With joy and excitement, Shen Hui set off for Peking to pursue her studies at the university. However, her true purpose was to find her fiancé, You Tao. They two had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.
Shen Hui came from a small town in the northern district of Jiangsu Province. Her family wasn't wealthy but they lived a life of modest comfort. Her father, Shen Huanzhi, was a respected traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the town and her mother was a virtuous homemaker renowned for her delicious cooking. As their only daughter, Shen Hui was raised with great care and grew up skilled in both traditional Chinese medicine and culinary arts under guidance of her parents.
You Tao, in contrast, was the son of Nanny You, the maid who had faithfully served the Shen family for years. He had also studied Chinese medicine under Shen Huanzhi, forming a bond not only as a disciple but almost like a son. During the brutal three-day massacre by Japanese invaders in the town, You Tao's father was killed while trying to protect the entire family by diverting the Japanese soliders' attention away from the family's hiding place. This trauma left a deep scar on the 13-year-old You Tao, filling him with a burning hatred for the Japanese. In his grief, he once attempted to retaliate against a Japanese soldier. Fortunately, he was stopped in time by Shen Hui's father, preventing further bloodshed and the risk of reprisals from the Japanese. However, at the age of 16, You Tao secretly managed to kill a Japanese soldier and then disappeared. Although the Japanese conducted extensive searches throughout the town, neither he nor the Shen family aroused suspicion. This case was ultimately dismissed by the Japanese as the work of the anti-Japanese resistance fighters. Nevertheless, the incident left the Shen family living in fear for a long time. From that point on, You Tao disappeared without a trace, cutting off all contact with everyone, even with his mother and Shen Hui.
After WWII ended, in the autumn of 1946, the Shen family received a brief letter from You Tao. He mentioned that he was studying at a university in Peking and reassured them not to worry about him. However, the letter lacked the sender's address and postage stamp as it had been delivered by a passerby.
At the age of 18, Shen Hui resolved to go to Peking the following spring. Beyond her academic ambitions, finding You Tao was her deeper motivation. Shen Huanzhi, while supportive, expressed his concern:
"It's too dangerous for a young girl like you to go to university alone in Peking. Although the war has ended, you have never been away from home, even left this town. If anything happened to you, how could your mother and I bear it?"
Shen Hui tried to reassure her father, replying:
"Dad, nothing will happen to me. I won't be alone once I find Tao Ge."
("Ge" means "elder brother" in Chinese. It is often used to address any older male and a girl might also use it affectionately when referring to her lover.)
Her father sighed heavily and said:
"Perhaps you're right but Tao's letter didn't mention address or any contact information in his letter. How do you expect to find him in a city as vast as Peking? I understand that times have changed, and girls can now pursue education or work away from home. I have come to accept this. And I understand your wish to find Tao. If you were a boy, there would be no problem for me. But you are not noly my daughter but also Tao's fiancé. If something happens to you, I could never forgive myself nor could I face Nanny You or Tao."
After saying, Sheng Huanzhi couldn't but sigh again. Ignoring her father's final remarks, Shen Hui continued confidently:
"Though I don't know where Tao Ge is living now, he must be studying at some university in Peking so I'll search every university one by one until I find him."
After speaking, she cast a pleading look at her father, then at her mother and finally at her Nanny You, who was sitting nearby helping her mother with shoe stitching. Nanny You, while intently focused on her work, couldn't help overhearing the conversation between father and daughter. Actually in her heart, she also longed to search for her son in Peking. However, being illliterate and unfamiliar with the world beyond her small town, she remained occupied with household duties under the supervision of her mistress. Upon hearing that Shen Hui intended to travel to Peking in search of her son, she wholeheartedly supported the idea. However, knowing that Shen Hui was not only a young girl but also her future daughter-in-law, she couldn't help but feel hesitant. Meeting the girl's hopeful eyes, she looked back with a mix of of helplessness and understanding, fully sensing the disappointment behind those eyes.
Twisting the string in her hands, Shen Hui's mother voiced with concern:
"We just can't rest with you alone, so far from home. Please listen to your Dad, my girl, and stay at home."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hui lowered her head in disappointment and murmured:
"If you're worried about me, I could stay with Uncle Lin in Peking."
Uncle Lin, Lin Bowen, was Shen Huanzhi's good friend, an employee at a newspaper office in Peking, Shen Huanzhi exchanged a glance with his wife. She nodded and said:
"Yeah, my master, Mr. Lin has invited us many times to visit Peking in his letters. If Hui truly wants to pursue study in university, perhaps we could ask him for help, couldn't we?"
After hearing her mother's words, Shen Hui, hope sparked in her eyes again, looked at her father again, awaiting his response. After pondering for a moment, Shen huanzhi said:
"Alright, I will write to Bowen tomorrow and ask for his help. I understand the world is changing and girls deserve an education jus as much as boys do. If I forbid you, you would accuse me of being old-fashioned." He paused, his expression softening, "But I still worry about your being alone in Peking. Peking is a big city. Although Bowen with his family is living in Peking, his family isn't affluent and he has many children. If you can't find Tao, being a young girl, you'd be alone there. I...."
Before he could finish, Nanny You interjected his words:
"Sir, I can go with Hui to Peking. I will care for her and help her look for Tao."
Mrs. Shen put down the string and smiled with relief:
"Thank God! Nanny You, if you go with Hui, I'll feel much more at ease."
Shen Hui's face lit up with joy as she threw her arms around Nanny You in a burst of affection. Shen Huanzhi also smiled, finally feeling reassured by their decision.
When Shen Hui and Nanny You arrived in Peking and, with help of Mr. Lin, they rented two rooms in a small courtyard. With You Tao's letter as their only clue, they decided to search every university one by one. Shen Hui began asking around whether someone who knew You Tao at her own university while Nanny You visited other universities in search of You Tao.
But after months of effort, they found nothing. When the winter came, the harsh cold in Peking, combined with Nanny You's sadness and worry, took a toll on Nanny You's health, leaving her too ill to continue. So after the New Year, there was only Shen Hui returning to Peking, determined to continue her studies and resume her search for You Tao.
Upon returning to Peking, Shen Hui discovered that one of her rooms had been rent out to another girl, Cui, who was from the northeast. After a few conversations, Shen Hui learned that Cui's hometown had been devastated by war, forcing many people from this district who had no choice but flee southward. Cui and her friends had come to Peking to study.
For Shen Hui, her life remained unchanged. She spent her days in studying and searching for any clue about You Tao. Although she had made some friends, they were often busy with various activities and political activities. They occasionally invited her to join them or do something together but she always refused their invitation, using her searching for You Tao as an excuse. As a result, it was difficult for her to integrate fully into their social circles.
Cui, on the other hand, often invited her friends to her room, particularly in the evenings after dinner. After having attended one or two times of these gatherings, Shen Hui noticed that the main topics which Cui and her friends always discussed were the political issues, such as anti-USA sentiment, protests against the civil war and campaigns to combat hunger etc. Shen Hui had heard some about these topics before but had never engaged deeply in the details of these issues. In her mind, nothing was the more important than her studies and finding her Tao Ge.