The Plum Blossom of Luojia Mountain: The Astounding Lives of a Mother and Her Twin Daughters Struggling in China and America

By Shan Shan and Shui Shui

Mei Chen is the apple of her parents’ eyes. As she grows up in 1930s Dong City, China, she is loved, cherished, and spoiled by her parents who value education above everything else and hope their daughter will one day attend a prestigious university. Mei’s childhood is idyllic—until Japan invades China and sets both her and her family down an unexpected path full of obstacles.
As Mei matures into a beautiful thirteen-year-old, she becomes engaged to a thirty-year-old college professor with the hope that she can save her family from more heartache. After she and Linkan Wang eventually marry, Mei gives birth to twin girls, Xiaoluo and Xiaojia, in 1947 and does her best to raise them through turbulent, dangerous times. As destiny leads the twins to eventually immigrate to San Francisco without knowing the language, Shan Shan and Shui Shui must somehow survive the cultural revolution and a conflicting relationship between their native country and the United States to achieve their dreams.
In this poignant tale of love and loss, a mother and her twin daughters must rely on their inner-strength and courage to persevere through hardships within both China and the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480885288

Shan Shan

Shan Shan and Shui Shui are the pen names of the two authors. Shan Shan Shan Shan is one of the co-authors of this book. She was born in China, in 1947. After graduating from high school in 1965 she voluntarily joined the “educated youth” program and went to the countryside and worked as a farmer for seven years. She earned a Physical Chemistry teacher’s degree in 1972. She left China and came to the United States in 1979 to join her father after thirty-two years of separation. She earned an Electrical Engineering degree in 1988. She worked in a few of the Top 50 high tech companies in the United States and had her own company for nine years. A collaboration with her and her twin sister resulted in a dramatized novel in 2010 entitled “From Luojiasha to Jiujinsha”, means “From Wuhan to San Francisco.” The novel is in Chinese and was published in China. Shui Shui Shui Shui is the other co-author of this book. She is the younger twin sister of Shan Shan. After graduating from the top one high school in Wuhan, China, in 1965, she joined the “educated youth” volunteers and worked as a farmer at a rural plantation for eight years. She returned to Wuhan in 1973 and attended the Central China Normal University. After earning her Bachelor degree in Mathematics, she became a mathematics instructor at her Alma mater. In 1979, she came to the United States to pursue her Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. For over thirty years, she advanced her career in high-tech industries.

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Copyright © 2019 Shan Shan and Shui Shui.

Authors’ email: [e-mail]

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Dr. Barbara

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8527-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8528-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019919454

Archway Publishing rev. date: 12/11/2019

To our grandmother, father and stepfather who did not live to see this book

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1     Love in the War

Chapter 2     Separation before Dawn

Chapter 3     Forced to Part

Chapter 4     Resting in a Foreign Land with his Heart with the Motherland

Chapter 5     Passion of the Fiery Years

Chapter 6     Life of Girlhood

Chapter 7     Twin Sisters in the Countryside

Chapter 8     Heartless in the Storm

Chapter 9     Struggle through Adversity

Chapter 10   The Prison Break of the Nightingale

Chapter 11   Struggling after the Awakening

Chapter 12   The Couple by the Songhua River

Chapter 13   Tears of Father and Daughters on Luohu Bridge

Chapter 14   Hardship of a Worker-Peasant-Soldier College Student

Chapter 15   Going to America

Chapter 16   Get Together Across the Ocean

Chapter 17   Xiaojia’s First Job in America

Chapter 18   First Friends in America

Chapter 19   Working at the Factory

Chapter 20   Struggling after Realizing her Dream

Chapter 21   An Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 22   Another Family Reunion

Chapter 23   Rank Among the Ranks of White-Collar Workers

Chapter 24   A Great Businesswoman

Chapter 25   Unforgettable American Friends

Chapter 26   The Joy of Giving Back to Society

Chapter 27   A Eastern and Western Wedding

Chapter 28   The Running that Never Ends

Chapter 29   Beautiful Old Age under the Sunset

Appendix 1: Relation of Major Characters

Appendix 2: China History Timeline

Appendix 3: Definition of Terms

Appendix 4: Biography of Authors, Translator and Editor

Introduction

This fictional story was first published in China under the name From Luojiashan to Jiujinshan. Luojiashan is the Chinese name for Luojia Mountain in Wuhan, China, while Jiujinshan is the Chinese name for San Francisco, California. The book is about a mother and twin daughters in China and then later in the United States. It is a story of them during the Korea War, a Japanese invasion, the Anti-rightist Campaign, survival through three years of natural disasters, the personally destructive Cultural Revolution, labored life in the Chinese countryside, and the Sino-US relations thaw.

In the Chinese culture, the plum blossom is an important symbol of strength. In the midst of winter, before the snow melts and the swallows return, the plum trees blossom in the barren landscape, embrace the harshness of winter and remind the people that spring will come. It represents the vitality of life, endurance through hardship, and hope that life will regenerate. In the book, the mother’s name is Mei, which means plum blossom. Also, her twin daughters were born at the University of Wuhan, where their father worked as a professor in the 1940s. The university is on Luojia Mountain, which has a profusion of plum blossoms. The Chinese often say that the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitterness and cold of winter. Souls are tempered in the depth of experience, growing in inner strength and unyielding courage. Therefore, we choose this book’s title as The Plum Blossom of Luojia Mountain.

The book walks in the memory of those who have suffered over the years. This account is driven by more than half a century of vicissitudes and authentic documented experiences; through revealing experiences in decades of trials and hardships, suffering in the man-world through the bad times, and flourishing in the good times. We shared our most private moments with loyalty, reverence and sense of fun as we finished this fictional work. The book’s three heroines (mother, Mei, and twin sisters, Xiaoluo and Xiaojia) have an extraordinary journey toward their hard-earned destiny. The general development of the story also has a strong legendary and contemporary impact. The book advances from when their grandfather returned to China from Germany after receiving his PhD. His love for their grandmother was extended to their mother and her two daughters. Despite the abiding family love and salvational marriages, our heroines endured a hard life in China, and then a hard life of a different sort later in the United States.

The content from the 1930s has been presented in the context of this century, and includes past century Chinese historical changes. This is not only a nearly century-old record of a Chinese scroll, but also a modern Chinese people’s History of the Soul. The characters share their joys and sorrows, within the different periods of Chinese development occurring in the important chronological events of contemporary Chinese history, including relationships between the United States and China. The events that happened to this family are unimaginable to those that have not lived in or through a war.

These three women, Mei, Xiaoluo, and Xiaojia left what could have been a quiet and normal life, enduring hard labor and suffering to survive. The professor’s wife, Mei, took the initiative to marry a worker in order to allow her two daughters to attend a higher quality city school. Xiaoluo and Xiaojia gave up their college entrance examinations to change their family background and become patriotic revolutionaries and Xiaojia married a peasant farmer in her patriotic zeal.

China’s current top leaders and we, the authors, are contemporaries. In Chinese modern history there is a special group called the educated youth. Of the seven members of the Chinese Politburo Standing Committee, four members had been in the educated youth program. The Wall Street Journal on November 12, 2012 pointed out that this generation’s leader, the President of China, Xi Jinping, spent his years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) in the countryside. Xi Jinping is also known as China’s paramount leader as he holds the top offices of the party, the state, and the military. During the Cultural Revolution, Xi Jinping’s home was ransacked by the Red Guard, his mother forced to denounce him, which resulted in Xi Jinping being paraded before a crowd as an enemy of the revolution. Xi Jinping’s father was imprisoned and Xi Jinping was sent to work in the countryside. The Macao Daily News commented that, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang (Premier of the State Council), and Wang Qishan (Vice President of China) and other current leaders with the educated youth experience lived and empathized with the Chinese peasant and saw the cruel results of poor political ideology. This political and humanitarian literacy will profoundly affect their governance and policy orientations. After reading about the educated youth experiences, it may help Americans understand the current generation of China’s leaders.

Prior to the 1970s, relations between the United States and China were nearly non-existent or frozen. In the 1970s, the relations between these two great nations began to thaw. Due to this thaw, how many family reunions occurred, how many couples reunited, how much hatred was reduced and misunderstandings resolved, and how many suffered for no true purpose? Many of those who suffered were the elderly and they are now deceased. The young people who encountered similar sufferings are now no longer young, and if forgetting the past means betrayal, let us remember the past and treasure today.

We publish this book to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. We wish for the Chinese and American people to enhance and strengthen their mutual understanding and trust. We further hope the friendship between the Chinese and American people endure for generations to come.

Shan Shan

Shui Shui

Acknowledgments

The composition and translation of this book is a product of the terrific teamwork of several individuals with diverse backgrounds. All of them grew up during the Cold War era, however, in countries that are on opposite political sides.

Some forty years ago, before the United States (US) set up a formal diplomatic relationship with China, it was hard to imagine that these team members would meet one another, let alone work together. Therefore, the publishing of this book, both in English and Chinese versions, is a miracle in itself.

The story in this book not only reflects the good time of the US-Sino relationship during World War II, but also chronicles the experiences through the deterioration of this relationship as the Communist Party gained power in China. The saga continues as the Cold War begins and the evolution after the US-Sino diplomatic relationship rebuilds. We focus mainly on how this multi-generational family separated in these two countries suffered and survived through those years of turmoil and yet managed to strengthen themselves and finally succeed in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We wish this book enhances the mutual understanding between the people of the US and China. We humbly wish to put a piece of the cornerstone to build the bridge across the Pacific Ocean to link these two great countries together. May the relationship between the US and China bloom and prosper. May the peace of the world last forever!

We, hereby, extend our appreciation to our team members, using their pen names, who contributed in the editing, translating and proofreading from Chinese to English.

1. Dr. Barbara Wang, who was born in the US and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Air Force (USAF). She earned a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and retired and was honorably discharged from the USAF after serving twenty-one years.

2. Benjamin Watts, who was born in the US and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel of the USAF. He earned a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering and retired and was honorably discharged from the USAF after serving twenty-one years.

3. Fang Li, who grew up and studied English in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

4. Liren Yang, who grew up in Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC). In Taiwan, Liren was drafted to the ROC Air Force and served as a political officer for two years.

Shan Shan

Shui Shui

The authors

CHAPTER 1

Love in the War

A tall and handsome Chinese man was nervously pacing in his parlor. It is the third year after Professor Jinzhan Chen had returned to his family in Dong City, China. At home, the Chen family already had two young princesses. These two young girls were loved by their parents, but afflicted with congenital myopia and were nearly blind. Jinzhan’s wife was pregnant and about to give birth. The anxious parents hoped the baby was healthy. It was the morning of April 16, 1930. How Jinzhan wished to have a baby boy to inherit the Chen legacy! That boy could learn his academic specialty from him, and then serve the war-torn Chinese motherland. On hearing the baby cry, Jinzhan hurried into the bedroom.

Sorry, it’s a girl again, the wife said weakly.

Jinzhan smiled and softly said, Hey, it’s okay. Whether it is a boy or girl is not your choice but science’s decision. Now let me see our newest little princess.

Jinzhan leaned over and saw the baby girl with big and watery eyes. He could not help kissing the baby’s pink face again and again. This daughter was their first child born after Jinzhan had returned to China. She was delicate and beautiful, and Jinzhan was sure she was smart. The couple named the child Meifen—Mei for short. Mei meant plum blossom in the Chinese language. In the Chinese culture, the plum blossom is an important symbol of strength. Mei was the apple of her parents’ eyes. As she grew up, she was loved and cherished, and also spoiled by both her parents. Both parents valued education above everything and wished their daughter would do well in school and then attend a prestigious university.

Seventeen years before Mei was born, in 1913, when the Kuomingtang (KMT) or Nationalist Party controlled China, the government encouraged young people to travel abroad to study. The reason for this policy was well known to all, China hoped the young people would use their education to save China from its current troubles of debt due to war, internal conflict, and foreign occupiers. Jinzhan had graduated from the Mining Department of Beiyang University and the Geology Department of Peking University. Filled with national zeal as a young adult, Jinzhan traveled to London’s Royal Academy of Science and earned a doctoral degree in mining and metallurgy. After graduating, he was invited by the University of Berlin to work as a full-time researcher in the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. During this time, China was still devastated by previous wars and was now subject to bloody conflicts due to the disagreements between the KMT and Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Jinzhan left Germany in 1927 and once home in Dong City, he became a professor in the Department of Mining and Metallurgy at the University of Wuhan.

Professor Jinzhan Chen had a long beard that gave him quite a scholarly appearance. Jinzhan had a generous nature and made good friends easily. Prominent personages of Dong City respected him immensely and affectionately called him Chen the Beard.

Several reasons caused Jinzhan to return home to Dong City from Berlin, but the two most important were to reunite with his family and to use his education to assist in the rebuilding the Chinese motherland. Jinzhan had saved much of his salary from Germany and decided to build a new home for his family in the northern area of the city. He created the design himself and envisioned two three-story homes surrounding a beautiful courtyard. The family would live in one house, and the second house would be rented to another family. This additional income would be useful for his growing family. He built his houses facing each other, with the courtyard in the center. In the middle of the courtyard was a large flower garden with weeping trees, thick bushes, colorful flowers, strategically placed decorative rocks, and a winding path for strolling. The soothing wind through the courtyard carried a refreshing floral fragrance all year around. On two sides of the courtyard were gates framed with arched trellises of two foot-high hollies. Behind one side of the courtyard was a lake with white and pink lotus flowers whose bright colors stood in sharp contrast to the green lotus leaves. The lotus flowers gracefully fluttered in the breeze and produced an abundant fragrance. Any time, but especially at sunrise, rainy days, windy moments, and cloudy skies, the greenery would frame the lake and produce charming picturesque scenes.

Early in the morning on her sixth birthday, Mei played with her father in the courtyard. Jingzhan chased Mei through the blooming flowers along the winding path. When the father and daughter returned home laughing and perspiring, the nanny quickly took Mei to the living room where the rest of the family was waiting. The family was a little bigger now with younger sister Mingz born two years after Mei. The nanny said, Mei, do you know what day it is today? Today is your birthday! Everyone is waiting to have longevity noodles with you!

Mei’s smile bloomed in her excitement because she knew these delicious noodles were only made on very special occasions and were to encourage a long prosperous life.

The whole family was seated around a round table in the dining room; each had been served a bowl of noodles with shredded pork, vegetables, and a fried marinated egg. Mrs. Chen said to everyone with a smile, The marinated egg is just like a big, golden ingot. Everyone can live a long life with the longevity noodles and receive a golden ingot for Mei’s birthday!

The whole family laughed and dined happily.

After breakfast, the nanny led Mei to the bedroom and said, Look, Father and Mother bought you so many new clothes! Which would you like to wear? Just choose your favorite!

Mei chose a combination of a pink dress and white coat with new socks and new shoes. The nanny braided her hair and tied a pretty purple bow into the braid. Mei grabbed the sides of her dress and twirled around in a circle, making her skirt billow outward. She danced and ran to the living room, bowed to her parents and said, Dad and Mom, thank you for the beautiful birthday gifts! You’re the best dad and mom in the world!

Jinzhan said mysteriously, Mei, there is even more! Come on and give me your little hand.

Her father put a green gemstone ring on the Mei’s finger, and asked, Do you love it?

With surprise and awe, Mei whispered, Wow! It’s so beautiful! Thank you, Dad and Mom!

She kissed her parents affectionately and twirled about the room as she gazed at the ring on her hand.

At noon, guests arrived at the Chen family home. Aunt Cheung hugged Mei and said, Mei, Auntie gives you a pearl necklace, and wishes your life will shine like a pearl!

Aunt Lee took her hand and said, I give you a flower basket brooch and wish for you to become even smarter and more beautiful.

Aunt Jin sent Mei a pair of dancing dolls, and cousin Min gave her a kitten. The gifts from the guests piled up like a small hill on the table. Cousin Wei held Mei high overhead and whirled her around in a circle. Everyone applauded and cheered, Mei is a little angel! Mei is a little angel!

In the evening, Mrs. Chen led Mei to her chair at the round table. On the table, a big cake was decorated with candy dolls in various dancing positions. Mei’s mom lit six small colored candles. Everyone clapped and sang, Happy birthday, to you…

Mei blew out the six candles with one breath. The birthday party, with the extended family present, made Mei extremely happy.

In 1937, Mei was just seven years old and making excellent progress in her reading and learning. With her father’s encouragement, she would recite the masterpieces from Tang and Song poetry and the classics. At dusk, beside the flowers in the courtyard, Mei recited with a tender voice,

At a wall corner some plum trees grow,

alone against cold white blossoms blow.

Aloof one knows they aren’t the snow,

as faint through air soft fragrances flow.

Jinzhan was cheerful upon hearing this. He was full of praise for his daughter and boasted to everyone, My daughter, Mei, is a genius girl with a bright future!

The early childhood of Mei was very happy day after day and year after year. She was living in a honey jar and enjoyed her sweet life. Mei was sure to enter the best church school of Dong City and receive a top education.

But, then, Japan invaded China. In an unexpected turn of events, the idyllic childhood of Mei reached a profound turning point.

As the Japanese aggressors pushed their invasion further into China, gunfire filled the northeast. Peking fell, eastern China was on the verge, and Dong City appeared to be falling into the hands of the enemy. The government also believed the area was in grave danger, so it temporarily closed the University of Wuhan and moved it to Leshan.

Seeing the national crisis and the bloodied land, Jinzhan was worried. To protect his wife and children, the only choice seemed to be immediate evacuation away from the invaders. But where was safe? First to mind came Chongqing, in the Sichuan Province, a city considered far from the Japanese invaders. His good friend Bolin Yang lived there. Yang was also a scholar who owned a business translating documents from Chinese to English and vice versa. Chongqing was also near Leshan, where the University of Wuhan had been temporarily moved.

Jinzhan discussed the dangers with his wife, and decided to travel to Mr. Yang’s home alone initially. He would make all the arrangements first and then have his wife bring the rest of the family.

The wife agreed with the plan of her husband and let him go to Chongqing first. Thus, the huge burden of protecting the big family fell on the shoulders of Mrs. Chen. She took all their valuable clothing and jewelry from their home to a Catholic Church, and asked the priest to keep the items safe. The two married oldest daughters went with their husbands to their respective hometowns in the countryside for temporary shelter. One of these daughters, with her husband, also planned to evacuate to Chongqing. Nannies and servants were sent away. Once all the tasks had been completed, Mrs. Chen took Mei and younger daughter Mingz onto the road of evacuation. Although Jinzhan was a renowned professor who had studied abroad, his salary was limited. The family savings had been spent on constructing their home and the courtyard. When the war started, the real estate property could not be sold. Therefore, the family savings were depleted and the economic constraints on the family were severe. Mrs. Chen, now a middle-aged woman, had very little money when she boarded the evacuation boat with her two daughters to leave Dong City. They traveled upstream for about one day on the Yangtze River before they arrived at Hankou. The three cities of Hankou and Hanyang on the west bank, with Wuchang on the east divided by the Yangtze River, form the large city of Wuhan. Once in Hankou, they had to wait for space on another evacuation boat to take them up the Yangtze River to Chongqing. They could not afford to stay in a hotel, and squeezed themselves onto the crowded concrete floor of a refugee shelter. In war-torn Hankou, the wife and daughters of a professor were just like beggars, and fed themselves a simple rice porridge mixed with salt. The days seemed endless while they were stuck in Hankou—misery and horror their daily companions. The road of reunion proved to be long and hard. Finally, they managed to get tickets to board a ship to the Sichuan Province. The ship went upstream and arrived at Chongqing, where the Chen family was finally reunited.

However, Chongqing in 1938 was no longer a peaceful place. Indiscriminate bombing and air raid alerts frequently occurred, causing the whole family to live on edge. The Principal of the University of Wuhan at that time was Xinggong Zang, a chemical scientist with a doctoral degree who had also studied in Britain. Shortly thereafter, Principal Zang hired Jinzhan as a Professor at the University of Wuhan. The Chen family then moved to Leshan, the temporary home of the University of Wuhan. During the Anti-Japanese War, the situation in Leshan was also troubling. In August 1939, Japan sent twenty-eight aircraft to bomb Leshan. The dormitories of teachers and students of the University of Wuhan were bombed, houses of professors and staff were wiped out, and scores of families and students were killed during the bombing.

The frequent bombings caused soaring commodity prices in Leshan. Eminent professors and young teachers alike lived on brown rice provided by the school. Some professors had to carry water and chop firewood themselves, as well as setting up letter-writing stalls to earn money. Many Chinese were illiterate and could not write to family members, so these letter-writing stalls were very important. Even the most privileged were adversely affected. Professor Yanpei Huang was a famous professor at the University of Wuhan, and his son was also a professor. The son, Fanggang Huang, had married a foreign-born woman. Even this elite family had to make candies and cakes at home and let their children sell these homemade goodies on the street, to supplement the family income.

Jinzhan decided to move the whole family to the country a few miles away from Leshan. He had saved most of his salary since moving to Leshan. He designed and built five new cottages that were warm in the winter and cool in the summer, with an appropriate-sized courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence. Orange and peach trees were planted in the courtyard, and cucumbers, eggplants, lentils, and other vegetables were planted on the open space next to the cottages. They even raised pigs and chickens. The Chen family led a pastoral life, like the poet Yuanming Tao, and received a temporary tranquil reprieve from the war.

However, a serious obstacle to their happiness in their pastoral paradise was that the children couldn’t go to school. Jinzhan was proud of his great erudition and scholarship. Although he formally studied science and engineering, he also had a solid grounding in Chinese literature. Since Mei couldn’t go to school, the self-built Shangri-la became a school. Since Mei had no teacher, the father became the teacher. According to the teaching plan of Jinzhan, Mei would finish studying all high school subjects before the age of sixteen, and then she could apply to attend the university.

Teachers and students of the University of Wuhan often visited the rural cottages of the Chen family. The Chens always entertained with warm hospitality. When there was indeed nothing to serve, Mei learned from her father to pick oranges from the tree in the courtyard with a bamboo pole. Despite the presence of war, the home of Professor Jinzhan Chen was often filled with laughter.

But these good times didn’t last long. By 1942, Jinzhan was ill and bedridden. The Chen family couldn’t afford the medical fee of hospitals in the city, and Jinzhan closed his eyes forever without ever knowing the name of the disease he had contracted. Mei and her younger sister, Mingz, accompanied their mother in tears every day. Their adored father would never return. They frequented their father’s grave, silently praying, wishing their father’s soul to rest in peace.

The widow and two young girls were helpless. After Jinzhan’s death, according to the provisions of the University of Wuhan, only three months of his salary could be paid to the surviving family members. When the salary, critical for their survival, was suspended, the family would soon starve.

The family was in a desperate crisis. Professor Xu, a friend of Jinzhan, was able to lend a helping hand. He moved the family from the cottages in the country to his house in Leshan City, and provided the mother and two girls with one room. Though penniless, the family was able to survive.

By 1943, thirteen-year-old Mei had become a graceful young girl. Despite her family being very poor, even the hand-me-down clothes Mei wore could not hide her beauty. Creamy white skin, a slender female figure, elegance and demure demeanor had made her the most popular student in Leshan Middle School. Everyone could not help but notice her and glance her way.

At this time, a thirty-year-old chemistry teacher entered her life. The teacher, named Linkan Wang had graduated from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wuhan, and then worked in the department as a teacher. Mei was good in liberal arts but wasn’t up to par in mathematics. After the introduction by her older cousin, Xia Chen, Mr. Linkan Wang helped Mei in mathematics. With Mr. Wang as her tutor, Mei’s mathematical understanding grew by leaps and bounds. Mei admired Mr. Wang and was very grateful for his academic tutelage, while Mr. Wang was full of compliments toward Mei and appreciated her hard work. Over the course of time, the teacher and the student developed feelings for each other. If Mr. Wang didn’t come one day, Mei would look several times at the door, worrying about the accident that might have befallen him. Without seeing the beautiful girl one day, Mr. Wang was also a fish out of water. Was that love? And was that destiny that brings people together?

Cousin, Xia Chen, was a very observant person. She had noticed that despite their age difference, Mei and Mr. Wang were emotionally far more than just teacher and student, perhaps soul mates on the edge of romance. One day, in the presence of Mei, Xia Chen asked Linkan Wang straightforwardly, Mr. Wang, do you have a girl friend?

Mr. Wang was stunned by the sudden question. His face flushed red and no sensible words came out, as he replied, No! No! Not really! Why girlfriend…thing in this chaos of war?

As he stammered, he couldn’t help giving Mei a glance. Then he lowered his head for a long silence, slightly embarrassed.

Xia Chen aimed to get two birds with one stone. She laughed, looked at both Mr. Wang and Mei, and said to Mr. Wang loudly, You’re already thirty years old! You can’t be a lifetime bachelor, can you?

Mr. Wang immediately shook his head and waved his hand about and stammered, No, no, no…

Xia Chen said, Well! Then I’ll do the matchmaking—I can introduce you to a girl after your own heart. How about that?

Mr. Wang dared not even give Mei a glance. He kept saying, Thank you! Thank you then… and swiftly rushed out the room without looking back, as if someone were chasing him.

After Mr. Wang left, Xia touched Mei with her elbow, and whispered, What do you think of him?

Mei blushed, and muttered without answering the question, Well, he has taught me well…

Xia said boldly, My dear, don’t avoid the question! You like your Mr. Wang, I can see that from your eyes!

Mei fell silent, her head down and she played distractedly with her clothes, and listened to her cousin carefully. Cousin Xia had observed Mei and Mr. Wang for a long time and had come up with an idea to benefit all parties.

Xia presented three statements to Mei to support her position, First, the end of the war can not be predicted, so we don’t know when the family can return to Dong City or Wuhan. Life for the entire family is extremely hard without any income. Second, you need an education. If you just married an average person, you would end up being a housewife and not be able to use your brain for the good of others. And third, Linkan Wang is honest, reliable, and knowledgeable. He has a good personality. Although he is a little bit older, he might be more considerate of you. With him, you could be taken care of and be loved as a pearl. In fact, your mother and younger sister would also be in an improved position.

At this time in China, it was not unusual for older men to marry a young girl, in fact, arranged marriages were still very common although these marriages were starting to fall out of favor with the young people.

Mei understood the wisdom of her cousin, but she felt too young to get married. She then asked, My cousin, do you want me to marry Mr. Wang NOW?

Xia said, I didn’t mean marry him now. But, you two can solidify the relationship now by having an engagement ceremony. The time of the wedding is up to you!

Engagement? Mei was actually 90 percent in agreement already. Still, she said ambiguously, He is my teacher and is so much older than me. I don’t know if we can really get along.

Xia said gently, You should seriously think about it and discuss it with your mother. I’ll be very curious to hear your answer.

After her cousin left, Mei suddenly felt grown up. Her cousin’s words echoed in her mind. The image of Mr. Linkan Wang appeared to her. His masculine face, gentle voice, and stylish demeanor were deeply impressed in her mind, and his face became clearer and even more handsome. It might not be the right time for marriage, but her first love merged toward Linkan Wang. The delay in marriage yet immediate engagement plan provided by her cousin also relieved her hesitation. Marrying Mr. Wang is surely the best choice for settling the lives of her mother and sister, and for continuing her study. It was a sleepless night for Mei. She thought it over, tossing and turning through the night.

The next day, Mr. Wang didn’t show up for lessons. Mei thought, perhaps Mr. Wang intended to give them time for discussion. Therefore, Mei told everything to her mother. After some consideration, Mrs. Chen agreed that the engagement with Mr. Wang was an optimal way out of their current difficulties.

On the following day, Mr. Wang came to the house with cousin Xia. They discussed the future for a long time with Mei’s mother. It seemed to be a satisfactory communication for all. In the spring of 1943 in Leshan, Sichuan Province, Linkan Wang and Meifen Chen became engaged.

After the engagement decision, the family of Mei changed greatly. Since the death of Mei’s father, the mother and daughters had lived a very lonely life. Now there was again a man in the family. They were proud that Linkan was a university teacher. Linkan often helped them financially, easing the economic burden on the whole family. In fact, he found a small house for them to live in and helped them move their possessions from Professor Xu’s room. Mrs. Chen was extremely satisfied with the understanding and compassionate future son-in-law.

Linkan felt happy too. He said to his future mother-in-law, My mother passed away when I was sixteen, and my father also passed recently. I had no family nearby and became a ‘homeless’ man, but I have a home now with my future family. I have such a loving mother, and such a kind, gentle, intelligent, and smart fiancée. I’m so lucky.

The engagement ceremony day was bright and sunny; warm breezes blew gently; magpies raucously celebrated; and flowers bloomed. Linkan Wang booked two banquet tables in the Sixi Restaurant; invited elders such as Xinggong Zang, Principal of the University of Wuhan, the family of cousin Xia Chen, and other relatives. With a radiant smile, Linkan Wang received guests joyfully, and gazed at his young fiancée lovingly from time to time.

When they returned to Mei’s house, he mysteriously wrote something in a small notebook, and said gently to his fiancee, Mei, would you please translate these English words into Chinese? Mei took the notebook, and found that the words were not too difficult. Soon, she translated the words into the following poem:

May we have a happy engagement,

my fiancée,

my sweetheart,

my dear,

I love you forever,

do you love me?

As a girl in her first love, Mei felt her face burn upon reading those sentences. She shyly looked at him, and replied lovingly, You know the answer. Linkan was excited and happily held Mei’s hands, My dear, I consider myself fortunate that sad circumstances brought us together. Yet, we have pure love for each other, and I know that this flower of love will continue to bloom!

After the engagement, Linkan increased his effort in teaching Mei. Everyone wished Mei to complete her studies for an important examination was coming soon. Mei studied diligently all summer and took the High School placement exam. She received the second-highest score and was admitted to Lingyun High School in Leshan. Mei made many new friends during her Fall semester. During the winter vacation that year, a fellow student, a senior at the High School, Wei Shan, visited Mei. Wei Shan was a very good friend and they talked about the engagement, and Mei told her the details.

Upon hearing this, Wei thought for a moment, and then said earnestly, Mei, you’re still young. Your philosophy of life, personality, hobbies, interests, and all other aspects of your essence are not settled yet. You don’t even know each other well now, and would you find each other congenial in the future? Could you get along well since he is much older than you? You still have no clear answer to many questions. You hastily engaged without even knowing what love is. I’m so worried about you!

Wei continued, "Engagement is the prelude to marriage, and marriage is about lifetime happiness for both of you together. It’ll be extremely painful to be in a marriage without true love.

Your mother and cousin Xia made the engagement decision for you. This is an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past. You should fight against it. You should leave here immediately to avoid both the influence from him and the demands from your family, to be free to pursue a happy life, and to be a woman of the new era."

Her words touched Mei. Mei felt in her heart a sense of fear, as if a time bomb were buried beside her.

Mei explained, After my father’s death, my elder sister at Chongqing once asked me to live at her home. Certainly, I could. However, my elder sister is a housewife and nearly blind and I wouldn’t be able to keep my mind on my studies with the guilt that I abandoned my family. How will my mother and younger sister be supported if I left? The husband of my elder sister is an engineer, and although he is doing well, he does not have the finances to support us all.

Wei replied, Since your elder sister and her husband are willing to support you in study and living expenses, you should join them. Write to Mr. Wang to dissolve the engagement immediately after you arrive at your sister’s. You’re only thirteen, the problems of your mother and younger sister shouldn’t be solved by you. If your mother and younger sister need your help, you can cross that bridge when you get to it. Don’t worry. If there is indeed no other solution, you can ask your brother-in-law for help.

A few days later, Wei came to Mei’s house and told her, My father’s uncle is traveling to Chongqing and he can escort you there. Prepare your luggage secretly. I’ll buy you a ticket and send you off the day after tomorrow. Just DON’T let Mr. Wang know.

Mei embraced her with gratitude for her help. Last year when Mei was studying at the middle school affiliated with the University of Wuhan, Linkan Wang was teaching chemistry in the same school. Her classmates mercilessly teased her saying, Mr. Wang is coming! resulting in their laughter and making her feel embarrassed.

In Chongqing, no one would laugh at her engagement at such a young age. On the departure day, Wei came to escort Mei to the train. Mei’s mother, upon seeing Mei picking up her small suitcase, was stunned. She asked, Where are you going?

Mei said firmly like a brave soldier, I’m going to Chongqing to visit my elder sister.

Why did you make the decision to go to Chongqing without discussing it with us? Mei’s mother replied with alarm.

Mei replied, I have made all the arrangements. You don’t need to worry about me.

Mei was adamant about her decision and Mei’s mother had no choice but to say, Write to us when you arrive.

Shortly after Mei and Wei arrived at the station, Linkan arrived at the station, too. He said sadly, Mother told me you are going to Chongqing by train. Why didn’t you discuss this with me? I’m worried that you are traveling there alone. Just cancel the trip and we can go home.

The sincere care from Linkan moved Mei’s heart, but Wei’s words rang in her ears too. Stubbornly, she said nothing but, I’m going to the high school in Chongqing.

Linkan had no choice but allow her onto the train, and he waved goodbye with tears in his eyes. He guessed what Mei’s departure really meant.

Once Mei arrived at her elder sister’s, she wrote to Linkan.

Mr. Wang,

Hello! We had an arranged engagement. We are different in ages, knowledge, interests, and hobbies. Also, I’m still young, and I feel it’s not time for marriage. Now I want to cancel the engagement, and you, can seek a partner who is a university graduate of similar age.

Best wishes!

Sincerely,

Your student Meifen Chen

Jan. 10th, 1944

Soon, Linkan wrote back.

Dear Mei:

Your letter shocked me! I never thought my dear Mei would leave me. I’m so sad and upset, and my weight has dropped sharply too. I can’t work or study since I lost my soul mate. I really believe God decided our relationship. Before we were engaged, several young ladies liked me, but I just had no feeling for them. It felt strange, that after we met, I was so touched by your honesty and loveliness. We both take good care of your mother and sister, that is to say we both have kind hearts. Interests and hobbies can be formed during the course of life. You can do what you like, but I’ll give you a lifetime of happiness.

Love you forever, Kan

Jan. 14th, 1944

Mei discussed her problem with her elder sister. The elder sister persuaded her, "Cousin Xia has known Linkan for over ten years. She knew his past very well, so your mother agreed to your engagement. For over one year, he has performed well