Divining Their Fortunes, Four Beauties Fish for Swimming Fish; Receiving a Stern Command, Twice Entering the Family School

After Yingchun was taken away by the Sun family, Lady Xing acted as though nothing had happened. Lady Wang, who had raised Yingchun for a time, felt deeply grieved and sighed alone in her room. Baoyu came to pay his respects. Seeing tears on Lady Wang’s face, he did not dare sit down at once and only stood to one side. Lady Wang told him to sit, and Baoyu moved to the edge of the brick bed and sat beside her.

Lady Wang saw him staring blankly, as if he had something to say but dared not speak, and asked, “What are you brooding about now?”

Baoyu said, “Nothing else. Yesterday I heard Second Sister tell of what she suffers in the Sun household, and I truly feel for her. I dared not tell the Old Ancestor, and I have not slept for two nights. How can a girl from a great family like ours endure such humiliation? Second Sister is the gentlest and weakest of us. She has never known how to quarrel with anyone, and yet she has met a man with no conscience at all, one who has no pity for a woman’s suffering.” As he spoke, tears almost fell.

Lady Wang said, “There is no help for it. As the saying goes, a daughter married out is like water poured out. What can I do?”

Baoyu said, “Last night I thought of a plan. We could report it to the Old Ancestor and bring Second Sister back. She could live again at Purple Caltrop Isle, and we brothers and sisters could eat and play together as before, without suffering the temper of that wretch in the Sun family. When the Sun family sends people to fetch her, we simply refuse to let her go. If they come a hundred times, we keep her a hundred times, and say it is the Old Ancestor’s decision. Would that not be good?”

Lady Wang was both annoyed and amused. “You are being foolish again. What nonsense are you talking? When a girl grows up, she must marry. Once she marries into another family, her own family cannot look after her. It depends on her fate. If she marries well, well and good. If she marries badly, there is nothing to be done. Have you never heard, ‘Marry a rooster and follow the rooster; marry a dog and follow the dog’? Not everyone can be like your eldest sister and become an imperial consort. Besides, Second Sister has only just married. Young Master Sun is young too, and each has a temper. Newly married people are bound to have difficulties. After a few years, when they understand each other and have children, things will improve. You are absolutely not to mention one word of this before the Old Ancestor. If I hear of it, I will not forgive you. Go now, and stop letting your thoughts run wild here.”

Baoyu did not dare say more. He sat a while, then left listlessly. With a belly full of pent-up anger and no place to release it, he went straight into the Grand View Garden toward Bamboo Lodge.

As soon as he entered, Baoyu burst into loud weeping. Daiyu had just finished washing and dressing, and she was startled. She asked several times what had happened, whether he had quarreled with someone, or whether she herself had offended him. Baoyu only bowed his head over the table, sobbing and unable to speak. Daiyu watched him quietly. After a while she asked, “Who has made you angry? Or is it something wrong with me?”

Baoyu shook his head. “Neither.”

Daiyu said, “Then why are you so grieved?”

Baoyu said, “I was thinking that people like us would be better off dying early. There is truly no pleasure in living!”

Daiyu was greatly shocked. “What kind of talk is that? Have you gone mad?”

Baoyu said, “I am not mad. If I tell you, you will be sad too. You saw how Second Sister wept when she came home a few days ago. Why must girls grow up and marry? Why must they suffer so much after they marry? I still remember the Crab-Flower Poetry Club, when we took turns writing poems. How lively it was. Now Baochai has moved out of the garden, Xiangling cannot come often, and Second Sister has married. The people who understand me are scattered. The garden is completely changed. I wanted to beg the Old Ancestor to bring Second Sister back, but Lady Wang refused and said I was foolish and talking nonsense. In a few more years, I do not know what will become of us. The more I think, the worse I feel.”

After listening, Daiyu slowly bowed her head, withdrew to the brick bed, and said nothing. She gave a long sigh, turned her face to the wall, and lay down.

Zijuan had just brought in tea. Seeing the two of them like this, she was puzzled. Then Xiren arrived. Seeing Baoyu, she said, “So you really are here, Second Master. The Old Ancestor is looking for you.”

When Daiyu heard this, she rose and offered her seat. Her eyes were red from crying. Baoyu saw it and urged, “Little sister, what I said just now was foolish talk. Do not be sad. You must take care of yourself. The Old Ancestor is calling me. I will go and come back soon.” Then he went out.

Xiren quietly asked Daiyu what had happened. Daiyu only said, “He is sad about Second Sister. I rubbed my eyes red, nothing more.” Xiren did not press further and left with Baoyu. When Baoyu reached Grandmother Jia’s rooms, Grandmother Jia was taking her noon rest, so he had to return to Happy Red Court.

After his noon nap, Baoyu woke bored and restless. He idly leafed through a book. Xiren saw him reading and went to make tea. The book in his hand was Ancient Yuefu Poems. He turned to Cao Cao’s line, “Sing before wine—how long is life?” and felt a pang. He put the book down and picked up a collection of Jin dynasty writings. After a few pages he closed it again and sat with his chin in his hand, staring blankly. Xiren brought tea and, seeing him thus, asked why he was not reading. Baoyu did not answer. He drank a sip of tea, put it down, and murmured, “How true—‘to let the body and mind wander beyond form!’”

Xiren found it amusing but did not dare ask more. She urged him, “If you do not want to read, go into the garden and walk about. Do not sit here until you make yourself ill.”

Baoyu agreed carelessly and walked out in a daze.

He reached Seeping Fragrance Pavilion and saw only desolation, people gone and rooms empty. He went on to Alpinia Court. The fragrant plants were still there, but doors and windows were shut. He turned to Lotus Fragrance Pavilion and from afar saw several people standing by the railing near the smartweed bank, with a little maid crouching on the ground. Baoyu hid behind the rockery and listened. It was Tanchun, Li Wen, Li Qi, and Xing Xiuyan, fishing.

Baoyu picked up a small brick and threw it into the water. With a splash, the four were startled. Baoyu jumped out from behind the rockery and laughed. “You are enjoying yourselves without calling me?”

Tanchun said, “I guessed it was you being mischievous. The fish was just about to take the hook, and you scared it away. You must pay us a fish.”

Baoyu laughed. “You play without calling me, and I ought to punish you. Let us fish to divine our luck for the year. If you catch one, you will have good luck. If not, your luck is poor. Who will begin?”

Tanchun let Li Wen go first. Li Wen declined, so Tanchun cast first. Before long a little fish like a willow leaf swallowed the hook. Tanchun lifted the rod, and the fish leaped and flopped. Shishu quickly caught it and put it in a small porcelain jar of clear water. Tanchun handed the rod to Li Wen.

Li Wen cast. Twice the hook came up empty. Looking closely, she saw the hook had bent inward. She told Suyun to straighten it and put on fresh bait. She cast again. The reed float sank, and she pulled up a little crucian carp two inches long.

Li Wen handed the rod to Baoyu. Baoyu declined and let Tanchun and Xiuyan continue. Li Qi took the rod and soon caught one too. Then Xing Xiuyan caught one. The rod was passed to Baoyu. Baoyu declared that he would be Jiang Taigong and sat down by the stone jetty. When the fish in the water saw a human shadow, they all fled. Baoyu waited a long time, and the line did not move. At last a fish blew bubbles by the bank. Baoyu moved the rod, and the fish was frightened away again. Baoyu grew anxious and muttered to himself, making the four laugh. Suddenly the line trembled slightly. Baoyu was overjoyed. He jerked upward with all his strength, and the rod struck a rock and broke in two. The line snapped, and the hook disappeared. The others laughed even harder. Tanchun scolded him laughingly for being rash.

Just as they were joking, Sheyue came running in panic. “Second Master, the Old Ancestor is awake and calling for you. Hurry over!”

All five were startled. Tanchun asked what had happened. Sheyue said, “I do not know clearly. I only heard that something has come to light, and you are to be questioned. Xifeng is to be called and questioned too.”

Baoyu was stunned. He thought he did not know which maid had gotten into trouble now. Tanchun told him to go quickly and to have Sheyue report any news. Then she dispersed with Li Wen, Li Qi, and Xiuyan.

Baoyu reached Grandmother Jia’s room and saw Lady Wang sitting with Grandmother Jia, playing cards. Half his anxiety left him. Grandmother Jia saw him and asked, “The year before last, when you were gravely ill, you were saved by the mad monk and the lame Daoist. What did you feel during the illness?”

Baoyu recalled, “When it came on, it was as if someone struck me on the head. Everything went black. The room was full of green-faced evil spirits holding knives and clubs. Lying in bed, I felt as if an iron band were tightening around my head. After that I lost consciousness. When I improved, a golden light shone into the room from the great hall. The evil spirits fled in all directions. My head no longer hurt, and my mind was clear.”

Grandmother Jia turned to Lady Wang and said, “The accounts match.”

Xifeng also came in. Grandmother Jia asked her what she had felt when she had been possessed. Xifeng smiled. “I do not remember clearly. I only felt my body was not under my control. Ghosts urged me to kill people. When I saw anything, I wanted to smash it. I was exhausted all over, yet could not stop. When I improved, it seemed someone spoke in the air, but I cannot remember what was said.”

Grandmother Jia said, “From this, it was Baoyu’s godmother who did the evil. That old woman was vicious beyond words. Baoyu became her godson for nothing. It was the monk and the Daoist who saved your lives, and we have not yet repaid them.”

Xifeng asked why the Old Ancestor had suddenly brought up the old illness. Grandmother Jia told her to ask Lady Wang.

Lady Wang said, “Just now the master came and said that Baoyu’s godmother is a practitioner of evil arts. Someone accused her, and the imperial guard arrested her and sent her to the Ministry of Justice, where she is to be sentenced to death. The matter began thus: Pan Sanbao sold a house to a pawnshop and thought the price too low, so he asked the old woman to use magic. She often went in and out of the pawnshop’s inner quarters, so she cast a spell that made the pawnshop owner’s family fall ill with strange diseases, throwing the household into chaos. She then came to the door and said she could cure them. She burned paper money, and the illness temporarily eased, and she cheated them out of more than ten taels of silver. Later she left in a hurry and dropped a silk package. The pawnshop people picked it up and found paper figures and incense inside. When the old woman came back looking for it, she was seized on the spot. They searched her box and found ivory carvings of naked male and female demon kings and seven red embroidered needles. She was taken to the imperial guard office and interrogated. She confessed that many great families had asked her to practice curses. The authorities searched her house and found clay images of fierce gods and straw figures, some with bands around their heads and needles stuck in their bodies, as well as account books recording the amounts received from various families.”

Xifeng suddenly understood. “Our illnesses in those years must have been her doing. After we recovered, that old witch went several times to Concubine Zhao to ask for money. When she saw me, her expression changed greatly. I suspected even then, and now I understand. It is understandable that she would harm me, since I manage the household and make people resent me. But what grudge did Baoyu have with anyone, that they would use such a cruel hand against him?”

Grandmother Jia guessed, “Perhaps it was because I dote on Baoyu and neglect Jia Huan, so she cast a spell.”

Lady Wang said, “The old woman has already been sentenced. She cannot be brought here to confront anyone. Without evidence, Concubine Zhao will never admit it. If this gets out, it will harm our reputation. Let her suffer the consequences of her own deeds. Sooner or later she will expose herself.”

Grandmother Jia nodded and did not pursue the matter further. She kept Lady Wang and Xifeng for supper.

Yuchuan came to report to Lady Wang that the master was looking for something and wanted her to help search for it after supper. Grandmother Jia told Lady Wang to go first and kept Xifeng to keep her company at the meal.

Lady Wang returned to her room and chatted with Jia Zheng while looking for the object. Jia Zheng asked how Yingchun was doing in the Sun family. Lady Wang said Yingchun had suffered every kind of wrong and repeated what Yingchun had said through her tears. Jia Zheng sighed deeply. “I knew from the beginning that this marriage was not right. But Jia She had already settled it, and I had no power to undo it. Yingchun can only suffer.” Lady Wang said she hoped things would gradually improve after the marriage, and as she spoke she smiled. Jia Zheng asked what she was smiling at. Lady Wang told him Baoyu’s foolish idea of bringing Yingchun back to the Grand View Garden.

Jia Zheng laughed too, then grew serious. “Speaking of Baoyu, I have been making plans. Keeping him in the garden every day is not a long-term solution. Daughters will after all belong to other families. If a son does not amount to anything, it is a grave matter. Someone once recommended a teacher from the south, but southern teachers are gentle by nature. Our children are unruly and would easily get away with doing nothing. That is why our ancestors chose learned elders from the clan to manage the family school. Now Great-Uncle Dairu’s learning is only moderate, but he can control these wild boys. Baoyu is idle and wasting his time. It would be better for him to return to our family school to study.”

Lady Wang agreed completely. Baoyu’s illness had already delayed him for several years, and it would be good for him to review his lessons at the family school.

The next morning, a page came to summon Baoyu on Jia Zheng’s orders. Baoyu straightened his clothes and went to the study to pay his respects. Jia Zheng scolded him. “You have neglected your lessons lately and grown more and more idle. You often pretend to be ill and refuse to study. Once you are well, you play all day in the garden with your sisters and the maids, and throw proper learning behind you. Even if you can write a few lines of poetry, that is no real ability. For the examinations and official career, the eight-legged essay is the foundation, and you have made no effort in it at all. I tell you: from now on you are not to write poems or couplets. Devote yourself to the eight-legged essay. I give you one year. If you make no progress, you need not study anymore, and I will not acknowledge you as my son.”

Jia Zheng called Li Gui and ordered that the next morning Beiming should accompany Baoyu, pack his books, and bring them to him for inspection. He himself would take Baoyu to the family school. Then he told Baoyu to withdraw and come see him again in the morning.

Baoyu returned to Happy Red Court. When Xiren heard that books were to be taken, she thought it a good thing. Baoyu at once sent word to Grandmother Jia, hoping she would intervene. Grandmother Jia called Baoyu over and comforted him. “Go to school with peace of mind for now. Do not anger your father. If anyone makes things difficult for you, I will take care of it.”

Baoyu had no choice. He returned and told the maids to wake him early the next day. Xiren and Sheyue took turns keeping watch.

The next morning Xiren woke Baoyu. He washed, dressed, and had Beiming wait at the second gate with his books and writing things. Baoyu first went to the study to inquire. A page said Jia Zheng was washing and dressing and had told the literary guests to wait. Before long Jia Zheng summoned him. He took Baoyu in a carriage, with Beiming carrying the books, and they went together to the family school.

Someone had already reported to Dairu that the master was coming. Dairu rose to welcome him. Jia Zheng entered, made his bow, and Dairu asked after him and inquired about Grandmother Jia’s health. Baoyu also came forward to pay his respects. Jia Zheng asked Dairu to be seated, and only then sat down himself.

Jia Zheng said, “Today I have brought him in person to entrust him to you. The boy is no longer young. He must study for the examinations and establish himself in life and reputation. At home he thinks only of play. Though he understands a few lines of poetry, they are vain, romantic words and have nothing to do with proper fame and achievement.”

Dairu said, “Baoyu has a good appearance and fair natural gifts, only his mind is wild and fond of play. It is not that poetry cannot be studied, but he may study it after he has achieved fame.”

Jia Zheng said, “I only ask you to urge him to read, explain texts, and write essays. If he is disobedient, please discipline him strictly. Do not let him waste his whole life.” Then he rose, bowed, chatted a little, and took his leave. Dairu saw him to the door and asked him to convey his respects to Grandmother Jia.

Dairu returned and saw Baoyu’s small rosewood table placed by the window, with old books and essays piled beside it. Dairu asked whether Baoyu had fully recovered. Baoyu stood and answered. Dairu instructed, “Your father is eager for you to succeed. Review your old books from the beginning. Every day rise early to review, practice calligraphy after meals, explain texts at noon, and recite essays. Today is the first day, so you may leave school early. Tomorrow I will first ask you to explain one or two chapters to test how deep your lessons go.”

Baoyu felt uneasy at heart.

What happened afterward will be told in the next chapter.