The Last Concubine

Nainai’s health had deteriorated rapidly in the spring of 1985. Through Vivian’s brother-in-law, she had gotten into Beijing Traditional Medicine Hospital. At age 63, the years of cigarettes, heroin and opium had finally caught up with her. But I suspected that my grandfathre, Yeye’s death was the major blow. The hospital had just been revamped into a full facility hospital and was half-empty when she checked in. But three weeks later, the scene had changed completely. Patients began lining up at the check-in room. Nainai belonged to the category: low-chance-to-recover patient. She had a poor prognosis. To reduce their mortality rate, the hospital had twice asked her to transfer elsewhere, or go home. A few days prior, they had issued their third and final ultimatum. That afternoon, Jiujiu and Jiumu went there trying to resolve the issue.

Nainai was in a private room due to Vivian’s connection. There were tubes attached to her nose, mouth and a vein on her arm. Her darkened face with deep wrinkles looked very serene. Nanai still had a full head of silver hair, that was neatly combed back. Her tall frame was buried beneath the thin sheet.

“Qianyi,” Jiujiu called out.

A long moment had passed before Nainai managed to open her eyes. Her double-fold eyelids that had once captured so many hearts had transformed into a crumpled blanket.

“Oh .. Youren, you’re here,” she whispered.

“Right, Qianyi. We are here to visit you. Qingshu is here too.”

“Qianyi.” Jiumu called out.

Nainai looked over but was blinded by the sunshine streaming through the window. So she turned her face to avoid the light.

“The hospital has called again,” Jiujiu brought up the pressing issue. “We are here to discuss, to see what you would like to do.”

Nainai shook her head lightly. She reached under her pillow and took out her house key, bank saving book and the Omega watch that Lily had given to Yeye.

“Youren, you take them.”

“Why give them to me?” Jiujiu hesitated.

“You take them, I don’t need them anymore,” Nainai insisted.

“OK, I’ll keep them for you.” Then Jiujiu and Jiumu went off to find the doctor.

When they returned after two hours, they found that Xiaoyi, Donald and his mother had also come. Nainai seemed to be sleeping. Xiaoyi asked if she wanted water. Nainai shook her head. They surrounded her bed and took turns to speak to her and remind her that they were all here to visit her. Her eyelids quivered slightly, but never managed to open. Her breathing was heavy as if her throat was clogged.

Jiujiu briefed them as to what the doctor had suggested. Just as they were discussing the doctor at the end of her bed, they heard a soft chuck, “Err.”

Nainai was gone at 4:35 pm, May 29, 1986. An incomparable beauty, the love of Yeye, had died.

Jiujiu cleaned her and put the burial cloth that she and Yeye tailored together. She was cremated. It usually took three days for the family members to return to collect the ashes. Xiaoyi still held a grudge and told Jiujiu not to bother with her anymore, and even suggested to throw her ashes away. Jiujiu was resentful toward Nainai as well, but the sense of obligation took the better of him. He placed Nainai’s ashes in the grave next to Yeye. Her name had since changed color into black on the grave stone. She had joined Yeye again, this time for eternity.

In the summer of 2003, Jiujiu turned 70 . He is the head of the household now. Grandaunt Lucy’s courtyard on Qianbaihu hutong had been demolished for a high-rise office building. So, Jiujiu moved into Canzhen hutong for the first time since his grandmother purchased it and titled to him more than half a century ago. He now lives there with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandson. At his retirement party in 1993, his colleagues and students asked him to describe a regret. They all had in mind the prank in the physics laboratory. They wanted him to recount this story again so that they could all laugh, as before. But instead, Jiujiu confessed wretchedly,

“After what my mother had done for me, and out of all the people, I failed to be at her bedside when she passed away.”

Even in death, it seems, Nainai was able to hold sway over people whose lives she had touched.