A poem, depicting the entangled and bittersweet love story:
Love intertwined remains a mystery, unnecessarily drawing others' suspicion. Good intentions often lead to failure, making it hard to bear; who will turn a blind eye?
Wishing for a bright moon over the Five Lakes, hoping for patience, as the debt of lovebirds must eventually be settled.
Jinlian at home, clinging to Chen Jingji like a chick pecking at grain, always together. One day, Jinlian, with a worried look, feeling sluggish and unable to eat, and noticing her waist thickening, called Jingji into the room and said, "I have something to tell you. These days I can't lift my eyelids, my waist is getting thicker, my belly feels like it's flipping, I can't eat, I feel uncomfortable all over. When my father was alive, I wanted to ask Aunt Xue for some pregnancy medicine, but I got no response. Now that my father is gone, and we've been together for so long, I'm pregnant. Since March, I haven't touched cold water; now it's been six months, my belly is bulging. I used to make fun of others for being pregnant; now it's my turn. Don't pretend to be asleep; while your mother-in-law hasn't come back yet, hurry up and get some abortion pills, get rid of the child. Otherwise, if a monster is born, I will go seek death, and never hold my head up again."
Upon hearing this, Jingji said, "We have all kinds of medicines in our shop, but I don't know which ones are abortion pills, and I don't have a prescription. Don't worry, the neighborhood's Doctor Hu is good at all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases, especially in gynecology; he often comes to our house to treat patients. I'll go ask him, buy a few doses of medicine, and help you with the abortion." Jinlian said, "Please, dear brother, hurry and help me!"
Jing Ji, carrying three taels of silver, went straight to Dr. Hu's house. Dr. Hu was home and came out to greet him. Recognizing Jing Ji as Ximen Qing's son-in-law, he invited him to sit down and asked, “Long time no see, what brings you here today?” Jing Ji replied, “Nothing much.” He took out three taels of silver from his sleeve and said, “This is for the medicine; I’d like to ask you to prescribe some abortion medicine.” Dr. Hu said, “In this world, compassion is key. Others ask for prenatal medicine, but you want abortion medicine? No, I can't do that.” Seeing his hesitation, Jing Ji added two more taels of silver and said, “Don’t worry about that; every family has its difficulties. This woman is having trouble giving birth and wants to terminate the pregnancy.” Dr. Hu accepted the silver and said, “Alright, I’ll prescribe you a dose of safflower medicine. After taking it, it will feel as if you've walked five miles, and the fetus will naturally be expelled.” He then gave Jing Ji two prescriptions. Jing Ji took the medicine and bid farewell to Dr. Hu, returning home to give it to Jin Lian. That night, Jin Lian brewed the medicine and drank it; her stomach immediately began to hurt severely, and she lay on the bed, asking Chun Mei to press and rub her belly. Before long, she went to the toilet and aborted the child. She then asked Qiu Ju to wrap the child in grass paper and throw it into the dung pit. The next day, the dung collector found a chubby, white baby. As the saying goes, good news stays at home, while bad news travels far; within a few days, the family knew about Jin Lian’s affair with her son-in-law and the secret birth of the child.
Wu Yue Niang returned home after half a month, just in time for the October weather. The family came out to welcome her, and after they greeted her, Yue Niang recounted her experiences at Daiyue Temple to her sisters, breaking down in tears. The whole family came to pay their respects to her. Yue Niang saw the wet nurse carrying Xiao Ge Er and brought him before her; mother and son met and wept in each other’s arms. They burned paper offerings, prepared wine, and welcomed Uncle Wu back home. That night, her sisters threw a welcome dinner for Yue Niang.
The next day, after being worn out from the journey and startled, Yue Niang felt achy all over and took several days to recover. At home, Qiu Ju was furious upon hearing what Jin Lian and Jing Ji had been up to and wanted to tell Yue Niang. As she approached the main room's entrance, she was stopped by Xiao Yu, who gave her a hard slap and yelled, "You foul-mouthed little brat, get lost! Our grandma just got back from a long trip and isn’t feeling well; she hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet. If you upset her, you must be asking for trouble!" Qiu Ju, silenced by the scolding, left feeling dejected.
One day, Jing Ji came to Jin Lian's room to look for clothes, and the two of them were canoodling again. Qiu Ju saw this from behind and hurriedly called Yue Niang over, saying, "I’ve told you several times, but you never believed me. When you’re not home, these two are messing around day and night and secretly had a child. Chun Mei is also helping them. Today they are up to no good again upstairs; I’m not lying on purpose, you should go take a look!" Yue Niang rushed over, and the two still hadn’t come downstairs, lost in their moment. Chun Mei saw them in the room and hurriedly went upstairs to say, "Not good, the lady is coming!" The two were flustered and had nowhere to hide. Jing Ji had no choice but to put on his clothes and go downstairs, where he ran into Yue Niang, who scolded him harshly, saying, "You little rascal, what are you doing barging in like this?" Jing Ji replied, "There are people waiting for me at the shop; I need to go get clothes." Yue Niang said, "I told the servant to go get them, why did you run to a widow's room? How could you be so shameless!" A few words left Jing Ji embarrassed, and he fled in a panic. Jin Lian was so ashamed that she didn’t dare come down for a long time. After she came down, Yue Niang gave her a severe scolding, saying, "Sixth Sister, don’t be so shameless in the future! We are all widows now, unlike before when we had husbands and could stay safely at home. Walls have ears; what are you doing messing around with this guy? It’s too embarrassing for the servants to gossip behind our backs! As the saying goes, a man without integrity is worthless; a woman without integrity is like spoiled candy. If you are upright, you won’t need to be told to do the right thing; if you’re not upright, even if you’re told, it won’t work. If you were upright, would the servants dare to gossip? He has said several times in front of me, and I didn’t believe it; today I saw it with my own eyes, and there’s no way around it. I’m saying it right now; you need to resolve to make your husband proud. Like when I went to the temple and was extorted by a strongman, if I hadn’t been upright, I wouldn’t have come back." Jin Lian’s face turned red and pale from Yue Niang’s reprimanding, and she kept saying it wasn’t true, just saying, "I was burning incense upstairs, and Chen Jiefu went over there himself to look for clothes; who did he talk to?" That day, Yue Niang was very angry and went back to her own room.
In the evening, Sister Ximen scolded Jingji in the house again: "You little rascal, you’ve gotten away with it this time, and you’re still being stubborn! What were you two up to upstairs today? You’re driving me up the wall! The shameful things you two did make me feel like I’ve fallen into a pit. That good-for-nothing woman stole my man and pretends in front of me, like a brick in a dung heap—stinking and hard, weighing me down. She’s like an old scallion propped against the wall—worn out and bitter. You still think you can eat for free in my house?" Jingji shot back, "You took my money, so what’s wrong with me eating your food?" He angrily walked out.
Since then, Jingji only wandered in the front and didn’t dare to step into the backyard anymore. If he needed anything, he only let Dai'an and Ping'an go upstairs to fetch it. Every day, the meals were always late and didn’t arrive until noon, leaving Clerk Fu so hungry that he had to take his money to the street for a bowl of hot noodles. It was a real struggle for the common folks! The door at home stayed shut for ages. This way, his relationship with Jinlian hit more bumps. Jingji's uncle, Zhang Tuanlian, used to manage the Chen family's house, and now that Zhang Tuanlian’s retired and just lounging at home, Jingji goes to his uncle's house for meals every day, and Yue Niang didn’t pry.
The two of them have been apart for almost a month without seeing each other. Jin Lian was left all alone, where a day felt like three years and a night like half a year. The empty room made her feel as restless as if she were burning up; how she wished to see Jing Ji, but it felt impossible! The two of them had completely lost contact, and Jing Ji had no way to get in. One day, he saw Aunt Xue passing by the door and was moved to ask her to deliver a message to Jin Lian, to tell her about the situation during this time and express his longing. One day, Jing Ji went to Aunt Xue's house to collect a debt, leading a donkey to her door. He lifted the curtain and asked, "Is Aunt Xue home?" Aunt Xue's daughter-in-law, Sister Jin, who was holding a child on the kang, came out and asked, "Who is it?" Jing Ji said, "It's me." Sister Jin asked, "Is Aunt Xue home?" Sister Jin said, "Please come in, Uncle." She added, "My mother went to another house to exchange jewelry and is out collecting money. If you need to talk, I can have someone call her back." Then she hurried to pour tea for Jing Ji. Before long, Aunt Xue returned, greeted Jing Ji, and said, "Uncle, what brings you here?" Then she told Sister Jin, "Pour a cup of tea for your uncle." Sister Jin said, "He just had some." Jing Ji said, "I don't come without reason. The thing is, I've been involved with your daughter for a long time, but now that girl Qiujiu has reported us, breaking our bond. Both your aunt and sister have distanced themselves from me. I've been apart from Liu Jie (Jin Lian) for a long time and have been unable to contact her. I really need your help to pass on a message." Saying this, he took out a tael of silver from his sleeve: "Here's a little something for you to get some tea." Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue clapped her hands and laughed heartily, saying, "What son-in-law jokes around with his mother-in-law? Is that even a thing? Uncle, tell me honestly, how did you manage to get her?" Jing Ji said, "Aunt Xue, please keep your voice down and don't make fun of me. I've got this letter all ready; can you help me get it to her tomorrow?" Aunt Xue took the letter and said, "Your aunt went to burn incense; I haven't seen her come back yet, but I can swing by on my way." Jing Ji said, "How will I know you got it to her?" Aunt Xue said, "Just find me at the shop for a reply." With that, Jing Ji took the donkey and headed home.
The next day, Aunt Xue carried a flower basket and first went to the house of Ximen Qing to see Yue Niang. After sitting for a while, she went to Meng Yulou's room, and finally arrived at Jin Lian's side. Jin Lian was sitting by the table eating porridge. Chun Mei saw that Jin Lian looked gloomy and said, "Mother, you shouldn't worry too much. Let them say what they want about right and wrong. Now that father is gone, and the mistress can't have a son, perhaps her background isn't as clear? She has no right to interfere in our private matters. Don't take it to heart; even if the sky falls, someone will be there to catch it! In life, we should live each day to the fullest." Then she poured a cup of wine for Jin Lian and handed it to her, saying, "Mother, have a drink to warm yourself and ease your worries." Just then, Aunt Xue arrived, greeted Jin Lian, and said hello to Chun Mei, smiling, "You two seem to be living quite well!" Seeing the two dogs, she joked, "Your family is really lucky! But you two don't seem very happy?" Jin Lian asked, "What wind blew you here? Why haven't you come to see us for so long?" as she invited Aunt Xue to sit down. Aunt Xue replied, "I've been so busy all day that I haven't had time to come by. The mistress has returned from burning incense, and I haven't seen her yet; I was just worried about her. The third lady from the west wing is also here; she gave me two pairs of green flowers, one pair of big green hairpins, and quickly gave me eight coins in silver. But the snow girl from the back yard, since August, has owed me two pairs of thread flowers; she was supposed to give me two coins in silver but hasn't, really stingy! By the way, why haven't I seen you lately?" Jin Lian said, "I've been feeling a bit unwell these past two days and haven't gone out." Chun Mei quickly poured a cup of wine for Aunt Xue. Aunt Xue hurriedly thanked her, saying, "I walked in and was offered wine right away." Jin Lian said, "I hope you give birth to a big fat boy tomorrow." Aunt Xue replied, "I can't; my daughter-in-law, Sister Jin, just had a baby two months ago." She added, "Now that your father is gone, it's been so quiet around here." Jin Lian said, "There's nothing we can do; it was better when he was here. Now we're both taking the brunt of it. Honestly, Aunt Xue, things have gotten a bit chaotic around here; ever since the mistress had a child, her heart has changed, and the two sisters aren't as close as before. I've been feeling uncomfortable these past few days, and also because of some gossip, I haven't gone over." Chun Mei said, "It's all that girl Qiu Ju from our house; when the mistress is away, she talks nonsense and spreads rumors about us, it's really chaotic." Aunt Xue said, "Is it that big maid in the house? How dare she treat her masters like this? Since ancient times, those who wear blue clothes love to gossip. Such people can't be kept." Jin Lian told Chun Mei, "You watch that girl, don't let her eavesdrop." Chun Mei replied, "She's picking rice in the kitchen! She's like a leaky faucet around here, always spilling our business." Aunt Xue said, "There's no one here; let's talk. Yesterday, Brother Chen came to my house and told me about this matter; it's clear that Qiu Ju is stirring up trouble. Brother Chen said his mistress scolded him, and the doors at home are tightly shut, not letting him in to get clothes and medicine. They even moved his sister to the east wing. Every noon, they don't send him food, so he can only go to his uncle Zhang's for meals. He doesn't take care of his own son-in-law but manages the servants; is that reasonable? He hasn't seen you for a long time and specifically asked me to send you a letter, begging you not to be too sad. Anyway, father is gone; just let go and do what you want; what's there to be afraid of? Even if you light incense, are you afraid of smoke? If you set a fire, what's the big deal?" With that, she pulled out a letter from Jing Ji and handed it to Jin Lian.
When Jinlian opened the letter, the letter contained nothing more than only the three words "Red Embroidered Shoes" written in red thread, followed by a poem:
The fire at the Ao Temple scorches the skin and flesh; the Blue Bridge water floods the throat, tightly pressing the wind sounds throughout Nanzhou. Ultimately, cleaning can lead to staining; achieving something can indeed be elegant, and sometimes it's just enough. Sister Liu offers her hundred respects.
After the woman finished reading the letter, she put it into her sleeve. Xue Sao said, "You should reply to him, or write a few words, so he knows the letter was sent by me." The woman asked Chunmei to join Xue Sao for a drink before heading into the inner room. After a while, she took out a white silk handkerchief and a gold ring. She wrote a poem on the handkerchief, expressing her feelings for him. After finishing writing, she carefully wrapped the handkerchief and handed it to Xue Sao, saying, "Take this to him, tell him not to be stubborn, not to go to his uncle Zhang's house for dinner, and not to let his uncle Zhang's family think we are poor. Just tell him you are doing business in your father-in-law's house, that's why you come to my house for dinner. Don't let his uncle think we are poor, or say we have no food to eat. Let him take money from the shop to buy snacks for the staff. If you're too stubborn to come in, who are you really mad at? So timid and scared, like a thief!" Xue Sao nodded, "I'll tell him that," and the woman handed her five silver coins.
Xue Sao said goodbye and stepped out to the front shop, where she found Jing Ji. The two walked to a secluded place to talk. Xue Sao then handed him a wrapped package: "Wu Niang said, don’t be temperamental, visit often, and avoid going to your uncle’s house for meals, as it upsets them." Then she pulled out five silver coins to show him: "This is what they gave me, no hidden money. What will you do if you two have a disagreement in the future? Just speak up; don’t put me in a tough spot!" Jing Ji said, "Xue Ma, I really appreciate your help." He bowed deeply to her. Xue Sao took two steps, then turned back and said, "I almost forgot, when I just stepped out, the old lady had the maid Xiu Chun call me back in, and told me to go get Chun Mei tonight, saying she wants to sell Chun Mei. She said Chun Mei was a matchmaker for you, and her mother will help support her with a husband." Jing Ji said, "Xue Ma, please bring her home first. I’ll come by your house another day to see her and ask her a few questions." After Xue Sao finished speaking, she headed back home.
When night fell and the moon rose, Sister Xue went to pick up Chunmei. Upon arriving at Yueniang's room, Yueniang immediately said, "You paid sixteen taels of silver for Chunmei, so just give me the same amount now." She then instructed Xiaoyu, "Keep an eye on things, collect the money, and let her leave without taking any clothes." Sister Xue went ahead and explained the situation to the woman: "Your aunt asked me to fetch Chunmei. She said Chunmei was running off with men alongside you, and no matter what, I can only pay the original price." Upon hearing they were selling Chunmei, the woman’s eyes went wide, and she was speechless for a long time. Her eyes filled with tears as she cried, "Sister Xue, look at us, two women all alone, how tough it is! How long has it been since he died, and now they want to drive away the person next to me? Your aunt is so heartless, relying on having a bastard by her side, she just tramples on others. Li Ping'er’s child died only half a month ago, suffering from smallpox, and how could heaven be so calculating? Yet she is so arrogant!" Sister Xue said, "Chunmei said her father used her when he was alive." The woman replied, "Used her? That dead guy treated her like his prized possession! For every word she said, he would listen ten times, giving her whatever she wanted, while his real wife was sidelined. If he wanted to beat that young servant ten times, her father wouldn’t even dare to hit him five times." Sister Xue said, "But, madam, this is too much! To send away such a good girl that her father used, and not even allow her to take a trunk or a single piece of clothing, just letting her leave without anything, the neighbors won’t like it either." The woman asked, "Did she tell you not to take any clothes?" Sister Xue replied, "The lady ordered it; Xiaoyu came over and said to watch her, not to let her take clothes." Chunmei, who was listening to the conversation about her being sent away, did not shed a single tear. Seeing the woman cry, she said, "Mother, please don’t cry! I’m leaving; you need to be patient, don’t think too much, it will hurt your health and no one will take care of you. Once I leave, even if they don’t give me clothes, it’s fine; since ancient times, good men don’t starve, and good women don’t wear bridal gowns." Just then, Xiaoyu came in and said, "Fifth Madam, listen to me, don’t be anxious. This young lady has a connection with you; you can’t hide it from the lower folks while keeping it from the upper-ups. Take out her trunk, pick a few good bundles, and give her two sets of clothes; let Sister Xue take them for her, at least it’ll be good luck for her." The woman said, "Good sister, you still have a heart." Xiaoyu replied, "Look, who can guarantee that nothing will happen forever? Frogs and crickets are all buried in the same dirt. When the rabbit dies, the fox feels sad; animals feel for their own." She then pulled out Chunmei's trunk, which had sweat towels and hairpins inside, and allowed her to take them. The woman picked out two sets of fine satin clothes and shoes, packed them into a large bundle, and privately gave her a few hairpins, combs, and rings. Xiaoyu also took off two hairpins from her head and gave them to Chunmei. The other beads, tassels, silver threads, cloud hairpins, and golden skirts were all left untouched and moved to the back. Chunmei then bid farewell to the woman and Xiaoyu, crying as she left. Before exiting, the woman wanted her to say goodbye to Yueniang and the others, but Xiaoyu just waved her off. Chunmei followed Sister Xue, leaving without looking back.
Xiao Yu and the woman saw her off at the door and came back. Xiao Yu went to the main room to inform Auntie, simply saying, "She left with nothing; all her clothes are still here." Jin Lian returned to the room, which usually felt warm with Chun Mei's presence as they shared heartfelt conversations. Today, she was gone, and the room felt empty and desolate, unable to hold back her tears, she cried out loud. There is a poem to prove it:
The words still echo in my ears, yet love is now torn apart. The person who was here is gone, and in the silence, my soul withers away.
