Dream of the Red Chamber, Volume Two

It will be recalled that when Xiren saw the fresh blood she had spat lying on the ground, her heart at once turned half cold. She remembered how she had often heard people say, “If a young person spits blood, his years are not secure; even if he lives long, he will end as a useless invalid.” Thinking of this, all the thoughts she had always cherished of later winning glory and showing herself off turned entirely to ashes, and tears unconsciously began to fall from her eyes. When Baoyu saw her crying, his own heart also grew sore, and he asked, “How do you feel inside?”

Xiren forced a smile and said, “Perfectly well. How should I feel?”

Baoyu’s intention was immediately to call someone to heat yellow wine and bring the goat’s-blood Lidong pills. Xiren took his hand and said with a smile, “If you make this fuss, it will be no small matter. You will stir up who knows how many people, and they will blame me for being frivolous. Clearly no one knows about it, yet if you make a commotion, people will know. That will not be good for you, nor for me. The proper thing is for you to send a page tomorrow to ask Doctor Wang and get a little medicine for me to take, and I shall be well. Would it not be better if neither man nor ghost knew?” Baoyu heard that this was reasonable and had no choice but to give it up. He poured some tea from the table and gave it to Xiren to rinse her mouth. Xiren knew that Baoyu’s heart was uneasy. If she tried not to let him wait on her, he would certainly refuse; and besides, he would surely alarm others. It was better to let him do as he wished. Thus she merely lay on the couch and let Baoyu attend to her.

At the fifth watch, Baoyu had no thought for washing or combing his hair. He hurriedly dressed and went out, summoned Wang Jiren, and questioned him personally and carefully. Wang Jiren asked the cause, and since it was no more than an injury, he named a certain pill, telling him how it should be taken and how it should be applied externally. Baoyu memorized everything and returned to the Garden to treat her according to the prescription. This need not be described further.

This day happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival. Calamus and mugwort were fastened at the doors, and tiger charms were tied to the arms. At noon, Lady Wang prepared a feast and invited Aunt Xue and her daughter, among others, to enjoy the festival meal. Baoyu saw that Baochai was cool toward him and did not speak to him, and he knew it was because of what had happened the day before. Lady Wang saw that Baoyu was listless and thought only that, because of what had happened yesterday with Jinchuan, he felt ashamed; so she paid even less attention to him. Lin Daiyu saw Baoyu looking languid and thought he was uneasy because he had offended Baochai, and her own appearance also became languid. Wang Xifeng had been told by Lady Wang the previous evening about Baoyu and Jinchuan; knowing that Lady Wang was unhappy, how could she dare to joke and laugh? She merely acted according to Lady Wang’s expression, and seemed all the more subdued. When Jia Yingchun and the other sisters saw that everyone was without interest, they too became without interest. Therefore, after everyone had sat for a little while, they dispersed.

Lin Daiyu was by nature fond of dispersal and not of gathering. She had her own reasoning for this. She said, “Where people gather, they must also part. When they gather they are happy, but when they part, is it not desolate? Since desolation gives birth to sorrow, it is better not to gather at all. It is like flowers: when they bloom, they make people love and admire them; when they fall, they only increase melancholy. So it is better that they never bloom.” Therefore, when others thought something a cause for joy, she instead regarded it as grief. Baoyu’s temperament, by contrast, wished only for constant gathering, fearing that if there were even a moment of separation, sorrow would be added; he wished flowers would always bloom, fearing that if they once withered, all delight would be gone. Yet when the banquet scattered and the flowers fell, though there were ten thousand kinds of sadness, nothing could be done.

It will be recalled that when Baoyu saw the unicorn, he was very happy and reached out to take it, saying with a smile, “Fortunately you found it. Where did you pick it up?”

Shi Xiangyun smiled. “Fortunately it was this. Tomorrow, if you lose your seal too, can that simply be let go?”

Baoyu smiled. “It would be ordinary enough to lose a seal; but if I lost this, I would deserve to die.”

Xiren poured tea for Shi Xiangyun and, smiling, said, “Eldest Miss, I hear that the other day you had great joy.”

Shi Xiangyun blushed and drank her tea without answering. Xiren said, “Now you are shy. Do you still remember what you said to me ten years ago, when we lived in the warm room on the west side at night? You were not shy then. Why are you shy now?”

Shi Xiangyun smiled. “And you still mention it. At that time we were so close. Later, after our Madam died, I went home and lived there for a while. How was it that you were assigned to Second Brother, and when I came, you were no longer the way you had treated me before?”

Xiren smiled. “And you still mention that. Formerly you kept calling me ‘sister’ this and ‘sister’ that, coaxing me to comb your hair, wash your face, do this and do that. Now that you are grown, you put on airs like a young lady. Since you put on airs like a young lady, how would I dare be intimate?”

Shi Xiangyun said, “Amitabha! Wronged, wronged indeed! If I am like that, may I die this instant. Look, in such hot weather, when I came, I was sure to hurry first to see you. If you do not believe me, ask Lü’er. At home, every moment, when have I not mentioned you several times?”

Before she finished, Xiren and Baoyu both hurriedly advised her, “It was only a joke, and you took it seriously. You are still so quick-tempered.”

Shi Xiangyun said, “You do not say that your own words choke people; instead you say others are quick-tempered.” As she spoke, she opened the handkerchief and handed the ring to Xiren.

Xiren thanked her endlessly and smiled. “The ones you sent the other day to your sisters—I already received one. Today you personally brought another. This shows you have not forgotten me. This alone has proved you. How much can a ring be worth? It shows that your heart is true.”

Shi Xiangyun said, “Who gave it to you?”

Xiren said, “Miss Bao gave it to me.”

Xiangyun smiled. “I thought Sister Lin had given it to you; so it was Sister Baochai who gave it to you. Every day at home I think that among all these elder sisters, not one is better than Sister Bao. What a pity we were not born of the same mother. If only I had such a real elder sister, even if I had lost my parents, it would not matter.” As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened.

Baoyu said, “Enough, enough, enough! No need to mention this.”

Shi Xiangyun said, “What happens if I mention it? I know your heart’s sickness. You are afraid your Sister Lin will hear and again be angry with me for praising Sister Bao. Is it not because of this?”

Xiren, beside them, burst out laughing and said, “Miss Yun, now that you are grown, you have become even more straightforward.”

Baoyu smiled. “I said that you few people are difficult to talk to. It is indeed true.”

Shi Xiangyun said, “Good brother, you need not speak and make me disgusted. You know only how to talk in front of us; when you see your Sister Lin, who knows what happens to you.”

Xiren said, “Let us stop joking. There is actually something I must ask of you.”

Now Lady Wang called Jinchuan’s mother up, gave her several hairpins and ornaments in person, and further instructed that several monks be invited to chant sutras for the salvation of the dead. Her mother kowtowed in thanks and went out.

It turned out that after Baoyu had met Yucun and returned, he heard the news and knew that Jinchuan, bearing shame and acting in anger, had killed herself. His five inner organs were already crushed with grief. He entered and was scolded and instructed by Lady Wang, and had no reply to make. Seeing Baochai come in, he finally found a chance to come out. Dazed and not knowing where to go, he clasped his hands behind his back, lowered his head, and while sighing, walked slowly on. Without choosing his path, he came to the hall.

Just as he turned around the screen door, unexpectedly someone came in from the opposite direction, going inside, and by chance they collided full on. He heard the person shout, “Stop!” Baoyu was startled. Raising his head, he saw it was none other than his father. He could not help drawing in a breath and had no choice but to stand to one side with his hands lowered. Jia Zheng said, “Perfectly well, why are you hanging your head and sighing? Just now Yucun came and wanted to see you. We called you for half the day before you came out. Once you came out, there was not the slightest boldness, ease, or eloquence in your conversation; you were still drooping and feeble. I see your face is full of an expression of thought, desire, sorrow, and gloom, and now again you sigh and groan. Are all those things of yours still not enough? Are you still not comfortable? For no reason you are like this—why?”

Baoyu, though ordinarily clever of speech, at this time had his whole heart grieving for Jinchuan and wished that at this very moment he too might die and follow Jinchuan. Now, seeing his father and hearing these words, in the end he had not really heard them; he only stood there in a daze.

Seeing him frightened and his responses unlike those of ordinary days, Jia Zheng had originally not been angry, but now three parts anger arose. He was just about to speak when suddenly a man reporting affairs came in and said, “Someone from the household of Prince Zhongshun has come and wishes to see Master.”

When Jia Zheng heard this, he felt doubtful and secretly pondered, “Ordinarily we have no dealings with the Zhongshun mansion. Why has someone been sent today?” As he thought, he ordered, “Invite him quickly,” and hurried out to look. It was the chief secretary of the Zhongshun mansion. He quickly received him into the hall, had him seated, and offered tea.

Before they could exchange formalities, the chief secretary first said, “This humble official has not come presumptuously to your honored mansion. I have come entirely by command of the Prince, with one matter to ask. For the sake of the Prince, I venture to trouble Your Excellency to take charge of it. Not only will the Prince be grateful, but even we humble officials will be endlessly thankful.”

When Jia Zheng heard these words, he could grasp no clue. He hurriedly rose with a polite smile and asked, “Since Your Honor has come by command of the Prince, I do not know what instruction there is. I hope Your Honor will make it clear, so that this student may respectfully carry it out.”

The chief secretary then sneered. “There is no need to carry anything out. One word from Your Excellency will settle it. In our mansion there is a young female-role actor named Qiguan. He had always been perfectly well in the mansion, but now for three or five days he has not returned. We have searched everywhere, yet cannot trace his path; therefore we have made inquiries in all quarters. In this city, eight out of ten people say that recently he has been very close with that honored young gentleman of your household who bears jade in his mouth. We humble officials heard this, and since your honored mansion is not like other households, where one could enter presumptuously to demand someone, we informed the Prince. The Prince also said, ‘If it were another actor, even a hundred of them would not matter. But this Qiguan is ready in response, careful and mature, and suits my old heart very well. I absolutely cannot be without this person.’ Therefore I beg Your Excellency to pass on the instruction to your honored son and ask him to let Qiguan return. First, this may comfort the Prince’s earnest request; second, we humble officials may also be spared the labor and hardship of searching.” Having finished, he hurriedly bowed.