Amusing Incidents After Marriage

The landlords’ house was built of bamboo, mud, and lime; the roof was framed with thick bamboo poles and the partitions were wooden boards. My husband and I lived in a room of about two ping behind the parlour, with a small window beside the bed. To the right of the parlour a corridor led to the back door.

Beside us was the old couple’s room; facing the parlour were their daughter-in-law’s and grandson’s room. Outside the parlour on the right was a bamboo-woven kitchen shared by everyone.

The landlords had a large stove for cooking rice; the two of us cooked on an alcohol stove. Life was fairly calm, but one thing troubled me.

I am very timid; at night I cannot sleep unless the door bolt is fastened.

When my husband came off the small night shift, around midnight, knocking never woke me—it woke the landlords’ whole family first. They got up to open the back door, let him in, then knocked on our room door. However he called I still did not wake; by the time I got up to open the door it was often nearly one o’clock. He did not blame me, only said: ‘You need not bolt the room door—Grandmother’s family is outside; you need not be afraid. Otherwise every time is like this; it is embarrassing for them.’ Each time I told myself: next time I must stay alert.

Disappointingly, it was the same every time—I could not be woken, and Grandmother’s family was woken too.

Waiting for me to open the door, everyone laughed and shook their heads; I felt deeply ashamed.

I hated myself for being useless—why was I so cowardly?

In my distress I suddenly thought of going to my uncle-by-marriage to pour out my troubles. He taught me a method. He said: ‘Is there not a window above your bed? And an iron grille outside, yes?’ I nodded. He said: ‘Good—on nights he is on small night shift, tie a rope round your wrist and leave some of it outside the window. When he comes home he pulls the rope; your hand hurts and you wake, don’t you?’ It sounded very sensible; I went back and told my husband at once.

Though he found it funny, he accepted the method. After that, on every small night shift we no longer woke Grandmother’s family.

One day the old gentleman and Grandmother asked why lately they never had to get up to open the door for my husband.

Embarrassed, I told them my secret for waking to open the door, and begged them not to tell others lest everyone laugh at me.

When the whole family heard they laughed until they doubled over; I was so ashamed that if there had been a hole in the ground I would have dived straight in.