An hour later, Yim-Fong showed up, looking exhausted and a little queasy. In addition to enduring two long boat rides and a bad night’s sleep, she’d gone to look for Cheung at the old Tai Hang house, not knowing he’d already left. “It seemed so sad and dark without you there,” she said. “And with the boys gone too. But I do have good news. Tak-Tam is going to marry Ting-Yan and go live with her at Chek Keng.” She smiled as she spoke, but Cheung detected despondency and confusion beneath the surface.

Lee made a face—he wasn’t at all confident that the agreement would be fulfilled—but he said nothing.

“Well, that’s a wonderful thing to hear,” Cheung said, not knowing what else to say.

He showed Yim-Fong around the new flat. She began to clean immediately. It was her way of saying she was pleased they had somewhere nice to live after the loss of the Tai Hang house.

The three of them shared a quick supper of leftover chicken Kiev and day-old wedding cake. Cheung found an unopened bottle of champagne and popped the cork so they could celebrate, but Yim-Fong said that she had drunk too much of Siu-Wai’s Yellow Crane Tower wine the night before. She drank hot water to cleanse her system, while Cheung and Lee drank the champagne. It made Cheung feel woozy and a little sick.

A bit later, Tak-Tam arrived and helped them finish the bottle. He was in a surprisingly good mood and told his old mother and father that everything would be all right. Captain Lee nodded and smiled, feeling hopeful that the conversation between the children had gone well. Both Cheung and Yim-Fong smiled and nodded, not wanting to discourage Tak-Tam or Lee, though in their hearts they still felt unsettled. Cheung gave Tak-Tam a plate of day-old potato salad, a few sorry-looking shrimp, and a slightly mangled slice of wedding cake for his supper.

“Where is Ting-Yan?”

“She had some business to take care of without me. She said she’d go back to the Oolong after.”

“I better go back there myself,” said Captain Lee, “to meet her when she returns. It will all work out, and we’ll be family! Mother Mary wills it, so it has to be good and right.”