“Ever since my husband's death, you have been my only hope, my savior, and the only person I respect. Therefore, I beg you to accept me as your servant, to tidy up your bed, and to be the sister of your wives.” Her beautiful clear eyes were moist with tears that reflected her pleading. With his right hand, Shi Men accepted the full cup of wine offered and his left hand helped the woman to stand.
"Your words full of love touch my heart, my dear. Don't worry, after your mourning period is over, I will discuss this matter with the people at home." They then ate and drank happily while chatting, served by the sweet maid of Madam Hua, Ciu Hwa.
“What about the plans for the new building on the site of my former residence?” Madam Hua asked.
“It will start next month. All old buildings will be demolished, except for the three-room hut in the corner. I want to make a garden with a small hill and repair the hut, also adding rooms.” Madam Hua pointed to the wall behind the bed,
“I have stored in several tea chests a hundred kilos of white candles, forty kilos of pepper, two jars of mercury and several other valuable items. Please send someone to transport them and sell them. Part of the sales money I will give to you to help finance the building. I can't wait to live with you as soon as possible. I can't live far from you.” Touched, Shi Men wiped the tears that moistened those eyes with his handkerchief. "Be patient until your mourning period passes while waiting for the new building to be completed.”
“Can I temporarily live with your fifth wife? My relationship with her and your third wife is very good. I somewhat doubt your first wife, there's something in her gaze that's not pleasant.
"Ha-ha, don't be mistaken, my first wife is very kind-hearted. If not, how could she allow me to have so many wives? But be patient, I built that new hut just for you, and about your request earlier, let me discuss it with them.”
“Ah, my beloved Koko...” Madam Hua succumbed into Shi Men's embrace and then they both let themselves be swept away in the waves of raging passion. Until the next day, they still didn't want to leave the bedroom as if they were never satisfied. The servant's report of the arrival of A Thai, Shi Men's personal servant, disturbed them and in the end, Shi Men had to leave the room with a frown because he felt disturbed. With a fearful attitude seeing his master angry, A Thai immediately reported that he was sent by Goat Toanio because five merchants from the south who were regular customers of Shi Men's spices came to deposit their merchandise.
“Did you say that I was here?” Shi Men snapped.
“No, I informed them that Kongcu was at his vacation home with his friends.” “Good, those damn merchants are just annoying. They must have lost their market so they rushed to find me. They're just bothersome”
“Ah, Koko, work is the most important. Go meet them, because Goat Toanio will surely be suspicious if you don't. Plus, we still have a lot of sweet time and opportunities in the future. Go and don't neglect your work!” Eventually, Shi Men also left, received the delivery of spices, weighed and calculated, ordered his assistant to pay. After finishing, he also went to Kim Lian's hut.
"Hmm, where have you been all night? Don't dodge or deny it, I'm not so stupid that you can lie to me. I can see that that woman is eager to have you home so she can take you in. You've been sleeping with her all night, haven't you?" Kim Lian greeted him with this accusation. Shi Men couldn't deny it any longer and he told about how poor Madam Hua felt lonely in her life, and how she pleaded to be accepted as his concubine and for now, asked to live with Kim Lian.
"Let her come, her presence will comfort me because I too am lonely here after you increasingly rarely visit me. However, permission from Goat Toanio must be sought first.”
"She still has to go through her mourning period," said Shi Men. He then sent someone to get the goods from Madam Hua's house and sell them. Everything sold for three hundred silver ounces, of which a hundred and eighty ounces were taken by Madam Hua, while the rest she gave to Shi Men to help finance the construction of the new hut. After choosing a good day, the construction was started. However, Goat Toanio disagreed if Madam Hua temporarily lived in Kim Lian's hut,
"This will only bring suspicion, very unpleasant for us. First of all, she is the wife of your own friend, secondly, she is still in mourning, and moreover you have bought their house and yard. And third, which should be noted, is the eldest brother of the infamous evil Hua Ce Shu. Surely he can't just stay still and spread bad rumors to ruin our family name." Hearing this, Shi Men became hesitant and he asked Kim Lian for advice on how to tell this to Madam Hua.
"It's easy," said Kim Lian, "Say that before the new building is ready, there are no empty rooms here for you and ask her to be patient until the hut being built is ready. After that, if she lives in the same room with me, you won't get anything. Don't expect to be able to approach her under my nose, nor is it possible for you to make love with me under hers." Shi Men laughed,
"Alright, I'll tell her that." Shi Men then went to visit Madam Hua who was able to accept the reason when Shi Men told as Kim Lian advised him. In fact, Madam Hua then served Shi Men with full affection and the outpouring of love between them was repeated. However, towards midnight, the disruption came again when A-Thai's servant appeared. Shi Men was about to hit the servant who he considered to be disturbing his pleasure, but A Thai quickly knelt and reported that he was sent by Goat Toanio to find and follow Shi Men to announce that his daughter and son-in-law had arrived without prior notice carrying a lot of stuff. And Goat Toanio asked that he come back that night because there was very important news to discuss.
"Damn it!" Shi Men cursed with an annoyed heart, but he was forced to dress and leave his lover. "What business brings you here in the middle of the night?" Shi Men asked when he arrived home and met his daughter and son-in-law. Chen Ceng Ki, Shi Men's son-in-law, paid respects to his father-in-law and brought out an envelope, giving it to Shi Men. Shi Men received the letter and quickly read it.
The letter was written by Chen Hung, Chen Ceng Ki's father or his father-in-law, informing of a shocking event. It turns out that General Yang, Chen Ceng Ki's uncle or uncle by marriage, has been defeated by his rivals in front of the Emperor, declared guilty and responsible for the defeat and destruction of the government forces on the border which was ravaged by the rebels. As a punishment, General Yang was arrested, imprisoned, and all his family members were also arrested and exiled to the border area! Among the members of General Yang's family, those who were exiled included Chen Hung, Shi Men's father-in-law! At the end of his letter, Chen Hung asked Shi Men to accept his son and daughter-in-law who fled to take refuge and attached five hundred silver ounces for any expenses deemed necessary by Shi Men.
Shi Men's face alternated between pale and red as he read the contents of the letter. General Yang, the influential person to whom he relied for all interests in the Capital, was now arrested and imprisoned. His son-in-law, his daughter's father-in-law, was also arrested and exiled! His family's prestige was ruined. It was as if he was just thrown from a high place, thrown onto the low ground. Shi Men then stopped construction work, closed the gate of the yard of his house, closed all front doors and windows, forbade family members from leaving the house. In the meantime, Shi Men spent his days confining himself in his room, pacing back and forth in his room. Seeing her husband's condition, Goat Toanio comforted him.
“This is all Chen's family problem. What does it have to do with us? Why are you restless and grieving? Let each carry their own destiny,”
"Ah, you don't know what this means" Shi Men said bitterly. "This issue involves our daughter and son-in-law who took refuge here. If many people know that our son-in-law is involved and it becomes public gossip, we ourselves are at risk."
This explanation made the entire Shi Men's family also restless, especially seeing how Shi Men looked terrified and never left the house as usual, as if waiting for the coming disaster that was already threatening from the sky. Shi Men knew that as the son-in-law of Chen Hung and ally of General Yang, his position was in great danger. Therefore, he immediately sent his two trusted men, Lai Pao and Lai Wang, to bring much wealth in the form of silver and gold, to go to the Capital and listen to news then act on his behalf, contacting the authorities in the Capital to save Chen Hung and especially himself in case he gets involved. The two trusted men left quickly, carrying a lot of gold, silver, and precious gems.
In the meantime, Madam Hua felt extremely tortured. She repeatedly sent Nenek Bi and other servants to find out about. Shi Men who had no news at all. However, the house was always closed so all her servants were unable to provide any information. Madam Hua waited, but days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Still, there was no news from Shi Men, the man she longed for with full longing. She felt more and more restless and tortured, especially at night. All memories of the pleasure she experienced with Shi Men tormented her, making her unable to sleep. Lack of sleep and food, melancholy and restlessness eventually caused the beautiful young Madam to fall ill. She became thinner and her face was very pale, her eyes were listless. Seeing this, Nenek Bi became worried and one day she said to her Madam.
"I have called a doctor to examine you. May he come in?"
Madam Hua lay with a pale face, messy hair and a weak body, her listless eyes did not answer the question of her loyal servant because she no longer had the spirit. Nenek Bi then allowed the doctor to enter. The doctor, a man of moderate stature, about thirty years old, was known as Doctor Kiang. He secretly admired the luxury in the room, then was fascinated by the beauty of the young woman lying weakly on the bed. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, examined the pulse and followed the weak breath. Of course, he also noticed the sweet beautiful face and the young exciting body, even though it was covered by a blanket, still imagining its slenderness and plumpness.
"According to my examination, your illness is the result of the overflow of blood vessels from the spleen and womb flooding the contents of the stomach. As a result, you are on the swing of six desires of seven passions. Inside you, Yang and Im powers fight and compete. Sometimes your body is too cold, at other times too hot, causing fever and depression that depresses the soul. During the day you feel tired and just want to sleep, at night you are restless and in sleep full of nightmares. Only very potent treatment can save you from this deadly lung disease. Frankly, your safety is like hanging by a strand of hair."
"I would be very grateful if you could cure my illness until I am fully recovered" said Madam Hua, also worried to hear the doctor's words.
Glossary
- Shi Men: The name of the main character, a wealthy man.
- Nyonya Hua: A widowed woman who is being courted by Shi Men.
- Ciu Hwa: Nyonya Hua's maid.
- Kim Lian: One of Shi Men's wives.
- Goat Toanio: Another one of Shi Men's wives.
- Chen Ceng Ki: Shi Men's son-in-law.
- Chen Hung: Chen Ceng Ki's father.
- General Yang: Chen Ceng Ki's uncle, who has been defeated and imprisoned.
- Lai Pao and Lai Wang: Shi Men's trusted allies.
- Doctor Kiang: A doctor who is called to examine Nyonya Hua.