grandmother. But his tone was icy.
‘You will not shame me,’ he said severely. ‘You will do as you are told. You will prepare yourself for marriage. You are fortunate even to know it or who will be your husband. Resolve yourself. You will marry Ah Soon. Now go and join your grandmother.’
Lian felt that her heart would break. She wanted to shout at him, scream and scream and scream. She hated him, hated them all.
But she knew it was useless and her grandmother would take her in and lock her up and everything would be worse. She turned away from him and walked down the hill.
12
Cheng watched from the upper windows as Zhen arrived.
This house, with its carved wooden shutters, its porcelain tiles, its graceful fountain courtyard, its opulent elegance was a far cry from the attap-roofed compound he had grown up in. Even now, his compound in Tanjong Pinang, whilst spacious and well-made, was nothing compared to this mansion.
His great grandfather, a poor peasant, had come from China to Senggarang and farmed there, marrying a local woman and raising twelve children. All of them, boys and girls, had married into the local Chinese Baba community of merchants for there was a great shortage of their own kind. His grandfather had married fortuitously the daughter of the Chinese interpreter to the Sultan at Tanjong Pinang, who had risen to a position of some importance and that marriage had brought forth seven daughters and six sons. The family fortunes had risen very quickly as his grandfather had found great influence with the Sultan when one of his daughters had married the Sultan’s fourth son. Cheng’s father had married the daughter of a wealthy Baba plantation owner and inherited his business and status.
Cheng had married as first wife, the daughter of the Sultan’s second wife, a nonya who had great influence over the Sultan. He had benefited, receiving land, honours and riches, including being made Kapitan Cina of Riau. He had met Wei on a visit to Singapore in the company of the Sultan many years ago when Wei was not as rich as he would become and, because Cheng’s great grandfather had come from Chenghai, the same small region of Chaozhou as Wei, he had become sentimental and then impressed with Cheng’s business acumen and the extent and spread of his influence in the East Indies. So he had married his first daughter, Teck Neo, to him. Teck Neo spoke Teochew, for Wei’s first wife had been brought from China and Cheng had renewed his ties with the family tongue. When Wei’s son had died of fever, Cheng had become the principal male in the family after Wei himself. Thus were fortunes made over time through judicious marriages and kinship ties.
Cheng’s first wife, his two sons, with their wives and children would continue to live in Riau and attend to his business interests there. With Teck Neo he had had five daughters, all married judiciously throughout the Indies to the most influential Baba families. Teck Neo had died a year ago in an epidemic of smallpox along with his beautiful Javanese concubine, a court dancer, whom he had loved most dearly. Now he was here in Singapore with the daughter she had given him, his favourite child, the child of his love, Jia Wen.
He walked to her room. She was seated at the mirror. She rose and bowed to her father as he entered. He looked at her a moment. She was dressed in the clothes of a Javanese court princess, a gold and brown sarong and a tight black-and-gold tunic. Her ears had rings of gold and her head carried a golden diadem. Her black hair was gathered at her neck with diamond pins. Her eyes were her great beauty, large and lustrous, curved at the edge, dark with kohl. She looked like her mother and Cheng’s heart felt sorrow for this lost love.
‘Daughter, when I send for you, you must make a good impression. He may bring great good fortune to our house.’
‘Father, I will obey you.’
Jia Wen bowed her head to him. They spoke in Chinese, which she
‘You will not shame me,’ he said severely. ‘You will do as you are told. You will prepare yourself for marriage. You are fortunate even to know it or who will be your husband. Resolve yourself. You will marry Ah Soon. Now go and join your grandmother.’
Lian felt that her heart would break. She wanted to shout at him, scream and scream and scream. She hated him, hated them all.
But she knew it was useless and her grandmother would take her in and lock her up and everything would be worse. She turned away from him and walked down the hill.
12
Cheng watched from the upper windows as Zhen arrived.
This house, with its carved wooden shutters, its porcelain tiles, its graceful fountain courtyard, its opulent elegance was a far cry from the attap-roofed compound he had grown up in. Even now, his compound in Tanjong Pinang, whilst spacious and well-made, was nothing compared to this mansion.
His great grandfather, a poor peasant, had come from China to Senggarang and farmed there, marrying a local woman and raising twelve children. All of them, boys and girls, had married into the local Chinese Baba community of merchants for there was a great shortage of their own kind. His grandfather had married fortuitously the daughter of the Chinese interpreter to the Sultan at Tanjong Pinang, who had risen to a position of some importance and that marriage had brought forth seven daughters and six sons. The family fortunes had risen very quickly as his grandfather had found great influence with the Sultan when one of his daughters had married the Sultan’s fourth son. Cheng’s father had married the daughter of a wealthy Baba plantation owner and inherited his business and status.
Cheng had married as first wife, the daughter of the Sultan’s second wife, a nonya who had great influence over the Sultan. He had benefited, receiving land, honours and riches, including being made Kapitan Cina of Riau. He had met Wei on a visit to Singapore in the company of the Sultan many years ago when Wei was not as rich as he would become and, because Cheng’s great grandfather had come from Chenghai, the same small region of Chaozhou as Wei, he had become sentimental and then impressed with Cheng’s business acumen and the extent and spread of his influence in the East Indies. So he had married his first daughter, Teck Neo, to him. Teck Neo spoke Teochew, for Wei’s first wife had been brought from China and Cheng had renewed his ties with the family tongue. When Wei’s son had died of fever, Cheng had become the principal male in the family after Wei himself. Thus were fortunes made over time through judicious marriages and kinship ties.
Cheng’s first wife, his two sons, with their wives and children would continue to live in Riau and attend to his business interests there. With Teck Neo he had had five daughters, all married judiciously throughout the Indies to the most influential Baba families. Teck Neo had died a year ago in an epidemic of smallpox along with his beautiful Javanese concubine, a court dancer, whom he had loved most dearly. Now he was here in Singapore with the daughter she had given him, his favourite child, the child of his love, Jia Wen.
He walked to her room. She was seated at the mirror. She rose and bowed to her father as he entered. He looked at her a moment. She was dressed in the clothes of a Javanese court princess, a gold and brown sarong and a tight black-and-gold tunic. Her ears had rings of gold and her head carried a golden diadem. Her black hair was gathered at her neck with diamond pins. Her eyes were her great beauty, large and lustrous, curved at the edge, dark with kohl. She looked like her mother and Cheng’s heart felt sorrow for this lost love.
‘Daughter, when I send for you, you must make a good impression. He may bring great good fortune to our house.’
‘Father, I will obey you.’
Jia Wen bowed her head to him. They spoke in Chinese, which she
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