Six Records of a Floating Life

Shen Fu wonders why he has been so beset by misfortune in his life, when both he and his father have led virtuous lives undeserving of divine punishment. Even while living at home, he and Chen Yun were often short on cash, and were judged harshly by their family and neighbors whenever they had to pawn their belongings to cover unexpected expenses. Chen Yun suffered significantly in her domestic life, often called “third wife” rather than “third lady” in the household of Shen Fu’s family, implying that she had a much lower status than she actually did.

She also repeatedly fell afoul of her parents in law, causing much strife within the family. In 1792, Shen Fu’s father banished Shen Fu and Chen Yun from the family home with accusations of unfilial behavior because Shen Fu stood by his wife in defiance of his parents. Their anger toward Chen Yun had a number of sources. For instance, Shen Fu’s father asked Chen Yun to write letters for his wife, but when his wife refused to use Chen Yun’s services, Chen Yun took the blame rather than risk sowing disharmony with her mother-in-law. Then, when Shen Fu tasked her with procuring his father a courtesan, she mishandled the situation by lying, infuriating Shen Fu’s mother. The instigating incident was caused by Shen Fu’s younger brother Chi Tang, who borrowed money with Chen Yun as his guarantor, only to disavow all knowledge and responsibility for the debt. Chen Yun wrote to Shen Fu, who was away working with his father, confessing that her brother-in-law left her responsible for a debt she had no means to repay and relaying her mother-in-law’s desire to dismiss Shen Fu’s father’s concubine. Unfortunately, Shen Fu’s father opened the letter, believed Chi Tang’s lies, and was further incensed that Chen Yun failed to use appropriately respectful addresses when referring to members of Shen Fu’s family.

The couple moved into The Villa of Serenity owned by Shen Fu’s friend, and two years passed before Shen Fu’s father learned the truth of Chen Yun’s mistreatment and recanted their banishment, inviting them home for a joyful reunion. Sadly, this state of harmony failed to last, and Shen Fu was once again forced into the role of mediator between his wife and his family. Chen Yun had suffered from a chronic illness referred to as “blood sickness” ever since her younger brother ran away leaving their mother to die of grief. The condition appeared to be exacerbated by stress and distress, so when Chen Yun learned that Han Yuan had married a different wealthier suitor, she suffered a serious relapse. Shen Fu’s parents strongly disapproved of her decision to swear sisterhood with a “sing-song girl” (sex worker). Chen Yun’s condition did not improve over the following few years even with treatment, and she was frequently bedridden. Shen Fu’s inability to earn a stable living saw their financial situation and quality of life progressively worsen, inciting gossip and scorn from their neighbors and family. This tension came to a head one day when a visit from Shen Fu’s father was interrupted by the commotion of an indignant debt collector at their gate and the arrival of a message from one of Chen Yun’s sworn sisters, whom Shen Fu’s father assumed to be Han Yuan. Incensed, he accused Shen Fu of failing to uphold the family honor and gave him three days to leave the house—owned by Shen Fu’s parents—lest he be executed for being unfilial.

Chen Yun was inconsolable and would have died by suicide if Shen Fu would not have been so hurt to lose her. Fortunately, the message actually came from Chen Yun’s other sworn sister, Ta Cheng, who married into the Hua family and was willing to honor a childhood pact by allowing Chen Yun to stay with her indefinitely while she recovered from her illness. Shen Fu and Chen Yun accepted this generous offer and made plans to travel to the Hua household despite the danger such a journey posed in Chen Yun’s frail state. By this point in time, the couple had two children: a 14 year old girl named Ching Chun and a 12 year old boy named Feng Sen. They made arrangements to see Ching Chun married as a child bride to her cousin, and for Feng Sen to learn a trade under one of Shen Fu’s friends. Their tearful and abrupt parting on the third morning after the ultimatum from Shen Fu’s father marked the final time that Chen Yun would ever see her children.

The Hua family were very kind and allowed Chen Yun to stay with them for many months until she had recovered much of her strength. Shen Fu also stayed with them for long periods of time in between traveling to borrow money from his brother-in-law and working as a secretary in a salt bureau. When Shen Yun was laid off just as Chen Yun planned to join him, the stress sent her into a relapse. Shen Fu borrowed more money from his now recalcitrant brother-in-law but returned to find his wife disconsolate that a child servant given to her by Ta Cheng had robbed them and absconded. Despite Shen Fu’s attempts to reassure and bolster Chen Yun’s spirit, her health declined rapidly. On her deathbed, she thanked Shen Fu for their happy years together, wishing that she could have stayed with him to grow old and see their children grow up. She told him to find a new wife to care for his parents, raise his children, and console him in his grief. With a final wish that they would be reunited in their next lives, she passed away. An inconsolable Shen Fu sold his every possession and borrowed money liberally in order to give her a decent burial. On the Time the Spirits Return festival day, he eschewed conventional precautions against ghosts in the hopes of seeing Chen Yun one more time. He observed a distinctly paranormal flaring and sputtering of his lamp’s flame but felt love rather than fear.

Shen Fu took Chen Yun’s memorial tablet to his family home, and although his mother and children grieve with him, his brother Chi Tang pushed him to leave rather than risk incurring his father’s wrath for returning without permission. Chi Tang promised to secure said permission and then get in touch with Shen Fu, but he never does. Months pass until in 1804, he received a letter from his daughter informing him that his father was gravely ill. As he hesitated, pondering over the problem of the withheld permission, she wrote again to tell him is father had died. Shen Fu rushed home, grieving immoderately. It is strongly implied that Chi Tang deliberately failed to summon Shen Fu despite their parents’ wishes so as to prevent a deathbed reconciliation between father and son that could potentially threaten Chi Tang’s inheritance. Chi Tang also attempted to drive Shen Fu from the household prior to their father’s funeral by summoning irate debt collectors. Shen Fu saw the debtors off, confronted his brother, contributed financially to the funeral, and renounced any claim on his father’s estate. In his grief, he planned to run off into the wilderness to live out the rest of his life as a hermit, but his daughter and friends persuaded him to stay in civilization.

He takes leave of his mother, who tells him that since Chi Tang has proved himself immoral, it is up to Shen Fu to redeem the honor of their family name. A weeping Feng Sen accompanies his father partway to Chen Yun’s grave, where Shen Fu pays his respects before going to stay with Yi Shan. A few months later, Shen Fu was informed that his son Feng Sen had also died. He only recovered from his grief when his friend gifted him a concubine who reawakened him to the pleasures and preoccupations of life.