. A'Chu and other stories. y as his nimble fingerssent them flying over the polished wires of the abacus,or reckoning machine. Each day his reckoning showedthat the gains of his business were increasing. The A Genuine Chinese Boy 169 voice of the young accountant purred with content-ment as he swiftly and accurately said aloud thesums represented by his operations on this old-timecounting machine. One more blessing he greatly desired; for did notthe wise men teach that the most undutiful conductof a son toward his parents is to leave no sons toworship the spirits of the forefathers? Shiu Mengw
. A'Chu and other stories. y as his nimble fingerssent them flying over the polished wires of the abacus,or reckoning machine. Each day his reckoning showedthat the gains of his business were increasing. The A Genuine Chinese Boy 169 voice of the young accountant purred with content-ment as he swiftly and accurately said aloud thesums represented by his operations on this old-timecounting machine. One more blessing he greatly desired; for did notthe wise men teach that the most undutiful conductof a son toward his parents is to leave no sons toworship the spirits of the forefathers? Shiu Mengwas too proud to allow himself to be thought an un-dutiful son. Like every true Chinese, he desired,as a part of riches, that he might become the fatherof many sons. But why bother his head about sonsyet awhile? Good fortune was on his side, and surelywould give him this blessing also, in proper time. In this manner did Shiu Meng comfort himselfin his belief, and went the more cheerfully about hisbusiness at the salt THE BETROTHAL WHEN Shiu Meng was about twenty years old,his parents decided it was time for him tomarry. Some of the family relatives had been muchworried over this matter. The time was slow, theydeclared; he should at least have been engaged severalyears ago. A trusted female servant of the family was chosen toact as go-between, and was sent to search for a wifefor her mistress son. The young man himself was con-sulted not in the least. Everything was left to the go-between. She would select the girl and plan for thewhole affair, even up to the wedding day. To be sure, young Chang was interested in thematter. What man whose highest ambition was tolead a peaceful life and die a peaceful death would notbe interested in the choice of the woman with whomhe would be expected to live? But polite custom for-bade that a young man should have any part in choos-ing his wife, and Shiu Meng meant to follow thecustoms. The go-between, having satisfied herself that she h
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidachuothersto, bookyear1920
