Chapter 20: Xifeng Lectures a Jealous Rival; Daiyu Teases a Thick-Skinned Suitor

CHAPTER 20: Wang Xifeng Speaks Plainly to Spite Envy; Lin Daiyu Teases with Witty Words

It has been told how Bao-yu was in Dai-yu’s room telling her the story of the ‘Mouse Spirit’ when Bao-chai came in and teased him for not knowing the allusion to ‘green wax’ at the Lantern Festival. The three of them were in the room, joking and teasing each other. Bao-yu had been worried that Dai-yu might fall asleep after her meal, which could cause indigestion or keep her awake at night—neither good for her health. Fortunately, Bao-chai had arrived, and their conversation and laughter stopped Dai-yu from feeling sleepy, so he was relieved. Suddenly, they heard a commotion from his room. They all listened carefully, and Dai-yu was the first to laugh, saying, “That’s your old nurse shouting at Xiren. Xiren is all right, but if your nurse really starts to bully her, it shows she’s getting senile.”

Bao-yu hurriedly made to go over, but Bao-chai quickly grabbed him and said, “Don’t argue with your nurse. She’s old and confused; you should give way to her.” Bao-yu said, “I understand.” He went over and saw Nurse Li leaning on her stick, cursing Xiren in the middle of the room: “You ungrateful little slut! I raised you up, and now when I come, you lie there on the kang all high and mighty, not even bothering to greet me. All you think about is playing the fox fairy to fool Bao-yu, making him ignore me and listen to you instead. You’re nothing but a cheap little maid bought for a few taels of stinking silver, and now you’re causing trouble in this house! If I want, I’ll have you married off to some servant boy, and then we’ll see if you still play the vixen to fool Bao-yu!” At first, Xiren thought Nurse Li was angry just because she was lying down, so she tried to explain, saying, “I’m sick, I just sweated, and I had my head covered—I really didn’t see you, ma’am.” But when she heard the accusations about “fooling Bao-yu,” “playing the fox fairy,” and “marrying her off,” she felt both ashamed and wronged, and couldn’t help crying.

Although Bao-yu heard all this, he didn’t know how to handle it. He could only defend Xiren by saying she was sick and taking medicine, adding, “If you don’t believe me, ask the other maids.” Hearing this, Nurse Li grew even angrier and said, “You’re just protecting that bunch of foxes. Do you even recognize me anymore? Who am I supposed to ask? Who wouldn’t side with you? Who hasn’t been brought under Xiren’s thumb? I know all about it. I’ll just go and tell the old lady and Madam Wang about this. I raised you with my own milk, and now that you don’t need it anymore, you cast me aside and let the maids bully me.” As she spoke, she began to cry too. By then, Dai-yu and Bao-chai had come over and tried to calm her, saying, “Nurse, please be a bit more tolerant with them, and that will be the end of it.” Seeing them, Nurse Li grabbed them and poured out her grievances, rambling on and on about the tea incident, Xue-qian’s dismissal, and the clotted cream from the day before, without making much sense. Just then, Xifeng happened to finish tallying her gambling winnings and losses in the main hall. Hearing the noise from the back, she knew it was Nurse Li having one of her old fits, picking on Bao-yu’s people. As luck would have it, she had lost money that day and was taking it out on others. She hurried over, took Nurse Li by the arm, and said with a smile, “Good nurse, don’t be angry. It’s the New Year season, and the old lady has been happy all day. You’re an elder—if others raise their voices, you should be the one to discipline them. Surely you know the rules better than to shout here and upset the old lady? Just tell me who’s at fault, and I’ll beat them for you. I’ve got hot pheasant stewing at home—come with me for a drink.” As she spoke, she pulled Nurse Li along, calling out, “Feng’er, take your nurse Nanny Li’s walking stick and her handkerchief for wiping her tears.” Nurse Li, barely touching the ground with her feet, followed Xifeng out, still muttering, “I don’t care if I lose my old life. Let me just break all the rules today and make a scene, even if it shames me—it’s better than being bullied by that little slut!” Behind them, Bao-chai and Dai-yu followed. Seeing Xifeng handle it so well, they clapped and laughed, saying, “Thank goodness for that whirlwind—she’s whisked the old woman away!” Bao-yu nodded and sighed, “Who knows what grudge this is about—she just picks on the weak. Yesterday some girl must have offended her, and she’s taking it out on others.” Before he could finish, Qingwen laughed from the side, “Who’s gone mad to offend her? And if someone did offend her, they should have the guts to face it themselves, not drag others into it!” Xiren, still crying, tugged at Bao-yu and said, “I’ve already made one old nurse angry because of me, and now you’re making others angry for my sake. Isn’t that enough trouble for me? Why drag in more people?” Seeing her so ill and now burdened with these worries, Bao-yu quickly swallowed his anger and comforted her, telling her to lie down and sweat it out. Noticing she was burning with fever, he stayed by her side, leaning near, and urged her to focus on resting and not get upset over trivial matters. Xiren laughed coldly and said, “If I got angry over every little thing, I couldn’t stay in this room for a moment. But day after day, if this keeps up, what’s to become of us? I’ve often told you not to offend people for our sake. You only think of the moment when you stand up for us, but they remember it all. When trouble comes, they say things that are hard to hear, and where does that leave everyone?” As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, but fearing Bao-yu would worry, she forced herself to hold them back.

Soon, an old servant woman brought the second dose of medicine. Seeing that Xiren had just started to sweat, Bao-yu didn’t want her to get up, so he held the bowl to her pillow and helped her drink it. Then he ordered the young maids to prepare the kang. Xiren said, “Whether you eat or not, you should at least go sit with the old lady and Madam Wang for a while, and play with the young ladies before coming back. I’ll just lie quietly and rest.” Hearing this, Bao-yu had no choice but to remove her hairpins and ornaments, watch her lie down, and then head to the main hall. After eating with Grandmother Jia, she wanted to play cards with some old stewardesses to pass the time, but Bao-yu was thinking of Xiren, so he returned to his room. Xiren was dozing off. He wanted to sleep too, but it was still early. Qingwen, Qixian, Qiuwen, and Bihun had all gone off to find fun with Yuanyang and Hupo, leaving only Sheyue alone in the outer room, playing dominoes by lamplight. Bao-yu smiled and asked, “Why aren’t you going to play with them?” Sheyue said, “I don’t have any money.” Bao-yu said, “There’s a pile under the bed—isn’t that enough for you to lose?” Sheyue replied, “If everyone goes off to play, who’s going to look after this room? One’s sick in there. The room is full of lamps above and fire below. Those old women, old as they are, have been serving all day—they deserve a rest. The young maids have also been serving all day; now it’s time to let them have some fun. So I let them all go, and I’ll stay here to keep watch.”

Hearing this, Bao-yu thought she was just like another Xiren. He laughed and said, “I’ll sit here, so you can go with peace of mind.” Sheyue said, “Since you’re here, there’s even less reason for me to go. Wouldn’t it be better for us to sit and chat?” Bao-yu laughed, “What would we do? It’s a bit dull. Oh well, this morning you said your head itched. Since there’s nothing to do now, how about I comb your hair for you?” Sheyue replied, “All right, then.” With that, she brought over her dressing case and mirror, removed her hairpins and bracelets, and let her hair down. Bao-yu took the fine-toothed comb and began to comb it for her. He had only combed it a few times when Qingwen rushed in to get some money. Seeing the two of them, she sneered, “Oh, you haven’t even drunk the nuptial cup yet, and you’re already doing her hair!” Bao-yu laughed and said, “Come here, I’ll comb yours too.” Qingwen said, “I’m not that lucky.” With that, she grabbed the money and swept out, letting the door curtain fall behind her.

Bao-yu stood behind Sheyue, who was facing the mirror. The two of them could see each other in the glass. Bao-yu smiled at the mirror and said, “The only one who grinds his teeth in this whole room is her.” Sheyue heard this and quickly waved her hand at the mirror, and Bao-yu understood what she meant. Suddenly, with a “whoosh” of the curtain, Qingwen ran back in and asked, “How do I grind my teeth? Let’s talk this out clearly.” Sheyue laughed, “Go on your way, why come back to question people?” Qingwen laughed, “You’re protecting him again. I know all about your sneaky tricks. Just wait till I get even, then we’ll talk.” With that, she went straight out. Bao-yu finished combing Sheyue’s hair and told her to quietly help him to bed without disturbing Xiren. Nothing more happened that night.

By the time morning came the next day, Xiren had already sweated during the night and felt somewhat lighter, taking only some rice gruel to rest quietly. Baoyu, relieved, ate his meal and then strolled over to Aunt Xue’s place for a visit. It was the first month of the lunar year, with the school on New Year break and the womenfolk forbidden to do needlework, so everyone had time on their hands. Jia Huan also came over to play and happened upon Baochai, Xiangling, and Yinger playing a game of go. Seeing this, Jia Huan wanted to join in. Baochai usually treated him just like Baoyu, with no special distinction. That day, when she heard he wanted to play, she asked him to come up and sit with them. With a stack of ten coins, he was delighted to win the first round. But after losing several rounds in a row, he grew anxious. When it came to his turn to throw the dice, if he rolled a seven he would win; if he rolled a six, then in the next round Yinger would need to roll a three to win. So he picked up the dice and threw them with all his might. One die came up five and stopped, while the other spun around. Yinger clapped her hands and called out, “One!” Jia Huan stared wide-eyed and shouted, “Six—seven—eight!” But the die perversely landed on one. Frustrated, Jia Huan reached out, grabbed the dice, and then snatched the money, claiming it was a six. Yinger said, “It was clearly a one!” Seeing Jia Huan upset, Baochai glanced at Yinger and said, “The older you get, the less manners you have. Would a young master cheat you? Put the money down at once!” Yinger, feeling deeply wronged but not daring to argue after Baochai’s rebuke, had to put the money down, muttering under her breath, “A young master, and he still cheats us out of a few coins—he doesn’t even take me seriously. The other day I played with Master Bao, and he lost plenty without getting upset. When there were coins left, the maids snatched them up, and he just laughed it off.” Before she could finish, Baochai cut her off with a sharp shout. Jia Huan said, “How can I compare myself to Baoyu? You’re all afraid of him and friendly with him, but you all bully me because I’m not born of the proper wife.” With that, he began to cry. Baochai quickly tried to soothe him: “Good brother, don’t say such things—people will laugh at you.” Then she scolded Yinger again.

Just then Baoyu arrived and, seeing the scene, asked what had happened. Jia Huan dared not speak. Baochai knew the family’s rule that younger brothers always feared their elder brothers. But she didn’t realize that Baoyu didn’t want others to fear him. He thought, “Brothers all have parents to teach them—why should I meddle and only cause estrangement? Besides, I’m born of the principal wife, while he’s a concubine’s son. Even so, people gossip behind our backs; how could I bear to discipline him?” He also had a foolish notion fixed in his mind. You ask what that foolish notion was? Because he had grown up among the girls—his own sisters Yuanchun and Tanchun, his cousins Yingchun and Xichun, and relatives like Shi Xiangyun, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai. He had come to believe that Heaven, in creating humans as the most intelligent of beings, had concentrated all the pure essence of mountains, rivers, sun, and moon solely in women, while men with their beards and eyebrows were nothing but dregs and scum. With this foolish notion in his heart, he regarded all men as base and worthless, dispensable. Only toward his father, uncles, and brothers—because Confucius, the foremost sage of antiquity, had decreed that they must not be disobeyed or slighted—did he reluctantly follow that teaching. Thus, among brothers, he merely fulfilled the basic obligations of courtesy, never thinking that as a man he ought to set an example for younger lads. So Jia Huan and the others were not afraid of him; they only deferred to him a little out of fear of Grandmother Jia. Now Baochai, afraid that Baoyu might scold Jia Huan and cause embarrassment, quickly covered for him. Baoyu said, “What’s there to cry about in the first month of the New Year? If it’s not good here, go play somewhere else. You study every day, but it’s made you muddle-headed. If this thing isn’t good, there’s always another that is—just throw this one away and take that. Do you think crying over it will make it better? You came to have fun and enjoy yourself; since you can’t, go find fun elsewhere. Will crying count as fun? It only brings you grief—better to leave quickly.” Hearing this, Jia Huan had no choice but to return.

When Concubine Zhao saw him like this, she asked, “Where have you been kicked around again?” He didn’t answer the first time, and when she asked again, Jia Huan said, “I was playing with Sister Baochai, and Yinger bullied me and cheated me out of my money. Brother Baoyu drove me away.” Concubine Zhao spat and said, “Who told you to climb up to such a high place? You shameless lowlife! Can’t you play anywhere else? Who sent you running off to invite humiliation?” Just as she was speaking, Xifeng happened to pass by outside the window and overheard everything. She called through the window, “What’s going on again in the first month? Brother Huan is just a child. If he makes a small mistake, you should teach him—why say such pointless things? Let him do as he pleases; his mother and father will teach him. Why do you have to scold him so loudly? He is a master now. If he’s bad, there are those to correct him—what business is it of yours? Brother Huan, come out and play with me.” Jia Huan, who feared Xifeng even more than Lady Wang, quickly and meekly came out when he heard her call. Concubine Zhao dared not say a word. Xifeng said to Jia Huan, “You’ve got no spirit either! I’ve told you time and again: if you want to eat, drink, play, or laugh, just go with whichever sister, brother, or cousin you like. You don’t listen to me, and instead let these people teach you crooked, sly, and domineering ways. You don’t respect yourself, you sink to the lowest level, you harbor bad intentions, and then you blame others for being partial. How much did you lose that you carry on like this?” Jia Huan, when pressed, could only answer meekly, “I lost a hundred or two hundred.” Xifeng said, “And you call yourself a young master—carrying on like this over a hundred or two hundred coins!” She turned and called to Fenger, “Go get a string of a thousand coins. The girls are playing in the back—take him there to join them. And you—if you act so low and sly again tomorrow, I’ll beat you first and send word to the school—they’ll flay the skin off you! Your brother is so angry at your lack of respect that his teeth itch; if I hadn’t stopped him, he’d have kicked you in the chest and driven your guts out.” She ordered sternly, “Go!” Jia Huan meekly followed Fenger, got the money, and went off to find Yingchun and the others to play. Let’s leave that for now.

Meanwhile, Baoyu was chatting and laughing with Baochai when suddenly someone announced, “Miss Shi has arrived.” Hearing this, Baoyu got up and left at once. Baochai laughed and said, “Wait, let’s go together to see her.” With that, she got off the kang and went with Baoyu to Grandmother Jia’s place. There they found Shi Xiangyun laughing and talking loudly. When she saw them arrive, she quickly greeted them. Lin Daiyu happened to be nearby and asked Baoyu, “Where have you come from?” Baoyu said, “From Sister Baochai’s place.” Daiyu gave a cold smile and said, “I thought as much. Good thing you were detained there, or you’d have flown here long ago.” Baoyu laughed and said, “So I’m only allowed to play with you and cheer you up? If I happen to go to her place once, you say such things.” Lin Daiyu said, “What nonsense! Whether you go or not has nothing to do with me. I never asked you to cheer me up. You may ignore me from now on for all I care!” With that, she sulked and went back to her room.

Baoyu hurried after her and asked, “Why are you angry again for no reason? Even if I said something wrong, you could at least stay there and chat with others a while. Why come back here to brood alone?” Lin Daiyu said, “Mind your own business!” Baoyu laughed and said, “Of course I dare not mind your business, but I can’t just watch you harm yourself.” Lin Daiyu said, “If I harm myself and die, what’s that to you?” Baoyu said, “Why must you talk of dying or living in the first month of the New Year?” Lin Daiyu said, “I insist on talking about death! I’ll die right now! You’re afraid of death—you want to live a hundred years, so what?” Baoyu laughed and said, “If you keep on like this, why would I be afraid of dying? It would be cleaner to die.” Daiyu quickly said, “Exactly. If you keep on like this, it would be cleaner to die.” Baoyu said, “I meant myself dying would be cleaner—don’t twist my words and blame me.” Just then, Baochai came over and said, “Cousin Shi is waiting for you.” With that, she pushed Baoyu away. Here, Daiyu grew even more sullen and could only weep by the window.

Less than two cups of tea later, Baoyu came anyway. When Lin Daiyu saw him, she sobbed even more uncontrollably. Seeing her like this, Baoyu knew it would be hard to turn things around, so he mustered a thousand tender and considerate words to console her. But before he could even speak, Daiyu said first, "Why have you come again? Anyway, now there’s someone to play with you—someone better than me at reading, writing poetry, calligraphy, and making jokes, and who’s afraid you’ll get angry and pulls you away. So why are you here? Let me live or die as I please!" Baoyu quickly stepped forward and whispered, "You’re such a clear-headed person—surely you understand the principle that ‘close ones are not estranged by outsiders, and those who come first are not surpassed by those who come later’? I may be muddled, but I grasp these two points. First, we’re cousins through your mother and mine, while Baochai is a cousin through my mother’s sister; in terms of kinship, she’s more distant than you. Second, you came first—we’ve eaten at the same table and slept in the same bed, growing up together. She came later—how could I possibly distance myself from you for her sake?" Lin Daiyu spat, "Do you think I’m asking you to distance yourself from her? What kind of person would that make me? I’m only thinking of my own heart." Baoyu said, "I’m thinking of my heart too. Do you only know your own heart and not mine?" When Lin Daiyu heard this, she bowed her head in silence, and after a long while said, "You only complain that others are quick to take offense, but you don’t realize how annoying you are yourself. Take today’s weather—it’s clearly this cold, so why did you take off that blue fox fur cloak?" Baoyu laughed, "I didn’t mean to go without it. When I saw you angry, I got flustered and took it off." Lin Daiyu sighed, "If you catch a cold later, you’ll be whining for food again."

As they were talking, Xiangyun came over laughing, "Second Brother, Sister Lin, you two play together every day. I’ve finally come, and you don’t even pay me any attention." Lin Daiyu laughed, "It’s always the lispy ones who love to talk—can’t even say ‘Second Brother’ properly, just ‘Deventh Brother’ this and ‘Deventh Brother’ that. Later, when we play Go, you’ll be shouting ‘one, two, three, four, five’ with that lisp." Baoyu laughed, "If you keep mocking her, tomorrow you’ll be lisping too." Xiangyun said, "She never lets anyone off easily, always picking on others’ faults. Even if you’re better than everyone else, you don’t have to tease every single person you see. Name one person—if you dare find fault with her, I’ll admit defeat." Lin Daiyu quickly asked who it was. Xiangyun said, "If you dare find fault with Baochai, that’ll show you’re skilled. I may not match you, but how can she not be your equal?" Hearing this, Lin Daiyu sneered, "I thought it was someone special—turns out it’s her! How would I dare find fault with her?" Before she could finish, Baoyu quickly changed the subject. Xiangyun laughed, "In this life, I’m naturally no match for you. I only pray that tomorrow you’ll marry a lispy Lin husband, so you can hear ‘love’ and ‘er’ all day long. Amitabha, that would be a sight for my eyes!" This made everyone laugh, and Xiangyun quickly turned and ran off. To learn the rest, read the next chapter.