The hill becomes a valley; the valley becomes a hill. All the old, great families have been ruined. Some houses that were once hidden from view now shine forth. Among them is Malancheri. Once, there was only a thatched hut there. Now it has become a sturdy house built of wood. All this rise was due to a son who had prospered.

Malancheri Pappi’s son, Gopalakrishnan, works in Malaya. Money comes in abundance. For Pappiyamma, there is also Levadevi, who lends gold and gives loans. When there is a bit of a crunch to send money for the studies of her son Manikandan, who stays in Thiruvananthapuram and studies, Chennattu Kunjannayar will go to Malancheri. In this way, all the gold in the house found its way into Pappiyamma’s box. Kunjannayar, the thatched...

He finished counting the small change he had. When that was not enough, the little profit that Kunjumalu earned from raising the cow helped them get by. Yet, many times, even that was not sufficient to set things right. Only then would he have to go in search of Pappiyamma. But now, he did not have even a tiny gold coin left to pawn. Without gold as collateral, Pappiyamma would not lend a single paisa to anyone. Such was her custom. Was it not the hard-earned money her son had made toiling on the far shore of the sea? She was anxious that it should not be squandered recklessly. Even so, when Kunjunayar came to ask, she could not send him away empty-handed. The reason was that, in her youth, Kunjunayar had been her secret lover. Even at this age, she had not forgotten it. In those harsh, hungry days, whenever she needed help, it was he who gave it. That was before Kunjunayar married Kunjumalu Amma. Though the time had come when such memories ought to fade, in Pappiyamma’s heart, Kunjunayar still had a place.

Pappiyamma’s son had come back from Malaya. It became news in the village. Word spread that Gopalakrishnan had returned with three trunks full of money. To all who came to see him, Gopalakrishnan handed out money—ten, twenty-five at a time. There was no stinginess with money. For Pappiyamma, the work was unending. She had to prepare tea for all the visitors. There was no end to the cooking of meat and fish. The liquor bottles were being emptied one by one. To everyone who came, Gopalakrishnan would tell stories about life in Malaya. They were stories worth listening to, full of flavor. Over there, he had a job as an overseer in the estate of a white sahib. In Malaya, most of the laborers were Chinese. Kunjunayar, too, went to see Gopalakrishnan. Gopalakrishnan said he would take Manikandan with him to Malaya. If one went to Malaya, one could earn money. But it was a land of utter savagery.

It was from the changes that had come over Gopalakrishnan that Kunjunayar realized what a solitary life it was. When it was