Chapter 23: Family Dinner

On Sunday evening Auntie Hu pushed every table in the Tingsong together into one.

It stretched from the stage to the door, covered in four tablecloths that did not match.

She had been cooking since the night before.

There were braised pork knuckles, a whole steamed fish, and bowls of pickled turnip.

She carried out a pot of chicken soup herself, with both arms.

"Sit," she said, to the room in general. "I don't want to see anybody standing."

They sat.

The boatmen's headman took the foot of the table, and the printer took the middle, with his elbows on the cloth.

The storyteller sat beside the widow from the incense shop and told her a story about a fox and a banker.

Ruolan came in last, in a plain blue gown instead of the camel coat, with her hair brushed flat.

She had rooms now at the silk winder's cousin's boarding house, paid a week ahead.

She also had a seat on the Guild's new committee for the Hengtai depositors.

She kissed Auntie Hu on the cheek.

Auntie Hu glared at her and gave her the best piece of fish.

"Sit by your sister," she said.

Jinyu sat at the head of the table with Qiao on her right and Ruolan on her left.

For a few moments nobody said anything.

There was only the clink of bowls and the scrape of chopsticks, and a baby crowing somewhere near the stove.

The sergeant came in at the second course.

He stood in the doorway, without his cap, in a plain brown gown.

"I'm off duty," he said. "I thought I'd pay for my pot."

The whole table turned to look at him.

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