Thirty years ago in Shanghai, a night with the moon ...... we may not have caught sight of the moon thirty years ago. Young people think of the moon thirty years ago should be a copper coin big a red and yellow wet halo, like Duo Yunxuan letterhead fell a drop of teardrops, obsolete and confused. Older people recalled thirty years ago the moon is joyful, than the moon in front of the big, round, white; however, across thirty years of hard work looking back, and then the good moon can not help but bring a little bleak.

The moonlight shone on the pillow of Feng xiao, the maid accompanying Third Grandmother, who was newly married to Jiang Gongguan. Feng xiao opened her eyes and looked, only to see one of her greenish-white hands resting on the half-used gorgonian cotton quilt surface, and said in her heart, "Is it the moonlight?" Feng xiao hit the ground to sleep under the window. Those two years were busy with the change of dynasty, the Jiang public house to avoid the soldiers to Shanghai, the house is not enough to live in, so this one lower room is full of people sleeping underneath.

Feng xiao heard someone behind the big bed.

Xiaoshuang took off her shoes, stepped over Feng xiao with her bare feet, walked to the window, and laughed, "Get up and look at the moon, too." Feng xiao climbed up in one bone, asked in a low voice: "I have long wanted to ask you, your second grandmother ......" Xiaoshuang bent down to pick up the small jacket to put it on for her, said: "Carefully invoke the cool. " Feng xiao side button, one side laughed: "No, you have to tell me!" Xiaoshuang laughed: "It's me who spoke inattentively and got into trouble!" Feng xiao said: "We are all family members now, why are we being so outgoing?" Xiaoshuang said: "I'm telling you, don't tell your lady! Our second grandmother's family is a hemp oil store." Feng xiao let out a cry and said: "A hemp oil store! Where did you get that idea? Like your grandma, is also a public vassal's family miss, our one although not as good as grandma, is not a lowly person--" Xiao Shuang said: "Here naturally there is a reason. Our second master you have seen, is a cripple. Who would be willing to give him the daughter of an official? The old lady had no choice, intended for the second master to have an aunt, the matchmaker to find this Cao family, was born in July, called the seven Qiao." Feng xiao said: "Oh, is the aunt." Xiao Shuang said, "The original is to be the aunt's grandmother, and then the old lady thought, since she does not intend to marry for the second master, the second house does not have a daughter-in-law in charge, is not a matter, so it is hired to do the head of the grandmothers, so that she can teach her to serve the second master with all her heart and soul." Feng xiao put his hand on the window sill, pondered: "Strange! Although I'm new here, but also see the expected two or three points." Xiaoshuang said, "It is true that dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. You haven't heard how she talks! In front of the girls, there is no taboo at all. Thanks to our family has always been within the words do not enter, outside the words do not enter, the girls do not understand anything. Rarely understand, still bashful no place to hide!" Feng xiao snorted with laughter, "Really? Where did she hear these village words? Even our girl--" Xiaoshuang hugged his arm and said: "The live signboard of the hemp oil store, standing used to the counter, knowledgeable, what do we take than others?" Feng xiao said: "Are you married to her?" Xiaoshuang laughed coldly and said: "She is also worthy! I was originally the old lady in front of the people, the second master of the day to take medicine, action can not be separated from the people, a few maids in the house is not enough to make, the allocation of my past. What's the matter? You cold where?" Feng xiao shook his head. Xiao Shuang said: "Look at you shrinking neck this delicate appearance!" Before the end of the sentence, Feng xiao sneezed, Xiaoshuang busy push her: "Sleep! Sleep! Warm up quickly." Feng xiao kneeled down to take off the jacket, laughed: "It's not winter, where is it freezing?" Xiaoshuang said: "Don't look at the window is closed, the wind in the window eye creaks and drills." The two went to sleep. Feng xiao quietly asked: "Come over for four or five years?" Xiao Shuang said: "Who?" Feng xiao said: "Who else?" Xiao Shuang said: "Oh, she, not five years." Feng xiao said: "also give birth to a man and a woman - but did not make any talk?" Xiao Shuang said: "Still say! There's a lot to talk about! The year before last, the old lady led the whole family to the Putuo Mountain incense, she did not go to the month, leaving her to look after the family. Uncle's footsteps were a little more diligent, and lost a vote." Feng xiao lost shocked: "also did not find out exactly?" Xiaoshuang said, "What good can we find out? We can't lose face! Those jewelry is only going to belong to the second and third masters. The grandparents are in the way of the second master, so they can't say anything. The Third Master himself is spending money like water. I owe a lot of money on the public account, and I can't say anything about it."

The two of them were talking across the room. Although they tried their best to lower their throats, there was still a sentence and a half louder, waking up Zhao Ma-ma, who was sleeping on the big bed, and Zhao Ma-ma called out, "Xiaoshuang." Xiao Shuang didn't dare to answer. Sister Zhao said, "Xiaoshuang, if you keep talking nonsense and people hear you, I'll carefully reveal your skin tomorrow!" Xiaoshuang was still silent. Sister Zhao said again, "Don't think that you are still living in the old courtyard, so you can go crazy! This is a place where you have to squeeze your nose and eyes, what can you hide from people? Don't ask for a beating before it's too late!" The room was silent. Sister Zhao's eyes were hurt, and her pillow was stuffed with chrysanthemum leaves, which are said to cool the eyes. She owed her head and pressed the silver hairpin on her bun, and with a slight turn of the side, the chrysanthemum leaves rustled. Sister Zhao rolled over, creaking and grating the bones of her entire body, she let out a sigh and said, "What do you know!" Xiao Shuang and Feng Xiao still didn't dare to answer. For a long time no one opened their mouths, and one by one, they hazily fell asleep. It was almost dawn. The flattened lower-stringed moon, lower, lower, bigger, like a red-golden basin, sank. The sky is the cold crab shell green, black under the sky black what is the unimaginable things of the heart, to smoke this to relieve boredom?"

Daizhen Lanxian arm-in-arm together upstairs, each followed by a personal maid, to the old lady's bedroom next door to a small sitting room. The old lady's maid, Duo Xi, greeted her and whispered, "Still not awake." Da Zhen looked up at the wall clock and laughed, "The old lady is also late today." Duo Xi said, "Two days ago, she said that the road was too crowded and she couldn't sleep well. This is now thought to be accustomed to, this day to make up for a good night's sleep."

Purple elm hundred years old small round table covered with red felt strips, the second young lady Jiang Yunze sitting on one side, is holding a small pincer knocking walnuts it, because dropped the stand up to meet. Damian Zhen put his hand on Yun Ze's shoulder, laughed: "or cloud sister filial piety, the old lady yesterday a moment of happiness, called sugar walnut, you remember." Lanxian Daizhen then sat down around the table and helped peel the walnut clothes. Yun Ze's hands were sore, put down the tongs, Lan Xian took over. Damian Zhen said: "Beware of your water onion-like nails, raised so long, broken strange pity!" Yun Ze said, "Ask someone to get the gold nail cover." Lan Xian laughed, "With all this trouble, it would be better to tell them to take it to the kitchen and peel it!"

The people were whispering and laughing when Duo Xi raised the curtain and reported, "Second Grandmother is here." Lanxian Yunze rose to let sit, that Cao Qixiao not sit down, one hand propped up the door, one hand propped up the waist, narrow cuffs hanging down a snow green crepe handkerchief, wearing a silver-red shirt, onion-white threads of incense roll, snow green and blue Ruyi small foot pants, thin bone face, Zhu mouth fine teeth, triangular eyes, small mountain eyebrows, a look around, smiled and said, "Everyone is all together. Today I think I must be late again! How can you blame me for not being late - touching the black combed hair! Who taught me that my window faces the back yard? I've been given that room alone, and anyway, we're not going to live long, so we're just waiting to be orphans and widows--who else are they going to bully if not us?" Yan Zhen faintly did not interface, Lan Xian laughed: "Second sister-in-law is used to living in Beijing house, no wonder it is too stuffy here." Yun Ze said: "When big brother was looking for a house, should have found a more spacious, but Shanghai like this, I'm afraid it is also considered open." Lan Xian said, "That's right! The family is too many people, crowded is a little crowded -" seven Qiao rolled up the cuffs, handkerchief tucked in the jade bracelet, glanced at Lan Xian, laughed: "Third sister also smacked too many people. Even we think there are too many people, and those of you without a full moon naturally think there are too many people!" Hearing this, Lan Xian did not do anything, but Da Zhen reddened first and said, "Playing is playing, laughing is laughing, but there must be a measure, the third sister is new here, you let her think what kind of family we are?" Qixiao pulled up a corner of the handkerchief to cover her lips and said: "I know you are all the clean door of the net household of the young lady, you try to change with me, I'm afraid that you can't get used to it for one night." Diao Zhen spat: "Do not talk to you, the more you say the more on the head face." Qixiao simply went forward and pulled Da Zhen's sleeve: "I can bet on the curse - I can bet on the curse in these three years! Do you dare to bet?" Tortoise couldn't help but snort a laugh and mumbled, "Why do you have two children?" Qixiao said, "Really, even I don't know how this child was born! The more I think about it, the more I don't understand!" Da Zhen shook her hand and said, "That's enough, that's enough, don't talk too much. Even if you take the third sister as one of your own and have nothing to avoid, now let the cloud sister here, later the old lady will follow a tell, I will tell you to go away without a trace!" Yun Ze early far away, standing on the balcony with his hands behind his back, handful of sharp mouth to tease the hibiscus bird. Although the Jiang family lived in the early days of the newest style of house, pile of flowers and red brick columns supported by the lofty arch, the upstairs balcony is the floor of the wooden planks. Inside the boxwood railing, there was a row of large gabion baskets, drying dried bamboo shoots. The old sun filled the air like gold dust, slightly choking the golden gray, rubbed into the eyes, dim. Street vendors distantly shaking rattles, the eyesight of "BuLengDeng ...... BuLengDeng" inside the countless memories of aging children. The chartered car ding ding ran past, occasionally no such as Changan recently like a new person like, listen to also do not care, self-concerned about trying to quit smoking. Seven Qiao can not help her. Chang'an engagement day, the big grandmother Da Yan Zhen did not go, after some days to make up to congratulate. Qixiao quietly called out to her sister-in-law and said, "I think we need to ask around, we can't take any chances! The day before yesterday, I heard something that there is a wife in the countryside and another one in the foreign country." Da Zhen said: "The one in the countryside retired without marrying. The foreign one is also like this, said to have been friends for a few years, somehow did not work out again." Qixiao said, "Then there is a why? A man's heart can change at the drop of a hat. He even three matchmakers six hired still do not recognize the account, let alone that not the three things of the crooked hot goods? Do you know if he has anyone else overseas? I only have this one daughter, can not be confused to give up her life, I myself have eaten the matchmaker's suffering!"

Changan sat down and pinched her palm with her fingernails, which were red, but her fingernails were white. As soon as Qixiao raised her eyes and saw her, she scolded, "Shameless girl, listen with your ears open! Are you listening to this? When we were girls, when we mentioned our mother-in-law's family, we avoided them. Your Jiang family has been a family of scholars for generations, but I'm afraid you'll have to go to your grandmother's house, who owns a hemp oil store, to learn some rules. Chang'an cried and ran out. Qixiao slapped the pillow and said: "The girl is in a hurry to get married, so I can't do anything about it. I can't do anything about it. She's pulling all the fishy and smelly things into her home. The name is her third aunt to find someone, but in fact it is just using her third aunt as a front. Most likely, the rice has been cooked, and this is why the third aunt came out to play matchmaker. We are all working together to fool me ...... alone, and it is good to fool me! To put it bluntly, called mother's do brother's face where to put?"

Another day, Chang'an excuses slipped out, back, not waiting for the seven Qiao inquiry, to report their whereabouts, seven Qiao scolded: "Come on, come on, less talk about it! What the hell in front of me? One day you let me catch the real evidence - humph! Don't think you're older and engaged, I can't beat you!" Chang'an said anxiously: "I sent shoes to Sister Xin, what law did I break, Mother doesn't believe me, Mother ask Auntie San! Qixiao said: "Your third aunt has found a man for you, and he is your new parents, your parents again! I've never seen you so light-boned! ...... One turn of the eye and you're gone. Your family has provided for you all these years, just about to buy a boy to serve you, where you do not live up to it, you can not sit still for a moment at home." Chang'an's face reddened, tears falling from her eyes. Seven Qiao slowed down a breath, and said: "How many good don't want, this time to marry an incompetent, people pick the leftovers, is not their own mouth? If he is a person, how come he has lived to be thirty years old, traveled across the ocean, ran up to 100,000 miles, and still hasn't gotten a wife?"

However, Chang'an was bent on obsession. Because both sides of the age is not young, engaged to be married not a few months, the man conveniently entrusted Lanxian to agree on the wedding date. The company said, "I don't want to get married sooner or later, but I'm in a hurry because I don't have enough money for the next two years! Next year, if the harvest on the field is better, the dowry will be more tidy." Lanxian said, "Nowadays, we don't pay attention to these things in the new style of marriage. It's better to follow the new way and save a little." Qixiao said, "What's new or old? The old school is just a bigger party, the new school is more affordable, the same is still the mother's family's bad luck!" Lanxian said, "The second sister-in-law will do as she sees fit, will An Sister-er still be arguing about how much is too much or how little is too little?" The people in the room all laughed, and Chang'an also smiled slightly. Qixiao scolded, "Shame on you! You've got something in your stomach that you can't stand, don't you? You can't wait to get married! I don't want the dowry either - you are willing, but he is not? Are you sure he's the one who wants you? You're so full of yourself. What is it about you that makes you desirable? Don't lie to yourself before it's too late! The Tongs are only interested in the Jiangs! It's not like your family is a noble family, but it's not like that at all! It's already weak on the outside, and it can't even hold its own in the past two years. The people are getting worse and worse. They don't care about heaven, earth and family. The young masters know nothing, and the young ladies only know how to demand money and men - they're worse than dogs and pigs! My mother's family should never have married the Jiang family, and it's ruined me for life. I'm going to tell that Tong not to fall for it like I did!" Since the quarrel, Lan Xian had washed her hands of the marriage. Qixiao's disease gradually recovered, a little out of bed to walk, will ride the door every day to sit, distant to Chang'an house shouted: "You want wild man you go ahead to fight, just do not bring him to the door to recognize me as mother-in-law, alive and angry with me! I just want to be out of sight and out of mind. If you can allow me to live for two more years, that's a favor to you!" The words were so loud that they could be heard all over the street. The relatives naturally spread the story. Qixiao called Chang'an to the front again, and suddenly shed tears and said: "My son, you know how people outside have trampled on you to the point that you're not worth a penny! Since your mother married into the Jiang family, up and down who is not snobbish, dog-eyed, I do not know how much anger I have suffered from them in the dark and in the open. Even your father, what good has he done me that I should be his widow? I've worked so hard to keep these twenty years, is only counting on your sister and child grow up, for me to fight back a little bit of face, do not expect today, only to end up with this kind of end!"

The first thing I did was to ask my wife to take care of me.

When Chang'an heard this, it was like a thunderbolt. Her mother may talk about her as if she were not a human being, and people outside may talk about her as if she were not a human being. She couldn't care less. Only Tong Shifang--he--what should he think? Does he still want her? The last time we met, his attitude changed a bit? It's hard to say ...... she's too happy, a small difference she won't notice ...... being attacked on both sides by the physical pain during the quitting period and all this excitement, Chang An has long been a little bit unable to stand it, but hard to hold on to it also held up, and now she suddenly feels like all her body's Now she suddenly felt that all her bones were out of joint. Can she explain to him? He is not like her brother, he is not her mother's son or daughter, he will never completely understand her mother's behavior. If he really could not see her mother for the rest of his life, so be it, but sooner or later he would have to get to know Qiqiao. This was something that would last for a long time, only a thousand years of being a thief, not a thousand years of preventing thieves - what tactics did she know that her mother would unleash? Sooner or later there was going to be chaos, sooner or later there was going to be a break. It was a top-perfect section of her life, and rather than let others put a nasty tail on it, she herself would end it sooner rather than later. A beautiful and pale gesture ...... She knew that she would regret it, she knew that she would regret it, yet she raised her eyebrows, and made as if she did not mind, and said, "Since Mother does not want to tie this head of the marriage, I will go and return them just." Qixiao was crying, but suddenly stopped, paused for a moment, and then huffed and puffed and cried again.

Changan fixed a certain God, went to make a phone call to Tong Shifang, Shifang is not available that day, about tomorrow afternoon. Changan's greatest fear is this night in the middle of the interval, a minute, a moment, a moment, gnawing into her heart. The next day, in the park in the old place, Shifang smiled and greeted her, did not greet her - it is a kind of intimacy in him. He seemed to be paying special attention to her to-day, and looked repeatedly into her face as he walked alongside. The sun shone brilliantly, and Chang'an felt more and more that her eyelids were too swollen to lift, so she took advantage of the fact that he wasn't looking at her to get the words out. She softly called out "Mr. Tong" with a muffled throat. Shifang did not hear her. Then, while he was looking at her, he said the words. She was surprised that there was still a little smile on her face, and she whispered, "Mr. Tong, I think--our business may be--it's better to talk about it. I'm so sorry." She slipped off her ring and shoved it in his hand, cold ring, cold wet hand. She walked away at a quicker pace, and he froze for a moment before catching up and returning, "Why? Any dissatisfaction with me?" Chang'an looked straight ahead and shook her head. Shifang said, "Then why? Chang'an said, "My mother ......" Shifang said, "Your mother has not seen me." Chang An said, "I told you, it's not because of you. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. My mother ......" Shifang stood still. That's a pretty good reason in China, isn't it? He hesitated a little, and she was already far away. The garden had basked in the late autumn sun for morning after afternoon, and like rotten fruit, it crashed downward, crashing and giving off a fragrance. Changan heard the sound of a harmonica, and belatedly played "Long, Long, Ago" - "Tell me the story, the story of my favorite days. A long time ago, a long time ago ......" This is now, a turn of the eye also changed a long time ago, everything is finished. Chang'an was obsessed, to find the harmonica player - to find herself. Walking in the sunshine, she came to the bottom of a tree where a boy in yellow shorts rode upside down on a bough, playing the harmonica, but he was playing a different tune, one she had never heard before. Not a big tree, the sparse sycamore leaves shook like golden bells in the sun. Chang'an looked up, and there was a blackness before her eyes, like a sudden rain, and a cascade of teardrops draped her face. Shifang found her and stood quietly beside her for a long time before saying, "I respect your opinion." Chang'an lifted her purse to shield her face from the sun.

They continued to come and go for some hours. Shifang wanted to show that the new character's purpose of having a girlfriend was not only limited to choosing a spouse, so even though he broke off his engagement with Chang'an, he still invited her out often. As for Chang'an, what kind of conflicting hope she held to follow him out, she herself did not know - even if she knew, she refused to admit it. When they were engaged to be married, they went out together openly and honestly, but they still had to hide it from the family, and now it has even become a secret appointment. Shifang's attitude has always been frank. Of course, she slightly hurt his pride, and at the same time he was more or less sorry for her, but "why should a man be without a wife?" The grandest compliment a man can pay to a woman is a proposal of marriage. He gave up his liberty to give her this generous gift, and although she "returned it with her heart," he had done his duty. This is a favor that does not cost a thing.

No matter how subtle and awkward the relationship between the two was, they were serious about being friends. They even talked. Changan's unseen words made Shifang laugh every time, saying, "You're such a funny guy!" Gradually, Chang An also realized that she herself was a "very interesting" person. Even Shifang herself would be surprised at how far things would go if things went on like this.

However, the sound of the wind blew into Qixiao's ears. Behind Chang'an's back, Qixiao instructs Changbai to place an invitation for Tong Shifang to have a casual dinner.

Shifang guessed that the Jiang family wanted to warn him that he would not be allowed to break the lotus root with their young lady, but he and Changbai ate two cups of wine in that gloomy and spacious dining room, and talked for a while, the weather, the current situation, the local customs and people, and there was not a single word that touched on Changan, and the cold dishes were withdrawn, and Changbai suddenly pressed his hand on the table and stood up. Shifang turned back his head, only to see the doorway back to the light standing a small figure of the old lady, the face can not be seen clearly, wearing a green and gray group of dragon palace weaving satin robes, hands holding a big red hot water bag, beside the standoff two tall maidservants. Outside the door, the sun is dim, the stairs are covered with lake green lattice lacquered cloth lichen, one level up, leading into the place where there is no light. Shifang intuitively felt that it was a madman - for no reason, he was just creeped out. Changbai introduced himself, "This is my mother."

Shifang moved his chair to stand and bowed. Qixiao put her hand on the arm of one of the maids and walked in with a flourish, and after a few words of courtesy, sat down and toasted the food. Changbai said: ''Where is sister? I've got a guest, but I'm not helping out." Qixiao said, "She will come down after smoking two more tubes." Shifang was startled and looked at her with open eyes. Qixiao hurriedly explained, "This child suffers from a congenital deficiency, so she had to be puffed on when she came down to the ground. Later on, for the sake of illness, she also smoked this stuff. Miss home, enough more inconvenient which! It's not that I haven't quit, but my body is delicate and used to it by nature, so if I say I'm going to lose it, where can I lose it? It's been ten years since I quit smoking." Shifang couldn't help but change color. Qixiao had the prudence and wit of a madman. She knew that if she wasn't careful, people would cut off her words with mocking, distrustful eyes, and she was used to that kind of pain. She was afraid that too much talk was going to be seen through. So she stopped herself early, and busied herself with the wine and food. After some time, when she mentioned Chang'an again, she repeated those words lightly. Her flat and sharp throat cuts people like razor blades on all sides. Changan came quietly down the stairs, her basil flower-embroidered shoes and white silk stockings resting on the day-darkened staircase. Pausing for a moment, she went up again. One level at a time, into where there was no light. Qixiao said, "Changbai you accompany Mr. Tong to drink more, I'll go up first." The maid brought a pint pot and replaced it with freshly scalded bamboo leaf green. A maid stood at the door in a panic and called out the boy who served at the table, muttered for a while, that boy came in again and said a few words to Changbai, Changbai got up hastily, apologized to Shifang and said, "Excuse me for a while, I'll go and come." He also went upstairs in two steps, leaving Shifang alone to drink alone. The boy felt sorry for him and told him in a low voice: "Our Miss Silk is going to give birth." Shifang said, "Who is Miss Silk?" The boy said, "The young master's aunt." Shifang took the rice and ate two mouthfuls of it carelessly, not being able to put down the bowl and leave, he could only sit on the pear bed and wait, the wine soundly warmed up. Suddenly, he felt unusually agitated, so he lay down. The flower and pear kang that is rolled with clouds, the cold yellow vine heart, and the cold fragrance of grapefruit ...... aunt and grandmother have added a child. This was the ancient China he missed ...... His secluded and chaste Chinese boudoir was smoking opium! He sat up, resting his head on his hands, and felt an embarrassing lassitude. He took his hat and went out, saying to the boy, "Please say a word to the top later, and I will thank you in person some other day!" He crossed the brick patio, and in the center of the courtyard were trees, a tree of dead branches printed high in the pale green sky, like ice patterns on porcelain. Chang An quietly followed him and sent him out. Her navy blue long-sleeved cheongsam had pale yellow daisies on it. Her two hands were interlocked, and a rare softness appeared on her face. Shifang turned back and said: ''Ms. Jiang ......'' She stood still at a distance and just hung her head. Shifang bowed slightly, turned around and left. Chang'an felt that she was looking at this courtyard in the sun from a considerable distance, looking down from a high building, clear, intimate, yet incapable of interfering, the patio, the trees, the two people trailing sullen shadows, no words - not many memories to be held with both hands in a crystal vase in future - and -Her first and last love. Chishou lay straight on the bed, the two hands resting on his ribs curled up like the claws of a slaughtered chicken. The tent was half hoisted. Day and night she would not let them lower the tent for her. She was afraid. Word came in from outside that Miss Silk had given birth to a young master. The maid dropped her steaming pot of medicine and ran out to join in the fun, leaving the door of the room open, a gust of wind blew in, the tent hooks rattled about, and the tent was automatically lowered, yet Zhishou no longer protested. Her head lolled to the right and rolled off the pillow. She didn't die - it took her another half-month to die. Kinu-chan was rehabilitated and became Shishou's replacement. She committed suicide in less than a year by swallowing raw opium. Changbai didn't dare to marry again, and only went to brothels. The first time I saw this, I had no idea that I was going to be able to get married.

Seven Qiao seems to be sleeping and not sleeping across the cigarette store. For thirty years she wore a golden yoke. She used that heavy yoke horn cleave killed a few people, did not die also sent half life. She knew that her son and daughter hated her, her in-laws hated her, her mother's family hated her. She fumbled with the emerald jade bracelet on her wrist and slowly pushed the bracelet up her bony arm, all the way to her armpit. She herself couldn't believe that she'd had round arms when she was young. Even a few years after her marriage, she could only fit a crepe handkerchief inside the bracelet. When she was eighteen or nineteen years old and a girl, she pulled up the sleeves of her blue summer cloth shirt with big inlays and rolls, revealing a pair of snow-white wrists, and went out to the street to buy food. The people who liked her were Chao Lu in the butcher store, her brother's sworn brother Ding Yugean, Zhang Shaoquan, and Shen tailor's son. Like her, maybe just like to joke with her, however, if she picked one of them, after a long time, the birth of a child, the man more or less true to her. Qixiao moved under the head of the ruffled small pillow, up to the face to rub a little, that side of the drop of tears she was lazy to wipe, by it hanging in the cheeks, gradually dry themselves.

After Qixiao's death, Chang'an and Changbai split up and moved out. Seven Qiao's daughter had no trouble solving her own problems. Rumor had it that she and a man were walking down the street together, stopping at the heel of a stall where he bought her a pair of garters. Perhaps she used her own money, but at any rate it came out of the man's pocket. ...... Of course this is nothing more than a rumor. The moon of thirty years ago has long since sunk, and the man of thirty years ago is dead, yet the story of thirty years ago is not yet finished - not by a long shot.

Yuhui Editor's Note: Zhang Ailing (1921-1995), formerly known as Zhang Ying, came from a famous family, so you can find the flavor of the end of prosperity, full of pallor in her works. The Book of Golden Locks is Eileen Chang's best middle grade novel, far more mature and profound than her more famous Love in a Fallen City. In the 1940s, Fu Lei called it "the most complete work of Ms. Zhang up to now, quite like the flavor of some of the stories in The Hunter's Diary, and at least should be listed as one of the most beautiful harvests of our literary world" (Xunyu, "On the Novels of Zhang Eileen," in Wanshiang magazine, May 1944); and more than thirty years later, American scholar Xia Zhiqing called it "the best novel in China since ancient times, a novel that has been written by Zhang Eiling since the beginning of her life. Thirty-some years later, the American scholar Xia Zhiqing labeled it "the greatest Chinese novel of all time." In my opinion, this is not an overstatement.

This article was originally published on: BBS Shui Mu Qing Hua Station; edited by Yu Hui Literary Vision