Joy of Life
A family inclined to kindness and charity would grace the descendants. Thanks to one small act of kindness, by providence she comes across a grateful friend; Fortunate that her mother, has done an unperceived good deed…. Men should rescue the distressed and aid the poor… Who would have guessed that kindness in this world ultimately would be the road that one must choose, that proverbial fork in the road? Clouds of rain float on eastern winds as new vines start to blossom. Though drums of war roar too loudly and their brilliance has been lost, a green grass carpet greets the sun by the break of morning. Let us wait for the yellow leaves, a few gourds are harvested.
A Situation
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Unable to sleep at night, he could hear the wind outside sing over the river.
Fan Xian gave up and opened his eyes. He whispered in the ear of the girl next to him, "What about being 20? Getting impatient?"
Hearing this, Sisi got angry and sat up in the bed. She bit a piece of hair near her lip and was so angry she couldn't speak.
Fan Xian paused and quickly pulled her back down. He knew he had said the wrong thing. For Qing girls, most were married around 15 or 16. There were not many like Sisi, who was still a maiden at 20. Although Fan Xian always had thought that 20 was the perfect time to mature, in most people's eyes, Sisi had already become an old maid.
Although everyone was polite to Sisi for the sake of old ancestors in Danzhou and Fan Xian, particularly in the Fan Manor, there was always talk going around. Since Fan Xian continued to not take her as a concubine, this further encouraged this atmosphere.