"His brother-in-law? Excellent, then I shall grant him the position of Postmaster in Ceng Ho Sian." Inside was a letter of appointment under the name of Bu Tian Heng. Overjoyed, Bu Tian Heng repeatedly bowing his head to the floor in gratitude. Lai Pao was not left out and was bestowed with the position of Gate Commander of the Guan Prince Palace in Ceng Ho Sian.
"Accept these appointment letters and in the morning proceed to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of War to register your names in the employee list and receive your rank insignia. And you, Commander Ti, accompany them, wine and dine them well, and give each of them ten taels of silver from the treasury so that they won't lack provisions on their journey home." They all retired with hearts full of joy. After the two had eaten and drank, Commander Ti, the Chief Guard, approached them and whispered,
"I have a small request to make to your master. But would he be willing to help me?"
"However, Commander, how can you still doubt our master's kindness? After all, with your help, we were able to meet the Prime Minister successfully. Therefore, whatever you wish for, tell us and our master will surely heed all your desires."
"Well then. To be frank, what I need is a young girl to become my concubine, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Of course, she must be pretty and able to charm. Price is no issue."
"Ah, that's an easy matter, Commander. Our master will surely fulfill this wish of yours." Hearing this, Commander Ti was overjoyed. He gave each of them ten taels of silver from Prime Minister Cai's treasury and an extra five taels from his own pocket.
"Ah, we just received a gift from Prime Minister Cai, how could you go through such trouble?"
"It's nothing, for the sake of our friendship, I hope you both won't refuse," said Commander Ti, who instructed his secretary to accompany the two so that all matters at the Ministry of the Interior and War could be smoothly handled the next day. After everything was settled, Lai Pao and Bu Tian Heng gave the secretary three taels of silver as a gift, in addition to treating him to a meal in gratitude. Thus, they departed with light and joyful hearts.
It was extremely hot that day, as it was mid-summer. Shi Men and all his wives, except for the sixth, held a feast served by their maids, while listening to music played by the trained girls, in the open back room facing the garden.
"Where is your mistress?" Goat Toanio asked Ciu Hwa, the servant of Mistress Peng, Shi Men's youngest wife.
"She's not feeling well, her stomach hurts so she doesn't want to leave her room," Ciu Hwa replied.
"Ah, I don't think she's that ill. It would be better if she were to enjoy food and drink here and listen to music. You should invite your mistress and bring her here to cheer her up."
"Why is she absent?" Shi Men asked.
"She said she has a stomachache, but I think she's already taken medicine and will be here shortly," Goat Toanio replied, but she slowly said to Mong Yu Lok, her third sister-wife,
"Her pregnancy has passed eight months. The time is near." With these words, she implied that the absence of their youngest sister-wife was to be excused.
"I think it's still too early for her to give birth," Kim Lian stated firmly.
"If so, tell her to come and listen to the music," said Shi Men. Not long after, Mistress Peng appeared, followed by her maid.
"You must have indigestion," said Goat Toanio. "A little hot wine will cure you." The serving girls then began to play their instruments, accompanying a melodious song by one of them. But before the song was over, Mistress Peng moaned quietly and staggered back to her room.
"Ah, she must be giving birth!" Goat Toanio exclaimed. "I told you before, but of course Kim Lian knows better! And we haven't called a midwife!" Shi Men quickly sent a young servant to fetch Aunt Cai, the midwife. The feast was halted and everyone moved to the sixth wife's cottage.
"How do you feel?" Goat Toanio asked softly.
"Everything inside is churning like there's a turtle moving around in my stomach."
"Raise your upper body slightly so that the baby can find his way out more easily and not get strangled." "Eh, where's the midwife? Has she been summoned? Ah, why is it taking so long? Hurry, send Siauw Thai to fetch her quickly!" Goat Toanio also said. Kim Lian pulled Mong Yu Lok out of the room and grumbled softly,
"Huh, all this fuss! And the room full to suffocation. All this noise about a baby who hasn't come out yet, as if they were waiting for the birth of a baby elephant!" The room grew busier, the midwife's voice asking for this and that was intermingled with Goat Toanio's orders, and the servants rushed around providing everything needed. Finally, the cry of a baby was heard and Aunt Cai appeared at the door, proudly announcing, as if she had created the child herself,
"A boy has been born. Please inform the master, he should generously reward this joyous news."
Upon receiving the news, Shi Men quickly knelt and prayed to thank Heaven and Earth, and the spirits of his ancestors, and everyone joined in the celebration of the baby boy's birth. Everyone, except Kim Lian. When she heard that her co-wife had given birth to a boy, she quietly returned to her room, locked the door, threw herself on the bed, and cried bitterly. It was only now that she felt defeated, helpless, and lost. It's true what they say about fate often playing tricks on people, even at times seeming to mock them. When good fortune is at hand, it always brings the best of things, and pleasure comes in abundance.
On the other hand, when misfortune befalls someone, it seems that difficulties do not come alone, but invite company, so various kinds of misfortunes come hand in hand and strike a person. The same seemed to apply to Shi Men. The extremely joyous news of the birth of his first son was complemented by another piece of good news: the return of Lai Pao and Bu Tian Heng from the Capital City carrying a promotion for Shi Men! Of course, Shi Men was ecstatic. If he were still a child, his joy could cause him to jump and cheer. He ran gleefully, bringing all his formal attire and rank insignia into the room and showing them off to his wives!
Glossary
- Ceng Ho Sian: A fictional location used in the story.
- Bu Tian Heng: A character in the story.
- Lai Pao: A character in the story.
- Tael: A unit of weight and currency used in East Asia.
- Shi Men: A character in the story.
- Goat Toanio: A character in the story.
- Mong Yu Lok: A character in the story.
- Kim Lian: A character in the story.
- Siauw Thai: A character in the story.