by Cao Xueqin
Baoyu, not trusting his memory, had already got brush and ink ready and at this he picked up the brush with alacrity.
“Four large brushes for drawing outlines, four of the medium size and four small ones,” Baochai began. “Four large colouring brushes, four medium and four small ones; ten large brushes for painting fine lines and ten small ones; ten beard-and-eyebrow brushes; twenty large and twenty small brushes for colour washes; ten brushes for painting features; twenty willow brushes.
“Then you’ll need four ounces each of ‘arrow-head’ cinnabar, southern ochre, orpiment, azurite, malachite and gamboge; eight ounces of indigo; four boxes of white lead; ten sheets of rouge; two hundred sheets each of red gold-foil and green gold-foil; four ounces of glue and four ounces of pure alum—that’s not counting what’s used to prepare the silk, but you can leave that to the secretaries when you get them to do it. Once these pigments are properly rinsed, ground, mixed with glue and shaken, I guarantee you’ll have enough to play about with and last you a lifetime.
“Then you must prepare four fine silk filters; four sieves; four feather-dusters; four large and small mortars; twenty large coarse bowls; ten five-inch saucers; twenty three-inch coarse white saucers; two portable stoves; four large and small earthenware cooking pots; two new porcelain jars; two new buckets; four white cloth bags one foot long; twenty catties of soft charcoal; one catty of hard charcoal; one chest with three drawers; ten feet of plain gauze; two ounces of ginger; half a catty of soy sauce....”
“And one pan and frying-slice,” put in Daiyu. “What are they for?” demanded Baochai.
“Since you want things like ginger and soy sauce, I may as well get you a pan to fry those colours and eat them.” Everyone laughed.
“You don’t understand,” rejoined Baochai with a smile. “Those coarse saucers can’t stand too much heat. The fire would crack them if you didn’t first smear ginger and soy sauce on the bottom.”
“Yes, that’s right,” agreed the others.
Daiyu had another look at the list, then nudged Tanchun and whispered, “Look at all the pots and chests she wants just for one painting. She must have mixed things up and put in the list of her dowry as well.”
Tanchun exploded in a fit of laughter.
“Cousin Baochai!” she cried. “Why don’t you pinch her lips? Ask her what she just said about you.”
“I don’t have to ask,” retorted Baochai. “One doesn’t expect ivory from a dog’s mouth.”
As she spoke she pushed Daiyu down on the kang to pinch her cheeks.
“Forgive me, dear cousin,” pleaded Daiyu giggling. “I’m too young to know the right way to talk; but you, dear as an elder sister to me, can teach me. If you won’t forgive me, who else can I turn to?”
The others did not know what lay behind this exchange.
“How pathetic she sounds,” they teased. “Our hearts bleed for her. Do let her off!”
Baochai had only been joking, but catching this reference to her earlier lecture on reading improper books, she stopped teasing and let Daiyu go-
“What a good girl you are,” observed Daiyu. “If it had been me I shouldn’t have been so forgiving.”
Baochai pointed a finger at her. “No wonder the old lady’s so fond of you and everybody loves you. I declare I’m growing quite fond of you myself now. Come here and let me do your hair for you.”
Daiyu, complying, turned round and Baochai arranged her dishevelled hair for her. Baoyu, watching, decided that this way of dressing her hair was an improvement and regretted having sent her to comb her hair before—the job should have been left for Baochai. His reverie was cut short by Baochai remarking:
“If you’ve finished that list, you can show it to the old lady tomorrow. We may have the things at home; if not, they can be bought. I’ll help you with the preparations.”
Baoyu put the list away then and they chatted. That evening after dinner they went as usual to pay their respects to the Lady Dowager. As she had been suffering from nothing more serious than a slight chill caught when she was tired, a day in bed and a dose of medicine had set her right by the evening.
What happened the day after is told in the next chapter.
Chapter 43
To Kill Time Money Is Raised to Celebrate a Birthday
Incense Is Burned on the Ground to Undying Love
The Lady Dowager was not really ill but had simply caught a chill that day in the Garden. Knowing that a visit from the doctor and some medicine had set her right, Lady Wang stopped worrying and sent for Xifeng whom she told to prepare some things to be taken to Jia Zheng. While they were discussing this, the old lady summoned them and they both hurried over.
“Are you feeling better, madam?” asked Lady Wang.
“Much better,” replied the Lady Dowager. “Just now I tried some of that quail soup you sent, and found it tasty. I ate a few mouthfuls of the flesh too, and enjoyed it.”
“That was a filial offering from Xifeng,” said Lady Wang. “It shows a proper respect for her elders and due gratitude for all your kindness to her.”
“It’s good of her to be so thoughtful.” The old lady nodded. “If there’s any left not yet cooked, I’d like a few slices fried, because being salty it goes well with porridge. The soup doesn’t, although it’s good.”
Xifeng promised to see to this at once and had the order passed on to the kitchen.
Meantime the Lady Dowager told Lady Wang, “I’ll tell you why I sent for you. The second of next month is Xifeng’s birthday. Last year and the year before that I meant to celebrate it, but each time something urgent cropped up and I let matters slide. This year everyone’s here and nothing’s likely to happen, so let’s all have some good fun.”
“Just what I was thinking,” replied Lady Wang. “If that’s what you want, madam, why not settle on it?”
“For birthdays in the past we’ve always sent our presents separately, which is stereotyped and rather formal. Now I’ve thought of a new, informal way which should be fun.”
“We’ll do whatever you think best, madam.”
“Well then, why don’t we copy those poorer families in which everybody chips in, and however much is collected goes for a treat. What do you say? Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“Very good. But how shall we go about it?”
Hearing this, the Lady Dowager in high spirits at once gave orders to invite over Aunt Xue, Lady Xing, the girls and Baoyu, as well as Jia Zhen’s wife Madam You from the other mansion, and the wives of the chief stewards such as Lai Da. The maids, infected by the old lady’s good humour, bustled off cheerfully to deliver her invitations; and in less time than it takes for a meal the room was packed with people, old and young, high and low.
Aunt Xue and the Lady Dowager had the seats of honour; Lady Xing and Lady Wang had two chairs by the door; Baochai and five or six other girls sat on the kang; Baoyu sat at his grandmother’s knee; and the rest stood, crowding the floor.
The Lady Dowager ordered stools to be fetched for Lai Da’s mother and a few of the older and most highly thought of nurses; for it was the family custom to show more respect to domestics who had served the older generation than to the sons and daughters of the house. Hence Madam You and Xifeng remained standing while, after a show of declining, Lai Da’s mother and three or four other old nurses sat down.
Then the Lady Dowager, beaming, announced her plan. All fell in readily with the novel suggestion. Those on good terms with Xifeng liked the idea, those afraid of her were glad of a chance to please her; and since everyone could afford it they agreed with alacrity.
The Lady Dowager made the first contribution, promising to give twenty taels.
“I’ll follow suit,” said Aunt Xue, “and give twenty too.”
“We dare not rank ourselves with the old lady,” disclaimed Lady Xing and Lady Wang laughingly. “Since we’re one grade lower, we’ll give sixteen apiece.”
“We’re naturally one grade lower still,” put in Ma
dam You and Li Wan. “We’ll give twelve taels each.”
“You’re a widow with no means of support,” objected the old lady to Li Wan. “We can’t milk you like this. I’ll pay your share.”
“Don’t get carried away, madam,” warned Xifeng with a chuckle. “First count the cost. You still have two more shares to pay, yet now you’re offering to give twelve taels for her. You’re in a good mood at the moment, but presently you may regret it and complain, ‘So much spent on that minx Xifeng!’ Then you’ll play some clever trick to make me part unknowingly with three or four times the amount.”
“What do you propose then?” asked the Lady Dowager amid general laughter.
“My birthday hasn’t come yet,” said Xifeng, “but already I’m quite overwhelmed. Here I am, not paying a cent myself but imposing on all of you—it’s really too bad. So why not let me pay for my sister-in-law? Then I’ll eat more on that day and enjoy myself better.”
Since Lady Xing and the others approved, the old lady gave her consent.
“I’ve something else to say,” continued Xifeng. “It’s quite fair, I think, for our Old Ancestress to give twenty herself plus Daiyu’s and Baoyu’s shares, and for Aunt Xue to give twenty herself plus Baochai’s share. But it’s not very fair for the two mistresses to give less themselves, only sixteen each, and not to pay for anybody else either. This is too hard on our Old Ancestress.”
The Lady Dowager laughed heartily. “So this hussy Xifeng takes my side, and quite right too,” she crowed. “They’d have cheated me if not for you.”
“Just turn Baoyu and Daiyu over to them,” urged Xifeng. “Make them pay one extra share each.”
“Yes, that’s only fair,” the old lady approved. “We’ll do that.”
Lai Da’s mother rose to her feet in mock indignation.
“This is too bad! I can’t bear to see Their Ladyships treated this way. One is Madam Lian’s mother-in-law, the other’s her father’s sister; yet instead of taking their side she sides with someone less close. What’s become of her family feeling?”
This set the whole party laughing.
Then Lai Da’s mother said, “Twelve taels each from Madam You and Madam Zhu. Of course we’re a grade lower, aren’t we?”
“No, you can’t reckon that way,” replied the old lady. “It’s true you’re one grade lower, but I know you’re all rich. You’ve much more money than they have. So though you rank lower, you must pay the same amount.”
The stewards’ wives readily agreed to this.
“As for the girls,” continued the old lady, “they can simply make a gesture by each giving the equivalent of her monthly allowance.” She turned then and called, “Here, Yuanyang! A few of you get together and decide on your contributions.”
Yuanyang assented and went out, coming back presently with Pinger, Xiren, Caixia and a few other younger maids. Some said they would give two taels, others one.
“Why are you in on this?” the old lady asked Pinger. “Shouldn’t you give your mistress something special for her birthday?”
“I have my own present ready,” replied Pinger gaily. “But I want to give my share to the general fund too.”
“That’s a good girl,” approved the Lady Dowager.
“That accounts for everyone here,” remarked Xifeng. “Just to be polite, though, we’d better ask the two concubines whether they’d like to join in or not. Otherwise they may feel slighted.”
“Of course. Fancy my forgetting them! I don’t suppose they’re free to come. Send a maid to ask them.”
One of the girls went and after some time brought back the answer, “They’ll give two taels each too.”
The Lady Dowager was pleased. “Get a brush and ink and see how much it comes to,” she ordered.
“You greedy bitch,” whispered Madam You to Xifeng. “So many in-laws and nurses chipping in for your birthday, yet you’re still not satisfied. You must needs drag in those two poor wretches too.”
“Nonsense!” Countered Xifeng softly. “Get away with you! Who says they’re poor? They throw their money away on other people. We may as well take some and have a good time.”
By now the contributions had been counted and they totalled just over a hundred and fifty taels.
“That’s more than enough for one day’s theatricals and feasts,” observed the Lady Dowager.
“As we’re not inviting guests, the feasting won’t cost much,” remarked Madam You. “This sum should be enough for two or three days. Besides, the theatricals won’t cost anything. We can save on that.”
“We must get whatever troupe Xifeng wants,” insisted the old lady.
“We’ve heard our own actresses so many times,” said Xifeng, “let’s spend some money and get in a troupe from outside.”
“I’m entrusting all the arrangements to Zhen’s wife,” announced the Lady Dowager. “We mustn’t make Xifeng work. She’s just to have fun that day.”
Madam You agreed to this. And they went on chatting till the old lady was tired, when the party slowly dispersed.
After seeing Lady Xing and Lady Wang off, Madam You called on Xifeng to discuss what arrangements to make for the party.
“Don’t ask me,” said Xifeng. “Just watch the old lady’s reactions and do whatever she wants.”
“You minx, you don’t deserve such luck, “Madam You teased. “I couldn’t think what we were being summoned for. So it was just for this. And as if paying up weren’t bad enough, I’ve got to go to so much trouble too. How are you going to thank me?”
“Don’t talk rubbish,” chuckled Xifeng. “I didn’t ask you to help, why should I thank you? If you think it too much trouble, go and ask the old lady to give someone else the job.”
“See how this has gone to your head!” Madam You laughed. “Take my advice and be a bit more modest. If you’re so full of yourself you’ll spill over!”
After some further conversation she left.
The next morning Madam You was still making her toilet when some silver was delivered to the Ning Mansion. “Who brought this?” she asked.
Her maids told her the wife of the steward Lin Zhixiao. She sent to have her fetched from the maids’ room. Madam You offered her a stool and still combing her hair inquired:
“How much is there in this packet?”
“It’s the money from the staff which we’ve brought over first,” was the answer. “The old lady’s and the mistresses’ isn’t here yet.”
At this point the maids announced, “People have come with chips from Madam Xue and the mistress in the other mansion.”
“You wretches,” scolded Madam You, smiling. “You only remember words of no consequence. Yesterday, for fun, the old lady decided to copy the way poor families chip in to raise money; but you keep solemnly repeating the word. Bring the silver in at once. And see that the messengers have some tea before they go.”
With a cheerful assent the maids brought in two packets of silver, including the shares of Baochai and Daiyu.
“Whose is still missing?” asked Madam You.
“The old lady’s, Lady Xing’s and the shares of the young ladies and their maids,” replied Mrs. Lin.
“How about Madam Zhu?”
“You’ll get hers from Madam Lian when you go over there, madam. It’s all there.”
Madam You, having finished her toilet, ordered her carriage and drove to the Rong Mansion. She called first on Xifeng, who had already wrapped the silver up ready to be delivered.
“Is it all here?” asked Madam You.
“Yes.” Xifeng smiled. “Hurry up and take it away. I won’t be responsible if anything’s lost.”
“I don’t quite believe you.” Madam You laughed. “I must count it here in your presence.” She did so, and found that Li Wan’s share was missing. “I knew you were up to one of your tricks,” she scolded. “Where’s your elder sister-in-law’s contribution?”
“Haven’t you got enough with all the rest? What does it matter if yo
u’re one share short? I’ll make it up later if your funds run out.”
“Yesterday in front of everyone you played the Lady Bountiful; now you want to get out of it, but I won’t let you. I’ll have to apply to the old lady now for the money.”
“What a terror you are,” protested Xifeng, smiling. “Don’t complain next time you’re in trouble if I put on the screws.”
“So you can be frightened too! I wouldn’t let you off if you weren’t usually so dutiful to me.” She took out Finger’s share then, saying, “Here, Pinger, take this back. I’ll make it up for you if we haven’t enough.”
Pinger understood and replied, “Do keep it, madam. If there’s any left over, you can give it back to me later just the same.”
“So your mistress is allowed to cheat, but I’m not allowed to bribe you,” teased Madam You.
Then Pinger had to take the money back.
“Your mistress is so thrifty,” continued Madam You, “I wonder what she does with all her money. If she can’t spend it all, she’ll have to take it and spend it when she’s in her coffin.”
With this she set off to pay her respects to the Lady Dowager, and after a little conversation with her adjourned to Yuanyang’s room to ask her advice about the party and how best to please the old lady. When their plans were made and she was ready to leave, Madam You returned Yuanyang’s two taels with the explanation:
“I shan’t be needing these.”
She went on then to Lady Wang’s apartments to chat, and when Lady Wang withdrew to her Buddhist shrine she gave Caiyun her share back too. Next she took advantage of Xifeng’s absence to reimburse the two concubines Zhou and Zhao as well. When they dared not take the silver she insisted:
“You’re not well off enough to afford this. If Xifeng hears about it, I’ll take the blame.”
Then the two women accepted with effusive thanks.
In no time it was the second of the ninth month. All the inmates of the Garden knew that Madam You had arranged for a grand party with not only operas but acrobatics and blind story-tellers too, both men and women. They were looking forward to a delightful time.
