The Adventurous Streak - Revised

By Yik Kwei

‘The Adventurous Streak’ by Yik Kwei

This short novel, Yik Kwei’s first, gives an extremely interesting insight into the way of life of the Straits Chinese people in Malaysia, otherwise known as the Perakanan culture. Drawing on the author’s first-hand knowledge, it revolves around three different generations of the same family, who experience the ups and downs of conflict and rivalry, respect for tradition and the desire to break away from it. Throughout all this, many of the characters exhibit an “adventurous streak”, something which binds their lives together, much as the different strands of the book are bound together by the title.

We are then drawn into the story of how Pak as a young man rebelled against his father by running away and founding a new life for himself 200 miles from his home-town. Many years later, he himself is rebelled against by some of his children.

Many intricate and fascinating aspects of Perakanan culture are described in the book, from the Tea Ceremony to a vivid picture of how some Straits Chinese survived the Japanese Occupation by melting into the backwaters of forgotten villages.

Hopefully, Yik Kwei will write more about this disappearing world since fiction is paradoxically often the best way of illustrating the truth.

Peter Cluer
Ex-Head of English
Sir William Romney’s School,
Tetbury, Glos, UK.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Oct 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543755220

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Yik Kwei.

Design by Lim Sue Lyn MA in Art Therapy

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CONTENTS

About the author

Book Summary

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Endnotes

In memory of my father, Cheah Phee Leng

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About the author

Y ik Kwei is the pen name for Siah Gek Quee, a retired English Language teacher, born in 1936 in Melaka, Malaysia. She now resides in Singapore. She received her teacher-training in England in the 1950s and earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of London in 1970. For more than ten years of her teaching career she taught English Language to secondary students. She is now a Life Member of RSVP - The Organisation of Senior Volunteers, Singapore, assisting in editorial work for the organisation.

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Book Summary

T he protagonist, Pak, runs away from his gambling father in Pulau Tikus to forge his own future in Markata. He changes his name and starts a new life as an English Language teacher. Through the twists and turns of fate his offspring, as they mature, also leave their hometown, taking different paths to seek a better future in other countries.

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Foreword

Y ik Kwei and I first met, almost 20 years ago as part of an Editorial team of volunteers. We worked closely together for almost a decade until the team disbanded after which she continued to share her writing talent through her involvement with RSVP Singapore, a nonprofit organisation of senior volunteers. In 2015 I was thrilled to learn of her participation in one of their projects during Singapore’s 50 th Anniversary celebrations. Criss Cross was a mini-autobiography that included her life during the first 50 years of the country’s independence. Today Yik Kwei is still active in RSVP initiatives, the most recent being her contribution in a 2017 cookbook. While many will keep treasured recipes close to their heart, Yik Kwei willingly shared two of her family recipes. This, to me, reflects her true nature of generosity for others.

Retirement is often deemed as a time to unwind, kick off one’s shoes, sit back and enjoy life at a slower pace. But not Yik Kwei. She has embraced life after her teaching years by volunteering and focusing her energies on things that keep her happy and fulfilled. After her first work Criss Cross, I recall asking her about the next one. Her response was only a smile, and here we are three years later. This novel is a testimonial of her quiet determination to live life to the fullest. An octogenarian who is proof that age is only a number. I am honoured to have participated in her journey in becoming a young published author.

The Adventurous Streak is loosely based on Yik Kwei’s experiences –the family relationships, living through the war and the challenges of a wife and mother in a foreign land. Some readers will find themselves being introduced to the customs and traditions of Peranakan and Chinese cultures that have been woven into this fiction work. For others who can relate to the language and traditions, they are sure to chuckle, nod and walk down memory lane as they traverse the pages. All in all, a delightful read.

I wish Yik Kwei all the best as I anticipate yet another of her projects in the works, literary or otherwise.

Diane Chai

2018

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Acknowledgements

I cannot find enough words to thank my long trusted friend, Diane, who very kindly agreed to edit this fictional work despite her many commitments to her illustrious family, jetting about to accompany her husband for important events and to visit her family. I am indeed grateful to her for her insightful suggestions on how to add explanatory details to the story that will interest the reader, besides making necessary amendments.

My thanks extend to my long-standing Peranakan friend, Koh Puay Neo in Melaka, and Mr and Mrs Kageyama in Tokyo for throwing light on some terms, customs and facts about their respective backgrounds.

Last but not least, many thanks to those who lent a hand with technicalities in getting the book fit for publication and to some relatives, ex-students and other friends who provided snippets of trivia that add flavour to my story.

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Chapter 1

What we change inwardly will change outer reality.

Plutarch

P ak stood on the bridge and focused his eyes on the sluggish muddy water with the sun glistening on it, making it a patchwork of shimmering light. He mused. Didn’t the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, propound the paradox, You cannot step into the same river twice?

Pak’s eyes were riveted by the river flowing out to sea. He grasped what that paradox meant in his life: he had burnt his boats in PulauTikus and now there was no turning back. Like that sea creature that moults and throws off its old skin, he was now master of his own destiny, having cast off his given name and assuming a new persona with a name of his choice. He must carve out a niche for himself in this new-old town - old, because its history went back several centuries to the days of the Malay Sultanate - but new, as it was his present chosen place of abode.

He was standing in the historical part of the town. That iconic bridge had played a pivotal role in the Portuguese conquest of the town in the sixteenth century. Whoever captured the bridge became the victor!

He looked up and there appeared a rainbow resplendent in its hues! Pak smiled.

He strode down the bridge like an explorer on a treasure hunt. His pumping heart outpaced his steps, shaped by his own anticipation of achievement and independence.

At the foot of the bridge, Pak came to the meeting point of three roads, fanning out like tributaries in a river delta. Fascinated by the sampans¹ putting out to sea, he took the road on his left that led him round a bend to a narrow quiet street, Heeren² Street. The Dutch who succeeded the Portuguese in controlling Markata, left their own indelible architecture in this town, at Christ Church, and next to it, the Stadhuys that used to hold their administrative offices and a dungeon.

The houses in Heeren Street with a wide frontage had a distinctive style of their own, unlike the crowded shophouses lining the road called Riverside on the south bank. Pak later learned that the local towns-folk referred to Heeren Street as Millionaires’ Row. No wonder the Dutch named it Heeren Street!

Pak came to a house that appeared to have outlived its better days. Fronting the building hung a signboard, bearing the words Markata Benevolent Society. Intrigued by that unusual name, Pak stepped into what looked like an office with a rectangular, wooden table just beyond the threshold. A middle-aged clerk, his grey hair turning white, sat at the table, sorting out some documents.

He looked up when Pak approached, and smiled, What can I do for you, young man?

Pak smiled back and replied, I am curious to find out what this Benevolent Society is, Sir.

"Oh, it’s a Peranakan³ organisation that caters to the welfare of the Peranakan community in this town. Where are you from young man?"

His sharp eyes identified this out-of-town stranger without difficulty.

I’m from Pulau Tikus. I’m interested in the history of this town and I would like to study it in greater depth. But I have to support myself, so I’m looking for work here, blurted Pak in a diffident tone.

The older man widened his eyes and knitted his brows. Looking for work here? Surely Pulau Tikus can offer more opportunities than this ‘Sleepy Hollow’!

Just want to experience what life is like in this town. I have studied the rich history it holds. Now I would like to delve into its past and have a feel of the place. You might say I have an adventurous streak.

Pak made light of the matter. He continued, I’ve just arrived by rail. Is there somewhere I can lodge while looking for a job? he hazarded.

Well, we have a couple of rooms upstairs for people like you, who need temporary accommodation, was the reply. He took an instant liking to this personable young man.

What sort of work are you hoping to do? He ventured to find out.

Pak replied without hesitation, I can do some clerical work or be an English tutor.

"You speak good English. I have no doubt you can teach English to some Peranakan