Chapter 24: The Drunken Diamond Is Generous and Chivalrous; The Infatuated Girl Loses Her Handkerchief and Yearns
CHAPTER 24
The Drunken Diamond Proves Generous and Gallant
A Lovestick Girl Drops a Handkerchief and Arouses Longing
As Lin Daiyu’s thoughts were tangled in a web of tender emotions, someone suddenly slapped her on the back from behind and said, “What are you doing here all alone?”
Startled, Daiyu turned around to see that it was none other than Xiangling. “You silly girl,” said Daiyu, “you gave me quite a fright! Where have you come from at this hour?”
Xiangling giggled. “I was looking for our young lady, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Zijuan is looking for you too—she says Second Sister-in-law Lian sent you some tea. Come on, let’s go back to the house and sit down.” As she spoke, she took Daiyu’s hand and led her back to the Bamboo Lodge.
Sure enough, Xifeng had sent two small bottles of the new imperial tea. Lin Daiyu and Xiangling sat down together. They had no serious business to discuss—just chatted about how beautifully this piece of embroidery was done and how finely that one was stitched, played a game of chess, read a few lines from a book, and then Xiangling left. But that need not be told in detail.
Now let us turn to Baoyu. After Xiren had called him back to his room, he found Yuanyang lying on the bed, looking over Xiren’s needlework. When she saw Baoyu come in, she said, “Where have you been? The old lady is waiting for you. She wants you to go over to the other compound to pay your respects to the Elder Master. Quickly change your clothes and be off.”
Xiren went into the inner room to fetch his clothes. Baoyu sat on the edge of the bed, having taken off his shoes while waiting for his boots, and turned his head to see Yuanyang wearing a pink silk jacket, a black satin sleeveless vest, and a white crepe sash around her waist. Her face was turned away as she bent over to look at the needlework, and a floral collar adorned her neck. Baoyu leaned his face close to her neck, breathing in the fragrance of her perfume, and could not stop stroking her—her skin was as fair and smooth as Xiren’s. He then clambered up to her and said with a roguish grin, “Dear sister, give me the rouge from your lips to eat.” As he spoke, he clung to her like a twist of malt sugar.
Yuanyang called out, “Xiren, come out and see. You’ll be with him all your life, but you never try to correct him—he’s still the same!”
Xiren came out with the clothes and said to Baoyu, “No matter how often I try to persuade you, you never change. What are you up to? If you keep on like this, you’ll make it hard for yourself to stay in this place.” As she spoke, she urged him to put on his clothes and then went with Yuanyang to the front of the compound to see Grandmother Jia.
After greeting Grandmother Jia, Baoyu went outside, where the horses and attendants were all ready. Just as he was about to mount, he saw Jia Lian returning from paying his respects. As Jia Lian dismounted, the two faced each other and exchanged a few words. Then a man stepped out from the side and said, “Greetings, Uncle Bao.”
Baoyu looked at him and saw that the man had an oval face, a tall slender build, and was about eighteen or nineteen years old. He was quite refined and handsome in appearance, and his face seemed familiar, but Baoyu could not remember which branch of the family he belonged to or what his name was.
Jia Lian laughed and said, “Why are you staring like that? Don’t you recognize him? This is Yun’er, the son of Fifth Sister-in-law from the back corridor.”
Baoyu laughed. “Of course, of course! How could I have forgotten?” He then asked after Yun’er’s mother and what business he had at this hour.
Jia Yun pointed at Jia Lian and said, “I came to have a word with Second Uncle.”
Baoyu laughed. “You’ve grown even more handsome than before. You almost look like my son.”
Jia Lian chuckled. “Aren’t you ashamed! He’s four or five years older than you, and you want him to be your son?”
Baoyu asked, “How old are you this year?”
Jia Yun replied, “Eighteen.”
Now Jia Yun was a very shrewd and clever fellow. Hearing Baoyu’s words, he smiled and said, “As the saying goes, ‘A grandfather may be in the cradle, and a grandson may walk with a staff.’ Though I’m older in years, a mountain can never rise higher than the sun. Ever since my father passed away, these past few years, no one has guided or taught me. If Uncle Bao does not find me too stupid and would accept me as his son, it would be my great fortune.”
Jia Lian laughed and said, “Do you hear that? Claiming a son is no easy matter!” With that, he went inside.
Baoyu laughed and said, “Tomorrow, when you’re free, just come and find me. Don’t skulk around with those others. I’m busy right now. Tomorrow, come to the study, and we’ll have a good talk; I’ll take you into the garden to play.” With that, he mounted his horse, and the young attendants surrounded him as he rode off to Jia She’s compound.
When he saw Jia She, he learned that he had only caught a slight chill. Baoyu first conveyed Grandmother Jia’s inquiries, then paid his own respects. Jia She stood up first to relay his reply to Grandmother Jia, then called for someone to say, “Take the young master inside to sit in the mistress’s room.” Baoyu withdrew and went to the rear, entering the main hall.
When Lady Xing saw him, she first stood up to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, and then Baoyu paid his respects to her. Lady Xing pulled him onto the kang to sit beside her, asked after the others, and ordered tea to be served. Before he had finished a single cup of tea, Jia Cong came in to greet Baoyu.
Lady Xing said, “Where did that little monkey come from? Has your nursemaid died? She doesn’t even tidy you up—your face is all black and smudged. What kind of child from a great house is this, supposed to be studying?”
Just as she was speaking, Jia Huan and Jia Lan, the uncle and nephew, also arrived. After paying their respects, Lady Xing told them to sit on chairs. When Jia Huan saw Baoyu sitting on the same cushion as Lady Xing, and that she was constantly stroking and fussing over him, he felt deeply disgruntled. After sitting for only a short while, he exchanged a glance with Jia Lan to signal that they should leave. Jia Lan had no choice but to follow him, and together they rose to take their leave.
When Baoyu saw them about to go, he also stood up to leave with them. Lady Xing smiled and said, “You stay seated. I still have something to say to you.” Baoyu had to sit back down. She said to the other two, “When you go back, give my regards to your respective mothers. Your cousins, sisters, and younger sisters are all here, and they’ve made my head spin. I won’t keep you for dinner today.”
Jia Huan and the others acknowledged this and left to go home.
Baoyu smiled and asked, “So all the sisters have come over? Why don’t I see them?”
Lady Xing replied, “They sat for a while, then all went to some room in the back, I don’t know which.”
Baoyu said, “Auntie just said you had something to tell me. What is it?”
Lady Xing laughed. “There’s nothing really. I only asked you to wait so you could have dinner with your cousins. I also have a nice little toy for you to take back and play with.”
As aunt and nephew chatted, it was soon time for the evening meal. The tables and chairs were arranged, cups and dishes set out, and after the mother, daughters, and sisters had eaten, Baoyu went to take his leave of Jia She, then returned home with the sisters. After greeting Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, they each retired to their own rooms for the night. That need not be told in detail.
Now let us turn to Jia Yun. He went in to see Jia Lian to ask if there was any news. Jia Lian told him, “Something did come up the other day, but your aunt-in-law insisted on my giving it to Jia Qin instead. She promised me that tomorrow, when there are some flowerbeds to be planted in the garden, that job will definitely be yours.”
Jia Yun listened, and after a long pause said, “If that’s the case, I’ll wait. Uncle, you don’t need to mention to Aunt that I came to ask today. It will be soon enough to bring it up when the time comes.”
Jia Lian said, “Why would I mention it? I don’t have time for idle gossip. Tomorrow, I have to go to Xing County before dawn and must return the same day. You go and wait. The day after tomorrow, come back after the first night watch to get the news. If you come earlier, I won’t have time.” With that, he went back to the inner quarters to change his clothes.
Jia Yun left the Rongguo Mansion and headed home, thinking all the way. He came up with a plan and went straight to his maternal uncle, Bu Shiren’s house. Now Bu Shiren ran a spice shop. He had just returned from the shop when he saw Jia Yun come in. After exchanging greetings, he asked what urgent matter had brought him at this hour.
Jia Yun said, “I have a favor to ask you, Uncle. I need some borneol and musk for a certain matter. Could you, please, let me have four ounces of each on credit? I’ll pay you the full amount in the eighth month.”
Bu Shiren sneered, “Don’t even mention credit! The other day, one of our shop assistants let his relatives take several taels’ worth of goods on credit, and they still haven’t repaid it. We all had to make up the loss and signed an agreement that we would never again allow credit to relatives or friends. Anyone who does will be fined twenty taels of silver as a penalty. Besides, these goods are in short supply right now. Even if you came with ready cash to our shabby little shop, we wouldn’t have that much—we’d have to scrape together what we can. That’s the first thing. Second, you have no serious business—you’d just take the goods and fool around again. You always say your uncle finds fault with you every time he sees you. You’re young and don’t know what’s good for you. You should really set your mind on earning some money and getting yourself properly clothed and fed—that would make me happy to see.”
Jia Yun laughed and said, “Uncle, you speak so lightly. When my father passed away, I was young and didn’t understand things. Later, I heard from my mother that it was thanks to my uncles that you all came to our house to give advice and manage the funeral arrangements. Surely you know that the one mu of land and the two rooms we had haven’t been squandered by me now, have they? Even the cleverest wife can’t cook a meal without rice—what am I to do? It’s lucky it’s me; if it were someone else, they’d be shamelessly pestering you every few days for three pints of rice or two of beans, and you’d have no way out.”
Bu Shiren said, “My boy, if your uncle had it, wouldn’t it be only right? Every day I tell your aunt, I’m just worried you have no foresight. If you could only stand on your own two feet and go to your elder uncle’s household—even if you can’t see the masters, just swallow your pride and ingratiate yourself with their stewards or managers, and you’d land some job. The other day I went out of the city and ran into Fourth Brother from your third branch, riding a big braying donkey, leading five carts, with forty or fifty monks and Taoists heading to the family temple. Wasn’t that thanks to his ability? That’s how the job came to him!” Jia Yun, finding his nagging unbearable, rose to take his leave. Bu Shiren said, “Why the rush? Stay and eat before you go.” Before he finished speaking, his wife said, “You’re confused again. We said there’s no rice, and I just bought half a catty of noodles to cook for you, and now you’re putting on airs. Do you want to leave your nephew hungry?” Bu Shiren said, “Buy another half catty to add to it, then.” His wife then called to their daughter, “Silver, go next door to Granny Wang’s and ask if we can borrow twenty or thirty coppers; we’ll send it back tomorrow.” While the husband and wife were talking, Jia Yun had already said “Don’t trouble yourselves” several times and disappeared without a trace.
Leaving aside the Bu couple, Jia Yun, sulking, left his uncle’s gate and went straight back along the old road. He was feeling vexed, walking with his head down, lost in thought, when he suddenly bumped into a drunken man, startling him. He heard the drunkard curse, “Damn your mother! Are you blind, bumping into me?” Jia Yun tried to dodge, but the drunkard grabbed him. Looking up, he saw it was none other than his close neighbor Ni Er. This Ni Er was a rogue, a usurer who lent money at high interest, lived off gambling dens, and specialized in brawling and drinking. He had just collected interest from a debtor and was coming back drunk, when Jia Yun bumped into him. Already in a foul mood, he raised his fist to strike. Then he heard the man shout, “Second Brother, hold your hand! It was I who bumped into you.” Ni Er, recognizing a familiar voice, opened his drunken eyes and saw it was Jia Yun. He quickly let go, staggered, and laughed, “So it’s Master Jia the Second! I deserve to die, I deserve to die. Where are you off to at this hour?” Jia Yun said, “I can’t tell you; out of the blue, I’ve been humiliated again.” Ni Er said, “Never mind, never mind. If there’s any injustice, tell me, and I’ll get even for you. In these three streets and six lanes, whoever it is, if anyone offends Drunken King Ni Er’s neighbor, I’ll see their family ruined and their home destroyed!”
Jia Yun said, “Second Brother, don’t get angry. Listen, and I’ll tell you the reason.” So he told Ni Er the whole story about Bu Shiren. Ni Er, enraged, said, “If he weren’t your uncle, I’d say things too foul to speak. It makes me, Ni Er, furious. Well, don’t worry. I have a few taels of silver here. If you need anything, just take them and buy what you need. But there’s one thing: we’ve been neighbors for years, and I’m known for lending money, yet you’ve never once asked me for anything. I don’t know if it’s because you despise me as a rogue, afraid it’ll lower your standing, or because you think I’m hard to deal with and charge high interest. If it’s the interest you fear, I’ll lend this silver without interest, and no written contract needed. If it’s your standing you worry about, then I wouldn’t dare lend it to you, and we’ll each go our own way.” As he spoke, he indeed pulled a roll of silver from his pouch.
Jia Yun thought to himself, “Ni Er has always been a rogue and a scoundrel, but he treats people according to their worth and has a reputation for being chivalrous. If I don’t accept his favor today, I’m afraid he’ll be embarrassed, and that might cause trouble. Better to borrow it and repay him double another day.” Having thought it over, he laughed and said, “Second Brother, you’re truly a good man. It’s not that I never thought of you or asked you. But I’ve seen that the people you associate with are bold and capable, while someone as weak and useless as me, you wouldn’t bother with. If I had asked, would you have lent to me? Since you’ve shown me such high regard today, how dare I refuse? When I get home, I’ll write a contract as usual and bring it over.” Ni Er laughed heartily, “What a silver-tongued fellow you are! But I don’t like what you’re saying. Since you use the word ‘associate,’ how could I lend him money and take his interest? If I lend him silver and seek his interest, that’s not association. Enough idle talk. Since you’re willing to accept, here’s fifteen taels and a few odd maces of silver—take it to buy what you need. If you want to write any contract, give the silver back to me right now, and I’ll lend it to someone more promising.” Jia Yun, hearing this, took the silver and laughed, “Then I won’t write one—why be so hasty?” Ni Er laughed, “That’s more like it. It’s getting dark, and I won’t offer you tea or wine—I have some business elsewhere. You’d better go back. I ask you to take a message to my home: tell them to close up early and go to bed. I won’t be coming home tonight. If there’s something urgent, have my daughter come tomorrow morning to the horse dealer Short-Legs Wang’s place to find me.” As he spoke, he staggered off and was gone.
Now Jia Yun, having encountered this incident by chance, found it quite remarkable. He thought Ni Er was indeed a man of some character, but he still worried that in his drunken generosity, Ni Er might double the demand tomorrow—what then? He hesitated. Then he thought, “Never mind; once that affair succeeds, I can repay him double.” With that, he went straight to a money shop and weighed the silver: fifteen taels, three maces, four candareens, and two cents. Seeing that Ni Er hadn’t lied, Jia Yun was all the more pleased. He pocketed the silver and went home. First, he stopped next door to deliver Ni Er’s message to his wife, then returned to his own house. He found his mother sitting on the kang, spinning thread. When she saw him come in, she asked where he had been all day. Fearing his mother would be angry, Jia Yun didn’t mention Bu Shiren’s business but only said he had been waiting at the West Mansion for Uncle Lian. He asked his mother if she had eaten. She had already eaten and said there was food set aside for him. A little maid brought it for him to eat.
By then, the lamps had been lit. Jia Yun ate, tidied up, and went to rest. That night passed without incident. The next morning, he got up early, washed his face, and went out the South Gate to a large incense shop, where he bought musk and borneol. Then he headed to the Rong Mansion. After inquiring and learning that Jia Lian had gone out, Jia Yun went to the rear. Arriving at the gate of Jia Lian’s courtyard, he saw several pages sweeping the yard with big brooms. Suddenly, Granny Zhou emerged from the gate and called to the pages, “Don’t sweep yet—the mistress is coming out.” Jia Yun quickly stepped forward, smiling, and asked, “Where is Second Aunt going?” Granny Zhou said, “The old lady has summoned her; it must be about cutting some fabric.” As she spoke, a crowd of attendants surrounded Xifeng as she came out. Jia Yun knew well that Xifeng loved flattery and display, so he cupped his hands and respectfully hurried forward to pay his respects. Xifeng didn’t even deign to look at him directly but kept walking, only asking after his mother’s health and why she didn’t come to visit. Jia Yun said, “She’s not feeling very well, but she often thinks of you, Aunt, and wants to come see you, but she can’t.” Xifeng laughed, “What a liar! If I hadn’t mentioned her, you wouldn’t have said she misses me.” Jia Yun laughed and said, “May I be struck by lightning if I dare lie to an elder. Just last night she mentioned you, saying you’re delicate of frame and burdened with many affairs, but you have great energy and manage everything perfectly. If it were anyone else, they’d have been worn out long ago.”
Xifeng, hearing this, was all smiles and could not help stopping in her tracks. She asked, “Why are you mother and son discussing me in private like this?” Jia Yun replied, “There’s a reason. It’s because I have a friend whose family has some money, and he’s currently running a perfumery. He purchased the title of Sub-Prefect a while back, and a few days ago he was selected for a post somewhere in Yunnan—I don’t know exactly where—and he’s gone with his whole household. He’s closed down the perfumery here. He sorted out all the accounts and goods, giving away what was owed, selling off what could be sold cheap, and distributing fine, costly items to friends and relatives. He gave me some borneol and musk. I discussed it with my mother: if I were to resell them, I wouldn’t get the original price, and who would spend that much silver on such things? Even the wealthiest families only use a few fen or qian and that’s enough. If I were to give them away, no one would be worthy of using them, and I’d end up selling them for a pittance. So I thought of you, Aunt. In past years, I’ve seen you buy these things in big packs of silver. Not to mention this year, with the Imperial Consort’s palace, and now the Dragon Boat Festival coming up, these spices are bound to be ten times more in demand than usual. After much thought, I decided that offering them only to you would be fitting and wouldn’t waste them.” As he spoke, he raised a brocade box.
Xifeng was just preparing the Dragon Boat Festival gifts and buying spices and medicinal herbs. When she suddenly saw Jia Yun’s gesture and heard his speech, she felt both proud and pleased. She ordered Fenger, “Take Yun-ge’s things and send them home, give them to Pinger.” Then she said, “Seeing you understand things so well, no wonder your uncle often mentions you, saying you speak clearly and have insight.” Jia Yun, sensing he had gained her favor, stepped forward and deliberately asked, “So Uncle has mentioned me?” Xifeng, on the verge of telling him about managing things, quickly stopped herself, thinking, “If I tell him now, he’ll think I’m too easily swayed by gifts—giving him a job just for a bit of spice. I won’t bring it up today.” With that, she concealed all talk of assigning him to supervise the planting of flowers and trees, said a few trivial words, and went off to see Grandmother Jia. Jia Yun, unable to broach the subject himself, had to return. Since the day before, when he had seen Baoyu and been told to wait in the outer study, Jia Yun ate his meal and then came back, entering the Qixian Study outside the ceremonial gate of Grandmother Jia’s compound. There he saw Beiming and Chuyao, two pages, playing chess and quarreling over a chariot, while four or five others—Yinquan, Saohua, Tiaoyun, and Banhe—were playing by scooping up little sparrows from the eaves. Jia Yun stepped into the courtyard, stamped his foot, and said, “You little monkeys are being naughty—I’m here!” Seeing Jia Yun arrive, the pages scattered. Jia Yun entered the room, sat on a chair, and asked, “Has Second Master Bao not come down?” Beiming replied, “He hasn’t come down at all today. What do you want? I’ll go and find out for you.” With that, he left.
Jia Yun then looked at the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques. After the time it takes to eat a meal, there was still no sign of anyone. He noticed the other pages had all gone off to play. Just as he was feeling vexed, he heard a sweet, soft voice at the door call out, “Brother!” Jia Yun looked outside and saw a maid of about sixteen or seventeen, delicate and clean in appearance. When the maid saw Jia Yun, she turned and hid herself. Just then, Beiming came back and, seeing the maid at the door, said, “Good, good—I couldn’t find anyone to deliver a message.” Jia Yun, seeing Beiming, hurried out and asked what was happening. Beiming said, “I’ve waited all day, and no one’s come. This is from Second Master Bao’s room. Good sister, go in and tell him that the Second Master from the gallery is here.”
Hearing this, the maid realized he was a young master of the family and no longer avoided him as before, staring hard at Jia Yun with her eyes fixed on him. She heard Jia Yun say, “What’s this talk of gallery or no gallery? Just say it’s Yun’er.” After a moment, the maid gave a cold laugh: “If you ask me, Second Master, you’d best go home. If you have something to say, come back tomorrow. Tonight, if I get the chance, I’ll tell him.” Beiming asked, “What does that mean?” The maid replied, “He didn’t take his nap today, so naturally he’ll eat dinner early. And he won’t come down tonight. Do you expect Second Master to wait here and go hungry? Better to go home and come tomorrow—that’s the proper way. Even if someone delivers a message later, it’s useless. He’ll just agree verbally, but will he actually pass it on?” Jia Yun, hearing the maid’s concise and charming speech, wanted to ask her name, but since she was from Baoyu’s room, he found it awkward. He had to say, “That makes sense. I’ll come back tomorrow.” With that, he started to leave. Beiming said, “I’ll pour some tea—drink some before you go, Second Master.” Jia Yun walked away, turning his head to say, “No tea, I still have things to do.” As he spoke, he noticed the maid was still standing there.
Jia Yun went straight home. The next day, he arrived at the main gate and happened to meet Xifeng as she was going to pay her respects. She was just getting into her carriage when she saw Jia Yun. She ordered someone to stop him and, speaking through the window with a smile, said, “Yun’er, you’ve got some nerve, trying to fool me. So that’s why you gave me gifts—you had a favor to ask. Yesterday your uncle told me you’d begged him.” Jia Yun smiled and replied, “Don’t mention that matter of begging Uncle, Aunt. I was just regretting it yesterday. If I’d known, I’d have come straight to you from the start, and it would have been settled by now. Who’d have thought Uncle couldn’t manage it?” Xifeng laughed, “No wonder you failed there and came to me yesterday.” Jia Yun said, “Aunt, you’re doing my filial intentions an injustice. I had no such thought. If I had, why wouldn’t I have begged you yesterday? Now that you know, I’ll set Uncle aside and beg you, Aunt, to have some pity on me.”
Xifeng sneered, “You people always choose the long way around, leaving me at a loss. If you’d told me earlier, what couldn’t have been done? Such a small matter, delayed until now. That garden still needs flowers planted, and I couldn’t think of anyone. If you’d come sooner, it would have been settled long ago.” Jia Yun smiled, “In that case, Aunt, assign it to me tomorrow.” Xifeng paused for a while, then said, “This doesn’t seem very suitable to me. Wait until next year’s first month, when the big item of fireworks and lanterns comes up, and I’ll assign you that.” Jia Yun said, “Good Aunt, assign me this one first. If I do this well, then give me the other.” Xifeng laughed, “You really know how to play the long game. Well, if it weren’t for your uncle’s mention, I wouldn’t bother with your affairs. I’ll be coming over after I eat; come for the silver around midday. The day after tomorrow, go in and start planting trees.” With that, she ordered the carriage to be harnessed and drove off.
Jia Yun was overjoyed. He went to the Qixian Study to inquire about Baoyu, but Baoyu had gone to the Prince of Beijing’s residence early that morning. Jia Yun sat there dully until noon, then waited for Xifeng to return. He wrote a requisition slip and went to get the tally. At the courtyard gate, he had someone announce him. Caiming came out, took the slip inside, approved the silver amount and date, and handed both the slip and tally to Jia Yun. Jia Yun took them and saw the approved amount was two hundred taels of silver. Overjoyed, he turned and went to the treasury, handed over the slip and tally, and collected the silver. Returning home, he told his mother, and both were delighted. The next day, before dawn, Jia Yun first found Ni Er and repaid the previous silver in full. Ni Er, seeing Jia Yun had money, took the full amount without further comment. Then Jia Yun took fifty taels, went out through the West Gate, found the flower grower Fang Chun’s home, and bought trees. That is another matter.
Let us speak now of Baoyu. Ever since the day he had seen Jia Yun and told him to come into the compound the next day for a talk, he had spoken in the high and mighty manner of a wealthy young gentleman, never giving the matter another thought, and so had forgotten all about it. That evening, after returning from the Prince of Beijing’s mansion and paying his respects to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, he came back into the Garden, changed his clothes, and was about to bathe. Xiren had been called away by Xue Baochai to make some cord knots; Qiuwen and Bihén had gone to fetch hot water; Tanyun had been taken home for her mother’s birthday; and Sheyue was at home nursing an illness. Though there were still a few maidservants for rough work and errands, Baoyu reckoned he wouldn’t need them, and they had all gone out to find their companions and amuse themselves. In that short interval, only Baoyu was left in the room. It happened that he felt thirsty and wanted tea. He called two or three times before a couple of elderly maids shuffled in. When Baoyu saw them, he quickly waved his hand and said, “Enough, enough—I don’t need you.” The old women had no choice but to withdraw.
Seeing that none of the maids were about, Baoyu had to get down himself. He took a cup and went over to the tea-kettle to pour. Just then he heard a voice behind him say, “Master Bao, be careful not to scald your hand. Let me pour it for you.” As she spoke, she came forward and took the cup from him. Baoyu was startled and asked, “Where were you? You suddenly appeared and gave me a fright.” The maid handed him the tea and replied, “I was in the back courtyard. I just came in through the rear door of the inner room. Surely Master Bao didn’t hear my footsteps?” As Baoyu sipped his tea, he scrutinized her carefully: she wore a few half-new, half-old garments, but had a fine head of thick, glossy black hair coiled in a bun, an oval face, a slender figure, and was quite pretty and neat.
Baoyu looked at her and asked with a smile, “Are you one of the people in this room?” The maid replied, “Yes, I am.” Baoyu said, “If you are from this room, how is it I don’t recognize you?” The maid gave a cold laugh and said, “There are plenty you don’t recognize—it’s not just me. I never hand you tea or water, fetch things or carry things, and I don’t do any of the tasks right under your nose. How would you know me?” Baoyu said, “Why don’t you do those tasks?” The maid replied, “That’s hard for me to say. But there’s one thing I must tell Master Bao: yesterday some fellow named Yun came looking for you. I thought you were busy, so I told Beiming to send him away and say he should come early today. But then you went off to the Northern Mansion again.” Just as she said this, Qiuwen and Bihén came in laughing and chattering, carrying a bucket of water between them. They held up their skirts with one hand, stumbling and sloshing water about as they came. The maid hurried over to take the bucket from them. Qiuwen and Bihén had been grumbling at each other—one saying, “You’ve wet my skirt,” and the other, “You stepped on my shoe”—when suddenly they saw someone come out to take the water. Looking closely, they saw it was none other than Xiaohong. Both were startled. They set down the bucket and quickly went into the room, peering this way and that. They saw no one else, only Baoyu, and felt greatly displeased. They had no choice but to prepare the bath things. When Baoyu had taken off his clothes, the two of them closed the door behind them and went out. Once in the next room, they looked for Xiaohong and asked her what she had been saying in the room just now. Xiaohong said, “Was I ever in the room? It’s just that I lost my handkerchief and went to the back to look for it. I never expected Master Bao would want tea and that none of you elder sisters were about, so I went in and poured it. Then you sisters arrived.”
When Qiuwen heard this, she spat right in Xiaohong’s face and cursed, “Shameless, low creature! When you were told properly to go fetch the water, you said you had something to do and made us go instead. You were just waiting to snatch this clever little task. Step by step, you’re worming your way up. Do you think we can’t keep up with you? Take a mirror and look at yourself—are you fit to hand tea and water or not?” Bihén said, “Tomorrow I’ll tell them all: whenever there’s tea or water to fetch or things to send or carry, none of us will move—we’ll just let her do it.” Qiuwen said, “If that’s the case, we might as well all scatter and leave her alone in this room.” The two of them went on, one saying this, the other that, when an old maidservant came in with a message from Xifeng: “Tomorrow someone is bringing flower gardeners to plant trees. You must be very careful—don’t air or hang out your clothes and skirts carelessly. The earthen hill will be screened all along with curtains, so don’t go running about.” Qiuwen asked, “Who is bringing the gardeners to supervise the work tomorrow?” The old woman said, “They say it’s Master Yun from the back corridor.” Qiuwen and Bihén had no idea who that was and went on asking about other things. But when Xiaohong heard this, she understood at once. She knew it was the man she had seen the day before in the outer study. Now, this Xiaohong was originally surnamed Lin and her personal name was Hongyu. But because the character “yu” (jade) clashed with Lin Daiyu and Baoyu, they suppressed that character and called her Xiaohong. She came from a family of old servants in the Rongguo Mansion; her parents were now in charge of various properties and lands. This Hongyu was just sixteen. When the Grand View Garden was divided up, she had been assigned to Happy Red Court, which was indeed quiet and elegant. But then, when orders came to have people move in, it happened that this very compound was taken over by Baoyu. Though Hongyu was an inexperienced maid, she had a fair bit of looks, and in her heart she harbored vain and foolish ambitions to climb higher. She often longed to show herself off before Baoyu. But all those around Baoyu were sharp-tongued and quick-clawed, and there was no way for her to worm her way in. Today she had finally gotten a little opening, only to suffer such spite from Qiuwen and the others. Her spirits were already half-dashed. As she sat there dejected, she suddenly heard the old woman mention Jia Yun, and involuntarily her heart stirred. Gloomy and depressed, she returned to her room, lay down on her bed, and pondered in secret. She tossed and turned, finding no way to grasp the matter. Suddenly she heard a low voice outside the window: “Xiaohong, I’ve picked up your handkerchief here.” Xiaohong hurried out to look—and saw none other than Jia Yun. Her pretty face flushed with shyness as she asked, “Where did Master Yun find it?” Jia Yun laughed and said, “Come here, and I’ll tell you.” With these words, he stepped forward to pull her. Xiaohong quickly turned and ran, but she tripped over the threshold. To know what happened next, read the next chapter.