The Country Granny Spins Tales at Random; The Sentimental Young Master Insists on Getting to the Bottom of It

When the company saw Pinger arrive, they all said: "What is your mistress doing? Why hasn't she come?" Pinger smiled: "How could she find the time? She said she didn't get to eat properly and couldn't come, so she sent me to ask if there are any left—she told me to take a few home for her." Xiangyun said: "There are plenty," and promptly ordered ten of the largest to be brought. Pinger said: "Take more of the round-bellied ones (females)." The others tried to pull Pinger to sit down, but she refused. Li Wan tugged her and laughed: "I insist you sit." She made Pinger sit beside her and brought a cup of wine to her lips. Pinger took a sip and was about to leave, but Li Wan said: "I won't let you go. Just because you serve Feng, you won't listen to me?" She then told the matrons: "Send the food box over first, and say I'm keeping Pinger." The matron soon returned with the box and said: "The Second Mistress said not to laugh at her for being greedy. In this box are some water chestnut cakes and chicken-oil rolls sent over by Madam (the aunt) for the young ladies to eat." Then she said to Pinger: "She said you're just having fun and won't come back—she advises you not to drink too much." Pinger laughed: "What can they do to me if I drink too much?" And she went on drinking and eating crabs. Li Wan put an arm around her and said: "What a pity—with such a fine figure and pretty face, your lot is only ordinary, just a maid in the house. Anyone who didn't know would take you for a mistress or lady."

As Pinger ate and drank with Baochai and Xiangyun, she turned and laughed: "Mistress, don't keep poking me—it tickles." Li Wan said: "Ouch! What's this hard thing?" Pinger said: "Keys." Li Wan said: "What keys? Afraid someone will steal your private treasures, so you carry them on you? I'm always joking with people—if there's a Tang Monk fetching scriptures, there's a white horse to carry him; if Liu Zhiyuan conquers the world, there's a melon spirit to bring him armor; if there's a Phoenix (Xifeng), there's a Pinger. You are your mistress's master-key—so why do you still need these keys?" Pinger laughed: "Mistress has had wine and is teasing me again." Baochai laughed: "That's true enough. When we size people up, you girls are one in a hundred—each with her own good points." Li Wan said: "High and low, there's justice in it. Take Yuanyang in the old lady's room—how could they manage without her? From Lady Wang on down, who dares to contradict the old lady? Yet Yuanyang does. And the old lady listens to her alone. She remembers every bit of the old lady's clothing and ornaments that others forget. If not for her management, who knows how much would have been cheated away? She's also fair-minded; though she has power, she often speaks up for others and never bullies anyone." Xichun laughed: "The old lady said yesterday that Yuanyang is better than us." Pinger said: "She is truly good—how could we compare?" Baoyu said: "Caixia in Lady Wang's room is an honest soul." Tanchun said: "Yes—outwardly honest, but sharp inside. Lady Wang is like a Buddha, not paying attention to details, but Caixia knows everything. She reminds Lady Wang of all duties. She even knows all about Master Jia's affairs at home and away. If Lady Wang forgets, Caixia tells her privately." Li Wan said: "That's fine." She pointed at Baoyu: "If it weren't for Xiren in this young master's room, just imagine what a mess it would be! Even if Feng were Xiang Yu the Conqueror, she'd still need those two strong arms to lift the thousand-pound cauldron. Without this girl, could she manage so well?" Pinger laughed: "At first, four maids were assigned to her—some died, some left—and now only I, a lonely ghost, remain." Li Wan said: "You are fortunate. And Feng is fortunate too. When your late master Zhu was alive, he also had two maids. Do you think I was intolerant? I saw them unhappy every day. So when Master Zhu died, I sent them away while they were still young. If one had been willing to stay, I would have had a support." As she spoke, tears fell. Everyone said: "Why grieve? Better to break up now." So they washed their hands and agreed to go pay respects to Lady Dowager and Lady Wang.

The matrons and maids cleaned the pavilion and cleared the dishes. Xiren and Pinger walked out together; Xiren invited Pinger to her room for a cup of tea. Pinger said: "No tea—I'll come another day." As she was about to leave, Xiren called her back and asked: "Why hasn't this month's allowance been paid yet—not even to the old lady and Lady Wang?" Pinger turned, came close to Xiren, and seeing no one nearby, whispered: "Don't ask—it'll be a few more days, and it'll come." Xiren laughed: "Why all the secrecy?" Pinger whispered: "This month's allowance was already drawn by our mistress and lent out at interest. She'll pay us when she collects the interest from elsewhere. I'm telling you only because it's you—you mustn't tell a soul." Xiren said: "Does she lack money? She never has enough? Why bother with such scheming?" Pinger laughed: "Isn't that the truth! Over the years, she's turned that silver into several hundred taels. Her own salary and expenses are untouched; she saves every bit and lends it out. Her private interest alone comes to nearly a thousand taels a year." Xiren laughed: "So you mistresses and maids make profit on our money, while we wait like fools." Pinger said: "That's an ungrateful thing to say. Do you lack money?" Xiren said: "I don't lack, but I have no place to spend it—except for that one (Baoyu)." Pinger said: "If you ever need money urgently, I have a few taels—take them first, and deduct it from your allowance later." Xiren said: "I don't need any now, but if I suddenly do, I'll send someone to you."

Pinger agreed and left the garden, returning home. She found Xifeng not in the room. There sat Granny Liu, who had come to beg for favors before, with her grandson Ban'er, in the side room, accompanied by Mrs. Zhang Cai and Mrs. Zhou Rui, while two or three maids were emptying dates, pumpkins, and wild vegetables from sacks onto the floor. When they saw Pinger enter, they all stood up. Granny Liu, having been there before, knew Pinger's importance, so she quickly rose and said: "How are you, miss?" She added: "Everyone at home sends greetings. I meant to come earlier to pay respects to the mistress and see you, but farm work kept me busy. Fortunately this year we harvested two extra bushels of grain, and the melons and vegetables are plentiful. These are the first picked—I didn't dare sell them; I kept the best to offer to the mistress and young ladies for tasting. I know you eat delicacies every day and must be tired of them—this rustic treat is just our poor way of showing gratitude." Pinger said: "Thank you for the trouble." She asked them to sit, and also asked Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhou to sit, and ordered a little maid to pour tea. The two matrons laughed: "Miss, your face is a bit flushed today, and your eyes are red." Pinger laughed: "Isn't it? I don't usually drink, but the First Mistress and the young ladies forced me—I had a couple cups, and my face turned red." Mrs. Zhang laughed: "I'd love to drink too, but no one asks me. Next time someone invites you, take me along!" Everyone laughed. Mrs. Zhou said: "I saw those crabs this morning—each catty only has two or three. With three big baskets, there must be seventy or eighty catties." Mrs. Zhou added: "I doubt even that is enough for everyone upstairs and down." Pinger said: "How could it be enough? Only the named ones get a couple each; the rank-and-file—some get some, some don't." Granny Liu said: "Such crabs cost five coppers a catty this year. Ten catties make fifty coppers—five times five is twenty-five, three times five is fifteen—add wine and dishes, and the whole meal must come to over twenty taels! Buddha be praised! That one meal costs enough to keep us farm folks for a year." Pinger asked: "Have you seen the mistress?" Granny Liu said: "Yes, we saw her—she told us to wait." Then she looked out the window at the weather and said: "It's getting late—we should go, or we won't make it through the city gates." Mrs. Zhou said: "That's true—let me go check." She went and returned after a long while, laughing: "Your old luck is in! You've hit it off with two people." Pinger and the others asked what happened. Mrs. Zhou said: "The Second Mistress is with the old lady. I quietly told her, 'Granny Liu wants to go home, afraid she won't make it before the gates close.' The Second Mistress said: 'She's come a long way and carried all those heavy things—if it's late, let her stay overnight and go tomorrow.' So you've won the Second Mistress's favor. But that's not all—the old lady overheard and asked who Granny Liu was. The Second Mistress explained. Then the old lady said: 'I've been wanting an old-timer to talk with—bring her in for me to see.' Isn't that an unexpected heavenly blessing?" She urged Granny Liu to go. Granny Liu said: "How can I appear like this? Dear sister, just say I've gone." Pinger said: "Go on—it's all right. Our old lady is most kind to the old and poor, not like those arrogant folk. If you're nervous, I'll go with you, and Mrs. Zhou too." So with Mrs. Zhou and Pinger, she led Granny Liu to Lady Dowager's quarters.

When the pages on duty at the second gate saw Pinger coming, they all stood; two ran up and called out "Miss." Pinger asked: "What now?" One page laughed: "It's getting late—my mother's ill and I need to fetch a doctor. Dear miss, could I have half a day off?" Pinger said: "You're all in a conspiracy—one takes leave every day, without telling the mistress, just pestering me. The other day Zhuer went off, and the Second Master needed him and couldn't find him—I had to cover for him and got blamed. Now you again." Mrs. Zhou said: "His mother really is ill—please let him go." Pinger said: "Be here early tomorrow. Listen—I'll need you, so don't come at sunrise with your backside warm! And take a message to Wang'er—tell him the mistress asks about the remaining interest. If he doesn't pay it tomorrow, the mistress doesn't want it—she'll just let him keep it." The page happily agreed and left.

Pinger and the others arrived at Lady Dowager's room. At that time, all the girls from the Grand View Garden were there attending on Lady Dowager. Granny Liu entered and saw the room full of pearls, emeralds, and bright-flowing colors—she couldn't tell who was who. On a couch lay an old lady, with a beauty of a maid in gauze sitting behind her, massaging her legs; Xifeng stood nearby, chatting and laughing. Granny Liu knew this must be Lady Dowager, so she hurried forward with a smile, made a few bows, and said: "Greetings to you, Old Longevity Star." Lady Dowager half-rose to return the greeting and had Mrs. Zhou bring a chair for her. Ban'er was still too shy to say anything. Lady Dowager asked: "My old in-law, how old are you?" Granny Liu stood and answered: "I'm seventy-five." Lady Dowager said to everyone: "At such an age, still so hale—several years older than me. When I reach that age, I don't know if I'll be able to move." Granny Liu laughed: "We were born to suffer; you were born to enjoy good fortune. If we were like you, who would do the farm work?" Lady Dowager asked: "Your eyes and teeth still good?" Granny Liu said: "Both good, except this year one of my left molars is loose." Lady Dowager said: "I'm old and useless—my eyes are dim, my ears deaf, my memory gone. I don't remember old relatives anymore. When they come, I'm afraid they'll laugh at me—I just eat what I can chew, take a nap, and when bored, joke with my grandchildren." Granny Liu laughed: "That itself is your blessing. We couldn't do that even if we wanted." Lady Dowager said: "What blessing? I'm just an old good-for-nothing." Everyone laughed. Lady Dowager added: "I heard from Feng that you brought lots of melons and vegetables—I told her to put them away. I've been wanting to eat fresh-picked garden stuff; the ones from the market don't taste as good as yours." Granny Liu laughed: "They're just rustic things—only for novelty. We'd love to eat fish and meat, but can't afford them." Lady Dowager said: "Since we've acknowledged our kinship today, don't rush off. If you don't mind my humble place, stay a day or two. We have a garden too, with fruit—you can taste some tomorrow and take some home. It'll count as a proper visit." Seeing Lady Dowager pleased, Xifeng also urged: "Though our place isn't as big as your threshing ground, we have a couple of empty rooms. Stay a couple of days and tell our old lady some news and stories from your village." Lady Dowager laughed: "Feng, don't tease her. She's a country person and honest—can't take your jokes." She then ordered fruit for Ban'er, but Ban'er was too shy to eat with so many people. Lady Dowager had some coins given to him and told the young pages to take him out to play. Granny Liu, after tea, told Lady Dowager stories of village life, and Lady Dowager grew more and more entertained. Just then, Xifeng sent word to invite Granny Liu to supper. Lady Dowager picked several dishes from her own table and sent them to Granny Liu.

Xifeng, knowing she had pleased Lady Dowager, sent for Granny Liu again after the meal. Yuanyang quickly had the old matrons take Granny Liu to bathe, and she chose two plain dresses for her to change into. Granny Liu, who had never seen such treatment, quickly changed and came out, sitting by Lady Dowager's couch and racking her brains for more tales to tell. Baoyu and the other young ladies were also sitting there—they had never heard such stories and found them more entertaining than any blind storyteller's. Granny Liu, though a country woman, had some natural wisdom and experience in the world. Seeing first that Lady Dowager was pleased, and second that the young masters and misses were all eager to listen, she began to invent stories when she ran out of true ones. She said: "On our farm, planting and harvesting, every season, in wind and rain—when do we ever sit still? We spend our days by the fields, and we see all sorts of strange things. Last winter, for instance, it snowed for days, piling up three or four feet deep. I got up early—hadn't even left the door—when I heard rustling outside in the firewood. I thought someone must be stealing firewood. I peered through the window crack—and it wasn't anyone from our village." Lady Dowager said: "It must have been travelers who were cold and saw the wood—they took some to warm themselves." Granny Liu laughed: "No, not travelers either—that's what's strange. Guess who it was? It was a most beautiful girl of seventeen or eighteen, with sleek, oiled hair, wearing a red jacket and a white silk skirt—" Just then, a commotion arose outside, and voices said: "It's all right, don't frighten the old lady." Lady Dowager and the others asked what happened, and a maid replied: "A fire broke out in the south stable—it's nothing, it's already under control." Lady Dowager, being most timid, rose at once, supported by attendants, and went to the veranda to look; the southeastern sky still showed a glow of fire. Lady Dowager, terrified, murmured Buddhist prayers and sent someone to burn incense before the Fire God. Lady Wang and the others hurried over to inquire and reported that the fire was down, begging her to go back inside. Lady Dowager did not go in until she had watched the flames die out. Baoyu, however, immediately asked Granny Liu: "What was that girl doing gathering firewood in the heavy snow? What if she caught cold?" Lady Dowager said: "It's because you spoke of gathering firewood that the fire came—don't ask anymore. Talk about something else." Baoyu, though displeased, had to drop it. Granny Liu then thought up another tale: "In the village east of ours, there is an old lady over ninety. She fasted and prayed to Buddha every day, and she moved Guanyin to appear in a dream and say: 'Because of your devotion, though you were fated to have no descendants, I have petitioned the Jade Emperor to give you a grandson.' This old lady originally had only one son, and that son had only one son, who died at seventeen or eighteen—she wept bitterly. Later, she did indeed have another, now thirteen or fourteen, fair as a snowball and very clever. So you see, the gods and Buddhas are real." This story exactly touched the hearts of Lady Dowager and Lady Wang, and even Lady Wang listened spellbound.

Baoyu, however, remained preoccupied with the girl-and-firewood story and brooded silently. Tanchun asked him: "Yesterday we disturbed Cousin Shi (Xiangyun); let's plan a return feast—also invite the old lady to enjoy the chrysanthemums. What do you think?" Baoyu laughed: "The old lady said she will host a feast to repay Sister Shi, with us as company. Let's wait until after the old lady's feast, then we can host ours." Tanchun said: "It'll get colder as winter comes—the old lady may not enjoy it." Baoyu said: "The old lady likes rain and snow. Why not wait for the first snow and invite her to enjoy it? Writing poems in the snow would be even more fun." Lin Daiyu laughed at once: "Write poems in the snow? I say we should get a bundle of firewood and gather it in the snow—that would be more interesting." Baochai and the others laughed. Baoyu shot her a look but said nothing.

When they dispersed, Baoyu secretly took Granny Liu aside and pressed her for details about that girl. Granny Liu had to invent a story: "That was the image in a little shrine by the ridge north of our village—not a god or Buddha, but a certain official..." She paused, trying to think of a name. Baoyu said: "Never mind the name—just tell me the story." Granny Liu said: "This official had no son, only a daughter named Mingyu. She was well-educated and loved by her parents. But when she reached seventeen, she fell ill and died." Baoyu stamped his foot in pity and asked what happened next. Granny Liu said: "The parents missed her so much that they built the shrine and set up her statue, with someone to tend the incense. As the years passed, the caretaker died and the temple fell into ruin, and the statue became a spirit." Baoyu said: "It's not a spirit—such people don't truly die." Granny Liu said: "Buddha be praised! So that's it. If you hadn't said so, we'd all think it was a spirit. She often changes form and wanders through villages and roads. The girl gathering firewood was her. Our villagers were even thinking of smashing the statue and leveling the temple." Baoyu said: "Don't! That would be a great sin." Granny Liu said: "Lucky you told me—I'll tell them when I go back." Baoyu said: "Our old lady and Lady Wang are both devout; our whole family likes to give alms and build temples. I'll write a donation appeal for you, and you can be the head incense-keeper; collect funds to rebuild the temple and repaint the statue, and I'll give you monthly incense money to keep the offerings going—wouldn't that be good?" Granny Liu said: "If so, I'll have the lady's blessing and some money to use." Baoyu then asked for the place name, village name, distance, and location. Granny Liu made up a story on the spot.

Baoyu believed it completely. He returned to his room and mulled it over all night. Early next morning, he gave Mingyan a few hundred coppers and sent him, according to Granny Liu's directions, to scout the place and report back. Mingyan left, and Baoyu waited—first for him, then for him, growing as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Finally, at sunset, Mingyan returned, looking triumphant. Baoyu asked: "Was there a temple?" Mingyan laughed: "You didn't understand clearly—you sent me on a wild goose chase. The place and directions didn't match at all. I searched all day and finally found a broken-down temple on a ridge in the northeast." Baoyu's face lit up: "Granny Liu is old—she may have misremembered. Tell me what you saw." Mingyan said: "The temple gate faced south, and it was very dilapidated. I was already annoyed, but when I saw it I thought, 'Good!' I went in—and what a fright! The clay statue looked almost real." Baoyu said happily: "It can change into human form—so of course it has some life." Mingyan clapped his hands: "Where was there any girl? It was a blue-faced, red-haired Plague God!" Baoyu spat and cursed: "You useless wretch! Can't even manage a little errand." Mingyan said: "Second Master, you must have read some book or heard some nonsense and believed it, and sent me on this fool's errand—why blame me?" Seeing him upset, Baoyu soothed him: "Don't be angry. Another day, when you're free, go look again. If she was lying to us, then it's nothing; but if there is such a place, you'll earn merit. I'll reward you well." Just then, a page from the second gate announced: "Some maids from the old lady's room are at the second gate, looking for the Second Master."