A Cruel Romance

Ho Ji-Ch’ing had a sizable meal at a restaurant in Peking Western Station. Feng Guo-Chung munched away at the same table while Hsiao-Shun got the short end of the stick—he’d had too much to eat beforehand. Besides, he couldn’t even swallow a drop of soup sitting next to Ho Ji-Ch’ing.

His appet.i.te happily sated, Feng wiped his mouth with a napkin and sipped his coffee. “Commander—would you listen to that, I keep forgetting. Ch’i-yeh, what are we going to do from now?”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing fell silent for a moment and shook his head slowly. “Don’t know. If you have somewhere to go, you may go. Otherwise, stay.”

Feng waved his hands. “Commander—I mean, Ch’i-yeh, I don’t have anywhere to go. I’ve been with you all these years, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing cast Hsiao-Shun a glance. “What are you doing over there? Sit up straight!”

Hsiao-Shun jumped and straightened his back immediately. He did have a bit of a stoop, since he never had the chance to keep his head up in front of Ho Ji-Ch’ing. Even at night, he slept curled up on a rug.

After he’d had his fill, Ho Ji-Ch’ing called the waiter over for his bill. He’d long forgotten what little English he’d learned at the missionary school, and the foreign waiter was more or less a bit dismissive towards patrons who didn’t speak English. Ho Ji-Ch’ing’s first inclination was to put a bullet through his head, but realizing that he was no longer in Luyang, he changed his tactics and gave him a ten dollar tip instead. It turned out that even the white boy knew how to smile. Pocketing the money, he saw his affluent patrons off with a ninety degree bow.

Ho Ji-Ch’ing spent his afternoon in Dong’an Market with his pair of attendants.

Leaving the market, he stopped by all the big-name department stores on his way. It was fortunate that he came by car, or Feng Guo-Chung and Hsiao-Shun would have to become thousand-armed Avalokitesvaras to carry his bags. Afterwards, he took great pains to find a tailor shop that was open during New Year, where he got measured for a few sets of suits. All three of them needed to restock their wardrobes—they were in Peking, after all. It wouldn’t do to have a dapper master with unsightly servants. Besides, the three of them were still young. They should take care of themselves accordingly.

Dinner hadn’t started when they came home after dark. Ho Ji-Ch’ing took a satin brocade box to Lady Ho’s rooms, “I came back in a rush and didn’t have the chance to buy any presents for you. I thought these bracelets looked nice when I was out earlier today. Keep them.”

Finally hearing a few caring words, Lady Ho opened the box and examined its contents. She saw that they were indeed quite nice and felt a bit better, so she allowed herself to be more agreeable. “Bao-Ting, I’m happy enough for you kind thoughts. You needn’t to go to such expense.”

“It’s nothing. It’s New Year, have fun with them.”

Lady Ho smiled and put the glittering golden bracelets around her wrists. Against her jade sleeves, they did look quite nice. She was still admiring herself when she suddenly remembered. “Why did you hit the driver earlier today?”

“The b.a.s.t.a.r.d couldn’t take orders.”

“Why would you b.l.o.o.d.y a servant’s head just because he didn’t behave, New Year and all? Bao-Ting, you’re a grown man now; you don’t need the nagging of an old woman. I can see you’ve changed a lot in your years outside. You were such a well-behaved child before—you never even cursed. Look at you now, beating people left and right! Most military men are cra.s.s brutes; you shouldn’t follow your Papa’s example.”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing gave a brief smile. “What’s wrong with Papa?”

Lady Ho threw him a glance. “I know you hold n.o.body higher than your greatest father in the world, nothing from me will get through to you. You might have looked like dull-witted boy, but you’re sharper than anyone. I’m sure your intellect grew with your age after all these years among military men, and you don’t have much regard for us fossils anymore.”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing was a bit disquieted by her reprimand. “Now that I’m back, I won’t be in contact with the military world any longer. What do you think I should do next?”

“What you should do? Settle down and lead a proper life, of course. Our family isn’t the wealthiest, but we don’t need you to go out and make a living. All we hope is that you stay out of trouble and get married, then I can put my mind at rest.”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing gave a low sound of affirmation and stood up. “Mother, dinner’s starting. Let’s go.”

At the dinner table, the three masters of the family dug through their meal in silence. Beside Lady Ho, Lu Chen-Ch’I finished his bowl of rice and broke into a smile: “Auntie, our Hopeh property delivered the funds today. I made a deposit at the Bank of Communications. The account book’s still on me; I’ll go over it with you later.”

“There’s no need for that, it’s too much trouble,” Lady Ho said casually. “I still owe the fur shop two thousand dollars. You can pay them with what’s in there.”

Lu agreed and continued: “Auntie, since Ch’i-ke[1] is back now, why don’t I give up my car so it’s available when he goes out? That ignorant driver even made Ch’i-ke angry. Ch’i-ke, the servants can be thoughtless idiots. Let’s not get into quarrels with them!”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing filtered each word through his narrow mind and his face darkened instantly. “No need for that. I’ll buy another one.”

Lu laughed. “Gosh, you must be loaded! Buying cars at a moment’s notice. Looks like Chi-ke’s made a fortune outside!”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing poured water over his rice and said: “Lad, seems like you only have money in your eyes. How long have you been working for my house? Still haven’t seen enough money?”

The snide comment clearly dismissed Lu Chen-Ch’i as some sort of domestic servant. Having been treated as the one and only Master Nephew of the house over the years, it was always Lu who bullied others, never the other way around. He certainly wasn’t going to tolerate such an insult and became a bit red in the face at once. “Auntie, listen to Ch’i-ke. It’s like I have eyes for nothing but money.”

Lady Ho too felt indignant on her nephew’s behalf. But the Ho Ji-Ch’ing before her now wasn’t the same Ch’i-ke he once was. She kept sensing a malicious aura around her son.

“Go back to your dinner, both of you. The new chef has a way with ducks. I’ve never had duck soup this good before,” she changed the subject in a gentle voice and gave Lu a look. She personally lifted the large soup spoon and leaned over+ to fill the small bowl in front of Ho Ji-Ch’ing. “Here, Bao-Ting. Have some soup.”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing didn’t give Lady Ho any regard and clarified his stance steadfastly: “I’m vegetarian.”

Lu Chen-Ch’i chimed in again with a grin. “Vegetarian? Why would a young man like you become vegetarian? Does Ch’i-ke intend to master the ways of Tao and attain immortality?”

Ho Ji-Ch’ing didn’t respond to his gibe. Gobbling down his water-and-rice mash, he stood up wordlessly and advanced on Lu dragging his chair.

Out of reflex, Lu Chen-Ch’i’s leapt away the moment the chair came down.

Just as he scampered off, Ho Ji-Ch’ing chair came barreling down with a hiss of air. With a thunderous crack, the bowls and dishes at Lu’s seat were smashed into pieces.

The table fell into a brief moment of silence.

Lu was the first to come to himself. Letting out a panicked wail, he tried to take cover behind Lady Ho while Ho Ji-Ch’ing plucked a fork out of the roast chicken and closed in on Lu expressionlessly. Lady Ho noted the happenings with alarm and was about to interfere, but Ho Ji-Ch’ing moved too fast, and had already seized the other man by his collar. With a howl of pain, the fork was embedded brutally into Lu’s arm.

Lu stood trembling with his mouth wide open, his sobs coming out in bits and pieces.

Ho Ji-Ch’ing let go of him and patted him on the shoulder. “Lad, don’t talk too much. Careful you don’t shorten your lifespan.”

Lu put a hand over his mouth and began a loud wail. Among the wailing, there were some m.u.f.fled cries for help.

Wielding iron was considered the utmost act of violence. On the first evening of New Year, Lu Chen-Ch’i got his blood spilled in public and continued to have nightmares for days. The servants in the house were equally frightened, and greeted Ho Ji-Ch’ing as if they had ran into the devil himself, wishing more than anything to give him a wide berth.

Ho Ji-Ch’ing had attacked Lu solely to vent his anger. There were many ways to give vent to anger, but he favoured methods that allowed him to regain his peace of mind by dispensing his suffering to others.

Back in the Anguo Army, although he was clueless when it came to commanding troops, he was extremely fond of ma.s.sacres—the large-scale, total annihilations of flesh.

Villages after ma.s.sacres held a peculiar tranquility. As all things on earth faded from life, mortal torments too would disperse like smoke and clouds. When blood saturated the arid soil, when the most precious gift of life lost its meaning, what more was there to be adamant about? What more couldn’t be overcome, couldn’t be let go?

Ho Ji-Ch’ing used death to counsel and console himself. Perhaps his soul could reach a brief moment of absolution when the scent of blood rose in the air. But these moments were too brief. He thought he might need a bit of religious faith, might need the company of a G.o.d.

Otherwise… It was much too lonely.

The kind of men Lady Ho despised the most were savage brutes, yet her husband, the Old Marshal, happened to be one.

Although Ch’i-ke wasn’t her son by blood, he had grown up under her care. As a stern mother, she had hoped to forge the ideal son, but a few years after her husband’s officers s.n.a.t.c.hed him away, her son had come back surpa.s.sing his father in atrociousness.

Lady Ho was extremely disappointed. Meanwhile, she also came to realise that this seventh son of hers really wasn’t to be trifled with.

Two months after New Year when flowers began to bloom in the warmth of spring, Lady Ho pa.s.sed by Ho Ji-Ch’ing’s room and saw him counting prayer beads and murmuring Buddhist scriptures.

Delighted, she thought it would be a great thing if her son could purge some of his savagery.

But when she visited her son again on the same evening, she arrived at the sight of Ho Ji-Ch’ing tying a noose around Hsiao-Shun’s neck with the long string of prayer beads, making the boy crawl on the ground like a leashed dog.

She heaved a long sigh and left wordlessly. She had given up on this Chi’-ke quite thoroughly.

In May, Ho Ji-Ch’ing suddenly informed Lady Ho that he wanted to go to Tientsin for a change of scenery.

Lady Ho didn’t dare to intervene, and even secretly hoped that he’d leave right away. The presence of such a fiend hidden in the house was making everyone uncomfortable. When he learned that his Chi’ke was about to leave, Lu Chun-Ch’i was even more ecstatic.

But before he could finish being ecstatic, he saw in the papers that the Peking-Tientsin Express was suspended due to a malfunction, which meant that Ho Ji-Ch’ing’s departure would be delayed indefinitely.

Lady Ho and Lu Chen-Ch’i spent their days praying that the train would be fixed soon. Ho Ji-Ch’ing didn’t mind the delay. He didn’t have any urgent business in Tientsin other than to pay Bai Su-Chen a visit, which he could do sooner or later.

[1] “Seventh Brother”