Chapter 15 Chapter 5 My Marriage

I mentioned before that I love Lai Baiying from our Banzai village.When we were kids, we caught minnows and crayfish together, and I remember her squatting in the creek waiting for the butterflies to land on her hair, and then walking away gently without scaring the butterflies away.When we grew up, she saw me return home from St. John's University in Shanghai.We both thought we were an ideal match.Her mother was my mother's goddaughter.She has grown and is a little on the thin side, so we call her "Olive".Olive is a girl who makes her own way when things happen, with an oval face and eyes that seem to be in deep thought.I was eager to pursue new knowledge, but she insisted on being filial to my grandfather, who was blind and needed her service, and couldn't leave him for a moment.She knows that my family has everything in Zhangzhou, the best fruits, fish, melons, beautiful and charming mountains.Later, long gowns became popular, and my sister once saw her wearing fashionable clothes, which was very flattering.I remember that she always wore black clothes when she was doing things, but on Sundays she wore light blue ones, and she looked very charming.When her grandfather was not blind, she used to go out in the morning, after a night of rain, to see how deep the water was in the rice fields.We both love each other very much.Her love for me is very pure, not greedy for anything, but we were forced to separate due to circumstances.Later, when I went to Beijing, she married a local businessman in Banzai.

As a young man, my family was poor, but I myself had a bright future, and my wife was the daughter of a rich banker.She is superior to me.Fortunately, she was not brought up pampered by a rich family.According to the old tradition, a girl is brought up for the needs of a man; a girl must learn to cook, wash clothes, sew, in fact, she must be educated to do ordinary housework, so that when she grows up, she can marry into her husband's family and have the ability to live .Except for the occasional worship of gods and sacrifices to tomb temples, they do not go to the front yard or appear in the public.This kind of discrimination against girls has an obvious result, which is to make them good wives and mothers, while boys are pampered and pampered. As a result, they lack the will to struggle and rarely achieve anything.

After I returned home from St. John's University in Shanghai, I often went to the home of a close friend, because I loved this friend's sister C very much.Their family and later my wife's family are neighbors.I was also on good terms with the brother of the lady who became my wife.I was invited to dinner at their home.As I eat, I know that somewhere there are eyes looking at me.Later my wife told me that she was counting how many bowls of rice I ate.In addition, I know that the dirty shirt I wore on the road was taken to her house to be washed.But no one ever introduced me to her.

During my sophomore year, I walked up to the auditorium three times in succession to receive three medals. This incident was well-known at St. John's University and St. Mary's Girls' School.My future wife hadn't been in St. Mary's then, but I must have heard talk of it.After I returned home from Shanghai, I fell in love with my classmate’s younger sister C. She was indeed extremely beautiful, but our love for each other was useless, because the father of my girlfriend was planning to marry his daughter from a prestigious family. Looking for a wealthy son-in-law, and it was about to succeed.In that era, the marriage of a man and a woman was decided by the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker.After we got married, I always remember my wife giggling and giggling every time we talked about our marriage.Our kids know it all.My wife, who was not in Shanghai at the time, agreed to marry me, and this fact has always comforted her young heart.Her mother said to her, "Yutang is the son of a priest, but the family has no money." She replied firmly and proudly, "What does it matter to be poor?"

My sister, who knew her at school, once told me that she must be a very virtuous wife, and I wholeheartedly agreed. When I knew I couldn't marry Miss C, it was a real pain.When I came home, I looked miserable, and my sisters all understood.As the night grew quieter, my mother came to my room with a lantern in her hand and asked me what was so sad in my heart.I immediately collapsed from crying.Crying so pitifully.Because Miss C's father married someone else for her, I knew things were hopeless, and so did my mother. My wedding was in the eighth year of the Republic of China, and my honeymoon was a trip to Harvard.The wedding was held in an Anglican church.

I am going to the bride's house to "welcome" the bride, as is customary.The bride's family brought longan tea, originally as a symbol, but I ate it all.I had a good laugh with my groomsmen at the wedding, because weddings are just a formality.In order to show my contempt for the wedding, when I was in Shanghai later, I got my wife's consent and burned the marriage certificate.I said, "Burn the marriage certificate, because the marriage certificate is only needed for divorce." Of course!Indeed! I must tell of my wedding eve.The night before my wedding, I asked my mother to sleep with me.My mother and I are extremely close.That was the last night I could sleep with my mother.I had a habit of playing with my mother's milk until I was ten years old.It was because of that unspoken desire that I would sleep beside her.I was a virgin then.

Our children have said many times: "There is no one in the world as different as Mom and Dad." My wife is extroverted, but I am introverted. I am like a balloon, and she is a heavy head. We are like this. compliment.If the balloon floats around without its head falling, it will lead to disaster.She was orderly and dignified, dressed neatly, and kept everything in order.When eating, she always chooses to eat square cuts of meat, such as chicken breast or drumsticks, and she avoids chicken gizzards and livers.I've always loved wings, gizzards, necks, anything a serious eater likes.I am never quiet for a moment, optimistic when I am in trouble, and take a game-playing attitude towards life.I hate anything restrictive, such as ties, belts, and shoelaces.

Wife is the life of water, and water is all-inclusive and benefits the people; I am life of gold, and I am harmed and harmed by everything. In other words, my wife and I have an old-fashioned marriage, carefully chosen by our parents.The characteristic of this kind of marriage is that love begins with marriage and develops on the basis of marriage.The older we get, the more we know to cherish what is worth cherishing.The differences between men and women complement each other, and the happiness and happiness born can only be left to nature.Sharing hardships and tribulations when young will always remain in my heart and will never be forgotten in my life.She sacrificed herself many times and made decisive decisions, all for the benefit of our family.

For the fiftieth wedding anniversary, I gave her a medal with the song "An Old Sweetheart" by James Whitcomb Riley engraved on it When I should be her lover for ever and aday, And she my faithful sweetheart till her golden hair was gray, And we should be so happy when eithers lips were dumb, They would not smile in heaven till others kiss had come. Caring for each other with a ray of love Yiyi Time flies by, the silver temples have thinned If the nether world is different, the fairy house should be desolate If you want to smile unless you meet When I went abroad, we had already stepped onto the gangplank of the ship. I will never forget the scene when my father sent us off.My father stared at us sadly.His thoughts seemed to be: "Now I will send you two to the United States, maybe we will never see each other again in this life. I will entrust my son to this wife. She will take good care of you."

I heard the news of my father's death later in Leipzig, Germany.