In the Shade of the Apricot, a Feigned Phoenix Mourns a Phantom Phoenix; By the Crimson Gauze Window, True Feeling Fathoms Foolish Reason

The three of them, seeing Tanchun and the others come in, quickly suppressed the matter and said no more. Tanchun and the others paid their respects, and after everyone had chatted and laughed for a while, they dispersed.

Who would have thought that the old Imperial Dowager Consort mentioned last time had already passed away. All those with patent titles and ranks had to enter court and observe mourning according to their rank. The Emperor decreed: families with titles were not to hold banquets or music for a year, and common people were not to marry for three months. Lady Jia, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, You Shi, Xu Shi, and the other wives, mothers-in-law, and daughters-in-law, old and young, all went to court daily to attend the sacrifices, not returning until after the hour of Wei in the afternoon. After twenty-one days in the side palace of the imperial palace, the coffin was to be escorted to the ancestral tomb in a place called Xiaoci County. This tomb was about ten days’ journey from the capital. Now that the coffin was being escorted there, it would rest for several days before being placed in the underground chamber, so the whole business would take a month. Jia Zhen and his wife from the Ning mansion also had to go. With no one in either mansion, they discussed and, since there was no mistress at home, reported that You Shi had given birth and was in confinement, so she was released to manage the affairs of both Rong and Ning. They also asked Aunt Xue to look after the girls and maids in the garden. Aunt Xue had no choice but to move into the garden. Baochai had Xiangyun and Xiangling; Li Wan’s aunt and cousin had left but sometimes came to stay for three or five days, and Lady Jia sent Baoqin to her care; Yingchun had Xiuyan; Tanchun, because household affairs were numerous and Zhao Yiniang and Jia Huan often came to make trouble, found it inconvenient; Xichun’s rooms were small. Moreover, Lady Jia had repeatedly urged Aunt Xue to look after Lin Daiyu, and Aunt Xue had always been fond of her. Since this task fell to her, she moved to the Bamboo Lodge to share Daiyu’s room, and was most careful about her medicine, food, and drink. Daiyu was endlessly grateful. Thereafter she addressed Aunt Xue as Baochai did, and even called Baochai “sister” and Baoqin “younger sister,” as if they were full sisters, closer than others. Lady Jia was delighted and reassured. Aunt Xue only looked after the girls and restrained the maids; she would not interfere in household matters. You Shi came every day, but only to show her face and check attendance; she would not wield authority arbitrarily. Besides, she was the only one left in her own household to manage, and she also had to see to Lady Jia and Lady Wang’s lodging, food, and furnishings at the court, so she was very busy.

Now the masters of both Rong and Ning were so occupied, and the stewards and servants of both places—some followed to court, some managed the lodgings outside, some went ahead to prepare—were all busy and confused. Thus the servants of both households, lacking proper direction, all sought their ease. Some took advantage to form factions, and together with those temporarily in charge secretly abused their power. In the Rong mansion only Lai Da and a few managers remained to handle outside affairs. Most of Lai Da’s usual men had gone; though others were appointed, they were new and things did not go smoothly. Moreover, they were ignorant: some cheated without restraint, some made accusations without evidence, some recommended people without cause. All kinds of misconduct and trouble arose, too many to describe.

Then they saw that all official families who kept actors and actresses were dismissing and sending them away. You Shi and the others discussed and decided that when Lady Wang returned they would report and also send away the twelve girls. They said, “These girls were bought. Now, though they no longer study singing, they can still be kept as servants. Let the instructors go their own way.” Lady Wang said, “These opera students are not like ordinary servants. They are children of good families, sold because their families were destitute, and for years they have painted their faces and played ghosts. Now that there is this chance, better give them a few taels of silver for traveling expenses and let each go her own way. In the ancestors’ time there was such a precedent. To keep them now would be to damage our virtue and show pettiness. There are a few older ones still here; they have their reasons for not wanting to go back, so they were kept as servants and, when grown, married to our own pages.” You Shi said, “Now let us ask the twelve. Those willing to go back may send word and have their parents come in person to fetch them, and we will give them a few taels for the road. If we do not have their parents or kin come, I fear some rascal might falsely claim them and sell them again, which would be to fail in this kindness. Those unwilling to go may stay.” Lady Wang smiled. “That is proper.” You Shi and the others sent someone to tell Xifeng. They also told the general office to give each instructor eight taels and let them go. All the things in Pear Fragrance Court were checked, registered, and stored; someone was put on night watch. The twelve girls were called and questioned face to face. More than half did not want to go home. Some said their parents, though alive, would only sell them again; some had parents dead and had been sold by uncles or brothers; some said they had no one to go to; some said they were attached to the kindness here and could not bear to leave. Only four or five wanted to go. Lady Wang, hearing this, had to keep them. The four or five who wanted to go were told their foster mothers to take them home and wait for their real parents to fetch them. Those unwilling to go were distributed about the garden as servants. Lady Jia kept Wenguan for herself; the principal female role Fangguan was given to Baoyu; the secondary female role Ruiguan was given to Baochai; the young male role Ouguan was given to Daiyu; the big painted-face Kuiguan was given to Xiangyun; the small painted-face Douguan was given to Baoqin; the old outside role Aiguan was given to Tanchun; and You Shi asked for the old female role Qiaguan. Thus each found her place. They were like tired birds let out of a cage, playing in the garden every day. Everyone knew they could not do needlework and were unused to service, so they did not reprove them much. Among them one or two who understood things worried that in the future they would have no marketable skill, so they set aside their old art and began to learn needlework, spinning, and other women’s work.

One day there was a great sacrifice at court. Lady Jia and the others left at the fifth watch, first going to the lodging to eat some snacks, then entering court. After the morning meal, they withdrew to the lodging, ate breakfast, rested a little, then re-entered court to wait for the midday and evening sacrifices. After these were finished, they came out to rest at the lodging, and after supper returned home. It happened that the lodging was the family temple of a high official, where Buddhist nuns cultivated. The rooms were many and very clean. Of the east and west courts, the Rong mansion rented the east court, and the Prince of Beijing’s mansion rented the west. The Imperial Dowager Consort and the young consort rested there daily. Seeing Lady Jia and the others in the east court, they came and went together and looked after one another. The outside details need not be described.

Now in the Grand View Garden, because Lady Jia and Lady Wang were not home every day, and had gone to escort the coffin and would not return for a month, the maids and old women all had leisure and mostly played in the garden. Moreover, the old women who had served in Pear Fragrance Court were all withdrawn and distributed about the garden for duty, so there were several dozen more people in the garden. Since Wenguan and the others were either proud by nature, or bullied others by power, or were particular about clothes and food, or sharp-tongued, most were not content to keep their place. The old women all resented them but did not dare argue openly. Now that the school was broken up, everyone had their wish. Some let go of old grudges, but some narrow-minded ones still harbored resentment. As the girls were assigned to various quarters, they did not dare intrude.

It happened that this day was Qingming. Jia Lian had prepared the annual sacrifices and led Jia Huan, Jia Cong, and Jia Lan to Iron Threshold Temple to sacrifice and burn paper. Jia Rong of the Ning mansion also went with several clansmen, each with sacrifices. Because Baoyu was not fully recovered, he did not go. After the meal he felt drowsy. Xiren said, “The weather is fine. Go out for a stroll, so you don’t fall asleep right after the bowl of porridge and have it lie heavy on your heart.” Baoyu, hearing this, had to take a cane and slip on his shoes and walk out of the courtyard. Recently the garden had been divided among the old women to manage, each with her own duties. They were all busy: some trimming bamboo, some cutting trees, some planting flowers, some sowing beans; on the pond, the boatwomen were punting boats, dredging mud, and planting lotus. Xiangling, Xiangyun, Baoqin, and the maids were sitting on the rockery watching them for fun. Baoyu slowly came over. Xiangyun saw him and quickly said with a smile, “Quick, drive that boat away! They have come to fetch Cousin Lin.” Everyone laughed. Baoyu blushed and said with a smile, “It was someone else’s illness. Who meant any harm? You are making fun of it too.” Xiangyun smiled. “Your illness was different from other people’s. It was funny in itself, and now you blame others.” Baoyu sat down and watched the busy scene for a while. Xiangyun said, “There is wind here, and the stone is cold. Let us go sit elsewhere.”

Baoyu was just about to go see Lin Daiyu, so he rose, leaned on his cane, took leave of them, and walked along the embankment by the Dripping Fragrance Bridge. He saw willows trailing golden threads, peach blossoms breathing out crimson clouds. Behind a rockery stood a large apricot tree, its blossoms all fallen, its leaves thick and green, bearing many small apricots the size of beans. Baoyu thought, “I was ill only a few days, and I have missed the apricot blossoms! Before I knew it, it is ‘green leaves make shade and fruit fills the branches.’” He looked up at the apricots and could not bear to leave. Then he thought of Xing Xiuyan, who had been betrothed. Though marriage is a great matter for men and women and must be done, still another good girl was lost. In no more than two years she too would be “green leaves make shade and fruit fills the branches.” In a few days the apricots would fall and the branches be empty; in a few years Xiuyan’s black hair would be silver and her fair face withered. He could not help grieving, and wept and sighed at the apricot tree. As he was grieving, a bird flew over and perched on a branch, chirping wildly. Baoyu’s foolish nature was stirred. He thought, “This bird must have come when the apricot blossoms were in bloom. Now it sees no flowers, only fruit and leaves, so it chirps wildly. This sound must be weeping. It is a pity Gongye Chang is not here, or I could ask it. But I wonder, when the blossoms bloom again next year, will this bird remember to fly here and meet the apricot blossoms again?”

As he was lost in these fancies, he suddenly saw a flash of firelight from behind the rockery, which startled the bird away. Baoyu was greatly shocked. Then he heard someone on the other side shout, “Ouguan, you are dead! Why did you bring paper money in to burn? I will go back and report to the mistresses. Mind your flesh!” Baoyu was even more puzzled. He hurried around the rockery and saw Ouguan crouching there, face covered in tears, still holding fire, watching over a pile of paper ash and grieving. Baoyu quickly asked, “For whom are you burning paper money? Stop burning here. If it is for your parents or brothers, tell me their names, and I will send a page outside to make a paper bundle with their names and burn it.” Ouguan saw Baoyu and said nothing. Baoyu asked several times, but she did not answer. Suddenly an old woman came fiercely, pulled Ouguan, and said, “I have already reported to the mistresses. They are furious.” Ouguan, still childish, feared losing face and would not go. The old woman said, “I told you not to be too cocky. Now you are not outside where you can run wild as you please. This is a place with rules.” Pointing at Baoyu, she said, “Even our young master observes the rules. What sort of thing are you, coming here to make trouble? Fear is useless. Come with me quickly!” Baoyu quickly said, “She was not burning paper money. Cousin Lin told her to burn some spoiled written paper. You did not see clearly and wrongly accused her.” Ouguan, at a loss and afraid, was relieved to hear him cover for her. She put on a bold face and said, “Did you really see paper money? What I burned was the spoiled calligraphy paper written by Miss Lin!” The old woman, hearing this, grew even angrier. She bent down, picked two unburned scraps from the ash, and said, “You still talk back! Here is the evidence. I will take you to the hall to argue!” She pulled at Ouguan’s sleeve to drag her away. Baoyu quickly held Ouguan back, struck the old woman’s hand with his cane, and said, “Take that back if you like. I tell you the truth: last night I had a dream. The Apricot Blossom Spirit asked me for a string of white paper money. It could not be burned by anyone of my own household, but must be burned by an outsider for me, and then my illness would quickly mend. So I asked for this white money and begged Cousin Lin to send her to burn it and pray for me. I was not to let anyone know, which is why I could get up today. But you saw it. Now I am worse again, all because you interfered! And you still want to report her. Ouguan, go ahead. If you see them, say just what I said. When Lady Jia returns, I will say she deliberately offended the gods and prayed for my early death.” Ouguan, hearing this, gained confidence and instead pulled the old woman to go. The old woman, hearing this, quickly dropped the paper money and smiled apologetically to Baoyu. “I did not know. If you report me to Lady Jia, I am finished. I will go back to the mistresses and say it was the young master sacrificing to the gods, and I saw wrongly.” Baoyu said, “You are not to go back either. Then I will not tell.” The old woman said, “I have already reported and was sent to fetch her. How can I not go back? Very well, I will say I found her, but Miss Lin called her away.” Baoyu thought and then nodded. The old woman had to go.

Here Baoyu asked her, “For whom exactly were you burning paper? I think if it were for parents or brothers, you would have asked someone to burn it outside. Burning these few sheets here must be for a private reason.” Ouguan, moved by his protection, knew he was of her own kind. With tears she said, “No one knows about this except Fangguan in your rooms and Ruiguan with Miss Baochai. Today you have seen it, and you have shown such feeling, so I must tell you. But you must not tell anyone else.” She wept again. “I cannot say it to your face. Go back and quietly ask Fangguan when no one is by.” With that, she pretended to stroll away.

Baoyu heard this and was puzzled. He had to stroll to the Bamboo Lodge. He saw Daiyu was even thinner and more pitiable. On inquiry, she was much better than before. Daiyu saw he too was much thinner, and remembering past events, could not help weeping. They talked a little, and she urged him to go rest and recuperate. Baoyu had to return. He was anxious to ask Fangguan the whole story, but Xiangyun and Xiangling came, and were laughing and talking with Xiren and Fangguan. He could not call her away for fear of questioning, so he had to wait.

Presently Fangguan went with her foster mother to wash her hair. Her foster mother first called her own daughter to wash, and only then called Fangguan. Fangguan saw this and said she was partial: “You give me your daughter’s leftover water. You keep my monthly allowance, and besides profiting from me, you give me leftovers.” Her foster mother, ashamed and angry, scolded her: “Ungrateful thing! No wonder everyone says opera girls are hard to deal with. No matter how good a person, once in this trade, they are ruined. You little bitch, so choosy, talking such foul nonsense, like a mule that bites the herd!” The two quarreled. Xiren quickly sent someone to say, “Stop shouting. Seeing Lady Jia is not home, you all can’t even speak a quiet word.” Qingwen said, “It is all Fangguan’s fault. She doesn’t know how to behave, mad with pride over nothing. She knows two operas and acts as if she had killed a rebel king and captured a traitor.” Xiren said, “One hand cannot clap. The old one is too unfair, and the young one too hateful.” Baoyu said, “You cannot blame Fangguan. As the saying goes, ‘When things are unequal, they cry out.’ She has no parents or kin, no one to look after her here. They take her money and mistreat her. How can you blame her?” He said to Xiren, “How much is her monthly allowance? Better you take it and look after her. Wouldn’t that be simpler?” Xiren said, “Would I not look after her without it? Why need her few coins to look after her? I would only get scolded.” She rose and went to the room, took a bottle of floral dew oil, some eggs, scented soap, hair strings, and the like, and sent an old woman to give them to Fangguan, telling her to get fresh water and wash herself, and not to quarrel. Her foster mother was even more ashamed, and said Fangguan had no conscience and was trying to make her out as withholding money. She slapped Fangguan several times, and Fangguan cried. Baoyu came out. Xiren urged, “What are you doing? I will go speak to her.” Qingwen hurried over first, pointed at the foster mother, and said, “You old woman are too unreasonable. You did not give her things to wash her hair, and we generously gave her things. You are not ashamed, and still have the face to beat her. If she were still in the school learning her art, would you dare beat her?” The old woman said, “Once she calls me mother, she is my daughter for life. She made a scene at me, so I can beat her.” Xiren called Sheyue: “I cannot quarrel with people. Qingwen is too hot-tempered. Go over and frighten her a bit.” Sheyue went over and said, “Stop shouting. Let me ask you: not to mention our quarter, look at the whole garden—who ever teaches a daughter in a master’s rooms? Even your own daughter, once she is assigned to a room and has a master, the master may beat and scold her, and the older maids and sisters may beat and scold her. Who allows the parents to interfere halfway? If all did so, what would they learn from us? The older you get, the less rules you have! You saw how Zhui’er’s mother came to make a scene the other day, and you imitate her? Don’t worry. Because of all these illnesses lately and Lady Jia having no leisure, I have not reported it. In a few days when things are quiet, we will report it thoroughly and take everyone’s airs down a peg. Baoyu has just gotten a little better, and even we do not dare speak loudly, yet you beat her till she howls like a ghost. The masters have been away only a few days and you are already lawless, with no respect for us. In two more days you will be beating us. She does not want you as a foster mother—will dung bury her?” Baoyu was so angry he struck the threshold with his cane and said, “These old women have iron hearts and stone bowels. It is a strange thing. They cannot care for her, but instead torment her. Day after day, how can this go on?” Qingwen said, “What ‘how can this go on’? Drive them all out. We don’t want these good-for-nothings.” The old woman was overwhelmed with shame and said nothing. Fangguan, wearing only a small crabapple-red padded jacket, silk flowered trousers with loose cuffs, her black oily hair falling behind, cried like a figure of tears. Sheyue said with a smile, “You have turned a Miss Yingying into a beaten Hongniang! Now she is not made up, and still so slack.” Baoyu said, “Her natural face is very good. Do not make her too neat.” Qingwen went over, pulled her, washed her hair, wrung it dry with a towel, loosely tied it in a lazy bun, and told her to dress and come over.

Then the old woman from the kitchen came to ask, “Supper is ready. Shall we send it?” The little maid came in and asked Xiren. Xiren smiled, “We were quarreling just now and did not notice the clock.” Qingwen said, “That nuisance is out of order again. We will have to fix it.” She took out her watch and looked. “Wait about half a tea’s time.” The little maid went. Sheyue smiled, “Speaking of mischief, Fangguan deserves a few blows too. Yesterday she fiddled with that pendant and broke it in half a day.” As she spoke, she prepared the dishes. Presently the little maid came in with a box and stood still. Qingwen and Sheyue opened it and saw only four small dishes. Qingwen smiled, “She is better now, and still not given two light dishes. How long will this porridge and salted vegetables go on?” She set them out and looked in the box. There was a bowl of ham and fresh bamboo shoot soup. She quickly set it before Baoyu. Baoyu drank a mouthful from the table and said, “It’s hot!” Xiren smiled, “Buddha! You have not seen meat for a few days and are so greedy.” She picked it up and gently blew on it. Seeing Fangguan nearby, she handed it to her and smiled, “You learn to serve too. Don’t just sit there silly. Blow lightly, don’t spit in it.” Fangguan did as told and blew several times, quite properly.

Her foster mother also hurried to bring food and wait outside. Formerly when Fangguan and the others first came, they had been acknowledged as foster daughters outside and went to Pear Fragrance Court. This old woman was originally a third-class servant in the Rong mansion, only told to wash clothes for them, and had never served inside, so she did not know the inner rules. Now she had come into the garden with her foster daughter and was allowed to follow her to her room. She had just been reprimanded by Sheyue and knew a little. She feared that if Fangguan did not acknowledge her as foster mother, she would lose many advantages, so she wanted to win them over. Now seeing Fangguan blowing the soup, she hurried in and said with a smile, “She is not careful. Mind she breaks the bowl. Let me blow it.” She reached for it. Qingwen shouted, “Get out! Even if she breaks the bowl, it is not your turn to blow. What business do you have coming into this inner room? Get out.” She scolded the little maids: “Are you blind? She does not know, but you should have told her!” The little maids said, “We tried to drive her out, but she would not go. We told her, but she would not believe us. Now you see how she gets us scolded. The places we can go—you have not even half of them. And there are places even we cannot go. Yet she not only goes where we cannot, but reaches out and opens her mouth.” They pushed her out. Several old women waiting below for the empty boxes saw her come out and laughed, “Sister-in-law, did you not look in the mirror before going in?” The old woman was ashamed, angry, and resentful, but had to endure it.

Fangguan blew a few more times. Baoyu smiled, “That’s enough. Mind you hurt your breath. Taste a mouthful. Is it all right?” Fangguan thought he was joking and only smiled at Xiren and the others. Xiren said, “Just taste it. What harm?” Qingwen smiled, “Watch me taste it.” She drank a mouthful. Fangguan, seeing this, tasted it too and said, “It’s ready.” She handed it to Baoyu. Baoyu drank half a bowl, ate a few slices of bamboo shoot, and half a bowl of porridge, then stopped. They cleared the things away. A little maid brought the washbasin, and after rinsing and washing, Xiren and the others went out to eat. Baoyu made a sign to Fangguan. Fangguan was clever and had learned opera for years; she understood everything. She pretended to have a headache and would not eat. Xiren said, “If you are not eating, stay in the room with him. We will keep this porridge for you. If you are hungry later, eat it.” Then they all left.

Now Baoyu and Fangguan were alone. Baoyu told her the whole story from the firelight, how he saw Ouguan, how he lied to protect her, and how Ouguan told him to ask her. He asked her for whom Ouguan had been sacrificing. Fangguan listened, her face full of smiles, then sighed. “This is both laughable and lamentable.” Baoyu quickly asked how. Fangguan smiled, “Do you know whom she was sacrificing to? She was sacrificing to the dead Di Guan.” Baoyu said, “That is friendship. It is proper.” Fangguan smiled, “Friendship? It is a mad, foolish idea. She says she herself was the young male role, and Di Guan was the young female role. They often played husband and wife. Though it was pretend, every day the lyrics and stage business were truly tender and intimate, so the two went mad. Even when not acting, in ordinary food, drink, sitting, and rising, the two loved each other. When Di Guan died, she cried herself half dead and has not forgotten her. So she burns paper at every festival. Later Ruiguan replaced her, and we saw she was just as tender and thoughtful. We asked her if she had forgotten the old for the new. She said, ‘There is a great principle here. For example, when a man loses his wife, if he ought to remarry, he should. But if he does not cast off the dead and forget her, that is deep feeling. If he refuses to remarry because of the dead and remains alone all his life, harming the great principle, that is not right, and the dead would be uneasy.’ Would you say she is mad and silly? Is it not laughable?” Baoyu heard this foolish talk and it exactly suited his own foolish nature. He was both delighted and sorrowful, and called it wonderful and unique. He said, “Since Heaven has produced such a person, why does it need a filthy man like me to disgrace the world?” He quickly pulled Fangguan and said, “Since that is so, I have a message for her. It is not convenient for me to speak to her face to face. You must tell her.” Fangguan asked what. Baoyu said, “From now on she must never burn paper money. Paper money is a later heresy, not the teaching of Confucius. In the future, on festivals and dates, just prepare a censer. On the day, burn incense as you please. With a sincere heart, it will be felt. Foolish people do not know this. Whether for gods, Buddhas, or the dead, they must make distinctions and grades. They do not know that only the two words ‘sincere heart’ matter. Even in times of panic and flight, if there is no incense, any clean earth or grass can serve as an offering. Not only the dead will enjoy it, but gods and ghosts will come. Look at my desk: there is only one censer. I burn incense often, regardless of date. They do not know why, but in my heart each has its reason. If there is clear tea, offer a cup; if fresh water, offer a bowl; if fresh flowers or fruit, or even meat dishes, as long as the heart is sincere and clean, even Buddha will enjoy it. So it is the reverence that matters, not empty names. Tell her never to burn paper again.” Fangguan heard and assented. Presently after the meal, someone announced, “Lady Jia and Lady Wang have returned.”