“SOPHISTICATED”
The Story
Teenager Lily Yung is rich, charming and very attractive-wooed by many young men but in love only with her classmate graduate Cheung Kwong. Cheung Kwong’s father is a good man, but somewhat hen-pecked, as his second wife is virtually the “boss” in the house. She loves her own son Cheung Kwong only, at the expense of heung Tak, and his wife, being the son of her husband’s first wife. The old woman wants Cheung Kwong to study abroad in order to become somebody one day-but when she learns that her son is in love with Lily, whose family is rich, she persuades Cheung Kwong to go ahead marrying her.
This Cheung Kwong eventually does. To show off Cheung Kwong’s money-loving mother spends considerable sums to put up a lavish wedding party to celebrate her son’s marriage with Lily. She prefers everything by the old traditional style, but Lily resists this. Not wanting to offend Lily yet, Cheung Kwong’s mother gives inshe even offers to apologize to her daughter-in-law. She has every reason to please Lily, especially now that Lily has ehtrusted her bank account book in her mother- in-law’s “safe” hands. Meantime the old woman continues to display a rather hostile attitude towards her husband’s first son and daughter-in-law.
One day when Cheung Tak’s mother-in-law brings her children to come to visit him and her own daughter, his mother does her best to embarrass them. When Lily claims her gold wrist watch is lost, the old woman tries to pinch it to the children of Cheung Tak’s mother-in-law. Humiliated, Cheung Tak’s mother-in-law leaves with her together in anger. Actually Lily afterwards discovers that her watch is “stolen” by her own puppy “Ling Ling”. So she criticises her mother-in-law for having wronged “good people”.
Through the help of his rich father-in-law, Cheung Kwong gets a job in a big commercieal firm But everytime there is a quarrel in the house between his own mother and his wife Lily, he would be called home and this somewhat jeopardises his pos-ition in the firm.
Lily insists on having the house completely re-doeorated otherwise she intends to move out to a more modern apartment. Cheung Kwong’s mother obligingly complies with her wish, sure of the fact that she gets hold of her daughter-in-law’s bank account book. But this does not last very long- Lily finally asks it back and an open break arises between the two women. Quarrels become frequent and almost routine-putting Cheung Kwong on the spot and queezed between them. His employer becomes dissatisfied at his frequently being called home right in the middle of the day.
Cheung Kwong’s mother tries to scare Lily by stealing her puppy “Ling Ling '' away just as Lily is inviting her best girl friend Fei-fei and many others to have a dancing party at home. A brawl finally ensues-and even Lily’s own folks come to join her to battle against the Cheungs in words. Having lost his mind in confusion, Cheung Kwong accidentally makes out a cheque by mistake, giving the figure of $50,000 in lieu of $5,000. His company holds him responsible for ndcmity.
Infuriated and shocked at the state of affairs, Cheung Kwong goes to the roof of the house as if about to jump and commit suicide. Alas all the folks rushes up trying to stop him. His mother and wife both beg him hard not to take his own life, both pleading to settle their differences peacefully-both express repentance for their past unreasonableness. This assurance satisfies Cheung Kwong all right, as after all he did not really mean to commit suicide. Lily, in particular, promises to help use her own savings to indemnify her husband’s mistake about the cheque.
Peace and happiness return and reign again in the house of the Cheungs!