The Ghost Bride Quotes
"Sometimes I wasn’t sure even he was entirely certain."
"Our house was large and old, and since our financial decline had not had one-tenth of the servants needed to fully staff it."
"Perhaps things might have been better had my mother not died during the same outbreak, leaving me behind at the tender age of four."
"The thought of having to pay my respects as the widow to a stranger made me shudder."
"I knew I ought to be married some day—a day that was drawing ever closer—but life was not yet too restrictive."
"I once pointed out to her that needlework would have done the same thing, but she never listened to me."
"I sighed. I barely knew him, it was all hope and conjecture."
"I tried to swallow my kuih, but it was sticky and clung to my throat."
"The thought that he might share my interests or even understand my concerns caused a strange flutter in my chest."
"I wondered whether this immersion in a dead world was the beginning of lunacy."
"I was about to ask when my father said, 'What, you don’t want to be a widow at almost eighteen?'"
"The thought of marrying a ghost entailed? My father had treated it as a joke."
"I wondered how it would feel to run my hands through his cropped hair."
"How is it even possible? After all, you’re dead."
"I shuddered at this image, but he pressed on, pleased with himself."
"You don’t have a choice in this matter. I’ll ruin your father."
"What’s the point of saving when things have got this far? Don’t worry about the money."
"For the actual ceremony, you’ll exchange bridal cups with my soul tablet in front of the altar."
"I thought he could only come into my dreams."
"It was as though someone had drained me of half my vital energy."
"I’m not worried," I lied. "I know what to do."
"It’s no comfort to me, but I’m used to them now. Not like you—eh, Little Miss?"
"I’ve seldom seen such a marked improvement in a patient."
"If I had known how easy it is to lose your life, I would have treasured mine better."
"It shows the intensity of your feelings," she said.
"Perhaps your task is difficult because only lovers can find their own thread," said Fan.
"It’s so hard to get around as a ghost, you know! Corners, mirrors. Such things make me lose my way."
"But I manage quite well with this end. If I leave the house I hold on to it."
"The other end is probably at the bottom of the sea with the ring that he gave me."
"What do you expect? They had no proper burial, no prayers or offerings. They’re hopeless."
"Don’t you know? It’s the spirits. This is nothing, you should see how many come out on feast days."
"The Plains of the Dead? I cannot help you. I cannot find such a place at all, although I have often heard it mentioned."
"I’m looking for the Plains of the Dead," I said.
"You are not dead, but neither are you truly living. You poor creature."
"That girl! I could have told her far worse things than she imagined."
"Of course I can see you! I’ve seen you wandering around the house the past week."
"No, because it was too sad. Most of them I couldn’t help, and I had no interest in making money off them."
"I was tired of talking, tired of walking and finding no rest."
"But if you wish to return to the living, it is better not to dilute your spirit with the food of the dead."
"You don’t understand. My uncle loves me, you see."
"The Plains of the Dead? That’s a dangerous place. Be careful if you go."
"The world may yet burn from China to Europe, and even in the jungles of Malaya."
"I knew of the arrangement before I left for Hong Kong."
"But my dear mother taught me that there is a merciful God and that is what I choose to believe."
"I hope that when my lover dies his family will burn a great deal of cash for him. I’ve been watching them for years and they’re very fond of him."
"I should go," I said at last, although I had no wish to do so.
"It's such an uncomfortable mode of transportation. If only my father hadn't been so stingy with me."
"I refrained from pointing out that she was much luckier than the hungry ghosts, who had nothing at all."
"Despite the merciless glare, I couldn’t see the sun."
"It seemed impossible that rain ever fell on this desolate land."
"The sky was evenly lit, which gave it an artificial air."
"The accoutrements of an underworld such as I had seen illustrated in painted scrolls."
"I’m afraid of the punishment for sins incurred in this life."
"Sometimes I have a feeling that things aren’t what they seem."
"I wanted to go back to Malacca, my living, breathing Malacca, with its humid air and torpid days."
"If something should happen to it, would there be any sign to warn me?"
"I had experienced neither thirst nor hunger since we had entered the Plains of the Dead."
"There's very little taste, so that's why the kitchen is so important."
"I'm sure you'll change your mind after twenty years in the kitchen."
"The world of the living was so far away from me."
"I'll take a look at her, but what if it isn't Li Lan?"
"It seems I'm having some difficulties maintaining a form in this world."
"My dear, dear madam. If heaven should get wind that you know even this much, your existence would be as brief as a candle flame on a stormy night."
"I'm sure your uncle is anxious for you to be married, now that you're the only heir."
"I glanced over at Tian Bai who was still deep in thought. Sleep, I thought. Sleep, so I can talk to you."
"My will carried through the line, or it might simply have been the effects of a long day."
"I was standing in the front hall of the Lim mansion in Malacca."
"Of course it matters. We don’t want time to stop."
"It’s the wrong one," she said. "The wrong one."
"I didn’t know how he found foot- and handholds in the slippery shaft, but he ascended with ease."
"You won’t die for a long time, far longer than I initially thought, I’m afraid."
"In about fifty years’ time, you should be just right."
"If you go with me, it won’t be easy for you."
"I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of family."
"I think I already knew what I wanted a long time ago."