A Dream of Red Mansion

by Cao Xueqin

  “I asked them just now,” said Tanchun. “Though they disclaimed modestly, they all seem as if they can. Even if they can’t, they can learn—look at Xiangling.”

  “Miss Xue’s cousin sounds the best of them all,” put in Xiren. “Is that your impression, miss?”

  “Yes,” said Tanchun. “I shouldn’t be surprised if she surpasses even Baochai and all the rest of us here.”

  “It will be strange if she does. I shouldn’t have thought it possible to find anyone better than her!” exclaimed Xiren, much impressed. “I must go and have a look.”

  “The old lady lost her heart to her as soon as she set eyes on her,” Tanchun continued. “She’s already told Lady Wang to adopt her as her daughter, and means to bring her up as her own grandchild. It’s just been decided.”

  “Is that true?” demanded Baoyu joyfully.

  “Since when have I lied to you?” retorted Tanchun. “Now that the old lady has this good grand-daughter she’ll forget you, her grandson.”

  “I don’t mind. It’s only right to love girls more. Tomorrow’s the sixteenth—our club ought to hold another meeting.”

  “Daiyu’s just out of bed and Yingchun’s ill again. There’s always someone missing.”

  “Yingchun doesn’t write much, so we can manage without her.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better, though, to wait a few days till the newcomers have settled down and then invite them? Our elder sister-in-law and Baochai naturally won’t be in a poetizing mood just now either. Besides, Xiangyun’s not here and Daiyu’s only just recovered. It wouldn’t suit anyone. Let’s wait till Xiangyun comes. By then the new arrivals will know us, Daiyu will be completely well, Li Wan and Baochai will have less on their minds, and Xiangling will have made further progress: then we can have a better meeting. Come on now, let’s go and see what’s happening in the old lady’s place. We don’t have to worry about Baochai’s cousin—it’s settled that she’s to stay here. If the other three aren’t, we can beg the old lady to invite them to stay in the Garden too. The more the merrier.”

  Baoyu’s face lit up. “That’s a splendid idea,” he cried. “I’m such a fool, I was so carried away by their arrival, I never thought of that.”

  The two of them went together then to the Lady Dowager’s quarters. Sure enough, the old lady was so delighted with Baoqin that she had made Lady Wang adopt her as her goddaughter. And overjoyed by this, she would not even hear of Baoqin staying in the Garden—the girl was to sleep with her. Xue Ke was to be put up in Xue Pan’s study.

  The Lady Dowager then told Lady Xing, “Your niece needn’t go home for a few days either. Let her enjoy herself in the Garden first.”

  As Lady Xing’s elder brother was poorly off, he and his wife had counted on her providing them with accommodation and financial assistance during this visit to the capital; so Xiuyan was entrusted to Xifeng. Now there were many girls, temperamentally different, in the Garden; and as Xifeng considered it unnecessary to open up another house for Xiuyan, she decided the best thing would be to put her up with Yingchun; for then if later Lady Xing heard that her niece was dissatisfied, no blame would attach to Xifeng. And not counting the time she chose to spend at home, each month that she stayed in Grand View Garden Xifeng would allocate her the same monthly allowance as Yingchun. Dispassionately appraising Xiuyan’s character and behaviour, she found her unlike both Lady Xing and her parents, being extremely gentle and lovable. So Xifeng gave her preferential treatment out of pity for her poverty and hard life, whereas Lady Xing paid little attention to her.

  Because the Lady Dowager and Lady Wang appreciated Li Wan’s good qualities and her admirable conduct since her husband’s untimely death, they would not hear of her widowed aunt staying anywhere but in their house. So although most reluctant to impose on them, on the old lady’s insistence Li Wan’s aunt had to move into Paddy-Sweet Cottage with her two daughters.

  Barely had the newcomers settled in than Shi Nai, Marquis of Baoling, was transferred to a provincial governorship. In a few days he would be taking his family to his new post. Not wanting to part with Xiangyun, the Lady Dowager kept her and had her fetched to their house, directing Xifeng go to give her a separate establishment. This Xiangyun resolutely declined, however, and at her insistence they let her move in with Baochai instead.

  Things were livelier in Grand View Garden now that thirteen people, counting in Xifeng, lived there. In addition to Li Wan who had senior status there were Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, Baochai, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Li Wen, Li Qi, Baoqin and Xiuyan, as well as Xifeng and Baoyu. Apart from the two married women, the other eleven were all about the same age—fifteen, sixteen or seventeen. Some of them had been born in the same month, on the same day or at the same hour, with the result that they themselves often confused their ages. Thus the terms “elder sister,” “younger sister,” “younger brother” and “elder brother” were bandied about at random.

  Xiangling’s whole heart was nowadays set on writing poetry, but she did not like to trouble Baochai too much. For her, talkative Xiangyun’s arrival was a stroke of luck, as the latter was only too glad to be consulted on poetry and would cheerfully hold forth on the subject at all hours of the day and night.

  “You’re deafening me with this noise,” protested Baochai jokingly. “Real scholars would laugh to hear a girl discussing poetry so seriously. They’d say you’d forgotten your place. One Xiangling is more than enough without a chatterbox like you joining in and spouting about “Du Fu’s profundity, Wei Yingwu’s quiet distinction, Wen Tingyun’s brilliance and Li Shangyin’s recondite obscurity.’ All these are dead poets; why harp on them without any mention of our two living poets?”

  “Which two living poets? Do tell me, dear sister,” begged Xiangyun.

  “The hard-working eccentric Xiangling and the garrulous lunatic Xiangyun,” answered Baochai.

  Xiangling and Xiangyun were laughing uproariously when Baoqin arrived. She was wearing a glittering green and gold cape made of some fabric they did not recognize.

  “Where did this come from?” asked Baochai.

  “The old lady got it out for me because it was beginning to hail,” replied her cousin.

  Xiangling examining it more closely remarked, “No wonder it’s so pretty; it’s made of peacock feathers.”

  “Not peacock feathers,” Xiangyun corrected her. “The feathers from wild ducks’ heads. That shows how fond of you the old lady is. Fond as she is of Baoyu, she never gave him this to wear.”

  “As the proverb says, ‘The fortune of each is predestined,’“ put in Baochai. “I never thought she’d come here at this time or that, having come, the old lady would take such a fancy to her.”

  Xiangyun told Baoqin, “There are two places here where you can enjoy yourself just as you please: the old lady’s apartments or here in the Garden. When you call on Lady Wang, if she’s at home it’s all right to stay and chat with her for a while; but if she’s out, don’t go in. They’re a nasty lot there who’d all like to do us in.”

  Baochai, Baoqin, Xiangling and Yinger all laughed.

  Baochai said, “That’s good sense from a flibbertigibbet like you, but you still talk too bluntly. Our Baoqin is rather like you. You’re always saying you wish I were your sister; but now I think you’d better take my cousin as your younger sister.”

  With another glance at Baoqin, Xiangyun said, “She’s the only one here fit to wear this cape. It’s too good for the rest of us.”

  As they were chatting Hupo came in with the message, “The old lady doesn’t want Miss Baochai to be too strict with Miss Baoqin, because she’s still very young. Just let her do as she pleases and ask for whatever she wants, and don’t interfere.”

  Baochai rose to give her assent, after which she nudged Baoqin and said mischievously, “I wonder where such good luck as yours comes from. Better leave us now before we start bullying you. I don’t see in what way I’m worse than you.”

  As she was teasing, Baoyu and Dai
yu arrived.

  “You’re only joking, cousin,” said Xiangyun, “but some people are really jealous.”

  “If anyone is, it must be him,” said Hupo laughingly, pointing at Baoyu.

  “Oh, no, not him,” Baochai and Xiangyun retorted in unison.

  “If not him, then her.” Giggling, Hupo pointed at Daiyu.

  Xiangyun kept silent but Baochai cried, “You’re even wider of the mark this time. She treats my cousin like her own sister; in fact she’s even fonder of her than I am. So how could she be jealous? Don’t believe that nonsense Xiangyun talks. You can never take anything she says seriously.”

  Baoyu knew very well how narrow-minded Daiyu could be, and having as yet no idea of what had recently passed between her and Baochai he was really afraid she might resent the Lady Dowager’s partiality for Baoqin. Her reactions to Xiangyun’s remark and Baochai’s answer were not what they would once have been but tallied with what Baochai had said, and this puzzled him. He thought, ‘The relationship between these two has changed, they now seem ten times better friends than the others.” And then he heard Daiyu address Baoqin as “younger sister” without mentioning her name, as if they were real sisters.

  Baoqin was young and warm-hearted, intelligent too, and well-educated from an early age. After a couple of days there she had formed a general impression of the Jia family. And since the girls gave themselves no airs but were all good to her cousin, she tried likewise to make herself agreeable to them. Noticing too that Daiyu stood out from the rest, she treated her even more affectionately. Baoyu observed all this with secret surprise.

  Presently Baochai and her cousin rejoined Aunt Xue, Xiangyun went to the Lady Dowager’s apartments, and Daiyu returned to her own rooms to rest.

  Baoyu followed her there and said with a smile, “Although I’ve read The Western Chamber and annoyed you by quoting some lines from it in fun, a line has occurred to me which I can’t understand. I’ll recite it now and see if you can explain it.”

  Sensing something behind this she said archly, “Go on.”

  “In that scene ‘Trouble Over the Billet-doux’ there’s an excellent line:

  Since when did Liang Hong and Meng Guang become so intimate?

  Isn’t that superb! The reference to Liang Hong and Meng Guang is just an ordinary classical allusion, but turned into a question it’s rather neat. So, since when? Can you explain?”

  Unable to suppress a laugh she replied, “That’s a good question. Well asked in the play, and well asked by you too.”

  “You wouldn’t take my word for it before. Now you two are getting on fine, but I’m left out in the cold.”

  “I never knew how truly good she was, but used to think she had ulterior motives.”

  Daiyu proceeded to give him a full account of all Baochai had said to her when she pulled her up for her gaffe in the drinking game, and her gift of bird’s-nest during her illness.

  This explained matters to Baoyu. “I was wondering since when Liang Hong and Meng Guang started to hit it off so well,” he said. “So it all came of her ‘being young and talking too freely.’“

  Then Daiyu spoke of Baoqin, and wept because she had no sister of her own.

  “There you go again, upsetting yourself for no reason,” scolded Baoyu. “Just see, you’re thinner this year than last, yet you won’t look after yourself. Every day you work yourself up for no reason at all, and aren’t satisfied until you’ve had a good cry.”

  Wiping her tears she answered, “I’ve been feeling sick at heart, but I don’t seem to cry as much as before. Though my heart aches, I haven’t many tears to shed.”

  “You just imagine that because you’re so used to crying,” he objected. “How can anyone’s tears dry up?”

  At this point one of his maids brought him a scarlet woolen cape and the message, “Madam Zhu just sent to say that, as it’s started to snow, she wants to consult you about calling a meeting of the poetry club tomorrow.”

  While she was still speaking a maid arrived from Li Wan with an invitation for Daiyu, and Baoyu urged her to go with him to Paddy-Sweet Cottage. Having put on red boots lined with lambskin and with a gold-thread cloud-design applique, a crimson silk cape lined with white fox-fur, a green and gold plaited belt with double rings, and a snow-hat, she walked with him through the snow to Li Wan’s apartments. There they found the other girls assembled, most of them in red capes of wool or satin. Li Wan, however, had on a gown of blue velvet buttoned down the middle, Baochai a pale purple woollen cape embroidered with flower designs, and Xiuyan her ordinary indoor clothes without any outer garments to keep off the snow.

  Presently Xiangyun arrived wearing an ermine coat lined with grey squirrel given her by the Lady Dowager, a scarlet woollen hood with a gosling-yellow applique of cloud designs and a golden lining, and a big sable collar.

  “Look, here comes the Monkey King!” exclaimed Daiyu laughing. “She’s got a cape too, yet she’s dressed herself up like a saucy little Tartar.”

  “You should see what I’m wearing underneath,” chuckled Xiangyun.

  Taking off the coat she revealed a narrow-sleeved, none too new greenish yellow satin tunic lined with white squirrel, with fur-lined cuffs and collar, which was embroidered with dragons in gold thread and coloured silks. Her pink satin breeches were lined with fox fur. A long-tasselled coloured butterfly belt was fastened tightly round her waist. Her boots were of green leather. With her slender build she looked thoroughly neat and dashing.

  “She loves dressing up like a boy,” they teased. “And that costume suits her better than a girl’s.”

  “Hurry up and discuss the poetry meeting,” urged Xiangyun. “I want to know who’s to be host.”

  “It was my idea,” said Li Wan. “We should have met yesterday, and the next date isn’t due for quite some time; so I thought, as it happens to have snowed, why shouldn’t we get together for a meeting to welcome the newcomers and to write some poems? What do the rest of you think?”

  “That’s a good idea,” responded Baoyu promptly. “But it’s too late today, and tomorrow if the weather clears it won’t be such fun.”

  “The snow may not stop,” said the others, “Even if it does, this evening’s fall is big enough to enjoy.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with this place, but Reed Snow Cottage would be even better,” remarked Li Wan. “I’ve already sent people there to heat the flues under the floor, and we can sit round the fire and write poems. I don’t suppose the old lady will be in the mood to join us. And as we’re just going there for a romp, we need only let Xifeng know. Each of you can send one tael of silver here, and that ought to be enough.” Indicating Xiangling, Baoqin, Li Wen, Li Qi and Xiuyan, she continued, “We’ll leave these five newcomers out, as well as Yingchun who’s poorly and Xichun who’s asked for leave. If you four send your share. I guarantee that five or six taels will be ample.”

  Baochai and the others readily agreed, then asked what the subject and the rhyme would be.

  “I’ve already decided, but all in good time,” replied Li Wan with a smile. “You’ll hear what I’ve chosen tomorrow.”

  After charting a little longer they went to see the Lady Dowager. And nothing more of consequence happened that day.

  Too excited to sleep soundly, Baoyu got up the next day as soon as it was light to draw the curtains. Although the blinds were down, it was so bright outside that he concluded regretfully that the weather must have cleared and the sun had come out. When he raised the blinds, however, to look through the glass window, he discovered that this brightness was not sunlight. It had been snowing hard all night so that the snow lay over a foot deep, and it was still falling in great flakes like cotton-wool.

  In high delight he called for someone to help him with his toilet. Wearing just his purple velvet gown lined with fox-fur and an otter waistcoat and belt, with a fine coir cape over his shoulders, a rattan hat on his head and patterns on his feet, he set off without delay for Reed Snow Cot
tage.

  Once outside his own gate he gazed round. All was white except for some green pines and emerald bamboos in the distance, so that he had the sensation of being in a crystal bowl. As he rounded the foot of the slope he smelt a cold fragrance and, looking over his shoulder, saw a dozen or so crimson plum trees in Green Lattice Nunnery where Miaoyu lived, their blossom, red as rouge, reflected in the snow and remarkably vivid against it. He stopped there awhile to enjoy the sight. As he was about to continue on his way, on Wasp-Waist Bridge he saw a messenger with an umbrella sent by Li Wan to invite Xifeng over.

  Outside Reed Snow Cottage, maids were sweeping the snow from the path. This cottage was built on the bank of a stream by a hill. Its adobe rooms with their thatched roofs and bamboo windows were surrounded by a wattle-fence, and it was possible to fish through the windows. All around grew clumps of reeds, through which a path meandered to the bamboo bridge of Lotus Fragrance Anchorage.

  When the maids saw Baoyu approaching in his rattan hat and coir cape, they burst out laughing.

  “We were just saying we needed a fisherman, and here you are to fill the bill,” they cried. “The young ladies won’t be coming till after breakfast. You’re too impatient.”

  Baoyu had to go back then, and he had just reached Seeping Fragrance Pavilion when he saw Tanchun in a hooded scarlet woollen cape emerging from Autumn Freshness Studio leaning on the arm of a maid, followed by a serving-woman with a black silk umbrella. Guessing that she was on her way to see their grandmother, he waited for her by the pavilion and they left the Garden together.

  In the Lady Dowager’s inner room, Baoqin was doing her hair and changing her clothes. Soon all the girls arrived and Baoyu set up a clamour, urging them to hurry breakfast because he was hungry. When finally the tables were laid, however, the first dish was a lamb embryo steamed in milk

  “This is a tonic for us old people,” said the Lady Dowager. “It’s a creature that’s never seen the sky and the sun, so I’m afraid you children mustn’t eat it. There’s some fresh venison which you can have presently.”