The three girls stood motionless in the corner, their heads bowed low. An inspection from the matchmaker was due. The matchmaker, who currently sat at the table, was busy sipping tea, whilst an apprehensive Mr and Mrs Hai sat opposite her. “Yes,” she declared, putting her teacup delicately on its saucer. “You have fine daughters indeed – it shall not be hard finding any a match, not at all! And with my expertise –“ she stopped, coyly picking the teacup back up for another sip. Her thin, wrinkled lips pursed around the rim of the china. “They shall be married off in no time at all!” she declared slamming the cup back on to the porcelain ungracefully.
Jia gave a hidden smirk to Yusheng, who stood to the left of her. This was returned by her elder sister as the girls restrained themselves from giggling aloud – to do such would be disrespectful. The matchmaker was aged and frail, hobbling on a walking stick as she went from house to house collecting gossip, and yet still she seemed to get away with every form of rudeness imaginable. Throughout her sisters’ merriment, Mei stood silent, dying to be back upstairs with her book and away from such unpleasant company. Couldn’t finding a match wait for just one chapter?
Then came the scrutiny. The trio stood upright, eyes focusing on anything but the matchmaker while she prodded and poked, examining them. Yusheng was deemed perfect, a waist neither too large nor too small and a face in perfect balance between beautiful and striking. Next was Jia. “A flower amongst the weeds of the village,” complimented the matchmaker. Finally, it was Mei’s turn. She attempted in vain to swallow the irremovable lump that stuck in her throat and averted her gaze; to make eye contact with the matchmaker was rarely a good thing. The elderly lady sighed as she circled the girl. That was exactly what she was – a girl. Her face was too young to be beautiful, perhaps one day it could be, indeed it could be very handsome, but until that time it would be girl-like and youthful – lacking in a blossomed woman’s fine, delicateness. Her figure had not fully developed, her small waist made it likely for her to struggle when the time came to bear children. “There is still time,” muttered the old matchmaker, turning from her victims.
‘Still time’…the words rang in Mei’s head. What did that mean? As the other two rejoiced in their remarks, her heart sank. The words still drummed in her mind long after the matchmaker had left. Still time? She looked down at her body self-consciously. Nothing had seemed wrong with it before that frightful observation, but now everything looked alien to her. Her legs stuck out at odd angles, scrawny like twigs. Her arms equally as skinny and stick-like. The list went on, making Mei wish she could hide away from the world, to cover this ‘ugly’ body of hers. She looked over at her two sisters, still smiling about the matchmaker’s words, and couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy. Why couldn’t her face be beautiful like Yusheng’s? Why wasn’t she ‘a flower amongst weeds’ like Jia? Instead she was stuck with the apparently repulsive creature that she was.
After the Hai family had bid farewell to the matchmaker and watched her shuffle off to another reluctant casualty’s house, they closed their large cherry-wood door to the world. Mr and Mrs Hai chorused a sigh of relief as Jia and Yusheng let out squeals of delight.
“Did you hear what she said?”
“‘A flower amongst weeds!’”
“‘Beautiful’!”
Mei said nothing, longing to join in with her sisters’ celebration. Let me make one thing clear to you, dear reader: had I been the matchmaker the smile would be irremovable off of the girl’s face. It’s funny you know, some people truly believe that the matchmaker is my human form. I shall tell you they are wrong. The matchmaker and I have completely different insights at heart; where a matchmaker will look for exteriors and wealth, I, personally, will look for something deeper than skin. How dare she do my job for me!
That evening the girls lay in their beds, two smiling, the other holding back tears. “Jia,” whispered Mei to her elder sister, who slept in the bed closest to her. “What do you think she meant?”
“Who?” grunted Jia sleepily.
“The matchmaker.”
“Oh – nothing – I shouldn’t worry about it Mei,” she whispered to her.
“But -”
“Go to sleep, Mei!” hissed Yusheng from the furthest bed. The youngest daughter rolled over reluctantly, feeling the hard cover of her book underneath her pillow, and settled into an unnerving sleep.
I really could tell a lot about Mei’s personality just from this one line. Very good!
Gender:
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