In the days that followed, Shuyi stopped going out and stayed home doing needlework.
Zhenyi went to see her eldest sister almost every day. Firstly, Yang Jinniang had ordered Zhenyi to practice needlework for at least an hour daily. Secondly, Zhenyi had heard that her eldest sister wouldn’t be able to come back often after her marriage, and she couldn’t bear to part with her.
Juzi wasn’t allowed inside by Shuyi, not because Shuyi disliked Juzi, but because Juzi always tore her embroidery threads into a tangled mess.
Kept out, Juzi could only lie outside like a pitiful, helpless, and weak guard cat. It didn’t want to scratch the tangled threads either, but somehow, they would always inexplicably roll to its paws.
Every morning, after having breakfast with her mother, Zhenyi would go to pay her respects to her stepmother. Afterwards, she would learn needlework with her eldest sister, often spending most of the day there. Upon returning home, she would have her needlework reviewed by her mother to see if she had made any progress. Thus, Zhenyi could only spend an hour or two studying in the afternoon.
Furthermore, Wang Xichen couldn’t stay home all day. If the timing wasn’t right, Zhenyi would have to study on her own, writing down what she didn’t understand and asking her father in the evening.
When Old Madam Dong learned of this, she allowed Zhenyi to stay an extra half hour each time she came to pay her respects. The old lady wasn’t knowledgeable in complex arithmetic, but she could help her granddaughter recognize some characters and read some poetry.
Even so, Zhenyi had very little time for effective study. When she wanted to read in the evening, Ju Zi would always mischievously put her books on top—the candlelight was too dim, and Ju Zi was afraid Zhenyi would damage her eyes.
Watching Zhenyi diligently study in every spare moment, without a proper teacher, and then looking at Wang Jie, who did nothing but study all day, Ju Zi felt it was very unfair—of course, Ju Zi didn’t dislike Wang Jie. This well-behaved child, unusually diligent since childhood, had just turned thirteen this year,r and, hearing that he would be taking the imperial examination in two years, he was even more diligent, his forehead seemingly etched with: “600xxx days until the imperial examination.”
Ju Zi hoped Wang Jie would do well on the exam; hardworking children should be rewarded.
But in comparison, Zhenyi was clearly more talented and eager to learn, yet it seemed she lacked even the conditions and means to work hard.
Not to exaggerate, but a genius like Zhenyi in a modern family could practically walk around with impunity! Her parents would be asked which direction they should bow to have such a child.
Ju Zi lay outside the door with her hands tucked in, listening to Shuyi teaching Zhenyi embroidery inside, idly thinking. As the weather grew warmer, Orange, who was learning needlework from Zhenyi, had a new thing to do each day: climb trees to catch cicadas.
One day, Orange caught a cicada, held it in its mouth, rolled around in it, and then spat it out. Seeing that the cicada didn’t move, it scratched it a couple of times with its paw; if the cicada moved, it would paw at it and pull it back.
Tired from playing, Orange finally fell fast asleep on the porch.
When Orange woke up, it was very angry.
The probability of a cat’s paws being bitten by mosquitoes is small, but it’s not entirely impossible.
A large bump appeared on Orange’s front paw, and it itched so much that it licked and gnawed at it.
However, Orange had no experience with mosquito bites, and it didn’t know what was wrong with its paw. After thinking for a while, it remembered that Wang Yuan had come by that afternoon—that was it! In this house, Wang Yuan was usually the one who did the bad things! Orange, enraged, stormed over, leaping through the window into Wang Yuan’s room and beating him while he was napping.
Wang Yuan, furious, chased after Orange, shuffling along in his cloth shoes.
As usual, Orange climbed the jujube tree, defiantly looking down at Wang Yuan.
Wang Yuan, unwilling to give up, clung to the tree and shook it, but only managed to shake off a few leaves.
The thin leaves of the jujube tree turned from green to yellow; summer passed, winter arrived, and snow fell in Jinling City.
At the beginning of spring, Orange prepared a tenth birthday gift for Zhenyi: two sparrows.
As for why it caught two, it was, of course, because Orange was exceptionally skilled, and it also wanted to eat them.
Chun’er roasted sparrows, Orange waited by the small stove, Yang Jinniang rolled eggs for her daughter, and Wang Xichen personally cooked a bowl of longevity noodles, which Zhenyi slurped down completely, even drinking the broth.
When the ice and snow along the Qinhuai River had completely melted, green grass sprouted from the soil, and the river water became clear and soft again. Another Grain Rain season arrived, and Shuyi’s wedding day was approaching.
At that time, the day before a Han Chinese woman’s wedding, the bride’s family would hold a banquet at home, inviting relatives and friends to attend; this was called “adding to the dowry.”
The Wang family hadn’t held a wedding for many years, and Zhenyi had never seen the house so lively.
Although Wang Zhefu’s exile inevitably affected his interpersonal relationships, holding a wedding banquet for his daughter was a serious matter, and the proper etiquette among relatives still had to be observed. People from his hometown of Tianchang County also came; they were from Wang Zhefu’s brothers’ lineage, whom Wang Yuan and the others had to address as their paternal uncles. Many familiar families from Jinling City also came. Wang Zhefu’s character and reputation remained widely recognized; even literary figures like Yuan Mei had connections with him. Wang Xirui, having taught at a private school for many years, also had many acquaintances. The third branch of the Wang family had not yet separated, and although Wang Xirui had no daughters, Shuyi, though his niece, was practically his daughter.
The Wen family also sent gifts, which Wang Xirui accepted. Both were from Jinling, and the other party was the magistrate of Jiangning County; even if a marriage alliance couldn’t be formed, there was no need to create enmity.
The Wang brothers greeted the male guests at the front, while most of the female guests went to Shuyi’s quarters. Yang Jinniang led Zhenyi to greet everyone: this cousin-aunt, that aunt-in-law, this lady, that madam… Zhenyi called out to them one by one, her speech clearer and more organized than that of other children her age. Her large eyes never blinked, and she wasn’t afraid to be around people, so many women enjoyed teasing her. After Zhenyi had gone around calling out to everyone, a woman would always ask, “Who am I again?”
Zhenyi always answered correctly, even remembering her family name clearly, which delighted everyone. They all smiled and praised her, saying that the Wang family’s daughters were all intelligent and beautiful.
Ju Zi, finding it too crowded, lay high on Shuyi’s dowry chest, feeling honored by the praise.
Yang Jinniang also affectionately patted her daughter’s head; her daughter was very clever.
But beneath this cleverness lay a stubborn streak that was not easily seen by others. Zhenyi, who had been praised countless times for her “good memory,” failed to recognize one person.
After leaving her eldest sister’s place, Zhenyi passed through the moon gate when she suddenly heard someone call out, “Second Sister?”
Zhenyi looked up.
“It really is Second Sister!” The person approached Wang Jie. “Second Sister has grown so much; I almost didn’t recognize her!”
Zhenyi blinked. He had only almost, but she…
Wang Jie, two steps behind, coughed lightly, his gaze drifting to the apricot tree beside him.
Apricot tree, tree…
Zhenyi instantly understood and tried calling out, “…Brother Zhan?”
The young man’s eyes lit up with surprise: “Second sister still remembers me!”
Zhenyi felt a little guilty, but this wasn’t entirely her fault. The difference between a nine-year-old boy and a twelve-year-old was immense. Three years ago, when they parted, Zhan Mei was still losing his teeth.
Moreover, Zhan Mei had grown very quickly. Now, standing next to Wang Jie, who was two years older than him, they were almost the same height.
Zhan Mei wore a clean blue cotton shirt, already showing signs of youthful exuberance.
His demeanor was composed, possessing a brighter and more outgoing quality compared to the gentle and taciturn Wang Jie.
Ju Zi followed behind Zhan Mei, sniffing his robes; they still had that familiar, refreshing woody scent.
Ju Zi thought, ” This tree hasn’t grown crooked.
Three years ago, Zhan Mei bid farewell to Zhenyi before this very moon gate.
At that time, they made a promise: upon their next meeting, the King would present them with arithmetic problems, and they would see who could solve them correctly and quickly.
Now that Zhenyi no longer had her grandfather by her side, Zhan Mei didn’t mention this promise. As they walked together, Zhan Mei asked, “Second sister, are you still learning arithmetic?”
Zhenyi nodded, “But since my grandfather isn’t here, there’s no one to teach me. I can only learn a little bit.”
Zhan Mei took a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Zhenyi.
Zhenyi took it and saw that it was a classic text on mathematics.
Zhan Mei said that he had found it while organizing his family’s books. He wasn’t proficient in mathematics, and the book was too obscure and profound for someone like him, who only scratched the surface. He suggested that Zhenyi keep it for later.
That evening, the Zhan family father and son stayed at the Wang family’s house. Zhan Mei and Wang Jie shared a room and talked.
Zhenyi, on the other hand, stayed with her mother and eldest sister. During the day, she mostly entertained guests; only in the evenings were the evenings for the women of the family to speak privately. Old Madam Dong was also present.
At this time, Yang Jinniang took out the dowry she had prepared.
It was a pure gold phoenix bracelet, made from Yang Jinniang’s meager collection of gold jewelry.
Shuyi, knowing the family’s circumstances, hurriedly said it was too precious and declined to accept it.
Yang Jinniang insisted on putting it on Shuyi’s wrist: “The Jiang family is merchants; although our family cannot compare, we should still have what we need… Our Shuyi is so good, how can we let others look down on her?”
Shuyi’s eyes welled up with tears.
The next day, Shuyi, wearing the gleaming gold phoenix bracelet, donned her bright red wedding dress, covered her head with her veil, and left home.
The third wife gave almost all of her dowry to Shuyi and added as much as she could.
At that time, if a daughter married without a matching dowry, she would be ridiculed and looked down upon by her in-laws. Many poor families could not afford to prepare a dowry, which was one of the root causes of the drowning of female infants.
This trend was particularly prevalent in Jiangxi. The governor of Jiangxi, Liu Bingzhang, tried to curb this trend by vigorously advocating “simple weddings” and informing the people, but with little effect.
Outside the Wang family’s gate, many onlookers counted how many loads of dowry the Wang family had brought out, gossiping among themselves.
Amidst the sounds of suona horns, firecrackers, and laughter, Shuyi, clutching a red silk ribbon, was led into the bridal sedan chair.
As the wedding sedan chair departed, all the excitement and crowds chased after the wedding procession. Zhenyi, who was seeing her eldest sister off, instinctively wanted to follow, but Yang Jinniang grabbed her arm: “You can’t go…”
As the wedding procession receded into the distance, all suddenly fell silent. Only firecracker shells and dried fruit shells like peanuts and longans remained in front of the gate; no one was there.
Yang Jinniang led Zhenyi into the courtyard. The firecracker noise stopped, and only then did Ju Zi, who had been hiding, dare to come out and follow Zhenyi.
On the way back, the brightly dressed Third Madam suddenly filled with tears. Wiping them away, she sighed with a smile, “Before the marriage was settled, I couldn’t sleep at all… Raising her from a young age, every single thing was planned for her marriage… Now that it’s finally over, I feel empty inside. Everything is gone, and I don’t know what it was all for.”
The First Madam laughed and said, “Isn’t that how raising a daughter is? Do you expect her to remain an old maid, to be laughed at?”
The Third Madam nodded, “Yes, yes.”
Zhenyi, also feeling empty inside, didn’t want her eldest sister to leave at all, but she couldn’t understand the adults’ words. Her third aunt had worried for so many years, just to send her eldest sister to another family, all because she didn’t want to be “laughed at.”
Zhenyi couldn’t help but feel lost again.
In the days that followed, Zhenyi continued to pay her respects to her grandmother daily, but many times, after leaving her grandmother’s, she would habitually head towards her eldest sister’s room. Sometimes she would remember halfway there, and sometimes she would only realize it when she saw the locked door.
Ju Zi, following Zhenyi, stared blankly at the locked door and also felt a pang of longing for Shuyi.
Afterwards, Zhenyi began learning needlework from her mother, Yang Jinniang. However, Yang Jinniang felt her needlework skills weren’t very refined, so she often asked her third sister-in-law to come and instruct her daughter.
The third wife’s mood was quite good after her daughter’s marriage. After Shuyi returned home, she came back several times, only saying that everything was fine. Although Madam Jiang was shrewd, she treated Shuyi with care and consideration, without finding fault or making things difficult for her.
Fearing that Shuyi wouldn’t dare tell the truth, Ju Zi secretly traveled nearly twenty miles to the Jiang family’s residence and spent a day there. She didn’t find Jiang Mao’s home, but Mrs. Jiang treated Shuyi very well and even tried to teach her how to manage the business accounts. Only then did Ju Zi feel at ease enough to leave.
Before leaving, Ju Zi asked a nearby cat to keep an eye on things for her.
In October, Zhan Mei, who was traveling with his father, passed through Jinling again and gave Zhenyi several books, all related to mathematics, which he had collected along the way.
Zhenyi accepted the books and, by the Defeng Pavilion, said to Zhan Mei, “Brother Zhan, I’ve truly remembered you this time, and I’ll never forget you!”
Since she began learning mathematics, apart from her grandfather, even though everyone thought she had talent, no one had made any arrangements for her, nor had anyone actively inquired about her progress; it was simply a child’s game.
The books Zhan Mei sent might not have been particularly hard to find, but for Zhenyi, who couldn’t yet find or buy books elsewhere, it was a rare treat, and it made her feel that her preferences were being taken seriously.
Hearing Zhenyi admit that she hadn’t quite remembered him last time, Zhan Mei smiled and said cheerfully, “It’s alright if you don’t remember them well, I’ll just come again next time! I’ll always remember!”
Zhenyi, who was still missing a side tooth, also smiled, hugging the book and nodding to Zhan Mei.
Zhan Mei not only found books for Zhenyi, but also for Wang Jie. He had a good impression of the Wang family—oh, not just the people, but also the cat.
Zhenyi and Wang Jie greatly envied Zhan Mei’s ability to travel and study, especially Zhenyi. She desperately wanted to leave Jinling City and see the world. But Zhenyi knew this idea would never be agreed to, so she never dared to mention it, only daring to whisper it to Ju Zi.
Zhenyi, at this moment, could never have imagined that her bold idea would soon have the opportunity to come true.
However, the circumstances surrounding this opportunity were not so reassuring or pleasant.
In the twelfth lunar month, Wang Xichen returned from outside, carrying a letter from Jilin, and hurriedly went to find Old Madam Dong.
Zhenyi, who was practicing calligraphy in the study, heard her eldest brother calling from outside: “Second sister, stop writing! Come with me to Grandmother’s! A letter has arrived from Jilin, saying it’s urgent!”