AN UNFULFILLED WISH
Synopsis
WAI LI and WAN FUN are a pair of young and loving newly weds; the husband, smart and handsome while the wife is clever and pretty. Wai Li works in a trade firm as head of business department earning a monthly salary of $ 600. barely sufficient to cover the neccessary family expenses, with no margin allowed for extra luxuries. But Wan Fun always craves for a family equipped with modern means for facility and enjoyments.
Having overheard that Wai Li will soon be promoted as assistant manager of the firm, Wan Fun plans ahead to have their home repainted and furnished with modern furnitures, refrigerators and radio sets, all done by instalment payment, while Wai Li is away to Macao on a business trip. But Wan Fun’s intention to make a surprise to Wai Li results in an utter disappointment upon Wai Li's return. For Wai Li’s intended promotion fails to be realized. Renovation of his new home means but addition of burded and debts.
Another encouraging news reach the disappointed couple that Yao, managing director of the firm, is arriving Hongkong from Singapore. Both Wai Li and Wan Fun ascertain that if they can get into intimate touch with Yao, Wai Li’s promotion can thus be effected. Through many painstaking efforts, Wan Fun succeeds in edging into close friendship with Madam Yao, wife of the managing director of the firm, and through Madam Yao’s favour, Wan Fun is received as her adopted daughter. Wan Fun is again well assured of her husband’s proposed promotion.
But new complications arise that a banquet has to be given by the lucky couple to celebrate Madam Yao receiving a new adopted daughter, with all expenses to be born by Wai Li. The banquet is well attended by Yao's acquaintances, thus making the expenses increased much beyond Wai Li’s estimated budget. Wan Fun receives from Madam Yao a jaded ornament as a token which worths far less than what Wai Li has to pay for the banquet.
Wai Li and Wan Fun encounter another disappointment when Yao, managing director of the firm, announces at the conclusion of the banquet party that he has appointed his son to act as the assistant manager of the firm. Amid the hearty applauses for the new appointment, Wai Li faints to the floor. Meanwhile, because of Wai Li’s failure to pay for the instalments, the furnitures and refrigerators which he brought have been removed from his house, leaving but Wai Li and Wan Fun standing in the empty room. The jaded ornament is still held in Wan Fun’s hand as the only return she obtained for paying all the expenses. Wan Fun drops the jade to the ground. Both Wai Li and Wan Fun now awake to a new realization. They have now decided to start life anew, and prepared to work for what is more real and true.
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