第五十九回

第五十九回 柳叶渚边嗔莺咤燕 绛云轩里召将飞符

话说宝玉听说贾母等回来，遂多添了一件衣服，拄杖前边来，都见过了。贾母等因每日辛苦〔一〕，都要早些歇息，一宿无话，次日五鼓，又往朝中去。

离送灵日不远，鸳鸯、琥珀、翡翠、玻璃四人都忙着打点贾母之物，玉钏、彩云、彩霞等皆打叠王夫人之物，当面查点与跟随的管事媳妇们。跟随的一共大小六个〔二〕丫鬟，十个老婆子媳妇子，男人不算。连日收拾驮轿[3]器械。鸳鸯与玉钏儿皆不随去，只看屋子。一面先几日预发帐幔铺陈之物，先有四五个媳妇并几个男人领了出来，坐了几辆车绕道先至下处，铺陈安插等候。

临日，贾母带着蓉妻坐一乘驮轿，王夫人在后亦坐一乘驮轿，贾珍骑马率了众家丁护卫。又有几辆大车与婆子丫鬟等坐，并放些随换的衣包等件。是日薛姨妈尤氏率领诸人直送至大门外方回。贾琏恐路上不便，一面打发了他父母起身赶上贾母王夫人驮轿，自己也随后带领家丁押后跟来。

荣府内赖大添派人丁上夜，将两处厅院都关了，一应出入人等，皆走西边小角门。日落时，便命关了仪门，不放人出入。园中前后东西角门亦皆关锁，只留王夫人大房之后常系他姊妹出入之门，东边通薛姨妈的角门，这两门因在内院，不必关锁。里面鸳鸯和玉钏儿也各将上房关了，自领丫鬟婆子下房去安歇。每日林之孝之妻进来，带领十来个婆子上夜，穿堂内又添了许多小厮们坐更打梆子，已安插得十分妥当。

一日清晓，宝钗春困已醒，搴帷下榻，微觉轻寒，启户视之，见园中土润苔青，原来五更时落了几点微雨。于是唤起湘云等人来，一面梳洗，湘云因说两腮作痒，恐又犯了杏癍癣，因问宝钗要些蔷薇硝来。宝钗道：“前儿剩的都给了妹子。”因说：“颦儿配了许多，我正要和他要些，因今年竟没发痒，就忘了。”因命莺儿去取些来。莺儿应了才去时，蕊官便说：“我同你去，顺便瞧瞧藕官。”说着，一径同莺儿出了蘅芜苑。

二人你言我语，一面行走，一面说笑，不觉到了柳叶渚，顺着柳堤走来。因见柳叶才吐浅碧，丝若垂金，莺儿便笑道：“你会拿着柳条子编东西不会？”蕊官笑道：“编什么东西？”莺儿道：“什么编不得？顽的使的都可。等我摘些下来，带着这叶子编个花篮儿，采了各色花放在里头，才是好顽呢。”说着，且不去取硝，且伸手挽翠披金，采了许多的嫩条，命蕊官拿着。莺儿〔三〕一行走一行编花篮，随路见花便采一二枝，编出一个玲珑过梁的篮子。枝上自有本来翠叶满布，将花放上，却也别致有趣。喜的蕊官笑道：“姐姐，给了我罢。”莺儿道：“这一个咱们送林姑娘，回来咱们再多采些，编几个大家玩。”说着，来至潇湘馆中。

黛玉也正晨妆，见了篮子，便笑说：“这个新鲜花篮是谁编的？”莺儿笑说：“我编了送姑娘玩的。”黛玉接了笑道：“怪道人赞你的手巧，这玩意儿却也别致。”一面瞧了，一面便命紫鹃挂在那里。莺儿又问候了薛姨妈，方和黛玉要硝。黛玉忙命紫鹃包了一包，递与莺儿。黛玉又道：“我好了，今日要出去逛逛。你回去说与姐姐，不用过来问候妈了，也不敢劳他来瞧我，梳了头同妈都往你那里去〔四〕，连饭也端了那里去吃，大家热闹些。”

莺儿答应了出来，便到紫鹃房中找蕊官，只见藕官与蕊官二人正说得高兴，不能相舍，因说：“姑娘也去呢，藕官先同我们去等着岂不好？”紫鹃听如此说，便也说道：“这话倒是，他这里淘气的也可厌。”一面说，一面便将黛玉的匙箸用一块洋巾包了，交与藕官道：“你先带了这个去，也算一趟差了。”

藕官接了，笑嘻嘻同他二人出来，一径顺着柳堤走来。莺儿便又采些柳条，越性坐在山石上编起来，又命蕊官先送了硝去再来。他二人只顾爱看他编，那里舍得去。莺儿只顾催说：“你们再不去，我也不编了。”藕官便说：“我同你去了再快回来。”二人方去了。

这里莺儿正编，只见何婆的小女春燕走来，笑问：“姐姐编什么呢？”正说着，蕊藕二人也到了。春燕〔五〕便向藕官道：“前儿你到底烧什么纸？被我姨妈看见了，要告你没告成，倒被宝玉赖了他一大些不是，气的他一五一十告诉我妈。你们在外头这二三年积了些什么仇恨，如今还不解开？”藕官冷笑道：“有什么仇恨？他们不知足，反怨我们了。在外头这两年，别的东西不算，只算我们的米菜，不知赚了多少家去，合家子吃不了，还有每日买东买西赚的钱在外。逢我们使他们一使儿，就怨天怨地的。你说说可有良心？”

春燕笑道：“他是我的姨妈，也不好向着外人反说他的。怨不得宝玉说：‘女孩儿未出嫁，是颗无价之宝珠；出了嫁，不知怎么就变出许多的不好的毛病来，虽是颗珠子，却没有光彩宝色，是颗死珠了；再老了，更变的不是珠子，竟是鱼眼睛了。分明一个人，怎么变出三样来？’这话虽是混话，倒也有些不差。别人不知道，只说我妈和姨妈，他老姊妹两个，如今越老了越把钱看的真了。先时老姐儿两个在家抱怨没个差使，没个进益，幸亏有了这园子，把我挑进来，可巧把我分到怡红院。家里省了我一个人的费用不算外，每月还有四五百钱的馀剩，这也还说不够。后来老姊妹二人都派到梨香院去照看他们，藕官认了我姨妈，芳官认了我妈，这几年着实宽裕了。如今挪进来也算撒开手了，还只无厌。你说好笑不好笑？我姨妈刚和藕官吵了，接着我妈为洗头就和芳官吵。芳官连要洗头也不给他洗。昨日得月钱，推不去了，买了东西先叫我洗。我想了一想：我自有钱，就没钱要洗时，不管袭人、晴雯、麝月，那一个跟前和他们说一声，也都容易，何必借这个光儿？好没意思。所以我不洗。他又叫我妹妹小鸠儿洗了，才叫芳官，果然就吵起来。接着又要给宝玉吹汤，你说可笑死了人？我见他一进来，我就告诉那些规矩。他只不信，只要强做知道的，足的讨个没趣儿。幸亏园里的人多，没人分记的清楚谁是谁的亲故。若有人记得，只有我们一家人吵，什么意思呢？你这会子又跑来弄这个。这一带地上的东西都是我姑娘管着，一得了这地方，比得了永远基业还利害，每日早起晚睡，自己辛苦了还不算，每日逼着我们来照看，生恐有人遭踏，又怕误了我的差使。如今进来了，老姑嫂两个照看得谨谨慎慎，一根草也不许人动。你还掐这些花儿，又折他的嫩树，他们即刻就来，仔细他们抱怨。”

莺儿道：“别人乱折乱掐使不得，独我使得。自从分了地基之后，每日里各房皆有分例，吃的不用算，单管花草顽意儿。谁管什么，每日谁就把各房里姑娘丫头戴的，必要各色送些折枝的去，还有插瓶的。惟有我们姑娘说了：‘一概不用送，等要什么再和你们要。’究竟没有要过一次。我今便掐些，他们也不好意思说的。”

一语未了，他姑娘果然拄了拐走来。莺儿春燕等忙让坐。那婆子见采了许多嫩柳，又见藕官等都采了许多鲜花，心内便不受用；看着莺儿编，又不好说什么，便说春燕道：“我叫你来照看照看，你就贪住玩不去了。倘或叫起你来，你又说我使你了，拿我做隐身符儿[7]你来乐。”春燕道：“你老又使我，又怕，这会子反说我。难道把我劈做八瓣子不成？”

莺儿笑道：“姑妈，你别信小燕的话。这都是他摘下来的，烦我给他编，我撵他，他不去。”春燕笑道：“你可少玩儿，你只顾玩儿，他老人家就认真了。”那婆子本是愚顽之辈，兼之年近昏眊[8]，惟利是命，一概情面不管，正心疼肝断，无计可施，听莺儿如此说，便以老卖老，拿起拄杖来向春燕身上击了几下，骂道：“小蹄子，我说着你，你还和我强嘴儿呢。你妈恨的牙根痒痒，要撕你的肉吃呢。你还来和我强梆子似的。”打的春燕又愧又急，哭道：“莺儿姐姐玩话，你老就认真打我。我妈为什么恨我？我又没烧胡了洗脸水，有什么不是！”

莺儿本是玩话，忽见婆子认真动了气，忙上去拉住，笑道：“我才是玩话，你老人家打他，我岂不愧？”那婆子道：“姑娘，你别管我们的事，难道为姑娘在这里，不许我管孩子不成？”莺儿听见这般蠢话，便赌气红了脸，撒了手冷笑道：“你老人家要管，那一刻管不得，偏我说了一句玩话就管他了。我看你老管去！”说着，便坐下，仍编柳篮子。

偏又有春燕的娘出来找他，喊道：“你不来舀水，在那里做什么呢？”那婆子便接声儿道：“你来瞧瞧，你的女儿连我也不服了！在那里排揎我呢。”那婆子一面走过来说：“姑奶奶，又怎么了？我们丫头眼里没娘罢了，连姑妈也没了不成？”莺儿见他娘来了，只得又说原故。他姑娘那里容人说话，便将石上的花柳与他娘瞧道：“你瞧瞧，你女儿这么大孩子顽的。他先领着人遭踏我，我怎么说人？”

他娘也正为芳官之气未平，又恨春燕不遂他的心，便走上来打耳刮子，骂道：“小娼妇，你能上去了几年？你也跟那起轻狂浪小妇学，怎么就管不得你们了？干的我管不得，你是我屄里掉出来的，难道也不敢管你不成！既是你们这起蹄子到的去的地方我到不去，你就该死在那里伺候，又跑出来浪汉。”一面又抓起柳条子来，直送到他脸上，问道：“这叫作什么？这编的是你娘的屄！”莺儿忙道：“那是我们编的，你老别指桑骂槐。”那婆子深妒袭人晴雯一干人，已知凡房中大些的丫鬟都比他们有些体统权势，凡见了这一干人，心中又畏又让，未免又气又恨，亦且迁怒于众，复又看见了藕官，又是他令姊的冤家，四处凑成一股怒气。

那春燕啼哭着往怡红院去了。他娘又恐问他为何哭，怕他又说出自己打他，又要受晴雯等之气，不免着起急来，又忙喊道：“你回来！我告诉你再去。”春燕那里肯回来？急的他娘跑了去要拉他。他回头看见，便也往前飞跑。他娘只顾赶他，不防脚下被青苔滑倒，引的莺儿三个人反都笑了。莺儿便赌气将花柳皆掷于河中，自回房去。这里把个婆子心疼的只念佛，又骂：“促狭小蹄子！遭踏了花儿，雷也是要打的。”自己且掐花与各房送去不提。

却说春燕一直跑入院中，顶头遇见袭人往黛玉处去问安。春燕便一把抱住袭人，说：“姑娘救我！我娘又打我呢。”袭人见他娘来了，不免生气，便说道：“三日两头儿打了干的打亲的，还是卖弄你女儿多，还是认真不知王法？”这婆子虽来了几日〔六〕，见袭人不言不语是好性的，便说道：“姑娘你不知道，别管我们闲事！都是你们纵的，这会子还管什么？”说着，便又赶着打。

袭人气的转身进来，见麝月正在海棠下晾手巾，听得如此喊闹，便说：“姐姐别管，看他怎样。”一面使眼色与春燕，春燕会意，便直奔了宝玉去。众人都笑说：“这可是没有的事都闹出来了。”麝月向婆子道：“你再略煞一煞气儿，难道这些人的脸面，和你讨一个情还讨不下来不成？”那婆子见他女儿奔到宝玉身边去，又见宝玉拉了春燕的手说：“别怕，有我呢。”

春燕又一行哭，又一行说，把方才莺儿等事都说出来。宝玉越发急起来，说：“你只在这里闹也罢了，怎么连亲戚也都得罪起来？”麝月又向婆子及众人道：“怨不得这嫂子说我们管不着他们的事，我们虽无知错管了，如今请出一个管得着的人来管一管，嫂子就心服口服，也知道规矩了。”便回头叫小丫头子：“去把平儿给我们叫来！平儿不得闲就把林大娘叫了来。”那小丫头应了就走。众媳妇上来笑说：“嫂子，快求姑娘们叫回那孩子罢。平姑娘来了，可就不好了。”那婆子说道：“凭你那个平姑娘来也凭个理，没有娘管女儿大家管着娘的。”众人笑道：“你当是那个平姑娘？是二奶奶屋里的平姑娘。他有情呢，说你两句；他一翻脸，嫂子你吃不了兜着走！”

说话之间，只见小丫头子回来说：“平姑娘正有事，问我作什么，我告诉了他，他说：‘既这样，且撵他出去，告诉了林大娘在角门外打他四十板子就是了。’”那婆子听如此说，自不舍得出去，便又泪流满面，央告袭人等说：“好容易我进来了，况且我是寡妇，家里没人，正好一心无挂的在里头服侍姑娘们。姑娘们也便宜，我家里也省些搅过[10]。我这一去，又要去自己生火过活，将来不免又没了过活。”

袭人见他如此，早又心软了，便说：“你既要在这里，又不守规矩，又不听说，又乱打人。那里弄你这个不晓事的来，天天斗口，也叫人笑话，失了体统。”晴雯道：“理他呢，打发去了是正经。谁和他去对嘴对舌的。”那婆子又央众人道：“我虽错了，姑娘们吩咐了，我以后改过。姑娘们那不是行好积德。”一面又央春燕道：“原是我为打你起的，究竟没打成你，我如今反受了罪，你也替我说说。”宝玉见如此可怜，只得留下，吩咐他不可再闹。那婆子走来一一的谢过了下去。

只见平儿走来，问系何事。袭人等忙说：“已完了，不必再提。”平儿笑道：“‘得饶人处且饶人’，得省的将就省些事也罢了。能去了几日，只听各处大小人儿都作起反来了，一处不了又一处，叫我不知管那一处的是。”袭人笑道：“我只说我们这里反了，原来还有几处。”平儿笑道：“这算什么。正和珍大奶奶算呢，这三四日的工夫，一共大小出来了八九件了。你这里是极小的，算不起数儿来，还有大的可气可笑之事。”不知袭人问他果系何事，且听下回分解。

〔一〕 “宝玉听说贾母等回来，遂多添了一件衣服，拄杖前边来，都见过了。贾母等因每日辛苦”三十四字，原作“宝玉多添了一件衣服，拄着拐杖往前边来，都见过。因每日辛苦”（“着拐”“往”旁添），己卯、梦稿、戚序本均同底本原文。此从甲辰本。

〔二〕 “六个”，原作“十个”，覆改为“六十”。从各本改。

[3] 驮轿——也叫骡驮轿，前后两匹牲口抬着走的轿子。

〔三〕 “莺儿”，原作“颦儿恰”，“颦”又点改为“莺”。从底本旁改文。

〔四〕 “都往你那里去”，原作“姓你那里去”，点改为“往你们那里去”。从己卯、梦稿、甲辰本改。

〔五〕 “春燕”，原作“春儿”，点改为“春燕”。依各本从底本改文。

[7] 隐身符儿——迷信认为能使身体隐匿不被人见的符箓。在这里是挡箭牌的意思。

[8] 昏眊（mào冒）——昏聩糊涂的老年。眊：通“耄”，老。耄也作眼花解。

〔六〕 “虽来了几日”，原作“不言不几日”，点改为“这几日”。蒙府、甲辰本作“来了几日”。此从梦稿、俄藏、戚序各本改。

[10] 搅过——嚼裹的音转，意思是“吃穿”。“嚼”指吃，“裹”指穿。延伸为日用开销。这是一句老北京话，读时“裹”字轻读。语源是满语。今老北京人还常说。东北也流行这句话，读“嚼咕”，“咕”字轻音，意思已偏重在吃。

CHAPTER 59. By Willow Walk the conservers of property resort to violence and abuse And at Green Delights the defenders of law and order invoke a higher authority

Hearing that his grandmother and the other ladies were back, Bao-yu put on an extra garment and shuffled off, walking-stick in hand, to greet them. He found them tired out by the taxing routine of the past few days and anxious to retire to bed as soon as possible. Nothing of interest happened during that night. The ladies were up again at four o’clock next morning and off once more to the Palace.

The date of their departure for the mausoleum was fast approaching. Faithful, Amber, Parrot and Pearl busied themselves getting together the things that Grandmother Jia would need on the journey, while Silver, Suncloud and Sunset did the same for Lady Wang. When all was ready, they went over everything, item by item, with the most senior of the servants who were accompanying their mistresses. There were altogether sixteen of these: six maids and ten older women. The male servants, who are not included in that number, were meanwhile preparing the mule-litters that their mistresses would ride in and getting the harness and other gear into good order. Faithful and Silver were not among the sixteen. They were to stay behind and look after their mistresses’ apartments while they were away.

Some days before the funeral cortège was due to set out, the maids packed up the covers and hangings of their mistresses’ travelling-beds. These were collected by a party of four or five women, who, with the aid of some menservants, took them by cart through the back streets to the lodgings where their mistresses were to spend the night before their departure and put them up ready for them to sleep in.

The Jia ladies and their retinue left the mansion the day before the cortège was due to start. Grandmother Jia and Jia Rong’s wife shared the first litter; Lady Wang followed on her own in the second; Cousin Zhen and the menservants provided them with a mounted escort. Then followed several large covered carts in which the maids and womenservants were travelling. The carts also carried a large number of bundles containing changes of clothing for the ladies. The other members of the family, led by Aunt Xue and You-shi, accompanied the little procession as far as the outer threshold of the main gate to see the old lady off.

While the column was reforming itself in the street, Jia Lian appeared on horseback at the head of a small party of mounted grooms. He shepherded his parent’s litters into place between those of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, then, fearful of the possible consequences of leaving the baggage train with its female freight unguarded, trotted back to a position behind the carts and, with his mounted followers, brought up the rear.

Inside the mansion Lai Da greatly increased the numbers of the watch and ordered the entrances to the two main courtyards to be kept permanently closed. Anyone wanting to go in or out of the mansion now had to do so through the small side gate on the west corner. The ornamental gate dividing the outer from the inner part of the mansion was closed at sundown. So, too, were the main and side gates of the Garden. The gate which the cousins normally used for getting into or out of the rear part of Lady Wang’s quarters and the gate on the east side which gave access to the corner gate of Aunt Xue’s courtyard were left open. Since they affected only the intercommunication of the already sealed-off inner parts of the mansion, it did not seem necessary to close them. Faithful and Silver shut up the living-rooms normally occupied by their mistresses and went to sleep with the other maids in the servants’ quarters at the back. Each day at sundown Lin Zhi-xiao’s wife conducted a party of ten or so senior women into the Garden to police it during the night. The number of pages employed in the gallery outside for the purpose of sounding the night-watches was increased. Everything was done, in short, to ensure that the security of the mansion was maintained.

Waking one fine, fresh morning from vernal slumbers, Bao-chai, on raising the bed-curtain and stepping down into the room, became sensible of a very slight chilliness in the air, the reason for which was apparent when she opened the door and looked out. A little shower, falling in the last watch before dawn, had refreshed the earth and turned the mosses everywhere a more brilliant shade of green. She went in again and called to the others to get up.

While they were washing, Xiang-yun complained of an irritation in her cheeks which she feared might herald an outbreak of the mild eczema she sometimes suffered from and asked Bao-chai for some rose-root orris to put on them.

‘I gave the last of it to Qin a few days ago,’ said Bao-chai. ‘Frowner has a lot. I had been meaning to ask her for some, but as I haven’t had any trouble with my own cheeks this year, I forgot about it.’

She ordered Oriole to go and get some. As Oriole was about to leave, Étamine said that she would like to go with her because she wanted to talk to Nénuphar. The two girls set off from All-spice Court, chattering and laughing as they went.

At Willow Walk they followed the line of the embankment. The trailing golden strings of the weeping willows were already flecked with emerald.

‘Do you know how to weave things with these?’ Oriole smilingly asked her companion.

‘What sort of things?’ said Étamine.

‘Oh, things to look at, things to use – all sorts. Just wait while I break off a few and I’ll weave a little basket out of them. I’ll leave the leaves on, then, if we fill it with different kinds of flowers, it will look ever so pretty.’

Temporarily forgetting about the orris-powder, she reached up and broke off some of the tender willow-twigs. She got Étamine to hold them for her; then, as they walked along together, she plaited them into a little basket. From time to time she stopped to pick a flower or two that grew beside the way. The finished basket was a pretty little open-work one with a handle, bursting all over with the greenery which she had been careful not to pull off. When it was filled up and stuck all over with flowers, it looked really charming. Étamine was enraptured:

‘Oh, Oriole, do let me have it!’

‘We’ll give this one to Miss Lin,’ said Oriole. ‘We can pick some more twigs on the way back and I’ll make baskets like this for you all.’

By this time the two girls had arrived at the Naiad’s House. Dai-yu had not yet completed her toilet. She was very much taken with Oriole’s handiwork.

‘Ah, a living basket! Who made it?’

‘I did,’ said Oriole. ‘It’s for you, miss.’

‘Oh, but it’s charming!’ said Dai-yu, taking it. ‘No wonder they’re always saying how clever you are with your hands.’

After admiring it a little longer, she told Nightingale to hang it up where she could see it.

Oriole first inquired politely after Aunt Xue and then asked Dai-yu about the rose-orris. Dai-yu told Nightingale to wrap some up for her.

‘I’m better now,’ she told Oriole as she handed her the packet. ‘I feel like going out today for some exercise. Tell Chai that there’s no need for her to pay her call on Mamma today or to visit me. As soon as I’ve done my hair, Mamma and I will be coming over to her place. We can have our lunch there. We shall be quite a little family party!’

Oriole promised to relay the message and went into Nightingale’s room to collect Étamine; but Étamine and Nénuphar had just reached the most interesting part of their conversation and were most unwilling to be separated. Oriole proposed a solution to Nightingale.

‘Your mistress is going over to our place presently. Why not let Nénuphar come with us now and wait for her there?’

‘By all means,’ said Nightingale. ‘She gets up to so much mischief, we shall be glad to have her off our hands for a bit!’

She got out Dai-yu’s spoon and chopsticks, wrapped them up in a napkin of West Ocean linen, and held them out for Nénuphar.

‘Here you are: you can take these for her. May as well make yourself useful.’

Nénuphar took the things from her and set off, smiling happily, with the other two. They made their way to Willow Walk again and Oriole broke off a lot more twigs and, sitting down on a nearby rock, began straightway plaiting them to make into another basket. She told Étamine to go ahead with the rose-orris and come back for her presently when she had delivered it; but both girls were fascinated by Oriole’s skilful weaving and could not tear themselves away. Oriole threatened to suspend work on the basket if Étamine did not do as she was told.

‘Come on,’ said Nénuphar. ‘I’ll go with you. We can hurry back in no time.’

After they had gone, while Oriole sat plaiting on her own, Mamma He’s daughter Swallow walked up and smilingly asked her what she was making. Oriole was still talking to her when the other two got back. Swallow looked at Nénuphar curiously.

‘Tell me, what was that paper you were burning the other day when my Aunt Xia caught you? She was going to report you, but Bao-yu made out that it was she who was in the wrong, so she couldn’t go through with it. She was ever so angry. She came and told my mother all about it. What on earth did you do during all that time you were living outside together to make such an enemy of her?’

Nénuphar sniffed.

‘I didn’t do anything. It’s because she’s so greedy. She can’t squeeze as much out of me as she used to be able to. To mention nothing else, look at all the food she and the others used to take home with them when they were working with us outside. You know they did.’

Swallow laughed.

‘She’s my own aunt. I can’t very well criticize her in front of other people. I must admit, though, it does seem to be as Bao-yu once said. “A girl before she marries is like a priceless pearl, but once she marries the pearl loses its lustre and develops all sorts of disagreeable flaws, and by the time she’s an old woman, she’s no longer like a pearl at all, more like a boiled fish’s eye.” He said, “How can the same person, at different times in her life, seem like three completely different people?” – Of course, I knew at the time he was only talking his usual nonsense; but really there does seem to be some truth in it. I don’t know about other people’s families, but it’s certainly true of my mother and my aunt. The older they get, the more they seem to care about nothing else but money. When we were all living together at home, they used to complain that there weren’t any jobs for us that would bring in a bit of income. Then this Garden was built and I was lucky enough to be among those who were chosen to work in it – doubly lucky, in fact, because I was assigned to Green Delights. That meant that quite apart from the fact that they didn’t have to find my keep any more, they were getting an additional four or five hundred cash each month that I managed to save out of my wages. You’d have thought they’d have been satisfied with that, but oh no! Then they got jobs themselves, looking after these player-girls in Pear Tree Court. My Aunt Xia had Nénuphar for foster-daughter and my mother had Parfumée. So for this last year or two they’ve been really comfortably off. Now that you’ve all moved inside, of course, it’s rather out of their hands; but they won’t give up. It really makes you laugh. First my aunt having that row with Nénuphar, and then my mother having that row with Parfumée. That was over the shampoo. Parfumée had asked my mother I don’t know how many times to shampoo her hair for her. Then Parfumée’s monthly allowance came in and my mother had no excuse for putting her off any longer, so she bought the shampoo, but when she’d bought it, she told me to wash my hair with it first. Well, I didn’t like to do that. I mean, I’ve got money of my own, and even if I hadn’t, I could always get the stuff for washing my hair with from Aroma or Skybright or Musk without any trouble by simply asking for it. So I said no, I wouldn’t. So then she got hold of my younger sister and washed her hair first. Needless to say, when she called Parfumée after that there was a quarrel. Oh, and then she wanted to go and blow on Bao-yu’s soup. Oh dear, I could have died! I told her about the rule as soon as I saw her going in, but she wouldn’t believe me. Oh no, Mother knows best! So of course she made a fool of herself. It’s a good job there are so many of us working in the Garden and no one can ever remember who is related to who, otherwise they might get the impression that the people in my family do nothing but quarrel all the time.’

‘Incidentally, this place where you’ve chosen to do your basket-making is on the territory of another of my aunts – my father’s sister. Ever since she was put in charge of it, she’s treated it as if it were her own property. She slaves away on it from morning to night. What’s more, she makes me come and watch over it for her: she’s so terrified of any of it getting spoiled. It’s got so that I can hardly do my own job properly. And now that Mother’s moved into the Garden, she keeps an eye on it too. The pair of them watch over it like hawks. No one else is allowed to touch a blade of grass here. I don’t mind telling you, if they come along this way and find you’ve been picking their flowers and breaking their young willow-twigs, they won’t be at all pleased!’

‘In anyone else’s case, perhaps not,’ said Oriole; ‘but my case is different. When the Garden was divided up, it was agreed that daily supplies of stuff from it were to be sent to all the apartments. That included, apart from things to eat, flowers for everyone’s hair and flowers to put in the vases. Now my mistress, it so happens, was the only one who said she didn’t want a daily supply of flowers. She said she would let them know whenever she wanted any, but up to now she never has. So you see, in my case they are hardly likely to object even if they do find out that I’ve been picking some.’

These words were scarcely out of her mouth when who should appear, hobbling along on her stick, but this same aunt that Swallow had been talking about. Oriole and Swallow invited her to come and sit down on the rock. The old woman felt a pang of displeasure as her eye travelled from the little heap of broken willow-twigs to the freshly-picked flowers that Nénuphar and Étamine were holding, but since it was Oriole who appeared to be responsible, she forbore to complain of the vandalism and found something to grumble at her own niece about instead.

‘When I tell you to come here and keep an eye on things, you prefer to stay at home and play. Then when the others ask you to do something for them, you pretend that you can’t because you’re already working for me. You use me like a magic charm, so that you can do a disappearing act whenever there’s a job of work to be done!’

‘First you tell me to come here, then you’re afraid the others will want me so you tell me off for being here,’ Swallow protested. ‘I can’t be in two places at once, aunt!’

‘Don’t you believe her, missus!’ said Oriole teasingly. ‘She’s the one who picked all these things and pestered me to weave them for her. I tried to get rid of her, but she wouldn’t leave me alone.’

‘For goodness sake!’ said Swallow agitatedly. ‘Don’t make jokes like that. She’ll take you seriously.’

Alas, it was all too true! This aunt of Swallow’s was a stupid old woman whose senile infatuation with money was such that beside it all human ties had long since ceased to count. At Oriole’s words the pent-up anguish with which she viewed this hateful spoliation of her domain found relief in action: she raised her stick and, with the presumptuous tyranny of old age, struck Swallow several times with it across the back.

‘Little baggage!’ she said. ‘How dare you answer me back! Your own mother hates you so much she’s itching to get her teeth in you. Don’t you go raising your voice at me!’

‘Oriole was only joking,’ said Swallow, weeping – partly from the pain and partly from the humiliation of being beaten in front of the others. ‘Why should my mother hate me? I haven’t burnt the washing-up water! What am I supposed to have done?’

Dismayed that her words should have had such an effect, Oriole stepped hurriedly between them and seized the aunt’s upraised arm.

‘I was only joking, missus. Is it to shame me that you are beating her?’

‘I’ll thank you not to meddle in what doesn’t concern you, miss,’ said the old woman. ‘Do you think I should not be allowed to discipline my own niece just because you are here?’

The crassness of this reply caused Oriole to flush with anger.

‘You can discipline her any time you like, but I don’t see why you should choose to do it when I make a joke,’ she said scornfully. ‘All right, go ahead and discipline her, then.’

And releasing the old woman’s arm, she sat down on the rock again and got on with her weaving.

The next thing that happened was that Swallow’s mother appeared on the scene, looking for her daughter.

‘What are you doing there?’ she shouted as she caught sight of her. ‘I thought I told you to go and fetch some water.’

‘Come over and see what she’s been doing,’ the old aunt shouted back at her. ‘I’ve no hold over her any more than you now, it seems. She’s being very impertinent to me.’

‘Oh, what’s she been doing this time, sister-in-law?’ said the woman, coming up to them. ‘She’s got no use for her own mother any more, I knew that; but I thought she might have a bit of respect left for you still.’

Recognizing the newcomer as Swallow’s mother, Oriole wanted to explain; but the aunt did not give her a chance.

‘Look at that!’ she said, pointing to the willow-twigs on the rock. ‘A great girl like her – you’d think she’d know better! And not content with that, leading other people on to ruin me as well!’

Swallow’s mother was still smarting from her unsuccessful quarrel with Parfumée and was angry with Swallow for not having taken her side.

‘Little strumpet!’ she shouted, bearing down on her wrathfully and slapping her across the head. ‘How long now have you been working with those young madams? – it hasn’t taken you very long to pick up their airs and graces! But don’t you go thinking I can’t lay my hands on you any more. A foster-daughter’s one thing, but you are my own flesh and blood. I can still look after you when I feel like it. Little painted whores, telling me I can’t go inside where you can go! I wish you’d go inside and stay there: perhaps if you stayed inside long enough, you might find a customer!’

She grabbed hold of the little half-made willow basket and waved it in Swallow’s face.

‘And what’s this supposed to be? What’s the bloody meaning of this?’

‘I made that,’ said Oriole. ‘Don’t curse the mulberry tree when you mean the locust. If it’s me you’re angry with, why not say so and leave her out of it?’

Swallow’s mother was intensely jealous of these senior maids like Oriole and Aroma and Skybright, for she knew that their status and authority were greatly superior to her own. She feared them and deferred to them, but doing so cost her a good deal of angry resentment which she vented on the junior maids. On this occasion her anger was further exacerbated by the presence of her sister’s enemy, Nénuphar.

Swallow was now making her way tearfully towards Green Delights. Her mother was afraid that if they asked her there why she was crying and she told them, there would be further insults to put up with from Skybright, so she hurried after her to try and stop her.

‘You come back!’ she shouted. ‘You’ll go when I say you can.’

But Swallow refused to stop, and her mother, greatly incensed, rushed forward, intending to lay hands on her. Swallow happened to turn and see her coming, however, and got away by running even faster. Her mother, continuing the pursuit, slipped on the moss and fell over, to the great delight of Oriole and the other two.

Oriole was by now so disgusted with the whole affair that she threw everything – basket, twigs and flowers – into the water and went off home, leaving the old aunt blessing herself in pious horror at the waste.

‘Wicked creature!’ she called out after her. ‘You ought to be struck by lightning, throwing away good flowers like that!’

She set about picking some herself then, to deliver to the various apartments.

As for Swallow, she went on running until she came to Green Delights. There, just inside the courtyard, she ran full tilt into Aroma, who was just at that moment setting out to pay a call on Dai-yu. Swallow clung to her imploringly.

‘Save me, miss! My mother’s going to beat me again.’

At the sight of the mother, arriving now in hot pursuit, Aroma could no longer contain her annoyance.

‘That’s twice in three days: first your foster-daughter and now your own daughter. Is it to show off the size of your family that you do this, or do you really not know any better?’

Being a relative newcomer to the Garden, Swallow’s mother had as yet formed no very clear impression of Aroma beyond that she spoke very little and was probably a fairly harmless sort of person.

‘I should mind your own business, if I was you, miss,’ she said rudely. ‘You know nothing about these matters. It’s because you’re all so soft with the girl that she’s got so out of hand.’

She darted after Swallow again, her hand upraised to strike her. Aroma was so angry that she turned round and began marching back to the house. On her way she passed Musk, who was hanging some handkerchiefs out to dry under the crab-apple tree. Musk looked over her shoulder to see what all the shouting was about.

‘I should leave them to it, if I were you,’ she advised Aroma. ‘Just let them get on with it and see what happens.’

She signalled to Swallow with her eyes as she said this. Swallow understood her immediately and dashed inside the house to take refuge with Bao-yu. The other servants smiled at each other in pleasurable anticipation.

‘Now there’ll be trouble,’ they said. ‘Now we shall really see something!’

‘Why don’t you calm down a bit?’ Musk said to the woman. ‘Surely you’re not going to set yourself up against the whole apartment?’

The woman saw her daughter go up to Bao-yu inside the house and Bao-yu take her by the hand.

‘Don’t worry,’ Bao-yu said to the girl. ‘I’ll look after you.’

Swallow, still crying, told him the whole story of Oriole and the willow-twigs. Bao-yu was deeply shocked, but, for form’s sake, pretended to blame Swallow for what had happened.

‘It’s bad enough having rows in here; what do you want to go upsetting your aunt outside for?’

‘What this good woman said just now is right,’ Musk said to the other servants. ‘Perhaps we are too slack. Perhaps we don’t know enough about these matters to deal with them properly ourselves. What we need is someone whose opinion she will listen to, someone who really knows what’s what.’

She turned to a little maid standing near by.

‘Go and fetch Patience. If Patience can’t come, fetch Mrs Lin.’

As the little maid ran off on her errand, the other women in the compound drew round Swallow’s mother with interested smiles.

‘Better ask them to call that child back,’ they advised her. ‘You don’t want Miss Patience coming here.’

‘If she’s “Miss Patience”, she’ll just have to be patient and listen to reason,’ said the woman defiantly. ‘I never yet heard of a mother being disciplined for trying to discipline her own daughter.’

The others smiled at her ignorance.

‘You don’t know who Miss Patience is, though. Miss Patience is Mrs Lian’s Number One. If she’s in a good mood, you might get away with a telling-off; but if she’s not – my goodness, you’re in for a packet of trouble!’

Just then the little maid came back with a message.

‘Miss Patience was busy, but she asked me why I’d come and when I told her she said, “Tell her she’s dismissed and get Mrs Lin on the corner gate to give her forty strokes of the bamboo.”’

It was now the mother’s turn for tears and entreaties.

‘It wasn’t easy for me to get this job,’ she said. ‘I shan’t get another like it. And I’m a widow, too: I’ve no one else at home. From your point of view that’s an advantage, because I can give all my attention to serving you. But it means that it’s my only livelihood: if you turn me out, I don’t know how I’m going to keep alive.’

Aroma began to relent.

‘But if you want to stay here,’ she said, ‘you really must learn to behave yourself and do what you are told. You really can’t go around hitting people all the time. What are we to do with a person like you? This daily shouting and quarrelling is giving our place a bad name.’

‘Take no notice of her,’ said Skybright. ‘Send her packing. Who’s got time to stand around arguing with people like her?’

Swallow’s mother appealed to the other maids:

‘I admit I was in the wrong; but if you tell me what to do, I’m willing to learn. Give me another chance, young ladies, you won’t regret it. It’s a “work of merit”, don’t forget, to help another person mend their ways.’

She appealed to Swallow:

‘It was on account of beating you that I got into this trouble. And I didn’t beat you very hard. Put in a word for me, there’s a good child!’

Bao-yu himself now felt sorry for the woman and told her that she could stay.

‘But no more trouble, mind! Any more trouble from you, and you’ll be out like a shot – and you’ll be given the beating!’

The woman thanked first Bao-yu and then all the others in turn. She had already left when Patience looked in to see what the trouble was.

‘Forget about it!’ said Aroma. ‘It’s all over.’

‘Well, they say “where mercy is possible, mercy should be shown”,’ Patience observed. ‘If you can see your way to letting her off, it certainly saves us some trouble. I can’t understand it, though. It’s only a few days’ since Their Ladyships left, yet already the whole place seems to be in a state of mutiny. Before I’ve finished dealing with trouble in one place, it crops up in another. I scarcely know which way to turn.’

‘I thought we were the only ones,’ said Aroma. ‘I didn’t realize there were others.’

‘Oh, this is nothing!’ said Patience. ‘There have been seven or eight outbreaks just during these last three or four days. Compared with the others, this trouble of yours is a very minor affair. We’ve had something much more upsetting – and more ridiculous – than this to contend with.’

Aroma was curious to know what it was. But as to whether Patience told her or not, that will be revealed in the chapter which follows.