the servant in the house is happier than the master. Probably that is why Hung Long Tom, the master and wanderer had chosen to be a servant.
Zung, Phen and Kan, the remaining three brothers were the menials of the household. Zung was master of the culinary art. He presided over the kitchen. He was fat and bland and smiling, a born gourmet The savory dishes and sauces he concocted were as much objects of art as the lanterns of Mang, his brother. It was his custom to drop rose leaves and honeysuckle flowers into tea to give it a delicate flavor. He slept with his head upon a pillow stuffed with tea-leaves because tealeaves are good for the sight. Nevertheless he was very near-sighted and wore thick tortoise-shell-rimmed glasses. It never occurred to him to doubt the restorative power of the leaves despite the fact that they did so little for him. He was very fond of sweets, especially lotus flower seeds dried and cooked with sugar. But the delicacies for which he
was most famous were pickled sharkfins,
