Where Lake Meets Sky (Part 1)

CHAPTER 03

1 Cui Xilin Is Born in Lingtang

My grandfather, Cui Xilin, was born on June 15, 1902, in Lingtang, Gaoyou. That year, his grandfather Wu Yutang had just returned from Beijing, and his father, Cui Ruiting, was working as an official in Zhejiang. Shortly after his birth, Cui Ruiting returned to Lingtang to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. During this time, he discussed with his parents about moving the whole family to Hangzhou City in Zhejiang. Cui Yangchun said to Cui Ruiting, "I am old and don't want to run around anymore. I want to end my life in Lingtang. Since you like Zhejiang so much, if I'm not around one day, take your mother and your whole family there to save you from running around."

"It's too early to talk about this now," said Cui Ruiting. "Father is in good health and will surely live a long life. It's okay for you to stay in Lingtang. I don't mind running around."

After the New Year, Cui Ruiting returned to Zhejiang alone, leaving the whole family by the lake in Gaoyou. Several years passed in a flash.

Later, Cui Ruiting recalled that if he didn't work in Zhejiang, or if he didn't return to Gaoyou, or even if he didn't pass the imperial examination, this disaster might have been avoided. But these assumptions were meaningless, because he did pass the examination, he did work in Zhejiang, and his father did pass away, so he had to return to Lingtang for the "Dingyou."

Dingyou or "Ding Jian" is a holiday system related to filial piety in ancient China. According to its regulations, civil and military officials must leave their positions and return to their hometowns to mourn their parents' deaths. During the Qing Dynasty, Dingyou mostly applied to civil officials, and the court used the name of filial piety to force the officials in mourning to suspend their duties and salaries, observe mourning for 27 months, and then appoint them to new positions. This was beneficial for shortening officials' terms and promoting the turnover of new and old officials.

The year that Cui Ruiting returned home for mourning, Dalong was 13 years old, Erlong was 10, and Sanlong was only 4. Their grandfather was buried by Gaoyou Lake. Except for his widow Li, no one knew about the hardships that Cui Yangchun had gone through in the first half of his life on the frontier. Many years later, when the three brothers had grown up, they gradually learned the truth.

Li was nearly sixty years old at the time, and her husband's sudden death was a huge blow, making her much older all at once. Fortunately, her sons, daughters-in-law, and three grandsons were with her every day, giving her a lot of comfort. The three grandsons had their own characteristics; the eldest was honest and simple, the second was clever and smart, and the youngest was extremely intelligent. She enjoyed taking the three boys out for breakfast, sometimes soy milk and fried dough sticks, sometimes steamed buns and dumplings. She rarely ate herself but sat aside, smiling as she watched the three boys play around and eat up their breakfast like a storm.

Cui Ruiting, as an official, had no other choice but to close the Cuis' drugstore. He sent the shop assistants home and kept two servants to help with household chores. Day after day, he spent his time writing poetry and painting at home. He planned to move to Hangzhou with his family after the mourning period, as he thought that Lingtang was too remote and once he left, he might never come back. He was secretly glad that he had gained the favor of his superiors during his years in office. For many officials, mourning for their parents would lead to resignation and a slim chance of being reappointed to a new vacancy. He didn't need to worry because his superiors would reserve his position, and he could return to work when the time came. Although the government had implemented new policies and abolished the imperial examination system, he believed that his years of networking in the Zhejiang officialdom would pave the way for his future success. Moreover, he planned to take his family away from Lingtang, and even away from the small circle of life in Gaoyou, to broaden their horizons.