The Birthday Banquet at Green Delights Prolongs the Revels Till Night; Death by Golden Elixir Leaves His Sole Widow to Manage the Funeral

The maids of Green Delights gave a birthday party for Baoyu, and they all caroused far into the night; Jia Jing died from taking a golden elixir, and his widow, Madam You, had to manage the funeral alone.

Baoyu went back to his room to wash his hands. “Let’s have a party tonight,” he said to Aroma. “We can all relax and enjoy ourselves. If there’s anything special you’d like to eat, tell them now so they can get it ready.”

“Don’t worry,” Aroma said with a smile. “Musk, Skybright, Autumn, and I are each contributing five silver cents, making two taels in all. Parfumée, Emerald, Swallow, and Scribe are giving three cents each; that makes three taels, two cents, not counting those who are just pretending and can’t be counted on. We’ve already given the money to Mrs. Liu to buy us forty plates of dried and fresh fruits and nuts. I’ve also spoken to Patience. We’ve had a jar of good Shaoxing wine put aside over there. The eight of us are giving you this party by ourselves.”

Baoyu was delighted. “They shouldn’t have to pay for it.”

“They’re poor, but we’re not rich!” said Skybright. “This is a joint contribution. It doesn’t matter where the money comes from. They want to do it, so let them.”

“You’re right,” Baoyu said with a smile.

“If he didn’t have you to talk back to him once a day, he’d never get through the day,” Aroma said with a smile.

“You’ve learned some bad habits lately,” Skybright said. “All you do is stir up trouble.”

Everyone laughed.

“Let’s close the gate,” said Baoyu.

“No wonder people say you’re ‘busy about nothing,’” Aroma said. “If we close the gate now, people will get suspicious. We’d better wait a little longer.”

Baoyu nodded. “I’ll go out for a little stroll. Scribe, go draw some water. Swallow, you come with me.”

He walked outside. Seeing no one around, he asked Swallow about Fivey.

“I told Mrs. Liu just now,” Swallow said. “She was very happy about it. But Fivey was so upset that night that she went home and got sick. She can’t come. We’ll have to wait till she’s better.”

Baoyu sighed regretfully. “Does Aroma know about this?” he asked.

“I didn’t tell her,” Swallow said. “I don’t know whether Parfumée did.”

“I didn’t tell her either,” Baoyu said. “Never mind, I’ll tell her later.”

He went back inside and pretended to wash his hands.

It was already time to light the lamps. They heard a crowd of people coming through the gate. Peeping out through the window, they saw Lin Zhixiao’s wife approaching with several other women in charge of household affairs. A large lantern was carried in front of them.

“They’ve come to inspect the night watch,” Skybright whispered. “Once they’re gone, we can close the gate.”

The night watch of Green Delights came out to greet them. Lin Zhixiao’s wife looked them over.

“Don’t gamble or drink,” she warned. “And don’t sleep like logs until dawn. If I hear of anyone doing that, I won’t stand for it.”

“Who’d dare?” the maids replied, laughing.

“Is Master Bao asleep?” Lin Zhixiao’s wife asked.

No one knew.

Aroma nudged Baoyu. He slipped on his shoes and went out to greet her.

“I’m still up,” he said with a smile. “Come in and rest a while, Nanny.” He called out, “Aroma, bring some tea.”

Lin Zhixiao’s wife came in. “Still up?” she said with a smile. “The days are long now and the nights short. You should go to bed earlier so you can get up earlier. If you get up late, people will laugh at you. They’ll say you’re not acting like a young gentleman studying for the examinations, but like a common laborer.” She laughed again.

“You’re right, Nanny,” Baoyu said with a smile. “I always go to bed early. Every night when you come, I’m already asleep and don’t even know it. Tonight I ate some noodles and was afraid they wouldn’t digest, so I’m staying up a little longer.”

Lin Zhixiao’s wife turned to Aroma and the others. “You should brew him some Pu’er tea.”

“We’ve made a pot of Daughter’s Tea,” Aroma and Skybright said. “He’s already had two cups. Have a cup, Auntie. It’s all ready.”

Skybright poured a cup.

“I’ve heard that Master Bao has changed his manner of speaking lately,” Lin Zhixiao’s wife said. “He’s calling these older maids by their names. Even though they’re in this household, they belong to the old lady and Lady Wang. He should show them more respect. Once in a while it doesn’t matter, but if he keeps it up, his younger brothers and nephews will follow his example. People will laugh and say the younger generation of this family has no respect for their elders.”

“You’re right, Nanny,” Baoyu said with a smile. “I only do it once in a while.”

“Don’t blame him,” Aroma and Skybright said. “He’s never stopped calling us ‘sister.’ Only when he’s playing does he call us by our names. When others are around, he’s the same as before.”

“That’s good,” Lin Zhixiao’s wife said. “That’s how a young gentleman who’s studied the rites should behave. The more humble you are, the more respect you command. Never mind people who’ve been in the family for generations; even the cats and dogs of the old lady and Lady Wang’s rooms shouldn’t be hurt. That’s how a well-bred young gentleman acts.”

She drank her tea. “Please go to bed,” she said. “We’re leaving.”

“Stay a little longer,” Baoyu said.

But Lin Zhixiao’s wife had already left with her companions to inspect other quarters.

Skybright and the others quickly closed the gate. “That old woman must have had a cup of wine somewhere,” she said with a smile. “She talked and talked and gave us a regular lecture.”

“She meant well,” Musk said. “She has to remind us now and then. She’s afraid we’ll overstep the mark.”

They set out the wine and fruit.

“We don’t need a round table,” Aroma said. “Let’s put that rosewood kang table on the kang. It’s roomier and more convenient.”

They lifted it over. Musk and Scribe went to fetch the fruit. It took them four or five trips with two large tea trays.

Two old women crouched outside over the fire, warming the wine.

“It’s hot,” Baoyu said. “Let’s take off our heavy clothes.”

“You can if you like,” the others said. “We still have to take turns proposing toasts.”

“That’ll take us till dawn,” Baoyu said. “You know I hate all that formality. I have to put up with it in front of outsiders, but don’t annoy me now.”

“All right,” they said.

They all took off their formal clothes and let down their hair. Baoyu wore a red cotton jacket and green silk trousers, his trouser legs loose. He leaned against a jade-colored pillow stuffed with rose and peony petals. He and Parfumée were the first to play the finger-guessing game.

Parfumée was complaining of the heat. She wore a little jacket of jade, red, and violet silk, a green sash, and pink flowered trousers, also with loose legs. Her hair was braided in small plaits around her forehead, gathered into one thick braid at the top and hanging down her back. In her right ear she wore a tiny jade plug, and in her left ear a large red gold earring. Her face was as round and white as the full moon, her eyes as clear as autumn water.

“They look like twin brothers,” everyone said, laughing.

Aroma and the others poured the wine. “Wait before you play the finger-guessing game,” they said. “Even though we’re not proposing toasts formally, each of you must take a sip from our cups.”

Aroma went first, touching the cup to her lips. The others followed.

Then they all sat down. Swallow and Scribe, unable to squeeze onto the kang, sat on two chairs nearby.

The forty plates were all of white porcelain, each the size of a small saucer. They contained every kind of delicacy from north and south, from China and abroad, dried and fresh, from land and sea.

“Let’s play a drinking game,” Baoyu said.

“Something refined,” Aroma said. “Don’t shout and make a racket. And we can’t read, so don’t suggest anything literary.”

“Let’s throw dice and play ‘Grab the Red,’” Musk said.

“That’s no fun,” Baoyu said. “Let’s play the flower-name game.”

“I’ve been wanting to play that,” Skybright said.

“It’s fun, but there are too few of us,” Aroma said.

“Let’s quietly invite Miss Bao and Miss Lin,” Swallow said. “We can play a round and go to bed at the second watch.”

“That would mean opening the gate and making noise,” Aroma said. “If the night watch hears us, we’ll be in trouble.”

“What are you afraid of?” Baoyu said. “Miss Tan likes to drink too. Let’s invite her. And Miss Qin.”

“Miss Qin can’t come,” they all said. “She’s staying with Mrs. Li. It would be too much trouble.”

“What are you afraid of?” Baoyu said. “Go and invite them.”

Swallow and Scribe ran off to open the gate and invite them.

“They may not come,” Skybright, Musk, and Aroma said. “We’d better go ourselves and drag them here.”

Aroma and Skybright had an old woman light a lantern, and they went off too.

As expected, Baochai said it was too late, and Daiyu said she wasn’t feeling well. But the two maids begged them to come for a little while.

Tanchun was delighted. She thought, “If I don’t invite Li Wan, she’ll be hurt if she finds out.” She sent Emerald and Swallow to invite Li Wan and Baoqin. They all arrived at Green Delights.

Aroma dragged Caltrop in too. They put another table on the kang and finally had enough seats.

“Little Lin is afraid of the cold,” Baoyu said. “Come and sit over here against the wall.” He gave her a backrest.

Aroma and the others sat on chairs below the kang.

Daiyu leaned far back against her backrest. “You’re always saying people shouldn’t drink and gamble at night,” she said to Baochai, Li Wan, and Tanchun. “Now we’re doing it ourselves. How can we criticize others after this?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Li Wan said. “We only do this once in a while, on birthdays and holidays. We don’t do it every night. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Skybright brought a bamboo tube containing ivory flower-name slips. She shook it and put it in the middle. Then she took the dice and put them in a bowl. She shook the bowl and uncovered it. It was five. She counted to Baochai.

“I’ll be the first,” Baochai said with a smile. “I wonder what I’ll draw.”

She shook the tube and drew a slip. It showed a peony with the words “Beauty Supreme.”

Below was a line of Tang poetry:

Though she be heartless, she is still moving.

The note said: “All present must congratulate her with a cup. She is the queen of flowers. She may command anyone to compose a poem or tell a joke to accompany the wine.”

“How appropriate!” everyone said. “You are a peony.”

They all drank a cup to congratulate her.

“Parfumée, sing us a song,” Baochai said.

“Then everyone must drain their cups first,” Parfumée said.

They all drank.

Parfumée sang:

“At the birthday feast the scenery is fine.”

“Stop!” everyone said. “We don’t need you to sing birthday wishes. Sing something good.”

Parfumée sang “Enjoying the Flowers”:

With a broom of phoenix feathers I sweep the fallen blossoms at the gate of heaven. See the wind rise and the jade dust fly. Suddenly beneath a cloud I find myself at the edge of the world. Do not try to slay the yellow dragon with one stroke, do not sell wine to the poor old man of the east. Keep your eyes on the clouds. Lü Dongbin, when you have found the one you seek, return quickly. If you delay, you will leave only regret among the green peach blossoms.

When she finished, Baoyu was still holding the slip, repeating over and over, “Though she be heartless, she is still moving.” He gazed at Parfumée without speaking.

Xiangyun snatched the slip and threw it to Baochai.

Baochai threw sixteen. It was Tanchun’s turn.

“I wonder what I’ll get,” Tanchun said. She drew a slip, looked at it, and threw it on the ground, blushing. “This is no good. We shouldn’t play this game. It’s for men outside. It’s full of nonsense.”

The others didn’t understand. Aroma picked it up. It showed an apricot blossom with the words “Immortal of the Jade Pool.”

The poem was:

The red apricot by the sun leans on the clouds to grow.

The note said: “She who draws this will get a noble husband. Everyone must congratulate her with a cup and drink with her.”

“What did I tell you?” everyone said. “This is a game for young ladies. Only two or three slips have notes like this. There’s nothing improper. We already have a princess in our family. Are you going to be a princess too? Congratulations!”

They all came to toast her. Tanchun refused to drink, but Xiangyun, Caltrop, Li Wan, and another forced her to drink.

Tanchun wanted to throw the slip away and play something else, but the others wouldn’t let her.

Xiangyun took her hand and made her throw nineteen. It was Li Wan’s turn.

Li Wan shook the tube and drew a slip. “Excellent!” she said with a smile. “Look at this. It’s interesting.”

It showed an old plum blossom with the words “Frosty Dawn of Winter.”

The poem was:

By the bamboo fence and thatched hut I am content.

The note said: “Drink a cup yourself. The next player throws the dice.”

“How funny!” Li Wan said. “You go ahead. I’ll drink a cup and not worry about the rest of you.”

She drank and passed the dice to Daiyu.

Daiyu threw eighteen. It was Xiangyun’s turn.

Xiangyun rolled up her sleeves and drew a slip. It showed a crab apple blossom with the words “Deep in Fragrant Dreams.”

The poem was:

I fear only that deep in the night the flowers will sleep.

“Change ‘deep in the night’ to ‘cold on the stone,’” Daiyu said.

Everyone laughed, knowing she was teasing Xiangyun about sleeping on the stone that day.

Xiangyun pointed at the toy boat and said to Daiyu, “Get on that boat and go home. Don’t talk so much.”

Everyone laughed.

The note said: “Since it says ‘deep in fragrant dreams,’ the one who draws this slip must not drink. The players above and below her must each drink a cup.”

“Amitabha!” Xiangyun said, clapping. “What a good slip!”

Daiyu was above her, Baoyu below.

They each poured a cup and had to drink. Baoyu drank half, then, when no one was looking, passed the cup to Parfumée, who drained it.

Daiyu, talking to the others, poured her wine into the spittoon.

Xiangyun threw nine. It was Musk’s turn.

Musk drew a slip. It showed a rose with the words “Prime of Youth.”

The poem was:

When the rose blooms, all flowers are done.

The note said: “Everyone must drink three cups to speed the spring.”

“What does it mean?” Musk asked.

Baoyu, frowning, hid the slip. “Let’s just drink,” he said.

They all took three sips to make up the three cups.

Musk threw nineteen. It was Caltrop’s turn.

Caltrop drew a slip showing a double blossom with the words “Twin Spring and Auspicious Omens.”

The poem was:

On the twin branches the flowers are in bloom.

The note said: “Congratulate the drawer with three cups. Everyone must drink one cup.”

Caltrop threw six. It was Daiyu’s turn.

Daiyu thought, “I wonder if I’ll get a good one.”

She drew a slip. It showed a hibiscus with the words “Clear Sorrow in the Wind and Dew.”

The poem was:

Do not complain of the east wind; you have only yourself to blame.

The note said: “Drink a cup yourself. The peony must drink with you.”

“This is perfect,” everyone said. “No one but her deserves to be the hibiscus.”

Daiyu smiled. She drank and threw twenty. It was Aroma’s turn.

Aroma drew a slip showing a peach blossom with the words “Peach Blossom Spring.”

The poem was:

The peach is red again in another spring.

The note said: “The apricot blossom must drink a cup. Anyone of the same age, same birthday, or same surname must drink a cup.”

“This is going to be fun,” everyone said.

They calculated: Caltrop, Skybright, and Baochai were the same age as Aroma. Daiyu had the same birthday. No one had the same surname.

“My surname is Hua too,” Parfumée said. “I’ll drink a cup with her.”

They all poured wine.

Daiyu said to Tanchun with a smile, “You’re the one who’s destined to get a noble husband. You’re the apricot blossom. Drink up so we can drink.”

“What’s this?” Tanchun said. “Sister-in-law, give her a slap.”

“I can’t bear to hit someone who isn’t getting a noble husband,” Li Wan said.

Everyone laughed.

Aroma was about to throw the dice when someone knocked at the gate. An old woman went to see. It was a messenger from Aunt Xue to fetch Daiyu.

“What time is it?” everyone asked.

“After the second watch,” the messenger said. “The bell has struck eleven.”

Baoyu didn’t believe it. He looked at his watch. It was after eleven.

Daiyu stood up. “I can’t stay any longer,” she said. “I have to take my medicine.”

“We should all go,” the others said.

Aroma and Baoyu tried to keep them.

“It’s too late,” Li Wan and Baochai said. “This is already going too far.”

“Then have one more cup before you go,” Aroma said.

Skybright and the others filled the cups. Everyone drank and called for lanterns. Aroma and the others saw them off as far as the pavilion by the river.

They closed the gate and continued the game. Aroma and the others poured more wine and gave the old women outside some fruit and vegetables.

They were all a little drunk. They played the finger-guessing game and sang songs.

By the fourth watch, the old women had eaten and drunk their fill, and the wine jar was empty. They were surprised. They washed and went to bed.

Parfumée was flushed, her eyes and brows even more charming. She was tired and leaned on Aroma. “I feel dizzy, sister,” she said.

“Who told you to drink so much?” Aroma said with a smile.

Swallow and Scribe were also tired and went to bed.

Skybright kept calling.

“Don’t call them,” Baoyu said. “Let’s just rest.”

He lay down on his red fragrant pillow and fell asleep.

Aroma saw that Parfumée was very drunk. Afraid she would be sick, she gently got up and laid Parfumée down beside Baoyu. Then she lay down on the couch opposite.

They slept soundly, not knowing where they were.

At dawn, Aroma opened her eyes. The sky was bright. “We’re late,” she said.

She looked at the bed opposite. Parfumée was still asleep, her head on the edge of the kang. Aroma woke her.

Baoyu turned over and woke up. “We’re late!” he said. He shook Parfumée.

Parfumée sat up, still dazed, rubbing her eyes.

“Shameless!” Aroma said with a smile. “You got drunk and didn’t care where you slept.”

Parfumée looked around and realized she had slept in Baoyu’s bed. She got up quickly. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said.

“I didn’t know either,” Baoyu said. “If I had, I would have painted your face black.”

The maids came in to help them wash.

“I’ll give a return party tonight,” Baoyu said.

“No, no,” Aroma said. “Don’t do it again. People will talk.”

“What are you afraid of?” Baoyu said. “We’ve only done it twice. We’re good drinkers. How did we finish that jar of wine? It was fun, and now it’s gone.”

“That’s what made it fun,” Aroma said. “If we had drunk until we were tired of it, it wouldn’t have been as good. Last night was wonderful. Skybright even forgot her shyness and sang.”

“You sang too, sister,” Scribe said. “Everyone who was there sang!”

They all blushed and covered their faces, laughing.

Patience came in, smiling. She had come to invite everyone who had been at the party. “I’m giving a return party today,” she said. “Not one of you can be missing.”

They invited her to sit and have tea.

“Too bad you weren’t there last night,” Skybright said.

“What did you do?” Patience asked.

“You can’t imagine,” Aroma said. “It was more fun than any party the old lady and Lady Wang ever gave. We finished a whole jar of wine. We all lost our shyness and sang. We didn’t go to bed till the fourth watch.”

“Well!” Patience said. “I asked for the wine for you, and you didn’t invite me. Now you tell me about it to make me jealous.”

“He’s giving a return party today,” Skybright said. “He’ll invite you. Just wait.”

“Who is ‘he’?” Patience asked with a smile.

Skybright laughed and hit her. “You’re so sharp-eared!”

“I have things to do now,” Patience said. “I’ll send someone to invite you later. If anyone doesn’t come, I’ll come and drag them here.”

Baoyu and the others tried to keep her, but she left.

Baoyu washed and was drinking tea when he noticed a piece of paper under the inkstone. “You shouldn’t leave things lying around,” he said.

“What is it now?” Aroma and Skybright asked. “Who’s done something wrong?”

“What’s under the inkstone?” Baoyu said. “Someone must have left it there.”

Skybright picked it up and handed it to him. It was a pink note. It said: “Miaoyu, the one beyond the threshold, respectfully wishes you a happy birthday.”

Baoyu jumped up. “Who brought this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Aroma and Skybright, seeing his excitement, asked, “Who brought a note yesterday?”

Scribe ran in. “Miaoyu didn’t come herself,” she said. “She sent an old woman. I put it there and forgot about it after the party.”

“I thought it was something important,” the others said. “It’s not worth getting so excited about.”

Baoyu called for paper and ink. He saw she had signed it “Beyond the Threshold” and didn’t know how to reply.

He thought, “If I ask Baochai, she’ll criticize it as strange. I’d better ask Daiyu.”

He put the note in his sleeve and went to find Daiyu.

As he passed the pavilion, he saw Xiuyan coming toward him.

“Where are you going, sister?” he asked.

“I’m going to talk to Miaoyu,” Xiuyan said.

Baoyu was surprised. “She’s so aloof and out of step with the world. No one is good enough for her. I didn’t know she respected you. She must know you’re not like the rest of us.”

“She may not really respect me,” Xiuyan said. “But we were neighbors for ten years. She was in the nunnery at Panxiang Temple. My family was poor and rented a house there. We lived there for ten years. I used to visit her. She taught me to read. We were poor friends, and she was half my teacher. We went to visit relatives, and I heard she came here because she didn’t fit in and powerful people didn’t like her. Now we’ve met again by fate. She still treats me as a friend, even more than before.”

Baoyu was thunderstruck. “No wonder you’re so otherworldly, sister. Now I understand. I have a problem and need your advice. This is fate.” He showed her the note.

Xiuyan smiled. “She hasn’t changed. She’s still so eccentric. Who ever heard of signing a note with a pen name? It’s neither monk nor layman, neither woman nor man. What sense does it make?”

“You don’t know, sister,” Baoyu said. “She’s not like other people. She’s beyond the world. She gave me this note because she thinks I have a little understanding. I don’t know how to reply. I was going to ask Daiyu. I’m glad I met you.”

Xiuyan looked him up and down for a while. “No wonder they say seeing is believing. No wonder she sent you this note and gave you those plum blossoms last year. Since she’s like that, I’ll tell you. She often says, ‘Since the Han, Jin, and Tang dynasties, there’s been no good poetry. Only two lines are good: “Though you have a thousand-year iron threshold, in the end you need a dirt mound.”’ That’s why she calls herself ‘Beyond the Threshold.’ She also praises Zhuangzi, so she sometimes calls herself ‘the Odd One.’ If she signs herself ‘the Odd One,’ you should sign yourself ‘the Worldly One.’ The Odd One is the lonely one; you humble yourself as a worldly person, and she’ll be pleased. Now she calls herself ‘Beyond the Threshold,’ meaning she has stepped outside the iron threshold. So you should sign yourself ‘Within the Threshold,’ and she’ll be happy.”

Baoyu felt enlightened. “So that’s why our family temple is called Iron Threshold Temple!” he said. “Please go ahead, sister. I’ll write my reply.”

Xiuyan went to Green Lattice Nunnery.

Baoyu wrote: “Baoyu, within the threshold, bows respectfully.” He took it to the nunnery and slipped it through the door.

He saw Parfumée had done her hair and put on ornaments. He made her change her clothes and shave her head, leaving a bald crown with a part in the middle. “In winter you can wear a sable cap,” he said. “And on your feet, tiger-head cloud-pattern boots, or loose trousers with white socks and thick-soled shoes.”

He said, “Parfumée isn’t a good name. We’ll give you a man’s name.”

He renamed her “Hero.”

Parfumée was delighted. “If you go out, take me with you,” she said. “If anyone asks, say I’m your page, like Tealeaf.”

“People will see through it,” Baoyu said.

“You’re foolish,” Parfumée said. “We have foreign slaves in the family. Say I’m one of them. Everyone says I look good with braids. What do you think?”

Baoyu was delighted. “That’s a good idea. I’ve seen officials with foreign slaves. They’re not afraid of the cold and are good riders. We’ll give you a foreign name: Yelü Hero. ‘Hero’ sounds like ‘Hun.’ They’re both barbarian names. Since the time of Yao and Shun, these people have been a plague on China. The Jin and Tang dynasties suffered from them. We’re lucky to be born in this great age, under the virtuous emperor. His virtue and filial piety are known throughout the world. All the petty rebels of past dynasties have surrendered without a fight. We should despise them and show our loyalty to the emperor.”

“If that’s so,” Parfumée said, “you should practice archery and horsemanship and go capture a few rebels yourself. Why use us? You’re just playing with words and calling it praise.”

“You don’t understand,” Baoyu said. “The world is at peace. We won’t need weapons for a thousand years. Even in play we should praise the emperor for giving us this peaceful life.”

Parfumée agreed. Baoyu called her Yelü Hero.

In fact, both branches of the Jia family had slaves captured by their ancestors. They were only used to tend horses and were not important.

Xiangyun loved to dress as a boy. She often wore a belt and short sleeves. When she saw Baoyu had dressed Parfumée as a boy, she dressed Sunflower as a boy too. Sunflower often shaved her head for painting her face. She was quick and handy, so it was easy.

Li Wan and Tanchun liked it too. They dressed Baoqin’s Bean as a page, with two buns and a red jacket and shoes. She looked like a page in a play.

Xiangyun renamed Sunflower “Great Hero.” Since her surname was Wei, she called her Wei Great Hero, meaning “Only a great hero can be true to himself.” Why paint your face to be a man?

Bean was small and clever, so she was called Bean. Some called her “Little Bean,” some “Fried Bean.” Baoqin said “page” and “book boy” were too common. Bean was more unusual, so she called her “Bean Page.”

After the meal, Patience gave her return party. Red Fragrance Courtyard was too hot, so they set up tables in Elm Shade Hall.

Madam You brought her two concubines, Peifeng and Xieyuan. They were young and playful. They seldom came, but now they met Xiangyun, Caltrop, and the others. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” They laughed and talked, ignoring Madam You. The maids served them.

They came to Green Delights. They heard Baoyu call “Yelü Hero.” Peifeng, Xieyuan, and Caltrop all laughed and asked what it meant. They tried to say it too, but got the sounds wrong. Some said “Wild Donkey.” Everyone laughed.

Baoyu saw they were making fun of her and was afraid she would be hurt. He said, “In the West, there’s a country called France. They have a gold-star glass gem. In their language it’s called ‘Wendulina.’ I’ll compare you to it and call you Wendulina.”

Parfumée was delighted. “That’s it.”

But the others found it hard to say and called her “Glass” in Chinese.

They were all in Elm Shade Hall, drinking and playing. They had a blind woman play the drum. Patience picked a peony, and about twenty people played the flower-passing game.

Someone came to say the Zhen family had sent two women with gifts. Tanchun, Li Wan, and Madam You went to the reception hall.

The others went out to stroll. Peifeng and Xieyuan played on the swing. Baoyu said, “I’ll push you.”

Peifeng was alarmed. “Don’t get us into trouble. Ask ‘Wild Donkey’ to push us.”

Baoyu laughed. “Don’t play, sisters. People will learn to curse her.”

Xieyuan said, “I’m laughing so hard I can’t swing. I’ll fall and break your neck.”

Peifeng chased her.

While they were playing, some people from the East Mansion ran in, panic-stricken. “The old master has ascended to heaven!”

Everyone was shocked. “He wasn’t sick! How could he die?”

The servants said, “He cultivated every day. He must have completed his work and become an immortal.”

When Madam You heard this, and saw that Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, and Jia Lian were all away, she was frantic. There was no man to rely on.

She took off her ornaments and sent someone to the Temple of True Faith to lock up all the Taoists until Jia Zhen came home to question them. She took Lai Sheng and some servants and went out of the city. She sent for a doctor to see what the illness was.

The doctors saw he was dead and couldn’t feel his pulse. They knew Jia Jing’s breathing exercises were fake. He had worshipped the stars, kept vigil, and taken cinnabar. He had overtaxed himself and ruined his life. His belly was as hard as iron, his lips and face burned purple and cracked.

They told the women, “He died from taking a golden elixir, which burned him up.”

The Taoists said in panic, “The master took a new elixir. We warned him not to take it before his work was complete. But he took it secretly tonight while keeping vigil. He has ascended. He must have been devout and escaped the sea of suffering. He has shed his mortal body.”

Madam You didn’t listen. She had them locked up until Jia Zhen came. She sent a messenger on a fast horse.

She saw the place was too small to keep the body. It couldn’t be brought into the city. She had him dressed and taken by soft sedan to Iron Threshold Temple. She calculated it would be at least half a month before Jia Zhen could arrive. The weather was hot. She couldn’t wait. She took charge and had an astrologer choose a day for the encoffining. The coffin had been stored there years ago. It was convenient.

Three days later they began the mourning. She had masses said while waiting for Jia Zhen.

In the Rong Mansion, Xifeng couldn’t come out. Li Wan was looking after the girls. Baoyu didn’t understand such matters. They had to rely on several second-class managers. Jia Huan, Jia Guang, Jia Heng, Jia Ying, Jia Chang, and Jia Ling had their duties.

Madam You couldn’t go home, so she sent for her stepmother to look after the Ning Mansion. Her stepmother brought her two unmarried daughters.

When Jia Zhen heard the news, he asked for leave. Jia Rong also had a post. The Board of Rites saw the emperor valued filial piety and didn’t dare decide. They asked for an imperial edict.

The emperor was extremely filial and honored the descendants of meritorious officials. He asked what office Jia Jing had held.

The Board replied: “He was a scholar. His ancestor’s title has passed to his son Jia Zhen. Jia Jing was old and sick and lived in the Temple of True Faith outside the city. He died there. His son Zhen and grandson Rong are with the emperor at the national mourning. They beg leave to bury him.”

The emperor issued an edict: “Jia Jing, though a commoner, did no service to the state. But in memory of his grandfather’s merit, grant him the fifth rank. Let his sons and grandsons bring the coffin in through the north gate to his private residence for burial. After the mourning, they may take the coffin to their native place. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices shall provide sacrifices according to the proper rank. Princes and officials may offer condolences.”

When the edict was read, not only the Jia family but all the ministers praised the emperor.

Jia Zhen and his son hurried back. Halfway, they met Jia Guang and Jia Heng with servants. They dismounted and greeted them.

“What is it?” Jia Zhen asked.

“Your wife was afraid you and your son would be worried about the old lady on the road, so she sent us to escort her.”

Jia Zhen praised them and asked how things were being handled. They told him how the Taoists had been locked up, how the body had been moved to the family temple, and how, fearing no one was at home, they had brought the old lady and the two concubines to the main house.

Jia Rong got off his horse. Hearing the two concubines were there, he smiled at his father.

Jia Zhen said, “Good, good,” and whipped his horse. They didn’t stop at inns, but changed horses and rushed on.

One day they reached the capital and went straight to Iron Threshold Temple. It was the fourth watch. The night watch heard them and woke everyone.

Jia Zhen dismounted and wept with Jia Rong. They crawled in from the gate and kowtowed before the coffin, weeping blood until dawn, their voices hoarse.

Madam You and the others greeted them. Jia Zhen and his son changed into mourning clothes and knelt before the coffin. But they had to manage affairs. They couldn’t shut their eyes and stop their ears. They had to moderate their grief to direct everyone.

They told the relatives of the imperial edict. They sent Jia Rong home to prepare for the funeral.

Jia Rong rode home. He had the front hall cleared, the screens taken down, mourning curtains hung, and a drum and banner tower set up.

He went to see his grandmother and the two concubines. Old Mrs. You was asleep. The second and third concubines were working with the maids. They greeted him with sorrow.

Jia Rong smirked at the second concubine. “Second Aunt, you’re here again. My father is thinking of you.”

Second Sister You blushed. “You little monkey! If I don’t scold you for a few days, you can’t stand it. You’re getting more and more disrespectful. You’re supposed to be a young gentleman, studying the rites. You’re worse than a common bumpkin.”

She picked up an iron and hit at him. Jia Rong ducked, holding his head, and begged for mercy.

Third Sister You came to pinch his lips. “When your sister comes home, we’ll tell her.”

Jia Rong knelt on the kang and begged. They laughed.

Jia Rong ate cardamom with the second concubine. She chewed a mouthful and spat it in his face. He licked it up.

The maids couldn’t stand it. “You’re in mourning. The old lady is asleep. They’re your aunts. You have no respect for your elders. We’ll tell the master. You’ll be in trouble.”

Jia Rong left the concubines and kissed the maids. “My hearts, you’re right. Let’s slander them.”

The maids pushed him away. “You have a wife and maids. Why bother us? If people hear, they’ll say this family is corrupt.”

Jia Rong laughed. “Every family has its own affairs. Who cares? From ancient times, the Han and Tang dynasties were called dirty. What about our family? Every family has its scandals. Don’t make me tell. Even the great master is strict, but Uncle Lian has an affair with his concubine. Even Xifeng is strong, but Rui wants her. I know everything.”

While Jia Rong was talking nonsense, his grandmother woke. He greeted her. “Thank you, Old Ancestor, for your trouble. And thank you, aunts, for bearing with us. We are grateful. When it’s over, we’ll all come and kowtow.”

Old Mrs. You nodded. “My child, you know how to talk. Relatives should help.”

She asked, “How is your father? When did he get the news?”

Jia Rong smiled. “He just arrived. He sent me to see you. Please stay until it’s over.”

He winked at the second concubine. She bit her lip and cursed him, smiling. “You little monkey! Do you want us to be your father’s wives?”

Jia Rong joked with his grandmother. “Don’t worry. My father is looking for two good husbands for your daughters. He’s been looking for years. Just now on the road he found one.”

Old Mrs. You believed him. “Who?”

The two sisters stopped their work and chased him, laughing. “Don’t believe him, Mother.”

The maids said, “Heaven will strike you with lightning!”

Someone came to say, “It’s done. Please go and see, and report to the master.”

Jia Rong went off, smiling.

To know what happened next, read the next chapter.