Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (15 page)

‘Did the boys also consult the
Yi Fing
before becoming members?’ I could see their faces in the dim light, and felt David’s gaze on me.

‘Yes, of course! Every child is required to consult the
Yi Fing
before taking the oath.’

‘Thank you, Grandma Wu. Can I read the Book now?’

She smiled, but shook her head. ‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘Consulting the
Yi Fing
is a serious matter for which you must prepare yourself properly. First I must light everyone’s candles.’

Grandma Wu and Master Wu arranged vases of fresh flowers around the Future Vision Box on the altar table. Then they lit two sticks of incense. The candles flickered mysteriously in the scented, semi-darkened room. We sat cross-legged on the
floor in a semi-circle, facing the altar table and the scroll with the words
Fu Dao
, Tao of Buddha.

‘Let us close our eyes and meditate for twenty minutes,’ Grandma Wu said. ‘Shut out the outside world and let your thoughts go. Concentrate on breathing in and breathing out. Whisper the words
Yi Fing
with every breath.’

I did as I was told. I kept my mind free, let my thoughts go and concentrated on my breathing. Then I repeated the words
Yi Fing
to myself. After a few minutes I began to feel calm and peaceful. I saw myself hovering in the infinite stillness of space. Suddenly a bright yellow banner appeared before me, displaying two lines of Chinese characters, beautifully scripted in red ink. The words said: ‘You are in China at this moment in history for a reason. You are here to make a difference. The future belongs to you.’

As if in a dream, I heard a voice saying, ‘This is the end of our meditation. It’s time to leave the alcove.’

I opened my eyes and saw Master Wu and the boys gathering up their cushions. Grandma Wu continued, ‘You, CC, will now go and bathe yourself and wash your hair. Afterwards, put on this robe and come back here.’

She opened the lid of the Future Vision Box and took out the red robe I had seen previously. It was
made of silk, with an emblem embroidered on its front and back.

‘The emblem on this Taoist robe is called
Tai-ji Tu
(
), Diagram of the Great Ultimate,’ Grandma Wu said. ‘As you can see, it consists of two fish in a circle. One fish is black with a white dot in it. The other is white with a black dot in it. We Chinese believe that this diagram is a
gua
(
), an emblem of divine guidance and wisdom.

‘The history of philosophy in China began with the
Yi Fing
. The
Yi Fing
states that
yin
and
yang
are the Tao. Therefore
yin
and
yang
are the basis of Chinese thought.

‘The
Yi Fing
says everything in the world is divided into
yin
or
yang
. But
yin
and
yang
do not compete with one another. On the contrary, they complement and transform into each other. Darkness is the same as diminished light. Light is the same as diminished darkness.
Yin
does not exist without
yang
and
yang
does not exist without
yin
. Without night there can be no day. Without black there can be no white.’

She picked up the ancient hat and said, ‘This Confucian Thinking Cap has six sides with the character
jiao
(
) printed on each side. The word
jiao
means “to teach”. It also means “religion” and contains the word
xiao
(
), respect for elders, within it. Education and respect for elders are the
basis of Confucian thought. After you bathe, put on the hat and robe. Tie the robe with this long silk belt, which has also been embroidered with the sign of our society.’

Lastly, she handed me a pair of sandals from the box and said, ‘On the top of each Buddhist sandal is the character
chart
(
), zen, which means “deep meditation”. Every reader should wear something Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist while consulting the
Yi Fing
.’

After taking my bath and washing my hair, I dressed in the special garments. When I returned to the alcove, only Grandma Wu was there.

She spread a fresh, clean mat on the floor for me to sit on, bowed deeply towards the altar and handed me a delicate porcelain teacup filled to the brim with tea.

‘The tricolour glaze on this porcelain cup was fired during the Tang dynasty twelve hundred years ago,’ Grandma Wu said, sitting down next to me. ‘As its name suggests, the glaze consists of three colours: green, amber and yellow. The Dragon Society requires us to perform a traditional ritual known as the tea ceremony before I can show you how to consult the
Yi Fing
. This teacup has no handle and you must hold it with both hands. Shall we begin?’

I nodded.

‘As teacher and pupil, we need to take alternate sips of tea from the same cup until the cup is empty. While drinking, please pay attention to the! cup and its contents. The concept of “mindfulness” is a basic tenet of our Dragon Society. You must be aware of the consequences of your actions at all times. Please take the first sip.’

The tea was delicious: I could taste jasmine, lemon grass, ginger, coriander and mint. I felt very close to Grandma Wu as we shared the tea from the same cup.

‘Do you like the tea?’ she asked me.

‘This is the best tea I’ve ever tasted.’

Soon enough, the cup was almost empty. Then,1 as I tilted the rim to savour the last few drops, I gave a scream of horror. Lying at the bottom of the cup was the distinct brown shape of a dead cockroach. Instantly, the memory of having drunk the rest of the tea became unbearable. Pointing to the insect, I handed the cup over to Grandma Wu with my other hand and cried out, ‘Look at that! How disgusting!’

To my amazement, Grandma Wu received the cup with both hands and lifted it calmly to her lips, apparently still intent on finishing off the last few drops.

‘I feel sick to my stomach!’ I protested in a
voice. ‘How can you drink that? You’re going to be poisoned!’

‘Poisoned? You yourself were saying just now that this was the best tea you’ve ever tasted. Nothing has changed. Why should I be poisoned?’

‘But everything has changed! You didn’t know there was a cockroach in the tea before. Now you know! So how can you go on drinking it?’

‘Before you saw the cockroach, you loved the tea. As soon as you became aware of the insect, you loathed the tea instead. But the tea hasn’t changed. It’s
you
who have changed. It’s your perception of the tea that has changed. Knowledge of the cockroach’s presence has transformed your attitude completely.

‘This tea ceremony was designed to point out to you the difference between “perception”, “awareness” and “attitude”. All of us aim to be happy. But happiness is an attitude that comes from within and is dependent on a person’s perception of what is happening around her. To avoid living in a fool’s paradise, one needs to perceive correctly. True perception can only come from
wu
(
), mindful awareness, which develops gradually through meditation. For you to become enlightened in
Fu Dao
, Way of Buddha, the transformation has to come from within yourself.’

She raised the teacup with both hands, and
drank the rest of the tea as I stared at her. Then she turned the cup upside down and lifted it above her head. Surprisingly, the corpse of the cockroach did not fall out. Only when she gave me the cup to examine did I discover that the insect was made of the same tricoloured porcelain, baked into the china.

Grandma Wu put the cup aside and handed me an expensive-looking notebook bound in black leather.

‘This is a personal diary,’ she said. ‘As you see, it comes with a pen as well as a lock and key. In this book you will write your most intimate thoughts: secrets that you don’t wish to share with anybody else.’

Grandma Wu approached the altar and lifted the
Yi Fing
deferentially out of its box with both hands. Opening its cover she passed the book slowly through the incense smoke three times with a circular motion. I saw that the book’s pages were yellow with age and covered with mysterious symbols.