Of course, being promoted to head steward at the Hong Kong Cricket Club was an honour, even if it was honour tinged with servitude. Cheung’s beginnings at Wong Nai Chung gave him a founding place in the new colonial order, in the sense that the village was taken over in the very earliest days of the British occupation. He had worked for the occupation all his life, and now he had been promoted. That was an honour of a kind. But now that the Tai Hang house had to be sold, and Tak-Tam was likely destined for another village, Cheung was truly landless.

Still, it was a piece of luck that the head steward’s flat came with the position. He must remember to be grateful to Tin Hau, if not to the white men themselves. The flat offered a solution to the problem created by Tak-Wing’s indiscretion. Though it would be painful to share his home with his enemy’s daughter, Emily and Tak-Wing could move into to the steward’s flat with him. In fact, this seemed to be the only solution. Cheung could not swallow it. This new kung fu was too much. But at least both sons would have wives and there would be descendants. It was a time to be humble and accept fate. He must cultivate honesty and loyalty in situations where these virtues could still be cultivated, and not mind too much about what those situations were. Lying awake in the dark as the cicadas mourned, Cheung tried to draw up the correct attitude, but it would not come.

Cheung wouldn’t take over Colville’s steward duties for another week. In the morning, there was a full range of menu items to prepare, and stock to inventory. He dashed off a message to Yim-Fong to see if their upstairs neighbour, whose cousin had come from Shanghai and was desperate for housing, would like to buy the Tai Hang house. The cousin said yes, but at the last minute, an anonymous buyer offered a higher price on condition of remaining anonymous. Cheung really needed the extra money, so he rescinded the deal with the cousin and accepted the anonymous buyer’s offer. In a few days, the sale would go through. Once the house was sold, Yim-Fong, Tak-Wing, and Emily could come to the cricket club. He dashed off another note to Lee giving his consent to the marriage of Tak-Tam and Ting-Yan, but only if Ting-Yan were truly happy about it.