"Doctor Kiang, have you forgotten me, the one who lent you thirty ounces of silver? With interest, your debt is now forty-eight ounces, and I will return to collect," said Si Ular Rumput. Doctor Kiang's eyes widened, he watched the man with furrowed brows.
"Who are you? I don't know you, how can you claim I owe you?"
"Stop pretending you don't recognize me. I am Lu Hua, remember? Now return the money you borrowed." Doctor Kiang was already upset and angry because of his wife's behavior. Now someone claimed he owed money and must repay, of course, he became even more furious.
"Just pay it, friend. You're wealthy now," Si Tikus Jalanan smirked.
"What? I refuse to pay! You guys are scoundrels trying to squeeze money out of people!" he roared angrily. Si Ular Rumput advanced and punched the doctor's face until his nose bled. Si Tikus pulled out a drawer full of medicine and scattered the jars and bottles all over the street.
"I will sue you, you scoundrels!" Doctor Kiang yelled in anger. Another punch landed on his face.
"Ha-ha, this early and you're already drunk," Si Tikus Jalanan mocked.
Doctor Kiang’s screaming brought the security officers who were on patrol. They were taken to the security post. Meanwhile, Nyoya Hua, who witnessed the whole event, secretly felt satisfied that her despised husband was beaten. She then ordered Nenek Bi to close the shop. The jars and bottles of medicine scattered on the street were all picked up by passersby. Immediately after hearing about the incident, Shi Men sent a messenger carrying a letter and gifts to Judge Sieh, his good friend handling the case. The next day, when the court was open and the three brawlers were brought before the judge, a surprising judgement was passed, causing Doctor Kiang to feel shocked, puzzled, and helpless.
"Hmm, so you are Doctor Kiang. Why don't you want to pay your debt even though you have money to do so? That's disgraceful," said Judge Sieh.
"I really don't understand," Doctor Kiang protested. "I don't owe him anything. When I denied it, he and his friend beat me up and damaged my shop." But this answer resulted in the unfortunate Doctor being whipped thirty times on his back by the court's executioner. Then Doctor Kiang was required to pay back thirty ounces of silver, otherwise, he would be severely punished in prison. Grimacing and crying, escorted by two court officers, Doctor Kiang visited his wife and begged her to pay the money. Nyonya Hua spat on him.
"You didn't bring a single penny when you moved here, and now you’re asking me to pay your debt" the woman scolded.
"If only I knew what kind of person you are, I wouldn't have married you, you disgusting turtle." Doctor Kiang shamelessly fell on his knees in front of Nyonya Hua, begging for her help. The woman gruffly said that she would help him for the last time and from then on she didn't want to see his face, and there would be no relationship between them anymore. Si Ular Rumput and Si Tikus Jalanan left with a satisfied smile, carrying thirty ounces of silver, while Doctor Kiang could only cry when he had to leave the house of the woman who once was his wife.
Without a single penny in his pocket, only a bundle of his clothes like when he first entered the house, filled with resentment in his heart. Thousands of people like Doctor Kiang could cry to death out of resentment, but who could help him? Who could change the course of the trial in a court already gripped by the power of large bribes? Such incidents occurred continuously, day by day, month by month, year after year, even century by century! After driving out her husband and closing the medicine shop, Nyonya Hua sent Nenek Bi to make contact with Shi Men and eventually Shi Men sent a message for all the widow's possessions to be moved to his house, and he set a good day to accept the widow as his sixth wife!
With a pounding heart from excitement and happiness, early in the morning on the appointed day, Nyonya Hua was carried in a sedan chair to the Shi Men family home. She didn't know that at this time, Shi Men was waiting with a vengeful heart. He had decided to punish his new wife who had dared to go ahead and choose another man like Doctor Kiang to be her husband. When the sedan chair arrived at the gate and was put down, there was no one to welcome her! According to prevailing customs, a bride will not get out of the sedan chair before the groom's family comes to welcome her. Therefore, Nyonya Hua waited in her sedan chair for hours. Eventually, Mong Yu Lok, Shi Men's third wife, felt sorry and she went to see Goat Toanio. "Toa-Ci, you are the lady of the house, it's your duty to welcome her. Our husband will be angry if you don't do it, Toa-Ci." Goat Toanio frowned. She was displeased her husband was taking yet another wife and he hadn't given her any instructions to welcome the bride. However, her generous nature led her to go out and welcome Nyonya Hua, thus relieving her from the torment of waiting. Finally, the sedan chair curtain was lifted and she was invited to get down, then led by Goat Toanio into the cottage prepared for her within the large residence.
However, that night, Shi Men never showed up and Nyonya Hua waited anxiously all night. Shi Men intentionally left her alone, and that night he slept in Kim Lian's cottage. Only the next day did Shi Men call her and formally introduce Nyonya Hua as the sixth wife to his other wives. However, that night, Shi Men didn't visit her again, spending the night in the room of Yu Lok, his third wife. On the third night, when Shi Men still hadn't visited her, Nyonya Hua felt so humiliated and sorrowful that she blacked out and did something drastic.
Ciu Hwa, her servant, screamed when she entered the room, seeing her mistress in her wedding clothes, hanging from the bedpost with her silk belt. Ciu Hwa ran to Kim Lian's cottage not far from there. Kim Lian and her servant, Cun Bwe, ran to Nyonya Hua's room. Calmly, Kim Lian used scissors to cut the silk cord that was hanging around the woman's neck. Together they lowered Nyonya Hua's body and laid her on the bed. Fortunately, it wasn't too late, as the unfortunate woman was still breathing, albeit unconscious. At that time, Shi Men was drinking accompanied by his third wife. Yu Lok had already warned him about his treatment of the sixth wife, leaving the new wife for three nights. She would feel greatly offended, as Yu Lok warned her husband.
"Ah, don't interfere, let me handle it. Let her feel it! Without telling me, she dared to accept Doctor Kiang as her husband. She needs to know that I cannot be compared to a man like that, and I don't need to run after her!" At that moment, there was a commotion outside the room and a female servant reported with a pale face.
"The sixth mistress hung herself, the fifth lady asks that Kongcu comes there right now!"
"What did I say," Yu Lok scolded her husband. "You didn't listen to my words and now disaster has struck." She then ran out of the room to inform Goat-Toanio and the other wives. Shi Men continued drinking leisurely, without getting up from his seat. Goat Tonio and his other wives ran to the new cottage and found the new wife lying pale and exhausted, but her life was already saved. The next day, Shi Men said to his other wives.
"Don't be fooled by her. She planned all of this, only to attract attention. I don't believe she will seriously commit suicide. And tonight, I will punish her. Let's see if she hangs herself in front of me!" Sure enough, that night Shi Men entered Nyonya Hua's room with a whip hidden in his sleeve. Kim Lian and Yu Lok secretly watched from the door and listened with pounding hearts. When he entered the room, Shi Men found Nyonya Hua crying and hiding her face in a pillow.
"If you really wanted to hang yourself, why would you choose my house to do it?" Shi Men shouted angrily.
"You should have done it in the house of your last husband, that crazy turtle! I want to see you hang yourself!" He threw the rope he had brought at Nyonya Hua's body. The woman screamed in shock and fear.
"Get off that bed and take off your clothes! Kneel!" He shouted threateningly. Seeing the woman didn't immediately obey his order, Shi Men grabbed her arm, dragged her down from the bed and hit her three times with his whip. Nyonya Hua screamed in pain and fear, then she took off her clothes with trembling fingers, and knelt before Shi Men. In this stark naked and kneeling state, Shi Men vented all his anger and heartache, questioning why the woman couldn't patiently wait for him, even marrying an unworthy man like Doctor Kiang, and even more, funding that man to open a shop to become his competitor! After Shi Men finished his words and this man stopped to catch his breath, Nyonya Hua quietly and softly said,
"Forgive me, I feel so regretful. But please remember how you never showed yourself or contacted me. Day and night I missed you, waited in vain, until I got sick and that man appeared, as a doctor to treat me. He took the opportunity seeing my poor condition to persuade me. Oh, how I regret it, how bitter I must experience the consequences of all this. Will you understand and forgive me?"
"I heard that you persuaded that crazy doctor to sue me regarding the items that you entrusted to me. Is that true?"
- Si Ular Rumput: A character in the story, his name means "The Grass Snake".
- Tabib: Indonesian term for "doctor". Here it's referring to Doctor Kiang.
- Lu Hua: Another character in the story.
- Si Tikus Jalanan: A character in the story, his name translates to "The Street Rat".
- Nyonya Hua: A character in the story, her name translates to "Mrs. Hua".
- Nenek Bi: A character in the story, her name means "Grandmother Bi".
- Shi Men: A character in the story.
- Judge Sieh: A character in the story.
- Mong Yu Lok: A character in the story.
- Goat Toanio: A character in the story.
- Ciu Hwa: A character in the story.
- Kim Lian: A character in the story.
- Cun Bwe: A character in the story.
- Yu Lok: A character in the story.