Zhenyi’s days in Jilin gradually became more orderly. Every morning she went to the private school, and in the afternoon she studied at home for an hour. Afterwards, she often played with Chen Ningtian and the neighborhood children, or helped Mama Lu with needlework. In the evening, her grandfather would guide and correct her studies. After dinner, she could sit in the courtyard and stargaze.
From a very young age, Zhenyi showed a deep interest in the heavens above.
Zhenyi studied arithmetic with exceptional diligence not only because of her interest, but also because of her grandfather’s saying—”The study of arithmetic can trace the true nature of all things in the world.”
Her grandfather also said that to understand the Milky Way, one ultimately cannot do without arithmetic: “First study the laws and calendar, with arithmetic as the foundation, and astronomy as the verification—those who are not proficient in arithmetic dare not speak rashly about astronomy.”
Therefore, Zhenyi remembered: astronomy and calendar systems are closely linked to arithmetic.
As the seasons changed and the stars shifted, Zhenyi followed her grandfather to observe the stars. By winter, she had mastered the twenty-eight constellations representing the cardinal directions.
Ju Zi, who had been learning from her grandfather, also gained considerable insight: in the night sky, there is one moon and many stars; the moon is few, the stars are many; the moon is large, the stars are small.
This winter was Zhenyi’s first winter in Jilin, and also the most lively winter of her life.
This lively winter began when Ju Zi got up early one morning, stepped out of the house, and suddenly lost her footing, mysteriously disappearing.
The snow in Jilin was heavy.
Ju Zi fell into a snowdrift, disappearing without a trace, only puffs of snow rising from her face.
Zhenyi went to rescue Ju Zi, also plunging into the snow.
Wang Zhefu cried out, waded into the snow, and pulled both the cat and Zhenyi out. Wang Xichen and Old Madam Dong came upon hearing the noise, and laughter filled the corridor.
Ji Wu and Wang Xichen’s servant shoveled snow in the yard, while Zhuo Mama cooked a large pot of hot, sticky corn porridge.
In the days that followed, Zhenyi could no longer attend classes, and Wang Zhefu stopped going out to teach. The family stayed home, gathered around the warm kang (heated brick bed), the stove burning, brewing jujube tea, and chatting about everyday things.
Outside, snow was still falling. Zhenyi nestled on the warm kang, reading. Occasionally, the warmth made her drowsy. Half-asleep, she listened to the purring of Ju Zi, and the voices of her parents, her father, and Zhuo Mama, and her dreams were peaceful.
When the snow stopped, paths were cleared outside. Zhenyi took Ju Zi outside to see the rime ice. Both she and the cat stared wide-eyed in amazement.
The New Year arrived quickly.
Firecrackers exploded in the snowy landscape. Children, bundled up in thick, bulky cotton-padded clothes and hats, chased each other, singing nursery rhymes, and carrying paper lanterns.
Ju Zi, annoyed by the firecrackers, hid in a haystack. There, she saw the yellow dog shivering and hiding as well. Ju Zi wanted to share the spot with the dog, but the dog bared its teeth at her. Ju Zi punched the dog in the face with her paw, and the dog howled and ran away, finding another haystack to hide in.
A group of children sang and skipped by, carrying lanterns. An older child said to a seven or eight-year-old girl, “Rongrong, there’s chicken poop under your lantern!”
Rongrong cried out, “Ah!” and quickly turned her lantern upside down. Her beloved lantern was immediately burned with a large hole. Rongrong cried, while the older child laughed heartily.
Orange slapped the older child’s lantern with its paw, causing the oil to spill and burning a hole in it. Everyone laughed at it again.
The older child, with a bad temper, was embarrassed by the laughter and threw his lantern down, letting out a loud snort as he ran away.
Having witnessed the “wickedness of human nature,” Orange no longer bothered to hide and rushed to find Zhenyi; it had to protect Zhenyi’s lantern.
Zhenyi also had a beautiful lantern, though not as exquisite as the colorful lanterns in Jinling. It was handmade by Wang Zhefu, its round shape shaped like thin bamboo strips, and a lifelike picture of a large, fat cat drawn on it—Orange didn’t think it was it; it wasn’t that fat.
That New Year’s Eve, Orange took on the role of lantern guardian, running around with Zhenyi until midnight, when Peach came to call Zhenyi home for dumplings.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Chen family came to invite them, and the Wang family arrived with prepared New Year’s gifts.
Zhenyi received lucky money from the elders of the Chen family. When she paid her respects to Old Madam Bu, her expression and movements were unusually proper, which made Old Madam Bu unable to suppress a smile.
Zhenyi stayed at the Chen family’s house all day, which delighted Chen Ningtian. Today, she finally didn’t have to wait for Zhenyi to finish her homework before they could play together.
After a lively dinner, the elders sat inside chatting, while Chen Ningtian and Zhenyi, along with the other older children of the Chen family, carried lanterns and went out to walk on the ice.
The river was covered with thick ice, and many children were running and playing on it.
Ju Zi tried stepping on the ice with one paw and was amazed—the ice was harder than a cat’s life.
Before the New Year, Zhenyi made a little jacket and four cotton shoes for Ju Zi while doing needlework. The stitches weren’t very neat, but Ju Zi loved it. The whole set was made of floral fabric, warm and festive.
Chen Ningtian pulled Zhenyi onto a dog sled. Two large, thick-haired dogs with sturdy limbs galloped across the ice. Zhenyi was both scared and excited, her heart pounding. She gripped the thick hemp rope tightly. After a lap, she got a little used to it and dared to laugh out loud with Chen Ningtian.
Children threw small stones and corncobs at the ice, seeing who could throw their things the farthest. The stones made a clear, buzzing echo as they scraped against the ice, and cheers and laughter rose and fell.
Someone was whipping a spinning top on the ice. The spinning top caught Ju Zi’s attention, and she followed it around, staring intently.
Zhenyi encountered several of her classmates from the private school. These Manchu girls, all cheerful and outgoing, pulled and dragged Zhenyi along on the ice. Chen Ningtian “rescued” Zhenyi, and the group of girls ran and chased each other playfully.
As Zhenyi ran, she kept looking back. In a moment of inattention, she was knocked away by a figure rushing towards her, also only looking back.
“Deqing!” Chen Ningtian shouted. Everyone quickly stopped their playful antics and ran to surround her.
The one who bumped into Zhenyi was a boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a sable hat, a brocade robe, and deerskin boots. A whip was wrapped around his waist, and most of his face was hidden by the hat, revealing only a pair of bright, dark eyes.
He reacted immediately, trying to help the person he had bumped into, but Chen Ningtian beat him to it, and then a large cat in a flowery jacket rushed over and blocked their path.
The boy could only ask, “Hey! Are you alright?”
Zhenyi, helped up by Chen Ningtian and her classmates, shook her head. Children at this time of year were bundled up in layers, and falling while playing on the ice was common; it was just that the boy had run incredibly fast and was incredibly strong.
Stared at with reproachful looks by a group of girls, the boy felt embarrassed and awkward. He kicked another chubby boy who had followed him, yelling, “Serves you right for chasing me! You made me bump into someone!”
The chubby boy was clearly afraid of him and quickly apologized to Zhenyi on his behalf.
Just then, someone ran over and shouted, “Young General, a servant from your household has come to urge you!”
“Coming!” the boy replied, turning and quickly leaving, the chubby boy following closely behind.
“Luckily, he wasn’t seriously injured. I would definitely go to General Aru to complain and have him punished!” Chen Ningtian said disapprovingly to the boy’s retreating figure. He then explained the boy’s identity to Zhenyi: his father was a Mongol general from the Borjigit clan.
Although the Qing Dynasty had the power to appoint officials to the Manchu and Mongol nomads on the borders, these noble families mostly had their own affiliated tribes and armies, maintaining a relationship of obedience to the court but not direct obedience. The court also tacitly accepted their sons inheriting their fathers’ positions, hence everyone called the boy “Little General.”
Zhenyi, unharmed, didn’t inquire further and quickly forgot about the incident.
Among her classmates, Zhenyi spent the entire New Year’s holiday, until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, playing wildly with her friends—something she had never done in Jinling before.
After the fifteenth, she had to settle down and prepare for classes.
Playing was fun, and studying was peaceful; Zhenyi felt everything was good now, except that she always missed her mother and Chun’er when she went to sleep at night. Whenever this happened, Zhenyi would hug the soft, fuzzy orange to ease her longing.
One night, before falling asleep, Zhenyi murmured in her sleep, “If only Mother could come to Jilin…”
The orange, however, felt helpless. If Yang Jinniang really came and saw Zhenyi in this “mad” state, she would probably be terrified, cry her eyes out, and tie Zhenyi up and take her back to Jinling that very night.
After February, a letter arrived from Jinling with good news.
Wang Jie had passed the provincial examination last year and, at only fifteen, had become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
Overjoyed, Wang Xichen cried out, tears welling in his eyes, “Father, Mother… our Wang family has hope again!”
Wang Jie was sixteen this year and could take the autumn imperial examination in the fall. If he passed, he would truly be a young scholar with limitless potential… Imagining this, two streams of tears streamed down Wang Xichen’s face.
Zhenyi returned from school and, upon hearing the news, was also very happy for her second brother.
Wang Xichen was also preparing to return to Jinling. He had failed the examinations repeatedly for many years, and this year he had almost given up hope. But now, his fighting spirit was rekindled—just imagine, if uncle and nephew both passed the examinations, what a glorious and celebrated story that would be!
Thinking of this, Wang Xichen’s eyes shone brightly; he wanted to return to Jinling and take the exam again! Before departing, Wang Xichen meticulously arranged everything for his parents. After much deliberation, only one thing troubled him: after he left, besides his father, only his mother and the other women would remain. Ji Wu was busy with farm work and unable to care for the household; there would be a lack of someone who could go out and do chores…
Wang Xichen thought and thought and decided to leave his servant, Qisheng, behind.
Mother Zhuo: “How can Second Master be without a page? People will laugh at him…”
“In previous years, everything was respectable, but what use is that?” Wang Xichen made his decision: “If I can pass the imperial examination, that will be more respectable than any pomp and circumstance.”
Wang Xichen valued appearances, but he valued filial piety even more.
Qi Sheng, reluctant to part with his second master, bowed deeply as he saw him off, saying, “Once you pass the imperial examination, I will return to Jinling and serve you with your writing materials!”
Wang Xichen nodded, instructing him to take good care of the place, and then said to his daughter, “Zhen’er, you must also serve your stepmother well in my stead. This is of utmost importance, far more important than your studies and play. Do you understand?”
Wang Xichen had originally intended to take his daughter back to Jinling with him, but the elderly couple hadn’t suggested it. And now that he was leaving, it would be too desolate to leave the two old people here alone… Well, for now, he would wait until after his autumn examination before making further plans.
Zhenyi agreed to her father’s words and repeatedly asked him to remember to write a long letter to Jilin when he returned to Jinling and saw her mother, telling him about her mother’s recent situation, as well as about Zhao Mama, Chun’er, and her eldest sister.
Looking at his twelve-year-old daughter, Wang Xichen felt a surge of warmth and reluctance. He nodded and said, “Okay,” gently patting her head before bowing deeply to his parents and bidding farewell.
Ju Zi squatted at Zhenyi’s feet, watching Wang Xichen board the oxcart and disappear into the green country lanes.
Wang Xichen was going to travel by oxcart to the prefecture and county to rent a horse and carriage. Traveling alone would be easier for him, and he could return to Jinling in at most a month.
After her father left, Zhenyi would sometimes calculate where he should be.
When the summer solstice arrived, Zhenyi opened the “Monthly Ordinances” book early in the morning and guessed, saying to Ju Zi, “Father should have already returned home and seen Mother…”
As Zhenyi spoke, Tao’er was combing her hair while she sat on a small stool.
After combing her hair, Zhenyi stood up and reached out to touch Ju Zi, who was sitting in the chair beside her. “Ju Zi, I’m going to the private school.”
Ju Zi meowed, opening her eyes casually, but suddenly seemed a little dazed.
Having removed her heavy cotton coat and changed into a light dress, Zhenyi seemed to have suddenly grown up a lot.
Zhenyi’s hair was beautiful, black, thick, and lustrous. Half of it was combed up into two buns, and the other half was left out, braided into two sections, tied with red ribbons, and hanging down her shoulders. Beneath the wispy bangs, her forehead was full and smooth, her large eyes bright and clear, revealing two canine teeth and dimples when she smiled. She was radiant and spirited.
The small window was wide open, letting in the fragrance of flowers and grass. The girl in Ju Zi’s eyes was as fresh and vibrant as the scenery outside the window.
Summer was here, and Zhenyi was also growing in the spring.
Orange smiled with satisfaction. “My daughter is growing up so well,” she thought, “look how well it’s raising Zhenyi.”
Twelve years old is a crucial time for growth. Recently, Zhuo’s mother, having received instructions from the old lady, has been diligently making several new pairs of shoes for Zhenyi at home.
Sitting by the window, Zhuo’s mother watched Ji Wu, hunched over and barefoot, tidying up farm tools in the yard. After a moment’s thought, she made a pair for Ji Wu as well.
When Ji Wu received the clean, brand-new cloth shoes, she was first stunned, then happily bowed repeatedly to Zhuo’s mother, making babbling gestures.
Zhuo’s mother couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t quite understand either, and waved to Ji Wu, saying, “It’s nothing, go on with your work!”
Ji Wu nodded, carefully holding the new shoes in her arms. After taking a few steps, she turned back and nodded gratefully to Zhuo’s mother.
One day, the wife of a county official invited Old Madam Dong to her home for a chat.
After sending Zhenyi to the private school, Tao’er accompanied the old lady there.
Over the past year, Old Madam Dong had cultivated excellent interpersonal relationships. Within a radius of seventy or eighty li, everyone spoke highly of the Wang family.
Tao’er had told Zhenyi early that morning that she might not be able to pick her up in time for noon, and asked Zhenyi to stay at the Chen family’s house for an extra hour to wait for her.
Tao’er couldn’t pick her up on time, but Ju Zi was as punctual as ever.
Zhenyi had walked the road home alone many times before. Chen Ningtian had recently caught a cold, and Zhenyi hadn’t wanted to disturb her friend’s recovery. She carried her books and Ju Zi home.
The gentle breeze of late spring and early summer was just right. Zhenyi and Ju Zi chatted as they made their way home. Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, she found the house empty. Zhenyi went to the kitchen to look for Zhuo Mama. Seeing the pots and pans still warm, she instinctively assumed Zhuo Mama had gone visiting neighbors with a bowl.
Zhenyi put down her bookcase, then wondered, since the food was cooked, why hadn’t Ji Wu returned for lunch? Was he still working in the fields?
During the Beginning of Summer, busy with weddings, Ji Wu would go to the fields early every day without breakfast, waiting only for lunch.
Zhenyi thought for a moment, then went to the field behind the house.
Ju Zi, who had just finished drinking water, followed but quickly noticed something was wrong.