The carriage arrived at the fur shop. Shijun helped Manzhen carry the suitcase, and the three of them went inside together. Two customers were selecting items in the shop, while fur rolls were being lowered from the windows of the upper floor. The ropes were lowered with a whooshing sound, each roll of fur, reversed, revealing a small portion of the hide. The bright red silk lining looked like a swaddling cloth, inside which slept a furry little animal. Behind the stained-glass windows of the upper floor, presumably his mother or sister-in-law, was overseeing everything. It was his mother—she must have seen them—and immediately cried out, "Chen Ma, the guests have arrived!" Her voice was extremely shrill, almost like a large parrot upstairs. Shijun frowned involuntarily.
There was always a special atmosphere in the fur shop—the smell of fur and camphor. Everything seemed to have just been taken out of a trunk, carefully wrapped in silver paper. When Shijun was a child, he always thought this shop downstairs was a gloomy yet magnificent palace. Now he saw everything as ordinary, only feeling a sense of familiarity. He often imagined what it would be like when Manzhen first came here. Now she really had come.
Shuhui knew the way well. As he went up the stairs, he saw two monkey skins hanging on the wall and pointed them out to Manzhen, saying, "These are called golden monkeys, from Mount Emei." Manzhen smiled and asked, "Oh, is it because their yellow fur has a golden sheen?" Shijun replied, "It's said they have three golden lines on their foreheads, hence the name golden monkey." The stairs were dark, and Manzhen leaned closer to look, but couldn't make out anything. Shijun said, "When I was a child, I always felt a sense of mystery and was a little scared when I walked past here."
The eldest daughter-in-law greeted them at the top of the stairs, nodding to Shu Hui. Shu Hui then introduced them, "This is my sister-in-law. This is Miss Gu." The eldest daughter-in-law smiled and said, "Please come in and sit down." No matter how Shi Jun tried to deny it, saying she was Shu Hui's girlfriend, she was still a female guest he had specially invited from Shanghai. How could the family not take notice? The eldest daughter-in-law thought, "Shi Jun is usually so arrogant and looks down on local girls. I don't think this Shanghai girl is that fashionable."
Uncle Hui asked, "Where's Xiao Jian?" The eldest young mistress replied, "He's feeling a bit unwell again and is lying down." The eldest young mistress believed that Xiao Jian's illness this time was caused by his grandfather teaching him to recognize characters and rewarding him with food, which made him sick. Every time Xiao Jian got sick, the eldest young mistress would blame this person or that person, and this time she even blamed her mother-in-law.
Mrs. Shen has been racking her brains every day to prepare delicious food for her two children, Xiaotong and Shijun. How could the children not be envious? Mrs. Shen has been living such a happy and carefree life lately, which naturally makes the heartbroken eldest daughter-in-law feel a little resentful. These past two days, Xiaojian has fallen ill again. With two sick people at home, an elderly woman and a young boy, they still want to invite some of their boyfriends and girlfriends from Shanghai to stay. Shijun is being inconsiderate, and even his mother is joining in the commotion!
Mrs. Shen came out, and Shijun introduced her to Manzhen again. Mrs. Shen was very polite to her and also very warm to Shuhui. The eldest young mistress only looked around the room briefly before leaving. A table of food was already set out, and Shuhui smiled and said, "We already ate on the train." Shijun said, "Then I've been tricked. I haven't eaten yet, just waiting for you." Mrs. Shen said, "You should eat quickly. Miss Gu, Young Master Xu, you should eat some more and keep him company." They sat down to eat, and Mrs. Shen then directed the servants to take their luggage to their respective rooms. Manzhen was sitting there when she suddenly felt a dog's tail waving and brushing against her leg.
She glanced under the table, and Shijun chuckled, "It comes as soon as we eat. It's all because Xiaojian spoils it; he always feeds it vegetables." Shuhui then asked, "Is this the dog Miss Shi gave you?" Shijun replied, "Oh, how did you know?" Shuhui smiled, "When I came last time, didn't I hear her say that her dog had a litter of puppies and she was going to give one to Xiaojian?" As she spoke, she stroked the dog, paused for a moment, and then asked with a smile, "Is she married yet?" Shijun said, "Not yet, but probably soon. I haven't seen Yipeng lately." Manzhen said, "Oh, I know, it's that Mr. Fang who came to Shanghai last time." Shijun laughed, "Right, do you remember? When we were eating together, didn't he say he was getting engaged—it's this Miss Shi; they're cousins."
After finishing their meal, Manzhen said, "Let's go see the old man." Shijun accompanied them to Xiaotong's room. They had just finished eating, while Xiaotong had just had some snacks. He leaned against the bed and said, "Please sit down, please sit down," before letting out two deep burps.
Shijun thought to himself, "Why do I never hear my father hiccup normally, but today—maybe he hiccups often, but I just haven't noticed." He didn't know why, but today was the worst day for his family. Even his mother and sister-in-law were behaving much worse than usual.
Shu Hui inquired about Xiao Tong's illness. As the saying goes, "A long illness makes one a doctor," and Xiao Tong knew more about his ailment than any doctor. Especially now that he had entrusted everything to Shi Jun, allowing him to live a peaceful life as a retired old man, he bought a copy of the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. After studying it, he would prescribe remedies for sick maids, and so far, no one had died from them, further boosting his confidence. Although he consulted Western doctors, he believed that traditional Chinese medicine was more effective for some illnesses. He had no one to talk to at home; Shi Jun was practically mute. However, today, although he had only met Shu Hui for the first time, they got along very well. Shu Hui was usually good at being polite to everyone.
Xiaotong was chatting happily when Mrs. Shen came in. Xiaotong asked, "Is Xiaojian feeling any better today?" Mrs. Shen replied, "He still has a slight fever." Xiaotong said, "I don't think he's doing quite well with Dr. Wang's medicine. Have them bring him over so I can take a look. I'll prescribe something for him." Mrs. Shen laughed, "Oh dear, sir, you should rest. Don't take on this! Our young mistress is timid. Besides, even a renowned doctor wouldn't treat his own family." Xiaotong then fell silent.
Because Manzhen was a woman, he only nodded to her when they met and never looked at her directly. Suddenly, he asked, "Miss Gu, have you ever been to Nanjing before?" Manzhen smiled and said, "No." Xiaotong said, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't remember." Hearing this, Manzhen looked at his face more carefully and smiled, "I can't remember either. Could it be that we met in Shanghai? Do you often go to Shanghai, sir?" Xiaotong pondered for a moment and said, "I haven't been to Shanghai for many years. I personally went to Shanghai and brought him back. Every time he went, he stayed at his brother-in-law's house. Although he and his wife didn't get along, the two brothers-in-law got along very well. When he came to Shanghai, his uncle often accompanied him 'out for a stroll.' What he considered a casual affair, his concubine saw as a scheme by his wife, deliberately having his uncle take him out to play and bring back a dancer to suppress his concubine."
This matter was impossible to explain clearly, and his wife was also very aggrieved by it, even having a fight with her brother.
Xiao Tong suddenly blurted out, "Oh, I remember now!"—Who does this Miss Gu look like? She looks exactly like a dancer named Li Lu. No wonder she looked so familiar!
He blurted out, "I remember now," and everyone in the room looked at him, waiting for him to continue. How could he possibly say that the woman resembled a dancer he used to know? He paused, then smiled at Shi Jun, "I remember now, isn't your uncle's birthday coming up? We can have those two take our gift." Shi Jun smiled, "I'd like to go myself to wish my uncle a happy birthday." Xiao Tong laughed, "You just got back from Shanghai, and you're going again?" Mrs. Shen said, "It's good that you go; it's your uncle's birthday this year." Shu Hui glanced at Man Zhen intentionally or unintentionally, and laughed: Shi Jun has really become an important person now, running between Shanghai and Nanjing!
Just then, a maid came in and said, "Young Master Fang and Miss Shi are here. They're downstairs trying on coats." Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "They must be there preparing their dowry. Shijun, go down and see them, and invite them up to sit." "Come on, let's go down."
Shuhui frowned and asked, "Are we going out today or not?" Shijun replied, "We'll leave in a bit—we'll go our own way. Luckily, my sister-in-law is with them." Shuhui said, "Then I'll take the camera with me so I don't have to run up the stairs again."
He went to open the box and get the camera, while Shijun and Manzhen went downstairs first to meet Yipeng and Cuizhi, the engaged couple. The dog Cuizhi had given them also ran out; it recognized its former owner and paced around the shop, wagging its tail. As soon as Yipeng saw Manzhen, he greeted her with a smile, "Miss Gu! When did you arrive in Nanjing?" Cuizhi couldn't help but give Manzhen a sharp look and said, "Oh, you two knew each other before?"
Yi Peng laughed, "How could I not recognize you? Miss Gu and I are old friends!" He then winked at Shi Jun. Shi Jun felt he didn't need to joke like that, and besides, Shi Cuizhi had absolutely no sense of humor; it was best if he teased her and she didn't take it seriously. He looked at Cuizhi, who smiled and asked, "Miss Gu, how many days have you been here?" Manzhen smiled and said, "We've only been here a short while." Cuizhi said, "The weather has been so cold these past few days." Manzhen smiled and said, "Yes." Whenever Shi Jun saw two women he had just met talking so politely and formally, he felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of unease. He didn't know why. He didn't consider himself a coward.
Yi Peng laughed, "Hey, there's another person here, let me introduce them." Accompanying them was one of Cui Zhi's female classmates, standing a little further away, trying on a leather coat in front of a mirror. Female students of that era were rather conservative, always wanting to be accompanied by a female classmate, even when going out with their fiancés. Cui Zhi was no exception. This classmate was a Miss Dou named Dou Wenxian, slightly older than Cui Zhi and shorter than her. Miss Dou took off the coat Cui Zhi was trying on, and Yi Peng, always the most attentive in the area, immediately helped her put on her own mink coat. Cui Zhi's was a leopard coat. Leopard skin, though common, varied greatly in quality; the bad was almost like cat skin, while Cui Zhi's was the finest, a bright yellow with vividly drawn black circles. But only eighteen or nineteen-year-old girls looked good in it, appearing lively and slightly wild. Shi Jun laughed, "If we had coats like yours, I guarantee our shop couldn't afford them." Shu Hui chimed in from the stairs, "You're terrible at business!" Yi Peng laughed, "Oh, Shu Hui's here too! I didn't even know." Shi Jun laughed, "It'll be soon, the dowry is already being prepared here!" Yi Peng just smiled. Cui Zhi also smiled, bending down to scratch the little dog's chin, gently rubbing it until the dog stretched its neck, refusing to leave.
Yi Peng laughed, "What are your plans for today? I'll treat you to Liu Hua Chun." Shi Jun said, "Why are you being so polite?" Yi Peng said, "It's only right. When I go to Shanghai at the end of this month, it'll be your turn to treat me." Shi Jun laughed, "You're going to Shanghai again?" Yi Peng turned his head towards Cui Zhi and laughed, "To accompany her to buy some things." Dou Wenxian then said, "If you want to buy things, you have to go to Shanghai. Shanghai is so convenient—one person can buy things, and the other can watch a movie!" As a fashionable person, she always considered it a flaw not to live in Shanghai, so whenever it was mentioned, a battle between her sense of superiority and inferiority would break out, and her voice would immediately become very sharp.
The eldest young mistress also came downstairs. She and Wenxian had met before, and she greeted her with a smile from afar, "Miss Dou." Cuizhi called out to her cousin, but then said to Yipeng, "Shouldn't we be going? Didn't you say you were going to take Wenxian to the movies?"
Yi Peng then said to Shi Jun and the others, "Shall we go see a movie together?" Cui Zhi replied, "They just came from Shanghai, who wants to watch our lousy movie! Play?" Shi Jun thought for a moment, then discussed it with Shu Hui, saying, "Last time you came, I don't think you went to Qingliang Temple." The eldest young mistress said, "Then you two can go to Qingliang Temple together. Yi Peng has a car, so it'll be faster; otherwise, you'll just be running back and forth! Come back here for dinner later; Mom has prepared some special dishes for you two to welcome them." Yi Peng, who didn't mind, smiled and said, "Okay, that's settled then."
So they went to Qingliang Mountain. The six of them crammed the car full. At first, Shuhui didn't say much, but then he suddenly perked up, laughing and joking, in high spirits. However, Shijun thought his jokes weren't very funny, a bit forced. Cuizhi and her female classmate remained the only two, whispering and laughing amongst themselves, which was typical for female students. Upon arriving at Qingliang Mountain and getting off the car, the two stayed close together. Wenxian followed behind Cuizhi, tucking her hands under Cuizhi's collar to keep warm. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely neglected Manzhen. Yipeng felt a little guilty, but he didn't dare to be too casual with Manzhen; in front of Cuizhi, he was hesitant, afraid she might misunderstand. Seeing Manzhen alone, Shijun went to accompany her, and the two walked side-by-side up the hillside.
The endless, dilapidated stone steps stretched out before me. Soldiers were stationed somewhere, and the faint sound of bugles drifted on the wind. Hearing the bugle calls from the barracks in the pale afternoon sunlight only amplified the sense of desolation.
The temples in Jiangnan all have this kind of ghastly red wall. Walking inside, several side halls were inhabited. A ragged old woman sat on a tattered prayer mat peeling garlic; beside her was a small stove, a rolled-up mat, and children played on the doorstep. They looked like a group of refugees, and indeed, they were poor people who had lived a refugee's life for years. Cuizhi laughed, "I heard that the monks in this temple have families, and they wear monk's robes too." Shuhui became curious and laughed, "Oh? Let's go see." Cuizhi laughed, "Really? Let's go see." Yipeng laughed, "They do have families, but they won't let you see them."
In the center of the courtyard stood a cauldron, its iron body appearing relatively new, probably less than a hundred years old. Inscribed upon it were the names of the devout women who had donated to its casting, row upon row, densely packed: "Ms. XX, Ms. XX—" All women. Manzhen and Shijun stood there, stunned for a moment. Manzhen smiled and said, "These are all people who place their hopes on the afterlife. Their lives in this one must be filled with hardship. So many people. It's truly heartbreaking to see." Shijun said, "Hmm—I think we're incredibly lucky." Manzhen smiled and nodded.
She sat down on the bluestone seat. Shijun asked, "Are you tired?" Manzhen replied, "Not really." She paused, then suddenly looked up at him with a smile: "What should I do? My chilblains have burst." Women's high boots weren't fashionable yet, and cotton shoes were certainly not considered elegant. Felt shoes existed, but they were only suitable for wearing at home; wearing them out would make one look like a proprietress. Therefore, most women still wore stockings and leather shoes in winter.
Shijun said, "Then what should we do? Let's go back." Manzhen said, "That would be such a disappointment for them." Shijun said, "It's alright, let's go back first." Manzhen said, "Let's take a rickshaw back, we don't need their rickshaw. Don't tell Yipeng yet."
Shijun accompanied Manzhen home in a rickshaw. Although Nanjing winters were unusually cold, stoves weren't as common as in Beijing. Shijun's family was particularly well-off this year; his father had a stove in his room, and the only other place was a brazier in the sitting room with an iron rack on top, where a clay pot of water chestnuts was simmering. Manzhen shivered as she warmed herself by the fire. She smiled and said, "It was so cold just now." Shijun said, "I'll go find you some clothes." He initially considered borrowing a sweater from his sister-in-law, but then he thought about how unfriendly she wasn't, and he was too lazy to ask. Besides, like his mother, she combed her hair, and her clothes might smell of hair oil. In the end, he took his own old, brown sweater, one he'd had since middle school—the kind his mother called a "dog-head sweater." It was too big for Manzhen; the sleeves reached all the way up to the back of her hands. But he really liked how she looked in it. Sitting across from each other in the dim firelight, he felt completely content, as if she were already part of his family.
The water chestnuts were cooked, and they peeled and ate them. Shijun said, "You don't have fingernails, I'll go get a knife, and you can peel them and eat them." Manzhen said, "Don't go." Shijun really didn't want to move either; sitting like this was just too comfortable.
He suddenly rummaged in his pocket for a moment, then took something out and shyly handed it to her, smiling, "Look, this is what I bought in Shanghai." Manzhen opened the small box; inside was a ruby ring. She smiled and said, "Oh, you bought this in Shanghai last time? Why didn't I hear you mention it?" Shijun laughed, "Because you were angry with me there." Manzhen laughed, "You're overthinking it. When was I angry?" Shijun just kept his head down, playing with the ring, and said, "The day I resigned, I received half a month's salary, and I used the money to buy a ring."
When Manzhen heard that he bought it with his own money, she felt very comforted and asked with a smile: Is it expensive?
Strictly speaking, this isn't real, but it's not exactly fake either; it's made of gemstone powder. "The color is beautiful," Manzhen said. "Try it on," Shijun said, "it's probably too big."
The ring was on her hand. Shijun held her hand and looked at it, and she looked at it silently as well. Shijun suddenly smiled and said, "Did you ever wear the paper ring that wraps around a cigar as a ring when you were little?" Manzhen smiled and said, "Yes, I did. Did you guys play with those when you were little?" This ruby ring reminded them of those small paper rings with crimson floral patterns and gold foil stamping.
Shi Jun said, "Did you see the ring on Shi Cuizhi's hand just now? It's probably their engagement ring. That diamond is about the size of a watch." Manzhen chuckled and said, "It's not that big, you're exaggerating." Shi Jun laughed and said, "It's probably just my imagination, because I feel my ruby is too small." Manzhen laughed and said, "I don't really like diamonds. I've only heard that they're the hardest thing in the world, but I think even its luster is hard, like a steel needle, it'd practically prick your eyes." Shi Jun asked, "Then do you like beads?" Manzhen said, "Beads seem too colorless. I prefer rubies, especially the kind made of gemstone powder." Shi Jun couldn't help but laugh.
She thought the ring was too big. Shijun laughed and said, "I knew it was too big."
"It needs to be taken to be tightened," Manzhen said. "Then don't wear it for now." Shijun laughed and said, "I'll go find something to wrap around it, and we can wear it for a couple of days. How about some silk thread?" Manzhen quickly grabbed him and said, "Don't ask them for it!" Shijun laughed and said, "Okay, okay." Shijun laughed and said, "Just pluck a little bit of this thread and wrap it around the ring." He pulled out a piece of thread, broke it off, wrapped it around the ring a few times, and then put it on her to try it on. Just then, he suddenly heard his mother talking to the maid outside, saying, "Send the snacks to the master first. They're not in a hurry. Let's eat together when Miss Shi and the others come back." The voice was right outside the door, and Shijun was startled. He immediately changed chairs and sat down opposite Manzhen.
The door had been open, and then Chen Ma was seen carrying a plate of steaming pastries pastry pastries through the doorway, heading towards his father's room. It was probably meant for them, but his mother had stopped her from coming in. His mother must have some idea. Fortunately, he was going to announce it to her in a few days, so it didn't matter if she knew a little earlier.
Just as he was thinking this, Manzhen suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, they're back."
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, followed by Mrs. Shen's voice laughing, "Oh, is anyone else here? Where's Cuizhi?" Yipeng said, "Oh, Cuizhi didn't come up here? I thought they came back first!" Only Yipeng and Dou Wenxian came. Shijun laughed, "Where's Shuhui?" Yipeng said, "Shuhui and Cuizhi, I don't know where they went." Shijun said, "Weren't you together?" Yipeng said, "It's all Cuizhi. She was so excited, saying she heard that the monks there have wives, and she insisted on going to see them. Wenxian said she couldn't walk anymore, so I said let's go up to Saoye Tower to sit for a while, have a cup of hot tea, and wait for them there. But we waited and waited and they didn't come." Wenxian laughed, "I was really worried. I said we'd come up here to see, and they allowed us to come first. -- Originally, I didn't plan to come back; I was going to go straight back." Shi Jun laughed and said, "Sit for a while, sit for a while. They'll be here soon anyway. Those two are really childish—where did they run off to?"
Shi Jun had already eaten his fill of water chestnuts, and then he had some snacks with them, chatting and laughing. It was already dark, and Shu Hui and Cui Zhi still hadn't returned. Yi Peng couldn't help but get anxious and said, "Could they have run into some bad people?" Shi Jun said, "No, Cui Zhi is an old Nanjing native, and with Shu Hui with her, he's very clever and wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her." As he said this, he also started to have some doubts in his heart.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Shuhui and Cuizhi to return. Everyone questioned them, and Shijun laughed, "If they hadn't come back, we would have organized an expedition team to go up the mountain with lanterns and torches to look for them!" Wenxian laughed, "Yipeng was so worried!"
"Where have you been?" Shu Hui laughed, "Weren't we going to see the monk's wife? We didn't see her, so the monk invited us to have vegetarian buns. After eating the buns, we went to Saoye Tower to look for you, but you weren't there anymore." Manzhen asked, "Did you also come back by rickshaw?" Shu Hui replied, "Yes, we walked quite a distance but couldn't hire a rickshaw. We finally found one, and then we asked him to call another one, which is why it's so late."
Yi Peng said, "That place was too deserted. I was worried something might have happened." Shu Hui laughed, "I guessed you'd be thinking about the burning of the Red Lotus Temple, and how we fell into a trap and couldn't get out. Didn't they say the monks there have families? Maybe they kept Miss Shi there too, and started a family." Shi Jun laughed, "I thought of that too, but I didn't dare say it, afraid Yi Peng would worry."
Cuizhi remained silent, only appearing quite pleased. Shuhui, seemingly especially happy, saw Manzhen sitting by the brazier and exclaimed to her, "Hey, how can you be so pathetic? You're a disgrace to Shanghainese! You can't even walk that far and you've already run back!" Cuizhi laughed, "Wenxian can't either; she complains about needing to rest after only a few steps." Yipeng laughed, "Aren't you tired? If not, where can we go later?" Shuhui said, "Where to? I'm completely ignorant about Nanjing; I only know there's a Confucius Temple, and there are singing girls there." The young ladies all laughed. Shijun laughed, "You must have read that in novels, right?" Yipeng laughed, "Then let's go to the Confucius Temple to listen to some a cappella singing, it'll be good to see for ourselves. Aren't those singing girls pretty? Peking Opera is nothing special." Shijun laughed, "Yipeng is now the most respectable person in the world, don't you know that?" Although he was speaking to Shuhui, he glanced at Cuizhi. Unexpectedly, Cuizhi kept a cold face, as if she hadn't heard him. Shijun was embarrassed and could only blame himself. He knew that Cuizhi had no sense of humor at all, so how could he have forgotten and tried to joke with her again?
Everyone was chatting happily, saying they would go to see a play after dinner, but they didn't end up going. Manzhen didn't want to go out anymore because her feet hurt, and Wenxian also said she wanted to go home early. After dinner, Wenxian and Cuizhi went home in Yipeng's car. After they left, Shijun, Shuhui, and Manzhen chatted around the fire for a while longer before going to sleep.
Manzhen lived alone in a large room. In the morning, the maid brought water for washing her face, along with a bottle of face cream and a slightly worn box of Sanhua brand face powder. Manzhen had noticed yesterday that although Madam Shen was not young, she was still impeccably groomed, with a sleek face and plenty of powder. Even the eldest daughter-in-law, a widow, had her face painted snow-white. It seemed that this was a custom among women of the old age; younger women, of course, were even more so. Even if they didn't go out, sitting at home, they would still apply a fair and rosy complexion to appear auspicious and lively. This morning, after washing her face, Manzhen also applied extra powder. As she came out, she bumped into Shijun. Manzhen smiled and said, "Do you think my powder is smudged?" Shijun smiled and said, "It's not smudged, but it makes you look too white." Manzhen quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped it off, then smiled and said, "Is it any better?" Shijun said, "It's still on my nose." Manzhen smiled and said, "You've turned into a white nose?" She wiped it carefully for a while before going to the sitting room to eat breakfast.
Mrs. Shen and Uncle Hui were already sitting at the dining table waiting for them. Manzhen greeted her, "Auntie," and Mrs. Shen smiled, "Miss Gu, did you sleep well last night? Were you cold? Was the blankets warm enough?" Manzhen smiled and said, "No, I wasn't cold." Then, smiling, she said to Uncle Hui, "I'm so forgetful. This morning, I got lost and almost couldn't find this room." Uncle Hui laughed, "That's what you call a newcomer, clueless. A newcomer, clueless about the kitchen." Whether these two proverbs specifically refer to new brides or whether it was Manzhen's own perception, she immediately blushed and said, "Where did you learn that from?" Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "Young Master Xu is really funny."