Explore Chapter 7 of 'Moment in Peking' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
After Zeng Wenpu returned to Beijing, the whole family settled into a new residence in the eastern part of the city. Jingya and Sunya gradually grew up. Jingya was taciturn and full of schemes. Sunya was lively and active, fond of frolicking with the maidservants. There was a maidservant named Yinping, who was pretty and quick-witted. Sunya often teased and played with her. Jingya noticed this and felt displeased, but he did not speak out.
One day, Jingya accidentally came upon Sunya and Yinping embracing intimately behind a rockery in the rear garden. He instantly burned with rage but still suppressed his anger and turned away. After much deliberation, he felt that this matter concerned the family's reputation and could not be concealed. So he truthfully reported what he had seen to his mother, Mrs. Zeng.
Mrs. Zeng flew into a rage upon hearing this. She immediately summoned Yinping to her room for an interrogation. Yinping initially denied it, but when Jingya confronted her with evidence, she had to lower her head and confess that she did indeed have an illicit relationship with Sunya. Trembling with rage, Mrs. Zeng scolded, "You worthless maid, how dare you seduce the young master and ruin our family's honor!" She then decided to marry Yinping off to an honest servant, send her far away, and forbid her ever to enter the inner quarters again.
When Sunya learned that Jingya had informed on him, he was livid with rage. He rushed into Jingya's room and demanded, "Why are you trying to harm Yinping? She is just a maidservant, why are you so cruel?" Jingya replied coldly, "You committed such a shameless deed, and you have the nerve to ask me? I had to report it for the sake of the family's reputation." Sunya cursed, "You hypocrite! Do you think I don't know what you're really up to?" The two brothers argued more violently, nearly coming to blows. Mrs. Zeng arrived upon hearing the commotion and scolded them both. Sunya left resentfully.
After that, a rift grew between Sunya and Jingya, and their brotherly bond was greatly diminished. When Zeng Wenpu learned of this, although he also reprimanded Sunya, he valued Jingya's prudence all the more. He reflected that his two sons were gradually growing up and that early marriages should be arranged to avoid further trouble.
Jingya's marriage was soon arranged. He married Miss Niu Suyun from the Niu family. The Niu family was also a family of officials. Suyun was pretty but spoiled and willful. After she came into the family, she often quarreled with Jingya, leaving him dejected. As for Sunya, his marriage was arranged with Miss Yao Mulan of the Yao family. Mulan was clever and lively, and Mrs. Zeng was very fond of her. However, Mulan was still young, so the marriage was temporarily put aside.
After Jingya got married, Sunya found life at home even more boring. He often went out and made friends with unsavory characters, gradually neglecting his studies. Mrs. Zeng admonished him repeatedly, but he never listened. Meanwhile, Jingya buried himself in his books, preparing for the imperial examinations. Both his father and mother pinned great hopes on him.
That autumn, Zeng Wenpu was promoted to a post in the capital. The house was full of guests and bustling with excitement. But the conflict between Jingya and his new wife Suyun deepened daily. Suyun often went back to her own family to cry and complain, and the Niu family would send people to argue, causing turmoil in the Zeng household. Mrs. Zeng regretted that she had chosen such a daughter-in-law for Jingya, but what was done could not be undone.
Feeling the gloomy atmosphere at home, Sunya often went to the Yao household to play with Mulan. By then Mulan was thirteen or fourteen, and she had grown increasingly beautiful. Sunya was deeply infatuated with her. But Mulan, being perceptive, saw that although Sunya was passionate, he lacked steadiness. In her heart, she regarded him only as an older brother.