MING LAN

Chapter Three: The City House

We leave immediately. Ming Lan sits in the front seat. Not talking. She leans back with her eyes closed most of the time. She suddenly turns to her grandma who is sitting behind her and asks. ”Did my father ever come for me? He knows the house, right, grandma?” She still sounds unhappy.

“He never came.” Answers her grandma short. I do not know what to say after hearing that. My father never cares for Ming Lan! And..she is angry about that. I drove on and she closed her eyes again. A very unhappy face beside me. Maybe angry with her father for not bothering to find her mother before it was too late. All I can see is her angry mood.

I still remember the turning, and silently make a turn in the lane to grandma’s house. She gets down the car to open the gate and the front door of the house for my car to enter. I drive in and park the car right in front of the front door. I unload our bags. She walks out to close the gate.

“Make yourself at home Keong.” Says her grandma to me.

“Thank you Auntie...grandma.” I take all the bags into the house. Ming Lan goes out again with her chainsaw, ignoring me. I watch her leaving the house. She is still not in a good mood. Soon I hear the sound of that chainsaw. I am not following her out. I know what she is doing. I want to listen more to Grandma’s story.

We sit and talk in the kitchen as she cooks rice and heats up the dishes I bought in the city, getting our dinner ready.

Ming Lan comes in. She goes out again in her boots and gloves. Later she comes in again, keeping everything and goes upstairs. She comes down looking neat in different clothes. She helps her grandma to lay the table, in her serious face. It is almost dark outside.

We eat in silence. “Excuse me. I have to prepare for tomorrow’s lesson.” Ming Lan walks to the door after washing her plate. Her grandma just looked at her, thinking. ‘This girl is not her usual self, unhappy’.

“I thought you took two days leave.” Her grandma asks.

“Yes. Two days were over. I’m going to school tomorrow.” She answers her grandma and leaves us at the table.

‘The more I think of my father the more I am angry. What a useless man. Selfish. He had two wives, but didn’t know how to look after them. He didn’t even bother to get my mother back right away. Selfish man. I wish he wasn't my father. So useless. Let my mother suffer’. Ming Lan reminisces over her parents and her life with grandma. Feeling down.

Grandma and I clean the backyard after having our breakfast. It is a back breaking job for me, moving all the cut branches aside. I push the bigger block rolling with my foot, it is heavy to carry. Then gathering and drying them nearer to the shed Ming Lan built that day. I help grandma gather the leaves into one pile. I never do all this kind of work before.

Grandma burnt them. I pick up every single leaf, not missing a single one. The leaves and small branches have dried and burnt easily. The sun is rising and getting hot, shining on us. I notice the shed is wide enough for my car but I have to ask the girl first.

I followed grandma back into the house. Sitting at the kitchen listening to her story as she starts cooking lunch. Telling me about the house and the fruit trees. Once in a while I ask her questions to satisfy my curiousity.

Ming Lan comes back from school on her red motorbike. She carries in her bag and a bag of groceries to the kitchen counter. She hugs her grandma, smiles at me and leaves the kitchen. She comes down in her home clothes after a bath in her long pants and T-shirt. She seems to be in a better mood than yesterday. I feel glad for her.

“You have anything to buy? I’m going to town after this. I’m buying cement. I have to finish that flooring for my hut.” Ming Lan talks to her grandma but not to me.

“Let’s all go. I’ll drive you out. Can buy more things.” I offer to help. She nods and continues eating.

“Park your car here. We’ll walk from one shop to another. I have a lot in mind.” She told me as she helps her grandma to get out of the car.

“Why don’t we go to the supermarket? More choices. Cooler.” I suggest.

“Some of the things are not available there, especially Grandma’s stuff.”

She picks the items quickly, a basketful. Her grandma browses around on the displayed shelves. I pay for the goods and move on to the next shop walking after her.

I help to carry the heavy things to my car boot. Then follows her again. Our last place is an old chinese grocery. Selling lots of local and products from China. She gets the pickles and preserved food there, a basketful. Plus two bags of local rice. In the next shop she gets her bag of cement. The shopkeeper helps to clean the bag before putting it in my car boot.

“Now, fish and chicken. To wet market.” I drove her there and waited inside my car with grandma. It is not crowded. I have never entered a wet market before and never liked the situation there. Smelly and messy too. Soon Ming Lan comes out with two small bags of cut up pieces of fish and chicken.

“Home. I’m tired.” She said, leaning to the backseat, breathing in deeply. Her grandma is in the backseat with the chicken and fish next to her feet.

I unload the grocery bags to the kitchen door. Ming Lan takes it all in, faster than my unloading.

Ming Lan sits by the kitchen sink, cleaning the fish and chicken pieces. I sit watching her at the dining table. Later she keeps them in small containers, storing them in the freezer. After washing and keeping the vegetables in the refrigerator, she soaps her hands, washes them clean and sits down drinking a glass of water, after offering me a glass. She looks weary. She is a fast worker indeed.

She turns to the rows of bags lining on the floor. All are dried and canned food. Sitting herself on a roller stool she sorts out the items into their sections. It looks like a self made roller seat she is sitting on. “Six weeks of food supply.” She turns and sees me. “Thank you for your help today.”

I just smile looking at her.

Ming Lan gathers all the empty bags on the dining table. Taking out the receipts and records in her long half foolscap paper size. Putting it back in one of the top cabinet drawers.

“I’m taking you upstairs now. You can rest in your room.” She told me. I follow her upstairs.

“Here’s drinking water. Snacks.” She pointed to the spot, two armchairs on both sides of a small rectangular shelf turned to a table by the window as she walked to her room. A few books and magazines are on the shelf. She smiles, “Your room.” leaving my room door open for me. I thanked her.

Ming Lan nods to Keong and gets in her room. She feels happy that she has a brother after all these years. He is handsome too. She likes looking at his handsome face. Especially his stern looking mouth. It is a perfect lips for men, to Ming Lan. Taking her shower and resting on her bed, feeling sleepy. Feeling energy and emotionally drained. She seldom sleeps during the day but she dozed off.

I woke up with the alarm from my phone. It is my tea time. I go down to the kitchen and boil some water. Make myself a cup of beverage and search for some biscuits I saw Ming Lan buying earlier. It is in the larder. A whole selection of biscuits. I take out a packet, open it and leave the rest on the table. It is nice.

I seldom eat snacks at home. I eat what the cook serves on the table. Ming Lan is not having a good diet, with so much dried food in the storage I saw earlier. I must talk to her.

I walk out of the house, seeing the whole compound. Big, clean and neat with not many trees on the ground. Then I saw Ming Lan under the roof, scraping the earth with a hoe. I walk to her, “What are you making?”

“Flatten this part of the ground. Put wires and cover with wet cement. After two days it is hard enough to step on. It’s going to be my barbeque shed. You’re welcome here when it is ready. That’s the grill and that’s the stove. Traditional way.” She points to the spots and goes on telling me about her plan.

“Do you play guitar?” She asks me suddenly.

I nod. “Out of practice. Campus time I used to serenade my friends.”

She stops working and turns, smiling. “I’ll get it for you.” She rushed into the house and came out with a beautiful guitar.

“This is a good guitar. Old body.” I test the guitar. It sounds good

“Yeah. A friend of mine gave it to me before he went overseas. He taught me. I can play but I left it in the cupboard after I went for the Education Course. Troublesome to carry it up and down travelling by bus. Haven’t touched it since then. I am totally out of practice. You try it.”

I sit on a trunk I pull in earlier, testing the strings. I tuned the strings a little and strum the simplest song I can remember at the moment. Ming Lan sits in front on my right, watching my fingers on the strings till the end.

“Now you try it.” I handed her the guitar.

“You’re good. I’m not sure if I know how to move my fingers in time.” She says as she tried strumming my first song. She made it, with mistakes here and there. She repeats it, singing the song as she strums with a cheerful face.

“Have you ever swam in a river?” She asks suddenly as she ends her singing. It seems Ming Lan is back. The girl I knew is back. No more angry looks on her face. I feel happy inside.

“River?” I shake my head.

“I’ll take you there. Come.” She hurried inside with her guitar and called out to her grandma “Amma, I’m going to swim in the river with Ah Keong.” She takes the pack of biscuits and packet drinks, and a bottle of drinking water. “I’ll get the towels. Did you bring any T-shirts?”

“I don’t need one. You need it. Don’t forget your shorts.” I remind her.

Off we go on her motorbike with helmets on. I have not ridden a motorbike since campus time, so I am at the pillion seat.

“Sit still. You're heavier than I, a little wobbly here.” She reminds me.

“Let me try.” I said as she slowed down.

She stops the bike, free the gear and gets off, letting me ride by myself around the yard. Amma is watching us from the window.

I begin to get the riding skill back “Ok. I got the ride back. Hop on.” I called her. She gets on the pillion seat. Calling to her grandma. “Bye Amma.” She sounds happy. She should be happy. I want her to be happy.

I ride out to the mainroad junction and take a right turn until a small road ends at a walking path, following her orders. I have to slow down riding the motorbike to a small river, following her words.

The river is clear and slow moving. It must have come from a waterfall with such clear moving water. I can see fish swimming as I ride along the river bank.

“Don’t you fish here?” I ask.

“Dare not come alone. Too isolated. My pupils brought me with her family one day. My second time here today.”.... “Ok! Stop here….”

I apply the brake slowly and free the gear, put both my long legs on the ground and turn off the engine. I look around the place. It is quiet. There is not a single house in sight. A very isolated place. Only the part close to the river is clear land with a few left behind rubbish. The rest are shrubs and weeds growing almost covering the rest of the ground.

I see taller trees grow in the distance. No wonder Ming Lan said dare not come alone. It is an isolated place. I hope there are no snakes around this area. I am afraid of snakes the most.

Ming Lan is already laying a mat on the ground. She is taking the bag of food, placing onto the centre of the mat, facing the river.

I watch her doing all that. It all happened quickly. I get off the motorbike, facing the river and take off my pants and T-shirt. Leaving them on her motorbike. In my brief, I get in the water slowly before I swim in when it is my waist level.

Ming Lan is sitting on the small mat with the food on her right watching me swimming. Motorbike is parked on her left. My T-shirt and pants remain on the bike. I continue swimming. Saw her pull off her pants, putting it on the mat, showing her fair legs in her shorts. She sits on the mat again watching me swim.

‘Akeong is handsome. I wonder if he has a girlfriend. Tall. Well built…’ “Ehmm”. Ming Lan clears her throat looking at Akeong, getting up off the mat. Her hands at her waist looking at the figure swimming to and fro.

“Come in, Ming Lan. Swim.” I called. She grins and joins me. We swam to and fro feeling the cool water. Her strokes are not strong enough. After half an hour she gets up to the river bank. I follow her, sitting on the mat in my brief.

She hands me the big pack of biscuits and the packet drinks. I choose my own. We are sitting side by side with our wet feet on the grass, the bags of food in between us, munching. Her wet long hair is dripping, looking cute like a schoolgirl. The sun has cooled down with clouds in the west.

“Where is your university?” Ming Lan asks me suddenly.

“U M.”

“What year?”

“Mmm, seven years ago. You?”

“Teachers’ College U. Four years later than you. You’re twenty eight?”

I nod. “Why choose teaching?” I ask her.

“Not my first choice. (munching..) My grandma has no money for my studies.” She pushes her drop hair to her sides. I can see her medium-sized ears, beautiful shape.

“I got my monthly allowance for five years doing the course. I put some aside and gave it to grandma when I came back for holiday. She never goes to a bank. I don’t regret it anyway. I enjoy teaching children. If secondary school might be a different story. I’m fine with my life now.” She pauses and opens another pack of biscuits to share with me.

“I wish I didn't have to move to the city after the test result like Appa said. I like it here. So peaceful. Sometimes grandma sells the fruits. She is happy. I want her to always be happy.” She explained it to me.

“About that. Why did you cut the trees now? Not before.” I ask.

“Remember the broken branch? It tears the tree. Ugly. Then I thought I should prevent that from happening. I’m cutting some more after you leave.”

I turned to her. “The new branches will still grow upwards, getting tall too.”

“I have thought of that. I can pull it down when it is still young, hanging bricks onto it. Making it bend down. Easier to pluck the fruits later. I should have thought about it much earlier but I was too young. I don’t know so many things.” She continues.

“I want more fruit trees for grandma. I’ll tell grandma to get some orange plants from her friends, pomegranate, and soursop to fill up the empty space. She knows these people are selling. The trees are not big and have fruits all year round. Grandma will be happy plucking the fruits. Getting some money for herself.”

“You like all that work?” I get another packet of biscuits and open it, munching.

“Yeah. I feel relaxed, happy to see them growing and bearing fruits. I didn't know how to keep the trees nice before. Now I know how to handle that chainsaw, easier work. The manual saw is slow and tiring.” She pauses to drink and eat.

“My friend at school suggested it to me. He bought it for me, brought it to grandma’s house for me. Surprisingly it is not expensive and easy to use. I have to charge it before using it. Battery operated.” She goes on telling me about what she loves doing.

“Aren’t you tired? Working all the time, after coming home?” I ask her, wanting to understand her better.

She laughs. Shaking her head. “I told you. I love it here. I love doing all those things. I can’t imagine myself living in the building one whole day. Sitting in an office or in a house. Day in, day out. I like to be free out here. This life.”

“How about friends?”

“Friends at school only. My childhood friends are all far away. Working. Married. Got children. We still write to each other. The old way.” She turns to look at me, grinning.

“Your friends are married. When are you getting married?”

“Hey! Don’t be my second grandma. I’m not getting married. I don’t want my children to suffer like me. Growing up all alone. Not knowing who my parents are, where they are, other than bearing their names. I only see their pictures. We don’t know what's going to happen tomorrow. I don’t want to plan. I live day by day. Stress free. Do what I like everyday.”

Sensing she is not happy I quickly change topic. “How come you are ‘Tan’.” Thinking that I am Ong, bearing my father’s surname when she is not.

“Ask my grandma about that. I don’t know. I never thought of my name. It’s just a name.”

“Still want to swim?” I changed the topic. I do not want to see her turn moody again. Getting up and taking a last suck at the straw, dropping the empty pack on the ground. I got into the river and flung myself in, swimming, knowing the river’s depth now I swim freely. I called her in.

She shakes her head. Pulling her T-shirt. “Dry already.”

I see her folding her long pants into the plastic bag, and her towel too. Leaving mine on the motorbike. Then she faces the sunset sitting on the mat.

I let her sit longer with her back to me now. I stand behind her, getting water off my hair with my hands. Both of us are watching the sunset behind the trees. Later, turning my back to her, I dry myself with a towel in the basket, then take off my wet briefs and quickly get into my pants and T-shirt. Back to standing behind her watching the beautiful sunset. Something I never paid attention to.

“It is a beautiful sunset today.” I say watching her looking at the colourful sunset sky of the day without moving. The sky is especially beautiful now. Multiple shades of colours, orange, purple and blue. I sit on the motorbike watching as she sits watching the sunset changing colour little by little. It is a beautiful sunset. Insects’ sound here and there once in a while. It is getting late.

“Let’s go. It will be dark soon. Dangerous on the road.” She calls me, packing everything into her motorbike basket. I watch her doing all those.

I start the engine and ride slowly along the river back to the small road leading to the main road. The evening breeze begins blowing.

Sitting behind, she hugs me close, sticking herself to me.”Cold,” she said. I slow down the speed and reach home before dark. Her grandma is at the front door waiting for us.

Ming Lan gets off the bike as I turn off the engine and she runs back to close the gate, the rusty gate. I have to do something about that gate. I don’t want her to accidently cut herself. I push the bike to the shed, lock it and take in the key. My car is still in front of the front door.

I walk upstairs and shower, hang my damp pants, change my clothes and come down again, sitting in the living room. Watching the seven o’clock news by myself.

“Let’s eat.” Calls grandma from the kitchen seeing Ming Lan comes down with her long silky hair blown a little as she walks. She is a beautiful girl, especially now looking like that, very homely look.

“You have long beautiful hair.” I touch her hair, soft to the touch, as she walks past me. It is above her waist length. I walk behind her to the kitchen.

She ignores my comment. “I took Ako swimming in the river. It was my second time going there. My pupils' parents introduced that place to me last year. It’s very peaceful there. I wonder why nobody went there.”

“Someone died swimming there last year. He had epilepsy. People got scared.” Grandma tells the reason.

“Oh. I forgot about that. Sorry grandma. I won’t go again.” She apologises. Her grandma did not say anything.

I look at both of them, eating. My mind remembers something I read somewhere. ‘Epilepsy…. if the person happened to have the attack in the water, of course he can’t save himself and sink. That person will die of drowning. Not because of evil spirits or ghosts. Why scared?’.

“You go and rest Amma. I’ll handle the dishes.” Ming Lan says to her grandma when she sees her carrying her plate to the sink.

Ming Lan clears the table and I carry the dishes to the sink. I carry the remaining dishes on the table. Then wipe the table clean before I help to rinse the plates. Later I wipe the plates and bowl dry. Ming Lan puts everything back in place then mops dry the splashed water on the floor.

The kitchen windows look out to the back of the house. In the last glimmer of the dim sunset light I notice some broken fence parts. It really needs replacement. The whole fencing needs a new one and the gate too. I’ll think of something and talk to Appa about this place.

Three of us sit in the living room. I tell them about myself. Leaving the too personal parts. One by one the topic is out, talking until bedtime. I realise it is late. I turn to Ming Lan who is leaning on her Amma’s arm.

“You have to work tomorrow. You better go to bed Ming Lan. We can continue talking tomorrow.”

Everyone gets up and goes to their own room. I turn off all the lights except at the stairs and get into my room too. I fell asleep in no time.

It is noon, Ming Lan comes back from her school, has her lunch and begins with her work at the shed. I give her a hand with her shed flooring. She did eighty percent of the work. I do not know how. It is my first time doing such a thing, helping her to plaster the cement onto the cement bench is tough enough for me to handle. She gently smoothed it with a big piece of plank. I stand nearby watching her. She is good, like an expert, skillfully smoothen the surface of wet cement.

The next day she sprinkles some water, to wet the surface and smoothes the bench and the floor patiently with cement powder. Wetting the floor with buckets of water in the late evening again.

“You help me wet the floor every two hours tomorrow, can you? Use the bucket not the hose. Like this.” She turns to me asking for my help and demonstrates.

“Easy work. No problem.” I agree to help her.