Books & Beyond

The woman has no other choice but to bring the silver jewelry home. It is a restless night for her with fitful dreams about glittering silver jewels, as well as a man’s hot hand upon hers.

The landlord’s agent followed the mother into a silver shop in town. He buys a pair of rings and earrings to surprise her as a gift before they part at the town's gate. Feeling his touch on her hand, the mother is shocked into stillness, and then runs to return the bag containing the silver trinkets back to the man but fails.

A new year arrives and the mother continues to make up stories about her husband sending money back home. But the lies and praises from villagers can no longer comfort her. This time, she dumps all the emotions from her heart and burns the fake letters.

The agent can feel the loneliness buried deep in the mother's heart. Every now and then, he comes up with an excuse to come to her hamlet or watch her from the distance. The mother knows why he comes. There's something about the way he looks at her that makes her heart shiver in secret.

It's that time of the year again for the landlord's agent to come and collect grain harvest from farmers, house by house. He is a tall man dressed in a costly gray robe made of silk, and one who would not miss any opportunity to look at good-looking women. This time, the lonesome mother seems like the perfect target, triggering him to make his move.

The mother feels torn inside with all her lies. She looks cheerful when telling lies about her husband whenever people ask of him. But deep down, her heart is filled with sadness and loneliness. There are times when her lies make her angry at the man who has put her through so much suffering, even though she knows that he's not even worth it.

Every day, the mother can see her children grow taller and move further from their babyhood. The faster they grow up, the lesser she feels that they are her own. She looks across the way and envies her cousin's family, with a good and earth-soiled husband, a happy wife with their newborn resting on her knees. They all look so content and happy. Feelings of longing and sorrow well up in the mother's heart.

In this episode, the story brings us back to the mother's memory before she was married. Through taking care of her neighbor's child at that time, she discovered her deep affection for children.

To the mother, to feel a child move and grow inside her always brings her a sense of wonder and a fulfilling happiness. She has grown more and more fond of children over the years. Everything tender and young can draw out compassion and love from the depth of her heart.

The time has come for the cousin's wife to give birth, so she calls the mother over to help her with the delivery. Witnessing the arrival of a new baby however, brought a sad and lonely feeling to the mother's heart. She is aware that she, still a young woman, would never bear a child again unless her man come home one day.