“Are you looking for something, Wei? Or, perhaps,
someone
?’ Wong Li asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Wei gave him a sheepish grin, knowing his heated cheeks gave him away. “I confess. You know who I am looking for. Where is she? Don’t tell me our little Daiyu has gone off and gotten herself married? “ He spoke the words carelessly, surprised at how anxious he felt waiting for Wong Li’s answer.
Wong Li gazed at him with a knowing smile. “No, she is not married. Our Daiyu is particular. She has chosen, most emphatically,
not
to marry.”
Wei glanced down to hide the flood of relief surging over him. When he saw Wong Li and Bo smiling at him in amusement, he stuttered, “I…I have a gift for her. I never saw black jade before I went to China. Now I know why you named her that, Sensei. In all of China, I never saw anyone with eyes the color of Daiyu’s.”
Wong Li nodded in agreement. “Ah, yes. Daiyu’s eyes. If anything, Daiyu’s unusual beauty is more intense now that she is a young woman.” Not attempting to hide his pride, he added, “Quite simply, she is lovely.”
Bo rolled his eyes and scoffed. “That is an understatement, Father. Every wealthy man in San Francisco is ravenous for her hand. But she refuses them all.” He grimaced, his eyes flashing with anger. “We had to put her under your father’s protection, Wei. Many of the powerful men who want her are unwilling to accept rejection by a woman.”
Wei turned on his friend, his voice sharp. “That makes me angry, Bo. Why do you let her out of the house? Why don’t you keep her here where she’s safe?”
Wong Li smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Apparently, you have forgotten Daiyu. If you thought she was brash, high spirited, and determined when she was nine years old, Wei, you should not be surprised by what she is like at nineteen years old.”
Wei snorted. “You are correct, Sensei. I remember well how determined, how stubborn she was.” He added with a rueful grin, “Bo and I never had a chance. We were helpless to her demands. Maturing has not softened her? Made her more compliant?”
Wong Li quirked a brow. “Iron does not soften with age, my son. It just becomes more complex.”
Chapter 2
That evening, Wei sat across from his father and accepted the cigar Feng Sun pushed across the desk. Wei basked in the approval he saw in his father’s hooded eyes. Feng Sun was the most powerful Tong leader in California. Strong men quaked in his presence. Few dared look him in the eye. While Wei had never been afraid of his father, he respected him, knowing that the tales of his infamous temper and deadly skill with weapons were not exaggerated. But tonight there was nothing but pride on the older man’s solemn face as he gazed at his son.
“It is time that you came home, Wei. I am well pleased with you. You know it is my intention that you will be the leader of the Ong León. The reports from your teachers in China are replete with your skills as a warrior. I am proud of you, Son, and eager to present you to my followers and to San Francisco’s powerful Chinese leaders. It is auspicious that we will celebrate your homecoming on the Chinese New Year which this year also happens to be Valentine’s Day.”
“It will be a great celebration, Father. I met with Wong Li and Bo today. They agreed to stage the Five Animal Tribute in honor of the occasion.” He smiled, a cocky grin, “It only took me ten minutes to wrestle Bo to the ground to win the role of the dragon. I think even Wong Li was impressed with the expertise I gained in China.”
His father smiled in approval. “You and Bo always were competitive, but being the son of Wong Li gave him an edge. It is good for this old warrior to know that you are now the strongest and most expert of the kung fu fighters.”
Wei forced a diffident tone as though what he was saying was of little import. “I understand that you have given protection to Daiyu, Bo’s sister.”
“Yes. Daiyu was always a pretty child, but she is a startlingly beautiful young woman, no doubt the result of her mixed heritage.” Feng Sun frowned. “Her beauty, added to her obvious distain for the men wooing her, is tantamount to waving a red flag in front of angry bulls.”
Struggling to quell the unexpected sensations roiling in his gut, Wei puffed on his cigar, affecting nonchalance. “Is she… Is Daiyu here, by any chance?”
Feng Sun scowled. “No. Along with your sisters, Daiyu is at your aunt’s home preparing for your homecoming celebration. I do not envy her. Your sisters, and, most especially your cousin, are exceedingly demanding.”
He threw his son a quizzical glance. “Tell me, Wei. Is the gossip I hear from your sisters true? They say that you will use the occasion of your homecoming celebration to announce your betrothal to your cousin, Ting Lyn.’
Wei snorted in surprise. “You jest, Father. I haven’t seen Ting Lyn for a decade. Good God, even as a boy I found her insufferable, her affectations intolerable.”
Feng Sun nodded in mute agreement, then added, “Well, Son, you may not plan to wed your “challenging” cousin, but you must know that Ting Lyn and her mother—my dead brother’s wife—have been planning your wedding since you were children.”
Wei grimaced, thinking about the simpering girl who refused to walk in the sun lest she darken her complexion or soil her dress. He grinned to himself, remembering Daiyu’s dirty face and her triumphant shout when she pinned him to the bare ground with a vicious throw.
Snuffing out his cigar, Wei stood and met his father’s gaze. His lips curled, but his voice was firm, serious. “No, Father, there will be no lover’s announcement on Friday, or ever, concerning Ting Lyn and me. When I marry, it will be for love.”
Bowing low to his father, he turned and strode from the room.
~~~
Daiyu returned from her forced exile to Ting Lyn’s villa, heartsick that Wei and Ting Lyn planned to announce their betrothal at his homecoming celebration. At first, she refused to believe Ting Lyn’s confident boasts. But as Ting Lyn and her overbearing mother packed a dozen gowns for Ting Lyn’s presumed trousseau, Daiyu began to accept Ting Lyn’s smug declaration.
Depressing her further, she learned that Wei and Bo planned to stage the Five Animal Tribute at the celebration. A bitter wave of envy swamped her when she heard the news. As children, she and Wei and Bo often staged the kung fu spectacle, trading parts, always arguing who would be the dragon. No matter how many temper tantrums she threw, her diminutive size most often relegated her to the role of the snake.
As she helped her father pack the costumes and props for the kung fu tribute, Bo charged in, his face pale, his voice shaking. “Father. We are in trouble. Shingbo is ill”
Wong Li drew back, startled. “Surely not so ill that he cannot perform the spectacle?”
“Father, he is vomiting. He has severe dysentery. Damn. No one else in our troupe can be the snake. Only Shingbo is small enough to qualify.” Bo groaned. “Father, do you know how angry, how disappointed Wei will be? The interplay between the snake and the dragon is the triumphant highpoint of the dragon’s role.”
Wong Li ran his hands through his hair in a rare show of frustration. As he and Bo discussed alternatives, Daiyu stepped forward. Her voice was firm, assertive.” I will play the snake. I know the role. No one knows it as well as I do.”
Bo stared at her, aghast. “What are you saying, Daiyu? Are you crazy?” When she lifted her chin underscoring her determination, Bo’s face flushed an angry red. “No, Daiyu. You cannot, you will not do this. Everyone will know. Most important, Wei will know. He’ll be furious.”
Daiyu took a deep breath and glared at her brother. “He won’t know. And think
how furious he will be if we cancel the performance. No, Bo, I am the right person to play the snake. You know that. The costume will fit me. I am almost Shingbo’s size.”
When both her father and brother stared pointedly at her full breasts, Daiyu tossed her head, pressing her hands against the lush mounds. “I will bind them. Tight, flat. No one will know.”
Seeing his father’s thoughtful frown, Bo swung on his sister. “You are putting our father’s livelihood at risk, Daiyu. If anyone discovers he taught you kung fu, he will be ostracized, banished. You know this, Daiyu. You are being selfish.”
To Daiyu’s surprise, her father disagreed. “No, Deiyu, you are correct. You are the only person who can play this role, the only person who
should
perform this role.” Ignoring Bo’s outraged stutter, Wong Li continued, “You have practiced for this moment all of your life.” When she demurred, he held both of her hands in his. “No, daughter. Go out there. Fight like the warrior you are, the warrior you have spent your life training to be.”
Chapter 3
A flash of riotous color split the sky, chased by the formidable rumble of fireworks. The raucous crowd shouted its approval, then quieted expectantly when a cymbal crash heralded the beginning of the Five Animal spectacle. One by one, the fierce fighters took the stage. The familiar tableau riveted the audience. “Oohs” and “ahs” acknowledged the dramatic strikes, the pulled punches, and the fighters’ fearsome aerial leaps. As the lion and dragon fought their timeless battle, the audience shouted encouragement and groaned in mock relief when the dragon overcame his ferocious rival.
The lion slunk to the side to tend to his wounds as the eerie wail of a bamboo flute beckoned the audience’s collective gaze to the floor. Slithering over the edge of the stage was the disingenuously languorous snake. The other animals drew back in an uneasy circle. As the serpent climbed and twisted upright, its rainbow colored scales gleamed in the firelight. All but the dragon fled the stage.
Wei stepped back frowning. From its initial slithering entrance, something was different about the snake. Wei sensed it and then he saw it. The sensuous, tantalizing moves caught him off guard. Shingbo was a trained fighter, but he did not have this innate, bewitching grace. Wei looked to Bo, hovering at the side of the stage. Bo met his gaze and shrugged. Wei forced his attention back to the snake, enticed by the evocative moves of the writhing reptile circling his feet. Stunned by a fragrance he knew but couldn’t place, Wei forced himself to focus on the demands of the dance. Sliding his large hands over the snake’s slender undulating body, he was shocked to feel soft curves, not Shingbo’s hard wiry body. Bending, coiling the sleek serpent through the strenuous movements, he rasped in its ear, “Who are you?”
To his shock a familiar voice hissed, “Focus, silly boy. You are messing up the dance.”
Overcome by certain knowledge, Wei’s heart raced with excitement. “You?” he whispered.
The snake’s seductive wiggle negated the need for words. Years of practice and more years of unspoken longing intensified their combined movements in a breathtaking display of sensuous artistry. As the flute’s wail reached shuddering heights, Wei responded with a mighty surge of his strong body. Raising the snake high above his head, Wei twirled round and round, a spectacular whirling column. When he came to a halt, the snake slithered and slid down the length of his body. It lay entwined around his legs, while the flute fluttered to a throbbing conclusion. The audience roared to its feet, wildly cheering the extraordinary performance.
Daiyu jumped up, intending to slip away, but Wei gripped her arm and whispered, “Oh no, you don’t.”
Before she could free herself, Feng Sun marched to the stage, his face glowing with pleasure.
Quieting the crowd, he bellowed, “Extraordinary! Simply extraordinary!” The crowd yelled its agreement. Feng Sun continued, “I invite you all to join me at my table. But first, my ferocious fighters, you must reveal yourselves.”
One by one, the fighters removed their masks. The applause rose to a deafening level when Wei took off his mask and bowed to the audience. Approaching the snake, Feng Sun grinned at Wei. “I didn’t think anyone could upstage my accomplished son, but I believe the snake has done just that.” The audience roared its agreement as Feng Sun bowed and said, “Shingbo, I believe?”
Daiyu took a deep breath to still her shaking fingers, then slowly removed her hooded mask freeing a cascade of silky black hair down the middle of her back. Raising her dark green eyes to meet Feng Sun’s shocked gaze, she replied, “No, sir. It is me, Daiyu.”
A stunned silence greeted her quiet words. Feng Sun stared at her then said in a choked voice, “So, it is.” Turning to the gaping crowd he gave an imperial wave, “Please, be seated.” Only the scrape of chairs shattered the pregnant silence.
Daiyu saw the harsh glare Feng Sun shot her father. She was frantic to leave, horrified at the shame she had brought her father. She tried to shake off Wei’s hand, but he tightened his grip on her elbow. He ushered her to the table and pulled out her chair. His voice was soft, commanding, “You heard my father, Daiyu. Please be seated. Now!” He added with a grin, “And while I may be “silly”, I am
not
a boy. I am a man. A man who has requested that you be seated. “
Daiyu lifted her chin and threw him a defiant glare, then sunk down in her chair beside him.
Feng Sun turned back to face Daiyu’s father. His censure was sheathed in anger.
“Sensei, you and I will discuss this matter. You know women are not permitted to practice kung fu. It is against the code.”
Wei leapt to his feet, his body shaking with suppressed anger. “No, Father. You are wrong. In China, many women are kung fu masters. They are honored throughout the country as heroes.”
Glaring at his son, Feng Sun’s words were cold, clipped. “This is not China, Wei. This is San Francisco and you are in the home of the leader of the Ong León. The Ong León does not permit women to practice kung fu.”
Turning to the audience that was staring in rapt silence at the unfolding drama, he said, “Please. Be seated. All of you.”
At that moment, Ting Lyn, her face twisted with rage, rose from her seat at Feng Sun’s table and pointed at Daiyu. “No! Uncle, no! You mustn’t permit this. You may not allow
her
to sit at this table. You…you know who she is,
what
she is.”
Daiyu’s stomach clutched at the fury in Ting Lyn’s eyes, the angry drops of spittle spewing from her mouth. Daiyu gripped the table edge, her fingers white with strain. She knew what was coming and couldn’t bear the hurt it would cause her father. She willed Ting Lyn to stop. But the infuriated young woman was unstoppable.