Fragrant Flower by Barbara Cartland Page A
Authors: Barbara Cartland
chair?”
It was very Chinese, Azalea knew, to disparage one’s own possessions, but she thought the P. & O. might have been somewhat displeased at the description of one of their well-padded armchairs.
She seated herself and Mrs. Chang rose from the floor to sit on a low stool.
“My wife tells me that you wish to learn our difficult language,” Mr. Chang said.
There was a note in his voice which made Azalea sure he thought it most improbable that she would ever achieve such an ambition.
“I would like to be able to read, and also to talk with the people of Hong Kong,” Azalea answered. “I am half-Russian, so perhaps it will not be as difficult for me as it would be for someone who was completely European.”
“You will find it a difficult language,” Mr. Chang said. “There are various dialects of Chinese, but Cantonese is most commonly used in Hong Kong.”
“Then I would like to learn Cantonese,” Azalea said.
“The original Chinese characters were simple hieroglyphics like ancient Egyptian ones.”
“They are very beautiful,” Azalea said and she thought, although his expression did not alter, he was pleased by her praise.
“Miss Osmund teach me speak better English,” Mrs. Chang said. “I teach Chinese, if Honourable husband permit.”
“I permit!” Mr. Chang said quietly.
After that, two or three times a day, Azalea slipped down to the Second Class deck and into Mrs. Chang’s cabin.
She discovered her name was Kai Yin and she was the third wife of Mr. Chang. She was very accomplished and could embroider and paint exquisitely on silk.
She could make the Chinese characters flow from her hand as she wrote from right to left on the heavy parchment paper her husband had provided for their lessons.
She was child-like in her enjoyment of the ridiculous, and she would laugh at the mistakes Azalea made until sometimes the tears came into her eyes, she found it so amusing.
In Chinese it was very easy to make mistakes because every monosyllable had several basic different meanings and everything depended on the inflection of the voice.
Azalea found hsing meant awaken, passionless, anger, rise, punish, apricot, figure and to blow the nose with the fingers! Hsing also meant ‘sex.’
Fortunately, Azalea, as she had hoped, did not find it as difficult as an ordinary English girl might have done, and she also had a musical ear.
By the time they had sailed through the Mediterranean, Lady Osmund was on her feet again.
No longer under the influence of the ‘Soothing Syrup’ the Doctor had prescribed, she found dozens of things for Azalea to do for her.
But she had no wish for her to accompany the twins when they walked the deck in the sunshine, or sat in the Saloon gossiping with the other passengers whom Lady Osmund considered of enough social importance.
“I cannot stay long,” Azalea said to Mrs. Chang. “My aunt has given me a dress to mend and some handkerchiefs to embroider. If I stay with you I shall never get them done.”
“I help,” Mrs. Chang said.
“I could not let you do that,” Azalea protested.
“We sew and talk Cantonese,” Mrs. Chang insisted.
What had been a boring chore became an amusing one. Besides, Azalea’s cabin was so dark it hurt her eyes to work there for long. It was also very hot.
Sometimes there were so many things that Mrs. Chang wanted to ask about England, and so much Azalea had to tell her, that it was quicker to talk in English, but at other times Mrs. Chang was a strict teacher.
“You say Chinese word,” she would order sternly. Then she would go into peals of laughter as Azalea made some remark with a double entendre that – according to Mrs. Chang – was quite unrepeatable!
“Your embroidery is certainly improving,” Lady Osmund said one evening.
Azalea was so surprised at being praised by her aunt that for a moment she could find no words in which to reply.
“I had thought that when we reach Hong Kong it might be a good idea for
It was very Chinese, Azalea knew, to disparage one’s own possessions, but she thought the P. & O. might have been somewhat displeased at the description of one of their well-padded armchairs.
She seated herself and Mrs. Chang rose from the floor to sit on a low stool.
“My wife tells me that you wish to learn our difficult language,” Mr. Chang said.
There was a note in his voice which made Azalea sure he thought it most improbable that she would ever achieve such an ambition.
“I would like to be able to read, and also to talk with the people of Hong Kong,” Azalea answered. “I am half-Russian, so perhaps it will not be as difficult for me as it would be for someone who was completely European.”
“You will find it a difficult language,” Mr. Chang said. “There are various dialects of Chinese, but Cantonese is most commonly used in Hong Kong.”
“Then I would like to learn Cantonese,” Azalea said.
“The original Chinese characters were simple hieroglyphics like ancient Egyptian ones.”
“They are very beautiful,” Azalea said and she thought, although his expression did not alter, he was pleased by her praise.
“Miss Osmund teach me speak better English,” Mrs. Chang said. “I teach Chinese, if Honourable husband permit.”
“I permit!” Mr. Chang said quietly.
After that, two or three times a day, Azalea slipped down to the Second Class deck and into Mrs. Chang’s cabin.
She discovered her name was Kai Yin and she was the third wife of Mr. Chang. She was very accomplished and could embroider and paint exquisitely on silk.
She could make the Chinese characters flow from her hand as she wrote from right to left on the heavy parchment paper her husband had provided for their lessons.
She was child-like in her enjoyment of the ridiculous, and she would laugh at the mistakes Azalea made until sometimes the tears came into her eyes, she found it so amusing.
In Chinese it was very easy to make mistakes because every monosyllable had several basic different meanings and everything depended on the inflection of the voice.
Azalea found hsing meant awaken, passionless, anger, rise, punish, apricot, figure and to blow the nose with the fingers! Hsing also meant ‘sex.’
Fortunately, Azalea, as she had hoped, did not find it as difficult as an ordinary English girl might have done, and she also had a musical ear.
By the time they had sailed through the Mediterranean, Lady Osmund was on her feet again.
No longer under the influence of the ‘Soothing Syrup’ the Doctor had prescribed, she found dozens of things for Azalea to do for her.
But she had no wish for her to accompany the twins when they walked the deck in the sunshine, or sat in the Saloon gossiping with the other passengers whom Lady Osmund considered of enough social importance.
“I cannot stay long,” Azalea said to Mrs. Chang. “My aunt has given me a dress to mend and some handkerchiefs to embroider. If I stay with you I shall never get them done.”
“I help,” Mrs. Chang said.
“I could not let you do that,” Azalea protested.
“We sew and talk Cantonese,” Mrs. Chang insisted.
What had been a boring chore became an amusing one. Besides, Azalea’s cabin was so dark it hurt her eyes to work there for long. It was also very hot.
Sometimes there were so many things that Mrs. Chang wanted to ask about England, and so much Azalea had to tell her, that it was quicker to talk in English, but at other times Mrs. Chang was a strict teacher.
“You say Chinese word,” she would order sternly. Then she would go into peals of laughter as Azalea made some remark with a double entendre that – according to Mrs. Chang – was quite unrepeatable!
“Your embroidery is certainly improving,” Lady Osmund said one evening.
Azalea was so surprised at being praised by her aunt that for a moment she could find no words in which to reply.
“I had thought that when we reach Hong Kong it might be a good idea for