Hong lou meng. English

  CHAPTER XLI.

  Chia Pao-yue tastes tea in the Lung Ts'ui monastery. Old goody Liu gets drunk and falls asleep in the I Hung court.

  Old goody Liu, so the story goes, exclaimed, while making signs withboth hands,

  "The flower dropped and a huge melon formed;"

  to the intense amusement of all the inmates, who burst into a boisterousfit of laughter. In due course, however, she drank the closing cup. Thenshe made another effort to evoke merriment. "To speak the truth to-day,"she smilingly observed, "my hands and my feet are so rough, and I've hadso much wine that I must be careful; or else I might, by a slip of thehand, break the porcelain cups. If you have got any wooden cups, you'dbetter produce them. It wouldn't matter then if even they were to slipout of my hands and drop on the ground!"

  This joke excited some more mirth. But lady Feng, upon hearing thisspeedily put on a smile. "Well," she said, "if you really want a woodenone, I'll fetch you one at once! But there's just one word I'd like totell you beforehand. Wooden cups are not like porcelain ones. They go insets; so you'll have to do the right thing and drink from every cup ofthe set."

  "I just now simply spoke in jest about those cups in order to inducethem to laugh," old goody Liu at these words, mused within herself,"but, who would have thought that she actually has some of the kind.I've often been to the large households of village gentry on a visit,and even been to banquets there and seen both gold cups and silver cups;but never have I beheld any wooden ones about! Ah, of course! They must,I expect, be the wooden bowls used by the young children. Their objectmust be to inveigle me to have a couple of bowlfuls more than is goodfor me! But I don't mind it. This wine is, verily, like honey, so if Idrink a little more, it won't do me any harm."

  Bringing this train of thought to a close, "Fetch them!" she said aloud."We'll talk about them by and bye."

  Lady Feng then directed Feng Erh to go and bring the set of ten cups,made of bamboo roots, from the book-case in the front inner room. Uponhearing her orders, Feng Erh was about to go and execute them, when YueanYang smilingly interposed. "I know those ten cups of yours," sheremarked, "they're small. What's more, a while back you mentioned woodenones, and if you have bamboo ones brought now, it won't look well; sowe'd better get from our place that set of ten large cups, scooped outof whole blocks of aspen roots, and pour the contents of all ten of themdown her throat?"

  "Yes, that would be much better," lady Feng smiled.

  The cups were then actually brought by a servant, at the direction ofYuean Yang. At the sight of them, old goody Liu was filled with surpriseas well as with admiration. Surprise, as the ten formed one set going ingradation from large to small; the largest being amply of the size of asmall basin, the smallest even measuring two of those she held in herhand. Admiration, as they were all alike, engraved, in perfect style,with scenery, trees, and human beings, and bore inscriptions in the'grass' character as well as the seal of the writer.

  "It will be enough," she consequently shouted with alacrity, "if yougive me that small one."

  "There's no one," lady Feng laughingly insinuated, "with the capacity totackle these! Hence it is that not a soul can pluck up courage enough touse them! But as you, old dame, asked for them, and they were fishedout, after ever so much trouble, you're bound to do the proper thing anddrink out of each, one after the other."

  Old goody Liu was quite taken aback. "I daren't!" she promptly demurred."My dear lady, do let me off!"

  Dowager lady Chia, Mrs. Hsueeh and Madame Wang were quite alive to thefact that a person advanced in years as she was could not be gifted withsuch powers of endurance, and they hastened to smilingly expostulate."To speak is to speak, and a joke is a joke, but she mayn't take toomuch," they said; "let her just empty this first cup, and have done."

  "O-mi-to-fu!" ejaculated old goody Liu. "I'll only have a small cupful,and put this huge fellow away, and take it home and drink at myleisure."

  At this remark, the whole company once more gave way to laughter. YueanYang had no alternative but to give in and she had to bid a servant filla large cup full of wine. Old goody Liu laid hold of it with both handsand raised it to her mouth.

  "Gently a bit!" old lady Chia and Mrs. Hsueeh shouted. "Mind you don'tchoke!"

  Mrs. Hsueeh then told lady Feng to put some viands before her. "GoodyLiu!" smiled lady Feng, "tell me the name of anything you fancy, andI'll bring it and feed you."

  "What names can I know?" old goody Liu rejoined. "Everything is good!"

  "Bring some egg-plant and salt-fish for her!" dowager lady Chiasuggested with a smile.

  Lady Feng, upon hearing this suggestion, complied with it by catchingsome egg-plant and salt-fish with two chopsticks and putting them intoold goody Liu's mouth. "You people," she smiled, "daily feed onegg-plants; so taste these of ours and see whether they've been nicelyprepared or not."

  "Don't be making a fool of me!" old goody Liu answered smilingly. "Ifegg-plants can have such flavour, we ourselves needn't sow any cereals,but confine ourselves to growing nothing but egg-plants!"

  "They're really egg-plants!" one and all protested. "She's not pullingyour leg!"

  Old goody Liu was amazed. "If these be actually egg-plants," she said,"I've uselessly eaten them so long! But, my lady, do give me a few more;I'd like to taste the next mouthful carefully!"

  Lady Feng brought her, in very deed, another lot, and put it in hermouth. Old goody Liu munched for long with particular care. "There is,it's true, something about them of the flavour of egg-plant," shelaughingly remarked, "yet they don't quite taste like egg-plants. Buttell me how they're cooked, so that I may prepare them in the same wayfor myself."

  "There's nothing hard about it!" lady Feng answered smiling. "You takethe newly cut egg-plants and pare the skin off. All you want then issome fresh meat. You hash it into fine mince, and fry it in chicken fat.Then you take some dry chicken meat, and mix it with mushrooms, newbamboo shoots, sweet mushrooms, dry beancurd paste, flavoured with fivespices, and every kind of dry fruits, and you chop the whole lot intofine pieces. You then bake all these things in chicken broth, until it'sabsorbed, when you fry them, to finish, in sweet oil, and adding someoil, made of the grains of wine, you place them in a porcelain jar, andclose it hermetically. At any time that you want any to eat, all youhave to do is to take out some, and mix it with some roasted chicken,and there it is all ready."

  Old goody Liu a shook her head and put out her tongue. "My Buddha'sancestor!" she shouted. "One wants about ten chickens to prepare thisdish! It isn't strange then that it has this flavour!"

  Saying this, she quietly finished her wine. But still she kept onminutely scrutinizing the cup.

  "Haven't you yet had enough to satisfy you?" lady Feng smiled. "If youhaven't, well, then drink another cup."

  "Dreadful!" eagerly exclaimed old goody Liu. "I shall be soon getting sodrunk that it will be the very death of me. I was only looking at it asI admire pretty things like this! But what a trouble it must have costto turn out!"

  "Have you done with your wine?" Yuan Yang laughingly inquired. "But,after all, what kind of wood is this cup made of?"

  "It isn't to be wondered at," old goody Liu smiled, "that you can't makeit out Miss! How ever could you people, who live inside golden doors andembroidered apartments, know anything of wood! We have the whole daylong the trees in the woods as our neighbours. When weary, we use themas our pillows and go to sleep on them. When exhausted, we sit with ourbacks leaning against them. When, in years of dearth, we feel the pangsof hunger, we also feed on them. Day after day, we see them with oureyes; day after day we listen to them with our ears; day after day, wetalk of them with our mouths. I am therefore well able to tell whetherany wood be good or bad, genuine or false. Do let me then see what itis!"

  As she spoke, she intently scanned the cup for a considerable length oftime. "Such a family as yours," she then said, "could on no account ownmean things! Any wood that is easily procured, wouldn't even find aplace in here. This
feels so heavy, as I weigh it in my hands, that ifit isn't aspen, it must, for a certainty, be yellow cedar."

  Her rejoinder amused every one in the room. But they then perceived anold matron come up. After asking permission of dowager lady Chia tospeak: "The young ladies," she said, "have got to the Lotus Fragrancepavilion, and they request your commands, as to whether they shouldstart with the rehearsal at once or tarry a while."

  "I forgot all about them!" old lady Chia promptly cried with a smile."Tell them to begin rehearsing at once!"

  The matron expressed her obedience and walked away. Presently, becameaudible the notes of the pan-pipe and double flute, now soft, now loud,and the blended accents of the pipe and fife. So balmy did the breezehappen to be and the weather so fine that the strains of music camewafted across the arbours and over the stream, and, needless to say,conduced to exhilarate their spirits and to cheer their hearts. Unableto resist the temptation, Pao-yue was the first to snatch a decanter andto fill a cup for himself. He quaffed it with one breath. Then pouringanother cup, he was about to drain it, when he noticed that Madame Wangtoo was anxious for a drink, and that she bade a servant bring a warmsupply of wine. "With alacrity, Pao-yue crossed over to her, and,presenting his own cup, he applied it to Madame Wang's lips. His motherdrank two sips while he held it in his hands, but on the arrival of thewarm wine, Pao-yue resumed his seat. Madame Wang laid hold of the warmdecanter, and left the table, while the whole party quitted their placesat the banquet; and Mrs. Hsueeh too rose to her feet.

  "Take over that decanter from her," dowager lady Chia promptly shoutedto Li Wan and lady Feng, "and press your aunt into a seat. We shall allthen feel at ease!"

  Hearing this, Madame Wang surrendered the decanter to lady Feng andreturned to her seat.

  "Let's all have a couple of cups of wine!" old lady Chia laughinglycried. "It's capital fun to-day!"

  With this proposal, she laid hold of a cup and offered it to Mrs. Hsueeh.Turning also towards Hsiang-yuen and Pao-ch'ai: "You two cousins!" sheadded, "must also have a cup. Your cousin Lin can't take much wine, buteven she mustn't be let off."

  While pressing them, she drained her cup. Hsiang-yuen, Pao-ch'ai andTai-y ue then had their drink. But about this time old goody Liu caughtthe strains of music, and, being already under the influence of liquor,her spirits became more and more exuberant, and she began to gesticulateand skip about. Her pranks amused Pao-yue to such a degree that leavingthe table, he crossed over to where Tai-yue was seated and observedlaughingly: "Just you look at the way old goody Liu is going on!"

  "In days of yore," Tai-yue smiled, "every species of animal commenced todance the moment the sounds of music broke forth. She's like a buffalonow."

  This simile made her cousins laugh. But shortly the music ceased. "We'veall had our wine," Mrs. Hsueeh smilingly proposed, "so let's go andstroll about for a time; we can after that sit down again!"

  Dowager lady Chia herself was at the moment feeling a strong inclinationto have a ramble. In due course, therefore, they all left the banquetand went with their old senior, for a walk. Dowager lady Chia, however,longed to take goody Liu along with her to help her dispel her ennui, sopromptly seizing the old dame's hand in hers, they threaded their way asfar as the trees, which stood facing the hill. After lolling about withher for a few minutes, "What kind of tree is this?" she went on toinquire of her. "What kind of stone is this? What species of flower isthat?"

  Old goody Liu gave suitable reply to each of her questions. "Who'd everhave imagined it," she proceeded to tell dowager lady Chia; "not onlyare the human beings in the city grand, but even the birds are grand.Why, the moment these birds fly into your mansion, they also becomebeautiful things, and acquire the gift of speech as well!"

  The company could not make out the drift of her observations. "Whatbirds get transformed into beautiful things and become able to speak?"they felt impelled to ask.

  "Those perched on those gold stands, under the verandah, with greenplumage and red beaks are parrots. I know them well enough!" Goody Liureplied. "But those old black crows in the cages there have crests likephoenixes! They can talk too!"

  One and all laughed. But not long elapsed before they caught sight ofseveral waiting-maids, who came to invite them to a collation.

  "After the number of cups of wine I've had," old lady Chia said, "Idon't feel hungry. But never mind, bring the things here. We can nibblesomething at our leisure."

  The maids speedily went off and fetched two teapoys; but they alsobrought a couple of small boxes with partitions. When they came to beopened and to be examined, the contents of each were found to consist oftwo kinds of viands. In the one, were two sorts of steamed eatables. Oneof these was a sweet cake, made of lotus powder, scented withsun-flower. The other being rolls with goose fat and fir cone seeds. Thesecond box contained two kinds of fried eatables; one of which was smalldumplings, about an inch in size.

  "What stuffing have they put in them?" dowager lady Chia asked.

  "They're with crabs inside," 'hastily rejoined the matrons.

  Their old mistress, at this reply, knitted her eyebrows. "These fat,greasy viands for such a time!" she observed. "Who'll ever eat thesethings?"

  But finding, when she came to inspect the other kind, that it consistedof small fruits of flour, fashioned in every shape, and fried in butter,she did not fancy these either. She then however pressed Mrs. Hsueeh tohave something to eat, but Mrs. Hsueeh merely took a piece of cake, whiledowager lady Chia helped herself to a roll; but after tasting a bit, shegave the remaining half to a servant girl.

  Goody Liu saw how beautifully worked those small flour fruits were, madeas they were in various colours and designs, and she took, after pickingand choosing, one which looked like a peony. "The most ingenious girlsin our village could not, even with a pair of scissors, cut out anythinglike this in paper!" she exclaimed. "I would like to eat it, but I can'tmake up my mind to! I had better pack up a few and take them home andgive them to them as specimens!"

  Her remarks amused every one.

  "When you start for home," dowager lady Chia said, "I'll give you awhole porcelain jar full of them; so you may as well eat these first,while they are hot!"

  The rest of the inmates selected such of the fruits as took their fancy,but after they had helped themselves to one or two, they felt satisfied.Goody Liu, however, had never before touched such delicacies. Thesewere, in addition, made small, dainty, and without the least semblanceof clumsiness, so when she and Pan Erh had served themselves to a few ofeach sort, half the contents of the dish vanished. But what remained ofthem were then, at the instance of lady Feng, put into two plates, andsent, together with a partition-box, to Wen Kuan and the other singinggirls as their share.

  At an unexpected moment, they perceived the nurse come in with TaChieh-erh in her arms, and they all induced her to have a romp with themfor a time. But while Ta Chieh-erh was holding a large pumelo andamusing herself with it, she casually caught sight of Pan Erh with a'Buddha's hand.' Ta Chieh would have it. A servant-girl endeavoured tocoax (Pan-Erh) to surrender it to her, but Ta Chieh-erh, unable to curbher impatience, burst out crying. It was only after the pumelo had beengiven to Pan-Erh, and that the 'Buddha's hand' had, by dint of muchhumouring, been got from Pan Erh and given to her, that she stoppedcrying.

  Pan Erh had played quite long enough with the 'Buddha's hand,' and had,at the moment, his two hands laden with fruits, which he was in thecourse of eating. When he suddenly besides saw how scented and round thepumelo was, the idea dawned on him that it was more handy for play, and,using it as a ball, he kicked it along and went off to have some fun,relinquishing at once every thought of the 'Buddha's hand.'

  By this time dowager lady Chia and the other members had had tea, soleading off again goody Liu, they threaded their way to the Lung Ts'uimonastery. Miao Yue hastened to usher them in. On their arrival in theinterior of the court, they saw the flowers and trees in luxuriantblossom.

  "Really," smiled old lady Chia,
"it's those people, who devotethemselves to an ascetic life and have nothing to do, who manage, byconstant repairs, to make their places much nicer than those of others!"

  As she spoke, she wended her steps towards the Eastern hall. Miao Yue,with a face beaming with smiles, made way for her to walk in. "We'vejust been filling ourselves with wines and meats," dowager lady Chiaobserved, "and with the josses you've got in here, we shall be guilty ofprofanity. We'd better therefore sit here! But give us some of that goodtea of yours; and we'll get off so soon as we have had a cup of it."

  Pao-yue watched Miao Yue's movements intently, when he noticed her layhold of a small tea-tray, fashioned in the shape of a peony, made of redcarved lacquer, and inlaid with designs in gold representing a dragonensconced in the clouds with the character 'longevity' clasped in itsjaws, a tray, which contained a small multicoloured cup with cover,fabricated at the 'Ch'eng' Kiln, and present it to his grandmother.

  "I don't care for 'Liu An' tea!" old lady Chia exclaimed.

  "I know it; but this is old 'Chuen Mei,'" Miao Yue answered with a smile.

  Dowager lady Chia received the cup. "What water is this?" she went on toinquire.

  "It's rain water collected last year;" Miao Yue added by way of reply.

  Old lady Chia readily drank half a cup of the tea; and smiling, sheproffered it to goody Liu. "Just you taste this tea!" she said.

  Goody Liu drained the remainder with one draught. "It's good, ofcourse," she remarked laughingly, "but it's rather weak! It would be farbetter were it brewed a little stronger!"

  Dowager lady Chia and all the inmates laughed. But subsequently, each ofthem was handed a thin, pure white covered cup, all of the same make,originating from the 'Kuan' kiln. Miao Yue, however, soon gave a tug atPao-ch'ai's and Tai-yue's lapels, and both quitted the apartment alongwith her. But Pao-yue too quietly followed at their heels. Spying Miao Yueshow his two cousins into a side-room, Pao-ch'ai take a seat in thecourt, Tai-yue seat herself on Miao Yue's rush mat, and Miao Yue herselfapproach a stove, fan the fire and boil some water, with which shebrewed another pot of tea, Pao-yue walked in. "Are you bent upon drinkingyour own private tea?" he smiled.

  "Here you rush again to steal our tea," the two girls laughed with oneaccord. "There's none for you!"

  But just as Miao Yue was going to fetch a cup, she perceived an oldtaoist matron bring away the tea things, which had been used in theupper rooms. "Don't put that 'Ch'eng' kiln tea-cup by!" Miao Yue hastilyshouted. "Go and put it outside!"

  Pao-yue understood that it must be because old goody Liu had drunk out ofit that she considered it too dirty to keep. He then saw Miao Yue producetwo other cups. The one had an ear on the side. On the bowl itself wereengraved in three characters: 'calabash cup,' in the plain 'square'writing. After these, followed a row of small characters in the 'true'style, to the effect that the cup had been an article much treasured byWang K'ai. Next came a second row of small characters stating: 'that inthe course of the fourth moon of the fifth year of Yuan Feng, of theSung dynasty, Su Shih of Mei Shan had seen it in the 'Secret' palace.

  This cup, Miao Yue filled, and handed to Pao-ch'ai.

  The other cup was, in appearance, as clumsy as it was small; yet on itfigured an engraved inscription, consisting of 'spotted rhinoceros cup,'in three 'seal' characters, which bore the semblance of pendent pearls.Miao Yue replenished this cup and gave it to Tai-yue; and taking the greenjade cup, which she had, on previous occasions, often used for her owntea, she filled it and presented it to Pao-yue.

  "'The rules observed in the world,' the adage says, 'must beimpartial,'" Pao-yue smiled. "But while my two cousins are handling thoseantique and rare gems, here am I with this coarse object!"

  "Is this a coarse thing?" Miao Yue exclaimed. "Why, I'm making nooutrageous statement when I say that I'm inclined to think that it is byno means certain that you could lay your hand upon any such coarse thingas this in your home!"

  "'Do in the country as country people do,' the proverb says," Pao-yuelaughingly rejoined. "So when one gets in a place like this of yours,one must naturally look down upon every thing in the way of gold,pearls, jade and precious stones, as coarse rubbish!"

  This sentiment highly delighted Miao Yue. So much so, that producinganother capacious cup, carved out of a whole bamboo root, which with itsnine curves and ten rings, with twenty knots in each ring, resembled acoiled dragon, "Here," she said with a face beaming with smiles, "thereonly remains this one! Can you manage this large cup?"

  "I can!" Pao-yue vehemently replied, with high glee.

  "Albeit you have the stomach to tackle all it holds," Miao Yue laughed,"I haven't got so much tea for you to waste! Have you not heard how thatthe first cup is the 'taste'-cup; the second 'the stupid-thing-for-quenching-one's-thirst,' and the third 'the drink-mule' cup? But wereyou now to go in for this huge cup, why what more wouldn't that be?"

  At these words, Pao-ch'ai, Tai-yue and Pao-yue simultaneously indulged inlaughter. But Miao-yue seized the teapot, and poured well-nigh a wholecupful of tea into the big cup. Pao-yue tasted some carefully, and foundit, in real truth, so exceptionally soft and pure that he extolled itwith incessant praise.

  "If you've had any tea this time," Miao-Yue pursued with a seriousexpression about her face, "it's thanks to these two young ladies; forhad you come alone, I wouldn't have given you any."

  "I'm well aware of this," Pao-yue laughingly rejoined, "so I too willreceive no favour from your hands, but simply express my thanks to thesetwo cousins of mine, and have done!"

  "What you say makes your meaning clear enough!" Miao-yue said, when sheheard his reply.

  "Is this rain water from last year?" Tai-yue then inquired.

  "How is it," smiled Miao Yue sardonically, "that a person like you can besuch a boor as not to be able to discriminate water, when you taste it?This is snow collected from the plum blossom, five years back, when Iwas in the P'an Hsiang temple at Hsuean Mu. All I got was that flowerjar, green as the devil's face, full, and as I couldn't make up my mindto part with it and drink it, I interred it in the ground, and onlyopened it this summer. I've had some of it once before, and this is thesecond time. But how is it you didn't detect it, when you put it to yourlips? Has rain water, obtained a year back, ever got such a soft andpure flavour? and how possibly could it be drunk at all?"

  Tai-yue knew perfectly what a curious disposition she naturally had, andshe did not think it advisable to start any lengthy discussion with her.Nor did she feel justified to protract her stay, so after sipping hertea, she intimated to Pao-ch'ai her intention to go, and they quittedthe apartment.

  Pao-yue gave a forced smile to Miao Yue. "That cup," he said, "is, ofcourse, dirty; but is it not a pity to put it away for no valid reason?To my idea it would be preferable, wouldn't it? to give it to that poorold woman; for were she to sell it, she could have the means ofsubsistence! What do you say, will it do?"

  Miao Yue listened to his suggestion, and then nodded her head, after somereflection. "Yes, that will be all right!" she answered. "Lucky for herI've never drunk a drop out of that cup, for had I, I would rather havesmashed it to atoms than have let her have it! If you want to give it toher, I don't mind a bit about it; but you yourself must hand it to her!Now, be quick and clear it away at once!"

  "Of course; quite so!" Pao-yue continued. "How could you ever go andspeak to her? Things would then come to a worse pass. You too would becontaminated! If you give it to me, it will be all right."

  Miao Yue there and then directed some one to fetch it and to give it toPao-yue. When it was brought, Pao-yue took charge of it. "Wait until we'vegone out," he proceeded, "and I'll call a few servant-boys and bid themcarry several buckets of water from the stream and wash the floors; eh,shall I?"

  "Yes, that would be better!" Miao Yue smiled. "The only thing is that youmust tell them to bring the water, and place it outside the entrancedoor by the foot of the wall; for they mustn't come in."

  "This goes without saying!" Pao-yue said
; and, while replying, heproduced the cup from inside his sleeve, and handed it to a youngwaiting-maid from dowager lady Chia's apartments to hold. "To-morrow,"he told her, "give this to goody Liu to take with her, when she startson her way homewards!"

  By the time he made (the girl) understand the charge he entrusted herwith, his old grandmother issued out and was anxious to return home.Miao Yue did not exert herself very much to induce her to prolong hervisit; but seeing her as far the main gate, she turned round and boltedthe doors. But without devoting any further attention to her, we willnow allude to dowager lady Chia.

  She felt thoroughly tired and exhausted. To such a degree, that shedesired Madame Wang, Ying Ch'un and her sisters to see that Mrs. Hsueehhad some wine, while she herself retired to the Tao Hsiang village torest. Lady Feng immediately bade some servants fetch a bamboo chair. Onits arrival, dowager lady Chia seated herself in it, and two matronscarried her off hemmed in by lady Feng, Li Wan and a bevy ofservant-girls, and matrons. But let us now leave her to herself, withoutany additional explanations.

  During this while, Mrs. Hsueeh too said good bye and departed. MadameWang then dismissed Wen Kuan and the other girls, and, distributing theeatables, that had been collected in the partition-boxes, to theservant-maids to go and feast on, she availed herself of the leisuremoments to lie off; so reclining as she was, on the couch, which hadbeen occupied by her old relative a few minutes back, she bade a youngmaid lower the portiere; after which, she asked her to massage her legs.

  "Should our old lady yonder send any message, mind you call me at once,"she proceeded to impress on her mind, and, laying herself down, she wentto sleep.

  Pao-yue, Hsiang-yuen and the rest watched the servant-girls take thepartition-boxes and place them among the rocks, and seat themselves someon boulders, others on the turf-covered ground, some lean against thetrees, others squat down besides the pool, and thoroughly enjoythemselves. But in a little time, they also perceived Yuean Yang arrive.Her object in coming was to carry off goody Liu for a stroll, so in abody they followed in their track, with a view of deriving some fun.Shortly, they got under the honorary gateway put up in the additionalgrounds, reserved for the imperial consort's visits to her parents, andold goody Liu shouted aloud: "Ai-yoh! What! Is there another big templehere!"

  While speaking, she prostrated herself and knocked her head, to theintense amusement of the company, who were quite doubled up withlaughter.

  "What are you laughing at?" goody Liu inquired. "I can decipher thecharacters on this honorary gateway. Over at our place temples of thiskind are exceedingly plentiful; and they've all got archways like this!These characters give the name of the temple."

  "Can you make out from those characters what temple this is?" theylaughingly asked.

  Goody Liu quickly raised her head, and, pointing at the inscription,"Are'nt these," she said, "the four characters 'Pearly Emperor'sPrecious Hall?'"

  Everybody laughed. They clapped their hands and applauded. But whenabout to chaff her again, goody Liu experienced a rumbling noise in herstomach, and vehemently pulling a young servant-girl, and asking her fora couple of sheets of paper, she began immediately to loosen hergarments. "It won't do in here!" one and all laughingly shouted out toher, and quickly they directed a matron to lead her away. When they gotat the north-east corner, the matron pointed the proper place out toher, and in high spirits she walked off and went to have some rest.

  Goody Liu had taken plenty of wine; she could not too touch yellow wine;she had, what is more, drunk and eaten so many fat things that in thethirst, which supervened, she had emptied several cups of tea; theresult was that she unavoidably got looseness of the bowels. Shetherefore squatted for ever so long before she felt any relief. But onher exit from the private chamber, the wind blew the wine to her head.Besides, being a woman well up in years, she felt, upon suddenly risingfrom a long squatting position, her eyes grow so dim and her head sogiddy that she could not make out the way. She gazed on all fourquarters, but the whole place being covered with trees, rockeries,towers, terraces, and houses, she was quite at a loss how to determineher whereabouts, and where each road led to. She had no alternative butto follow a stone road, and to toddle on her way with leisurely step.But when she drew near a building, she could not make out where the doorcould be. After searching and searching, she accidentally caught sightof a bamboo fence. "Here's another trellis with flat bean plantscreeping on it!" Goody Liu communed within herself. While giving way toreflection, she skirted the flower-laden hedge, and discovering amoonlike, cavelike, entrance, she stepped in. Here she discerned,stretching before her eyes a sheet of water, forming a pond, whichmeasured no more than seven or eight feet in breadth. Its banks werepaved with slabs of stone. Its jadelike waves flowed in a limpid streamtowards the opposite direction. At the upper end, figured a slab ofwhite marble, laid horizontally over the surface. Goody Liu wended hersteps over the slab and followed the raised stone-road; then turning twobends, in the lake, an entrance into a house struck her gaze. Forthwith,she crossed the doorway, but her eyes were soon attracted by a younggirl, who advanced to greet her with a smile playing upon her lips.

  "The young ladies," goody Liu speedily remarked laughing, "have cast meadrift; they made me knock about, until I found my way in here."

  But seeing, after addressing her, that the girl said nothing by way ofreply, goody Liu approached her and seized her by the hand, when, with acrash, she fell against the wooden partition wall and bumped her head sothat it felt quite sore. Upon close examination, she discovered that itwas a picture. "Do pictures really so bulge out!" Goody Liu mused withinherself, and, as she exercised her mind with these cogitations, shescanned it and rubbed her hand over it. It was perfectly even all over.She nodded her head, and heaved a couple of sighs. But the moment sheturned round, she espied a small door over which hung a soft portiere,of leek-green colour, bestrewn with embroidered flowers. Goody Liulifted the portiere and walked in. Upon raising her head, and casting aglance round, she saw the walls, artistically carved in fretwork. On allfour sides, lutes, double-edged swords, vases and censers were stuckeverywhere over the walls; and embroidered covers and gauze nets,glistened as brightly as gold, and shed a lustre vying with that ofpearls. Even the bricks, on the ground, on which she trod, were jadelikegreen, inlaid with designs, so that her eyes got more and more dazzled.She tried to discover an exit, but where could she find a doorway? Onthe left, was a bookcase. On the right, a screen. As soon as sherepaired behind the screen, she faced a door; but, she then caught sightof another old dame stepping in from outside, and advancing towards her.Goody Liu was wonderstruck. Her mind was full of uncertainty as towhether it might not be her son-in-law's mother. "I expect," she feltprompted to ask with vehemence, "you went to the trouble of coming tohunt for me, as you didn't see me turn up at home for several days, eh?But what young lady introduced you in here?" Then noticing that herwhole head was bedecked with flowers, old goody Liu laughed. "Howignorant of the ways of the world you are!" she said. "Seeing the niceflowers in this garden, you at once set to work, forgetful of allconsequences, and loaded your pate with them!"

  However, while she derided her, the other old dame simply laughed,without making any rejoinder. But the recollection suddenly flashed toher memory that she had often heard of some kind of cheval-glasses,found in wealthy and well-to-do families, and, "May it not be," (shewondered), "my own self reflected in this glass!" After concluding thistrain of thoughts, she put out her hands, and feeling it and thenminutely scrutinising it, she realised that the four wooden partitionwalls were made of carved blackwood, into which mirrors had beeninserted. "These have so far impeded my progress," she consequentlyexclaimed, "and how am I to manage to get out?"

  As she soliloquised, she kept on rubbing the mirror. This mirror was, infact, provided with some western mechanism, which enabled it to open andshut, so while goody Liu inadvertently passed her hands, quite at randomover its surface, the pressure happily fell on the right spot, andopening the cont
rivance, the mirror flung round, exposing a door toview. Old goody Liu was full of amazement as well as of admiration. Withhasty step, she egressed. Her eyes unexpectedly fell on a most handsomeset of bed-curtains. But being at the time still seven or eight tenthsin the wind, and quite tired out from her tramp, she with one jumpsquatted down on the bed, saying to herself: "I'll just have a littlerest." So little, however, did she, contrary to her expectations, haveany control over herself, that, as she reeled backwards and forwards,her eyes got quite drowsy, and then the moment she threw herself in arecumbent position, she dropped into a sound sleep.

  But let us now see what the others were up to. They waited for her andwaited; but they saw nothing of her. Pan Erh got, in the absence of hisgrandmother, so distressed that he melted into tears. "May she not havefallen into the place?" one and all laughingly observed. "Be quick andtell some one to go and have a look!"

  Two matrons were directed to go in search of her; but they returned andreported that she was not to be found. The whole party instituted asearch in every nook and corner, but nothing could be seen of her.

  "She was so drunk," Hsi Jen suggested, "that she's sure to have lost herway, and following this road, got into our back-rooms. Should she havecrossed to the inner side of the hedge, she must have come to the doorof the backhouse and got in. Nevertheless, the young maids, she musthave come across, must know something about her. If she did not getinside the hedge, but continued in a south westerly direction, she's allright, if she made a detour and walked out. But if she hasn't done so,why, she'll have enough of roaming for a good long while! I had bettertherefore go and see what she's up to."

  With these words still on her lips, she retraced her footsteps andrepaired into the I Hung court. She called out to the servants, but, whowould have thought it, the whole bevy of young maids, attached to thoserooms, had seized the opportunity to go and have a romp, so Hsi Jenstraightway entered the door of the house. As soon as she turned themulticoloured embroidered screen, the sound of snoring as loud as pealsof thunder, fell on her ear. Hastily she betook herself inside, but hernostrils were overpowered by the foul air of wine and w..d, whichinfected the apartment. At a glance, she discovered old goody Liu lyingon the bed, face downwards, with hands sprawled out and feet knockingabout all over the place. Hsi Jen sustained no small shock. Withprecipitate hurry, she rushed up to her, and, laying hold of her, lyingas she was more dead than alive, she pushed her about until shesucceeded in rousing her to her senses. Old goody Liu was startled outof her sleep. She opened wide her eyes, and, realising that Hsi Jenstood before her, she speedily crawled up. "Miss!" she pleaded. "I dodeserve death! I have done what I shouldn't; but I haven't in any waysoiled the bed."

  So saying, she swept her hands over it. But Hsi Jen was in fear andtrembling lest the suspicions of any inmate should be aroused, and lestPao-yue should come to know of it, so all she did was to wave her handtowards her, bidding her not utter a word. Then with alacrity graspingthree or four handfuls of 'Pai Ho' incense, she heaped it on the largetripod, which stood in the centre of the room, and put the lid backagain; delighted at the idea that she had not been so upset as to besick.

  "It doesn't matter!" she quickly rejoined in a low tone of voice with asmile, "I'm here to answer for this. Come along with me!"

  While old goody Liu expressed her readiness to comply with her wishes,she followed Hsi Jen out into the quarters occupied by the young maids.Here (Hsi Jen) desired her to take a seat. "Mind you say," she enjoinedher, "that you were so drunk that you stretched on a boulder and had asnooze!"

  "All right! I will!" old goody Liu promised.

  Hsi Jen afterwards helped her to two cups of tea, when she, at length,got over the effects of the wine. "What young lady's room is this thatit is so beautiful?" she then inquired. "It seemed to me just as if Ihad gone to the very heavenly palace."

  Hsi Jen gave a faint smile. "This one?" she asked. "Why, it's our masterSecundus', Mr. Pao's bedroom."

  Old goody Liu was quite taken aback, and could not even presume to uttera sound. But Hsi Jen led her out across the front compound; and, whenthey met the inmates of the family, she simply explained to them thatshe had found her fast asleep on the grass, and brought her along. Noone paid any heed to the excuse she gave, and the subject was dropped.

  Presently, dowager lady Chia awoke, and the evening meal was at onceserved in the Tao Hsiang Ts'un. Dowager lady Chia was however quitelistless, and felt so little inclined to eat anything that she forthwithgot into a small open chair, with bamboo seat, and returned to her suiteof rooms to rest. But she insisted that lady Feng and her companionsshould go and have their repast, so the young ladies eventuallyadjourned once more into the garden.

  But, reader, you do not know the sequel, so peruse the circumstancesgiven in detail in the next chapter.