Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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**CHAPTER 30**

*Baochai Uses the Fan Incident to Make a Double-barreled Reproach; Lingguan Draws the Character "Rose"—Her Passion Touched One Outside the Game*

After her quarrel with Baoyu, Lin Daiyu had regretted it, yet she saw no way to go to him. Day and night she moped, feeling as though something were missing. Zijuan, guessing her thoughts, tried to reason with her: "If we're talking about what happened the other day, the young lady was really too impetuous. Others may not know Baoyu's temper, but how can we not? That jade of his—hasn't he made a fuss over it once or twice before?"

Daiyu spat: "So you've come to lecture me on someone else's behalf. How was I impetuous?"

Zijuan smiled. "Everything was fine—so why did you go and cut that tassel? Isn't it that Baoyu was only three parts in the wrong, while the young lady was seven parts in the wrong? I've always seen how good he is to you. It's only because you're so touchy and always put the worst construction on him that things have come to this."

Daiyu was just about to reply when someone was heard calling at the gate outside the courtyard. Zijuan listened, then laughed: "That's Baoyu's voice. He must have come to apologize."

Daiyu said, "Don't open the door!"

Zijuan replied: "The young lady is being unreasonable again. Under such a scorching sun—what if he gets heatstroke?" Even as she spoke, she went out to open the door. It was indeed Baoyu. She let him in, smiling as she said: "I thought the Second Master Baoyu would never set foot in our gate again, and here he is coming back after all."

Baoyu smiled. "You make such a mountain out of a molehill. Why wouldn't I come? Even if I died, my soul would visit a hundred times a day. Is my sister much better now?"

Zijuan said: "Her illness is better, but her spirits are still not quite right."

Baoyu laughed. "I know what's troubling her." As he spoke, he came in and saw Lin Daiyu crying on the bed again.

Daiyu hadn't been crying before, but hearing Baoyu arrive, her heart was touched and tears rolled down despite herself. Baoyu smiled and approached the bed. "Is my sister feeling much better?"

Daiyu only wiped her tears and made no reply. Baoyu sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. "I know my sister isn't really angry with me. But if I don't come, and others see it, they'll think we've quarreled again. If they come to mediate between us, won't that make us feel estranged? Better that you hit me or scold me now—do whatever you like—only please don't ignore me." As he spoke, he called "good sister" tens of thousands of times.

Daiyu had resolved not to speak to Baoyu again, but when she heard him say that letting others know of their quarrel would make them seem distant, it showed how close they truly were. Unable to hold back, she cried: "You needn't try to coax me. From now on, I won't presume to be close to the Second Master, and the Second Master can think of me as gone."

Baoyu laughed. "Gone where?"

"I'll go home."

"I'll follow you."

"Then I'll die."

"If you die, I'll become a monk!"

At these words, Daiyu's face fell at once. "I suppose you want to die—what nonsense is this! You have several dear sisters at home. If they all died tomorrow, how many bodies would you have to become monks? Tomorrow I'll tell others and let them judge this."

Baoyu knew he had spoken out of turn and regretted it deeply. His face flushed crimson and he lowered his head, not daring to make a sound. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room. Daiyu stared at him fixedly for a long while, so angry she couldn't utter a word. Seeing Baoyu's face turn purple with suppressed emotion, she bit her lip, jabbed her finger hard against his forehead, snorted, and said through gritted teeth: "You—" But after just two words, she sighed, and picking up her handkerchief again, went on wiping her tears.

Baoyu had a thousand things on his mind, and having spoken wrongly, he was already regretting it. Then seeing Daiyu jab him, unable to say what he wanted to say, he sighed and wept, and moved by his own feelings, tears rolled down his own cheeks. He reached for his handkerchief to wipe them, then realized he hadn't brought one, so he used his sleeve. Though Daiyu was still crying, she noticed at a glance that he was wearing his brand-new lotus-pink gauze gown and was using it to wipe his tears. Even as she wiped her own tears, she turned and picked up a silk handkerchief from the pillow beside her, threw it into Baoyu's lap without a word, and went on covering her face and weeping.

Baoyu caught the handkerchief and wiped his tears with it. He moved closer and reached out to take Daiyu's hand, smiling. "My heart is shattered into pieces, and you just keep crying. Come, let's go to the Old Lady together."

Daiyu pulled her hand away. "Who's being familiar with you? The older we get, the more shameless you become—you don't even know the first thing about propriety."

Before he could finish his sentence, someone was heard shouting: "It's all over!" Neither Baoyu nor Daiyu had expected this, and both gave a start. Turning around, they saw Xifeng bounce into the room, laughing. "The old lady was back there complaining about heaven and earth, and she sent me to see whether you two had made up or not. I told her there was no need to look—before three days were up, they'd be fine on their own. The old lady called me lazy. Now I've come, and sure enough, my words proved true. I don't see that the two of you have anything to quarrel about at all—friends for three days, angry for two, the older you get the more childish you become! Here you are holding hands and crying; yesterday you were like fighting cocks! Come along with me to the old lady and set her mind at ease." With that, she seized Lin Daiyu by the hand and pulled her along. Lin Daiyu looked back for her maids, but there was not one in sight. Xifeng said, "What do you want them for? I'm here to wait on you." Still talking, she pulled her along. Baoyu followed them out of the garden gate. When they reached Lady Jia's quarters, Xifeng laughed and said, "I told you they'd make up on their own without anyone having to worry. The Old Ancestress didn't believe me and insisted I go and patch things up. When I got there to mediate, I found the two of them together making apologies to each other. Laughing and talking it over—they were like a hawk that's seized a sparrowhawk by the foot, both of them locked in a clinch! What need was there for anyone to mediate?" This made the whole room burst into laughter.

At this moment Baochai was there too. Lin Daiyu said nothing but sat down beside Lady Jia. Baoyu had little to say, so he turned to Baochai with a smile. "It's Elder Brother's birthday, and just my luck that I'm unwell. I have no gift to send, not even able to go and kowtow. Elder Brother doesn't know I'm sick—he'll think I'm just being lazy and making excuses. If he gets angry tomorrow, Sister, please explain things for me." Baochai smiled and said, "This is all too much. Even if you wanted to go, you wouldn't dare disturb them. Besides, you're unwell. Brothers are together every day—if you kept such formalities in mind, it would only create distance between you." Baochai smiled and said, "This is making too much of it. Even if you wanted to go, you wouldn't dare disturb them—and besides, you're unwell. Since the brothers are together every day, keeping such a formality in mind would only create distance." Baoyu smiled again and said, "As long as Sister understands and makes allowances for me, that's all that matters." Then he added, "Why aren't Sister watching the opera?" Baochai said, "I can't stand the heat. I watched two acts and it was unbearably hot. I wanted to leave, but the guests hadn't dispersed, so I had no choice but to plead illness and come away." When Baoyu heard this, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed, and could only force himself to make idle conversation. "No wonder they compare Sister to Lady Yang—it's because you're full-figured and sensitive to heat." At this, Baochai was furious. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what. After a moment's reflection, her cheeks flushed and she gave a cold laugh. "I may be like Lady Yang, but I lack a good brother or cousin who could become a Guozhong!"

Just then, by chance, the little maid Diener came looking for her fan and said to Baochai with a smile, "It must be Miss Baochai who's hidden her. Good miss, give it back to me!" Baochai pointed at her and said, "Watch your tongue! If you've played around with me before, that doesn't give you the right to suspect me. You should ask those maids you're always joking and fooling around with." This sent Diener running off. Baoyu knew he had spoken too rashly again; in front of all these people, he felt even more embarrassed than he had with Lin Daiyu earlier. He quickly turned away and started chatting with someone else.

Lin Daiyu, hearing Baoyu mock Baochai, felt secretly pleased. She was about to join in and take the opportunity to tease them, but then Diener came looking for her fan and Baochai made those two remarks, so she changed tack and said with a smile, "Elder Sister, which two acts did you watch?" Baochai, seeing a look of satisfaction on Lin Daiyu's face—she must have heard Baoyu's mockery just now and had gotten her wish—suddenly heard this question and smiled. "I watched Li Kui cursing Song Jiang and then apologizing." Baochai smiled and said, "I watched Li Kui cursing Song Jiang, and then apologizing." Baoyu laughed and said, "Sister is so well-read and knows everything—how can you not even know the name of this opera, and go on with such a long description? It's called *Bearing the Rod to Ask for Punishment*." Baochai smiled and said, "So it's called *Bearing the Rod to Ask for Punishment*! You're the ones who are so well-read and know all about 'bearing the rod to ask for punishment'—but I didn't know what 'bearing the rod to ask for punishment' meant!" Before she had even finished speaking, Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, both having something on their minds, flushed crimson at these words. Xifeng, though not particularly sharp about such matters, understood what was going on from the way the three of them looked, and laughed, asking the others, "Who's eating ginger on a sweltering day like this?" The others didn't understand and said, "Nobody's eating ginger." Xifeng deliberately touched her cheek in feigned surprise. "If nobody's eating ginger, why is it so peppery-hot?" When Baoyu and Daiyu heard this, they felt even more mortified. Baochai was about to say something more, but seeing how thoroughly embarrassed Baoyu was and how changed his manner, she thought better of it and merely smiled, dropping the subject. The others hadn't understood what the four of them were talking about, and so it passed without further notice.

After a while Baochai and Xifeng left. Lin Daiyu said to Baoyu with a smile, "Now you've tried picking on someone fiercer than me. Everyone thinks I'm slow-witted and tongue-tied, letting people say what they like." Baoyu, already annoyed because Baochai had taken offense, was in low spirits, and when Lin Daiyu came and questioned him, his temper flared even more. He wanted to say something but feared Lin Daiyu would read too much into it. Unable to do anything but swallow his anger, he dragged himself out listlessly.

Who could have known that at the height of the summer heat, after the morning meal had already been taken, when most of the masters and servants in every quarter were listless from the long day? Baoyu walked with his hands behind his back, and wherever he went, not a crow or sparrow was heard. Coming out from the Lady Dowager's apartments, he walked west through the covered passage and arrived at Phoenix's courtyard. Reaching the gate of their compound, he found it shut. Knowing Phoenix's usual habit—that every day when it was hot, she rested for a watch at midday—he thought it inconvenient to enter, so he went in through the side gate and came instead to the upstairs chambers of Lady Wang. There he saw several young maids sitting with needlework in hand, yet dozing off. Lady Wang was asleep on a cool couch in the inner room, with Jinchuan'er massaging her legs beside her, her eyes half-closed and drowsy.

Baoyu walked up lightly and removed the earring she was wearing. Jinchuan'er opened her eyes and saw it was Baoyu. Baoyu whispered with a smile, "So sleepy as all that?" Jinchuan pursed her lips and smiled, waving him to go out, then closed her eyes again. Baoyu, seeing her, could not bear to leave. He peeped quietly at Lady Wang, who had her eyes shut, then took from his pouch the Fragrant Snow Moistening-the-Elasticity Pills he had brought with him and slipped one into Jinchuan'er's mouth. Without opening her eyes, she simply held it in her mouth. Baoyu came forward, took her hand, and whispered with a smile, "Tomorrow I'll ask the Lady to give you to me, and we'll be together." Jinchuan made no reply. Baoyu added, "If not, I'll ask for you as soon as the Lady wakes." Jinchuan opened her eyes, pushed Baoyu away, and smiled, "What's the hurry! 'The gold hairpin has fallen down the well—if it's yours, it's yours.' Don't you even understand that much? Let me tell you a good opportunity instead: go to the east little compound and catch Master Huan and Caixia together." Baoyu smiled, "Let them do as they please—I'll stay with you." Just then Lady Wang turned over and, sitting up, slapped Jinchuan'er across the face, pointing at her and cursing: "Shameless little strumpet! Fine young masters like him—you've led them astray!" Seeing Lady Wang rise, Baoyu had long since slipped away like a streak of smoke.

Here Jinchuan'er's face burned hot on one side, and she dared not utter a sound. Immediately the other maids, hearing that Lady Wang was awake, all hurried in. Lady Wang called to Yuchuan'er, "Go and fetch your mother, and take your sister away." Jinchuan'er, hearing this, quickly knelt down and wept, "I'll never do it again. If the Lady wants to beat or scold me, I'll accept any punishment, only don't send me away—that would be heaven's mercy. I've served the Lady for ten years or more. If I'm turned out now, how could I ever show my face to anyone?" Now Lady Wang was by nature kind and merciful, who had never in her life struck a maid, but today she had caught Jinchuan'er in this shameless act, which was what she hated most in all her life. Being so incensed, she had struck her and cursed her a few times. Though Jinchuan'er begged piteously, she would not keep her on after all, and in the end summoned Jinchuan'er's mother, old Bai's wife, to take her away. Jinchuan'er, bearing her shame and humiliation, went out—but no more of that.

And so it was that Baoyu, seeing Lady Wang awake and finding himself unwelcome, hastened back to the Grand View Garden. There the blazing sun hung in the sky, the trees cast a continuous shade, cicadas filled the air with their drone, and no human voice disturbed the stillness. He had just reached the rose trellis when he heard the sound of someone sobbing. Puzzled, he stopped to listen carefully, and sure enough there was someone beneath the trellis on the other side. Now it was the fifth month, when the roses were at their most luxuriant in flower and leaf, and peering quietly through a gap in the bamboo fence, Baoyu saw a young girl squatting beneath the flowers. In her hand she held a hairpin used for coiffure, and with it she was scratching in the earth, all the while shedding silent tears. Baoyu thought to himself, "Could this be another daft girl, come like Miss Lin to bury the flowers?" And he sighed inwardly, "If she really is burying flowers, she is but 'the Dongshi woman knitting her brows in imitation of the beauty'—far from being original or remarkable, she is only the more tiresome for it." Having thought this, he was on the point of calling out to the girl, "You needn't follow that Miss Lin's example." But the words had not yet left his lips when, fortunately, he looked again and saw that the girl was a stranger. She was not a maidservant but seemed to be one of the twelve actresses from the theatrical troupe, though he could not tell whether she played a *sheng*, *dan*, *jing*, or *chou* role. Baoyu hastily put out his tongue in dismay and clapped his hand over his mouth, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness I didn't speak rashly. The last two times I acted on impulse, Miss Lin got angry and Miss Bao took offense. If I offend them again now, things will be even more unpleasant." Even as he reflected, he regretted not being able to identify this person. He looked at her more closely and observed that her brows were knit like spring mountains, her eyes downcast like autumn waters, her face delicate and her waist slender—she was graceful and willowy, bearing a striking resemblance to Lin Daiyu. Baoyu could no longer bear to leave her and stood gazing at her like one entranced. He saw that though she was scratching the ground with her gold hairpin, she was not actually digging to bury flowers; she was writing characters on the earth. Following the movements of the hairpin with his eyes—now a horizontal stroke, now a dot, now a hook—he counted: eighteen strokes. He traced the character on the palm of his hand with his finger, following the same stroke order she had used, and tried to guess what it was. When he had written it out and reflected, he found it was the character *qiang* in *qiangwei*—"rose." Baoyu thought, "She must be composing a poem or a lyric. Perhaps seeing these flowers just now stirred some feeling in her, and she happened to think of a couplet; afraid she might forget it, she's tracing it on the ground, polishing and revising it. Let's see what she writes next." As he thought this, he watched again, and the girl was still writing—she wrote and wrote, but it was still the character *qiang*. He looked again, and it was still *qiang*. The girl within had long been lost in her obsession, writing one after another, and she had already written several thousand *qiang* characters. The one outside was also becoming entranced as he watched; his two eyes followed only the movement of the hairpin, while in his heart he thought, "This girl must have some great sorrow that she cannot express, to make her behave like this. If her outward appearance is like this, who knows what torment she is suffering within. Looking at her so frail and delicate, how can her heart endure such torment? If only I could bear some of it for her."

The weather in the dog days was uncertain; a single drifting cloud could bring rain. Suddenly a cool breeze passed by, and a shower came down with a swishing sound. Baoyu saw water dripping from the girl's head, and her gauze garments were instantly soaked. He thought, "It's raining now. How can her body withstand such a sudden drenching!" Unable to restrain himself, he said, "Stop writing. Look, it's pouring down and your clothes are wet." The girl was startled by his words and looked up. She saw someone beyond the flowers telling her to stop writing—that it was raining heavily. For one thing, Baoyu's face was handsome and refined; for another, the flowers and leaves were so lush that both above and below were hidden among the branches and foliage, with only half his face visible. The girl assumed it was a maidservant and never imagined it was Baoyu. She said with a smile, "Thank you, elder sister, for reminding me. Don't you have something to shelter you from the rain outside?" These words reminded Baoyu, and with an "Ai-yo!" he realized that he himself was drenched and ice-cold. Looking down, he saw that his own clothes were soaked too. Crying "Bad luck!" he had no choice but to run all the way back to Happy Red Court, though in his heart he was still worried about the girl having nowhere to take shelter from the rain.

Now the next day was the Dragon Boat Festival, and the twelve actresses, including Wen-guan, had been let off from their lessons and had come into the garden to amuse themselves in various places. As it happened, the two young actresses Bao-guan, who played male roles, and Yu-guan, who played female leads, were in Happy Red Court joking around with Xiren when they were detained by the heavy rain. The others blocked the drainage ditch so that water accumulated in the courtyard, and catching the green-headed ducks, the mandarin ducks, and the colorful mandarin ducks, they chased them and pinned their wings, then let them loose in the courtyard to play with. They shut the gate of the courtyard. Xiren and the others were all laughing and chatting on the covered walkway.

Seeing the gate shut, Baoyu knocked on it with his hand, but those inside were so absorbed in laughter that they did not hear. He called for a long time, pounding on the gate until it shook, and only then did someone inside hear. They reckoned that Baoyu would not be returning at this hour. Xiren laughed, "Who is knocking at the door now? No one need open it." Baoyu called out, "It's me." Sheyue said, "That sounds like Miss Bao." Qingwen said, "Nonsense! What would Miss Bao be doing here at this hour?" Xiren said, "Let me peep through the crack in the door. If I can open it, I'll open it; if not, let him get drenched." So saying, she went along the covered walkway to the gate and looked out. There was Baoyu, drenched like a chicken in the rain. Xiren was both alarmed and amused at the sight. She hastily opened the door, laughing so hard she bent over and clapped her hands. "What were you doing running about in such a heavy rain? Who would have known that His Lordship had returned?"

Baoyu was in a foul mood and fully intended to kick whoever opened the door. When the door opened, he did not even look to see who it was, assuming it was one of the young maids. He lifted his foot and kicked her in the ribs. Xiren let out an "Aiyou!" Baoyu scolded, "You low-down creatures! I've always been too lenient with you, and now you've grown so bold you don't fear me at all. You've gone too far making a fool of me!" Even as he spoke, he glanced down and saw that it was Xiren, and she was crying. Only then did he realize he had kicked the wrong person. He quickly forced a smile and said, "Aiyou, it's you! Where did I kick you?" Xiren had never been spoken to so harshly before. Now, suddenly seeing Baoyu angry enough to kick her, and in front of so many people, she felt humiliated, indignant, and pained all at once—truly, she wished the earth would swallow her up. Yet she thought it over and reasoned that Baoyu probably had not kicked her on purpose. She had no choice but to endure it and said, "You didn't kick me. You'd better go change your clothes."

As Baoyu went inside to undress, he said with a smile, "I've grown this large, and today is the first time in my life I've lost my temper and struck someone—and of all people, I happened to run into you!" As Xiren endured the pain and changed her clothes, she replied with a smile, "I'm the one who started it. Whether the matter is big or small, good or bad, naturally it should begin with me. Just don't say that you've hit me today—tomorrow you'll get used to it and start hitting others."

Baoyu said, "I certainly didn't do it on purpose."

Xiren said, "Who said you did it on purpose! Opening and closing the door every day is the business of those young maids. They're spoiled and used to it—they've long been gnashing their teeth in resentment, and they have no fear at all. You thought it was them and kicked to teach them a fright. Just now it was my fault—I was being mischievous and didn't call for someone to open the door."

By then the rain had stopped, and Baoguan and Yuguan had already left. Xiren felt a throbbing pain in her ribs that troubled her deeply, and she could barely eat her supper. That evening, when she undressed for her bath, she saw a bruise the size of a bowl on her ribs. She was startled herself but dared not make it known. Later, as she lay down to sleep, the pain troubled her dreams, and an "Aiyou" escaped her lips even in slumber. Though Baoyu had not kicked her on purpose, seeing Xiren so listless, he too could not sleep soundly. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he heard an "Aiyou" and knew he had kicked her too hard. He got out of bed quietly and brought a lamp over to look. Just as he reached the bedside, Xiren coughed twice, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and with an "Aiyou" opened her eyes. Seeing Baoyu, she started and said, "What are you doing?"

Baoyu said, "You said 'Aiyou' in your dream—the kick must have been serious. Let me take a look."

Xiren said, "My head is spinning, and there's a fishy-sweet taste in my throat. Why don't you shine the light on the floor instead?"

Baoyu did as she said and held the lamp toward the ground. There he saw a pool of fresh blood on the floor. Baoyu was alarmed and cried, "This is terrible!" When Xiren saw it too, her heart turned cold in an instant.

What happened next will be told in the following chapter.