The Suffering Crimson Pearl Returns Her Soul to the Heaven of Parted Sorrow; The Sick Divine Jade Sheds Tears on the Ground of Mutual Longing

Now to return to Baoyu. After seeing Jia Zheng, he went back to his room and felt his head swim and his body ache. He was too lazy to move and could not eat a single bite. He fell into a drowsy sleep. The household still called physicians to examine him, but the medicine brought no improvement, and in the end he could not even recognize people. When others helped him sit up, he still looked like a normal person. This went on for several days. It happened that this day was the ninth day after the wedding, the day for the bride to return to her parents’ home. If they did not go to the Xue household, Aunt Xue would lose face. But if they went, Baoyu was in this state. Grandmother Jia knew in her heart that the root of Baoyu’s illness lay in Daiyu. She wanted to tell him the truth, but feared that if he were stirred up, his illness would worsen. Baochai was a new bride and could not very well comfort him; Aunt Xue would have to come over. But if they did not make the return visit, Aunt Xue would take offense. Grandmother Jia discussed it with Lady Wang and Xifeng: “I see that Baoyu’s soul is not settled. Going out should not cause any harm. Arrange two small sedan chairs. Have people support him and take him through Prospect Garden. Let him get through the auspicious day of the return visit. Afterward, invite Aunt Xue over to comfort Baochai, and we will concentrate on treating Baoyu. Would that not satisfy both sides?” Lady Wang nodded and at once made preparations. Fortunately Baochai was a new bride, and Baoyu was foolish and dazed. He let others arrange everything, and so he was carried over. Baochai understood everything in her heart and only resented her mother for not having thought it through at the time. But matters had come to this, and she was unwilling to say more. Only Aunt Xue, seeing Baoyu in this state, was full of regret. She could only hurriedly finish the ceremonies of the return visit.

After returning to the Jia household, Baoyu’s illness grew worse. The next day he could not even sit up. Day by day he grew worse, until at last he could not swallow even soup or water. Aunt Xue and the others were in a panic. They called famous physicians from everywhere, but none could find the root of the illness. Only in a broken temple outside the city lived a poor doctor named Bi, whose courtesy name was Zhi’an. After taking the pulse, he said the root of the illness was a sudden shock of great sorrow and great joy, irregular living and eating, cold and warmth out of balance, and pent-up grief and anger. The vital energy was blocked. It was an internal injury complicated by an external attack. He considered a prescription and prepared medicine. That night Baoyu took it, and by the second watch he was indeed a little clearer and asked for water. Only then did Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang feel relieved. They asked Aunt Xue to take Baochai and rest for the time being in Grandmother Jia’s rooms.

Baoyu was clear for a little while and knew in himself that his life was in danger. After the others dispersed, only Xiren was left in the room. He called Xiren to him, took her hand, and wept. “Let me ask you: how did Sister Bao come to be here? I remember the master married Cousin Lin to me. How is it that Sister Bao has taken her place? Why does she dominate this place? I want to speak, but fear to offend her. Did you hear how Cousin Lin was crying?”

Xiren did not dare tell the truth and could only answer, “Miss Lin is ill.”

Baoyu said again, “I want to go see her.” As he spoke, he tried to rise. But he had not eaten or drunk for days, and his body would not obey. He wept. “I am about to die! I have something in my heart. I only beg you to report it to the Old Ancestor: Cousin Lin will not live long either, and I too cannot preserve my life. There are two sick people in two places, both near death. When both are gone, it will be even harder to manage the funerals. Better to clear out an empty room and, while there is still time, carry Cousin Lin and me there together. Alive, we can be treated and cared for in one place. Dead, we can lie in state together. If you do this for me, you will not have failed the bond between us all these years.”

When Xiren heard this, she wept so hard she could not speak. Just then Baochai came in with Ying’er and heard these words. She spoke up to comfort him: “You do not rest and recover, so why speak such unlucky things? The Old Ancestor has just begun to feel at ease, and now you stir up trouble again. The Old Ancestor has loved you all her life. She is over eighty now. She does not expect you to become an official and win her a title. She only hopes you will grow up and be a man, so she may see it and be glad for a day. Only then would she not have failed in her painstaking love. Of the mistress, there is no need to speak. All her life’s heart’s blood has been poured into you. If you die halfway, what will become of her? And though my own fate is thin, I would not fall to such a state. From these three things, even if you wished to die, Heaven would not permit it. So you will not die. Rest and recover quietly for four or five days. When the evil influence in your body disperses and your vital energy is full, these strange illnesses will naturally be cured.”

Baoyu heard this and for a moment had no answer. After a long pause he giggled. “You have not spoken properly to me for a long time. Now you speak these great principles to me—to whom are you saying them?”

Baochai heard this and said directly, “I will tell you the truth. A few days ago, when you were unconscious, Cousin Lin passed away.”

Baoyu sat up abruptly, greatly shocked. “She is really dead?”

Baochai said, “She has indeed passed away. How could I curse someone falsely? The Old Ancestor and the mistress knew you and Cousin Lin had always been close and feared that if you heard the news of her death, you would follow her. So they kept it from you all along.”

When Baoyu heard this, he wept aloud and fell back onto the bed.

Suddenly all before him turned black. He could not tell direction. In a daze, he saw someone coming toward him. Baoyu asked blankly, “May I ask what place this is?”

The person answered, “This is the Yellow Springs Road of the underworld. Your allotted span is not yet over. How have you come here?”

Baoyu said, “I have just heard that a dear one has died. I came to seek her and, without knowing it, lost my way.”

The person asked, “Who is your dear one?”

Baoyu answered, “Lin Daiyu of Gusu.”

The person gave a cold laugh. “Lin Daiyu was not like ordinary people in life, and in death her soul does not enter the underworld. She has no soul here. Where will you seek her? The souls of ordinary people gather to form a shape and scatter into breath. In life the soul is gathered; in death it disperses. Even ordinary people cannot be found, much less Lin Daiyu. Go back quickly.”

Baoyu was dazed for a long time. He asked, “If after death all souls scatter, why is there an underworld?”

The person sneered. “The underworld exists if you say it does and does not exist if you say it does not. It is all invented by worldly people who cling to life and death and make up tales to warn the world. Heaven hates those foolish people who do not know their place: some cut short their own lives before their time; some die for no reason because they cling to desire, show off their fierceness, or fight on impulse. That is why hell was established, to imprison souls and make them suffer endless pain to repay the sins of their lives. To come seeking Daiyu is to plunge yourself into danger for nothing. Besides, Daiyu has already returned to the Illusory Realm of Great Void. If you truly wish to see her again, calm your mind and cultivate yourself. In the future there may still be a chance to meet. If you refuse to live on properly, you will be imprisoned in the underworld for the crime of cutting short your own life, and except for your parents, you will never again have even one glimpse of Daiyu.”

After speaking, the person took a stone from his sleeve and threw it at Baoyu’s heart. When Baoyu heard these words and was struck in the chest by the stone, he only wanted to go home, but could not find the way back.

As he hesitated, he suddenly heard someone calling him. He turned and saw Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Baochai, Xiren, and the others all gathered around the bed, weeping and calling. He was still lying on the bed. The red lamp on the table was bright. Outside the window the bright moon hung in the sky. He was still in the rich and splendid Jia household. When he collected himself, he realized it had all been a great dream. His whole body was covered in cold sweat, but his heart felt clearer. Thinking it over carefully, he felt utter helplessness and could only give several long sighs.

Baochai had long known that Daiyu was dead. It was only because Grandmother Jia had ordered everyone to hide it from Baoyu, fearing it would worsen his illness. Baochai knew in her heart that the root of Baoyu’s illness was Daiyu, and that the lost jade was only a secondary cause. So she had simply told him the truth, letting him grieve to the very bottom, so that his mind would settle and the illness could be cured. Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang did not understand Baochai’s intention and even blamed her for acting rashly. Later, when they saw Baoyu revive, they felt relieved. They at once sent someone to the outer study to invite Dr. Bi in to take the pulse. After taking it, the doctor said, “Strange. This time the pulse is steady, the mind is calm, and the stagnation has dispersed. Tomorrow, with some restorative medicine, there is hope of improvement.” Then he went out. Everyone dispersed, each feeling reassured.

At first Xiren inwardly blamed Baochai for telling the truth directly, but she could not say so aloud. Ying’er also said privately to Baochai, “You were too impatient, young mistress.” Baochai said, “You do not understand the stakes. I will bear the responsibility.” Let others whisper as they would; Baochai did not take it to heart. She only watched carefully for the knot in Baoyu’s heart and slowly guided him. After a few days, Baoyu’s mind gradually steadied. Occasionally he still thought of Daiyu and would grow sad and dazed. Xiren also often gently comforted him, telling him, “It was the master who chose Miss Bao. Miss Bao is generous by nature. The Old Ancestor thought Miss Lin was sensitive and feared her lifespan would not be long. The Old Ancestor feared you would be confused and anxious in your illness, so she had Xueyan go over to coax you.” When Baoyu heard this, he still felt grief and shed tears. He wanted to die, but remembered what the person in the dream had said, and feared to grieve the Old Ancestor and the mistress. He could not set his heart at ease. Then he thought that Daiyu had already passed away and that Baochai was a rare good woman. Only then did he believe that the bond of gold and jade was fixed by fate, and his heart eased somewhat. Baochai saw that Baoyu was out of danger and felt calmer. After fulfilling the household rites before Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, she thought of ways to dissolve the sorrow in Baoyu’s heart. Though Baoyu could not often sit up, he often saw Baochai sitting before the bed, and he still could not let go of his old love for Daiyu. Baochai often spoke to him seriously, saying, “Recovering your health is the most important thing. Since you and I are now husband and wife, our being together does not depend on this moment.” Though Baoyu felt regret in his heart, during the day Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Aunt Xue took turns keeping him company, and at night Baochai attended him in the room. Grandmother Jia also arranged servants to care for him. He could only rest and recover in peace. Seeing Baochai’s gentle ways, he gradually transferred some of his affection for Daiyu to Baochai. That is a later matter.

Now to return to the day of Baoyu’s wedding. Daiyu had already fainted that day. Only a faint breath remained at her heart and lips. Li Wan and Zijuan wept until they could hardly stand. Toward night Daiyu revived a little and opened her eyes slightly, as if she wanted some soup or water. By then Xueyan had been called to the new rooms, and only Zijuan and Li Wan were in the room. Zijuan brought a cup of pear juice mixed with longan and fed her two or three spoonfuls with a small silver spoon. Daiyu closed her eyes and rested quietly for a moment, her mind now clear, now dim. Li Wan saw that Daiyu had revived a little and knew in her heart that this was the last flicker of life. She estimated that Daiyu could last perhaps half a day more, so she went back first to Daoxiang Village to deal with some small matters.

Here Daiyu opened her eyes. Only Zijuan, the nurse, and a few little maids were in the room. She seized Zijuan’s hand and, with all her strength, said, “I am finished. You have served me these years. I had hoped the two of us would always be together. I never thought I…” Then she gasped for a long time and closed her eyes to rest. Zijuan did not dare move her hand, which Daiyu held tightly. Seeing that she looked a little better than before, she thought she might improve. After hearing these words, her heart turned cold. After a long while Daiyu spoke again. “Little sister, I have no kin here. My body is clean. You must beg them to send my coffin back to my southern home.” Then she closed her eyes and said no more. Her hand clenched tighter and tighter. Her breathing grew rapid, more out than in. She was at the point of death.

Zijuan panicked and quickly sent someone to call Li Wan. Just then Tanchun came over. Zijuan saw her and wept quietly. “Third Miss, come quickly and see Miss Lin.” Tears streamed down. Tanchun came forward and touched Daiyu’s hand. It was already cold, and her eyes were unfocused. Tanchun and Zijuan were weeping and calling for water to wash her when Li Wan hurried in. The three had no time to say much. Just as they were washing her, they suddenly heard Daiyu cry with all her strength, “Baoyu, Baoyu, you…” After the word “you,” her whole body broke out in cold sweat, and there was no more sound. Zijuan and the others quickly supported her. The sweat poured out more and more, and her body grew cold bit by bit. Tanchun and Li Wan told people to hurry and comb her hair and put on her burial clothes. Daiyu’s eyes turned up, and a wisp of fragrant soul scattered with the wind. Full of sorrow, in the third watch of the night, she went to a distant dreamland.

The moment Daiyu breathed her last was exactly the hour when Baoyu was bowing in marriage to Baochai. Zijuan and the others wept aloud. Li Wan and Tanchun, thinking of how Daiyu had been in the past, felt even more pitiful and wept bitterly. Xiaoxiang Lodge was far from Baoyu’s new rooms, and no sound of weeping could be heard there. After the others had wept for a while, a strain of joyful music came faintly from the distance. They listened closely, and the sound faded again. Tanchun and Li Wan went outside the courtyard to listen. There was only wind in the bamboo tops and moon shadows moving on the wall. The scene was desolate and cold. Then they called Mrs. Lin Zhixiao and had Daiyu’s body laid out properly and watched over. They planned to report to Xifeng early the next morning.

As for Xifeng, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were in confusion, Jia Zheng had just set out, and Baoyu’s mind was muddled. She was frantic. If she reported Daiyu’s death now, she feared Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang would add grief to grief and fall ill. So she went herself into Prospect Garden. When she reached Xiaoxiang Lodge, she too could not help weeping. She saw Li Wan and Tanchun and learned that the funeral affairs had all been arranged. She said, “That is well. Why did you not send someone to tell me just now? You kept my heart hanging.” Tanchun said, “We were busy seeing the master off. How could we conveniently report it?” Xifeng said, “You two are the ones who truly cared for her. I must go back and look after that cursed Baoyu. This matter is truly difficult. If I do not report it today, I cannot; but if I do, I fear the Old Ancestor cannot bear it.” Li Wan said, “Do as you see fit. Say it when the time is right.” Xifeng nodded and hurried away.

When Xifeng returned to Baoyu’s side, she heard the doctor say there was no immediate danger to life. Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang felt a little relieved. Xifeng avoided Baoyu and slowly reported Daiyu’s death. Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were greatly shocked. Grandmother Jia’s tears flowed. “It is I who harmed her. But the child was too infatuated!” She wanted to go into the garden to mourn Daiyu, but could not set her mind at ease about Baoyu. She could not attend to both. Lady Wang and the others urged Grandmother Jia with tears not to go and to take care of her health. Grandmother Jia had no choice but to send Lady Wang. She also instructed, “Tell her soul for me: It is not that I am hard-hearted and will not come to see you off. It is only that close and distant differ. You are my granddaughter by my daughter, and that is close kin. But compared with Baoyu, Baoyu weighs more in my heart. If anything should happen to Baoyu, how would I answer to his father?” Then she wept again. Lady Wang comforted her. “Miss Lin was the Old Ancestor’s most beloved. It is only that her lifespan had its fixed limit. Now that she is gone, what we can do is give her a first-rate funeral. First, it fulfills our hearts. Second, it can set the souls of the aunt and niece at ease.” When Grandmother Jia heard this, she wept even harder. Xifeng feared the old lady would grieve too much. Taking advantage of Baoyu’s confusion, she quietly sent someone to coax Grandmother Jia, saying Baoyu was looking for her. When Grandmother Jia heard, she stopped her tears and asked, “Has something happened again?” Xifeng smiled apologetically. “Nothing else. He probably misses the Old Ancestor.” Grandmother Jia quickly leaned on Zhenzhu, with Xifeng following, and hurried to Baoyu’s room.

Halfway there, she met Lady Wang returning. Lady Wang reported everything at Xiaoxiang Lodge. Grandmother Jia was still grieving, but since she had already reached Baoyu’s side, she could only hold back her tears and say, “Since that is so, I will not go over. Leave the funeral affairs to you. If I went and saw, my heart would ache. Do not let her be wronged.” Lady Wang and Xifeng both agreed. Grandmother Jia went into Baoyu’s room and saw him. She asked, “What did you want me for?” Baoyu smiled. “Last night I saw Cousin Lin come. She said she was going back to the south. I thought no one could keep her, so I need the Old Ancestor to help me keep her.” Grandmother Jia said, “That can be done. Set your mind at ease.” Xiren helped Baoyu lie down.

Grandmother Jia left and went to Baochai’s room. Baochai had not yet completed the return visit, and when she saw people she still showed some shyness. That day she saw Grandmother Jia’s face covered with tears. She quickly offered tea and asked Grandmother Jia to sit. Baochai sat sideways and asked, “I heard Cousin Lin is ill. I wonder if she is any better.” When Grandmother Jia heard this, tears fell again. She said, “My child, let me tell you, but you must not tell Baoyu. It is all because of your Cousin Lin that you have been wronged. Now that you are a wife, I will tell you. Your Cousin Lin passed away two or three days ago. It was at the very hour of your wedding that she breathed her last. Baoyu’s grave illness this time is because of this. You all lived in the garden before, so I think you understand in your heart.” Baochai’s face flushed crimson. Thinking of Daiyu’s death, she too could not keep from shedding tears. Grandmother Jia said a few more words and then left. From this time on Baochai thought it over again and again and devised a plan. She did not wish to act rashly, and waited until after the return visit to make the truth clear. Now that Baoyu was improving, everyone no longer had to be so careful in what they said.

Though Baoyu improved day by day, the obsession in his heart would not let go. He insisted on going to Xiaoxiang Lodge to weep. Grandmother Jia and the others knew the root of the illness was not yet removed and would not let him brood. But Baoyu’s stagnation remained, and his illness fluctuated. The doctor saw that it was an illness of the heart and simply let him give free rein to his grief. With medicine to regulate him afterward, he would recover faster. When Baoyu heard this, he at once wanted to go to Xiaoxiang Lodge. Grandmother Jia had no choice but to have a bamboo chair brought, help Baoyu into it, and go ahead with Lady Wang. When they reached Xiaoxiang Lodge and saw Daiyu’s coffin, Grandmother Jia wept until she nearly fainted. Xifeng urged her again and again before she stopped. Lady Wang also wept for a long time. Li Wan asked Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang to rest in the inner room, and everyone still wept.

When Baoyu arrived, he thought of how it had been here before. The room was still here, but the person was not. He wept aloud. Thinking of how the two had once been close companions and now were parted forever by death, his grief was overwhelming. The others had feared that after his grave illness Baoyu would grieve too much and came forward to comfort him. Baoyu had already wept until he nearly fainted. The others helped him sit and rest. Baochai and the others who had come with him also wept. Baoyu insisted on calling Zijuan to ask what Daiyu had said at the end. Zijuan had deeply resented Baoyu, but seeing him in such grief, her heart softened a little. And with Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang present, she did not dare speak coldly to Baoyu. She told him how Daiyu’s old illness had returned, how she had burned the handkerchief and the poems, and what she had said at the end. When Baoyu heard, he wept until his throat choked. Tanchun took the chance to mention Daiyu’s dying wish that her coffin be sent back to the south. Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang wept again. Thanks to Xifeng’s skill at comforting, everyone’s feelings gradually calmed, and they asked Grandmother Jia and the others to return. Baoyu could not bear to leave, but with Grandmother Jia urging him, he could only return reluctantly to his room.

Grandmother Jia was old. Since Baoyu’s illness, she had had no peace day or night. This time she wept greatly again and felt dizzy and feverish. Though she still thought of Baoyu, her body could not hold up. She lay down in her own room. Lady Wang’s grief was hard to suppress, and she too returned to rest. She sent Caiyun to help Xiren watch over Baoyu and instructed that if Baoyu grieved excessively again, she was to report at once. Baochai knew Baoyu could not let go for the moment and did not urge him much, only using words to awaken him. Baoyu, in turn, feared Baochai would be unhappy, so he held back his tears and gradually calmed. After a good night’s rest, he was fairly steady. The next morning everyone came to see him. He was only weak and low in spirit, but the stagnation in his heart had dispersed a good deal. After careful nursing, his body slowly recovered. Grandmother Jia fortunately did not fall ill. Lady Wang’s grief, however, took a long time to subside. One day Aunt Xue came to visit. Seeing that Baoyu’s spirits had improved, she felt relieved and stayed for the time being in the Jia household.

One day Grandmother Jia especially invited Aunt Xue over to discuss: “Baoyu’s life is thanks to you, Auntie. Now it seems he is out of danger, but your daughter has been wronged. Wait until Baoyu has recovered for a hundred days and his body is restored, and the mourning period for the Imperial Concubine is over. Then it will be just right for them to consummate the marriage. I would like you, Auntie, to decide and choose another excellent auspicious day.” Aunt Xue said, “The Old Ancestor arranges things well. There is no need to ask me. Bao girl may not look clever, but she understands in her heart. You have always known her nature. I only hope the young couple will be harmonious and happy, so that you may worry less, my sister below may rest in peace, and I too may be at ease. The date can be set by the Old Ancestor. Should we inform the relatives?” Grandmother Jia said, “Baoyu’s marriage to your daughter has gone through many twists and turns, and only now is it settled. We must certainly make it lively for a few days and invite all the relatives. First, it will fulfill a wish. Second, everyone can drink a cup of wedding wine. It will not have been for nothing that I, an old woman, took such pains.” Aunt Xue was naturally pleased and then brought up the matter of the dowry. Grandmother Jia said, “We are already close kin joined more closely. There is no need for too many formalities. The things in the room are already complete. If Bao girl has a few favorite things, Auntie may bring them. I see Bao girl is not one to haggle. She is not like my granddaughter, who was full of thoughts and so did not live long.” At this, even Aunt Xue shed tears. Just then Xifeng came in and said with a smile, “Are the Old Ancestor and Auntie thinking of sad things again?” Aunt Xue said, “I was just speaking with the Old Ancestor about your Cousin Lin, and so I was sad.” Xifeng smiled. “Do not be sad, Old Ancestor and Auntie. I have just heard a funny story. Let me tell it to you.” Grandmother Jia wiped her tears and smiled slightly. “Whom are you making up stories about now? Tell us. If it is not funny, we will not let you off.” Before Xifeng opened her mouth, she was already gesturing with both hands and laughing so hard she bent double. What funny story she would tell will be told in the next chapter.