The Song Family had kept a low-profile thanks to its Old Master’s strict management. Old Master Song was born and grew up in a turbulent era of exotic invasion and transferring of governments, when everyone led a homeless and miserable life. He survived from a series of wars, struggling hard to become a politician. Old Master Song had witnessed a critical change of the Chinese nation in history, from troubled to prosperous.
Old Master Song always followed the Chinese traditional moral principles of self-cultivating, family-regulating, state-ordering, and the land was greatly governed. He was blessed by the heavens so that he was lucky enough to be one of the survivors from the cruel wars. His own efforts were far from enough to make his achievements to that day. It was always on his mind that his success stood on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands of dead men. He was strict to himself and also to the young generation of his family. He would absolutely punish those in his family who became arrogant or made profits through their family’s prestige.
As a consequence, the generation after Old Master Song were all common with no great accomplishments and mostly worked as basic civil servants. But the Song Family produced two excellent talents among its young generation.
One was Song Hesheng, the young man sitting in the living room. Great expectations were set on him, who was one of the most brilliant upper-class young people in Beijing. After finishing his postgraduate studies, Song Hesheng began to work as a basic civil servant. For work, he made progress step by step, willing to perform actual deeds for people. For interpersonal relationships, he was well-bred, always showing respect to everybody. So all of his colleagues and leaders spoke highly of him. At the moment he was a deputy department director, enjoying a promising future.
The other one was the coming young lady. She was the youngest granddaughter of Old Master Song and Song Hesheng’s cousin. People’s comments about her were very much like her name. Song Ruyu, which literally meant ‘being mild and gentle’ like the quality of jade.
Her name was telling people that she was extraordinary—an otherworldly fairy coming down to earth.
But Qin Sheng still had no idea about that woman. He was fully attracted by her temperament, which was hard to describe. It was rather like the feelings one would get when falling in love with someone at first sight.
She was a gorgeous young lady—even more beautiful than his sister. But it was light-headed to focus only on her appearance, since her temperament was far more prominent.
Her hair was in a pony tail. She wore no makeup and dressed casually—grey sweater, light-colored coat, distressed jeans and a pair of black cloth shoes. Qin Sheng was surprised by the shoes. He liked to wear that kind of homemade shoes when he was a child. Unlike the cloth shoes produced by “Old Beijing”, a commercial brand, those homemade ones were particularly comfortable. But he hadn’t seen homemade cloth shoes for many years, and was surprised to see that young lady wearing them.
She looked naive and simple, making him feel warm and comfortable. Her dark eyes were so clean that Qin Sheng thought his staring was offensive. He couldn’t help thinking about an old saying—Some people’s spirits were like sunflowers, always pursuing the brightness.
“Yu’er, were you in the study just now?” Old Master Song looked at his granddaughter with great affection. She was the youngest of his grandchildren and was the one he acknowledged and adored the most. Sometimes he thought his friend Old Master Qin predicted the future, finding that his granddaughter would be that good. That might be why Qin asked for the engagement between their grandchildren.
Song Ruyu gave them a friendly smile. Her eyes looked as if they were filled with warm sunshine.
“Sister Ran, long time no see. Why do you look so pale?” Song Ruyu walked to Qin Ran and Qin Sheng with steps as soft as wind in the spring that woke up all the living creatures gently.
Qin Ran liked that young lady. She had seen various kinds of women before, but Song Ruyu was different from anybody else. She was like a square peg in the round hole, but she had her unique way to gain her own position in that world. Qin Ran couldn’t help thinking that it might be good if that woman married her younger brother.
Qin Ran didn’t know why, but every time she met Song Ruyu she felt a sense of regret. Qin Ran smiled and said, “Ruyu, you’re more beautiful.”
Song Ruyu lowered her head shyly. “Sister, you’re kidding me.”
She hated it when others praised her appearance, especially strange men. But it was fine when Qin Ran said so since they were familiar with each other.
“Yu’er, do you remember him?” Old Master Song asked softly and pointed at Qin Sheng. Song Ruyu and Qin Sheng had met each other when they were still kids. But it had been a long time since then. They might have both forgotten that.
A lot of people would go to the Song’s siheyuan in the Spring Festival and Song Ruyu, of course, had no idea. She didn’t live there most of the time, but she knew that every first day of the Chinese New Year, Uncle Qin and Sister Ran visited. She sometimes saw them.
Song Ruyu was surprised that she was asked to go to the siheyuan so early in the morning by her grandfather. She thought some important people would be there, but she had waited for a long time. She was expecting to meet his grandfather’s old friends or some high-leveled government officials, not thinking that Qin Ran and the stranger beside her were the important guests.
Song Ruyu smiled and nodded to Qin Sheng as a greeting. She didn’t stare at Qin Sheng in an impolite way, but gave him a few glances, which made Qin Sheng feel neither uncomfortable, nor being looked down upon. Every detail of Song Ruyu’s behavior revealed her good education.
After that, Song Ruyu turned to her grandfather. She shook her head and answered, “Grandpa, I have no idea. Maybe we haven’t met for several years, or I wouldn’t have forgotten.”
Old Master Song squinted and laughed. He explained, “Hahaha, of course you would forget him. I also forget. You met him 22 years ago. He was that naughty boy who brought you sugarcoated haws.”
Song Ruyu was always calm and mild. When she heard her grandfather’s introduction, she froze a little and asked, “Qin Sheng?”
Old Master Song had finished his task of introducing, declaring the start of their blind date. He said, “Yu’er, show Qin Sheng around our siheyuan. I’d like to chat with your Sister Ran.”
Song Ruyu was still confused. She nodded and said, “OK.”
Song Ruyu stole another glance at Qin Sheng when she turned. She never expected to meet Qin Sheng after twenty years. Her grandfather had told her a lot about the story of the Qin Family, and she knew that the boy who always smiled disappeared and had not been found yet. That day’s meeting was really surprising.
Qin Sheng looked at Qin Ran and then turned to Old Master Song, smiling, and nodded to the others. After that, he followed Song Ruyu as she headed to the yard.
The weather was good and the flowers, grass and plants in the yard were bathed in the warm sunshine.
Song Ruyu, who was in the front, stopped under a tree. Sunshine went through the leaves, reaching her body like lighting spots. Qin Sheng felt like he was in a dream. It seemed that he had met her somewhere but he failed to grasp any details from his memory, for it had been such a long time.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” Song Ruyu turned to Qin Sheng, giggling shyly. “I still remember the little boy. But you look really different now.”
Qin Sheng didn’t know why Old Master Song asked that woman to show him around. According to Old Master Song, they used to be friends when they were young. But Qin Sheng had lost most his childhood memories and he didn’t know how to start a conversation with ladies. He didn’t know why, but he always had no confidence in front of women.
“I don’t remember most things from the past. I could only recognize my mom. I even forgot my sister. My life’s amazing, right?” Qin Sheng forced a smile. He was unwilling to talk about his past. Let bygones be bygones.
Song Ruyu realized the sad feeling in Qin Sheng’s words due to his mother. She knew that his mother Auntie Zhu passed away when he was still a child. She wanted to comfort him but didn’t know what to say. Comforting words were full of hypocrisy. So she remained silent.
“You already knew who I was. And you’re…” Old Master Song called her “Yu’er”, but he shouldn’t address her by her nickname.
She said, “Song Ruyu.”
“There’s an old poem that goes ‘The peach tree is young and elegant; brilliant are its flowers; the gentleman is like jade; strength is its elegance.’ Is this where your name comes from?” Qin Sheng asked since he liked that name. “I don’t mean to show off. This poem suddenly came to me.”
Qin Sheng’s being overly careful made Song Ruyu laugh. She said, “You’re right. But I’m not that kind of woman who would think about people with malice.”
“It’s a very good name,” Qin Sheng said. Though “Ruyu” was used to praise a man’s good character, it was also good to describe a woman. According to the theory of Confucius, the most respectable people must have the quality of moderation, a meaning likened to the nature of jade.
When Qin Sheng was speaking, Song Ruyu stared at Qin Sheng, especially his eyes. It seemed that she was exploring.
Since her rationality went back with her wandering mind, the moment she guessed Qin Sheng’s name, she got most of the picture. Her grandfather asked her to be there early for a reason known to all people present, except her.
Nobody knew she had an idea of the engagement between the Song and Qin Families. Several years before, when her grandmother was still alive, she gave it away. She thought it interesting then, and just forgot about it. Moreover, Qin Sheng had disappeared for a long time, and she never expected him to be found and later be asked to meet.
So in fact, they were both asked to go there for a blind date.