Gold Mountain Blues - Ling Zhang [90]
Six Fingers did not know whether to laugh or cry. She took the letter back, saying: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, isn’t it? The worry’s not someone who’s illiterate or literate, it’s someone who’s semi-literate.”
Ah-Chu was young. Her husband had gone to Gold Mountain straight after their wedding. She was now five months’ pregnant with her first child so, unlike the village women with children in tow, she was free to please herself and enjoyed coming over to Six Fingers’ house for a bit of fun. Six Fingers sometimes taught her a few characters.
“You mean even a dumb-bunny like Ah-Chu can learn to read?” the others exclaimed. “It’s not difficult,” said Six Fingers. “If you learn one character a day, you’ll know three hundred and sixty-five by the end of the year, and in a couple of years you’ll be able to write your own letters. Then if you’ve got something private to say, no one else needs to know.”
There were nods of agreement. “That’s true,” said someone. “Six Fingers knows all our innermost thoughts. And we have to give her presents of eggs and cakes into the bargain!”
Amid the general chatter and laughter, Kam Ho suddenly woke up and gave an ear-splitting wail. Six Fingers hurriedly pointed towards the back room and the women lowered their voices. But it was too late. They heard the tap-tapping of a walking stick and Mrs. Mak came into the room.
She waved her stick in the air, then pointed it right at Six Fingers’ forehead—the “eyes” in her ears were as acute as ever. “You should have fed that baby ages ago. What have you been doing since you got out of bed?” Six Fingers hurriedly picked up Kam Ho, undid her buttons and pressed a nipple into his mouth. Kam Ho whimpered and then settled down to feed.
Mrs. Mak’s walking stick made another circle in the air. “And you lot, haven’t you got any work to do at home? It’s the fifteenth of the eighth month. You should be helping your parents-in-law get things ready for the Mid-Autumn Festival.” The women exchanged glances, not daring to speak, and then crept away like mice fleeing a cat.
Six Fingers knew that her mother-in-law did not like her mixing with the wives of Gold Mountain men, in case they led her into bad ways and she became uppity at home. Cradling Kam Ho in one arm, she helped Mrs. Mak to a chair. “Mum, it would really help if I can teach them to read and write a bit. It’ll stop them pestering me to write their letters for them, and that’ll save our family a lot of trouble.” “Huh!” the old woman responded. “It’s better if a woman can’t write, then there’s nothing to distract her from attending to her in-laws.”
Six Fingers heard the sting in that remark and saw the black look. She redoubled her attentions to her mother-in-law. “Mum, did you not sleep well last night?” she asked. “Huh!” Mrs. Mak said again. “How do you expect me to sleep well? I miss my Ah-Fat. He was nothing but skin and bone this time back. He has such a hard life. The whole family depends on the dollar letters he sends. He slaves away day and night in Gold Mountain, and never gets a hot dinner. And if his clothes need mending, there’s no one to mend them for him. That husband of Ah-Lin, he can’t hold a candle to my Ah-Fat, but he’s doing all right. He’s got his first wife looking after the family here and a second wife to look after him there.”
Six Fingers was aghast. Her mother-in-law seemed to be saying she wanted Ah-Fat to take a concubine in Gold Mountain. Before she married, she had been adamant that she would make her own match and would never become a second wife. But now that she was married to Ah-Fat, there was no way she could stop him taking a second wife. Was that what he had been discussing with his mother before he left? No wonder he had not talked to her about taking her to Gold Mountain.
She took a deep breath but there was still a tremor in her voice as she asked: “And does Ah-Fat have anyone suitable in mind?”
Mrs. Mak sighed. “He doesn’t want a second wife. He won’t listen to his mum. Now that he’s married, he only listens to his