I’m Back

Honestly I was never away, but had just been lazy. I’ll been writing stories for a few years now and has been crunching out about a story per month. I’m just a little tired of the output and decided to take a break.

I’m slightly amazed and humbled people still come to this blog despite there’s been no updates in half a year. However I haven’t been totally idle as I did write a few things in the past 6 months. Once the New Year has passed, I’ll put up a new Vippon story and I have 2 other stories on the backburner, one of which is already halfway done.

Thank you all for your support and please look out for my new stories in the coming year. Thanks!  

The Abandoned (Part 4)

Todd Gasol

Todd woke up to the sound of snores. He opened his eyes sleepily and turned his head to the sounds. At the corner of his room sleeping on the straw mattress that was their sleeping rug, laid his two wives. Hugging each other for warmth, they were both fully covered in their sleeping gowns and the sight bought a smile to his face.

Todd lay there for a moment to drink everything in; a moment he wanted to enjoy the contented life he had. Still smiling, he stretched and gave a theatrically loud yawn. His wives heard the noise and began to stir.

Cup opened her eyes first. Todd smiled as Cup quickly shook her sister wife and began crawling towards him after lifting her gown up to her chest. Plate woke from her sleep and after a moment of confusion, saw Todd sitting on the bed. She quickly started to crawl towards her master.

A smile came to Todd's face as he saw his two wives doing the correct submission wife crawl. With their bellies and breasts touching the cold floor, and their legs joined and straight, both Cup and Plate were pulling themselves towards him on the elbows. With the long sleeping gowns lifted to their chest, Todd should see his wives' naked legs and ass wriggling on the ground. The sight made him smile wider.

As they were crawling, Todd finally hoisted himself out of bed. Sitting up, he placed both feet on the ground. It was a cold morning and he had to half-fight the urge to curl back into his warm blankets. However his wives were already near him and he didn't want to "disappoint" them. Cup reached him first and began to kiss his feet; Plate was only moments behind her. Pleased with their attention, Todd  reached down to both of them and ruffled their heads.

"Up"

Both his wives stood up on command, but with eyes looking down at the ground in submission. Gray in color, their gowns came with a hood that covered their heads leaving only an opening for their face. From their head, the gowns then spread out widely over their bodies, covering even his wives' arms from view. That was why they had to lift it up to crawl. With their arms by their side, the sleeping gowns came down to their knees. Todd looked at the faces of his wives and made his choice.

"Plate, on the bed."

Cup immediately got on her knees and reached for Todd's pajamas. Carefully pulling it down, she put her mouth to work the moment Todd's penis showed. As Cup worked to get her master up, Plate went to the foot of the bed and crawled in. Todd looked behind him and saw that Plate had pulled her gown up again. She was fingering herself, getting ready for her husband and master.

With well-practiced moves, Cup soon got Todd ready and satisfied with the progress, Todd rewarded her with another pat on the head. Cup stopped at his pat and smiled, pleased with herself. Todd knew he would need to do something about that later but right now he had more important things to do. He turned and used his other wife for his daily morning fuck.

Plate wasn't fully ready but she did not say no. Like all women on Eridani, telling your master to wait was a punishment offence, telling him to stop was downright unthinkable. Ignoring her own discomfort, Plate quickly moved her hips in sync to her master's pounding. With no consideration to his wife, Todd quickly spent himself and came into his wife.

Sitting up, he gave a hard slap on Plate's thigh, a signal for her to get off the bed. Plate quickly got off, joining her sister wife on her knees. Placing both feet on the ground again, Todd smiled at his two wives and gave a new order.

"Clean me"

Both women used their tongues to clean the juices off his penis, never putting their mouth over their master's penis like what Cup did earlier. The reason soon became evidence as Todd reached up and grabbed a bamboo cane that was hanging on the wall above the bed. As his two wives were cleaning his cock, Todd struck down with the cane.

Again and again the cane went up and down over their backs but while both his wives gave a start whenever the cane struck them, they never stopped their worship. They were well-trained and Todd felt a sense of pride over them. So much so that an unseemly unmanly giggle came from him. He did not care. A sense of euphoria wash over him, an euphoria that was broken by a knock on the door.

Slightly annoyed, Todd got up and walked to the door, leaving both his wives on their knees. Like most homes on Eridani, his only had a living room, a kitchen and a sleeping room so it was quick trip to the main door. Opening it, Todd saw a woman dress in typical women garb. Wearing a orange jacket that covered her arms and a pair of black pants which flare out at the legs, the woman was looking down at the ground. He couldn't her face as she was wearing a wide conical hat.

"Head up."

The woman raised her head at Todd's command and he saw that she was wearing a red scarf that covered her head and her lower face were hidden by a veil of the same color. With her scarf and veil in red, Todd knew the woman was here on official business. Still, that doesn't mean he needed to be polite to her for ruining his morning fun.

"Well! What is it?"

The woman shuttered at his almost shout but rallied well. She too was well-trained. "Sir Todd Gasol, this one has a message from Sir Derek Value of the Central Administration Authors."

The Central Administration Authors, or the CAA for short, were the main authority on Eridani. Members of the CAA were elected via city-wide elections and liaison with the CAA members of other cities to produce planet laws and regulations. Derek Value was a high ranking member of the CAA of Kami City and Todd had no idea what he wanted with him. Still, there was no way a woman would lied to him.

"I take it he didn't tell you why?"

"No sir," the woman replied. "This one was not told, only that sir must attend a meeting at the CAA building on level 2 at 10am this morning."

No surprise there, messengers were never told more than what was needed. Todd waved the woman away and she quickly turned and ran off. Todd then realized he might not be the only one at the meeting. It was both strange and curious.

He closed the door and walked back to his room. Both Cup and Plate were still on their knees, only they were now hugging and kissing each other. Sexual relations between sister wives were an accepted fact on Eridani and Todd personally thought it was a good thing as it made his wives closer.

"Okay, enough with that!" Todd said. "I'm taking a bath, you two get yourself ready for a trip out. Cup, you are puller. Plate, normal attire. Get..."

"Master!" Todd was walking toward his small bathroom when he heard Plate's call. He turned towards her and saw his wife laying prostrate on the ground. This was a morning of surprises.

"Yes?"

Plate asked, "Master, this one begged to be the puller of the master's cart this day."

"Why?"

"This one was privileged to be used by her master just now. It is only fair this one be the one who suffer the whip later."

It was a surprise request by Plate but Todd knew that on a certain level, she was correct. Transportation on the planet was via ponycarts and the puller of the cart suffered whipping. Todd himself was an advocate of women suffering the whip.

"Very well," Todd said. "Now go get ready! I want to get going the moment I'm finish."

Todd turned back to the bathroom and as he was closing the door, he saw that both his wives were hugging and kissing each other again. He shrugged. As long as it doesn't interfered with their service to him, Todd didn't care. After all, it was relations between women. If he could help it, he would never bring himself down to know about relations between such lowly beings.

In that, Todd was typical of a man of Eridani.   

Mahdi

She heard the door opened. Worse, she heard the door opened while she was in the kitchen! Zahara raced in terror to the door as her husband walked into the house. Kneeling down at his feet, Zahara bowed her head to the floor.

Her husband waited for a moment, a moment Zahara spent silently cursing him for being home early, for the door closed by itself. He sat down on the stool by the door as Zahara crawled to him and untied his shoes. After gently taking off his shoes and socks, her husband stood up and walked to the bathroom. Crawling behind her husband on her knees, Zahara picked up the clothes her husband discarded on the floor. As his husband entered the bathroom for his shower, she then crawled to the laundry basket. Zahara felt the smooth beautiful clothes for a moment and wondered how it would feel to wear these fine clothes. Sighing to herself, she put the clothes in the basket and crawled back to the bathroom.

Kneeling patiently outside the bathroom, Zahara couldn’t help but smell herself. It has been 5 days since her last bath, and 2 more days before her next one. She knew she was very different from the nice soapy smell of her husband. Her orders came.

“Go prepare yourself wife.”

With her husband’s order, Zahara crawled to her room. Unlike the master bedroom, her room had an entrance that was only waist high. Crawling inside, Zahara finally stood up. Shaking her legs from all that crawling, she walked to her bed. To be exact, she walked to her sleeping mat. Her bed was a straw mat, with a pillow and a thick blanket for the cold. Beside her mat were her neatly folded clothes. Zahara took off the shirt and short pants she was currently wearing; her home attire for housework was just not suitable in public.

Zahara put on her blouse. The long sleeves on it reached her waist, and the hands were soon covered with a pair of gray gloves. Her long pants, which were also gray like her blouse, were next. Zahara put on her socks and then tied her hair in a neat bun. It wasn’t easy as there were no mirrors but she had plenty of practice, so there were no problems. One last minute check to see that all of her body was covered. Once done, Zahara crawled out of her room and waited again outside the bathroom.

Her husband finished his shower soon after. Zahara kept her eyes low as her husband walked to the bedroom. Crawling quietly behind him, Zahara reached the room a moment after her husband. Her husband sat on the bed and threw his pants onto the floor. Picking it up, Zahara helped her husband put his clothes. Shirt, pants, tie, coat; the quality of the clothes was vastly different from the coarse materials of hers. The 3 piece suit was imported from Italy tailor-made for her husband himself.

Once her husband was done, it was time for her. First, her husband put a neck corset on her. The corset covered the neck stiffly, making it impossible for Zahara to move her head either up or down. Several rings adorned the neck corset. These will soon be in use, but first her husband put a belt on her. Zahara’s hands were soon cuffed to the side of the belt. The ring gag came next. Tied around Zahara’s head, it kept her month from closing and impossible to voice anything expect a few grunts. A short chain was cuffed both of Zahara’s ankles together. Reaching up, her husband clipped the chain with another silver chain which was held in place by the belt. With this in place, it made walking almost impossible for Zahara. Her husband next put a large overcoat on her. Connected to the rings on the neck corset, the huge gray overcoat covered Zahara’s whole body down to her ankles. With no holes for the arm, the coat gave Zahara a shapeless look that totally hid her beautiful figure. The hood was next. Held in place by the neck corset, the hood covered Zahara’s head with only a big opening for her open mouth and a small one for her nose. Zahara was totally blinded by the hood but she knew that there was another piece of her attire to put on. Over her head, she felt the veil begin placed over her head. The black veil covered her from head to foot, with only a small opening at the front. Through this opening, a chain was leashed to the front of her neck corset.

Blinded by the hood and veil, Zahara felt a tug on the leash as her husband walked on. Led by the leash, Zahara could only shuffle her feet obediently behind her husband.    

As she walked (shuffled) behind her husband in the streets, Zahara couldn’t help but wondered about the city. She had no seen the city since the day she first landed on Kamatora. Enclosed in the windowless house that was her new home, Zahara wondered if it had changed at all the past 18 months.

Zahara’s family was involved in trading but has fallen on hard times due a few less-than-wise decisions from her father. One day, her father got all his daughters together and informed them that there was a chance to recoup his losses with a new business partner who was from the country of Mahdi. However the deal was risky and his potential partner requested that he gave a daughter in marriage as part of the deal.

Her father explained that in Madhi, family was everything, so the people there believed that there was no chance of cheating if you are family. Zahara remembered the shame on her father’s face as he asked if there was any volunteer for the marriage to save the family from ruin. Trained from young to think of her family first and herself second, Zahara knew that it was her duty as the eldest daughter in the family. Zahara agreed to the marriage.

The country of Mahdi was an island just off the coast of West Africa and Kamatora was one of only 3 cities on the island. It was a slave port in the past, specializing in the female slave trade. White or black, the women passing through its ports were all slaves in chains and for sale. When Islam came along, the men just covered the women’s chain with the veil. When colonialism came, even when slavery was abolished, the chains on the women stayed. Funny how tradition is formed, isn’t it?   

3 months later, Zahara landed in the city of Kamatora as the wife of Rahim Sadir. It was the one and only time she saw the city and the country. 

On the day she landed in Mahdi, Zahara remembered having a foreboding sensation. At first she consoled herself, trying to believe it was just the weather and the scenery of the country. Despite being located in Africa, Mahdi’s climate had more to do with England than the Dark Continent. On the day of her arrival, dark overhanging clouds were present in the sky. The colonial period of the past left behind many tall gothic buildings and many of these buildings populate the city. Together, the weather and buildings gave the city a depressing look about it.  

Not helping matter were the people Zahara saw walking around. She wasn’t too surprised to see men leading shapeless women by the leash, she had read about that in her research, but seeing the women shuffling behind their men totally blind was. Zahara didn’t know till then that the women of Mahdi aren’t allowed voice or sight in public.

Worse were the actions of the men. While she was waiting for someone to pick her up at the port, Zahara had looked out into the streets of Kamatora and more than once, she saw men leading their women into a wall or a lamp-post, only to laugh as the woman knocked into the said objects. She even saw a boy about seven leading a grown woman by the leash into a lamppost and then laughing loudly about it. It was only later that Zahara discovered that this was what passed as traditional entertainment in the country. The men of Mahdi though this act but funny and useful as it helps break the spirit of their women.

Totally blinded, the women had no choice but to trust their men. To have their trust broken like that was bad enough, to have their men laughed at them was soul-destroying. 

Zahara knew that feeling again as she hit a wall in her path. As she heard the laughter of her husband, she knew it was no accident. As a way to break her spirit, it was an effective tool. She felt her leash being tugged. With no choice, the blinded and broken Zahara followed wherever her husband led her.

In her enclosing veil, time lost meaning to Zahara. All she knew was to put one foot in front of the other. After a while, a sharp tug on her leash told Zahara to stop. She felt the veil being lifted off her. Still blinded by the hood, a soft tug on the leash told Zahara to move slowly forward. After a short distance, Zahara felt a downward tug on the leash and immediately fell to her knees. Another tug told her to bow to the floor. Without her hands to support her, Zahara’s head lowered till she smacked her head against the floor. It gave off a resounding thud. Another thud soon followed and Zahara knew there was another woman beside her. The laughter from the men followed right on cue as her husband and another man greeted each other.

After over a year in the country, Zahara knew what was coming. The men finished their greeting and she felt a pressure on her. Her husband had sat on her. Zahara was a woman kneeling with her head to the ground and in Mahdi, that meant she was a stool to be used. The other woman beside her was probably being used in the same way by her man.

Not for the first time, Zahara regretted her decision to agree to the marriage. It was without question the worst decision she ever made. Worse, there was nothing she could do about it. This was the lot of a woman in the country of Mahdi, and as Zahara felt her husband sitting on her, she knew this was her lot till the time of her death. Servitude, humiliations, and beatings; those would be her life till the the day she died. 

The Abandoned (Part 3)

Rose Catterly

“I think I got it!”

Dr. Rose Catterly had called her follow survivors, Captain Janet Pinkerton and Lisa Williams, to the city library because she had found the answer to some questions they had. 3 days after they had their debriefing from Kettle, the trio of survivors of The Pagoda had went into the city and got the culture shock of their lives.

Williams had seen women were pulling men on carts like animals; at a construction site, Pinkerton saw women who did all the manual labor while men sat under the shade supervising them by shouting out what sounded like insults; and Catterly herself saw an adult woman who knelt and bowed her head in submission to a little boy no more than 6 years old. On the planet of Eridani, men were the rulers while women were slaves and the 3 of them had been wondering what to do about the situation.

A scientist to her core, Catterly knew that the first thing they needed was information and had found the local library of the city. For the past week, she had found several pieces of information about the planet, Eridani, but nothing that explained why society had turned out the way it did.

Nothing till today!

“What you found?” As the captain, Janet Pinkerton had seniority over the 3 survivors and had been the most anxious to know more about the planet.

“I found this.” Catterly showed her follow survivors a small blue crystal.

“What’s that?” Williams asked.

“It’s what called an “energy crystal”.” 

“I think I read about it. “ Pinkerton said. “Wasn’t it the main source of energy storage before it got replaced by newer technologies like lasertech?”

“Yes,” Catterly was impressed the captain knew about ancient technology. “For about 100 years, it was the main source of energy storage but about 400-500 years ago, it got replaced. It seen that Eridani was a mining planet for these crystals.”

The captain and Williams looked at each other. Captain Pinkerton was the one who spoke. “It’s an energy crystal but that doesn’t prove this was a mining planet?”

“It’s what we called an energy crystal,” Catterly corrected. “However, the local uses it for more than that. They found a way to store information data on it."
"How they managed that?" The captain asked.
"My best guess is that as they were cut off from the UPF, they were unable to follow the latest technological advances." Catterly said. "They had to make do with what they have and advance their tech along those lines. Follow me and I’ll play it for you.”

Catterly led the duo to a room in the library where a table sat in the middle of it. Most tables on the planet were made out of stone but this one was made of metal. There was a device on the table and Catterly carefully placed the crystal in this. The blue crystal lit up and an image appeared about the table. 5 men were sitting around the table waiting for something and after a short while, the image began to move and sound came from the device. The 3 survivors stood silently and watched the images unfold.

The oldest man in the room cleared his throat and began speaking. “Attention! This meeting will now commence. John Petroff will be presiding; in attendance are Oda Katsuragi, Rick Perterson, and Kamal Colvin.”

The men looked at the old man who was obviously called Oda as he had turned and nodded to each man when he spoke their names. He now turned and looked at the man called John Petroff again. Oda nodded his head to Petroff, indicating that he should take over. Seeing all eyes on him, Petroff stood up and did so. He started speaking;

“The Makgeni Corporation is the last galactic corporation still with a presence on this planet. Last month, Diana Sheffler was informed that Makgeni will be abandoning their colony on 82 Eridani to “concentrate” on its more profitable colonies in the Compress system. The Makgeni Corporation will be leaving within the month and the majority of the colonists will be leaving with them. Thus far, we have 4,221 people who have indicated that they plan to stay on the planet. This meeting is called so that we can have a working plan of the colony when the Makgeni Corporation leaves.”

Oda addressed the other 3 men at the table. “The 3 of us are the oldest of the group who intend to stay. Leadership of the group will fall to us when the time comes. So I think it is important we are all on the same page for the colony.”

“Then why is he here?” Rick Perterson pointed at Petroff. “You’re staying?”

“Yes, I am”

John’s answer surprised the men.

“Why are…nevermind.” Rick quickly corrected himself. “I guess you have your own reasons for staying. So what’s this plan you have?”

Petroff looked at Oda who nodded for him to continue. “Right now, this is what we have so far. When Makgeni leaves, food and water will not be a problem as we will have the 3 greenhouse to grow our food and the water plant will be working. The main problem we will have is whether we can have long-term success without the backing of a corporation behind us. Basically, we need to find a way to be self-sufficient.”   

“Nothing we don’t already know.” It was Rick again with the comment. “So what’s the plan?”

“Food and water are issues that can take care of themselves. The planet also has fauna in abundance that are edible for us humans though we might need to increase production of the greenhouse for those of us who just came to 82 Eridani recently. People like Oda who were born on 82 Eridani had long been used to the alien food provided by the planet and used them to supplement the food provided by the greenhouse but newcomers to the planet like myself are only comfortable eating the Earth plants and vegetables provided by the greenhouse.”

The men nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Petroff continued. “The problem we will have is the economy. There are a lot of things we can’t produce on 82 Eridani. The planet just does not have enough metal ore for us to mine to maintain the technology level we have. The transport of metallic materials to our remote planet is one of the reasons why it was so hard to maintain a healthy profit margin for the company and for that, we will need to continue with the mine.”

“Will that be enough to maintain the colony?” Rick asked. “I know we still have the spaceport but it’s going to take a lot of materials to maintain the colony.”

“That’s the big question.” Petroff admitted. “Makgeni couldn’t solve the problem but we can’t go around the problem either. We need to buy materials so we need the mine.”

“Why not cut out level of technology then?” The question was Kamal’s first input in the meeting and what he said caused everyone to look at him in surprise. “Like you said, the planet does not have enough metal ore for us to maintain our level of technology. So why not cut the level of technology we have?”

“You need to explain yourself, Mr. Colvin.” Petroff said.

“We need to maintain technology for the spaceport and medical facility. Essential things like that but for non-essential things like short distance transportation, we can cut them out. This will save materials and resources.”

“Short distance transportation is non-essential?” Oda asked. 

“Like cars for example. We need to maintain the spaceport and things like planes for long distance travel but things like cars are not really needed here. We can use bicycles which are smaller and use less material than cars to operate and maintain.”

Petroff nodded his head. “True. That might be something to look into.”

“Okay, that will be in the future. What else?” Rick asked Petroff.

“One essential provision I suggest we make is to makes it illegal to employ a woman in positions that endangers her physical, moral or mental health. This means we need to take all the women out of the mines and in any jobs that would be dangerous.”

“Why?” Both Kamal and Rick asked together. 

“For the long-term health of the colony! With only 4,000 people left, the only way the colony can continue is if we replace the people who would leave with the shuttles. Basically, we need to have more babies if we are to be a viable long-term colony.”

“That’s never been a problem before.” Kamal said.

“It will be now. At least for the next few years, we need to depend on ourselves.” Petroff explained. “Before we had colonists coming for work and this boosted the population of the colony. However with Makgeni’s withdrawn, we will no longer see new colonists. At the same time, the danger of childbirth will increase as most of the medical staff and medical equipment are leaving. Frankly, we can’t take any chances.”

“Petroff, I’m not comfortable telling the women they will be nothing but breeding animals.” Rick said. “I’m sure most of the remaining people will say the same thing.”

“We will need to explain the situation to them.” Oda was the one who chirped in. “The provision is needed if we are to survive. I think most of them will understand if we tell them the truth of our situation here. All of us already understand sacrifices will be needed by everyone.”

Kamal and Rick kept quiet for a few moments before Kamal gave a nod to Oda. A few seconds later, Rick grudgingly did the same.

“Is that all?” Rick asked.

“For now,” Petroff said. “I have a few ideas down the line but if we don’t survive the next few years, it would mean nothing.”

The images ended and the 3 survivors stood in shock, even Catterly who had seen the program before. All 3 of them heard the stories and this was proof there were some truth in them. In the past, galactic corporations like this Makgeni were a power onto themselves on planets they controlled. They controlled everything on the planet where they had the rights to and were supposed to report everything unusually to the UPF. However, it would be a small matter for them to “forget” to report that a small number of colonists on a remote planet far from the civilized planets of the UPF had decided to remain.

“My god,” Williams said. “Kettle was right; they were abandoned.”

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.