49 SHUI LIU CAN By the way, I’ve noticed something … YUN XING TONG What have you noticed … SHUI LIU CAN I haven’t seen the mistress of the house yet … could it be … YUN XING TONG It’s been fifteen years since she died . It was a fever . A look of sympathy crosses the handmaiden’s face . HANDMAIDEN You’re a … YUN XING TONG (to the handmaiden) Yes, I’m a widower . SHUI LIU CAN I should have figured it out . My condolences … YUN XING TONG I have had time to get over it . Were you expecting to see her when you returned? SHUI LIU CAN I … Yun Xing Tong cuts him off . YUN XING TONG It doesn’t matter . I buried her in the hills nearby . In the end, death comes to all . It’s the time that is spent with them that matters . (turns to handmaiden) Young lady, you might like to know more about how your Master spent his days here … HANDMAIDEN Oh … YUN XING TONG Yes, in fact my father was his father’s benefactor, your Master was a poor man who grew up without a mother … FLASHBACK BEGINS