Letter to Seventh and Eighth Maternal Uncles
(August 1918)26
To the Honored Seventh and Eighth Uncles:27
It has been several days since I said good-bye to you at your house and arrived
in the provincial capital. I have decided to go to Beijing by boat, along with twelve
or thirteen other people, on the seventh day of the month.28 Sightseeing is the only
aim of our trip, nothing else. I am deeply grateful that my mother has lived in your
house for a long time, and has been well taken care of during her illness. There are
not many good doctors in the countryside, and I am afraid that my mother’s long
illness may be difficult to cure; consequently, I had decided earlier to bring her to
the provincial capital. Today, I got a special prescription from someone, which I think
may be effective if administered properly. If she still does not recover, I plan to ask
Runlian29 to bring my mother to the provincial capital after the autumn harvest. I
hope that you two uncles will help make this possible.
Your nephew respectfully salutes you.