Ms. Golden Branch (03)

Edited by Adela Karliner(2019-02-20)

      How much had they enjoyed this expensive meal? Here were the dialogues between Mr. Li and his young wife:

      “All my bosom sisters are doing better than I am,” When they came back, Lao Yang had other bank duties to take care of, and was not able to wait for the Lis to finish their banquet, so all four of the Lis  had to stand in the street to hire a taxi. Aunt Tang was dissatisfied, so she complained. “All their husbands are richer than mine.”

      "It’s unbearable! Next time don't give my paintings to boring people, that insult my work!” The old gentleman snorted.

      "You painted them yourself anyway, how much money can paper and paint cost? Who are the boring people? Who are you talking about?” Aunt Tang raged.

      "Those vulgar powdered women!” was the answer.

      "Don’t the bookshelves in your study make the apartment look shabby enough?" the young mother-in-law said.

    Weng and Lily did not want to get involved. The two of them hurriedly rushed into their room and closed the door behind them tightly.

     The next day, before the bright of day, Mr. Li coughed, cleared his throat and  loudly opened apartment window completely, then, the old gentleman clicked on the toaster, boiled water, heated milk and mixed cereal, you could hear the sound of the spoon stirring vigorously in the glass.

     "The best plan for the day is made in the morning because everyone eats breakfast!” the old gentleman shouted happily.

       There were four breakfasts at the table, and only old Mr. Li, the father-in-law, and Weng’s wife Lily, the fourth daughter-in-law sat at the breakfast table.

      "Death Ah-gi, you want to kill me! Yesterday's scorching bath water almost burned me, and today you are using this way to completely finish me, I am telling you, if you kill me, you won’t be the lady in charge here anyway." The very angry voice was from Aunt Tang’s bedroom.

      Mr. Li eyed his daughter-in-law Lily for help, Lily put down her chopsticks, stood up, and slowly walked into the main bed room.

        Aunt Tang, her hair disheveled, sat in front of the dresser. Ah-gi probably knocked over something, and was using a rag to wipe up the water stains on the dresser.

      “Aunt Tang is putting on makeup," murmured Lily; she didn’t know what to say.

     "The Japanese are also Orientals, their skin is similar to Chinese skin, that’s why I prefer to use Japanese-made imports,”  Aunt Tang turned her head and said to Lily.

     "How about American-made face cream and face powder?" Lily asked deliberately.

     "American goods are not suitable for us. You see, this is pearl paste. Only the best pearls are ground into powder, and made into Japanese face cream and face powder. It does the most moisturizing. Western products don’t have the same effect.”  Aunt Tang picked up a very delicate and beautiful porcelain jar and let Lily have a closer look at the Japanese pearl cream.

     "NO, I haven't heard of pearl powder or pearl paste in the United States." Lily thought to herself that next time she would not buy any Pond's cream or Pond's powder!

       Ah-gi saw that Aunt Tang and Lily were talking to each other, thinking that was the best opportunity for her to take off, so she carried the kettle, and disappeared quickly.

       On the third day, China Airlines told them that Weng had difficulty leaving the country.

      "What's going on?" It seemed like a thunderbolt on a sunny day.

      "Because the young fourth master is currently an active reserve soldier, he is not allowed to leave the country."

      "After graduating from university, hasn't he already served two years in the military?"

      After many days of running, negotiating, investigating, sending red envelopes, etc., when Weng set off to return to the United States, it was two weeks behind schedule.

      "This home-visiting is really impossible. I thought I could relive my old childhood dreams! When I returned home, my beloved mother had passed away, and the Japanese-style house with flowers and trees had been turned into a cement-made apartment, and I could hardly leave the country because the military service. I won't go back to Taiwan any more. When I miss my hometown, I will look at the old photos or simply go to my dreams to find it." Weng announced resentfully.

       Soon, Lily and Weng heard that Elder Mr. Li and Aunt Tang had divorced. Right after the divorce, Mr. Li had also retired from his post in the bank. Weng, who was busy working all day, was afraid that his father would be too lonely. So he made an international call to Taiwan to his father, and asked his wife Lily to talk on the other extension.

      "Dad, how are you doing?" The son Weng asked with concern.

      "I am ok, just a bit busy," the old gentleman's voice came over the long distance telephone.

      "Great, what are you doing?"

      Before Mr. Li could answer, Weng heard someone speak loudly on the other side of the line. 

      "Dad, who is talking?" Weng asked in surprise.

      "Chu Liuxiang is speaking," replied the old man.

      "Chu Liuxiang? Who is Chu Liuxiang?" His son asked and was surprised by the answer.

      "The character in a popular TV series," replied his father from Taipei.

      "Oh?"

      "We are about to go out and buy a few new clothes first, and then go to the  old Dengjia beef noodle shop in the alley to celebrate Wencun and Wenting's birthday. But Golden Branch has to know Chu Liuxiang's life and death before going anywhere with the ease of her mind," the old father explained over the phone.

     "Dad, who is Wencun? And who is Wenting?" The son who was making the overseas call was even more confused now.

     "Golden Branch’s twin son and daughter; they were originally called puppy and kitten. I thought those names were too vulgar. So I gave each of them a more civilized new name. Wencun means to preserve the culture, Wenting means lady with culture. They have gone to the police station to register their new names, and those new names will be formally used when they start their elementary school In September.” Mr. Li said happily.

     "Dad, again, who is Golden Branch? Have we met?" Weng still couldn't figure it out, and continued to ask, “And, why do her kids also have ‘Wen’ as their middle name? They are not my cousins, are they?”

    "Yes. You and Lily met her last time when you returned to Taiwan." The old gentleman replied with certainty.

     "Dad, Ah-gi's name was Golden Branch? What's her last name?" Lily, the daughter-in-law who listened at the extension, quickly interposed and asked. In Taiwan, lots of the families named their little girls ‘golden branch’ or ‘silver leaf’ it means that the girl is very precious, especially if the family is not so well to do.

      "Her maiden name is Xu."

     The Li family's father, son, and daughter-in-law were talking happily on the long distance phone call. When, suddenly there was a loud noise came from the overseas telephone line.

      "Dad, what was the noise?" Weng was frightened.

      "Wencun was playing ball in the living room and broke an old lamp." The old man replied.

      "Oh?"

      "Actually, I have long wanted to install some beautiful and practical new lighting in my living room, and have been dragging around. Now that the old table lamp has been broken, I just need to renovate the entire living room,” Mr. Li told his son and his daughter-in-law, but his voice was not unhappy, “Ha, Ha! Old ones don’t go out, new ones don’t come in.”

     "Well, now you can rest assured that your father is not unhappy and by no means lonely." Lily said to her husband Weng with a smile when she hung up the phone.

      Weng refused to return to Taiwan, but repeatedly encouraged his father to come to the United States to visit.

       "Dad, don't you often say that you have traveled thousands of miles and read thousands of books? In the past, the long journey during the World War was running for your life. Now, you can do sightseeing at your leisure, You can visit the U.S. with a tourist visa at any time. The situation is entirely different."

      "Wait a second, I will just wait for Wencun and Wenting to go to middle school. Remember when you were sitting on a straw mat in our old Japanese-style wooden house in Taipei? Once you went to middle school, university or even to the United States I didn’t need to worry about you at all. Somehow, now I have to help out with the homework for the twins every day, but somehow their school report never gets any better. Isn’t it weird?” The old man answered on the phone to his son who was far away in the United States.   

     "Dad, no more waiting, your own grandson is going to elementary school now! We are waiting for you to check on his Chinese!" Weng sent a signal for help.

(To be continued)