Chapter Four - 1

It was a hazy dawn. Swirling silver mists were veiling the streets; the dew on the green leaves was twinkling, and the air came fresh from the south. The sun had just risen above the far mountains when I reached the eastern gate of Shanghai. Suet-foong was already there, all saddled up and ready to go. Her horse was strong and powerful - a splendid, clean-limbed animal with its glistened black coat, braided mane on its proud neck, and its long tail gliding in the wind; it could give Flash a run for his money!

"You are punctual," I said, looking at my watch. It was 6:50 A.M. We were supposed to meet at seven.

"It's in the genes," replied Suet-foong. She was clad in a leather coat over a sweater and black pants - she seemed to like wearing pants. "Anyway, I have to get up early today to inform my landlady of my long absence and arrange for one of her servants to check on my studio. Luckily, she lives just a couple of blocks away. At the same time, knowing what a money-grubber she is, I paid her the next two months' rent in advance with the two hundred dollars you gave me and kept the rest inside my saddle bag - I feel uncomfortable leaving all that money inside an unoccupied shop."

"Didn't your landlady ask you where you are going on such short notice? I suspect she is a nosey-parker; all landladies are."

"Yeah, you are right, she is. I cooked up a story that I have to rush back to Xi'an today because I received a telegram informing me that my mom is seriously ill."

"You should just tell her that you are going for a holiday with the man you love. It's much simpler and it's the truth."

"Hardy ha-ha," she laughed sarcastically.

"Come on, don't be shy. Let me hear those three magical words that would make me float on air on this fine morning."

She kept quiet.

"Well?" I persisted.

"Go hang yourself."

To be continued ...

The story behind my story

Would you believe you are reading "Snow Phoenix and Me" because of fate dealing me a cruel blow more than 15 years ago?

In 1997, I lost my beloved mother to lung cancer. To me, she was like an angel sent by God as she was a mother full of kindness, tenderness, and everlasting love. She was my truest friend when sunshine deserted me and adversity fell upon me. And she was the strength that gave me wings to fly. After her death, my whole world tasted like a lemon, depression was ruling my spirits, and the hurt was slowly tearing me apart. My heart would ache, like an archer piercing it with his arrow, whenever I heard my friends talking about how great and wonderful their mothers were.

Then one night, I stared at my laptop and with tears pouring down like rain, began typing words to describe the sorrow and pain I was going through during that very difficult period. By the time I finished, it was two pages long and it acted as a basis to "Snow Phoenix and Me". Thereafter I sent my brain to the gym for a good workout as I needed to get the gray matter working overtime to dream up of an exceptionally good sob tale so that readers like you haven't seen it a zillion times before. 

And so, after more than fifteen years (I wrote a few other fantasy novels along the way), I finally completed my most cherished book. There are countless thrills, laughter, and melancholy on the fun-filled pages ahead, and I hope you will enjoy reading them. So, let's not waste any more time and travel back to 1913 in Shanghai, shall we? 

Yeah, one more thing: Ma, I still miss you ...

       

What do you mean you think you have fallen in love with me? You are in love with me, you dumdum!

Have Love, Will Travel (Final)

I thanked my lucky stars when she returned empty-handed. She appeared calmer. But she was suddenly quiet. Disappointment was written all over her face. This was a different Suet-foong; I did not recognize her at all.

She sat down glancing at me. "How long will you be away?"

"At least a month," I replied. "I am facing the heat from the police for killing Song Jiao-ren. I have to disappear for a while until things cool off."

She shrugged, a half shrug actually, just her right shoulder. It lent an air of nonchalance to the gesture.

"Believe me, I really don't want to go but I've no choice," I continued. "I hope you'll understand."

"You don't have to explain everything to me," she said. "I don't know you that well. If you wish to go, then go; who am I to stop you?" Her words were cold, but her cracked voice betrayed her. Instantly, I knew her feelings for me ran deep as well and she was upset that I was leaving her, perhaps forever.

At that very moment I found myself on the horns of predicament - I had better come out with a win-win proposition for both of us quickly if I wanted  our love affair to last longer than tonight.There was a pause. Finally, a light bulb went off in my head and I said, "I'm planning to visit Hangzhou. And I dearly wish you to join me."

"Is that an invitation?"

I could see a glimmer of excitement in her voice. I was glad. Nodding, I replied, "Yes, please say you will accept."

"Why should I?"

"Because I think I've fallen in love with you."

I was expecting her to smile or perhaps blushed at my unexpected declaration. But she did neither. She frowned at me instead. Oh shit, did I goof again?

"What do you mean you think you have fallen in love with me?" she said, placing her hands on her slender waist. "You are in love with me, you dumdum!"

She took the words right out of my mouth - the dumdum part I mean.

The brainy one then looked fixedly at me with her big brown eyes which could take me away from this world. For several seconds she was lost in thought. The next thing I knew she shaking her head. "I don't think I can join you."

I was utterly disappointed. "Why? What's the matter?"

"When we go on a trip, we need to eat, we need a place to stay; I don't have any money for that," she explained. "Moreover, my business will be affected if I were to close my shop for a month."

"That is not a problem; I'll pick up the tab for the entire journey," I reassured her with a smile. Ambling over to my knapsack, I took out a bundle of bank notes and passed them to her. "And I believe two hundred dollars would cover your potential loss of income for the next thirty days or so."

"Goodness me, I've never held so much money in my life!" she said, looking at the dough in awe. "No, I can't take this."

"I insist. There are plenty more where they came from. Now put them in a safe place and let's go out for dinner. I'm starving."

"Well, if you so firmly say that I should have them, I suppose I must," she replied happily. "And thank you!" She got down on the floor, removed one of the wooden planks, and stashed the money underneath. I marveled at her ingenuity. If I were a thief, I would never think the loot is hidden under there.

Then, as she headed for the bathroom to freshen herself up, she asked, "Of all the places in China, why do you pick Hangzhou?"

"Oh, haven't you heard of this famous saying: in heaven there is paradise, on Earth there is Hangzhou?" I replied. "Here, the picturesque West Lake which is dotted with pagodas, temples, and pavilions, is also famous for the Lady White Snake legend. The love tale goes that a white snake came to the human world as she was longing for human life. She transformed herself into a beautiful woman and finally met the man of her dreams on a bridge in West Lake."

"We don't have to go all the way to Hangzhou to create our own love tale," she said, winking at me. "It has already begun here."

A new chapter begins on Tuesday! 

Shanghai in the 1910s when rickshaw coolies plied their trade on the streets.

Have Love, Will Travel (3)

Let me clear the air. We did not engage in any sexual activity thereafter. This might sound crazy but I did not have the mood tonight. Maybe it was because I still got the blues bug or maybe she was right - I was a dumdum. Whatever it was,we spewed out inane comments from our mouths about everything except sex. Soon we came to the inevitable topic: the Song Jiao-ren murder.

"You make a big mistake by killing the man," she said, munching a cookie.

"Strange you should say that. Those were his last words to me before I put a bullet to his head."

"And he was right. Do you know he was going to be our first elected prime minister? With his death, our country's best chance of democracy may have died with him."

As if I did not know. "I might not have taken up the contract if I knew beforehand what a big-shot he was," I said, drinking my second cup of tea. "But then someone else would have assassinated him. Anyway I'm not going to cry over spilled milk - what's done is done."

"Am I next in your hit list?" she asked, leaning forward, her chin in her hands. "I saw you committing a murder. And you introduced yourself. When you did that, it means you were planning to make me your next victim. That's how you guys operate, isn't it?"

"I give you credit for that. You know the hit-man's code well."

"Every Tom, Dick, and Harry knows the hit-man's code," she scoffed. "So are you going to kill me?"

"I might."

"I don't think you will," she answered coolly.

"And why the hell not?" I said, trying to look mean.

"If I die, you won't see me stripping down to my knees. And I know how crazy you are about my ass." She mischievously flashed her eyebrows at me.

I laughed and I did likewise to her.

Then there was silence. It came drifting down like flashes of snow, sweetly smothering us. I could not break out of it. I did not know whether she could or not. I also realized there was something about this lady that was inherently appealing, a mercurial quality that none of my other girlfriends possessed. She was not only beautiful, she was brilliant, perky, and had a great sense of humor as well - the kind of gal I could fall head over heels for. Yes, I was very sure of my feeling now; it was not a short-lived passion but unadulterated love. My heart rejoiced as I gently touched her hand. It was soft and warm. 

"There is another reason why I am here," I finally said. "I wanted to see you before I leave Shanghai tomorrow."

She pulled her hand away and made a face. "Hey, killjoy, you really know how to spoil a woman's evening! I was expecting you to bring our romantic adventure to the next level, not make a bloody goodbye announcement!"

By the time I found my voice, she had gone to the back, most probably the bathroom to relieve herself. She looked pretty pissed. And who could blame her - I had just made an enormous goof. Suddenly I had the most awful thought: what if she had gone to grab her cleaver in the kitchen instead? Uh-oh ... shivers began running up and down my spine.

To be continued tomorrow ...

"So, are you ready to drop your pants?"

Have Love, Will Travel (2)

Her studio was quite a messy affair. The walls were nailed with art pieces of various sizes; brushes, pencils, water-colored boxes, papers, and other painting materials were scattered all over the floor, tables, and chairs; and a wooden easel displaying a half-finished oil painting on a canvas stood in the middle of the hall. On closer look, the painting was of a naked man, his back facing front, sitting on a stool with his arms resting on his knees as though he was watching the world go by. The part where it showed his butt was not done. Was Suet-foong waiting for the right butt ... my butt ... to complete the picture? I winced at the notion.

"There is an art fair at the Peace Hotel in May," she said, going into the kitchen located at the back of the shop to replace her chopper. "I'm fortunate to be allocated a space there to present ten of my paintings as buyers and art dealers from all over the world will be attending this once-a-year event. So far I've done nine. The picture that you see on the easel is my final one. I hope my works can sell; I've not sent any money to my parents in Xi'an since last October."

"Are you their only child?" I asked while putting my knapsack on an empty chair.

"No, I have a brother who is two years older than me. He works for chicken feed in a textile factory. To make ends meet, he stays with my parents. I am the rebellious one. When I was eighteen, I left home to seek my fortune here. That was four years ago."

She came out with a cup of hot Chinese tea and passed it to me.

After taking a sip of the beverage I said, "Seeing you in dire straits, I reckon that you have yet to find your pot of gold?"

"My situation is not as bad as you perceived it to be," she replied, looking rather upbeat. "At the moment I have brown gold stored in buckets inside and behind my toilet. But mind you, their smell can be nauseous, you know what I mean?" She then guffawed like a tormented jackass.

I looked at the brown liquid in my cup. Suddenly my tongue developed a funny taste toward the drink.

In a wink of an eye a table in a corner was laid. There was a plate of cookies, a pot of Chinese tea, and another cup for her. We then sat on the stool facing each other. Only when she drank her tea did I feel safe with mine.

"So, are you ready to drop your pants?" she asked, gazing at me with great interest.

I anticipated her to throw that question at me and this time I was well prepared. "No problem, I will show you my butt if you show me yours," I smirked, but of course. After my tit-for-tat reply, I was cocksure she would drop the subject all together.

How wrong I was.

"Oh, I was not aware that you are an artist as well," she said.

"I am not. I am a hundred-percent liquidator and mighty proud of it."

"In that case why do you want to see my butt?"

"Because ... because ..." I faltered. Damn! She got me there. Not knowing how to field that one, I decided to throw in the towel. "Look, let's forget about what I've just said and move on to another topic, shall we?"

She looked cross-eyed at me. "You're a dumdum, you know that?"

"I'm not!" I objected. "For your information, I am actually good-looking and brainy."

"No, no, you have it all wrong. I am good-looking and brainy."

Okay, okay, perhaps I was not that good-looking in her books but I would not let a girl - even one with a terrific bottom - dubbed me a dolt. That was bad for business.

"Oh yeah?" I sneered. "Give me one good reason why you are so darn brainy."

"Sure," she replied confidently, "I wouldn't let you make love to me."

"Ha! The thought never even crossed my mind ..." I paused. Now, what imbecilic urge made me blurt out things like that?

She gave a short, derisive laugh. "So, now you know why you are a dumdum." 

To be continued on Sunday ...

"... with every passing hour, my infatuation for her grew by leaps and bounds ..."

Chapter 3 - Have Love, Will Travel (1)

With the moody blues as my pillion passenger, I went straight to Nanking Road - it was the biggest shopping district in Shanghai and one of the most densely populated places in the world - hoping to meet up with Suet-foong. Her presence would no doubt please me as I felt she had the magic touch to get rid of my depression ... okay, okay, I lied. Actually, with every passing hour, my infatuation for her grew by leaps and bounds until my desire to see her almost reached the level of complete madness.

When I finally reached the place, it was already dusk. The crowded street, now looking like a sea of lights, was an amazing visual experience: there was a vast number of shops that included big department stores, eateries, bars, and prostitute dens occupying every inch of street frontage; the sidewalks all lined with rickshaw drivers plying their trade, some ferrying their customers to their destinations; and packed trams passing through the busy sections every couple of minutes or so. Holy cow, finding Suet-foong in these surroundings was like looking for a needle in a haystack - I needed a map ... wait a second, what was I saying? For crying out loud, maps are only for dimwitted navigators. Anyway, who says I was lost? I was already here, only the trail was lost.

Yeah, right.

Luckily I had the next best thing: her calling card with her address printed on it. However, asking for directions posed another problem. The people whom I approached were either illiterate or just plain snobbish. Finally a kind old shop-keeper who noticed my plight showed me the way to her studio; I had to go to the other end of the three-mile-long Nanking Road, near to the residential area. Upon arriving there I breathed a sense of relief when I saw lesser people - I dislike crowds. The streets, however, were dimly lit. There was a small temple, its long burning coils of incense tickling my nose as I went past them. Close by, a block of single-story shops was home to Shanghai's biggest fine arts center. Here one could find paintings, handicrafts, and sculptures for sale - well, that was what the old shop-keeper told me anyway. Frankly I never knew such a place existed; art is never my forte.

At last I caught sight of Suet-foong's studio at the far end. Her front door was closed but I knew she was inside when the windows showed light behind thin flannel curtains. After tying Flash onto a wooden pole beside the five-foot path, I casually walked over there. Just then her door swung open, and a fat middle-aged man, his face paralyzed with fear, dashed out. Suet-foong, who was swinging a cleaver wildly, was right behind him; she was angrier than a raging bull.

"Who do you think I am - a bloody whore?" she barked at the fatso. "You'd better get the hell out of my sight before I chop you up into eighteen pieces, you lecherous moron!"

A moment of surprise washed over me as I looked at them. Stepping aside, I allowed room for the frightened man to go through. He flew past me and ran into an alley. Suet-foong halted when she noticed my presence, her frown quickly turning into a smile.

"Hello," I greeted her. She was wearing the same garment from last night. "What's going on? And that guy you were chasing, who is he?"

"I don't know him," she replied indignantly. "He came to my shop a while ago wanting to buy one of my paintings. It was selling for twenty dollars; he offered me forty if I sleep with him. Of all the nerve, he thought money could buy him anything!" 

"I see. An artist of principle; I like that."

There was a pause. Then she looked at me in the eye. "You are late!" she snapped. "I expect you to come this morning."

"Why? You miss me?" I said in jest.

"Yes I do. And you don't?"

"Oh, I do too, I do too," I swiftly replied - I must be out of my mind to say no to a woman wielding a cleaver.

To be continued on Saturday (Malaysia time) ...

"The wind was singing in my ears; puffy cotton balls were floating in the heavens."

Yesterday When I Was Young (3)

I did as he was told. To my pleasant surprise, it was cash, lots of cash. "Why is there so much money?" I asked, looking at him with widened eyes.

"Knowing that our client was willing to pay a substantial amount to get rid of Song, I upped the ante another three-fold," he replied. "This is your take-home pay, minus my commission of course.

I smiled looking like a million dollars. That was why he was my business agent; he knew how to get the best deal in town!

When the second package was unfolded, there was a semi-auto Browning pistol inside.

"This is the latest model," the old goat said. "It is lighter, has a quicker reloading mechanism, and it is more reliable than the one you usually use. Keep it with you at all times."

"Are you expecting another job?"

"No, I am expecting trouble," he said. Suddenly he looked grave. "Because of Song's status, the police are now under tremendous pressure to apprehend his killer at the soonest time possible. Furthermore, you can't expect Song's people to take something like that lying down; they will be hunting for you. The gun is for your protection. Along with that, I would suggest you lie low for a while. Leave Shanghai, go for a vacation and come back in a month's time. By then I am sure everything would have cooled off."

Obviously I was knocked for six by his statement. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to encounter a situation as messy as this. Alas, the best deal in town did not look so good after all. As I stuffed the money and the firearm into the leather knapsack provided by him, no further word was spoken between us. The silence was as deafening as a lady's fart. 

With the bag slung on my back, he walked me to my horse. When I was about to mount and ride off, I said at last: "Sifu, I think you should leave too. We are in the same boat, you know. Come join me. I'll take you to Hangzhou. You'll love this place: the city sits on a beautiful lake surrounded by gentle green hills."

"I don't like travelling, Ake," he said, patting my shoulder. "And even if I agree to follow you, who will take care of Keng? He and I are inseparable. Anyway, don't concern yourself about me. I am an old hand at playing cat and mouse with this type of people. I know how to take care of myself. Now go. See you in thirty."

I nodded with great reluctance. As I rode down the dusty path that led to the main road, I looked over my shoulder and saw that he was still standing at the spot where I left him. Keng was at his side. The old goat gave a little wave and smiled, but I could tell his smile was not a cheerful one. Rather, it was a smile sadder than sad ... like the smile of the Sphinx, as if he expected not to see me again.

The wind was singing in my ears; puffy cotton balls were floating in the heavens. In spite of the fine weather with its blue skies and everything nice, there was not even a small ray of sunshine in my heart.

Chapter 3 begins on Tuesday!