***** Vol.2 Chap.48 Helping out as a maid *****

Ah-Geor turned to her and said, “Follow me.”

Without another word, he marched out of the hall towards one of the smaller huts nearby. She stumbled behind and followed as fast as possible. Ah-Geor stopped at the door of the small shed. A smudgy woman appeared at the door.

“Ah-Geor, what is it this time?” Obviously, she was in a foul mood.

“Here is the prisoner. She has agreed to stay as doctor and maid. The Boss said to bring her to you.”

“OK. Ah-Geor. We will put her to work. Come, doc.” The woman turned to May-Ling and sized her over.

“Just remember three things. First, there is no escape from this hellhole. Second, the Boss is the boss. Third, don’t cross me.”

“I will not be a bother to you.”

“Good. Make sure you don’t. Come, the men will be back soon and will want their dinner.”

“Er, what do I call you?”

“Call me Ah-Ming. Follow me.”

“Tonight, we are having chicken and beef. Go to the back and grab five plump chickens and pluck out the feathers.”

“How do I kill them?”

“Here is a small paring knife.”

Obediently, she found her way to the back and was amazed at the sizable chicken ranch there. While she knew theoretically what she was supposed to do with the chickens, she rarely had the chance to prepare a live bird. To operate on a patient was one thing, but to slaughter live chickens was quite another.

She gingerly approached the chicken ranch, picked out a plump one, and proceeded to grab the chicken. But the chicken always seemed to run away from her at the last minute. She spent an entire half an hour trying in vain to grab a chicken while all the chickens were clucking loudly, flying around, and making all kinds of noise.

Finally, Ah-Ming showed up.

“What is going on here? Are you done with the chickens yet?”

“They are all running away from me.”

Ah-Ming shook her head and mumbled to herself.

In one swift stroke, she grabbed a chicken with one hand and snapped the head off on the same stroke. In no time at all, she was holding five chickens in her hands and walking back to the shed without saying a word. She followed her into the shed sheepishly and helped her prepare the chickens. Ah-Ming said nothing. Even though she was busy, she knew she was keeping a watchful eye on her and on what she was doing.

While she was plucking the feathers, she had a little time to consider her situation. It was clear that no one except those that are completely trusted by the Boss was allowed to leave the compound. In fact, she wondered even if the women were allowed to leave at all.

She had decided that for the time being, she must gain their trust before she could plan an escape. If she tried right now, surely, she would be shot on sight. After all, she had no idea where to proceed to the village. She resolved to stay here, but only temporarily.

She looked around; the place was filthy. The shed was a makeshift hut and was used primarily as a kitchen. In one corner, there were two big wooden barrels holding fresh water. Next to it was a large wooden table for preparing food. At the back of the hut, there were three holes cut out from the earth. She thought that those must be the wood stoves used for cooking food.

On the wall, there were a few shelves here and there holding different spices and supplies. A couple of makeshift chairs completed the furnishings for the hut. It was Spartan, to say the least, but quite functional. From the arrangements of the furnishings, she surmised that the men rarely come in here nor allowed in the hut, but the women appeared to spend a lot of time here. She had the sensation that she would spend a lot of time here too, at least for now.

While the kitchen was functional, she thought the women never swept the floor. There were fruit peelings and vegetable ends all over the place. There was no running water. Water must be brought in from the waterfall at the far end of the compound. Ah-Ming told her that the guards were supposed to bring them fresh water every other day, but no one enjoyed doing kitchen duties. As a result, water is a precious commodity.

Ah-Ming explained why there were two barrels of water. She said that the first barrel was reserved for clean potable water for drinking only. The second barrel contains recycled water. Water used for washing vegetables or other food materials kept in the second barrel was used repeatedly. If any of the gangsters want to take a sponge bath, they would use water from the recycle barrel. With all her medical training, she realized the folks here did not care or know much about sanitation. Perhaps she could spend some time teaching the women about cleanliness and health.

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“Hurry up with the chickens.”

She looked up and Ah-Ming was staring right at her.

“Yes, Ah-Ming. I will be done in a minute.”

“When you are done plucking the feathers, separate the bone and the meat. Put the bones in that pot for soup. Slice the meat and marinate it in that bowl.”

“OK.”

“And put a hurry on it. The men will be here soon.”

“Yes, Ah-Ming.”

She worked as fast as she could. She was no stranger to hard work. When she was done with one task, Ah-Ming would give her another one. Every time when she was done, she was given a new task immediately.

Finally, dinner was ready. Ah-Ming rang the bell outside the kitchen while she set out the food on the makeshift tables in the main hall. The main hall was where the men usually spent their time while the women hid in the kitchen.

As was the custom, the men would eat first while the women served. After dinner, the men would smoke and drink in the main hall. They would play cards or just lounge around. The women would clean up the hall, retreat to the kitchen, and eat there in a more leisurely fashion.

It was almost dark by the time that the women had finished eating. A few younger women left to mingle with the men. May-Ling did not know what to do. She just hung around Ah-Ming and followed her everywhere. Ah-Ming put some water on the kettle and boiled some water, then without asking, she poured two cups of tea. She motioned May-Ling to sit down near the fire and joined her for a relaxing cup of tea.

“You are a city girl, aren’t you?” Ah-Ming started the conversation.

“I am a doctor.”

“You look like you are an educated woman.”

“I worked in a restaurant washing dishes when I was in high school.”

“Well, here, we women do everything.”

“Do the men ever help?”

“Are you kidding?” Ah-Ming added, “I rather not have them around. They are more a bother than a help. The only thing they do is to carry water from the fall to the kitchen.”

“Where do you all get enough food for everyone?”

“We have a small farm at the back. We raised our own chickens and pigs. The men usually go to the village and get us fresh vegetables once a week.”

“Village? I thought we are miles away from everyone.”

“It is a secret, but I can tell you because you can never leave this place. There is a village at the top of the mountain. A very peaceful bunch of villagers. They have several good size farms there. The men go there once a week to pick up farm products.”

“I see. What is the village called?”

“Grace Village.”

“They just take the produce from the villagers?”

“In return, they bring them other household products that they need.”

“I see.”

“Have you ever been there?”

“No.”

“How do you know it is there?”

“Plenty of stories from the men who had been there. You can ask Ah-Ching. She was born there.”

“Oh?”

“Why are you so interested in the village?”

“Oh nothing, I was just curious because I have never heard of such a village.”

She was back-paddling hard so as not to arouse suspicion.

“Don’t tell me you want to go there?” Ah-Ming was getting suspicious and pressed her.

“No, not really.”

“You are lying. Why else would you come up the mountain all by yourself?”

She was stumped. She could not find a good answer, and she was not sure if she could trust Ah-Ming. So, she took a sip of the tea to buy herself some time and change the topic.

“This is excellent tea. Does the tea also come from the village too?”

“I made the tea.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You must tell me the ingredients and how you make the tea.”

“It is really quite simple…” Ah-Ming broke into a long discourse on how she made the tea. “The secret ingredient is the blue petal of a flower from the mountain village…”

May-Ling appeared to listen carefully and nodded occasionally. All the while, she was trying to make up a story about why she was there. Eventually she gave up realizing that even if she could come up with the best story, it was of no use. She was stuck here in the gangsters’ den for the rest of her life. She would do better to think of a way to escape up the mountain to the village.

“It is getting dark.” Ah-Ming said when they had finished their tea.

“Yes.”

“We have plenty of time to chat later. It is time for bed.”

“Yes, I am getting a little tired myself.”

“Tonight, find yourself a corner here in the kitchen and rest. Tomorrow, I will ask the men to get you a straw mat the next time they go to the city.”

“Thank you.”

Without another word, Ah-Ming disappeared to the back of the kitchen and took out a straw mat and a wooden pillow. She spread it out in one corner of the kitchen; and in no time, she was fast asleep.

May-Ling found a nice flat surface near Ah-Ming and lay down. She was tired, but she dared not sleep too quickly. On one hand, she was glad to be alive, but she was not sure if she wanted to waste the rest of her life here in this den. She tried to imagine herself spending her life here. The mere thought of the rest of her life here sent her shivering. She shuddered violently at the thought. Surely, she would die of exposure or some unspeakable illness.

She must find a way to escape. Perhaps, if she escaped down the mountain and back to the city, she could be a doctor again in the hospital. But finding a way down the overhang is quite a challenge. She heard the night guards chatting outside, and she knew they would patrol the place. Even if she could get down from the overhang, she is not sure she could negotiate the maze and the traps without being found by the men again. She shuddered again at the thought of meeting the Boss a second time. She would most likely be executed on the spot.

The rest of the girls came in. Most of them are half drunk, swinging wildly from side to side.

“Ah-Jar was wild tonight,” one girl said.

“You really got him going. Didn’t you?” Another girl answered.

“I thought he was about to break every table in the hall.” More laughter.

“You should not have teased him about his treatment.”

“Maybe not, but he is so gullible.”

“Yeah. Did you see Ah-Ten? He was so serious when he was arm wrestling with the boss.”

“He almost beat the boss.”

“I thought the boss cheated.”

There was more laughter as the girls took out their straw mats and lay down.

“Time for bed, girls.” Ah-Ming shouted.

“Yes, Ah-Ming.”

“Good night, Ah-Ming.”

May-Ling pretended to be asleep. But she was still considering her predicament. The only viable way is to escape up the mountain and find the village. Perhaps she could seek refuge with the villagers. Somehow, deep inside, her answer to whatever she was seeking was at the village. She decided to befriend this Ah-Ching the next day to find out as much as she could about the village.

For now, at least she was glad she was still alive.

With her goal reaffirmed and her safety temporarily assured, she fell asleep soundly. It had been a long day.