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

Chapter 9 Acacia Buckle: Sweet Brew of Love Soaked in the Years (2)
When Yang Jiang returned to Suzhou, her relatives introduced a job as a teacher in an elementary school, and she agreed. In her impression, this should be a relatively leisurely job, with a lot of time for tutoring, and the salary is quite good. There is an income of 120 yuan a month, which can be regarded as a golden rice bowl at that time.

When the school started working, Yang Jiang realized that it was completely different from what she had expected.She has never been a teacher before, she doesn't know anything, and there are too many things to learn, but the first thing she did after she settled in school was to go to the school library and read through the books that she thought were worth reading. After reading it again, it has become a habit of hers.

Due to the pressure of work, Yang Jiang wanted to postpone the application for Tsinghua University Graduate School for one year, but was opposed by Qian Zhongshu, so Yang Jiang ignored him for a long time.During that time, Qian Zhongshu thought that Yang Jiang didn't want to continue his relationship with him, so he was very sad. He also wrote many sad poems, saying that he was "a thousand lines of bitterness and tears", and later compiled and published these poems. Memorial of time.

In fact, although Yang Jiang didn't write a letter to Qian Zhong, she still missed him very much.Qian Zhongshu insisted on writing to her all the time, but she was still moved later, and the relationship between the two of them returned to the previous level. Maybe the relationship needs some bumps to be more stable.

After a period of contact, Yang Jiang invited Qian Zhongshu to visit his parents at home.

At the beginning of [-], Qian Zhongshu embarked on a trip to Suzhou.When I arrived at Yang Jiang's house, I met Yang Yinhang.After the conversation between the two, Yang Jiang asked his father what his impression of Qian Zhongshu was. His father only said: "People are brilliant." He didn't mention anything else. Yang Jiang knew that his father was worried about Qian Zhongshu who had not yet graduated. Whether it can bear the burden of the family.

Qian Zhongshu was eager and certain that he wanted to be with Yang Jiang. After meeting Yang Jiang's father, he invited two friends of Yang Jiang's father as matchmakers to come to propose marriage in the traditional way.

Although the father was very worried about his daughter's future life, seeing Yang Jiang's affection for Qian Zhongshu, he still agreed to the marriage.This summer, the two are planning to hold an engagement ceremony.

It's funny to say that the two were in free love, and Yang Jiang took Qian Zhongshu home to meet his father, and got his father's approval.Looking back, I took "the order of the parents, the words of the matchmaker" again.Qian Zhongshu was brought by his father to meet Yang Yinhang, formally proposed marriage, and invited relatives and friends who were familiar with both the male and female families to be the matchmakers of the two families.

Yang Jiang said: "At a loss, I don't remember how the "marriage" was "ordered". I only know that I am silently "fiancée" from now on." She likes to call Qian Zhongshu "Mocun", which is his number, and he likes to call him She is "Ji Kang", Ji Kang is her name.

After this ceremony, two people who later had prominent positions in the modern Chinese literary world walked together.Some people jokingly call this a combination of two swords, but it can be said to be a good marriage. The two held hands for decades and never let go.

At the engagement banquet, Qian Zhongshu's family members met Yang Jiang.Qian Zhongshu's father valued Yang Jiang very much. Although he had never met him before, he had read the letters between Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang.At first, Yang Jiang didn't know that Qian's father had read these letters, and some of the letters were written in English.

Qian's father described Yang Jiang as "really winning my heart", because Yang Jiang once mentioned such a sentence in a letter to Qian Zhong: ""I have no friends who are not as good as myself", all my friends are worse than me. "Father Qian also wrote a letter to Yang Jiang, which basically means that he has completely handed over Qian Zhongshu to Yang Jiang, and he is very relieved.Yang Jiang didn't know how to reply to the letter after receiving it, and asked Qian Zhongshu what to do, Qian Zhongshu said no need to reply!

Regarding the future direction, the two have already planned in their hearts.Qian Zhongshu has always wanted to apply for the publicly-funded study abroad exam funded by the Zhongying Geng Fund.However, the condition for admission is that applicants must have two years of social service experience, so Qian Zhongshu decided to teach at Guanghua University in Shanghai, teaching English, with a monthly salary of 90 yuan.

Yang Jiang prepared homework for a period of time, and successfully passed the entrance examination of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literature of Tsinghua University Research Institute, and is going to study at Tsinghua University again.When Yang Jiang was a graduate student at Tsinghua University, her academic performance was excellent, and she would receive a scholarship every semester, which was enough for her to pay for her study and living expenses.

Holding the hand of the child, grow old with the child

Love is the best medicine and the best material for poetry.Since ancient times, poems have been more about love. In [-], Qian Zhongshu compiled his first collection of poems, "Zhongshujun Poems", which included his love poems to Yang Jiang, as well as his poems of harmony with Yang Jiang.He paid for the printing of the collection of poems himself, so there are not many of them, but they are even more precious, and they are only shared with teachers and friends.Mr. Wu Mi, a teacher of Tsinghua University who both of them share, also got a copy. He also wrote a seven-character poem "A Gift to Qian Junzhongshu, which is the first edition of Junshi's Poetry in the title". Both, the old and the new, the Chinese and the West are actually connected", the feeling of love is vivid on the paper.

The stability of the relationship between Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang is also due to the two people's frank heart and uninterrupted correspondence.One letter a day is what they have become accustomed to from the beginning. The content of the letter covers a wide range of topics, a bit like a diary, and they will not let go of what happened.You should share the good books you have read, the new things you have encountered, and even more the feelings of longing.

On Qian Zhongshu's letters, the sender's inscription is always "refurbished", and the word "report" is the most commonly used, which is a bit of a tribute to the Holy Spirit, and Yang Jiang always laughs when he sees it.Qian Zhongshu is also a humorous person. In a letter, he claimed to be "the corner inside the door". Yang Jiang and the concierge at home were puzzled, so they asked Qian Zhongshu what "the corner inside the door" meant. After receiving Qian Zhongshu's reply, Only then did I realize that this was Qian's humor.

"Mennei" means money, which means "money" when translated into Chinese, and "corner" means clock, which means "clock" when translated into Chinese. After knowing the truth, the Yang family prefers this "corner inside the door".

During the Spring Festival of [-], Qian Zhongshu went to visit Yang Jiang at Tsinghua University. This was the first time he returned to his alma mater after graduation.During the few years he was studying at Tsinghua University, he spent most of his time studying. He seldom went out, and he hardly visited any scenic spots in Beijing. The only places he visited were Fragrant Hills and the Summer Palace, which he only participated in when he was on a class trip.

Yang Jiang is a person who likes new things, and naturally likes these historical Beijing attractions. In her first year in Beijing, she visited almost all the famous attractions in Beijing.This time Qian Zhongshu came to Beijing and accompanied Yang Jiang to several places, which is a rare event.In fact, there is nothing particularly attractive to him about the scenery, but playing with his sweetheart is what he likes the most.

Literati must be accompanied by poetry when they play, and Yiyi is even more melancholy when they leave.Qian Zhongshu wrote in his poem "Journey from April [-]nd to [-]th" during this trip: "Flying and flying, labor and swallows have the same fate, and participating in business in different places also shares the same sky; the joy is very short and bitter, and the travel It has been a thousand years since the Seven Days of Immortals." Yang Jiang did not show weakness, and there is a poem as follows: "Sitting for a long time on the sill generates warmth, forgetting words and meanings deepens; Ming Dynasty is a long road, cherish the heart at this time."
Gathering and parting have hurt feelings since ancient times, and writing poems and leaving words can show the deep love.The time to get together with your lover is always very fast, and the gap is too short. After parting, there are only hard thoughts and expectations for the next meeting.

Time passed in short-term reunions and long-term thoughts. In the spring of 200, Qian Zhongshu’s two-year social work practice was about to be completed. Eight sessions have been held in total. At that time, Qian Zhongshu participated in the third session. There were more than 25 people who signed up for reference. A total of [-] people were recruited for that session. However, the major he wanted to study——English Literature only recruited one person.

At that time, Qian Zhongshu was already well-known in the literary world. Many people knew that he applied for this major this year, so they gave up the opportunity to apply for the exam.Qian Zhongshu, who lived up to expectations, won the only place with a high score of 87.95. Zhu Jiahua, chairman of the board of directors of Zhongying Gengshi, was the examiner at that time. He was very impressed with Qian Zhongshu at that time, and he was also very impressed. He attached great importance to him .

Qian Zhongshu got this quota, so going abroad was also in the plan, Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang planned to go out together.At that time, the studies of Yang Jiang Research Institute were not completed, at least in the second year before graduation.But for Qian Zhongshu's development, she decided to suspend her studies and go abroad with him, because Yang Jiang didn't apply for any scholarship, and didn't take the relevant exams, so she could only go out at her own expense, and couldn't get the fee like Qian Zhongshu support.

Yang Jiang, who had taken a leave of absence from school, was about to go home. Because of the rush, she didn't write a letter to inform her family in advance, but boarded the boat directly.It was after three o'clock in the afternoon when she arrived home. Her father was resting at home that day and was about to take a nap. Suddenly, he felt that his daughter was coming back. He went to the room where Yang Jiang's mother was. After looking at it, he asked, "Where's Ah Ji?" Said: "Where is A Ji?" The father said: "Isn't she coming back today?" The mother said: "Why are you coming back now?"
Only then did the father remember in a daze that his daughter hadn't said anything about coming back. He was a little sad, but he didn't say anything, so he went back to his room to take a nap.After a while, Yang Jiang really came back, like a little swallow returning home, she put down her luggage and rushed into her father's room. The father who was on the bed sat up immediately and said, "Oh, isn't this back!"
Parents were very supportive when they learned that Yang Jiang was going to accompany Qian Zhongshu to study abroad. She gave up an opportunity before, but this time it seemed even more rare.Studying abroad is Yang Jiang's deepest dream, but she is also worried about her parents, brothers and sisters at home.

My parents are old, so I don't know when the next meeting will be when I go out this time.The sisters and brothers in the family are also scattered all over the place, working, studying and studying. The temple alley that my father single-handedly managed was very deserted, and most of the dozens of rooms in the front and back were empty.A father understands his daughter's thoughts and worries, so he comforts her, don't worry about family affairs, go at ease.

There is another more important thing to do before going abroad, and that is the wedding. Although the two are engaged, the wedding has not yet been officially held, which means that the two have not yet had a real marriage relationship.

The wedding was held in two places, both the Qian family and the Yang family. The date was July [-], [-], which was June [-] in the lunar year of Yihai.The Yang family started to decorate it a few days ago, it was very festive, with lanterns and festoons, and there was an endless stream of congratulatory guests, making it a rare grand event for the Yang family.

The most unforgettable thing for Yang Jiang is the "Miss Banquet" held for her at home.This is a local custom, which roughly means that a girl before marriage should invite her sisters, female companions, and female classmates to the banquet a few days before the wedding. The banquet is hosted by the woman's parents, but the parents do not participate. The sisters see the woman off, which is a farewell to a person's life.

Yang Jiang's "Miss Banquet" was held on the evening of June [-]th in the lunar calendar. A large table was filled with sisters, friends and relatives. During the last time of staying at home, the day after tomorrow I will marry into the Qian family, and I can no longer be the "A Ji" who is acting like a baby in the arms of my parents. The more I think about it, the sadder I feel. Everyone talks and laughs. I also know what Yang Jiang is thinking.

Later, when Yang Jiang occasionally thought of the eleventh day of the lunar calendar, she would think of the sad "Miss Banquet", miss her parents, and miss the past.

The day of the wedding was the hottest day of the year. The wedding was presided over by Father Qian. The best man was Sun Lingxian, a classmate, relative and "matchmaker". The bridesmaid was Yang Jiang's seventh sister. The wedding part is in Chinese style, so the wedding of two people is a mix and match, there is a wedding march, there is also a couple's worship, there is an exchange of wedding rings, there is also a stamp of the marriage certificate, there are wedding dresses and dresses, which was also a very novel way at the time up.

The most special guest of that day should be Yang Jiang’s third aunt, Yang Yinyu, not because she did anything special, but because she wore a white linen dress and white leather shoes to the wedding that day. The color was pure white, and it looked like mourning clothes, which made the other guests very surprised, wondering if she had dressed like this on purpose.Yang Jiang knew the third aunt. Because she was busy with work, she hadn't bought new clothes for many years. Most of them were old clothes. Now it seems a bit strange. In fact, she didn't have any malicious intentions, and Qian Zhongshu didn't care too much about it. thing.

After a wedding ceremony, the collar of Qian Zhongshu's white shirt was soaked with sweat and was no longer straight. Yang Jiang's wedding dress had also become a sharp weapon for trapping heat, sweating from head to toe, both of them seemed to be drenched in rain It’s the same, but still walking between tables to toast the guests, occasionally looking at each other and smiling, like a gust of breeze, moistening the heart.

However, the tossing wedding on both sides also caused the couple to fall ill due to exhaustion. On the day when they were supposed to "return to the door", the two did not return to Yang's house as promised.At that time, Yang Jiang's mother prepared a table of good wine and food, waiting for her beloved daughter to come back with her son-in-law, but she was happy in vain. Apart from disappointment, she was more worried about her daughter.

Ten days later, Yang Jiang's body was almost recovered, and Qian Zhongshu had already gone for training before going abroad, so he couldn't accompany her home, so it was his sister-in-law who accompanied her back.This sister-in-law doesn't like Yang Jiang very much, because his father likes this daughter-in-law so much and always praises her.

It was the last time Yang Jiang saw her mother when she went home. At that time, Yang Jiang had a rash, and her mother took her to see a doctor with heartache, and kept telling her to take good care of herself when she went abroad... Mother loves her children without reservation, Yang Jiang Jiang recalled the last time she saw her mother, always very sad, and also a little regretful.On the leaving train, she even wanted to jump off the train, go home to see her parents, hug them, and obey their orders, but the train just took her away.

Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang were together for most of their lives.Many years ago, Yang Jiang read a British biographer who summarized the ideal marriage like this: "Before I met her, I never thought of getting married; I married her for decades, and I never regretted marrying her; I never thought of marrying her." Another woman." So Yang Jiang read this passage to Qian Zhongshu, and Qian Zhongshu immediately replied: "I am the same as him." Yang Jiang replied: "I am also the same."
After going abroad, Yang Jiang became more and more homesick, and wrote family letters to her family every week to report that she was safe, but the journey was far away, and seeing each other became a luxury, so she could only use words to explain her longing for relatives.

(End of this chapter)