THE JADE PENDANT by CATHERINE LIM

The Jade Pendant had gathered round it a number of myths, some of w h i c h w e r e q u i t e

a b s u r d , s u c h a s t h e o n e t h a t i t w a s w o r t h h a l f - a - m i l l i o n dollars, but the reality was
astonishing enough to raise gasps of admiration and envy. The jewel, as big as the palm of a
childs hand, consisted of a thick circular piece of intricately carved jade of the most brilliant and
lucid green, surrounded by innumerable diamonds arranged in floral designs. It was to be w o r n o n a
chain round the neck, but the sheer weight of the jewel, not to mention the
e x t r e m e f o l l y o f r i s k i n g l o s s o r t h e f t , h a d c a u s e d i t t o b e l i t t l e disturbed in its
place in the bank vaults. Mrs Khoo had worn it only twice o n c e a t a b a n q u e t g i v e n b y a
s u l t a n t h e j e w e l h a d b e e n s p e c i a l l y f l o w n , under strict security, to the royal town
where it made quite a stir, even at a function that glittered with fabulous jewels and again, at the
wedding of her n e p h e w. S i n c e t h e n , i t h a d l a i n s a f e l y i n t h e b a n k v a u l t s , f o r t h e
m y r i a d weddings and other functions that Mrs Khoo had subsequently attended were considered too
insignificant to justify the presence of this jewel, the like of which nobody had ever seen. But its
absence on the broad perfumed bosom of Mrs Khoo was as likely to provoke comments as its
presence: Ah, youre not wearing the Jade Pendant! Thats a disappointment to me, for I had hoped to
see it, Ive heard so much about it.
To make up for the loss of pleasure that would have been afforded by the sight of the Jade Pendant,
Mrs Khoo would talk about its history how it had come down to her from her mother who had got
it from her own mother, and if its origin was traced far enough, it could be ascertained that the
first possessor was a concubine of a Vietnamese emperor of the seventeenth
ce n t u r y . I t s c o n t i n u i n g c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h r o y a l t y m u s t b e
s o m e t h i n g predestined, for, confided Mrs Khoo, her mother had once told her that the
wife of a sultan who had seen it had wanted to buy it, no matter how great the cost; she had actually
sent emissaries to begin the task of negotiation and purchase. It was an extremely difficult thing to
do, but the persistent royal lady was at last turned down.
The engrossing question had been: to whom would Mrs Khoo leave the jewel when she died her
daughter-in-law or her daughter? Mrs Khoo had actually long settled the matter in favour of
her daughter. There was nothing she would not do for Lian Kim, her favourite child.
Moreover, she would not wait for her death to hand over the jewel when Lian Kim got married, the gift
w o u l d b e m a d e . T h e b r i d e w o u l d w e a r t h e J a d e P e n d a n t a t t h e w e d d i n g dinner, for
every one of the guests to see.
W h e n L i a n K i m w a s h o m e f o r t h e h o l i d a y s w i t h h e r f i a n c , s h e h a d insisted on her
mother taking the jewel out of the bank for him to see. He was an Art student whom she had met in London,
and the wonder on his face and
the long whistle of admiration and incredulity as he looked at the Jade
Pendant that Lian Kim laughingly placed on his artists begrimed sweater, was a small but definite step
towards the mollification of his future mother-in-law
whose chagrin, when her daughter wrote to her of being engaged to a
foreigner, was great indeed. How vexing, she had thought to herself and later said to her husband,
although she would not have dared to say the same to her daughter. How vexing, to have a
daughter married to a foreigner, and a poor one at that. But there was nothing to be done, once the

young people of today made up their minds. Her vexation was increased that day by a very
humiliating incident. She had just shown the Jade Pendant to Lian Kim and Ron and was
getting ready to put it back in its case of red velvet, when she hear d Ah Soh
sweeping outside the room. Upon impulse, she called Ah Soh into the room to view the
jewel, thinking afterwards, in the generosity of her heart, that even a humble widowed relative who
made cakes and puddings for sale in the streets, could be given the pleasure of looking at the jewel. Ah
Soh was all gratitude. She left her broom outside, tiptoed in with a great show of respect and
awe, and raised her hands in shrill wonderment even before the box was opened to reveal its treasure. She
exclaimed, she praised, she was breathless with the effort of pleasing a rich relative who
allowed her and her daughter to live in a room at the back of the great house, to eat the
food left o n t h e g r e a t t a b l e , t o b e n e f i t b y t h e s a l e o f o l d c l o t h e s , b e e r - b o t t l e s a n d
newspapers.
Unfortunately, Ah Sohs daughter, a simple-minded girl of Lian Kims age, had ambled in then,
looking for her mother, and on seeing the jewel had crowed with childish delight, and actually
snatched it up and pranced round the room, shrilly parading it on her chest. The terror of
her mother who had quickly glanced up to see the look of violent disgust and displeasure on
the f a c e o f M r s K h o o , w a s i t s e l f t e r r i f y i n g t o b e h o l d . S h e s h r i e k e d a t t h e g i r l ,
snatched the jewel back, laid it reverently back in its case and began scolding her erring daughter as
vehemently as she could. The insulted pride of the lady w h o s e c o u n t e n a n c e h a d t a k e n o n a
l o o k o f e x t r e m e h a u t e u r, w a s t o b e mollified by no less than a severe thrashing of the
offender, which Ah Soh immediately executed, secret anger against her rich relative lending
great strength to her thin scrawny arms. The girl, who looked no more than a child though she was twenty,
whimpered, and would have been thrashed sick had not Mrs Khoo intervened by saying stiffly, That will do,
Ah Soh. Do you want t o k i l l t h e c h i l d ? B e t t e r f o r h e r t o b e k i l l e d t h a n t o i n s u l t y o u i n
t h i s w a y ! sobbed Ah Soh.
Mrs Khoo who found the incident too disgusting to be mentioned to
her h u s b a n d o r d a u g h t e r , s o o n f o r g o t i t . S h e s p e n t t h e t h r e e w e e k s o f
h e r daughter s vacation home in pleasing the young couple as much as she
could. She got the servants to cook all kinds of delicacies, and Ah Soh,
a n x i o u s t o p a c i f y h e r f u r t h e r, h e l p e d a s m u c h a s s h e c o u l d , e n d l e s s l y .
Whenever she could spare the time from her mah-jong, Mrs Khoo entertained
them, not sparing any expense. Mr Khoo who doted on his youngest daughter was even willing to take time
off from his gambling and his race-horses to take the couple round and introduce them proudly to his wide
circle of friends. Lian Kim and Ron were to be married by the end of the year. A sad occasion for the
mother, ha! ha! do you know why? Mr Khoo would laugh heartily, his round florid face wreathed in smiles.
Because the Jade Pendant will be made over from mother to daughter. Ah, these women and
their jewels! But I tell you, that lockets worth at least he would then whisper conspiratorially into the
ears of his friend, revelling in the look of amazement on the face of the listener.
It would never have occurred to any of their friends to ask Mr or Mrs Khoo whether they were
thinking of selling the Jade Pendant it would have been an insult too great to be borne. Yet the
possibility had occurred to Mrs K h o o , a n d t h e r e a l i z a t i o n , a f t e r s o m e t i m e , t h a t i t
w o u l d h a v e t o b e s o l d brought a spasm of terror to the lady as she paced about in her room thinking

w h a t a s a d s t a t e o f a f f a i r s t h e f a m i l y w a s i n f i n a n c i a l l y. T h e m o n e y a n d property
that
had
come
down
to
them
from
their
parents
and
grandparents

almost all dissipated! Mr Khoo and his gambling and his horses
a n d entertaining, the expensive education of her two sons and her daughter
abroad they were forever writing home for more money.
The immediate worry was the expense of Lian Kims wedding. It could not, must not, be on a scale
less than the wedding of her elder brother two years ago, or the wedding of the nephew, for
that would be a severe loss of family face. Mrs Khoo made a quick calculation of the cost of
the wedding dress and trousseau, specially ordered from a French house of fashion, the
furnishings for the new flat in London to be rented by the couple after their marriage, the
wedding dinner for at least five hundred people in the Imperial H o t e l w h e r e w a s s h e t o
g e t t h e m o n e y f r o m ? S h e u t t e r e d l i t t l e c r i e s o f agitation and wrung her hands in vexation,
as she walked about in her room. She had on one occasion represented the difficulties to her
husband, but he had only laughed, pinched her cheek and said, Now, now, you are always
worrying. We are okay, okay, and you go and get whatever you like, old girl. She had not dared to speak of
her difficulties to Lian Kim she could not bear to spoil the happiness of her beloved child.
Once she was tempted to approach Ah Soh to borrow some money s h e h a d h e a r d
w h i s p e r s o f t h e i m m e n s e s u m o f m o n e y t h a t A h S o h h a d slowly accumulated over
forty years, money she had saved from her sale of c a k e s a n d p u d d i n g s , a n d
f r o m e x t r e m e f r u g a l i t y : A h S o h m a d e h e r o w n cigarettes by rolling the tobacco salvaged
from thrown-away cigarette ends, in little square pieces of paper, and her simple-minded
daughter wore only the cast-off clothes of Lian Kim and other relatives. But she had quickly rejected
the idea. What, degrade herself by seeking help from a relative who was no better than a
servant? Mrs Khoos inherent dislike of Ah Soh was increased by h e r s u s p i c i o n t h a t b e h i n d a l l
t h a t e f f u s i v e h u m a n i t y a n d d e f e r e n c e w a s a shrewdness and alertness that saw
everything that was going on, and she even fancied that the frightened-looking eyes in the thin pallid
face sometimes laughed at her. After Lian Kims wedding I shall no longer tolerate her in the
house, thought Mrs Khoo resentfully. She and that imbecile daughter she dotes on so much can
pack up and leave.
The thought of the wedding which should have given so much pleasure to her fond mothers heart
distressed
her,
for
again
and
again
she
wondered
where the money was to come from. Their two houses were
a l r e a d y mortgaged; the shares would fetch little. No matter how hard she tried
t o avoid it, the conclusion she inevitably reached was: The Jade Pendant had to go. The impact of so
awesome a decision caused Mrs Khoo to have a violent headache. The only consolation she could
find in so dismal a situation was the t h o u g h t t h a t n o b o d y n e e d k n o w t h a t t h e J a d e
Pendant had been sold, as she could always give some explanation or other for

i t n o t b e i n g w o r n a t t h e wedding, whereas if the wedding celebration were to be scaled

down, how dreadful the loss of face that would be!
She then went into urgent and secret family consultation in which her husband finally assented
to the sale, stressing that they should get as good a price for such a jewel as they possibly could. It
was not so easy to win her daughter round Lian Kim fretted excessively about the loss of
something she had been promised, and it was only after a great deal of sulking that she would consent to
the sale. The prospect of a modest wedding celebration was even more appalling than that of having to do
without the Jade Pendant, and of the numerous excuses thought up to account for its absence,
she at last settled on this one: that the huge old-fashioned jewel would not go nicely with her Dior gown.
The secrecy
with which the sale of the Jade Pendant was to be
e f f e c t e d b e c a m e a m a t t e r o f f i r s t i m p o r t a n c e . F o l l o w i n g t h e v e r y d i s c r e e t inquiries
about potential buyers, an offer came and with conditions that could not but please Mrs Khoo the
interested party was a very wealthy lady who made her home in another country, she wanted
absolute secrecy in the entire proceeding, she would send round a third person to collect the item. Her
offer moreover was generous. Insist on cash, said Mr Khoo. You never know about t h e s e s o - c a l l e d
r i c h f o r e i g n e r s . C a s h i t w a s , a n d t h e J a d e P e n d a n t l e f t i t s place in the bank vaults forever.
With the matter settled, Mrs Khoo was happy again, and bustled about w i t h t h e w e d d i n g
p r e p a r a t i o n s . M y d a u g h t e r h a s d e c i d e d n o t t o w e a r t h e Jade Pendant, she told her
friends. Oh, these young people nowadays, they do not appreciate the beautiful things left them
by their ancestors, and they are so intolerant of our old ways! Mrs Khoo, caught up happily in the whirl
of invitations and other preparations, did not however, forget to tell Ah Soh, but in a kindly voice, There
will be so many guests all dressed grandly and with their jewels, that it is better for you to dress
well too. I hope you have bought new clothes for the occasion? Ah Soh humbly and gratefully assured her
that she had.
The wedding dinner and celebration were on a scale as to merit talk for a t l e a s t t h e n e x t t h r e e
days.
At
least
one
Minister
and
three
Members
o f P a r l i a m e n t , t o g e t h e r w i t h n u m e r o u s b u s i n e s s t y c o o n s w e r e p r e s e n t . M r s Khoo
moved briskly among the guests, and even in the flutters of maternal
anxiety and happiness, had the time to hope Ah Sohs simple-minded
daughter would not do anything to mar the splendour of the occasion. She had wanted,
tactfully, to tell Ah Soh not to bring her along, but had decided to be generous and charitable for such an
occasion as this the wedding of her youngest and favourite child.
Her gaze swept briefly over the heads in that large, resplendent,
chandeliered room, and rested on a spot in the far corner, where she could easily pick out
Ah Soh, decently dressed for once, sitting with her daughter and some relatives. Mrs Khoo
wondered why the gaze, not only of those at that table, but those from the neighbouring
tables,
was
fixed
on
the
imbecile
child
people were positively staring at her, and not only staring, but

whispering loudly, urgently, among themselves. The whispering and staring spread outwards in
widening ripples of mounting excitement and tension. Mrs Khoo made her way towards this focus of
tremulous attention, and she too stared not at the idiot child-like face but at the jewel that rested
awkwardly o n t h e f l a t c h i l d - l i k e c h e s t . T h e J a d e P e n d a n t ! T h e i d i o t g i r l c r o w e d w i t h
pleasure, and her mother, who sat very near to her holding
h e r h a n d affectionately, was nodding to the faces crowding in upon them, the frightened look gone
forever from her eyes. O h , w h e r e i s M r K h o o ? P l e a s e d o s o m e t h i n g ! s h r i e k e d M r s
K h o o , moving about distractedly, wringing her hands. Oh, what shall we do? How shall we
bear it? Lian Kim, she musnt know, it will kill her to know! And I will kill her for having done this
to me! How could she do such a thing to me!