The most virtuous wife, the most talented woman: the biography of Yang Jiang

Chapter 12 Xiang Tianya·Going to England and France for Study (3)
In the rented apartment, there is a wife who works as a civil servant. Her husband is usually not at home, and they have no children of their own, so they are free. The wife likes Ah Yuan very much. She always likes to hug her when she meets her. Yuan took it to his home and coaxed him to play.Ah Yuan followed her without crying or making trouble, and got along very well.In this way, when Yang Jiang and Qian Zhongshu have classes or are too busy, she helps take care of the children and helps a lot. Yang Jiang also pays her some money to express his gratitude.

Because the study at the University of Paris is relatively loose, the two of them did not turn their energy to a lot of more practical books. Before Oxford University, they had to follow the school’s requirements, and all courses had to be studied. Here they developed their own unique They study French very hard, often go to French books, and also go shopping for "treasures" in the second-hand book market.

In terms of interest in reading, Yang Jiang and Qian Zhongshu are definitely like-minded. Both of them read a wide range of poetry and books. They often forget the time when they read the books they like, and it is already late at night when they look up.

This year in Paris allowed the two of them to truly understand the unique culture of France, and also made a deep impression on Europe as a whole, especially in terms of language and literature. The two of them read countless literary classics within a year , starting from the poet Wei Rong in the [-]th century, to the [-]th and [-]th centuries, there are so many.The books I read are eclectic and have the potential to be inclusive.

The love of language gave Yang Jiang a good learning environment during her time in France. She used every opportunity to practice to read and talk to understand the deeper aspects of European culture.Qian Zhongshu did not show any weakness either, Chinese, English, French, German and Italian, all of them were missed, like fish in the sea, flipping and swimming wantonly, their reading volume during that time was amazing.

In addition to reading, they also read and recite poems together, the content is not limited, whether it is Chinese or Western, all comers are welcome, and their "adventure" continues.They also like to guess the story.If you see different houses, you will guess together what kind of people live in them and what kind of stories they will have; if you see all kinds of people in the crowd, you will guess what kind of identity that person has and where they are going.

Qian Zhongshu seems to be more sensitive than Yang Jiang in terms of language. When they first came to France, the two of them read Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" together. Yes, Qian Zhongshu's new characters are even more. After a year, Yang Jiang doesn't know as many characters as he does, and he is still a little proud.

Reading books should be hereditary.Otherwise, Ah Yuan, who was just able to sit still, would hold a huge book like an adult and sit for a long time without crying or fussing.Yang Jiang gave her a pen, and she drew on the book.

The landlady taught Yang Jiang how to make "bleeding beef". She and Qian Zhongshu gave Yuanyuan the bright red blood to eat. Yang Jiang's words describe it as "growing from a small animal to a small person very quickly".

Yang Jiang took a closer look at Ah Yuan's little hands and feet, they were pink and tender, and because she ate well, she was chubby all over.Ah Yuan looks like her father in many ways, and the bones of her hands and feet are very similar.Qian Zhongshu also likes his daughter. He looks at this, kisses that, sometimes smells her feet, and pretends to be disgusted to tease Yang Jiang. The whole family is very happy.

When the grown-ups read books, Ah Yuan rushes to read them. Sometimes she quietly draws books and plays by herself. She is very well-behaved. She likes her parents to push her carts and take her out for "adventures".The first thing she could say was "waiwai", asking to go outside.

When she was in China before, Yang Jiang published several articles under the guidance of her teacher, which made her more determined in her creative direction.During the period of studying abroad, she did not waste her writing in the process of extensive reading and learning, and she also wrote many beautiful articles. "Yin" is a beautiful prose, and the solid language skills can be seen in the short sentences.

"A piece of wood or a stone also leaves a shadow in the sun. There is also a shade between the shadow and the stone or wood, but it is too small, so you can only see the shadow and not feel the shade. The shade of the wall is bigger, and the shade of the house is deeper. It is not as quiet and flexible as the shade of a tree, but it also has its tranquility, like an abandoned well, as quiet as a pool of stagnant water.

"The shade of the mountain is different. The sun shines on the trees, stones and undulating ground, showing thick and light layers of light and shadow, and the shade carried by it changes shape with the rotation of the sun. The shade of the mountain is loose and complicated. "
It has been several years since I left home. Although I am accompanied by my lover, the feeling of homesickness always lingers in my heart.Yang Jiang often writes letters to her family, and also receives replies from her family.It takes a long time to go back and forth on the road, but receiving the letter can still comfort the soul in a foreign country.

But this kind of contact was broken shortly after she gave birth to A Yuan, and there was no news from her family for a long time.Later, Yang Jiang saw in the newspaper that many places in the country had fallen, including her own hometown, and she began to worry, wondering if her relatives in the distant hometown were in danger.But unable to get in touch, Yang Jiang began to panic.

At this time, Yang Jiang received a letter from her third sister, saying that her father had brought her family to Shanghai, so that Yang Jiang could study with peace of mind.The eldest sister also sent a letter before, saying some general conditions at home, Yang Jiang always felt that the letter was missing something about her mother, so she asked, but no one answered her.

After a period of time, Yang Jiang's eldest sister told Yang Jiang about the incident. It turned out that her mother had died while fleeing.This is the first time Yang Jiang has been hit so hard. She hasn't had time to share her mother's touch with her mother. As the old saying goes, "A daughter is a mother who repays her mother's kindness", but the opportunity to repay her mother's kindness was just like this. God took it back.Yang Jiang was so sad that she almost washed her face with tears those days. Qian Zhongshu was by her side, trying to comfort her.

Yang Jiang later wrote an article "Recalling My Mother", which mentioned: "I have written "Recalling My Father" and "Recalling My Aunt". I am very surprised why I didn't write "Recalling My Mother" What? Probably because of the lack of contact. When I was a child, my mother rarely had time to take care of me. And I always felt that my mother only loved my elder brother and didn't like me. I have a bad temper."
Although the study and life in Paris went well, and Qian Zhongshu's scholarship can continue for another year, Yang Jiang and Qian Zhongshu decided to go back to China.At that time, the world environment was not very good, and Japan was invading China on a large scale. It was relatively safe for them to stay abroad, but the two discussed it and decided to go back.They read the domestic news published in the newspapers, filled with righteous indignation, and wanted to return to the country to fight with their relatives.

The call of family affection and the rise and fall of the country resounded in their ears. The two of them interrupted half of their studies and embarked on the journey back home.It was very difficult to buy tickets for the return trip. They entrusted many people to buy them, and finally the University of Lyon bought the return tickets for them.

Qian Zhongshu's family was not spared either. Qian Zhongshu's family traveled to many places in the turmoil of the war, and finally hid in a relative's house, which can be regarded as temporarily avoiding disaster.

After Yang Jiang's mother passed away, his father never wrote a letter.Yang Jiang, who is far away, misses her mother and loves her father even more, but this kind of emotion seems so out of reach.

After deciding to return to China, Qian Zhongshu began to contact his classmates and teachers in China, hoping to find a job to guarantee the life of the family of three.As the letters were sent out, many receipts were received one after another, and one of the opportunities made him very happy.Feng Youlan, dean of the Faculty of Arts of Southwest Associated University, invited him back to be a professor in the Department of Foreign Languages.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University moved south to Kunming to form the "Southwest Associated University".

Others usually become lecturers first when they return to China after studying abroad, and then they have the opportunity to become professors after they are promoted slowly. However, he immediately became a professor when he went back to China, which shows that Southwest Associated University attaches great importance to Qian Zhongshu.

At that time, the salary fixed for him was [-] yuan per month, which was considered a considerable income in those days. Qian Zhongshu decided to go there, and started to prepare related matters to go back.

The Shanghai where Yang Jiang's father was at that time was called an "isolated island". She wanted to visit her father wholeheartedly, but she had no choice but to leave Qian Zhongshu separately.

When they went abroad three years ago, the newlyweds got very seasick. This time when they boarded the boat, Yang Jiang summed up some rules. She taught Qian Zhongshu: Don’t take yourself as the center, but take the boat as the center, and follow the boat... Qian Zhongshu experienced it for a while, and it seemed to be quite effective.

There were two people when they came, and three people when they came back. When they came, their hearts were full of yearning for a strange world, relaxed and happy. Although they returned with the crystallization of love, they felt heavy because of the war.

Because she didn't have an accurate estimate of the meals on board, she only prepared some simple dairy products and food supplements for Yuan, but when she boarded the ship, she realized that the situation was completely different from when she came.The long-term war has caused a shortage of supplies, and there is almost no well-prepared food, so they can only simply maintain food and clothing.

My lord is fine, I feel sorry for the baby who has just been weaned. After more than half a month on the rickety boat, Ah Yuan ate mashed potatoes almost every day, and the supplementary food she brought was not enough. In the big circle, Yang Jiang, who is a mother, can't help but blame herself, but she has no choice but to lament the big environment.

After the ship arrived in Hong Kong, Qian Zhongshu went ashore alone with some of his belongings. According to the plan, he passed through Haiphong from Hong Kong and then went to the place where he worked: Yunnan.Yang Jiang stood on the bow deck with Yuanyuan in her arms and looked at him who was getting smaller and farther away. The child was still young, so she didn't understand what happened, but Yang Jiang had mixed feelings in her heart. This was the first time the two of them got married. When they separated, she couldn't worry about Qian Zhongshu, but was more worried about her elderly father. Thinking of this, she felt a pang of pain in her heart.

(End of this chapter)