University of Nanking - Linguist Yearbook (Nanking, China)

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AS 'PHE GUEST OF .KN OlilflCl'Xl. 107 duced as Honorable Third Mother, for my host, speaking for the lirst time in English, said quite simply and with a frank smile, My father's third wife. Three NVives! I immediately became alert, watching for any sign of jealousy or ill-feeling. But neither then 'nor during the hours that I was there, did 1 see the least sign of it. Even when a fourth' wife came in, tho no one recognized her by for- mally introducing her, she was received into the conversation with very little if any distinction or difference. The Honorable Mother herself did not enter much into the conversation. Even during the feast which followed she, secure in her honored position, sat back -calmly and quietly while the third Mother directed the servants and -carried all responsibility. All in all. they seemed most like a group of sixteen year old girls having a party while Mother was away. Shortly after the Second Mother's entrance. my host a mere lad himself, had brought in his wife. just a littlengirl she was,with aching bound feet in spite of the beautiful jade ornaments in her banglcss hair, in spite of the cunning fat ball of a baby in the arms of the servant who 'followed her, in spite of the evident pride and affection of her young husband. She had immediately busied herself carrying 'to each Mother the lacquered box of lunglish cigarettes, often putting them to her own lips to light them and then passing them on to the Iilother, They thought it very strange that I would not smoke-but then they knew that foreigners were very queer and one just had to make the best of their strange ways. js- 1 V r Five months in China had scarcely made my knowledge of the ilanguage complete, but 'tis strange how much can be done with a very few words and many smiles. As we drank fragrant in-ehid-tea, etc. watcrmellon seeds and other dainties, they told me many things of the history of their own families and of their husband's family. llearned lthat 1 was only the second foreign woman with whom they had ever -come in contact. According to the ancient customs 'for the conduct of the women of a wealthy, honored ollieial family like theirs, no man -outside of the family is ever allowed to come into the women's por- '-tion of the house 5 the women seldom leavethe house and then only to go

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l06 I -A THE IJNGUIS F AS THE GUEST OF AN OFFICIAL. Nine soldiers with fixed bayonets are really rather impressive. Asked for my card, I was tempted to think that ldid not want to go in after all. A few minutes later, I was escorted toward the guest hall. We passed thru court after court, for in a Chinese home, the most honored guests are received in the rooms farthest from the street. Past the servants' quarters, brilliant with the gay colors of the freshly washed quaint trousers and coats of the women of the house, beyond the kitchens until we were niet by my host. His beautiful long blue silk garments lined with whitest lambs' wool, his dignity and bearing, marked him a Chinese gentlemang the respect of my soldier- escort gave recognition of his position as the honored elder son of .an high ohicial of the Republicg and his courtesy and charm, bespoke in him much that is best and hopeful in New China. Continuing on our way, he pointed out the entrance to the chamber where his father even then sat in council with his cabinet, deciding the policies of the nation. I thought of the significance to China and the world of some of the things being decided even as we, unnoticed, passed-japan. Russia, debts, loans, the 21 Demands, England, concessions. railroads, all were there. Thru still more elaborately carved moon doorways into several more courts, and we had reached the guest hall, where I was im- mediately presented to the Honorable Mother who awaited us there. Comfortably plump she was, the sign to the Chinese of great hap- -piness and my western mind found in the calm kindliness of her face sanction of the sign. As I greeted her my eyes took in at a glance the rare teakwood furnitureg the great, high window with the wide seat beneath it. The floors were bare. but inia-corner was a tantali- zing pile of rugs with only a glimpse of satisfying blues and golds peeking out. I saw that one wall was almost covered to the ceiling, scverai layers deep, with small boxes-rich lacquers and varnishes and smooth surfaces-each with its striking black-lettered red tag pasted -on the out-side. Later I was toldthat these boxes containedithe- gifts that had been brought to the grandfather on his sixty-fifth birthday, just passed-and I saw many of the gifts, rare old lacquers, ancient brass of untold value, handsome new brass, wood carvings, until I wished that I dared play thief. But before I had had time to be curious about the boxes, a second very attractive woman came in and I found myself being introduced to my host's Second Mother. Second Mothern seemed a bit strange to me but I thought it perhaps but his extremely polite or affectionate way of speaking of his mother-in-law. I was still turn'- ing the matter over in my mind when a gay little bird of a body came dancing in, her smooth black hair not less full of shining lights than her gloriously blue and black, silk garments, her feet, scarlet slippered, twinkling in and out as gaily as if they were not less long than 1ny hand is wide. I think I must have gasped a bit when she was intro-

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IOS 'l'Hl:l l.lNGl.'lS'll in heavily curtained carriages or cars to the equally secluded women's quarters of one of the friends of their husband. They marvelled at the yellow of-my hair, like children, they wondered at and gloried in the fact that their skin, was even whiter and pinker than mine, a member of the white raceg they were astounded to find that I wore no heavy padded garments like theirsg and, because she was greatly con- cerned lest I be freezing to death, as she sat beside me the gay little- Third Mother dared lift the hem of my skirt to see how many pet- ticoats I had on. It was all just as it should have been, according to the stories that I had read. I loved it. After we had taken tea, we walked thru the garden-more accu- rately called the Rockery! The path led into quaint tea houses, past lovely ponds fiecked with gold fishes. over rocks into cool corners to handsome marble benches under great trees such as I had seen only inf temple courts, down into a dimly lighted cave-the shrine of an idol worshipped by at least two former presidents of the Chinese Republic' but now deeply covered with the dust of neglect and disbelief-until' we came back to the guest hall to find it prepared for the feast, the.- event. . There was the usual parleying over who would have to submit to being so extremely impolite as to be the first to seat himself at the table, but that having finally been accomplished, the feast began. Ac- cording to Chinese custom, the desserts are served first. and so, in the centre of the table was placed a dish of The Eight Precious Fruits and dish after dish of sweets and delicacies were placed about it. lt is. Chinese custom, too, that each should reach into these dishes with his own chop sticks, unless the guest has the honor of having the hostess, first serve her with her own chopsticks. So one Mother and then another served me--each vying with others to see who would be first to serve me from each dish., I do not know how many dishes we were served. As quickly as each had had sufficient from one dish, it was taken away and another, steaming hot, was set in its place in the circle. From time to time, the chopsticks, the two small dishes of fragile blue and whitest China, and the long brass spoon were exchanged for clean ones by one of the two women servants and the one man servant who attended each guest. A ,A For four hours we sat at the table. and the family was as much in- terested in each new dish as was I, for they, you see, had not provided the feast. VVhen some outsider wants to gain favor or to pay for a past favor, he expresses to the ofiicial his desire to provide a feast for him and for his honorable family. And so, the official, de- siring to give this feast, had merely notified the man at the head of his long list-and the feast had been provided. At the end, the family determined the name of the feast according to the combination of meats and vegetables and fishes served CEverything from delicious chicken to jelly fish and sea slugs !'y 1 stated the known cost of such a feast, and expressed their opinions of the donor. I am glad that I am not an ofhcialseeking favor or position.