Note 27 — Chapter II
Reading edition
During my residence in Formosa, my Chinese-Formosan house-boy came to me, begging that Asa—the “sun,” or “shining lord”—in this case “female lord” (lady does not quite express the significance) of the household—would lend him 70 yen, with which to buy a “lily-footed” bride. His father had said it was time for him to marry, and with 40 yen—the amount of his savings—he could buy only a “big-footed” wife, something which would make him the laughing-stock of all his acquaintance.