第四十二回

第四十二回 蘅芜君兰言解疑癖 潇湘子雅谑补馀香

话说他姊妹复进园来，吃过饭，大家散出，都无别话。

且说刘姥姥带着板儿，先来见凤姐儿，说：“明日一早定要家去了。虽住了两三天，日子不多，却把古往今来没见过的，没吃过的，没听见过的，都经验了。难得老太太和姑奶奶并那些小姐们，连各房里的姑娘们，都这样怜贫惜老照看我。我这一回去后没别的报答，惟有请些高香[2]天天给你们念佛，保佑你们长命百岁的，就算我的心了。”

凤姐儿笑道：“你别喜欢。都是为你，老太太也被风吹病了，睡着说不好过；我们大姐儿也着了凉，在那里发热呢。”刘姥姥听了，忙叹道：“老太太有年纪的人，不惯十分劳乏的。”凤姐儿道：“从来没像昨儿高兴。往常也进园子逛去，不过到一二处坐坐就回来了。昨儿因为你在这里，要叫你逛逛，一个园子倒走了多半个。大姐儿因为找我去，太太递了一块糕给他，谁知风地里吃了，就发起热来。”

刘姥姥道：“小姐儿只怕不大进园子，生地方儿，小人儿家原不该去。比不得我们的孩子，会走了，那个坟圈子里不跑去。一则风扑了也是有的；二则只怕他身上干净，眼睛又净，或是遇见什么神了。依我说，给他瞧瞧祟书本子[3]，仔细撞客[4]着了。”一语提醒了凤姐儿，便叫平儿拿出《玉匣记》着彩明来念。彩明翻了一回念道：“八月二十五日，病者在东南方得遇花神。用五色纸钱四十张，向东南方四十步送之，大吉。”凤姐儿笑道：“果然不错，园子里头可不是花神！只怕老太太也是遇见了。”一面命人请两分纸钱来，着两个人来，一个与贾母送祟，一个与大姐儿送祟。果见大姐儿安稳睡了。

凤姐儿笑道：“到底是你们有年纪的人经历的多。我这大姐儿时常肯病，也不知是个什么原故。”刘姥姥道：“这也有的事。富贵人家养的孩子多太娇嫩，自然禁不得一些儿委曲；再他小人儿家，过于尊贵了，也禁不起。以后姑奶奶少疼他些就好了。”凤姐儿道：“这也有理。我想起来，他还没个名字，你就给他起个名字。一则借借你的寿；二则你们是庄家人，不怕你恼，到底贫苦些，你贫苦人起个名字，只怕压的住他。”刘姥姥听说，便想了一想，笑道：“不知他几时生的？”凤姐儿道：“正是生日的日子不好呢，可巧是七月初七日。”刘姥姥忙笑道：“这个正好，就叫他是巧哥儿。这叫作‘以毒攻毒，以火攻火’的法子。姑奶奶定要依我这名字，他必长命百岁。日后大了，各人成家立业，或一时有不遂心的事，必然是遇难成祥，逢凶化吉，却从这‘巧’字上来。”

凤姐儿听了，自是欢喜，忙道谢，又笑道：“只保佑他应了你的话就好了。”说着叫平儿来吩咐道：“明儿咱们有事，恐怕不得闲儿。你这空儿把送姥姥的东西打点了，他明儿一早就好走的便宜了。”刘姥姥忙说：“不敢多破费了。已经〔一〕遭扰[6]了几日，又拿着走，越发心里不安起来。”凤姐儿道：“也没有什么，不过随常的东西。好也罢，歹也罢，带了去，你们街坊邻舍看着也热闹些，也是上城一次。”只见平儿走来说：“姥姥过这边瞧瞧。”

刘姥姥忙跟了平儿到那边屋里，只见堆着半炕东西。平儿一一的拿与他瞧着，说道：“这是昨日你要的青纱一匹，奶奶另外送你一个实地子月白纱[7]作里子。这是两个茧绸[8]，作袄儿裙子都好。这包袱里是两匹绸子，年下做件衣裳穿。这是一盒子各样内造点心[9]，也有你吃过的，也有你没吃过的，拿去摆碟子请客，比你们买的强些。这两条口袋是你昨日装瓜果子来的，如今这一个里头装了两斗御田粳米，熬粥是难得的；这一条里头是园子里果子和各样干果子。这一包是八两银子。这都是我们奶奶的。这两包，每包里头五十两，共是一百两，是太太给的，叫你拿去或者作个小本买卖，或者置几亩地，以后再别求亲靠友的。”说着又悄悄笑道：“这两件袄儿和两条裙子，还有四块包头，一包绒线，可是我送姥姥的。衣裳虽是旧的，我也没大狠穿，你要弃嫌我就不敢说了。”

平儿说一样，刘姥姥就念一句佛，已经念了几千声佛了。又见平儿也送他这些东西，又如此谦逊，忙念佛道：“姑娘说那里话？这样好东西我还弃嫌！我便有银子也没处去买这样的呢。只是我怪臊的，收了又不好，不收又辜负了姑娘的心。”平儿笑道：“休说外话，咱们都是自己，我才这样。你放心收了罢，我还和你要东西呢。到年下，你只把你们晒的那个灰条菜干子和豇豆、扁豆、茄子、葫芦条儿各样干菜带些来，我们这里上上下下都爱吃。这个就算了，别的一概不要，别罔费了心。”刘姥姥千恩万谢答应了。平儿道：“你只管睡你的去。我替你收拾妥当了就放在这里，明儿一早打发小厮们雇辆车装上，不用你费一点心的。”刘姥姥越发感激不尽，过来又千恩万谢的辞了凤姐儿，过贾母这一边睡了一夜，次早梳洗了就要告辞。

因贾母欠安，众人都过来请安，出去传请大夫。一时婆子回大夫来了。老妈妈请贾母进幔子[10]去坐。贾母道：“我也老了，那里养不出那阿物儿来，还怕他不成！不要放幔子，就这样瞧罢。”众婆子听了，便拿过一张小桌来，放下一个小枕头，便命人请。

一时只见贾珍、贾琏、贾蓉三个人将王太医领来。王太医不敢走甬路，只走旁阶，跟着贾珍到了阶矶上。早有两个婆子在两边打起帘子，两个婆子在前导引进去，又见宝玉迎了出来。只见贾母穿着青皱绸一斗珠的羊皮褂子[11]，端坐在榻上，两边四个未留头的小丫鬟都拿着蝇帚漱盂等物；又有五六个老嬷嬷雁翅[12]摆在两旁，碧纱橱后隐隐约约有许多穿红着绿戴宝簪珠的人。王太医便不敢抬头，忙上来请了安。

贾母见他穿着六品服色，便知是御医了，也便含笑问：“供奉[13]好？”因问贾珍：“这位供奉贵姓？”贾珍等忙回“姓王”。贾母道：“当日太医院正堂王君效，好脉息[14]。”王太医忙躬身低头，含笑回说：“那是晚晚生家叔祖。”贾母听了，笑道：“原来这样，也是世交了。”一面说，一面慢慢的伸手放在小枕上。老嬷嬷端着一张小杌[15]：连忙放在小桌前，略偏些。王太医便屈一膝坐下，歪着头诊了半日，又诊了那只手，忙欠身低头退出。贾母笑说：“劳动了。珍儿让出去好生看茶。”

贾珍贾琏等忙答了几个“是”，复领王太医出到外书房中。王太医说：“太夫人并无别症，偶感一点风凉，究竟不用吃药，不过略清淡些，暖着一点儿，就好了。如今写个方子在这里，若老人家爱吃便按方煎一剂吃，若懒待吃，也就罢了。”说着，吃过茶写了方子。

刚要告辞，只见奶子抱了大姐儿出来，笑说：“王老爷也瞧瞧我们。”王太医听说忙起身，就奶子怀中，左手托着大姐儿的手〔二〕，右手诊了一诊，又摸了一摸头，又叫伸出舌头来瞧瞧，笑道：“我说姐儿又骂我了，只是要清清净净的饿两顿就好了。不必吃煎药，我送丸药来，临睡时用姜汤研开，吃下去就是了。”说毕作辞而去。

贾珍等拿了药方来，回明贾母原故，将药方放在桌上出去，不在话下。这里王夫人和李纨、凤姐儿、宝钗姊妹等见大夫出去，方从橱后出来。王夫人略坐一坐，也回房去了。

刘姥姥见无事，方上来和贾母告辞。贾母说：“闲了再来。”又命鸳鸯来：“好生打发刘姥姥出去。我身上不好，不能送你。”刘姥姥道了谢，又作辞，方同鸳鸯出来。

到了下房，鸳鸯指炕上一个包袱说道：“这是老太太的几件衣服，都是往年间生日节下众人孝敬的，老太太从不穿人家做的，收着也可惜，却是一次也没穿过的。昨日叫我拿出两套儿送你带去，或是送人，或是自己家里穿罢，别见笑。这盒子里是你要的面果子。这包子里是你前儿说的药：梅花点舌丹也有，紫金锭也有，活络丹也有，催生保命丹[17]也有，每一样是一张方子包着，总包在里头了。这是两个荷包，带着顽罢。”说着便抽系子，掏出两个笔锭如意的锞子[18]来给他瞧，又笑道：“荷包拿去，这个留下给我罢。”刘姥姥已喜出望外，早又念了几千声佛，听鸳鸯如此说，便说道：“姑娘只管留下罢。”鸳鸯见他信以为真，仍与他装上，笑道：“哄你顽呢，我有好些呢。留着年下给小孩子们罢。”说着，只见一个小丫头拿了个成窑钟子来递与刘姥姥，“这是宝二爷给你的。”刘姥姥道：“这是那里说起。我那一世修了来的，今儿这样。”说着便接了过来。鸳鸯道：“前儿我叫你洗澡，换的衣裳是我的，你不弃嫌，我还有几件，也送你罢。”刘姥姥又忙道谢。鸳鸯果然又拿出两件来与他包好。刘姥姥又要到园中辞谢宝玉和众姊妹王夫人等去。鸳鸯道：“不用去了。他们这会子也不见人，回来我替你说罢。闲了再来。”又命了一个老婆子，吩咐他：“二门上叫两个小厮来，帮着姥姥拿了东西送出去。”婆子答应了，又和刘姥姥到了凤姐儿那边一并拿了东西，在角门上命小厮们搬了出去，直送刘姥姥上车去了。不在话下。

且说宝钗等吃过早饭，又往贾母处问过安，回园至分路之处，宝钗便叫黛玉道：“颦儿跟我来，有一句话问你。”黛玉便同了宝钗，来至蘅芜苑中。进了房，宝钗便坐了笑道：“你跪下，我要审你。”黛玉不解何故，因笑道：“你瞧宝丫头疯了！审问我什么？”宝钗冷笑道：“好个千金小姐！好个不出闺门的女孩儿！满嘴里说的是什么？你只实说便罢。”黛玉不解，只管发笑，心里也不免疑惑起来，口里只说：“我何曾说什么？你不过要捏我的错儿罢了。你倒说出来我听听。”宝钗笑道：“你还装憨儿。昨儿行酒令你说的是什么？我竟不知那里来的。”

黛玉一想，方想起来昨儿失于检点，那《牡丹亭》《西厢记》说了两句，不觉红了脸，便上来搂着宝钗，笑道：“好姐姐，原是我不知道随口说的。你教给我，再不说了。”宝钗笑道：“我也不知道，听你说的怪生的，所以请教你。”黛玉道：“好姐姐，你别说与别人，我以后再不说了。”

宝钗见他羞得满脸飞红，满口央告，便不肯再往下追问，因拉他坐下吃茶，款款[19]的告诉他道：“你当我是谁，我也是个淘气的。从小七八岁上也够个人缠的。我们家也算是个读书人家，祖父手里也爱藏书。先时人口多，姊妹弟兄都在一处，都怕看正经书。弟兄们也有爱诗的，也有爱词的，诸如这些‘西厢’‘琵琶’[20]以及‘元人百种’[21]，无所不有。他们是偷背着我们看，我们却也偷背着他们看。后来大人知道了，打的打，骂的骂，烧的烧，才丢开了。所以咱们女孩儿家不认得字的倒好。男人们读书不明理，尚且不如不读书的好，何况你我。就连作诗写字等事，这不是你我分内之事，究竟也不是男人分内之事。男人们读书明理，辅国治民，这便好了。只是如今并不听见有这样的人，读了书倒更坏了。这是书误了他，可惜他也把书糟踏了，所以竟不如耕种买卖〔三〕，倒没有什么大害处。你我只该做些针黹纺织的事才是，偏又认得了字，既认得了字，不过拣那正经的看也罢了，最怕见了些杂书，移了性情，就不可救了。”一席话，说的黛玉垂头吃茶，心下暗伏，只有答应“是”的一字。

忽见素云进来说：“我们奶奶请二位姑娘商议要紧的事呢。二姑娘、三姑娘、四姑娘、史姑娘、宝二爷都在那里等着呢。”宝钗道：“又是什么事？”黛玉道：“咱们到了那里就知道了。”说着便和宝钗往稻香村来，果见众人都在那里。

李纨见了他两个，笑道：“社还没起，就有脱滑[23]的了，四丫头要告一年的假呢。”黛玉笑道：“都是老太太昨儿一句话，又叫他画什么园子图儿，惹得他乐得告假了。”探春笑道：“也别要怪老太太，都是刘姥姥一句话。”林黛玉忙笑道：“可是呢，都是他一句话。他是那一门子的姥姥，直叫他是个‘母蝗虫’就是了。”说着大家都笑起来。宝钗笑道：“世上的话，到了凤丫头嘴里也就尽了。幸而凤丫头不认得字，不大通，不过一概是市俗取笑。更有颦儿这促狭嘴，他用‘春秋’的法子[24]，将市俗的粗话，撮其要，删其繁，再加润色比方出来，一句是一句。这‘母蝗虫’三字，把昨儿那些形景都现出来了。亏他想的倒也快。”众人听了，都笑道：“你这一注解，也就不在他两个以下。”

李纨道：“我请你们大家商议，给他多少日子的假。我给了他一个月，他嫌少，你们怎么说？”黛玉道：“论理一年也不多。这园子盖才盖了一年，如今要画自然得二年工夫呢。又要研墨，又要蘸笔，又要铺纸，又要着颜色，又要……”刚说到这里，众人知道他是取笑惜春，便都笑问说“还要〔四〕怎样？”黛玉也自己撑不住笑道：“又要照着这样儿慢慢的画，可不得二年的工夫！”众人听了，都拍手笑个不住。宝钗笑道：“‘又要照着这个慢慢的画’，这落后一句最妙。所以昨儿那些笑话儿虽然可笑，回想是没味的。你们细想颦儿这几句话虽是淡的，回想却有滋味。我倒笑的动不得了。”惜春道：“都是宝姐姐赞的他越发逞强，这会子拿我也取笑儿。”

黛玉忙拉他笑道：“我且问你，还是单画这园子呢，还是连我们众人都画在上头呢？”惜春道：“原说只画这园子的，昨儿老太太又说，单画了园子成个房样子了，叫连人都画上，就像‘行乐’[26]似的才好。我又不会这工细楼台，又不会画人物，又不好驳回，正为这个为难呢。”黛玉道：“人物还容易，你草虫上不能。”李纨道：“你又说不通的话了，这个上头那里又用的着草虫？或者翎毛倒要点缀一两样。”黛玉笑道：“别的草虫不画罢了，昨儿‘母蝗虫’不画上，岂不缺了典！”众人听了，又都笑起来。黛玉一面笑的两手捧着胸口，一面说道：“你快画罢，我连题跋[27]都有了，起个名字，就叫作《携蝗大嚼图》。”

众人听了，越发哄然大笑，前仰后合。只听“咕咚”一声响，不知什么倒了，急忙看时，原来是湘云伏在椅子背儿上〔五〕，那椅子原不曾放稳，被他全身伏着背子大笑，他又不提防，两下里错了劲，向东一歪，连人带椅都歪倒了，幸有板壁挡住，不曾落地。众人一见，越发笑个不住。宝玉忙赶上去扶了起来，方渐渐止了笑。宝玉和黛玉使个眼色儿。黛玉会意，便走至里间将镜袱揭起，照了一照，只见两鬓略松了些，忙开了李纨的妆奁，拿出抿子[29]来，对镜抿了两抿，仍旧〔六〕收拾好了，方出来，指着李纨道：“这是叫你带着我们作针线教道理〔七〕呢，你反招我们来大顽大笑的。”李纨笑道：“你们听他这刁话。他领着头儿闹，引着人笑了，倒赖我的不是。真真恨的我只保佑明儿你得一个利害婆婆，再得几个千刁万恶的大姑子小姑子，试试你那会子还这么刁不刁了。”

林黛玉早红了脸，拉着宝钗说：“咱们放他一年的假罢。”宝钗道：“我有一句公道话，你们听听。藕丫头虽会画，不过是几笔写意[32]。如今画这园子，非离了肚子里头有几副丘壑的才能成画。这园子却是像画儿一般，山石树木，楼阁房屋，远近疏密，也不多，也不少，恰恰的是这样。你只〔八〕照样儿往纸上一画，是必不能讨好的。这要看纸的地步远近，该多该少，分主分宾，该添的要添，该减的要减，该藏的要藏，该露的要露。这一起了稿子，再端详斟酌，方成一幅图样。第二件，这些楼台房舍，是必要用界划[34]的。一点不留神，栏杆也歪了，柱子也塌了，门窗也倒竖过来，阶矶也离了缝，甚至于桌子挤到墙里去，花盆放在帘子上来，岂不倒成了一张笑‘话’儿了。第三，要插人物，也要有疏密，有高低。衣折裙带，手指足步，最是要紧；一笔不细，不是肿了手就是跏了腿，染脸撕发倒是小事。依我看来竟难的很。如今一年的假也太多，一月的假也太少，竟给他半年的假，再派了宝兄弟帮着他。并不是为宝兄弟知道教着他画，那就更误了事；为的是有不知道的，或难安插的，宝兄弟好拿出去问问那会画的相公，就容易了。”

宝玉听了，先喜的说：“这话极是。詹子亮的工细楼台就极好，程日兴的美人是绝技，如今就问他们去。”宝钗道：“我说你是无事忙，说了一声你就问去。等着商议定了再去。如今且拿什么画？”宝玉道：“家里有雪浪纸[35]，又大又托墨[36]。”宝钗冷笑道：“我说你不中用！那雪浪纸写字画写意画儿，或是会山水的画南宗〔九〕山水[38]，托墨，禁得皴染[39]。拿了画这个，又不托色，又难滃[40]，画也不好，纸也可惜。我教你〔一〇〕一个法子。原先盖这园子，就有一张细致图样，虽是匠人〔一一〕描的，那地步方向是不错的。你和太太要了出来，也比着那纸大小，和凤丫头要一块重绢[43]，叫相公矾[44]了，叫他照着这图样删补着立了稿子，添了人物就是了。就是配这些青绿颜色并泥金泥银[45]，也得他们配去。你们也得另上风炉子，预备化胶、出胶、洗笔。还得一张粉油大案，铺上毡子。你们那些碟子也不全，笔也不全，都得从新再置一份儿才好。”惜春道：“我何曾有这些画器？不过随手写字的笔画画罢了。就是颜色，只有赭石、广花、藤黄、胭脂这四样。再有，不过是两支着色笔就完了。”宝钗道：“你该早说。这些东西我却还有，只是你也用不着，给你也白放着。如今我且替你收着，等你用着这个的时候我送你些，也只可留着画扇子，若画这大幅的也就可惜了的。今儿替你开个单子，照着单子和老太太要去。你们也未必知道的全，我说着，宝兄弟写。”

宝玉早已预备下笔砚了，原怕记不清白，要写了记着，听宝钗如此说，喜的提起笔来静听。宝钗说道：“头号排笔四支，二号排笔四支，三号排笔四支，大染四支，中染四支，小染四支，大南蟹爪十支，小蟹爪十支，须眉十支，大著色二十支，小著色二十支，开面十支，柳条二十支，箭头朱四两，南赭四两，石黄四两，石青四两，石绿四两，管黄四两，广花八两，蛤粉四匣，胭脂十片，大赤飞金二百帖，青金二百帖，广匀胶四两，净矾四两。矾绢的胶矾在外，别管他们，你只把绢交出去叫他们矾去。这些颜色，咱们淘澄飞跌〔一二〕[47]着，又顽了又使了，包你一辈子都够使了。再要顶细绢箩四个，粗绢箩四个，担笔[48]四支，大小乳钵四个，大粗碗二十个，五寸粗碟十个，三寸粗白碟二十个，风炉两个，沙锅大小四个，新瓷罐二口，新水桶四只，一尺长白布口袋四条，桴炭二十斤，柳木炭一斤，三屉木箱一个，实地纱〔一三〕一丈，生姜二两，酱半斤。”黛玉忙道：“铁锅一口，锅铲一个。”宝钗道：“这作什么？”黛玉笑道：“你要生姜和酱这些作料，我替你要铁锅来，好炒颜色吃的。”众人都笑起来。宝钗笑道：“你那里知道。那粗色碟子保不住不上火烤，不拿姜汁子和酱预先抹在底子上烤过了，一经了火是要炸的。”众人听说，都道：“原来如此。”

黛玉又看了一回单子，笑着拉探春悄悄的道：“你瞧瞧，画个画儿又要这些水缸箱子来了。想必他糊涂了，把他的嫁妆单子也写上了。”探春“嗳”了一声，笑个不住，说道：“宝姐姐，你还不拧他的嘴？你问问他编排你的话。”宝钗笑道：“不用问，狗嘴里还有象牙不成！”一面说，一面走上来，把黛玉按在炕上，便要拧他的脸。黛玉笑着忙央告道：“好姐姐，饶了我罢！颦儿年纪小，只知说，不知道轻重，作姐姐的教导〔一四〕我。姐姐不饶我，还求谁去？”众人不知话内有因，都笑道：“说的好可怜见的，连我们也软了，饶了他罢。”

宝钗原是和他顽，忽听他又拉扯前番说他胡看杂书的话，便不好再和他厮闹，放起他来。黛玉笑道：“到底是姐姐，要是我，再不饶人的。”宝钗笑指他道：“怪不得老太太疼你，众人爱你伶俐，今儿我也怪疼你的了。过来，我替你把头发拢一拢〔一五〕。”黛玉果然转过身来，宝钗用手拢上去。宝玉在旁看着，只觉更好看〔一六〕，不觉后悔不该令他抿上鬓去，也该留着，此时叫他替他抿去。正自胡思，只见宝钗说道：“写完了，明儿回老太太去。若家里有的就罢，若没有的，就拿些钱去买了来，我帮着你们配。”宝玉忙收了单子。

大家又说了一回闲话。至晚饭后又往贾母处来请安。贾母原没有大病，不过是劳乏了，兼着了些凉，温存[53]了一日，又吃了一剂药疏散[54]一疏散，至晚也就好了。不知次日又有何话，且听下回分解。

[1] 兰言——知心话。《易·系辞上》：“二人同心，其利断金；同心之言，其臭（嗅）如兰。”兰：香草。

[2] 请高香——即烧高香，虔敬祈福之意。

[3] 祟（suì岁）书本子——讲论鬼神星命、吉凶祸福的迷信书籍。下文《玉匣记》即其一。祟：鬼怪或鬼怪为祸。

[4] 撞客——民间用语，人遇鬼神为其所附以致生病招灾，叫“撞客”。也叫“撞克”或“克碰”。

〔一〕 “已经”，原作“已径”，从各本改。

[6] 遭扰——犹言打扰。客人对主人道谢的客套话。

[7] 实地子月白纱——实地子纱：花纹由纱孔组成，地纹无纱孔的纱。月白：一种接近于白的浅蓝色。

[8] 茧绸——以柞蚕丝织成的绸子，质韧耐穿。又以丝棉捻成丝线所织之绸，亦称茧绸。

[9] 内造点心——宫内制作的点心。其制作的方法叫“内法”。这里似指照内法仿制的点心。

[10] 幔子——帐幕。这里指坐帐。旧时贵妇人起居之处设此，作回避男宾等用。

[11] 一斗珠的羊皮褂子——即用未出生的胎羊皮做成的皮褂子。这种羊皮，卷毛如一粒粒珠子，故又名“珍珠毛”。一斗珠，又作“一斛珠”。

[12] 雁翅——雁群飞行时，排列有序，故用以比喻队列整齐。

[13] 供奉——以各种专长在宫廷内供职的人统称“供奉”。这里是对王太医的尊称。

[14] 好脉息——指切脉的本领很高。

[15] 杌（wù误）——小方凳。

〔二〕 “左手托着大姐儿的手”，原作“左手抱着大姐儿的手”，“左手抱”点去，“着”点改为“把”，末一“手”字点改为“左”。此从甲辰本。

[17] 梅花点舌丹等药——都是比较珍贵有效的中医成药。梅花点舌丹：消肿止痛，主治疔毒恶疮，口舌糜烂。紫金锭：避秽解毒，主治由湿温时邪引起的呕恶泄泻，以及小儿痰壅惊闭。活络丹：活血祛瘀，主治半身不遂，风湿疼痛。催生保命丹：安胎镇痉，主治难产。

[18] 笔锭如意的锞子——上面铸有一只如意和一枝笔的小银链。“笔锭如意”谐声“必定如意”，以讨吉利口彩。

[19] 款款——徐缓的，慢慢的。

[20] “琵琶”——即《琵琶记》，南戏剧本，元末高则诚作。写蔡伯喈负义再娶，其妻赵五娘卖发葬亲、求乞寻夫的故事。

[21] “元人百种”——即《元曲选》。元代杂剧选集，明代臧懋循编，收元人杂剧近百种。

〔三〕 “耕种买卖”，原作“耕读买卖”，从各本改。

[23] 脱滑——溜走，躲懒的意思。

[24] “春秋”的法子——又称“春秋笔法”。《春秋》是孔子根据鲁史撰修的编年体史书。古代学者说它“以一字为褒贬”，含有“微言大义”。后来就把文笔深隐曲折、意含褒贬叫“春秋笔法”。

〔四〕 “这里，众人知道他是取笑惜春，便都笑问说‘还要”十九字，原缺，从戚序本补。

[26] 行乐——行乐图的简称。我国传统写真画的一种，要求人物神态毕肖，有一定的情节，有的还带有背景和次要人物。

[27] 题跋——写于书籍、碑帖、字画等前面的文字叫“题”，后面的文字叫“跋”。内容多为评介、考订、记事等。

〔五〕 “背儿上”，原作“背后来着”，“来着”二字为旁添。从甲辰本改。

[29] 抿子——梳头时抹发油或刨花水之类的小刷子。

〔六〕 “抿了两抿，仍旧”，原作“抿了仍就”，从各本改。

〔七〕 “教道理”，原无，从各本补。

[32] 写意——国画中属疏放类画法，与工笔画相对。要求通过极简练疏放的笔墨写出对象的神态和意趣，借以抒发作者的胸怀。

〔八〕 “只”原作“及”，甲辰本作“就”，戚本作“既”，杨藏、甲辰本作“若”。从俄藏本改。

[34] 界划——即“界画”，国画术语。指画家用界尺作线，精细地画出以宫室楼台为主体的画。宋元时画分十三科，第十科为“界画楼台”。见元代陶宗仪《辍耕录》。后专指亭台楼阁一类的画为“界画”。

[35] 雪浪纸——一种优质的宣纸，适于画山水、树石。

[36] 托墨——纸张不涩不滑，写字作画易于着墨渗附，谓之托墨。下言“托色”，意同。

〔九〕 “南宗”，原“宗”后改为“宋”，从底本原文。

[38] 南宗山水——指一种注重笔墨意趣的文人山水画。明代董其昌等效禅学分南、北宗之意，将唐以来的山水画分为南北两大派系，名之为南北宗。认为南宗的画注重水墨气韵，风格飘逸，重皴染，画得比较简洁，以王维为代表；北宗的画注重色彩工力，风格刚劲，重钩勒，画得比较工细，以李思训为代表。关于绘画南北宗的此种界说相沿至今，当代书画家启功曾予驳正，参见《启功丛稿·山水画南北宗说辩》。

[39] 皴（cūn村）染——底本与他本作“皴搜”，疑为“皴染”之误。皴染，国画的一种技法，用以表现山石、峰峦及树身的纹理。特点是先勾出山石等轮廓再蘸水墨染出层次向背和质感来，常需多次加工。

[40] 滃（wěnɡ蓊）——此处应作双管烘染解，不同于“滃染”。即以色笔和水笔双管并用，层次分明。

〔一〇〕 “我教你”，“教”原作“交”，从各本改。

〔一一〕 “匠人”，“匠”原作“近”，从各本改。

[43] 重绢——厚重的好绢。作画的画绢，以厚重细密均匀者为佳品。

[44] 矾——即明矾。这里作动词。用胶矾水浸刷生纸生绢，使之变得吸水适度，叫做矾。

[45] 泥金泥银——涂以金粉或银粉作底。

〔一二〕 “淘澄飞跌”，“跌”原作“趺”，从甲辰本改。

[47] 淘澄（dènɡ邓）飞跌——调治国画颜料的四个步骤。淘：把颜料研碎，洗去泥土。澄：用乳钵研细淘过的颜料，兑入胶水澄清。飞：澄清后淡色上浮，将其吹去。跌：飞后留下中色和重色，再跌荡碗盏留下重色。

[48] 担笔——即掸笔。《玉篇》：“担，拂也。”此笔即不胶住的大羊毫，用以掸拂颜料粉末用。

〔一三〕 “实地纱”，“实”原作“直”，从戚序、甲辰本改。

〔一四〕 “教导”，原作“教道”，径改。

〔一五〕 “拢一拢”，原作“笼一笼”，从蒙府、戚序本改。

〔一六〕 “看”，据俄藏、蒙府本补。

[53] 温存——殷勤抚慰的意思，这里引申为休养、休息。

[54] 疏散——疏通、发散。中医认为病有表里之分，病初起时邪在表，停留于肌肤腠理之间，这时用发表药疏散一下即愈。

CHAPTER 42. Lady Allspice wins over a suspicious nature with some well-intentioned advice And River Queen enhances her reputation as a wit with some amusing sarcasms

The last chapter showed how Grandmother Jia, escorted by all the others, returned from Sweet-rice Village to her own apartment. As soon as she arrived, she insisted that the young people should go off and have their dinner. The young people accordingly went back into the Garden, and when they had eaten, the party finally broke up.

Returning from the Garden with little Ban-er, Grannie Liu first called on Xi-feng to announce her intention of leaving for home early next morning.

‘We’ve only been here two or three days,’ she said, ‘but in these two or three days we’ve seen and heard and eaten and drunk more things than we ever dreamed of. I’m truly grateful to you and Her Old Ladyship and the young gentlewomen and the young ladies working in the different apartments for treating an old countrywoman with so much kindness. I don’t know what I can do in return. All I can think of is to buy some sticks of best incense when I get back so that I can offer some every day to the Lord Buddha and pray him to give you long life. Leastways it would show my gratitude.’

‘It’s a bit early yet for rejoicing,’ said Xi-feng drily. ‘Thanks to you, Her Old Ladyship seems to have caught a chill and is at this very moment lying on her back complaining how bad she feels; and my little girl has caught a cold, too, and is lying in there with a fever.’

Grannie Liu murmured sympathetically.

‘Her Old Ladyship’s feeling her age, poor soul,’ she said. ‘And she isn’t used to the exercise.’

‘I’ve never seen her more lively than she was today,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Generally when she goes into the Garden, she’ll visit just one or two places, sit there for a little while, and then come back again. But today, because you were there and she wanted to show you everything, she must have covered the greater part of the Garden. It was also because of you that I wasn’t on hand when Lady Wang gave my little girl that piece of cake. I’m sure it was eating out in the cold that has made her feverish.’

‘I suppose your little lass doesn’t go into the Garden very much,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘Not like our young ones, off to play in the grave-garths almost as soon as they can walk. She may have caught a cold from the wind as you say. On the other hand, children of her age, being pure of body, often have the second sight. It could have been brought on by seeing a spirit. If I was you, I’d have a look in the Almanac, just in case. You never know, the child might have been pixified.’

Wondering why she had not thought of this herself, Xi-feng at once ordered Patience to fetch down the Jade Casket. Sunshine was summoned to look up the relevant passage and read it out to them. This, after some preliminary hunting, he proceeded to do:

EIGHTH MONTH. TWENTY-FIFTH DAY: Sicknesses occurring on this day have a south-easterly origin. Possible causes Encounter with spirit of hanged person or flower spirit. Recommended action Maximum benefit may be obtained by procuring voluntary departure of spirit. To do this, take forty pieces of coloured paper ‘spirit money’ and walk forty paces in a south-easterly direction offering one of the pieces at every step.

‘There you are!’ said Xi-feng. ‘That must be it. The Garden is just where you’d expect to run into a flower spirit. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if that doesn’t account for Her Old Ladyship’s trouble as well.’

She sent someone forthwith to obtain two lots of spirit money and got two of the servants to carry out the exorcism, one on Grandmother Jia’s behalf and the other on behalf of her little girl. As soon as it was over, she and Grannie Liu went in to see how Baby was getting on. They found her sleeping peacefully.

‘There!’ said Xi-feng delightedly. ‘It takes an old, experienced person like yourself to know these things. Perhaps you could also tell me why she’s such a sickly little girl. She’s always going down with something or other.’

‘There’s nothing unusual about that,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘Children of well-to-do folks are brought up so delicate, their bodies can’t stand any hardship. And for another thing, when young folks are cherished too much, it overloads their luck. It might be better for her if in future you tried not to make quite so much of her.’

‘You may be right,’ said Xi-feng without much conviction. ‘It’s just occurred to me: as we haven’t named the child yet, I wonder if you’d like to name her for us? For one thing, being named by someone so old will help her to live longer; and for another – I hope you won’t mind my saying this, but you country people do have quite a lot of poverty and hardship to contend with – being named by a poor person like yourself may help to balance her luck.’

Grannie Liu thought for a bit.

‘When was she born?’

‘Ah, that’s just the trouble,’ said Xi-feng. ‘She was born on Qiao-jie – the Seventh of the Seventh – a very unlucky date.’

‘No matter,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘Call her “Qiao-jie” then. That’s what the doctors mean when they talk about “fighting poison with poison and fire with fire”. You call her “Qiao-jie” like I say, and I guarantee that she’ll live to a ripe old age. I prophesy for this child that when she’s a big girl and the others are all going off to get married, she may for a time find that things are not going her way; but thanks to this name, all her misfortunes will turn into blessings, and what at first looked like bad luck will turn out to be good luck in the end.’

Xi-feng was of course delighted with these ‘auspicious words’ and thanked her warmly.

‘May it turn out for her as you say!’

She summoned Patience.

‘We’re going to be busy tomorrow and may not have the time then. As you’ve got nothing to do at the moment, why don’t you get the things for Grannie together, so that everything will be ready for her to start first thing tomorrow?’

‘Please don’t go giving me a lot of things,’ said Grannie Liu. ‘I’ve already put you to so much inconvenience these last few days, I should feel even more uncomfortable carrying a lot of things back with me.’

‘These are only very ordinary things,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Nothing special. Just a few things for you to take back with you and show off to the neighbours. Just so as to be able to say that you’ve been to town.’

‘Come over here, Grannie, and have a look,’ said Patience.

Grannie Liu followed her into the next room. A full half of the kang was occupied by her piled-up presents. Patience picked them up one by one and explained them to her.

‘This sky-blue material is the gauze you said you wanted. The pale-blue gauze in a closer weave is a present from the Mistress to line it with. These are two lengths of wild-silk pongee. You can use it to make either a dress or a skirt with; it would do equally well for either. In this wrapping here there are two lengths of silk for making up into a New Year outfit. This is a box of various kinds of cakes and pastries made in the Imperial kitchens. There are some kinds that you’ve already eaten and some that you haven’t. You want to put them out on plates when you’re having someone to tea: you’ll find they’re a bit better than the ones you can buy in the shops. These two sacks are the ones you brought the vegetables in when you came. This one has got two bushels of pink “Emperor” rice in it. It makes a really delicious congee. This one has got fruit and nuts and other things from the Garden in it. And this packet here has got eight taels of silver in it. Everything up to here is from the Mistress. Now these two packets here have each got fifty taels of silver in them – a hundred taels in all. They’re a present from Her Ladyship, for starting a little business or buying some land with when you get back, so that you can be self-sufficient in future and not have to keep falling back on your friends. The two jackets’ – here Patience smiled somewhat embarrassedly – ‘the two jackets and the two skirts and the four head-scarves and the packet of embroidery silks are a present from me. The clothes have only been worn a very little but they aren’t new: so if you decide to throw them back at me, I shan’t complain.’

Grannie Liu had been exclaiming rapturously as each item was shown to her and must have uttered several dozen ‘Holy Names’ by the time Patience came to her own gift.

‘Throw them back at you, Miss?’ she said warmly, touched by the maid’s kindness and humility. ‘How can you say such a thing? Fine clothes like these? I shouldn’t know where to buy them if I had the money! You make me feel ashamed. I don’t like to take them off you; yet if I don’t, you will think me ungrateful.’

‘Get away with you!’ said Patience. ‘That sort of talk is for strangers, and you are one of us. If I didn’t think of you so, I’d never have dared make the offer. You just take them and stop worrying. In any case, there’s something I want from you in return. Next New Year, bring us some of your home-dried mixed vegetables: pigweed and cowpeas and kidney beans and dried aubergines and dried gourd-shavings. Everyone here loves them. You just bring us some of them. We don’t want anything else from you, mind, so don’t go wondering what else to bring. Just bring some of them, and we’ll be quits.’

Grannie Liu thanked her warmly and promised to remember the dried vegetables.

‘Now off to bed with you!’ said Patience. ‘I’ll look after this lot for you. You can leave it here tonight, and tomorrow we’ll send the boys out for a cab and get them to load it for you. So you’ve got nothing to worry about.’

Overwhelmed by so much kindness, Grannie Liu went back into the other room to take her leave of Xi-feng, and after thanking her many times over, went off to Grandmother Jia’s apartment to spend the night.

She was up betimes next morning and would like to have said good-bye to Grandmother Jia as soon as she had completed her toilet, and made an early start; but the family forestalled her. Knowing that the old lady was indisposed, they had trooped in first thing to inquire how she was and had already sent outside for a doctor. The latter’s arrival at the mansion was shortly after announced by an old woman-servant, whereupon the old women in attendance on Grandmother Jia urged her to conceal herself behind the curtains of the summer-bed. But Grandmother Jia refused to budge.

‘I’m old, too, woman – old enough to be his mother, I shouldn’t wonder. What have I got to fear from him at my age? I’m not going behind any curtains. Let him examine me where I am.’

Seeing that she was resolved to stay, the old women brought up a little table and put a small pillow on it for her to rest her arm on. These preparations completed, they gave orders for the doctor to be admitted.

Dr Wang was shortly to be observed crossing the courtyard below, conducted by Cousin Zhen, Jia Lian and Jia Rong. Modestly declining to walk up the central ramp, he followed Cousin Zhen up the right-hand side steps onto the terrace, where two old women, one on either side of the doorway, were holding up the door-blind in readiness. Bao-yu came forward to welcome the doctor as the two old women were conducting him through the outer room, and led him, still accompanied by the other gentlemen, to his grandmother inside.

The old lady was sitting up very stiffly on a couch. She was wearing a black crepe jacket lined with pearly-haired baby lamb’s skin. Four little maids, their hair still done up in childish ‘horns’, stood two on either side of her, holding fly-whisks and spittoons, and five or six old serving-women were fanned out in a sort of bodyguard behind her. Vaguely discernible glimpses of brightly-coloured dresses and golden hair-ornaments betrayed the presence of numerous younger women behind the green muslin curtains at the back. Not daring to raise his head in so much female company, Dr Wang advanced and saluted his patient. Observing that he was dressed in the uniform of a mandarin of the sixth rank, Grandmother Jia deduced that he must be a Court Physician, and in returning his salutation was careful to address him with the ‘Worshipful’ to which his appointment entitled him.

‘And what is the Worshipful’s name?’ she asked Cousin Zhen.

‘Wang.’

‘When I was a young woman, the President of the Imperial College of Physicians was a Wang,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Wang Jun-xiao. Famous for his diagnoses.’

The doctor bowed.

‘He was my great-uncle,’ he said, smiling demurely, but still not daring to raise his head.

Grandmother Jia laughed.

‘That makes you a friend of the family.’

She stretched out an arm and slowly arranged it for him on the pillow. The old women brought up a large stool which they set down in front of her table and slightly to one side. Dr Wang knelt on it, squatting on his heel with one haunch so that he was half-sitting on the edge of the stool, and in that polite but uncomfortable posture proceeded at great length to take the old lady’s pulses, first in one arm and then in the other. After that he made another bow and retired, eyes still on the floor, as they had been throughout the consultation.

‘Thank you,’ said Grandmother Jia as he was leaving. ‘See him out, will you, Zhen? And see that he gets some tea.’

Murmuring a reply, Cousin Zhen himself withdrew, followed by Jia Lian and Jia Rong, and conducted Dr Wang back to one of the gentlemen’s rooms in the front part of the mansion.

‘There’s nothing seriously wrong with Lady Jia,’ said Dr Wang when they were seated. ‘She has a slight chill. There is no need for her to take any medicine. A light, simple diet for a day or two and see that she keeps warm. That should be enough. I’ll write out a prescription that you can have made up if she feels like taking something. If not, I should just forget about it.’

He drank his tea and wrote out the prescription. Just as he was about to leave, the nurse came hurrying in with Xi-feng’s little girl in her arms.

‘Doctor, have a look at us too, will you?’

The doctor went over, took one of the child’s hands and supported it on his own left hand while he felt her pulse. Then he felt her forehead and inspected her tongue.

‘I’m afraid the young lady is not going to be very pleased with my advice,’ he said with a smile. ‘A good, cleansing hunger is what she needs. Let her miss a couple of meals. No need for a prescription. I shall send you some pills that you can dissolve in hot ginger-water and give her to drink at bedtime. That should help do the trick.’

With that he took his leave once more and departed.

Cousin Zhen and the other two went back to Grandmother Jia’s apartment with the prescription and reported what the doctor had said. Then they laid the prescription on the table and withdrew.

Lady Wang, Li Wan, Xi-feng, Bao-chai and the rest came out from behind the curtain as soon as the doctor had gone. Lady Wang sat with Grandmother Jia for a while before returning to her own apartment.

The coast was now at last clear for Grannie Liu to come forward and take her leave.

‘You must come again when you have the time,’ said Grandmother Jia. She ordered Faithful to see her off. ‘I can’t see you off myself,’ she said. ‘I’m not feeling too well today.’

Grannie Liu, having thanked her and said good-bye, followed Faithful out of the room and into a room at the side of the courtyard. Faithful pointed to a large bundle on the kang:

‘These are dresses given to Her Old Ladyship by various people over the years as birthday or festival presents, but as she refuses to wear any clothes made by outsiders, they’ve none of them ever been worn. It’s a shame to keep them, really. She told me yesterday to pick out a few for you to take back with you, either to give away as presents or to wear yourself about the house. In this box here you’ll find those pastries you wanted. This parcel has got the medicines in you were talking about the other day: the Red Flower Poison Dispellers, the Old Gold Anti-Fever Pastilles, the Blood Renewing Elixir Pills and the Easy Birth Pills. You’ll find each kind wrapped up separately inside its own prescription. These two little silk purses are to wear.’ Faithful undid the draw-strings and extracted from each purse a golden ‘Heart’s Desire’ medallion with a device showing an ingot, a writing-brush and a sceptre. She smiled at Grannie Liu mischievously:

‘You give me these and keep the purses.’

Grannie Liu, surprised and delighted (as she showed by her many pious ejaculations) to be receiving these further presents in addition to what Patience had shown her the night before, seemed eager to accede to this request.

‘Yes, yes, Miss. You keep them by all means.’

Faithful, who had not intended to be taken seriously, replaced the medallions in their purses and did them up again.

‘I was only pulling your leg. I’ve got lots of these things already. Keep them to give the children at New Year.’

While she was speaking, a little maid came in carrying a Cheng Hua enamelled porcelain cup, which she handed to Grannie Liu.

‘Master Bao said I was to give you this.’

‘Well!’ said Grannie Liu as she took the cup from her. ‘Now what do you make of that? Reckon it must be something I did for him in a past life.’

‘Those clothes I gave you to change into the other day when you had your bath were mine,’ said Faithful. ‘If you don’t mind taking them off me, I’ve got some more like them that I’d like to make you a present of.’

As Grannie Liu made no objection, Faithful got out several more sets of clothing and wrapped them up for her.

Grannie Liu wanted to go into the Garden to thank Bao-yu and the girls and say good-bye to them; she also wanted to take her leave of Lady Wang; but Faithful prevented her.

‘It isn’t necessary. In any case, they won’t be seeing anyone at this hour. I can thank them for you when I see them later. Well, good-bye then. Come again when you can.’

She ordered an old servant-woman to fetch two pages from the inner gate to help Grannie Liu out with her things. The old servant undertook to do this and also went with Grannie Liu to collect the things from Xi-feng’s apartment. When they had got them all together, she fetched the boys from the outside corner gate who carried them out to the street for her and loaded them into a waiting cab. Grannie Liu and Ban-er then got in themselves and set off without more ado on their journey back home.

At this point they pass also out of our narrative, which turns now to other matters.

After they had eaten their lunch, Bao-chai and the rest of the young people called once more on Grandmother Jia, to see how she was progressing. On their way back, as they reached that point in the Garden where their paths separated, Bao-chai called Dai-yu over to her.

‘Frowner, come with me. There’s something I want to talk to you about.’

Dai-yu followed her to Allspice Court. When they were inside her room, Bao-chai sat down.

‘Well?’ she said to Dai-yu. ‘Aren’t you going to kneel down? I am about to interrogate you.’

Dai-yu was mystified.

‘Poor Bao-chai!’ she said, laughing. ‘The girl’s gone off her head. Interrogate me about what?’

‘My dear, well-bred young lady!’ said Bao-chai. ‘My dear, sheltered young innocent! What were those things I heard you saying yesterday? Come now, the truth!’

Dai-yu, still mystified, continued to laugh. She was beginning to feel somewhat uneasy, though she would not admit it.

‘What awful thing am I supposed to have said? I expect you’re making it up, but you may as well tell me.’

‘Still acting the innocent?’ said Bao-chai. ‘What were those things you said yesterday when we were playing that drinking game? I couldn’t think where you could have got them from.’

Dai-yu cast her mind back and remembered, blushing, that the day before, when stumped for an answer, she had got through her turn by citing passages from The Return of the Soul and The Western Chamber. She hugged Bao-chai imploringly.

‘Dear coz! I really don’t know. I just said them without thinking. If you tell me not to, I promise not to say them again.’

‘I really don’t know either,’ said Bao-chai. ‘I just thought they sounded rather interesting. I thought perhaps you might be able to tell me what they were.’

‘Dear coz! Please don’t tell anyone about this. I promise not to repeat such things again.’

Moved by the scarlet, shame-filled face and pitifully entreating voice, Bao-chai relented and did not pursue her questioning. Having first drawn her down into a seat and handed her some tea, she began, very gently, to address her in the following manner:

‘What do you take me for? I’m just as bad. At seven or eight I used to be a real little terror. Ours was reckoned to be rather a literary family. My grandfather was a bibliophile, so the house we lived in was full of books. We were a big family in those days. All my boy cousins and girl cousins on my father’s side lived with us in the same house. All of us younger people hated serious books but liked reading poetry and plays. The boys had got lots and lots of plays: The Western Chamber, The Lute-player, A Hundred Yuan Plays – just about everything you could think of. They used to read them behind our backs, and we girls used to read them behind theirs. Eventually the grown-ups got to know about it and then there were beatings and lectures and burning of books – and that was the end of that.

‘So, you see, in the case of us girls it would probably be better for us if we never learned to read in the first place. Even boys, if they gain no understanding from their reading, would do better not to read at all; and if that is true of boys, it certainly holds good for girls like you and me. The little poetry-writing and calligraphy we indulge in is not really our proper business. Come to that, it isn’t a boy’s proper business either. A boy’s proper business is to read books in order to gain an understanding of things, so that when he grows up he can play his part in governing the country.

‘Not that one hears of that happening much nowadays. Nowadays their reading seems to make them even worse than they were to start with. And unfortunately it isn’t merely a case of their being led astray by what they read. The books, too, are spoiled, by the false interpretations they put upon them. They would do better to leave books alone and take up business or agriculture. At least they wouldn’t do so much damage.

‘As for girls like you and me: spinning and sewing are our proper business. What do we need to be able to read for? But since we can read, let us confine ourselves to good, improving books; let us avoid like the plague those pernicious works of fiction, which so undermine the character that in the end it is past reclaiming.’

This lengthy homily had so chastened Dai-yu that she sat with head bowed low over her teacup and, though her heart consented, could only manage a weak little ‘yes’ by way of reply.

At that moment Candida came into the room:

‘Mrs Zhu says will you please come over to discuss an important matter with her? Miss Ying and Miss Tan and Miss Xi and Miss Shi and Master Bao are there already, waiting for you.’

‘I wonder what it is this time,’ said Bao-chai.

‘We shall soon find out if we go,’ said Dai-yu.

So off she went, and Bao-chai with her, to Sweet-rice Village. They found everyone else there, as Candida had said. Li Wan greeted them with a smile.

‘We’ve only just got our poetry club started, and already someone is trying to wriggle out of it. It’s Xi-chun. She’s asking for a year’s leave of absence.’

‘I can guess why that is,’ said Dai-yu. ‘It’s because of what Grandmother said about painting the Garden. She’s decided to use that as an excuse.’

‘I don’t think you should blame Grandmother,’ said Tan-chun. ‘It’s what Grannie Liu said that started it.’

‘Grannie Liu, yes, that’s right,’ Dai-yu hurriedly corrected herself. ‘Whose “grannie” is she anyway, I’d like to know? “Old Mother Locust” we ought to call her, not “Grannie Liu”.’

This set them all laughing.

‘If one wants to hear the demotic at its most forceful,’ said Bao-chai, ‘one has to listen to Cousin Feng. Fortunately for us she can’t read, so her jokes are somewhat lacking in finesse and the language she uses can never rise above the level at which it is commonly spoken. The secret of Frowner’s sarcastic tongue is that she uses the method adopted by Confucius when he edited the Spring and Autumn Annals, that is to say, she extracts the essentials from vulgar speech and polishes and refines them, so that when she uses them to illustrate a point, each word or phrase is given its maximum possible effectiveness. The mere name “Old Mother Locust”, for example, is sufficient to evoke the whole scene of yesterday’s party and everything that happened at it. What’s more, she is able to do this sort of thing almost without thinking.’

The others, still laughing, assured Bao-chai that she excelled as a commentator no less than Dai-yu and Xi-feng, in their different ways, as wits.

‘The reason I asked you all here is because I wanted your advice on how long we ought to give her,’ said Li Wan. ‘I said a month, but she says that’s much too short. What do you all think?’

‘Logically a year wouldn’t be at all too long,’ said Dai-yu. ‘If it took a whole year to build the Garden, she would naturally require about two years in which to paint it. First she’s got to grind her ink, then she’s got to soften her brushes, then she’s got to fix the paper, then she’s got to find her colours, and then –’

The others realized that this was a joke at Xi-chun’s expense.

‘Yes?’ they said, playing up to her. ‘What then?’

Dai-yu, unable to maintain a straight face, was beginning to giggle.

‘– and then proceed in like manner, by gradual degrees, to paint it.’

Prolonged hilarity and clapping of hands.

‘ “In like manner, by gradual degrees”,’ said Bao-chai. ‘I like that. The telling phrase at the end. The trouble with all those jokes we were laughing at yesterday is that they were funny enough at the time, but on recollection they seem rather stupid. Dai-yu’s jokes on the other hand, though the words at first appear colourless, are richly humorous to remember. They certainly make me laugh a lot.’

‘You shouldn’t flatter her, Cousin Chai,’ said Xi-chun plaintively. ‘It encourages her to show off. It’s because you complimented her on her joke about Grannie Liu that she’s started making fun of me.’

‘Tell me now,’ said Dai-yu, taking Xi-chun’s hand in her own, ‘is it to be a picture of the Garden alone, or are we to be in it as well?’

‘It was originally to have been of the Garden alone,’ said Xi-chun, ‘but afterwards Grandmother said that that would make it look too much like an architect’s drawing and told me to put in some people. She said what we wanted was something like one of those paintings of “Scholars Enjoying Themselves in a Landscape”. The trouble is, I don’t know how to do buildings in the Elaborate style, and I’m no good at human figures; but as I was too scared to refuse, I’ve got myself into a mess.’

‘Human figures are no problem,’ said Dai-yu. ‘It’s the insect-painting that’s going to give you the trouble.’

‘Now you’re talking nonsense,’ said Li Wan. ‘What need will there be of insects in a painting of the Garden? A few animals and birds dotted here and there maybe, but no insects, surely?’

‘If she has no other insects in it, she’s got to have Old Mother Locust,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Without her the painting would be incomplete.’

The others all laughed. Dai-yu continued, laughing so much herself that she had to clutch her chest with both hands:

‘You must hurry up and get on with the painting. I’ve already thought of a title to inscribe on it when it’s finished. You must call it “With Locust to the Chew”.’

The others threw back their heads and roared. Their laughter ended abruptly, however, when a loud crash caused them to look anxiously around them to see what had fallen.

It turned out to have been Xiang-yun’s chair. It had been a somewhat rickety one to start with, and in laughing she had thrown herself back against it so violently that the two joints connecting the chairback with the seat had sprung, causing her to sink backwards and sideways, still sitting in the disintegrating chair. Fortunately she was saved by the room’s wooden partition from falling onto the floor. The undignified spectacle of her descent provoked fresh shouts of mirth which only gradually subsided when Bao-yu hurried over and helped her to her feet.

As he passed Dai-yu he signalled to her with his eyes. Understanding that something must be wrong with her appearance, she slipped into Li Wan’s bedroom and took the cover off the mirror to have a look. It was the hair above her brows that was coming loose. She pulled out the drawer in Li Wan’s dressing-box, took out two little vanity-brushes, primmed her hair at the mirror, then, hurriedly replacing everything, went back into the outer room, where the others were still laughing. She pointed a finger accusingly at Li Wan.

‘So this is your idea of “supervision in needlework and moral instruction” – inviting us over here for jokes and horseplay!’

‘Did you hear that, all of you?’ said Li Wan. ‘This is the ringleader who sets everyone else laughing and misbehaving, yet she has the effrontery to blame me for starting it all! Oh, I could—! Well, all I can say is that I hope when you marry you have a real Tartar for a mother-in-law and lots of nasty sisters-in-law with tongues as sharp as yours. It will serve you right!’

Dai-yu, blushing, clung to Bao-chai’s hand.

‘Let’s give her a year’s leave, shall we?’

‘Let me suggest what I think is a fair compromise and see what the rest of you think of it,’ said Bao-chai. ‘It’s true that Lotus Dweller can paint, but “painting” in her case means no more than an occasional sketch in the Impressionistic style. Now of course, you couldn’t paint this Garden in the first place if you didn’t have impressions of it; but the trouble is that the Garden itself was designed rather like a painting, with every rock, every tree, every building in it carefully and precisely placed in order to produce a particular scenic effect; and if you tried to get your impressions of all of these different scenes onto paper exactly as they are, they simply wouldn’t make a picture. The shape of the paper imposes its own perspectives. You have to make them into a composition. You have to decide which to bring into the foreground and which to push into the background, which to leave out altogether and which to show only in glimpses. When you’ve done that, you can make your rough draft. And even then, it’s only when you’ve studied the draft for a long time and corrected it until you’re satisfied that you can go ahead with your transfer.

‘One of your difficulties is going to be the ruler-work. With all those buildings you’re going to have to do the straight lines with a ruler, and in ruler-work if you’re not very careful it’s easy to make the most terrible mistakes – railings that slant to one side, leaning pillars, windows on the skew or steps drawn out of line. Sometimes careless ruling can produce even more grotesque results, like a table squashed into a wall or a flower-pot apparently resting on the side of a curtain. Any one of these things is enough to make a painting look ridiculous.

‘Putting in the human figures is going to be another problem. First of all you have to be very careful that you have got them in the right perspective. Then again, in painting figures the clothes and the position of the hands and feet are of great importance. A careless slip of the brush can mean a monstrously swollen hand or a crippled leg. Compared with these, little mishaps like the colour of the face running into the hair are of minor importance.

‘In my opinion this painting is going to be very, very difficult. And since a year is thought to be too long and a month too short, the compromise I suggest is that she should be allowed half a year to do it in, but that Cousin Bao should be appointed to help her. My reason is not that I think he knows more about painting than she does and can tell her how to do it – I am sure that if he tried, it would only make matters worse – but because whenever there is anything she doesn’t know about or has difficulty in putting in, he will be able to take the painting to one or another of his men friends outside who know about these matters and ask for their advice.’

Bao-yu was enthusiastic.

‘That’s a splendid idea. Zhan Guang can do Elaborate style buildings and Cheng Ri-xing is very good at women. I’ll go and have a word with them now.’

‘Didn’t I tell you you ought to be called “Busybody”?’ said Bao-chai. ‘Just because I’ve mentioned the possibility, you don’t have to go rushing off straight away. Wait until we’ve finished discussing what needs to be done, then you can go and see them. The question now is, what is she going to do this painting on?’

‘We’ve got some Snow Wave paper still,’ said Bao-yu. ‘It comes in large enough pieces and it holds the ink well.’

‘Oh, you’re just hopeless!’ said Bao-chai. ‘Snow Wave is a good, ink-receptive paper for doing calligraphy or Impressionist style paintings on, and it will stand up to the wrinkle-and-wipe work in a Southern School landscape; but it is quite unsuitable for a painting like this one involving detailed colouring and layer upon layer of graded washes. You’d merely ruin the picture and waste the paper.

‘Now I’ll tell you what to do. Before they started on the construction of this Garden, they made a very detailed drawing of the layout. It was only an artist’s impression, but the measurements shown on it were all accurate. Why don’t you ask Lady Wang for that drawing and then ask Cousin Feng to give you a piece of heavyweight pongee of the same dimensions? Cousin Bao can get Uncle Zheng’s gentlemen to size it for you, and they can make you a draft by adapting the architect’s drawing and putting in the human figures. He could even get them to touch in some of the blue-and-green background for you and indicate where the outlines will need reinforcing with milk gold or milk silver.

‘Meanwhile you must get hold of a portable stove that you can use for melting and extracting your glue on and for heating the water to wash your brushes with. You’ll also need a long distemperer’s table, and a blanket to cover it, for resting your painting on. And I don’t suppose your present supply of paint-saucers and brushes is likely to be adequate. You’d better start from scratch and get yourself a completely new outfit.’

‘I haven’t got any equipment to speak of,’ said Xi-chun. ‘I just use my ordinary writing-brushes when I want to paint. As for colours: red ochre, Canton indigo, gamboge and safflower red are the only four I’ve got. Apart from that, all I have is a couple of colouring brushes.’

‘Why ever didn’t you tell me before?’ said Bao-chai. ‘I’ve still got lots of these things. The only thing is, if I give them to you before you actually need them, they will only be lying around doing nothing in your room the same as they now are in mine. On second thoughts I think I’ll hang on to them for the time being. We can say that I am keeping them for you. But I can let you have any of them you want as soon as the need arises. I’d rather you used my stuff for painting fans with and that sort of thing, though. It would be a waste to use it on this great big painting of the Garden. What I’ll do for you now is to make out a list of materials you can ask Lady Jia for. You may not know about some of these things, so perhaps it would be a good idea if Cousin Bao were to take them down at my dictation.’

Bao-yu had brush and ink already prepared. He had been intending in any case to take notes, in order to have his own record of what she said, and had merely to pick up his brush and wait for her to begin.

Here is the list she dictated:

large size raft brushes

4

No. 2 size raft brushes

4

No. 3 size raft brushes

4

large wash layers

4

medium wash layers

4

small wash layers

4

large Southern crab’s claws

10

small Southern crab’s claws

10

whisker brushes

10

large colouring brushes

20

small colouring brushes

20

face liners

10

willow-slip brushes

20

arrow-shaped cinnabar

4 oz.

Southern red ochre

4 oz.

orpiment

4 oz.

azurite

4 oz.

malachite

4 oz.

brush-stick gamboge

4 oz.

Canton indigo

8 oz.

oyster-shell white

4 boxes

safflower red

10 sheets

red powder-gold

200 leaves

gold foil

200 leaves

quality Canton glue

4 oz.

clear alum

4 oz.

‘That doesn’t allow for the alum and glue that will be needed for the sizing,’ said Bao-chai. ‘You can leave that to the menfolk.

‘By the time these colours have been washed and ground and emulsified and graded, you should have enough there to last you a lifetime – messing about and practice-work included.’

She continued with her list:

superfine silk strainers

4

coarse silk strainers

2

strainer-brushes

4

mortars, various sizes

4

coarse bowls

20

5-in. saucers

10

3-in. porcelain ditto

20

portable stoves

2

casseroles, various sizes

4

new porcelain water-jars

2

new water-buckets

4

1-ft white linen bags

4

light charcoal

20 catties

willow-wood charcoal

1 catty

3-drawer chest of drawers

1

gauze, close-woven

1 ell

raw ginger

2 oz.

soy sauce

½ catty

‘– a cooking-pot and a frying-slice,’ Dai-yu added hurriedly.

‘What are they for?’ said Bao-chai.

‘To use with the ginger and soy sauce,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Then she’ll be able to cook the colours and eat them.’

The others laughed, including Bao-chai herself.

‘Frowner! Frowner!’ she said. ‘What do you know about it? If you didn’t first season the new saucers by rubbing ginger-juice and sauce on the bottom and burning them in, they would crack when you put them on the heat.’

The others assured Dai-yu that this was so. Dai-yu, meanwhile, was reading through the list.

‘Just look!’ she said, laying a hand on Tan-chun’s arm and speaking to her in an undertone. ‘All those water-jars and chests of drawers and things to paint a picture! I think she must have got confused at this point and started making a list for her trousseau.’

This set Tan-chun off into a fit of the giggles. ‘Pinch her lips, Chai!’ she said. ‘You should hear what she’s been saying about you.’

‘I don’t need to,’ said Bao-chai. ‘One doesn’t expect ivory from a dog’s mouth!’

Bearing down on Dai-yu as she said this, she forced her back, laughing and protesting, upon the kang and made as if she would pinch her face.

‘Oh, please coz, forgive me!’ Dai-yu pleaded. ‘Little Frowner is younger than you and doesn’t know any better. You should teach me how to be good. If you won’t be nice to me, who else can I turn to?’

The others, not knowing what lay behind these words, were greatly amused.

‘Do forgive her!’ they said, laughing. ‘How pitifully she pleads! Even we are melted.’

But Bao-chai knew she was referring to their recent confrontation on the subject of forbidden books, and feeling rather embarrassed to have this dragged up in the midst of a playful tussle, hurriedly released her. Dai-yu rose to her feet laughing.

‘That’s my good coz. If it had been me, I should never have let you off!’

Bao-chai pointed her finger at Dai-yu and smiled at her indulgently.

‘I’m not surprised that Lady Jia is so fond of you or that the others find you so amusing. I can’t help being fond of you too, little coz. Come here and let me do your hair for you.’

Dai-yu turned her head obediently while Bao-chai refastened her back hair. Bao-yu, watching from where he sat, thought how much better it looked for Bao-chai’s attention, and wished that he had not told Dai-yu earlier to tidy the hair above her brows, for then Bao-chai could have done that for her too. His agreeable musings on the subject were interrupted by Bao-chai’s voice:

‘Have you finished writing the list? Perhaps you’d better be the one to see Lady Jia about it. If they’ve got those things here already, so much the better. If not, you’ll have to get some money to buy them with. In that case I might be able to advise you on where to go for them.’

Bao-yu folded up the list and stowed it away inside his jacket. They continued to sit a while longer, chatting about this and that.

After dinner they went to call on Grandmother Jia to see how she was. She had been suffering from nothing more serious than a slight chill aggravated by fatigue, and by the evening, after a day’s cosseting and two doses of the mild sudorific prescribed by Dr Wang, she was almost better.

If you want to know what the next day held in store, you will have to read the following chapter.