When his daughter-in-law went home and told her mother, Mrs. Sun, however, said, “How ridiculous! He should have provided you with housing long ago. Why is it Hung-chien’s sisters-in-law all have proper places to live? The Fangs should have provided you with housing when you married into their family. They didn’t and did you an injustice by keeping you newlyweds apart. So now they’ve managed to find two rooms. Well, what’s so wonderful about that? I’ve always said one should never blunder into a marriage. You should have found out such things as whether the family provided housing or not.”
Fortunately, Jou-chia did not repeat these remarks to her husband; otherwise, there would surely have been a row. She had discovered that while Hung-chien very much disliked his family, he would never let anyone else criticize it in any way.
They also had arguments over the buying of furniture. Hung-chien felt they need only borrow enough from his family to get by. She asserted that as a woman she placed more importance than he on the territory under her jurisdiction and wanted to acquire some family possessions. When he accompanied her to a furniture store, he was all set to buy the first table he saw. She, on the other hand, merely asked the price, gave the table a close scrutiny inside and out, and made a mental note of everything. She then wanted to go around to several other furniture stores to compare prices and quality. He lost patience and after one trip refused to go with her again. She didn’t want him along anyway and went off to ask for her aunt’s advice.
When the furniture was nearly all in, Mr. and Mrs. Lu came over to see their niece’s new living quarters. Mr. Lu said the stairs were too dark, and the landlord should put in a light. Mrs. Lu found the rooms too small, commenting that Hung-chien’s father should have insisted that at least one of the two rooms be a large one. Not deaf to what his wife said, Mr. Lu put in, “Quite true. Hung-chien, I don’t think that house of yours in the country is very big. Otherwise, for them to rent your large house while you rent their small rooms is a pretty rotten deal, heh, heh.”
Bobby barked along with him as he laughed. He then asked Hung-chien what the news was at the newspaper office for the last couple of days.
Hung-chien replied, “There’ve been no special reports.”
“What?” he asked, not hearing clearly.
Hung-chien put his mouth up close to his ear and said loudly, “There’ve been no—”
Mr. Lu jumped. Frowning and rubbing his ear, he said, “Ai, your breath pierced right into my ear. Gave me an awful itch!”
When Mrs. Lu, who had given her niece the furniture to furnish one room, saw how disrespectful her nephew-in-law was toward her husband, she said, “I’ve never read the Sino-American News. Does it have a wide circulation? I don’t read Chinese newspapers, only English ones.”
Hung-chien replied, “In the last couple of days Poland fell. Germany and Russia’s power and prestige have become immense, while England has gone down. In the future there may not be any English newspapers to read. Auntie had better study German or Russian.”
Angered at this, Mrs. Lu said she didn’t care to learn any German, and Russian was spoken by clerks in general stores. Understanding the point at issue, Mr. Lu gave his own views, proclaiming that with America there they had nothing to fear, and England had never amounted to anything in the first place.
After they had gone, Jou-chia complained to Hung-chien.
Hung-chien said, “This is my home, and they’re not welcome here.”
Jou-chia said, “The chair you’re sitting in was a gift from them.”
Hung-chien hurriedly stood up. When he then looked around and found that chairs and sofa were all gifts from Mrs. Lu, he sat down on the bed and said, “Who asked them for it? We can just give it back. I’d rather sit on the floor.”
Half angered and half amused, Jou-chia said, “Only a child could ever make such a nonsensical remark. It’s not funny at all when you say it.”
No one who hears himself being called a child by the opposite sex can fail to grow docile. Though Jou-chia had not called Hung-chien this, the effect was the same.
Mr. and Mrs. Fang also came over one morning to see the newly furnished rooms. Jou-chia had already gone to work. Usually Hung-chien didn’t go to the newspaper office until after breakfast.
His mother came up the stairs first and said, “Papa is at the door. He’s brought something for you. Hurry down and bring it up. Don’t send the maid. If she’s clumsy she might break the glass.”
Hung-chien hurried down to meet his father and brought an old-fashioned pendulum wall clock into the room. Tun-weng asked him if he remembered the clock. Hung-chien shook his head.
Tun-weng said generously, “It’d be a dream all right to expect your generation to protect the riches of your ancestors and keep them intact from generation to generation! Wasn’t this the clock Grandfather bought and hung in the back room of the old house?”
Hung-chien then remembered. It was one of the surviving relics his two brothers had gone back to collect from their village last spring and brought out on a rented night boat.
Tun-weng said, “When you were little you liked to listen to its chimes. Grandfather said he’d give it to you when you grew up. Ai, you’ve completely forgotten it! I paid the watch and clock shop to repair it last week. The mechanism isn’t broken at all. Old things are the sturdiest. Where can you find a clock that durable nowadays?”
Mrs. Fang put in, “That watch Jou-chia wears is so tiny; the mechanism inside can’t possibly be complete.”
Hung-chien said with a smile, “Mother, you’re talking like you don’t know anything. ‘The sparrow may be small, but its five organs are complete.’ Of course, the mechanism has everything it should. It’s not too sturdy, that’s all.”
“That’s just what I was saying,” said his mother.
Tun-weng chose a good spot to hang the clock and told the maid to borrow a ladder from the landlord. As he watched Hung-chien climb up and hang it, he broke into a cold sweat on the clock’s behalf. When the ladder had been removed, he scrutinized the clock on the wall and with great satisfaction said to his son, “Actually it could be a little higher—no, leave it there. Don’t move it again. That clock is extremely accurate. I tested it yesterday. It’s only seven minutes slow every hour. Remember that—seven minutes slow.”
Mrs. Fang took a look at the furniture and said, “This kind of wood furniture isn’t very sturdy. Redwood is the best kind of furniture. How much did you pay for it?”
When she heard Jou-chia’s aunt had given it to them, she asked, “Did Jou-chia’s family give her anything?”
“Her parents bought the sitting room-dining room combination,” Hung-chien fibbed. Then seeing his mother’s face failed to show any satisfaction, he added, “And her family took care of all the utensils under the stove.”
Mrs. Fang’s expression remained dissatisfied, but Hung-chien could not for the moment think of any other valuable item to save the face of his in-laws.
Mrs. Fang pointed to the iron bed and said, “This clearly you bought yourselves. Her aunt didn’t give you this.”
“You can’t expect someone to give you a bed,” said Hung-chien impatiently.
Mrs. Fang suddenly remembered that half the responsibility for furnishing a new home rested on the husband’s family and said no more. They then asked what time Jou-chia came home every day, what dishes they usually had, whether the maid was a good cook, how much the daily expenses were, how many loads of coal they used each month, and so on. Most of the questions Hung-chien was unable to answer. Tun-weng shook his head, and Mrs. Fang said, “It’s quite thoughtless to entrust the running of the entire household to the maid. Is this Mama Li dependable?”
Hung-chien said, “She used to be Jou-chia’s wet nurse. She’s very loyal. She wouldn’t cheat us.”
Tun-weng snorted and said, “What does a muddlehead like you know?”
Mrs. Fang said, “It’s no good for a household to be without a mistress. I will persuade Jou-chia n
ot to go out and work. How much can she earn in a month? If she looked after the house, she’d be able to save those few dollars from the four necessities of life.”3
Hung-chien could not keep from speaking out honestly, “She gets good pay at the factory, twice as much as I earn.”
The old couple fell into a hostile silence. Mrs. Fang felt her son sided too much with his wife, while Mr. Fang felt that his son was a complete disgrace to all husbands in the world.
When they returned home, Tun-weng said, “Our Eldest must certainly be henpecked. How can he let a woman earn more than he does? Could a husband like that establish his supremacy?”
Mrs. Fang said, “I just can’t believe Jou-chia has any ability. How could our Eldest after studying abroad not be as good as she? She should let our Eldest have her job at the factory.”
Tun-weng heaved a long sigh and said, “Our son is a no-account. Just leave him be!”
When Jou-chia returned home, the clock greeted her just as she entered the room. With a rattle and a click the spring turned, and it chimed five times.
“Where did that come from?” she asked in surprise. “Hey, that’s not right! By my watch it’s nearly six o’clock.”
Mama Li explained everything.
“Did Mrs. Fang take a look under the stove?” asked Jou-chia.
Mama Li replied that she hadn’t. Jou-chia then asked her what food she had bought that day and said with relief, “Oh, very good, but you should have let Mrs. Fang take a look at them so she wouldn’t think we are starving her son.”
Mama Li said, “I just fried a pork chop for Master. There are several raw ones left over that are marinating in wine and soy sauce. I’ll fry them in a moment for your dinner.”
Jou-chia said with a smile, “I’ve told you over and over again not to do that. You just won’t change. How can I eat that many? You should give him as many as possible. Men have bigger appetites, and they’re hungrier. If they don’t get enough to eat, they’ll get irritable.”
“Don’t they, though,” said Mama Li. “My husband Old Li also—”
Jou-chia had never expected her to compare Hung-chien to Old Li and quickly cut her short. “I know. I’ve heard you talk about it since I was little. When he ate rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, he’d eat all the tips with the red beans in them and give you the bottom parts, right?”
“And the bottom parts are big and not well cooked,” Mama Li elaborated. “When I ate the raw rice, my stomach swelled up for days on end!”
That evening when Hung-chien came home, he explained the history of the clock.
Jou-chia said, “So it’s a real Fang family heirloom going back three generations. Hey, how can it still be seven o’clock?”
He then told her that it lost seven minutes every hour.
“In that case,” said Jou-chia with a laugh, “when the short hand points to seven it’s probably still seven o’clock yesterday or even the day before. What’s the use of having that?”
She then remarked that when Hung-chien got angry and pulled a long face he looked a lot like the face of the clock. Hung-chien had had a cold for the last couple of days and his throat was filled with phlegm. She clapped her hands and said, “The rattling in your throat before you speak sounds just like the spring turning when it strikes. You’re a monster produced by the clock.”
The two of them talked and laughed together, as though there were no such thing as a quarrel between husband and wife.
One Saturday afternoon Second Daughter-in-law and Third Daughter-in-law came over for their first visit. Hung-chien was still at the newspaper office. Jou-chia hurriedly made tea and bought some refreshments to entertain them, asking, “Why didn’t you bring along the two children? You can take some candy home for them later.”
Third Daughter-in-law said, “Ah Hsiung made a big fuss and wanted to come with me, but I was afraid he’d get into trouble, so I didn’t bring him.”
Second Daughter-in-law said, “I told Ah Hsiung, Eldest Aunt’s house is clean. You can’t just pee any old place you want like at home. Eldest Uncle will spank you.”
Jou-chia lied, “You shouldn’t say that! It’d be nice to have him come.”
Third Daughter-in-law, feeling her son had lost face, said to avenge him, “Our Ah Hsiung has no intelligence. Ah Ch’ou’s no more than a few years older than he, but he really thinks about things. Don’t think he’s just a child! Like that time he got your dress dirty, for example. After he’d had a spanking, he remembered from then on never to misbehave around you.”
After momentary differences on account of their respective sons, the two were immediately reunited, praising in unison the coziness of Jou-chia’s small apartment and telling her how lucky she was.
Third Daughter-in-law remarked longingly, “I wonder when we’ll be able to set up our own home! Of course, now I benefit so much from living with Second Sister.”
“Since the Fangs only have one house to trade,” said Second Daughter-in-law, “our turn will never come.”
Jou-chia said quickly, “I’d like very much to live in a big family, too. It saves trouble and expense. Running a household has many headaches. All the things like fuel, rice, oil, and salt, as well as water and electricity you have to take care of yourself. And Hung-chien’s not as capable as Second Brother or Third Brother.”
“That’s right,” said Second Daughter-in-law, “I’m not like Third Sister. I know I’m useless. I’d never manage if I had to run my own household. Better to muddle along in a large family. Someone like you knows how to deal with all the various problems inside and outside the home. You have a dependable servant, and Eldest Brother can earn money. We couldn’t begin to compare ourselves with you.”
Afraid they’d go home and gossip, Jou-chia didn’t dare answer every jab.
They gave the furnishings in both rooms a careful scrutiny, asked the price, and praised Jou-chia in unison for being so able and clever and such a good shopper, though every once in a while they put in, “I saw a table (or chair) like this one somewhere, but it was a little cheaper, I think. Too bad I didn’t buy it.”
Third Daughter-in-law asked Jou-chia, “Do you have a room to store your trunks?”
“No, I haven’t many trunks,” said Jou-chia. “They’re all in the bedroom.”
Second Daughter-in-law said, “The alley houses in Shanghai are so small. Even when there is a room for storing chests, it won’t hold very many. When I married into the Fang family, there was something of a back room behind the bridal chamber, but there was just no way I could fit in all the chests, basins, buckets, and tables from my trousseau. I ended up filling the bridal chamber with them. It really made me sick to look at them.”
“Wasn’t it just the same for me?” said Third Daughter-in-law. “Those rotten Japanese robbed us clean of all those things. I get so sad whenever I think about it. Now all the things I want are gone, and I have to buy them all over again. I had seven or eight pieces of fur, including a pearled leather dress and a coat with a gray backing. Now I don’t have a thing worth wearing!”
Second Daughter-in-law also drew up a partial list of a fictitious trousseau and added, “Eldest Sister’s way is best. There’s a war abroad, and we don’t know what’ll happen to Shanghai! We just might have to flee again. If you have a lot of things, you won’t be able to take them along when the time comes, and you’d hate to leave them. Third Sister, you still have some things, but I have nothing. Being empty-handed is more cleancut, ha, ha! We should be going back.”
At that point Jou-chia realized they had merely come to investigate her trousseau and was so infuriated that she lost all appetite for dinner. When Hung-chien came home and noticed how unresponsive she was, he teased her, “What happened? Did you get a rebuff from your aunt at the office today?”
“I’m burning mad,” she flared up. “What are you joking about? Everybody in my family is very nice to me. It’s only the people from your family who come over here and make me mis
erable.”
Hung-chien was alarmed, thinking it must have been his mother who had come over to admonish her. He had kept from her everything his mother had said last time.
“Who?” he asked quickly.
“Who else but those two dear sisters-in-law of yours!”
“What a pain, what a pain,” said Hung-chien, feeling relieved.
Jou-chia said, “This is your home, and so of course people in your family can come and go as they please. I don’t have any sovereignty over it. Since I’m not one of your family, it’s lucky I wasn’t kicked out.”
Hung-chien patted her on the head and said, “Don’t bring up old scores. So I was wrong to have said that. Tell me how they bullied you. I think you’re pretty sharp yourself. Were you no match for the two of them?”
“I’m sharp,” said Jou-chia. “Well, I’m not as sharp as you Fangs! All of you are three-headed, six-armed, and have an extra heart with a few-more openings and an intestine all tied in knots. I was killed, cooked, and eaten by them while asleep and dreaming. I still haven’t waked up.”
“How could it be that bad?” asked Hung-chien with a laugh. “But it’s a sound sleep all right. I came home a little late from the newspaper office and couldn’t even rouse you.”
“You’re just spouting nonsense,” said Jou-chia sullenly. “I’m not going to pay you any attention.”
Hung-chien apologized, and when he’d learned the reason, said hotly, “If I’d been home then, I’d really have very rudely exposed them. What sort of trousseau did they bring? They were giving you a lot of bull!”
“You shouldn’t make unfounded accusations against them,” said Jou-chia. “You were abroad when they got married. You didn’t see how elaborate everything was.”
Hung-chien said, “I wasn’t there at the time, but I know all about their family circumstances. Second Sister-in-law’s family was especially poor. When I was in college, they were thinking of having their daughter marry into our family, but my father opposed an early marriage. It was discussed for a while, then put off for several years.”
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