The Oil Vender and the Courtesan
Tales from the Ming Dynasty
by Feng Menglong
and Translated by Ted Wang and Chen Chen
Welcome Rain Publishers, New York
The story revolves around the character is Miss Lovely, who works for Ninth Mother Wang, the madam. Reluctant to be a prostitute because she comes from a good family, this is the talk that she is given by the madam... on page 11. The italic is mine.
"I was born in a good family," said Miss Lovely," and it only my mischance that I have landed in this house of prostitution. Nothing would make me happier than your helping me find a husband and becoming a decent woman. I would die rather than have to stand at the doorway to welcome and send off patrons with a simpering smile on my lips."
Fourth Mother Liu replied, "becoming a decent woman, or "going straight" as we call it, is indeed the right thing to do. That, I do not gainsay. However, going straight comes in different ways and takes different forms."
Miss Lovely asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Fourth Mother explained. "Well, there is going straight and felicitous going straight. Or going straight may take place when times are still good, or may be done in desperation. Going straight may be final, but it may also be unfulfilled. Bear with me, my child, as I explain these choices to you.
"What is true going straight? The best match is, of course, between a handsome scholar and a beautiful woman. Such a good thing occurs quite infrequently and is indeed rare. But once two such persons are fortunate enough to meet, it is love at first sight, with the man wiling to take the woman, and the woman willing to give herself. With them, it is like the mating of moths that cling together until they die. This is true going straight.
"So what is false going straight? A patron may fall in love with a girl but she does not love him. She has no real wish to marry him but uses the word "marriage" to titillate his passions and have him splurge his money on her. Should a deal be concluded, however, she is likely to seek excuses to go back on it. There are also some single-minded fellows who insist on marrying the girl, even though he knows full well that she has no liking for him. He pays the madam of the house a big sum of money to overcome the girl's objections. She marries him reluctantly, and then purposely flouts the rules of the household in all possible ways, everything from creating scenes and throwing tantrums to openly carrying on with other men. This she does until the family can no longer countenance her, and in a year or even a few months time they drive her out of the house and she goes back to prostitution. Going straight, is in her case, a means to make money, and is false.
"What is bitter going straight? A patron may like a girl who dislikes him but is cowed by his power. The Mother, too, is afraid there will be trouble and agrees to the match. Thereafter, the girl has no more control over her own destiny. She marries with tears in her eyes, and entering the doors of that powerful family is like plunging into a bottomless ocean. The rules of the household are so strict she cannot lift her head. Her position is one of the half-servant and half concubine, up to the day she dies. That is bitter going straight.
"So what is felicitous going straight? That is when a girl who is seeking someone to marry, comes across a man with a mild temper and considerable means. He also has an agreeable first wife who has no children of her own and counts on the girl to give birth to a son after marrying into the family. If the girl does produce an heir, her position will be that of a principal mother. Thus by marrying the man, she can count on a comfortable life today and a good status in future. That is felicitous going straight.
What, then, is going straight when times are still good? When the girl is still enjoying a life of moonlight and flowers, when she is still at the height of popularity, she entrusts me with finding a satisfactory husband, having made up her mind to turn her life about before she falls out of favor. This is going straight when times are still good.
"What is going straight in desperation? That is when the girl has no desire to marry but is compelled to do so because of some lawsuit, or because she is suffering abuse at the hands of rich and powerful clients, or because she owes so much money she will never be able to discharge her debts. So she swallows her pride and marries whoever will take her, simply to find refuge and obtain some peace.
"What i is final going straight? That is when the girl who is approaching middle age but is still going strong, meets an honest patron with whom she shares much in common. Both unfurl their sails, and they spend the rest of their years together. That is called final going straight.
"What on the other hand is unfulfilled going straight? It happens when both the man and the girl apparently desire each other with a fiery passion and she goes to live with him. But their loves turn out to be merely a passing fancy, devoid of permanent objectives, and friction arises. Or it may be that the man's parents will not countenance her, or his wife is consumed by jealousy. At any rate, after a number of set-tos, the family sends the girl back to the brothel and demands a refund of the price paid for her. Or, the family may fall on bad times and can no longer provide for her. Unable to bear poverty, she goes back to her old ways, and like a third class whore, resorts to soliciting patrons at restaurants and tea houses. That is called unfulfilled going straight."
Miss lovely asked, "I wish to go straight properly, so how should I do that?"
"What is going straight in desperation? That is when the girl has no desire to marry but is compelled to do so because of some lawsuit, or because she is suffering abuse at the hands of rich and powerful clients, or because she owes so much money she will never be able to discharge her debts. So she swallows her pride and marries whoever will take her, simply to find refuge and obtain some peace.
"What i is final going straight? That is when the girl who is approaching middle age but is still going strong, meets an honest patron with whom she shares much in common. Both unfurl their sails, and they spend the rest of their years together. That is called final going straight.
"What on the other hand is unfulfilled going straight? It happens when both the man and the girl apparently desire each other with a fiery passion and she goes to live with him. But their loves turn out to be merely a passing fancy, devoid of permanent objectives, and friction arises. Or it may be that the man's parents will not countenance her, or his wife is consumed by jealousy. At any rate, after a number of set-tos, the family sends the girl back to the brothel and demands a refund of the price paid for her. Or, the family may fall on bad times and can no longer provide for her. Unable to bear poverty, she goes back to her old ways, and like a third class whore, resorts to soliciting patrons at restaurants and tea houses. That is called unfulfilled going straight."
Miss lovely asked, "I wish to go straight properly, so how should I do that?"
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