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22 Young Mr. Song Reunites with His Family by Means of a Tattered Felt Hat Seek not a marriage that is against your fate. Marriages are predestined; you need not fret. However high the waves may roll, Your boat midstream will safely stay its course. In the Zhengde reign period [1506–21], there lived, in the main street of Kunshan, Suzhou Prefecture, a man named Song Dun, a descendant of a long line of o‹cials. He and his wife, Lu-shi, lived oª rent from some inherited land, without seeking other means of livelihood. Over forty years of age now, they still had no issue, male or female. One day, Song Dun said to his wife, “You know what’s been said since ancient times, ‘Raise children to provide for old age, just as you store up grain against a rainy day.’ Both of us are over forty now and still have no children. At the speed time flies, our hair will be turning white in the twinkling of an eye. Who’s going to take care of our funerals?” With these words, the tears started to flow from his eyes. His wife replied, “The Song family has been doing good for generations and has never been guilty of any evil deed. Moreover, you are the only son. Surely heaven will not end your family line. Some people have children at a later age than others . Even if we had borne and reared one, we would have lost him somewhere along the way if we are not destined to have children. Wouldn’t our pains have been for nothing? Wouldn’t we have suªered the grief of bereavement unnecessarily?” “Right you are,” Song Dun nodded. He had barely wiped his eyes dry when he heard a cough in the sitting room near the door. A man said loudly, “Is Yufeng [Jade Peak] at home? It was the custom in Suzhou for people from families rich as well as humble to call each other by their sobriquets, and “Yufeng” was Song Dun’s. Song pricked up his ears, and the second time the question was asked, he recognized the voice of Liu Shunquan, also known as Liu Youcai, who had a family shipping business of long standing. He had a large boat and made quite a handsome profit transporting goods to various provinces. All of his considerable family wealth came from 341 the business. The boat itself, made entirely of fragrant nanmu wood, was worth hundreds of taels of silver. There was no lack of people in this line of work in the region south of the Yangzi River. Liu Youcai being Song Dun’s best friend, Song hurried out into the sitting room as soon as he recognized Liu’s voice. Without having to stand on ceremony with each other, they dispensed with the customary bows, and only greeted each other with hands folded across their chests. They then took their seats and were served tea, but these details need not be gone into here. Song Dun said, “How did you manage to get some free time today, Shunquan?” “I’m here for one purpose, to borrow something from you, Yufeng.” “Doesn’t your great ship have everything? Why would you need to borrow anything from this humble house?” “I won’t trouble you with anything else, but this is something I know you have and can spare. That’s why I made so bold as to come and ask this favor.” “If I do have it, I certainly won’t be stingy.” Slowly and deliberately, Liu Youcai named what he wanted to borrow. Truly, It holds no royal decree when carried on one’s back;1 It is not a vest when hung in front from the neck. Sewn in fine stitches in light yellow cloth, It is held by clean hands at prayer services. It holds money oªerings for the dead; It adds to the solemnity when prayers are said. It has followed its owners to hills and temples; It bears the aroma of incense. The fact of the matter was that Song Dun and his wife, who were having di‹culty conceiving, had been burning incense and oªering prayers in temple after temple. They had made themselves yellow cloth wrappers and yellow cloth bags to hold paper horses and paper coins. After each pilgrimage, they piously hung the yellow cloth wrappers and bags in the Buddhist shrine at home. Liu Youcai was...

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