March 3rd, Shangsi Festival.
Throughout the Great Song Dynasty, this day was a public holiday. Coinciding with the birthday of the Guardian Sage True Monarch, Taoist temples and palaces set up altars for rituals, praying for national prosperity above and protecting the people’s peace below. Various military offices and government bureaus would construct stages along the roads, arranging performances by community troupes. The citizens of Hangzhou would all come out to watch the excitement.
The Su Mansion was adjacent to the Chen Mansion. Ever since Yuan Niang became friends with Chen Shiyi Niang at school, the two often arranged to play together. Sometimes Shiyi Niang would come to the Su Mansion to pet the Golden Lion Cub, and other times Yuan Niang would go to the Chen Mansion to watch various performances. Occasionally, when the adults held banquets at home, they would also participate, hiding in a corner to drink fruit wine and share secrets.
How could they miss such a lively festival as the Shangsi Festival?
Early in the morning, Yuan Niang wore a silver-threaded floral dress, with a cluster of freshly bloomed jasmine flowers pinned in her hair by Chao Yun. As she walked about, a fragrant scent wafted around her. Chen Ge’er followed behind, sneezing several times. He truly couldn’t understand why young girls were so fond of wearing flowers?
He wanted to hold Yuan Niang’s hand but was afraid the flowers on her head would make him sneeze. So he stretched one hand out far to reach Yuan Niang’s small hand, his posture quite comical.
As soon as the two little ones stepped out of the Su Mansion, they saw another pair of siblings rushing over in a flurry. Chen Shiyi Niang, her eyes red, covered the delicate pink begonia flowers in her hair and dashed toward Yuan Niang, crying, “Sister Yuan, save me!!”
Chen Yunjian chased after her, pretending to snatch the jasmine flowers from Yuan Niang’s head, but was promptly blocked by Chen Ge’er.
Shiyi Niang finally caught a moment to catch her breath. She pulled Yuan Niang and ran far away before stopping, placing her hands on her hips and sighing, “Sister Yuan, I want to trade brothers with you!”
Yuan Niang couldn’t help but laugh, “Is that even something we can trade?”
Shiyi Niang clung to her sleeve, whining, “I don’t care, I want to trade, I want to trade! Chen Yunjian is simply too annoying. Not only is he ugly, but he’s also mischievous and troublesome, disliked by both cats and dogs.”
Chen Yunjian retorted loudly in disagreement, “Nonsense! There are no cats or dogs at home! Are you saying you’re a cat or a dog?!”
Chen Ge’er shot him a cold glance like a little adult and said, “Arguing with a young lady, how impressive.”
“Hmph!” Chen Yunjian shut his mouth and finally stopped chasing them. He pestered Chen Ge’er to let him copy his homework tomorrow, annoying Chen Ge’er so much that he sped up and ran ahead.
Su Mai was discussing contemporary essays with the eldest son of the Chen family, while Su Shi was discussing farmland irrigation issues in several counties under Hangzhou’s jurisdiction with Prefect Chen. Wang Runzhi and Madam Chen had made plans to visit Lingyin Temple to offer incense in a few days.
None of these topics interested Chen Ge’er. He scratched his ear and quietly walked behind Yuan Niang, stepping on the scattered flower shadows.
Chen Yunjian pulled out a slingshot from somewhere and shot at a flying oriole in the tree. Startled, the oriole flapped its wings and shook the branches, causing peach blossoms to fall like pink powder, covering the young girls ahead with peach petals.
The Chen siblings started bickering again. Chen Ge’er carefully picked off the peach petals from Yuan Niang’s head and shoulders. The group chatted and laughed, playing and roughhousing as they made their way to the main street.
Qiantang had always been prosperous since ancient times, and festivals were celebrated grandly. The streets were packed with crowds of people coming out to join the excitement.
Being short, the children could only see the constantly moving waists and legs of the adults, unable to see the colorful performances.
Su Shi held Yuan Niang in his arms, while Prefect Chen carried Shi Yi Niang. The stewards of both households carried Chen Ge’er and Chen Yunjian on their shoulders respectively. The young generals were immediately captivated by the elaborately dressed performers, their eyes wide and mouths agape.
There were performers dressed as ghosts and deities performing exorcism dances, others swallowing swords, spitting fire, or breaking stones on their chests. Some enacted matchmaking plays, while others performed acrobatics on poles. The young generals’ eyes darted from one spectacle to another, unable to take in everything at once.
The audience watched with great admiration. Then Chen Yunjian, pointing at the performer breaking stones on his chest, was the first to declare loudly: “When I grow up, I want to do this too.”
The old steward carrying him panicked and hurriedly covered his mouth, fearing Prefect Chen would be displeased upon hearing this. The Chen family’s eldest son pointed to an empty spot nearby and quickly had the steward take the boy farther away.
This brought some peace and quiet to everyone’s ears.
Su Shi smiled faintly without comment, pretending not to have heard anything. Prefect Chen felt like dying on the spot—this unfilial son had completely shamed him.
Chen Shi Yi Niang was still young and unaware of adults’ aversion to children expressing desires to become performers. She turned excitedly to ask: “Sister Yuan, what do you want to do when you grow up?”
Yuan Niang fell into deep thought. She had never seriously considered this question before. The Song people were often harsh toward women, as if women were born to live dependent on men. They weren’t even deemed worthy of having their own names, often being referred to simply as “so-and-so’s wife.” Not to mention elsewhere, even in schools, girl students were rare. Except for those from particularly wealthy families, few households would educate their daughters. This was in affluent Qiantang area—the imperial examinations had nothing to do with women. In this era, for a woman to speak of dreams was an extreme luxury.
She didn’t answer immediately. When she came back to her senses, she realized everyone was waiting for her response.
Yuan Niang hesitated and said: “I’ve always been carefree by nature. What I want most is to live as I please within my capabilities.”
Chen Shi Yi Niang frowned in thought for a while, ultimately failing to understand what this meant. But she wasn’t one to dwell on things, so she declared: “I’m different! I want to marry Su Zi when I grow up!!”
“Pfft!!” Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
Prefect Chen’s face turned red then pale—oh, his old face had been completely shamed by this pair of children!! He couldn’t stay there any longer either. After hurriedly apologizing to Su Shi, he turned and headed back.
Chen Shi Yi Niang, lying on his back, waved her arms wildly: “Father, you have nothing to do later!” Why are we rushing home? I still want to watch the acrobatics!”
Prefect Chen coughed lightly, thinking to himself: Don’t you two know exactly why I’m running away?
Watching Prefect Chen flee in panic, Su Shi mischievously laughed heartily after him.
Only when Prefect Chen had disappeared from view did Su Shi turn back to take Yuan Niang and Chen Ge’er to a nearby teahouse for spiced drinks. Noticing Chen Ge’er’s distracted expression, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Even while drinking spiced drinks, your mind wanders?”
Chen Ge’er looked up at him seriously and said: “I’m thinking about what I want to do most in the future.”
Su Shi felt deeply gratified. That this little one before him was already contemplating his future life—how could he not be happy?!
“Have you figured it out then?” Su Shi asked.
Chen Ge’er shook his head and glanced at him quickly, saying: “If I said I want to become a fire-breather, Father would surely feel disgraced, perhaps even flee in shame like Magistrate Chen did.”
Su Shi smiled warmly and said: “I wouldn’t. Your life is your own.”
Chen Ge’er replied: “Fire-breathers might practice for hundreds or thousands of days just for one chance to perform on stage, and they can only entertain the people of one city. It’s terribly arduous when you think about it, so it doesn’t seem worthwhile. Besides, most performers come from humble backgrounds. If I entered that profession, wouldn’t it be like cursing you, Father?”
Su Shi patted his head and said: “That little head of yours is full of thoughts.”
Chen Ge’er turned to ask Yuan Niang, who was drinking perilla beverage: “Yuan Mei, what does it mean to follow your heart within your capabilities?”
Su Shi’s gaze also turned toward her, seemingly awaiting her explanation.
Yuan Niang sheepishly took a sip of her cold drink and murmured softly: “I’m quite a worldly person, but I do care about face. I can’t possibly announce in public that I want to earn lots and lots of money, then build an estate in some scenic spot to enjoy life! Ugh, if those Confucian scholars heard that, they’d surely spit and say I’ve degraded scholarly dignity.”
Su Shi seemed to want to ask something but ultimately restrained himself. He curved his lips in a smile and remained silent.
Chen Ge’er asked thoughtfully: “Yuan Mei, can I live in your estate with you in the future?”
Yuan Niang was greatly surprised and said: “That’s the behavior of a pretty boy living off women! A true man should aspire to make his mark everywhere and embrace the world!”
Unexpectedly, Chen Ge’er was also greatly surprised and asked innocently: “Why would a man living in an estate not be a true man?”
Su Shi was nearly laughing himself to death at the children’s conversation. He teased with a playful wink: “In Yuan Niang’s view, what truly counts as aspiring to make one’s mark everywhere and embracing the world?”
“Master Fan Zhongyan once said: ‘Be the first to bear hardships, the last to enjoy comforts.’ This should be the motto for all scholars under heaven,” Yuan Niang declared.
Upon hearing this, Su Shi was deeply moved. Back when he passed the imperial examination, Master Ouyang Xiu had introduced him to Han Qi and Fu Bi, and all three had treated him as a scholar of great promise. Master Ouyang had once lamented: “How I regret that you never met Master Fan Zhongyan.” Fan Zhongyan had already passed away by the time Su Shi achieved his honors.
Hearing Yuan Niang mention Master Fan’s words today, he found himself in complete agreement.
Just as Su Shi was lost in emotion, Chen Ge’er abruptly broke the mood: “Why is this only a man’s aspiration? Can’t women uphold this ideal too?”
“Women naturally can. It’s just that in these times, there aren’t many things women can do. The fastest way to realize this aspiration would be…” Yuan Niang coughed twice and quietly swallowed the words “climb into the emperor’s bed.”
Chen Ge’er was listening with great interest and, seeing Yuan Niang suddenly stop, he urged curiously: “Would be what? Tell us quickly, Yuan Mei.”
Yuan Niang glanced at Su Shi’s stern face and wisely kept silent, saying only: “Hurry up and drink your fragrant beverage! If you annoy Master, are you going to pay for the drinks?”
Su Shi took a calm sip of his ophiopogon beverage and said to Yuan Niang: “In this world, there are actually many things women can do without taking shortcuts. Let me tell you about your teacher’s grandmother.”
Yuan Niang, aware she had spoken improperly, felt her face grow warm. Hearing her teacher’s words, she nodded and prepared to listen attentively.
Su Shi began recounting in detail, narrating the deeds of his late grandmother as if listing treasures from his own home.
Lady Cheng was far too renowned for Yuan Niang to be unfamiliar with her deeds. It was not merely because she was the mother of the two Su brothers, nor solely because her epitaph was penned by the eminent scholar Sima Guang. The brilliance of her own character shone so brightly that it could not be overlooked. It was precisely because of such a remarkable woman that the three outstanding talents of the Su Family could leave their glorious mark in history.
In Su Shi’s accounts, she was not a woman who lived in the shadow of men. Instead, she earned the reverence of everyone in the Su Family, as well as neighbors near and far.
After leaving the teahouse, Yuan Niang remained deep in thought, pondering how she should choose to live her own life with purpose and dedication.