Till Death Do Us Part

XVII
 

Ch’in Ching handed the signed papers to Shen Liangsheng without a word when they met again the next week. The latter had given the other man a couple of days to think about it. Now that he finally got what he wanted, he did not seem overly delighted, only telling the schoolmaster, “You hold onto it.”Maoken Apartment was only recently built on Colombo Road in the English concession. There were only four floors to the private property, and it was supposed to be exclusively for rent. Since he already made the effort, Shen Liangsheng bought out the entire top floor. However, he did not tear the wall down in case the two of them split up. It would be easier for Ch’in Ching to sell or to rent if the properties were kept in their original condition.The apartments were only cleaned up and ready for move-in at the end of May. Shen Liangsheng took Ch’in Ching for a look around. They walked into the lobby and up the stairs. The soles of their leather shoes knocked sharply against the glassy marble floor and echoed in the seemingly empty building.Ch’in Ching had locked the contract in his drawer since he had signed it and only found out there were two units now. He asked in a joking yet self-pitying tone, “Is the other one for you?”Standing on the wooden floor, Shen Liangsheng had nowhere to flick his ash, so he went to the fireplace in the study to smoke his cigarette. Meanwhile, he replied in the same lighthearted tone, “Just in case. Who knows, you might get mad at me and kick me out. I’d need a place to sleep, wouldn’t I?”The house had not yet been furnished, and its walls lay naked. From the living room, Ch’in Ching heard Shen Liangsheng’s voice coming from the study, and because of how bare the interior was, he could almost hear echoes.He only chuckled and stood by the windows, looking out at the road. The thick layers of leaves on the trees provided shade on either side of the quiet street – a common and familiar sight in the concessions. But, for a split second, he didn’t know where he was in space or in time.“Why? Don’t you like it?” Shen Liangsheng walked out after the smoke only to see the schoolmaster’s lone silhouette by the windows.“Yes,” Ch’in Ching didn’t want him to misunderstand so he continued the joke. “But I mean, there are two bedrooms. You can always sleep there, duh.”Shen Liangsheng did not reply and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist while leaning in to kiss him.Wary of being seen from being so close to the window, he quickly broke free, but his forehead hit the glass hard at the same time.“You have to smarten up, dumdum.”Shen Liangsheng rubbed the spot on his forehead guiltily, not because he caused the injury but because he thought of the future. He would have to put on a show for the parents after he married, and he wouldn’t have much time for this man. Considering that, he felt a bit unhappy, but saying that he felt guilty would be all but ironic, like a crocodile’s tears.Sadly, Ch’in Ching had no awareness of the crocodile and he did not hear the implied meaning. He pulled out the latch and pushed opened the windows for some fresh air.The early summer sun was wonderful. Lush, gentle shadows of the trees made up nearly the entire view from the fourth floor. Paying no attention to other man, Shen Liangsheng hugged him again and leaned forward so that their cheeks touched. He blinked on purpose, brushing his lashes near those of Ch’in Ching.Finding nobody on the road, Ch’in Ching did not evade the embrace again. He let his eyes close. “Yes, we all know you have long lashes, all right?”The taller man shut his eyes too, and listened to an early-born cicada singing from the trees. Soon, the lonely insect stopped after finding itself too early for the rest of its brothers and sisters.
After inspecting the house, Ch’in Ching did not want to move in right away and did not act like the owner either, simply letting Shen Liangsheng handle the interior design.Shen Liangsheng normally had no interest in these things either. His secretary was the one who had arranged everything in the manor in which he lived currently. However, he saw this house as his honeymoon suite with Ch’in Ching and found the rare interest for these matters.Ch’in Ching didn’t care for these things, but he didn’t want to spoil the fun for the other man. He dared not gloss over the subject with “Whatever” or “Do as you see fit.” It was just that his mind couldn’t help but wander off as they discussed the pattern of the wallpaper or the furniture design. He felt emotionally exhausted for some reason. Originally, he had wanted to keep ringing the bell, but now that the bell was here to stay, he didn’t feel the excitement at all. Rather, he felt a strange sense of fatigue whenever he thought of the future that lay ahead.
It was July by the time everything was settled. Ch’in Ching’s junior high class had written their exams, so although summer break had not begun officially, he had a lot more time to spare and spent many consecutive days at the Shen manor. The manor’s gardener was a man in his fifties named Lee. His family all lived in the country, and he had asked Shen Liangsheng for permission back at the end of June to let his grandson experience the city for a few days. Shen Liangsheng was not a tough boss and had readily agreed to the matter. After the boy was brought to the manor in early July, Ch’in Ching began teaching the boy to read and telling him stories. He even told the boy to call him “keke” but to call Shen Liangsheng “shushu”.The kitchen had bought two watermelons for hsiaoshu and stored them in the icebox. After dinner, Shen Liangsheng went to the study to check over the company books while Ch’in Ching took the boy outside. They munched on the watermelons in the coolness of the garden, and the schoolmaster taught the kid to recite, “One call from the cicadas, two flowers on the pagoda tree.” The boy’s grandfather enjoyed no such literary pleasures and only found the cicadas noisy. Afraid that the bugs would disturb the boss upstairs, he found a long bamboo stick to bat them down from the trees.The study’s window faced the garden, and right outside it was a pink silk tree. While the old man poked at the cicadas, Ch’in Ching became a spectator with the boy in his arms. One thing about cicadas was that they excreted a bit of liquid when frightened.“Look, they’re peeing on you!” Ch’in Ching pretended to scare the boy by holding him up closer to the tree.Shen Liangsheng had been inspecting the books devotedly and had not even heard a peep from the cicadas. However, the commotion now prompted him to leave his seat and lift up the curtains for a peek.Many feathery, pastel petals of the silk tree were beaten down by the stick and became colourless, fluttering shadows in the dim twilight glow. After a while, Shen Liangsheng let the curtains down and returned to his work. He didn’t find it disruptive at all. Rather, the liveliness surrounding him filled him with much joy.
Ch’in Ching did not have to go in for work the next day and slept in a little. When he went downstairs, however, he found Shen Liangsheng still home, sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee and the papers.“Morning,” he greeted. He found it strange when Shen Liangsheng did not reply. It was rare for the other man to be in such a daze that the coffee cup stayed in midair. He seemed not to be reading the newspaper but thinking about something.“What’s wrong?” Ch’in Ching asked as he walked closer. Brought back to himself by Ch’in Ching’s utterance, Shen Liangsheng placed the cup and papers on the table before standing up.“Why….” Ch’in Ching was about to ask him why he had not left yet when his eyes caught the contents of the newspaper. It took him a few seconds before reacting and picking it up for a closer look.It was probably an extra emergency edition that had no time for illustrations.Our army shall live and die with Lukou Bridge - if die we must, this bridge shall be our grave.Let resistance be our answer to invasion and blood be the defence for our country.
The tension in Northern China for the past half a year had been actually less than the previous one. The papers had reported the military demonstration in Fengt’ai by the Japanese army in June, but no one dared say it was the signal of imminent war. Now that it had come to this, it was uncertain whether Peip’ing and Tientsin could even stay under Chinese control.“Stay home today if you don’t need to go to school. And don’t go anywhere.” Shen Liangsheng didn’t want to leave Ch’in Ching alone at home, but he had his own problems to tend to. His father was already getting antsy and had called once asking him to go over.Still staring at the papers, Ch’in Ching did not answer.“Ch’in Ching….” Not getting a reply, Shen Liangsheng felt a bit impatient but didn’t want to say anything harsh. He only sat the man down and said soothingly as he would to a child, “You can do that for me, right?”“Yeah….” Ch’in Ching finally reacted and gave a stiff nod.Shen Liangsheng wasn’t sure if the man had really taken his words seriously, but the telephone in the living room began ringing again. A maid answered it but didn’t fetch the young master.After a few moments, the servant came in and reported after assessing the dynamics in the room.“They asked if the young master had left yet,” she spoke smartly. “I told them that you’ve just left, sir –”“Thank you,” Shen Liangsheng interrupted her. Ch’in Ching was still sitting there like a statue, but Shen Liangsheng wasn’t sure what to say anymore. After quietly leaving orders for the servants to keep a strict watch on Ch’in Ching, he drove himself to his father’s house.
Shen Liangsheng’s original plan was to take as much money as he could and run, but there was a limit to how much cash he could bring with him. He wasn’t going to easily let off a chance to take the entire Shen establishment with him. He had been hoarding as he went along, persuading his father to transfer the assets out of the country. Unfortunately, Shen Sr.’s view was that the Shens would fare well in China as long as they watched the tides and sailed accordingly, whereas the same might not apply in a foreign country. However, now that the war had begun seemingly without a warning, he was starting to regret not having pulled out sooner. The numerous properties, stock investments and the profit-making factory, none of which he could bear to part with, were not easy to sell off in a short time.He had been anxious before seeing his son, but after seeing Shen Liangsheng’s calm composure, his own nerves settled down too. The father and son had a chat in the study and reached a consensus that the two northern cities would most definitely be lost if a peace treaty could not be made. Shen Liangsheng was blunt too, saying that once Peip’ing and Tientsin fell, it would be futile to try to secure their foundations if they worked against the Japanese. He also believed that the factory could continue running since he had dealt with the Japanese twice, but the profits would have to be split with the Japanese. Once they controlled the entire North, raw materials would not be able to make their way up without their permission, and production would be out of the question.After hearing this, Shen K’echen felt much more confident. The Shen family would not suffer since Shen Liangsheng was able to establish good relations with the Japanese in these times. The factory production would carry on, the money would keep rolling in, and he could continue being a rich retiree – what could he possibly have to complain about? The more he thought, the more certain he was that the future of the Shen name was safe. The only worry he had was fear that the bodhisattva was watching, but he quickly reassured himself that this was the only thing he could do given the circumstances, not to mention that this was just commercial business, not politics, nothing a few more incense offerings in the future couldn’t fix.
After consoling his father, Shen Liangsheng could not return home just yet. When he arrived at the office, he saw Chou pacing in front of the building like a cat on hot bricks. The first thing the secretary said was, “What took you so long, sir?” Chou also reported that the people from the Chamber of Commerce had been waiting for over half an hour. He added in a low voice that there was a Japanese man whom he had never seen before.As calm as always, Shen Liangsheng nodded as he continued into the building without a halt.Normally, Chou would always take notes on the side during meetings, but today he only followed his boss in to refill the tea before locking the door and giving them privacy. The meeting room stayed closed until nearly an hour later. He didn’t know how the meeting went, but everyone’s expressions were good-natured. As Chou accompanied his boss in seeing the visitors off, he noticed the Japanese man stop before boarding the car. The man shook Shen Liangsheng’s hand and spoke in English without the need for an interpreter.“We must catch up another time.”After the two cars left the premises, Chou followed Shen Liangsheng back into the building. Though he was very curious as to this “catch up” the Japanese man had mentioned, he dared not bring it up. Chou locked the door once they were inside Shen Liangsheng’s office.“Well, sir….” Chou tried to choose his words, but he didn’t even know how he wanted to proceed. In the end, he sighed, “So it’s war, huh.”Shen Liangsheng had never kept the fact that he was going to cooperate with the Japanese a secret from this secretary of his. Chou was not a naive soul either, but the news this morning still seemed strange and unrealistic.The room fell silent as Shen Liangsheng’s mind seemed to wander off. After a few minutes, he shot up from his seat.“You keep a watch here. Call me if something comes up. I’m going home.” Before leaving this morning, Shen Liangsheng had been wary of civil unrest in the Japanese concession after the news broke out. Considering Ch’in Ching’s temper, he was worried that the man would act recklessly. And when he came home early, his fears had come true. Sure enough, Ch’in Ching had not stayed put.The servants pleaded that they could not stop Mr. Ch’in from leaving, and when Shen Liangsheng glared at them, they explained that they had rung the office but he was busy in a meeting. Doing his best to keep his anger in check, Shen Liangsheng turned around and drove to Shengkung and then to Ch’in Ching’s house. After failing to find the schoolmaster in either of these places, he had no other choice but to try the teahouse since he did not know exactly where the Lius lived. To his dismay, the teahouse was not even open, but luckily, a worker from the countryside lived at the teahouse and answered Shen Liangsheng’s knocks. After getting the Lius’ address, he finally found Hsiao-Liu.Sadly, Hsiao-Liu did not know where his friend was either and quickly became worried too. He put the grudge between them aside and began listing the possible places where Ch’in Ching might be.“Let’s talk on the way.”Impatient, Shen Liangsheng got Hsiao-Liu into the car and drove to a friend of Ch’in Ching’s whose address Hsiao-Liu knew. Martial law had been imposed temporarily in the Japanese concession, but the roads leading into the concession were still quiet, and they saw no protesting crowds outside the barricades. Only afterwards did they find out about the active display by the Japanese army of over a hundred cannons and three dozen tanks around Chint’ang Boulevard in theSecond Special District. In the end, Shen Liangsheng did not find the man. When he finally drove Hsiao-Liu back to Nanshih, he dropped by Ch’in Ching’s house to see the lock still on the gates. By now, they had found out about the tank exhibition, and Shen Liangsheng could feel his own composure breaking.“If he comes back, tell him not to go anywhere. I’ll come again tomorrow.”Shen Liangsheng drove back to Cambridge Road after leaving Hsiao-Liu with the message only to find the man whom he had been searching for the whole day sitting in his lounge. His worries vanished, but his anger burst into flames. Not even considering the presence of the servants, he greeted Ch’in Ching with a scowl and a bark.“What did I say about leaving?! Did you not hear a word I said?!”Shen Liangsheng had had his mask on for so long that emotion never showed through to his face. No one in the room had ever seen him in such a rage, and all stood frozen in shock. Ch’in Ching’s mouth was gaping, but in the end, he was too scared to speak.“And then you just come strolling back.” Shen Liangsheng had more to say, but seeing the man’s lowered head, he stopped himself. After moments of silence, he ended the tension himself. “Let’s have dinner first.”It was at that moment that the paralyzed servants came back to life and began serving the food. Slowly and carefully, they tried not to make any unnecessary noise or movement in fear of the young master’s wrath. The meal was eaten in silence, and the subject was not touched upon again. Ch’in Ching waited until bedtime when he thought Shen Liangsheng had cooled down to tell him.“I’m going to school tomorrow.”“Fine.” Shen Liangsheng had no intention to confine the man, but he added, “When are you coming back? I’ll pick you up.”“No, it’s fine.” Ch’in Ching paused before explaining. “I think I’ve a lot to do at school these days. I won’t be coming over.”Sure enough, Shen Liangsheng did not get angry again, and his tone was neutral as well. “Isn’t the school year almost over? What could you possibly have to do?”Ch’in Ching had not prepared a reasonable excuse. Incidentally, he had gone to see a friend in the afternoon who was teaching at Nankai Secondary. Many in his circle had the same thoughts. They couldn’t fight the guns and cannons of the Japanese with meat cleavers, but they felt they had to do something, anything, to stand up in resistance.“Ch’in Ching,” Seeing the hesitation in the other man, Shen Liangsheng could guess his intentions, but he still remained calm. “You are free to do what you want, but if you’re not going to stay here for the time being, then you don’t ever have to come over again. What you did today, I don’t think I have another one in me.” With that said, Shen Liangsheng went to the bathroom, leaving Ch’in Ching sitting on the bed with his mind so tangled that he couldn’t breathe easily.After Shen Liangsheng had finished bathing, he saw the schoolmaster still in the same position, and he softened his tone. “It was in the heat of the moment. Don’t take it seriously.” He pulled him up to his feet. “Don’t just sit there. Go wash up.”That night, the two of them lay in bed, awake even long after the lights went off. They both knew the seriousness of Shen Liangsheng’s statement, and they only blamed it on “the heat of the moment” so that they both had a way out. Ch’in Ching stared at the canopy draped around the bed, as thin as a spider’s web yet as white as a cocoon. The newspaper coverage the next morning had a different ring to it. The Japanese army had adopted a strategy to “not escalate the event and solve the problem where it stands” and actively contacted the Hebei-Chahar Political Council for a meeting. The eleventh of July, news came from Peip’ing that a draft of the agreement had been made, but before anyone could react, Japan had a sudden change of heart. They rejected all the conditions made so far and increased the troops stationed in China. The twelfth of July, two Kantō independent mixed brigades and one division arrived at Tientsin. The thirteenth of July, two more infantry regiments were added, and all transportation hubs were occupied. The military exercises seemed to go on continuously in the Japanese concession, and construction began all over the place.Under such circumstances, even the English and French concessions grew quiet, the usual extravagant scene gone for good. The Tientsin Student Union and the various nationalist organizations had not yet organized students, teachers and the general public in a direct confrontation with the Japanese army, but rather sent out telegrams to the 29th Route Army in support of resistance in addition to fundraising and donating money and resources to the best of their abilities. Ch’in Ching helped out at the Student Union with his friends from time to time while staying home the rest of the time. Shen Liangsheng didn’t stop him from it, and the two reached a compromise.The situation remained tense day after day. By the next week or so, Shen Liangsheng heard that the Tungchützu Airport was now filled with Japanese fighter jets and brought up the idea of moving the Lius temporarily to an empty house of his in the French concession since the English and French concessions were the safest as of now.Hsiao-Liu shot down the idea as soon as Ch’in Ching had suggested it because he didn’t want Ch’in Ching to owe the businessman a favour. He knew that favours had to be repaid sooner or later. He had nothing the young master wanted so his best friend would be the one to repay it. Ch’in Ching, on the other hand, was not going to debate with him. He cut to the chase and said that they were moving whether Hsiao-Liu liked it or not. Mom was old, and Hsiao-Liu had three sisters to take care of. What was Hsiao-Liu going to do when the war came to them?In the end, they moved. The property on Petite de Ceinture was originally given to the company to pay off debt. It was far from brand new, and the exterior did not attract much attention, making it perfect for a temporary hideout. Shen Liangsheng wanted to help the move with his car, but Ch’in Ching quickly refused. He had told his godmother that the house belonged to his colleague, but if Shen Liangsheng showed up and waltzed around, the old lady would be sure to see through the lie. Hearing this, Shen Liangsheng did not press the offer and patted the schoolmaster on the head.“I haven’t seen your smile lately.”“Well, it’s not because of you….” Ch’in Ching felt kind of bad and kissed the taller man on the cheek.The two of them had not been active because Ch’in Ching had not been in the mood. Shen Liangsheng pulled the man closer for a deeper kiss and began exploring with his hands, but Ch’in Ching had plans with a friend. He had to leave soon and told the other man to save it for the night. The friend was a senior of Ch’in Ching’s in university. The two were not close at the time, but after Ch’in Ching returned to Tientsin, he found that the man had not gone back to his home in Shantung. Instead, he began teaching at Nankai, and since then, the two gradually grew closer.Shantung men were known to be bold and straightforward. He had always made Ch’in Ching drink when they met up for dinner. Ch’in Ching feared this the most because he got drunk easily. However, the two only had time for serious business recently, and his friend had stopped making him drink – until this day, that is. The rendezvous was at his friend’s dormitory at Nankai. Ch’in Ching noticed the appetizers and alcohol already prepared on the table.“What’re you plotting today?” he questioned curiously.The other man chuckled and sat Ch’in Ching down for a drink before answering. “I signed myself up yesterday.”Ch’in Ching stiffened at the utterance. He realized that his friend had joined the army.“No pressure. I just wanted to let you know. Plus, they only accept the ones who’ve been through military training and know how to fire a gun. You’d be wasting your time.”Ch’in Ching only lifted his glass up to toast his friend without another word. He drank one glass, then another, and then another. The liquor burned his stomach but his head was as clear as ever. Most of the trams had stopped running. Ch’in Ching had come by bicycle, but he only pushed the vehicle along. It was not because he was drunk. In fact, he was very sober and just wanted to take a walk.Lately, Shen Liangsheng had often been called to talk with his father and came home even later than Ch’in Ching. By the time he did, the schoolmaster had already washed away the stench of alcohol and sweat, and his face looked normal.But when bedtime came around and Shen Liangsheng tried to kiss him, the man wouldn’t cooperate. Annoyed at the man’s changing attitude, he asked with limited patience, “What is it this time?”Ch’in Ching hesitated, not knowing how to start. Shen Liangsheng was never a very patient man, and his patience had been worn low recently. Without any more delays, he went straight for the kiss while holding the man’s jaw still.Ch’in Ching could not turn his face so he began struggling with the rest of his body. With more skin showing during summertime, the more Ch’in Ching writhed the more aroused Shen Liangsheng became, and soon, the latter was practically forcing himself on the other man. Ch’in Ching had no time to explain earlier, but now he didn’t even want to explain. The alcohol seemed to act up now, and he felt extremely agitated. He began fighting back with everything he had until the taller man strangled his neck and pushed down on him. Eventually, he ran out of air and he had to go limp like a dead fish.Shen Liangsheng let go after the man stopped struggling and felt he had been too rough when he heard the painful coughs. But he didn’t want to apologize.“What else do you want from me, Ch’in Ching?” What did he want from him? Ch’in Ching only shook his head after he caught his breath. Shen Liangsheng was still hard and was intent on finding release. He quickly applied lubricant and inserted himself. His movements were not as violent as earlier, and after ten minutes or so, he reached for the other man’s member to find it very much alive. With that, he stopped holding back.Although it had been more than half a month since their last affair, Ch’in Ching’s body was used to the process and began to take pleasure in the act after the initial dull pain. The sounds of skin against skin filled the dark and stuffy room. Ch’in Ching lay on the bed with his face down. He knew the bed beneath him. He knew the man above him. He also knew the lust inside himself.Yet, he had the strange feeling again that he was lost in space and time. It was as though he had been blindfolded as he wandered along the path, touching each blade of grass and each tree trunk until his destination, but when he turned around to look back at the way he had come, what he saw was not what he had pictured in his mind’s eye. Early morning of the twenty-ninth of July, the war became full blown. The Chinese army at Tientsin finally received orders to fight back and arranged a war strategy overnight to attack while the Japanese were focused on Peip’ing.The sky had gone from dark to light, but the Japanese were gaining the upper hand. The most intense of battles took place near Haikuangssu and the sounds of guns and cannons were weak by the time they reached Cambridge Road. Ch’in Ching and Shen Liangsheng sat across from each other in the lounge from the middle of the night to midday without a single word exchanged.The Japanese jets reached Tientsin just past two o’clock in the afternoon as expected. The concessions were countries within a country, and the Japanese dared not and could not bomb them. Even so, Shen Liangsheng had had the servants clear out the cellar in the garden ahead of time. When he heard the planes in the sky, he decided that the house was not safe. He gave commands to lock the doors and hide out in the cellar for now.Ch’in Ching had no objections and followed the man outside, but he looked like a soulless puppet – his mind had already wandered off to some faraway place.Seeing the dumb man, Shen Liangsheng grabbed his hand. As they reached the garden, the first bomb dropped at last.The explosion could have been heard no matter how far away. In that moment, Ch’in Ching stopped dead in his tracks. He looked towards the direction of the boom as though his soul came back. Shen Liangsheng pulled him, but he wouldn’t budge. The taller man was about to speak when he saw the expression on the schoolmaster’s face.It was as though he had come back to life with the explosion for a mere instant before dying again.Then, with the next explosion, he came back to life again – only to die once more. A low-wattage light bulb was the only light source in the cellar. Ch’in Ching did not sit down so Shen Liangsheng stayed standing as well, joining the other man in staring at the metal door. But it was just a door. Nothing was going to pop through because they were looking.The only response they received was the continuous explosions.For four whole hours. The twenty-ninth of July, the Chinese army engaged in battle for fifteen hours. Due to heavy casualties and the increase of Japanese troops in Tientsin following the fall of Peip’ing, the Chinese army retreated from the city centre at four-thirty p.m. to Chinghai and Mach’ang. The thirtieth of July, Tientsin had fallen.

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Bunches of pagoda tree flowers

 

Pink silk tree flower Map of the Tientsin concessions.Light blue: Austro-Hungary, green: Italy, brown: Russia, blue: Japan, purple: France, dark green: England, red: Germany, violet: Belgium