lallarrangementshadbeenmade.Despitescenesandthreatsofsuicide,thedayMissWongreturnedtohimescortedbymembersoftheWongfamilyshewastheretoreceivethemandplayhostessatthesmallinformalcelebration.SheaddressedMissWong&rsquosbrotherandsister-in-lawas&ldquoBrother&rdquoand&ldquoSister-in-law&rdquo.Sheapologizedforthedinner.&ldquoIt&rsquosdifficultforustogetagoodcook,livingsofarawayfromthemarket.Terriblyinconvenient.ElseIwouldhavemadehimfetchbackyouryoungladylongago.Ofcoursesheoughttocomeandlivehere.Onecan&rsquotbestayingwithparentsallthetime.&rdquoMissWongdidnotspeak,sinceshewasalmostabride.
Noagreementhadbeenreachedastothemodeofaddressbetweenthetwowomen,whowereunderstoodtobeofequalstatus.Theyweremerelyreferredtoas&ldquoThatoftheHouseofFan&rdquoand&ldquoThatofthehouseofWong&rdquobehindeachother&rsquosback.
NotlongafterwardanelderofLo&rsquosclanspoketohim.&ldquoIseenoreasonwhyyoushouldn&rsquotaskyourfirstwifetocomeback.Itwouldonlybefair.&rdquo
Locouldnotthinkofanyvalidobjectioneither.Hewentdowntothecountrywhereshewaslivingwithherfamily,andbroughtherbacktotherose-coveredlittlehousebythelake.
Bothofhisex-wivesweremuchricherthanhewasafterthedivorcesettlements.Buttheyneverhelpedhimout,nomatterwhatstraitshegotintofromprovidingforthreewomenandtheirchildren.Hecouldnotreallyblamethem,takingeverythingintoconsideration.Hewouldnothavemindeditsomuchif&ldquoThatoftheHouseofFan&rdquodidnottaunthimcontinuallyabouttheothers&rsquolackoffeelingforhim.
Andnowthathehadliveddownthescandalandridicule,peopleenviedhimhisYengfu,glamorousblessings-extraordinaryinanagethatwasatleastnominallymonogamous,foritwasalready1936&mdashlivingwiththreewivesinarose-coveredlittlehousebythelake.Ontherareoccasionswhenhetriedtotellsomebodyhewasunhappy,thelistenerwouldguffaw.&ldquoAnyhow,&rdquothefriendwouldsay,&ldquotherearefourofyou&mdashjustrightforanicegameofmah-jongg.&rdquo
THEEND