Her mother said, "Sigh, I'm only saying this because I was afraid she'd marry someone recklessly out of spite after what I said to her last time. It's not that I'm being picky now, it's just that she's been with other men before, twice, and both times it ended badly. I'm hoping she won't fall for someone's tricks this time. This man surnamed Zhu, if he says he has no money, what is he after? A man in his thirties or forties, hasn't he married yet?" She paused here, and lowered her head to dust off her clothes, carefully picking off the two loose threads stuck to her sleeves.
Manzhen asked, "What did she say?" Her mother slowly replied, "She said he has a wife in the countryside, but he never goes back. He's always been alone in Shanghai, and his friends have been advising him to settle down. Now that things are going well between him and Manlu, he definitely won't treat her as a concubine. She feels he's reliable—at least she can control him. He doesn't have much money, but he can still afford the expenses of our household—" Manzhen listened in silence, then couldn't help but interject, "Mom, from now on, no matter what, I'll cover the household expenses. Why did my sister support my education before? I still can't repay her?" "That's true," her mother said. "Your salary isn't enough. We can manage if we cut back, but the younger ones still need to go to school. How much will that tuition cost?" Manzhen said, "Mom, don't worry. We'll find a way. I can find some work. If my sister leaves, we won't need the maid anymore, and we won't need so many rooms. We can rent them out. We don't mind if we have to squeeze in." Her mother nodded, "That's good. It'll be tough, but at least it'll be more bearable. To be honest, I feel terrible using your sister's money. I can't bear to think about it; it makes me sad." Her voice choked as she said this. Manzhen forced a smile, "Mom, really! My sister's better now, isn't she?"
Her mother said, "It would be wonderful if she could marry someone decently now, so of course she should make do. But what I mean is, it doesn't matter if he's rich or poor. If he already has a wife, with her stubborn temper, how could she possibly get along with him? That's the only thing I don't approve of with this man surnamed Zhu." Manzhen said, "You shouldn't go and talk to her!" Her mother said, "I won't say anything, or they'll think I'm a snob."
Downstairs, the two were already discussing marriage formalities. Manlu insisted on a formal marriage, which made Zhu Hongcai very uncomfortable. Manlu got angry. They were sitting on the same chair, but she stood up and said, "You need to understand, I'm not marrying you for your money! You won't even give me this much face!" She plopped down on a sofa, having a habit of curling her legs up as soon as she sat down. She wore a pair of purple-red velvet slippers with white rabbit fur trim. She lowered her head, twisting her body, stroking the rabbit fur as if petting a cat. She kept touching her shoes, a resentful expression on her face.
Hongcai didn't dare look at her, but scratched his head and said, "I know how much you care about me, but we're good friends, so we don't care about these things." Manlu said, "You don't care, but I do! This is a matter of a lifetime, and you're just going to treat us to two tables of wine and call it a day?" Hongcai said, "Of course, we have to leave a memento. How about this?"
"Let's go take a couple of wedding photos—" Manlu said, "Who wants those awful photos? Ten yuan! The photo studio has wedding suits you can borrow to wear, ten yuan in total, even the bridal veil and bouquet are included. You're so shrewd!" Hongcai said, "It's not that I'm trying to save money. I just think that kind of public marriage would be too conspicuous. Too conspicuous? Unless you feel embarrassed to formally marry a lowly woman like me and be laughed at by your friends. Isn't that what you're thinking? I bet that's what you're thinking!" She had hit the nail on the head, but he still couldn't help but protest, saying, "Don't be suspicious. I'm not afraid of anything else, but you should know that this is bigamy!" Manlu turned her head away and said, "Bigamy? As long as that woman from your village doesn't say anything, it's fine—didn't you say she can't control you?" Hongcai said, "She absolutely wouldn't dare do anything. I'm afraid her family will speak up." Manlu sneered, "Since you're so afraid, you might as well behave yourself. Let's pretend we never talked before, and you shouldn't come here anymore!"
Hongcai softened after her words. He paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, saying, "Okay, okay, okay, whatever you say. No other conditions, right? If there are none, then we'll knock!" Manlu chuckled and said, "This isn't a business deal." Her smile brightened their mood, and the two of them became cheerful again. Although both felt somewhat aggrieved, as if they were settling for less, they were still in high spirits nonetheless.
The next day, Manzhen returned home. As soon as she entered, Abao invited her to the eldest daughter's room. She found the whole family gathered in her sister's room, including Zhu Hongcai, who was enthusiastically calling her mother "Mom." Upon seeing Manzhen, he said, "Second Miss, I must now call you Second Sister." His posture was quite practiced; he had his thumbs tucked into his trouser pockets and had opened his shirt to reveal a gold watch chain hanging on his chest. He called Manzhen "Second Sister," and she merely smiled and nodded in greeting, without returning the address of "Brother-in-law." Although Hongcai greatly admired her, he felt very awkward in her presence and found himself speechless with her.
Manlu's room was the most exquisitely furnished in the entire house. Hongcai walked to a wardrobe, tapped the wood, and smiled at her mother, "Her furniture here is quite nice. I took her to look at several pieces of woodwork today, but she didn't like any of them. Actually, this kind of stuff is everywhere now. If it were a set like this in the room, the price would be out of place!" Hearing this, Manlu was quite unhappy. Just as she was about to speak, her mother, fearing that she would quarrel with her son-in-law over this, quickly said, "Actually, you don't need to buy furniture for your bedroom. Just use what's in this room. I don't have anything else to give you, so I feel embarrassed." Hongcai smiled and said, "Not at all, Mother, what are you saying!" Manlu only said lightly, "We'll see. I'm not busy with furniture anyway, and I haven't found a place yet." Her mother said, "After you leave, I plan to rent out the downstairs room. There's nowhere to put all this furniture, so you should take it with you."
Manlu paused for a moment, then said, "We don't need this house anymore. Let's find a bigger place to live together." Her mother said, "No, we're not going with you. We have so many children in our family, they're all so noisy; you two should live on your own, wouldn't it be better to have some peace and quiet?"
Because Manlu already harbored some resentment, thinking that her mother might be trying to distance herself from her for the sake of her younger brother's future, she didn't insist on living with her. Hongcai, unaware of the situation, had been told beforehand that he would support three generations of her family, so he couldn't help but urge her again: "It's better if we live together, so we can look after each other. I don't think Manlu is good at managing a household. With Mom there, this family can be left to her." Her mother laughed, "She'll be staying home all day with nothing to do, so she'll need to learn these household skills. If she doesn't know, she'll learn." Her grandmother chimed in, saying to Hongcai, "Don't let Manlu's seemingly incapable appearance fool you. When she was little, her mother had her fortune told, and it said she's destined to bring good fortune to her husband! Even if she marries a beggar, she'll become president. Besides, you, Mr. Zhu, are a wealthy man, so you're sure to become incredibly rich." Hongcai was quite excited by this, smugly shaking his head. He walked up to Manlu, bent down, and smiled at her face, "Is that really true? If I don't get rich, I'll come looking for you!" Manlu pushed him away, frowning, "Look at you, what kind of behavior is this!"
Hongcai chuckled and walked away, saying to his mother, "Your eldest daughter has seen all sorts of things, but she's never been a bride before. This time, she's determined to have a great time, so I've prepared a grand celebration. Second Miss will be the bridesmaid, and your little sister will be the bridal procession leader. Each of you will receive a set of clothes." Manzhen found his words utterly irritating; the man was utterly tasteless and repulsive. She couldn't help but glance at her sister, whose face also showed a hint of shame, as if afraid her family would laugh at her for choosing such a husband. Seeing the shame on her sister's face, Manzhen felt a pang of sadness.
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Eighteen Springs Three
That day, Shijun, Shuhui, and Manzhen went out to eat together again. They talked about Mr. Ye, who was in charge of general affairs at the factory, celebrating his birthday, and how they had collectively given him two hundred longevity bowls. Shijun said to Shuhui, "You should pay for the gifts for me, right?" As he spoke, he took out some money from his pocket to return the money. Shuhui smiled and asked, "Are you going to the birthday celebration today?"
Shi Jun frowned and said, "I don't want to go. To be honest, I find this kind of thing really boring." Shu Hui laughed and said, "Just be more tactful. That's how things are in this kind of society. There's no point in arguing. If you don't go, you'll offend people." Shi Jun smiled and nodded, saying, "But I think there will be a lot of people there today. Maybe no one will notice if I don't go." Shu Hui knew that Shi Jun's temper was always like this. He could be very easygoing, but he could also be very stubborn. So he just gave him a casual word of advice and that was it.
Manzhen didn't say anything.
That evening, Shijun and Shuhui returned home and rested for a while. Shuhui went to pay respects at a birthday celebration, and Shijun suddenly remembered that Manzhen would probably be going too. Without much thought, he opened the glass window and leaned against it, intending to call out to Shuhui as he passed by and go with him. However, he waited for a long time but didn't see Shuhui; he assumed he had already gone. The alleyway below the window was dark, and the spring night wind, slightly damp, seemed warmer outside than inside. Sitting inside, he felt a constant chill. The small room under the lamplight seemed small, empty, and messy. He was actually used to this desolate atmosphere of a guesthouse. But today, for some reason, he simply couldn't sit still for a moment.
He suddenly felt an urgent need to see Manzhen. After waiting a while, he got up and went out. Once on the street, he hired a car and headed straight for the restaurant.
Mr. Ye's birthday banquet was held upstairs. Upon reaching the top, a two-drawer table was placed diagonally, with a writing brush, inkstone, and a guestbook on it. Seeing this, Shijun couldn't help but smile, thinking, "I thought there would be too many people today, and I wouldn't be able to check who came and who didn't. —Luckily, they've come!" He picked up his brush and dipped it in the inkstone. Having not written with a brush in a long time, he had always lacked confidence in calligraphy, and hesitated before putting pen to paper. Just then, a hand reached out from behind him, snatched the brush away, and smeared ink all over his hand. Shijun was startled and turned around. He never expected it to be Manzhen; she had never joked with him like this before. He was stunned. Manzhen smiled and said, "Shuhui is looking for you. Come quickly." She hurriedly put the brush down on the table, turned, and left. Shijun followed her, somewhat bewildered. The place was a large, open hall with over a dozen tables set up. Besides the factory workers, many of Mr. Ye's relatives and friends were also there, and it was hard to see where Shuhui was sitting. Manzhen led him to the glass door leading to the balcony, where they stopped. Shijun peeked out and, seeing no one on the balcony, asked with a smile, "Where's Shuhui?" Manzhen seemed a little flustered and said with a smile, "No, it's not that Shuhui is looking for you. Wait, I'll tell you, there's a reason." She hadn't explained herself after all this time, which made Shijun somewhat taken aback. Manzhen knew he had misunderstood, and blushed, becoming even more speechless. Just then, a colleague walked over with the autograph book and smiled at Shijun, saying, "You forgot to sign it!" Shijun took the pen out of his pocket, casually signed his name, and the colleague left with the book. Manzhen, however, paused slightly and chuckled softly, "Oh no!" Shijun asked in surprise, "What's wrong?" Before Manzhen could answer, she looked around and went to the balcony. Shijun followed her out. Manzhen frowned and smiled, "I already signed it for you. — I heard you say you weren't coming, and I thought it wouldn't be good if everyone came and you didn't."
Upon hearing this, Shijun was momentarily speechless and unsure how to thank her, so he simply stared at her, smiling. Manzhen, feeling a little embarrassed by his smile, turned and leaned against the balcony railing. The restaurant was an old-fashioned Western-style building, brightly lit both upstairs and downstairs. From this balcony facing the street, the noise from inside the rooms was barely audible, but the sounds of people playing cards downstairs were very clear, along with the soft, alluring voices of women singing and the mournful strains of a huqin. Manzhen turned to him and smiled, "Didn't you say you weren't coming? Why did you suddenly come?" Shijun couldn't tell her it was because he wanted to see her. So he simply smiled, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I thought you and Shuhui were both here, so I came too."
The two leaned against the railing, one facing outwards and the other inwards. There was a moon tonight, a slightly oblong one, like a pure white lotus seed, surrounded by a hazy white halo. Standing on the balcony, in the shadow of the electric lights, one couldn't see the moonlight. Only a large section of Manzhen's arm was visible, bathed in the moonlight, appearing exceptionally white. She was still wearing a dark blue cotton cheongsam, with a light green short-sleeved wool sweater over it, adorned with a row of green beaded buttons at the chest. She had worn the same outfit to the office that day. Shijun looked her over and chuckled, "You didn't go home, you came straight here?" Manzhen smiled, "Hey, look at me in this blue cotton gown, I don't look like I'm here for a birthday celebration, do I?"
Just then, two colleagues shouted from inside the room, "Hey, aren't you coming to eat yet? We have to call you!" Manzhen quickly went in with a smile, and Shijun followed. Because there were many people today, they were having a free-for-all system, starting a meal once a table was full. There were exactly one table now, and everyone was already seated. Of course, everyone rushed to sit at the lower end of the table, leaving the two seats at the head of the table empty. Shijun and Manzhen, being late, had no choice but to sit at the head of the table.
As soon as Shijun sat down, he had a thought: sitting side by side at the head of the table like this, didn't they look like a bride and groom? He glanced at Manzhen, who probably felt the same way. She seemed quite embarrassed and didn't speak to him at all during the meal.
After the party ended, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Shijun said to her, "I'll take you home." He still hadn't been to her house yet, and although Manzhen didn't refuse his offer to take her home, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them: he would only take her to the entrance of the alley, without going inside. Since he didn't intend to go in, taking her home was actually pointless. If they were on a tram or bus, they could talk on the way, but now they were each in a rickshaw, unable to even exchange a word. Yet, he still insisted on taking her home, as if there was some kind of pleasure in it.
Manzhen's car drove ahead, stopping first at the entrance to her alleyway. Shijun always felt her place was heavily guarded and unwelcoming, so to show he had no intention of going in, he got out, quickly paid the fare, and hurriedly nodded and smiled at her, saying, "See you tomorrow then." He turned to leave. Manzhen smiled, "Why don't you come in for a while? My house's been a mess these past few days because my sister's getting married." He paused, then smiled, "Oh, your sister's getting married?" Manzhen smiled, "Yes." Although the streetlights weren't very bright, her joy was still evident. Hearing this, Shijun was also delighted. He knew about her family situation, and he was naturally happy for her that she had finally escaped that burden, and that her sister had found her place.
He was silent for a moment, then asked with a smile, "What kind of person is your brother-in-law?" Manzhen smiled and said, "His surname is Zhu, the Zhu of blessing. He makes a living from the stock exchange."
At this point, Manzhen suddenly remembered that her mother had accompanied her sister to decorate their new house today, and she wondered if her mother had returned yet. If she happened to come back now and they saw her standing at the alley entrance talking to a man, they would ask her all sorts of questions, which, although not a big deal, wouldn't be good. So she continued, "It's getting late, I should go in." Shijun said, "Then I'll be going." He left immediately, walking past a few shops, then turned back to look, and Manzhen was still standing there. However, in that instant, she seemed to suddenly realize something, turned around, and went inside. Shijun, however, stopped again, stunned for a moment.
The next day, they met again, but she didn't mention her sister's wedding again.
Shijun kept thinking about it. Putting aside everything else, it would be easier to see her afterward, and he could go to her house without having to worry about those things.
About a week later, she suddenly mentioned to Uncle Hui that her sister had gotten married and that the house was now vacant, so she wanted to rent it out. She asked them to keep an eye out for potential tenants and introduce them to anyone who wanted the house.
Shijun enthusiastically inquired with everyone he met if anyone was looking for a house. Soon, he accompanied a friend, a man surnamed Wu, to Manzhen's house to look at apartments. It was his first time stepping into this alleyway himself; he always felt a sense of taboo and mystery about this place. The alleyway was in a bustling area. One side of the road was lined with shops, their wooden doors, removed by the shopkeepers, leaning against the back doors. A group of women were gathered around the public tap, washing rice and clothes, splashing water all over the cement floor. Among them was a young woman washing her feet under the tap. She stood on one leg, lifting one foot and letting the water splash around. Her toenails were bright red, painted with nail polish—that was what drew attention. Shijun glanced at the young woman and thought to himself, "I wonder if she's one of the Gu family's maids, serving Manzhen's sister?"
The Gu family lived at number five, with a "For Rent" sign posted on the back door. The door was ajar. Shijun knocked, but no one answered. Just as he was about to push the door open, a little boy playing on someone's rickshaw in the alley, his ankle bells jingling, jumped off and rushed over to block the door, asking, "Who are you looking for?" Shijun recognized him as Manzhen's younger brother, someone he'd delivered keys to Shuhui's house before, but the boy didn't recognize Shijun. Shijun nodded and smiled at him, saying, "Is your sister home?" Shijun's question wasn't entirely clear, and Jiemin, hearing it, assumed this man was a former guest of Manlu. Although he was just a child, due to his environment, he was very sensitive in many ways and had always felt resentment towards Manlu's friends, but had never had a chance to vent. Now, he shouted confidently, "She's not here! She's married!" Shijun laughed, "No, I meant your second sister." Jiemin was taken aback, because Manzhen had never had any friends come to their house. He still thought the two people had come here to have fun, so he glared at them and said, "What do you want with her?" The child's aggressive manner made Shijun somewhat embarrassed in front of Mr. Wu, who had come with him. He smiled and said, "I'm her colleague. We're here to look at the house." Jiemin looked at him again before turning around and following them inside, calling out, "Mom! Someone's here to look at the house!" He called for his mother instead of his sister, which showed that he still harbored some hostility. Shijun hadn't expected that coming to her house to see her would cause so much trouble.
After a while, her mother came out to greet them and ushered them inside. Shijun nodded to her and asked, "Is Manzhen home?" Her mother smiled and said, "Yes, she is. I asked Jiemin to go up and call her. —What is your surname?" Shijun replied, "My surname is Chen."
Her mother smiled and said, "Oh, Mr. Shen is her colleague." She looked closely at his face and, seeing that he was not the young man in the photo, felt a little disappointed.
Downstairs, there were two rooms, one large and one small, both vacant. Looking at them, all you could see were bare floors covered in a layer of dust. Empty rooms always seemed both large and small, like square boxes. In short, it was completely unimaginable what it was like for Manzhen's sister to live here.
Jiemin went upstairs to call Manzhen, but she lingered for quite a while before coming down. It turned out she had changed into a new dress—a short-sleeved silk cheongsam she had made for her sister's wedding, pink with small, dark blue polka dots. She would never have worn such a vibrant color before, because her sister's many friends came and went; she always wore a blue cotton shirt, partly to save money, and partly for self-defense. Now, she had none of those concerns. Shijun felt as if she had suddenly shed her mourning clothes, a refreshing sight.
Shijun introduced her to Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu said the house faced west and would probably be too hot in spring, and after a few perfunctory words about thinking about it, he said, "Then I'll take my leave first; I still have a few places to visit." He left first, and Manzhen invited Shijun to sit upstairs for a while. She led him upstairs, and halfway up the stairs, there was a window with several pairs of black cloth cotton shoes on the windowsill, some for adults and some for children, all worn all winter and left to dry in the sun. The late spring sun was warm, and the sky outside the window was a pale blue.
Upstairs, in a room where her grandmother and her younger siblings lived, there were two large beds and a small iron bed. Manzhen sat down with Shijun at a square table by the window. They hadn't seen a single person on their way up, and her mother was nowhere to be found. However, they could faintly hear coughing and whispering from the next room, so everyone must have gone there.
A young woman brought in tea; it was indeed the same one who had been washing her feet in the alley earlier, the one with painted toenails. She was probably the only remnant of Manzhen's sister. She was barefoot, wearing worn-out white leather shoes, a floral cheongsam, and a pink celluloid clip in her hair. She brought in the tea with a cheerful smile, saying, "Please have some tea, sir," her manners exceptionally courteous. She closed the door behind her as she left. Shijun noticed and felt a little uneasy; not for any particular reason, but perhaps it wasn't appropriate to talk with the door closed, in front of her grandmother and mother. However, while he was only slightly anxious, Manzhen had a different feeling. She thought that Abao's success was due to her long-standing service to her sister and her well-trained manner. This made her feel extremely embarrassed.
She immediately opened the door, then sat down to talk, saying, "I wonder if your friend thought it was too expensive?" Shijun replied, "I don't think so. Shuhui's family also lives in a similar western-style room, and the rent is about the same, but the room isn't as spacious as this one." Manzhen smiled and asked, "Are you sharing a room with Shuhui?" Shijun replied, "Yes."
Jiemin brought in two bowls of sweet soup with poached eggs. Manzhen was a little surprised to see them. Of course, it was always her mother who made them; the guests' bowls had two eggs, and hers only had one. Her younger brother chuckled in, placed the bowl on the table, and, with a stern face, didn't even look at anyone before turning to leave. Manzhen tried to call him back, but he didn't even turn around. Manzhen smiled and said, "He's usually very shrewd; I don't know why he's suddenly acting so shy today." Shijun understood the reason perfectly well, but he didn't point it out, only smiling and saying, "Why bother with the snacks? It's too much trouble." Manzhen smiled and said, "It's a country snack! Just have some."
As Shijun ate, he asked, "What do you eat for breakfast?" Manzhen replied, "Porridge. What about you?" Shijun said, "Shuhui's family also eats porridge, but it's like this: Shuhui's father is very hospitable, and many people often come over for dinner in the evenings. It exhausts Shuhui's mother, and she has to get up before dawn to cook porridge for us. I really feel bad about it, so I often skip breakfast and just eat two flatbreads and fried dough sticks from a stall." Manzhen nodded and said, "That's how it is when you stay at someone else's house; you always feel a little uncomfortable." Shijun said, "Actually, their family is quite nice. Shuhui's parents treat me like family; otherwise, I wouldn't feel comfortable staying there so long."
Manzhen asked, "How long has it been since you went home?" Shijun replied, "Almost a year." Manzhen smiled and asked, "Don't you miss home?" Shijun smiled and said, "I'm really afraid to go back."
"If I ever have the power in the future, I always want to bring my mother out. My father and she have a very bad relationship and are always arguing." Manzhen said, "Oh..." Shijun said, "He's had a lot of arguments because of me." Manzhen asked, "What happened?" Shijun said, "My father runs a leather goods store, and he also does other businesses. When my brother was alive, he helped my father after graduation, preparing to continue the business in the future. Later, my brother died, and my father wanted me to take his place, but I wasn't interested in those things; I wanted to study engineering. My father was very angry and stopped caring about me. Later, when I went to university, my mother secretly helped me out with some money." So he was often in dire straits at that time. Speaking of which, Manzhen also suffered from economic hardship during her school years, and on this point, they found common ground.
Manzhen said, "You probably don't know many people in Shanghai, otherwise I would have asked you for a favor." Shijun smiled and asked, "What is it?" Manzhen said, "If you hear of any part-time typing jobs available—I'd like to work an extra two hours after get off work. Teaching is also fine." Shijun looked at her for a moment and smiled, "Wouldn't that be too tiring for you?" Manzhen smiled and said, "It's alright. I spend most of my time sitting in the office anyway, so working an extra hour or two is nothing."
Shijun knew that her burdens had increased since her sister got married. Even if her friends had the means to help, it wasn't something she could accept; the only way to help was to find her work. However, he had been looking for work for her for quite some time without success. One day, she told him, "I originally planned to find something after six o'clock, but now I want to change it to after dinner." Shijun said, "After dinner? Isn't that too late?" Manzhen smiled and said, "I already found something before dinner." Shijun said, "Oh dear, you can't do this! Rushing around all day like this will really make you sick! Don't you know, at your age, you're very susceptible to lung disease." Manzhen laughed and said, "At your age! It's as if you don't know how old you are!"
She soon found her second job. Although she had lost some weight after a busy summer, she remained in high spirits. Because Shijun lived in Shuhui's house and bothered them year-round, he always bought gifts for Shuhui's parents during holidays. This year, for the Mid-Autumn Festival, he had asked Manzhen to buy the gifts. He gave Shuhui's father a pure wool scarf and Shuhui's mother a woolen robe fabric. Before this, he had also given Mrs. Xu a piece of fabric, but he had never seen her make and wear it. He had assumed it was because he had chosen a color that was too plain for her age. Actually, Mrs. Xu looked no more than middle-aged. She must have been a beauty in her youth; Shuhui resembled her more than his father. His father, Xu Yufang, was a fat man, in his forties or fifties, but still looked like a chubby, dark-skinned young man. Yufang worked at a bank, but because he had a somewhat scholarly temperament and wasn't good at flattery, he remained in a lowly clerical position even after a long career, which he didn't mind. That day, everyone was admiring the gifts Shih-Chun had given them. Yu-Fang, seeing the fabric, said, "Take it to the tailor right away and get it made! Don't just put it back in your trunk!" Mrs. Xu laughed, "Why would I need to dress so nicely? Going out with you just makes you look like an old servant, all shabby and worn out. People will think this woman is domineering, spending all her money on herself!" She turned to Shih-Chun and said, "You don't know his temper. He always refuses to make clothes for me." Yu-Fang laughed, "I've come to terms with it. No matter how much I dress up, I'll still look the same. I can't be pretty anymore, so I'm more interested in eating."