Chapter 19
If the waters had receded at this time or something had occurred to occupy
his thoughts back home, Wang might have forgotten about the tea house, but he
continues to be tormented with his restlessness. One evening, he puts on his
best coat and makes his way to the tea shop, which he finds bustling with
activity and enjoyment. Though he is initially filled with trepidation, Cuckoo
sees him and insults Wang, who then tries to prove his worth by demanding to be
treated equally to the other men with silver. He tells Cuckoo his choice among
the women and follows Cuckoo upstairs. This is the first time Wang has climbed
stairs, and he manages with difficulty. At the top, he is led down a hall where
the girls stay, and even though one of the girls comments on his appearance as a
lowly farmer, he walks away, thinking of the silver in his girdle which ensures
that he is not. Cuckoo knocks sharply on a door and opens it for Wang, who
enters to see his dream woman, Lotus, sitting prettily on the bed.
Wang is
stupefied by Lotus’ beauty: her delicate hands, her tiny feet, her milky skin,
her apricot eyes. When she passes her hand down his shoulder, Wang trembles in a
mix of delight, confusion, and apprehension. Lotus laughs and calls him
ignorant, and with that, Wang takes her hand and implores her to teach him, so
Lotus complies.
Wang, who has
suffered under the bitter winds and toiled under the burning sun, does not know
suffering compared to how he feels now with Lotus. He is desperate for her, and
he returns and he learns from her. But Wang is still not wholly satisfied, and
he fevered over this dissatisfaction. It is like a dying man who drinks salt
water, which only serves to make him thirstier and wanting more. Wang never has
enough of Lotus and cannot stop thinking of her.
Her grip over
him affects his entire life. When Ching inquires about next year’s crops, Wang
demands to be left alone. Even Wang’s old father notices the change and asks
what could be the cause of Wang’s “sickness.” What had been Wang’s
treasured ponytail is quickly snipped off when Lotus comments that dignified men
from the south do not have those “monkey tails.” Wang takes to washing
himself daily, using store-bought soap, buying tailor-made clothing and shoes,
and abstaining from garlic, all to please Lotus.
Wang, however,
is ashamed to wear his new clothes in front of his family and arranges with a
clerk at the tea shop to change his attire there. To complete his ensemble, Wang
has even taken to wearing a ring on his finger and smoothing oil in his hair. O-lan
comments that Wang now resembles one of the lords from the House of Hwang, a
comparison that delights Wang.
The money
continues to pour from Wang’s hand, not only to make his own appearance more
fanciful but also to satisfy the whims and desires of Lotus. O-lan sees the
silver disappear, but she can only watch since she does not wish to anger Wang.
She has been timid since the day Wang yelled at her for having no beauty, and so
she can only look miserably at the savings dwindle.
One day, Wang
demands O-lan to hand over the two pearls that she had kept. O-lan replies that
she wishes to keep them for their daughter, but Wang laughs scornfully, saying
that pearls are only for fair women, not for those with skin darkened by the
sun. He forces her to give them to him, and walks away happily, not noticing the
tears that fall from O-lan’s face.
