White-collar workers in formal attire, takeaway brothers who met each other late, and parents who rushed to pick up their children formed a noisy and prosperous scene.
At the intersection of Taixing Road and Kangding East Road, it is now a well-planned intersection, and at No.85 Kangding East Road not far away, a villa with red bricks and gray walls stands impressively.
This is the place where Zhang Ailing was born, bearing the joys and sorrows of her half life.
1994, Zhang Ailing's A Comparative Record was first published, which caused great repercussions among fans at home and abroad, but this book is quite different from previous works.
The comparative record contains 54 old photos of the past, including a series of unpublished photos of grandparents, parents, younger brothers and aunts.
Zhang Ailing, 74, who has lived in Los Angeles for a long time, may feel obliged to say goodbye to her book friends formally. She added descriptions to these 54 works very carefully.
However, there are stories about grandparents, which seem a bit weird.
She said this sentence:
"Because it was my own' roots', I dug it up bit by bit, so I cherish it all the more."
She bluntly said that her father and aunt always kept their mouths shut about the story of their parents' older generation, and even the old servant at home was described by her as "obviously a little secretive".
Driven by great curiosity, Zhang Ailing did find some clues at an early age.
This discovery has also become the only thing in her life that can understand the story of her ancestors.
Her grandfather, Zhang Peilun, was a famous "minister of clean flow" in the late Qing Dynasty.
Grandmother Li Ju's lotus root, born in a noble family, is the favorite daughter of Li Hongzhang, the minister of A Qing.
Historically, the marriage of the two people has always been more fun than emotion, because the age gap between them is huge and their family backgrounds are different.
Liu Tiren, a poet in Qing Dynasty, once wrote satirical poems:
"Old women marry young firewood, and Li Hongzhang is old and young; Quit the teacher and go to the East Bed. Zhang Peilun is nothing. "
Liang Dingfen, a great literary master in the late Qing Dynasty, described himself as extremely contemptuous of this marriage, saying that he had never learned to fight, but he was defeated and went to the bridal chamber at large.
There are two reasons why people are so cynical about this marriage.
One is Li Julian who spits Zhang Peilun, 18 years old. He even died for two wives, but he still wanted to get married.
The second is to despise him as a defeated official and resent his attempt to climb the big tree of Li Hongzhang.
It is inconvenient for future generations to know more about the inside story, but in the background at that time, everyone's speculation was not groundless.
Who is Li Hongzhang?
Zeng Guofan, a mentor and friend, entered the officialdom with foresight and courage, and made a fortune in the officialdom.
Suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, set up the Beiyang Navy, and launch the Westernization Movement. In the future, I will witness the sunset of the Qing Dynasty with my own eyes and die unsatisfied.
As an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, his family wealth can be said to be a big family in China.
Li Hongzhang had six sons and three daughters in his life. Compared with other unknown sisters, Li Ju lotus root is special.
Zhao Xiaolian, Li Jue's mother, is Li Hongzhang's second wife, and also comes from a famous family in Anhui. As the eldest daughter, Li Ju's lotus root was hurt to the bone by the whole family.
Although he was born in a feudal family, what Li Ju learned from primary school was not three obedience and four virtues, but four books and five classics, and he followed new rules and regulations instead of feudal etiquette.
After the change of the world pattern, Li Hongzhang ran around as an envoy. In front of outsiders, although he maintained the majesty of an ambassador, his heart must have been seriously shocked by the advanced behavior of the West.
This made him greatly divorced from the pedantry and tradition he should have as a feudal parent when educating his children.
As Li Hongzhang's beloved daughter, Li Ju Lotus has always been endowed with a good background by her family background. In addition, because of its beautiful appearance, outstanding talent and the integration of etiquette and law, it is one of the best ladies in the city.
At that time, western ideas had not been introduced into China, and occasionally a few blond "foreigners" appeared on the street, which still aroused the curiosity of countless people.
In this case, Li Hongzhang has a 22-year-old unmarried daughter, and how big the gossip is can be imagined.
It is true that the matchmaker almost broke the threshold of the Li family at the marriageable age, but Li Julian, who has become an "old maid", has indeed been subjected to some gossip.
The appearance of Zhang Peilun has upgraded these gossip into an ulterior purpose of hitting people with a dark hammer.
If he were 20 years younger, there would be no such gossip. If his career is booming and his family background is gratifying, it is not without the qualification to openly marry Li Hongzhang's daughter.
Zhang Peilun, a wealthy businessman in Hebei, was born in a noble family. He is very talented and smart. He can write thousands of words with his pen and say sharp words with his mouth.
His first half of life was very smooth.
At a young age, he gained a good reputation. 12 years, from a young scholar to the left deputy governor of Douchayuan.
But in his thirties, he resounded through the court in the name of "Qingliu" and became Li Hongzhang's aide.
However, civil servants have a problem, that is, sensibility and brain damage.
Compared with the future Zhang Yue-Li Hongzhang, Zhang Peilun is too straightforward in officialdom.
After decades of ups and downs, the reputation of officialdom has gradually become apparent, but I don't know how many people have been offended because of its completely different political stance from most people.
In this case, it's only a matter of time before someone steals you.
1882, after the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, France rallied and reached out to Asian countries, with Vietnam bearing the brunt.
Although Zhang Peilun is a civilian, he is really a hawkish member.
He played dozens of memorials and bluntly said that Vietnam and China are as close as lips and teeth. If Vietnam is defeated, China, which lives next door, will inevitably fall into the quagmire of war.
The decay of the Qing dynasty has penetrated into the bone marrow, and most courtiers are soaked in wealth like the moon in the water. They just want to be content with the status quo. How can they like the variable "hawks"?
With the tacit cooperation of various forces, Zhang Peilun was sent to the front line against France.
At that time, China's national strength had already been eroded by feudal monarchy. Although a few outstanding people tried to save it from the fire and water, the luck of the late Qing Dynasty was exhausted, and no amount of efforts were just a mirage.
Zhang Peilun, who was sent to the battlefield, intended to change everything, but after all, he was a civilian. With the repeated efforts of various forces, he finally issued several doomed orders.
In fact, based on emotion and reason, this matter cannot be pushed to Zhang Peilun alone.
Also recorded in Zhang Ailing's book, her aunt once said to her:
"Grandma said she would hate the French."
"Grandma said Fujian people are the worst. At that time, the navy was all from Fujian, and they helped push the charges to grandpa. "
Since it comes from Mrs. Zhang Peilun, it is natural to believe this. However, as a person in the changing times, Li Julian really can't see the decline of the Qing Dynasty like the later generations.
Visible Li Hongzhang.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Peilun calls himself a "clean and honest admonisher". For decades, he has served almost all officials in the DPRK, big and small, but never influenced Li Hongzhang.
As an aide he once admired, Li Hongzhang took good care of Zhang Peilun, not only giving him financial support, but also taking the initiative to invite him into his home.
That is, during his stay in Lifu, Zhang Peilun met a distinguished lady in Lifu-Li Julian.
There are not many records about how Zhang Peilun formed a good relationship with a woman with her own ideas, but we can get a glimpse from his diary.
In this book, he mentioned the word "chrysanthemum lotus root" in almost every chapter, and the words were admirable, especially for tea parties.
It is said that Li Jue's lotus root once wrote a poem, which read:
"The chicken coop looked south and wept. When I heard that Yuan protected a horse, I couldn't afford a big event in World War I, and the four sides lost their sides."
Judging from the content, this is a legitimate defense against Zhang Peilun.
However, although this poem was finally dismissed as a good man's fiction, from various records in the future, Li Julian did not resist this marriage.
After all, she is a spoiled official. If she doesn't want to marry, how can a little loser force her?
Therefore, when Zhang Peilun asked to marry Li Julian, Li Hongzhang was not shocked and angry, but carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages of marrying Ju Lian.
Zhang Peilun was 40 years old and had two wives, both of whom died young, leaving two sons, not to mention that he had just lost the battle.
It is inevitable that your daughter deserves to be defeated and be laughed at all over the world. It is also certain that Zhang Peilun fell into the population. However, this marriage, from the daughter's point of view, is definitely superior to inferior.
The troubles of Li Ju's lotus root daughter are secondary. If she marries Zhang Fu, her husband will not bully her. With the help of the powerful Li family, it is easy to catch Zhang Peilun.
In addition, Li Hongzhang really knows the root of the matter, knows his temper, and is not afraid of his rebellion.
No matter how enlightened the official gentry's family is, the marriage of their children will always bring some political elements, which is completely inevitable.
However, only Ju Lian's mother is extremely opposed to this marriage. She asked Li Hongzhang many times why she wanted to marry her daughter to such a person, but in the end it was difficult to reverse Gan Kun.
So, this marriage became like this.
Needless to say, the dowry of Li Ju Lotus Root Li Family is the real ten-mile red makeup compared with the money and gifts that should have been given by the man.
This can be seen from Zhang Ailing's life.
Although this talented woman has had many difficulties in her life, it is undeniable that in her short life, most of the time, she was full of powerful people, especially in her teens.
In the 1920s, when the civilians in the street were worried about the next meal, she could already play with her younger brother with the new doll on the other side of the ocean.
His father, Zhang Zhiyi, inherited a large amount of ancestral property. Obviously, he is an ordinary person with no official position or business position, but when he is addicted to opium, he can only balance the huge expenses at home by selling his family wealth.
Mother Huang Yifan was dissatisfied with her husband's cheating and smoking. She took only a few boxes of antique jewelry when she went abroad, but she was able to stand on the world.
Even the big villa at No.85 Kangding East Road is just one of Li Julian's properties.
Most of the family wealth handed down by the Zhang family comes from Li Juou's dowry.
Unfortunately, with the change of political situation, the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Later, Zhang Peilun was impeached by Shi Yu for participating in Zhang Yue politics and had to go to Nanjing with his family.
1900, he had been away from the officialdom for a long time, and was recommended by Li Hongzhang to join the ranks of Beijing officials, but his words refused.
This reason is nothing more than Zhen Peilun's feelings for friends:
"If you don't get married, you can still hope to help Hefei. Now that you avoid your relatives, the road to Hefei will be broken. "
Hefei refers to Li Hongzhang. To put it simply, since he has become a relative, he should avoid suspicion. Otherwise, the impeachment proposal is a lesson from the past.
Even so, his attitude towards Li Ju lotus root remains the same as before. Their marriage was once regarded as a joke at the dinner table by countless people, but after the marriage, Qi Mei sang very well.
In addition to Zhang Peilun's admiration for teachers, Ju is more intelligent and emotional intelligence, which is much higher than that of ordinary women.
He once asked his wife, "The woman you marry must be better than my family, and the woman you marry must not be like my family.".
The move itself is not a big deal, but it is hard to say that it is Zhang Peilun's temptation and temptation to his wife.
I didn't expect Li Ju lotus root to give a perfect answer:
"The words of this world are not the words of sages."
"However, your daughter will be unmarried, and the poor can marry the beggar's daughter."
"Those who don't know its source should be treated, but the in-laws' home is expensive in caring about the rich and the poor, so it looks high and low."
Time, family background and environment have created a feudal aristocratic woman. I have to sincerely admire her for having such an idea far beyond the world.
"Li Hongzhang's education is really good."
Unfortunately, such a warm scene is rare after the 20th century.
190 1 At the end of the year, Li Hongzhang passed away, leaving many regrets and numerous accusations.
1903 Zhang Peilun died at the age of 56, leaving his widow and children at home.
In just two years, I lost two of the most important men in my life, leaving a big house to snuggle up with my young children. Li Ju lotus root is not sad.
I also remember that my husband was depressed in his later years, and even she didn't smile for a few minutes every day. At this time, my father specially wrote to comfort her:
"Plain sex is open-minded, why unhappy? I'm worried about hurting people. I miss them deeply. Smell, sleep and food are not as good as usual. What is the latest? "
There is no serious truth here, only a father's earnest teachings and warm thoughts make Li Ju feel great gratified.
I still remember playing the piano and painting in the garden with my husband in my spare time. The sound of the piano is endless, and the fragrance of flowers and ink lingers around.
But at this point, these are really like flowers in the water in the mirror and disappear instantly.
Li Ju was 37 when Zhang Peilun died. Although she is not young, she is not old. According to the old servant who received her:
"The old lady always tries to save toilet paper."
Toilet paper is the predecessor of modern toilet paper.
Li Ju Lotus, who has become the head of the family, lives in the town all the year round, and is considered a noble family, but even toilet paper has to be saved. You can imagine the situation at that time.
And I wonder how this woman would feel if she knew that the family property she had saved from toilet paper had been replaced by pieces of valuable opium.
In fact, she has devoted a lot of effort to a pair of children.
His son, Zhang Zhiyi, was strictly controlled from an early age. In order to prevent him from colluding with other powerful children, Li Julian often dresses him in colorful jackets and robes, which makes people laugh.
The education of sons has always been elegant and gentle, which can be called severe. If he can't recite the book, he has to play on his knees.
Perhaps because young people are too depressed, they are uneducated and incompetent when they are old.
Fortunately, he gave birth to a daughter named "Zhang Ailing".
Li Ju's lotus root and Zhang Peilun's other child, named Zhang Maoyuan, are aunts often mentioned in Zhang Ailing's works.
My aunt has always been a gentle woman, and she was beaten by her brother to protect Aileen. She is also a poor woman.
Jia-he Li and the Zhang family have been women all their lives, perhaps as Zhang Ailing said in Comparative Records:
"Compared with his sister, my grandmother's marriage is happy."
Yes, you don't have to marry a husband who is six years younger than you like Li and be insulted by his words every day;
You don't have to respect the matchmaker's words and marry a playboy who smokes and cheats like Huang Yifan.
Needless to say, like Zhang Ailing, she was lovesick and pursued hard, but she was abandoned.
In the old society, women were miserable. If we can taste the sweetness from them, it will be far better than others. But it is ridiculous to compare this matter.