Chapter2

First Encounter in Shaoxing (1)

【Volume One: To Be Married】

The first time Yu Manyi saw Song Qi was from the second-floor window of the Yu family mansion.

That window had a very unique design. In her later years, when her students took her to visit the ancestral home of the Yu family, she learned from the guide that the shape of that window was meant to block the gaze of guests looking up from the main hall, while still allowing the women of the Yu family to look down and observe as they pleased.

Indeed, the Yu family mansion had high, deep walls. Even though the world outside had changed, the southern countryside still couldn’t shake off the traditions of the old era. The daughters of the Yu family followed the old rules of seclusion passed down from their ancestors, and the guests from all over the country gathered in the hall clearly piqued more curiosity than the tenant farmers who came to pay rent or deliver grain.

Though it was hard to step outside the front gate, Yu Manyi never felt her days were boring. The Yu family had many daughters, and they would gather in the courtyard to chase butterflies, drink tea, and read books.

When Yu Manyi was little, she loved climbing the rockery. From the top of the rockery, she could cross over to another courtyard. Unfortunately, she was once caught by her third aunt, who then had a piece knocked off the top of the rockery and punished Yu Manyi by making her kneel in the study for two nights. After that, she didn’t dare climb anymore.

The eldest of the Yu family was a devout Buddhist, the second was weak and sickly, and the third uncle showed signs of becoming the future head of the household—this gave the third aunt her sharp, domineering edge. Yu Manyi was the child of the fourth branch. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father, who had joined the student movement, died in prison. Orphaned, Yu Manyi could only be adopted into the household of the third aunt, who had no children of her own.

The third aunt didn’t want her. In her mind, if someone had to be adopted, it should have been a boy—someone who could strengthen her husband’s claim to the inheritance. After all, the eldest might leave his religious path, and the second might miraculously recover. The third uncle’s claim to succession wasn’t secure, and this uncertainty made the third aunt anxious—and she took that anxiety out on Yu Manyi.

But Yu Manyi didn’t understand that anxiety at all. Since she was young, she never knew worry, had no long-term memory for grudges, and never thought her existence was a problem. She would always admit her mistakes immediately, kneel down, and accept her punishment.

The third aunt didn’t know that some servants would sneak food to the third young lady under cover of night, nor that the youngest child from the second branch would bring her ointments to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising. All she knew was that every time she saw this girl reappear in front of people as if nothing had happened after being punished, she couldn’t help but wonder: how could parents who died so easily have given birth to such a tough daughter?

The third aunt’s anxiety ended when Yu Manyi was fourteen. A distant nephew came to seek refuge with her—a handsome and eloquent young man who quickly won the favor of her father-in-law. He decided to sponsor the boy to study abroad. To make the sponsorship more legitimate, Master Yu arranged an engagement between the young man and Yu Manyi. Once he graduated and returned home, they would get married.

The cousin was indeed a very handsome young man—handsome and youthful, dressed in the traditional long robe of the countryside, with a fair complexion and a gentle expression and demeanor. Yu Manyi had encountered him a few times in the garden. He was kind to her. The two once hid behind the rockery. As he gently pushed back her sleeve and saw the bruises from her aunt’s beatings, his expression clearly showed disapproval.

He peeled back the ointment for her, his cool fingertips brushing her skin. Yu Manyi trembled ever so slightly. She had never been touched by a man before. Her cousin was the first man she had ever interacted with, and also the first person in the entire household to show her tenderness. Based on the romance stories she had read, Yu Manyi believed this must be the love that noble ladies had sought since ancient times. So when Master Yu called her in and asked her what she thought, she said she was very willing.This was the first time Yu Manyi seemed “properly behaved,” and Third Aunt was utterly gratified. From that day on, she treated her better and better, even began setting aside a dowry for her and pulling her into the boudoir to whisper secrets like a mother would.

Yu Manyi believed it was all thanks to her cousin. She loved him more and more, and longed ever more deeply for his return. Even though he never sent a single letter to the Yu family after going abroad, Yu Manyi firmly believed that once he came back, they would begin a beautiful married life—just like what Second Uncle sometimes described to her about her long-deceased parents.

In the autumn of the second year that Yu Manyi was waiting for her cousin to return and marry her, Song Qi appeared in the main hall of the Yu family mansion.

Something major must have been happening outside that year. Every day, people came to visit Master Yu—some to ask for donations, some to ask him to handle affairs, and some to seek his arbitration in disputes.

Song Qi’s request wasn’t all that different. He and a fellow classmate were studying in Shanghai and wanted to start a newspaper, but they needed funding. His classmate was a native of Shaoxing and said he knew a respected local gentryman—perhaps they could ask him for help.

Master Yu politely declined. He didn’t believe these students could stir up any real trouble; even the things that had happened before were, in his view, mere coincidences. China was so vast, yet so few students and workers had truly been touched by modern thought. To him, they were just another group of idealistic children throwing eggs at stone walls—just like his poor, long-dead fourth son who died in prison.

Their positions were so diametrically opposed that by the end, their conversation turned sharp and barbed. At the time, Yu Manyi was in the garden teaching the youngest child of Second Uncle’s family how to pin up her hair. When she heard someone say that today's guest had started arguing with Master Yu, she excitedly lifted her skirt and hurried upstairs, where she and her younger cousin stood on tiptoe at the window, peering down toward the main hall.

Yu Manyi had very sharp eyesight then. Even through such a high window, she immediately saw Song Qi clearly.

He wore a black student uniform, buttoned neatly all the way up, with his collar crisply folded. Her cousin was good-looking in her memory too, but she could never quite recall what he looked like. Song Qi, on the other hand, had the kind of features that were unforgettable after just one glance.

She was standing so high up that she shouldn’t have been able to see his face clearly. But as he raised his head while sipping tea, he looked straight up toward the second floor, and her heart sank—she almost believed they had locked eyes.

His brow bone and nose bridge were higher than those of any man she had seen. Combined with his black clothes, he should have had a very stern appearance. But his phoenix eyes—the corners tilting upward ever so slightly—gave him a flippant air. Yu Manyi had only ever seen such looks on the pampered sons of other noble families; she couldn’t understand how such eyes could belong to a poor student. He finished the entire cup of tea while staring in the direction where she stood, then placed the cup back on the table, stood up, and politely said to Master Yu:

“Then I shall take my leave.”

Yu Manyi hadn’t seen the argument between him and Master Yu with her own eyes, so she believed he was a well-mannered man who didn’t easily offend his elders. This planted the seed for a fateful decision she would make a few days later.In any case, that was the first time Yu Manyi laid eyes on Song Qi. She leaned against the second-floor window frame, which couldn’t be seen from the ground floor, and watched as he and his friend walked away. Bored, she thought, When exactly is Cousin going to come back and marry me?

…

Song Qi never visited the Yu residence again, and the major event happening outside gradually faded into silence. Perhaps Master Yu had been right—everything that happened in the cities passed in the blink of an eye, while only the rice paddies and wheat fields in the countryside continued to grow without end.

When the autumn harvest arrived, it was also time for the Yu family’s ancestral rites.

All the elders had to attend, and the older boys of the younger generation too. The vast Yu family mansion was left with only a few daughters and the household servants. During those few days, Yu Manyi was learning how to paint kites with Second Uncle. She painted many little birds on the kite. The brush tip was soft, and all the birds she drew came out fluffy—just like her head looked when she didn’t comb her hair.

She didn’t dare fly the kite while the elders were around, but now that the house was empty, she finally let out the string and dashed out from the inner chambers, dragging the kite behind her. Unfortunately, the paths inside the residence were too winding, and there were thresholds everywhere. After a few tries, the kite still hadn’t taken flight.

When she came back to her senses, Yu Manyi had already reached the front gate of the mansion.

Her expression grew a little serious.

Daughters of the Yu family weren’t allowed to go out on their own—they had to be accompanied. Third Uncle wouldn’t take her, and neither would Third Aunt. Second Uncle had taken her and the youngest child to the marketplace a few times when he was in better health, but he had been ill for a long time now. Yu Manyi felt a little envious of her older brothers. Why don’t they need anyone to take them out? She wasn’t going far. She just wanted to fly her kite in front of the gate.

She squatted down and traced the smooth stone ground with her finger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gatekeeper pacing anxiously behind the window, muttering “Aiyo” as he walked back and forth. After a short while of groaning, he clutched his stomach and hurried off—running in the direction of the outhouse.

Now then, the Yu family residence was truly empty. No one at the gate either.

Yu Manyi slung the kite onto her back, lifted a corner of her jacketed skirt, and like a little bird, hopped right over the threshold.

She must’ve grown taller since the last time she came out—the road that had once seemed wide now felt narrow, just wide enough for Master Yu’s sedan chair to pass. On her right was the mansion gate, on her left the river, and in between lay a shining path of bluestone slabs.

Yu Manyi decided that this path wasn’t suitable for flying a kite, so she followed the wall, walked past the bridge, and headed in the direction of the market. She remembered this road passed by a field embankment. Second Uncle had said that was the wheat field where the Yu family collected rent. He told her the entire stretch of land to the south—all of it bore the surname Yu.Yu Manyi found it strange—how could the Yu family own such vast land, yet she could only live her life inside the mansion? Of course, the Yu mansion was large too, but compared to these sprawling wheat fields, it couldn’t even accommodate a single kite.

At first, Yu Manyi walked very cautiously, head lowered, afraid of being recognized. But she soon realized—no one recognized her at all. Even though everyone here had heard of Master Yu’s name, she, Yu Manyi, was just an insignificant daughter of the Yu family. Walking along the ridge, she was no different from the countless other daughters of Shaoxing who lived on this land.

The autumn harvest had ended just a few days ago. The ridges were piled with straw that hadn’t yet been hauled away, and the farmers had returned home to eat lunch and rest. Yu Manyi walked through the straw with the kite on her back, realizing she couldn’t go any farther—if she did, she would reach the market, and someone there might recognize her. Besides, the ridge was a perfect place to run, and her little bird could take flight here.

Thinking this, Yu Manyi walked along the ridge, uneven step by uneven step. Just as she was about to take down her kite, she suddenly felt a tight grip around her ankle—Yu Manyi froze.

The force was so strong she couldn’t pull her foot free. Her scream lodged in her throat, and her knees buckled as she was yanked down, forced to kneel, then rolled down the ridge, hugging her head. The delicate frame of the kite snapped one piece after another in the tumble, the paper surface torn to shreds. She struggled frantically, until she saw a pair of eyes.

She froze. She had seen those eyes before—through the second-floor window of the Yu residence.

The earth had been turned over and was loose, now covering her in mud. The kite had been crushed beyond recognition. She used all her strength to sit up and saw that those eyes, which had been staring straight at her, were now dimming and slowly closing, leaving only a pale, bloodstained face behind.

His lips were cracked—he hadn’t had water in who knew how long—and they moved faintly, making a whisper of sound. Yu Manyi couldn’t hear what he was saying, so she leaned in, brought her ear close to his mouth, and heard him murmur in a breathy voice: “Help me.”

Then his eyes and lips shut completely.

It was noon. The sun hung high overhead. The ridge was wide and silent, stacked with golden sheaves of wheat and grain. Yu Manyi’s heartbeat slowly returned to its normal rhythm, and she realized the man was no longer clutching her ankle—but her wrist. He had fainted, yet still gripped her wrist so tightly that her fingertips were numb from the blocked circulation.

She pried his fingers open one by one, finally freeing herself from his grasp.

Yu Manyi wiped her face with the back of her hand and found it smeared with mud. Judging by his face, she could imagine how disheveled she must look. She didn’t know why he had been left here, barely alive, but she guessed it hadn’t been long—otherwise, the farmers would have discovered him while harvesting.

Yu Manyi wasn’t someone good at refusing others. The discipline for women in the Yu family was one of unconditional obedience. But when it came to outsiders? No one had ever taught her—because since birth, she had never needed to face outsiders.

Yu Manyi felt things were starting to spiral out of control. Maybe she shouldn’t have snuck out of the house. If she brought this man back, everyone would know she slipped out while the elders were away for the ancestral rites, and she would surely face punishment once again. Yu Manyi feared pain—though she was good at pretending she didn’t. Her cousin’s presence had spared her from living in constant fear of pain. She didn’t want to invite trouble on herself.And so she completely broke free from Song Qi’s grip, dusted off her clothes, and fled from the ridge without looking back.