should let Fragrance and Wenlan eat first.” Cassia and her colleagues pulled Fragrance and Wenlan over to the table and sat them down. Cassia offered them handfuls of melon seeds and candied dates, while Lucky offered cake and Paria snow pears.

  Phoenix, who was on the bed smoking, raised herself on one elbow and apologized: “Sisters, please excuse me for not serving you. Do go ahead.”

  “See to your habit first,” said Wenlan. “Don’t interrupt your smoking.”

  “Phoenix is a lucky woman,” said Fragrance. “She is able to take the elixir.”

  “You must be joking, Sister,” said Phoenix. “This stuff will bury us alive.” She lay down and resumed her smoking.

  Fragrance peeled some melon seeds and, when no one was looking, slipped them into Lu Shu’s hand. When the two women had finished eating, the plates were removed, and Wenlan took a seat beside the bed. Wu Zhen could tell from her complexion that she was a smoker, and he stood up. “Miss Wenlan, I’ll let you smoke in my place.” She did not demur but lay down opposite Phoenix. The guests continued to banter with the other courtesans. Mu Zhu was the only one who said nothing.

  The clock struck two, and Sanzi reported to Wu Zhen, “The food has arrived, sir. Shall we serve it now or later?”

  “Since it’s here, let’s have it now.” Sanzi and the house handyman brought in a circular tabletop and placed it on the table, then arranged twelve chairs around it. They also set out twelve pairs of chopsticks as well as platters and heated up two self-service jugs of All Flowers wine and put them on the table. Wu Zhen then invited the guests to take their seats.

  “With a circular table the question of seniority doesn’t arise,” said Jia Ming. “Brother Lu will sit next to Fragrance, that goes without saying. Brother Mu is a visitor from a long way off, and since Miss Wenlan has been in
vited to join us, she should keep him company. Brothers Yuan and Wei should sit beside whichever lady they like.” He took Phoenix’s arm. “Let’s sit together.”

  “Perhaps Miss Lucky could sit beside me?” said Wei Bi.

  “Miss Cassia already has a patron,” said Yuan You. “That leaves Miss Paria as the odd one out. She’d better sit with me.”

  “It’s not that we don’t want to pay court to Miss Paria,” said Jia Ming. “It’s just that she’s such a hot number we’re afraid she might scorch us!”

  “We’ve only just met, and already you’re critiquing poor little me,” she replied. “I’ll have something to say to you later.”

  “We’re an old married couple, you and I,” said Cassia to Wu Zhen. “There’s no need for any false modesty. Go ahead and sit down.”

  They took their seats, all except Mu Zhu, who remained standing. “Come and sit down, Master Mu,” said Wenlan.

  “Do sit down,” added Yuan You. “As I told you in the courtyard a moment ago, I’ll see that you don’t come to any harm.”

  Wu Zhen pulled Mu Zhu over to the table and sat him down, where he found himself next to Wenlan. He blushed furiously and his heart began to pound—he was mortally afraid of touching her. But just as he was thinking of edging to the right, lo and behold, there on the other side was Paria. He was thoroughly unnerved.