The Gift of Rain

In Port Swettenham, Yasuaki is taken away by the Japanese embassy staff. Endo and Philip go to Kuala Lumpur. In the embassy, Philip thinks about the Japanese concept of duty. He feels a “moment of unease” (105).

Endo introduces Philip to Saotome Akasaki, the Japanese ambassador to Malaya. Endo assures Saotome that the situation in Penang is “quiet and peaceful” (106). Saotome reveals that he knows about Philip’s father and hints at investing in the Hutton family business. Though Philip knows that this would be impossible, he tries to handle the situation politely. During their conversation, a young Chinese girl is led into the room. Saotome inspects her face and then pulls open her robe to examine her body. As he licks his lips, Philip tries to focus on the eel being served for dinner.

As Endo attends meetings, Philip is left alone. He explores the city and he again feels “too foreign for the Chinese, and too Oriental for the European” (108). He suspects that Saotome has more than just a passing interest in Penang; he does not trust him.

After returning to Penang, Philip arranges to meet his grandfather. Endo warns him not to be bitter or judgmental. Philip realizes that Endo and his grandfather have already met. Philip prepares to meet his grandfather, who is one of the wealthiest men in Malaya.

A chauffeur drives Philip to his grandfather’s house in Ipoh, an area known for many caves, mines, and temples. Aunt Mei greets Philip. After a short wait, Philip’s grandfather Khoo Wu An enters. He is a formidable 60-year-old man. They speak in English as they sip tea. Before he drinks, the old man dips a jade pin in his tea. Philip sleeps in his mother’s old bedroom; many of the features were replicated, he realizes, in the family house in Penang. Everything in the room, Aunt Mei says, was taken out after Philip’s mother married his father. She describes how his father rebuilt a particular fountain so that “she would have something from her home, from her youth” (114).

The conversation between grandfather and grandson reconvenes in the afternoon. Philip plans to scold his grandfather for the treatment of his mother and then leave. As they speak about the fountain, however, he feels calmer. Endo’s teachings help him to understand his grandfather. When they are alone, Philip asks about the jade pin. The pin warns of poison, his grandfather explains, then tells the story of how he came to own it.

During the Ching dynasty, when the succession to the throne was mired in conspiracy and plot, Philip’s grandfather was recruited to work in the Forbidden Palace. There, he helped to tutor a forgotten Emperor, a young man named Wen Zu who was, for a short time, next in line to the throne. Being Wen Zu’s tutor meant being separated from his young family, but he could not refuse the great honor. He bonded with Wen Zu during their lessons. He quickly came to understand that the Forbidden Palace was home to many plots and dangers, especially those posed by Tzu Xsi, the Dowager Empress.

Khoo Wu An taught Wen Zu martial arts, which he had learned from a Shaolin Temple as a child. The physically demanding training of the monks in the temple included lessons in spirituality and philosophy. Wen Zu was intrigued by the temple and its stories.

Khoo Wu An, who came from a family of revolutionaries, felt ill at ease while tutoring Wen Zu. Eventually, he began to fear for his pupil’s life. As China struggled to recover from the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and external threats, life in the palace became even more dangerous. Wen Zu developed an interest in reforming China, promising to do so when he became Emperor. This made him a target; in secret, the dowager empress selected a different heir. A young eunuch warned that Wen Zu would be poisoned and showed them how to check for poison with a jade pin, which would become discolored if exposed to poison.

Wen Zu went to the Emperor to accuse the dowager empress of plotting against him. The sick old man, however, was unable to intervene. When the Emperor eventually died, Khoo Wu An used the pin to discover poison in Wen Zu’s food. He urged Wen Zu to escape with him. That night, Wen Zu died by suicide. For “the briefest moment” (134), Philip’s grandfather notes, Wen Zu was the Emperor of China. In the chaos, Khoo Wu An escaped. He traveled to Hong Kong and then to Malaya. As he made a new life for himself, all traces of Wen Zu were removed from the historical records. He became the forgotten emperor.

Philip reflects on his grandfather’s life. He realizes the story has destroyed any antipathy he might have felt. Meanwhile, his grandfather reveals that the purpose of the story was to connect Philip to the traditions of his family, rather than unfamiliar customs such as Endo’s Japanese beliefs. Khoo Wu An reveals that he attended his daughter’s funeral in secret, asking for forgiveness only when it was too late. He refers to the fortune teller in Penang—the same old woman who spoke to Endo and Philip—who warned that his daughter should not marry Noel Hutton, lest both families be “brought to ruin” (137). After he failed to stop the marriage, he became angry. Now, he fears that Philip’s relationship with the Japanese is the betrayal that was foretold.

They part for the night, so Aunt Mei gives Philip a tour of the house and the familiar memorials. He thanks her for arranging the meeting. Philip stays with his grandfather for a week and enjoys the old man’s company. On the final night of his stay, his grandfather drives him up to a hidden temple in the hills. The temple is now deserted. There, Philip feels a moment of spirituality. They fight one another, showing off their respective martial arts skills. After the fight, Khoo Wu An praises Philip’s “excellent teacher.” As he says farewell, Philip invites his grandfather to Penang.

Philip returns home, realizing how much he has missed Penang. At home, he realizes that the chauffeur Uncle Lim has always been his grandfather’s source of information. Lim introduces Philip to his daughter, Ming, who has fled China. Lim reveals that he was sent to work for Noel Hutton by Khoo Wu An when Philip’s father married his mother.

Ming shares reports of the terrible violence perpetrated by the Japanese in Northeast China. Philip struggles to believe anyone could be “so barbaric.” While many people in Penang feel a Japanese invasion of Penang and Malaya is inevitable, Philip does not want to believe it. Many of the English residents trust the British colonial forces to repel the Japanese. Ming stays at Istana for a few days, then moves in with relatives.

Endo’s house is empty. A note inside encourages Philip to continue the training while Endo is away. Philip’s school term begins, but he trains when he can. Since his family is away, he must attend a social event in the community. The Cross family is similar to the Hutton family; they are wealthy traders from England who have made their home in Penang. Though they are business rivals, Noel Hutton is on friendly terms with Henry Cross. Philip understands the Chinese concept of “face,” or “mutual respect” (147). He knows that he cannot insult Henry Cross by declining the invitation.

Many of the guests note Philip’s more athletic appearance. At the party, Philip meets Kon, a boy his age. He also meets the Japanese consul, Shigeru Hiroshi, and turns heads at the party when he bluntly mentions the violence in Nanjing. After, Kon approaches Philip. They engage in a fight, both revealing their deep knowledge of aikido. Philip bests Kon, who praises Philip’s talent.

Kon reveals that he has his own sensei, a man named Tanaka who knows Endo and studied under the same teacher. Philip agrees to visit Kon the next day. Both have lost their mother, and they bond over this shared grief.

The next day, Philip and Kon visit Hideki Tanaka. The Japanese man is impressed that Philip bested Kon in a fight. He also knows Endo, though Philip discerns that he does not want to talk too much about their relationship. They speak about the social upheaval in Japan and the need to find peace, as Endo is doing on his island in Penang.

Tanaka left Japan when he refused to teach aikijutsu to army recruits. During their conversation, Tanaka starts a fight. He bests Philip with ease but is impressed. He will not teach Philip, however, as “it would be against all ethics to teach [Philip] while [he is] still the pupil of another sensei” (158). Instead, he suggests that Philip and Kon spar often to learn from one another.

Philip returns home, where Endo has also returned from his travels. Philip tells Endo about his meeting with Tanaka; Endo has no desire to speak to Tanaka. He praises Philip for using his teachings to defeat Kon. His praise thrills Philip; he notes that his father has never spoken to him in this way.

The situation in Europe worsens as Britain declares war on Germany. Philip’s family should be home soon. Endo intensifies Philip’s training; Philip finds himself with no one to talk to but Kon. They become close friends, though Philip is aware of the rumors that Kon’s father, Towkay Yeap, is a leader in the Chinese Triads, a criminal gang that runs protection rackets, brothels, and opium dens. Uncle Lim warns Philip about Towkay Yeap, though refuses to say whether Philip’s grandfather is involved in the triads.

Nevertheless, Philip visits Kon regularly. He meets Towkay Yeap, whose frail appearance adds credence to the rumors that he has an opium dependency. Towkay Yeap sends his regards to Philip’s father and grandfather. Later, Kon and Philip talk about meeting their masters. Philip wonders whether fate brought him to Endo; Kon refers to the Buddhist idea of previous lives, in which people are reincarnated with the opportunity to correct their mistakes. Endo continues to teach Philip. Their lessons become more intense and dangerous. When Endo injures Philip while sparring, Philip allows his sensei to feed him by hand.

Philip’s family returns home. They notice his physical change and chat about the war. William would like to enlist, but his father wants him to work for the company. Noel is confident that, even if the Japanese try to invade Malaya, they will fail because Singapore—the obvious route they would take—is “armed to the teeth” (171).

Very quickly, life settles into a familiar routine. Philip prepares for his final school examinations and Endo lightens his training accordingly. Philip reveals to his father that he has met his grandfather. Noel is pleased; he is even more pleased by Philip’s desire to spend some time working for the family company before heading to university. When Philip tells his father about his lessons with Endo, however, Noel is less pleased. He echoes the anti-Japanese sentiment shared by many people in Penang. In a reflective mood, Noel speaks about Philip’s mother. He assures Philip that he really did love his wife, then reminds Philip that, no matter how much he tried to pull away or distance himself in the past, he is “a Hutton too” (178). Philip is thankful for his father’s show of affection.