While the girls blushed with embarrassment and the boys could scarcely suppress their laughter, Lotus Fragrance burst into tears. She turned to Mrs. Ma, asked to be excused and hurriedly prepared to go home. Mrs. Ma tried to smooth the matter by asking Shiao Ming to apologise, but the boy only continued to laugh. When Mrs. Ma saw that she could not possibly persuade Lotus Fragrance to stay any longer, and that the girl was sobbing her heart out, she told Ta Tiing, who was as usual helping at the party, to see her home. As he was related to the girl, Mrs. Ma thought her choice was very good: she never dreamt that Shiao Ming was