Chapter 98

Chapter 98

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Chapter 98: The Sufferer of the Crimson Pearl Returns, a Soul, to the Realm of Parted Grief / The Ailing God of the Weeping Stone Weeps in the Land of Lovesickness

Baoyu, having had his interview with Jia Zheng, returned to his room feeling all the more dazed and muddle-headed. He lacked the energy to stir himself, and without even eating, fell into a heavy sleep. Doctors were still called in to examine him, but his medicine had no effect; presently he could not even recognize people. When the others helped him into a sitting position, he still looked like a normal person. This went on for several days. On that particular day, it happened to be the day of the *hui jiu* ceremony. If he did not go, Aunt Xue would lose face; but if he were to go, given his present condition... The Lady Dowager knew full well that this was all on account of Daiyu, and she wanted to tell him the truth, but feared that the shock might bring about a crisis. Xinchun was a newlywed and could hardly offer consolation; it would be best if Aunt Xue herself came over. If he did not attend the ceremony, Aunt Xue would be offended. So she discussed the matter with Lady Wang and Fengjie: "I think Baoyu's soul has simply wandered off. I'm not afraid of him exerting himself. We can have two small sedan chairs brought and have him supported through the garden, so as to fulfill the auspicious occasion of the *hui jiu*. Afterward, we can ask Aunt Xue to come and comfort Xinchun, while we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to nursing Baoyu back to health. Wouldn't that serve both purposes?" Lady Wang agreed and made preparations at once. Fortunately, Xinchun was a newlywed, and Baoyu was delirious, so they could do with him as they pleased and get him across. Xinchun knew perfectly well what had happened, but in her heart she could only blame her mother for muddling things so; since matters had come to this, she refused to say more. Aunt Xue alone, seeing Baoyu in such a state, was filled with regret and could only bring the ceremony to a hasty conclusion.

After returning home, Baoyu grew worse; the next day he could not even sit up. Each day he became more critical, until he could not even take soup or water. Aunt Xue and the others were thrown into a flurry, summoning famous physicians from every quarter, but none could diagnose the cause of his illness. Only a poor physician living in a dilapidated temple outside the court—a man surnamed Bi, with the style-name Zhi'an—succeeded in diagnosing the cause: the violent clash of grief and joy, the disharmony of cold and warmth, the irregularity of meals, and pent-up sorrow and indignation, causing the vital energy to be obstructed within. This was an illness arising from both internal injury and external affliction. He accordingly measured out the proper dosage of medicine. After taking it that evening, past the second watch, Baoyu did indeed regain some consciousness and asked for water. Only then did the Lady Dowager, Lady Wang, and the others set their minds at rest. Aunt Xue was invited to bring Xinchun and go to the Lady Dowager's quarters to rest for the time being.

Baoyu had a brief moment of lucidity. Convinced he could not last, he waited until the others had dispersed and only Xiren remained in the room. He called Xiren to his side, took her hand, and wept. "Let me ask you," he said. "How did Cousin Baochai come here? I remember Father married Cousin Lin for me, but then how did Cousin Baochai drive her away? Why has she taken over and settled herself here? I want to speak out, but I'm afraid of offending her. Did you hear how Cousin Lin was weeping?" Xiren dared not tell him plainly and could only say, "Miss Lin is ill." Baoyu said again, "I want to go and see her." With that, he tried to get up. But how could his body move, when for days on end he had taken neither food or drink? He burst into tears. "I am going to die! There is one thing I must say in my heart. I beg you to report it to the Old Lady: in any case, Cousin Lin is going to die too, and I can hardly save myself now. With two patients in two places, both dying, it will only be harder to manage once they have died. You might as well clear an empty room and move Cousin Lin and me there at once, so that while we are alive we can be treated and tended together, and when we die we can be laid out together. If you follow my words, it will not have been for nothing—all these years of affection." When Xiren heard these words, she choked on her sobs. Baochai happened to come over with Ying'er just then and had heard it all. She spoke up: "Here you are, not taking care of your illness, and instead saying all these inauspicious things. The Old Lady has only just been somewhat comforted, and now you stir up more trouble. The Old Lady has loved only you all her life; she is now over eighty years old. Even if she doesn't expect titles and honors for you, if you grow into a man, she would be happy to see it in her lifetime—it would not have been in vain, all her old heart's labor. As for Lady Wang, need I say more? All her life's blood and spirit she has poured into raising this one son. If you die halfway, what will become of her in the future? As for me, although my fate is a thin one, it has not come to that. Looking at these three considerations, even if you want to die, Heaven would not let you die, so you simply cannot die. Just rest peacefully; after four or five days, when the pathogenic wind has dispersed and your great harmonious vital energy is restored, naturally all these ailments of perverse energy will be gone." When Baoyu heard this, he was utterly at a loss for an answer. After a long while, he finally said with a forced laugh, "You haven't spoken to me for quite some time. Who are you lecturing with all these grand principles?" When Baochai heard these words, she said again, "I'll tell you the truth. Those two days when you were unconscious, Miss Lin had already passed away." Baoyu suddenly sat up and cried out in astonishment, "She really died?" Baochai said, "She really died. Would anyone curse another person with white lips and red tongue to die? The Old Lady and Lady Wang know that you and your cousin were so devoted to each other that when you heard she had died, you would surely die too, so they did not dare tell you." When Baoyu heard this, he could not restrain himself and burst out wailing, falling back onto the bed.

Suddenly the world went pitch black before his eyes, and he could not tell which direction was which. His mind was just beginning to reel when he seemed to see someone approaching. Baoyu asked in bewilderment, "May I ask where this is?"

The stranger replied, "This is the road to the netherworld. Your allotted span is not yet over. Why have you come here?"

Baoyu said, "I heard just now that an old friend has died, and I came searching for her. Before I knew it, I had lost my way."

"And who is this old friend?" the stranger asked.

"Lin Daiyu of Gusu."

The man gave a cold laugh. "Lin Daiyu in life was not like other people, and in death she is not like other ghosts. She has neither soul nor spirit—where would you look for her? The souls of ordinary mortals coalesce to form a body and disperse to become breath. In life they are gathered; at death they scatter. Even an ordinary person cannot to be found—how much less, then, Lin Daiyu. You had better go back at once."

When Baoyu heard this, he stood stunned for a long time. Then he said, "If you say that the dead are scattered, how can there be this netherworld?"

The man laughed coldly. "The netherworld exists because people say it exists, and does not exist because people say it does not. All this is because the common folk are mired in talk of life and death. These words were devised to warn the world. They say that Heaven is deeply angered by foolish men who either fail to abide contented in their station, or die before their allotted span is exhausted, or indulge in lust and give rein to wrath, perishing needlessly of their own accord. For such as these, a special hell was established to imprison their souls and make them suffer boundless torment in recompense for the sins of their lifetime. By searching for Daiyu, you have fallen here without cause. Besides, Daiyu has already returned to the Great Void and the Land of Illusion. If you sincerely wish to find her, cultivate yourself in stillness and quiet, and in time you will naturally meet again. But if you will not live peacefully, then you will be imprisoned in the netherworld on the charge of dying before your allotted span. And save for your parents, you will never again so much as glimpse Lin Daiyu."

Having said this, the man drew a stone from his sleeve and hurled it straight at Baoyu's chest. Baoyu, shaken by these words and struck in the heart by the stone, was so frightened that he wanted to go home at once, but he bitterly regretted that he had lost his way. He was still hesitating when he heard someone calling him from behind. He turned and looked—and it was none others than Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Baochai, Xiren, and the others, surrounding him, weeping and calling out to him. He found himself lying in bed once more. The red lamp stood on the desk, the bright moon shone outside the window—still the same world of brocade and embroidery, of splendor and refinement. He collected his thoughts with effort and realized that it had all been a great dream. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat, yet he felt a clarity within his heart. When he thought it over carefully, there was truly nothing to be done—he could only heave a few long sighs.

Baochai had long known that Daiyu was dead, but Grandmother Jia and the others had forbidden the household from telling Baoyu, fearing that the news would aggravate his illness and make it harder to cure. She herself, however, understood perfectly well that Baoyu's sickness had its root in Daiyu, with the loss of the jade as a secondary cause. So she seized the occasion to speak plainly, hoping that one sharp shock of grief would sever his attachment utterly and restore his soul to him, so that he might be healed. Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang did not understand Baochai's intention and blamed her sharply for her rashness. Later, when they saw Baoyu regain consciousness, they were at once relieved. They immediately sent for Doctor Bi from the outer study to examine him. The doctor came in, felt his pulse, and said, "Strange—this time the pulse is calm and deep, the spirit settled and the stagnation dispersed. Give him a regulating prescription tomorrow, and we can hope for his recovery." With that he left. Everyone dispersed, their minds at ease.

At first Xiren deeply resented Baochai for having spoken, though she could not say so aloud. Ying'er also said behind Baochai's back, "You were too hasty, miss."

Baochai replied, "What do you know? For better or worse, I am the one who will answer for it."

Baochai let people slander her as they pleased and paid it no mind, instead keeping a watchful eye on the root of Baoyu's illness and applying her remedies in secret. As the days passed, Baoyu gradually grew more composed in spirit. Though from time to time he still thought of Daiyu, his mind was clouded. Moreover, Xiren gently and persistently urged him with the words: "The Master has chosen Miss Bao, who is kind and gentle by nature. He felt that Miss Lin had a peculiar temperament and feared she would die young. The old Lady, afraid that you would not know what was good for you and would fret yourself worse in your illness, therefore sent Xueyan to deceive you." Baoyu's heart ached at this and tears fell. He wanted to seek death, but he thought of the words spoken in the dream, and he feared that the old Lady and Lady Mother would be angry, and he could not simply cast everything aside. Then again, Daiyu was dead, and Baochai was a woman of the highest order—so he came to believe that the predestined bond of metal and stone was fixed after all, and much of his grief was eased. Seeing that Baoyu was in no grave danger, Baochai's own heart was settled. After performing all the duties of family life before Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and the rest, she set about devising ways to relieve Baoyu's sorrow. Though Baoyu could not yet sit up for long, he often saw Baochai seated by his bedside, and he could not help but fall back into his old weakness. Baochai always reasoned with him in earnest terms, comforting him with words such as: "What matters most is the health of your body. We are husband and wife now—why should we be impatient for a single moment?" Though Baoyu's heart was still not at peace, he had no choice but to rest quietly, for by day Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Aunt Xue took turns keeping him company, and at night Baochai retired alone to sleep while Grandmother Jia sent attendants to wait on him. Seeing, moreover, that Baochai's manner was gentle and tender, he gradually shifted a portion of his devotion from Daiyu to Baochai. But this is a story for later.

Now, on the day of Baoyu's wedding, Daiyu had fallen into a swoon during the day, though a faint breath still lingered in her heart and on her lips, making Li Wan and Zijuan weep as though they would die of grief. By evening, Daiyu rallied once more. She opened her eyes slightly, as if wanting water or broth. By this time Xueyan had already gone; only Zijuan and Li Wan remained at her side. Zijuan brought a bowl of longan broth mixed with pear juice and fed her two or three small spoonfuls through a silver ladle. Daiyu closed her eyes and rested quietly for a while; within her heart it seemed now bright, now dark. Li Wan, seeing that Daiyu had eased somewhat, knew full well that this was the light of the dying flicker before the lamp goes out, yet she reckoned she would last another half-day or so. She returned to Rice Village to attend to some matters.

Here Daiyu opened her eyes and saw that only Zijuan, her nurse, and a few young maids were present. She grasped Zijuan's hand and, summoning her strength, said: "I am no use to anyone anymore. You have served me for years, and I always hoped the two of us would remain together. But I never thought..." She broke off, wheezed for a while, then closed her eyes to rest. Zijuan, finding her grip unyielding, did not dare to move. Seeing that she looked somewhat better than she had that morning, Zijuan had hoped she might rally, but these words chilled her heart. After a while, Daiyu spoke again: "Sister, I have no relatives here. My body is still pure—please, do your best to have them send me home." With this she closed her eyes once more and said no more. But her hand gradually tightened, her breathing came in gasps, a great exhalation with little inhalation—already terribly laboured.

Zijuan was frantic. She hastily sent for Li Wan, as it happened Tanchun arrived just then. When Zijuan saw her, she whispered urgently: "Third Miss, please come and look at Miss Lin." Even as she spoke, the tears poured down. Tanchun came over and felt Daiyu's hand—it was already cold, and her eyes had lost their focus. Tanchun and Zijuan wept as they called for water to wash Daiyu's body. Li Wan hurried in. The three had scarcely laid eyes on one another before they were too overcome to speak. They had barely begun washing her when they heard Daiyu cry out in a clear voice: "Baoyu, Baoyu, how could you..." At the word "you," a cold sweat broke out all over her, and she fell silent. Zijuan and the others rushed to support her, but the sweat poured ever faster, and her body grew gradually cold. Tanchun and Li Wan had her dressed and her hair arranged in haste, when Daiyu's eyes rolled upward. Alas—a fragrant soul drifted away on the wind, and her sorrows vanished into the dreams of the third watch!

Daiyu's spirit departed at the very hour when Baoyu was marrying Baochai. Zijuan and all the others burst into loud weeping. Li Wan and Tanchun, thinking how dear she had always been and how pitiable she was now, wept with grief as well. Since Bamboo Lodge was far from the bridal chamber, those on the other side heard nothing. After a time of shared mourning, they caught the distant strains of music; but when they strained their ears, it was gone. When Tanchun and Li Wan stepped outside the courtyard to listen again, there was only the wind stirring the bamboo tips and the moonlight shifting across the wall—how desolate and chill! They summoned Lin Zhixiao's wife, and after laying out Daiyu's body, posted guards to watch through the night and report to Xifeng in the morning.

Xifeng, finding the Lady Dowager and Lady Wang in a flurry of activity, Jia Zheng about to depart, and Baoyu's derangement worsening, was in the grip of extreme anxiety. Had she now reported Daiyu's death as well, she feared the Lady Dowager and Lady Wang, crushed by sorrow upon sorrow, might fall gravely ill. She went to the garden herself. Arriving at Bamboo Lodge, she could not help but weeping a while. Finding Li Wan and Tanchun there and learning that everything had been arranged, she said: "Very well. But why did you say nothing just now? It made me frantic." Tanchun replied: "We had just seen Father off—what could we have said?" Xifeng said: "Still, you two are the ones who truly pitied her. In any case, I must go back to deal with that wretched man on the other side. But this business is such a burden—if I don't report it today, I cannot; but if I do, I'm afraid the old lady won't be able to bear it." Li Wan said: "Go and act as you see fit. Report it only if you can." Xifeng nodded and hurried away.

When Xifeng reached Baoyu, she heard the doctor say there was no cause for alarm, and the Lady Dowager and Lady Wang were somewhat reassured. Xifeng then turned her back to Baoyu and gently broke the news of Daiyu's death. The Lady Dowager and Lady Wang were both thunderstruck. The Lady Dowager, tears streaming down her face, said: "It is I who have destroyed her. But this girl was too foolish!" She declared she would go to the garden to weep for her, yet she was also anxious about Baoyu—torn between two cares. Lady Wang and the others, concealing their own grief, urged the Lady Dowager not to go. "Your health is what matters," they said. The Lady Dowager, helpless, could only ask Lady Wang to go in her place. She added: "Tell her departed spirit for me: 'It is not that I was heartless and unwilling to come to see you off, but there is a difference between those who are close and those who are distant. You are my granddaughter, and that is close; but compared with Baoyu, Baoyu is closer still. If anything were to happen to Baoyu, how could I face his father?'" With this she wept again. Lady Wang consoled her: "Miss Lin was the one you loved best, but lifespan is predestined. Now that she is dead, there is nothing more we can do for her; we can only give her a funeral of the highest order. This way, on the one hand, we can somewhat ease our own hearts, and on the other, her ladyship your daughter's spirit and your granddaughter's spirit may find some peace." At this, the Lady Dowager wept all the more bitterly. Xifeng, fearing the old lady would grieve too deeply, reckoning that Baoyu's mind was still clouded and unclear, secretly sent someone to tell the Lady Dowager a little lie: "Baoyu is looking for you, Old Ancestress." Hearing this, the Lady Dowager checked her tears and asked: "Is something the matter?" Xifeng said with a placating smile: "Nothing at all—I think he simply misses you." The Lady Dowager immediately rose, leaning on Zhenzhu'er, and Xifeng went with her.

Halfway along the way, she encountered Lady Wang approaching, and reported everything to the Dowager Lady Jia. Naturally the Dowager was overcome with grief again, but since she had to go to Baoyu's quarters, she forced herself to suppress her tears and speak through her sorrow: "Since that's how it is, I won't go over there after all. Do as you see fit. My heart would ache too much to watch it—only be sure not to let him suffer." Lady Wang and Phoenix assented to everything. The Dowager then came to Baoyu's side. Seeing Baoyu, she asked, "Why were you looking for me?" Baoyu said with a smile, "Last night I saw Cousin Lin come. She said she was returning to the South. I thought no one could stop her—only you, Old Grandmother, could prevail on her to stay." The Dowager responded, "That's all right. Put your mind at rest." Then Xiren helped Baoyu lie down.

The Dowager emerged and went to Baochai's rooms. At that time Baochai had not yet completed the post-wedding visit to her parents' home, so whenever she met people she still felt somewhat shy. That day, seeing the Dowager's face streaked with tears, she served tea, and the Dowager asked her to sit down. Baochai sat sideways beside her, then ventured: "I heard Cousin Lin was ill. Is she any better now?" The Dowager, hearing these words, could not hold back her tears. She said, "My child, I'll tell you something, but you mustn't tell Baoyu. It was all on account of your Cousin Lin that you endured so much wrong. Now that you are his wife, I will tell you. Your Cousin Lin died two or three days ago—at the very hour you were married. Baoyu's present illness is all on account of this. You all lived together in the garden, so naturally you understand." Baochai's face flushed crimson, and thinking of Daiyu's death, she could not help shedding tears as well. The Dowager spoke a while longer and then left. From that day on, Baochai turned the matter over in her mind a thousand times, devising a plan, but she would not act rashly, so it was only after the post-wedding visit that she hit upon this method. Now that matters were indeed somewhat improved, everyone's conversation was no longer as guarded as before. Only Baoyu, although his illness improved day by day, could not resolve his obsessive longing—he was determined to go in person and weep before her. The Dowager and the others knew that his illness had not been rooted out, and would not allow him to indulge in such fancies, but try as they might, he was so oppressed and distraught that his condition kept relapsing. It was the physician who discerned the heart of the matter and advised them to let him have his way and unburden himself, after which medicinal treatment would be more effective. When Baoyu heard this, he immediately wanted to go to the Bamboo Lodge. The Dowager and the others had no choice but to have a bamboo chair brought and helped Baoyu into it. The Dowager and Lady Wang went on ahead. When they reached the Bamboo Lodge and caught sight of Daiyu's coffin, the Dowager wept until she was utterly spent, breathless and tearless. Phoenix and the others pleaded with her repeatedly before she stopped. Lady Wang also wept. Then Li Wan invited the Dowager and Lady Wang to rest in the inner room, though they still shed tears.

The moment Baoyu arrived, he remembered how he had come here before his illness, and now the house stood but the person was gone—he could not restrain a loud, anguishing wail. Thinking how close they had been, and now this final parting, how could he not be even more heartbroken. The others had feared that Baoyu, still weak from illness, would grieve too excessively, and they all came to console him, but Baoyu was already weeping as though he would die, and they supported him to rest. The others who had come, such as Baochai, all wept bitterly. But Baoyu insisted on having Zijin summoned. He wanted to know what the young lady had said at the moment of death. Zijin had long harbored a deep hatred of Baoyu, but seeing him thus, her heart softened somewhat. Moreover, since the Dowager and Lady Lady Wang were both present, she dared not rebuke Baoyu. She told him everything—how Miss Lin had fallen ill again, how she had burned the handkerchiefs and incinerated her poems, and what she had said at the end. Baoyu wept until he choked, his throat parched. Tanchun took the opportunity to repeat what Daiyu had said on her deathbed about having her coffin taken back to the South. The Dowager and Lady Wang broke into tears again. It was Phoenix, with her gift for persuasion, who managed to calm them somewhat, and then she urged the Dowager and the others to return. Baoyu was most unwilling to leave, but the Dowager insisted, and he had no choice but to go back to his rooms reluctantly.

The Dowager, being of advanced age, had lived in constant anxiety since Baoyu fell ill, day and night. Now this great grief had left her dizzy and feverish. Though she was worried about Baoyu and wanted to stay, she could not hold out and returned to her own room to lie down. Lady Wang's grief was even more unbearable, and she too went back. She sent Caiyun to assist Xiren in looking after Baoyu, saying, "If Baoyu grieves again, come and tell us at once." Baochai knew that Baoyu could not bring himself to let go for the time being, so she did not try to dissuade him but spoke to him with barbed words instead. Baoyu, for his part, feared that Baochai might take offense, and so he swallowed his tears and composed himself. After a night's rest, he was actually calmer. The next morning, everyone came to see him. He seemed weak in spirit and frail in body, but the heart-sickness had somewhat abated. From then on they redoubled their care, and he gradually recovered. Fortunately the Dowager did not fall ill, but Lady Wang's grief had not yet healed. One day Aunt Xue came to visit, and seeing that Baoyu's spirits were somewhat improved, she was reassured and stayed for the time being.

One day, the Dowager Lady Jia specially invited Aunt Xue over to discuss a matter. She said, "It is thanks to you, Aunt, that Baoyu's life was saved. Now I believe he is out of danger, though it has meant much hardship for your daughter. Baoyu has been recuperating for a hundred days and has regained his health. Moreover, your daughter's mourning period has ended. This is an ideal time for them to consummate their marriage. I ask you, Aunt, to take charge and select an auspicious day."

Aunt Xue replied, "Your Ladyship's plan is excellent; why ask me? Though Baochai may seem somewhat plain, she is very sensible at heart. Her temperament has always been known to Your Ladyship. I only hope the two of them will be harmonious and affectionate toward each other. Then Your Ladyship can be spared much worry, my sister's spirit will be comforted, and I, too, can set my mind at ease. Let Your Ladyship fix the date. Should the relatives be notified?"

The Dowager Lady Jia said, "Baoyu's marriage to your daughter is a matter of the first importance by their very birth. Moreover, it has involved so much difficulty before we could reach this peaceful state. We must have a proper celebration for several days. All the relatives must be invited. First, to fulfill our vows, and second, so that we may all share a cup of wedding wine—it would not have been for nothing that this old woman has worried so much."

When Aunt Xue heard this, she was naturally pleased and spoke in turn about preparations for the dowry. The Dowager Lady Jia said, "Since we are already family marrying into family, I don't think such formalities are necessary. As for furnishings, Baoyu's rooms are already full. If there are any particular things Baoyu's dear girl treasures, you may bring a few of them, Aunt. I don't think Baochai is the suspicious sort—unlike my granddaughter-in-law's temperament, which is why she did not live long."

As she spoke, even Aunt Xue's tears fell. Just then Xifeng came in and laughed, "What are you and Aunt thinking about, Grandmother?"

Aunt Xue said, "Your Grandmother and I were speaking of your Cousin Lin, which is why we are sad."

Xifeng smiled and said, "Don't be sad, Grandmother and Aunt. I just heard a funny story a moment ago. Let me tell it to you."

The Dowager Lady Jia wiped her eyes and smiled, "I don't know who you're going to make fun of this time, but tell us. If it doesn't make us laugh, we won't let you off."

But before Xifeng could open her mouth, she held up both hands and doubled over with laughter.

What she said will be told in the next chapter.