Shujia's Random Interpretation of the Four Books for Women

"The Four Books for Women" is incredibly thin! This wasn't just Mr. Jiang's feeling, it was Shujia's too. She knew every word and understood every meaning, so she was particularly upset! The first chapter, written by the famous Ban Zhao, is "The Instructions for Women." It has seven instructions: humility first, husband and wife second, respect and prudence third, womanly conduct fourth, concentration fifth, obedience sixth, and uncle and niece seventh.

In short, it means putting yourself at the lowest level first. Women are inferior to others from birth (this was also a fact in the feudal era), and they have to be careful and serve everyone.

But to be honest, some of the content did make sense. That night, Shujia slowly flipped through the original text, which consisted of only a handful of words, glanced at the annotations, and began to interpret it in her mind. Facts tell us that good sutras are always ruined by crooked monks, although Shujia did not admit to being a monk or being crooked.

Shujia explained herself: "From the first point, we know that as a woman, we must face reality. No matter how well your family members like you, their importance is not as great as that of your brothers." So, for aristocratic families, the idea of ​​relatives by marriage is nothing but a passing fancy. Perhaps, they'll support a woman when there's hope, but for the entire family to pin all their hopes on a single girl and do everything for her is simply out of the question.

For a woman, her husband is extremely important. She should get along well with him. It's better to be gentle with him than to be tough, and to coax him rather than to be tolerant. She should learn to be docile and not always make honest advice unpleasant. Shujia believes this is called "saving the country by taking a roundabout way," emphasizing the methods and means. As long as the goal is achieved, the process and other matters can be less important. Furthermore, her parents-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law are extremely important. Maintaining good relations with them can often help her husband escape into the vast sea of ​​​​people's war.

Having recognized the truth and discovered the joy of reading, Shujia joyfully continued to rip her book apart. She had finally come to a complete understanding. She believed her twist actually made perfect sense when compared to what was written in the book; it was just a matter of phrasing it differently. Suddenly, it was gilded with glitter and glitter. Surrender could even be called a roundabout way to save the nation. It showed that speaking was a profound art. It all came down to who was more pretentious, who was more treacherous...

It's great that the Four Books for Women is thin. It's fantastic. Unlike the Four Books, where a single sentence has a hundred people trying to annotate it, eager to expand the content a hundred or eighty times. It's like a composition topic—well, they've been used as essay topics for two hundred years, and they'll continue to be used for another two hundred. The book is thin, so I don't have to memorize anything else; I can just read it myself. Shujia is so happy.

In her opinion, this is simply a textbook on being treacherous.

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While Shujia was having a blast, Mr. Jiang was having a hard time teaching. The lack of reference materials was one factor, and figuring out how to explain things in a way a little girl could understand was another. (Sir, she actually understands everything. She'd understand even without you explaining. She's a pseudo-child.)

Mr. Jiang came to stay with the Shi family and planned to stay in Hangzhou for a while to learn from them. If he finished teaching his students before his study tour ended, he would be embarrassed to stay in the Shi residence. After careful consideration, Mr. Jiang worried that the content was too limited. After teaching, he was laid off and even made a list of books for people to buy. He then expanded his knowledge by teaching other miscellaneous subjects, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and planned to cover the basics.

This way, they had more to learn, and since the sisters only had half-day classes, it should be enough to last them a few years. The acceptance rate for the imperial examinations was low back then, and Mr. Jiang wasn't sure he'd pass on his first try. If he failed this one, he might still be able to teach here. For this reason, Mr. Jiang paid close attention to the sisters' studies.

Now that he was focused, he began to have a headache. According to the rules, a girl could be selected at thirteen, and girls have many chores to attend to, including schoolwork and needlework. Some knowledge needed to be taught early; if taught too early, the little girl would be too young to explain. So, Mr. Jiang, partly out of deliberation and partly out of helplessness, could only speak more slowly. Shujia didn't care about his pace, because whenever Mr. Jiang got stuck, he would expand on the content, sometimes even touching on classics and history, which gave Shujia the opportunity to ask Shi Wenbing for some historical texts.

It wasn't that she didn't know about the past, but with this excuse, she could conceal her knowledge of it, without worrying about letting slip and arousing suspicion. Shujia had long set her sights on his inner study. Although it was a military officer's study, it still had some books, more than a little girl's. However, Shi Wenbing had been too busy lately, and his expression was a little serious, making it inappropriate to discuss the topic, so Shujia had to endure it. Now, the opportunity had arrived.

Shi Wenbing's study was newly furnished, and it didn't contain many books. Besides the commonly used Four Books, there were also a collection of the Twenty-Two Histories. The so-called Twenty-Four Histories came at a time when the Ming Dynasty had just begun to be compiled, and the Qing Dynasty had only just begun, so there were only twenty-two volumes. Hangzhou, on the other hand, was very convenient for buying books that weren't taboo, and Shi Wenbing had plenty of money, so he bought a set, including the Zizhi Tongjian. He also had a number of other miscellaneous books, including a copy of The West Chamber.

Mr. Jiang explained to Shi Wenbing the difficulties of teaching. Shuxian was relatively easy, as she was a few years older. Shujia was a bit more difficult. It would be a shame not to teach her, but it wouldn't be appropriate to do so. It would also be a good idea to have her read some other "enlightening" books. Shi Wenbing acquiesced to Mr. Jiang's suggestion, but he was still hesitant to open his inner study to his daughter. There were many books in it that were fine for men but not for girls.

Shi Wenbing turned around and discussed with Xiluo Te, "It's not a big deal to have that little money. I'll send Fu Hai to buy some books and give each of the sisters a copy, and have it delivered tomorrow." Xiluo Te said, "I was wondering why. So it's for this. That's good. Mr. Jiang is being too cautious. As long as the sisters can go out and meet people without losing face, do they really need you to teach them other things?" That's right, household chores should of course be handled by family members.

Shi Wenbing explained this and changed the subject, asking about the home furnishings. Xiluo Te said, "The sizes were measured long ago, and the designs have been chosen. They're being sent out and are being made. They'll be ready in a few days, ready to be used right away. There's just one thing: we didn't bring all our clothes with us when we got to Hangzhou, so we need to buy some. The sisters are growing taller, and last year's clothes are already too small, so they need to be made now."

Shi Wenbing asked curiously, "Why are you asking me about this? The thing Hangzhou has no shortage of is fabric, right? We have money, and we've even brought some sewing experts with us." Xiluo Te smiled and said, "It's obvious. I've noticed these days that the styles of clothing here are very different from what we used to wear in Beijing. While the sewing experts can make Manchu-style clothing, they're worried they might struggle with some of the newer styles. I wonder if we could make a couple of new looks, too?"

Women always have a love for beauty, and many are naturally sensitive to things like clothing and jewelry, while few are uninterested. Xiluotai was proud of her Manchu clothing, but the more Han-style clothing of the south was so alluring that she couldn't resist making a few sets of her own. Fearing her husband's rebuke, she asked for permission first.

Shi Wenbing thought for a moment and said, "It wouldn't hurt to make two sets. I've noticed that my uncle and aunt don't always wear Manchu clothing." Worried about her being influenced by Han culture, he gave her some additional instructions on her upbringing. Xiluo Te smiled broadly, "I see. How could I forget this? That's it. Make a few sets for the two maids and a few of the concubines. If we go out to entertain guests, we won't have to crowd around to see them."

Shi Wenbing, relieved about his family, turned his attention back to his business. He had been eagerly anticipating the pacification of Taiwan. Emperor Kangxi had already ordered Fujian Governor Yao Qisheng and Fujian Admiral Shi Lang to advance. If he was in Zhejiang and needed assistance, he could be transferred there to contribute, which would be a contribution. Furthermore, Hua Shan had made a mistake during the suppression of the Three Feudatories, and no disciplinary action had yet been announced. Shi Wenbing was anxious, thinking that if he could achieve something, it would atone for his father's mistakes.

Unfortunately, Yao and Shi were too capable, so his assistance was unnecessary. He was only assigned to help out in the rear, taking care of logistics and other matters, and was not needed for the time being. While Shi Wenbing felt the might of the Celestial Empire, he also felt somewhat dejected. He began to ponder the Huashan issue again, and largely left his daughters' education to his wife and the teacher. Later, when he was distracted from his work and realized that the books his daughters were reading were not quite right, it was too late for regret.

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Children couldn't manage adult matters these days, especially in this house, where the space was ample. When the adults were discussing matters, the maids would always tactfully take the children away. Shujia had no idea what Shi Wenbing was worried about, but she instinctively sensed the tension and low pressure emanating from him, and... her mother began to put back the luggage her father had already packed.

One thing caught her attention. Children, growing up, naturally need new clothes every year if they can afford it, and this year they've started buying autumn and winter clothes. The previously mentioned Governor Li had died, and after the funeral, the family returned home. There was a period of turmoil, and everyone was discreetly avoiding any celebrations. Xilut took this opportunity to consult with Madam Shilin and chat with Mahada's wife, selecting several skilled local tailors to make their own clothes.

When Shujia was called in for measurements, she didn't think much of it; it was something she'd been accustomed to doing every year and every season. Then, pointing to the various fabrics on the table, she asked her to choose, insisting that she wear no more than three different colors for her outfit, otherwise it would be too dazzling. Her clothes had always been chosen by Xiluo, and now she expressed her opinion.

Xiluotai frowned and said, "It's not good to be too plain. A young girl should wear something brighter." The tailors replied, "If you match the colors, it will look good." In the end, six sets of clothing were made, four of which were still Manchu-style attire. They also accepted Shujia's suggestion and made a light-colored Manchu-style dress. Xiluotai thought, "Governor Li is dead, and we may not stay in Hangzhou for many years. If there is another funeral, and we have to meet people at that time, it would be inappropriate to wear bright red and green." This perfectly fulfilled her daughter's wish, making it a perfect match.

As her mood improved, she began to order new jewelry. Her daughters were growing older, their hair growing longer, and they needed all sorts of hairpins and rings. In Beijing, people often changed jewelry, usually switching to jade and stone jewelry in early spring, then gold and silver jewelry in autumn, and so on. Meanwhile, she asked the buyers to find the finest velvet flowers, as the seasons changed and the velvet flowers needed to be replaced. While she was busy and happy, finished furniture began to arrive, and she settled the wages with the outside craftsmen. She also added two or three screens to Shujia's room, and Zhang Lu's wife reported back that she was also making dressing boxes for the mistress and the two girls. The more exquisite one would have to wait a while.

It feels more like home after it is tidied up.

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By the time Shujia's clothes and jewelry were packed and her classic storytelling was getting better, autumn had arrived. While the heat of autumn was still quite strong, it had finally made things much better. Rain had been scarce this summer, and Shujia had never seen it in this Jiangnan region. She had been hoping that her parents would suddenly want to see the misty rain over West Lake, and she would get to enjoy it, but the weather, coupled with the events of the annexation of Taiwan and the death of the governor, completely ruined her plans.

Now that it is autumn, let’s not talk about boating on the lake, but there is another thing we can do: eating crabs.

After Li died, Kangxi appointed Wang, the new governor. Wang's name was Guoan, and Li Zhifang, the governor-general, hosted a banquet to welcome Wang. The men had their own places to go, while the women gathered to eat crabs and listen to opera.

Eating crab is an elegant affair. It's easy to get plump autumn crabs here. Arrange the eight crab dishes, simmer them in rice wine, and enjoy the crab crabs while you admire the osmanthus blossoms and listen to opera. It's a truly beautiful experience. Mrs. Xiluo received the invitation and went, leaving Shuxian and Shujia behind to look after the house. When she returns, order dinner to be served.

Shujia glanced at the small Western-style clock in Xiluo's room. It was almost dinnertime, but she rarely saw her rush to set the table. Little did she know that this was Xiluo's first time eating crab with such care. Even for an experienced person, using the eight crab parts to cut a crab would take considerable effort. Xiluo couldn't refuse to eat, nor could she just break it open and chew it. She had to learn little by little. Fortunately, she had a few snacks to fill her stomach, otherwise she would have been starving.

The next day, the Shi family added several crab dishes, and a basket of crabs arrived in the kitchen. Shujia was fortunate to learn this way of eating crabs. She had heard about it before her time travel and thought it was very elegant and handsome. She always did it with her hands, just her hands: peeling the shell, breaking off the claws, biting open the shell, and using the claws to pick out the meat... She ate it with every ounce of satisfaction. Back in Beijing, there were crabs, but not many. Crabs are cold in nature, so they shouldn't be eaten in large quantities. Children are too delicate to eat them. The small piece of meat she tasted was prepared by someone else.

Now, every task required a specific tool. It was a real headache. After she finished her first crab, half an hour had already passed, and the meat was already cold. It was painful, but she still had to learn, and her form had to be graceful. Shujia believed that if she ignored the form issue, even using these tools would increase her efficiency by at least half. No wonder her mother was so determined to practice when she got home. If she hadn't mastered that graceful form, she would have been starving after finishing a few bites.

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The Shi family had almost perfected their crab-eating skills, and autumn was almost over. Shujia hadn't been able to socialize much of the entire autumn. The polite words adults exchanged during socializing were truly unbelievable! They were just casual remarks. Children were learning, and running around would only interfere with their studies. They mostly only went to banquets at close relatives' homes, and might even avoid attending guests at their own home.

Even on Shuxian's birthday, her family only sent her a few gifts. It was said that the owner of her family's business gave her some toys as a gift, and the food on that day was just a little richer.