'Old wench, you take it and stuff yourself with it.' People came and went all the time after he came under his lucky star. I gave up the center room to him and moved into one of the side chambers myself. He was so different from ordinary people after he came into the 'red period in his horoscope'—we used to talk and joke a lot. If you had come a month earlier, you would have been in for some good fun, for there were banquets two days out of three: with jolly conversation, laughter, singing, versifying, games . . .
"He used to fear the children more than children feared their father. He was always so gentle and patient with them. But he was quite different of late. He teased and joked with them and Big Liang and his brothers all liked to play with him and went to him whenever they had the opportunity. He had so many ways of teasing them; he would make them bark like dogs or kowtow to the ground before he would buy them what they wanted. Oh, it was such fun. Two months ago Second Liang asked him to buy a pair of shoes for him. He had to kowtow three times. He is wearing those shoes now, still in good condition."
She stopped when one of the men in long white robes came out. I asked her about Lien-shu's illness. She did not know much about that. She said that he had been growing thinner and thinner but no one paid any attention to it, as he always seemed to be in such good spirits. A month or so ago he had several hemorrhages, but did not seem to have consulted any physician. Then he had to stay in bed. He lost his speech three days before he died and could not say a word. His Honor Thirteen came from Cold Stone Mountain and asked whether he had any money saved up, but he did not say a word. His Honor Thirteen was suspicious and thought he was only pretending to be unable to speak, but
