I wanted to make a quick note of something I touched on earlier in Chapter 12: Nu Shu, which literally means "women's writing", was created hundreds—perhaps thousands, researchers aren't sure—of years ago in the Hunan Province in South/Southeastern China. http:// www,crystalinks,com / nushu,html this is an excellent online source for more information. My mentioning nu shu as a form of writing exclusively for women was a nod at Lisa See's best-selling novel "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", which has helped inspire me in writing parts of this fic. Lisa See has done so much research for her work, it inspires me to do the same for my own. Plus, the idea of there being a language out there that only women know really interested me, and impressed me. Moreover, because men thought women were so inferior, they didn't bother to acknowledge it; nowadays, they're scrambling to learn it. Got to love irony, right?
Please be kind, this one was written in a rush.
Memoirs of a Master
Chapter 14
Viper wasn't sure how she should feel.
Of Shifu and Yeying's wedding, she was ecstatic! Her notions of romance—however droll or trivial Tigress believed them to be—were stoked when Viper listened to the narrative, imagining the glory of such a wedding day. Her master—their master—had known such happiness!
Then reality hit her like a punch to the gut.
What had happened to Yeying?
No, she knew how she felt about that.
What she wasn't so sure about were her feelings for a certain comrade.
Po may not have been as…physically attractive…as the others. Viper admitted to being impressed by Tai Lung's physique after twenty years of incarceration, which was by no means a small feat! She admired Crane for his quiet dignity and gentle nature, Monkey for his fun-loving and at times goofball personality, and in Mantis she appreciated his dedication to his art…not to mention his one-liners were totally killer.
But Po…she couldn't describe it. She didn't want to believe he was the Dragon Warrior at first, but heaven help her, she had started to like him, and only after two days.
"He's not going to quit, is he?" she'd asked, in awe of his staying power, even as he bounced off the stairs of the Jade Mountain. Even Tigress knew when to quit, when to take a breather, when to stop. Tigress drew the line; Po didn't, so deep was his fanaticism.
And there was something endearing about that.
This was only helped along by the acupuncture session with Mantis in the panda's room later that night. Viper could barely hold back the laughs and smiles, but it wasn't for the guilt of schadenfreude on the panda's behalf that she withheld. Po was unlike any male she had ever met. He was a perfect sweetheart, without trying to be. And if she let on how much she admired him, well, her friends would never let her live it down.
She hated that she was still so vain and cared so much about their opinions that she hadn't acted sooner. Because, if her ruminations were correct, she had already missed her chance.
Not that Tigress was dropping any hints, mind you. That next morning, Viper helped her find the thick bathrobe given as a gift at last New Year's. As the tiger got bundled up, she revealed that she had quite miraculously been healed. Her voice was still a little scratchy, and there was still a slight fever, but other than that, she was perfectly healthy.
Po looked just pleased to hear that. He still made medicinal soup, just in case; poor Tigress nearly turned an unhealthy shade a green, but silently conceded to the "torture" of Po's wondrous cooking.
They decided to keep her in bed that day, so all six filed into her room, bringing cushions to sit on and the brazier to keep warm as Monkey picked up the next scroll and began to read.
The third day of our marriage came up unexpectedly. As was tradition, we prepared to make the trip to the bride's home. In some provinces, this was something only the bride did; she didn't stay with her husband the whole time until after their first child. Considering I could not give her children of her own, Yeying could be free to visit her natal home whenever she desired…which turned out to be very infrequently.
Though it wasn't customary, we thought a visit to my family's home in the Southern Zhou-tong village would also be a good plan. Yeying had already seen the land of my ancestors, but I had yet to see her home. As I understood it, it was only a day and from the Valley of Peace, possibly less considering how swiftly we traveled. We would spend about a week there, we surmised, then continue on to my home, and spend, oh, perhaps a month, considering the distance.
Thankfully, we wouldn't be alone.
Ochir, Shan, and Li decided to accompany us, at least part-way. While they respected Yeying's parents, they had very little love for them. Aside from that, they added that it was more my business rather than theirs to get to know my in-laws a little more.
"They ain't my in-laws," Ochir had snorted over breakfast on the second day of my marriage.
Instead, the three of them would meet up with us at Zhou-tong. Shan admitted to missing Mount Tai Lung and the common bond he had with the snow leopard clan there. Ochir missed the peacefulness of the valley. Li was anxious for an adventure.
All three missed my mother's cooking.
I hardly blamed them.
So it was, the eve we were to leave, Yeying and I packed light, having been assured that everything we could possibly need would be given at her family's expense. All we needed were a few changes of clothes, some food for the journey, and, of course, a two-person tent.
The day before we left, my wife and I took advantage of our last likely chance to train with our friends for a good two weeks. She had started sparring with Ochir, while Shan was sitting in meditation with Master Oogway. I was back to sparring with my favorite partner.
"Going to visit the in-laws, huh?" Li asked. "Honestly, I'd wait a couple days…"
I blocked a punch he sent towards me, "I thought of that too, but its tradition, and you know how Yeying's father is, and how my parents are…"
He rolled his eyes, sweeping his leg out and catching mine. I flipped back, landing on my toes and dropping into a low stance. "Don't remind me," he sighed, striking again. I blocked and kicked, he grabbed my ankle and yanked hard. I brought my fist in and punched his stomach. He let go and we paused long enough to allow him the chance to catch his breath.
"Nice shot," he gasped.
"You alright?"
"Better than ever," he readied himself for the next blow. "So how long are you staying at Mama and Baba Miao's?"
"A couple days, I think, no more than a week," I said. "Yeying wants to connect with some old friends, and truth is, I'd like to see where she came from."
"You know her family's rich, right?"
"Don't remind me. Its bad enough I don't think I'm worthy of her; I don't need the entire county thinking the same thing."
"Fuck 'em," he said, snapping his arm out, blocking my own punch and ducking my swinging kick to his head. "You love her, she loves you, that's more than most Chinese can ask for. How many arranged marriages end in love? If anyone says anything about you, just remember this: they're jealous."
"You think?"
"Shifu, most people think love is a myth, something that only happens in fairy tales. What you and Yeying have is real…and people won't be able to handle that."
"Li, it's the same thing you and Ren have," I pointed out.
"Yeah, but he and I have to hide it."
I stopped, realizing he was right. While in our own province, thoughts of homosexuality were a little more liberal than in other areas of the empire, one still had to tread carefully; one never knew who was understanding, and who was intolerant. Not everyone was as understanding as our master. And Ren had his reputation in the military to think about. In all likelihood, he may just have to marry someone just to keep up appearances…and I saw that this was Li's fear too.
"You know that if…"
"If what, if he marries a girl to cover it up? Shifu, that's not what bothers me. Ren's told me he won't."
"Then why do you look so sad?" I asked, pausing our scrimmage.
"Because I know that if he doesn't, his men will suspect. It hurts to think he has to do it, but I'd rather he marry some girl and live, than be killed."
"Li…"
He shook his head, and offered a smile, covering up his own fears to give me a hopeful look. "But you and Yeying have a clear, certain future. You're going to live many years, heaven willing, and teach many children—who knows, maybe you'll adopt some! Who needs to have biological children? You can raise orphans; gods know there's too many of them in Bao Gu."
"Gods, Li, please don't talk children to me. I just got married two days ago!"
"I'm not saying you should adopt now, it's just something to think about," he shrugged. After a pause, he added, "It's something I've thought of doing, sometimes."
I gave him a look. I had no idea.
"I thought you didn't like kids?" I asked.
"I said I liked men more than I liked kids. But being a teacher, I thought that'd be enough for me, you know? But with Ren…I can't explain it, I really can't, but he brings out something in me," he smiled fondly, clearly remembering the times—however brief—he had with his lover. Then he shook himself out of it. "I don't know, we'll see. Now," he dropped into a fighting stance. "Let's say one more round?"
The next morning, Yeying and I were roused from slumber by the cat-calling and wolf-whistling of our three friends. I'm sure I don't need to mention the reason behind our deep slumber; what did you think newlyweds did during the night?
Yeying had laid her head on my shoulder, throwing the pillow over her ears, "I wanna kill 'em," she muttered.
I sighed through my nose. "When this is over…"
"We're getting them girlfriends," she completed my sentence. "Shan and Ochir need 'em…"
"And tracking down Ren might be a good idea too."
"Agreed, Li needs to get laid."
"Does it bother you that we're so freely talking about our friends' sex lives…or lack thereof?" I asked.
"Considering what we did last night, should it surprise either of us?" she smirked, nuzzling me and giggling as I blushed. "Oh come on, there's no reason to be shy about it."
"Give me a break, I've only had three days of experience."
"Three days and three nights," she reminded me. I gasped when her lips touched the side of my neck.
"W-we can't," I remember saying. "They're already waiting for us."
"They can wait longer," she purred.
"What about your family, the trip we need to make today?" I gasped as her hands began to move around…
"Still want to wait?" she asked.
"Took you long enough," Shan groused. "We were going to leave without you."
"I think they had a legitimate reason," Li snickered. I didn't know why until Yeying licked her palm to smooth some fur on the top of my head. We probably looked quite disheveled…but clearly satisfied.
"Did you remember your ear plugs, Shan?" Yeying asked him.
He rolled his sightless eyes, "Am I ever going to get one night when I don't have to use them?"
"Probably not."
"Swell."
As we set out to leave, I heard someone calling out my name. Behind us, at the student housing, stood my three best students, Hu, Jin and Tao. They had risen just to see me off, the trio waving and wishing a good journey.
"That's awfully sweet of them," Yeying said, returning the wave.
"Ain't surprising," Ochir said, "the kids love Shifu—not sure why."
"He looks like a stuffed animal," Shan snickered. "I'd wager that'd be a hit with any kid."
"When this is over, we're getting you a girlfriend," I warned. "So someone can make fun of you for a change."
Ochir interrupted my rant when he tapped me on the shoulder, "By the way, one of them sent these travel bars for you and Yeying. The piglet, I think. What's his name?"
"Who, my student?"
"Yeah, him…what's that kid's name?"
"Hu," I answered.
Ochir gave me a funny look, "That kid, over there."
I looked to the piglet who was still waving with his friends and repeated, "Hu."
"The pig you teach."
"Hu."
"The piglet that is your student," he gritted, sounding a bit irritated.
"Hu."
"The pig in yellow in that corner over there!"
"Hu!"
"Shifu, what is the name of that pig in yellow playing with those other two kids?!"
"HU!"
"That's what I want to know!" he yelled, exasperated.
Shan patted Ochir on the arm, "No, man, 'Hu' is the kid's name."
"It's a stupid name," the rhino muttered.
"I dunno," Li smirked, breaking up the tension, "I have a feeling they'll be telling that joke for a while…"
As planned, we made it to the crossroads on the other side of the Thread of Hope, my wife and I going North, our friends West, to meet up with them again in two week's time. The weather was clear, and the air crisp with the coming autumn weather. Despite how tired we were, we made excellent time, coming upon the gates of her home village by nightfall.
We made it inside with the farmers and laborers who lived within their walls and continued on our way, pausing to ask directions to the Miao family home from a friendly-looking dog.
"You must not be from around here," he told us, "Everyone knows where the Miaos live!"
And with good reason. I could hardly believe we were at the right address when Song led me to the gates of a large family villa. The walls were pristine with fresh plaster and whitewash, the terracotta tiles a brilliant scarlet, and the heavy oak double-doors to the compound painted a deep pine green. This was far from being a fortress—it was a palace, in every sense of the word. Semi-precious stones were inlaid on the door, depicting a garden scene meant to show the outside what life was like on the inside.
"This is new," Yeying said, her fingers ghosting over the stones. "This must've happened after my father's promotion. I wonder what else changed."
"It wasn't always like this?" I asked, completely mystified—and feeling slightly inadequate—by the obvious show of wealth around me. A servant opened the door, recognized Yeying instantly, and hastily invited "Little Miss" inside…with her husband, of course.
The courtyard was…well, it was my first look inside the home of a truly well-off family, so its image is still engrained in my mind. Now, I had seen finery in the Jade Palace, but much of its beauty was found in the natural landscape, and anything of real worth existed in the artifacts in the Hall of Warriors, and in the history of the palace itself. In the Miao home, everything was new. The roof was new, the porches, lattice windows, screens and even the courtyard looked newly paved. At our feet was an impressive mosaic, Yeying called it, a piece of exquisite artwork that was made of small stones put close together to make an image; in this case, it was a river delta, with small blue stones representing a mighty river that started at the door and snaked its way across the courtyard, branching out to the many buildings of the complex. Through an open doorway, I saw exquisite gardens of rock, trees, and lily ponds, the leaves just starting to turn to its autumn colors.
The doors of the main building flew open, and Chancellor Miao and Miao Li walked out into the waning light, arms opened wide.
"There they are!" the Chancellor said, welcoming his daughter into his embrace. When he embraced me, there was still a slight awkwardness, but I wager it had more to do with the fact I was the reason for Yeying's, ahem, adulthood, if you catch my drift. "Welcome home, both of you. You must be tired from your journey."
"Not really," Yeying said, hugging her mother, "It wasn't so far as you might think. Traveling to Shifu's home will take much more time."
"And I have confidence both of you will be properly cared for there," Miao Li said warmly. "I remember your parents from the wedding feast, Shifu. They are good people; they are very lucky to have a son like you."
"I really wish you wouldn't," I said, visibly embarrassed.
"Oh, but I must brag!"
"She's been bragging to all her friends for the past three days," the Chancellor said as an aside. "Trust me, they may not know your face—yet—but once you show it outside these walls, everyone in the village will know who you are."
"Is that a…good thing?"
"It can be, depending on the person. But come, we were just about to sit for dinner, and I'm sure you would like to meet your brothers-in-law."
"You can stay in Yeying's old room," my mother-in-law explained. "It has since been made into a guest room, but very little has changed."
"Gods, I hope not!" Yeying winced. "Please tell me you at least painted the walls!"
"And updated the bed. Your nieces and nephews sleep across the hall, and they are eager to meet the both of you."
As for my other in-laws, Miao Li was silent on the matter. Which immediately drew upon my suspicion that perhaps my marriage was anything but welcome in this village.
Sure enough, I was right. Yeying's two older brothers were cordial, civil, but not friendly. Not very surprising, as we were unfamiliar with each other. Their wives were quiet creatures, lovely, but little more than porcelain dolls. Judging by their shared looks with their husbands, the knowledge that Yeying—a cat—had married me—a red panda—was shocking and scandalous. I'm amazed Yeying's brothers were anything but enraged at such sacrilege to the institution of marriage, for surely, the purpose of any marriage was to have sons, and lots of them. Because my spouse and I were of different species—completely different—we could not have sons, or any children for that matter.
This led me to believe that while Yeying escaped the Ax of Arranged Matrimony, her two brothers were not so lucky. But they had no right to complain: how many families had the honor of a kung fu master being related to them?
The oldest son—he was about thirty or so—took this opportunity to show he was the more respectful of the two, an action I found completely fabricated. There was no way he could be happy about this. "We humbly welcome you to our home. Like our honored father, we are happy to have you here, Master Shifu, and happy to welcome you into our family."
I wasn't buying it, but I was a guest, so I showed my gratitude for their hospitality. Not that they had a choice, with their father still being alive. I think Yeying and I both agreed that once Chancellor Miao passed on, the two of us would be banished from that household for good. Served the both of us fine; apparently Yeying had little love for her overly traditional brothers. So traditional, they made my family look progressive. Their wives were an excellent example, with their bound feet and speaking only when spoken to, though their husbands largely ignored them.
I met the rest of the family at dinner, and Yeying had the opportunity to meet her nieces and nephews. They were numerous, ten children in all, six from the elder brother and four from the younger; the elder brother was smug with his five sons and single daughter, while the younger was more reserved with three daughters and one son…which he clearly blamed on his wife. The daughters received very little affection, that was blatantly clear, and unfortunately, the eldest girls were already going through the excruciating process of foot-binding. Glancing at my wife, she looked just as outraged as I felt. Miao Li, from my understanding, was just as furious about the practice happening in her own house. But, it was her husband's doing; he swore it was for the girls' own good, that no respectable husband would want "ugly big-footed girls". As much as I hate to admit it, he was right. Life would have been harder for them had the foot-binding never occurred.
The middle child of the younger brother's family was pale from the agony in her feet, and was nearly on the verge of tears. Yeying and I shared another look, and we had the same thought: if and when we ever adopted a daughter, that would never be her fate.
After dinner we all retired for the evening. The majority of the Miaos retreated to a salon—some sort of room like a study, or a lounge area, I had never heard of it—while the children were sent to bed, the women to their own chamber to sew and weave. Yeying and I on the other hand retired to our room, eager to get away.
"May I smack my brothers?" my wife growled, brushing out her fur in front of an antique mirror in her old room, "I really want to smack them."
I was undressing, taking in the décor, which was lovely, I had to admit. Murals of sky scenes were painted on the walls, with various birds and phoenixes and dragons in flight, weaving through cotton-ball clouds. The bed had clearly been updated—a "queen" bed, I think they're called—but aside from that, she told me, little had changed since she was a girl.
"I don't think it's their fault," I assured her. "Think of the influences they have."
"My father isn't to blame."
"Not entirely. Remember, though, my father didn't have much influence on me. They probably learned these habits from other men here."
"Or at court," she rolled her eyes, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. She stoked up the coals in the brazier by the bed and crawled under the covers with me. "I feel bad for their wives."
"Me too."
"And those poor girls…seeing that youngest one like that broke my heart," she sighed, resting her head on my shoulder.
"That would never happen to our daughter," I vowed, wrapping my arms around her. "That is…if you were thinking about it. You know, maybe adopting, someday."
She smiled in the dim light. "I think I'd like that. We'd train her in kung fu…"
"Oh, undoubtedly," I smiled, glad she was warming up to the idea. "But what style?"
"Why not every style?"
"Have her master the thousand scrolls of kung fu?"
"Why not? Think about it: its one thing for a man to be the first ever to master the thousand scrolls of kung fu…but a woman to do it instead? Can you imagine what that would say about Chinese women in general?"
I wasn't using my imagination as much as I should have, I admit. But she had a point. For a woman to do something a man had never accomplished before, that would tell the world that Chinese women were not simple creatures by any means, and could do anything just as well as men could. Though men, despite all their self-righteousness and arrogance, could not provide much-desired sons on their own, and I had no problem reminding misogynistic pricks of this, and still don't.
"But wouldn't you like a son?" she asked suddenly.
"What?"
"A son. You know, a boy child you raise? Wouldn't you like that?"
"Yeying," I looked into her eyes. "I don't care what we have, who we adopt, or how many…as long as they are happy, healthy, and have you for a mother, I couldn't ask for anything more."
This made her very happy, and in fact, she was so happy she proceeded to show her appreciation physically…which truthfully, I hoped would become habit.
Hours later, I was still awake, lying on my back while my wife lay at my side, sleeping soundly, snoring softly. I thought it was adorable. Try as I might, sleep eluded me, so after anxiously tossing and turning, I gave up and decided to get some fresh air. Perhaps a short tour of the Miao family villa would tire me out enough to get me to sleep.
Unfortunately, it was such a large compound, I easily lost my way. The paths snaked through the gardens, some leading nowhere, others wove around in circles. The halls were no better. I felt I needed a compass to find my way. Why on earth anyone needed such a large space, I'd never know.
Ready to give up on my exhaustive search back to Yeying's room, I instead came upon the family sanctuary. Portraits and tablets with the likenesses and names of Yeying's ancestors hung over an altar, where a lone figure knelt in worship.
Miao Li straightened up and looked back at me, then gave me a smile. "What a coincidence, I was just thanking them for bringing you into my daughter's life."
"I would think they'd be disappointed. I can't give your daughter any children—or you grandchildren," I said, stepping closer.
"Bah, I have enough grandchildren. Perhaps, I may send a couple over to the Jade Palace. I wish for that youngest girl may never know the pain of foot-binding. Hearing the other girls' screeches and tears at night…I wonder where I went wrong, why my sons insist. But perhaps it is my fault; I let their education be too traditional."
"Whatever decisions they made were their own," I said.
"But I am their mother," she reminded me, "and I am responsible for their morals."
"Morals, yes. Opinions, not so much. I don't agree with my mother on a lot of things; but I feel you're right. Is it too late to save those girls?"
"Unfortunately," she said with a dejected sigh. "But I am glad my own girl was spared that. And that she found someone who treats her well. Do you know," she laughed softly, "When I first saw you two together at the tournament, many years ago, I saw just how you treated her, and I had a feeling you loved her."
"And I do, and I always will," I assured her.
"I know, I know," she smiled sadly. "At the time, it worried me. The more she wrote to me about you, the more I saw it in her too. I thought…well, it's silly to think I was worried…"
"Worried that we would engage in…?"
"Worried you two would turn out just like Jian Qiang and I, yes. Yes, I knew you were there; my daughter confessed in one of her letters. I am not angry, but I am embarrassed; I never intended children to know, er, my 'dirty laundry' as it were."
"Did you love him?"
"I'd be a damned liar if I denied that," she confessed, bidding me to sit on chairs facing the Miao ancestors. I felt odd sitting there with her, hearing her side of the story, but I also felt the eyes of the stern-looking portraits peering down at me as if I were on trial for something.
"I loved Jian Qiang, it's true," she began. "I loved him so much, it's impossible to deny it. It started, oh, I don't think I can place a single event to it. We were young, of course, younger than you two. I know there is that saying, 'its better to have loved and lost than never love at all', but the pain of losing that love is eternal and never heals. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't still feel his kiss, his embrace, and actually yearn for it.
"I love my husband, Shifu, don't get me wrong, but the passion in my marriage simply can't compare with the passion I felt with Qiang. Could he have given me children, I would have jumped at the chance to marry him instead."
"So children were the deal breaker?" I asked.
"What woman wants to deny herself that joy? I knew since I was a little girl I wanted to marry and have children—as many as possible—and it had been something I had always seen in my future. If Qiang were my future…well, those dreams would never have been reached, and I knew I'd regret it forever."
"I hate to admit it, but I'm glad you married your husband," I confessed. "If not for that, I wouldn't be married to the most wonderful woman."
"Is she?" she asked coyly.
"Easily."
"Good, that's the way it should be. Speaking of…did your parents not tell you how we pulled it all together so quickly?"
I had been curious about that. Most marriages take months, if not years to arrange, and elaborate ceremonies were tough to do on such short notice.
"I remember your parents from the tournament; your mother is the most agreeable creature! Imagine my glee when I found them staying at an inn here in the village, on their way home. I invited them to stay here to rest, and the day they arrived, so did a letter from my husband. He told me everything, about your love, Yeying's predicament, and my husband's scheme. I had my fears it wouldn't work, but your mother and father were most helpful…"
She pointed to an unrolled scroll on the altar beneath portraits of her parents-in-law. It had been laid there with other offerings for the ancestors' spirits. "Look there, tell me what you see."
I obeyed, leaning over the scroll, squinting my eyes to read in the low light of the candles and burning incense. I gaped when I realized what they were…
"Your Eight Characters were perfectly matched," Miao Li explained. "A match literally made in heaven. Not even my marriage's Eight Characters matched so well! Our local matchmaker hadn't seen such a match in well over twenty years; she even told me 'if those two aren't married immediately, I'll eat my left foot!' Well, she didn't have to; I would have held her to it," she smirked wickedly. Now I knew where Yeying got it.
"So," I began slowly, "we were meant to be?"
"What do you think?" she smiled. "The diviner in the village took one look at the match and instantly said you would be happy together for many years to come."
Now, I have never been a superstitious person, so fortune tellers and the like always appeared as charlatans and cheats to me. At that moment, I had the feeling that there was nothing that could tear us asunder, and that Yeying and I would be happy for the rest of our lives. One thing still bothered me, and I brought it up,
"Before the Battle of Red Claw Ridge," I told her, "I spoke with Master Qiang. He told me about you two, about his regrets."
"Did he?" she asked, her tone even.
"He told me it was foolish to give one's heart away, that if I wanted to save myself, that I should never love someone."
She snorted, "Of course, it sounds like something he'd say. He has always been like that, even as children. He was stubborn to a fault, determined that his point of view was the only point of view, and once something happened to disprove his theories, it became something he hated. He used to be a hopeless romantic. I suppose a broken heart tore that right out of him."
"What about his marriage? He never talked of it."
Miao Li sighed, shaking her head. "I know its bad to speak ill of the dead, but his wife, Peony, well, not the best choice for him. She was rather intolerant, came from a wealthy family; when she saw she had 'married beneath her', she threw a fit, demanding her family to dissolve the marriage. Then something happened and she changed her mind. I have no clue what changed; perhaps she fell in love with him after all. He could be as obstinate as she could, and perhaps it was that fire in her soul that drew him closer. Either way, not long after I was married, he got married to her, and not long after I became pregnant with my first son, I heard Peony was also expecting."
That couldn't be right. Ren was only a year older than I, and Yeying's brother was easily seven years older…
"I gave birth to a healthy son," she continued. "And she birthed a stillborn daughter."
Ah, that explained it.
"Qiang was inconsolable; he lost the respect of many men, who wondered why he mourned the loss of a daughter. You know as well as I do what they say: raising and marrying out a daughter is like throwing out a cup of water. Women are commodities, and most still believe that. But in my heart, I think perhaps he wished for a daughter. As I understand it, his wife was relieved—she avoided the shame of raising a worthless daughter, and the ridicule of her family. I heard very little for years, during which time I had another son. Then I heard news that Peony had finally given him a healthy boy.
"Not long after, Peony was killed in a raid. Qiang was fighting the Huns, but a rogue band made it to their village, and she…well, I'll spare you the details. Ren was saved by a neighbor, hidden away. He was but a toddler at the time, and probably barely remembers her. After that happened, I stopped hearing news about Jian Qiang. A part of me didn't want to. Another part of me wished to be there for him. Apparently Terbish was there, helping him through the grief. Red Claw was there, of course. Any rumors coming from the front…they broke my heart, sometimes. I didn't want to think of them being true, but in some, they say he exacted his revenge on Mongol families…"
"You're kidding," I said, horrified.
"I've known Qiang most of my life; for my own sake, I didn't give those rumors much merit. But a wife and children, and losing a wife can change a man more drastically than anyone can say."
"Did your husband change?"
She laughed softly. "More than you know. Let me tell you something about marriage, Shifu: it is not happily ever after. You will face challenges daily, you will go to bed mad and wake up even madder, you will fight and bicker, but in the end, you do this because you made a promise, for better or for worse, to be there for the one you love. You will lie in bed at night and ask yourself 'is this it, forever?' and sometimes you will wonder why you ever got married in the first place. No one tells you these things, especially that once you think you know your spouse, a little part of them changes, and you have to relearn it. I suppose you can liken courtship to primary school, and marriage as graduate studies. You just keep learning more."
For a newlywed to hear this, it was rather discouraging, I admit. No one wants to think about the hard times when the good times were just beginning.
Miao Li stood up, bowed to the ancestors one last time then started to walk out. "I'll get you back to your room—I'm guessing you got lost?"
"Um, yeah, actually…" I blushed with embarrassment.
She chuckled, "Don't worry about it. It took me months to get used to this place. If you would do me a favor tomorrow…"
"Yes, ma'am?"
She gave me a wicked smile, the very one my Yeying had inherited. "My daughter's would-be suitor will be coming around tomorrow to demand her as his bride. He doesn't believe that she's married; I think hearing she married a red panda makes him believe it's a fanciful tale. If you would be a dear and, ah, 'take out the trash', that would be lovely."
I smirked. "Asking me to take care of Old Creepy Gross Guy? I don't think you're giving your daughter enough credit."
Sure enough, Miao Li's prediction of the creditor came true. We were sitting at breakfast in the main dining hall when a servant announced to Chancellor Miao that the creditor had come to "collect his payment". The Chancellor and I just exchanged a look, as if to say "Do you want to handle it, or shall I?" I was all for teaching the brute a lesson, though judging by the look of righteous fury on my wife's lovely face, I gave my excuse,
"Oh, but I simply couldn't! It would be rude to engage in such barbaric activities in the home of my most esteemed host, and besides that, Chancellor, how could I disrespect an elder?"
The Chancellor snorted, chuckling a bit. I winked at my wife, who took the message. She downed the rest of her tea and excused herself from the table. As soon as she left the room, the Chancellor also stood. I followed him out, both of us finding it rather difficult to hide the smirks on our faces.
"So what do you think she'll do?" he asked me.
"Probably headlock to begin, though she may go straight for the jugular, so to speak, and give him a half-nelson, uppercut, scissor kick, then finish him off with a roundhouse," I surmised.
"Really? I would think she'd start by breaking his kneecaps then hitting him with a…oh bother, what is it called?"
"Nerve attack?"
"Yes, that."
"Willing to bet money on that?"
"Five yuan on the bastard going down in five minutes," he waged, pulling out five coins from the purse tied around his belt.
"Ten yuan for less than five," I bartered.
Miao Li came out a second later, "Betting on how long, and what method?"
"I'm afraid you know me too well, my dear," her husband sighed.
"Twenty on her using the pudao, down in less than three minutes," her mother bet.
"You're on."
Out in the main courtyard, I got my first glimpse of the creditor…and I gaped at the Chancellor.
"You have got to be kidding."
"I wish I was," he sighed.
This fat cat—literally—was by far the ugliest creature I had ever seen. Now, I have seen my fair share of ugly mugs; and I do not immediately judge rotund people so cruelly—most I've known have very pristine hygiene, and are genuinely pleasant folk. This creature was an overly fluffy tabby cat, with greasy fur and unfocused eyes set too close together, probably the result of some inbreeding on his family's part, too many generations of first cousins marrying. He was clearly a half-wit, and that is an insult to half-wits everywhere. His manners were atrocious, scratching himself in public, belching loudly, and worse, kicking around servants that were not his to abuse in the first place. Why neither the Chancellor nor his wife bothered to stop him was beyond me.
Until I saw Yeying standing in front of the old cat.
She was wielding a pudao.
I sighed, starting to dig for twenty yuan.
The creditor narrowed his cross-eyed jaundiced pupils at her…at least I think he was looking at her…and snapped, "Why are you not wearing your wedding dress? Where are the musicians, the guests? You dare not be ready on the day of your wedding?"
"I was ready—you're too late," Yeying smirked. "I'm already married."
"Lies! The rumors say you're married to a red panda—a red panda! That is by no means legitimate! Your worthless father promised you to me when you were an infant—I have come to claim my prize."
"He promised me in substitute of other forms of payment. He has paid his dept to you twice over, and you have no rights over me," she snapped back. "And if you have the gall to come to my family's home and demand me as your whore…well, my father's not the one you should worry about."
"Hardly!" he laughed. "Your 'illustrious' father does not frighten me, and neither does your ugly big-footed mother!"
I heard the Chancellor whispering to his wife as he held her back, "No, no, dear, this is our daughter's chance…"
"I hope she filets him, the mother fu—"
"Please, love, try using more lady-like vulgarity?"
"I'll show you vulgarity…" she muttered.
Meanwhile, Yeying was circling the old fat cat like a hawk, staring him down. Much to my glee, he actually started to look nervous.
"So let me get this straight," Yeying said, "You think that I, a kung fu master, am just going to give up my life and career to just lay about your bedroom for the rest of your life? You think, that after the success in kung fu, that I'm just going to keel over and let you make me your whore?"
"I had a feeling you wouldn't make this easy. That is why they are here…" he thumbed over his shoulder. Now I cried foul; he had brought hired goons, a half-dozen gorillas, to force her to comply. If the Miaos were not incensed already, they were utterly furious now. It took all my strength to hold them back.
It took even more strength to keep myself in check. This was my wife's time to shine. She didn't want me fighting her battles for her. This was something she needed to do herself.
I couldn't see her face to see how she felt about this most recent development. When she looked over her shoulder, her eyes locked with mine. Then she smirked.
I returned the smirk, mouthing "K.O." She winked.
She stood straight and tall, the pudao pointing straight to the sky by her side. One hand was raised in front of her as in prayer, and she glared at the gorillas, and sent an especially dirty look to her would-be suitor.
"You want me? Come and claim me."
The cat just snapped his fingers and the gorillas jumped into action.
The first one that got within three feet of her received a powerful snap kick to the face. Yeying swept his feet out from under him, tripping him with the blunt end of her weapon. Twirling like a dancer, she slashed the blade across his chest, smacking him with an open palm and breaking his sternum with an audible snap. The next contestant had to back up as she performed one, two, three, four, five axle turns, bringing her back leg forward with a powerful roundhouse to the creature's side, the blade of the pudao slicing downward across his face.
The third and fourth gorillas both had sabers, two in each hand. She blocked each strike and swipe with the pole, the blade smacking away one, then two sabers. Her weapon sang as it sliced through the air, snapping smartly when she abruptly stopped. She jumped straight up into the air, legs tucked under her, then snapped both out in a perfect side split, concurrently hitting both gorillas in the face. Knowing this wouldn't deter them, she landed in a low crouch and twirled the pudao in a circle twice, then let go for a second, reaching both arms out to grab the gorillas' belts and yanking hard. The material had been sliced through with a clean swipe, and she swiftly tied the cloths to both ends of the pudao, swinging and twirling the weapon around in surprisingly fluid and intricate arcs.
The two gorillas had to back away, barely holding up their trousers, but they were hypnotized by the black fabric flowing in the air, and completely missed the opportunity to block when she swung down and hit one hard, keenly slicing through his tunic, then jabbing up with the blunt end, nearly breaking the skin under his chin. The second one suffered much the same treatment, except for the extra kick she gave him—literally—which sent him flying into the outer wall, smashing the plaster.
The fifth gorilla moved up, raising his fists and roaring. Yeying just hissed and bared her teeth and charged, jabbing out. The gorilla was able to duck, but not when she swung her leg out to trip him. He saw this and jumped to avoid it, but she had counted on that. Using the pole to hoist herself up, she gave him such a hook kick that it sent him backward, slamming into the sixth gorilla. Both fell in a heap on the courtyard's floor.
But Yeying was furious by now, and even if I wanted to break it up…well, Mama raised no fool. I wouldn't get in between her and any enemy for an emperor's ransom.
Yeying didn't even wait for the gorillas to get back up to attack again. By now her fury was enough to frighten me, to the point of questioning why I married such a terrifying creature in the first place.
She delivered her coup de grâce, lunging into a split and grabbing one gorilla by the ankle and hoisting him up into the air. She smacked the pole into him so many times, I doubted he'd be able to count all the bruises. She repeated this with the second gorilla, then smashed their heads together, the sharp crack echoing off the walls.
She let out a ferocious battle cry, sweeping the third and fourth off the ground and kicking each so hard they went right through the wall, leaving a sizeable hole. Villagers that had heard the commotion were out on the other side, watching in awe as Yeying delivered the final blows to the last two.
The fifth was stupid enough to attack her again. She ensured he would never walk again. When she glared at the sixth, his knees buckled, and with a rather effeminate scream ran off through the hole in the wall.
Yeying turned sharply, brandishing her weapon and pointing it at the fat cat, who had paled considerably. I could sense the hellish fury emanating off of her—even one not gifted with such sight, I knew her aura had to be red as blood, fitting, as she was out for it.
As the fat cat of a creditor quivered in his robes, Yeying hissed so ferociously, I felt chills going down my spine.
"Get out," she grilled between gritted teeth.
Not a second later, the creditor ran as fast as his legs would carry him, out the hole in the wall—not bothering with the door, tailed closely by four limping gorillas—and effectively never bothered the Miao family again.
"Time?" Yeying asked.
"Two minutes, forty-nine seconds," a nearby servant proclaimed.
The Chancellor and I cursed, and handed a smug Miao Li twenty yuan each.
"I am so proud of you," I told my wife later.
The smile on her face was unlike any I had ever seen; she was certainly very satisfied, as she had every right to be. But the way she held my hand was even more of an indication how happy she was. Not as happy as the day we were married, she assured me, but finally at peace knowing no one would ever contest our marriage. Someone had eventually told the creditor that I, a fellow kung fu master, and red panda, was the lucky husband of the female who had publicly humiliated him, to which he said "good! And good riddance!"
Asshole.
No, I will not apologize for my language.
After the fight, Yeying needed some time to blow off some steam. Her mother suggested a day in the market, some fresh air, would do a lot of good. Plus, she added not-too-subtly, it gave Yeying the chance to "show off her man-candy".
So there we were, walking through the booths, smirking at the gossip we heard already circulating about us. Most people were scandalized, but the younger people especially—and a few of the older folks—were actually impressed with Yeying, and I heard a great many women compliment her on her "choice of man-candy".
"Where's this 'man-candy' thing coming from anyway? Am I suddenly a lust object?" I whispered to her.
"What do you mean 'suddenly'?" she asked coyly, catching me off guard.
"Wait, what?"
"Nothing," she said with a mock-innocent air. She mewled as I caught her around the waist, tickling her with kisses along her jaw.
"You know what I'd like to do right now?" I asked her.
"Shifu! We're in public!"
"Not that! I just realized I haven't given you a wedding present."
She looked into my eyes, cupping my face in her hands. "Shifu, darling, I don't need a present to prove your love for me. Just having you is enough."
Touched as I was, I wanted to make this an even happier occasion for her. Aside from that, I felt she deserved something remarkable after the impressive show.
"I'm perfectly serious; as my wife, you deserve it. As my friend, I insist on it."
She shook her head, but smiled at me. "Alright, if it'll make you happy…honey, I don't need anything, but if you insist…"
And I did. I knew exactly what to get for her. While she was looking at a set of porcelain tea cups at one booth, I slipped away to another booth, haggled and bartered, and returned before she was even aware I was gone. When she noticed I had already gotten my gift for her, she smirked, and handed me her wedding gift for me.
We exchanged them later in our room. She had given me a beautifully-crafted calligraphy set and stationary, something I had a great need for to keep in touch with my family (and something I still use to this day. I used it to write these memoirs, for example). She also bestowed a pair of fingerless gloves for the cold winter training in the coming months.
As for her gift, the cost didn't matter. When she opened the scroll I had bought for her, the look on her face made it all worth it.
"Oh Shifu…it's beautiful," she said breathlessly.
"What, that? Next to your beauty, it is nothing."
"I'm serious…darling, I love it." She leaned over and gave me a kiss that made me lightheaded and my knees weak. Slightly dazed, I looked down at her prize, an utterly gorgeous watercolor and ink painting of two nightingales perched in a blossoming tree, peonies, roses and poppies flowing around the borders. The leaves were so verdant a green and flowers so brilliantly colored that they looked almost real, I could practically smell their delicate scents. And the nightingales—a pair mated for life—were so detailed I could see the individual feathers, and the light of love in their eyes. It wasn't my imagination, that spark was there as the nuzzled together in the tree.
"I love you," she whispered, nuzzling me.
"I love you, too," I replied, holding her close. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to hug her, kiss her, and never let go. And I never did.
As it had gotten rather late, Crane put the scroll back in the basket and stifled a yawn. "Okay, I think that's enough for today."
"Man, I need to do something tomorrow, maybe train for an hour, get some energy?" Mantis said.
"Sounds like a good idea," Monkey agreed. "We need to continue training, or Shifu will get suspicious."
Viper yawned hugely, slithering to the door, "We'll deal with it in the morning, guys. Come on, I'm bushed."
Tigress wordlessly stood, clutching a thick robe closer to her body. Viper had pulled it out earlier, reminding the feline that it had been given to her last New Year's. She ran into Po at the door, almost bumping into him.
"Whoa, easy there…you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, just spaced out for a minute. I'm fine."
"Yeah, you're probably just tired. Get some rest okay? Maybe we can spar in the morning if you're feeling up to it?"
She gave him a tight-lipped smile as she walked out and towards her own room, "We'll see."
Later that night, Po was on his way to bed after a midnight snack when he spied a light coming from Shifu's room. A wave of panic overtook him: had their master returned so soon, and did he know they had been reading his memoirs? He knew there was no way of sneaking up on the old red panda, so, deciding to forgo any semblance of subtlety or grace, the giant panda rumbled and stumbled into the doorway, falling flat on his face onto the wooden floor.
A feminine gasp told him two things: one, it was not Master Shifu, and two, whoever it was, she had not expected to be interrupted.
He looked up and gaped, "Tigress?"
Tigress sighed, clutching the thick robe closer around her shoulders and looking embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," he said, picking himself up. "I thought you were in bed?"
"I couldn't sleep," she sighed. "I remembered something…something from the story, and I wondered if it was here."
"If what was here?"
She actually smiled as she held up a scroll, the parchment yellowed with age, held closed with a faded red ribbon tied around it in a tiny bow. "This."
Gently tugging on the bow, she unrolled the scroll, laying it on Shifu's bed. Po gaped, staring at it in wonder.
Tigress had found a scroll…no, the scroll.
"That…that can't be it. There's no way."
"No Po, it is. This is Shifu's wedding present to Yeying…his wife."
Panda and tiger stood in awe of the painting, as exquisite decades later as it must have surely been when it was new. The nightingales perched in the branches of the flowering tree looked just as life-like as Shifu had described, the blossoms still remarkably vibrant fifty years later, the plumage on the birds so minute, they looked ready to come to life and fly right off the paper. Tigress reached out, lightly drawing her fingers over a bird, whose beak was open, likely to warble its song to the full moon perched in the painting's sky.
"Wow."
"Yeah," she agreed, utterly breathless at the beautiful art.
"Was this in his hidey hole?"
"Yes. A lot of things were."
"What else?"
She gave him a look, as if to say she was done stepping over certain boundaries, until he gave her that same look in return. "There's no use denying it, Tigress, we've reached a point of no return here. You know it, I know it."
"We'd be in huge trouble if he knew."
"Come on, we'll be in huge trouble anyway with the memoirs."
"True."
"Come on. I know you're as curious as I am."
"Should we tell the others?"
"Maybe if we find something really juicy…"
"Po!"
"I don't mean like that; that would just be weird. And…wrong. I mean, I'd never be able to look him in the eye after that."
Tigress looked over to the hole in the floor, sighed and rolled up the hanging scroll, tying the ribbon again. "Oh what the hell…"
"That's the spirit!" Po smiled cheekily, one that Tigress actually shared. "You warm enough? Don't want you catching cold again."
"Yeah, I'm good…" she paused, then looked over at him. "Thanks. I mean, thanks for taking care of me. I'm sorry if I acted like a brat."
"It's okay. You were sick; you had a good reason. Now, let's see what else is down here…"
Po reached in, felt around, then pulled out a few items. First was Shifu's flute, kept safe in a decorative heirloom box. Then out came various pieces of paper, neatly tied together with red and blue ribbons; "love letters, probably," Tigress explained at Po's quizzical look. Then, Po pulled out…
"A stuffed panda?"
Tigress looked at the creature, a child's toy, the white "fur" yellowed with age, the brilliant black of the panda's distinctive markings faded to a shade of medium grey, its little button eyes, once shiny, now dulled, as if the plaything's soul had departed the corporeal form. For some reason, neither the real panda nor the tiger would deny that there was an air of sorrow with this little stuffed bear.
Tigress rubbed her thumb over one of the button eyes, trying to polish the sheen back, but the toy's eyes were still dim, as if nothing could revive it.
"I wonder whose that was," Po said.
"I don't know," Tigress said truthfully. "But I get the feeling he held onto it for a reason."
"Just like the rest of it…" he trailed off, looking at the treasures in front of them. "I've got a bad feeling."
"Me too. I'm not sure what their future holds, but…" she didn't know how to answer that. Tigress looked up at Po and sighed. "I can't explain it. A part of me is glad to be having this look inside Master's mind, but a part of me…it seems wrong. But I just want to know…"
"To know what?"
"Its stupid," she said, looking away and blushing.
"No its not—it obviously means a lot to you… C'mon, what is it?"
When she looked back into his imploring, gentle green eyes, she couldn't deny it any longer. "I wonder if he could have ever loved me as much as he loved Yeying or Tai Lung." There had been…something of a relief to admit that to someone. It seemed an even bigger relief to admit it to Po. But what horrified her was the sudden sob that caught in her throat when she said...the L-word.
Po was speechless. Was that word so hard for her to say? He couldn't imagine Shifu being cruel to her; maybe not openly affectionate, but the red panda had to have cared for Tigress. Otherwise, how would she have become as successful and wonderful and beautiful…
Whoa, where did all that come from?
"Hey," he said, boldly wrapping an arm around her. "You know what? I know he did. I bet you that he loved you, and still does…" but he trailed off, silenced by shock.
She was crying. Openly crying in front of him. The image he had of Master Tigress did not include open displays of affection or even so much as a quivering lip. She was not one to have a break down…and yet here she was, shaking in his arms, so ashamed of her tears that she wouldn't meet his eyes.
"He doesn't…he can't…he never said…" she whispered, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check, but was losing the battle.
Po just hugged her, Shifu's treasures now forgotten, as he had something more important on his mind. "Shh…its okay. You know the funny thing about love?"
She sniffed, "What's that?"
He rubbed her arm in a comforting way, letting her cry into his shoulder, "When it comes to love, if you really love someone, you never even need to say it."
This chapter kicked my ass. Thank you busy holiday season (note sarcasm).
Yeying finally got her chance to shine; before anyone asks, no, I do not know kung fu, or any martial art. I watched pudao demonstrations on youtube and worked from there. There, there's my research. It is really frickin late here and I'm sleep-deprived to bring you this week's update. If I miss anything or screw up, please let me know and I'll fix it.
Thank you, and good night.