第七十五回
第七十五回 开夜宴异兆发悲音 赏中秋新词得佳谶
话说尤氏从惜春处赌气出来，正欲往王夫人处去。跟从的老嬷嬷们因悄悄的回道：“奶奶且别往上房去。才有甄家的几个人来，还有些东西，不知是作什么机密事。奶奶这一去恐不便。”尤氏听了道：“昨日听见你爷说，看邸报甄家犯了罪，现今抄没家私，调取进京治罪。怎么又有人来？”老嬷嬷道：“正是呢。才来了几个女人，气色不成气色，慌慌张张的，想必有什么瞒人的事情。”
尤氏听了，便不往前去，仍往李氏这边来了。恰好太医才诊了脉去。李纨近日也略觉精爽了些，拥衾倚枕，坐在床上，正欲一二人来说些闲话。因见尤氏进来不似往日和蔼可亲，只呆呆的坐着。李纨因问道：“你过来了这半日，可在别屋里吃些东西没有？只怕饿了。”命素云瞧有什么新鲜点心拣了来。尤氏忙止道：“不必，不必。你这一向病着，那里有什么新鲜东西。况且我也不饿。”李纨道：“昨日他姨娘家送来的好茶面子[1]，倒是对[2]碗来你喝罢。”说毕，便吩咐人去对茶。
尤氏出神无语。跟来的丫头媳妇们因问：“奶奶今日中晌尚未洗脸，这会子趁便可净一净好？”尤氏点头。李纨忙命素云来取自己妆奁。素云一面取来，一面将自己的胭粉拿来，笑道：“我们奶奶就少这个。奶奶不嫌脏，这是我的，能着用些。”李纨道：“我虽没有，你就该往姑娘们那里取去。怎么公然拿出你的来。幸而是他，若是别人，岂不恼呢。”尤氏笑道：“这又何妨。自来我凡过来，谁的没使过，今日忽然又嫌脏了？”一面说，一面〔一〕盘膝坐在炕沿上。银蝶上来忙代为卸去腕镯戒指，又将一大袱手巾盖在下截，将衣裳护严。小丫鬟炒豆儿捧了一大盆温水走至尤氏跟前，只弯腰捧着。
银蝶笑道：“说一个个没机变的〔二〕，说一个葫芦就是一个瓢。奶奶不过待咱们宽些，在家里不管怎样罢了，你就得了意，不管在家出外，当着亲戚也只随着便了。”尤氏道：“你随他去罢，横竖洗了就完事了。”炒豆儿忙赶着跪下。尤氏笑道：“我们家上下大小的人只会讲外面假礼假体面，究竟作出来的事都够使的了。”李纨听如此说，便知他已知道昨夜的事，因笑道：“你这话有因，谁作事究竟够使了？”尤氏道：“你倒问我！你敢是病着死过去了！”
一语未了，只见人报：“宝姑娘来了。”忙说快请时，宝钗已走进来。尤氏忙擦脸起身让坐，因问：“怎么一个人忽然走来，别的姊妹都怎么不见？”宝钗道：“正是我也没有见他们。只因今日我们奶奶身上不自在，家里两个女人也都因时症未起炕，别的靠不得，我今儿要出去伴着老人家夜里作伴儿。要去回老太太、太太，我想又不是什么大事，且不用提，等好了我横竖进来的，所以来告诉大嫂子一声。”李纨听说，只看着尤氏笑。尤氏也只看着李纨笑。一时尤氏盥沐已毕，大家吃面茶。
李纨因笑道：“既这样，且打发人去请姨娘的安，问是何病。我也病着，不能亲自来的。好妹妹，你去只管去，我自打发人去到你那里去看屋子。你好歹住一两天还进来，别叫我落不是。”宝钗笑道：“落什么不是呢，这也是通共常情，你又不曾卖放了贼。依我的主意，也不必添人过去，竟把云丫头请了来，你和他住一两日，岂不省事。”尤氏道：“可是史大妹妹往那里去了？”宝钗道：“我才打发他们找你们探丫头去了，叫他同到这里来，我也明白告诉他。”
正说着，果然报：“云姑娘和三姑娘来了。”大家让坐已毕，宝钗便说要出去一事。探春道：“很好。不但姨妈好了还来的，就便好了不来也使得。”尤氏笑道：“这话奇怪，怎么撵起亲戚来了？”探春冷笑道：“正是呢，有叫人撵的，不如我先撵。亲戚们好，也不在必要死住着才好。咱们倒是一家子亲骨肉呢，一个个不像乌眼鸡似的，恨不得你吃了我，我吃了你！”尤氏忙笑道：“我今儿是那里来的晦气，偏都碰着你姊妹们的气头儿上了。”探春道：“谁叫你赶热灶来了！”因问：“谁又得罪了你呢？”因又寻思道：“惜丫头不犯罗唣你，却是谁呢？”尤氏只含糊答应。
探春知他畏事不肯多言，因笑道：“你别装老实了。除了朝廷治罪，没有砍头的，你不必畏头畏尾。实告诉你罢，我昨日把王善保家的那老婆子打了，我还顶着个罪呢。不过背地里说我些闲话，难道也还打我一顿不成！”宝钗忙问因何又打他，探春悉把昨夜怎的抄检，怎的打他，一一说了出来。尤氏见探春已经说了出来，便把惜春方才之事也说了出来。
探春道：“这是他的僻性，孤介太过，我们再傲不过他的。”又告诉他们说：“今日一早不见动静，打听凤辣子又病了。我就打发我妈妈出去打听王善保家的是怎样。回来告诉我说，王善保家的挨了一顿打，大太太〔三〕嗔着他多事。”尤氏李纨道：“这倒也是正理。”探春冷笑道：“这种掩饰谁不会作，且再瞧就是了。”尤氏李纨皆默无所答。一时估着前头用饭，湘云和宝钗回房打点衣衫。不在话下。
尤氏等遂辞了李纨，往贾母这边来。贾母歪在榻上，王夫人说甄家因何获罪，如今抄没了家产，回京治罪等语。贾母听了正不自在，恰好见他姊妹来了，因问：“从那里来的？可知凤姐妯娌两个的病今日怎样？”尤氏等忙回道：“今日都好些。”贾母点头叹道：“咱们别管人家的事，且商量咱们八月十五日赏月是正经。”王夫人笑道：“都已预备下了。不知老太太拣那里好，只是园里空，夜晚风冷。”贾母笑道：“多穿两件衣服何妨，那里正是赏月的地方，岂可倒不去的。”
说话之间，早有媳妇丫鬟们抬过饭桌来，王夫人尤氏等忙上来放箸捧饭。贾母见自己的几色菜已摆完，另有两大捧盒内捧了几色菜来，便知是各房另外孝敬的旧规矩。贾母因问：“都是些什么？上几次我就吩咐，如今可以把这些蠲了罢，你们还不听。如今比不得在先辐辏[6]的时光了。”鸳鸯忙道：“我说过几次，都不听，也只罢了。”王夫人笑道：“不过都是家常东西。今日我吃斋，没有别的。那些面筋豆腐老太太又不大甚爱吃，只拣了一样椒油莼齑酱[7]来。”贾母笑道：“这样正好，正想这个吃。”鸳鸯听说，便将碟子挪在跟前。宝琴一一的让了，方归坐。贾母便命探春来同吃。探春也都让过了，便和宝琴对面坐下。待书忙去取了碗来。
鸳鸯又指那几样菜道：“这两样看不出是什么东西来，大老爷送来的。这一碗是鸡髓笋，是外头老爷送上来的。”一面说，一面就只将这碗笋送至桌上。贾母略尝了两点，便命：“将那两样着人送回去，就说我吃了。以后不必天天送，我想吃自然来要。”媳妇们答应着，仍送过去，不在话下。
贾母因问：“有稀饭吃些罢了。”尤氏早捧过一碗来，说是红稻米粥。贾母接来吃了半碗，便吩咐：“将这粥送给凤哥儿吃去。”又指着，“这一碗笋和这一盘风腌果子狸[8]给颦儿宝玉两个吃去，那一碗肉给兰小子吃去。”又向尤氏道：“我吃了，你就来吃了罢。”尤氏答应着，待贾母漱口洗手毕，贾母便下地和王夫人说闲话行食[9]。尤氏告坐。
探春宝琴二人也起来了，笑道：“失陪，失陪。”尤氏笑道：“剩我一个人，大排桌的不惯。”贾母笑道：“鸳鸯琥珀来趁势也吃些，又作了陪客。”尤氏笑道：“好，好，好，我正要说呢。”贾母笑道：“看着多多的人吃饭，最有趣的。”又指银蝶道：“这孩子也好，也来同你主子一块来吃，等你们离了我，再立规矩去。”尤氏道：“快过来，不必装假。”贾母负手看着取乐。
因见伺候添饭的人手内捧着一碗下人的米饭，尤氏吃的仍是白粳米饭，贾母问道：“你怎么昏了，盛这个饭来给你奶奶。”那人道：“老太太的饭完了。今日添了一位姑娘，所以短了些。”鸳鸯道：“如今都是可着头做帽子了，要一点儿富馀也不能的。”王夫人忙回道：“这一二年旱涝不定，田上的米都不能按数交的。这几样细米更艰难了，所以都可着吃的多少关去，生恐一时短了，买的不顺口。”
贾母笑道：“这正是‘巧媳妇做不出没米的粥’来。”众人都笑起来。鸳鸯道：“既这样，你就去把三姑娘的饭拿来添也是一样，就这样笨。”尤氏笑道：“我这个就够了，也不用取去。”鸳鸯道：“你够了，我不会吃的。”地下的媳妇们听说，方忙着取去了。一时王夫人也去用饭，这里尤氏直陪贾母说话取笑。
到起更的时候，贾母说：“黑了，过去罢。”尤氏方告辞出来。走至大门前上了车，银蝶坐在车沿上。众媳妇放下帘子来，便带着小丫头们先直走过那边大门口等着去了。因二府之门相隔没有一箭之路，每日家常来往不必定要周备，况天黑夜晚之间回来的遭数更多，所以老嬷嬷带着小丫头，只几步便走了过来。两边大门上的人都列在东西街口，早把行人断住。尤氏大车上也不用牲口，只用七八个小厮挽环拽轮，轻轻的便推拽过这边阶矶上来。于是众小厮退过狮子以外，众嬷嬷打起帘子，银蝶先下来，然后搀下尤氏来。
大小七八个灯笼照的十分真切。尤氏因见两边狮子下放着四五辆大车，便知系来赴赌之人所乘，遂向银蝶众人道：“你看，坐车的是这样，骑马的还不知有几个呢。马自然在圈里拴着，咱们看不见。也不知道他娘老子挣下多少钱与他们，这么开心儿。”一面说，一面已到了厅上。
贾蓉之妻带领家下媳妇丫头们，也都秉烛接了出来。尤氏笑道：“成日家我要偷着瞧瞧他们，也没得便。今儿倒巧，就顺便打他们窗户跟前走过去。”众媳妇答应着，提灯引路，又有一个先去悄悄的知会服侍的小厮们不要失惊打怪。于是尤氏一行人悄悄的来至窗下，只听里面称三赞四，耍笑之音虽多，又兼有恨五骂六，忿怨之声亦不少。
原来贾珍近因居丧，每不得游顽旷荡，又不得观优闻乐作遣。无聊之极，便生了个破闷之法。日间以习射为由，请了各世家弟兄及诸富贵亲友来较射。因说：“白白的只管乱射，终无裨益，不但不能长进，而且坏了式样，必须立个罚约，赌个利物，大家才有勉力之心。”因此在天香楼下箭道内立了鹄子[10]，皆约定每日早饭后来射鹄子。
贾珍不肯出名，便命贾蓉作局家。这些来的皆系世袭公子，人人家道丰富，且都在少年，正是斗鸡走狗、问柳评花的一干游侠纨裤。因此大家议定，每日轮流作晚饭之主——每日来射，不便独扰贾蓉一人之意。于是天天宰猪割羊，屠鹅戮鸭，好似临潼斗宝[11]一般，都要卖弄自己家的好厨役好烹炮。不到半月工夫，贾赦贾政听见这般，不知就里，反说这才是正理，文既误矣，武事当亦该习，况在武荫[12]之属。两处遂也命贾环、贾琮、宝玉、贾兰等四人于饭后过来，跟着贾珍习射一回，方许回去。
贾珍志不在此，再过一二日便渐次以歇臂〔四〕养力为由，晚间或抹抹骨牌，赌个酒东而已，至后渐次至钱。如今三四月的光景，竟一日一日赌胜于射了，公然斗叶[14]掷骰，放头开局，夜赌起来。家下人借此各有些进益，巴不得的如此，所以竟成了势了。外人皆不知一字。
近日邢夫人之胞弟邢德全也酷好如此，故也在其中。又有薛蟠，头一个惯喜送钱与人的，见此岂不快乐。这邢德全虽系邢夫人之胞弟，却居心行事大不相同。这个邢德全只知吃酒赌钱、眠花宿柳为乐，手中滥漫使钱，待人无二心，好酒者喜之，不饮者则不去亲近，无论上下主仆皆出自一意，并无贵贱之分，因此都唤他“傻大舅”。薛蟠是早已出名的呆大爷。今日二人皆凑在一处，都爱“抢新快”[15]爽利，便又会了两家，在外间炕上“抢新快”。
别的又有几家在当地下大桌上打公番〔五〕。里间又一起斯文些的，抹骨牌打天九。此间服侍的小厮都是十五岁以下的孩子，若成丁的男子到不了这里，故尤氏方潜至窗外偷看。其中有两个十六七岁娈童以备奉酒的，都打扮的粉妆玉琢。今日薛蟠又输了一张，正没好气，幸而掷第二张完了，算来除翻过来倒反赢了，心中只是兴头起来。贾珍道：“且打住，吃了东西再来。”因问那两处怎样。里头打天九的，也作了帐等吃饭。打公番的未清，且不肯吃。于是各不能顾，先摆下一大桌，贾珍陪着吃，命贾蓉落后陪那一起。
薛蟠兴头了，便搂着一个娈童吃酒，又命将酒去敬邢傻舅。傻舅输家，没心绪，吃了两碗，便有些醉意，嗔着两个娈童只赶着赢家不理输家了，因骂道：“你们这起兔子[17]，就是这样专洑上水。天天在一处，谁的恩你们不沾，只不过我这一会子输了几两银子，你们就三六九等了。难道从此以后再没有求着我们的事了！”众人见他带酒，忙说：“很是，很是。果然他们风俗不好。”因喝命：“快敬酒赔罪。”两个娈童都是演就的局套，忙都跪下奉酒，说：“我们这行人，师父教的不论远近厚薄，只看一时有钱势就亲敬；便是活佛神仙，一时没了钱势了，也不许去理他。况且我们又年轻，又居这个行次，求舅太爷体恕些我们就过去了。”说着，便举着酒俯膝跪下。
邢大舅心内虽软了，只还故作怒意不理。众人又劝道：“这孩子是实情话。老舅是久惯怜香惜玉的，如何今日反这样起来？若不吃这酒，他两个怎样起来。”邢大舅已撑不住了，便说道：“若不是众位说，我再不理。”说着，方接过来一气喝干了。又斟一碗来。这邢大舅便酒勾往事，醉露真情起来，乃拍案对贾珍叹道：“怨不的他们视钱如命。多少世宦大家出身的，若提起‘钱势’二字，连骨肉都不认了。老贤甥，昨日我和你那边的令伯母赌气，你可知道否？”贾珍道：“不曾听见。”邢大舅叹道：“就为钱这件混帐东西。利害，利害！”
贾珍深知他与邢夫人不睦，每遭邢夫人弃恶，扳出怨言，因劝道：“老舅，你也太散漫些。若只管花去，有多少给老舅花的。”邢大舅道：“老贤甥，你不知我邢家底里。我母亲去世时我尚小，世事不知。他姊妹三个人，只有你令伯母年长出阁，一分家私都是他把持带来。如今二家姐虽也出阁，他家也甚艰窘，三家姐尚在家里，一应用度都是这里陪房王善保家的掌管。我便来要钱，也非要的是你贾府的，我邢家家私也就够我花了。无奈竟不得到手，所以有冤无处诉。”贾珍见他酒后叨叨，恐人听见不雅，连忙用话解劝。
外面尤氏等听得十分真切，乃悄向银蝶笑道：“你听见了？这是北院里大太太的兄弟抱怨他呢。可怜他亲兄弟还是这样说，这就怨不得这些人了。”因还要听时，正值打公番者也歇住了，要吃酒。因有一个问道：“方才是谁得罪了老舅，我们竟不曾听明白，且告诉我们评评理。”邢德全见问，便把两个娈童不理输的只赶赢的话说了一遍。这一个年少的纨裤道：“这样说，原可恼的，怨不得舅太爷生气。我且问你两个：舅太爷虽然输了，输的不过是银子钱，并没有输丢了鸡巴，怎就不理他了？”说着，众人大笑起来，连邢德全也喷了一地饭。尤氏在外面悄悄的啐了一口，骂道：“你听听，这一起子没廉耻的小挨刀的，才丢了脑袋骨子，就胡唚嚼毛了。再肏攮下黄汤去，还不知唚出些什么来呢。”一面说，一面便进去卸妆安歇。至四更时，贾珍方散，往佩凤房里去了。
次日起来，就有人回西瓜月饼都全了，只待分派送人。贾珍吩咐佩凤道：“你请你奶奶看着送罢，我还有别的事呢。”佩凤答应去了，回了尤氏。尤氏只得一一分派遣人送去。一时佩凤又来说：“爷问奶奶，今儿出门不出？说咱们是孝家，明儿十五过不得节，今儿晚上倒好，可以大家应个景儿，吃些瓜饼酒。”尤氏道：“我倒不愿出门呢。那边珠大奶奶又病了，凤丫头又睡倒了，我再不过去，越发没个人了。况且又不得闲，应什么景儿。”佩凤道：“爷说了，今儿已辞了众人，直等十六才来呢，好歹定要请奶奶吃酒的。”尤氏笑道：“请我，我没的还席。”
佩凤笑着去了，一时又来笑道：“爷说，连晚饭也请奶奶吃，好歹早些回来，叫我跟了奶奶去呢。”尤氏道：“这样，早饭吃什么？快些吃了，我好走。”佩凤道：“爷说早饭在外头吃，请奶奶自己吃罢。”尤氏问道：“今日外头有谁？”佩凤道：“听见说外头有两个南京新来的，倒不知是谁。”说话之间，贾蓉之妻也梳妆了来见过。少时摆上饭来，尤氏在上，贾蓉之妻在下相陪，婆媳二人吃毕饭。尤氏便换了衣服，仍过荣府来，至晚方回去。
果然贾珍煮了一口猪，烧了一腔羊，备了一桌菜及果品之类，不可胜记，就在会芳园丛绿堂中，屏开孔雀，褥设芙蓉，带领妻子姬妾，先饭后酒，开怀赏月作乐。将一更时分，真是风清月朗，上下如银。贾珍因要行令，尤氏便叫佩凤等四个人也都入席，下面一溜坐下，猜枚划拳，饮了一回。贾珍有了几分酒，益发高兴，便命取了一竿紫竹箫来，命佩凤吹箫，文花〔六〕唱曲，喉清嗓嫩，真令人魄醉魂飞。唱罢复又行令。
那天将有三更时分，贾珍酒已八分。大家正添衣饮茶，换盏更酌之际，忽听那边墙下有人长叹之声。大家明明听见，都悚然疑畏起来。贾珍忙厉声叱咤，问：“谁在那里？”连问几声，没有人答应。尤氏道：“必是墙外边家里人也未可知。”贾珍道：“胡说。这墙四面皆无下人的房子，况且那边又紧靠着祠堂，焉得有人。”一语未了，只听得一阵风声，竟过墙去了。恍惚闻得祠堂内槅扇开阖之声。只觉得风气森森，比先更觉凉飒起来；月色惨淡，也不似先明朗。众人都觉毛发倒竖。贾珍酒已吓醒了一半，只比别人撑持得住些，心下也十分疑畏，便大没兴头起来。勉强又坐了一会子，就归房安歇去了。
次日一早起来，乃是十五日，带领众子侄开祠堂行朔望之礼[19]，细察祠内，都仍是照旧好好的，并无怪异之迹。贾珍自为醉后自怪，也不提此事。礼毕，仍闭上门，看着锁禁起来。
贾珍夫妻至晚饭后方过荣府来。只见贾赦贾政都在贾母房内坐着说闲话，与贾母取笑。贾琏、宝玉、贾环、贾兰皆在地下侍立。贾珍来了，都一一见过。说了两句话后，贾母命坐，贾珍方在近门小杌子上告了座，警身侧坐[20]。贾母笑问道：“这两日你宝兄弟的箭如何了？”贾珍忙起身笑道：“大长进了，不但样式好，而且弓也长了一个力气[21]。”贾母道：“这也够了，且别贪力，仔细努伤[22]。”贾珍忙答应几个“是”。贾母又道：“你昨日送来的月饼好；西瓜看着好，打开却也罢了。”贾珍笑道：“月饼是新来的一个专做点心的厨子，我试了试果然好，才敢做了孝敬。西瓜往年都还可以，不知今年怎么就不好了。”贾政道：“大约今年雨水太勤之故。”贾母笑道：“此时月已上了，咱们且去上香。”说着，便起身扶着宝玉的肩，带领众人齐往园中来。
当下园之正门俱已大开，吊着羊角大灯。嘉荫堂前月台上焚着斗香[23]，秉着风烛，陈献着瓜饼及各色果品。邢夫人等一干女客皆在里面久候。真是月明灯彩，人气香烟，晶艳氤氲，不可形状。地下铺着拜毯锦褥。贾母盥手上香拜毕，于是大家皆拜过。贾母便说：“赏月在山上最好。”因命在那山脊上的大厅上去。众人听说，就忙着在那里去铺设。贾母且在嘉荫堂中吃茶少歇，说些闲话。
一时，人回：“都齐备了。”贾母方扶着人上山来。王夫人等因说：“恐石上苔滑，还是坐竹椅上去。”贾母道：“天天有人打扫，况且极平稳的宽路，何必不疏散疏散筋骨。”于是贾赦贾政等在前导引，又是两个老婆子秉着两把羊角手罩，鸳鸯、琥珀、尤氏等贴身搀扶，邢夫人等在后围随，从下逶迤而上，不过百馀步，至山之峰脊上，便是这座敞厅。因在山之高脊，故名曰凸碧山庄。于厅前平台上列下桌椅，又用一架大围屏隔作两间。凡桌椅形式皆是圆的，特取团圆之意。上面居中贾母坐下，左垂首贾赦、贾珍、贾琏、贾蓉，右垂首贾政、宝玉、贾环、贾兰，团团围坐。只坐了半壁，下面还有半壁馀空。
贾母笑道：“常日倒还不觉人少，今日看来，还是咱们的人也甚少，算不得甚么。想当年过的日子，到今夜男女三四十个，何等热闹。今日就这样，太少了。待要再叫几个来，他们都是有父母的，家里去应景，不好来的。如今叫女孩们来坐那边罢。”于是令人向围屏后将迎春、探春、惜春三个请出来〔七〕。贾琏、宝玉等一齐出坐，先尽他姊妹坐了，然后在下方依次坐定。
贾母便命折一枝桂花来，命一媳妇在屏后击鼓传花。若花到谁手中，饮酒一杯，罚说笑话一个。于是先从贾母起，次贾赦，一一接过。鼓声两转，恰恰在贾政手中住了，只得饮了酒。众姊妹弟兄皆你悄悄的扯我一下，我暗暗的又捏你一把，都含笑倒要听是何笑话。
贾政见贾母喜悦，只得承欢。方欲说时，贾母又笑道：“若说的不笑了，还要罚。”贾政笑道：“只得一个，说来不笑，也只好受罚了。”因笑道：
“一家子一个人最怕老婆的。”
才说了一句，大家都笑了。因从不曾见贾政说过笑话，所以才笑。贾母笑道：“这必是好的。”贾政笑道：“若好，老太太多吃一杯。”贾母笑道：“自然。”贾政又说道：
“这个怕老婆的人从不敢多走一步。偏是那日是八月十五，到街上买东西，便遇见了几个朋友，死活拉到家里去吃酒。不想吃醉了，便在朋友家睡着了，第二日才醒，后悔不及，只得来家赔罪〔八〕。他老婆正洗脚，说：‘既是这样，你替我舔舔就饶你。’这男人只得给他舔，未免恶心要吐。他老婆便恼了，要打，说：‘你这样轻狂！’唬得他男人忙跪下求说：‘并不是奶奶的脚脏。只因昨晚吃多了黄酒，又吃了几块月饼馅子，所以今日有些作酸呢。’”
说的贾母与众人都笑了。贾政忙斟了一杯，送与贾母。贾母笑道：“既这样，快叫人取烧酒来，别叫你们受累。”众人又都笑起来。
于是又击鼓，便从贾政传起，可巧传至宝玉鼓止。宝玉因贾政在坐，自是踧踖[26]不安，花偏又在他手内，因想：“说笑话倘或说不好了，又说没口才，连一笑话不能说，何况别的，这有不是。若说好了，又说正经的不会，只惯油嘴贫舌，更有不是。不如不说的好。”乃起身辞道：“我不能说笑话，求再限别的罢了。”贾政道：“既这样，限一个‘秋’字，就即景作一首诗。若好，便赏你；若不好，明日仔细。”贾母忙道：“好好的行令，如何又要作诗？”贾政道：“他能的。”贾母听说，道：“既这样就作。”命人取了纸笔来，贾政道：“只不许用那些冰玉晶银彩光明素等样堆砌字眼，要另出己见，试试你这几年的情思。”宝玉听了，碰在心坎上，遂立想了四句，向纸上写了，呈与贾政看，道是：……〔九〕
贾政看了，点头不语。贾母见这般，知无甚大不好，便问：“怎么样？”贾政因欲贾母喜悦，便说：“难为他。只是不肯念书，到底词句不雅。”贾母道：“这就罢了。他能多大，定要他做才子不成！这就该奖励他，以后越发上心了。”贾政道：“正是。”因回头命个老嬷嬷出去吩咐书房内的小厮，“把我海南带来的扇子取两把给他。”宝玉忙拜谢，仍复归座行令。
当下贾兰见奖励宝玉，他便出席也做一首递与贾政看时，写道是：……
贾政看了喜不自胜，遂并讲与贾母听时，贾母也十分欢喜，也忙令贾政赏他。于是大家归坐，复行起令来。
这次在贾赦手内住了，只得吃了酒，说笑话。因说道：
“一家子一个儿子最孝顺。偏生母亲病了，各处求医不得，便请了一个针灸的婆子来。这婆子原不知道脉理，只说是心火，如今用针灸之法，针灸针灸就好了。这儿子慌了，便问：‘心见铁即死，如何针得？’婆子道：‘不用针心，只针肋条就是了。’儿子道：‘肋条离心甚远，怎么就好？’婆子道：‘不妨事，你不知天下父母心偏的多呢。’”
众人听说，都笑起来。贾母也只得吃半杯酒，半日笑道：“我也得这个婆子针一针就好了。”贾赦听说，便知自己出言冒撞，贾母疑了心，忙起身笑与贾母把盏，以别言解释。贾母亦不好再提，且行起令来。
不料这次花却在贾环手里。贾环近日读书稍进，其脾味中不好务正也与宝玉一样，故每常也好看些诗词，专好奇诡仙鬼一格。今见宝玉作诗受奖，他便技痒，只当着贾政不敢造次。如今可巧花在手中，便也索纸笔来立挥一绝与贾政。贾政看了，亦觉罕异，只是词句终带着不乐读书之意，遂不悦道：“可见是弟兄了。发言吐气总属邪派，将来都是不由规矩准绳，一起下流货。妙在古人中有‘二难’，你两个也可以称‘二难’[28]了。只是你两个的‘难’字，却是作难以教训之‘难’字讲才好。哥哥是公然以温飞卿自居，如今兄弟又自为曹唐[29]再世了。”说的贾赦等都笑了。
贾赦乃要诗瞧了一遍，连声赞好，道：“这诗据我看甚是有骨气。想来咱们这样人家，原不比那起寒酸，定要‘雪窗荧火’[30]，一日蟾宫折桂，方得扬眉吐气。咱们的子弟都原该读些书，不过比别人略明白些，可以做得官时就跑不了一个官的。何必多费了工夫，反弄出书呆子来。所以我爱他这诗，竟不失咱们侯门的气概。”因回头吩咐人去取了自己的许多玩物来赏赐与他。因又拍着贾环的头，笑道：“以后就这么做去，方是咱们的口气，将来这世袭的前程定跑不了你袭呢。”贾政听说，忙劝说：“不过他胡诌如此，那里就论到后事了。”
说着便斟上酒，又行了一回令。贾母便说：“你们去罢。自然外头还有相公们候着，也不可轻忽了他们。况且二更多了，你们散了，再让我和姑娘们多乐一回，好歇着了。”贾赦等听了，方止了令，又大家公进了一杯酒，方带着子侄们出去了。要知端详，再听下回。
[1] 茶面子——将面粉炒熟，吃时用开水冲调，可加入各种作料。
[2] 对——即“兑”。
〔一〕 “一面”，原无，从蒙府、戚序本增。
〔二〕 “没机变的”，原作“没截便的”，点改为“惯的都使不得了”。从底本原文，“截”“机”似音近而误，今改。
〔三〕 “大太太”，原无，从梦稿本补。
[6] 辐辏（fú còu福凑）——形容人物聚集像轮辐集中于毂（ɡǔ古，车轮的中心部位）。辐：车轮上连接轮圈和毂的直条。辏：聚集。“辐辏的时光”意即“兴盛的时光”之意。
[7] 莼齑（chún jī纯机）酱——用莼菜捣碎腌成的小菜。莼菜：水生，嫩叶可作菜肴。齑：调味用的姜、蒜等碎末儿。
[8] 风腌果子狸——一种名贵菜肴。果子狸又名“花面狸”，狸之一种，体小如猫，嗜食谷类和果子等物，肉味鲜美。风腌：经过腌制风干的。
[9] 行食——饭后活动，借以帮助消化。
[10] 鹄（ɡǔ谷）子——即鹄的，箭靶的中心。此指箭靶子。
[11] 临潼斗宝——其事不见史载，《疏者下船》、《伍员吹箫》等元杂剧中皆提及，以《孤本元明杂剧·临潼斗宝》所记较为完整。内容有春秋时秦穆公设谋邀请十七国诸侯至临潼赴会，各出传国之宝比斗。在这里是取其夸富斗奢、争强赌胜之意。
[12] 武荫——因武功而得到封荫。
〔四〕 “歇臂”，底本及蒙府、梦稿本作“歇背”，戚序、甲辰本作“歇肩”。径改。
[14] 斗叶——斗纸牌，也称“叶子戏”，赌博的一种。
[15] 抢新快——六个骰子，按一定的点色组合，定出分数，进行比赛，分多者胜。
〔五〕 “打公番”，各本均作“打么番”，只是不知这“打么番”是一种什么博戏，故暂仍其旧，以待博雅。
[17] 兔子——娈童、男妓。传说月中有兔，月为阴之精；或谓兔子雌雄同体，望月而孕。因由“兔子”联想而及雌化男性，即不男不女、亦男亦女的变态的性格和体态特征。
〔六〕 “文花”，蒙府、戚序、甲辰本同作“文化”。梦稿本作“又带”。程甲本作“文花”，从程甲本改。
[19] 朔望之礼——朔日和望日（即农历初一和十五）的例常祭拜。
[20] 警身侧坐——恭敬拘谨地侧身而坐。
[21] 一个力气——“力气”在这里是古代拉弓用力的单位，“一个力气”也叫“一个劲”，相当于九斤十二两。
[22] 努伤——因过分用力而受伤。
[23] 斗香——又叫香斗，将香束捆扎攒聚堆成塔形，点燃顶上一股，即从上到下层层燃尽。一斗香可燃一夜。《金陵岁时记·中秋斗香》：“中秋祀月……扎香如宝塔形，上加纸斗，名曰斗香。”
〔七〕 “向围屏后将迎春、探春、惜春三个请出来”，底本“向围屏”三字点去，从“屏”下缺“后”字。此据俄藏本改。
〔八〕 “赔罪”，原作“陪罪”，径改。
[26] 踧踖（cù jí促及）——恭敬而侷促不安的样子。《论语·乡党》：“君在，踧踖如也。”
〔九〕 “看，道是”，原作“道是”，又点去。蒙府、戚序本均作“看，道是”，从此处贾宝玉的诗及下文贾兰、贾环的诗均缺，本回前另页有批语注明：“缺中秋诗，俟雪芹”，说明这几首诗原缺。
[28] 二难——《世说新语·德行》载：东汉陈寔有长子元方，少子季方，元方和季方之子各论其父功德，争持不下，便去请问祖父，陈寔说“元方难为兄，季方难为弟”，意思是兄弟二人才德俱优，难分高下。这里反其意而用之。
[29] 温飞卿、曹唐——温飞卿，温庭筠的字，唐代诗人，才思敏捷，长于词赋、音乐，作品以秾艳华丽为特色。曹唐，唐代诗人，字尧宾，曾为道士，作品以游仙诗居多。
[30] 雪窗荧火——雪窗：冬夜借窗前雪光读书。《初学记》卷二引《宋齐语》：“孙康家贫，常映雪读书。”荧火：夏夜借囊中萤光读书。荧，通萤。《晋书·车胤传》：“胤恭勤不倦，博学多通。家贫不常得油，夏月则练囊盛数十萤火以照书，以夜继日焉。”
CHAPTER 75. Midnight revellers are startled by a sound of evil omen And Mid-Autumn moon-watchers listen to quatrains of unequal merit
When You-shi swept angrily out of Xi-chun’s apartment, it had been her intention to visit Lady Wang, but one of the old women in her suite whispered in her ear to advise her against going there.
‘Some people from the Zhen family have just arrived there, madam, with a lot of things. I think it’s something secret they’ve come about. It probably wouldn’t be very convenient for you to go there now.’
‘That’s funny,’ said You-shi. ‘I heard your master saying last night that he had read in the Gazette that the Zhens had been attainted. It said that there was a search and confiscation order on their estate and that the family were being brought under arrest to the capital for questioning. What can any of them be doing here?’
‘You may well ask, madam. It was some of the womenfolk we saw there. They were in a terrible state, very worried and frightened. I expect they are doing something they ought not to be.’
You-shi abandoned her idea of visiting Lady Wang and went back to see Li Wan, with whom she had been talking a little earlier when Xi-chun called her away. Li Wan had been visited in the meantime by her doctor; and as she was feeling much livelier than she had done for some days, she had remained sitting up after her visit. You-shi found her propped up on pillows and with the bedclothes pulled up round her, eager for conversation. Unfortunately You-shi, who had been so affable on her earlier visit, was now in no mood to talk and sat at Li Wan’s bedside silent and preoccupied. Li Wan wondered if she was feeling hungry.
‘Have something to eat,’ she said. ‘What would you like?’ She turned to Candida. ‘What nice little snack have we got that we could offer Mrs Zhen?’
‘Please don’t bother,’ said You-shi. ‘You’re hardly likely to have interesting snacks in the house after being an invalid for so many days. And in any case I’m not hungry.’
‘Someone sent me some rather good wheatmeal tea yesterday,’ said Li Wan. ‘Why don’t you try a bowl of that?’
She told Candida to mix some for her with sugar and boiling water. You-shi made no reply and continued to brood. The women and maids who had come with her tried to think of some means of distracting her.
‘You haven’t done your face yet since this morning, madam,’ said one of them. ‘Why not take this opportunity of having a wash?’
You-shi nodded. Li Wan at once sent Candida for her dressing-case and mirror. Candida offered You-shi the use of her own make-up.
‘Our mistress doesn’t use make-up, Mrs Zhen. If you don’t mind using my stuff, you’re very welcome to some of this.’
‘It’s true that I haven’t got any,’ said Li Wan, ‘but you ought to have borrowed some from one of the young ladies to lend her. Fancy offering her your own, and in front of everyone else! It’s a good job it was Mrs Zhen. Some people would have been most offended.’
‘Oh, that’s all right,’ said You-shi, and began to wash. The maid with the basin bent down to hold it out to her.
‘Where are your manners, girl?’ said Li Wan reprovingly, whereupon the maid at once went down on her knees.
‘Manners!’ said You-shi. ‘The outward frills of respectability! Those are the things our servants are so good at. What they actually get up to doesn’t bear much investigating.’
Li Wan realized that she must be referring to the events of the previous night.
‘Why do you say that?’ she asked smilingly. ‘What has who got up to that doesn’t bear investigating?’
‘Need you ask?’ said You-shi. ‘You’ve not been so ill that you’ve lost the use of your faculties!’
Before Li Wan could reply, Bao-chai’s arrival was announced. Li Wan and You-shi both called out to her to come in. You-shi, hurriedly wiping the water from her face, got up to welcome her and made her sit down with her at the side of the bed.
‘On your own?’ she asked her. ‘Where are all the others?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Bao-chai. ‘I haven’t seen them yet. Mother isn’t very well today, and as her two senior maids are also both ill in bed and I don’t trust any of the others, I thought I had better go and stay with her for a few days. At first I was going to tell Lady Jia and Aunt Wang, but then I thought that as this is rather a small matter and I shall in any case be coming back again as soon as Mother is better I wouldn’t bother them but simply have a word about it with Cousin Wan.’
Li Wan and You-shi exchanged smiles and glances. Presently, when You-shi had finished her toilet, the three of them each had a bowl of wheatmeal tea.
‘I must send someone to see how your mother is and find out what she is suffering from,’ said Li Wan. ‘I can’t go in person, unfortunately, because I am ill myself. Don’t worry about anything here. I’ll send someone to look after your apartment while you are away. Do come back soon, though, or I shall be blamed for your going.’
‘Whyever should you be?’ said Bao-chai. ‘There’s nothing unusual about my going. You are not being asked to connive at a gaol-break. And incidentally, I don’t see why it should be necessary to send anyone to my apartment. Why not simply invite Cousin Shi to stay with you for a few days? Wouldn’t that be simpler?’
‘While we are on the subject, where is Cousin Shi?’ said You-shi.
‘I sent her off just now to look for Cousin Tan,’ said Bao-chai. ‘She was to bring Cousin Tan here so that I could explain to her about going to Mother’s too.’
By coincidence ‘Miss Shi and Miss Tan’ were at that very moment announced. As soon as they were seated, Bao-chai told Tan-chun about her intention of moving outside for a few days to look after her mother.
‘Very wise,’ said Tan-chun. ‘But why only stay outside until Aunt is better? Why not move outside altogether?’
‘That’s rather a strange way to talk,’ said You-shi, laughing. ‘It’s as though you wanted to drive our kinswoman out.’
‘Well, why not?’ said Tan-chun bitterly. ‘Better be driven out now by me than by someone else later on. Kinsfolk are lucky. They don’t have to stay here. Not like the members of this happy family – all glaring at each other like angry fighting-cocks, wondering which will be the first one to strike!’
You-shi laughed.
‘I think today must be my unlucky day. I seem to have caught all you young ladies in a thoroughly unpleasant mood.’
‘If you don’t like the heat, you should stay away from the fire,’ said Tan-chun. ‘Who’s been upsetting you then?’ She thought for a bit. ‘It’s not likely to have been Cousin Feng. Not this time. So who was it?’
You-shi’s vague answer evaded the question. Tan-chun knew that she was afraid to speak openly for fear of causing trouble.
‘Come on!’ she said tauntingly. ‘Don’t act the innocent! It’s not high treason to tell us. No one’s going to chop your head off. Look at me. Last night I slapped Wang Shan-bao’s wife’s face. That’s an offence deserving hard labour at the very least, yet nothing’s happened so far, bar a bit of muttering. I don’t think anyone is going to give me a beating.’
‘Did you really slap her face?’ Bao-chai asked incredulously.
Tan-chun treated them all to a lively account of what had happened, after which You-shi, seeing that there was no longer any point in concealment, proceeded to tell them about her recent encounter with Xi-chun.
‘Oh, she’s always like that,’ said Tan-chun. ‘It’s her nature. Xi-chun is so peculiar, nothing the rest of us say or do is ever going to alter her. By the way’ – she returned to the subject that was uppermost in her mind – ‘I made some inquiries first thing this morning to find out why nothing was happening. Apparently it’s because Cousin Feng is ill again. I also sent someone to inquire about Wang Shan-bao’s wife. It seems that she has been given a beating. For interfering.’
‘Quite right, too!’ said You-shi and Li Wan. But Tan-chun took a more cynical view.
‘It would be a comparatively easy way of disarming suspicion. We must wait and see.’
You-shi and Li Wan looked thoughtful, but neither made any comment.
Shortly after this the maids came in to say that dinner was ready. Xiang-yun and Bao-chai went back to their apartment to pack, in preparation for their respective moves. Our narrative leaves them at this point.
You-shi and Tan-chun, after taking their leave of Li Wan, made their way to Grandmother Jia’s apartment. The old lady was reclining on her couch listening, while Lady Wang told her about the Zhens: the offences they had been charged with, the confiscation of their property and their coming up to the capital now for questioning. Grandmother Jia was obviously much shaken by what she heard, but brightened up somewhat when You-shi and Tan-chun arrived.
‘Where have you both come from?’ she asked them. ‘I suppose you know that Feng and Wan are both ill now? I wonder how they are today.’
‘They are both a little better,’ said You-shi.
Grandmother Jia nodded and sighed.
‘I think we’ve heard enough about other people’s troubles for the time being. It’s time we started thinking about the arrangements for our Mid-Autumn party.’
‘The catering arrangements have all been made,’ said Lady Wang. ‘It only remains for you to decide where you want it. I suppose the nights are getting too chilly now for us to have it out in the Garden.’
‘We can always put on a bit more clothing,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Of course we must have it in the Garden. That’s what the Garden is for.’
While they were speaking, some of the women came in carrying the dinner-table between them. Lady Wang and You-shi laid chopsticks and carried in the rice. When all was ready, Grandmother noticed that in addition to her own dishes there were two large food-boxes containing dishes from the other apartments. It was a long-established custom that the occupants of other apartments should send her samples of what they were planning to eat that day themselves as a way of showing her their respect.
‘I’ve told you all a number of times to stop doing this,’ she said. ‘Why won’t you ever do as I say?’
‘These are only very ordinary things here,’ said Lady Wang, referring to her own contribution. ‘It’s one of my fast-days today, so I have only vegetarian dishes. I know you don’t much like bean-curd fried in batter, which is one of the things I am having. The only thing of mine I think you might like is a salad pickle of chopped water-mallow in pepper sauce.’
‘That sounds rather nice,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘I think I’d like to try some of that.’
Faithful quickly took the saucer containing it out of the box and put it down in front of her. Bao-qin, having first apologized to each of her seniors for sitting down in their presence, took her place at one side of the table. Grandmother Jia said that Tan-chun should eat with her as well, whereupon Tan-chun too made her apologies and sat down. She sat at the other side of the table opposite Bao-qin. Scribe quickly fetched her a bowl and chopsticks. Meanwhile Faithful was pointing out the other dishes to Grandmother Jia.
‘I can’t make out what these two here are. They are from Sir She. The stuff in this bowl is creamed chicken and bamboo. It’s from Mr Zhen.’
She brought the bowl of sliced bamboo-shoot over and put it down on the table. Grandmother Jia made a couple of dips into it with her chopsticks. She ordered all the other dishes to be taken back to their senders.
‘Tell them thank you very much I’ve tried some, but not to send things to me any more. If I ever want anything, I shall let them know.’
The women made some reply and went off with the boxes.
‘Now bring me my rice-gruel and I’ll have a bit of that,’ said Grandmother Jia.
You-shi stepped forward with a bowl of gruel. It was made with red ‘Emperor’ rice, she told her. After drinking about half of it, Grandmother Jia ordered the other half to be taken to Xi-feng. She pointed to one of the dishes.
‘And this is for Patience.’ She turned to You-shi. ‘I’ve finished. Now you can eat.’
‘Thank you,’ said You-shi, but waited all the same until the old lady had rinsed her mouth and washed her hands and was walking up and down on Lady Wang’s arm for her digestion before she ‘begged to be seated’. By this time Bao-qin and Tan-chun had finished eating. They got up as You-shi sat down, excusing themselves from keeping her company while she ate.
‘Oh,’ said You-shi, ‘I’m not used to eating at a big table like this all on my own.’
‘Faithful and Amber can eat with you for company,’ said Grandmother Jia.
‘Good!’ said You-shi. ‘I was about to suggest that.’
‘I like to see people eating together,’ said Grandmother Jia. She pointed to Butterfly. ‘Now here’s a good girl. Why shouldn’t she eat with you as well? Go on, child! Go and eat with your mistress. As long as you are here with me, it doesn’t matter if you break the rules for once.’
‘Come on!’ said You-shi to the maid encouragingly. ‘Don’t pretend to be bashful!’
Grandmother Jia stopped walking up and down and stood with her hands clasped behind her back to watch them eat. It suddenly struck her that the rice being served was the plain white rice normally eaten by the servants and that You-shi, too, was eating it.
‘Why are you giving Mrs Zhen this stuff?’ she asked them.
‘There isn’t any of Your Old Ladyship’s rice left,’ said the maids. ‘You had an extra young lady eating with you today, don’t forget.’
‘Meals are made to measure nowadays,’ said Faithful. ‘We can’t afford to be extravagant the way we used to be.’
‘There have been so many floods and droughts during the past few years,’ said Lady Wang. ‘Our farms haven’t been able to make up their quotas. These special kinds of rice are particularly hard to come by. We have had to start rationing them rather carefully.’
‘Even the cleverest housewife can’t make rice-gruel without rice.’ Grandmother Jia quoted the proverb amidst general laughter.
Faithful turned to address the women waiting outside the door.
‘If Her Old Ladyship’s rice is all finished, you can get the rice that Miss Tan would have eaten if she hadn’t been eating with us and bring it here for Mrs Zhen.’
‘No need,’ said You-shi. ‘What I’ve got here is quite enough for me.’
‘I dare say it is,’ said Faithful, ‘but what about me?’
The women hurried off to fetch the rice.
Presently Lady Wang went off to have dinner in her own apartment, leaving You-shi to entertain Grandmother Jia. The time passed quickly, with much good-humoured teasing and laughter, and the first watch had already begun before Grandmother Jia noticed how late it was getting.
‘You’d better be getting back now,’ she told You-shi.
You-shi took her leave. Outside the inner gate she got into her waiting carriage. Her women pulled the blind down, then, taking all the maids with them except Butterfly, who was riding in the carriage with her mistress, hurried on ahead so that they could be waiting for You-shi when she arrived in the other mansion. The men from both gates walked some way along the street to keep it clear of pedestrians while six or seven pages pushed and pulled the carriage (it seemed too short a distance and too late an hour for mules) as far as the interior of the Ning-guo gateway. There the pages retired, old women came forward and raised the blind, and Butterfly dismounted and helped out her mistress. You-shi noticed that there were four or five large carriages waiting below the stone lions which flanked the gate and commented to Butterfly on their presence.
‘I wonder how many horses there are in the stables? If this number came by carriage, you may be sure that a much greater number will have come on horseback.’
As she and Butterfly entered the outer courtyard, Jia Rong’s wife at the head of a party of maids and older women carrying lanterns advanced to meet them.
‘I’ve been dying for I don’t know how long to have a look at the men while they are gambling,’ said You-shi, ‘but so far I haven’t had an opportunity. Tonight is the best chance I shall ever get. Let’s go along the wall in front of the windows so that we can peep in at them.’
The women with lanterns made a detour towards the building in which the men were congregated. One of them went ahead and warned the pages waiting outside not to announce their arrival to the men or make any other noise that would warn those inside of their coming. You-shi and her party were thus able to steal right up to the windows and could hear everything that was going on inside. Among the medley of sounds that met their ears, numbers seemed to predominate, some uttered exultantly and with raucous shouts of laughter, others angrily or despairingly and to the accompaniment of curses and profanities.
Cousin Zhen had found the ban on amusements during the seemingly interminable period of mourning for Jia Jing which convention imposed on him extremely irksome. Archery, for some reason, was permitted, and a few months previously he had hit on archery as a means of getting round the ban. A number of young men from the wealthy and aristocratic households of his acquaintance were invited round to the Ning-guo mansion to participate. Shooting was to be competitive.
‘Random shooting is quite useless,’ he explained to them. ‘You not only don’t make any progress; it actually spoils your form. You’ve got to have incentives of some kind to keep you on your toes, and the best way of doing that is to bet on something.’
Butts were set up in the shooting gallery below the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion and every day after lunch the young men came along to compete. Since, as Bereaved Son, it would have been unseemly for Cousin Zhen himself to have been named in this connection, the nominal convenor and organizer of these gatherings was Jia Rong. All those invited were rich, profligate, dashing young fellows, accustomed to spending their time in cock-fighting, dog-racing and even more questionable amusements. After some discussion it was decided that the responsibility for providing dinner after the day’s archery should fall to each one of them in turn. It became a point of honour to make these dinners as lavish as possible, so that the daily junketings at Ning-guo House came more and more to resemble the Diet of Lintong in the well-known play of that name, except that whereas Duke Mu’s princely guests competed in the bravery of their commanders and the magnificence of their regalia, it was in the skill of their chefs and in masterpieces of culinary art that the members of the Ning-guo archery club strove to outdo each other.
When this had been going on for a couple of weeks or so, Jia Zheng and Jia She got to hear about it. The report that reached them cannot have been a very accurate one, however, for, far from being critical of these goings-on, they spoke of them with approval.
‘Since Rong obviously has no aptitude for book-learning,’ Jia Zheng observed, ‘Cousin Zhen does right to encourage him in the martial arts. The boy does, after all, hold a military commission.’
They even made Bao-yu, Jia Huan, Jia Cong and Jia Lan participate. The four of them had to go over every day after lunch and not return until each of them had taken his turn at the butts.
But it was not of course in the archery that Cousin Zhen was interested. On the grounds that resting the muscles was an important part of one’s training, he was soon advocating a little cards or dice in the evenings as a means of relaxation. At first they played only for drinks, but soon they were playing more and more for money; the time spent on gaming gradually encroached on the time devoted to archery; betting became more open; and finally, with the formal opening of a ‘bank’ some three or four months previously, regular, organized gambling for heavy stakes had become a daily routine. The Ning-guo servants, who grew fat on the pickings, were delighted with these new arrangements and, anxious that they should go on, if possible, for ever, took very good care that no one outside the mansion should get to hear about them.
Lady Xing’s brother, Xing De-quan, himself a keen gambler, had lately become a frequenter of this establishment; so, inevitably, had Xue Pan, who was never so happy as when he was throwing away his money.
Xing De-quan was very unlike his sister. Drinking, gambling and debauchery were his only interests; consequently whenever any money came into his hands, he spent it like water. The singular obtuseness he showed in all his dealings had earned him the nickname of ‘Uncle Dumbo’. And since Xue Pan was already known to all and sundry as ‘the Oaf King’, the two of them when they were together were referred to by the young men as ‘Uncle Dumbo and Cousin Oaf’.
The situation when You-shi peeped inside was as follows. Cousin Oaf and Uncle Dumbo, each with a partner, were playing six-dice Grabs on the kang in the outer room. Simultaneously another dicing game, Driving the Sheep, was being played by several players sitting round a large table on the floor below. The inner room, where a slightly more intellectual group were playing Tin Kau, was devoted to dominoes. The servants were all pages of fifteen or under. There was also a pair of male prostitutes, powdered, overdressed youths of seventeen or eighteen, whose duty was to ply the guests with drink. It was this pair who first caught You-shi’s eye when she looked in.
Xue Pan had been having the sulks earlier on because he was losing, but then his luck had changed: he had not only recouped his losses but made a lot of extra money. He was therefore in a very good mood indeed. Cousin Zhen suggested that this might be a good point at which to stop and have dinner. They could go on playing afterwards if they wanted to.
‘What about the two other lots?’ he inquired.
It transpired that the Tin Kau players in the next room were in process of settling up after finishing the game and were in fact beginning to think about their dinner, but that the group at the big table playing Driving the Sheep had not yet reached a suitable point at which to break off. Cousin Zhen ordered dinner to be served for all those, himself included, who were ready. Jia Rong was to wait and have dinner with the other players when they had finished.
Xue Pan, elated by his success, sat with a cup of wine in one hand and his arm round the shoulders of one of the pretty pot-boys. With a victor’s expansive generosity he ordered the other boy to pour some wine ‘with his compliments’ for Uncle Dumbo. But Uncle Dumbo was thoroughly out of temper at having lost the game, and the two cupfuls he drank now in rapid succession served merely to make him tipsily aggressive. He vented his anger on the two young ganymedes, who, he claimed, had treacherously withdrawn their favours from him and transferred them to the winner.
‘Heartless brood of unnatural little whore’s gits!’ he grumbled. ‘You’ve had plenty of favours off me in the past – and off everyone else here. Now, just because I’ve lost a few taels, I’m not good enough for you. What makes you so certain you won’t ever need my help again in the future?’
The other guests all knew that he was drunk. Those of them who were losers themselves smiled wryly and said nothing, but one or two of the winners magnanimously expressed their sympathy.
‘That’s right, Uncle. Rotten little bastards! That’s just the way they do behave.’
‘Why don’t you pour Uncle a drink and tell him you’re sorry?’ said another of them.
The two young ganymedes, practised professionals in every trick of the trade, were on their knees at Uncle Dumbo’s side in a moment, offering him wine, fondling his thigh, and gazing with simpering archness into his eyes.
‘Don’t be angry with us, dear old friend. We are only children. We have to do as we are told. Our teacher always tells us, “It doesn’t matter what they are like or what your own feelings are, the person who at any moment has the most money is the one you must be nice to.” Just win a lot of money later on this evening, old friend, and you’ll see how nice we shall be to you!’
The disarming frankness of this made everyone laugh. Even Uncle Dumbo, though he tried hard not to, was forced to join in.
‘All right, I forgive you,’ he growled as he took the proffered winecup. ‘Though I don’t mind telling you, if I hadn’t been so fond of you two, I’d have kicked the stuffing out of your little tum-tums!’
He shot his foot up as he said this, by way of demonstration. The two boys scrambled to their feet in mock alarm. Each of them carried a long woman’s handkerchief of flowered silk. With mincing gestures, still holding their handkerchiefs in their hands, they guided the winecup towards his lips. Uncle Dumbo’s loud gurgles of delight were briefly interrupted while he threw his head back and drained the cup. Then, still laughing, he pinched their cheeks.
‘Little dears!’ he said. ‘How I loves them!’
His mood changed abruptly as he remembered a grievance. He smote the table angrily and glared at Cousin Zhen.
‘I had a quarrel with your Uncle She’s wife yesterday, did you know that?’
‘With Aunt Xing?’ said Cousin Zhen. ‘No, I hadn’t heard that.’
Uncle Dumbo sighed self-pityingly.
‘About damned money, as usual. You don’t know the history of our Xing family, dear boy. When my old mother died, I was still too young to know what was going on. I have three elder sisters. The eldest is your precious aunt. When your aunt married, she took everything we had with her. Everything. My second sister had to marry without a dowry. She and her husband are paupers. My third sister is still unmarried. She lives on a pittance paid out to her by that old bitch, Wang Shan-bao’s wife, who has charge of all our money. Well, I went along yesterday to ask her for a few coppers. Not Jia money, mind you: our Xing money is good enough for me. But would she give me any? Not she! And that’s the reason why I get treated by you lot like a poor relation.’
Cousin Zhen knew that he was drunk, but as it was embarrassing that these unsavoury details of family history should be paraded in front of outsiders, he did his best to mollify Uncle Dumbo and get him onto another tack.
All this was clearly audible to You-shi outside.
‘Did you hear that?’ she whispered to Butterfly, who was standing beside her. ‘That’s Lady Xing they’re talking about. If her own brother talks about her in that way, you can hardly wonder that other people complain about her.’
She would have said more, but checked herself in order to attend to what was going on inside. The group playing Driving the Sheep had now broken off and were calling for wine.
‘Who was upsetting Uncle Dumbo just now?’ asked one of them. ‘We couldn’t quite catch what it was about. Tell us what happened, Uncle, and we’ll see you get fair play.’
Uncle Dumbo proceeded to tell them how the two boys had forsaken him because he had no money.
‘Good grief!’ said the young man who had asked the question. ‘I don’t blame you for being angry. – What do you mean by it?’ he asked the boys. ‘He’s only lost a bit of money, hasn’t he? He hasn’t lost his prick!’
The company roared with laughter. Uncle Dumbo’s mouthful of rice was spattered over half the floor.
‘You dirty bugger!’ he said. ‘Can’t you open your mouth without being crude?’
You-shi gave a little snort of disgust.
‘Just listen to those animals! By the time they’ve swilled a few more cups of wine, heaven knows what filth they’ll be coming out with!’
She moved on her way – having seen and heard quite as much as she wanted to – returned to her apartment, undressed, and went to bed. Cousin Zhen did not get to bed until after two. He spent what remained of the night in Lovey’s room.
As soon as he was up next morning, someone came in with a message to say that the melons and mooncakes he had ordered were now ready and it only remained for him to say who they were to be sent to.
‘Ask your mistress to see to it,’ said Cousin Zhen. ‘I have got other business to attend to.’
Lovey took this message to You-shi, who proceeded to go through the list deciding how much should go to whom and making arrangements for the delivery. She had barely finished doing this when Lovey came back again with another message.
‘The master wants to know if you are going out today, madam. He says we can’t keep Mid-Autumn properly on the fifteenth because we are in mourning still, but there would be no harm in having a little family party tonight.’
‘I don’t want to go out,’ said You-shi, ‘but with Mrs Zhu and Mrs Lian both ill in bed, I don’t see how I can refuse to go next door and lend a hand.’
‘The master says, if you have to go out, will you at any rate try to get back as early as you can?’ said Lovey.
‘Better hurry up with the lunch then,’ said You-shi. ‘The sooner I can get away, the sooner I’ll be back.’
‘The master’s having lunch in the front today, madam. He says please have your lunch here without him.’
‘Who’s he got there?’ said You-shi.
‘Somebody told me it’s two people just arrived from Nanking,’ said Lovey, ‘but I don’t know who they are.’
Jia Rong’s wife came in while Lovey was talking. Shortly after that lunch was served. After lunch, You-shi changed into her going-out clothes and went over to Rong-guo House. She did not return until evening.
While she was away, Cousin Zhen went ahead with arrangements for an intimate family party. He had a whole pig boiled, a whole sheep roasted, and an infinite number of vegetable dishes and entremets prepared. When You-shi got back that evening, he conducted her and the little concubines and Jia Rong and Jia Rong’s wife to the Bosky Verdure Pavilion where it was all laid out. This was in the All-Scents Garden, as they continued to call the little remnant still left them after the main part was incorporated in Prospect Garden.
They had dinner first. The wine was brought in after they had finished eating, so that they could apply themselves singlemindedly to games and mirth and the enjoyment of the Mid-Autumn moon, which now (for by this time it was already the beginning of the first watch) shone brightly in a clear, fresh sky, filling the world above and below with its silver light. Cousin-Zhen invited the four little concubines to sit at the same table as him and You-shi and join with them in games of Plumstones and Guess-fingers. Presently – for the drink was beginning to make him sentimental – he called to them for some music, and Flower sang for them in a clear, sweet voice, accompanied by Lovey on the vertical bamboo flute. Everyone was deeply moved by the performance. After it was over the games continued.
The hours slipped by. Soon it was nearly midnight. Cousin Zhen was by now more than a little drunk. They had all just put on some extra clothes and had some hot tea; the wine-cups had been cleared and clean ones put in their place and a fresh lot of newly heated wine was just being poured, when suddenly a long-drawn-out sigh was heard from the foot of one of the garden walls. It was heard by all of them, quite clearly and unmistakably, and they could feel the hair on their scalps rise as they listened to it.
‘Who’s there?’ Cousin Zhen shouted in a voice that he tried to make fierce and challenging. But though he repeated the question several times, there was no reply.
‘It’s probably one of the servants,’ said You-shi.
‘Nonsense!’ snapped Cousin Zhen. ‘There are no servants living behind any of these walls. In any case, that’s the Hall of the Ancestors over there. What would anyone be doing behind that wall?’
A rustle of wind passed, at that very moment, along the foot of it and a distant sound like the opening and closing of a door could be heard from inside the ancestral temple. An oppressive feeling of dread came over them; the night air seemed suddenly to have grown colder; the moon appeared less bright than it had been a few minutes before; and they could feel their skins crawling with terror.
Shock had made Cousin Zhen almost sober; but though he managed to keep better control of himself than the others, he was very much shaken and had lost all appetite for enjoyment. Nevertheless he forced himself and the others to sit a little longer before retiring finally to bed.
He rose quite early next morning. It was the fifteenth, one of the two days in each month on which offerings have to be made to the ancestors. Entering the ancestral temple with the other male members of the family, he took the opportunity of looking round inside it very carefully; but everything was as it should be; there was no sign whatever of anything untoward having happened. He put down the previous night’s terror to the effects of drunkenness – a mild attack of the horrors – and resolved to make no further mention of it. When the service was over, he shut the temple up again and made sure that the doors were securely locked and barred.
After dinner that evening Cousin Zhen went over with You-shi to Rong-guo House. He found Jia She and Jia Zheng in Grandmother Jia’s room. The two of them were sitting on the kang, talking and laughing with the old lady, while Jia Lian, Bao-yu, Jian Huan and Jia Lan stood on the floor below. After greeting them and exchanging a word or two with each of them in turn, he sat, or rather half-sat, in polite discomfort, on a stool next to the door. Grandmother Jia vouchsafed a gracious smile in his direction.
‘How is your Cousin Bao’s archery these days?’
Cousin Zhen jumped to his feet to reply.
‘Greatly improved, Lady Jia. It isn’t only his form that is better; he is beginning to handle the bow with much greater strength.’
‘That’s the point at which to stop then,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘We don’t want him straining himself.’
‘No, no, certainly not,’ said Cousin Zhen. ‘I quite agree.’
‘Those mooncakes you sent yesterday were very good,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘The melons looked all right, but there’s not much inside them when you cut them open.’
‘Those mooncakes are good, aren’t they?’ said Cousin Zhen. ‘They were made by our new pastry-cook. I tried them myself to make sure they were all right before venturing to send you any. As for the melons: we’ve been lucky in previous years, but for some reason none of them this year seem to be any good.’
‘I think we must blame the weather,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘The rains this year were excessive.’
‘The moon must be up by now,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Let’s go and make our Mid-Autumn offering.’
She got up and, leaning on Bao-yu’s shoulder, led the way into the Garden. The main gate was wide open and hung with great horn lanterns. When they reached Prospect Hall, they found servants with lighted lamps waiting for them on the terrace and a table on which incense smoked in a square container and on which offerings of melons and other fruit and mooncakes had been set out on dishes. Lady Xing and all the other female members of the family were waiting inside the hall.
Moonlight and lanterns gleaming pale Through a thin aromatic veil –
it was indeed a scene of indescribable beauty. A carpet for kneeling on had been laid on the terrace at the foot of the table on the side nearest the hall. Grandmother Jia washed her hands, lit some sticks of incense, knelt down on the carpet, bowed down, and offered up the incense. The others followed her example.
‘The best place for enjoying the moon from is the top of a hill,’ she told them when they had finished. She suggested the pavilion on the summit of the ‘master mountain’ behind Reunion Palace (of which Prospect Hall was a part) as the place to have their party. The servants at once went off to make it ready. Meanwhile Grandmother Jia sat talking with the others inside Prospect Hall, resting and drinking tea. Presently the servants came back to report that the mountain-top pavilion was now ready. The old lady stood up again and, supported on either side by her maids, prepared to make the ascent.
‘I’m afraid the moss on the steps might make them rather slippery,’ said Lady Wang. ‘Wouldn’t it be better if you went up in a chair?’
‘The servants sweep them every day,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘How can there be any moss? They are good, level steps and not too steep. The exercise will be good for me.’
Jia She and Jia Zheng led the way, followed by a couple of old women with horn lanterns. Faithful, Amber and You-shi supported the old lady on either side, and Lady Xing, Lady Wang and all the others followed in a close procession behind. It was only a hundred or so steps up the zig-zag path to the summit.
The pavilion was a rectangular building with one completely open side looking onto a terrace. Because it was situated on the convex grassy summit of the little ‘mountain’, it was called Convex Pavilion. Two tables with chairs round them had been set out on the terrace, separated from each other by a large screen. The tables and chairs, like the moon and melons and mooncakes, were all round, in honour of the occasion. Grandmother Jia sat at the head of one of the tables with Jia She, Cousin Zhen, Jia Lian and Jia Rong on her left hand and Jia Zheng, Bao-yu, Jia Huan and Jia Lan on her right. Between them they filled only about half the places round the table.
‘I never felt in the past on these occasions that we were a small family,’ Grandmother Jia commented. ‘Looking at us today, though, I must say we do make a very miserable turnout. I can remember Mid-Autumns when there were thirty or forty of us sitting down together. Ah, what times we had then! We shan’t ever have numbers like that again. Let’s have the girls to sit with us. See if we can’t fill up that gap!’
Someone went over to the table presided over by Lady Xing on the other side of the screen to fetch Ying-chun, Tan-chun and Xi-chun. Jia Lian, Jia Rong, Bao-yu and the other boys got up while the chairs were rearranged and the girls were installed at the table. Then they reseated themselves in their proper order, Jia Lian and Jia Rong with Ying-chun and Xi-chun between them, and Bao-yu and Jia Huan on either side of Tan-chun.
Grandmother Jia asked someone to fetch a spray of cassia and made one of the women sit behind the screen and drum for them, so that they could play Passing the Branch. Anyone whose hand the branch was in when the drumming stopped had first to drink a cup of wine and then tell a funny story. The drumming started and the branch passed from Grandmother Jia to Jia She and so on round the table. It stopped just as the branch had reached Jia Zheng’s hand on its second time round. He raised the winecup to his lips to the accompaniment of much secret nudging and pinching among the younger folk, to whom the notion of Jia Zheng telling a joke was in itself unbelievably funny.
Jia Zheng could see how much the old lady was enjoying herself and was anxious not to spoil her pleasure. Before he could begin his story, however, she saw fit to give him notice that he must expect to be punished if he did not make her laugh.
‘I can only think of one joke,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘If you don’t find it amusing, you will just have to punish me.’
‘Very well, tell us your one joke then,’ said Grandmother Jia.
‘It is about a hen-pecked husband,’ said Jia Zheng.
He got no further. Already his audience were convulsed. It was not that what he had said was the least bit funny, simply that they had never heard him talking about such things before.
‘This is sure to be good,’ said Grandmother Jia.
‘In that case,’ said Jia Zheng, laughing himself, ‘let me persuade you to drink a cup of wine.’
‘Very well,’ said Grandmother Jia.
At once Jia She and Jia Zheng rose to their feet. Jia She held a winecup in both his hands while Jia Zheng poured wine into it from a wine-kettle. Then Jia Zheng took the cup from Jia She and ceremoniously set it down in front of Grandmother Jia. The two men stood in stiffly deferential attitudes beside her while she drank some, then, having completed their little pantomime, resumed their places.
Jia Zheng proceeded with his story.
‘This hen-pecked husband was so afraid of his wife that he never dared stay long away from the house. But one Mid-Autumn Festival he chanced to be out shopping in the street when a friend caught sight of him and insisted on dragging him off to his house for a drink. Without meaning to, the husband became very drunk – so much so that he had to stay at his friend’s house for the night. When he woke up the next morning, he was full of remorse. However, there was nothing for it but to hurry back home and apologize. When he got back, his wife was washing her feet.
‘“Very well,” she said when he had finished apologizing, “if you will lick my feet clean, I will forgive you.”
‘The man began to lick, but a feeling of nausea overcame him and he showed signs of wanting to be sick. When his wife saw this, she was furious.
‘“How dare you?” she screamed, and looked as if she was about to give him a beating.
‘The husband knelt down in terror and begged to be forgiven.
‘“Please, my dear! It isn’t that I find your feet in the least distasteful. It’s just that I drank rather a lot of yellow wine last night and ate lots of very rich mooncakes, so today I am feeling a little queasy.”’
Grandmother Jia and the rest all laughed and Jia Zheng poured Grandmother Jia another cup of wine.
‘Someone had better change this yellow wine for samshoo,’ she said. ‘We don’t want you husbands having this sort of trouble with your wives tomorrow!’
This produced another laugh.
The drumming recommenced and the branch, starting from Jia Zheng, began circulating again. This time it stopped with Bao-yu. Bao-yu had been feeling uncomfortable to start with because of Jia Zheng’s presence, but became ten times more so when he found himself stuck with the branch.
‘If I tell a joke and it’s no good,’ he thought, ‘he will say I’ve no invention. But if I tell a good one, he’ll say I have no aptitude for serious things, only frivolous ones, and that will be even worse. I’d much better not tell one at all.’
Having reached this decision, he stood up and asked his father to excuse him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I can’t tell jokes. May I do something else, please?’
‘You may compose a poem on the theme of “Mid-Autumn Moon”,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘If it is good, I shall reward you; if it is not – I shall deal with you tomorrow.’
‘This is a game we are playing,’ said Grandmother Jia testily. ‘Do you have to make the boy write poetry?’
‘He can do it if he wants to,’ said Jia Zheng. He was smiling.
‘Very well, let him do it then,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Fetch him a brush and paper somebody.’
‘No padding, now!’ Jia Zheng told Bao-yu. ‘No “crystal”, “ice”, “jade”, “silver”, “light”, “bright”, “white” – anything of that sort. I want something original that will give me some idea of what you have been doing with your mind during this past year or two.’
Bao-yu found these injunctions by no means uncongenial, and having succeeded, in quite a short time, in thinking of a quatrain, he wrote it out and handed it to his father. Jia Zheng said nothing, but was observed to nod after he had finished reading it, which Grandmother Jia interpreted to mean that he could not have found the poem too bad.
‘Well?’ she asked him.
Jia Zheng wanted to make her happy.
‘Not at all bad,’ he said. ‘It’s a pity he won’t study, but his verses are really quite elegant.’
‘Well, that’s all right then,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘You ought to encourage the boy, so that next time he tries even harder.’
‘You are quite right,’ said Jia Zheng. He turned to one of the old women in attendance. ‘Tell my boys to get out two of the fans I brought back with me from the South, will you, and give them to Bao-yu for me.’
Bao-yu came forward and kotowed. After he had gone back to his seat, the game continued. This time the branch stopped in Jia She’s hand. He drank his wine and then told the following story.
‘This one is about a dutiful son whose mother was ill. He tried everywhere to get a doctor for her, but couldn’t find one, so in the end he was reduced to calling in an old woman who practised acupuncture. Now this old dame knew nothing of physiology, nevertheless she assured the son that it was inflammation of the heart that his mother was suffering from and that she could cure it instantly with her needle. The son became very alarmed.
‘“If metal in any form comes into contact with the heart,” he said, “it means death. Surely you’re not going to put a needle in her heart?”
‘“No, no, I shan’t put it in the heart,” said the old woman. “I mean to put it in here, over the ribs.”
‘“But that’s too far from the heart,” said the son. “Surely if you put it in there, it won’t do any good?”
‘“Oh yes it will,” said the old woman. “A mother’s heart always inclines towards one side.”’
The others all laughed, and Grandmother Jia was persuaded to drink another half cup of wine. After a long pause she said somewhat wryly,
‘Perhaps I could do with a bit of the old dame’s acupuncture myself.’
Jia She realized, too late, that his somewhat tactless choice of story could be interpreted as a criticism of his own mother. Hurriedly rising to his feet, he held up his cup to toast her with and did what he could to change the subject. Fortunately the old lady made no further reference to his gaffe and the game soon continued. This time the branch stopped with Jia Huan.
Jia Huan had lately been making modest progress in his studies. He was even beginning to show a certain interest in verse, though his tastes in it were decidedly peculiar. When Bao-yu’s poem was praised earlier on, he had been dying to demonstrate his own talent, but had not dared risk the charge of showing off in his father’s presence. Now that the luck of the game had given him free licence, he called for paper and writing-brush and, in a matter of moments, wrote out a quatrain which he handed to his father. Jia Zheng was not impressed. It was a somewhat weird little poem, and whatever advances Jia Huan might lately have made in his schoolwork, they certainly did not reveal themselves in his choice of words.
‘It is easy to see that you and Bao-yu are brothers,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘Whether in your ideas or the language you express them in, you show the same distaste for sound classical models. The “Two Incomparables” we should call you, not because you are incomparable in virtue like Chen Yuan-fang and his brother, but because you are incomparably hard to knock any sense into: though whereas Bao-yu seems to think that he has inherited the mantle of the Airy Fairy school and fancies himself as a second Wen Ting-yun, you apparently prefer the Spooks and Spectres style of poetry and see yourself as a latter-day Cao Tang.’
This (not because anyone understood it, but because it sounded funny) provoked general laughter.
‘Let me see that poem,’ said Jia She. He took it from Jia Zheng and almost immediately began praising it.
‘I like this poem, it’s got guts in it. Boys from families like ours don’t need to read themselves half blind in order to get started on a career. Provided they’ve read enough to show that they are better educated than the rabble and are capable of holding down a job, they can hardly fail to get on. Why waste a lot of time and energy on turning the boy into a book-worm? What I like about this poem is that it is just the sort of good amateur, not-too-brainy poem you’d expect a young chap of our class to write.’
He sent someone to fetch various objects of his to give to Jia Huan as a reward and smilingly patted him on the head.
‘You go on writing poems like this, young fellow! We’ll have no trouble getting you a posting when the time comes, don’t you worry!’
Jia Zheng protested.
‘Whatever you think of the poem, it hardly justifies talking in this way about the boy’s future.’
Mean while the servants had begun pouring more wine so that the game could continue; but Grandmother Jia intervened.
‘Why don’t you two go now? I’m sure your gentlemen must be waiting for you, and it would be discourteous to neglect them. Besides, it must be all of ten o’clock and if you go now it will give the children a chance to enjoy themselves unconstrainedly for a while before they go to bed.’
The two brothers at once got up to go, and after a parting cup offered to them on behalf of all the rest, they went off, taking Cousin Zhen and Jia Lian with them, but leaving Bao-yu and the two younger boys with the womenfolk.
What happened after their departure will be related in the following chapter.