"The master needs to be taken care of when he's away from home for a long time. Is there anyone willing to follow him?"
After these words were spoken, all the female relatives were silent for a moment, and then took a step back together. Only Aunt Li, who was the father's favorite, was pushed by someone and could not turn around in time, so she stood out from the crowd.
The stepmother clapped her hands and laughed, "Good, good, I knew the master's love for you was not in vain. Come, pack Aunt Li's bags! Send Tenth Brother to my room. Be careful not to scare the child."
Aunt Li collapsed to the ground, her face full of fear.
A few days after my father left, Aunt Qiu disappeared without a word - my grandfather hated concubines interfering in the marriages of his brothers and sisters the most.
Some said she was sold, others said she drowned. The newly born twelfth brother was also raised by his mother. Thus, his father's three sons, one legitimate and two illegitimate, were all in the care of his mother.
My aunt shivered for a long time and said to me, "Madam is really not a vegetarian."
"Do you still want to have a son?" I asked.
Auntie sighed, "Forget it, take a step back and the world will be wider."
However, the stepmother was not a bad person. When the seventh sister was about to turn twenty years old, the stepmother had indeed prepared three marriage candidates for her: a promising scholar from a poor family, a widowed gentleman from a prominent family, and a very wealthy cloth merchant from Jiangnan.
It is said that the seventh sister finally decided the Jiangnan cloth merchant by rolling the dice.
The year after I came of age, I completely grew taller, all the fat on my body disappeared, and I became a charming and lovely girl - my aunt breathed a sigh of relief. A few months later, my grandfather was reinstated, and the Qi and Sheng families held a low-key wedding.
When I lifted the red veil, I saw my new husband, a handsome and serious young man. After drinking the wedding wine, he sat motionless by the bed. I thought that he might think I was not worthy of him.
Watching Longfengzhu weeping blood-red tears, I felt wronged and wanted to cry. I didn't ask for this marriage. I had already planned to be the wife of a wealthy boss or a scholar. If you don't like me, why did you agree to marry me?
I whispered, "...You, you don't like me..."
My husband twisted his neck stiffly and nodded habitually. I burst into tears immediately. He immediately panicked and shook his head and nodded hurriedly: "No, no, no, I mean I like you, not that I don't like you..."
I burst into laughter through my tears.
Later my husband told me that before the marriage, the old duke had threatened his grandson that he must treat me well, otherwise he would punish him; my husband was so nervous sitting by the bed, thinking hard about how to satisfy the old duke.
That night, he tried very hard to treat me 'well'.
My husband is a dignified and steady man. He doesn't know what constitutes joy in the boudoir, let alone how to please a girl. But I just like to tease him mischievously, and we complement each other. As time goes by, he becomes more and more fond of being serious in front of others and playing with me behind their backs.
My father-in-law may not be very satisfied with this marriage, but he can still treat me with courtesy. My grandmother-in-law has passed away long ago. The only trouble is my mother-in-law. She obviously doesn't like me, but she only has one son and one daughter-in-law. Apart from me, she doesn't like any other daughter-in-law. Besides, she has no other way to deal with me except to follow the rules.
After entering the Qi Mansion, I learned that the old Duke had established a strange rule that mothers-in-law are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of their daughters-in-law. Specifically, they are not allowed to put other people in their sons' rooms, and taking concubines is the business of the young couple themselves.
Back then, Madam Qi had wanted to give her eldest daughter-in-law, who had just married into the family, a warning, but she was humiliated by the old Duke in front of everyone in the house. My mother-in-law's background was even worse than that of my eldest sister-in-law, so she didn't dare to act rashly.
Under this magical family rule, I successfully gave birth to my eldest son, second son, eldest daughter and third son.
Seeing my children and grandchildren around me and the house becoming more and more lively, no matter how much my mother-in-law disliked me, she had to soften her attitude gradually. She hugged one on her left, one on her right, one sitting in her arms, and one hanging around her neck. She could no longer keep a cold face towards me.
Especially when the eldest family had so few heirs, the number of children I gave birth to alone was worth more than that of my eldest sister-in-law and my third brother's wife combined. When my mother-in-law stood in front of my eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Qi, she felt more confident and her face was beaming every day.
That year, my mother-in-law caught a cold and was ill for a long time. I slept directly in front of her bed, serving her medicine every day, bathing her, changing her clothes, feeding her, combing her hair, and even helping her go to the toilet. This went on for two months. My mother-in-law recovered, but I lost a lot of weight. Fortunately, I had been strong since I was a child and never got tired.
Even if a person's heart is made of stone, it will warm up if you hold it for a long time. My mother-in-law finally put aside her cold face, took my hand and said, "You are a good child. In the past... I wronged you. I always felt that you were not worthy of my son..."
With red eyes, she continued, "Now it seems that I was reckless. After all, my old master has good taste. You have chosen a very good granddaughter-in-law."
Once I let down my guard, my mother-in-law treated me sincerely and treated me like her own daughter. Even my husband pretended to be jealous when he saw me.
I heard that the two daughters-in-law of the Qi family were chosen by the old Duke himself. Come to think of it, how could such a smart and capable man like the old Duke choose such a vicious-hearted woman as his daughter-in-law?
"My father-in-law has had a rough life." My mother-in-law sighed and pulled me aside to start a conversation.
Handsome men are unlucky in marriage, and this saying is absolutely true for my old man.
The old master had three wives in his life. The first was the Princess of Jiacheng County. She died in the "Shenchen Rebellion" shortly after her marriage. It was said that her death was extremely ignominious. The second was the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, a prominent family in southern Shanxi. Her family had produced many important figures. She once gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, when she accompanied the old master to take up her post in southern Fujian that year, an epidemic broke out and all three of them died. The third was the legitimate granddaughter of Princess Qingning. Soon after their marriage, the couple inherited the title of Duke. The new wife died after giving birth to two sons. She was less than 30 years old.
The following year, Princess Pingning and her husband also passed away. After that, the old master never remarried. He only left two old concubines to take care of his daily life and personally raised his two sons.
"That's why my uncle and the master respect my father-in-law very much and are very filial to him. They never dare to disobey him in the slightest. It's really not easy for my father-in-law. He has to take care of the inside and the outside, and be both a father and a mother." The mother-in-law sighed.
"Actually, I heard back home that when my father-in-law left for his post in southern Fujian, everyone told Mrs. Shen not to go with him. Not to mention the hot and humid miasma there, which northerners wouldn't be able to acclimate to, and the two children were still young... Alas, Mrs. Shen insisted on going with him, refusing to leave my father-in-law even for a moment. Later, tragedy struck, and the Shen family couldn't blame anyone..."
"Oh, maybe it's because you have too deep affection for your grandfather." I'm not interested in gossip, but my mother-in-law is obviously very interested, so I cater to her enthusiastically.
The mother-in-law shook her head mysteriously: "I don't think so."
I am very grateful to my husband. Without his kindness and generosity, I would not have the happy life I have today. I am determined to be filial to him with all my heart, but I don't know how to start.
The old master's daily life is extremely simple and plain. He often likes to fish by the pond and sit there for most of the day. He doesn't care whether he catches any fish or not. When he has nothing to do, he either reads or listens to my little girl reading aloud.
He asked his great-granddaughter to read Xiaoya in the Book of Songs, Peach Blossom Spring, and the travel notes written by my fourth uncle from the Gu family. The little girl sat cross-legged on the kang, shaking her head, and her childish voice was clear and crisp, echoing in the bright and elegant study.
The old man was sitting far away by the window, leaning his head to the side and looking over with his hands, smiling slightly. His expression was kind and gentle, but there was a very faint melancholy in his eyes, as faint as a layer of gauze covered in mist, very far away, yet very close.
He always seemed to have this expression, kind and gentle, treating people like a spring breeze. Even my grandfather had several political enemies, but the old man seemed to be praised by everyone.
Only once did I see his face change.
That year, the third brother who looked most like the old master was due to get married, but trouble arose.
The eldest aunt arranged a marriage for my third brother with a girl from the Han family, but he didn't like her. He liked a girl from the Qiu family. Unfortunately, the Qiu family had an ordinary family background and was of no help to my third brother.
The matter was brought to the old master. "Let him decide for himself," the old man said lightly.
During those days, my aunt kept crying and begging my third brother, and I could basically guess what she was saying.
My uncle is in weak health, and my eldest brother is also not in good health. They have no children yet, so my third brother is the only one in the eldest house who can be relied on.
The father and son of our second branch are not only young and strong, but also have successful careers and many children. If something happens in the future... my old master was also the son of the second branch.
Finally, the third brother was persuaded. He walked up to the old master with a depressed look and said in person, "I am willing to marry the girl from the Han family."
The old master's face remained calm as he smiled and said, "Okay, Grandfather will ask someone to propose marriage for you."
Everyone left one after another, and I was the last one left. I wanted to pick up the little girl who was sleeping soundly in the next room. Before I left, I clearly heard a low, bitter laugh and a very light sigh - "It's like this again... It's still like this..."
I quickly turned my head to look, and saw the old man holding a scroll in one hand in front of the window, his eyes looking at the scenery outside. A sadness suddenly appeared on his usually calm face, as if he had lost something beautiful that could never be recovered.
Many years passed, and even my eldest son was old enough to marry. My four great-aunts, two great-uncles, and grandmother passed away one after another, and my grandfather finally passed away.
The pillar of the Sheng family collapsed. The old man stood in the mourning hall for a long time, his expression lonely but not sad, as if he was not mourning a good friend, but his earliest youth.
Because of his grandfather's outstanding achievements, the emperor ordered the two princes to carry the coffin and attend the funeral, which was truly an honor.
The grand funeral exhausted the whole family's energy. I went back to my parents' home to visit my sick mother, and as usual, we had nothing to talk about.
Just as I was about to say goodbye, my stepmother suddenly spoke, "Do you know? Actually, on the Lantern Festival that year, when Mr. Qi saw you, he wanted to marry you to his grandson. But the old man refused, saying that if the girl was not good, what would happen to her close friend's family? In the following years, the old man kept observing you secretly, and when he felt that you had a kind character, he finally agreed to the marriage."
I was shocked.
On the way home, I gave this question my first serious thought.
Why did my husband like me so much back then? I have a vague understanding of it, but I can't quite wrap my head around it. Forget it, let's not think about it anymore. Overthinking makes it hard to eat.
After his friend passed away, the old man gradually grew old. At the end of the following year, the imperial physician told him frankly: "It's time to prepare for the funeral."
My uncle and father-in-law were both very sad and couldn't help sobbing. No matter how much conflict they had with each other, they truly respected and loved their old father.
"My eldest brother and I have agreed that after father... passes away..." the father-in-law continued with difficulty, and then said to the mother-in-law, "We will separate the family. It's time for our son to go out and gain some experience. I've found him a posting in the capital, and asked my daughter-in-law to go with him. We will raise our grandchildren in the capital."
My mother-in-law was also old and becoming more and more kind. She didn't show any dissatisfaction when she heard this. She smiled gently and said, "That's great. I told my sister-in-law that we should live closer from now on so that we can look after each other."
I understand. My father-in-law and mother-in-law have completely given up, giving up the title of duke in exchange for a happy family and harmonious brotherhood.
My husband took me back to the house and said softly, "You've worked hard these years. There are so many rules and things to do at home. When we get outside, we can go out for an outing and go boating on the lake..."
He put his lips to my ear and said warmly, "We can also add another little monkey."
My face flushed, and I cursed under my breath, "Bad guy."
At the old grandfather's bedside, my uncle and father-in-law told my father their decision together.
The old master understood the meaning and nodded with a weak smile, "...Okay... You two brothers can think it through on your own... Very good..."
The old man's arms slowly drooped down beside the bed. They were once slender and beautiful, but now they were weak and old.
Except for the ancestral property, meritorious fields, and sacrificial fields of the Duke's Mansion, the rest of the family property was divided into two, and the two old concubines were each supported. No one objected throughout the process.
After the funeral, Aunt Ding handed a small box to me with a sad smile: "This is what my old master asked me to give to Second Madam. It's not a valuable thing, just consider it a souvenir."
She paused, and couldn't help but add, tears in her eyes: "The old master gave it away at the beginning, but unfortunately it was returned." After saying this, she knew she had said too much and quickly took her leave.
This is a small wooden box with an old copper lock, exquisite mother-of-pearl inlay, and valuable rosewood. Even after more than sixty years, it still exudes a bright glow and a faint fragrance.
I slowly opened it and found a pair of clay dolls inside.
I am not unfamiliar with this thing. I also had a few of the big Afu clay dolls from Wuxi when I was a child, but they were not as exquisitely made as these two. The clothes and the way they were dressed looked like they were specially made.
A boy and a girl, dressed in festive red, were chubby and adorable. Sadly, their vibrant glaze had faded with age, and their faces and bodies had become blurred, as if they'd been held and gently rubbed often. While playing with them, I turned them over and found faint writing on their bottoms: 'Xiao Liu' was written on the girl's, and 'Xiao Er' on the boy's.
The ink is gray and light, and it must have been written decades ago. You can still vaguely see the clear and beautiful handwriting.
My heart ached as I wondered if the person who had received these two clay dolls had ever seen these four words?
I put the doll back in the box, then quietly walked to the study, hugged my husband from behind, and gently nuzzled the back of his neck with my cheek. My husband put down the file in his hand, held me in his arms, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? You want the little monkey again?"
I stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "Hello, Qi Xiaoer."
The husband was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "You are making trouble again."
This was the nickname they had jokingly given each other when they were newly married. He suddenly became playful and poked his wife's upturned nose, "Hey, Sheng Xiaoliu."
I suddenly felt sad and tears welled up in my eyes. I hugged my husband tightly and said "hmm" softly.
Qi Xiaoer and Sheng Xiaoliu will be together forever in this life.
Conclusion
This story begins with a Miss Sheng Liu and ends with a Miss Sheng Liu. In the end, they were both very happy. All the emotional turmoil began with a young man named Qi who opened the curtain and entered the house one afternoon, and ended with the death of this young man. No one knows whether he was happy in the end. Our nostalgia begins with the prosperity of a family and ends with the decline of this family.
Flowers bloom and fall, over and over again.
This is true of our country, our blood, and our civilization.
I want to describe a prosperous and flourishing era with wise monarchs, courageous generals, cunning speculators, and strategists with wise plans, with blood, tragedy, and a glorious future.
I want to describe a family that is on the rise, with thoughtful parents, upright men, strong-willed and charming daughters, tears, hurts, and a reunion after hardships.
All the main characters who appeared in the text of "Knowing", whether they cried, laughed, were happy or sad, whether they were strong, humble, kind, vicious, successful or failed, their stories have ended.
After this, I won't write any more stories about them.
Thank you everyone, thank you very much.
This is an unforgettable experience. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Writing this makes me want to cry.
Four o'clock in the morning.
Extra Chapter 7: Shameful Sun Covering Silk Sleeves, Sad Spring Laziness to Put on Makeup (Extra Chapter of the Taiwan Edition)
Che Sanniang has been traveling around with her parents since she was a child. A blind fortune teller ate half of her steamed bun and decided to give her a fortune-telling. The fortune-teller said: Che, you will be toiled all your life. Even if you become rich and powerful in the future, you will still have to work hard.
Che Sanniang looked on with disdain.
Who is fooling whom? We are all from the underworld. She only knows her fancy moves and the blind man only knows his eloquence. They all make a living by deceiving others. Who doesn't know who else's background? No one would believe his nonsense. Who would continue to work hard after becoming rich?
A long time later, when she recalled this incident, she couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth - what the blind man said was really right.
Her childhood was poor, though. Even at a young age, she had to cook, wash clothes, and care for her sick mother. Sometimes, she even had to accompany her father to market and attract customers, which in turn cultivated her spirited and capable character. Many people admired her for her quick wit and ability, and many proposed marriages to her.
When she was nineteen, her father passed away. As a lowly pawnshop girl, she didn't dare to observe any formalities, especially in mourning. So she took her frail mother and married a humble gang member named Shi Keng. She called her husband "Big Stone".
There is a small stone with a runny nose next to the big stone.
The two brothers lost their father and mother at a young age and depended on each other for survival. However, Dashitou was a man after all, and he was so busy earning money to support his family that he had no time to take care of his children. The little boy was thin and yellow, wearing ill-fitting clothes and shoes that were too big for him. His hands were covered with chilblains, but he would giggle and call her sister. Che Sanniang felt distressed and raised him as if he were her own son.
Her husband was a steady and experienced man, always able to handle the big issues, but she needed his support and constant reminders for the smaller matters. When the gang members had problems, he would consult with them, and she was the first to respond. When the brothers were away on the road and there were family emergencies, she, as the eldest sister-in-law, couldn't shirk her responsibility. The couple worked hard together, and she was always concerned about everything, carefully considering everything, fearing that Dashi would make a mistake. Throughout the year, both at home and abroad, she was even busier than her husband.
Many people joked that although she called Dashitou the head of the family, in fact she could be considered half of his family.
After working so hard, I finally built a business, and now it’s time to worry about my younger brother’s marriage.
Little Shitou has been influenced by his brother and sister-in-law since he was a child. He doesn't like those timid girls who are kept in seclusion, and he also looks down on the girls from poor families in the market. When Che Sanniang really got angry, she found one according to her own bold and experienced personality. After seeing the girl, Little Shitou said with a bitter face, "I feel like I'm facing my mother. I'm afraid I dare not even enter the bridal chamber." - Che Sanniang was so angry that she clapped her hands!
Seeing that Xiao Shitou was getting older, and thinking that she and her husband had only two girls, the future of the family line would depend on this little brother, but she didn't know where her future brothers and sisters-in-law were. Che Sanniang was so anxious that blisters appeared on her mouth.
Finally, God had a blessing. That year, Xiao Shitou came forward shyly and said that he had fallen in love with a girl. Che Sanniang was overjoyed. After asking carefully, she found out that she was the personal maid of Mr. Gu's new wife.
The husband was still hesitating, thinking that his family was now well-known and influential, with both money and power. It wouldn't be difficult for him to marry a daughter from a respectable and scholarly family, but he could also ask for a servant...? !
Che Sanniang, however, was far more astute than her husband. She was a prostitute, a young woman who had been exposed to the world since she was young. And what was her husband's background? At best, he could be called a "hero," but at worst, he was just a small-time hoodlum from the canal docks. If she really married a sister-in-law from a well-off family, not to mention their different personalities, she wondered if they could even get along. And if there was ever a future feud between the two families, and if the sister-in-law relied on her superior background and refused to give in, how would it end?
It would be better to marry a maid. Firstly, the sisters-in-law have similar backgrounds, and she is a reliable sister-in-law. Secondly, it can establish a relationship with the Gu Marquis's Mansion, killing two birds with one stone. Isn't that wonderful? Shi Keng always listened to his wife and loved his younger brother. After a few persuasion, he was convinced and promised to bring his wife and younger brother with him when he returned to the capital so that he could propose marriage to the Gu Mansion.
…
A year and a half later, the bride arrived, and the Shi family celebrated with great fanfare. The couple lived in harmony, treating their brother and sister-in-law with even greater respect and filial piety than before, and even the driver, Sanniang, felt warmly welcomed. As for the other aspects of the sister-in-law's behavior... what could be said?
When she first entered the house, Che Sanniang was worried that her sister-in-law, though a maid, had come from the side of the mistress of a wealthy family and had managed things and managed people before. What would she do if she wanted the power of stewardship? It wasn't that she was unwilling to let go, but how could she trust a newcomer?
It turned out that not only was she worrying too much, but she was also thinking too much.
My brother's wife is a kind and honest person, almost a little stupid.
If she was asked to get a bottle of soy sauce, she would never embezzle two cents to buy candy; if she was asked to watch her two nieces and not let them make trouble, she would stare at them with wide eyes and would not move an inch until her sister-in-law had finished calling her; if she was asked to pay the servants their monthly wages, she would not miss a single penny.
When Sanniang was checking the accounts, her sister-in-law would grind ink and spread paper; when Sanniang summoned the housekeeper's wife to handle matters, she would pour tea and fan them; when Sanniang was free, she would talk to the wives of her fellow gang members, while she would cheerfully eat melon seeds beside them. She was always cheerful, obedient, and docile, always asking for her decision on matters big and small, never having any of her own agenda.
One time, when the Shi brothers were away, Sanniang wanted to go out again and asked her to manage the household for half a month. Her sister-in-law immediately burst into tears and grabbed her sleeves, crying like a little cat. "Sister-in-law, what should I do now that you're not here? Please take me with you. I'll be obedient. Don't leave me alone. Don't let me make decisions... I'm stupid. What if I get sold?"
Sanniang was so angry that she cursed, "Why are you so stupid?!"
My sister-in-law said blankly: "When we came out, Madam told me to just listen to my sister-in-law from now on."
Sanniang refused to give up: "I have to learn to make my own decisions! I'm already married!"
The sister-in-law smiled foolishly: "Why should I make my own decisions when my sister-in-law is here?"
Sanniang angrily said, "What if the family splits up in the future? Who are you going to ask for the decision?"
"Sister-in-law doesn't want me anymore?!" My sister-in-law was shocked and burst into tears immediately.
Sanniang was frightened by the torrent of tears and had to try her best to persuade him, saying that she had no such intentions. Afterwards, she sighed deeply, feeling that she had given birth to an extra daughter, but daughters could always get married, while this sister-in-law was obviously determined to stay with him for life.
Apart from the fact that she likes to take the blame, the sister-in-law is pretty good. She can sew, cook, and make soup. The two daughters like this silly aunt, and learn etiquette and needlework from her. They often stay together and chatter, just like three sisters.
The next year after her brother's wife came into the family, she gave birth to a big, fat boy. After that, they had a string of girls and boys, and the Shi family, which had always had a small population, immediately became prosperous. Sanniang was worried that the young couple wouldn't be able to raise the children properly, so she often came to help. Unexpectedly, her brother's wife was a stickler, and she simply handed the children over to her, helping out without worrying about anything.
"In the future, the children will all be close to me and will ignore you as their mother!" Sanniang threatened viciously.
The sister-in-law immediately leaned on her shoulders and said coquettishly: "I also kiss my sister-in-law, we all kiss my sister-in-law, my sister-in-law is the best."
Sanniang could only sigh to the sky.
…
After her two daughters got married, Sanniang decided to have a good talk with her sister-in-law.
"You can't always rely on me. It's time to make your own decisions," she said earnestly. "I'll get old one day. If your brother and I are gone, who will you rely on?"
My sister-in-law was still naive and innocent, with not a single worry-wrinkle on her rosy, plump face. She said with a smile, "At that time? At that time, the wives of the eldest and second brothers would have come into the family, right? Let them take care of it."
Sanniang choked with anger: "What if the wives bully you?"
My sister-in-law waved her hand nonchalantly: "It's okay, I've already thought about it. When the children have all started their own families and careers, I will return to serve Madam and stay with her forever. With Madam around, I won't be afraid of anyone bullying me."
Sanniang glared at him, her eyes as bright as bells: "You, you, what did you say...?"
My sister-in-law said with a look of longing, "I have admired Mama Fang since I was a child. From a very young age, I have thought that it would be great if I could be like Mama Fang and serve Madam until she grows old."
"Wait, wait, wait a minute." Sanniang, who had been sharp all her life, was finally dumbfounded. "I remember that Fang Madam, she lost her husband in middle age and then went back to serve the old lady of the Sheng family."
My sister-in-law blinked and tilted her head, saying, "Maybe, maybe... I was a widow at that time, so who knows..."
Before Che Sanniang could say anything, a roar came from behind her—"You cursed me to death!" Shi Xiaodi stood angrily at the door. Then the couple started their monthly quarrel again.
Che Sanniang looked at the roof helplessly - forget it, she had to stop the fight again.
Many years ago, she knew that she could no longer have children. She thought that after her daughter got married, she and her husband would inevitably be lonely in their old age. Alas, look at how lonely they are!
postscript
The article "Do You Know?" was started on November 29, 2010, and completed on December 3, 2012, which took two years and five days. During this period, I experienced many ups and downs, joy and frustration. I was praised to the sky, and I felt that my writing was so talented that I could easily compete with J.K. Rowling single-handedly. I was also criticized so much that even my family and character were warmly greeted.
It’s hard to describe the feeling in a few words.
I still remember the dispute over the male lead. The readers argued so fiercely under the article that I didn't even dare to reveal the real male lead. Because I was mentally prepared, the scolding and wailing I received after Gu Tingye officially revealed his card was not as severe as I expected. Thank you all for your tolerance here, and thank you to those readers who stood on the wrong side but still supported this article.
Some readers even angrily criticized the author for being unscrupulous and keeping the audience on suspense, calling the method clumsy and disgusting. All I can say is, sister, keeping the audience on suspense and keeping the audience on suspense are normal joke-making methods in novels. The two cannon fodders, He Hongwen and Qi Heng, each have their own frustrations.
The tragedy of He Hongwen is that he has a mother who was widowed at a young age and is weak and helpless by nature. As a considerate and precocious son, his feelings for his mother are more than just filial piety. They even contain a bit of guilt and compensation. So when he knows that his widowed mother's handling of the Cao family is not correct and that her behavior will cause harm to himself and the He family, he adopts an attitude of tolerance and compromise.
In fact, regardless of whether he would marry Minglan or not, he should not let the shadow of the Cao family interfere with his originally bright life; since the principle was wrong, he would have to pay for this mistake in his future life.
Unlike He Hongwen, who had a mother with flawed ideals that hindered him, Qi Heng's tragedy was that he had a mother whose fundamental principles were absolutely sound. Princess Pingning recognized her son's shortcomings early on and took targeted measures to remedy them. Objectively speaking, her plans for her son's future were flawlessly accurate.
Qi Heng's three wives, even the first one, Princess Jiacheng, who died early, would have been a great help if it were not for the sudden change in the political situation; the second wife, Shen, successfully helped the Qi father and son to establish a ladder of promotion in the new dynasty, enabling the Qi family to quickly transform from an old noble family into loyal and capable ministers of the new emperor; the third wife helped Qi Heng to establish a relationship with the extremely powerful Princess Qingning in the royal clan, thus defeating the equally powerful eldest wife of the Qi family and successfully inheriting the title.
Qi Heng’s helplessness lies in the fact that even he himself cannot deny that his mother is right.
As a son of a noble who received orthodox education since childhood and was a good son who was taught and taught by his parents since childhood, it was almost Qi Heng's instinctive idea to bring honor to the family and become famous.
Compared with the two, Qi Heng's tragedy is more heartbreaking.
He Hongwen's mistake was personal. If he had half the fortitude and decisiveness of Sheng Changbai, and resisted his reluctance to his mother and cousin, then even if he failed to marry Minglan, he might have had a harmonious future, instead of being tormented day after day by the Cao family and his widowed mother, and prematurely exhausting his passion and joy for life.
This tragedy is avoidable.
But Qi Heng's tragedy is eternal. It is about the dilemma of a young man facing the choice between future and love. If he chooses love, he may regret it many years later, and the couple may become enemies in the end; if he chooses the future, he will be disappointed and regretful for the rest of his life.
[This question is almost unanswerable. The Sixth Young Master and Jing Wan, who tortured me to the point of daze and made me cry like a river, are ultimately just asking this question.] Minglan refused this choice, refusing to let He Hongwen choose between her and his mother and cousin, nor did she let Qi Heng choose between her and his future. It's impossible to say whether this refusal is right or wrong; it's a matter of opinion.
In the end, half of Qi Heng's lifelong sadness was due to his longing for the only girl who had touched his heart in his life, and the other half was due to his longing for the most beautiful love in his youth, that pure feeling, a regret that could never be made up for.
No one is perfect, the moon has phases, that's all.
Many readers have complaints about the male protagonist, and the reasons can be listed one, two, three, four, A, B, C, and D. In fact, if you analyze it carefully, Gu Tingye and Minglan have a high degree of consistency in their life experiences.
Minglan has lived two lives, so naturally she has a certain pessimism and vicissitudes of life in her attitude towards people and things, so much so that she gave up her fantasy about Qi Heng early on and chose He Hongwen, whose path was smoother; and Gu Tingye has actually also lived two lives.
His life can be divided into two distinct stages, before leaving the Marquis' Mansion and after leaving the Marquis' Mansion.
Before leaving the Marquis' Mansion, although he was a noble and respected young master of the Marquis' Mansion, with people following him everywhere and no worries about food and clothing, he was actually full of grievances and debts. The grievances between him and the Gu family had long been complicated and could not be untied.
After leaving the Marquis' Mansion, although he suddenly fell from a life of luxury to a hard and rough living environment, he was able to let go of all his burdens and worries, live with a completely new outlook, make friends, build his family business, and start from scratch.
During this process, he finally matured mentally and was able to look at his father and the past with a more tolerant attitude. Although he might not forgive him, he gradually came to understand him.
Without his Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, his property would probably be ransacked and his title taken away in the tide of transition from the old to the new; but without the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, he could still be self-reliant and decide his own life.
This process was positive, endowing this man with powerful abilities, keen observation, and precise calculations. Ultimately, it enabled him to make decisions about his own marriage more independently than Qi Heng, and to resolve obstacles more decisively than He Hongwen, without much waffling or hesitation. However, there were also shortcomings.
Just imagine a successful man who has gone through many hardships and tasted the bitterness of life and finally been reborn from the ashes. How could he be so naive as to give his feelings without reservation and love like an adolescent boy.
Having experienced betrayal and great suffering, and then slowly struggling to get up, it is inherently difficult for such a man to love and trust unconditionally again - this is also the main complaint of many readers about the male protagonist.
So I said at the beginning that I didn't want to write the typical evil and charming male protagonist who is sharp and indifferent to everyone in the world but deeply in love with the female protagonist. For someone with life experience like the male protagonist, falling in love requires time and a process, and requires mutual understanding and touching. The kind of passionate love that comes from the sudden encounter of gold wind and jade dew does not belong to him.
Thank you to my readers who understand me, and thank you to those readers who cannot understand but tolerate me.
Finally, let’s talk about Man Niang. This character has also been hotly discussed by everyone. Some people support her, while others criticize her.
I honestly admit that the inspiration for this character mainly comes from two literary figures, one is Cheng Dieyi, whose life is like a play, and the other is Xiren, who is "gentle and docile in vain, like osmanthus and orchid in vain".
I was very young when I watched "Farewell My Concubine", but I was shocked by Cheng Dieyi played by Leslie Cheung. It was strange that I couldn't fully understand the emotions in "Jane Eyre", but I could understand Cheng Dieyi's excessive "immersion in the role".
When a person pours all his emotions, enthusiasm, talent, time and even thoughts into one thing, the result is bound to be an almost insane fanaticism, overwhelming and irreversible.
What Cheng Dieyi actually loves is not Duan Xiaolou, but the "strong and powerful King of Western Chu" in the play.
Man Niang does not love Gu Tingye, but a dream she has had since childhood, an ideal to which she has poured all her life's passion. Any noble man who can satisfy her wishes can become her male protagonist.
Life is like a play, and life is like a play.
The difference is that Cheng Dieyi only hurt himself, while Man Niang not only hurt herself, but also hurt others, including innocent people and even her own relatives.
Let’s talk about Xiren.
Cao Gong's writing of characters is entirely in plain language, employing various techniques to meticulously describe the person's words and actions, without offering explicit judgment or commentary. Simply put, his writing is like, "I've clearly described what this person did and said. Whether this person is good or bad, you can judge for yourself."
The result is that in the eyes of a thousand readers, there are a thousand Wang Xifeng, Jia Baoyun, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai...
Xiren was undoubtedly a good girl, gentle and docile to others, attentive and considerate to her master, and thorough and prudent in her work. However, was she truly a good maid? This raises the question of "consistency of interests."
Zijuan is almost universally recognized as the best maid in the Red Mansion. She is sincere to Lin Daiyu and is both a good friend and a sister. However, her essential interests are basically the same as Lin Daiyu's, so her kindness can be said to be in line with the trend.
But what happens when the interests of the master and servant are at odds? Xiren encountered this tragic problem.
Putting aside the question of whether Xiren was truly responsible for Qingwen's expulsion, which has always been a matter of public opinion, what about the Xue and Lin issue? Xiren knew that Baoyu liked Lin Daiyu, but she still sided with Xue Baochai without hesitation.
Xiren would of course defend herself by saying 'Miss Lin is not a good wife, it is Miss Bao who can really help Master Bao', but the truth is, she is determined to be a concubine, so whether the eldest wife is easy to get along with is very important.
Compared with Lin Daiyu's straightforwardness and temper, Baochai's deliberate friendship with Xiren; compared with Lin Daiyu's melancholy and difficulty, Baochai's kindness and generosity directly determined Xiren's attitude, and then the attitude was transformed into various intentional or unintentional actions, even various actions in front of Mrs. Wang.
It is not possible to say that Xiren was wrong, but what about her so-called "sincerity" towards Baoyu? Baoyu's love and Baoyu's feelings are not as important to Xiren as herself.
The same is true for Mannia.
She keeps saying that she loves Gu Tingye forever and will be with him till death do us part, but with her intelligence, could she not realize that Gu Tingye's real wish is to gain his father's approval, live a proper and affirmed life according to his father's expectations, have a gentle and sensible wife who is a good match for him, and have legitimate children?
Man Niang certainly knew this, but it was not in her interest. In front of her own interests, what did Gu Tingye's wishes and suffering matter?
Of course, Man Niang would also defend herself like Xiren, "Erlang has only suffered grievances in that family. I am doing this for his own good. Only by leaving the Gu Mansion and living with me can Erlang have the best future. He will definitely be happy in the future if he is with me."
Unfortunately, Man Niang forgot to ask Gu Tingye whether he loved her and whether he was willing to live with her.
Madam Liuli and Academician Gao have sincere feelings for each other, a love that truly transcends worldly views, it is passionate and unyielding. They once compromised with reality, but because they have such a strong and unstoppable love as the driving force, neither time nor space can stop them, and they are finally able to break through everything and be together.
Man Niang spent her whole life and paid countless prices to arrange
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