“Ah, that is not true! May I die an unnatural death if I ever proposed such a thing!” Shi Men felt satisfied and his affection towards this woman was restored. He tossed away his whip and helped her to rise and put her clothes back on. Gently, he embraced her.
“Now everything is fine again, dear." Since that day, Shi Men clung to his new wife, who was no longer called Madam Hua, but rather Madam Ke Enam or Madam Peng, her nickname. Each night he slept in this new wife’s hut and hardly paid any attention to his other wives.
The one who suffered the most was Kim Lian, however understanding that her husband was infatuated with his new wife, there was nothing to be done except try and sow discord between Madam Peng and Goat Toanio. She criticized Madam Peng, on the other hand in front of Madam Peng she criticized Goat Toanio, and as Madam Peng was sensitive and easily influenced, it didn't take long for her to become close with Kim Lian. Seemingly, Shi Men’s fortune was shining bright. The inclusion of Nyoya Peng as his wife added to his wealth as the widow brought a lot of assets. All his ventures were running smoothly and profitably. His employees were loyal and worked hard, and he was good at utilizing the skills of competent people.
Shi Men indeed was a skilled and persistent trader and entrepreneur, so his wealth kept multiplying. Besides the ever-advancing company, he never stopped pursuing pleasure. In addition to his six wives and four beautiful servants, he often went visiting pleasure houses. Now, to complete the means of enjoyment in his house, he invited musician Li Ming, the older brother of Bi Hwa, the singer girl whom he loved, to teach his four servants music. Now, the four servant girls who also became Shi Men's lovers started to learn to play the flute and the zither, so without inviting a group of singers, they could entertain Shi Men with the music they played themselves.
With Chen Ceng Ki, his son-in-law, Shi Men opened a new company, a pawnshop. Thanks to the diligence and perseverance of Chen Ceng Ki who devoted all his energy and attention to managing the pawnshop, the company ran smoothly and made rapid progress in no time.
“Son-in-law,” Shi Men said one day when they were having lunch together, "I am very satisfied seeing your progress. I am pleased that within the company, I can fully rely on you. Your father in Kai-Hong-Hu will also be delighted to hear this. Proverbs say that if a person does not have his own son, he must rely on his son-in-law. And if I had no son, all my possessions would surely be inherited by you and your wife in the future.”
Shi Men never dreamed that this clever young man would someday become a thorn in his flesh. People will never be satisfied with their condition. A few months later, Shi Men's attachment to his new wife diminished and he started visiting pleasure houses at night in search of new girls. One night Shi Men returned from a pleasure house and as he passed by his house's yard, he saw Siauw Giok, Goat Toanio's servant, taking out a small worship table. He quickly hid and spied. Not long after, Goat Toanio came out in worship clothes sweeping the ground in front of the worship table with a broom, then knelt on a kneeling pad, lit incense, and prayed. The woman was heard uttering soft words in her prayers.
“I, a Wu lineage girl, see how my husband, Shi Men, lets himself drown in the pleasure houses. Of his six wives, he has not gotten a son from any. If he dies later, there will be no son to clean his grave and worship him. Day and night my heart is restless. Who will take care of him in his old age? For this reason, I seek blessings that he would approach me just once again so he could have a son to continue his lineage. This is my request.”
Hearing this, Shi Men was very moved. How could he have forgotten and neglected a woman who loved and was so faithful to him, who prayed on a cold winter night for him? He couldn't hold back his emotions, came out from his hiding place, and embraced his first wife. Goat Toanio was very surprised and tried to free herself, but Shi Men held her tightly,
“Wife, I have been foolish. You are the best of my wives. I have been bad and unfair to you and I am very sorry.” “Hmm, are you mistaken? Am I not just a woman not worthy of your love, a woman you hate?” Shi Men didn't answer, just took her hand and led her back to his room. Now, under the lamp light he seemed to see a new Goat Toanio. He was just noticing how extremely graceful this woman was, like Kwan Im Pouwsat.
“Ah, how my eyes have been blind and my ears deaf all this time. How great my sins are to you. I have been infatuated with gravel and neglected the gem! Forgive me, a thousand apologies!” Seeing how Goat Toanio just lowered her face and did not look at him, Shi Men knelt in front of her.
"My good wife, forgive me" he whispered several times. Goat Toanio still wouldn't look at him.
“Your wailing is saddening and disgusting. Let me call the servant.” She called Siauw Giok. Shi Men quickly stood up and said to Siauw Giok,
“Quickly bring in the worship table that's outside, it'll be covered in snow!”
“It was brought in a while ago,” Siauw Giok answered. Hearing this, Goat Toanio could not hold back her smile because she felt amused.
“Hmm, aren't you ashamed to pretend like this in front of the servant?” Siauw Giok excused herself seeing the atmosphere and Shi Men again threw himself to his knees. This time Goat Toanio felt sorry and she helped her husband to rise and they sat side by side, served tea by their servant. That night Shi Men slept in his first wife's room, something that hadn't happened in months. And with all his heart and feelings.
Lai Wang, one of Shi Men's trusted employees, had a young and sweetly beautiful wife named Lian Cu. She was only twenty-four years old, with a very sweet face and a thrillingly beautiful body. Lai Wang brought his newlywed wife to Shi Men's family home where he lived in the back, the employee housing area. Of course, Shi Men's sharp eyes, like those of an eagle spotting a chick when he saw that woman, didn’t miss the sweetness of the face and the voluptuous body of Lai Wang's wife.
Thus, the flame of desire for Lian Cu ignited in Shi Men's mind. One day, Shi Men sent Lai Wang to Hang-Chouw to deliver a gift of a beautiful set of clothes to General Cai Ceng, as he usually did to win over dignitaries. This long journey for Lai Wang would take at least four to five months and this had been well calculated by Shi Men. Just a few days after Lai Wang left, when Goat Toanio was visiting a neighbor and it happened that Shi Men came home in the afternoon. In the quiet back room, while he was slightly staggering from drinking too much liquor, he came across Lian Cu. Seeing this woman, without further ado, Shi Men grabbed her, hugged her and kissed her lips.
“If you behave sweetly towards me and want to serve me, I will give you as many clothes as you want,” he whispered. With a soft laugh, Lian Cu freed herself and ran away without saying anything. Shi Men then met Siauw Giok, Goat Toanio's servant. “Give this blue cloth to Lian Cu to make a dress. The dress she's wearing isn't suitable for her.” Of course, Siauw Giok could catch what was hidden in her master's heart towards Lian Cu. She brought the cloth to Lian Cu who accepted it with her cheeks turning red.
“But what should I say if Goat Toanio asks where I got this new dress from?”
“Don't worry,” Siauw Giok answered. “Our master will be able to explain it. And if you want to serve him, you will receive more gifts.”
“But what should I do? Wait for him in my room? And when?”
“It's not good if he comes into your room, the other servants will find out. It's better if you go to the garden, and enter the Spring Pavilion which is quiet and empty. There no one will know.”
And that night a fun and hot meeting full of stolen love warmth happened. Adultery or stolen love contains fuel that adds to the burning of lust. Coincidentally, that night Kim Lian who felt lonely because for several months her husband never came to visit her, walked around the large garden. As she walked near the Spring Pavilion, she heard suspicious voices. She approached and spied. You can imagine how angry and hot she felt when she saw the scene taking place in the pavilion between her husband and Lai Wang's wife, that trusted employee. She opened the door and entered the pavilion. The couple who were engrossed quickly separated and Lian Cu quickly ran away, answering that she was there to look for snow flowers.
“You really have no shame!” Kim Lian said to Shi Men after the woman ran away.
“Going crazy here with your own employee's wife! Come on, tell me, how long have you been flirting with that woman? Confess openly or I will report this to Goat Toanio!” Shi Men hugged Kim Lian with a smirk.
“If you behave sweetly to me like she did, I will give you as many clothes as you want,” he whispered. Kim Lian pushed him away and ran to her room, leaving Shi Men alone in the pavilion.
Glossary
- Shi Men: The main male character in the story.
- Madam Ke Enam/Madam Peng: The new wife of Shi Men.
- Goat Toanio: The first wife of Shi Men.
- Kim Lian: One of Shi Men's wives who feels neglected.
- Chen Ceng Ki: Shi Men's son-in-law who helps him with his business.
- Li Ming: A musician invited to teach Shi Men's servants to play music.
- Bi Hwa: A singer girl who is Li Ming's younger sister and Shi Men's lover.
- General Cai Ceng: A dignitary whom Shi Men tries to win over with gifts.
- Lai Wang: A trusted employee of Shi Men.
- Lian Cu: The young and beautiful wife of Lai Wang, who Shi Men takes an interest in.