The story was about a happy-turned troubled couple namely Peter and Linda. They were Chinese living in
Davao City. Their house is located at Bajada. The first year of their marriage was right and full of joy. They even chased each other among furniture and into the rooms but three years had passed when their marriage started to get bad. The once happy couple started to have stained in their relationship. Linda moved to Sta. Ana and living into the upstairs portions of Nanking Store.

There was one afternoon, when Tua Poya saw Linda in their house, she was talking with Tua Poya's mother. The boy pretended not to listen to their conversation but she noticed Linda was so sad, her face that was full of laughter was now gone and was replaced with somber eyes and even unhappy voice.

The couple become the talk of the town. It's been three years since they got married but until that time, they can't even bear a child. The people around started to talk behind Peter's back saying that he's a bad stock. But then, it's not Peter's problem according to them, its Linda. Peter's father was the sole survivor of the Zhin family. The family's name was in danger of dying out. And it's the worst thing that would happen to a Chinese family, for the bloodline to vanish from the world. Peter was the only family's hope to carry on the family name, and still remained childless.
Peter become anti-social, he put more of his energy in managing the Nanking store. There were many changes also that occurred in Linda over a period in time. At first, she seemed to be equal  command with Peter in the store, she has her own desk and sometimes acted as cashier, but she now happened to serve customers directly as if she was a salesgirl. Her personal maid was also fired. She started to live like the stay-in salesgirls with a mestizo driver who cooked their own meals and their own clothes. Linda's mother-in-law scold her in public. She really let Linda felt that they were unhappy with her, she even dared to slap Linda in public once she got mistaken to some instructions. Peter did not do anything about it, he didn't defended Linda against his parents. But, Peter started going out with this Bisayan bar girl. He was not shy to hide of his affair, he would occasionally bring the girl to a very expensive restaurant in Matina.
There was once a time,when Peter brought Tua Poya's brother to a house in Mandug and proudly showed him a baby boy. That was an open secret. Until, everyone in the community knew about it. His prestige rose again. He regained his old self. His parents didn't know if they will be happy or not; happy because Peter was not a bad stock or sad because Chinese racial purity was not continued in their family.
The Bisayan girl gave Peter their second son, but it didn't stir the community anymore. One night, Peter brought his eldest son in the New Canton Barbershop but everybody pretended the boy didn't exist.
 Then,Peter died in a car accident in Buhangin Diversion Road.  At the funeral, Linda's mother-in-law still ignored her. She stood stoically throughout the ceremony, and when Peter was finally interred, she swooned.
A few weeks after Peter's burial, Linda's mother-in-law wanted her out of the Nanking store but Linda stayed taking over Peter's work. But her mother-in-law's hostility was implacable and blaming Linda for everything that happened. But Linda has her stand to stay in the store and she started to fight back against her in-law. Their family drama has become more like a soap opera on television.
Meanwhile, Linda brought back herself to life. She didn't wear any scarf anymore in streets. Her in-laws went to Manila bringing their two half-breed grandsons. Everything went back to normal again, people started to mind their own business until another shocking revelation was brought up - Linda was pregnant. No one was blamed for the incident but her driver Oliver. Some of the people turned unfriendly to him and because of unused attention, he left to visit his parents in Iligan City. There was one night when Linda went to Tua Poya's house and she told him that she was leaving for Iligan to fetch Oliver and then they will go to Cebu to visit her parents. It happened two years ago, and the Nanking store remained closed.


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I really had a mixed emotion in the story. First, I felt like angered because I think there was really a racial discrimination among Bisaya people. It was not the point of the story of course, but to use another race to  show that she was to be blame for a racial purity not be continued, to call them bad girls or what. I mean, in that time, are the Chinese the only rich people in Davao City? I was also sad of what happened to Linda and Peter, why do they end up in an unhappy ending. They were once a lovely couple but their relationship didn't work out, I guessed they should have visited a doctor or waited patiently because none of them was barren at the end. I didn't get the point also of how a man having an affair stood so proud of what he has done, is it because your wife cannot give you a son? A true gentleman must also know what decency means. Peter was selfish. Marrying someone also includes acceptance for the future days to come, whether good or bad. Both of you, vowed to each other, so why made those kind of thing. Yes, let's say you fell out of love, but is it right in a marriage? As a man, you must have the initiative to preserve the relationship no matter what situation you are in. Extra-marital is so disgusting and frustrating, it goes beyond disrespecting your wife. And another thing what I really observed is that the society has always something to say. Your life is not their life but why do they have to talk about you.I guess people should learn minding their own business. The people around you would really influence the decisions you will make. Let's take the side of Peter, I guessed he had to be in that kind of affair because he became the talked of the town. Of course, his ego was struck and that's it. But I admired Linda the most, her life was a drama, she's like a main character in a soap opera. I admired how she regain herself;she knew her place, she knew where she stand and that made her a fighter. She's one of the best example of what a true woman is. But, I really had this confusion, there are some speculations in my head, like maybe, Linda's affair with his driver was there long before Peter died, maybe Peter's affair was a revenge to Linda's hidden affair. Well, I don't know, that was just a thought that is out of nowhere. But nonetheless, I really appreciate the story because it did not focus on one issue only, it touched the culture of Chinese, it also talked about social issues in the family and community and it showed also individual struggles. It is nice to read stories like this because the issues are relevant and you will learn something from it.