Proofreader: happyBuddha, Marcia
Although
the Republic had implemented the Gregorian calendar since establishment and set
the first of January as New Year’s Day, the year did not end for the people
until the traditional date came and went. Only then did a new Wong Lik
replace the old.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
For more information:
Chinese New Year (and on the days leading up to and after)
Reunion dinner and related customs
The Wong Lik/Tung Shing wiki & Huangli (Huangli/Wonglik is common name for Tung Shing)
North China Buffer State Strategy (Tientsin Chamber of Commerce was a puppet organization used by the Japanese in these events)
North China Development, the mother company of Hsingchung Company (chapters 1 and 2, note the mentioning of textile companies)
Oriental Development Company
Zaibatsu
Mahjong
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ayszhang: The research for this chapter's notes and reading material reminded me of the war crimes of Japan against China and Korea, and in turn made me a bit depressed.
On another note, we need proofreaders! If you've received formal education in English or are adept at prescriptive grammar and would like to help out, please don't hesitate to send Dairytea an email at chinesebl(at)yahoo.com. Thank you!
Previous chapter
Shen Liangsheng was going to spend New
Year’s Eve at his father’s for a year-end reunion dinner. Ch’in Ching had his own
plans, too – since his parents passed away, he had spent the last day of the
year at the Lius’ and this year was not going to be any different – so the two
met once on the twenty-seventh before going off to their own
business.
Shen Liangsheng returned to his father’s
mansion in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. A servant took his coat and hat
when he entered and informed him, “The master is in the shrine. He
asks that you see him there.”
Shen Liangsheng nodded and headed for the
shrine. He knocked and entered after he heard Shen K’echen’s permission.
Immediately, he was bombarded with the thick and slightly stinging smell of
incense.
Perhaps Shen K’echen realized his earlier
sins and grew to treasure his life in his later years. He knew of the
capabilities of his younger son and saw in him an heir to his own legacy. Thus
he gradually let go of the reins. He took on the attitude of a devout Buddhist so
that he could avoid any bad karma and live a few more years.
It goes without saying that Shen
Liangsheng did not believe in this sort of thing, but in order to please his
father, he greeted him with much respect and only sat down for a chat after
making an offering of incense to the Buddha.
Shen
K’echen was in his late-sixties but did not put on much weight like most others
his age, and he was in good spirits because of good care for his body. Initially,
he hadn’t thought highly of Shen Liangsheng – mostly due to bloodline ideals,
for keeping a lover and raising a son were two different matters – and had let his
wife banished the boy to a faraway place in the name of giving him a good education. Now,
however, this boy was the only hope for the Shen legacy to carry on, so he had
to abandon his “purist” beliefs and act as the loving father regardless of whether it
was too little too late.
Luckily, the Caucasian blood in Shen
Liangsheng was not very apparent. He mostly took after his mother’s
complexion, but there were definitely ghosts of Shen K’echen in him. This made
the older man content, and together with the intention to make up for his
wrongdoings, it was clear that the kindness that he had displayed for the past
few years was indeed sincere.
The father and son first talked about current politics and business, from their own textile factory to the recent
actions by the Japanese in the Tientsin Chamber of Commerce. They listed all
the companies that had established relations with the so-called “Hsingchung”
Company and with the Japanese zaibatsu, headed by the Oriental Development Company.
Then, they analyzed the state of affairs for the upcoming year, and only then
did Shen K’echen start hesitantly, “Well, from what I see….”
But he never finished the sentence. What
Shen K’echen was thinking was that working with the Japanese was going to be
inevitable if they wanted to keep the money flowing in. He wanted to drop a few
hints for his son but was wary of his choice of words. His courage had been decreasing as he aged and since
he converted to Buddhism – the bodhisattva was looking from the altar, after
all, and he didn’t want his traitorous intent to come around and bite him from
behind.
“Rest assured.” Shen Liangsheng knew all
too well what the older man was thinking and took the initiative. “I’ll see and
act accordingly.”
Shen K’echen was delighted that his son
was so observant and nodded with approval. “I never worry when it comes to
you.” Then, the focus shifted to Shen Liangsheng’s private matters. “That
reminds me, I heard that you’ve been spending time with Wang’s little girl.”
“Miss Wang is an intriguing character.”
Although the two were as far from romance as can be, Shen Liangsheng did not
make it clear and only replied superficially.
“I’ve seen that girl before. Nice-looking
girl, she is.” Shen K’echen drank his tea with a smile. “Lively one, too. Makes
up for what you lack.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re turning twenty-seven this year.
It’s about time to settle down….” Shen K’echen put the cup down and looked up
at his son. “But then again, I was the same when I was your age. I’m just
saying that games are only games. Best not let them get in the way of matters
at hand.”
Shen
Liangsheng’s own servants were not related to his father’s in any way, but a
few deliveries back and forth between the two residences and some gossip-loving soul
was bound to let something slip through their lips. His father more or less picked
up something about a new “friend” and thought it was someone from the opera
houses. He didn’t pay much attention to it, not even bothering to ask for the
name of this “friend.” He had once been the playboy too, and had played with
actors and such. He merely wanted to warn his son; he didn’t care about his
games, but they shouldn’t get in the way of his life.
And Shen Liangsheng understood this, but
he also could tell that his father did not think much of this. Otherwise, the
older man would not have gone over the subject so carelessly. So he just nodded
and put on a facade of nonchalance.
“Anyways, I trust you completely,” his
father emphasized once more before sighing, “Unlike that brother of yours….”
Then, he faded into silence, thinking it
was karma. This piece of shit elder son was sent by karma to get him back.
Shen Liangsheng had comforted his old man
half-heartedly when there was a light knock on the door. A servant announced
the arrival of Shen K’echen’s elder son and daughter-in-law.
“Master, the young
master and mistress have arrived.”
Shen Liangsheng’s brother was nearly ten
years older than him. He and his former wife were supposed to have a baby girl,
but the little one had died when she was still in her diapers. This led to the
missus developing depression and then eventually passing away.
With his elder son never ceasing to cause
him trouble, Shen K’echen had to spend more time and effort on him. He picked
out another appropriate marriage for him, but sadly, after eight years, the new
couple still had no children. It was more than likely that the relationship was
nothing more than a title to save face for both families.
Despite his son’s many failures, Shen
K’echen did not want to ruin the merry mood for the holidays. While they were
waiting for dinner, the family of four sat down and played a game of mah-jong,
quite peacefully if one must say. The woman’s maiden name was Li Wan-hsien,
but it fit neither her appearance nor personality. If one were to say, she
would definitely be labeled a clever and stingy woman. A divorce was unlikely,
but the two were leading separate lives and even kept different chequebooks.
As they sat at the mah-jong table, Shen
Liangsheng eyed her lavish fashion and was almost blinded by the lamplight dancing
off of the diamond ring on her finger. On the other hand, his brother did not even seem to make an effort to dress properly for New Year. His suit was a bit
old, and the collar had not even been ironed flat. It was obvious that he was
not only a ne’er-do-well, but he received no respect at home, either.
Shen Liangsheng sat across from his
brother in the game and shot a dismissive glance at him. The elder brother had
noticed and looked right back at the younger man.
Their eyes engaged, and it was the elder
who backed down by cracking a smile. He knew his brother looked down on him but
dared not oppose him. Interestingly, he still remembered the young Shen Liangsheng
who had a doll-like face and rarely spoke or laughed. The boy would sit there
in his lap and not cry no matter how much he pinched his cheeks for amusement.
Sadly, those days were long gone. Now, he
could not beat him. The only thing he could do was to lick his boots, but he
didn’t even know how to start doing that. His brother truly had struck fear into his heart.
After
the family dinner, Shen Liangsheng’s brother timidly requested a talk in the
study with his old man, most likely about money. This left Shen Liangsheng in the
living room with his sister-in-law with no conversation between them.
Li Wan-hsien sat decorously on the couch
shelling peanuts with her rouge-painted fingers. She peeled the layers off with
care, completely ignoring Shen Liangsheng. She loathed this fake marriage that
felt like a prison sentence and despised each and every member of the Shen family.
Shen Liangsheng did not try to initiate
small talk with her either and flipped through the newspaper. Then, he frowned
and looked towards the study.
Li Wan-hsien heard the noise, too, that
sounded like an argument. Her lips curved up in a smirk, and she looked as if
she were getting ready to watch a show.
“Out! Get out of my sight! All o’ you!”
The door to the study finally banged open and played a boisterous concert with
Shen K’echen’s bellows.
Li Wan-hsien had no interest in viewing
the rest. She stood up brushing off the flakes of peanut shell as she asked the
servants to retrieve her coat, following her father-in-law’s orders to the letter.
That left the innocent Shen Liangsheng,
but he couldn’t be bothered to cheer his father up. The man had a terrible
temper that, once triggered, no one could mollify, and he was not about to attempt that. He just sat in his seat until his brother scuttled out to the
living room. Then he got up and offered casually, “Sister already left with the
chauffeur. How about I give you a ride?”
The man sighed after a moment of thought and nodded weakly.
It was truly strange that he had the guts
to argue with Shen K’echen but not with Shen Liangsheng. It was clear that he
would not have had resorted to this if Shen Liangsheng had remained abroad, but he
hadn’t the nerve to protest. Then, eventually, he lost the nerve to be angry, too.
Shen
Liangsheng had driven his own car tonight. The two brothers got in and drove for a
while in silence. Shen Liangsheng reached for a cigarette, and just as he
stuck it between his lips, his brother held out the lighter for him.
In the lighter’s luminance, he caught a
glimpse at his older brother. Shen K’echen and Mrs. Shen were good-looking
people, and their son took after them despite his failure at life. Although he
was in his thirties and still had not accomplished much, he was a
handsome fellow. One really could say fair without, foul within.
Shen Liangsheng knew why his brother was
sucking up to him now and found his efforts to appear small and pitiful rather
comedic. He spoke after a short silence. “Drop by my office after the holidays.
I’ll write you a cheque.”
“I knew I could count on you, Ah-Liang.” Perhaps the shameless gene
ran in the family; the older man cracked a beaming grin and continued
good-naturedly, “Ah-Liang, did you
lose weight?”
Shen Liangsheng frowned with the
cigarette between his lips. He hated being called by his nickname, so he did not
reply.
It was past ten o’clock by the time he
returned home. Most of the servants had gone home for the holiday leaving the
manor deserted and deprived of the season’s spirit.
Shen Liangsheng did not have the tradition
of welcoming the traditional New Year. He bathed and went to bed but could not
find sleep yet. He recalled the conversation with his father and considered
sorting out the staff in his manor after the holiday.
Shen
Liangsheng held the executive power to the Shen family business, but the
properties and stocks were still under his father’s name. Shen Liangsheng’s original
plan was to take it as it came, but now under these promising circumstances he wouldn’t rest easy until he had amassed it all for himself.
Shen Liangsheng would not act outrightly against his father for the sake of his will, so marriage was a certainty. It might
even be as soon as this year. The day of engagement would also be the day he
and Ch’in Ching went their separate ways.
Considering this, he didn’t feel much sadness
– one must lose in order to gain. When one side of the scale weighed heavier
than the other, he must let go of the latter. He knew this rule better than
anyone and could always let go without hesitation.
He also knew he couldn’t sell the cow and
drink the milk, but he did feel that time was fleeting. He had lived in the same
city as him for four years, but alas, their meeting proved too late.
With that in mind, he shot up and sat in
the dark for a bit before getting dressed once more and driving to Nanshih.
Ch’in
Ching ate dinner at the Lius’ and then welcomed the New Year and ate dumplings
in celebration. Then, after the fireworks, he teetered back to his house
half-drunk. He fired up the furnace and left a small window open for
circulation before getting ready for bed.
He was making the bed when he heard a
knock on the gate outside. He paused, thinking he had misheard, but the
repeated knocks confirmed his suspicion. For some reason, he guessed that it
was Shen Liangsheng, and he ran to open the gates with a pounding heart.
“It’s late already, you should at least
ask before you open.” Displeased at the careless behaviour, Shen Liangsheng
started with a scolding instead of explaining why he had shown up.
“Happy New Year, Master Shen.” Completely
ignoring the reprimand, Ch’in Ching leaned in with a grin and planted a loud
smacker on the man’s cheek.
“I think you’re the Dog here.” Seeing the
schoolmaster running to him like his very own puppy, Shen Liangsheng’s mood
took a turn for the better, and he swept the man off his feet and into his arms.
He did not forget to evaluate as he carried him into the house. “Seems like all
the food we’ve been feeding you has been going to waste. Tell me, when are you
going to get fat enough to sell at the market?”
“Hmm…a few more days, I suppose.” Ch’in
Ching returned the banter after he landed on solid ground indoors. “But I won’t
sell for much anyway, so just keep me for good. Don’t be so stingy.”
“Did you have a lot to drink?” Shen
Liangsheng guessed from the giggles and red cheeks.
“Oh boy, did I ever?” Ch’in Ching was
wordy when he was drunk and began to complain to the other man. “You know my
godmother. My goodness, can that lady drink. She downs erhkuot’ou like
it was juice. Then after dinner, she made me drink with her when we had
dumplings, said something like ‘drinking and dumpling is the best coupling.’ As
if that was….”
Shen Liangsheng found the incoherent
mumbling quite entertaining and interrupted it with a kiss.
“Did you miss me, baby?” His words were
muffled by the kiss.
“Uh-huh.” Another thing the schoolmaster
did when he was drunk was to be extremely naughty. He nearly hung himself on
the other man while murmuring against his lips, “Missed my dear Shen-keke lots and lots.”
That was a blatant lie because he had
been busier than a bee the past few days cleaning his own house and the Lius’
house and purchasing all the festive foods and drinks for the celebration.
There was no time for him to miss Shen Liangsheng, but now that the man was
here, he did feel like he had missed the man – or perhaps it was because he
wished he had spent the holiday with him instead.
“You adorable li’l devil.” The drunken
man’s words succeeded in coaxing Shen Liangsheng’s desires into roaring flames.
The taller man caught him in a frantic kiss, and when Ch’in Ching began
reciprocating just as fervently, their hands worked together to strip each
other naked before they both tumbled onto the bed.
Ch’in
Ching had left only the bedside lamp on since he was getting ready for bed. The
warm yellow light lit up a small circle in the room.
Shen Liangsheng was on top and pulled the
quilt loose to cover their naked bodies. Their skin rubbed against each
other beneath the dark, warm shelter while their faces fell under the shine of
the small patch of light as they shared feathery kisses.
Ch’in Ching let out a moan as he realized
this was the first time they were doing it at his house, and his face became
even redder. Perhaps it was because everything in this house, the table and the
chairs, the bed and the sheets, were all familiar. Fooling around in the
place in which he had grown up made him feel very self-conscious.
“You feel good?” Shen Liangsheng was
playing with his nipples underneath the covers. Seeing the needy man writhing
beneath him, he was already fully aroused but felt compelled to interrupt, “How am I
supposed to get inside when you’ve nothing at home?”
Ch’in Ching did not respond but Shen
Liangsheng did not let it go. He asked in his ear, “Didn’t you say you touch
yourself while thinking of me? How do you do it? Hmm?”
And when the man did not reply, he urged.
“Touch yourself for me.”
Shen
Liangsheng drew back and pulled the man’s legs apart.
“Spread your legs.
“More.
“Now, hold it open yourself.”
Ch’in Ching did as commanded, exposing
everything for the other man to see. He began stroking his own erection with
his right hand while his left clutched the sheets tightly. Being scrutinized by
those eyes, in a place he called home, he was hit by the sensations stronger than
ever. His entire shaft was aching like crazy.
Shen Liangsheng observed for a minute or
two before hinting, “What about here?”
“When you do this again,” He grabbed
Ch’in Ching’s left hand and brought it to his own lips. He licked the fingers
thoroughly before guiding the man’s hips up and sliding the moist digits into
the entrance. “Don’t forget about this.”
Ch’in Ching’s breath had hitched when the
taller man was sucking on his fingers, and he had even stopped masturbating. The
image was far too provocative for him, and he almost wanted to come right then
and there.
“Ahh…mhm….”
It was past twelve o’clock, and the only
sound in this silent night was the sporadic moans coming from this room. Under
the man’s continuous gaze, he stroked his member and pumped his fingers inside
his hole at the same time. Eventually, he reached his limit. “I can’t…I
wanna….”
“Come for me. I’m watching.”
Shen Liangsheng was rock hard himself,
but he refrained from touching it. He only stared at the schoolmaster’s swollen
member and watched it jump by itself as cum shot out of the slit. He waited for
the end of the orgasm before dipping down and licking off the milk that was
left on the head.
“Ah!” Ch’in Ching cried out from the
stimulation on his still sensitive member.
Shen Liangsheng gathered all of his cum
and used it to join the man’s own fingers in widening the entrance. After
feeling that it had loosened up, he pulled out and patted his butt lightly.
“Ride me.”
“I
hate you, Shen Liangsheng.” Ch’in Ching understood – the man wanted nothing but
to see him fuck himself on his dick – but he mumbled his protest and still
climbed over the man. He knelt above the man and guided his manhood to his own
entrance before sitting down, impaling himself on the hard length.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad….”
Shen Liangsheng was actually looking out
for him. The lubricant was inadequate, and this position was easier and less
likely to be painful for the receiving partner.
“Start moving then if it doesn’t.” Shen
Liangsheng caressed the man’s waistline with one hand and toyed with his nipple
with the other.
With his arms around the taller man’s
neck, the red-faced Ch’in Ching rolled his hips warily. He sped up after the
discomfort disappeared and secretly tried to locate that one spot inside him
with the burning shaft like the man had done the countless times before. When
he found it, he felt his strength abandon him and the legs straddling Shen
Liangsheng began to tremble.
“Feeling better now?” Shen Liangsheng
knew that the man was beginning to enjoy himself, evident from the member
between his legs hardening once again. He patted his head lightly. “You little
liar, you love this. Why do you say you hate me?”
By now, there was no need for Ch’in Ching
to be shy, so he leaned into Shen Liangsheng’s ear and whispered, “’Cause
you’re too big.”
The taller man had been holding back, but
this proved to be the last straw. He ended up cursing in English as he thrust
his hips up, practically slamming himself into the man, over and over again.
Seeing the man arch his neck back in ecstasy, he started sucking on the Adam’s
apple bobbing up and down and left rosy love bites on it.
“Oh, do you really now? I thought bigger
the better?”
“Mmm, I don’t…hate…ah….”
“Say you love it.”
“I, ah, lo…love it.”
Their
words of affection and moans of pleasure echoed in the room. They tried every
possible position on the bed, but it was not enough. Shen Liangsheng dragged
Ch’in Ching off and stood him in front of the wardrobe mirror before going to
turn on the light. Then, he pushed back into the man from behind, pumping
furiously.
“T-turn it…turn it off…the
neighbours’ll….”
“They’re all asleep. No one’s looking.”
Shen Liangsheng was absolutely right. It
was two or three in the morning; the only ones still up and about were these
two.
Ch’in Ching already had come twice, and he
only managed to stay standing because the other man was holding him up by the
waist. Under the bright lights, he saw himself in the mirror being fucked until
climax once again. The two strings of cum dripping lazily along his length and
the glaring red spots on his neck were like permanent markings that, along with
the house, were recordings of all the wild passion between the two of them.
Shen
Liangsheng did not wake up until almost eleven o’clock the next morning due
to the late bedtime the previous night. Ch’in Ching was still asleep with his
head resting on his chest. The gentle puffs of air against his skin aroused a tender
sentiment in him.
Shen Liangsheng lay quietly under an
old-fashioned cotton quilt. It was heavy and not as warm as the imported down
quilts, but it felt more down-to-earth.
He stared at the first rays of the brand
new year as they crept in over the window sill. He closed his eyes after a while
and the sun became a round glowing spot in the back of his eyelids that then
broke into a thousand dots, dancing around like tiny flies.
In that moment, he had to admit he felt
guilty – he was bound to leave him one day, and he felt sorry for that.
But what use was his regret? It would just
be ironic.
“Ch’in
Ching, Ch’in-hsiung, you awake?”
Shen Liangsheng thought the voice coming
from outside sounded like Hsiao-Liu
and quickly pushed his feelings away. He nudged Ch’in Ching as he rummaged for
their clothes. “Hey, get up.”
Ch’in Ching had been minutes away from
stirring, and Hsiao-Liu’s loud voice
and Shen Liangsheng’s prod immediately woke him up. He quickly shouted back, “Not
yet. Hold on a minute.”
The problem was that the two of them had
completely forgotten about locking the gates last night when they were fooling
around. Hsiao-Liu was a frequent
visitor too and entered the yard without the owner’s permission. He began
protesting outside the house.
“Jesus, hurry up. It’s so cold my nose is
about to fall off.
“C’mon, I’ve known you for all your life,
seen you in your birthday suit a gazillion times, all right? Wouldn’t wanna see
it even if you paid me.
“Now, could you please explain to me why
you didn’t lock your gate and your
door? Are you not afraid of…of burglars….”
Unable to stand the cold, Hsiao-Liu had twisted the doorknob to
find it unlocked and invited himself in. Meanwhile, Ch’in Ching and Shen
Liangsheng had managed to get more or less dressed but had not gotten around to
tidying the bed yet. The schoolmaster wanted to tell his friend outside not to
come in but could not think of an excuse. In the moment of hesitation, Hsiao-Liu already had come in past the
entrance and seen all that there was to see. He would have to be brainless not
to understand the current situation.
“I’m, uh, I’m gonna head back now. I’ll
come by later.” This was the first time that Hsiao-Liu did not address the businessman politely as Young Master Shen.
After his stilted utterance, he turned right around and saw himself out, leaving
everyone present a way out.
“I think I’ll go, too.” Shen Liangsheng frankly was not bothered by this, but he knew he would only add to the trouble
if he stayed any longer. Before taking his leave, he reached out to touch the
schoolmaster’s head, but the other man turned away unknowingly.
Shen Liangsheng’s hand was stuck in
midair for a moment before he retracted it and added, “I’m going to be busy
with New Year stuff for a few days, but I’ll come by on Sunday afternoon.”
“Yeah.” Ch’in Ching had a lot running
through his mind in the moment and did not realize he had avoided the other
man. He did not comprehend what he had said, either, and answered
half-heartedly.
“I’m here if you need anything.”
“Yeah.”
Shen Liangsheng couldn’t find anything
else to say and heaved a rare sigh. He wanted to give him a hug but was afraid
the man would evade him again. He did not find any pleasure in a forced hug, so
he just left it at that.
There
was one thing, however, and that was that he would not split with Ch’in Ching
because of this, not even if Ch’in Ching wanted to.
Just moments ago, he had felt guilty that
he would one day have to leave the man, but now he was being unreasonable. His
irrational decision was that Ch’in Ching could not leave him because of someone, or something, else before that day came.
He simply would not allow it.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Many families either have a separate room or dedicate a corner to enshrine ancestors or deities.
An illustration of socialite women playing mahjong in Shanghai.
For more information:
Chinese New Year (and on the days leading up to and after)
Reunion dinner and related customs
The Wong Lik/Tung Shing wiki & Huangli (Huangli/Wonglik is common name for Tung Shing)
North China Buffer State Strategy (Tientsin Chamber of Commerce was a puppet organization used by the Japanese in these events)
North China Development, the mother company of Hsingchung Company (chapters 1 and 2, note the mentioning of textile companies)
Oriental Development Company
Zaibatsu
Mahjong
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ayszhang: The research for this chapter's notes and reading material reminded me of the war crimes of Japan against China and Korea, and in turn made me a bit depressed.
On another note, we need proofreaders! If you've received formal education in English or are adept at prescriptive grammar and would like to help out, please don't hesitate to send Dairytea an email at chinesebl(at)yahoo.com. Thank you!
Previous chapter
Till Death Do Us Part - English Translation by ayszhang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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