第四十一回
第四十一回 栊翠庵茶品梅花雪 怡红院劫遇母蝗虫
话说刘姥姥两只手比着说道：“花儿落了结个大倭瓜。”众人听了哄堂大笑起来。于是吃过门杯，因又逗趣笑道：“实告诉说罢，我的手脚子粗笨，又喝了酒，仔细失手打了这瓷杯。有木头的杯〔一〕取个子来，我便失了手，掉了地下也无碍。”众人听了，又笑起来。
凤姐儿听如此说，便忙笑道：“果真要木头的，我就取了来。可有一句先说下：这木头的可比不得瓷的，他都是一套，定要吃遍一套方使得。”刘姥姥听了心下敁敠道：“我方才不过是趣话取笑儿，谁知他果真竟有。我时常在村庄乡绅大家也赴过席，金杯银杯倒都也见过，从来没见有木头杯之说。哦，是了，想必是小孩子们使的木碗儿，不过诓我多喝两碗。别管他，横竖这酒蜜水儿似的，多喝点子也无妨。”想毕，便说：“取来再商量。”凤姐乃命丰儿：“到前面里间屋，书架子上有十个竹根套杯取来。”
丰儿听了，答应才然[2]要去，鸳鸯笑道：“我知道你这十个杯还小。况且你才说是木头的，这会子又拿了竹根子的来，倒不好看。不如把我们那里的黄杨根整抠的十个大套杯拿来，灌他十下子。”凤姐儿笑道：“更好了。”鸳鸯果命人取来。刘姥姥一看，又惊又喜：惊的是一连十个，挨次大小分下来，那大的足似个小盆子，第十个极小的还有手里的杯子两个大；喜的是雕镂奇绝，一色山水树木人物，并有草字以及图印。因忙说道：“拿了那小的来就是了，怎么这样多？”凤姐儿笑道：“这个杯没有喝一个的理。我们家因没有这大量的，所以没人敢使他。姥姥既要，好容易寻了出来，必定要挨次吃一遍才使得。”刘姥姥唬的忙道：“这个不敢。好姑奶奶，饶了我罢。”贾母、薛姨妈、王夫人知道他上了年纪的人，禁不起，忙笑道：“说是说，笑是笑，不可多吃了，只吃这头一杯罢。”刘姥姥道：“阿弥陀佛！我还是小杯吃罢。把这大杯收着，我带了家去慢慢的吃罢。”说的众人又笑起来。鸳鸯无法，只得命人满斟了一大杯，刘姥姥两手捧着喝。
贾母薛姨妈都道：“慢些，不要呛了。”薛姨妈又命凤姐儿布了菜。凤姐笑道：“姥姥要吃什么，说出名儿来，我搛了喂你。”刘姥姥道：“我知什么名儿，样样都是好的。”贾母笑道：“你把茄鲞[3]搛[4]些喂他。”凤姐儿听说，依言搛些茄鲞送入刘姥姥口中，因笑道：“你们天天吃茄子，也尝尝我们的茄子弄的可口不可口。”刘姥姥笑道：“别哄我了，茄子跑出这个味儿来了，我们也不用种粮食，只种茄子了。”众人笑道：“真是茄子，我们再不哄你。”刘姥姥诧异道：“真是茄子？我白吃了半日。姑奶奶再喂我些，这一口细嚼嚼。”凤姐儿果又搛了些放入口内。
刘姥姥细嚼了半日，笑道：“虽有一点茄子香，只是还不像是茄子。告诉我是个什么法子弄的，我也弄着吃去。”凤姐儿笑道：“这也不难。你把才下来的茄子把皮[5]了，只要净肉，切成碎钉子，用鸡油炸了，再用鸡脯子肉并香菌、新笋、蘑菇，五香腐干、各色干果子，俱切成钉子，用鸡汤煨了，将香油一收，外加糟油[6]一拌，盛在瓷罐子里封严，要吃时拿出来，用炒的鸡瓜[7]一拌就是。”刘姥姥听了，摇头吐舌说道：“我的佛祖！倒得十来只鸡来配他，怪道这个味儿！”一面说笑，一面慢慢的吃完了酒，还只管细玩那杯。
凤姐笑道：“还是不足兴，再吃一杯罢。”刘姥姥忙道：“了不得，那就醉死了。我因为爱这样范[8]，亏他怎么作了。”鸳鸯笑道：“酒吃完了，到底这杯子是什么木的？”刘姥姥笑道：“怨不得姑娘不认得，你们在这金门绣户的，如何认得木头！我们成日家和树林子作街坊，困了枕着他睡，乏了靠着他坐，荒年间饿了还吃他，眼睛里天天见他，耳朵里天天听他，口儿里天天讲他，所以好歹真假，我是认得的。让我认一认。”一面说，一面细细端详了半日，道：“你们这样人家断没有那贱东西，那容易得的木头，你们也不收着了。我掂着这杯体重，断乎不是杨木，这一定是黄松的。”众人听了，哄堂大笑起来。
只见一个婆子走来请问贾母，说：“姑娘们都到了藕香榭，请示下，就演罢还是再等一会子？”贾母忙笑道：“可是倒忘了他们，就叫他们演罢。”那个婆子答应去了。不一时，只听得箫管悠扬，笙笛并发。正值风清气爽之时，那乐声穿林度水而来，自然使人神怡心旷。
宝玉先禁不住，拿起壶来斟了一杯，一口饮尽。复又斟上，才要饮，只见王夫人也要饮，命人换暖酒，宝玉连忙将自己的杯捧了过来，送到王夫人口边，王夫人便就他手内吃了两口。一时暖酒来了，宝玉仍归旧坐，王夫人提了暖壶下席来，众人皆都出了席，薛姨妈也立起来，贾母忙命李、凤二人接过壶来：“让你姨妈〔二〕坐了，大家才便。”王夫人见如此说，方将壶递与凤姐，自己归坐。贾母笑道：“大家吃上两杯，今日着实有趣。”说着擎杯让薛姨妈，又向湘云宝钗道：“你姐妹两个也吃一杯。你妹妹虽不大会吃，也别饶他。”说着自己已干了。湘云、宝钗、黛玉也都干了。当下刘姥姥听见这般音乐，且又有了酒，越发喜的手舞足蹈起来。宝玉因下席过来向黛玉笑道：“你瞧刘姥姥的样子。”黛玉笑道：“当日圣乐一奏，百兽率舞[10]，如今才一牛耳。”众姐妹都笑了。
须臾乐止，薛姨妈出席笑道：“大家的酒想也都有了，且出去散散再坐罢。”贾母也正要散散，于是大家出席，都随着贾母游玩。贾母因要带着刘姥姥散闷，遂携了刘姥姥至山前树下盘桓了半晌，又说与他这是什么树，这是什么石，这是什么花。刘姥姥一一的领会，又向贾母道：“谁知城里不但人尊贵，连雀儿也是尊贵的。偏这雀儿到了你们这里，他也变俊了，也会说话了。”众人不解，因问什么雀儿变俊了，会讲话。刘姥姥道：“那廊下金架子上站的绿毛红嘴是鹦哥儿，我是认得的。那笼子里黑老鸹子怎么又长出凤头来[11]，也会说话呢。”众人听了都笑将起来。
一时只见丫鬟们来请用点心。贾母道：“吃了两杯酒，倒也不饿。也罢，就拿了这里来，大家随便吃些罢。”丫鬟听说，便去抬了两张几来，又端了两个小捧盒。揭开看时，每个盒内两样：这盒内一样是藕粉桂糖糕，一样是松穰鹅油卷。那盒内一样是一寸来大的小饺儿。贾母因问什么馅儿，婆子们忙回是螃蟹的。贾母听了，皱眉说：“这油腻腻的，谁吃这个！”那一样是奶油炸的各色小面果，也不喜欢。因让薛姨妈吃，薛姨妈只拣了一块糕。贾母拣了一个卷子，只尝了一尝，剩的半个递与丫鬟了。
刘姥姥因见那各式各样的小面果子都玲珑剔透，便拣了一朵牡丹花样的笑道：“我们那里最巧的姐儿们，也不能铰出这么个纸的来。我又爱吃，又舍不得吃，包些家去给他们做花样子去倒好。”众人都笑了。贾母道：“家去我送你一瓷坛子。你先趁热吃这个罢。”别人不过拣各人爱吃的吃了一两点就罢了；刘姥姥原不曾吃过这些东西，且都作的小巧，不显盘堆的，他和板儿每样吃了些，就去了半盘子。剩的，凤姐又命攒了两盘并一个攒盒，与文官等吃去。
忽见奶子抱了大姐儿来，大家哄他顽了一会。那大姐儿因抱着一个大柚子玩的，忽见板儿抱着一个佛手，便也要佛手。丫鬟哄他取去，大姐儿等不得，便哭了。众人忙把柚子与了板儿，将板儿的佛手哄过来与他才罢。那板儿因顽了半日佛手，此刻又两手抓着些果子吃，又忽见这柚子又香又圆，更觉好顽，且当球踢着玩去，也就不要佛手了。
当下贾母等吃过茶，又带了刘姥姥至栊翠庵来。妙玉忙接了进去。至院中见花木繁盛，贾母笑道：“到底是他们修行的人，没事常常修理，比别处越发好看。”一面说，一面便往东禅堂[12]来。妙玉笑往里让，贾母道：“我们才都吃了酒肉，你这里头有菩萨，冲了罪过。我们这里坐坐，把你的好茶拿来，我们吃一杯就去了。”妙玉听了，忙去烹了茶来。
宝玉留神看他是怎么行事。只见妙玉亲自捧了一个海棠花式雕漆填金云龙献寿的小茶盘，里面放一个成窑[13]五彩小盖钟[14]，捧与贾母。贾母道：“我不吃六安茶[15]。”妙玉笑说：“知道。这是老君眉[16]。”贾母接了，又问是什么水。妙玉笑回“是旧年蠲[17]的雨水。”贾母便吃了半盏，便笑着递与刘姥姥说：“你尝尝这个茶。”刘姥姥便一口吃尽，笑道：“好是好，就是淡些，再熬浓些更好了。”贾母众人都笑起来。然后众人都是一色官窑脱胎填白盖碗[18]。
那妙玉便把宝钗和黛玉的衣襟一拉，二人随他出去，宝玉悄悄的随后跟了来。只见妙玉让他二人在耳房内，宝钗坐在榻上，黛玉便坐在妙玉的蒲团上。妙玉自向风炉上扇滚了水，另泡一壶茶。宝玉便走了进来，笑道：“偏你们吃梯己茶呢。”二人都笑道：“你又赶了来飺[19]茶吃。这里并没你的。”妙玉刚要去取杯，只见道婆收了上面的茶盏来。妙玉忙命：“将那成窑的茶杯别收了，搁在外头去罢。”宝玉会意，知为刘姥姥吃了，他嫌脏不要了。
又见妙玉另拿出两只杯来。一个旁边有一耳，杯上镌着“瓟斝”[20]三个隶字，后有一行小真字是“晋王恺珍玩[21]”，又有“宋元丰五年四月眉山苏轼见于秘府[22]”一行小字。妙玉便斟了一斝，递与宝钗。那一只形似钵而小，也有三个垂珠篆字[23]，镌着“点犀”〔三〕[25]。妙玉斟了一与黛玉。仍将前番自己常日吃茶的那只绿玉斗来斟与宝玉。
宝玉笑道：“常言‘世法平等’[26]，他两个就用那样古玩奇珍，我就是个俗器了。”妙玉道：“这是俗器？不是我说狂话，只怕你家里未必找的出这么一个俗器来呢。”宝玉笑道：“俗话说‘随乡入乡’，到了你这里，自然把那金玉珠宝一概贬为俗器了。”妙玉听如此说，十分欢喜，遂又寻出一只九曲十环一百二十节蟠虬整雕竹根的一个大[27]出来，笑道：“就剩了这一个，你可吃的了这一海[28]？”宝玉喜的忙道：“吃的了。”妙玉笑道：“你虽吃的了，也没这些茶糟踏。岂不闻‘一杯为品，二杯即是解渴的蠢物，三杯便是饮牛饮骡了’。你吃这一海便成什么？”说的宝钗、黛玉、宝玉都笑了。妙玉执壶，只向海内斟了约有一杯。宝玉细细吃了，果觉轻浮[29]无比，赏赞不绝。妙玉正色道：“你这遭吃的茶是托他两个福，独你来了，我是不给你吃的。”宝玉笑道：“我深知道的，我也不领你的情，只谢他二人便是了。”妙玉听了，方说：“这话明白。”
黛玉因问：“这也是旧年的雨水？”妙玉冷笑道：“你这么个人，竟是大俗人，连水也尝不出来。这是五年前我在玄墓[30]蟠香寺住着，收的梅花上的雪，共得了那一鬼脸青〔四〕[32]的花瓮一瓮，总舍不得吃，埋在地下，今年夏天才开了。我只吃过一回，这是第二回了。你怎么尝不出来？隔年蠲的雨水那有这样轻浮，如何吃得。”黛玉知他天性怪僻，不好多话，亦不好多坐，吃完茶，便约着宝钗走了出来。
宝玉和妙玉陪笑道：“那茶杯虽然脏了，白撂了岂不可惜？依我说，不如就给那贫婆子罢，他卖了也可以度日。你道可使得？”妙玉听了，想了一想，点头说道：“这也罢了。幸而那杯子是我没吃过的，若是我吃过的〔五〕，我就砸碎了也不能给他。你要给他，我也不管你，只交给你，快拿了去罢。”宝玉笑道：“自然如此，你那里和他说话授受去，越发连你也脏了。只交与我就是了。”妙玉便命人拿来递与宝玉。
宝玉接了，又道：“等我们出去了，我叫几个小幺儿来河里打几桶水来洗地如何？”妙玉笑道：“这更好了，只是你嘱咐他们，抬了水只搁在山门外头墙根下，别进门来。”宝玉道：“这是自然的。”说着，便袖着那杯，递与贾母房中小丫头拿着，说：“明日刘姥姥家去，给他带去罢。”交代明白，贾母已经出来要回去。妙玉亦不甚留，送出山门，回身便将门闭了。不在话下。
且说贾母因觉身上乏倦，便命王夫人和迎春姊妹陪了薛姨妈去吃酒，自己便往稻香村来歇息。凤姐忙命人将小竹椅抬来，贾母坐上，两个婆子抬起，凤姐李纨和众丫鬟婆子围随去了，不在话下。这里薛姨妈也就辞出。王夫人打发文官等出去，将攒盒散与众丫鬟们吃去，自己便也乘空歇着，随便歪在方才贾母坐的榻上，命一个小丫头放下帘子来，又命他捶着腿，吩咐他：“老太太那里有信，你就叫我。”说着也歪着睡着了。
宝玉湘云等看着丫鬟们将攒盒搁在山石上，也有坐在山石上的，也有坐在草地下的，也有靠着树的，也有傍着水的，倒也十分热闹。一时又见鸳鸯来了，要带着刘姥姥各处去逛，众人也都赶着取笑。一时来至“省亲别墅”的牌坊底下，刘姥姥道：“嗳呀！这里还有个大庙呢。”说着，便爬下磕头。众人笑弯了腰。刘姥姥道：“笑什么？这牌楼上字我都认得。我们那里这样的庙宇最多，都是这样的牌坊，那字就是庙的名字。”众人笑道：“你认得这是什么庙？”刘姥姥便抬头指那字道：“这不是‘玉皇宝殿’四字？”众人笑的拍手打脚，还要拿他取笑。刘姥姥觉得腹内一阵乱响，忙的拉着一个小丫头，要了两张纸就解衣。众人又是笑，又忙喝他：“这里使不得！”忙命一个婆子带了东北角上去了。那婆子指与地方，便乐得走开去歇息。
那刘姥姥因喝了些酒，他脾气[34]不与黄酒相宜，且吃了许多油腻饮食，发渴多喝了几碗茶，不免通泻起来，蹲了半日方完。及出厕来，酒被风禁，且年迈之人，蹲了半天，忽一起身，只觉得眼花头眩，辨不出路径。四顾一望，皆是树木山石楼台房舍，却不知那一处是往那里去的了，只得认着一条石子路慢慢的走来。及至到了房舍跟前，又找不着门，再找了半日，忽见一带竹篱，刘姥姥心中自忖道：“这里也有扁豆架子。”
一面想，一面顺着花障走了来，得了一个月洞门进去。只见迎面忽有一带水池，只有七八尺宽，石头砌岸，里面碧浏清水流往那边去了，上面有一块白石横架在上面。刘姥姥便度石过去，顺着石子甬路走去，转了两个弯子，只见有一房门。于是进了房门，只见迎面一个女孩儿，满面含笑迎了出来。刘姥姥忙笑道：“姑娘们把我丢下来了，要我碰头碰到这里来。”说了，只觉那女孩儿不答。刘姥姥便赶来拉他的手，“咕咚”一声，便撞到板壁上，把头碰的生疼。细瞧了一瞧，原来是一幅画儿。刘姥姥自忖道：“原来画儿有这样活凸出来的。”一面想，一面看，一面又用手摸去，却是一色平的，点头叹了两声。一转身方得了一个小门，门上挂着葱绿撒花软帘。
刘姥姥掀帘进去，抬头一看，只见四面墙壁玲珑剔透，琴剑瓶炉皆贴在墙上，锦笼纱罩，金彩珠光，连地下踩的砖，皆是碧绿凿花，竟越发把眼花了，找门出去，那里有门？左一架书，右一架屏。刚从屏后得了一门转去，只见他亲家母也从外面迎了进来。刘姥姥诧异，忙问道：“你想是见我这几日没家去，亏你找我来。那一位姑娘带你进来的？”他亲家只是笑，不还言。刘姥姥笑道：“你好没见世面，见这园里的花好，你就没死活戴了一头。”他亲家也不答。便心下忽然想起：“常听大富贵人家有一种穿衣镜，这别是我在镜子里头呢罢？”说毕伸手一摸，再细一看，可不是，四面雕空紫檀板壁将镜子嵌在中间。因说：“这已经拦住，如何走出去呢？”一面说，一面只管用手摸。
这镜子原是西洋机括[35]，可以开合。不意刘姥姥乱摸之间，其力巧合，便撞开消息，掩过镜子，露出门来。刘姥姥又惊又喜，迈步出来，忽见有一副最精致的床帐。他此时又带了七八分醉，又走乏了，便一屁股坐在床上，只说歇歇，不承望身不由己，前仰后合的，朦胧着两眼，一歪身就睡熟在床上。
且说众人等他不见，板儿见没了他姥姥，急的哭了。众人都笑道：“别是掉在〔六〕茅厕里了？快叫人去瞧瞧。”因命两个婆子去找，回来说没有。众人各处搜寻不见。袭人敠其道路：“是他醉了迷了路，顺着这一条路往我们后院子里去了。若进了花障子到后房门进去，虽然碰头，还有小丫头们知道；若不进花障子再往西南上去，若绕出去还好，若绕不出去，可够他绕回子好的。我且瞧瞧去。”一面想，一面回来，进了怡红院便叫人，谁知那几个房子里小丫头已偷空顽去了。
袭人一直进了房门，转过集锦槅子[37]，就听的鼾齁〔七〕如雷。忙进来，只闻见酒屁臭气。满屋一瞧，只见刘姥姥扎手舞脚的仰卧在床上。袭人这一惊不小，慌忙赶上来将他没死活的推醒。那刘姥姥惊醒，睁眼见了袭人，连忙爬起来道：“姑娘，我失错了！并没弄脏了床帐。”一面说，一面用手去掸。
袭人恐惊动了人被宝玉知道了，只向他摇手，不叫他说话。忙将鼎内贮了三四把百合香〔八〕，仍用罩子罩上。些须收拾收拾，所喜不曾呕吐，忙悄悄的笑道：“不相干，有我呢。你随我出来。”刘姥姥满口答应，跟了袭人出至小丫头们房中。命他坐了，向他说道：“你就说醉倒在山子石上打了个盹儿。”刘姥姥答应知道。又与他两碗茶吃，方觉酒醒了，因问道：“这是那个小姐的绣房，这样精致？我就像到了天宫里的一样。”袭人微微笑道：“这个么，是宝二爷的卧室。”那刘姥姥吓的不敢作声。袭人带他从前面出去，见了众人，只说他在草地下睡着了，带了他来的。众人都不理会，也就罢了。
一时贾母醒了，就在稻香村摆晚饭。贾母因觉懒懒的，也不吃饭，便坐了竹椅小敞轿，回至房中歇息，命凤姐儿等去吃饭。他姊妹方复进园来。要知端的——
〔一〕 “木头的杯”，原“的”点改为“酒”，甲辰本同底本原文，从。
[2] 才然——即刚刚。《三国志平话》卷上：“（司马仲相）才然道罢……”《西游记》第五回：“……我才然离了师父……”
[3] 茄鲞（xiǎng享）——由本文可知茄鲞是一种以茄子为主料经深加工而成的冷菜。清·丁宜曾《农圃便览》记载民间制作茄鲞的方法。鲞：原指干鱼、腊鱼，亦泛指成片或成丁的腌腊食品。
[4] 搛（jiān兼）——夹持，此指用筷子夹菜。
[5] （qiān千）——削。
[6] 糟油——用酒糟调制的油，用来浇拌凉菜。
[7] 鸡瓜——鸡的腱子肉或胸脯肉。因其长圆如瓜形，故称。一说即鸡丁。
[8] 样范——模型，榜样。这里是模样的意思。
〔二〕 “姨妈”，原作“姑妈”，“姑”点改为“姨”。蒙府本作“姨妈”，从。
[10] 圣乐一奏，百兽率舞——语出《尚书·虞书·益稷》：“击石拊石，百兽率舞。”意思是舜时乐器一响，百兽全都随乐起舞。
[11] 黑老鸹子……长出凤头来——这里实指八哥。黑老鸹子，即乌鸦。八哥与乌鸦形近，喙部上端多一撮凤毛（即凤头）。
[12] 禅堂——犹言佛堂，僧尼参禅礼佛的地方。
[13] 成窑——指明代成化年间官窑所出的瓷器，以五彩者为上。明谷泰《博物要览》：“成窑上品，无过五彩，葡萄敞口扁肚靶杯，式较宣杯妙甚。”
[14] 盖钟——有盖的小杯。钟：同“盅”。
[15] 六安茶——产于安徽省六安县。明代屠隆《考槃馀事》：六安茶“品亦精，入药最效，但不善炒，不能发香，而味苦，茶之本性实佳。”
[16] 老君眉——福建武夷山所产的岩茶，精选嫩芽制成，香气高爽，其味甘醇，形如长眉，名“老君眉”。见郭柏苍《闽产录异》。一说六安银针即老君眉。
[17] 蠲（juān捐）——通“涓”，清洁。这里是密闭封存使之澄清的意思。
[18] 官窑脱胎填白盖碗——一种名贵的青瓷盖碗。官窑：专为供应宫廷所需而设的瓷窑，始于北宋大观、政和年间，明清相沿。脱胎：凸印团花，刷以深浅不一的豆青色玛瑙釉，光润明亮，视之若无胎骨，称“脱胎”；始制于宋代汝州青器窑，后来的官窑亦有仿制品。填白：即甜白。原指明永乐年间烧制的半脱胎白瓷釉色、呈半木光状，具有甜润的白糖色泽的瓷器。此处“盖碗”应是清初官窑烧制胎质极薄的甜白釉盖碗。
[19] 飺（cí雌）——本当作“”，窃视之意，引申为伺机讨要，沾光、揩油。“飺”与“雌”均为“”的记音字，此处“飺茶吃”与《金瓶梅》中“雌饭吃”（见该书第三十五回）用法相同。
[20] 瓟（bān páo班袍）斝——、瓟：均葫芦类。斝：饮器。瓟斝：用一斝形模子套在小瓟上，使之按模子的形状成长，成型后去子风干做饮器。一说是一种特制的饮器，状似瓟，故名。
[21] 王恺珍玩——王恺：晋代著名的富豪，喜蓄珍奇宝物。这里所谓“王恺珍玩”和下文“苏轼见于秘府”等语，乃小说家言，意在写其珍贵。
[22] 秘府——又称秘阁，古代宫廷中藏图书秘珍的地方。
[23] 垂珠篆字——或即垂露篆字。相传为汉郎中曹喜所创，笔划断续成小点，犹如串串垂珠或点点轻露，故名。见《古今篆隶》。
〔三〕 “点犀”，原作“杏犀”，从甲辰本改。
[25] 点犀（qiáo桥）——犀牛角做成的饮器。：碗类器皿。《岭表录异》：堕罗犀，犀中最大，其角有重七斤者，云是牯犀。额上有细花，多是撒豆斑。色深者堪为胯具，斑散而浅者即治为杯盘器皿之类。以“点犀”取名，似借李商隐《无题》诗“心有灵犀一点通”诗意，极言此之珍贵。一说“点犀”应作“杏犀”：一般犀角制成的器皿，不论白天或灯光下，都呈不透明的灰褐色，只有上好的犀角制成的器皿，对着光看，呈半透明的杏黄色，但极罕见。
[26] 世法平等——佛家语。即平等地对待世间的一切事物。《金刚经》：“是法平等，无有高下。”法：梵文“达磨”的意译，指信条、规范等，有时亦通指一切事物。
[27] 蟠虬（qiú hǎi求海）——蟠：盘曲。虬：《离骚》王逸注：“有角曰龙，无角曰虬。”一说，龙子之有角者曰虬。：大杯。
[28] 海——这里指容量大的器皿。今犹称大碗为海碗。
[29] 轻浮——言茶味不凡。宋吴淑《茶赋》：“轻飙浮云之美。”
[30] 玄墓——山名，在今江苏吴县。相传东晋郁泰玄葬此，故名。山多梅，花开时望之若雪，有“香雪海”之誉。
〔四〕 “鬼脸青”，原作“鬼胎青”，从各本改。
[32] 鬼脸青——一种釉色深蓝的瓷。此处鬼脸青花瓷瓮，应是清代官窑或民窑烧制的青花瓷器之一种。
〔五〕 “若是我吃过的”，原作“若我使过”，据俄藏、杨藏本改。
[34] 脾气——这里犹言脾胃。
[35] 机括——旧称弩的发箭器叫“机”，矢末扣弦之处叫“括”。这里指一触即动的开关装置，也叫“消息”或“机关”。
〔六〕 “掉在”，原作“吊在”，从甲辰本改。
[37] 集锦槅（ɡé隔）子——又称“多宝塔”、“博古架”，多以贵重木料制成各种形状的槅子，可摆设各种珍奇古物，是我国古代建筑内檐装修隔断的一种。
〔七〕 “鼾齁”，原作“鼾”，戚序本作“声”。从俄藏、甲辰本改。
〔八〕 “贮了三四把百合香”，原无“百”字，“把”点改为“块九”，“香”下旁添“的饼儿”。此从蒙府本。
CHAPTER 41. Jia Bao-yu tastes some superior tea at Green Bower Hermitage And Grannie Liu samples the sleeping accommodation at Green Delights
‘THIS flower will to a pumpkin grow.’
As Grannie Liu of the flower-studded hair said this, gesturing with her hands to suggest the size of the full-grown pumpkin, a shout of laughter rose from all those present.
She drank the ‘pass’ cup.
‘To be truthful,’ she said, aiming for another laugh, ‘I’m but a clumsy body at the best of times, and having drunk so much, I’m scared of breaking this pretty cup you’ve given me. You should have given me a wooden one; then if I dropped it, it wouldn’t matter.’
The others laughed; but Xi-feng pretended to take her seriously:
‘If you really want a wooden cup to drink out of, I can find you one. But I’d better warn you. The wooden ones aren’t like these porcelain ones; they come in sets of different sizes, and if we get them out for you, you’ll have to drink out of every one in the set.’
Grannie Liu calculated.
‘I was only joking,’ she thought. ‘I didn’t think they’d really have any. When I’ve dined with the gentry back home, I’ve seen many a gold and silver cup in their houses, but never a wooden one. I expect these will be wooden bowls that the children use. It’s a trick to make me drink a lot. Well, never mind. This stuff’s not much more than sugared water anyway. It can do me no harm if I drink a bit extra.’
Having so reflected, she made reply:
‘Very well. Let’s see them first though.’
‘Go to the inner room of the front apartment,’ Xi-feng told Felicity, ‘and fetch me that set of ten winecups on the bookcase – the ones carved out of bamboo root.’
But before Felicity could go on her errand, Faithful made a counter-proposal:
‘I know that set of yours: they’re not very big cups, and in any case, you promised her wooden ones and yours are only made of bamboo. Much better give her ten boxwood ones and make her drink out of them.’
‘All right,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Better still.’ So Faithful sent someone to fetch them.
The sight of these cups when they arrived both alarmed and delighted Grannie Liu. What alarmed her was their size. The largest was as big as a small hand-basin and even the smallest one was twice as big as the cup she held in her hand. What delighted her was the consummate artistry of the carving. On each of the ten cups, in smaller and smaller replicas, was the same landscape with little trees and human figures in it and even some lines of minute ‘grass character’ writing and a tiny carved representation of an artist’s seal.
‘I’ll take the smallest one,’ she said hurriedly.
‘Oh no!’ said Xi-feng, smiling. These cups have never been used before, because up to now we’ve never found any-one with a big enough capacity to drink from them. Now that you’ve asked for them and we’ve been to the trouble of getting them out for you, we must insist on your drinking from every one of them.’
‘I couldn’t,’ said Grannie Liu in a panic. ‘Please, Mrs Lian, don’t make me!’
Grandmother Jia, Aunt Xue and Lady Wang all realized that a person of Grannie Liu’s advanced years could not possibly be expected to imbibe so huge a quantity of liquor without the direst consequences, and laughingly pleaded for her.
‘Come now, a joke is a joke. You mustn’t make her drink too much. Let her just drink from the largest one.’
‘Holy name!’ said Grannie Liu. ‘Can’t I just drink from the smallest one, like I said? I can take the largest one home with me and drink it up by degrees.’
The others laughed. Faithful, obliged to relent, ordered one of the larger, but not the largest cup to be filled, and Grannie Liu, holding it in both her hands, began to drink.
‘Drink it slowly, now,’ Grandmother Jia and Aunt Xue counselled her. ‘Don’t make yourself choke.’
Aunt Xue told Xi-feng to offer the old woman something to eat with her bowlful.
‘What would you like, Grannie?’ said Xi-feng. ‘Just name it and I’ll feed you some.’
‘I don’t know the names of any of these dishes,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘Anything you like. They all taste good to me.’
‘Give her some of the dried aubergine,’ said Grandmother Jia.
Xi-feng collected some between her chopsticks and held it up to Grannie Liu’s mouth.
‘There. I expect at home you eat aubergines every day. Try some of ours and see what you think of it.’
‘You’re having me on,’ said Grannie Liu, when she had eaten the proffered mouthful. ‘No aubergine ever had a flavour like that. If it did, we’d give up growing other crops and grow nothing but aubergines!’
‘It really is aubergine,’ the others laughingly assured her. ‘This time we’re not having you on.’
‘Really?’ said Grannie Liu in some surprise. ‘Well, I couldn’t have had my mind on it properly while I was eating it. Give me a bit more, Mrs Lian, and this time I’ll chew it more carefully.’
Xi-feng took up some more from the dish in her chopsticks and popped it into Grannie Liu’s mouth. After prolonged, reflective mastication Grannie Liu agreed that there was indeed a slight hint of aubergine in the flavour.
‘But I still say this isn’t really like aubergine,’ she said. ‘Tell me the recipe, so that I can make it for myself.’
‘It’s simple,’ said Xi-feng. ‘You pick the aubergines in the fourth or fifth month when they’re just ripe, skin them, remove the pulp and pips and cut into thread-fine strips which you dry in the sun. Then you take the stock from one whole fat boiling-fowl, put the dried aubergine-strips into a steamer and steam them over the chicken stock until it’s nearly all boiled away. Then you take them out and dry them in the sun again. You do that, steaming and drying, steaming and drying by turns, altogether nine times. And it has to be dried until it’s quite brittle. Then you store in a tightly-sealed jar, and when you want to eat some, you take out about a saucerful and mix it with fried slivers of chicken leg-meat before serving.’
Xi-feng’s ‘simple recipe’ caused Grannie Liu to stick her tongue out and shake her head in wonderment.
‘Lord Buddha!’ she exclaimed. ‘That’s ten chicken gone into the making of it. No wonder it tastes so good!’
And having laughed a while over the recipe, she applied herself once more to the wine and slowly drank it down. She continued to toy with the cup after she had finished drinking, as though loth to put it down.
‘I do believe you haven’t had enough,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Have another cupful.’
‘Gracious goodness, that would be the death of me!’ said Grannie Liu. ‘No, I was just admiring the carving on it. Beautiful. How could they do it so fine?’
‘Now that you’ve finished drinking from it,’ said Faithful, ‘why not tell us what wood it’s made of?’
‘Ah now, that question doesn’t surprise me,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘You young ladies living in the lap of luxury wouldn’t know much about wood; but people like us that live all our lives with the woods for neighbours, that lie on wood when we’re tired and sit on it when we’re weary and even have to eat it sometimes in years of famine: seeing it and hearing it and talking about it every day of our lives, we naturally get to know its different qualities and can tell the genuine from the imitation. Well now, let me see.’
She turned the cup round a good while in her hands and contemplated it with great attention before pronouncing:
‘A household like yours wouldn’t have anything cheap in it,’ she said, ‘so anything wooden you’ve got would be made from a wood that’s not very easy to come by. And this is a heavy wood, so it’s definitely not willow. I should say, without much doubt, this is red pine.’
The loud laughter which greeted this pronouncement was interrupted by the arrival of an old woman who reported to Grandmother Jia that the young actresses were in the Lotus Pavilion awaiting instructions. Were they to perform now, or should they go on waiting a little longer?
‘Bless me! I had completely forgotten about them,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Yes, tell them to begin straight away.’
The old woman departed, and presently, in the cold, clear air of autumn, the ululation of flutes rising above a drone of pipes and organs came stealing through the trees and across the water, ravishing the hearts and minds of those who heard it.
Bao-yu, the first to be affected, seized his wine-kettle, poured himself a cupful of wine, and drained it in a single gulp. He then poured himself a second cup; but just as he was about to drink it, he noticed that his mother had evidently been affected in the same way, for she was just at that moment giving orders to a servant to fetch her a supply of freshly-heated wine. At once he crossed over to where she was sitting and held his cup to her mouth for her to drink from.
Soon the newly-heated wine arrived and Bao-yu went back to his seat. Lady Wang rose from hers and picked up the wine-kettle that had just been brought, intending to pour some for Grandmother Jia. This was a signal for the others present, including Aunt Xue, to rise from their seats as well; but Grandmother Jia hurriedly gave orders for Li Wan and Xi-feng to take over.
‘Let your Aunt sit down, so that the others can be at their ease,’ she said to Xi-feng, whereupon Lady Wang relinquished the wine-kettle and went back to her seat.
‘We’re having such fun today,’ said Grandmother Jia when Xi-feng had poured for her. ‘All of you must drink!’
She raised her cup to Aunt Xue, then, reaching beyond her, to Xiang-yun and Bao-chai.
‘Come on, you two! You must have a cup too. And your Cousin Lin – we’re not letting her off. I know she can’t drink very much, but today is an exception.’
She drained her cup, and Xiang-yun, Bao-chai and Dai-yu drank something from theirs.
Grannie Liu, meanwhile, who had seldom before heard such fine music and was more than a little drunk, was showing her appreciation of it with vigorous movements of hands and feet. Bao-yu, catching sight of her, slipped from his seat to whisper in Dai-yu’s ear.
‘Look at the old grannie!’
‘It reminds me of the passage in the History Classic about the animals dancing to the music of Shun,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Only in this case it’s just one old cow!’
The other girls, overhearing this, all laughed.
After a little while the music stopped and Aunt Xue suggested that as everyone appeared to have had about as much to drink as was good for them, perhaps it would be a good idea to break up and walk around for a bit. At this Grandmother Jia, who was herself beginning to feel like some exercise, rose to her feet. The others rose too and followed her outside.
Anxious to keep Grannie Liu with her as a source of diversion, Grandmother Jia took her by the hand to walk with her among the trees at the foot of the rockery. She spent a goodish while circumambulating this area with her, explaining what the various trees, rocks and flowers were called. Grannie Liu listened very attentively.
‘Seems that in the city it isn’t only the folks that are grander,’ she remarked. ‘The creatures too seem to be grander than what they are outside. Even the birds here are prettier, and they can talk.’
‘What birds?’ they asked her, curious.
‘I know the one on the golden perch on the verandah – him with the green feathers and red beak – is a polly parrot,’ she said defensively, ‘but that old black crow in the cage – he’s grown a thingummy on his head and learned to talk, as well.’
The ‘crow’ that she was referring to was a mynah. The others laughed at her mistake.
A little after this some maids came up and invited them to take a snack.
‘After drinking all that wine, I don’t feel hungry,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Still, bring it here anyway, and those who want to can help themselves.’
The maids went off and returned carrying two small tables. A couple of food-boxes followed. Each, when its cover was removed, was found to contain two different kinds of delicacy. In the first box there were two kinds of steamed things: marzipan cakes made of ground lotus-root and sugared cassia-flowers, and pine-nut and goose-fat rolls. The second box contained two sorts of fried things, one of them a heap of tiny jiao-zi only about one inch long
‘What have they got inside them?’ Grandmother Jia asked.
‘Crab-meat,’ said one of the old women who had brought the boxes.
Grandmother Jia frowned.
‘I shouldn’t think anyone would feel like eating that now,’ she said. ‘Much too rich.’
The other type of fried confection consisted of a wide variety of little pastry-shapes deep-fried in butter. These, too, met with the old lady’s disapproval. She invited Aunt Xue to choose first. Aunt Xue selected one of the little cakes of lotus-root marzipan. Grandmother Jia chose a goose-fat and pine-nut roll, but after merely tasting it, handed the uneaten half to a maid.
Grannie Liu was fascinated by the delicately fashioned pastries. They had been looped or perforated or criss-crossed in every conceivable shape and the soft dough instantaneously hardened in boiling butter-fat. The one she had selected was shaped like a peony.
‘The cleverest girl in our village couldn’t make a paper cutout as fine as that,’ she said, holding it up for the others to see. ‘It seems almost a shame to eat it. I’d like to wrap up a few of these and take them home with me to use as patterns!’
The others laughed.
‘I’ll give you a jarful to take back with you when you go,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Eat these ones now, while they’re still hot.’
The others contented themselves with nibbling only one or two of whichever delicacies in the boxes took their fancy, but Grannie Liu and Ban-er, partly because of the novelty (neither of them having eaten such things before), and partly because the little pastry-shapes really were very pretty and, being heaped promiscuously together, tempted you to go on eating them to discover what new shapes were lying underneath, went on munching away until they had tried several of every shape, by which time about half the pile had vanished. Xi-feng had what was left on the four dishes heaped together onto two of them and put into a single box, and sent it over to the Lotus Pavilion for Élégante and the eleven other little actresses to eat.
Just then the nurse appeared carrying Xi-feng’s little girl, who at once became the main focus of their attention. She was clutching a large grapefruit, but as soon as she caught sight of the Buddha’s hand that Ban-er was holding, she decided that she wanted that, and let up a wail when the maids who were attempting to coax it from Ban-er could not procure it for her quickly enough. A resourceful cousin saved the situation by hurriedly taking the grapefruit and inducing Ban-er to make an exchange. Ban-er had by this time been playing with the Buddha’s hand for quite a long while and had more or less exhausted its possibilities; moreover at the moment he had his hands full of fried pastry-shapes; and the grapefruit not only smelled good but, being round, made an excellent football. For these three reasons he concluded that it was an altogether more satisfactory fruit than the Buddha’s hand and abandoned all interest in the latter.
When everyone had taken tea, Grandmother Jia, with the rest of the party following, conducted Grannie Liu to Green Bower Hermitage, where they were met at the gate by the nun Adamantina. Inside the courtyard the trees and shrubs had a thriving, well-cared-for look.
‘Monks and nuns always have the best-kept gardens,’ said Grandmother Jia, in smiling approval of what she saw. ‘They have nothing else to do with their time.’
They were walking towards the meditation hall on the east side of the courtyard. As they seemed to hesitate in the outer foyer, Adamantina invited them to go on inside, but Grandmother Jia declined.
‘No, we won’t go inside just now. We’ve all recently taken wine and meat, and as you’ve got the Bodhisattva in there, it would be sacrilege. We can sit out here, where we are. Bring us some of your nice tea. We’ll just drink one cup and then go out again.’
Adamantina hurried off to make tea.
Having heard a good deal about her, Bao-yu studied her very attentively, when she arrived back presently with the tray. It was a little cinque-lobed lacquer tea-tray decorated with a gold-infilled engraving of a cloud dragon coiled round the character for ‘longevity’. On it stood a little covered teacup of Cheng Hua enamelled porcelain. Holding the tray out respectfully in both her hands, she offered the cup to Grandmother Jia.
‘I don’t drink Lu-an tea,’ said Grandmother Jia.
‘I know you don’t,’ said Adamantina with a smile. ‘This is Old Man’s Eyebrows.’
Grandmother Jia took the tea and inquired what sort of water it had been made with.
‘Last year’s rain-water,’ said Adamantina.
After drinking half, Grandmother Jia handed the cup to Grannie Liu.
‘Try it,’ she said. ‘See what you think of it.’
Grannie Liu gulped down the remaining half.
‘Hmn. All right. A bit on the weak side, though. It would be better if it were brewed a little longer.’
Grandmother Jia and the rest seemed to derive much amusement from these comments.
The others were now served tea in covered cups of ‘sweet-white’ eggshell china – all, that is, except Bao-chai and Dai-yu, whom Adamantina tugged by the sleeve as an indication that they should follow her inside. Bao-yu stealthily slipped out after them and saw Adamantina usher them into a side-room leading off the foyer. This was Adamantina’s own room. Inside it Bao-chai seated herself on the couch and Dai-yu sat on Adamantina’s meditation mat. Adamantina busied herself at the stove, fanning the charcoal until the water was boiling vigorously and brewing them a fresh pot of tea. Bao-yu stepped softly into the room and made his presence known to the two cousins.
‘So you get the hostess’s special brew?’
‘Yes,’ they said laughing. ‘And it’s no good your gate-crashing in here after us, because there’s none for you.’
Just as Adamantina was about to fetch cups for the girls, an old lay-sister appeared at the door carrying the empties she had been collecting in the foyer.
‘Don’t bring that Cheng Hua cup in here,’ said Adamantina. ‘Leave it outside.’
Bao-yu understood immediately. It was because Grannie Liu had drunk from it. In Adamantina’s eyes the cup was now contaminated. He watched her as she got cups out for the girls. One of them, a cup with a handle, had
THE PUMPKIN CUP
carved in li-shu characters on one side and
Wang Kai his Treasure
in little autograph characters, on the back, followed by another column of tiny characters:
Examined by Su Dong-po in the Inner Treasury Fourth month Yuan-feng era anno 5°
When she had poured tea into this cup she handed it to Bao-chai.
The other cup was shaped like a miniature begging-bowl and was inscribed with the words
THE HORN LINK GOBLET
in ‘pearl-drop’ seal script. Adamantina filled it and handed it to Dai-yu.
She poured tea for Bao-yu in the green jade mug that she normally drank from herself. Bao-yu commented jokingly on the choice:
‘I thought you religious were supposed to treat all earthly creatures alike. How comes it that the other two get priceless heirlooms to drink out of but I only get a common old thing like this?’
‘I have no wish to boast,’ said Adamantina, ‘but this “common old thing” as you call it may well be more valuable than anything you could find in your own household.’
‘In the world’s eyes, yes,’ said Bao-yu. ‘But “other countries, other ways”, you know. When I enter your domain, I naturally adopt your standards and look on gold, jewels and jade as common, vulgar things.’
Adamantina glowed with pleasure. In place of the jade mug she hunted out a large drinking-bowl for him to drink out of. It was carved from a gnarled and ancient bamboo root in the likeness of a coiled-up dragon with horns like antlers.
‘There, that’s the only thing I’ve got left. Do you think you can drink so much?’
Delightedly he assured her that he could.
‘Yes, I dare say you could too,’ said Adamantina. ‘But I’m not sure that I’m prepared to waste so much of my best tea on you. You know what they say: “One cup for a connoisseur, two for a rustic, and three for a thirsty mule”. What sort of creature does that make you if you drink this bowlful?’
Bao-chai, Dai-yu and Bao-yu all three laughed at this. Adamantina poured the equivalent of about a cupful into the bamboo-root bowl. Savouring it carefully in little sips, Bao-yu found it of incomparable freshness and lightness and praised it enthusiastically.
‘You realize, of course,’ said Adamantina seriously, ‘that it is only because of the other two that you are drinking this. If you had come here alone, I should not have given you any.’
Bao-yu laughed.
‘I fully realize that, and I don’t feel in the least indebted to you. I shall offer my thanks to them.’
Adamantina pondered this statement with unsmiling gravity.
‘Yes. I think that would be sensible.’
‘Is this tea made with last year’s rain-water too?’ Dai-yu asked her.
Adamantina looked scornful.
‘Oh! can you really not tell the difference? I am quite disappointed in you. This is melted snow that I collected from the branches of winter-flowering plum-trees five years ago, when I was living at the Coiled Incense temple on Mt Xuan-mu. I managed to fill the whole of that demon-green glaze water-jar with it. For years I couldn’t bring myself to start it; then this summer I opened it for the first time. Today is only the second time I have ever used any. I am most surprised that you cannot tell the difference. When did stored rain-water have such buoyant lightness? How could one possibly use it for a tea like this?’
Dai-yu was too well aware of Adamantina’s eccentricity to attempt a reply; and since it felt awkward to sit there saying nothing, she signalled to Bao-chai that they should go. While the three of them were leaving, Bao-yu stopped to have a word with Adamantina.
‘That cup that the old woman drank out of: of course, I realize that you can’t possibly use it any more, but it seems a shame to throw it on one side. Couldn’t you give it to the old woman? She’s very poor, and if she sold it, she could probably live for quite a long while on the proceeds. What do you think?’
Adamantina reflected for some moments and then nodded.
‘Yes, I suppose so. Fortunately I have never drunk out of that cup myself. If I had, I should have smashed it to pieces rather than give it to her. If you want her to have it, though, you must give it to her yourself. I will have no part in it. And you must take it away immediately.’
‘But of course,’ said Bao-yu. ‘No one would expect you to speak to her. That would be an even greater pollution. Just give the cup to me and I shall see to the rest.’
Adamantina ordered the cup to be brought in and handed over to Bao-yu. As he took it, Bao-yu said:
‘After we’ve gone, shall I get my boys to bring a few buckets of water from the lake and clean the floor for you?’
Adamantina smiled graciously.
‘That would be very nice. But tell them to bring the water only as far as the gate. They can leave it there at the foot of the outer wall. Tell them not to come inside.’
‘Of course,’ said Bao-yu, putting the cup into his sleeve as they went into the foyer. He found a junior maid of Grandmother Jia’s there and entrusted it to her.
‘When Grannie Liu goes, see that she takes this cup with her, will you?’
By the time he had done this, Grandmother Jia was already outside in the courtyard expressing a desire to get back. Adamantina made no serious effort to detain her, and after seeing her guests out of the Hermitage, went in again and closed the gate after her.
Back at the scene of the party, Grandmother Jia, who was feeling somewhat exhausted, told Lady Wang and the girls to act as hostesses to Aunt Xue while she herself went off to Sweet-rice Village for a rest. Xi-feng ordered the servants to fetch a little bamboo carrying-chair, which Grandmother Jia got into. Two old women lifted it up, and then off they all went, Xi-feng and Li Wan one on either side of it and a little cohort of maids and older servants bringing up the rear.
As soon as Grandmother Jia had gone, Aunt Xue excused herself and left. Lady Wang, having dismissed the young actresses and given orders for the left-over food in the lacquer boxes to be distributed among the maids, also availed herself of the opportunity of taking a rest. Putting her feet up on the couch lately occupied by Grandmother Jia, she first caused the blinds to be let down, then, instructing one of the junior maids to massage her legs, and murmuring something about ‘calling her if anyone came from Her Old Ladyship’, she settled herself down for a nap.
Bao-yu and the girls watched the maids take the food-boxes out onto the rockery. Some sat there on the rocks for their picnic; others spread out over the grass below or sat under the trees or down at the water’s edge. Although so dispersed, they managed to create a considerable hubbub.
After a little while Faithful arrived with instructions to show Grannie Liu some more of the Garden. The cousins, hoping for more laughs, went along with them.
A short walk took them to the monumental stone arch at the entrance to the Reunion Palace.
‘Goodness me!’ said the old woman. ‘You even have a temple here!’
She fell down on her knees and kotowed, causing her young companions to double up with laughter.
‘Why do you laugh?’ she said. ‘Do you think I don’t know what the words say? We have quite a few temples where I come from and they all have arches like this. The writing on the arch is the name of the temple.’
‘All right. What’s the name of this temple then?’ they asked her.
Grannie Liu pointed upwards at the characters inscribed overhead.
‘ “Temple of the Jade Emperor”. That’s what it says, doesn’t it?’
This produced an ecstasy of merriment in the young people. No doubt they would have gone on teasing her, but just at that moment there was an alarming rumble from her bowels and she clutched the hand of one of the little maidservants standing by and begged her for the favour of a couple of sheets of paper, while with the other hand she began undoing the buttons of her dress.
The others, still laughing, shouted at her to stop.
‘No, no! Not here! Not here!’
They told one of the older women to escort her to a place beyond the north-east corner of the precincts where there was a privy. Having led Grannie Liu to within sight of it and pointed it out to her, the old servant deemed this an excellent opportunity of taking some time off, and went away, leaving Grannie Liu to make her way back alone.
Now Grannie Liu had drunk quantities of yellow rice-wine, which did not in fact agree with her; on top of that she had eaten a lot of rich, fatty food; and as the food had made her thirsty, she had concluded by drinking an excessive amount of tea. The upset stomach which was the inevitable consequence of so much indulgence kept her a wearisome long time in the privy before her business there was completed.
When she at last emerged, the colder air outside drove the wine fumes up into her head, increasing the dizziness, which might be thought normal in a woman of her years who has suddenly got up after squatting for a long time on her heels, to such an extent that she was quite unable to make out the route that she had come by. Everywhere she looked there were buildings, rocks and trees. Unable to decide which of them lay in the right direction, she made for the nearest paved path and, with slow and deliberate steps, followed it to see where it would take her.
It took her in time to the courtyard wall of a house, but she could find no gate in it, and after wandering round a long while looking for one, she came upon a bamboo trellis, which she contemplated with some astonishment.
‘Hmn. Bean-sticks. What are they doing here?’
The ‘bean-sticks’ resolved themselves into a rose-covered pergola. After walking alongside it for a while, she came to a round ‘moon-gate’, which she entered. Ahead of her was a channel of crystal-clear water, five or six feet wide. Its banks were reinforced with stone, and a large, flat slab of white stone had been laid across it to make a bridge. After she had crossed the bridge there was a raised cobbled path which, after a couple of right-angled bends, brought her up to the door of the house.
The first thing she saw on entering it was a young woman smiling at her in welcome. Grannie Liu smiled back.
‘I’m lost, miss. The young ladies have left me to find my own way and I’ve wandered in here by mistake.’
Surprised that the girl did not reply, Grannie Liu stepped forward to take her hand and – bang! – hit her head a most painful thump on the wooden wall. The girl was a painting, as she found on closer inspection.
‘Strange!’ she thought. ‘How can they paint a picture so that it sticks out like that?’
Grannie Liu was ignorant of the foreign mode of light-and-shadow painting and was sorely puzzled to discover, on touching the picture, that it did not in fact ‘stick out’ but was flat all over. Turning from it with a sigh and a shake of her head, she moved on to a little doorway in the wooden partition-wall, over which hung a green, flower-patterned portière. She raised the portière and went inside.
In the room she now entered everything, from the top of the surrounding walls, delicately incised with shapes of swords, vases, musical instruments, incense-burners and the like, to the lavish furnishing below, in which
The weaver’s glowing art combined With gleam of gold and orient pearl,
and thence down to the very floor of brilliantly patterned green glazed tiles beneath her feet, was such as to make even more dazzled the eyes of an already intoxicated old woman.
She looked for the way out – but where was it? To the left of her there was a bookcase, to the right a screen. She tried behind the screen. Ah, yes! There was the door. But there too, to her intense surprise, approaching her from the opposite direction and causing her a momentary palpitation of the heart, was another old woman, whom she took to be her old gossip from the village.
‘What? are you here too?’ she asked her. ‘I suppose you were wondering what had become of me these last few days. Well, it was neighbourly to come and look for me. Which of the young women brought you in?’
She noticed, with much amusement, that her old neighbour’s head was covered all over with flowers.
‘Hoo! You’ll catch it! Picking the flowers from their garden to put in your own hair. Well I never!’
The other merely grinned back at her and said nothing. Grannie Liu stretched out a hand to give her the touch of shame. The other old woman stretched her hand out too to stop her. After a brief, soundless skirmish, Grannie Liu managed to get her finger onto the other one’s face. But no sooner had she done so than she recoiled in horror, for the cheek she touched was as cold and hard as a block of ice. Suddenly the truth dawned on her:
‘I’ve heard of rich folks having what they call “dressing mirrors” in their houses. Mayhap I’m standing in front of one of them and it’s myself I’m looking at.’
She stretched out her hand again to feel and closely examined the surface. Yes, no doubt of it: it was a mirror, let into the carved surface of the wooden partition. She laughed at her own error.
‘Yes, but how do I get out of here?’ she thought, as she continued to finger the mirror’s carved surround.
Suddenly there was a loud clunk! which so frightened the old woman that for some moments she rolled her eyes in terror. The mirror was in fact a kind of door. It had a West Ocean mechanism by which it could be opened or closed, and Grannie Liu, in feeling around it, had accidentally touched the spring which had made the mirror slide back into the panelling, revealing the doorway underneath.
Pleasantly surprised, she passed through the doorway into a room whose main feature was a rich and elegantly patterned bed. Now Grannie Liu was seven or eight parts drunk and thoroughly worn out from all her walking. Seeing a bed in front of her, she sat down on it gratefully, to rest her feet. But though she intended no more than a few moments’ rest, as soon as she had sat down, her weariness overcame her. Her head went down and her feet went up as though she was no longer in possession of them; a darkness closed over her eyes, and she sank back on the bed, fast asleep.
Outside in the Garden meanwhile, the cousins were beginning to wonder what had become of her, and Ban-er, missing his grandmother, became panicky and began to cry.
‘Perhaps she’s fallen into the privy,’ one of the young people suggested cheerfully. ‘We’d better send someone to have a look.’
Two old women were sent to the privy to investigate. When they reported back that she was not there, the others were at a loss to think where she could have got to. It was Aroma who hit on the correct hypothesis.
‘She must have missed the way back because she was drunk. If she followed the path in the wrong direction, it will have taken her to our back courtyard. Now if she went through the pergola and then on into the house through the back door, she’ll probably have been seen by one of the maids. If she didn’t go in through the pergola but went on walking in a south-westerly direction, Heaven only knows where she’ll end up! I think I’d better go and have a look.
She hurried back to Green Delights, intending to ask the junior maids if they had seen her; but the place was deserted; they had all sneaked off elsewhere to play. Entering the main building by way of the front door, she made her way through the complicated carved partition. A thunderous snoring could be heard coming from the bedroom at the back. She hurried through. As she entered the bedroom, a heavy stink, compounded of farts and wine-fumes, assailed her nostrils. Her eyes travelled to the bed, from which the sounds were coming, and saw Grannie Liu, spreadeagled on her back and fast asleep.
As soon as she had overcome her shock, she rushed up to the bed and shook her relentlessly until she woke. Grannie Liu opened her eyes wide and saw Aroma standing over her.
‘Oh, miss!’ She scrambled hurriedly to her feet. ‘Oh, I am sorry! Anyway – praise be! – I haven’t dirtied the bed.’
She felt it nervously, to make sure.
Aroma, mortally afraid that someone would overhear and Bao-yu get to know of what had happened, gestured to her violently not to speak. Hurriedly she threw three or four whole handfuls of Hundred Blend aromatic onto the incense burner that stood always smouldering beside the bed and replaced its cover.
‘At least it’s a mercy she wasn’t sick,’ she thought to herself.
Speaking to her in an urgent whisper, she nevertheless contrived to smile at her reassuringly:
‘It’s all right. I’ll look after this. Just follow me.’
Grannie Liu nodded gratefully and followed her to the junior maids’ quarters outside, where Aroma made her sit down.
‘If they ask what happened, just say that you passed out and had a little nap on the rockery.’
Grannie Liu willingly agreed, and Aroma gave her some tea. By the end of the second cup she had sobered up completely and was able to converse.
‘Which of the young ladies does the bedroom belong to?’ she asked Aroma. ‘It’s the most beautiful I ever saw. I thought I was in paradise.’
Aroma gave a wry little smile.
‘It’s – actually it’s Master Bao’s bedroom.’
Grannie Liu fell silent, horrified by the enormity of her trespass. Seeing that she had now recovered, Aroma led her out through the front courtyard and back to where the others were waiting.
‘I found her asleep on the grass,’ she said when she saw them, ‘so I’ve brought her back for you.’
The others seemed satisfied with this explanation, for no further mention was made of it.
Shortly after this Grandmother Jia woke up and dinner was laid for her in Sweet-rice Village; but she felt too exhausted to eat anything, and getting into the bamboo carrying-chair again, had herself carried back to her own apartment to rest. When she was back, she told Xi-feng and the rest of the young folk who had escorted her to go and have their dinner, and the cousins went back into the Garden.
Ensuing events will be dealt with in the following chapter.