comfortably
ensconced in their guest rooms. There were going to be fireworks as
well.
Old Liu, old faithful retainer, left early
in the morning to purchase a roast pig, done by a famous chef who
specialized in all manner of roast meat. His talent was in the
production of finely glazed, roasted-to-perfection, whole pig with
tender flesh. His talent had brought fame and many of the
aristocratic families made their orders early.
Lee Hsu’s day started early too, with his
nanny fussing about him and making him wear a new set of clothes
purposely bought for the occasion. It was made of fine brocade and
silk, to show off his family’s wealth. She even brought in new
shoes too. He squirmed uncomfortably, sensitive to the crinkly
texture of the jifu and pants. When his nanny was finally satisfied
at his overall appearance, he made a quick relieved dash to his
study room where he found much solace in his ship.
All he needed now was more gunpowder. He
carefully lifted out the little box in which he had studiously and
meticulously collected all the gunpowder he needed. Most of the
sharp-smelling black stuff came from firecracker tubes secretly
brought in during the many New Year celebrations. He could get more
firecracker tubes but the strings of the fiery-red cylinders were
all kept in a protected area, destined to be used at the end of
Yuan Xiao. Getting them would prove to be a challenge. Old Liu
won’t allow it. The old man would end up chasing him around with a
stick, no matter how much he loved his master’s inquisitive son.
The Yuan Xiao celebrations were the highlight of the year, next to
the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lee Hsu frowned. Perhaps he had to make do
with the current batch of gunpowder. It was enough for a brief
flight. Ah, his ship. Fashioned after a Chinese junk, about twice
the length of his arm (which was quite small, because he was still
a growing boy), lovingly and painstakingly lacquered vermilion red.
He added in the tiny sails as well, for the sake of authenticity.
But the pride of the project would be in the eventual lift-off and
flight.
He could hear sporadic laughter as the
guests had awakened and were dining on freshly made soup dumplings
and fragrant Pu Er tea. His family was generous when it came to
food. When the hairy crabs were in season, the family and invited
guests would be treated to platters of steamed crustaceans rich in
milt and rose, topped off with a sweet ginger tea brew to mitigate
the effects of excess ‘heat’.
He tinkered a little more on his ship and
realized, in his heart, that he was a privileged boy, born into a
wealthy family. An aristocratic family , a voice reminded him
firmly. His family had provided generations of court officials. His
father was currently a senior magistrate and had hoped that his
only son would follow his footsteps.
But Lee Hsu had resisted that path from day
one. He wanted more. He had heard so much about the lands
beyond the Middle Kingdom. He had heard about the Enlightenment and
how it was so powerful. Barbarians or not, he wanted to visit those
lands of the Enlightenment and see for himself how great they were.
There were many scientists and engineers, people who worked with
their minds and their hands to come up with new designs. The Middle
Kingdom had many great and influential thinkers. But surely, the
barbarians had their own gifted men and women too. Even at the
tender age of nine, he wanted to interact, to exchange ideas. It
was a special dream of his but kept secretly inside his heart.
Lee Hsu went back to his ship, feeling its
shape under his hands. It was ready to fly.
~*~
Yuan Xiao arrived with the explosion of
firecrackers peppering the courtyard and turning the ground red
with pieces of red paper. The smell of burning gunpowder filled the
air, at once sharp and acrid. The thick smoke hung around for a
while, before being dispersed by a light breeze. It was also
chilly; even the servants were
ensconced in their guest rooms. There were going to be fireworks as
well.
Old Liu, old faithful retainer, left early
in the morning to purchase a roast pig, done by a famous chef who
specialized in all manner of roast meat. His talent was in the
production of finely glazed, roasted-to-perfection, whole pig with
tender flesh. His talent had brought fame and many of the
aristocratic families made their orders early.
Lee Hsu’s day started early too, with his
nanny fussing about him and making him wear a new set of clothes
purposely bought for the occasion. It was made of fine brocade and
silk, to show off his family’s wealth. She even brought in new
shoes too. He squirmed uncomfortably, sensitive to the crinkly
texture of the jifu and pants. When his nanny was finally satisfied
at his overall appearance, he made a quick relieved dash to his
study room where he found much solace in his ship.
All he needed now was more gunpowder. He
carefully lifted out the little box in which he had studiously and
meticulously collected all the gunpowder he needed. Most of the
sharp-smelling black stuff came from firecracker tubes secretly
brought in during the many New Year celebrations. He could get more
firecracker tubes but the strings of the fiery-red cylinders were
all kept in a protected area, destined to be used at the end of
Yuan Xiao. Getting them would prove to be a challenge. Old Liu
won’t allow it. The old man would end up chasing him around with a
stick, no matter how much he loved his master’s inquisitive son.
The Yuan Xiao celebrations were the highlight of the year, next to
the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lee Hsu frowned. Perhaps he had to make do
with the current batch of gunpowder. It was enough for a brief
flight. Ah, his ship. Fashioned after a Chinese junk, about twice
the length of his arm (which was quite small, because he was still
a growing boy), lovingly and painstakingly lacquered vermilion red.
He added in the tiny sails as well, for the sake of authenticity.
But the pride of the project would be in the eventual lift-off and
flight.
He could hear sporadic laughter as the
guests had awakened and were dining on freshly made soup dumplings
and fragrant Pu Er tea. His family was generous when it came to
food. When the hairy crabs were in season, the family and invited
guests would be treated to platters of steamed crustaceans rich in
milt and rose, topped off with a sweet ginger tea brew to mitigate
the effects of excess ‘heat’.
He tinkered a little more on his ship and
realized, in his heart, that he was a privileged boy, born into a
wealthy family. An aristocratic family , a voice reminded him
firmly. His family had provided generations of court officials. His
father was currently a senior magistrate and had hoped that his
only son would follow his footsteps.
But Lee Hsu had resisted that path from day
one. He wanted more. He had heard so much about the lands
beyond the Middle Kingdom. He had heard about the Enlightenment and
how it was so powerful. Barbarians or not, he wanted to visit those
lands of the Enlightenment and see for himself how great they were.
There were many scientists and engineers, people who worked with
their minds and their hands to come up with new designs. The Middle
Kingdom had many great and influential thinkers. But surely, the
barbarians had their own gifted men and women too. Even at the
tender age of nine, he wanted to interact, to exchange ideas. It
was a special dream of his but kept secretly inside his heart.
Lee Hsu went back to his ship, feeling its
shape under his hands. It was ready to fly.
~*~
Yuan Xiao arrived with the explosion of
firecrackers peppering the courtyard and turning the ground red
with pieces of red paper. The smell of burning gunpowder filled the
air, at once sharp and acrid. The thick smoke hung around for a
while, before being dispersed by a light breeze. It was also
chilly; even the servants were
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