Hainan Dao

Book II Chapter 04

HAINAN DAO BOOK II

CHAPTER 04

There used to be a custom among the Chinese people, one that isn’t practised much anymore. When two families have grown close in friendship, so close that only real family could be any closer, it was not unusual for them to wish it could be so. Then, if Heaven should allow for two women, one on either side, to become pregnant at the same time, a special oath would be taken.

The oath would bind them in this way.

If the children turned out to be boys, they would be raised as brothers, no different from brothers who shared the same blood. When they became of age, they would be brought to an altar made to Heaven and Earth, and be made to kneel before it and face each other. Each would bow to the other eight times, and then down a cup of wine for the solemn occasion. They would swear to each other this: though we may not be born on the same day of the same month in the same year, we do swear to at least die on the same day of the same month in the same year.

If the children turned out to be girls, they would be sisters and swear the same thing.

However, should one of them be born a girl and the other a boy, the proceedings would be different. When they became of age, the man and the woman would come before the same altar, and be made to kneel in the same way, but along with all the appropriate pomp and ceremonies, they would then instead be joined, once and forevermore, in most holy and solemn matrimony.

When Grandfather first heard of his daughter-in-law’s pregnancy, he was ecstatic. He couldn’t have been more happy to finally have an heir to the clan. On further reflection though, he realized that there was a slight problem. If the baby was going to be a boy, the family line and all the rest of it would pan out nicely. But what if it was a girl? Who in their right mind would want to marry a girl with a widowed mother, and widowed in such a fashion? It would be insane to test the spirits of ill will, by bringing such a one into the family and asking for trouble. Death and disease would surely follow. No, Grandfather shook his head. Such a granddaughter would only live and live on in my house forever…!

The old man had lifted his eyes then, to the plots in the neighbouring village.

Ah! Old Fung! I hear that his wife is pregnant again.

Early the next morning, Grandfather cleaned himself up, and marched over to his friend’s house in the next village, bearing gifts of coffee and other exotic items from the store. Fung, at the time, had been down on his luck, and was only starting to think about turning his hand from farming, and going to the big city and trying something else. He was sitting on his porch all alone, chewing on a stalk of green onion for breakfast, when he saw a parcel laden visitor come striding up his path.

He beamed. Old Ying had brought wine!

The two men drank and chatted about things for a while, about farming and money and wives and children. In the most subtle of ways, Grandfather directed his friend’s attention to how he was doing poorly in all of these areas. It was not Fung’s fault though. Of course not! It was Heaven’s doing, for bringing such bad luck to his family. Curse Heaven, Grandfather said. Yes, Fung said, curse Heaven. He nodded his head and hiccoughed.

“I’ll tell you what,” Grandfather said. “Seeing how I’m your good neighbour, and how you have always been good to me, I’ll do my best to help you.” He peered down and examined his nails. “I hear that your wife is pregnant again…”

Fung nodded. He drank some more wine.

“But, you know? I was just thinking. If the baby is a boy, all’s fine and well. But what if it’s a girl?”