Ancient Chinese society is a polygamous concubine system, concubines have a low status in the family, even if they give birth to children, they cannot be mothers, children are counted in the name of the right wife, and the right wife is called the mother, and the concubines are just aunts. In the Republic of China, it was still the case.
The family of Yan Xishan, the general of the Republic of China, is like this, Yan Xishan has a wife and a concubine, and the children are all born of concubines, but the concubines have no status in the family, and the right wife is the mother of the child. However, one day, the children of the concubine suddenly changed their mouths to call the concubine mother, and the wife angrily rebuked the concubine, which led to a family tragedy.
Yan Xishan's wife is named Xu Zhuqing, although Yan Xishan and Xu Zhuqing are arranged marriages, but the husband and wife love each other and respect each other as guests, Yan Xishan is very fond of his wife Xu Zhuqing, although she has no children in her life.
In 1897, when Yan Xishan was only 15 years old, his parents married him a daughter-in-law, xu Zhuqing, the eldest daughter of Xu Yijing in this county. Yan Xishan did not have the concept of free love and did not oppose arranged marriages, so he and his wife naturally married.
Xu Zhuqing is dignified and beautiful, virtuous, and Yan Xishan is a good couple tiancheng. Unfortunately, after many years of marriage, Xu Zhuqing did not give birth to a child. Yan Xishan didn't care, but his father was anxious to hold his grandson, and in 1914, his father took a concubine for him.
This little concubine Xu Shi is a Datong Yao family corner person, only 14 years old, and she looks very cute. The women who were concubines were all poor girls, and so was xu. Of course, Yan Xishan's wife, Xu Zhuqing, did not want her husband to take a concubine, but under the pressure of passing on the lineage, she could only agree.
During the Republic of China period, the rules of the feudal era were still paid attention to, so the concubine Xu Shi also went to the mother's house of his wife Xu Zhuqing to recognize his relatives, and the concubine Xu Clan changed her name to Xu Lansen, and also became the daughter of the Xu family, even if it was the sister of his wife Xu Zhuqing.
The Yan family is a large family, respecting the difference between concubines, only the right wife Xu Zhuqing can be regarded as the housewife of the family, as long as there are major events and birthday celebrations in the family, it is necessary to have a wife Xu Zhuqing to come forward. Relatives and the family only call Xu Zhuqing "sister-in-law" and "big bride", while for the concubine Xu Lansen, they can only call Lan Sen "Lan Concubine" and "Lan Da Niang".
The concubine Xu Lansen was extremely fertile, and after marriage, she had several children in a row, and gave birth to a total of five sons and a daughter. However, she did not have the right to be a mother, and the children could only recognize Yan Xishan's wife Xu Zhuqing as their mother, and the children called "mother" to Xu Zhuqing and "aunt" to their birth mother Xu Lansen.
As a proper wife, Xu Zhuqing likes these children very much, and raises these children as if they were biological children, and the family's wives and concubines are different, and they are happy and harmonious.
Xu Zhuqing and Xu Lansen are in harmony with each other, love sisters, and work together to take care of Yan Xishan and the children, and Yan Xishan is very happy. The wives and concubines are harmonious, and the family's life is naturally comfortable.
Originally, the Yan family was living a good life, but because of a war, it caused family tragedy. In 1931, Yan Xishan was defeated in the Battle of the Central Plains, he wanted to take his whole family to Dalian for refuge, and his parents did not want to leave their hometown, so Yan Xishan's wife Xu Zhuqing wanted to stay in her hometown to take care of her in-laws in order to be a filial daughter-in-law.
So Yan Xishan took the concubine Xu Lansen and their children to Dalian for refuge, during this time, the concubine Xu Lansen raised many children alone, and gradually developed feelings with the children, so the children called "mother" to the concubine Xu Lansen.
Later, when Yan Xishan and the concubine Xu Lansen returned home with the children, the children still called the concubine Xu Lansen "Ma". Xu Zhuqing, the wife of the right wife, heard it and was very angry, she was the only mother of the children, how did the concubine turn the sky upside down and become a mother? Isn't this a concubine challenging the majesty of a proper wife?
So Xu Zhuqing scolded Xu Lansen outside his bedroom: "I have only been in Dalian for a few days to call "Mom", it is too unruly, do you still put me in your eyes?" “
The concubine Xu Lansen knew that she was in a wrong, and she was too frightened to come out of the house, let alone dare to return her mouth. In fact, according to the feudal family rules, she made a big mistake, and she should not let the child change her mouth to call herself "Mom".
The children were also very scared when they saw their mother-in-law angry, and Yan Xishan's father was distressed about his grandson, so he said to Xu Zhuqing: "The children all called mom, and the previous family rules were changed, and later the children called you 'mother' and Lan Sen 'mother'." ”
When Xu Zhuqing saw such a scene, she thought that her father-in-law was protecting Xu Lansen, but she could not reason with her father-in-law, and only hoped that her husband Yan Xishan could stand up and speak for himself, so that the children could not call the concubines their mothers.
However, Yan Xishan was a filial son, and he did not dare to reason with his old father. So Xu Zhuqing was very sad, thinking that her husband was also partial to protecting concubines and did not have a heart with herself, so she and Yan Xishan separated, and this separation was decades.
Although the husband and wife are separated, Yan Xishan still loves his wife Xu Zhuqing very much, and is very good to his wife Xu Zhuqing, the major affairs in the family are decided by Xu Zhuqing, there are banquets or parties outside, he brings Xu Zhuqing to attend together, and never brings the concubine Xu Lansen.
However, Xu Zhuqing did not forgive her husband Yan Xishan for this, she not only separated from Yan Xishan, but also did not live in a courtyard with Yan Xishan.
Yan Xishan loved his wife deeply and was very guilty about it, and he recorded in his diary: "It is easy to be worthy of parents, but it is difficult to be worthy of his wife!" ”
In 1946, Yan Xishan's concubine Xu Lansen died of illness in Taiyuan. In 1949, Yan Xishan fled Shanxi with his family and settled in Taiwan. In 1960, Yan Xishan died of illness at the age of 78. In 1964, Yan Xishan's original wife, Xu Zhuqing, died of illness at the age of 88.
Although Xu Zhuqing was older than the concubine Xu Lansen, she lived longer than the concubine Xu Lansen, living nearly 20 years longer. Xu Zhuqing was sent to the end by Shuzi, who also buried her with Yan Xishan.
Families with concubines must observe the distinction between concubines, otherwise tragedy will lead to it. Yan Xishan respected and loved his wife, and respected his wife very much after taking a concubine, but because the children called the concubine Mom, his wife was furious and separated from him, which eventually became a family tragedy.