Early 20th century, Hankou, Hubei.
In early spring, it was warm and cold. The drizzle was drizzling, and the pedestrians on the street were rushing to and fro, busy with their own livelihood.
There was an antique pavilion with lanterns and streamers in front of the door, and guests crowded the door. The sixty-year-old Liu Guangyu and Mrs. Liu were beaming with joy. Because today was the hundred-day celebration of the daughter of his seventh wife (the wife he remarried after his first wife died), everyone in the residence was mobilized to hold a banquet to entertain the guests who came to congratulate him.
Gentlemen in long robes and mandarin jackets, madams and young ladies with heavy makeup, cupped their hands in congratulations and handed over red packets. Servants carried gifts and filed in. The entire mansion was filled with a festive atmosphere.
After some small talk, Old Master Liu was in high spirits and shouted,"Auntie Yuan, carry Miss out and let everyone open their eyes."
Mother Yuan, who was dressed in plain clothes, walked out of the inner room with a child in her arms.
Everyone gathered around to take a look. They saw the baby girl's ruddy face, broad forehead, a pair of thin curved eyebrows, big sparkling eyes, and small and exquisite lips. Seeing that everyone was not shy with her, they looked around. Someone teased her, and the baby girl giggled non-stop.
Someone asked Old Master Liu if he had given the child a name. "I'm thinking about it. How about Wenxin?" Liu Guangyu replied. "It means that the literary talent is flying, and the fragrance is long." Everyone cheered in unison. A gentleman in a long robe said,"After all, he is a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. The name he gave is different."
Liu Guangyu said,"I'm old and useless. I'm full of inopportune things."
"Don't just talk, let's start the banquet." Mrs. Liu reminded.
"Yes, yes, we'll talk while eating, we'll talk while eating," said Liu Guangyu cheerfully.
Everyone was drinking when a fortune-teller came to visit and said that he wanted to see the baby girl's face.
"Please!" Liu Guangyu ordered.
The fortune-teller looked at the baby girl carefully for a while and hesitated.
Liu Guangyu saw the fortune-teller's troubled expression and said,""Sir, please speak frankly."
The fortune-teller said,"Look at this child. Although he is full of good fortune, he has many hardships in his life. He should avoid evil and turn into good fortune. Only then can he be happy in his old age."
Liu Guangyu thanked the fortune-teller and ordered someone to give him the reward.
The fortune teller's words made Liu Guangyu worried. He thought about how his business had been bleak in the past few years, his family was declining, and he was old and weak. How would Wen Xin and her young mother live after a hundred years?
This Wen Xin is the maternal grandmother of Yaning that we mentioned earlier. We will slowly explain her background.
Wen Xin's birth comforted Old Master Liu. Because she had a daughter in her old age, Old Master Liu doted on Wen Xin very much. Although Wen Xin had six older brothers and six older sisters, Wen Xin was obedient, sensible, and understanding since she was young. Old Master Liu had high hopes for her.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, seventeen years had passed. Wen Xin had grown into an elegant and generous young lady. She was 1.65 meters tall, with her hair braided into a thick black braid. There was a golden hairpin on her temples. Her skin was smooth and delicate, white and tender as snow. She had curved willow-like eyebrows, a pair of big eyes that could speak, and a slightly melancholic gaze. She had a hanging nose and a cherry mouth. She was a famous beauty. Wen Xin was especially smart since she was young. Although women in that era didn't study, Old Master Liu still personally enlightened and taught her, so Wen Xin was also a beginner. Furthermore, Wen Xin was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. What was even more amazing was her embroidery. Wen Xin's colorful embroidery, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, were lifelike. A woman of age should be married off. The people who proposed marriage had broken through the threshold, but Old Master Liu chose a businessman.
Why did Old Master Liu choose a businessman as his son-in-law? It was said that Old Master Liu had been in business for generations. His ancestors were in the tea business. When it came to Old Master Liu's generation, due to the chaos of war, illegal merchants took the opportunity to make huge profits. Old Master Liu was upright and did not want to do things that harmed the people. Therefore, he would rather have a poor business and barely make a living. Wen Xin was Old Master Liu's youngest sister. She was the ninth sister and had eight older brothers. Among the seventeen children, besides the two older sisters and two older brothers who had died early, the other six older sisters had already married. The other six older brothers were either not to Old Master Liu's liking, or were good-for-nothing. They only knew how to eat, drink, and play all day long, or were sick. It was difficult for Old Master Liu to find anyone who could inherit the family business.
Coincidentally, during a business trip, Old Master Liu got to know a businessman named Zhang Wancai. The young man was twenty-five years old and Wen Xin was eight years old. He was handsome, tall, and eloquent, which won Old Master Liu's favor. Old Master Liu had placed all his hopes of reviving the family business on Zhang Wancai. At that time, marriage was about " parents 'orders and matchmaker's words." Even though Wen Xin didn't know what Minister Zhang Wan looked like or what his temper was, she still slept with Hua Jiao.
On the day of the wedding, because Zhang Wancai's family was in Shandong, there was only one old mother in the family. Moreover, the family was not rich, so the wedding was arranged by Old Master Liu. Old Master Liu did his best to make his youngest daughter's wedding a grand one. All the neighbors envied Wen Xin's good fortune.
Night fell.
The Liu residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and firecrackers were set off. The guests were bustling with joy, and there were three layers of onlookers. Wen Xin and Zhang Wancai paid their respects to heaven and earth, their parents, and were sent to the bridal chamber.
Wen Xin sat quietly in the bridal chamber with a red veil over her head. She listened to the noisy drinking outside and guessed her husband's appearance and character.
Late at night, the door of the cave was suddenly opened. Zhang Wancai barged in drunk. He pulled off Wen Xin's red veil and spoke in a drunken language that no one could understand. Then, he fell asleep.
Wen Xin was shocked. She was also a well-educated girl from a noble family. When she met such a rude person, she couldn't help but cry. She stood up and went to the table. She sat there silently until dawn.
Not long after Wen Xin got married, Old Master Liu passed away due to his old age and exhaustion. After the death of Old Master Liu, the Liu family was in chaos. Wen Xin's brothers took the opportunity to divide the family property. The servants went their separate ways. Wen Xin's mother was too sad and followed Old Master Liu.
As soon as Old Master Liu passed away, Zhang Wancai immediately revealed his true identity as a " Sun Yat-sen Wolf ". He used the excuse of going out to do business and disappeared without a trace.
Poor Wen Xin was already pregnant at this time and had no way to make a living. She could only put down her status as a young miss and use her colored embroidery skills to embroider in rich families. She embroidered pillowcases, curtains, and so on for the young ladies and madams to survive.
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