A Family Wedding

The two women inspected each other carefully. Both were dressed similarly in accordance with the laws of Songhan; their heads were covered in a black tudong, a non-fitting white blouse, they wore white socks and black shoes that would make no sound when they walked. They looked totally alike but if one looked closely, he can spot a few differences between the two of them. The shorter woman was carrying a small handbag, the taller woman was wearing a veil that covered the lower part of her face, the shorter woman was wearing a black skirt while the taller woman was wearing a pair of black harem pants and the biggest difference; the woman who was unveiled had a strikingly beautiful face. 

The taller woman finished first. “Mistress, your attire is impeccable. All parts of your body are covered outside your hands and face, and you are not wearing any clothing outside the approved colors of black and white.”
“Your attire is suitable enough for a concubine.” The shorter woman said, putting enough sneer in her voice to put the lesser woman in her place. She turned to the ponycart that was beside them and continued, “Get into position Ailing and hurry or we’ll be late.”
“Yes Mistress.”

Ailing stepped between the two poles that were protruding from the cart while her mistress stepped onto the cart. She sat down on the seat and nodded at Ailing. Ailing put her hands on the poles, picked them up and started running. The streets of Wuzhou were filled with people as it was one of the bigger cities in the country of Songhan and Ailing had to carefully navigate the streets without bumping into anyone. Fortunately, people got out of their way when they saw the ponycart. Known as a rickshaw in the old days, it was a mode of transport that was widely respected as it was a cheap mode of transport that does not cause pollution to the environment. Cars were used only for long distance travel in Songhan and the wide streets of Wuzhou were designed for ponycart travel. It was also considered a good way for the woman-puller to get some exercise. However that was not the reason why a few heads turned to look at Siewlee as they were on the street.

Siewlee knew why. For the past few decades, Songhan was a country that had grown more conservative. As the political and social climate in the country grew more conservative, there was now a growing belief in Songhan that no woman should be allowed to be seated in public. Siewlee had heard that in more conservative households, there were rules that women must never be allowed to sit, they were only allowed to kneel or squat. Increasingly, more and more people in Songhan believed this rule should be made into a law to “police” public behavior of women in public.

Still it was not law yet and Siewlee kept her seat in the cart. Everyone could see from the absence of a veil and the fact she was wearing a skirt that she was the wife of the family, the mistress of her house. They could also see from the veil and pants of Ailing that she was the concubine. A concubine serving her mistress by pulling a ponycart was a traditional service in the history of Songhan. Siewlee kept her hands demurely in her lap but kept her head high, showing no shame at her position on the cart. The Hong family is a traditional household, not a conservative one.

They made their way to the temple where the wedding was to be held. There were already a few ponycarts in the lot there and Ailing expertly parked their cart in one of the available spaces. Siewlee got off and locked the cart with a wheel lock. Putting the key in her handbag, she led the way towards the temple. She was met by a relative at the entrance.

“Oh Siewlee, you’re finally here!”
Siewlee smiled at the jovial voice of her cousin. “Wouldn’t miss this for the world, Mui.” Siewlee clasped her hands together in front of her and gave a slight bow. After her cousin returned the bow she continued, “Where is your eldest son? I would like to see the lucky groom.”
“He already left for the bride’s house.” Mui said breathlessly. “They’re probably on their way to the Ministry of Marriage now.”

Siewlee nodded her head. That’s the way of marriages. The groom need to go to the bride’s house first, then a trip to the Ministry of Marriage, then a trip to the wedding temple, and finally a wedding banquet at the temple after the ceremony to the gods. Siewlee turned slightly, “You remember Ailing, my husband’s concubine?”
“Oh yeah I do.” Siewlee could tell nothing was going to knock the smile off Mui’s face today. “How do you do Ailing?”
“I am well Mistress,” Ailing said as she bowed her head low. “I am yours to command for the day.”
“Good good!” Mui waved them inside. “Come, we have a lot to do today.”

It was still morning but noon was almost upon them. Siewlee followed her cousin to Hall 7 of the temple. This was the hall the Hong family had booked for the day and Siewlee could see there were already a few women at work arranging the table and chairs for the banquet.

“They are all ours.” Mui said proudly.
Siewlee nodded her head in approval. Every woman in the hall was a member of the Hong family and they were all here to help with the wedding. This was the way it should be.
“Come, this is the way to the kitchen.” Mui said.
“What about Ailing?” Siewlee asked.
“Report to Grandma Hong,” Mui ordered. “She’s in charge of the arrangement today.”
“Yes Mistress.”

Siewlee was glad Ailing was well-trained and obedient. Mui may be a wife but Ailing wasn’t her husband’s concubine so by right, she can’t order Ailing around like that. However today was her eldest’s son wedding, so Siewlee guessed it was understandable. She followed Mui to the kitchen as Ailing made her way to Grandma Hong. Her husband’s Eldest Mother, Siewlee never liked Grandma Hong very much but then none of the women in the family did. She was rude and bossy to all the women in the family, and Siewlee guessed that was why she was in charge of the arrangement. She would make sure everything was perfect for the wedding.

She stepped into the kitchen and saw other women. The only one there who wasn’t wearing a veil approached her. Siewlee’s father-in-law had 3 sons and Siewlee’s husband was the youngest. Mui was the wife of the eldest son, and the woman approaching was the wife of the second son. Both women clasped their hands together in front of themselves and gave each other a slight bow. As the wife of the younger son, Siewlee waited for the other woman to raise her head first.

“Everyone’s here then.” The woman said.
“Yes,” Siewlee matched the other woman’s cold tone. “It’s good to see you again Xiaohua.”
“Good that the whole family is here,” Mui cut in. “This is going to be the perfect wedding!”

Mui looked at both women with eyes that broke no argument. Siewlee and Xiaohua couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Their dislike of each other would have to wait; this was not the day to mess with the groom’s mother.

Later
“Master Lim Enhui, second cousin to the groom.”

At the end of the announcement, Ailing bowed her head to the ground. As her forehead hit the wooden floor, she heard a loud “thud” loud. Beside her, the other concubines of the Hong family did the same and together they welcomed the guests to the wedding with the traditional favored sound of female obedience. 

As the master walked past her, Ailing raised her head from the floor. To the left of her was the gate of the hall where the wedding was to be held, and to the right was all the concubines of the Hong family. Kneeling with their knees apart, they were the welcome party to the guests. When a guest passed the gate, the monk would announce the name of the guest and the concubines would bow their heads to the wooden floor.

This was their positions for the past 3 hours and the pain of constant kneeling was affecting Ailing. So it was with great pleasure when she saw the father of the groom walking towards the monk at the gate. After a short talk with the monk, the master spoke to the concubines, “All right, the guests are almost all here. Get to the kitchen.”

All the concubines bowed their heads to the wooden floor and got up. The pain was numbing for Ailing but she made her way to the kitchen along with the rest of the concubines. The food was already prepared and waiting on the tables. Cooked by the nuns, and blessed by the monks of the temple, the food was to be served to the guests.

Two concubines stepped in front of the group. One of them clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. It was Yumin, the first concubine of her father-in-law. “Okay everyone, you all know your jobs for today. Once the gong starts, we take the trays of food into the hall for the masters and mistresses. All of you know your routes?”

Silence greeted the questions. All the concubines had been drilled by Grandma Hong on which table they are in charge of, what route through the hall they need to take to get to the table, where on the table they must place the trays, when they must remove the trays, how they must get back to the kitchen, and about a hundred other small things they must know to ensure no guest can have anything bad to say about the banquet. It had been a tough day for the concubines of the Hong family.

“I guess all of you know your routes then.” Yumin said. “You do not need me to tell you this is the first wedding of the latest generation of the Hongs, so no mistake will be made.”

Yumin looked at all the concubines evenly. All the concubines, including Ailing, nodded back at Yumin. Masters were the brains of the family, mistresses were the faces, but service was the duty of a concubine. They were the hands and feet of the family, the ones who serve the masters and mistresses. That was why concubines wear pants instead of skirts. The ladylike skirt was only suitable for wives who were beautiful enough to wear them. Concubines like Ailing wear pants to better serve the family in the drudgery of daily life.

This wedding was one of few occasions they were going to help the family by serving others. No mistakes must be made on as important an occasion as this. Ailing didn’t even fear the whipping and punishments from the masters and mistresses, if she made any mistake, the shame itself would be enough to kill her.

“We have some time before we begin, so everyone get some rest and make sure you are dressed properly.”

The concubines took the time to sit down and rest their legs. After an afternoon of practice and kneeling, it was a welcome rest. They also made sure their clothes and veils were proper. Whereas mistresses were allowed to go in public without a veil, first concubines like Ailing wore a veil that covered the face below the eyes, while second concubines wore a veil that covered the entire face. The veil of the second concubines only allowed 2 tiny meshes for the eyes to see through.

Still Ailing considered herself lucky to be just veiled. If she had been born in an earlier era, the restriction on her would have been worse. In earlier times, men were allowed to have more than 2 concubines and women who were third, fourth, fifth concubines were gagged, had their arms locked, their feet bound etc. Concubines then were only allowed freedom of movement when it was their turn to do housework. With so many concubines, the women had to take turns to do housework and take care of the children. When it was not their day for housework, concubines were heavily restricted like the poor women in Nordker. Only the wife was exempted from the restriction. It must have been horrible and Ailing was glad the laws in modern Songhan only allow men 2 concubines at the most.    

All too soon, Mistress Xiaohua came in to tell everyone to get into position. Ailing took a tray and got into position. When the music started, she and the other concubines started their walk into the hall. The tables were spilt into two sections with a red carpet running between them. Ailing went to her designated table and placed the tray carefully in the centre of the table. Each table was circular in shape and the guests were seated around it. Mostly men, some of the guest were mistresses. Wives of men, they were able to walk in public without a veil so they could partake in the food.

Ailing felt a stab of envy. Concubines like Ailing were not allowed to withdraw their veil in public so she could never eat in public. Even if they could withdraw the veil, it was not socially accepted for concubines to be seen eating in public. After all, concubines were not supposed to be seen at all publicly.

Ailing always knew this was her fate. Although Ailing was pleasant looking from young, she knew she was never going to be beautiful enough to be a wife. As the faces of the women in the family, wives were supposed to have a beautiful face, a sweet singing voice, and the manners of a docile but intelligent beauty. Wives are women like her mistress Siewlee who had a beautiful face that defied logic. It was never going to be her fate.

After the first course was served, Ailing went back to the kitchen to await the signal to bring out the second dish. When the signal came, she bought it out and replaced the first dish with it. She then bought back the first dish for washing. This routine went on for all eight dishes, only when all eight dishes were eaten was there a break for the concubines.

From the kitchen, Ailing and the rest of the concubines saw the ceremony. The music stopped and the groom walked down the carpet between the two sets of dinner tables. Walking 3 steps behind him was his wife. Women in Songhan were only allowed to dress in black and white but on special occasions, this rule was voided. A woman’s wedding was one of these occasions.

The bride was wearing her black tudung, but it was all that was usual. Her body was covered by a long-sleeved green blouse with flowing flowery patterns on it, and she was also wearing a red skirt that swept the floor as she walked. She had put on heavy makeup to increase the beauty of her already gorgeous face and even the sleeves on her blouse were stylishly wide. Ailing felt a lump in her throat. She was beautiful, a woman born to be a mistress of the house.

The bride and groom reached the end of the carpet amidst wild cheering from the guests and they both turned around to face the guests. All the guests stood up and toasted the couple. With that, the dinner ceremony was over. The guests slowly went to the couple to congratulate them on their happy day and walked up the red carpet to leave the hall.

This was so different from her own wedding. In her wedding, she wore a red blouse and light-blue pants but she crawled behind her husband down the aisle. The duty of walking behind the husband was one that was given to the wife, and as a concubine Ailing had to crawl. At the end of the carpet was her mistress Siewlee who was waiting for her and their master. As she knelt silently between them, it was her master and her mistress who received the congratulations from the guests. She was a concubine, a woman not to be seen in public. The eve of her wedding was the last time she wore a skirt and went in public unveiled. Not for the first time, Ailing wondered what it would be like to be a mistress instead of a concubine.

With the last of the guests gone, the Hong family gathered to wish the new couple well. The masters and mistresses of the family went up to the couple to congratulate them on their wedding while Ailing got into a line with the other concubines. Once the masters and mistresses were done, it was the turn of the concubines. The concubines bowed together to the new couple and Ailing called the bride “Mistress” for the first but not the last time. She and her own mistress then followed their master to the ponycart. Her master and mistress sat on the ponycart and Ailing was about to start the trip home when her master said this, “Today was wonderful! The women of the Hong family have done the family proud today!”

With that, it was all worth it. All the work and practice for today was worth it. With a spring in her step, Ailing started the journey home.

Husband, Wife And Concubine

"There!” the wife gave her best smile to her husband as she adjusted the tie again. “Now you are perfect.”

 

The husband laughed heartily and agreed. “True, now I am perfect!” His arms wrapped around his wife and he pulled her close. He gave her a kiss on the lips. When their lips parted, the wife sighed dramatically, drawing yet more laughter from her husband. If nothing else, the wife was a woman who knows how to make her husband a happy man.

 

“Have a good day today.” the husband said to her before turning to the other woman in the room. “Obey your mistress in all things.”

 

The concubine bowed her head low and said, “Yes Master.”

 

With the greetings over, the husband left the house for his first day of work as the new Chief Finance Officer at his company. A company owned by the family of his new wife.

 

As the door closes, the wife felt a wave of contentment and relief. Her husband had gone to work and now she has the whole house to herself. Well, except for her husband’s concubine but a servant hardly count. Still, having a concubine around meant the wife can have some fun.

Walking to the living room, the wife beckoned the concubine to follow her. The concubine clasped her hands in front of her, bowed her head and demurely followed the wife. When the wife sat on a chair, the concubine knelt in front of her and bowed her head to the ground. Her forehead hit the ground hard enough that the house echoed with the sound.

The wife smiled. The concubine only did what was proper but it was still a joy to see she had a concubine who knew her place.

“Go to kneeling position,” the wife sneered, “and state your position in this house.”

The concubine raised her head and went into a text-book kneeling position. Her head was looking down, her knees were apart, and her palms were placed on her knee. “This woman is the concubine of the house. Her role is to serve the master and obey the mistress of the house in all things.”

“You were once the mistress of this house were you not?” The wife asked. “How do you feel now as the concubine?”

“It is my joy that my former husband, now my master, is successful enough to take a higher, more beautiful woman as a wife. It is heaven’s will that I am to be a concubine and I welcome my new, more fitting role in the house.”

“A more fitting role indeed,” the wife mocked. “Truly with your lack of beauty, grace and elegance, you are a woman undeserving of the role of a wife.”

“Yes mistress,” this woman agreed.

The wife was pleased that the concubine’s voice was lower, a sign of her humiliation. Frankly the wife was not truly more beautiful than the concubine and both of them knew it. However the wife was 10 years younger and the concubine was showing her age after 7 years of marriage and 2 children, one of them a boy. When the wife first heard that the former wife had agreed to be the concubine, the wife had half-wondered whether it was because of her children or because she truly loved the husband.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter. As the concubine, she was just the faceless servant of the family. It would be beneath the wife to worry about the concubine’s feelings. 

The wife stood up and walked to a cupboard. She made a show of opening a drawer and taking out the bamboo cane within. She walked back to the concubine and gave her order. “I will now check on the cleanliness of the house. If I find any dirt, punishments will be issued.”

“Yes mistress”

“You may crawl behind me as I inspection the house.”

“Yes mistress”

The cane struck the concubine immediately. The strike hit the concubine on the shoulder and she flinched. However she stayed on her knees and the wife was pleased by her reactions. The concubine was afraid of the cane but obedient enough to stay in position; the prefect combination.

“Bowed and show your pleasure at the privilege of following your mistress, you stupid worm.” She shouted.

The concubine bowed her head to the ground and again the house echoed with the sound of her head hitting the floor. “Yes mistress,” the concubine groveled. “Thank you for allowing this worthless worm the privilege of following in your glorious footsteps.”

With the concubine’s head bowed to the ground and her ass high in the air, the temptation was just too great for the wife. The cane flashed again, this time striking the concubine on her back.

“Follow”

With that order, the wife turned and went on her inspection. With no order to stand, the concubine crawled on her hands and knees behind the wife. The wife looked back and liked what she saw. Then, she decided that from now on, she would always want the concubine to crawl behind her on her daily inspection.

For the wife, the inspection was disappointing. The house was spotless. The former wife of her husband seemed to be taking her new duties as a concubine very seriously. In theory this was good but on her first day as the wife of the house, the wife understood she needed to establish her power over the former wife with a heavy punishment.

“Stand up for an inspection”

The concubine stood up and the wife took a good look at the attire of the concubine. She could find nothing wrong with it. The concubine’s head was covered with a black tudong with a veil veering the lower half of her face. A white long-sleeved tunic covered her body and a pair of black trousers covered her legs to her ankles. On her feet were a pair of white socks and everything was a size too big for her.

This was only right as a woman’s body shape, especially a married woman, must be hidden. The wife’s attire was similar to the concubine’s only she does not wear a veil to cover her face nor a pair of trousers. As the wife, she was allowed to show her face and to wear a feminine long black skirt instead.

It was then that the idea hit the wife. The wife smiled and asked, “Your attire looked good on the surface. Tell me, concubine, what are you wearing beneath your cloths?”

The concubine was slightly surprised by the question but dutifully answered. “This concubine is wearing normal cotton panties with a plain bra, mistress.”

The wife’s smile widened and asked, “Traditionally a concubine may wear nothing beneath her clothes. Do you not know that worm?”

The concubine lowered her head slightly and answered. “Yes mistress. Nowadays, it is normal for a concubine to wear underclothes and this concubine foolishly believed she was allowed to do so as well. Please punish this concubine for her mistake.”

“Yes, I will.” The wife said. “But first you will take off the offending garments.”

The concubine hesitated for the first time today and the wife seized the chance to use the cane again. “Right now worm!” the wife shouted as the cane hit the concubine on the arm.

The concubine knew she had no choice but to obey. This is the way of life in Songhan since ancient times. The concubine must always obey the orders of the wife.

The concubine quickly took off her tunic and trousers, leaving only her tudong and veil on. She then took off her bra and panties, knowing that except for her bleeding period, this would be the last time she would ever wear them. The concubine offered her bra and panties to the wife with both hands. The wife did not take them.

“Place the panties on top of your head, then kneel and bowed. Place your bra on the ground and I want your head touching it while punishment is given.”

“Yes mistress”

The concubine knelt and placed the bra on the ground before her. She then took her panties and wore it over her head. Bowing her head to the ground, the concubine placed her forehead on the bra and said. “Mistress, this worthless worm is ready. Please punish this worm so that she may serve the family properly in the future.”

The wife took a position behind the concubine and smiled at the naked body before her. The cane went up and down, striking the concubine on her ass. For both of them, this was but the first of many punishment sessions between the two of them.

Shuang Mei closed the book and hugged her two daughters closer to her. "So what do you two think of the story?" she asked.

Xiao Fung, the younger one at 4, answered first. "That was a terrible story, mummy. That wife was so bad."

"No, she wasn't." Xiao Lan, the older one at 5, replied. "She is a wife. She didn't do anything wrong."

"You two are both right." Shuang Mei answered. "She was bad to the concubine but she didn't do anything wrong." Her two daughters looked at her with unknowing looks and Shuang Mei explained, “The wife played her role, just as the concubine played hers. And both of them did so under the orders of their husband."

"But the husband in the story is wrong." Xiao Fung complained. "When a man takes a new woman, she should be a concubine, not the wife. The husband did something wrong."

"Xiao Fung, you are the one who is wrong." The young mother patiently told her youngest daughter. "The husband is never wrong. Remember this always, we are women. We are last and the least of Heaven’s children. Our role in the Celestial Order is to serve men, and no matter what decision he makes, we must obey.”

Both her daughters looked at her expectantly and Shuang Mei continued, “In the future, when you two grow up, whether you are a wife or a concubine, you must always accept and play your part because it is a role given to you by your husband. Whatever position you are given, you must accept it and strive to do your best in that role." Shuang Mei put her hands on the book and continued. "In the story, the wife was harsh to the concubine but only because she needed to be. She has a role to play in the house. To ensure the smooth running of the household and that's what she did. She checked the house for cleanliness and punished the concubine if she made a mistake. That's what she did."

"So...the wife did nothing wrong?" Xiao Lan asked timidly.

"No, she did not little one." Shuang Mei said. "So, what's the moral of the story?"

"To obey your husband." Xiao Fung said.

"To know your role." Xiao Lan said.

"You are both correct!" Shuang Mei said. "The moral of the story is that a woman's position is based on her relationship with her husband and no matter what position he gives you, you must accept it."

The young mother kissed both girls on their heads and said, "Time for bed now."

She tugged both girls into bed and said her goodnights. After making sure everything was in order, Shuang Mei closed the door to the girl's bedroom. She stood there in the hallway looking at the book she had in her hands.

The "Husband, Wife, and Concubine" was an ancient Songhan tale that had been adapted countless times to fit the time period. It was a tale Shuang Mei first heard as a little girl and now she was telling it to her daughters. Shuang Mei was amazed at how timeless the story was.

Although it was bedtime for the girls, her husband still wasn't home yet. Shuang Mei knew he was at a marriage meeting, negotiating with a family to take their daughter as a second wife. Her husband hasn't told her yet if she would continue to be the wife of the house when the new woman come into the household but after only 2 daughters in 6 years of marriage, Shuang Mei was under no illusion.

Shuang Mei knew there was a good chance her husband would require her to be a concubine if she wish to stay in the family. If not, Shuang Mei would be given a chance to leave, either back to her father's house or to a nunnery to live out her life.

Neither was possible.

There was no way Shuang Mei would ever leave her daughters at such a young age. Shuang Mei held the book to her chest. "Husband, Wife, and Concubine" was a story that reminded people that for good or bad, they must play the role they were given by the Celestial Order. Shuang Mei wasn't just reading the story to her daughters; she was also reading it to herself.

Whatever role her husband gave her, she would play it. No, she would do more than that; as the concubine in the story said, "She would welcome her role.” Shuang Mei smiled sadly. Whatever decision her husband makes, it would be her destiny.