“Alas, my wife. Where would I get the money to afford a larger, more expensive house?”
“Hmph, you’re a useless fool!” Kim Lian scolded angrily, her face turning red and eyes sparkling. Yet, Bu Toa, who adored his beautiful wife, was in awe, as her anger seemed to only make her more beautiful, her cheeks a vibrant red. “Is someone like you even worthy to call themselves a man? You should feel ashamed if you can’t earn money. Just pawn these jewels of mine to find a more suitable living place. You can redeem them later!”
Kim Lian handed over the jewels she had once received from Grandpa Thio. Bu Toa pawned them and used the money to rent a house with a loft and four rooms. The house was simple, yet suitable and pleasant. After moving into the new house on the West Street, Bu Toa worked harder than ever, even working until late at night to earn more, because he had to redeem his wife's pawned jewelry. One day, while selling his goods, Bu Toa saw Bu Siong on the main road. He had already heard about the tiger-slaying martial artist, but he never expected that Bu Siong, the tiger slayer, was also his long-separated younger brother Bu Siong.
“Hey...! Aren’t you Bu Siong, my younger brother?” Bu Toa called out when he saw the martial artist on the main road.
“Toako...” Bu Siong also shouted joyfully and hugged the brother he had been searching for. “Ah, how I’ve searched for you everywhere, Toako!” The brothers hugged each other and Bu Toa invited his brother to visit his home right then. While they were walking home, Bu Toa briefly narrated his circumstances during their separation, how their mother Bu Ying had passed away, and how he had recently remarried. When they arrived at his house, Bu Toa took him to the loft and proudly introduced his biological brother to his wife.
“My wife, this is the renowned tiger slayer, the mighty martial artist who has been appointed as the Security Commander, this is Bu Siong, my own younger brother!” As if under a spell, Kim Lian gazed at the man standing before her. A handsome, tall, and powerfully built man, the image of him striking down a fierce tiger with a single blow, filled her heart with awe. How could it be possible, she wondered in amazement, that a man as sturdy as him could be the younger brother of her husband. Her husband, an imperfect man, a dwarf, and ugly, only a quarter of a man and three-quarters a broken puppet, while his younger brother was a hundred percent a sturdy, pure man filled with strength. Ah, he must stay here! “Dear younger brother Bu Siong, where do you live?” she asked, her voice as tender as possible and her face full of friendliness, her moist red lips forming an enticing smile. “And who takes care of your household?”
“My position requires me to live near the fortress, So-So (sister-in-law). I live in a hut near the fortress. Two of my soldier subordinates take care of my household!”
“Oh, my dear brother, why don’t you just live with us here? Those coarse and dirty soldiers are cooking for you and serving you. Hmm, it's really unpleasant! Here, I, as your sister-in-law, will cook for you and take good care of all your needs.”
“Thank you very much for your kindness, So-So,” said Bu Siong, evading as he was still hesitant to accept his sister-in-law's offer.
“Of course you have a family. You may live here with your wife and children,” Kim Lian added, her words more of a bait to learn about the man who had filled her heart with admiration.
“I'm not married yet, So-So,” said Bu Siong, his face turning somewhat red.
“My! You're this old and not yet married? How old are you now, my dear brother-in-law?” “I'm twenty-eight years old.”
“So you're five years older than me,” said Kim Lian cheerfully, as she found out that her brother-in-law was not yet married. They sat and chatted, with the two brothers sharing their experiences since their separation. They missed each other and now they poured out all their longing in that conversation. And not for a moment did Kim Lian leave the two men, she even immersed herself in the conversation with great friendliness and joy. Of course, Bu Siong had no bad suspicions and silently praised his older brother's good fortune, who after becoming a widower managed to marry such a young, beautiful, intelligent, but very friendly woman.
“Oh, we've forgotten!” said Bu Toa, his face now glowing with joy. “My dear wife, isn't it time for us to invite my younger brother to eat?” Kim Lian stood up.
“Yes, I was so happy to meet your younger brother, I forgot.” And she quickly called out,
“A Ying, where are you?”
“Oh, I forgot to introduce Bu Ying to her uncle!” Bu Toa also exclaimed. Hearing her stepmother's call, A Ying, the affectionate nickname for Bu Ying, timidly appeared from the back door and quickly climbed to the loft. Kim Lian, who usually treated A Ying harshly, now quickly embraced her and introduced the child to Bu Siong. “Brother Bu Siong, this is your niece A Ying.”
“A Ying, pay your respects to your uncle, Bu Siong.” With a shy and scared posture, the emotionally oppressed child saluted. The child was starved for affection.
“A Ying, come help me prepare the food. Brother Bu Siong, I humbly and sincerely ask that you wait a while and share our meal.” With great respect, Bu Siong bowed.
“I'm just a burden to you, So-So.”
“Ah, what burden, it's only right that I serve you a meal as a close and good family member.” With a sway that made both her hips dance and her waist curl like the liu tree (a type of cypress) swaying in the wind, she left the loft followed by A Ying. After they set the table, Kim Lian sweetly and courteously poured and offered the first cup of wine to her brother-in-law as a welcome.
“Welcome to our home and may good fortune always be with you, brother Bu Siong,” she said, and after Bu Siong had poured the wine down his throat in one gulp, Kim Lian immediately picked the best meats and vegetables with her chopsticks and put them in Bu Siong's bowl. She was really sweet and served him with a smile on her lips.
Bu Siong was a straightforward and honest man. He accepted all the attention from his sister-in-law as a sign of family warmth and closeness. He never suspected that behind all of Kim Lian's sweetness lay deeper and inappropriate motives. Nevertheless, he could not ignore the fact that sometimes her gaze was so soft and strange, as if he was being caressed by those eyes from head to toe, which always made him lower his face awkwardly. So, as soon as they finished eating, Bu Siong quickly got up and excused himself, politely and firmly rejecting his sister-in-law's request that he stay longer.
“Let me visit again another time, So-So,” he said. The husband and wife accompanied Bu Siong to the front door and there the woman said again with a voice full of hope,
“But, brother Bu Siong, you will surely stay with us, won't you? You know what I told you earlier, how we suffer from the mockery of our neighbors because of our circumstances, and if you stay with us, we will certainly be free from all that mockery. No one will dare to insult and mock my husband again.” Bu Siong understood. His heart was already heated by hearing how his brother had suffered much from people's mockery due to his dwarfed stature and poverty.
Glossary
- Toako: An Indonesian term used to address an older brother, a term of respect.
- So-So: A term used to address a sister-in-law in the Indonesian context. In this story, it is used as a form of respect and affection.
- A Ying: The affectionate nickname for Bu Ying, a character in the story.
- Grandpa Thio: A character in the story, possibly a respected elder.
- liu tree: A type of cypress tree. In the story, the character's movements are compared to the swaying of this tree.
- Security Commander: A high-ranking position in the story likely related to maintaining peace and order.