Because of the flood, Father built a high wooden platform connecting his two houses. Crossings were dangerous, especially for Grandmother on her small bound feet. Niang had just given birth to our half-brother, Franklin. Father had to carry her across to the old house' every evening, so the family could eat dinner together. Niang had little pity for the difficulties faced by the servants. Cook had to go to market each day, and return home with food for everyone, on a roughly made wooden boat. When Ye Ye said. that he thought this was very dangerous, Niang just replied that cook was a good swimmer. When the waters finally went down after forty days, Grandmother ordered the building of a covered room between the two houses. Lydia called it'the bridge' and we used to play games there. The youngest child of our family, our half-sisser Susan, was born in November 1941. Two weeks later, across the Pacific in