Rich People Problems

Rachel’s best friend from her Stanford days, Goh Peik Lin, drove her and her brother, Carlton, to Tyersall Park. As they pulled into the driveway, a large military helicopter descended onto the lawn. The president of China emerged from the aircraft. Alistair arrived to greet Rachel and told her that the president was only there to pay his respects to Alfred, who had emerged from the helicopter with other members of the Shang family. The president had never, in fact, knew Su Yi. Incidentally, Rachel’s father, Bao Gaoliang, knew the president of China. He and Bao were friends at university, and Bao served on the president’s standing committee.

The last person to emerge from the helicopter was beautiful Scheherazade Shang who immediately became the object of Carlton’s infatuation. Rachel found Su Yi’s funeral unusually festive. Nick soon introduced her to the president of China and reminded him that Rachel’s father served on his standing committee.

Rachel went over to look at Su Yi’s body. While examining Su Yi, who was buried according to Chinese custom, she heard a whimpering sound from a nearby alcove. It was Eddie, who walked toward the casket with his wife Fiona and their three children behind them. They were all wearing matching black linen and silk outfits. When he reached the casket, Eddie collapsed and began sobbing hysterically. Augustine and Kalliste, Eddie’s two younger children, knelt on each side of their father and stroked his back. Eddie called out to his eldest, Constantine, and told him to come and give his grandmother a kiss. Constantine refused, saying that he wouldn’t kiss a dead body despite how much his father said he’d pay him. Eddie glared at his son but quickly collected himself to announce that he had a surprise in honor of his Ah Ma. He invited the guests to accompany him to the rose garden.

Once outside, he revealed a three-story replica of Tyersall Park made of wood and paper. Nick explained to Rachel that it was a paper tomb offering—a gift for the departed one to enjoy in the afterlife. Admittedly, Eddie had taken the ritual to an extreme, even creating replicas of his Ah Ma’s Birkin bags so that she would “have a good selection of handbags to use in heaven” (228). Alix chimed in, saying that Su Yi had never carried a handbag; that’s what her ladies’ maids were for. Eddie snapped at his mother, saying he was aware of this but only wanted to give his grandmother the best of everything in the afterlife. Victoria then said that the whole ritual was un-Christian and that Christians don’t covet worldly possessions in the afterlife. Eddie, however, insisted on burning the mansion replica, which had cost him over $250,000. 

Oliver T’sien was at home in his condo, in the midst of shaving, when Kitty called. She told Oliver that she intended to see him at the funeral. She insisted on going, given that she was once Alistair’s girlfriend and had met Su Yi once. Oliver told her that the funeral was by invitation only. Kitty strongly suggested that Oliver get her an invite to what was likely to be “the society funeral of the century,” but he insisted that this was an instance in which he couldn’t help her (232). Kitty asked him to assure her that Colette wouldn’t be present. Oliver assured Kitty that Colette had probably never heard of the Shangs.

Shortly after he hung up, Oliver’s mother, Bernadette, came into the bathroom. She asked him what he thought of her dress and the replica of a jade-and-ruby butterfly brooch that she had pinned to her lapel. Bernadette lamented letting go of the real thing. Oliver reminded her that they had no choice, but that no one could tell that the brooch had false gemstones.  

Harry Leong was staring out the window of the lead Mercedes which escorted the funeral cortege from Tyersall Park to St. Andrew’s Cathedral where Su Yi Shang’s funeral ceremony was to take place. His wife, Felicity, and her sister, Victoria, were arguing over last minute details. Victoria said that Reverend Bo Lor Yong was to read the blessing, Bishop See was to give the sermon, and Pastor Tony Chi was to say the closing prayer.

In the Jaguar XJL behind them, Nick sat with his wife, Rachel, and his mother, Eleanor, preparing himself for the eulogy he had stayed up all night writing. Victoria had told him that he would only have five minutes for his speech. In the Rolls Royce behind them, Fiona was wearing a veil that she could hardly see or breathe out of. Eddie then directed his children on how to behave during the funeral: They would sit “ramrod-straight,” sing all of the hymns, and cry mournfully. He insisted that they be the chief mourners at the funeral, as they would soon be revealed as Su Yi’s chief heirs.

At the funeral, Nick and Rachel entered and sat at the pews with his parents. Victoria approached him to let him know that his speech was cut from the program due to a lack of time. She also mentioned that they needed to fit in Eddie’s song. To Nick’s surprise, Eddie was rehearsing a special hymn alongside a musician who had flown in for the funeral. Michael Teo, Astrid’s estranged husband, entered the cathedral. Seeing Astrid with their son, Cassian, he went to sit on the side with family. A man with an earpiece stopped him and directed him to an empty seat in another pew.

Shortly thereafter, Astrid heard a ping. She looked down at her cell phone and saw a message from Michael, excoriating her for barring him from sitting next to their son. Astrid insisted that she didn’t even know that Michael was coming to the funeral. Astrid invited him to sit beside her and Cassian. Just as Michael rose, a group of guests entered. One of them was Colette Bing, who had come with her husband, the Earl of Palliser.

Reverend Bo Lor Yong approached the pulpit to speak. He welcomed the mourners to the cathedral and introduced Edison Cheng, accompanied by Lang Lang. The cathedral doors opened. Eight Gurkha guards were the pallbearers of Su Yi’s casket. Captain Vikram Ghale led them. As they slowly entered the cathedral, Eddie took his place at the piano, where he was illuminated by a spotlight. The melodrama of the scene annoyed Nick, but it made Rachel laugh. At the piano, Eddie burst into a rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wings”—a song that Su Yi wouldn’t have known. After the guards, Su Yi’s two Thai maids entered, wearing gray. Tears streamed down their faces.