第四十九回
第四十九回 琉璃世界白雪红梅 脂粉香娃割腥啖膻
话说香菱见众人正说笑，他便迎上去笑道：“你们看这一首。若使得，我便还学；若还不好，我就死了这作诗的心了。”说着，把诗递与黛玉及众人看时，只见写道是：
精华欲掩料应难，影自娟娟魄自寒[1]。
一片砧敲千里白[2]，半轮鸡唱五更残。
绿蓑[3]江上秋闻笛，红袖楼头夜倚栏。
博得嫦娥应借问，缘何不使永团圆！
众人看了笑道：“这首不但好，而且新巧有意趣。可知俗语说‘天下无难事，只怕有心人’。社里一定请你了。”香菱听了心下不信，料着是他们瞒哄自己的话，还只管问黛玉宝钗等。
正说之间，只见几个小丫头并老婆子忙忙的走来，都笑道：“来了好些姑娘奶奶们，我们都不认得，奶奶姑娘们快认亲去。”李纨笑道：“这是那里的话？你到底说明白了是谁的亲戚？”那婆子丫头都笑道：“奶奶的两位妹子都来了。还有一位姑娘，说是薛大姑娘的妹妹，还有一位爷，说是薛大爷的兄弟。我这会子请姨太太去呢，奶奶和姑娘们先上去罢。”说着，一径去了。宝钗笑道：“我们薛蝌和他妹妹来了不成？”李纨也笑道：“我们婶子又上京来了不成？他们也不能凑在一处，这可是奇事。”大家纳闷，来至王夫人上房，只见乌压压一地的人。
原来邢夫人之兄嫂带了女儿岫烟进京来投邢夫人的，可巧凤姐之兄王仁也正进京，两亲家一处打帮来了。走至半路泊船时，正遇见李纨之寡婶带着两个女儿——大名李纹，次名李绮——也上京。大家叙起来又是亲戚，因此三家一路同行。后有薛蟠之从弟[4]薛蝌，因当年父亲在京时已将胞妹薛宝琴许配都中梅翰林之子为婚，正欲进京发嫁，闻得王仁进京，他也带了妹子随后赶来。所以今日会齐了来访投各人亲戚。
于是大家见礼叙过，贾母王夫人都欢喜非常。贾母因笑道：“怪道昨日晚上灯花爆了又爆，结了又结，原来应到今日。”一面叙些家常，一面收看带来的礼物，一面命留酒饭。凤姐儿自不必说，忙上加忙。李纨宝钗自然和婶母姊妹叙离别之情。黛玉见了，先是欢喜，次后想起众人皆有亲眷，独自己孤单，无个亲眷，不免又去垂泪。宝玉深知其情，十分劝慰了一番方罢。
然后宝玉忙忙来至怡红院中，向袭人、麝月、晴雯等笑道：“你们还不快看人去！谁知宝姐姐的亲哥哥是那个样子，他这叔伯兄弟形容举止另是一样了，倒像是宝姐姐的同胞兄弟似的。更奇在你们成日家只说宝姐姐是绝色的人物，你们如今瞧瞧他这妹子，更有大嫂嫂这两个妹子，我竟形容不出了。老天，老天，你有多少精华灵秀，生出这些人上之人来！可知我井底之蛙，成日家自说现在的这几个人是有一无二的，谁知不必远寻，就是本地风光，一个赛似一个，如今我又长了一层学问了。除了这几个，难道还有几个不成？”一面说，一面自笑自叹。袭人见他又有了魔意，便不肯去瞧。晴雯等早去瞧了一遍回来，笑向袭人道：“你快瞧瞧去！大太太的一个侄女儿，宝姑娘一个妹妹，大奶奶两个妹妹，倒像一把子四根水葱儿。”
一语未了，只见探春也笑着进来找宝玉，因说道：“咱们的诗社可兴旺了。”宝玉笑道：“正是呢。这是你一高兴起诗社，所以鬼使神差来了这些人。但只一件，不知他们可学过作诗不曾？”探春道：“我才都问了问他们，虽是他们自谦，看其光景，没有不会的。便是不会也没难处，你看香菱就知道了。”
袭人笑道：“他们说薛大姑娘的妹妹更好，三姑娘看着怎么样？”探春道：“果然的话。据我看，连他姐姐并这些人总不及他。”袭人听了，又是诧异，又笑道：“这也奇了，还从那里再瞧好的去呢？我倒要瞧瞧去。”探春道：“老太太一见了，喜欢的无可不可，已经逼着太太认了干女儿了。老太太要养活[5]，才刚已经定了。”宝玉喜的忙问：“这果然的？”探春道：“我几时说过谎！”又笑道：“有了这个好孙女儿，就忘了你这孙子了。”宝玉笑道：“这倒不妨，原该多疼女儿些才是正理。明儿十六，咱们可该起社了。”
探春道：“林丫头刚起来了，二姐姐又病了，终是七上八下的。”宝玉道：“二姐姐又不大作诗，没有他又何妨。”探春道：“越性等几天，他们新来的混熟了，咱们邀上他们岂不好？这会子大嫂子宝姐姐心里自然没有诗兴的，况且湘云没来，颦儿刚好了，人人不合式。不如等着云丫头来了，这几个新的也熟了，颦儿也大好了，大嫂子和宝姐姐心也闲了，香菱诗也长进了：如此邀一满社，岂不好？咱们两个如今且往老太太那里去听听，除宝姐姐的妹妹不算外，他一定是在咱们家住定了的。倘或那三个要不在咱们这里住，咱们央告着老太太留下他们在园子里住下，咱们岂不多添几个人，越发有趣了。”宝玉听了，喜的眉开眼笑，忙说道：“倒是你明白。我终久是个糊涂心肠，空喜欢一会子，却想不到这上头来。”
说着，兄妹两个一齐往贾母处来。果然王夫人已认了宝琴作干女儿，贾母欢喜非常，连园中也不命住，晚上跟着贾母一处安寝。薛蝌自向薛蟠书房中住下。贾母便和邢夫人说：“你侄女儿也不必家去了，园里住几天，逛逛再去。”
邢夫人兄嫂家中原艰难，这一上京，原仗的是邢夫人与他们治房舍，帮盘缠，听如此说，岂不愿意。邢夫人便将岫烟交与凤姐儿。凤姐儿筹算得园中姊妹多，性情不一，且又不便另设一处，莫若送到迎春一处去，倘日后邢岫烟有些不遂意的事，纵然邢夫人知道了，与自己无干。从此后若邢岫烟家去住的日期不算，若在大观园住到一个月上，凤姐儿亦照迎春的分例送一分与岫烟。凤姐儿冷眼敁敠岫烟心性为人，竟不像邢夫人及他的父母一样，却是温厚可疼的人。因此凤姐儿又怜他家贫命苦，比别的姊妹多疼他些，邢夫人倒不大理论了。
贾母王夫人因素喜李纨贤惠，且年轻守节，令人敬服，今见他寡婶来了，便不肯令他外头去住。那李婶虽十分不肯，无奈贾母执意不从，只得带着李纹李绮在稻香村住下来。
当下安插既定，谁知保龄侯史鼐又迁委[6]了外省大员，不日要带了家眷去上任。贾母因舍不得湘云，便留下他了，接到家中，原要命凤姐儿另设一处与他住。史湘云执意不肯，只要与宝钗一处住，因此就罢了。
此时大观园中比先更热闹了多少。李纨为首，馀者迎春、探春、惜春、宝钗、黛玉、湘云、李纹、李绮、宝琴、邢岫烟，再添上凤姐儿和宝玉，一共十三个。叙起年庚，除李纨年纪最长，他十二个人皆不过十五六七岁，或有这三个同年，或有那五个共岁，或有这两个同月同日，那两个同刻同时，所差者大半是时刻月分而已。连他们自己也不能细细分晰，不过是“弟”“兄”“姊”“妹”四个字随便乱叫。
如今香菱正满心满意只想作诗，又不敢十分罗唣宝钗，可巧来了个史湘云。那史湘云又是极爱说话的，那里禁得起香菱又请教他谈诗，越发高了兴，没昼没夜高谈阔论起来。宝钗因笑道：“我实在聒噪的受不得了。一个女孩儿家，只管拿着诗作正经事讲起来，叫有学问的人听了，反笑话说不守本分的。一个香菱没闹清，偏又添了你这么个话口袋子，满嘴里说的是什么：怎么是杜工部之沉郁，韦苏州之淡雅，又怎么是温八叉之绮靡，李义山之隐僻[7]。放着两个现成的诗家不知道，提那些死人做什么！”湘云听了，忙笑问道：“是那两个？好姐姐，你告诉我。”宝钗笑道：“呆香菱之心苦，疯湘云之话多。”湘云香菱听了，都笑起来。
正说着，只见宝琴来了，披着一领斗篷，金翠辉煌，不知何物。宝钗忙问：“这是那里的？”宝琴笑道：“因下雪珠儿，老太太找了这一件给我的。”香菱上来瞧道：“怪道这么好看，原来是孔雀毛织的。”湘云道：“那里是孔雀毛，就是野鸭子头上的毛作的。可见老太太疼你了，这样疼宝玉，也没给他穿。”宝钗道：“真俗语说‘各人有缘法’。我也再想不到他这会子来，既来了，又有老太太这么疼他。”湘云道：“你除了在老太太跟前，就在园里来，这两处只管顽笑吃喝。到了太太屋里，若太太在屋里，只管和太太说笑，多坐一回无妨；若太太不在屋里，你别进去，那屋里人多心坏，都是要害咱们的。”说的宝钗、宝琴、香菱、莺儿等都笑了。宝钗笑道：“说你没心，却又有心；虽然有心，到底嘴太直了。我们这琴儿就有些像你。你天天说要我作亲姐姐，我今儿竟叫你认他作亲妹妹罢了。”湘云又瞅了宝琴半日，笑道：“这一件衣裳也只配他穿，别人穿了，实在不配。”
正说着，只见琥珀走来笑道：“老太太说了，叫宝姑娘别管紧了琴姑娘。他还小呢，让他爱怎么样就怎么样。要什么东西只管要去，别多心。”宝钗忙起身答应了，又推宝琴笑道：“你也不知是那里来的福气！你倒去罢，仔细我们委曲着你。我就不信我那些儿不如你。”说话之间，宝玉黛玉都进来了，宝钗犹自嘲笑。湘云因笑道：“宝姐姐，你这话虽是顽话，恰有人真心是这样想呢。”琥珀笑道：“真心恼的再没别人，就只是他。”口里说，手指着宝玉。宝钗湘云都笑道：“他倒不是这样人。”琥珀又笑道：“不是他，就是他。”说着又指着黛玉。湘云便不则声。宝钗忙笑道：“更不是了。我的妹妹和他的妹妹一样。他喜欢的比我还疼呢，那里还恼？你信云儿混说。他的那嘴有什么实据。”
宝玉素习深知黛玉有些小性儿，且尚不知近日黛玉和宝钗之事，正恐贾母疼宝琴他心中不自在，今见湘云如此说了，宝钗又如此答，再审度黛玉声色亦不似往时，果然与宝钗之说相符，心中闷闷不解。因想：“他两个素日不是这样的好，今看来竟更比他人好十倍。”一时林黛玉又赶着宝琴叫妹妹，并不提名道姓，直是亲姊妹一般。那宝琴年轻心热，且本性聪敏，自幼读书识字，今在贾府住了两日，大概人物已知。又见诸姊妹都不是那轻薄脂粉，且又和姐姐皆和契，故也不肯怠慢。其中又见林黛玉是个出类拔萃的，便更与黛玉亲敬异常。宝玉看着只是暗暗的纳罕。
一时宝钗姊妹往薛姨妈房内去后，湘云往贾母处来，林黛玉回房歇着。宝玉便找了黛玉来，笑道：“我虽看了《西厢记》，也曾有明白的几句，说了取笑，你曾恼过。如今想来，竟有一句不解，我念出来你讲讲我听。”黛玉听了，便知有文章，因笑道：“你念出来我听听。”宝玉笑道：“那《闹简》上有一句说得最好，‘是几时孟光接了梁鸿案？’[8]‘孟光接了梁鸿案’这七个字，不过是现成的典，难为他这‘是几时’三个虚字问的有趣。是几时接了？你说说我听听。”黛玉听了，禁不住也笑起来，因笑道：“这原问的好。他也问的好，你也问的好。”宝玉道：“先时你只疑我，如今你也没的说，我反落了单。”黛玉笑道：“谁知他竟真是个好人，我素日只当他藏奸。”因把说错了酒令起，连送燕窝病中所谈之事，细细告诉了宝玉。宝玉方知缘故，因笑道：“我说呢，正纳闷‘是几时孟光接了梁鸿案’，原来是从‘小孩儿家口没遮拦’就接了案了。”
黛玉因又说起宝琴来，想起自己没有姊妹，不免又哭了。宝玉忙劝道：“你又自寻烦恼了。你瞧瞧，今年比旧年越发瘦了，你还不保养。每天好好的，你必是自寻烦恼，哭一会子，才算完了这一天的事。”黛玉拭泪道：“近来我只觉心酸，眼泪却像比旧年少了些的。心里只管酸痛，眼泪却不多。”宝玉道：“这是你哭惯了心里疑的，岂有眼泪会少的！”
正说着，只见他屋里的小丫头子送了猩猩毡斗篷[9]来，又说：“大奶奶才打发人来说，下了雪，要商议明日请人作诗呢。”一语未了，只见李纨的丫头走来请黛玉。宝玉便邀着黛玉同往稻香村来。黛玉换上掐金挖云红香羊皮小靴[10]，罩了一件大红羽纱面白狐狸里的鹤氅[11]，束一条青金闪绿双环四合如意绦[12]，头上罩了雪帽。
二人一齐踏雪行来。只见众姊妹都在那边，都是一色大红猩猩毡与羽毛缎斗篷，独李纨穿一件青哆罗呢[13]对襟褂子，薛宝钗穿一件莲青斗纹锦上添花洋线番羓丝[14]的鹤氅；邢岫烟仍是家常旧衣，并无避雪之衣。一时史湘云来了，穿着贾母与他的一件貂鼠脑袋面子大毛黑灰鼠里子里外发烧大褂子[15]，头上带着一顶挖云鹅黄片金里大红猩猩毡昭君套[16]，又围着大貂鼠风领[17]。黛玉先笑道：“你们瞧瞧，孙行者来了。他一般的也拿着雪褂子，故意装出个小骚达子来。”湘云笑道：“你们瞧我里头打扮的。”一面说，一面脱了褂子。只见他里头穿着一件半新的靠色三镶领袖秋香色盘金五色绣龙窄裉小袖掩衿[18]银鼠短袄，里面短短的一件水红妆缎狐肷〔一〕褶子[20]，腰里紧紧束着一条蝴蝶结子长穗五色宫绦，脚下也穿着麂[21]皮小靴，越显的蜂腰猿臂、鹤势螂形[22]。众人都笑道：“偏他只爱打扮成个小子的样儿，原比他打扮女儿更俏丽了些。”
湘云道：“快商议作诗！我听听是谁的东家？”李纨道：“我的主意。想来昨儿的正日已过了，再等正日又太远，可巧又下雪，不如大家凑个社，又替他们接风，又可以作诗。你们意思怎么样？”宝玉先道：“这话很是。只是今日晚了〔二〕，若到明儿，晴了又无趣。”众人都道，“这雪未必晴，纵晴了，这一夜下的也够赏了。”李纨道：“我这里虽好，又不如芦雪广〔三〕[25]好。我已经打发人笼地炕[26]去了，咱们大家拥炉作诗。老太太想来未必高兴，况且咱们小顽意儿，单给凤丫头个信儿就是了。你们每人一两银子就够了，送到我这里来。”指着香菱、宝琴、李纹、李绮、岫烟道，“他们五个不算外，咱们里头二丫头病了不算，四丫头告了假也不算，你们四分子送了来，我包总五六两银子也尽够了。”宝钗等一齐应诺。因又拟题限韵，李纨笑道：“我心里自己定了，等到了明日临期，横竖知道。”说毕，大家又闲话了一回，方往贾母处来。本日无话。
到了次日一早，宝玉因心里记挂着这事，一夜没好生得睡，天亮了就爬起来。掀开帐子一看，虽门窗尚掩，只见窗上光辉夺目，心内早踌躇起来，埋怨定是晴了，日光已出。一面忙起来揭起窗屉，从玻璃窗内往外一看，原来不是日光，竟是一夜大雪，下将有一尺多厚，天上仍是搓绵扯絮一般。宝玉此时欢喜非常，忙唤人起来，盥漱已毕，只穿一件茄色哆罗呢狐皮袄子，罩一件海龙皮小小鹰膀褂[27]，束了腰，披了玉针蓑，戴上金藤笠[28]，登上沙棠屐，忙忙的往芦雪广来。出了院门，四顾一望，并无二色，远远的是青松翠竹，自己却如装在玻璃盒内一般。于是走至山坡之下，顺着山脚刚转过去，已闻得一股寒香拂鼻。回头一看，恰是妙玉门前栊翠庵中有十数株红梅如胭脂一般，映着雪色，分外显得精神，好不有趣！宝玉便立住，细细的赏玩一回方走。只见蜂腰板桥上一个人打着伞走来，是李纨打发了请凤姐儿去的人。
宝玉来至芦雪广，只见丫鬟婆子正在那里扫雪开径。原来这芦雪广盖在傍山临水河滩之上，一带几间，茅檐土壁，槿篱竹牖[29]，推窗便可垂钓，四面都是芦苇掩覆，一条去径逶迤穿芦度苇过去，便是藕香榭的竹桥了。众丫鬟婆子见他披蓑戴笠而来，都笑道：“我们才说正少一个渔翁，如今都全了。姑娘们吃了饭才来呢，你也太性急了。”宝玉听了，只得回来。刚至沁芳亭，见探春正从秋爽斋来，围着大红猩猩毡斗篷，戴着观音兜[30]，扶着小丫头，后面一个妇人打着青绸油伞。宝玉知他往贾母处去，便立在亭边，等他来到，二人一同出园前去。宝琴正在里间房内梳洗更衣。
一时众姊妹来齐，宝玉只嚷饿了，连连催饭。好容易等摆上来，头一样菜便是牛乳蒸羊羔。贾母便说：“这是我们有年纪的人的菜，没见天日的东西，可惜你们小孩子们吃不得。今儿另外有新鲜鹿肉，你们等着吃。”众人答应了。宝玉却等不得，只拿茶泡了一碗饭，就着野鸡瓜齑忙忙的咽完了。贾母道：“我知道你们今儿又有事情，连饭也不顾吃了。”便叫“留着鹿肉与他晚上吃”，凤姐忙说“还有呢”，方才罢了。史湘云便悄和宝玉计较道：“有新鲜鹿肉，不如咱们要一块，自己拿了园里弄着，又顽又吃。”宝玉听了，巴不得一声儿，便真和凤姐要了一块，命婆子送入园去。
一时大家散后，进园齐往芦雪广来，听李纨出题限韵，独不见湘云宝玉二人。黛玉道：“他两个再到不了一处，若到一处，生出多少故事来。这会子一定算计那块鹿肉去了。”正说着，只见李婶也走来看热闹，因问李纨道：“怎么一个带玉的哥儿和那一个挂金麒麟的姐儿，那样干净清秀，又不少吃的，他两个在那里商议着要吃生肉呢，说的有来有去的。我只不信肉也生吃得的。”众人听了，都笑道：“了不得，快拿了他两个来。”黛玉笑道：“这可是云丫头闹的，我的卦再不错。”
李纨等忙出来找着他两个说道：“你们两个要吃生的，我送你们到老太太那里吃去。那怕吃一只生鹿，撑病了不与我相干。这么大雪，怪冷的，替我作祸呢。”宝玉笑道：“没有的事，我们烧着吃呢。”李纨道：“这还罢了。”只见老婆们拿了铁炉、铁叉、铁丝[31]来，李纨道：“仔细割了手，不许哭！”说着，同探春进去了。
凤姐打发了平儿来回复不能来，为发放年例正忙。湘云见了平儿，那里肯放。平儿也是个好顽的，素日跟着凤姐儿无所不至，见如此有趣，乐得顽笑，因而褪去手上的镯子，三个围着火炉儿，便要先烧三块吃。那边宝钗黛玉平素看惯了，不以为异，宝琴等及李婶深为罕事。探春与李纨等已议定了题韵。探春笑道：“你闻闻，香气这里都闻见了，我也吃去。”说着，也找了他们来。李纨也随来说：“客已齐了，你们还吃不够？”湘云一面吃，一面说道：“我吃这个方爱吃酒，吃了酒才有诗。若不是这鹿肉，今儿断不能作诗。”说着，只见宝琴披着凫靥裘站在那里笑。湘云笑道：“傻子，过来尝尝。”宝琴笑说：“怪脏的。”宝钗笑道：“你尝尝去，好吃的。你林姐姐弱，吃了不消化，不然他也爱吃。”宝琴听了，便过去吃了一块，果然好吃，便也吃起来。
一时凤姐儿打发小丫头来叫平儿。平儿说：“史姑娘拉着我呢，你先走罢。”小丫头去了。一时只见凤姐也披了斗篷走来，笑道：“吃这样好东西，也不告诉我！”说着也凑着一处吃起来。黛玉笑道：“那里找这一群花子去！罢了，罢了，今日芦雪广遭劫，生生被云丫头作践了。我为芦雪广一大哭！”湘云冷笑道：“你知道什么！‘是真名士自风流’，你们都是假清高，最可厌的。我们这会子腥膻大吃大嚼，回来却是锦心绣口。”宝钗笑道：“你回来若作的不好了，把那肉掏了出来，就把这雪压的芦苇子揌[32]上些，以完此劫。”
说着，吃毕，洗漱〔四〕了一回。平儿带镯子时却少了一个，左右前后乱找了一番，踪迹全无。众人都诧异。凤姐儿笑道：“我知道这镯子的去向。你们只管作诗去，我们也不用找，只管前头去，不出三日包管就有了。”说着又问：“你们今儿作什么诗？老太太说了，离年又近了，正月里还该作些灯谜儿大家顽笑。”众人听了，都笑道：“可是倒忘了。如今赶着作几个好的，预备正月里顽。”说着，一齐来至地炕屋内，只见杯盘果菜俱已摆齐，墙上已贴出诗题、韵脚、格式来了。宝玉湘云二人忙看时，只见题目是“即景联句[34]，五言排律一首，限二萧韵。”后面尚未列次序。李纨道：“我不大会作诗，我只起三句罢，然后谁先得了谁先联。”宝钗道：“到底分个次序。”要知端的，且听下回分解。
[1] 精华一联——精华，月亮纯净的光华。影，月之形；魄，月之质。此联既咏月，又自寓。
[2] “一片”句——化用李白《子夜吴歌》“长安一片月，万户捣衣声”的意境。砧：捣衣石。
[3] 绿蓑——即蓑衣，这里用以代指飘泊江上的旅人。唐代张志和《渔歌子》：“青箬笠，绿蓑衣，斜风细雨不须归。”
[4] 从弟——即堂弟。
[5] 养活——此处指抚养培育之意。
[6] 迁委——即官职调动。
[7] 杜工部之沉郁，韦苏州之淡雅，温八叉之绮靡，李义山之隐僻——见明代高《唐诗品汇总序》。杜工部：指杜甫，他曾任工部员外郎，其诗风格沉郁顿挫。韦苏州：即韦应物，唐代诗人，曾任苏州刺史，其诗风格恬淡自然。温八叉：即温庭筠，唐代诗人兼词人，相传他才思敏捷，叉手八次即可成篇，故称温八叉，其诗风艳丽，故云绮靡。李义山：即李商隐，唐代诗人，其诗隐曲晦涩，且多无题诗，尤难索解，故云隐僻。
[8] “孟光接了梁鸿案”——语出金批本《西厢记》第三本第二折。《后汉书·梁鸿传》中本是梁鸿接了孟光的案。这句唱词在《西厢记》里是比喻莺莺接受了张生的爱情。这里是比喻黛玉接受了宝钗的友情。下文“小孩儿家口没遮拦”，也是《西厢记》金批本（第三本第二折）中的唱词。“口没遮拦”，即嘴不严实的意思。
[9] 猩猩毡斗篷——用红色毛料制作的斗篷。猩猩：古谓猩猩血可作红颜料，故称红颜色为猩红或猩色。斗篷：一种宽大无袖的御寒外罩，也叫“一口钟”、“一裹圆”。
[10] 掐金挖云红香羊皮小靴——掐：一种针线工艺的名称。掐金挖云：即用金线掐出边缘，再用其他丝织品挖出云头形，装饰靴尖部位。红香羊皮：即染成大红色的羊皮。
[11] 大红羽纱面白狐狸里的鹤氅——羽纱：毛织物，也称羽毛纱，疏细者称羽纱，厚密者称羽缎，制成衣服均可防雨雪。清王士祯《皇华纪闻》卷三：“西洋有羽缎、羽纱，以鸟羽毛织成，每一匹价至六七十金，着雨不湿。”白狐狸：指狐狸腋窝部位的皮毛。皮质轻软，毛色纯白，又称狐白。鹤氅：析鸟羽为裘，后亦指斗篷类御寒外衣。
[12] 青金闪绿双环四合如意绦——青金：是与赤金相对而言，这里指不发红的金线。闪绿：青金丝线加绿色丝线织成的丝带呈闪绿的光泽。双环四合如意：图案花纹的一种，这里指丝带头上所结的绦扣。绦：丝带。
[13] 哆罗呢——一种西洋传入的阔幅呢料。
[14] 莲青斗文锦上添花洋线番羓丝——莲青：指蓝紫色。斗文：指交叉的图案。锦上添花：指在图案上又重叠自然花卉。洋线番羓丝：指丝线毛线混合的织物。
[15] 里外发烧大褂子——即表里都用毛皮做的大褂子。
[16] 挖云鹅黄片金里大红猩猩毡昭君套——一种帽面用大红猩猩毡子、帽里用“鹅黄片金”做的古时女用风帽。片金，是织成品，产于南京。挖云，指帽里前面卷起露在外面的云头。
[17] 风领——一种类似围巾的皮领子，不与衣服连在一起，用时另戴。《清稗类钞》：“加于项，覆于肩，形如菱。”
[18] 靠色三镶领袖秋香色盘金五色绣龙窄裉小袖掩衿——三种相近的颜色叫靠色，衣服的领袖有三道镶边叫做三镶。秋香色：黄绿色。盘金：用金线在绣花上再加工。裉：衣服腋下部位。
〔一〕 “狐肷”，原作“狐腋”，从各本改。
[20] 妆缎狐肷褶（xí习）子——织缎技法的术语。“妆缎”：又叫“妆花缎”，是江宁府的产品，有点像锦。狐肷：指狐腋部腹部的皮毛。褶子：大领的外衣，清以前是普通的便服，清代成年人不穿褶子，多做给小孩穿。
[21] 麂（jǐ己）——底本误为“麀”，径改。麂，状似鹿而小。麂皮：也叫“绒面革”，实际上多用獐鹿或山羊等皮加工制成，绒面向外，软而柔，宜于缝制靴鞋、手套等物。
[22] 蜂腰猿臂、鹤势螂形——喻人腰细臂长，俏便利落。这里用来形容史湘云的打扮像武士。蜂腰：腰上束带，其细如蜂腰；猿臂，古代喻善射者之臂为“猿臂”，谓臂长如猿，可运转自如。鹤势螂形：抬头挺胸。脂批云：“近之拳谱中有坐马势，便似螂之蹲立。昔人爱轻捷便俏，闲取一螂，观其仰颈叠胸之势。今四字无出处，却写尽矣。”
〔二〕 “只是今日晚了”，原作“只是晚了晚了”，从各本改。
〔三〕 “广”，底本四十九回七处，五十回一处，皆作“广”，其他各脂本歧异甚多，按：底本不误。
[25] 广（yǎn眼）——因岩架成之屋。
[26] 地炕——古建筑中最考究的采暖方式，最早见于《水经注》。其构造为在房屋檐廊上设烧火炕，炕内砌灶，以煤为燃料，灼热的烟气在地面下的烟道内往复盘旋，将砖砌地面烘热，从而使热气流自地面上升，为室内供暖。
[27] 海龙皮鹰膀褂——海龙皮：是一种类似水獭皮的皮毛，色深于獭，更有光泽。多用作翻毛皮衣，整个皮褂是用一条一条皮子拼成，犹如山鹰翅膀上的花纹，故名。
[28] 玉针蓑、金藤笠——玉针蓑：用白玉草编织成的蓑衣。白玉草是清代用以制凉帽的材料。金藤笠：用藤皮细条编成笠，刷以桐油，呈金黄色，故名。
[29] 槿（jǐn紧）篱竹牖（yǒu有）——槿：即木槿，落叶灌木，夏秋开花，多植庭院供观赏，兼作篱笆，故称槿篱。竹牖：竹窗。
[30] 观音兜——古时妇女戴的一种风帽，因形似观音所戴的兜帽，故名。
[31] 铁丝（ménɡ蒙）——铁丝编成的烘烤食物的网状架子。
[32] 揌（sāi腮）——这里同“塞”、“”。
〔四〕 “洗漱”，原作“洗浴”，从蒙府、戚序本改。
[34] 联句——旧时作诗的一种方式，两人或多人共作一诗，相互联吟成篇。一般联律诗的，由一人先起一句、三句或更多，停于单数句，留着双数句（下联）让下一人属对，下一人对出上联下句，再出下联上句，让别人属对，如此轮流相继。也有一人只出一句的，如本书下回联句的后半首，各人为了争强斗胜，便抢先出句。
CHAPTER 49. Red flowers bloom brighter in dazzling snow And venison reeks strangely on rosebud lips
WHEN Caltrop saw the cousins talking and laughing about her, she came forward, smiling herself, and handed the poem she was carrying to Dai-yu.
‘See what you think of this one,’ she said. ‘If this one is all right, I shall go on learning; if it’s still no good, I shall just have to give up the whole idea.’
The others clustered round Dai-yu to look. This is what they read:
Ethereal splendour no cloud can blot out! Chaste lovely presence of the cold night sky! From a white world the washer’s dull thud sounds, Till in the last watch cocks begin to cry, While, by a fisherman’s sad flute entranced, A lady leans out from her casement high; And you, White Goddess, lulled in sweet delight, Wish every night could be a fifteenth night.
There were exclamations from all of them when they had finished reading it.
‘But this is not just “all right”,’ they said, ‘this is a good and highly original poem. It shows the truth of the proverb: “Nothing is too difficult for one who has a mind to do it.” We shall definitely be inviting you now to join our poetry club.’
Caltrop, supposing that they were only saying this to humour her, could not quite believe them and continued to press Dai-yu and Bao-chai for the truth.
Just at that moment a number of maids and old serving-women came hurrying towards them in a state of great excitement:
‘Mrs Zhu! Young ladies! Come and meet your relations! A whole lot of young ladies and other people we’ve never seen before have just arrived.’
Li Wan laughed.
‘What are you talking about? Whose relations have just arrived?’
‘There are two young cousins of yours, Mrs Zhu,’ they said, ‘and there’s a young lady who says she’s Miss Bao’s cousin, and a young gentleman that’s cousin to Mr Xue. We’re on our way now to fetch Mrs Xue. Why don’t you and the young ladies go on ahead and meet them?’
They hurried off to complete their mission.
‘It sounds as if my cousin Xue Ke and his sister must have come,’ said Bao-chai. ‘Can it be them, though?’
‘And it sounds as if my Aunt Li must have decided to bring her two daughters to the capital,’ said Li Wan. ‘But how strange that they should have arrived together!’
When she and the cousins entered Lady Wang’s main reception room, they found it packed with people. Apart from the ones whom the servants had mentioned, they found Lady Xing’s brother’s wife with her daughter Xing Xiu-yan. The
three of them, Lady Xing’s brother and his wife and daughter, had come up to the capital to put themselves under the protection of Lady Xing. By a coincidence Xi-feng’s brother Wang Ren was starting out for the capital just as they were planning to set out themselves, so, on the strength of the marriage connection (Wang Ren being the brother of Lady Xing’s daughter-in-law), they had elected to travel in his company.
While stopping at one of the canal ports half-way along their route, they had made the acquaintance of Li Wan’s widowed aunt and her two daughters, Li Wen and Li Qi, also on their way to the capital, and when it emerged that all of them were
marriage-relations of the Jia family, these three, too, had joined the party. A little after this, Xue Pan’s cousin Xue Ke had decided to bring his sister Bao-qin to the capital to attend to the formalities of her betrothal. Some years previously
her father, while temporarily residing in the capital, had promised her to the son of a certain Academician Mei, but had died before the betrothal could be made formal. Hearing that his
aunt’s kinsman Wang Ren was also on his way to the capital, Xue Ke and his sister had pushed on ahead to join him. Thus it was that today all these people presented themselves simultaneously at the Rong mansion looking for their various relations.
When at last the introductions and courtesies were over, it became clear that Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were delighted with the new arrivals.
‘I knew something nice was going to happen from the way the lampwick was behaving last night,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘It kept flaring up and then forming into little balls at the top. You see, I was right!’
A general exchange of family talk ensued, and the handing over by the visitors of the presents they had brought with them. After that Grandmother Jia invited them all to take lunch with her, with wine to celebrate.
Xi-feng, it goes without saying, was now busier than ever. Li Wan and Bao-chai, who had a great deal of catching up on family news to do, were also kept busy exchanging information with their relations about all the things that had happened during the years since they last met. Dai-yu, observing them, at first shared in their happiness, but when she began to reflect on the contrast with her own solitary and orphaned state, she was obliged to go away in order to hide her tears. Bao-yu, well aware of the reason for her sudden disappearance, went after her, and with a good deal of coaxing, succeeded at last in comforting her.
As soon as Dai-yu had dried her tears, Bao-yu hurried back to Green Delights to tell Aroma, Musk and Skybright about the visitors.
‘You ought to go and have a look,’ he told them. ‘This nephew of my Aunt Xue’s is completely different from Cousin Pan. From his looks and behaviour you’d think he was Bao-chai’s brother. He’s certainly more like her than Pan is. And as for the sister – you’re always saying what a beauty Cousin Chai is, but wait till you’ve seen her! And then there are my sister-in-law’s two cousins – well, words just fail me! Heavenly lord, what a store of beauty you must have at your disposal to be able to produce such paragons! I’ve been like the frog living at the bottom of the well who thought the world was a little round pool of water. Up to now I’ve always believed that the girls in this household were without equals anywhere; but now, even without my needing to go outside, here they come, each one more beautiful than the last! Today has been an education for me. Don’t tell me there are any more like this: the shock would be too great!’
He laughed excitedly. Aroma saw that he was in one of his crazy moods and refused to go and look. But Skybright and the others were more curious and at once hurried over for a peep. They returned soon after, full of smiles, to report on what they had seen.
‘Do go and look!’ they urged Aroma. ‘There’s Lady Xing’s niece and this cousin of Miss Bao’s and Mrs Zhu’s two cousins: it’s not often you get a chance to see four such beautiful bulrushes together!’
Scarcely had these words been uttered when a smiling Tan-chun came in looking for Bao-yu.
‘Our poetry club is in luck,’ she said, finding him indoors with the maids. ‘Think of all those new members!’
‘Yes,’ said Bao-yu. ‘What a happy inspiration of yours it was to start it! It’s almost as though providence had sent these people here to make it prosper. But are you sure they can all write poetry?’
‘I’ve already asked them,’ said Tan-chun. ‘They are too modest to say outright, of course, but from what I can judge I’m pretty sure that either they all can, or even if they can’t, would learn very quickly. Look how quick Caltrop has been.’
‘Which of the four do you think is the prettiest, Miss?’ said Skybright. ‘I say Miss Bao’s cousin.’
‘Yes, I think I agree,’ said Tan-chun. ‘I think even Bao-chai is not quite as beautiful as her.’
Aroma had been listening to all this with growing curiosity.
‘This is certainly news to me!’ she said. ‘I shouldn’t have thought it possible to find anyone more beautiful than Miss Bao. I must go and have a look.’
‘Grandmother was completely captivated as soon as she set eyes on her,’ said Tan-chun. ‘She’s already insisted that Mother should become her godmother, and it’s decided that Grandmother shall bring her up as her own grandchild.’
‘Really?’ Bao-yu seemed delighted.
‘When have I ever told you a lie?’ said Tan-chun. There was a glint of mischief in her eye: ‘Now that she’s got such a beautiful granddaughter, she’ll probably lose interest in her darling grandson.’
‘That doesn’t matter,’ said Bao-yu unconcernedly. ‘She ought to give preference to girls. That’s as it should be. By the way, it’s the sixteenth today. It’s the day for our poetry club meeting.’
‘Cousin Lin has only recently got up, and Ying-chun is ill again,’ said Tan-chun. ‘We’re not really in any shape for a meeting at the moment.’
‘Ying-chun doesn’t care much about writing poetry anyway,’ said Bao-yu. ‘Surely we can manage without her?’
‘Yes, but I think we ought to wait a few days, even so,’ said Tan-chun. ‘Why don’t we wait until we’ve got to know the newcomers a bit better and then invite them to join us? I shouldn’t think sister-in-law or Cousin Chai can either of them be much in the mood for writing poetry at the moment. And Xiang-yun isn’t here. And Frowner has only just recovered. No one is really up to it yet. We ought to wait until Yun arrives and the new lot have settled in; then, when Frowner is completely better and sister-in-law and Cousin Chai are a bit less preoccupied and Caltrop has made some more progress, we can invite everyone to a plenary session. What you and I ought to do now is go round to Grandma’s and see what arrangements are being made about these people’s accommodation. We know that Chai’s cousin is staying here, because Grandma has adopted her; but we don’t know yet about the others. If there are no plans for them to stay here, we must ask Grandma to invite them. If possible we should get her to let them live in the Garden. It would be fun to have some more neighbours.’
Bao-yu grew quite radiant at the thought.
‘How clever you are, Tan!’ he told his sister admiringly. ‘I’m such a stupid ass. I get so carried away that I don’t think about the important things like you do.’
Brother and sister then went together to Grandmother Jia’s apartment, where they found the old lady in wonderful high spirits following Lady Wang’s recognition of Xue Bao-quin as her god-daughter. She considered that this entitled her to treat the girl as her grandchild, which she had begun doing by insisting that she spend the nights with her in her apartment and not in the Garden with Bao-chai. Xue Ke would naturally stay with his aunt and occupy the study that Xue Pan had vacated.
‘This niece of yours surely doesn’t need to go back to her parents yet?’ Grandmother Jia said to Lady Xing. ‘Let her stay in the Garden for a few days and enjoy herself.’
Lady Xing’s brother and sister-in-law had been living in extremely straitened circumstances, and now that they had come up to the capital, were relying on her to provide them with accommodation and financial assistance. She was naturally only too delighted to have one less person to her charge, and promptly handed Xiu-yan over to Xi-feng to dispose of.
Bearing in mind the varied, somewhat peculiar, temperaments of the Garden’s inhabitants, Xi-feng doubted the wisdom of putting Xiu-yan in with one of the others; on the other hand she foresaw disadvantages in opening up a separate establishment for her. In the end she put her in with Ying-chun, reflecting that if the girl did experience any difficulties in living with Ying-chun, then even if Lady Xing got to hear of it, she, Xi-feng, could not be held responsible, since Ying-chun was Lady Xing’s own half-daughter.
From this time onwards, not counting the time she spent at home with her parents, Xiu-yan received, for every whole month that she lived with Ying-chun in Prospect Garden, an allowance from Xi-feng of exactly the same amount as the monthly allowance that was paid to Ying-chun herself.
To Xi-feng’s dispassionate eye it soon became apparent that in both temperament and behaviour Xiu-yan was quite unlike Lady Xing and her parents – that she was in fact an extremely sweet and lovable person. Sorry that so gentle a soul should be so poor and unfortunate, Xi-feng treated her with a tact and considerateness that she did not always show the others. Lady Xing, on the other hand, seemed scarcely aware of her niece’s existence.
Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang esteemed Li Wan as a good and virtuous young woman who, having lost her husband at an early age, bore widowhood with fortitude and restraint. Now that this widowed aunt had arrived, they refused to hear of her taking lodgings outside, and though the good lady made many polite efforts to decline, insisted that she and her two daughters, Li Wen and Li Qi, should move into Sweet-rice Village and stay there with Li Wan at the family’s expense.
No sooner had the new arrivals begun settling in than news came that Grandmother Jia’s nephew Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhong-jing, was being transferred to an important position in one of the outer provinces and would shortly be leaving for his new post, taking his family with him. Grandmother Jia could not bear the idea of a permanent separation from her great-niece, and so it was agreed that Xiang-yun, too, should move into residence with the Jias. It was Grandmother Jia’s
original intention that Xi-feng should set up a separate establishment for her in the Garden; but as Xiang-yun herself rigorously opposed this idea and insisted on living with her beloved Bao-chai, she was allowed to have her way.
The Garden’s society was now larger and livelier than it had ever been before. With Li Wan as its doyenne it numbered – if you counted Xi-feng as an honorary member – thirteen people: Li Wan, Ying-chun, Tan-chun, Xi-chun, Bao-chai, Dai-yu, Xiang-yun, Li Wen, Li Qi, Bao-qin, Xing Xiu-yan, Bao-yu and Xi-feng. Apart from the two young married women, the rest were all fifteen, sixteen or seventeen years old. Most of them were in fact born in the same year, several of them in the same month or even on the same day. Not only Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang and the servants, even the young people themselves had difficulty in remembering who was senior to whom, and soon gave up trying, and abandoned any attempt at observing the usual formalities of address.
Caltrop could now think of nothing else all day long but writing poetry. Up to now she had refrained from importuning Bao-chai too persistently for advice, but with the arrival of an unwearying talker like Shi Xiang-yun upon the scene she was in her element. Xiang-yun was only too willing to accede to her requests for instruction, and morning, noon and night the two of them were to be found together, always in animated discussion.
‘You two are deafening me with your perpetual chatter,’ Bao-chai complained. ‘Imagine how ridiculous and un-maidenly it would seem to a man of letters if he heard that girls were treating poetry as a serious occupation! Caltrop on her own was bad enough, but with a chatterbox like you on top of it, Yun, I’m finding it a bit too much. Everywhere I go it’s “the profundity of Du Fu”, or “Wei Ying-wu of Soochow’s limpidity”, or “the somewhat meretricious charm of Wen Ting-yun”, or “Li Shang-yin’s obscurity”. Still, there are two important living poets I’ve so far heard no mention of.’
‘Oh?’ said Xiang-yun, all agog. ‘Which two?’
‘I’ve heard no mention of Crazy Caltrop’s prodigious pertinacity or the linguipotent loquacity of Shi Xiang-yun,’ said Bao-chai.
The other two burst out laughing.
At that moment Bao-qin arrived. She was wearing a magnificent rain-cape that glittered as she moved with gold and greenish lights. Bao-chai asked her where she had got it from.
‘Lady Jia gave me it,’ said Bao-qin. ‘She looked it out for me because it was beginning to sleet.’
Caltrop examined it curiously.
‘No wonder it looks so beautiful: this is woven out of peacock’s down.’
‘That’s not peacock’s down,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘It’s made from mallard’s head-feathers.’ She smiled at Bao-qin teasingly: ‘One can see how fond of you she must be. She’s fond of Bao-yu, but she’s never let him wear this.’
Bao-chai laughed:
‘To each a different fortune meted –
that’s certainly a true saying. I never dreamt that she would be coming here – much less that when she did, Lady Jia would immediately fall for her like this!’
‘Apart from the time you spend with Her Old Ladyship,’ Xiang-yun advised Bao-qin, ‘I should stick to the Garden as much as possible if I were you. In these two places you can eat and drink and play anywhere you please. But be careful of Lady Wang’s place. If she’s in when you go there, then you can sit and talk with her as long as you like; but if she’s not, it’s best not to go inside. There are a lot of nasty people in there who like to do us harm.’
This highly indiscreet warning was uttered so matter-of-factly that Bao-chai, Bao-qin, Caltrop and Oriole were compelled to laugh.
‘I won’t say you are thoughtless,’ said Bao-chai, ‘because you obviously mean well; but you really are a bit too outspoken. You and Qin ought to be sisters, since you are so concerned about her.’
Xiang-yun looked at Bao-qin appraisingly.
‘She is the only one of us who could wear this cape,’ she said. ‘Anyone else would look wrong in it.’
Just then Amber walked in with a message from Grandmother Jia:
‘Her Old Ladyship says please Miss Bao don’t be too strict with Miss Qin; she’s still only little and should be allowed to have her own way. And she says if there’s anything Miss Qin wants, she shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it.’
Bao-chai stood up politely to acknowledge the message. Afterwards she nudged Bao-qin playfully.
‘I don’t know! Some people have all the luck. You’d better leave us, hadn’t you, before we start maltreating you? It beats me. What have you got that I haven’t got?’
She was still teasing Bao-qin when Bao-yu and Dai-yu arrived.
‘You say that in jest, Chai,’ said Xiang-yun, noting their entry, ‘but I know someone who really thinks that way.’
‘If anyone’s really upset, it must be him,’ said Amber, pointing her finger at Bao-yu.
Xiang-yun laughed at her simple-mindedness:
‘No, he’s not that sort of person.’
‘Then if it’s not him you mean, it must be her,’ said Amber, pointing now at Dai-yu.
Xiang-yun fell silent. This time it was Bao-chai who spoke:
‘Wrong again. She feels the same way about my cousin as I do. In fact, I believe if anything she’s even fonder of her; so how could she be upset? Don’t be taken in by Miss Shi’s nonsense, my dear Amber. When did you ever hear Miss Shi say anything serious?’
From past experience Bao-yu – who still knew nothing of Dai-yu and Bao-chai’s recent rapprochement – was too familiar with Dai-yu’s jealous disposition not to feel apprehensive that Grandmother Jia’s new partiality for Bao-qin might upset her. He was puzzled, therefore, by Bao-chai’s rejoinder, and even more puzzled when he studied the expression on Dai-yu’s face and found that, far from showing any trace of the resentment he would have expected, it exactly tallied with what Bao-chai had said.
‘Those two used not to be like this,’ he thought. ‘Yet to judge from appearances, they are ten times friendlier towards each other now than they are towards anyone else.’
Shortly after this he heard Dai-yu calling Bao-qin ‘dear’ and fussing over her as if she were Bao-qin’s elder sister.
Bao-qin was a young, warm-hearted creature; she was, moreover, highly intelligent and had been taught her letters from an early age. By the time she had been a couple of days in the Jia household, she had already formed some impression of its members. Finding that her cousins were quite different from the vapid, giggling creatures to be found in the women’s quarters of so many houses, she was soon on friendly terms with all of them and was careful not to show off; but in Dai-yu she recognized a superior intelligence, and consequently felt even more affection and respect for her than she did for any of the others. Hence the intimacy which Bao-yu had just witnessed. He studied the pair of them curiously and marvelled in silence.
Shortly after this, when Bao-chai and Bao-qin had gone off to Aunt Xue’s place and Xiang-yun had gone to see Grandmother Jia and Dai-yu had gone back to her own room to rest, Bao-Yu went after Dai-yu to question her.
‘I’ve read The Western Chamber,’ he said, ‘and understood it well enough to have offended you on more than one occasion by quoting it at you; yet there’s one line in it I still don’t understand. Do you think, if I told you it, you could explain it to me?’
Dai-yu realized that something must lie behind this request, nevertheless she smilingly promised that she would do her best.
‘It comes in the section called “Ying-ying’s Reply”,’ said Bao-yu:
‘Since when did Meng Guang accept Liang Hong’s tray?
The question seems rather an apposite one. Those two little words “since when” particularly intrigue me. Kindly expound them for me, will you? Since when did Meng Guang accept Liang Hong’s tray?’
Dai-yu could not but be amused by the droll way in which he had gone about making his inquiry.
‘That’s a good question,’ she said. ‘It was a good question when Reddie asked it in the play, and it’s a good question when you ask it now.’
‘There was a time, not so long past, when you might have been deeply offended by it,’ said Bao-yu, ‘yet now you say nothing.’
‘It’s because now I know she’s a very good person,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Before I used to think she was two-faced.’
She proceeded to tell him, at some length, about the motherly talking-to Bao-chai had given her after her lapses in the drinking-game and about the gift of bird’s nest and sugar and the long talk Bao-chai had had with her when she was ill.
‘I see,’ said Bao-yu. ‘I needn’t have been so puzzled then. It seems that the question
Since when did Meng Guang accept Liang Hong’s tray?
could have been answered with another line from the same act of the same play. It was since you spoke
Like a child whose unbridled tongue knows no concealment!’
Dai-yu went on to talk about Bao-qin, whom she evidently looked on as a younger sister. Alas, this only reminded her that she had no real sister of her own and she began to cry. Bao-yu would have none of this.
‘Now come on, Dai! You’re making yourself upset. Look at you! You’re thinner than ever this year. It’s because you won’t take care of yourself. You positively look for ways of making yourself miserable. It’s almost as though you felt you hadn’t spent the day properly unless you’d had at least one good cry in it!’
‘No,’ said Dai-yu as she wiped her eyes. ‘I feel very low these days, but I don’t think I cry as much as I used to.’
‘I’m sure you do,’ said Bao-yu. ‘It’s just that it’s become so much a habit with you that you no longer know whether you’re crying or not. I’m sure you cry just as much as you always did.’
Just then one of the maids from his room arrived carrying his scarlet felt rain-cape.
‘Mrs Zhu has just sent someone round with a message for you, Master Bao,’ said the maid. ‘She says it’s starting to snow now and she wants to discuss with you about inviting people for the poetry meeting.’
She had barely finished speaking when Li Wan’s emissary arrived to deliver the same message to Dai-yu. Bao-yu suggested that they should go to Sweet-rice Village together and waited while she put on a pair of little red-leather boots which had a gilded cloud-pattern cut into their surface, a pelisse of heavy, dark-red bombasine lined with white fox-fur, a complicated woven belt made out of silvery-green shot silk, and a snow-hat. The two of them then set off together through the snow.
They arrived to find that nearly all the others were there already, mostly in red felt or camlet snow-cloaks. The exceptions were Li Wan, who wore a simple greatcoat of plain woollen material buttoned down the front, Xue Bao-chai in a pelisse of ivy-green whorl-patterned brocade trimmed with some sort of exotic lamb‘s-wool, and Xing Xiu-yan, who had no protection against the snow of any kind beyond the everyday clothes she was wearing.
Presently Xiang-yun arrived. She was wearing an enormous fur coat that Grandmother Jia had given her. The outside was made up of sables’ heads and the inside lined with long-haired black squirrel. On her head was a dark-red camlet ‘Princess’ hood lined with yellow figured velvet, whose cut-out cloud shapes were bordered with gold, and round her neck, muffling her up to the nose, was a large sable tippet.
‘Look, Monkey!’ said Dai-yu, laughing at this furry apparition. ‘Trust Yun to turn the need for wearing snow-clothes into an excuse for dressing up! She looks just like a Tartar groom!’
‘You haven’t seen what I am wearing underneath yet,’ said Xiang-yun, and opened out the fur coat to show them.
She had on a short, narrow-sleeved, ermine-lined tunic jacket of russet green, edge-fastened down the centre front, purfled at neck and cuffs with a triple band of braiding in contrasting colours, and patterned all over with dragon-roundels embroidered in gold thread and coloured silks. Under this she was wearing a short riding-skirt of pale-red satin damask lined with white fox belly-fur. A court girdle of different-coloured silks braided into butterfly knots and ending in long silken tassels was tied tightly round her waist. Her boots were of deerskin. The whole ensemble greatly enhanced the somewhat masculine appearance of her figure with its graceful, athletic bearing.
The others laughed:
‘She loves dressing up as a boy. Actually she looks even more fetching in boy’s clothes than she does as a girl.’
‘Let’s get down to business,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘What I want to know is, who’s paying for the entertainment this time?’
‘Well, this is what I thought,’ said Li Wan. ‘We’ve already passed the date for our regular meeting, and we don’t want to wait until the next one comes round, because it’s too far ahead. As it’s snowing, I thought it would be rather nice if we clubbed together for a little snow-party in honour of the newcomers and used it as an occasion for doing some poetry-making as well. What do the rest of you think?’
‘I think that’s exactly what we should do,’ said Bao-yu. ‘The only thing is, it’s a bit late for a party today, but if we wait until tomorrow, the snow may have stopped by then and it won’t be so much fun.’
‘It’s very unlikely to,’ said the others. ‘And even if it has stopped by tomorrow morning, it will surely be snowing still tonight, so it should be well worth looking at in the morning.’
‘This place here is all right, of course,’ said Li Wan, ‘but I thought that for this occasion it would be nicer if we met in Snowy Rushes Retreat. I’ve already told them to light the stove there and get the underground heating system started. I don’t think Grandma would much like the idea of our sitting round the stove making verses, so, as it’s only a very little party, I propose that we don’t tell her about it. As long as we let Feng know, it should be sufficient. As regards contributions: if each of you will bring one tael to me here, it ought to be enough. Not you five,’ she pointed to Caltrop, Bao-qin, Li Wen, Li Qi and Xiu-yan – ‘And Ying-chun and Xi-chun won’t be contributing either. Ying-chun is ill and Xi-chun is on leave of absence. That leaves only Bao-chai, Dai-yu, Xiang-yun and Dai-yu. If you four will contribute one tael each, I will undertake to contribute five or six taels myself. Together that should be ample.’
Bao-chai and the other three promised to bring her their contributions later and went on to ask what titles and rhymes should be set for the poetry-making.
‘I’ve already decided that,’ said Li Wan. ‘Let it be a surprise for you when you come.’
Arrangements for the party having now been settled, the cousins chatted together for a while longer before going off in a body to visit Grandmother Jia.
That concludes the narrative for that day.
At first light next morning Bao-yu, who in excited anticipation of the day ahead had barely slept all night, crawled from the covers and lifted up a corner of the bed-curtain to inspect the weather. Although the doors and windows were still fastened, there was an ominous brightness about the latter which led him to conclude – inwardly groaning with disappointment – that the snow must have cleared and the sun be shining. Jumping out of bed, he opened one of the inner casements and looked through the glass. It was not the sun after all, he found, but the white gleam of snow. It had been snowing all night; there was a good foot of snow on the ground and it was still coming down in great, soft flakes, like the flock from a torn-up quilt.
Overjoyed to find that he had been wrong, he at once began shouting for his maids, and as soon as he had finished washing and dressed himself in an aubergine-coloured gown lined with fox, a jacket with a sealskin shoulder-cape, and a belt round his waist for warmth, he donned his elegant rain-hat and cape (the Prince of Bei-jing’s present that Dai-yu had so much admired), stepped into his pear-wood pattens, and set off for Snowy Rushes Retreat.
Once outside the courtyard gate, the Garden stretched out on every hand in uniform whiteness, uninterrupted except for the dark green of a pine-tree or the lighter green of some bamboos here and there in the distance. He felt as if he was standing in the middle of a great glittering crystal bowl. Proceeding on his way, he had just turned a spur in the miniature mountain whose foot he was skirting, when his senses were suddenly ravished by a delicate cold fragrance. On looking around him, he found it to be coming from the dozen or so trees of winter-flowering red plum growing inside the walls of Green Bower Hermitage where the nun Adamantina lived. The brilliance of their carmine hue against the white background and the bravura of their blossoming amidst the snow so enchanted him that he stopped for some minutes to admire them.
As he moved on again, he saw someone carrying a green oiled-silk umbrella crossing over Wasp Waist Bridge. It was one of Li Wan’s servants on her way to invite Xi-feng to the party.
Arriving at Snowy Rushes Retreat, he found several women-servants outside, sweeping a pathway up to the door.
Snowy Rushes Retreat was built at the water’s margin in the shelter of a little hill. It had a thatched roof and adobe walls and a post-and-bar fence round it and bamboo-barred windows, just like a farmhouse or a peasant’s cottage. By merely opening a casement and leaning out, it was possible to fish in the lake from its rear windows. Reeds and rushes grew all around it. A meandering pathway through them led to the bamboo bridge by which Lotus Pavilion could be approached from the back.
When the snow-sweepers caught sight of Bao-yu in his rain-hat and cape, they paused from their labours and laughed.
‘We were just saying a moment ago that all we need now is an old fisherman, and here he comes! You’re too impatient, Master: the young ladies won’t be coming until they’ve eaten.’
Hearing that, there was nothing for Bao-yu to do but go back again.
Looking out from Drenched Blossoms Pavilion while he was crossing over the bridge, he caught sight of his sister Tan-chun emerging from Autumn Studio. She was wearing a dark-red camlet cloak and Guanyin hood and leaning on the arm of a little maid. A woman-servant walked behind her carrying a green oiled-silk umbrella. Realizing that she must be on her way to see Grandmother Jia, Bao-yu waited by the pavilion for her to catch up with him and accompanied her out of the Garden.
When they arrived, Bao-qin was still at her toilet in the inner room. The other cousins joined them shortly after. Bao-yu kept telling everyone how hungry he felt and grumbling because the servants were so long in serving. When the food at last arrived, the first dish to be put on the table was unborn lamb stewed in milk.
‘That’s a health-food,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘It’s for old folk like me. I’m afraid you young people couldn’t eat it. It’s a creature that’s never seen the light. There’s some fresh venison today, though. Why don’t you wait and have some of that?’
The others agreed to wait, but Bao-yu professed himself unable to hold out, and helping himself to a bowl of plain boiled rice, poured a little tea over it and shovelled it straight from the bowl into his mouth with one or two collops of pickled pheasant-meat to help it down.
‘I know you’ve got something on today,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘That’s why you’ve no time to eat properly.’ She turned to the servants. ‘Save some of the venison for them to eat in the evening.’
‘There’s plenty more,’ said Xi-feng. ‘I’ve already spoken to them about it.’
Xiang-yun had a brief consultation on the subject with Bao-yu:
‘If they’ve got fresh venison, why don’t we ask for a piece and cook it ourselves in the Garden? That would be fun.’
Bao-yu eagerly took up her suggestion and begged a piece from Xi-feng. He got one of the women to take it into the Garden for them.
Presently, when they had all left Grandmother Jia’s place and reassembled in Snowy Rushes Retreat and were waiting to hear what themes and rhymes Li Wan had decided on, they noticed that Xiang-yun and Bao-yu were missing.
‘Those two should never be allowed together,’ said Dai-yu. ‘As soon as ever they get together there is some kind of mischief afoot. No doubt the reason they’ve gone off this time is because they have designs on that deer’s meat.’
Just then Li Wan’s aunt, Mrs Li, came in, drawn by the noise and numbers to see what was happening.
‘That boy with the jade and the girl with the gold kylin,’ she said to Li Wan anxiously, ‘they both seem such clean, well-bred children, and they look as if they had enough to eat, yet just now the two of them were discussing how to eat a piece of raw venison. They seemed to be quite serious about it, too. Can one eat venison raw? I find it hard to believe that it can be very good for you.’
‘Shocking!’ exclaimed the others. ‘Better go out and stop them.’
‘Yun is at the bottom of this,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Mark my words!’
Li Wan hurried off to find the culprits.
‘If you are proposing to eat raw meat,’ she said when she had found them, ‘I shall have to send you back to Grandma’s to do it there. You can take a whole deer and stuff yourselves sick on it as long as it’s not my responsibility. Come on, now! Come back and make verses with the rest of us. Out in all this snow – it’s much too cold!’
‘You’re absolutely mistaken,’ said Bao-yu, laughing. ‘We’re planning to roast it.’
‘Oh well,’ said Li Wan, ‘that’s different.’
Some old women arrived just then, carrying an iron stove, some metal skewers and a grill.
‘Now be careful about cutting that meat,’ said Li Wan. ‘If you cut your fingers, you’ll have nobody to blame but yourselves!’
Having uttered that warning, she went indoors again.
Not long after she had gone in, Patience came by on her way to the Retreat. Xi-feng had sent her, in response to Li Wan’s invitation, to explain that she was unable to join them because she was busy seeing to the various annual payments that fall due at this time of year. Xiang-yun stopped her to exchange greetings, and having once stopped her, was unwilling to let her go again. Patience was by nature a fun-loving girl and she knew that Xi-feng would generally let her do as she liked. Considering the idea of cooking outdoors a great lark, she entered into the spirit of the thing, and taking off her bracelets, joined the other two round the brazier and asked for three of the cut-up pieces of venison to roast.
Bao-chai and Dai-yu had seen this kind of thing before and were not particularly interested, but it was a novelty to Mrs Li and Bao-qin and the newcomers, and they were greatly intrigued.
‘What a lovely smell!’ said Tan-chun, when she and Li Wan had finished discussing the theme for the verse-making. ‘You can smell it from here. I’m going outside to have some.’
She went out to join the three around the brazier. Li Wan followed her.
‘Everyone’s ready and waiting,’ said Li Wan. ‘Haven’t you two finished eating yet?’
‘I need wine to inspire my verse,’ said Xiang-yun, speaking with a mouth full of venison, ‘and eating roast venison gives me a thirst for wine. So if I didn’t eat this venison, I shouldn’t be able to write any poetry for you.’
She caught sight of Bao-qin, in the beautiful drake’s head cloak that Caltrop had thought was made of peacock’s feathers, hanging back somewhat from the rest and smiling wistfully.
‘Thoppy!’ she called out to her. ‘Come and try thome!’
‘Too dirty!’ said Bao-qin.
‘Go and try some,’ Bao-chai urged her. ‘It’s very good. The only reason your Cousin Lin isn’t having any is because she’s delicate and can’t digest it. If it weren’t for that, she would love to have some herself.’
Hearing this, Bao-qin went over and nibbled a bit, and finding it good, began to tuck in with as much gusto as the rest.
Presently a little maid arrived from Xi-feng summoning Patience to return; but Patience told the girl to go back without her and tell her mistress that she was being detained by Miss Shi. Shortly after the maid’s departure Xi-feng herself arrived, with a rain-cape over her shoulders.
‘This looks good,’ she said jovially. ‘You might have told me!’
With that she joined the other five in their alfresco feast round the brazier.
‘You look like a party of down-and-outs,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Oh dear, oh dear! Poor Snowy Rushes Retreat, polluted by Butcher Yun and her reeking carnivores! I weep for you!’
‘What do you know about it?’ said Xiang-yun scornfully. ‘ “True wits make elegant whate’er they touch.” Yours is a false purity. Odious purity! Now we may reek and raven; but presently you will see us with the pure spirit of poetry in our breasts and the most delicate, silken phrases on our lips!’
‘You’d better see to it that the verses you make are good ones,’ said Bao-chai, laughing, ‘otherwise we shall make you expiate the pollution by plucking the venison from your insides and stuffing you with snowy rushes!’
They had now made an end of eating, and washed their hands. In putting on her bracelets again, Patience noticed that one of them was missing; but though she and the others looked all around them, they were unable to find it. They were still puzzling over its disappearance when Xi-feng smilingly put an end to the search:
‘I know where the bracelet’s gone. You others go in and get on with your poetry.’
‘There’s no need to look for it any longer,’ she told Patience. ‘You will have to go home without it; but I promise that within three days from now you shall have it back again.’
What are your poems to be about this time?’ she asked the cousins. ‘Grandma says that as it’s getting near the end of the year, we shall soon be needing some First Month lantern riddles.’
‘Ah yes, of course!’ they said. ‘We’d quite forgotten, We’d better make some good ones up in advance to have ready for the festival.’
During this exchange they had been trooping into the room in the Retreat which had the under-floor heating. Wine-cups and prepared dishes had been laid there in readiness by the servants. A paper stuck to the wall announced the theme, form and rhyme for the forthcoming poetry contest. Bao-yu and Xiang-yun, who had not yet seen it, quickly went over to look. This is what it said:
Theme: The Snow Form: Linked Pentameters Rhyme: Eyes
No order of composition had been indicated.
‘I’m not much good at poetry myself,’ said Li Wan, ‘so I shall merely start you off by giving you the first three lines. After that, whoever is the first to think of a good following line can carry on.’
‘I think we ought to have a fixed order,’ said Bao-chai.
As to whether or not her advice was taken, that will be made clear in the following chapter.