Shanghai, 1951.

The tram on the Waibaidu Bridge drove by, startling a flock of pigeons resting on the steel frame, and the pigeons fluttered their wings and flew in circles towards the alleys, past rows of houses, and stopped outside the red brick wall covered with oleanders.

Inside the brick wall is a three-story Western-style small western-style building, and at this moment, on the second floor of the western-style building, a plump middle-aged woman in a blue cloth smock shouted "Miss, Miss!" through the front hall, panicked into the back room.

"Aunt Zhang, I have said it thousands of times, tell you to stop calling me like that, now is a new society. A girl in a short lilac dress with a ribbon bow sat in front of the dresser in the roof window, frowning slightly, as she spoke, and pulled open the brass drawer handle on the dresser, and took out a small green velvet box.

When I opened the lid of the box, there was a pair of mother-of-pearl earrings inside.

The girl took out the earrings, put them on her earlobes in the mirror, and saw Aunt Zhang standing at the door with her hands rubbed in the gap, and explained with a panicked face: "Yes, Sister Miao'er, I was in a hurry at this time, and I forgot about it." ”

The girl's name is Mizukika, and she is the youngest daughter of the Mizuki family, and Miao'er is her nickname.

Seeing that Yuexiang had just made an appointment with a friend she knew at the girls' school to have a coffee together, she was in a good mood, she opened her eyebrows and pursed her lips and smiled, turned her face to the window, and went to wear the earrings on the other side, and asked casually, "What's wrong?"

Aunt Zhang stomped her foot: "Sir, he agreed!"

"It's headless. Seeing that Yuexiang put on her earrings, she looked left and right in the mirror, "What do you agree with or disagree." ”

"Ouch, Sister Miao'er, why did you forget everything!" Aunt Zhang's eyes turned red anxiously, "Mr. Jiang, who came to visit a few days ago, do you remember Mr. Va? had a very happy conversation with him, and he was bold when he left...... He even said that he asked to marry a young lady!"

Aunt Zhang was so anxious that she forgot the title again.

This time, seeing Yuexiang didn't have the heart to correct her anymore.

"You mean, Dad, he agreed?" "Kazuki got up from the chair suddenly, took two deep breaths, and sat down slowly, "Mom?

Aunt Zhang said: "Mrs. can't help me, I'm crying!"

Seeing Yuexiang one in each hand, she ripped off the earrings she had just put on. Because I used too much force, I pulled my earlobes red.

"Aunt Zhang, you call Li Shuyi of the Li family, and say that this afternoon's appointment has been canceled. ”

Seeing Yuexiang say that, she went straight out of the room and went to the hall on the first floor.

In the center of the hall was covered with a pure wool carpet, and Zhizhang was lying on the sofa barefoot and half-lying on his back to read the "Yi Pao" that had just been delivered.

"Dad. Seeing Yuexiang stop at the carpet and didn't go any further, "The marriage is ......"

"You don't have to worry about this, I've got everything planned. Seeing Zhizhang interrupting the words behind Yuexiang, he put down the newspaper and showed his face, he was wearing a gold-wire glasses, and there were glass lenses without a prescription in the frame, "Jiang Wen's conduct is good, and he has only known people, as early as when he was in Suzhou, he was already the vice president of the Lanting Printing Society, and you are old acquaintances, you see, even the last issue published the poems he wrote. ”

Jian Zhizhang handed over the newspaper in his hand to see Yuexiang, and this newspaper saw Yuexiang also reading, but she read Liang Jing's novel "Eighteen Springs" that was being serialized on the fourth edition, and she never paid attention to prose poetry.

Seeing that Yuexiang didn't take the newspaper, Jianzhizhang withdrew his hand, put the newspaper on the tea table, and said: "Miao'er, you are a smart person, our family is different from the past, and it is the best choice to find an innocent scholar to marry." ”

"What's more, it's still a talented reader who loves you?"

Seeing that Zhizhang is a businessman, he opened a home improvement pool shop to do calligraphy and painting business halfway, he particularly admires cultured people, and he likes to be vassally elegant, so although he saw Jiang Wen for the first time four days ago, he couldn't wait to agree to marry his daughter to him.

"It's a new society now, and everyone is shouting to abandon arranged marriages!" Seeing Yuexiang knew that her father had always said everything, and even her mother couldn't persuade him, let alone herself, but the words in her heart rushed out along the cracks in her mouth, and when she saw Yuexiang's cheeks flushed with excitement and nervousness, she hung her hands on her thighs, and her fingertips tightly clasped the tender flesh in her palms.

"No matter how new the society is, there is no rule that if you dare to write about your daughter, you can not listen to Lao Tzu!" Seeing Zhizhang sat up straight angrily, his eyes glared at Jianyuexiang, "What is an arranged marriage? Don't you know that Jiang Wen? Don't think I don't know, when you were in Suzhou, he wrote to you every day, and you accepted them all!"

Seeing that Yuexiang was still talking, Zhizhang waved his hand: "Needless to say, this matter has been decided, you don't have to worry about anything, you just wait to get married." ”

Seeing that Yuexiang was anxious and annoyed, she couldn't listen to her father's words, and took two steps forward to speak again, but suddenly heard someone at the door lifting the bell.

Seeing Zhizhang stood up and crossed over to see Yuexiang: "A guest is coming, you don't look like you with red eyes and red neck, hurry up and go upstairs." ”

Seeing that Yuexiang finally mustered up the courage poured into a long sigh, stood for a moment, and went upstairs before the guest walked into the porch.

Until she entered the bedroom, she was only red-eyed and did not shed a single tear.

Sitting in front of the window, he opened the cabinet next to his feet, and took out a thick stack of nearly 100 letters from a cloth satchel, all of which were yellow paper envelopes.

The names of the recipients are different, from seeing the moon incense, moon incense, incense to the small finch among the clouds, the most beautiful moon, and the sender has only one "Wen" word.

These letters were all written by Jiang Wen, an auditor, on the lectern before each class when Yuexiang was teaching painting at Suzhou Huayi Art School.

However, seeing that Yuexiang had never opened a letter and read it, she also wanted to return it, but Jiang Wen resolutely refused to accept it.

Li Shuyi, a friend who taught together at the beginning, often joked, saying that this Jiang Wenren was dignified, romantic and loving, which was a rare blessing to see the fragrance of the moon.

Later, because her mother's health was getting worse and worse, she quit her job as a teacher and returned to Shanghai from Suzhou to her parents, and this stack of letters was brought back and stuffed under the cabinet, never thinking that there would be a day when she would see the light again.

At this moment, I saw Yuexiang sitting on the bed with the letters, tearing them apart one by one, and reading them one by one.

There are songs and admiration in the letter, as well as admiration and lovesickness, and even a letter that opens only blank letter paper and an envelope full of osmanthus flowers.

The osmanthus has long been dried black, but the lingering fragrance lingers.

Seeing Yuexiang's tears scattered all over the bed like osmanthus, even she didn't know whether she was crying because she was moved or grieved.

After crying, I saw Yuexiang bury her face in the quilt, it has been two years since she came back to Shanghai, but I didn't expect Jiang Wen to still remember her, and even made a special trip to Shanghai for her.

Emotion gradually prevailed, and grief and unwillingness dissipated into tears.

"Marry me, at least he will be really good to me. Seeing Yuexiang thinking in her heart, she couldn't cry anymore, wiped her tears and fell asleep.

The next time I saw Jiang Wen was half a month later.

There was no wedding, no wedding wine, just a light meal together as a family, and when I saw Yuexiang, I was going to follow this young man who talked and laughed elegantly and behaved gentlemanly.

Seeing that his wife heard that Jiang Wen's family was poor, and his hometown was in a small county town in the southwest mountainous area, she was afraid that her daughter would marry and endure hardships, so she prepared two large boxes of dowries early.

Everything from silk brocade, gold and silver jewelry to rouge gouache, coffee and tea, and even several boxes of money.

It's just that when he was about to go out, when Jiang Wen saw Aunt Zhang dragging two big boxes, he put away his smile and said solemnly to Jianzhizhang and his wife: "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, I can't accept this dowry no matter what." ”

Seeing that his wife had just wiped her tears with a handkerchief, when she heard Jiang Wen say this, the tears rolled down again, and she hurriedly said, "Why don't you accept it? This is a dowry!"

"I, Jiang Wen, married Yuexiang because I admired her and loved her, not for the dowry of the family. Jiang Wen's back straightened, "There will be milk, bread will also be there, you can rest assured, I will create a happy and rich home for Yuexiang with my own hands, and I will never let her suffer the slightest grievance." ”

"Good! good!" Seeing Zhizhang smiled with relief, what he admired was the noble spirit of the scholar, "Don't want it, it's not a big deal to suffer a little when you're young." ”

When he heard this, his wife turned her back and burst into tears.

"What are you crying about!" Seeing Zhizhang frowned, "When you married me, I wasn't also a poor boy, I had to endure hardships to enjoy happiness." ”

Seeing that his wife leaned on Jianzhizhang's shoulder, she slapped his back: "It's just that I have endured hardships, so I don't want my daughter to suffer like that." ”

"I'm not afraid of hardship. Seeing Yuexiang, who had not spoken, opened her mouth, and her eyes looked at Jiang Wen beside her.

She knew that Jiang Wen, who had a solid family background and was innocent, would have a lot of gossip if he persevered and pursued himself, and some people said that Jiang Wen wanted to be a son-in-law in a hurry to see the family's money.

Seeing Yuexiang looking at Jiang Wen with a tall posture and a jade face, she didn't want his reputation to be burdened by her background, so she was not afraid of hardship.

"Thank you. Jiang Wen raised his eyebrows and smiled, and reached out to hold Jian Yuexiang's hand.

This was the first time they held hands, and seeing that Yuexiang didn't dodge, she just lowered her head, making it difficult to see her face.

Jiang Wen's hands were very big, and he held Yuexiang very tightly, and they didn't let go until his mother asked Yuexiang to come into the house and rearrange her baggage.

Seeing that the wife wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and only took some simple clothes, just before she fastened her burden, she suddenly got up, went to the bedside, opened the drawer of the bedside table with the small key she carried with her, and took out a long mahogany box.

Seeing that Yuexiang grew up playing in her father's pond shop, she is very familiar with this box, which is used to hold painting scrolls.

Mrs. Jian opened the box, took out the painting, unfolded it and presented it in front of Mitsukika.

It is a picture of ink and plum blossoms, the snow-white rice paper is densely branched and flowery, the painter uses ink skills to be superb, and the virtual and real and the shade are cleverly combined, making the plum blossoms appear ethereal and ethereal.

Below the painting, there is a piece of knowledge, which is recorded as "Guangxu Wuxu People's Day, Painting by Chance".

"This is ......" Seeing Yuexiang couldn't believe it, she raised her head hesitantly and asked.

"Wu Changshuo's Memetu. Seeing that the wife put away the painting again, put it in the box, and stuffed it into the baggage, "I am not allowed to bring the dowry, nor is the gold or silver allowed, so there is no problem with bringing a painting, right?"

Seeing that his wife's eyes were red again, she took Jianyuexiang's hand, pinched and pinched, and was reluctant to let go: "Miao'er, my mother is reluctant to let you suffer, if you go to Qingchuan, it will be a ...... It's difficult, so I'll sell this painting, which will be enough for you to use for a few years. ”