They were alone with Caihong Chiu in a long high-ceiling room. The purpose of the room wasn’t clear. Parlor? Greeting room?
Rylie guessed that was the thing with big mansions. You only really needed just so many rooms and could only be in one room at a time. You needed a bedroom, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. And bathrooms. Then what? You had to start making up crap to justify the rooms. You ended up with “studios” and “conservatories” and “viewing rooms.”
Rylie and Aspen sat in stiff chairs with tall backs. Caihong sat in a chair across from them. Her chair was just like theirs except it was giant-sized. It was an almost comical visual representation of the power differential in the room. Especially comical because Caihong was so small and so old. Her cane, a fancy one with gold inlay and what looked like a shepherd’s crook at the top, leaned against the side of her chair.
Caihong stared at them evenly and chewed on something she’d entered the room chewing on. Whatever it was did not seem to chew down. It crunched at times so Rylie didn’t think it was gum.
Caihong’s eyes flicked back and forth, alternating eye contact between them. It reminded Rylie of that classic gunfight scene in that Clint Eastwood movie, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”
Caihong was easily the most intimidating elderly person Rylie had ever met.
“So.”
Just that one word from Caihong. They waited for more and they got it about twenty seconds later.
“You have signed the contracts. You have copies. I have copies. We have made the additional decorations to your bodies.”
“Yes.”
“Yep.”
“I will take this opportunity to review your obligations and your mission. If you fail, it will be entirely on each of you and not due to a communication issue with me. It is not my fault you are not fluent in Chinese!”
“No, it isn’t.” Rylie agreed to be polite. You had to humor the elderly.
“Nope.” Aspen kept it simple.
Caihong looked smug, “So you will be paid companions for the twins for six months. You will be a friend to them – to them! In their minds! – but you are not friends, you are companions! You have a mission! You have a purpose! You will make yourselves useful! You are here to be good examples to my twin granddaughters.”
Yes, that was the mission, as they understood it.
“You will be good examples, in some ways, by being bad examples. Is that so clear?”
“I guess,” said Rylie.
“Clear as mud,” said Aspen.
“Okay, let me explain again, Americans. I remind myself to make allowances. The whole world knows Americans are so much less intelligent than Chinese. Stupid democracy, stupid freedoms, stupid high standard of living are all evidence of this fact.”
Huh? They wondered if she was being sarcastic at the expense of China but Caihong looked serious. And still quite smug.
“You see me, you see old lady. Americans no respect age. Americans give no worth to wisdom. In China, older is better. In America, older is worse. My wisdom guide all this.”
Caihong gestured all around.
“I guide all things anywhere near me. That includes you two. That includes my granddaughters.”
Caihong paused, looked lost in thought, and then sighed heavily, “They no accept my excellent guidance. My grandchildren are fools! Worse, they are spoiled! Even so worse, they are bitches! Little bitches I tell you. Little, yet such big bitches. I hate them!”
She “hated” them!
Caihong looked around and lowered her voice, “Of course, my hate is secret between us three. Never to leave this room! Our secret!”
Rylie and Aspen nodded in quick agreement. They did not want to piss off Caihong and had no desire to tell her granddaughters that she hated them.
“The granddaughters disrespect Chinese culture. So much so they demand to live in America. They want these freedoms. They are lazy. They are bitches. They are like little spoiled children. Yet they are twenty years old! In less than one year, they will be twenty-one and Caihong will no longer be their guardian. They will have their full inheritance. As of now, Caihong knows they will squander it! Squander!”
They nodded even more vigorously. They didn’t want to risk disagreeing with Caihong and had no reason to doubt what Caihong said was true.
“In China, in our province, of the privileged class, it is often done to hire friendship companions for offspring. These companions can be researched first and then controlled. Very efficient.”
They supposed it might be. They did not like this talk of Caihong “controlling” them but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. Wasn’t that what a contract did? It controlled terms and outcomes.
Caihong told them something else that was alarming, “In modern times, it is so much easier to research the possible companions. Social media make it easy. Online information. Private investigation firms. Soon a wise woman like Caihong knows all she wants to know about possible companions. Make it so easy to manipulate and control them.”
Caihong had a dreamy expression on her face.
Aspen and Rylie both wondered if Caihong had done that with them. It was creepy!
Caihong seemed to realize she wasn’t alone and had spoken out loud, “I did not say I did that with you two! For all you know, I bump into you accidentally at the coffee shop and one thing led to another, not me leading you where I want you to go. Right? Understand?”
Caihong also did not say she did not purposely and knowingly bump into them. Caihong’s denial seemed more like a confirmation.
Caihong narrowed her eyes, “We talk about respect. You must respect me. Respect your elder! That means you believe your elder, the great and honorable Caihong, no matter any evidence to the contrary. Facts do not matter! Evidence does not matter! Respect matters! That means you always believe anything I say and act accordingly. Even if you do not believe, choose to believe and act always as if you do believe. Do it well enough and soon you will believe what you did not believe at first. Lack of a sharp Chinese mind will assist you in this process.”
Okaaaay… but not okay!
Caihong said, “I test you now. Darker-haired one, tattoo girl, I now tell you the sky is yellow with orange stripes. Now I ask, tell me about the sky. Describe it.”
Rylie knew that was her cue. They were both tattoo girls now and Rylie suspected Caihong knew about Aspen’s new tattoos. But certainly, Rylie had darker hair than Aspen.
“The sky is yellow. With orange stripes.”
Caihong grinned, “So good answer. Now, other one, flame hair freckle face, I tell you rain falls upward from ground into sky. Now, I ask you to tell me how it rains.”
Aspen cleared her throat and, in what Rylie knew was an attempt at being comical, twisted back and forth at the hips and then tilted her head back and forth towards her shoulders, like an athlete before a race.
“Let me tell you about rain. It falls out of the ground and goes straight up into the sky. There, it evaporates and becomes part of a cloud, after which it becomes part of the rain cycle and will again, someday, condense and precipitate in the form of rain or snow. Or hail.”
Caihong glared at Aspen. That look made Rylie want to slide down in her seat and it wasn’t even directed at her. Aspen acted like she didn’t notice the look but Rylie knew she did.
Caihong asked, “Your answer too long, too much detail. Your answer provides more than I asked for. Are you going to be a problem?”
That got Aspen’s attention. She did not want to blow this opportunity, for her or for Rylie.
“No, no problem. I promise. It’s just that I believe in going above and beyond. I always want to exceed expectations.”
That was a response borrowed from their mental supply cabinet of canned job interview answers!
Not that those planned and composed answers had led to decent jobs for them once they graduated a few months ago. That was why Rylie and Aspen were so open to this curious opportunity. If that was what it was. Rylie worried that it wasn’t what it seemed. She wondered if Aspen also had concerns.
Caihong eased her glare, “No need for you to strive to go above and beyond. Every Chiu knows how to make inferior white women exceed their own expectations but you can never exceed Chiu expectations. You can only reach them. We automatically achieve inferior white women going above and beyond. It happens as they obey. We expect above and beyond so there is no above and beyond possible for inferior white women to achieve.”
The things Caihong said became more alarming all the time. Respect should be a two-way street. Where was Caihong’s respect for “inferior white women?”
Caihong grabbed her shepherd’s crook cane and thumped it once into the thick carpet. It was a surprisingly strong thump.
“Respect! You must respect me and you must respect my bitchy whiny spoiled twin granddaughters. I can say what I wish about them. You cannot. Respect!”
Rylie said, “I understand.”
Aspen popped one thumb up and said with false cheeriness, “Gotcha.”
Caihong thumped the cane again, “Respect for its own sake! But also, respect is needed. Required by contract, yes. But it is key. The twin spoiled bitches are adults no matter if they do not act like it. I line up the companions, you two, but they can reject you. They can send you away. If they do that, deal off. No money for the two sexy but greatly inferior young white women.”
That did not sound good!
Caihong leaned her cane on her chair and then balled both of her little wrinkled hands into balls. She then rubbed them melodramatically on her eyes, “Too bad! So sad!”
Rylie swallowed. Aspen squinted her angry squint.
Caihong picked up the cane and thumped it again into the carpet, “Do not blow deal! Show great respect to them! Always do as they say! Always! No matter what. Six months. Easy. Get lots of money. One hundred thousand
American dollars to each of you. If they do not send you away.
“So you better always agree with them. All people love other people who always agree with them. But you work for me. I am caretaker of the inheritance and it is I who pay you. Keep them happy, whatever it takes. Just keep agreeing with them. They love that. And keep doing whatever they want to do. Everybody loves that. Act interested and hang on whatever they say. Make them feel special. They are special. They are Chius. They are special even in China, let alone in backward America.”
Rylie raised her eyebrows. This old lady was quite the piece of work! And she thought her granddaughters were bitches? If they were, the apple did not fall far from the tree and all that. Rylie sincerely hoped the twins were not as arrogant or as bitchy as Caihong. Mental gasp! What if they were even worse than Caihong?
Caihong waved a wrinkled hand in an attention-getting gesture, “That is general. One more general, the twins, they need to learn work ethic. They will not do work but they should see work. You will do all work here at estate. Clean floors, do windows, wash dishes, drive as needed, garden. Anything. You be maids and cooks and gardeners and anything else twins or me say to do.
“You will inspire work ethic in twins thru your hardworking example. Day or night, anytime, anywhere, anything. You must always act like you love it and are so much eager for more work. All staff at this Chiu estate are now sent away back to China for a six-month leave of absence. Only me, you two, plus twins here in this great place. Like great big long vacation for you two!”
Rylie and Aspen sincerely doubted that. Vacation? Sure, a vacation in Hell, whichever ring servants and menial laborers go to.
Caihong tapped her cane on the floor, “Now, how you say, to the ‘nitty gritty?’ I explain before but must explain again. Legend has it that American lack of intelligence requires teaching them all things two times. And even then, expect poor results. So it is said. Who is Caihong to disagree with wisdom?”
That wasn’t wisdom! That was bullshit!
Caihong continued, oblivious or uncaring that the young women felt insulted, “Most important, you must be good examples by being bad examples. Yes, the work ethic is a good example. You will be good example in that. Not so much for them to work that same way but for them to see how hard they can work Americans. To witness how much productivity they can achieve from such poor materials.
This fucking bitch!
“But for other things, you must be bad example. You must make them want to avoid doing certain things as much as you motivate them to work Americans hard in the future by yourself working hard.”
Rylie and Aspen did not like the sound of that. Caihong was rude and demeaning for one thing. But, much worse, it sounded like Rylie and Aspen would, in a way, betray their fellow Americans. They were supposed to work hard but, if they did, it might inspire the twins to work their American employees much harder than they otherwise would.
But they’d already signed that fucking contract. They were hard workers, at least they thought they were. Wasn’t hard work supposed to be a source of pride? Hard work should be a good example, and it was from Caihong’s perspective, but it felt like they’d set a bad example causing future hard treatment of fellow Americans.
Caihong leaned her chin on the top curve of the crook of the cane. She looked thoughtful.
“It is my responsibility to see the twins enter into the world in control of themselves and those around them. They must do the Chiu proud. They must be ready. Someday Death take me. Fucking asshole is Death! Death should be satisfied taking the souls of the poor and leave us poor rich people alone. We no need Death! Poor happy to have Death visit. So poor, why not die? Then, if Death has extra time from not taking the souls of so valuable rich people like Caihong, then Death can enjoy extra time tormenting souls of the poor. You see? Everybody wins that way. If only Death would listen to the wisdom of Caihong.”
Aspen and Rylie could not keep from looking at each other with alarmed eyes. Was Caihong possibly insane?
Caihong went on, “Maybe if Death come to take me, I persuade Death to take long vacation. For many centuries. Then Caihong Chiu will run the death show. I can do better than Death. Easy.
“First, when Caihong is in charge, no Chiu dies. Ever. That is at it should be. Next, just to be fair and so all see I am so fair, no one worth ten million dollars or more will die. They also live all the time. Unless their wealth drops below ten million. Then? I take their soul! Meantime, I take all sorts of poor souls. All the ones who do not work hard for the deserving rich who, as you know, are always rich because they deserve to be rich.
“Except for lottery winners! Screw the lottery winners! They are human trash! That is cheating to get rich! That no count!”
Aspen and Rylie, now staring at Caihong, unconsciously leaned their heads way back like they were trying to keep as much distance as they could from Caihong. Like her words might somehow infect their minds.
Caihong took a deep breath and seemed to refocus, “As long as Caihong lives, Caihong must guide and support the twins. However, they only must listen to me until their twenty-first birthday, coming soon to a set of twins near you. Caihong know well, as soon as they do not need to listen to Caihong, as soon as they have the majority of Chiu money, they will not listen to Caihong ever again. Time grows short!
“So far, Caihong has done poorly with twins. Those bitches! Caihong believes they may be evil. Such bitches! Caihong worries they will betray the Chiu fine name. Example: They both talk about sex with many people. There is word for that. Do you know the American word? It is ‘slut.’ Ha! I know tattor girl must now know the word. Caihong does not want slut granddaughters. And so, you must be a good example by being a bad example. During ‘girl talk,’ you must be open about what sluts you are. So slutty! Yes, I know you are not but they do not know that. Stress how much you regret slutty ways. That will motivate them to avoid such a fate. Be detailed and graphic in your lies about sluttiness. So many sexual partners! Such slutty sexual activity! Yes, you will do it!”
They would? Yeah, they guessed they would. Job hunting was a failure so far for them. They had decent degrees, not useless ones, and they’d obtained decent grades, not awful, but they’d discovered they were not in demand with employers.
Aspen stuck out her chin, “We’ll do it. We’ll talk about all our slutty times and how awful it was.”
Rylie added, with a little attitude that was uncommon for her, “Yes, we’ll tell them all about our poor people slutty times.”
Caihong looked pleased, as if she hadn’t noticed their attitudes, “Yes, good, you see it now. Associate poorness with sluttiness! That way they will not want to be slutty! The bitches are like me in that they always want to be rich.
“Also then, as I told you before, there is a reason for your body decorations. They are slutty! Yes, it will help to convince the twins you are sluts. But, most importantly, these damn twins, they have in the past expressed interest in, one of them, tattoos, and with the other one, piercings! So slutty! So beneath a Chiu! Once twenty-one, I cannot stop them from doing this to their bodies. So I must convince them to stop themselves. I cannot talk them out of it. Anything I say to them to not do, they want to do even more. Little bitches! So good at getting others to obey and so bad at themselves obeying!”
Getting others to obey…? Aspen and Rylie simultaneously wondered about that. Were the twins persuasive? Was that why? Was it only with the sent-away servants who had no choice but to obey?
Caihong thumped her cane to keep their attention on her coming words instead of the words just past, and pointed at Rylie “You, tattoo girl, you must emphasize how much you regret your tattoos and how everyone knows as soon they see them that you are American trash girl. Also, slut! Willing to stick anything into any hole at any time!”
Jesus… Caihong was an intense, nasty old bitch!
Rylie licked her lips and forced herself to say, “I will do that.”
Caihong stabbed a finger at Aspen, “You, flame hair girl, pile of freckles on two legs, you must emphasize with other twin, she who wants piercings, that the piercings were terrible painful, still so uncomfortable all the time, and you so regret it. Talk about taking off top for boys and how they walk out when they see your piercings. That they will not even stick an American penis into you. That you’ve become the worst of all sluts, one who does not even at least get fucked.”
The mouth on this old lady!
Aspen was determined not to let anyone or anything get to her. She flipped a mocking salute, “Yes, sir, Ms. Chiu. I’m on it like a bonnet.”
Caihong frowned, “Be on it like an American slut!”
Aspen decided to let the not-so-sleepy Chinese dragon lay and kept her mouth closed.
Caihong nodded her satisfaction at Aspen’s closed mouth, “Finally, also a concern, the twins are too close. They are a twin echo chamber, each making the other more of a wild bitch. So, with my limited influence while they are still twenty, each gets one-third of the estate to live on and they will spend the most time with their new companion. The five of us will still gather for dinner each night. Also, at times I will take each of you away from them. I will say I need you for some work. In reality, I will receive updates from you on events with twins and progress with twins.”
They nodded. They’d already known that part. Caihong was recapping. They sarcastically assumed it was because, as Caihong had told them, “Legend has it American lack of intelligence require teach them all things two times.”
Caihong really was quite a bitch! Even when making allowances for her advanced age.
Caihong said, “There is another problem. The twins are too sexually independent. A good woman must rely on man for pleasure. Yes, that make woman compliant, dependent on man for pleasure. Yes, Caihong is no fool, Caihong know every woman play with pussy in private. Good girl, bad girl, make no never mind. Caihong do it, too! Caihong still do it! That is acceptable. With fingers!
“However!
“Caihong most strongly suspect the twins make use of… devices! Dildos! Vibrators! That crosses line! You two companions, it is your duty to stop them!”
Aspen waved an erasing hand back and forth, “Wait, wait, wait. We can’t do anything about that. It’s personal for one thing. Besides, how will we know about it?”
Caihong thumped her cane, “It is not personal! Not for a companion friend I hire for them! Nothing is too personal! I have seen certain searches on their browser history! Mysterious packages arrived that twins rushed to obtain before poor unsuspecting Caihong could intercept packages, secretly open them and examine contents before putting them back, twins none the wiser. That happened first and then Caihong examined search history of twins. That is why Caihong lose that time to the bitch twins. But contest is not over! Caihong will know! Caihong will stop them! By using you two.”
Rylie had a hard time getting her head wrapped around this, “You want us to stop them… from using dildos? Or vibrators?”
“You must stop them from using any sex toy. Any and all sex toys. If you fail, you will not get bonus at end of six months.”
“What the fuck!?!” yelled Aspen.
Rylie put a hand on Aspen’s shoulder, symbolically and almost literally holding her back, “Caihong, we have a contract. We expect you to keep your end of the deal.”
“Contract is you must make sure they never use sex toys. That is sex cheating. That make them no need men. How will Caihong get grandchildren? Fingering selves is one thing. Girls and women do that and still get married and have children. Sex toys is different. Why so few children nowadays? Caihong know the secret of this thing. It is not fertility issue. Not with all the clinics to help make sure women get pregnant if they so want. It is not high standard of living either. Chiu family keep workers in healthy high-productivity desperate to put food on table productivity. Still children go way down.
“What is the real reason? Caihong share her wisdom. It is the sex toys! Women no need man for orgasm! Women then have less sex or no sex, not including sex toy sex. Then women get pregnant less often.
Rylie started, “But—”
Caihong yelled, “I want my great-grandchildren!”
Rylie continued, “—that isn’t in the contract. And it’s impossible for us to do anything about that anyway.”
Caihong calmed down and smiled craftily, “It is not in the written contract. Verbal contract also binding.”
Rylie pointed out, “We don’t have a verbal contract.”
Caihong’s crafty smile broadened, “We have such a contract now. It just happened. I have seventeen witnesses.”
Rylie and Aspen looked around. It was just the three of them there.
Caihong explained, “All of Chiu Washington State estate staff will so swear hearing and witnessing our verbal agreement. Do not doubt Caihong!”
They frowned furiously. They did not doubt her and they were certain she was a double-dealing bitch. Caihong was literally talking about a double deal, one written, a true one, but also a verbal one, a made up agreement.
Caihong changed her smile and tone to one of appeasement, “Have no worry, Americans. Chiu staff will never need to testify in court. Why? Because you will succeed in your added mission. Also, you will appreciate Caihong now, your bonus for success after six months will be doubled.”
Aspen said, “Two hundred thousand?”
Rylie added, “Each?”
“Yes. You are correct. Two hundred thousand dollars each. So much better than either of you could ever do in a year, or in two years, or maybe in four years. You will achieve it in a mere six months all while living life up in a beautiful estate. Oh, and making new friends. It is a great honor for American such as you to spend any time at all with honorable Chius.”
Honorable Chius? Caihong sure wasn’t acting honorable
But, uh, double the money did sound good….
Aspen still wanted to give Caihong an earful and Rylie knew she would. So Rylie cut to the chase, moving quickly past how Caihong was doing them wrong.
“Okay, so how? We won’t know if they’re using sex toys. We can’t stop what we don’t know.”
Caihong nodded and looked pleased at the way Rylie accepted the defeat handed her – a defeat that might pay handsomely in six months but was still a defeat – and focused on how to best achieve Caihong’s new requirement.
Caihong told them, “I search everywhere for the sex toys. I did not find them. The twins are most clever. I have no doubt there are sex devices. You will know if they use them… because….”
Aspen and Rylie knew a dramatic pause when they heard one.
“As paid companions, you will share bedroom with them. You will share bed with them!”
Aspen yelled, “No fucking way!”
Rylie tried to be diplomatic, “Uh, we’re twenty-three and they’re twenty so, uh, that isn’t—”
“It is! It is going to happen! This is tradition in my district in China. Very traditional. For when well-paid friendship companions are contracted for the adult children of the wealthy. It is little known and nothing about it can be found on the internet. I ma sure of that. Yet, it is true and you will do it. The twins will expect it. I expect it.”
Rylie held out her hands in an appeal, “We still can’t stop them from doing that!”
Caihong told them, “You may not need to. Who would use a sex toy with a paid companion in same bed? See, problem solves self. You get money for almost nothing.”
Aspen remembered too much about how spoiled the twins were, “What if they do it? I mean, what if one of us is laying in bed next to them and they just… got to town on themselves?”
“That is also so easy. You can either stop them, yes, good, earn the money, or you can fail to stop them. Then tell me and I will know to do something. You two will, of course, lose all chance of any money.”
Aspen needed clarity, “Wait a sec! We only lose out on the extra hundred thousand each, right?”
“No. You lose all.”
“Then why the fuck would we even tell you about it?”
Caihong grinned, “Oh, I will know. When I meet with each of you, I will ask if the twin you are with has used a sex toy. You will answer and I will know if you lie. Allow demonstration. You, Flame Hair Freckle Face, come to me.”
Mystified, Aspen stepped up to Caihong.
Caihong’s hand darted out and captured Aspen’s wrist, “I can detect lies from change of pulse rate. I feel your pulse in your wrist, then ask the question, then will know if you are honest.”
Aspen had a disbelieving look on her face.
Caihong tutted, “So insulting that an American would doubt me. Very well, I will prove it now. I will ask you questions and you will answer no to each one. However, one of them will truly be yes. After I am done asking questions, I will reveal to which one you lied.”
Aspen waited. Rylie was interested.
Caihong asked, “Did you lose your virginity before age fifteen?”
Aspen answered, “No.”
A pause while Caihong continued to grip Aspen’s wrist.
Then, “Did you lose your virginity between the ages of fifteen and before reaching your eighteenth year?”
Aspen answered, “No.”
After a pause, “Did you lose your virginity once you were a recognized adult?”
Aspen answered, “No.”
Caihong released Aspen’s wrist, “Your lie was the third answer.”
It was true. Rylie knew it was true also because Aspen had told her. She “got rid of” as Aspen put it, her virginity within a week after turning eighteen.
Caihong told them, “Now you know that I will know. You will honest with me even if you lie.”
Aspen and Rylie exchanged a look. They better make damn sure the twins did not use sex toys.
Caihong asked, “Are your body decorations fully healed?”
“Yes.”
“Yep. Pretty much.”
Caihong clapped her hands together like a four-year-old getting a pony for her birthday, “Show Caihong! Show!”
Did they have to? Rylie wanted to groan. She kept herself from groaning by thinking with amusement that Aspen would not be so eager to show off her piercings now, to Caihong.
They hesitated, maybe hoping Caihong wasn’t serious, maybe waiting for their friend to lead the way.
Caihong clapped her hands together, this time harshly, “Come now! Show Caihong what Caihong wants to see! We are all females. I will show you all of my body as well if you so desire companionship in showing skin.”
That got them moving! Caihong’s offer was a threat.
