At Convex Jade Hall, Listening to the Flute Brings a Sense of Desolation; At Concave Crystal Lodge, Matching Verses Mourns Loneliness

Let us leave aside for the moment how Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen, with the other men of the family, dispersed. Turning to Grandmother Jia: she had the screens removed and the two tables of food joined into one. The serving women wiped the tables, set out melons and fruit, changed the wine cups, washed the chopsticks, and arranged everything properly again. Grandmother Jia and the others all put on outer garments, rinsed their mouths, washed their hands, and drank tea before sitting down once more, gathered in a circle to enjoy the moon.

Grandmother Jia looked around and saw that the Xue sisters, Baochai and Baoqin, were not at the table. She knew they had gone home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their own family. Li Wan and Wang Xifeng were both ill in bed. With four people suddenly missing, the table felt much quieter.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, “In past years, when your father and the other men were away, we simply invited Aunt Xue to join us for moon-viewing, and it was lively. But even in lively times, I would remember that fathers and sons, husbands and wives, families could not be together, and my heart would feel heavy. This year your father is home, and we should be happy as a whole family, yet it is not convenient to invite the Xue ladies over for talk and laughter. Besides, their family has increased this year, and they could not very well leave their own people to come to us. And now Feng has fallen ill. She alone, with her jokes and talk, is worth ten people. You see, nothing in this world is ever perfect.”

With that, Grandmother Jia sighed and told them to bring large cups and pour warm wine.

Lady Wang smiled and urged, “This year mother and son are reunited, which already makes it more meaningful than past years. In past years there were many womenfolk, but that could not compare with having your own flesh and blood all together this year.”

“Exactly,” said Grandmother Jia. “That is why I am so happy that I want to drink from a large cup. You should all change to large cups too.”

Lady Xing and the others had no choice but to switch to large cups. As the night deepened, everyone was tired and their capacity for wine was limited; they all grew drowsy. But Grandmother Jia was still in high spirits, and they had to force themselves to keep her company.

Grandmother Jia also had felt rugs spread on the steps and ordered mooncakes, watermelon, and all kinds of fruit to be moved below the steps, so that the maids and serving women could also sit in a circle and enjoy the moon.

When the moon reached the center of the sky, it shone even more brightly than before. Grandmother Jia said, “Such a fine moon must not be without the flute.” She called for the girls who could play.

Grandmother Jia instructed, “Too many instruments would only make it less refined. Let the flute player play from a distance; that will be enough.”

Just as someone was about to be sent to arrange the flute music, a serving woman attached to Lady Xing came over and whispered a few words to her. Grandmother Jia noticed and asked, “What has happened?”

The woman replied, “Just now, when the Elder Master Jia She was going out, he tripped over a stone and twisted his ankle.”

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she quickly told two older women to go and inquire, and told Lady Xing to hurry over to look after him. Lady Xing rose and took her leave.

Grandmother Jia then said, “You too, Madam You, the wife of Zhen. Take this chance to go home. I am about to rest.”

Madam You smiled and said, “I will not go back today. I insist on staying with you, Old Ancestor, and celebrating the whole night.”

“That will not do,” said Grandmother Jia. “You are a young couple. Tonight you should be together with your own husband. How can you let me keep you from that?”

Madam You blushed and laughed. “Old Ancestor, you make us sound quite shameless. We may not be old, but we have been husband and wife for more than ten years and are nearly forty. Besides, my father-in-law has only recently passed away, and the mourning period is not yet over. It is only right that I stay to amuse you, Old Ancestor. How could there be any talk of husband and wife reuniting?”

Grandmother Jia suddenly remembered and laughed. “You are right. I had forgotten you are still in mourning. Poor thing, your father-in-law has been dead more than two years, and I was careless. I should be punished with a large cup of wine. In that case, you need not go back. Stay and keep me company. Tell Jia Rong’s wife to escort Lady Xing, and after that she may go straight home.”

Madam You passed on the order. Jia Rong’s wife obeyed, escorted Lady Xing to the main gate, and each went home in her own carriage. We will say no more of this.

Meanwhile, Grandmother Jia and the others enjoyed the osmanthus flowers for a while, then sat down again, changed to warmed wine, and chatted. As they were speaking, suddenly from beneath the osmanthus trees came the sound of a flute, mournful and lingering, rising slowly. The bright moon was overhead, a light breeze blew, heaven and earth were clear and still, and all the hidden sorrow in everyone’s hearts seemed swept away. They all sat upright and listened quietly. After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the flute stopped, and everyone praised it again and again.

They poured more warm wine. Grandmother Jia smiled and asked, “Was it pleasant?”

Everyone said, “It was truly beautiful. We could never have imagined such a mood. Thanks to you, Old Ancestor, for arranging it; our hearts have been opened.”

Grandmother Jia said, “It is not the best yet. A tune with an even slower rhythm would be more exquisite.” Then she took out the palace-made nut mooncakes and had a large cup of warm wine sent to the flute girl, so that she might eat and drink slowly and then play a set of slow tunes in fine detail.

The serving woman had just taken the things over when the two older women who had gone to inquire after Jia She returned and reported, “The instep of his right foot is swollen, but medicine has been applied, and the pain is much reduced. There is nothing serious.”

Grandmother Jia nodded and sighed inwardly. “I worry too much. People outside say I am partial, yet I am the one who troubles myself over him everywhere.” Then she told Lady Wang and Madam You the joking words Jia She had spoken earlier. Lady Wang and the others smiled and comforted her. “That was just a drunken jest. He did not mean to offend you, Old Ancestor. Do not take it to heart.”

Yuanyang brought a soft headband and a large cloak. “It is late,” she said. “The dew is falling, and the wind on your head may make you catch cold. Put these on quickly. You have sat long enough; it is time to rest.”

Grandmother Jia said, “Today of all days I am in high spirits, and here you are urging me again. Do you think I am drunk? Today I mean to sit until dawn!” She put on the headband and cloak, and the others went on drinking and talking with her.

From the osmanthus grove the flute rose again, and this time the tune was even more desolate and sad. Everyone sat in silence. The night was deep, the moon bright, the flute full of grief; Grandmother Jia, old and having drunk wine, was moved by the scene and could not keep back her tears. Everyone present also felt a lonely chill. After a long while, they noticed her sadness, quickly turned toward her with smiling faces, tried every way to comfort her, and told the flute player to stop.

Madam You said, “Let me tell a joke to cheer you up, Old Ancestor.”

Grandmother Jia roused herself. “Excellent. Tell it quickly.”

Madam You began, “There was a family with four sons. The eldest had only one eye, the second had only one ear, the third had only one nostril, and the fourth had all his features complete, but alas, he was mute.”

Just then she saw Grandmother Jia’s eyelids droop; she was almost asleep. Madam You quickly stopped, and she and Lady Wang gently woke her. Grandmother Jia opened her eyes and smiled. “I am not sleepy. I was only resting my eyes. Go on; I am listening.”

Lady Wang advised, “It is already the fourth watch. The dew and cold of the night are heavy. Please go back and rest, Old Ancestor. The moon will be fine tomorrow on the sixteenth as well. You can enjoy it then; it will not be wasted.”

Grandmother Jia said, “How can it be the fourth watch already?”

Lady Wang answered, “It is indeed the fourth watch. The young ladies could not stay awake any longer and have all gone back to sleep.”

Grandmother Jia looked carefully. Indeed, most of them had gone, and only Tanchun remained. She smiled. “Very well. You could not be expected to stay up all night. Some of you are frail, and some are ill. It is better that you go back. Only poor Third Girl is still here keeping me company. You go too. We will break up.”

Then Grandmother Jia rose, drank a sip of clear tea, and got into the small bamboo sedan already prepared. Wrapped in her cloak, she was carried by two older women, with everyone crowding around her back to her lodging in the garden. We will say no more of this for now.

The serving women cleared the wine and dishes and found that one fine porcelain teacup was missing. They searched everywhere but could not find it. They asked one another, “Someone must have broken it by accident. Where are the pieces? Bring the pieces as evidence, or else we may be suspected of stealing.”

Everyone said they had not broken it and guessed that perhaps a maid attending one of the young ladies had broken it.

The woman in charge of the utensils suddenly remembered. “That is right. Just now Cuilu was holding this cup. I will go ask her.”

Just as she reached the passage, she met Zijuan and Cuilu face to face. Cuilu immediately asked, “The feast at the Old Ancestor’s is over. Have you seen our young lady, Lin Daiyu? Where has she gone?”

The woman said, “I was just looking for that teacup, and now you ask me for a person.”

Cuilu said, “I had just poured tea for my young lady. When I turned around, Miss Lin had disappeared.”

The woman said, “The mistress said all the young ladies had gone back to sleep. Perhaps she went off somewhere to play by herself.”

Cuilu discussed with Zijuan: “Our young lady would never quietly go to bed by herself. She must be taking a walk alone. Maybe when she saw the Old Ancestor’s feast break up, she went toward the front. Let us look for her in front. If we find her, the teacup will naturally be accounted for. There is no hurry to find the cup tomorrow.”

When the woman heard there was a clue, she stopped pressing the matter and went back to check the utensils. Zijuan and Cuilu hurried to Grandmother Jia’s quarters to look for the missing person. We will leave them for now.

In fact, Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun had not gone back to sleep at all.

At the family moon-viewing, even Grandmother Jia sighed that there were few people and it was not as lively as before, and she mentioned that the Xue sisters had gone home for the festival. Daiyu was touched by the scene and, leaning alone on the railing, silently wept.

Baoyu was worried because Qingwen was seriously ill and had no heart for anything. After Lady Wang urged him again and again, he went back to rest. Tanchun had recently been troubled by many family worries and had no interest in amusement. Yingchun and Xichun were ordinarily not close to Daiyu. Only Shi Xiangyun stayed to comfort Daiyu.

Xiangyun urged her, “You are such a clear-sighted person. Why torment yourself like this? I lost my parents too, just as you did, yet I am not as heavy-hearted as you. Your health is poor to begin with; you should take better care of yourself. I hate Xue Baochai. Usually she is so affectionate with us sisters, saying that this Mid-Autumn we would all enjoy the moon together and form a poetry club. Now she has abandoned us and gone home for the festival. The poetry club has scattered, no more poems are written, and instead a crowd of men in her family is making merry. Emperor Taizu of Song put it well: ‘How can one allow another to snore beside one’s own bed?’ If they will not write, then you and I will match verses. Tomorrow we can put them to shame.”

Daiyu, comforted by her and unwilling to spoil her mood, said, “There are people coming and going here, noisy and bustling. How can one have the mood for poetry?”

Xiangyun said, “Moon-viewing on the hill is fine, but moon-viewing by the water is even more wonderful. Below this slope is the pond. In the hollow by the water there is a place called Concave Crystal Lodge. When the garden was first built, it was full of clever design: the high place on the hill was called Convex Jade Hall, and the low place by the water was called Concave Crystal Lodge. The words ‘convex’ and ‘concave’ are seldom used by people, but to use them directly as lodge names is fresh and not vulgar. One high, one low; one hill, one water; they were built especially for moon-viewing. Those who like to look at the moon from a height go to Convex Jade Hall; those who love moonlight reflected on water go to Concave Crystal Lodge. Many people misread these two words and think them vulgar, but Lu You wrote, ‘An old inkstone, slightly concave, gathers much ink.’ Some even criticize Lu You for using vulgar words. How ridiculous.”

Daiyu replied, “Not only Lu You. Many ancient writers used them. Jiang Yan’s Rhapsody on Green Moss, Dongfang Shuo’s Classic of the Strange, and old records of Zhang Sengyou’s paintings—there are countless examples. It is only people today who do not understand and think them vulgar. To tell you the truth, these two lodge names were my idea. In those days, when Baoyu was being tested, some of the inscriptions everywhere were kept, some changed, and some still lacked names. Later we worked out all the remaining names, noted their sources, wrote down the positions of the buildings, and sent them to Her Highness Yuanchun. She in turn showed them to my uncle Jia Zheng, and he was delighted, saying that the girls should have been asked to help compose them long ago. So not one of the names I proposed was changed; they were all used. Let us go now to Concave Crystal Lodge and have a look.”

The two walked down the slope together, turned a corner, and came to the bank of the pond. Bamboo railings ran in unbroken lines all the way to Lotus Fragrance Pavilion. Concave Crystal Lodge stood in a mountain hollow, an appendage of Convex Jade Hall. It was low-lying and close to the water, and its tablet read “Concave Crystal Stream Lodge.” There were not many rooms, and the building was low; only two old women kept watch there at night. Tonight everyone had gone to serve at Convex Jade Hall, but these two old women had received their share of mooncakes, fruit, and reward wine, and having eaten and drunk their fill, they had long since put out the lights and fallen asleep.

Seeing the rooms dark, Xiangyun laughed. “Their sleeping makes it quieter for us. Let us sit outside on the veranda by the water and enjoy the moon. How would that be?”

The two sat on bamboo stools by the water. In the sky there was a bright moon, and in the water another moon was reflected. The moonlight shone upon each other as if they were in a crystal dragon palace. A breeze passed, rippling the pond into layer upon layer of light, refreshing body and mind.

Xiangyun sighed, “If only there were a boat and wine now. If I were at home, I would simply get into a boat.”

Daiyu said, “The ancients said it well: if one seeks perfection in everything, where is there any joy? This is already very good. Why must there be a boat?”

Xiangyun said, “To have something and still want more is human nature. The old people were right. The poor always imagine that the rich and noble have everything their own way. If you tell them that rich and noble families also have disappointments, they will not believe you. They must experience it themselves before they understand. Take us: though we live in a wealthy and noble house, our parents are long gone, and we have countless sorrows in our hearts.”

Daiyu sighed, “It is not only we two who are unhappy. The Old Ancestor, Lady Wang, Baoyu, Tanchun—everyone, great or small, has some knot in the heart and cannot have everything as they wish. And we two, besides, are living as guests in someone else’s house.”

Xiangyun feared Daiyu would grow sadder and quickly changed the subject. “Let us not speak of such troubles. Let us match verses.”

Just then the distant sound of the flute came floating over. Daiyu smiled. “The Old Ancestor’s flute-playing has actually helped us write poetry. We both like five-character verse. Let us make a five-character linked poem.”

Xiangyun asked, “Which rhyme section shall we use?”

Daiyu said, “Let us count the vertical bars of the railing. From this end to that end, whichever number we reach, we use that rhyme. If there are sixteen, we start with the first xian rhyme. Is that not fresh?”

The two rose and counted the railing. There were thirteen bars.

Xiangyun said, “Of all things, it is the thirteenth yuan rhyme. That rhyme has few characters, and a long linked poem easily becomes stiff and forced. You begin.”

Daiyu laughed. “It will be just the thing to see who writes better. It is a pity we have no paper or brush to record it.”

Xiangyun said, “Never mind. We can write it down tomorrow. We can remember this much.”

Daiyu began with the first line:

“On the fifteenth night of the Mid-Autumn moon...”

Xiangyun thought briefly and continued:

“A clear outing like the Lantern Festival. The sky strewn with stars, the Winnowing Basket and Dipper bright...”

Daiyu:

“Everywhere pipes and strings abound. In how many places wine cups fly wild...”

Xiangyun praised her: “‘In how many places wine cups fly wild’ has flavor. I must make a good matching line.” She thought and said:

“Whose house does not open its windows? A light cold wind cuts and cuts...”

Daiyu said, “Your line matches better than mine. Do not write stale phrases later; bring out something new.”

Xiangyun said, “The poem is long and the rhyme difficult. One must lay out description. I will save the good lines for later.”

Daiyu teased, “If you cannot produce good lines later, see if you are not ashamed.” Then she linked:

“The fine night is warm and bright. Contending for cakes mocks the gray-haired...”

Xiangyun laughed. “That line is something you made up on purpose, using a vulgar trifle to trouble me.”

Daiyu said, “It is a classical allusion. You should read more history.”

Xiangyun thought a moment and continued:

“Sharing melons makes the green-robed girls laugh. Fragrance is new, honoring the jade cassia...”

Daiyu said, “‘Sharing melons’ is something you made up yourself.”

Xiangyun said, “Tomorrow we will look it up in books. Do not delay the poem.”

Daiyu said, “Besides, that line is ordinary. Do not keep fobbing me off with common words like osmanthus.” She continued:

“Color is strong, flourishing the golden daylily. Candles shine on the jeweled feast...”

Xiangyun laughed. “‘Golden daylily’ is a ready-made bargain you picked up, but you are also praising someone else’s banquet.”

Daiyu said, “You wrote jade cassia, so naturally I match it with golden daylily. I want to write the true grand scene of the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Xiangyun continued:

“Wine cups and tallies toss the lovely garden into confusion. Divided into teams, one respects the command...”

Daiyu said, “That line is very good; the next is hard to match.” After thinking, she said:

“Shooting at hidden objects, listening to the three announcements. Dice colors redden into dots...”

Xiangyun said, “‘Three announcements’ makes a vulgar game sound elegant, but you have gone back to dice.” She could only continue:

“Passing the flower, the drum clamors wildly. Clear light shakes the courtyards...”

Daiyu said, “The antithesis is good, but you are again putting in stock phrases of wind and moonlight.”

Xiangyun said, “We have not yet come to the moon. We must touch the theme.”

Daiyu said, “Write it down first; we can revise tomorrow.” She linked:

“Plain brilliance joins heaven and earth. In rewards and punishments there is no host or guest...”

Xiangyun said, “Why still write of the people at the feast? Write of us.” She continued:

“Reciting poems, ordering elder and younger. When conceiving, one leans on the railing...”

Daiyu said, “This line has come to you and me.” She linked:

“Or, imagining the scene, leans against the gate. The wine is gone, but the feeling remains...”

Xiangyun felt the night was deep and continued:

“The watch is late, joy has faded. Gradually the sound of talk and laughter stills...”

Daiyu said, “The later lines are harder and harder.” She linked:

“Only snow and frost traces remain. Dew on the steps gathers morning mushrooms...”

Xiangyun pondered the rhyme, walked back and forth with hands behind her back, then suddenly laughed. “I have it! I nearly could not match it!”

“Courtyard smoke gathers the night-closing tree. Autumn torrents pour down stone marrow...”

Daiyu could not help crying out in praise. “You little mischief, you have squeezed out such a marvelous line! Who would have thought you could come up with the word hun?”

Xiangyun said, “Yesterday I read it in an old book and did not know what tree it was. Baochai told me it was the night-closing flower. I looked it up to confirm. Baochai’s learning is truly broad.”

Daiyu said, “The word hun fits perfectly here. Especially ‘Autumn torrents pour down stone marrow’—that line is so superb it overshadows all the lines before. I must brace myself and match it, though it will be hard to surpass you.” After thinking, she said:

“Wind-blown leaves gather at the root of clouds. The Bao-wu star is pure and lonely...”

Xiangyun commented, “The antithesis is passable, using stars to write feeling.” She continued:

“The silver toad’s breath swallows and spits. The medicine is pounded by the magic rabbit...”

Daiyu thought quietly and slowly recited:

“A person runs toward the Cold Palace. Crossing the Dipper, inviting the Herd Boy and Weaving Girl...”

Xiangyun looked at the bright moon and nodded:

“Waiting on the raft for the Emperor’s granddaughter. Waxing and waning, the wheel is not fixed...”

Daiyu said, “Again using myth to rise.” She linked:

“Dark and bright, the soul remains in vain. The water clock’s sound is about to dry...”

Just as it was Xiangyun’s turn to answer, Daiyu suddenly pointed at a dark shadow in the pond. “Look at that black mass in the water. Does it not look like a human figure? Could it be a ghost?”

Xiangyun was naturally not afraid of ghosts or spirits. She laughed. “You are frightening yourself again. I will throw a stone at it.” She bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it into the pond. There was a splash; the moon’s reflection broke apart and then came together again. From the dark shadow came a squawk, and a large white crane flew up and headed straight for Lotus Fragrance Pavilion.

Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. “So it was a crane. Seeing it so suddenly gave me a fright.”

Xiangyun was overjoyed. “This crane has come at just the right time. It gives me material for a poem!” She immediately recited the famous line:

“A cold pond crosses the crane’s shadow...”

Daiyu both praised and stamped her foot. “Wonderful! The crane has done you a favor! This line has the most exquisite mood. The only word that can match ‘shadow’ is ‘soul.’ ‘A cold pond crosses the crane’s shadow’ is so natural and vivid that I can hardly answer it.”

Xiangyun urged her to think slowly, and if she could not, to continue tomorrow. Daiyu looked up at the moon, ignored her, and after a while suddenly spoke:

“The cold moon buries the flower’s soul.”

Xiangyun clapped her hands and praised, “Truly exquisite! Only this line can match it! What a line—‘The cold moon buries the flower’s soul!’” But then she sighed. “The line is novel, but too bleak and desolate. You are ill, and you should not write such cold, sorrowful words.”

Daiyu laughed. “If I did not write like that, how could I beat you? My heart is set on this line; I have not thought of what comes after.”

Just then a person came out from behind the rocks and said with a smile, “Good poem, good poem—only the tone is too sorrowful. Do not link any further. If you go on writing lines of the same kind, you will bury these two fine lines and only pile up words stiffly.”

The two were caught off guard and greatly startled. Looking closely, they saw it was Miaoyu. Daiyu and Xiangyun were astonished and asked, “How did you come here?”

Miaoyu smiled. “I heard the moon-viewing and the flute in the mansion, so I came out to enjoy the moon too. I walked this way and heard you matching verses. Your style is clear and elegant, so I stopped and listened for a long time. But many lines are too bitter and sad. That has to do with one’s fate and state of mind, which is why I came out to urge you to stop. The Old Ancestor’s gathering broke up long ago. Most people in the garden are asleep. Your maids are looking everywhere for you. The night dew is heavy—are you not afraid of catching cold? Come with me to Green Bower Hermitage and have a cup of tea. It will soon be dawn.”

Only then did Daiyu realize how late it was. The three went together into Green Bower Hermitage. A faint light burned before the Buddhist shrine, and incense smoke curled from the censer. The old nuns were all asleep; only a little maid was dozing against a rush cushion. Miaoyu woke the maid to boil tea.

There was a knock at the door. The little maid opened it, and it was Zijuan and Cuilu with an old serving woman, searching everywhere for them. Seeing the two drinking tea in the hermitage, they all said, “You have made us search so hard. We have gone nearly all over the garden, even to Aunt Xue’s place. Then the old women keeping watch at Concave Crystal Lodge said two young ladies were talking on the veranda and a third came, and they went toward Green Bower Hermitage. That is how we found you.”

Miaoyu told the maid to take the servants to rest and have tea. She herself took out paper and brush and asked Daiyu and Xiangyun to recite the verses they had just linked, and she copied them all down in her own hand.

Seeing Miaoyu in such high spirits, Daiyu said politely, “I have never seen you so happy. May I venture to ask, how is the poem? If it is truly bad, burn it. If it is passable, please help us revise it.”

Miaoyu said, “I would not presume to judge. So far there are twenty-two rhyme sections. Your best lines are already written. If you go on, I fear your strength will fail. I would like to presume to continue and finish it, but I am afraid of spoiling good work with poor lines.”

Daiyu had never seen Miaoyu write poetry and quickly said, “Excellent. Our writing is crude; we would be glad to have your pen elevate the whole poem.”

Miaoyu said, “The ending must be brought back to a positive frame. To pursue only cold novelty would neither suit the poetic spirit of well-bred young ladies nor fit the theme of Mid-Autumn moon-viewing.” Daiyu and Xiangyun both agreed deeply.

Miaoyu took up the brush and wrote it all in one breath, then handed it to them. “Please do not laugh at me. It must be concluded in this way, and then those sorrowful lines earlier will do no harm.”

Daiyu and Xiangyun took it and read. Miaoyu had continued:

“The incense seal melts in the golden tripod; the frozen rouge clings to the jade basin.
The flute deepens the widow’s weeping; the quilt is warmed by a maid.
An empty curtain hangs with a painted phoenix; an idle screen hides bright mandarin ducks.
The dew is thick, the moss more slippery; the frost heavy, the bamboo hard to grasp.
Still walking by the winding pool, then climbing the lonely plain.
Strange rocks grapple like gods and ghosts; monstrous trees crouch like tigers and wolves.
The bixi turtle is pierced by morning light; the screen gathers dawn dew.
A thousand trees shake with birds; one cry from a valley ape.
Where the forked path is familiar, how can one forget the way? Where the spring is known, one does not ask its source.
The bell rings at Green Bower Monastery; the cock crows at Rice-Scent Village.
When there is joy, why continue sorrow? When there is no care, why should the heart be troubled?
Fragrant feelings one sends away alone; elegant pleasures—to whom can they be told?
Do not say you are weary though the night has passed; brew tea and let us discuss it in fine detail.”

At the end she wrote: “Linked Verses on the Mid-Autumn Night in the Grand View Garden, Thirty-Five Rhymes.”

Daiyu and Xiangyun praised it without end. “We had a master beside us and yet shut our doors and labored away by ourselves.”

Miaoyu said, “Tomorrow we can polish it again. It is almost dawn; time to rest.”

Daiyu and Xiangyun took leave of Miaoyu and left Green Bower Hermitage with their maids.

On the way, Cuilu said to Xiangyun, “Someone from Mrs. Li Wan’s quarters is still waiting for us to come back and sleep. Shall we go there now?”

Xiangyun said, “Tell them to rest on their own. If I go back now, I may wake the sick. Tonight I will stay at Bamboo Lodge with Miss Lin.”

The party returned to Bamboo Lodge. Most of the servants were already asleep. The two removed their makeup, washed, and went to bed. Zijuan let down the gauze curtain, put out the lamp, closed the door, and withdrew.

Xiangyun could not sleep in a strange bed. She tossed and turned. Daiyu had long suffered from insufficient blood and chronic insomnia, and tonight she had missed her usual sleeping hour, so she too had no desire for sleep.

Daiyu asked, “Why are you still awake?”

Xiangyun laughed softly. “I cannot sleep soundly in a new bed. Today I walked so much that I am only lying here resting. Why are you awake too?”

Daiyu sighed deeply. “My sleeplessness is not only tonight. All year round, the nights when I can sleep soundly from dark to dawn are no more than ten.”

Xiangyun said, “It is all because your health is weak...”