Books & Beyond: Recent Episodes
China Plus
Books & Beyond is a new podcast that finds good reads for you from a world of fascinating stories, one at a time. The shows will take you to China and other amazing places that might open up new doors in your life. Here at Books & Beyond, we believe our lives are enriched with nourishing reads, no matter where and how old you are. Find your next favorite audio adventure with Books & Beyond, for free.
Ne Zha, as told in "The Chinese Fairy Book" compiled in 1921, ultimately ascended to his place among the gods, alongside his father, Li Dsing, and his two brothers. Through the powers bestowed by his master, Ne Zha was made even stronger, with three heads and eight arms.
Ah Oi dressed as the bride to attend the wedding and helped Mag-gee to run off. But the plot unfolded with unexpected results.
Ah Oi, a low-ranking actress living in Chinatown in an American city, came up with a trick to help her friend Mag-gee to escape an unwanted betrothal.
Tian Shan was caught after having a fight with Fin Fan's admirer, and was ordered to be sent back to China by local authorities. Fin Fan was determined to keep Tian Shan’s company on the trip back to China.
Tian Shan was a brilliant Chinese man who took pleasure in crossing the border between the United States and Canada without customs approval. He was lucky enough to meet Fin Fan who admired his thrilling adventures.
Lin John, a hard laborer in America, would never understand why his sister valued a wealthy life above her own freedom.
Fin Fan took her six-month-old daughter to take part in a baby show to compete for a prize, which she hoped would make her husband proud and quit the idea of giving away their daughter.
Under “guidance” from his dead mother, Fou Wang realized that moving on with one’s life won’t get in the way of honoring the deceased.
“Will love conquer superstition?” The question emerged when O’Yam came across Fou Wang at a temple in Chinatown in San Francisco.
Fou Wang had been mourning his late mother for six months, during which O’Yam was pressured by her father to marry another man.
Following the death of Ah So Nan, Fou Wang, a young fisherman living in San Francisco, decided to dedicate three years to mourning his mother and isolating himself from all joys and happiness.
Yet, his resolve to following this traditional Chinese custom would hurt O’Yam, his fiancée.
Koan-lo the Second was unwilling to give up his lover Sie and claimed that he was the man she was to marry. His lie hurt both his elderly brother and Sie.
Yet at the end, he was forgiven after an honest confession.
Koan-lo the Second, a poor Chinese young man, came to pick up the wife-to-be of his elder brother who was a wealthy businessman in San Francisco. Yet the woman turned out to be his own lover.
Jack Fabian, a smuggler, was puzzled why a China “man” who had built a life in Canada would choose to leave everything behind and ask for his assistance to cross the border into America.
Following the death of her parents, Mermei had no one to talk to but her brother in Chinatown in San Francisco, until the arrival of another Chinese girl, Sin Far.
The couple finally received the paper to claim their son back. Yet after a 10-month separation, the baby could no longer recognize his own parents.
Five months after the baby boy was taken away from his Chinese parents, an American lawyer offered to travel to Washington to help the poor couple take their son back. It costed the couple a large fortune.
It became a long and torturing day for Lae Choo during which she waited for her baby boy to be returned to her.
Hom Hing, a Chinese merchant based in San Francisco, could do nothing while witnessing his two-year-old son being taken away by an American customs officer.
Wan Lin Fo expected Pau Tsu to become an Americanized woman within a few months. Such an unreasonable request came from his unconscious admiration for an American lady.
The feeling of being torn apart between two cultures reached a peak for Pau Tsu after she received treatment from a male American doctor upon her husband’s request.
Pau Tsu willed herself into adapting to the way of living in America for the sake of her fiancé.
Wan Lin Fo, a young successful Chinese merchant based in Seattle, looked forward to reuniting with his fiancée, who he hoped would embrace the Americanized way of living as he had done.
Minnie lived a blessed and joyful life with her Chinese husband Liu Kanghi. Yet it all came to an end when Liu Kanghi was shot in the head, becoming a victim of hatred crime.
After divorcing her husband, Minnie went through a tough time living with poverty, sickness, and pressure from her friends. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Minnie met Liu Kanghi, a Chinese man, who loved and respected her.
Minnie enjoyed the life of taking care of her husband and baby at home. But, her husband who claimed to be concerned about women’s rights and social reform gave little regard to his wife’s contribution and declared her as being “out of the date.”
Little Me’s baby brother was later found at Miss McLeod’s house, which almost led to a misunderstanding that the white teacher had deliberately stolen the baby.
Miss McLeod, the American teacher, joined the search of the younger brother of Little Me.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, the younger brother of Little Me went missing.
Little Me, the son of a Chinese workman in Chinatown, was depressed for not being able to offer valuable gifts to his teacher before the Chinese New Year. Miss McLeod noticed the boy's gloominess and taught him a lesson: the greatest of all gifts was beyond price.
In confronting Pan, Mark Carson tried to justify his article by claiming that the way of living in Chinatown was superstitious and worthless. And Pan, as a white descendent, should give no thought to the Chinese communities.
The reporter took advantage of his relationship with Pan, exposing the private lives and secrets of the residents in Chinatown.
Mark Carson was welcomed in Chinatown because of his friendship with Pan, the half-Chinese girl who was born and raised there. During their time together, Mark Carson tried to persuade Pan to abandon her Chinese identity, to become a complete White woman.
Mark Carson, the young American reporter, ventured into Chinatown to look for some anecdotes. There he met Pan, a half white, half Chinese girl.
No one quite knew how hard Pau Lin was trying to shield her son from the Americanized way of living, until the little boy’s life was taken by his own loving mother right before he was about to attend an American school.
In talking with Wou Sankwei, Adah Charlton realized the cause of the marital crisis between the couple: Wou Sankwei had embraced the Americanized way of living during his long stay here while Pau Lin, new to the country, was resolved to hold on tight to her traditional Chinese values.
On her trip to Chinatown for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Adah Charlton figured out why Pau Lin’s husband Wou Sankwei had a special feeling for her.
Pau Lin, the wife of Wou Sankwei, could sense the different attitude her husband held towards one young America lady whom he had known for 7 years. It made Pau Lin suspicious and jealous while she was still getting used to living on a foreign land.
Though living in America, Wou Sankwei’s wife lived with traditional Chinese values that were expected from a “decent” woman in the 20th century.
After 7 years of hard work, Wou Sankwei finally built his life in San Francisco, and became known as a successful businessman. He considered it time to send for his wife, whom he barely knew.
Wou Sankwei, the son of a late Chinese official, decided to travel to America to pursue his own dreams.
Mary Carman showed up at Alice Winthrop’s doorstep, expressing her willingness to take Alice as her daughter-in-law.
After learning about the life of Alice Winthrop, Mary Carman dropped her prejudice against the lady her son hearted and was convinced that though having come from a humble background, Alice achieved success through her own efforts.
The argument between Miss Evebrook and her mother revealed the history of Alice Winthrop, the lady Will Carman hearted.
Though commercially successful, Mr. Spring Fragrance can’t help but feel underappreciated and inferior now and then, for lack of academic achievement. But luckily for him, Mrs. Spring Fragrance was always there to cheer him up.
Will Carman proposed to his girlfriend, but his proposal was not received with pleasure. “I cannot marry you while your mother sees me as beneath you,” the young lady replied.
Will Carman was debating whether to introduce his girlfriend to his mother, who preferred another lady to be her future daughter-in-law.
The young man that Mr. Spring Fragrance had mistaken as his wife’s potential affair turned out to be Laura’s former fiancé. Mr. Spring Fragrance felt an immense sense of relief.
Upon receiving a letter from his wife, Mr. Spring Fragrance was henceforth bothered by the thought that his wife might have fallen for another man.
During her visit to San Francisco, Mrs. Spring Fragrance wrote two letters, one to her husband asking for an extension of her stay in the city, and the other consoling her friend Laura, who was troubled by an unwanted betrothal arranged by her parents.
After moving to America with her husband five years ago, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, the wife of a Chinese merchant, mastered English and the way of thinking held by Americans. While comforting her neighbor Laura, Mrs. Spring Fragrance quoted an American poem: “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?” which, however, got her husband concerned about her take on their arranged marriage.
Let's hear how Manling, the narrator of this audiobook, introduces Mrs. Spring Fragrance!
Follow the journey of Mrs. Spring Fragrance and witness the struggles and fights of those living on a rapidly changing exotic land, while holding on to their cultural traditions, or more importantly, to their identities.
Little Choy was envious of her elder sister's present, and started a hunger strike to vent her anger. To talk some sense into the little girl, Choy's mother told a tale about how two sulky crocodiles went on a strike by refusing food and sports. Instead of getting what they originally wanted, the crocodiles had to swallow the bitter fruit of their own making at the end.
After Pat, the little white boy, turned eight, he was taken away from his foster family, and sent to an American couple, so that he could be raised as a proper white boy. Ever since then, Pan's protective elder brother was gone forever.
With the request of Anna Harrison, the white lady, Pat, the white boy joined the school with his sister Pan, who was a Chinese. They were quite close and would defend each other.
On the street of a Chinatown in America, a white lady came across a little white boy, who was raised by a Chinese family, and spoke only Chinese.
Out of guilt, the young teacher Miss Mason wanted to stop the order from being carried out. So she went to have a conversation with Ku Yum's father about the upbringing of the little girl, but only to find out that Ku Yum was actually a BOY!
In a Los Angeles Chinatown school, a young American teacher felt the obligation to interfere in the life of a smart yet undisciplined Chinese girl Ku Yum. This let to an unexpected situation, in which Ku Yum was ordered to be taken away from her sole guardian, her father, and put under the custody of a rescue home in another city.
Lee Chu and Lee Yen had run to the beach on their way to school. But at the end of the day, they were not punished for they had brought home some finely shaped pebbles. Instead of keeping these exquisite stones, Lee Chu and Lee Yen decided to share the stones with their infant brother, the Little Fat One.
Ku Yum wanted to amuse her new-born brother, by feeding him some snacks and soaking his feet in mud water. It all went well, until Ku Yum's parents came upon the scene and thought Ku Yum wanted to hurt her baby brother out of jealousy.
Ah Yen felt bad for his scalded finger. Despite the lovely weather and chirping birds, Ah Yen was sad and sour, until a blind man with a bright spirit showed up nearby.
Three-year-old Ku Yum followed her father into the classroom, and hid under the teacher's desk. She carried candies with a strong smell, which later led to a misunderstanding.
Enticed by the street vendor's candy, Yen took some money without telling his napping grandfather. But the treats did not turn out to be so sweet and pleasant as he had anticipated.
Nothing can cheer up Li Chung O'Yam, not luxurious dresses, lavish meals, nor sweet lullabies, not even her parents or brother. The little girl was pining for some unknown reason, until the arrival of another little girl, Ku Yum.
Tsin Yen consented to a man's request of spreading a mat in his father's yard without giving it a second thought. To Yen's surprise, the mat was enormous and covered the whole yard. Yen thus lost his playground all because of saying a careless “yes.”
Yen was cheerful seeing the blue sky, the lively bugs, and the blooming flowers. Yen cherished these bright and beautiful things that some might not even be grateful enough to notice.
Two farm boys were dreaming about their future glories, one becoming a great general and the other a poet. They were on their way to the market where they were to trade their pigs for some school clothing. But while they were loafing and dreaming, the pigs escaped.
A lovely story that a mother told her children, explaining why fairies were invisible to humans' eyes.
"I would like to eat you." A boy said calmly to a man, which scared the man into a piece of petrified statue.
The little princess had meant to play tricks on her servants by inquiring the whereabouts of her pet cat, all the while keeping the little animal up her own sleeve. The servants, instead of pointing out the truth, made up some marvelous tales about a magic journey the cat was taking.
What kind of future awaits a seabird with a broken wing? And how will she be able to keep up with her family?
The animals bid farewell to the children after the charge against Ming and Mai's relative was dropped, and they were later brought home by their uncle. But none of these would have happened without the help from the animals.
Two children Ming and Mai were exiled to a wild forest after one of their relatives had been claimed to have broken the law. All by themselves, Ming and Mai were terrified in the dense and mysterious forest. But surprisingly, they received a warm welcome from the animals living there, for this forest was where Ming and Mai's ancestor had released all the animals he had rescued from the market.
The prayers of Liu Venti and Pau Tsu were answered. They received a letter of forgiveness from their parents.
The twins went missing. To find the boys, the two grandfathers took an adventure in a haunted forest. On the search, the two men were moved by the affection they both felt towards the children, ending the aversion the two old men had felt towards each other before.
The twin sons Little Waking Eyes and Little Sleepy Eyes were taken very good care of by their grandparents in China. Still, they started to miss their father and mother and decided to start a "rebellion" to claim them back.
After three years of marriage, Liu Venti and Pau Tsu welcomed their twin sons, both naughty and heart meltingly adorable. The boys revived the couple's memories of their childhood in China. For the sake of their children, Liu Venti and Pau Tsu decided to send the twins to China, seeking to rebuild the connection with their families.
Lovebirds Liu Venti and Pau Tsu decided to continue their relationship despite the disapproval from their parents. Though born and raised in traditional Chinese families, they were resolved to start a new life together in America, after a conversation on the hill.
A little boy Ah Wing laid his eye on a delicate peacock lantern sold at a street stall. He wanted to buy it, but to his surprise, the lantern maker turned down Ah Wing's request because the lantern was a precious item for his sick bed-ridden son.
A little girl named Ah Leen collceted some spraking green leaves in the wild as a gift for her baby brother, who was about to have his hair shaved for the first time after birth. Worthless as the "gift" might appear, An Leen's mother admired the gift and the girl's love for her baby brother, which pleased An Leen immensely.
Will innocent children be left feeling sad? How will they navigate the complexities of being misunderstood? And will love ever triumph hate?
This Children's Day, join us as we delve into the captivating stories of Edith Eaton, better known by her pen name, Sui Sin Far. These stories will take you on a journey to discover the lives of children who were loved, lost, or misunderstood in the complicated adult world. Step into their world, embrace their stories, and experience a world beyond imagination.
While the mother is still weeping, her elder son runs to her with the news that his son, the grandson the mother has always dreamed of having, has arrived. At last, there is new hope for the family and for the mother.
They arrive back home after the execution later that morning, and the mother asks her elder son to take her out behind the hamlet to the old grave to weep. As the mother grieves the loss of her younger son, she sinks into the earth and all past sorrows flash through her mind.
When the young prisoners are brought out, the mother spots her younger son in the crowd and rushes toward him. But he is tied to another bold young woman who pulls the frightened younger son away from the mother while singing aloud their great cause as they walk towards their death.
The mother decides to go to town and witness for herself her younger son's execution. Her elder son and the cousin's son are with her and they wait together outside the jail's gate for that dreadful moment.
In desperation, the mother talks about trading their land for more money to save the younger son, still thinking that money is the issue and the jail keeper won't let his son go because they are poor. But her elder son refuses to sell the land, which is now his land. After all, he is soon to become a father of his own child.
The elder son and his cousin relate to the mother all that they saw and heard in town earlier that day.
The elder son finally returns at sunset. Even with all the money he offered to the jail keeper, he fails to bring his little brother out or even see him with his own eyes. The mother sinks further in grief, knowing that her young son and twenty more young men are scheduled for execution in the morning.
The mother sends her elder son to town with all the money they have to bail the younger son out of jail. As the mother wallows in sorrow, her cousin and his wife come to keep her company at this difficult time.
The mother's quiet morning is shattered when her cousin's son arrives to tell them that he saw her younger son in town this morning, captured and marching towards the prison with dozens of other young men to be executed tomorrow.
The mother's day is brightened by the news that her elder son's wife is now expecting a child. However, she can't help but feel a new level of anxiety, wondering if the baby will be born safe and sound. At the same time, the mother secretly worries as she continues to wait for her younger son, who never showed up after that night.
The younger son does not return until a month later and the mother could do nothing but wait in silence with the bag hidden under her bed. This day, however, there is good news from her elder son, informing the mother that she will soon become a grandmother. This sweeps away some of the gloom from the mother's heart.
One night when the moonlight is faint, the younger son returns home again, but with two young men dressed in black clothes like him and were all quiet the whole time. In whisper, the younger son delivers a bag to be hidden under the mother's bed and asks her to tell no one. He promises to return in three days to retrieve the bag but never shows up.
But the mother sees no fault in her younger son at all, only comfort and solace, despite his harsh words against his elder brother. Each of his visits became a celebration, marked by the small "store" of modest gifts and treats she diligently and secretly saves up for him.
From time to time, the younger son comes to visit and brings both hope and disappointment to the mother. His carefree nature has changed, and his fierce talks about the troubled times and social injustice puzzle the villagers. Despite his promises to return, he leaves home in secret and in haste each time, coming and going as he wishes, leaving the mother worried and hoping for his return.
In the aftermath of her daughter's passing, the mother faces the ebb and flow of her own struggles. The compassionate support of her neighbors and cousin's wife offers a glimmer of comfort, yet the weight of her perceived sins casts a shadow on her spirit. Despite the emptiness left by her daughter's absence, the mother finds solace in the everyday presence of her younger son. As time goes on, the mother clings to a newfound inner peace, acknowledging the possibility that, in some mysterious way, her daughter's departure may have spared the poor girl from all the myriad challenges of life.
Distraught with her weariness, the mother and her younger son come back to their home. The villagers of the hamlet gather to comfort her, but nothing can ease the pain for the loss of her daughter, and she weeps her heart out. In the aftermath of that day, the mother, physically and emotionally drained, seeks solace in the quiet of her home. Her younger son, worn and weary, finds respite beside her, bringing a semblance of peace to the once tumultuous evening.
The mother and her son finally arrive at the blind daughter's new home in the harsh mountains, only to be met with her dead body. Her husband’s family, looking wild and grubby, denies of ever mistreating her. Overwhelmed with grief, the mother discovers her maid's lifeless body with sorrow and anger. The son urges a hasty departure, as he fears for their own safety if tensions rise. Despite a poor attempt to confront the villagers, the mother reluctantly leaves with her younger son, haunted by heart wrenching grief.
As the mother and her younger son travel closer to her blind daughter’s new home, she notices the once lovely view of hills changing into stony and barren mountains. They come across two houses on a ridge and was fraught with anticipation and confusion, with the mother searching for her missing maid among unfamiliar faces and thinking of taking her home.
Seeing her younger son's life in town, living in a room filled with books, the mother questions him about his unconventional lifestyle and radical ideas of equality. As the two are on their way to visit the blind daughter, the younger son, sworn to secrecy and dreams of freedom, becomes angry with his mother when she suggests marrying him off to bind him to the family.
The mother misses her blind daughter and decides to visit her. She is haunted by the separation despite the passage of time and the changing seasons. When her elder son expresses concern about her safety and suggests that she waits until after the harvest, she insists on going immediately with her younger son.
It's been 5 years since the elder son's wedding and for some reason the couple has no sign of a child, which makes the emptiness of the family even louder. The two brothers don't quarrel so much these days since they don’t live together, which is counted as a blessing by the mother.
The mother has aged and even field work cannot help lift her heavy heart any more after the blind maid has been wed off. Her younger son is also a grown man now, who finds work in town and is seldom home. Whenever he comes home, he brings back the only brightness that lights up all her emptiness.
The day has come for the blind girl to be taken to her future husband's house for their wedding. Out of everyone's expectation, however, here comes an old man with a grin who claims to be the uncle of the husband. With the promise already given, the mother is left with no choice but to let him take her daughter.
After multiple rounds of illness attacking her mind and body, the mother realizes that her blind daughter would have to be wed, for she cannot take care of her, nor defend for her any longer in the house. The mother reaches out to the match maker, who later finds a household afar that would take the blind maid. Though sorrowful in their hearts, both the mother and the girl know what they have to do.
A match-maker recommends a potential husband for the blind girl, but the mother denies the union once again. Seeing this, the mother's cousin reminds her that there'll come a day when she's too old or weak to guard the blind maid anymore, which puts the mother into deep thought.
The mother has no intention to wed her blind daughter any time soon, setting herself against her elder son and his wife on this matter. As the son's new wife settles down in the neighborhood, she gets plainer in speech when talking with other women in the hamlet, complaining about the unwed blind maid.
The young wife never says anything rude and is always careful and courteous in her words. But she does not truly care for her blind sister-in-law, not willingly anyway. Eventually, the elder son joins his wife and suggests that his sister should be wed.
The elder son and his new wife have become masters of the house. They now keep the money and build a new room to live separately from the mother and the blind sister, which embitters the mother's heart. In the meantime, the blind sister also realizes that the new wife wishes to marry her off and leave the home to themselves.
Now the mother moves out from the main room to the straw mat where the old mother used to sleep. The main room is now for her elder son and daughter-in-law. Though she is busy as usual and in charge during the day, she feels old at night while sleeping on the old mat. The young wife does her tasks well and the elder son really likes her. But carefully the daughter-in-law attends to the daily chores in her own ways and the habits in the house are changed gradually, which brings discomfort to the mother's heart.
The day comes when the maid arrives at the mother's hamlet to be wed to her elder son. It evokes a strange feeling in the mother's heart that she must welcome into her house a new and younger woman, and it reminds her of that day when she herself was wed into this hamlet.
This day, the mother goes to her cousin's wife to ask if she knows of any young maid nearby. The good cousin's wife offers to go back to her home village to find one. Eventually, she does find one sharp and clever young woman who's good with sewing. The mother is satisfied to hear this, and without much hesitation she decides to settle with this young maid.
At the end of summer when it's time for rice harvest, all this hatred that has welled up in the elder son explodes. He beats his younger brother mercilessly, hearing about the mother's wonderful promises to talk the young lad into working in the field while he has asked for nothing for all his own hard work. To pacify the elder son, the mother discloses her plan to find him a wife and has him take the man's place in the house.
Her oldest son seems so perfect as a child, who shows filial obedience to his mother and never spends time or money on things other than his work. But it's the strangest thing how he bears such strong grudges against his younger brother and would unleash anger at the boy if he slacks off from working in the field. He can see that no matter how hard he works to keep the family safe and together, the mother loves the younger son the best.
At the age of 43, the mother is still thin but strong like when she was young. She loves to work in the field, even though her elder son, who is already a grown young man, often asks her to rest and allow him to take over the hard work instead. He comforts his mother by offering to take care of his younger sister, who now has full knowledge of her blindness and walks with her little gong and a stick.
It is hard for the mother to accept that her daughter is blind. She fears that it’s her own sin that has come upon the child. She goes to a temple far away to pray before a goddess and to atone for her sins. That day, the mother is healed of all desires and longing as a woman, and she is young no more.
Without letting the girl know, the mother buys a small brass gong for the girl in secret. The gong comes with a wooden hammer tied to it, so that blind people can strike the gong to warn others that they're blind when they walk on the street. The young girl is content to go home after her first day in town, not knowing that her mother is grieving in silence.
In a gloomy morning, the mother rises early and takes her daughter to a pharmacy in town for some balm on the young girl's troubled eyes. Those eyes have never been properly treated all these years. Though the mother has sought help in all the ways she can, she’s told that her girl is blind.
When she has wept her heart out, the mother goes home with her daughter, who comes out to find her. With the young girl's loving comfort, the mother feels her maternal instincts stirring again and tends to the needs of her children. Her voice is once again full and peaceful. She is finally herself again.
The mother lies ill and weak in bed for days after the abortion, and the cousin's kind wife helps her in all the ways she can. She cries with the realization that there is no hope from the landlord's agent, who remains oblivious to all her suffering.
There is no other path for her to take. The mother can feel the baby growing inside her and greedily absorbing her life away. She goes to the cousin's wife for help.
The news of her husband’s death spreads throughout the hamlet. The woman weeps and weeps and knows that she won’t be able to stop until she finishes what she must do.
In her next fake letter, the mother writes that her husband is dead. With the last bit of hope, she goes to the landlord’s agent to see how he will respond to the news. But it ends up no more than another heavy disappointment.
The mother's elder son starts to wonder if his father is dead, and plans to go look for him in town. He sets his heart on finding his father and forces the mother to decide to end her made-up tale once and for all.
The landlord's agent clearly doesn't want to have anything to do with the mother anymore. He won't look at her even when she puts on the jewelry he bought for her. It's the Mid-Autumn day, a time when families gather to celebrate. But for the mother and her children, it’s a day that reminds them of their sense of loss and joylessness.
Months later, the mother's fear comes true. She is pregnant again. She curses that day of the storm and her own foolishness and desire. The landlord's agent, on the other hand, is finished with her. He comes no more throughout that summer and treats the mother the same as everyone else when he comes to collect the grains in autumn.
The cold rain comes as a surprise and washes all the heat out of the day. When the mother returns home from her sweet and evil dream, she finds the old mother seriously ill, attacked by the sudden chilliness from the rain. With her own money, the mother buys some fine red cotton cloth and makes the old woman a brand-new shroud before she passes away.
This day, the landlord's agent comes to the mother's hamlet. She dares not to look at him, or to return the trinkets in broad daylight, so she lowers her head and answers his questions as the man glances up and down on her body. Deep down, the mother feels this same huger inside her. So when the man asks her to lead the way to her family's less noticable field up around the hill, she hesitates, but still agrees. With blood thundering in her ears, she walks to the private little shrine with the man, as the day gets darker and full of deeper and more burning heat.
It's summer again and the land is scorched with soft heat that's almost unbearable for any labour. But the mother fills her day with work in the field. The heat is in her veins too…and as she waters the dried soil and sees the dirt turn dark and moist, she feels as if she has fed some thirsty living thing and given it life.
The woman has no other choice but to bring the silver jewelry home. It is a restless night for her with fitful dreams about glittering silver jewels, as well as a man’s hot hand upon hers.
The landlord’s agent followed the mother into a silver shop in town. He buys a pair of rings and earrings to surprise her as a gift before they part at the town's gate. Feeling his touch on her hand, the mother is shocked into stillness, and then runs to return the bag containing the silver trinkets back to the man but fails.
A new year arrives and the mother continues to make up stories about her husband sending money back home. But the lies and praises from villagers can no longer comfort her. This time, she dumps all the emotions from her heart and burns the fake letters.
The agent can feel the loneliness buried deep in the mother's heart. Every now and then, he comes up with an excuse to come to her hamlet or watch her from the distance. The mother knows why he comes. There's something about the way he looks at her that make her heart shiver in secret.
It's that time of the year again for the landlord's agent to come and collect grain harvest from farmers, house by house. He is a tall man dressed in a costly gray robe made of silk, and one who would not miss any opportunity to look at good-looking women. This time, the lonesome mother seems like the perfect target, triggering him to make his move.
The mother feels torn inside with all her lies. She looks cheerful when telling lies about her husband whenever people ask of him. But deep down, her heart is filled with sadness and loneliness. There are times when her lies make her angry at the man who has put her through so much suffering, even though she knows that he's not even worth it.
Every day, the mother can see her children grow taller and move further from their babyhood. The faster they grow up, the lesser she feels that they are her own. She looks across the way and envies her cousin's family, with a good and earth-soiled husband, a happy wife with their newborn resting on her knees. They all look so content and happy. Feelings of longing and sorrow well up in the mother's heart.
In this episode, the story brings us back to the mother's memory before she was married. Through taking care of her neighbor's child at that time, she discovered her deep affection for children.
To the mother, to feel a child move and grow inside her always brings her a sense of wonder and a fulfilling happiness. She has grown more and more fond of children over the years. Everything tender and young can draw out compassion and love from the depth of her heart.
The time has come for the cousin's wife to give birth, so she calls the mother over to help her with the delivery. Witnessing the arrival of a new baby however, brought a sad and lonely feeling to the mother's heart. She is aware that she, still a young woman, would never bear a child again unless her man come home one day.
As spring arrives again, the mother asks her elder children to help her with work in the field. She works hard everyday and sleeps so tight at night that her missing husband scarcely crosses her mind these days.
The mother's plot works well enough and hereafter no one will mock her or hint that her husband has left her. But, people start to come to her to borrow money instead, and would think evil of the woman when their requests are denied.
The letter arrives a week later, with the whole family and their neighbors gathered around, thrilled by the news of how the man is earning good wages in town. Only the mother knows that the news is fake, and that the money included in the letter is from her own purse instead. The letter and the money are but ashes from all her own pride.
The days pass and the mother continues to make up stories to cover for her missing husband. She tells the family and fellow villagers that her man is favored by his master and is busy with work in town. But during the lonely dark nights, she weeps silently. As she wipes away her tears, however, the mother decides to spare herself of the shame and writes a fake letter from her husband to make her story even more believable.
The weather soon turns cold, so the mother brings out the winter clothing and tends each piece for her family members. She even cut the man's old clothes to fit their eldest son, thinking she would make her husband some new clothes for the New Year. It seems to her as if the new garments would bring the man closer back home.
The mother is bone-thin now, as if every ounce of flesh is gone since she must do the field labor of two people. Then comes the day set for measuring the landlord's share of the harvest, and the mother meets with a new agent who comes to collect the grain.
At last, after months of waiting with no news from her man, the mother made up a bold tale to silence the gossip. She told inquisitive neighbors that her husband has gone to the city and found a job there. She gathers the courage and tells the lie as if it's the truth.
Whenever her children or the old mother ask where the man is, the mother would comfort them and say he will come home soon. But late at night as she lays alone on bed, longing for his return, she also wonders what will become of her if her husband never returns.
Days pass but the man does not return. The mother could not rest nor sleep. The gnawing in her heart keeps her working restlessly until her body aches and her mind becomes numb. Then she's too tired to think of anything else. But eventually, the mother has no choice but to face the fact that her man has indeed left his family.
Throughout the day, the mother cooks as usual and waits with the family for her husband to come home and have dinner together. But he never shows up. The family later hears that the man has set out for town to gamble in his new blue robe..
Upon her husband's request, the mother makes the man a nice robe with the piece of cloth but takes no pleasure in the work. She has become hardened and silent since that fight, refusing to look at him even though she knows the blue robe would suit him well.
The conflict between the couple elevates when the man fights with the mother for her three pieces of silver, which the mother brought with her before their wedding. But the man spends them all on a piece of fine blue cloth without giving it a thought.
In the following two episodes, we hear about the most intense fight between the mother and her husband. The conflict ensues as a pedlar approaches the couple selling his fine clothes.
Considering himself a handsome and smart man, the husband feels stuck living in a small village with crying kids and doing hard labor. He just feels like a fish stuck in a well.
Out of her deep love for him, the mother soothes the angry husband even after he wasted his earning on the fake ring.
A fight breaks out between the couple after the husband spent his meager earning on a fake gold ring.
Grow up, get married, raise kids, people in this village have lived like this generation after another. However, the husband is fed up with this set pattern of living, feeling unhappy and hopeless.
As the story goes along, the mother gives birth to her fourth child. She called upon their cousin's wife to assist her with the delivery, while her husband went off gambling.
The days seem to repeat themselves, but they are never dull for the mother, who is very content. In this episode, we hear how the mother rises to each new day with zest, taking good care of the old mother in the house.
The mother asks her husband to buy medicine for their daughter's eyes, but her request is met with a rude response. Instead of arguing with her husband, she controls her emotions and keeps silent.
The young husband loves to sing and play some games after working all day. The mother often forbids him from gaming in the inn, but she is filled with tenderness towards him and the children by night fall. In this episode, we see how the mother takes care of her family at bedtime.
In this episode, the mother's husband returns from working in the field and joins the family for dinner.
In this episode, we "dine" with the family and hear what a day-to-day dinner is like in the mother's house. In the meantime, the mother sees that her daughter's eyes are red and sore, and this really concerns her.
The mother is quick-tempered but she’s also a warm wife and caring mother. She’s kind to her husband’s old mother, who lives in their house. In this episode, we hear how another day passes for this woman, how she works, cooks and tends to the needs of the whole family.
Let's hear how Manling, the narrator of this audiobook, introduces The Mother to its listeners!
This Mother's Day, join Books & Beyond on an emotional journey with "The Mother," by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck. Follow the life of an unnamed mother in rural China, as she faces hardships, abandonment, and strife with unwavering love for her children. Through the portrayal of love, sacrifice, and the universalism of motherhood, this heart-warming story transcends race and borders. Don't miss out on experiencing the resilience and strength of a mother's love, available exclusively on May 14th, 2023.
In this episode, Yung Wing was implicated in involving in the failed coup d’état of 1898, forcing him to flee to a foreign settlement of Shanghai. Here he organized the Deliberative Association of China.
In this episode, from 1894 to 1898, Yung Wing made plans to buy weapons to fight Japan, established a National Bank of China, and organized a railroad company, which were all thwarted by many challenges.
In this episode, the years 1880-1886 was the most unfortunate period of Yung Wing’s life, when his educational program was destroyed, combined with the death of his beloved wife.
In this episode, we learn that Woo Tsze Tung was appointed commissioner and his agenda to close the Educational Mission of Yung Wing.
In this episode, Yung Wing went undercover to fight for the rights of Chinese workers in Peru.
In this episode , Yung Wing brought to us the details of the study abroad mission and the events of 1870-1874.
In this episode, we learn of Yung Wing’s four proposals on educational reform, to encourage Chinese students to study in the US.
In this episode, from 1865 to 1867, when the machines were shipped back to China and the Kiang Nan Arsenal was established, Yung Wing was promoted by the government and became an interpreter, during which time he translated two foreign works.
In this episode, in 1863, Tsang Kwoh Fan accepted Yung Wing's proposal to open a machine factory and granted him the military title and expenses to buy machinery.
In this episode, Yung Wing received a letter of invitation from Viceroy Tsang Kwoh Fan to go down to Ngan Khing, but due to his previous dealing with the rebels in the tea business, Yung Wing was afraid this was a trap to capture him.
In this episode, Yung Wing learned of a huge fortune of tea which were in the hands of the rebels. Thus he plucked up the courage to set off in his adventure to obtain the tea. Though the expedition was a success, it was not without danger as Yung Wing transported the tea with his fellow boatmen.
In this episode, we learn through Yung Wing’s eyes the reasons for the rebellion and those in power behind the scenes.
In this episode, 1859 Yung Wing decided to join two missionaries and Tsang Laisun to visit the Taiping rebels. We are introduced to the successes and failures of the rebels. Upon meeting with Kan Wong in Nanking, Yung Wing clearly expressed his purpose for traveling to Nanking and hopeful future plans that he had.
In this episode, we travel with Yung Wing through many ports and cities as he describes the marvelous connections between each destination as he and his tea men ventured out to purchase local tea and yellow silk.
In this episode, although Yung Wing’s mercantile experience was short-lived, he found a great opportunity to expand his acquaintance through translation work for the educated and mercantile classes of the Chinese, which in turn led him to a new opportunity in the tea district.
In this episode, in effort to find a way to support himself and his mother, Yung Wing became the private secretary to Doctor Peter Parker, who he had met while in Mrs. Gutzlaff’s School. Over time, Yung Wing realized that this would not benefit him in the long run and moved to Hong Kong to study law, which landed him a position as a interpreter in the Hong Kong Supreme Court. He then found himself in the Imperial Customs Translating Department in Shanghai.
In this episode, we embark on a journey back to China on board the ship Eureka which took 154 days. We are then greated with a joyous reunion between Yung Wing and his mother, who he has not seen for over a decade, and followed by the unfortunate event led by Viceroy Yeh Ming Hsin, ordering a mass slaughter of the people in Kwang Tung province.
In this episode, we learn of Yung Wing’s dilemma prior to entering Yale and his struggles in his studies during his four years in Yale up to his graduation in 1854 where he became the first Chinaman to graduate from a first-class American college.
In this episode, we explore Yung Wing’s life and learnings at the Monson Academy, it was here that he decided to continue his studies in Yale after his two years at the Monson Academy, while his good friend decided to continue at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
In this episode, Yung Wing shared his voyage from Whompoa to New York and from New York to New Haven, where he had the opportunity to see Yale College.
In this episode，we learn of Yung Wing’s attendance at the Morrison School and later deciding to follow Rev. S. R. Brown back to America to further his studies.
In this episode, we are introduced to a young Yung Wing who is taken into Mrs. Gutzlaff’s Mission School, where we explore his early years of Western education.
The first five chapters of this book give an account of my early education, previous to going to America, where it was continued, first at Monson Academy, in Monson, Massachusetts, and later, at Yale College...
This is an autobiography of a man who witnessed and played an important role in 19th century China. He was born in 1828 and was the first Chinese person ever to graduate from Yale in 1854. His name is Yung Wing. A lifelong supporter of reform in China, he returned to China after graduation, and brokered the purchase of China’s first arms factory from the US. More importantly, he pioneered the Chinese Education Commission which brought 120 young Chinese to study in the United States since 1872. Many of the students later returned to China and made significant contributions to China's civil services, engineering, and the sciences. Listen to the stories from Yung Wing and his book My Life in China and America, first published in 1909. The book brings you to see the history of Sino-American exchanges back in the 19th century.