But Guet Imm had already left.
Tet Sang got his peace and quiet after all. Guet Imm came back with supplies and set to work without saying anything, cleaning and re-dressing the wound in blessed silence.
Her work was certainly neater than Tet Sang’s had been. It was a task well within his abilities, but he hadn’t been at his best when he’d first bandaged himself up, and it had had to be done quickly.
He started to relax despite himself. There was something soothing in Guet Imm’s closeness. She smelt right. He tried not to think about what that meant.
At least the injury was distracting her. She hadn’t asked about Permatang Timbul again. Maybe she wouldn’t ask. He’d rather be interrogated about what lay beneath his robes.
Tet Sang had never discussed the matter with Fung Cheung in so many words, not even to ask him to refrain from telling the others. After all, it was Fung Cheung’s group. It was for him to decide what the men should know.
But there had never been any sign that Fung Cheung had told. As for Tet Sang, it came naturally to say nothing about himself, to remain slightly apart from the rest of the group. It was less that he minded the brothers knowing what he was than that he feared what that might lead to—other questions, aboutwhohe was. Those he had no wish to answer.
Guet Imm was being more respectful than the men would probably have been, but then, people like Tet Sang were not unheard-of in the monastic orders. Attitudes varied, but the Pure Moon was a fairly relaxed deity in this regard. Though it was controversial in certain tokong to say so, she had historically been worshipped in male incarnations; even now, there were countries where the deity was chiefly known as a male god. As the Pure Moon, she only accepted women as her votaries, but her doctrine allowed her followers to decide for themselves whether they were women enough to count.
Tet Sang had known of members of her Order who had been dedicated to the Pure Moon at a young age but then decided they could not endure to be calledsister. They had departed to join male orders or start other lives. Conversely, he had no doubt that some of the Pure Moon’snuns had lived as men before they joined her Order. Once they entered the deity’s light, no one was particularly interested in what they had been before.
“We should have taken you on as a healer,” said Tet Sang, by way of saying thank you. “You’re better at this than cooking.”
The ends of Guet Imm’s mouth turned up, but it wasn’t much like a smile. “Better not to hurt Ah Boon’s feelings. He’s good at what he does. It’s just cows are not that similar to humans.”
She was evidently preoccupied, however. In a moment, it came out.
“I wondered about Brother Lau,” she said. “Sometimes, the way he looks at you…”
Tet Sang waited, but no follow-up came. “How does he look at me?”
“Like he’s in love with you,” said Guet Imm.
Tet Sang gaped.
Guet Imm’s ears were pink. He hadn’t known she was capable of blushing.
“You’re not interested?” she said, with a feeble pretence of nonchalance. “He’s very good-looking.”
Tet Sang snorted, reassured. “His one virtue.”
So, that was what this was about. Their nun had conceived a passion for Fung Cheung. It was a bad lookout for her, but she was not the first woman it had happened to and she would not be the last.
“You know Ah Lau likes men,” he said, not unkindly. “He won’t say no to a woman, but he is not serious about them.”
Guet Imm couldn’t seem to decide whether she wanted to look at Tet Sang or not. She kept glancing at him, but whenever their eyes met, her gaze skittered away.
“He’s serious about you,” she said. “Everyone pretends Brother Lau is the boss, but you’re the one he listens to.”
“You’re seeing things that are not there, sister,” said Tet Sang, amused.
Guet Imm raised an eyebrow. “I’m a nun. Seeing things that aren’t there is my speciality. You’re telling me he’s never asked?”
To his annoyance, Tet Sang felt warmth rise in his face. “When Ah Lau is bored, a piece of wood also he’ll ask. It doesn’t mean anything. Why do you care?”
If he’d been hoping to discomfit her, he was disappointed. Guet Imm tossed her head.
“I’m surprised, that’s all,” she said. “Not many people—man or woman—would say no to Brother Lau.”
“Unlike many people,” said Tet Sang, “IknowAh Lau.”
Guet Imm still wasn’t convinced.
