Eat a Bowl of Tea

In a local barbershop, a group of men, including rent collector Chong Loo, idly discuss neighborhood gossip. When the topic of unfaithful wives is raised, Chong Loo reveals that he saw Ah Song leaving Ben Loy and Mei Oi’s apartment. Chong Loo suggests that Mei Oi pursued Ah Song because of Ben Loy’s impotence. When one of the men jokes about Chong Loo pursuing Mei Oi, he storms out.

In the close-knit community of New York’s Chinatown, Ben Loy is a celebrity: As the only son of a prominent community member, he is known even by people he does not know personally. As a result, gossip quickly spreads about his pregnant wife. At the barbershop, Chong Loo suggests that Ah Song, and not Ben Loy, is the father of Mei Oi’s new baby. The barber, Ah Sing, refuses to believe it.

Wah Gay is delighted by Mei Oi’s pregnancy, which he believes is still a secret, and writes a letter to his wife sharing the news. The next day, he brings a bag of groceries to Mei Oi and encourages her to eat. Anxious to get her father-in-law to leave, she pretends to feel sick and collapses into bed. As Wah Gay leaves the apartment, he runs into Ah Song, who claims to be visiting a carpenter. When Wah Gay is out of sight, Ah Song goes to Mei Oi’s apartment

Although Ben Loy is annoyed that Mei Oi calls him at work, he is excited about her pregnancy. He knows his parents expect him to have children and that they hope it is a boy, though he thinks he could love a boy too. He tries not to think about the fact that he has only successfully had sex with his wife a few times. A doctor prescribes medicine for his nerves and says it may be possible for an impotent man to father a child.

Ben Loy takes time off work. At the barber, Ben Loy hears a popular opera about an unfaithful wife. After the barber suggests that modern women are all unfaithful, Ben Loy begins fixating on the possibility that his wife has been unfaithful. He returns home, surprising Mei Oi, who calls Ah Song and warns him not to come over. Mei Oi has grown to appreciate Ah Song’s attention to her. Ben Loy becomes increasingly paranoid.

Ben Loy’s old roommate and co-worker, Chin Yeun, calls the apartment to ask about his health. He is immediately attracted to Mei Oi’s voice and fantasizes about a relationship with her. Later, he mentions the call to another coworker, who shares the gossip that Mei Oi is seeing another man. Chin Yeun is enraged on behalf of his friend but also jealous in his own right, wishing he could be Mei Oi’s affair partner.

At a coffee shop, Lee Gong overhears a group of men saying that Wah Gay’s son is wearing a green hat, a euphemism implying that Mei Oi is unfaithful. The men compare her to a stinky fish and say she’s an immoral woman. Lee Gong leaves, shaken by the gossip. He worries that the news will reach his wife in China, who will be unable to escape embarrassment in their small village. He confronts Mei Oi, who denies the accusations.

Unconvinced by his daughter’s denials, Lee Gong drinks alone in the sparse room he has rented for 20 years. He regrets only having one child, thinking his pain would be eased if he had other, better-behaved children. He determines that Ah Song is the man his daughter is sleeping with since few other men have spent time with the couple. He writes a letter threatening to kill Ah Song if he doesn’t stop the affair.

Wah Gay is summoned to the Wang Association by the president, his cousin Wang Chuck Ting. Chuck Ting worries that the scandal will bring shame to their entire family. He informs Wah Gay of the rumors and says that news of the scandal has reached family in Stanton, Connecticut. The men agree that Ah Song should be banned from the Money Come club and that the rumors must be stopped.

Wah Gay summons Ben Loy to the Money Come club to confront him with the allegations. When Ben Loy denies knowledge of the affair, Wah Gay tells him to take responsibility for his family and either prove the rumors false or find another way to stop them. Ben Loy storms out. Alone, Wah Gay worries about how he will survive the scandal of the rumors and considers leaving New York.

Ben Loy is enraged as he leaves the club, feeling that his father’s report of the affair makes it official. His primary concern is the gossip that has spread about his wife; he feels as if he could stomach her infidelity if it had remained a secret. At home, he confronts Mei Oi angrily. She claims to have done nothing wrong but implies that his impotence gave her no choice. Ben Loy responds violently, beating her with a shoe.

Ben Loy is summoned to the Wang Association headquarters by Wang Chuck Ting. As the president of the association, Chuck Ting is well-versed in mediation and feels responsible for helping Wah Gay’s son. He tells Ben Loy that he is needed in the Association’s restaurant in Stanton and urges him to move his family out of New York City. Although Chuck Ting frames it as a suggestion, Ben Loy understands this is an order.