The Fans’ appear to be living in comfort. There is a garden with a pond within the compound and there are some carps swimming in there. Taeyeon exchanges a look with Dayu when they are ushered into the waiting room. There on the little round table is a plate of snacks. But it is no ordinary snack. Long ago, Taeyeon had stuffed herself full of those little cubes while waiting in the Hwang estate. Another look at Taeyeon dashes for it. She snaps up the plate and pops two cubes into in quick succession.

Meanwhile, Dayu barks a laugh and sits on the chair beside the table. He looks around, saying nothing as Taeyeon munches on the snacks. It is a Hwang family special and she misses it dearly. She is not going to share any of it with Dayu.

“Don’t you think you should share some of it with your husband?”

“No.”

Dayu barks another laugh and shakes his head. “I really should take my wife in hand.”

“I’m good to you. You know that.”

A throat clearing breaks the flow of their banter. “It’s a pleasure to see you again,” says Master Fan, walking in with a slight limp, looking lifeless with his sunken eyes.

“Master Fan,” says Dayu as he rises from the chair, “thank you for welcoming us. My wife loves the snacks your household prepared too.”

Master Fan glances at the only cube left on the plate. “Oh that? It is a family recipe belonging to my wife. If your wife likes it, she can have more.”

“Yes, I would love to have more, thank you.”

“Are you alright?” Dayu asks Master Fan. “Your leg seems to be injured.”

“Just a fall. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

“I see. Well, I hope you get better quickly.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Look at my wife, wolfing down the snacks like a child,” Dayu says with a chuckle.

“If she loves it that much, she can learn the recipe from my wife.”

“But it’s a family recipe,” says Dayu.

Master Fan snorts. “What’s the use of a family recipe. I’ll get her to teach your wife. Take it as my thanks for the tael you gave me yesterday.”

Gave? Dayu didn’t give him the tael. He asked for a loan and Dayu lent it to him. What a rat! Taeyeon remains stoic with much effort, expressing her displeasure by chewing harder on the cube.

“You don’t have to.”

“I must.”

Taeyeon bristles as the rat pats Dayu’s shoulder and throws a glance at her. She knows what it means. She has seen it many times when men talk to Dayu. It means it is time for her to make herself scarce. But she does not mind it as much this time because it means she gets to have time with Miyoung.

Taeyeon follows the servant instructed to bring her to Miyoung and tries to take in her surroundings discreetly. The other rooms are relatively less impressive than the one she was in. Less colourful and fewer paintings or none at all. The room that Miyoung is in is perhaps the plainest of them all. Bare walls and no colours. But the sight of Miyoung sewing at the table is the reason why Taeyeon’s heart plummets. Miyoung? Sewing? Miyoung, precious youngest daughter of the wealthy Hwang estate sewing?

“Madam Fan, Master Fan sent Madam Lim to learn your family recipe from you.”

Madam Fan looks up from her sewing but her eyes do not meet Taeyeon’s. “I understand. Thank you.”

Taeyeon stands, stiff as a pillar, and pulls her lips into a hesitant smile. “Madam Fan, it is nice to see you.” Again . . . after so many years.

Madam Fan stands and moves towards Taeyeon. “Madam Lim, this way please.” Taeyeon follows the girl she once knew and they arrive at the study. “Have a seat. I will write it out for you.”

Taeyeon blinks in disbelief. Is Miyoung really going to give her family recipe away just because her husband told her to? And why is she behaving as though they are strangers? Surely