Chapter 2

I asked Dadiao where he had come from.

He said someone had bought him in the south and brought him here. He had escaped when they weren’t looking.

A runaway slave, then.

They must have bought him to give him to men who liked men.

How wonderful it was to be a man. You could have plenty of men and women.

A woman, though, had to remain faithful to one man.

Dadiao was so beautiful. They would surely have subjected him to terrible humiliation.

I kindly told him, “Meeting me was your lucky break. They must have brought you here for those old men and old eunuchs to play with.”

“Don’t worry, though. Stay with me and behave, and I’ll look after you.”

“Thank you, miss.”

I couldn’t keep going out all the time.

Besides, my mother-in-law was always telling me to take a concubine for my husband. Very well. I would.

So I dressed Dadiao up and brought him home in plain sight.

I took him to see my mother-in-law. She was very pleased, although she wasn’t happy that Dadiao was mute.

She also complained, “Why did you find Jinbao such a tall girl? She’s taller than he is! How is he supposed to command respect? Her feet are so big, and her hips aren’t broad enough…”

She picked Dadiao apart before finally letting us leave.

Dadiao couldn’t speak, because he had a man’s voice.

My husband’s eyes lit up at the sight of him.

He wanted to sleep with Dadiao that very night.

But Dadiao certainly couldn’t sleep with my husband.

If those two got together, what was I supposed to do?

So I made up a story about Dadiao being forced to sell himself and unwilling to give himself to my husband.

I said I would try to talk Dadiao around.

My husband believed me.

He even praised me for being considerate.

Before long, my husband sent me a batch of gifts: lovely fabrics, jewelry, things like that.

He sent Dadiao fabrics for clothes and jewelry too.

He hoped to win Dadiao’s heart.

I told the servants Dadiao wasn’t used to his surroundings, so he would share my room for now.

At dinner, the other concubines stood behind us, waiting on us as we ate.

Dadiao was behind me too.

In front of my husband, I took Dadiao’s pale, slender fingers and said tenderly, “Dadiao, sit down and eat with us. I know you come from a respectable family. You were forced to sell yourself to me to pay for your father’s burial. And then I arranged for you to become my husband’s concubine. You’ve suffered so much.”

My husband’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. He hurried to say, “Dadiao, make yourself at home. If you need anything, tell my wife. She’ll look after you.”

Dadiao kept his eyes lowered, aloof and unresponsive.

But when it came to eating, he didn’t hold back. He ate more than half the dishes…

My mother-in-law’s face darkened. “You’d better give my son a child soon, or you’re just wasting good food!” she snapped.

My husband was a farmer’s son who had risen through the imperial examinations. His mother had been an old countrywoman before that, so she took food very seriously.