CHAPTER 5

I COULDN’T HELP BUT TO MESMERIZE the Gosiengfiao Mansion. The exterior design of the mansion was an Old Chinese Style with wooden structural elements interlocking the wooden brackets. It was painted in red, black and gold. While the interior design was a fusion of ancient and modern. There were lots of porcelain jars painted elegantly, golden artifacts, sculptures, paintings and a gold lotus tree with diamonds dangling on the tip of its branches.  

Ngayon lamang ako nakakita ng ganitong mansyon at sobrang ganda. Napakaaliwalas ng paligid at halatang hindi basta-basta ang presyo ng mga gamit rito.. Ngunit ang mas nakaagaw ng aking pansin ay ang isang glass painting ng dalawang taong magkahawak ang mga kamay habang nakangiti at nakatitig sa isa’t-isa.

Caridad told me about the love story of the late couple, Nǚshì Jialin and Xiānshēng Ruohan. Their love for each other was against the world, because Nǚshì Jialin was an heiress of a Chen Family while Xiānshēng Ruohan was the son of Chen Family’s maid. Xiānshēng Ruohan’s mother was already sick, so he was the one who became a servant to the Chen Family. 

Nǚshì Jialin was forced to marry Guazi Ho, a Chinese Drug Lord. However, Nǚshì Jialin and Xiānshēng Ruohan fought their love and eloped, so that no one would break them apart. They lived a simple life with his sick mother. 

But little did they know that Xiānshēng Ruohan was a son of a Chinese Mogul who was Señor Runyi Gosiengfiao to his childhood sweetheart and daughter of their maid to a Korean Soldier, Señora Eun Ae Wang. 

Señora Eun Ae hid her pregnancy, and ran away, because Señor Runyi was arranging marriage to an heiress of the Chua Family. She became a maid, and served the Chen Family while she was pregnant until she gave birth to a healthy baby boy that she named Ruohan. Many men wanted to court her amidst being a single mother and a maid, because of her modesty and mixed-race beauty of Korean and Chinese. But she always declined, because her heart and body were already owned by the one and only man in her life who was Runyi. Instead, she wanted to focus on her son. 

Not until Señora Eun Ae started to become weak and always get sick making Xiānshēng Ruohan which made Xiānshēng Ruohan work young in the Chen Family being a servant. He also sold some of his paintings for additional income for his mother’s medication. 

Xiānshēng Ruohan told his mother about his secret relationship with Nǚshì Jialin, and also, she was pregnant with his child. He wanted to fight for their love. They wanted to elope and hide. His mother didn’t shout and curse him to death, but instead hugged him and told him that she would support all of his decisions, because she wanted him to be happy. 

Years of hiding and living in a simple life. Xiānshēng Ruohan and Nǚshì Jialin got married and build their own little family. They were blessed by three little angels who always brought love and happiness to Señora Eun Ae. Their first-born was Eunah; the second-born was Roshah; and the third-born was Jiarah. 

Señora Eun Ae became old and made a last wish to Xiānshēng Ruohan, and that was to visit a secret place which was a lotus garden. However, both of them were dumbfounded to see a man standing and looking at the lotus tree like he was waiting for someone. Señora Eun Ae couldn’t help but to cry which made the man look in their direction full of surprise and pain. And that moment, all the hidden secrets were being revealed as they asked forgiveness with each other. After that, Señora Eun Ae passed away. His father already bought the lotus garden years ago, because it was his mother’s greatest wish to have her last remains buried under the lotus tree. His father followed it, and made a decent and beautiful burial for his mother under the lotus tree. 

From rugs to riches, Xiānshēng Ruohan’s life turned upside down as his father inherited all of his wealth under his name. It couldn’t easily process inside his head. His father married once, and eventually got divorced. He didn’t love his ex-wife and had no child. His father insisted that his family would live with him, and he accepted that. He was also yearning for the love and care of a father, and it wasn’t too late for that. 

The once cold and silent Gosiengfiao Mansion was filled with laughter of the three little angels who were being showered with love and attention by Señor Runyi. Xiānshēng Ruohan pursued his dreams, studied and graduated. They cope up with the years they didn’t get together as they celebrate special moments and occasions. But weeks after that, Señor Runyi died peacefully on his bed while holding an old picture of him and the love of his life who was no other than Señora Eun Ae, hugging each other lovingly under the lotus tree. 

It was a bittersweet love story for Xiānshēng Ruohan’s parents. But in the end, they were together now in the afterlife. The Gosiengfiao Family’s life was an open-book to all people here. They weren’t perfect, and they also have flaws and imperfections too in their own life. 

Sa ngayon, ang mga nag-ha-handle ng businesses ng Gosiengfiao ay ang tatlong anak na babae nina Xiānshēng Ruohan at Nǚshì Jialin na mayro’n na ring sariling pamilya. At mas pinili nilang manirahan sa Pilipinas kaysa sa China. 

Kilala ang mga Gosiengfiao sa negosyong porcelain glass vase and jars, sculptures, golden and jeweled artifacts and crafts. Mayro’n din silang pagmamay-ari na mga kompanya ng cruise line at pati na rin ang sikat na kompanya ng food and beverages. Top distributor din sila ng mga poultry and agricultural crops sa Pilipinas. At itong Hacienda Gosiengfiao ang pinakamamahal na ari-arian nina Xiānshēng Ruohan at Nǚshì Jialin dahil dito sila tumira nang lumipat sila sa Pilipinas at hanggang sa namatay. Ito ang naiwang pamana kay Señora Jiarah na kasama ang anak niyang si Señorito Yuji. 

Napabalik ako sa reyalidad nang impit na tumili si Caridad habang hinuhugasan ang puwet ng kaldero at kawali habang pumadyak-padyak. Hawak ko naman ang basahan na pamunas ng mga hugasan na ginamit kanina sa pagluluto ng almusal nina Señora at Señorito.

“Pisting yawa talaga ang Rigor na iyan! Sana ay tubuan siya ng kulugo ang puwet para tumigil na siya sa pang-aasar sa akin sa harap ni Señorito. Nakakahiya pa naman, gusto ko ay mahinhin na dalaga ako sa mga mata ni Señorito,” pagmamaktol ni Caridad 

Binigyan kasi kami kanina ni Manang Juris ng aming gagawin. Sinabihan niya kaming maghugas ng mga ginamit kanina sa pagluluto at pati na rin ang pinagkainan nina Señora at Señorito.

“Hayaan mo na iyon, Caridad. Baka naman mayro’n siyang crush kaya nagpapansin sa iyo,” pagpapakalma ko sa kaniya.

She exaggeratedly gasped. Her face flushed as her eyes widened. “Aguy! Aguy! Aguy! Nagpantig ang aking tainga nang dahil do’n, Maryan! Malabong mangyari ang kalokohang iyan. Prayboy ang gagong iyon at kulang na ay patusin ang mga alagang hayop sa hacienda sa papalit-palit ng babae. Siguro kung hindi lang matanda si Manang ay niligawan na rin niya. At saka mataas ang standards ko pagdating sa lalaki at wala at siya sa kalingkingan ng crush ko dahil ang tipo ko ay kagaya ni Señorito na mabait, matipuno at hindi bastos.”

I couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Kung sabagay, mahirap din ang magkaro’n ng karelasyon na playboy at para kang hindi mapakali kung lumalandi ba siya nang patalikod sa iyo. Ngunit hindi naman natin madidiktahan ang kapalaran kung sino ba ang itinadhana para sa atin.”

Napanguso naman siya. “Basta’t kahit ano pa ang mangyari ay hinding-hindi ko magugustuhan ang gagong iyon. Hihinga pa lang siya sa hinihingahan ko ay gusto ko na siyang sakalin at sabunutan. Sana ang lalaking itinadhana para sa akin ay si Señorito kahit na alam kong isang malaking pangarap lamang iyon.”

“Hindi natin alam ang takbo ng ating kapalaran, Caridad. Basta’t kahit ano pa ang mangyari ay gawin mo lamang ang makapagpapasaya sa iyo ngunit puwede kang tumigil kapag nasasaktan ka na. Hindi naman masamang sumuko kung napapagod ka na. Mahirap naman ipilit ang iyong sarili sa isang pagmamahal na wala kang puwang sa puso niya,” sambit ko.

“Ang lalim naman ng iyong sinabi, Maryan. Nagkaro’n ka na ba ng karelasyon dati? Ako kasi puro crush lang dahil tingle ako simula pa noon,” aniya.

Nakangiti akong umiling. “Single ako at wala pa akong naging boyfriend.”

“Ha? Eh, bakit parang ang dami mong hugot? At saka imposible namang walang nanliligaw sa iyo dahil ang ganda-ganda mo,” nagtataka niyang turan. 

I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled as I continued wiping the lotus designed ceramic plate that I’m holding to make it dry before I put it inside the cabinet. Actually, I was dumbfounded to see lots of ceramic glassware sets inside the cabinet. All of them looked elegant and high value which made me scared to break it.

Actually, I have lots of admirers and suitors. But I couldn’t find the spark and eagerness to be tangled in a relationship. Somehow, I yearned to feel it, but I’m scared to be rejected and abandoned. If ever I would fall inlove, I wanted it to be first to be my last. 

Ipinangako ko sa aking sarili na kung bubuo ako ng isang pamilya ay ibubuhos ko ang lahat ng pagmamahal at atensyon sa aking magiging anak. Ayaw kong iparanas sa kaniya ang aking mga naranasan. Gusto kong mabuhay siya sa isang pamilyang masaya at puno ng pagmamahal. 

Nang natapos kami ni Caridad sa aming ginagawa ay pinadiretso kami ni Manang Juris sa isang silid sa second floor para linisin ang mga kalat. Aayusin din namin ang mga bagong gamit sa mga shelves. Hindi ko talaga mapigilang humanga sa paligid ng mansyon. Marami akong nakikitang malaking glass paintings na nakasabit sa dingding at halatang napakagaling ng pintor na gumawa ng mga iyon dahil pulido ang pagkakagawa. 

Naalis lang ang pagkakatingin ko mula sa mga iyon nang hinatak ako papasok ni Caridad sa isang silid. Nanlaki ang aking mga mata habang iginagala ko ang aking tingin sa isang art room. Ngunit napako ang aking paningin sa isang eleganteng babae na okupadong-okupado sa pagpipinta sa isang canvas. 

Señora Jiarah was wearing a simple white lace summer dress while being barefoot. Her hair was styled in a messy bun. She was sitting on a wooden chair in front of a huge easel with canvas as her hand perfectly held the brush as she stroked it fast and flawlessly on the canvas. 

Titig na titig lamang ako sa ginagawa ni Señora Jiarah hanggang sa huminto siya sa pagpipinta at bumaling ang kaniyang tingin sa aming direksyon. Akala ko ay magagalit siya ngunit ngumiti lamang siya.

“Magandang umaga po, Señora Jia. Pasensiya na po sa istorbo. Maglilinis lang po kami at aayusin ang ibang mga gamit sa shelves,” sambit ni Caridad.

Señora Jiarah smiled widely. “It was alright, Caridad. Malapit na rin ako matapos sa aking pinipinta. Anyways, are you the one who Manang Juris told me that wanted to be our new maid?”

Bahagya akong yumuko. “Magandang umaga po, Señora Jia. Ako po pala si Maryan Aperin. Maraming salamat po na pinayagan mo po akong makapagtrabaho rito kahit hindi mo naman po ako lubusang kilala.”

“Hmm. . . I don’t care if you’re a stranger, because I only wanted to help a person that wanted to live peacefully. Nakikita ko naman na hindi ka masamang tao at malapit na agad kayong dalawa ni Caridad. It was a relief that she had a new friend like you,” malumanay na turan ni Señora Jiarah. 

“Aguy! Sobrang masaya po ako na nandito po si Maryan na handang makinig sa lahat ng aking mga baong kuwento. Mas gusto ko po siyang kausap kaysa kay Rigor na lagi po akong inaasar sa tuwing nagkikita kami!” bulalas ni Caridad.

Señora Jiarah slightly tilted her head with a smile. “Naglalambing at nagpapansin lamang sa iyo si Rigor. Mas magtataka ako kung hindi ko nabalitaan na hindi kayo nagbangayan.”

“Aguy! Kinikilabutan po ako sa lambing-lambing na gan’yan kapag si Rigor po ang pinag-uusapan. Mas matutuwa pa po ako kung itulak mo po ako kay Señorito Yuji,” ungot ni Caridad.

Señora Jiarah chuckled, and seemed didn’t mind it. She was a cool mother. 

Naputol lamang ang kanilang pag-uusap nang tumunog ang cellphone ni Señora Jiarah. Nagpaalam na ito sa amin bago lumabas ng silid para sagutin ang tawag. 

“Ang bait ni Señora Jia,” sambut ko.

Caridad nodded her head with a wide smile. “Aguy! Aguy! Aguy! Sobrang mabait at mapagmahal si Señora Jia. Marami siyang natulungang tauhan dito sa Hacienda Gosiengfiao. Ngunit hindi ko talaga matanggap na sinasaktan siya ng kaniyang ex-husband pati na rin si Señorito Yuji no’ng bata pa ito. Pinagtatakpan ni Señora ang pananakit sa kaniya dahil sobrang mahal na mahal niya ang ex-husband na si Señor Yuen Wang. Ngunit muntik na silang mamatay dahil sa matinding pagbubugbog, mabuti na lang at nailigtas sila nina Nǚshì Jialin at Xiānshēng Ruohan na bumisita sa kanilang mansyon. Naging dahilan iyon para ipakulong ito ni Xiānshēng Ruohan na sobrang galit na galit sa nangyari. Sa pagkakaalam ko ay matagal nang namatay si Señor Yuen kulungan.”

I couldn’t believe that Señora Jiarah was a battered wife. She suffered physical, emotional and mental pain from her ex-husband that she loved. It was a tragic story, but I’m delighted that she was freed from that failed marriage. 

‘Afterall, no one deserved to be a battered wife. All of us should be treated with love and respect. Kung wala nang patutunguhan ang isang relasyon ay huwag magbulagbulagan. Bumitaw na kung wala nang kakapitan pa.’