Annual Ceremony

Chapter 50 Cold Dew (I)

After several years, the Chen family's girls' private school was no longer as lively as it used to be. The teacher became Madam Bu's second daughter-in-law. When Zhenyi passed by, she peeked through the window and saw five or six girls with young and immature faces learning to play the piano.

The elderly Mrs. Bu had been bedridden since she had an acute illness last fall, and her condition had been fluctuating.

Zhenyi had learned about this from a letter and had always missed her teacher very much.

The Wang family traveled thousands of miles away because they were worried about the future of their family, but they were also sincere in their feelings. Old Mrs. Dong chose Jilin as the end point of this journey, more out of her concern for the human feelings here.

During the past two years of traveling, Orange's biggest experience is that in today's world, it is really difficult for people who are thousands of miles apart to meet each other. This level of luxury is even far greater than eating a hundred dried fish every day.

As luxurious as meeting old friends is the passing of time.

From the first time she met Madam Bu, Juzi knew that she was an elderly person, but there are still differences between old and aged. The old woman with a stern face and "half-cooked" appearance in Juzi's eyes in the past still looks like a "half-cooked" grain of rice, but has become moldy due to illness, and her sparse and mottled hair is like blue-white, fluffy moldy hair.

Seeing such an old and sick teacher, Zhenyi held back her tears and bowed: "Teacher, I am back to see you."

Looking at the student in front of her, Madam Bu nodded slightly: "You are tired after a long journey. Come sit down and talk with your grandmother."

As he said this, he raised his hand to signal Wang Xichen, who was greeting him, to sit down as well.

Old Madam Bu had a cold and strong personality. She did not like to show her illness and was not used to being disturbed or sympathized with. Normally, when someone came to visit her, she would just respond politely with a few words and then invite the person to the front hall to be served tea by the younger generations.

Today, Mrs. Bu rarely kept Mrs. Dong and Zhenyi in the room. They talked for a long time and she also took the initiative to ask about their experiences in the past few years.

Zhenyi noticed that even though he was ill, there were still many books and poetry collections on the small table beside the teacher's bed, as well as a pair of glasses with copper frames and crystals. The glasses were made in Suzhou and were finely crafted, but the lenses were old and worn.

Seeing Zhenyi's eyes fall on the small table, Old Lady Bu asked about Zhenyi's poems: "She showed me the poems you wrote to Wanyu. They are all very good... You have traveled all over the world in the past two years. Do you have any masterpieces that you are proud of?"

Although Zhenyi had "graduated", she immediately felt nervous about being called on by the teacher to test her homework, and even sat more straight.

Before Zhenyi had time to be humble, Mrs. Dong smiled and told Tao'er to get Zhenyi's manuscript of poems from the car and let Mrs. Bu take a look and give her some advice.

Zhenyi was now even more nervous, as most of her poems were written spontaneously, and some were not so "conventional". It was one thing to enjoy them herself, but it was another to give them to the usually serious private school teacher to review and comment on them in front of her family.

However, I didn't expect that after reading each poem, Mrs. Bu, apart from a few discussions and suggestions, was mostly approving, and she didn't specifically pick out the unrestrained and unruly words in Zhenyi's poems to criticize or question.

Zhenyi was flattered and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Mrs. Bu, wearing glasses and holding a thick stack of poems in her hands, did not rush to hand it back to Zhenyi, but asked: "Are you still studying mathematics now?"

Zhenyi nodded seriously and obediently: "I'll learn it casually when I have free time."

Wang Xichen smiled and took over the conversation: "... She is not only good at mathematics, but also pays special attention to astronomy. The stars in the sky seem so chaotic to me, but there is nothing she can't distinguish. Along the way, she also had to observe the weather and the topography of mountains and rivers. The manuscripts she wrote alone filled several boxes... Not only that, now she can even argue with me about medical principles, and she is very knowledgeable."

After hearing this, even Mrs. Bu, who usually had a cold demeanor, could not help but be surprised.

Juzi was also surprised. She was surprised that Wang Xichen would praise Zhenyi like this in public. Juzi had known Wang Xichen for many years, and this was the first time she heard him affirm his daughter like this. It even sounded a bit like a parent showing off his child's academic performance.

Indeed, a child as outstanding as Zhenyi should be shown off everywhere - Juzi narrowed her eyes with some relief. Yes, Xichen finally behaved like a normal parent at his age.

The reason for Wang Xichen's change of mentality was so gratifying to Mao Xin, but even he himself could hardly explain it.

Or maybe it was because he had always had his daughter by his side during his years of traveling. This rare way of getting along broke the father-daughter gap that was unique to this era, making him and his daughter much closer and more familiar than ordinary fathers and daughters.

Or maybe because his daughter's marriage has been settled, he can't help but feel reluctant to let her go when she is about to marry far away;
Or perhaps it was because he knew very well that his daughter's marriage was not just about the future of her life, but also about the direction of her life. Faced with this predetermined direction, as a fellow scholar, he finally felt a little sad and regretful, and even some unspeakable guilt as a father.

With such complicated emotions, Wang Xichen gradually realized that he had neglected and avoided his daughter's talent for many years, and he also realized his own timidity and stinginess.

He was so timid that he never dared to face up to his daughter's outstanding qualities, and so stingy that he never gave his daughter any recognition or praise.

Perhaps it was a useless compensation, or perhaps it was to alleviate the inner shame, but for the first time, Wang Xichen fully affirmed Zhenyi's talent and efforts in front of others.

But perhaps he was not used to such an immodest way of speaking, and finally he said to Madam Bu: "Thanks for your previous teachings..."

Madam Bu looked at Zhenyi and slowly shook her head: "These are not things I can teach her. She should have a better and more knowledgeable teacher."

There is never a shortage of knowledgeable and good teachers in this world, but they often cannot be good teachers for women.

As Mrs. Bu lowered her eyes, she picked out a few pages of poetry and asked Zhenyi to copy them down for her so that she could take them out and read them at any time later.

Zhenyi spread the paper and dipped the pen in ink with some trepidation. Juzi then jumped onto the small table and took on the responsibility of paperweighting it.

Juzi used one of his paws to hold down a corner of the paper for Zhenyi. When he raised his head, he met Madam Bu's old eyes. Those eyes were cloudy due to illness, but for the first time, Juzi was able to see through the turbid fog of this era and see the love and appreciation that this teacher had never shown for her students before.

What Orange didn't understand was the regret and worry behind this love.

Among those present, if Wang Xichen could empathize with the regret at this moment, then Mrs. Dong was the one who could best understand the worry.

The several poems selected by Mrs. Bu are all heroic and unrestrained, pointing to the vast direction that Zhenyi desires most in her heart.

After Zhenyi finished writing, she handed the copied poem to her teacher. When their eyes met, the mutual induction between teacher and student was beyond words. The corners of Zhenyi's bright eyes turned slightly red. She was absolutely sure at this moment that her teacher liked "her" and understood "her" - how lucky is it for a person to be recognized and loved by a teacher in this world?

Zhenyi, feeling lucky, finally dared to get closer to the teacher who she thought was serious and distant. She sat on a small stool beside the bed and talked about poetry, her experiences and sights with the teacher. She was very happy and talkative.

It’s a pity that Chen Ningtian was not at home and only left a letter for Zhenyi.

About half a month ago, Chen Ningtian went to his maternal grandfather's home in Shandong with his mother and brother.

When leaving the Chen family, Chen Ningtian's father personally saw him off. During his chat with Wang Xichen, he mentioned that his mother-in-law was not in good health. He also said that the old lady was very concerned about the marriages of the younger generations. During the conversation, he mentioned the Kong family in Shandong.

Although it was not stated explicitly, Wang Xichen understood it and could not help but admire and congratulate: "If the two families can really get along, it would be the best thing..."

The Shandong Kong family, no matter which branch it is, this surname alone is enough for every scholar to look up to and worship. Zhenyi listened to the conversation between her father and Uncle Chen, but she couldn't help but be a little absent-minded... As a good friend, she was aware of the girls' worries that were not noticed by the busy adults.

The Wang family had to stay in Jilin for a while, and it would be inconvenient to stay in someone else's house, so Grandma Dong took her son and granddaughter back to their old courtyard.

The Chen family sent two servants to help with the cleaning. Orange lay on the top of the wall, squinting at the shiny dust that was raised in the afternoon sunlight. It seemed like a group of housekeeping elves were staying here temporarily. Now that the master had returned, they all hurriedly packed up their bedding and flew away.

Every corner of the courtyard hides the shadow of memories, especially the grape trellis.

As dusk approached, Zhenyi finally had some free time. She sat under the grape trellis and read the letter left by Chen Ningtian.

In the letter, she repeatedly begged Zhenyi to wait for her to come back from Shandong, and she would return by early October at the latest.

The second half of the sentence was, if Zhenyi couldn't wait for her to return, please bring a message back to Jinling for her...

It was an almost solemn entrustment, and it was also the first time that Chen Ningtian truly spoke her heart out to her good friend. She asked Zhenyi to convey a message to Wang Jie, which roughly meant that no matter whether he could pass the imperial examination this autumn, he must remember to propose marriage, the sooner the better, and as long as he asked, she would get her family's consent no matter what.

The autumn evening light shines on the letter paper, reflecting the girl's determination and enthusiasm between the lines.

It was hard for Zhenyi not to be moved, and the self-respecting face of her second brother immediately appeared in her mind.

Zhenyi folded the letter carefully and neatly, put it back into the envelope, put her hands on her knees, looked up absentmindedly, and her unfocused gaze fell on a spider web hanging in the corner of the grape trellis.

As her gaze focused slightly, Zhenyi felt as if her second brother in her mind had turned into a speck of dust in the afterglow, floating and clinging to the spider web with thousands of other specks of dust, struggling to swim upwards.

The fate of thousands of imperial examination candidates is like this spider silk, and the affection between the second brother and Wanyu is also like this spider silk. They adhere to secular etiquette and are thousands of miles apart, connected only by this thin and crystal thread of affection.

Everyone is like dust, and fate is like a spider web. Personal future, family honor and disgrace, and marriage are all weighed down on one thin spider silk after another.

Suddenly, Zhenyi felt that this didn't seem right. The world was so vast, and the Qing Dynasty was so rich. Why did the people of this world want to go to the brighter side, but they had to take this fragile and difficult path like spider silk? Why did the fate of millions of people have to be tied to the spider web? Was this rule also in the world?
Zhenyi still couldn't figure out what the truth behind this was. She could only hope that her second brother could pass the imperial examination. With such hard work, he should have passed. Wanyu was so sincere and bright, she should also get what she wanted and experience less hardships from fate.

After settling down in the courtyard for a few days, Zhenyi and her grandmother were invited by Mrs. Dolan to visit the general's mansion.

Zhenyi was unable to see Baoyin because she had already married and was far away in Mongolia. She was also pregnant and was about to give birth, so she could not travel far.

After getting married, Baoyin can no longer do whatever she wants like before. Ertu, who has a wife, is still the same. When Zhenyi and Mrs. Dolan came to the horse farm, they saw Ertu racing with his friends. As a man, he can stay in this horse farm forever and always be so energetic.

Seeing Zhenyi again, Ertu did not feel uncomfortable. He looked Zhenyi up and down, then looked at the cat beside Zhenyi, and asked casually, "...Is it the same one from before? It's been many years, and it's still alive?"

Orange was too lazy to pay attention and didn't even look at him.

Ertu and Zhenyi went to the stable, and on the way, Ertu asked casually, "I heard that you haven't got engaged yet? How come you haven't found someone you like?"

Zhenyi: "It's almost settled."

Ertu was stunned for a moment, and then he said "Oh", walked another seven or eight steps, and asked: "...What about that person? What does he do? Is he a scholar from Jinling?"

Zhenyi just shook her head and said nothing more.

Ertu privately felt that that person could not possibly match his family background and appearance, so she was too embarrassed to elaborate, right?

But when he turned around, he saw that the woman beside him was relaxed and at ease, with a temperament like mountain flowers and morning dew, without any sign of awkwardness.

She had told him that he didn't need to wait and that she wouldn't come - and now, even if she returned here again, she still wouldn't come.

Ertu felt a little depressed and unwilling, and felt that he could not gain the upper hand at all. However, his mood swings were not as strong as before. He just sneered and said jokingly: "You are still the same as before, not much has changed."

"Isn't this great?" Zhenyi also turned to look at him and asked with a smile.

She really wanted to be like him and never have to change too much.

Mrs. Dolan asked someone to bring Defeng over, and said to Zhenyi with a smile, "Get on the horse and walk with me for a while."

Zhenyi climbed onto the familiar horse's back, followed Mrs. Dolan, and ran into the wind.

The autumn sun slides westward, and a hint of moisture gradually appears in the wind. This moisture comes from over the mountains and across the seas, and finally turns into water droplets and dew covering the spider web under the grape trellis.

In the blink of an eye, Zhenyi had been in Jilin for more than ten days. When the autumnal equinox ended, the Cold Dew season arrived.

On the day of Cold Dew, Wang Xichen brought a pot of chrysanthemum wine and went to pay tribute to his father.

Juzi followed Zhenyi to the place where the king was cremated that day.

For Juzi, the person buried in the ancestral tomb of the Tianchang Wang family is the king's assistant in the secular sense, while the stubborn and sharp old Wang who is not tolerated by the secular world will remain forever on this desolate land - Juzi knows that Zhenyi must think so too.

After Zhenyi returned to the courtyard, she stood in front of the old desk by the window in the house, looking at the autumn scenery in the courtyard. She seemed to see her grandfather dozing in the rattan chair in the courtyard again.

The phantom was blown away by the autumn wind during the Cold Dew season, scattered between heaven and earth, and finally turned into line after line of ink marks of longing under Zhenyi's pen.

When Zhenyi put down her pen, she looked towards the yard again and saw Juzi lazily standing up from the rattan chair, jumping on the ground, stretching out his two front paws, lowering his head, and stretching lazily.

Zhenyi called out to Orange, and Orange responded with a meow, then ran over with its tail raised, jumped onto the windowsill, and leaped into Zhenyi's outstretched arms.

In the main hall, Mrs. Dong discussed with her son and decided to stay in Jilin until early October. This way they could visit all the old friends there and not delay their return to Nanjing before the New Year.

Zhenyi's marriage has been basically settled, the engagement letters have been exchanged, and her family is preparing for everything. She will be able to get married next year after returning to Jinling.

Rather than the date of her marriage, Zhenyi was more looking forward to Chen Ningtian's return. In a month, she wondered if Wanyu could make it back to see her.

However, Zhenyi did not wait here for a month. On the third day of the Cold Dew season, with the arrival of an urgent letter, Wang Xichen lost his composure and hurriedly left Jilin with his family.

(I have been busy recently and have not updated for half a month. Sorry!