Rich People Problems

Servants and relatives who were present at Tyersall Park recalled what it was like to be with Su Yi on her final day.

Madri, one of the Thai maids who had served Su Yi since 1999, recalled that Su Yi had asked for Hokkien ma mee for breakfast, an unusual request. For lunch, Su Yi had asked for whole star fruits and guavas from her trees, but she didn’t eat them. She merely stared at them, alerting Madri to the possibility that something was wrong.

Philip Young said that, after breakfast, he and his mother talked for the first time about his life in Sydney. She also asked if Philip had forgiven Eleanor; he said he had a long time ago. Su Yi was happy to hear this and told Philip that he was like his father after all. Ah Ling went to Su Yi’s bedroom around 4:30 p.m. to finalize the dinner menu. Catherine was sitting beside her mother. The windows were open and all of the curtains were drawn. When Ah Ling began to close them, Catherine instructed her to leave things as they were. Ah Ling then understood that Su Yi was gone.