Wang Shanshan Yang Sheng'an's Life Chronicle in Five Volumes

Author: Book and Bibliography Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-05-01
Features: Excerpt: The genealogy of the family records that the second wife of the late elder lady was surnamed Tan. Her maternal grandfather, the scholar-official Mr. Shi Zhang, was known as Nianle Gong. He had a gentle and kind temperament and was a pious and filial elder. His demeanor was stern and unapproachable, and he had three sons: the eldest, Mr. Yunfu, was a local scholar; the second, Mr. Yunlin, was also a local scholar; and the youngest, Mr. Yundu, passed the provincial examination in the Jiazi year of the Tianqi era and later passed the imperial examination in the Choucou year, only to be disqualified due to a violation of literary rules. He had two daughters. The eldest was the late elder lady, who later remarried to Mr. Wu Jixian, a local scholar. The second was Mr. Yiying, who was captured by bandits during the chaos and refused to surrender, speaking endlessly. The bandits, using a knife and ring to build a fort, eventually killed her. She was nineteen when she married her husband, Mr. Shaofeng, who was strict. She could not help but admire her as a filial wife. Mr. Shaofeng and the late Lady Fan lived together and always rose before dawn. At night, they sat in the dark until late, offering tea and wine. They never allowed the sound of cooking or chopping to be heard outside. When speaking to maids, they always whispered close to their ears. Although they were very fond of her, they never showed their teeth when smiling. Mr. Shaofeng’s writing was often outside, and he would return in the evening to wash dishes and move tables, no longer engaging in such tasks. He got along well with his sister-in-law, Lady Wu, like bone and flesh, with no idle words between them. In the same courtyard, the brothers were harmonious outside, and the sisters-in-law were harmonious inside, forgetting the passage of time. The younger sister-in-law, Lady Wan, fell ill with a strange disease and became slightly irrational. The late elder lady would visit her and weep all day. When she passed away at the age of ten, the late elder lady was almost overcome with grief. Every time she passed the birthday of the late Lady Qi, she would personally set up incense and tea to offer sacrifices, treating her as if she were her own father, and the late Lady Qi as her own mother. Even after fifty years of her death, she would still show a change in her expression when mentioning her. The family had strict rules for nine generations, and since the late elder lady, it had become harmonious and kind. When meeting the new wives, she used pure gentleness, smiling and patting them all year round, never frowning. If they made mistakes, she would not scold them but wait until they realized their mistake before gently warning them. She often said, "I do not want to be strict with others." From then on, she hoped that her descendants would not be rebellious and turn against her. However, good children do not need scolding, and the unwise will become even more arrogant. People gradually declined, but it was not the way she had set for them. The late elder lady was seventy-four years old when her older brother and husband passed away. Her maternal grandmother, Lady Ouyang, was ninety-two years old when she gave birth to her youngest son, Mr. Xiaoyou. Lady Ouyang’s mother was eighty-four years old when she gave birth to Mr. Yuanze, who passed the provincial examination and became a county magistrate. Lady Yang, the mother of the late elder lady, was ninety years old when she gave birth to Mr. Chi, who passed the provincial examination and became a prefect. This spanned four generations, and the relatives considered it a great honor. The "Collected Works of Xianzhai" by Tan Tai’s elder lady described her as follows: She only heard the late elder lady speak of her husband, Mr. Shaofeng, who dared not light a fire during the three years of extreme cold and feared the smoke coming from the gaps in the papers. During the heat, he dared not swat flies for fear of the sound of the fan being heard in the quiet night. When washing dishes, he dared not splash water but used a damp cloth to wipe them. The cats and dogs dared not chase her, and she would gently push them away with her sleeves. Every time she mentioned her kindness, she would stand up straight with respect. When she described the illness and death of the late Lady Fan, tears would fill her eyes. When she first lost her older sister-in-law, Lady Wu, who was two years older than her, she spent forty years together, happy as if they were newlyweds. After they separated, she would not see her for ten days without asking about her. She would sit around the stove, speaking softly like two newly married women. The younger sister-in-law, Lady Si, and her husband, Mr. Fei, had no children and were somewhat neglected by the family. The late elder lady treated her as if she were her own sister. She often said, "If your brother has a son, you will be blessed." The late mother’s maternal grandfather, Mr. Qi, a scholar, resigned from his teaching position and returned to his hometown without any children. The late elder lady served him with great devotion, no different from her own children. When Mr. Qi was dying, the late elder lady was by his bedside. Her older uncle, Mr. Tai, had dropped out of school and was in a disheveled state with no heir. Her uncle’s wife, Lady Zhu, could not provide for them, so the late elder lady took them in and served them with joy until the end of her life. It was only because she treated her parents with such devotion.