The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho Page 0,4

the more we shouldn’t worry. That coffeehouse earnt a lot of money today. It would be too ungrateful if they put the mata on us after all that.”

“I’m not at the coffeehouse anymore,” said Guet Imm. “I said they let me go.”

“Big Brother,” said Ah Hin urgently, “what about the witch’s jampi?”

But he’d lost his moment. Fung Cheung would have forgiven the nun much worse for such ammunition against Tet Sang as she’d given him.

“Come on, Ah Hin, you don’t need this sister’s jampi to fall asleep on watch,” said Fung Cheung. “You’ve done it so many times, must be you offended some spirit. We better take you to visit a sinseh in the next town, see if he can cure you.”

Amid the ensuing merriment at Ah Hin’s expense, Tet Sang said to the nun, “I gave you the money so you would go away. What happened to it?”

Guet Imm held up a soft black thing like the hide of a small animal. It turned out to be a wig. “I bought this so I’m not so conspicuous. It fell off when you jumped on me.”

She put it on her head. The effect was singularly unconvincing.

“I still have the rest of the money,” she added. “I thought of getting pots and pans, maybe some cooking chopsticks. But I wasn’t sure what you all had already.”

“Huh?” said Tet Sang.

“Oh, I’m joining you all,” said Guet Imm, wide-eyed. “Didn’t I say already?”

“You definitely did not say that!”

Guet Imm looked piteous. “But I don’t have anywhere else to go. Brother”—she meant Fung Cheung—“caused me to lose my job.” Another thought struck her. “And you saved my life! That’s two reasons why you have to look after me now.”

Tet Sang’s brow furrowed. “Wait, how does that even—”

“Don’t worry, brother. I won’t be a burden. I’ll make myself useful. I learnt how to cook at the coffeehouse. And,” the nun added, with rather more confidence, “I’m great at cleaning!”

“We’re roving contractors,” said Tet Sang. “We have nothing to clean.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” said Guet Imm, looking at Tet Sang’s clothes in an unflattering way. “Contractors, huh? I thought you were bandits. What kind of contract work do you do? Building houses, stuff like that?”

“More ‘stuff like that,’” said Fung Cheung. It was evident the nun amused him.

This was a bad sign. Fung Cheung would do anything for a laugh. Tet Sang glared at him, but before he could say anything, Ah Boon intervened.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea, Big Brother,” he said to Fung Cheung. “It gets boring, just us men. A woman in the group could contribute something different. She says she’ll make herself useful. I’m sure she can help us out—do more than cooking and cleaning. You won’t mind being kind to us, right, little sister?”

Ah Boon chucked the nun under her chin. It was like watching an idiot child pull a tiger’s tail. Tet Sang leant back.

But Guet Imm kept her hands in her lap. She looked puzzled, but after a moment, her face cleared.

“Oh, you mean sex!” she said. “Would you want me to have sex with you?”

“No!” said Tet Sang.

“Yes?” said Ah Boon.

“Maybe,” said Fung Cheung.

Guet Imm considered it. “I can do that. I’ve never done it before, but it can’t be difficult, right? Even cats and dogs know how to do.

“Of course,” she added, “as a devotee of the Pure Moon, I vowed when I first shaved my head that I would have no profane intercourse with men. If I break my vow to the deity, I must make sure to cleanse myself afterwards. I would need to make a sacrifice each time.”

“We’re very open in this company,” said Fung Cheung. “Everyone can practise their religion, no problem. You ask Rimau; we never eat pork.”

“Correct,” said Rimau, who had fallen asleep last night after three gourds of beer.

“She means,” said Tet Sang, “she’d have to chop off the dick of any man she fucked.”

“That’s right,” said Guet Imm, approving of his acuity. “You’re very clever about our doctrine, brother! Are you a follower also?”

“There was a tokong of the Pure Moon in the town where I grew up,” said Tet Sang.

“Chop off our dicks?” said Ah Boon.

“It’s how I would wash out the sin,” explained Guet Imm. “Using the men’s blood. Strictly, my teacher would say I must do the cleansing even if I didn’t go so far as to have the profane intercourse. Even thinking of betraying my vows is enough! If we are being strict,