How could Hu Shi be such a person? I can’t believe it.

Hu Shi’s wife Jiang Dongxiu was born in Jingdejiang Village in 1010. Her father Jiang Shixian passed away early. His mother, Lu Xianying, is a descendant of Lu Chaorui (Tanhua), the head of the temple, and Lu Peifen and his son Hanlin. Jiang Dongxiuli was born in a family of officials, but due to the constraints of feudal ethics, he did not receive much cultural education. He only studied for a few years and became proficient in writing. In Chinese society after the Revolution of 1911, she was just an ordinary female surname, but after all, she was the wife of Hu Shi, a celebrity of a generation. So she is one of the lucky ones among millions of unfortunate women. "Hu Yuan's fame spread throughout the world, and his wife's small feet followed suit." It cannot be said that it is not a strange news that an advocate of the New Culture Movement actually married a country lady with small feet. Therefore, "Hu Shi's Lady with Little Feet" has become one of the "seven wonders" in history①. People talk about it.

The combination of Jiang Dongxiu and Hu Shi had a dramatic process. Jiang Dongxiu and Hu Shi were originally relatives, and Hu Shi's aunt was Dongxiu's aunt. Once, Jiang Dongxiu's mother went to visit relatives at Hu Shi's aunt's house in Wangchuan, Jixi, and saw the Shensaihui. It happened that Hu Shi also followed her mother to her aunt's house. Jiang's mother liked Hu Shi's delicate features and intelligence, and said that she would betroth her daughter Dongxiu to him. But Hu Shi had concerns: firstly, Dongxiu was one year older, and there is a saying in Jixi that "men can be ten years older, but women cannot be one year older"; secondly, because Dongxiu was born in the year of tiger, people who were born in the year of tiger were considered to have strong horoscopes, especially "mother" "Tiger" has suffered more and more; thirdly, because the Jiang family is prosperous and the Hu family has declined, there is concern that the prosperity and decline are not commensurate, so they refuse to express their position. Since Jiang's mother wanted to make this marriage happen, she asked Hu Shi's uncle, Hu Xiangjian, who was acquainted with her personally in Jiangcun, to teach her how to be a matchmaker. Dongxiu was Hu Xiangjian's student. In order to make this happy event happen, Hu Xiangjian made every possible arrangement in front of Hu's mother. , and with all kinds of encouragement, Mother Hu agreed to let him take a look at Dong Xiu's "horoscopes" before talking about it. The red paper "eight characters" were sent, and after the fortune teller's inference, Dong Xiu was destined to be a man, and the two were very compatible. Mother Hu folded the red paper and put it into the bamboo tube placed in front of the Kitchen God. The bamboo tube originally contained several "eight characters" that were initially selected. After some time, everything was fine at home, and there was no ominous sign. Mother Hu worshiped the Kitchen God devoutly, took out the bamboo tube and shook it, then used chopsticks to pick out a "horoscope". When she spread it out, she saw that it was Jiang Dongxiu's. It was really a "good match". The life-long events of Hu Shi, who was only fourteen years old at the time, and Jiang Dongxiu, who was fifteen years old, were decided by the fate of their mother, the words of the matchmaker, the fortune teller and the blessing of the Kitchen God②.

After Jiang and Hu became engaged, Hu Shi went to Shanghai and the United States to study. After more than ten years, they are still not married. At this time, rumors were spreading in his hometown; some said that Hu Shi had a girlfriend in the United States, some said that he had married a foreign girl, and some even said that he had given birth to a child. However, Jiang Dongxiu's thoughts were not shaken by this, and she even tried to amplify foot binding at this time. Her unrestrained action was later praised and encouraged by Hu Shi.

In the summer of 1917, after Hu Shi returned from studying abroad, he returned to his hometown to visit his mother and agreed to get married during the winter vacation this year. He really wanted to meet Dong Xiu first, but not only did he not do so, he actually caused some jokes. "Hu Shi's Diary" said: "...I went to Jiangcun in person. His (her) house invited me to have a drink. After the dinner, I asked to see Dongxiu, and his (her) brother Yunpu accompanied me to his (her) house. She was sleeping outside. He went in first and said, "I'm sitting outside reading a book and waiting. I think the upstairs and downstairs are crowded with people, all coming to watch the show!" Yunpu came out, looking very embarrassed and yelling. Qidu's aunt went in to persuade Dongxiu. My aunt (my mother's aunt, Dongxiu's aunt) came out and invited me in. Dongxiu hid in the bed and put down the bed curtains. My aunt tried to force the curtains open, but I stopped her. He (she) stayed and retreated. At this time, if I took a sedan and left, or moved out to the inn, I would be stiff at that time. It's just a matter of family and habits... When I got home, people asked me if I had seen the new couple, and I just said, yes, they were fine. I told my mother, who was very angry, and I advised him (her) not to blame Dongxiu. But my uncle who was also there knew about it and when people asked me about it, I just smiled and didn't answer. Later, Dongxiu came to see my mother in autumn and told her about it.

Sure enough, it was the old family that was causing trouble... I think back to this day, it was indeed the time of crisis... It was already the 20th century, and this 28-year-old girl hid in bed and put down the curtains, ashamed to be engaged. It had been thirteen years since I had studied abroad to give birth to a husband. At that time, this could not but be regarded as an anecdote and spread throughout the country. During the winter vacation of 1917, Hu Shi returned home from college and got married in a civilized manner. He personally wrote two couplets: one is "Thirteen years in the Old Testament, traveling seventy thousand miles"; the other is "The Big Moon on Thirty Nights" (the wedding day is the 30th day of the Gregorian calendar and the 11th day of the lunar calendar). July 17), I didn’t think about the second line for a while. At this time. Next to him is his brother Yujiao, who is nicknamed "Madman". Although he has no fame, he has outstanding talents. He blurted out: "In memory of the seven-year-old bridegroom," he cleverly and humorously matched the first couplet. Hu Shi thought it was very good and followed it as written. At the wedding ceremony, they broke the old etiquette, except that the bride and groom used each other's seals and the witness's seal on the marriage certificate, the two parties exchanged gold rings, the witness spoke, and the groom spoke. There was no worship of heaven and earth. They saluted the elders and the new couple. It is to bow instead of kowtow⑤. This kind of wedding, in the ancient and secluded mountain village at that time, was indeed a new prelude to new things and new things.

In the second year after marriage, Jiang Dongxiu came to take charge of housework for Hu Shi. Although she is a woman with small feet who has been deeply poisoned by the old feudal ethics, she is quite courageous, talented, able to make decisions when encountering problems, and has a manly spirit. She discovered that Hu Shi and Cao Peisheng had an ambiguous relationship. Instead of being gentle and persuasive, she seized on Hu Shi's characteristic of cherishing reputation and adopted an offensive strategy, making a lot of noise and refusing to give in. One time, he picked up a paper knife and threw it at Hu Shi's face. Although he missed, it forced Hu Shi to sever ties with Cao Peisheng. ④After Peking University professor Liang Shiqiu became famous, he wanted to divorce his wife. Liang's wife was loyal and cowardly and unable to resist. Jiang Dongxiu heard this and stood up to fight for her injustice. Jiang Dongxiu took Liang's wife to his home and encouraged her, which eventually led to a lawsuit filed by a forensic doctor. Jiang Dongxiu personally went to the court to defend her, and Liang Shiqiu lost the case⑤.

In 1941, Jiang Dongxiu returned to Jiangcun to visit relatives. I found that the road in the Yangtaoling area on the ancient road from Shangzhuang to Jiangcun has been in disrepair for many years and is full of potholes, making it very difficult to walk. After she returned to Jiangcun. He generously donated money to repair three areas of the road near Yangtaoling, and also invited supervisors to inspect and accept it. To this day, local people still remember it. 8

During the Anti-Japanese War, Hu Shi went to the United States and Jiang Dongxiu fled to Shanghai. She learned the truth about the revolution in the guerrilla zones and sympathized with the revolution very much. In the spring of 1945, she returned to Shangzhuang, Jixi. At that time, Shangzhuang was not only garrisoned, but also inhabited by the New Fourth Army and guerrillas. The Fourth Security Regiment of Anhui Province was stationed in the town and often went to Shangzhuang to arrest people. Comrade Wang Muhai, a guerrilla member, came to her for help, and she always picked up her business card to protect him. Comrade Wang Biying lives in Wangjiazhuang, an old revolutionary area. They burned his house and ordered his mother to be arrested. The Queen Mother had nowhere to live, so she fled to her home for shelter. She readily accepted it and gave her shelter⑦

Although Jiang Dongxiu has lived in other places for many years. However, there is still no lack of education for the younger generations of the clan. She heard that Shenghui Niang often lost money, and that Yuexian and Shiquan's family were noisy, so she personally wrote to Uncle Chihito, asking him to severely reprimand him. Jing told them to strictly abide by the rules, cherish their reputation, and not to ruin the family reputation. If "I hear any more gossip, I won't send him money"②.

After Jiang Dongxiu married Hu Shi. He always advised Hu Shi not to embark on the road or become an official, and hoped that he would study hard. However, Hu Shi still violated his wife's advice and got involved in politics, becoming a "pawn across the river." In 1938, two telegrams were sent to Hu Shi, asking him to serve as the ambassador to the United States. Hu Shi could not simply refuse and had to reluctantly accept his order. He wrote to Dongxiu, trying to make her mentally prepared for this. The letter said: "I have been here (lectures in Europe and the United States) for more than ten days, and I encountered a matter of 'rich people ascending to Liangshan' (that is, Chiang Kai-shek asked him to serve as the ambassador to the United States). I know you must be very happy after hearing this. I'm not happy, and I feel sorry for you." Why did Hu Shi say "I'm sorry" to his wife? Because Jiang Dongxiu always disapproved of Hu Shi's actions. More than a month later, Hu Shi wrote to Dong Xiu again, talking about the matter. The letter said: "I have been a man for twenty-one years. (When Hu Shi returned from studying abroad, he made a wish: not to talk to each other for twenty years. Two After ten years of not entering politics, neither has been achieved, so what is the point of not being an official for twenty-one years? But now that the country has reached this point, the troops are transferred to me, and the husband is pulled to me, and I have no way to escape. . So I had to serve as an ambassador for one and a half years. I declared that I would continue teaching until the war was over.

"Jiang Dongxiu and Hu Shi were separated by an ocean. Although they disagreed, there was nothing they could do about it! Later, Hu Shi wrote to Dongxiu again: "Now that I go out to do things, I often feel ashamed and sorry for you. You always advise me not to go on the road. This is because you are helping me. If a woman does not know the general situation, she must long for a man to be a high official. You and I have never thought this way in twenty years. ...I feel ashamed of my old wife, and this is the truth." ⑨

As a scholar, Hu Shi, after he became the U.S. ambassador, occasionally said some things that should not be said in diplomatic situations, which caused some domestic problems. People who were originally dissatisfied with Hu Shi used their excuses to start an anti-Hu movement. This news reached the ears of Jiang Dongxiu, who was living in Shanghai. She originally did not want Hu Shi to be an official. After hearing this news, she felt that it was not worthwhile to be involved in politics. This courageous woman immediately asked Hu Shi's good friend Zhang Weici to come forward and ask him to persuade Hu Shi to resign while taking advantage of his illness. At the same time, he sent a message asking the authorities to allow Hu Shi to resign.

The wife is a man. "The better half", Hu Shi's "better half" is the "husband and son" who are devoted to the earth, living for him and serving him; allowing him to run rampant in his knowledge and career without any worries⑩. During the ten years of living in New York, Jiang Dongxiu was busy all day long without going out. She did not understand English, and sometimes she had to go to the street by herself, which was hard enough. Hu Shi was out. Jiang Dongxiu was alone at home, and a tall man broke in through the window. Jiang Dongxiu opened the door subconsciously and yelled "GO" to the helmeted thief. The thief looked at her and said, "G0!" Jiang Dongxiu does not speak English and can only speak "Go"⑩. Jiang Dongxiu also cooks delicious "Huizhou cuisine", especially "Huizhou hotpot". She often invites fellow countrymen in the United States to her home for a "tofu feast". .

In addition to serving Hu Shi's life, Jiang Dongxiu often plays cards to entertain herself. She always wins at the mahjong table. For some reason, the money she wins at the mahjong table is also part of the Hu family's regular income. 1. Later, when Hu Shi was the dean of the research institute, Mrs. Hu often invited her friends to play cards at home, and Hu Shi never interfered. Sometimes when there was a shortage of four, she asked Hu Shi, as the dean, to chip in. To maintain the good tradition of the former dean (Cai Yuanpei) who stipulated that spanking is not allowed in public, he once said to his secretary, please help my son live in my house, because my wife has many friends who play mahjong, and it is not allowed to play cards in public. Convenient. It seems that Hu Shi is considerate of his wife.

In addition to playing cards, Jiang Dongxiu still reads martial arts novels while living in New York. Tang Degang said: " Mrs. Hu couldn't find a partner, so she read martial arts novels. Mrs. Hu has many treasures of Jin Yong’s works, and Jin Yong’s novels are on the bookshelf of Hu’s family, even if they are incompatible with (the works of) Dai Dongyuan and Cui Bi!” ⑩

196 On the evening of February 24, 2008, Hu Shi suffered from a heart attack and passed away at the Cai Yuanpei Hall of the Nangang Research Institute in Taipei. Jiang Dongxiu rushed to the hospital after hearing the news. She was extremely sad and in pain, and gave her two large doses of sedatives, but she died. At noon on February 26th, her eldest son Zuwang rushed back to Taipei from the United States. After paying homage to his father's body, he knelt down and went home to comfort his mother and son. Holding each other's arms and crying, Mrs. Hu said to her, "Does Si Du'er also know about your father's death?" Zu Wang trembled all over and whispered: "He passed away before his father! "Mrs. Hu was stunned. She couldn't believe her ears and asked, "What did you say?" "I heard it from people from the mainland in the United States. I'm afraid you will be sad. I never dared to write to you. "Jiang Dongxiu suddenly fainted when she heard the bad news. Everyone present was frightened. After a period of resuscitation, she slowly regained consciousness. Later, Zu Wang asked softly: "My father had his body cremated in his will. , what do you think we should do?" Mrs. Hu said, "No. Your father and I had an agreement. The deceased has the right to decide the burial method of the deceased. I advocate coffin burial." The funeral committee conveyed this opinion to Jiang and said, "Just do as Mrs. Hu said! "⑩

According to Tang Degang, Mrs. Hu also wrote an autobiography in pencil and brought it to New York for him to read. Although there were many typos in the article, it vividly described her life experience. It is a pity that this I don’t know where my autobiography is now?

On the eve of the army crossing the river, Jiang Dongxiu wanted to return to her hometown in Yuexintang, Jiangcun. However, because Hu Shi insisted on asking her to go to the United States with him, she had no choice but to leave her motherland. And run away.

After spending ten years of ordinary living in New York, he returned in 1958 and stayed there until his death in 1975. Heng was eighty-five years old.

[Note] ①See Geng Yunzhi: "Hu Shi's Research Paper", ②③④⑤See Shi Yuangao: "Gossip about Hu Shi", ⑥See "Jixi County Traffic Chronicles First Draft", ⑦See Ishi Yuangao: "Gossip about Hu Shi" , ⑧ See Jiang Dongxiu’s family letters (Cunjixi County Cultural Bureau), ⑨ ⑩ See Geng Yunzhi: "Research Papers on Hu Shi", "Hu Shi during the Anti-Japanese War", ⑾ See Ishihara Gao: "Gossip about Hu Shi", ⑿⒀ See Tang Degang: "Miscellaneous Notes on Hu Shi", ⒁See "Huangshan" No. 20: "The Death of Hu Shi"