Six Records of a Floating Life (Chapter three: Ups and downs 07)

    When the man had retired from the interview with her, she said to me, "You know that Mrs. Hua is as good to me as to her own sister and she won't at all mind your coming along too.

    As for the children, I am afraid that it will be inconvenient for us to bring them along or to leave them here to trouble our parents. I think we must make some arrangements for them within these two days."

    There was a cousin of mine (the son of my paternal aunt), by the name of Wang Chinch'en, who had a son called Yunshih, for whom he wished to secure the hand of my daughter.

    "I hear," said Yun, "that this son of Wang's is rather weak and useless. At best, he would be good only for carrying on, but not for building up a family fortune, but there is no fortune in the family for him to carry on. However, they are a scholars' family and he is the only son. I don't mind giving Ch'ingchun to him."

    So I said to Chinch'en, “We are cousins, and, of course, I should be glad to give Ch'ingchun to your son, but I am afraid it is difficult under the circumstances for us to keep her until she should grow up.

    I propose, therefore, that you bring the matter up to my parents after we have gone to Hsishan, and take her over as your 'child daughter-in-law.' I wonder what you think of it?" Chinch'en was very pleased and agreed to my suggestion. As for my son Fengsen, I also asked a friend of mine by the name of Hsia Yishan to place him in a shop as an apprentice.