Chapter 155 Ying Family
Song Yuanchao and his friends left school on the 25th, the day of the holiday. The train station was crowded, and Song Yuanchao deliberately did not let Lin Yan see him off. He said goodbye to Lin Yan, carried his luggage and left the school directly and returned to Shanghai. Just like when he came here, Li Xiaoyun went with him, but Li Xiaoyun went directly to Shanghai, while Song Yuanchao went to Nanjing first and would stay in Nanjing for a few days before returning to Shanghai.
Luo Yang helped buy the train tickets. He knew they were going back and specially helped them get two sleeper berths. It was much more comfortable to take a sleeper berth for a long journey. Besides, considering the relationship between Song Yuanchao and Luo Yang, this was just a small matter. Song Yuanchao accepted Luo Yang's kindness without refusing. After saying goodbye to his classmates, Song Yuanchao boarded the train heading south.
After sleeping for a night on the train, the train arrived in Jinling at noon the next day. After saying a few words to Li Xiaoyun, Song Yuanchao got off the train, waved goodbye to Li Xiaoyun on the platform, and said that they would see each other in Shanghai in a few days.
After Li Xiaoyun's train slowly left the platform, Song Yuanchao turned around and left, walking out of the train station after a while.
The current Jinling Railway Station is located in the same place as the later Jinling Station, and the famous Xuanwu Lake is opposite the exit. However, the most famous railway station in Jinling is not here, but the Pukou Station, which was closed when the new station where we are now was opened ten years ago.
Pukou Railway Station, not many people know this name except those who know the history of Jinling . This station was reopened after 1985 and was renamed Jinling North Station.
But if you have read Mr. Zhu Ziqing's "Back Figure", you will know that the train station Mr. Zhu described at that time was Pukou Station.
Standing in front of the train station, Song Yuanchao looked at the nearby Xuanwu Lake. In later times, this place had become a scenic spot, but now the surroundings still seemed very desolate.
Jinling is not far from Shanghai, but Song Yuanchao had only been there a few times before. Although he knew the address of Ying Caixia's home, he didn't know how to get there.
After thinking about it, Song Yuanchao gave up the idea of taking the bus directly and called a tricycle outside the station.
Human-powered tricycles, also known as "rickshaws", are considered to be a relatively primitive type of taxi. This type of vehicle was not completely replaced by taxis until the late 1990s. After giving the address and negotiating the price, Song Yuanchao got on the tricycle and sat in the back while the driver in front pedaled hard. Song Yuanchao looked at the current appearance of Jinling City with great interest and chatted with the tricycle driver from time to time.
Ying Caixia's home is in Lane 378 near Wudingmen, which is located south of the railway station and some distance away.
After more than half an hour, the tricycle arrived at the intersection. The road inside was narrow and it was difficult to turn around, so Song Yuanchao got off the tricycle, paid the toll, looked around, and walked straight into the alley ahead following the road signs.
This area is full of old alleys, most of which are ancient Hui-style buildings. The ground is paved with stone slabs. Many places have been damaged and look quite old.
After walking for a long time, Song Yuanchao finally found the location of Ying Caixia's house. What surprised him was that Ying Caixia's house was actually a large courtyard with high walls. Although he could not see clearly what the buildings behind the wall looked like, he could tell from the imposing gate that the Ying family must have been a wealthy family in the past.
Song Yuanchao, Lin Yan, Qin Zhengguo and Ying Caixia were the four people with the best relationship among the educated youth in Northwest China at that time. But to be honest, during the days in the countryside, they did not talk much about each other's family situation. Song Yuanchao only knew that Ying Caixia's ancestors were not only officials but also businessmen, otherwise she would not have left her hometown and traveled thousands of miles to the northwest to work in the countryside.
In his previous life, after Song Yuanchao returned to Shanghai, he was always busy with life and work, so he didn't have much contact with Ying Caixia. Later, except for Qin Zhengguo, Song Yuanchao, Lin Yan and Ying Caixia gradually lost contact. He did ask about Lin Yan and knew that she went abroad after graduation, but he was not sure about Ying Caixia's situation. He never saw her again until the moment Song Yuanchao passed away.
After putting down his luggage, Song Yuanchao stood in front of the heavy black door, grabbed the door knocker and knocked on the door, then waited quietly. But after a while, there was no business inside, Song Yuanchao frowned slightly and knocked on the door again, this time with more force, but still no one answered.
"Young man, who are you looking for?" Perhaps it was because Song Yuanchao's knock on the door was a little loud, no one answered from the Ying family's side. Instead, the door of a house diagonally opposite opened. An elderly white-haired woman stuck her head out, looked at Song Yuanchao who was standing at the door of the Ying family, and asked.
My mother-in-law's old-fashioned Mandarin has a strong Jinling accent. Although Jinling belongs to the south of the Yangtze River, the local dialect is different from Wu dialect and is more like Huizhou dialect.
However, Song Yuanchao and Ying Caixia had been educated together for several years, so although he could not speak Huizhou dialect, he could still understand it. He immediately replied in Mandarin: "Hello, mother-in-law, is this the Ying family? I'm looking for Ying Caixia."
"Who are you...?" The mother-in-law looked at Song Yuanchao with suspicion, as if examining his background.
"I'm Ying Caixia's educated youth comrade who went to the countryside in the northwest. My surname is Song, and my name is Song Yuanchao. I'm also a student at Imperial University now. The school is on vacation now, so I stopped by to visit on my way home. Did you know that Ying Caixia lives here?" Song Yuanchao replied with a smile, and pointed to the Imperial University emblem on his chest to identify himself.
The mother-in-law took a look, and when her eyes finally fell on the school badge on Song Yuanchao's chest, her vigilant expression eased and a smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, that's how it is. Caixia isn't at home right now. She should be at work at this time. Xiaosong, right? How about you come sit with me for a while? Have a glass of water and wait for her to come back?"
"Is this not going to bother you?"
"It's not a problem. We're old neighbors. We grew up watching Caixia. She's not at home. You're her comrade-in-arms, not an outsider. You've come all the way to see her. What's the big deal about standing outside in the middle of winter? Come on, come in and sit down."
The mother-in-law waved at Song Yuanchao with a smile. Song Yuanchao hesitated for a moment and felt that it was inconvenient to wait outside. Facing the enthusiastic mother-in-law, he thanked her and walked into her yard with his luggage.
My mother-in-law's house also has the layout of a wealthy family, but the yard and the house inside look a bit dilapidated. Although some places have been repaired, it can be seen that very ordinary materials were used, and the repairs have not been complete.
Although the yard is old, it is kept clean and there are some flowers and plants planted in the corners. However, since it is winter, the flowers and plants have withered, leaving only dead branches and leaves.
Inviting Song Yuanchao to go into the front yard, the mother-in-law went into the house first, poured a glass of water for Song Yuanchao, and then asked Song Yuanchao to drink the water with a smile.
Song Yuanchao thanked him, then sat down and chatted with the mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law is not young this year. She was born in the Guangxu period and is now in her early seventies. Her surname is Sun, and Song Yuanchao calls her Grandma Sun.
Grandma Sun's husband passed away ten years ago. Now Grandma Sun lives with her youngest son's family. The eldest son does not live here, and the second and third daughters have married long ago. The youngest son and his wife are both working, and the little grandson is four years old and is in kindergarten, so Grandma Sun is alone at home.
Granny Sun was the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. She grew up with Ying Caixia’s grandmother and graduated from Jinling Women’s University together.
Jinling Women's University was planned in 1913 and officially opened in 1915. In 1919, the first five graduates graduated and were awarded degrees. They were the first group of female college students with bachelor's degrees in Chinese history.
Granny Sun and Ying Caixia's grandmother graduated in the late 1920s. In those days, it was extremely rare for women to go to college, let alone complete their studies and graduate with a bachelor's degree.
Looking at Grandma Sun's neatly combed white hair, her clear articulation, quick thinking, and her warm yet polite words, one can vaguely see her elegance from the past.
Upon learning that Song Yuanchao was a student of Imperial University, Granny Sun became very interested in the university and talked about some past events when she and her classmates went to the Imperial University in Yenching.
Fifty years have passed in a flash. The young girl of that time has long lost her beauty, leaving only the impression in memory, which makes people feel deeply moved.
After chatting about some small things, Song Yuanchao asked about Ying Caixia's recent situation.
After returning to Shanghai, Song Yuanchao wrote to Ying Caixia, but Ying Caixia only replied with one letter, which was very simple, saying that she had returned to Jinling and everything was going well. As for other things, Ying Caixia did not mention them in the letter, and she never wrote again.
Just now, Song Yuanchao heard Granny Sun say that Ying Caixia was working, so he asked curiously. He saw that Ying Caixia had found a job, which was a good thing for the educated youth returning to the city.
But unexpectedly, when Song Yuanchao asked about this, the smile on Grandma Sun's face disappeared, and was replaced by helplessness and sighs.
"Caixia is now working as a temporary worker in a street factory, pasting paper boxes." Grandma Sun sighed, "This child has had a hard life. The Ying family suffered a great disaster ten years ago. Her grandparents were dragged out and labeled as dunce caps. They couldn't stand it after they came back, so they passed away together. Caixia's father passed away, and her mother managed to wait until Caixia came back, but God would not let their family go. A few days after she came back, her mother fell ill and passed away. Caixia is now alone in the huge Ying family..."
Listening to Grandma Sun's story, Song Yuanchao's expression became serious and his brows furrowed.
He didn't know much about Sun Caixia's family situation, because when she was in the northwest, Ying Caixia rarely mentioned her family's situation.
Only now did Song Yuanchao realize that the raw material Ying Caixia had lost her relatives just like himself, and her experience was no worse than his own.
Granny Sun's family is a scholarly family, and her ancestors were high-ranking officials. After the Qing Dynasty fell, Granny Sun and her husband's family did not continue to engage in politics, but relied on the industry left by their ancestors to maintain a decent life.
Later, due to the war, the real estate of Grandma Sun's family was sold off one after another, and finally only this ancestral home was left. But then again, a blessing in disguise, it was precisely because of this that Grandma Sun's family did not encounter any difficult things and survived safely.
But the Ying family was different. They were a wealthy family in Jinling. Not only were they good at business, they also had children of officials before liberation. It was said that the second son of Grandpa Ying, Ying Caixia's uncle, was an official of a high status in the other organization. He left Jinling before liberation and his whereabouts were unknown.
The Ying family was rich and powerful, and well-known in the local area. In the blink of an eye, the once prosperous Ying family was left with only Ying Caixia.
