Note 248 — XLIII. THE QUARRELSOME BROTHERS.
Herbert Allen Giles translation
In a volume of Chinese Sketches, published by me in 1876, occur (p. 129) the following words:—“Occasionally a young wife is driven to commit suicide by the harshness of her mother-in-law, but this is of rare occurrence, as the consequences are terrible to the family of the guilty woman. The blood-relatives of the deceased repair to the chamber of death, and in the injured victim’s hand they place a broom. They then support the corpse round the room, making its dead arm move the broom from side to side, and thus sweep away wealth, happiness, and longevity, from the accursed place for ever.” return to footnote anchor 248 return to footnote anchor 302