Paradise Flycatcher

Gentle breezes blew through the branches of the Poplar trees as Ying and Lien-Hua hurried home from school. Animals scampered from tree to tree and leaves chattered in the breeze. Ying hurried home to see Grandpa Jong. Ying spent school day thinking of his Grandfather.
What started his daydream was his social studies class. Mr. Tsang stood in front of the class, showing a piece of embroidered silk to his students. Ying had seen one like it before in Grandpa Jong’s dresser drawer.
“Does anyone know what this?” asked Mr. Tsang.
Many children raised their hands.
“It’s a Mandarin Square,” answered a girl.
“That’s correct,” replied Mr. Tsang. He reached up and pulled down a map of China. Ying thought about the silk patch in Grandpa Jong’s dresser. He had only seen it once. Ying remembered Grandpa Jong’s stories of the Imperial Chinese Navy. As Ying ran home, he hoped Grandpa Jong would share more stories.
“Wait for me,” called Lien-Hua. Her tiny legs carried her as fast as they could, but Ying was much older, and much faster, too. He turned down the alley and jogged the last few steps down the Hutong. Mrs. Liu, who was standing at the front door, opened it and let Ying inside.
“Where’s your sister?” she asked.
“She’s right behind me,” gasped Ying. In fact, Lien-Hua was far behind him. She had stopped running before they had even left the schoolyard.
“You know you’re supposed to wait for her,” said Mrs. Liu.
“I was in a rush. I wanted to see Grandpa. Where is he?”
“He’s sleeping,” said Mrs. Liu.
Ying went to his bedroom and put away his backpack. He peeked his head into Grandpa’s bedroom. Ying walked into the sewing room, where everyone else had gathered, including Lien-Hua, whose face was hot and flushed from running after Ying.
“Ying, I think you should apologize to your sister.”
“I’m sorry,” said Ying.
“It’s okay. I’m just tired.”
Ying sat on the couch between his sister and mother. “Grandma?” he said.
“Yes dear?”
“Do you know anything about Mandarin Squares?”
“That’s a peculiar question. Why do you ask?”
“Our teacher was talking about Mandarin Squares in social studies.”
“You know that Grandpa Jong had a Great Grandfather who was a Mandarin, right?”
“What’s a Mandarin?” asked Lien-Hua.
“A Mandarin was a very important man in ancient China. Some were officers in the Chinese Navy. Some worked for the Government and held important offices.”
“Wasn’t one of my relatives a Mandarin?” asked Ying.
“My Great Grandfather was a Mandarin,” said Mrs. Liu.
“How did he become a Mandarin?” asked Lien-Hua.
“That’s a very good question. He had to take an examination.”
“A test?” asked Lien-Hua.
“Before he could become a Mandarin, he had to prove he was worthy. He would walk to a village far from home to take the examination.”
“An examination?” asked Lien-Hua.
“There were all kinds of questions. He had to know about Government and Mathematics, Arts, Music, and even Horsemanship and Archery.”
“Why did he have to know so much?”
“He worked for the government, making laws and working as a judge for the people. Many men studied to become Mandarins. Only a few actually passed the examination.”
“Can I show her the Mandarin Square?” asked Ying.
“It’s in my jewelry box on the dresser. Make sure not to wake your Grandpa,” said Grandma Mei.
Ying sneaked into Grandpa’s bedroom and carefully opened Grandma Mei’s jewelry box. Ying searched through the necklaces and earrings, but the Mandarin Square wasn’t there. The jewelry clunked as Ying pulled the Mandarin Square from beneath the jewelry.
“Hello,” said Grandpa Jong, startling Ying.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa.”
“I was already awake. What are you up to?” asked Grandpa Jong.
“We were in the sewing room, talking about Great Grandpa Zhou and I wanted to show Lien-Hua his Mandarin Square, but I can’t find it.”
“That’s because it’s in the sock drawer.” Grandpa Jong got up and slid into his slippers. He shuffled over to the dresser and pulled the sock drawer open. A large silken square lay beneath the socks. Grandpa Jong pulled it out and held it up. The bright colors shimmered in the light. Ying moved closer to inspect the stitches.
“What do you want to know?” asked Grandpa Jong.
“My teacher was talking about it today and I just wondered.”
“Give me a few moments and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Ying closed the bedroom door behind him as he waited outside Grandpa’s room. Grandpa Jong slipped into a fresh set of clothes and grabbed a flashlight.
“If you really want to know what it was all about, follow me into the basement so we can look for something,” said Grandpa Jong.
Ying went with his Grandfather into the musty old basement, following the flashlight’s beam. As they shuffled down the steps, they stireed up a cloud of dust. Ying coughed a few times, then stopped as the dust settled.
“What are we looking for?” asked Ying.
“There’s something I call the ‘war chest’ that has pictures from when I was a kid. I also have some old drawings Grandpa Zhou made of his gunboat when he was in the Navy.”
They searched through the basement until they found the chest. It was made of brown leather with tarnished brass handles. Grandpa Jong flung it open. Inside the chest, there was a collection of odds and ends. Childhood toys and newspaper clippings laid in the bottom of the chest, covered with musty clothes. Grandpa Jong pulled the newspaper clippings out of the ‘war chest’ and fastened the lid.
Grandpa Jong walked upstairs to the sewing room, followed closely by Ying.
“Ying, you didn’t,” scolded his mother.
“Leave him alone. I was already awake and needed to get out of bed anyway.”
Grandpa Jong sat in his chair and looked through the papers in his lap.
“It was quite an honor to be a Mandarin,” said Grandpa Jong.
“Were you a Mandarin?” asked Lien-Hua.
“No, but Grandpa Zhou always told stories about Mandarin life.”
“What was it like?” Grandpa Jong motioned to Lien-Hua, who sat on his lap as he began his story.
“When he was a young man, he traveled to and from the Examination Hall for each Examination. The Examinations lasted three days and three nights.”
“That’s a very long test,” said Ying.
“It was an important duty to be a Mandarin. When they stayed at the Examination Hall, they slept and ate there, too. Every time he returned home without becoming a Mandarin, it was a long, sad journey. Zhou had to take the Examination four times before he returned home as a Mandarin.”
Ying and Lien-Hua flipped through the papers, investigating pictures of Great Grandpa Zhou’s Yamen, the building where he lived and worked during his time as a Mandarin. Not only was it his office,e but also his home, where he lived with his wife and their children.
There were also pictures of him standing aboard a ship in a sailor’s uniform..
“Tell us about Great Grandpa Zhou’s time in the Chinese Navy,” begged Lien-Hua.
“So you would like to hear a Navy story?” Both children nodded eagerly.
“He didn’t join the Navy until he ended his time as a Mandarin. He sailed on a gunboat in the South China Sea.”
“What was that like?” asked Ying.
“I would imagine it was harder than the Imperial Examination. He spent months at a time on the gunboat. Navy ships back were converted boats, actually. My Great Grandpa always said that the hardest thing about being a sailor was sleeping on the ship at night. The men slept beneath the deck, so it was hot and dark. The boat was tossed back and forth in the sea, often making sailors sick.”
“That would be terrible,” exclaimed Lien-Hua.
“I’m sure it was, but Grandpa Zhou said it was the best time of his life. He was very proud of his time with the Chinese Navy.”
“Why do you think he said that?” asked Ying.
“There were plenty of reasons. He spent a long time on the sea. These men were like a family. They spent every minute of every day together and depended upon each other for their lives.”
“I think his ship was beautiful. The great sail flying over their ship, taking them from one port to another.”
“I suppose there was some romance to it, Lien-Hua. Every time we talked about his time on the Sea, his voice changed. I knew there was something more.”
“Why didn’t you join the Navy?” asked Ying.
“Grandpa Zhou wanted me to join, but I married Grandma Mei when I was just a young man. I guess that’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?” asked Ying.
Grandpa chuckled. “I never learned how to swim. I guess that’s the other part. I decided to work in a factory instead.”
“Do you regret not joining the Navy?”
“How could I? I got to stay with Grandma Mei.”
“I wonder what I will do when I become older,” said Ying.
“You have plenty of time to figure that out when the time comes,” said Grandpa Jong.
“Plus, if your grandfather would have gone off and joined the Navy, who knows where we all would be now? Because he married your Grandma, he had me, so I don’t regret it,” said Ying’s mother.
“Me neither,” said Lien-Hua.
"The only thing I regret is missing breakfast," said Grandpa Jong, "Is there any chance we could have an early lunch?"
"Of course Dad," said Mrs. Liu.
She fixed a bowl of Lo Mein for lunch. Everyone gathered around the dining room table while Grandpa Jong shared more stories about Grandpa Zhou and the Imperial Chinese Navy.