Mrs. Chen's maiden name was An Zining. Like many with Chinese couples, she adopted her husband's surname after marriage. So technically speaking, Ye Shuang could call her Sister An and not Sister Chen. In Beijing's upper society, Sister An's name was quite notable.
According to legend, Sister An had shown signs that she was not going to be a normal character since birth. To be precise, her cries when she was born was so loud that even her grandparents, who had stood outside the delivery room, could hear her clearly. Based on the clarity and loudness of the voice, they were certain it was an unruly baby boy, but…
As Zining grew up, other than the initial miscalculation of gender, everything else occurred as decreed by Madam An. Her unruliness was such that she wouldn't allow anyone to influence her decisions. She lived her life according to her own rules; a firm slap on the back wouldn't be able to alter her decision.
