Xu Guangping was born in the Xu Baiting family, the first family in modern Guangzhou. There are many talents in the family, involving the three worlds of politics, science and military:
Grandfather Xu Yingqi, at the age of 18, he was a scholar and a first, a former official to the Ministry of Rites, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, a member of the late Qing Dynasty, and the godson of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
Xu Guangping's cousins are all bigwigs in military and political circles: Xu Chongzhi, founder of the Whampoa Military Academy and commander-in-chief of the Guangdong Army; Xu Chongji is the commander of the division of the Guangdong Army and chief of the general staff of the Guangdong Army; Xu Chonghao and Xu Chongzhi are both known as the "Xinhai Twin Heroes"; and Xu Chongqing, who was the director of the Guangzhou Education Bureau.
The Xu family has a strong feudal atmosphere, and every woman is required to bind her feet. But Xu Guangping, who was already open-minded, could not accept this kind of "torture" that destroyed human nature, and she cried and made a fuss and finally forced her parents to compromise and became the only girl with big feet in the family. After the death of her father, she finally got rid of the arranged marriage contract completely, followed her second brother to Beiping, and truly began her life as an advanced youth in democracy. She had excellent grades, received many awards in school, and was given a place to study at public expense for her outstanding performance.
Xu Guangping was born in a wealthy family, but he was not favored: because his father was a concubine, the family status was slightly weaker, and he landed for 3 days and was promised to be a daughter-in-law to a poor gentry in the countryside.
Until 1917, when his father died, his brothers divided the family property, Xu Guangping shared the authentic works of Tang Bohu and sold them for 200 oceans, which was the tuition fee for her studies in the next few years.
A few years later, she was admitted to the Chinese Language Department of Beijing Women's Normal School and became a student of Lu Xun.
The first teacher-student love in the Republic of China: love in troubled times, year-old love
Xu Guangping is Lu Xun's most special student.
In 1922, Xu Guangping came to Peking Women's Normal University to study, when there were only 887 female college students in the country.
In 1923, Lu Xun worked part-time as a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Literature at the Beijing Women's Normal School, telling the history of fiction for one hour a week. At the age of 42, he will usher in a big peach blossom in his life.
In class, he was grim-faced, unsmiling, not tall, unkempt, wearing a tattered robe and coat, covered in patches.
Xu Guangping was 25 years old that year, and she sat in the first row, and she was instantly attracted by this erudite gentleman. Every week, I began to look forward to "A Brief History of Chinese Novels", which is only one hour. Later, when she heard about Lu Xun's marriage, she had mixed feelings.
Before, Xu Guangping had just experienced an unforgettable first love. Soon after Xu Guangping entered the female high school, he became acquainted with Li Xiaohui, a fellow countryman at Peking University, who called him "an enthusiastic, honest, intelligent, and studious" young man, but unfortunately a few days before the Spring Festival in 1923, Li Xiaohui died on the seventh night of the first month because of scarlet fever.
And Lu Xun never knew what love was.
Lu Xun had an arranged old-style marriage, his wife was an illiterate woman with small feet Zhu An, Lu Xun slept in the study on the first day of marriage, and returned to Japan on the third day.
Lu Xun has a sentence that is widely circulated in the circle of friends in the Republic of China: "She is my mother's wife, not my wife." It was a gift from my mother, and I had only one obligation to support, and love was something I didn't know. ”
In that turbulent era, Lu Xun, who thought that he was dying indefinitely, "went with her" for his mother's wish of "willing to have a companion", and under the tragedy of his mother's arranged marriage, from 25 to 42 years old, Lu Xun was lonely and widowed for nearly 20 years.
In the spring of 1925, Xu Guangping was unjustifiably expelled for participating in the student movement against the principal Yang Yinyu, and she was extremely depressed and wrote a letter to Lu Xun: "Now I am writing to you a writer who has received a lesson from you for almost two years, who is looking forward to a rare lecture every week, who listens to a lecture on the history of fiction at one o'clock in the middle of ten o'clock every Wednesday, and who sits in the first row of seats when you teach, and who always forgets to speak with the same resolute and straightforward words. ”
The letter does not talk about any of the children's personal affairs, but only confides in him as a humble student.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xun immediately wrote a reply on the day he received the letter, in which Lu Xun called her "Brother Guangping". Two days later, Xu Guangping received a reply from Lu Xun, and immediately replied: "How dare I be called 'brother' by my husband?"
Lu Xun replied again, explaining: "Friends I have known in the past or recently, students who are still in contact with classmates, and students who listen directly to the lectures, I call them 'brother' when I write letters." The rest are more rusty and polite, and they are called Mr., Master, Mrs., Young Master, Miss, Adult, and so on. ”
The feeling of closeness and friendship filled between the lines, she was pleasantly surprised, and then wrote a third letter, and Lu Xun still replied quickly.
Then came the fourth, and then the fifth...... This writing is ten years.
The two wrote a total of 164 letters in their lifetimes, all of which were collected into "Book of Two Places", and Lu Xun laughed at himself in the preface: "There is neither the enthusiasm of death nor life, nor the good sentences of flowers and months." If you have to compliment the characteristics of this book, then I think it is probably because it is ordinary. ”
Lu Xun, a cold-faced tough guy who was "angry", once wrote such a love letter for her: "When I send your letters, I always have to send them to the post office, and I don't like to put them in the green mailbox on the street, I always suspect that it will be slower." ”
Initially, Xu Guangping also politely called Lu Xun "Mr. Lu Xun", calling himself "Xu Guangping, a primary school student who was taught", and in the forty-fourth letter, her title to Lu Xun changed from "Lu Xun My Teacher" to "My Dear Teacher", and her own payment changed from "Student Xu Guangping" to "Your Bad Horse" (Lu Xun said that she was a black sheep).
It is in these letters that Xu Guangping enthusiastically launched the pursuit offensive, and the twists and turns of the love between the two, the reality and cruelty of marriage, can be seen at a glance.
This year has been eventful.
Yang Yinyu, who was the principal of Beijing Women's Normal School at the time, was one of the first professors selected by the Ministry of Education to study in the United States, and graduated from the Department of Education of Columbia University. In order to take refuge, Xu Guangping moved into Lu Xun's house in the second half of the year.
Lu Xun, who has suffered from feudal marriage for a long time and has lived an ascetic life for many years, although he doesn't know what love is, he knows that Xu Guangping and himself are in love. Because the age difference is too big, and the relationship between teachers and students, and there is a nominal original wife in his family, Lu Xun put down his burden and contradicted for a long time: "When I thought of love before, I was always ashamed of myself, afraid of being unworthy, so I didn't dare to love someone, but seeing the inside story of their words and deeds made me confident that I definitely don't have to degrade myself to such a person, I can love." ”
After that, Xu Guangping took the initiative to step forward and clasped Lu Xun's hand, and Lu Xun shook Xu Guangping back: "You have defeated!"
The nickname of Lu Xun's letter in love has changed from "Brother Guangping" to "Little White Elephant".
Lu Xun in love is simply very cute: there are many female students who listen to his lectures, and he says to Xu Guangping that he will never squint; he is very happy to receive her letter; Xu Guangping gave him a seal, and he specially bought a box of excellent ink clay to match it; Xu Guangping gave him a woolen vest that he knitted, and he replied: It is warm, and cotton clothes in winter can be saved; Xu Guangping likes to eat star fruit, and he also wants to taste it; Xu Guangping wants two books, he immediately goes to buy them, and replies to the letter: obey the order, and present them at the end of the year; in the face of the gossip around him, he insists on arranging Xu Guangping's work in the same school, and responds in a high-profile manner: It doesn't hurt if I want to be in the same school, but I want to be in the same school, and I don't care about fucking。
In the second year of love, due to the persecution of the northern warlords, Lu Xun was forced to go south, Xu Guangping went with him, because of economic reasons, Lu Xun went to Xiamen to teach, Xu Guangping returned to Guangzhou, during which the two kept letters.
Four months later, Lu Xun went to Guangzhou again to serve as the dean of the literature department and dean of academic affairs at Sun Yat-sen University, with Xu Guangping as his deputy.
After the April 12 coup, Lu Xun resigned from Sun Yat-sen University and returned to Shanghai with Xu Guangping.
Willingly, be a lover who lives together without a name
In the autumn of 1927, the two lived together in Shanghai, and began to live together without a name.
Xu Guangping voluntarily gave up the opportunity to go out to work, and was willing to copy manuscripts, proofread, send letters, and take care of housework for Lu Xun. In the days of white terror in Shanghai, Lu Xun hid in Tibet, and she also accompanied her in life and death, never abandoning.
Two years later, the crystallization of their love was born, a son, named Haiying, which means a baby born in Shanghai.
Xu Guangping had a difficult birth, the doctor asked whether to protect the adult or the child, Lu Xun said without thinking about it, before Xu gave birth, Lu Xun was also anxious, had a high fever, he was sick and admitted to Shanghai Fumin Hospital, accompanied by Xu Guangping, guarding all night.
Because he was worried that after divorcing Zhu An, she would not be able to live independently, Lu Xun did not divorce her original partner, so she was always full of guilt for Xu Guangping, he was worried that Xu Guangping would be implicated if he followed him, and there was a wife on it, and he owed her too much.
But apart from not giving her a piece of marriage paper, he gave her everything he could: his eyes were full of distress when he saw her tired, he explained the Japanese version of "Das Kapital" to her in his free time, taught her to translate the fairy tale "Little Peter"; he always bought the best seats in the theater because she was short-sighted.
Xu Guangping is willing to accept a life of cohabitation without a name. From the beginning of falling in love, all her time and youth were given to Lu Xun. This new woman who came out of the May Fourth period and the leader of the school movement, because of Lu Xun, returned to tradition and fell into the trivialities of taking care of Lu Xun's daily life.
On October 19, 1936, Lu Xun suffered from lung disease, and Zhou Haiying was not yet 8 years old.
When he was dying, Lu Xun said to his lover Xu Guangping: "Forget me, take care of your own life! If not, then you are really confused." The deep responsibility of love, Xu Guangping burst into tears.
American writer Smedley was their mutual friend back then, and she has always witnessed the lovers' affection. Later, she wrote in the article: "Even when Lu Xun was sick and facing death, unless he had her (Xu Guangping) as his companion, he would refuse to go anywhere for diagnosis and treatment." Since I came to China, I have rarely or almost never seen such sincere love between a man and a woman. ”
After Lu Xun's death, Xu Guangping really became a "confused worm", she devoted all her energy to collecting, sorting, and publishing Lu Xun's works, and also wrote a large number of memories and commemorating Lu Xun's works.
In 1938, he edited and published "The Complete Works of Lu Xun", and then wrote "Lu Xun's Memoirs" with 100,000 words.
The most alternative third party: has a deep sisterhood with the original partner Juan
Speaking of Zhu An, it is the object of mutual guilt between Lu Xun and Xu Guangping, and both of them are full of sympathy and gratitude for Zhu An. They respect her personality and position in the family, assume the obligation of support, and compensate her financially as much as possible.
After Lu Xun left Beijing, he remitted 150 yuan a month, all of which were at Zhu An's disposal for her and her mother's family, and the pocket money designated for Zhu An was 15 yuan, while the highest wage for Shanghai workers at that time was only 10 yuan.
In 1926, Zhu An saw a photo of Lu Xun and Xu Guangping, and was deeply hopeless, but she still said to people: "This is what I have thought of a long time ago." Judging from Mr. Big's always good behavior, he will be in charge of my future life. ”
In 1936, after Lu Xun's death, Zhu An and Mrs. Zhou's lives were mainly borne by Xu Guangping. In the month of Lu Xun's death, Zhu An asked someone to tell Xu Guangping's mother and son that they were welcome to move to Beiping to live with him.
During the war years, on the isolated island of Shanghai, Xu Guangping's widowed mother and young son were already struggling, and they had to help Zhu An.
Xu Guangping is grateful to Zhu An for making up for it. In 1947, before Zhu An died of illness, she said to the people around her: "Mr. Xu treats me very well, she understands my thoughts, she is willing to maintain me, and keeps sending money, prices are soaring, naturally it is not enough." I only have to suffer a little more about myself, she is indeed a good person. ”
Compared with the original partners who were abandoned in arranged marriages in that era, it was not another luck for Zhu An to meet Xu Guangping and Lu Xun.
Love is not to ask whether it is worth it or not
In December 1942, in order to find clues about anti-Japanese intellectuals and publishers in Shanghai, the Japanese army in Shanghai arrested Xu Guangping, and used cruel criminal laws such as electrocution on her, but this woman could not make her speak, and after 76 days of detention at the Japanese Military Police Headquarters, Xu Guangping was released from prison because Lu Xun's former best friend Uchiyama was rescued.
In October 1946, the 10th anniversary of Lu Xun's death, Xu Guangping wrote "Ten Years of Weekly Sacrifice".
Looking back on the year, she couldn't help herself: Mr. Woohoo, ten years of kindness, lifelong acquaintance, thoughtfulness, and blind supervision.
In March 1968, Xu Guangping died of a heart attack at the age of 69 due to Lu Xun's posthumous manuscript.
Are Xu Guangping and Lu Xun true love in this life?
Love can make the "tough guy with horizontal eyebrows" become tender and cute, love can make a woman forget to die, there is compassion, sympathy and responsibility in love, but there should be like-minded and mutual appreciation. Only with common pursuits and ideals, and with a common spiritual world, can we be evenly matched, and only then can we be considered love.
What is the situation in the world? Straight people promise life and death.
"Love is not worth it. "Whether Lu Xun and Xu Guangping are true love or not is self-evident.
Marriage is a contract, and without that piece of paper, Rush's union does not necessarily carry original sin. Marriage can never be generalized, in the face of some strong love, sometimes marriage is really just a piece of paper.