Lu Jianxun's ancestral home

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: "I printed my notes on 'Bai Cao Yuan' as a standalone book, and selected several related essays from other writings to compile the second part, titled 'Inside and Outside the Garden.' I also added the sections 'Lu Xun in Tokyo' and 'Old Tales of Bu Shu Book House' as appendices. Some parts may seem brief or incomplete, but it's not worth correcting now, as revising them would require extensive rewriting, which is too much trouble. I think the omissions are still acceptable, as they are better than excessive details that might lead to falsehoods. As for some characters I deliberately omitted, there is no need to add them here. Regarding my grandmother, I need to add a little more detail. The previous grandmother, surnamed Sun, lived in the Paomai Bridge area outside the city gate, next to Kuai Pavilion. Her birth and death dates are recorded in the family genealogy but are not accessible for verification. She gave birth to a daughter in Xianfeng Wuyao (1858) and a son, Bao Yi Gong, in Qingxin (1860), and likely passed away shortly after. The later grandmother, surnamed Jiang, lived in the Chang'an Gate area near Luxu, coincidentally also the hometown of the famous poet Yang Wan. She was born in Daoguang Jinming (1842) and passed away in Xuantong Gengxu (1910) at the age of 69. She had a daughter born in Tongzhi Wuchen (1868), who was only 12 or 13 years older than Lu Xun. She was gentle in nature and particularly close to the young nieces, who often played and listened to stories with her. On the day of her marriage, the children refused to let her leave, some even insisted on riding in her sedan chair. Her husband's family, surnamed Jin, lived in Dongguan. Her brother-in-law, Yuchen, was a scholar and, being the only son, wore a small gold ring in his left ear, giving him a somewhat feminine appearance. However, their marriage was harmonious, and they had a daughter, Azhu, born in Guangxu Xingmao (1891). But there were always some issues between the sisters-in-law. In the year Guisi, when Jiefu Gong was imprisoned, rumors spread about the in-laws causing trouble, and he flew into a rage, ordering the family to sever ties with the Jin family. This was difficult to achieve but worsened the relationship. The following year, in the eighth month of Jiawu, the younger sister-in-law passed away due to complications during childbirth, ending this tragedy. She had delirious dreams of red bats welcoming her, and Lu Xun later wrote an essay criticizing the red bats or questioning the gods for not allowing good people to live long, with many disrespectful remarks. However, her death was a heavy blow to the children, but it was even more devastating and final for the grandmother. She was an old-fashioned woman with a pessimistic view of life, and as a stepmother without her own son, her daughter was the only glimmer of hope. Now that hope was completely extinguished. Although she often lit two candles and three incense sticks on the birthdays of various Bodhisattvas, kneeling on a large stool to pray to the heavens, she never recited Buddhist prayers or visited temples. Once, when a Christian missionary came to spread the gospel, urging her to save her soul for the future, she replied, 'I can't even take care of this life, how can I find time to worry about the afterlife?' Her later life was somewhat like the sick wolf described by foreign poets."