Explore Chapter 6 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.
Manniang's maiden years were like plum blossoms blooming in the bitter cold of deep winter, growing on gnarled and twisted branches, bursting forth in the chill between winter's end and spring's beginning, without green leaves to set them off, without other flowers for company, destined by fate to be secluded, self-contained, and to enjoy her own fragrance alone. While peach, plum, and other spring flowers were just beginning to open, she had already passed her dreamlike prime on the old, hard branches.
Her two months as a guest in the Zeng household, when <Mulan> was staying there, were like a beautiful dream. She was fourteen then, and her maternal nature was just beginning to unfold, like a flower just opening. Her elder sister's nature was also beginning to emerge, and both poured all their maternal affection onto <Mulan>, for Manniang had never had a sister, had never slept in the same bed with another girl, or chatted away in bed at night as other girls did. She was naturally shy and could not feel at ease with men. Before her brother was born when she was ten, she had been completely alone, and that brother died of illness at the age of five, the year after <Mulan> returned to <Beijing>. Manniang's uncle had no children and adopted one. Her grandfather, who was the elder brother of Old Lady Zeng, had squandered his fortune and died in poverty, leaving two sons, Manniang's father and uncle, who barely managed to get by with the help of their aunt. Families are like trees: some flourish, while others, even with care, gradually wither and die. The Sun family seemed to be declining, for there were few children.
As if fate were inescapable, a year after Manniang's brother died, in early spring, her father also passed away. How to continue the Sun family line then became a matter of great concern for Old Lady Zeng.
Manniang thus became the only blood descendant to carry on the Sun family line. Old Lady Zeng was very worried and became especially kind to Manniang.
The Zeng family had once invited Manniang and her mother to move in with them to keep Old Lady Zeng company. The Sun family had a few acres of land and their own house, and with some needlework, mother and daughter could get by. But the Zeng mansion was spacious, and Old Lady Zeng had only the old <maidservant> Aunt Li for company, who was already aged and sickly, a dried-up, shriveled old woman with a nervous disposition.
Old Lady Zeng refused to go to <Beijing> with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. She had seen the splendor of the imperial court in her youth, and now that her son had risen to prominence, she was grateful for her good fortune. She became a devout Buddhist, believing that doing good deeds would bring blessings, not only for her own next life, but also for her descendants. She donated four pillars for the front portico of the Temple of the King of Hell at the foot of the southwestern hills of <Tai'an>. She was a major benefactor of the temple's monks. When the monks proposed rebuilding the temple-a common excuse for alms-seeking-she immediately donated the four front pillars. The pillars were carved with coiled dragons, the high relief style echoing the grandeur of the Confucian Temple in Qufu, a few miles away. The name 'Temple of the King of Hell' greatly appealed to her, believing it would win favor with the Lord of the Underworld. Beneath the main hall were the Golden Bridge, the Silver Bridge, and the Bridge of Sorrow, which all souls had to cross on their way to the underworld after death, so it was best to get familiar with the road early in life.
Thus, the old grandmother insisted on staying in her hometown with Aunt Li, while her son's family lived in <Beijing>. Although the younger generation begged the old lady to move to <Beijing> with them, <Mrs. Zeng>, like any typical daughter-in-law, secretly rejoiced that her mother-in-law would not come, leaving her to be the mistress of the house in <Beijing> on her own.
What pleased <Mrs. Zeng> even more was leaving Aunt Li behind. Behind the old lady's back, the whole family, down to the maids and servants, considered Aunt Li a pest. Aunt Li's position in the household was not entirely proper, yet she was meddlesome and vexatious. She was originally a charity case of the Zeng family, but she never showed gratitude. Now in her fifties, she had an unusual childhood. As a baby, she had fled with her parents from Anqing to Shandong during the Taiping Rebellion. Her father had been a bodyguard for Old Lady Zeng's father and had sacrificed his life to save his master. After his death, the family felt indebted and promised to raise the child. When this Old Lady Zeng, then still a young lady, married into the Zeng family, Aunt Li, then a widow, managed to come along to help care for Old Lady Zeng's son, the current <Zeng Wenpu>. Later, even when her services were no longer needed, she had become a fixture in the household, occupying a position below family members but above the servants.
Initially, <Mrs. Zeng> found that Aunt Li always protected her husband, so she had to endure her meddling in silence, even more than she tolerated her own mother-in-law. Later, as <Zeng Wenpu> rose higher in officialdom, Aunt Li acted as if the Zeng family owed her a lifetime of support, because she had raised <Zeng Wenpu>. For <Zeng Wenpu>'s part, he had to be lenient with her to avoid accusations of ingratitude. Besides, feeding one more mouth cost little more than a drop in the bucket.
As time went by, Aunt Li had less and less to do, yet she demanded more and more servants to wait on her. She often felt slighted, thinking people did not show her enough respect, and she would complain about the servants over trivial matters. <Mrs. Zeng> would blame the servants to placate her; otherwise, Aunt Li would throw a tantrum, saying the Zeng family no longer needed her. The old lady was partial to her, partly to show the magnanimity of a wealthy scholarly family toward their servants, and partly out of habit. In her old age, the old lady appreciated having someone to talk to. Aunt Li would endlessly recount the Taiping Rebellion and her father's exploits, until the children grew tired of hearing about the Taiping rebels and their fierce generals.
When Manniang's father died, Old Lady Zeng decided to solemnize the betrothal between Manniang and her eldest grandson. She summoned <Pingya> back from <Beijing> to <Tai'an>, for according to her plan, the betrothal ceremony would be quite grand and required <Pingya>'s presence. The betrothal ceremony was to be held right after Manniang's father's funeral, and <Pingya> would also attend the funeral.
That spring, <Pingya>'s educational program was completely disrupted, as China's educational system was undergoing change. The defeat of the <Boxers> was also the defeat of the extreme conservatives, and marked the rise of enlightened princes and ministers. The ban on intermarriage between Manchus and Han was lifted, foot-binding was prohibited, the civil service examination system was abolished, and schools were established at all levels. Graduates who passed examinations were awarded academic titles such as gongsheng, juren, and jinshi. The subjects of study also changed; the eight-legged essay for civil service exams was replaced by essays on current political affairs. Schools were springing up everywhere, but there was much disagreement about what to teach. <Zeng Wenpu> himself was unsure what subjects his son should study to prepare for an official career, so he temporarily sent his son back to Shandong, accompanied by his mother.
Old Lady Zeng thought it most convenient to have Manniang and her mother observe the forty-nine-day mourning period at the Zeng residence before the funeral. So right at the start of the forty-nine days, Manniang and her mother moved into the Zeng house. The old lady ordered the eastern compound to be given to the Sun family mother and daughter, and also to serve as a temporary resting place for the coffin. In front of the hall where the coffin was placed hung two large oil-paper lanterns, each bearing the big black character 'Sun,' with two white paper strips crossed over to partially cover the character, indicating that this was a funeral for the Sun family and was being held at their house. The old lady assigned a few male and female servants to help, making things easy for the mother and daughter. The funeral was known locally as part of the Zeng family’s extended network, and local officials and gentry came to offer condolences. The old lady had an altar set up in the courtyard and invited monks to chant sutras to guide the soul.
During the 'Double Seven' period, Manniang wore white mourning clothes all the time. At night, she and her mother kept vigil behind the curtain of the mourning hall. At first, in the darkness, the black curtain, the coffin, and the candles made her tremble with fear, and she clung tightly to her mother. During the day, they had to attend to the monks' meals, give tips to the servants of relatives who brought gifts, and handle countless other matters, so she was utterly exhausted. Yet her heart was truly sorrowful, and the atmosphere of the entire forty-nine-day mourning period made her feel her father's death even more deeply.
Old Lady Zeng, with the consent of <Pingya>'s mother, did something unconventional. At that time, <Pingya> was at most an affianced husband, and Manniang, strictly speaking, had not yet entered the family. But the old lady was determined to have a 'son-in-law' participate in her nephew's funeral. On the day of the public condolence, many guests came to pay their respects, and a man had to receive them. Most importantly, when the honored guests performed the rites before the coffin, someone had to return the bows beside it. At night, seeing that the mother and daughter were exhausted, <Pingya> offered to take over the vigil.
Manniang was, of course, extremely grateful. Having the help of relatives from the maternal side made the funeral dignified and honorable, bringing comfort to both the living and the dead. Another reason for her gratitude was that during the funeral procession, <Pingya> would wear the mourning garments of a son-in-law, and he had already relieved her and her mother of some of the burden by keeping vigil. She was even more grateful because, after her father's death, with only her widowed mother and herself left, alone and helpless, having a man in the house brought great comfort. And another thing that touched her was that, following the grandmother's wishes, <Pingya> no longer called her mother 'Aunt' but 'Mother.'