First experience on the Grand Canal
After boarding the ship, they looked around the rooms. It was a large ship, complete with a front hall and a bedroom. However, since it was a ship, the rooms seemed much smaller than at home. Xiluo Te, holding the hand of her mother-in-law, walked around the room, then sat down in the front hall. After assigning the rooms, she instructed the maids of the three of them to tidy up the rooms and put away their luggage.
The master of the house lived upstairs, while the boatmen and crew lived below deck. To make it easier for the women to respond to his orders, the boatman had brought his own women along. Xiluo Te sat in the small hall, flanked by her two daughters and surrounded by maids and nannies, all listening to the boatman's wife share her latest news. She was dressed in a clean, neat cloth gown, with a silver hairpin in her hair. She kowtowed upon entering. It was the first time Shujia had seen bound feet. They were triangular, a bit like zongzi, and looked rather frightening. The thought of how her once-normal foot had become deformed sent a chill down her spine, and she turned to look out the window.
The boatman's wife bowed, and Xiluo Te asked about her age, surname, and family situation. The boatman's wife said, "My maiden name is Zhou, and my husband's surname is Li. I am thirty-four years old this year. I have two sons and a daughter. The two boys are now on the master's boat, and the daughter is waiting outside the door. Madam, please let me know if you have anything to say."
Shujia initially turned her head away, but once she glanced out the window, her gaze fixed on him. Having never been on a ship of this era, she was naturally curious. Shuxian, usually reserved, also showed a childish streak, occasionally glancing out even from her cabin. Seeing her daughters' curiosity, Xiluotai, thinking they were still young and this was their first time on such a long journey, turned a blind eye as long as they didn't wander onto the deck.
Shujia thought, after all, these were pollution-free times. Every place looked like a landscape painting. If only I could take a picture now, it could be a postcard without Photoshop! It was early summer, and the shore was lush and green. There were no towering buildings, and no black smoke rising from factory chimneys.
The canal was quite wide. It was said that when grain was delivered from the south to the capital, the canal was lined with ships stretching as far as the eye could see, a truly spectacular sight. It was April, the summer month, so the river wasn't particularly busy. Shi Wenbing's boat bore an official plaque, making the journey quite convenient, provided he didn't encounter anyone of higher rank or title than himself—most of whom were holed up in the capital.
The Grand Canal doesn't run in a straight line from Beijing to Hangzhou. While it's not as winding as the Yellow River, its course still twists and turns. The southern half is relatively smooth, but the northern half practically zigzags. Fortunately, the canal was straightened during the Yuan Dynasty, so the northern half appears much straighter. Even so, comparing it to the sun, Shujia could tell the boat wasn't traveling directly south or north.
I could hear the boatman's wife, Li Zhou, talking about the itinerary arrangements: "Madam, we have a short sailing time today, so we'll stop in Tianjin first. We'll stop as soon as we get to the dock to restock some fresh water. If people on our boat are really in a hurry, they'll just drink water from the river. You ladies, you're so precious, you can't do that. My wife said our master has ordered us to give the horses a walk every day before setting sail and after dropping anchor..."
In an era when sailing relied primarily on wind and oars, the canal wasn't very fast. Having lost some time at home, and then saying goodbye again at Tongzhou Wharf, we didn't cover much ground. As the sun began to set, we stopped in Tianjin, just as Li Zhou had predicted.
Shi Wenbing and a few of his closest companions went for a horse ride, while the boatman went to restock his water and food. The Shi family brought their own cook and plenty of food, like fine rice from their farm, last year's pickled mutton, and bacon. With some fresh fruits and vegetables on shore, the food was almost as good as at home. The windows in the front hall were all open, letting in a cool breeze from the river, bringing a refreshing feeling. Being away from home meant less formality and ceremony than at home, and Shujia even ate half an extra bowl of rice.
Mrs. Xiluo Te watched her daughter eat and suddenly put down her chopsticks. "I was so engrossed in listening to Madam Li's stories all day that I forgot to ask. She said that people who are on a ship for the first time are very prone to seasickness. If you sisters feel unwell, please tell me honestly." Shujia thought to herself, if she was going to get seasick, she would have done it long ago. I don't even get seasick on a pirate ship, so this is even less of a risk. She gets carsick, but not airsick or seasick. And she gets carsick only from the car itself; it's the smell that makes her sick, not the shaking.
Shuxian said, "I just felt a little bit at first, but then I looked at the scenery outside and it gradually got better." Xiluo asked Shujia, "Where's little Niuniu?" Shujia smiled and said, "I was so focused on looking at the scenery that I didn't notice it." Seeing that they all had appetites and didn't seem to be seasick, Xiluo was relieved and asked Qing'er, "How are you?"
Qing'er bowed and said, "Madam, we're fine. It's just that the boat isn't moving very smoothly. Madam Li from the eldest daughter's household and Madam Wuya from the second daughter's household are feeling a little unwell. They vomited twice, rinsed their mouths, and lay down. We didn't dare disturb Madam." "In that case," said Xiluo Te, "get them some light food. Madam Li said there's no cure for seasickness, but it will be better after a while of sailing."
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After dinner, Shi Wenbing arrived, bringing along Mr. Jiang. This was a practical demonstration that this wasn't summer vacation; even on a journey, with men and women separated, homework still needed to be done. Lighting candles and burning incense to repel mosquitoes, the three of them, master and apprentice, taught and learned from each other in the front hall.
Shi Wenbing and his wife moved to the back hall to talk. Shi Wenbing meant that although the boat was shaking slightly in the river, the boat was still quite large and would not affect normal operations. The sisters' homework could be reduced but not completely exempted.
Xiluotai said, "Just have them learn needlework during the day and study a little after dinner." Shi Wenbing looked at his two daughters and thought about their ages. He decided that the focus should be shifted to learning "women's virtues." He nodded and agreed. Shi Wenbing then said to Xiluotai, "Going back to Hangzhou won't be difficult. My fourth uncle is currently serving as the governor of Zhejiang and is stationed in Hangzhou. My fourth uncle's brother Wenying is currently serving as a guard and won't be with my fourth uncle. We can take the girls with us. My fourth uncle and aunt will surely be happy."
Xiluo Te frowned and said, "I'm not worried about that. Once we leave home, we can treat our uncle and aunt as if they were our parents. What's wrong with that? We are the younger generation anyway, so it's only natural for us to flatter our elders. However, in the capital, the neighbors are all treated as if they were in the banner. I heard that in other places..."
Shi Wenbing smiled and said, "We'll go to Hangzhou and live in the banner camp. The people there are all from our bannermen, and we won't be living next to the Han officials. We can just live our lives as usual. As for the ladies, please ask Fourth Aunt to introduce them. How could I not do my best?" Xiluo Te finally felt relieved and smiled again, "Other things are easy to deal with. I was just worried that my daughters would learn the petty ways of the barbarians. Now I feel relieved." Shi Wenbing said, "The Han people have their good and bad sides. The south is famous for its needlework, otherwise there wouldn't be so many weaving factories there. Oh, and there are weaving factories in Hangzhou..."
Then they discussed their daughter's education and the assignment of household servants. Xiluo Te also mentioned that they would need to buy or hire some menial laborers after arriving in Hangzhou. Shi Wenbing said, "That's easy. We already have a lot of men with us. Once we get there, we can settle down and then find a reliable broker to buy them. But I've also thought of something else—shouldn't we keep Xiao Niuniu's hair?"
Xiluo Te said, "I've already thought of this. We won't shave her head as the journey will be long. By the time we get to Hangzhou, her hair will have grown a lot. When we pack up, I've asked the shopping mall to buy her some hairbands and dressing supplies. It's the same as the eldest maid. She can use them when her hair grows longer." Shi Wenbing nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "Jiangnan is a prosperous port with all kinds of good things. Yet she brought back some jars and cans from Beijing." Xiluo Te said, "I don't believe it. Where can the things compare to those at the feet of the emperor?" Shi Wenbing smiled and shook his head.
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The sisters were studying under Mr. Jiang's guidance. As mentioned earlier, these days, hard work is crucial. Being naturally intelligent is one thing, but even if you're naturally clumsy, there are ways to improve your skills. Shujia truly believed that Guo Jing's learning method would definitely allow her to memorize the Nine Yin Scriptures. Think about it, with nothing else to do, you're exposed to this stuff all day long. It's not like the information age, where you're bombarded with pervasive TV ads on the subway, distracting your thinking. You might accidentally click on a related link when it's clearly about Obama killing Osama bin Laden, but it ends up being about George H.W. Bush's love of pandas. Here, it's just one thing, read and memorize it every day. What kind of brain wouldn't be able to remember it?
Because of the shortened class time, Mr. Jiang couldn't go into detail, but his employer had said that upon arrival in Hangzhou, his daughters would begin studying the Four Books for Women. Mr. Jiang felt a little regretful. Of his two students, the younger one was naturally bright and quick to understand, while the older one, though a little less so, was still better than the average child, especially in her willingness to put in the effort. Mr. Jiang felt it was a shame not to allow the girls to complete the Four Books.
So Mr. Jiang simply gave a firm order: Memorize! You don't need to write eight-part essays anyway; just get the general idea. I won't explain the subtleties, but you must memorize them. Later, if you're interested, you can find a book with detailed explanations and understand them. Mr. Jiang was teaching students for the first time, and he was full of energy. The salary he received from his employer was good, and he had a good student, so he naturally worked hard.
From Beijing to Hangzhou, with a family and a slow pace, it would take at least... a month, right? The Four Books don't contain much in the way of sages' words themselves, so memorize them! If once isn't enough, then twice. You have plenty of time during the day! Read and memorize a paragraph a hundred and twenty times, and that's it!
It's said that Mr. Jiang had a relative who worked in the teahouse, and according to gossip he'd accidentally spilled, the emperor's sons studied this way, and that the inventor of this method was the current emperor, Emperor Kangxi. Servants inside and outside the palace who knew about this all said that, after all, they were members of the royal family, and even studied harder than others, no wonder their masters were wiser than their servants. Whether Mr. Jiang truly believed this remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that this diligent approach and spirit were admired and approved of by the vast majority, prompting Mr. Jiang to push his two students even harder. (Sir, you've forgotten: your students don't need to be the top scholar or become emperor.)
Xiao Xuanzi! You're so cruel! Shujia thought writing her name neatly was painful enough, but she didn't expect that once she got her name right, she wouldn't have to practice so hard anymore. But studying... that's not even on the same level of work as writing "Shujia," okay?
No matter how much she hated it, she still listened to the teacher's words and memorized it! She wrote it down! These days, that's the norm. Shi Wenbing and his wife might tolerate their daughter's inability to recite the Four Books, but they certainly couldn't tolerate her not understanding the rules. If you don't want to suffer later, you have to endure more hardship now. Shujia clenched her fists.
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