Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Author:Lisa See
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2023-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

The Hundred Pulses

“How will you greet your husband when you see him?” Second Aunt sounds cordial, but her bitterness about her aspirations for her husband to assume authority in the household has only grown over the years, leaving her face lined with resentment. “Will you be kind or—”

“Complain that he didn’t bring you a bolt of silk—”

“Or a jade bracelet—”

“Or will you quickly take him to the bedchamber so he might give you a son?”

I glance at the faces of the women who sit together in their late morning circles in the inner chambers. The room fairly buzzes with anticipation. My husband is coming home for a three-month visit. He’s bringing with him an official from the Department of Service in Beijing who is reported to be one of the richest, most refined, cultivated, and influential men in the capital. As such, he has powerful connections to the imperial palace. In the inner chambers, the women are surprised—and shocked—to learn that the official is bringing his wife and mother with him. The traveling party should arrive shortly, and we all have our ears perked, listening for the sounds of cymbals, drums, clappers, and horns that always accompany a high-ranking official’s procession.

I tilt my head modestly, as I’ve seen Meiling do so many times. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing Maoren. It’s been months since he was last here.”

“It is in a woman’s nature to be plagued by vitriol,” Second Aunt comments, “so plant a pretty smile on your face when you see him.”

I take her advice to be as meaningful as a single grain of rice in a banquet cauldron. Nevertheless, I remain respectful in my response. “I will, Second Aunt.”

“After all,” she goes on, “who knows what our husbands have been doing and who they’ve been doing it with when they’re away.”

“You’re speaking of jealousy,” Fourth Aunt jumps in, as though every person here doesn’t know that this is the very emotion that causes her to carp at her husband whenever he’s home.

“Or envy,” one of Second Uncle’s concubines quips from across the room. “Who here hasn’t heard you banging on my door when the master is visiting me?”

Lady Kuo holds up a hand. “That’s enough!”

And it is for a few moments. But over where the widows and spinsters sit something’s brewing. Those old ladies can be unpredictable. Great-Aunt, who moved here after her husband’s family died out, can be especially nettlesome, yet her voice sounds casual when she begins speaking.

“A bevy of husbands was afraid of their wives.” Heads swing in Great-Aunt’s direction at the recognition of the beginning of the familiar story. “One day those men met in a tavern to discuss what to do. The first man said, ‘I will beat my wife into submission. She will be as docile as a doe in springtime.’ ”

One of the other widows is ready with the next part. “The second man said, ‘I will stop feeding my bride. Hunger will tame her bossiness.’ ”

“The third man said, ‘I will tie my wife to the bed,’ ” Great-Aunt resumes.

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