"How old are you really?" Kim Lian asked. "Thirty-five years old."
"How many wives do you have?"
"Aside from my first wife, I have four concubines. But none of them bring me joy."
"How many children do you have?"
"Only a daughter who will soon be married." Their conversation was soon followed by whispers on the bed.
From the moment Kim Lian gave herself to Shi Men yesterday, every day Kim Lian had a secret rendezvous with Shi Men in widow Wang's house. They were inseparable, swimming in a sea of stolen passion in a room awash with lust. It is no surprise that good deeds rarely go noticed, but bad deeds spread wide and far. The illicit affair between Kim Lian and Shi Men that took place daily in Widow Wang's house had become the talk of the neighborhood.
The only person who remained oblivious was Bu Toa himself. One afternoon, a fifteen-year-old boy carrying a basket of fresh apples stood in front of Aunt Wang's house. This young man was A Goan, a fruit merchant with many customers. One of his good customers was Shi Men, who occasionally gifted him small amounts of money when buying fruits. He hadn't seen Shi Men for a few days to offer his fresh fruits and was told to look for him at Granny Wang's tea house, which is why he was standing outside Granny Wang's house that day. He saw Granny Wang sitting alone in front of the door, spinning thread.
"Good afternoon, Auntie Wang," he greeted with a radiant face.
"I came to find a Kongcu to offer fruit so I can make a little money for my old father."
"Which Kongcu do you mean?" Widow Wang asked, furrowing her brows.
"Ah, Auntie Wang, don't joke. Of course, I mean Shi Men Kongcu." And A Goan approached the door with the intention of entering the shop and finding the person he was looking for. But Granny Wang grabbed his arm and clenched it. "Stop, you little devil! There's no one here you're looking for."
"Auntie Wang, don't be so angry, I need some income, too. What's my fault? Let me go." Granny Wang, worried that the secret happening inside her house would be discovered, became angry and started hitting A Goan.
"Hey, you wicked old hag. What did I do wrong that you're hitting me?" The boy shouted. But Granny Wang got even angrier and beat him, pulled his hair, and scratched him until A Goan had to run away, picking up the scattered apples while crying and cursing, threatening that he would take revenge. With his heart still hot and full of resentment against Granny Wang, the teenager A Goan took his fruit basket and went looking for the short Bu Toa. Eventually, he saw Bu Toa carrying his cake basket on a street and quickly approached him.
"Uncle Bu Toa, I need some animal feed and people say I can buy it from you." Bu Toa stopped, set down his load, and wiped the sweat from his face and neck, looking in surprise at the fruit vendor boy.
"Ah, how can that be? I don't keep animals. I don't have chickens or ducks." "Really?" A Goan squinted one eye and smirked.
"Maybe you're a fat and lazy drake, ready to be slaughtered and tossed into a cooking pot without a struggle!" Bu Toa furrowed his brows and his face turned red. Being called a fat and lazy drake was an indirect insult to a husband who was unaware or allowed his wife to have an affair with another man.
"You little rascal, are you just teasing me? My wife has no relations with other men, why do you call me an overfed drake?"
"Uncle Bu, let me be frank, your wife does have an affair with another man!" Bu Toa grabbed the teenager's arm,
"Tell me his name!"
"Ha-ha, Uncle Bu, your attitude is hilarious! You're pressing me, when you should be beating up the old hag next door who sells tea!"
"Is this true?" Bu Toa exclaimed. "Of course it's true! They wait until you leave the house with your goods, and they meet in secret at Granny Wang's house! I'm not lying to you, Uncle." Bu Toa felt devastated.
"Ahh, my little friend A Goan, your information reminds me of my wife's behavior. Lately, she visits Granny Wang every day, but she says it's to sew Granny's death clothes. There's another thing. Her attitude towards our daughter Bu Ying has been cruel lately. She often beats and scolds her incessantly, even sometimes refusing to feed her. Ah, what's your opinion now? Should I go home now and go straight to Granny's house and catch those shameless people in the act?"
"Hmm, even though you're old, Uncle, you're still naive. Do you think the old hag would let you catch them red-handed? She'll surely give a signal as soon as she sees you, and your wife will certainly sneak home through the back door. And you'll be facing wealthy Shi Men alone who will surely twist the facts and beat you. Furthermore, he is very rich and can easily bribe the prosecutors to sue you and in the end, you're the one who will go to jail."
"Ah, you're absolutely right. So how can I avenge this insult?" The only way is to catch those two sinners together in that crazy Granny's room! Tomorrow, after leaving the house with your basket, you should sneak and hide not far from Granny Wang's house. I'll also hide and as soon as I see Master Shi Men entering her house, I'll signal you. Then I'll appear to tease Granny Wang. She'll surely start hitting me again, and when she's hitting me, I'll grab her clothes tight and you can quickly run over, break in and open the door, and catch your wife and Master Shi Men red-handed.
"Amazing! Ah, I owe you one, good brother A Goan, here, accept this little money as a gift. So, tomorrow morning we meet at the Purple Stone Street corner."
A Gon accepted the gift with joy and nodded. They then parted. That afternoon, Bu Toa went home. No matter how heated his feelings were, he kept silent and suppressed his anger. Now he could clearly see the big changes in his wife. Her appearance was getting neater, and her eyes sparkled differently than usual, her cheeks were rosy, so beautiful like a flower that received plenty of rain after suffering in the dry season. The next day, after leaving his house carrying his merchandise basket, Bu Toa sneaked and took a detour back to the street in front of his house, hiding. At the street corner, he met A Goan who had been waiting there.
"Now, pay attention, Uncle. If later I drop this fruit basket and the fruits scatter in front of Granny Wang's house, it means it's time for you to storm Granny's house. Understand?"
Glossary
- Kongcu: A term of respect or endearment for a young man, often used by those of senior age or higher status. In this context, it refers to Shi Men.
- Nenek Wang: "Nenek" means "grandmother" or "old woman" in Indonesian, and "Wang" is a common Chinese surname. This is the alias of the old woman who owns the tea house where the illicit affair occurs.
- Bu Toa: "Bu" is a term of respect for a man, similar to 'Mister' in English, and "Toa" is a common Chinese name.
- A Goan: A common Chinese name, used here for the young fruit vendor who discovers the affair.