One day, she wakes from a dream to find that Song Nianci, a talented woman from the Republican era, has become a Chinese teacher with the same name at a middle school a century later.
Her students say “666” with every other breath and “yyds” at every turn. They call deep devotion “being lovesick” and lament their bad luck with “I’m just a total doormat”… The hand holding her book trembles slightly. After a century of upheaval, how did the elegant pavilions and towers of Chinese language, the poems and songs, come to this state of broken words and crude, shoddy expressions?
Song Nianci decides to set things right, starting in her own classroom.
She guides her students through the lovesick dreams of Dream of the Red Chamber and unravels the turbulent world of Water Margin, breathing new life into ancient writing through the heartbeats of the young. At her students’ urging, she goes live online. With a screen before her and a cup of tea at her side, she recounts the tender beauty of Tang and Song poetry in her gentle Wu dialect and unpacks the wisdom of classical literature with profound insight.
By chance, she finds a kindred spirit online: “Ms. Shen,” whose elegant username and refined manner make her stand out. She holds the top spot in the livestream’s fan rankings, gives generously, and leaves perceptive comments.
On the other side of the screen is Shen Wanru, grandmother of Xie Linzhou, the domineering business tycoon who rules the corporate world. This true-born lady of refinement watches Song Nianci, whose scholarly grace shines through the livestream, and thinks of her own grandson, cold and indifferent to romance. She can’t help feeling that such a pearl is hidden away, out of sight.
Mrs. Shen clutches her phone, furrows her brow, then breaks into a smile as an idea takes shape. “This girl belongs in the Xie family.”
And so begins a matchmaking campaign, quietly orchestrated by the matriarch of a scholarly family, blending classical elegance with modern-day tactics…
Are you a teacher? The writing is very good. After reading it, I really didn't expect that classical Chinese can be used in this way. It also deepened my understanding of these texts.
The writing is very good and my knowledge has improved!