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COMICS » Dream Of The Red Mansions - Hồng Lâu Mộng [11793]
Chinese Classics Trung QuốcEnglish
Lin Tai-yu,the granddaughter of the Lady Dowager of the distinguished Chia family,was the cousin of Chia Pao-yu.Because Tai-yu's mother had died and there was no one to bring her up,her grandmother arranged to bring the girl to live with her at the Jungkuo Compound in the capital.Pao-yu and Tai-yu became inseparable companions,playing together from morning till night.
Wang Hsi-feng the manager of the Jungkuo Compound,was Pao-yu's sister-in-law on the paternal side and was called "Fiery Phoenix",the hot pepper.She often entertained the Lady Dowager with her teasing.She would say the Old Ancestress,as she called the Lady Dowager,was the Leading Goddess(1),and Brother Pao-yu and Sister Tai-yu were the boy Gold and the girl Jade attending her.This greatly pleased the Lady Dowager.When Tai-yu arrived,Hsi-feng came up to her and said,"Just ask me for whatever you fancy!" (1)The Leading Goddess,Wang Mu,is the eldest and most powerful goddess in Chinese mythology.She symbolizes authority and longevity.
Because of the magnificence of her grandmother's family and the many relatives who were gossipy and meddlesome,Tai-yu watched her step in her new home and weighed every word,so she would not be laughed at for any foolish blunder.When she was alone,she often shed tears into the wind and sighed facing the moon,Her poor health became even worse.
Not long after Tai-yu's arrival,Pao-yu's maternal cousin,Pao-ch'ai, came with her mother,Aunt Hsueh,to the capital,and the Lady Dowager asked them to live in the compound.When Pao-yu saw that he had another cousin as beautiful as a fairy,he could not help capering for joy,for he would have another companion to play with.But Tai-yu silently held back her tears.
The Huseh Family had served as purveyors for the Imperial Household for generations,and they were very wealthy and influential.Moreover,Pao-ch'ai had her mother and elder brother to take care of her.Tai-yu could not help feeling sorry for herself.However,Pao-yu thought Tai-yu was homesick,and he hurried over to keep her company and chat with her till she turned her sorrow into delight.
One day Pao-yu heard that Pao-ch'ai was ill and went over to see her.Pao-ch'ai had heard that Pao-yu was born with a piece of jade in his mouth,but she had never seen it.She asked for a good look at it.It was the size of a sparrow's egg and iridescent as clouds at sunrise,with two lines engraved on it:"Never Lose,Never Forget,"and "Eternal Life,Lasting Prosperity."It was certainly a rarity.
Pao-ch'ai's maid Ying-erh added,"There is also an inscription on Miss Pao-ch'ai's loctet."Pao-yu kept pestering Pao-ch'ai to have a look at it,so Pao-ch'ai took it off and handed it to him.Looking at it,Pao-yu laughed and read aloud,"Never Leave,Never Abandon,"and "Fresh Youth,Eternally Lasting."These two lines exactly match mine!"he exclaimed.Deeply touched,Pao-ch'ai blushed.
Originally,the golden locket was given to Pao-ch'ai by a monk when she was a child.The monk had predicted that she would happily marry a man born with a piece of jade in his mouth.Such a marriage would be called a "match between gold and jade."But Pao-yu did not know this and burst out giggling.Just then Tai-yu came in.As soon as she entered,she pointed to Pao-yu and said,"Ah!I have chosen the wrong time to come.If I'd known he was here,I wouldn't have come!"
Pao-ch'ai asked,"What do you mean?"and Tai-yu answered,"If he came one day and I the next day,alternating our visits,you would have a caller every day.What is so puzzling about that,Cousin?"Not knowing what to say,Pao-ch'ai could not giggle.
Pao-yu's eldest sister Yuan-ch'un had been selected by the emperor to be his Worthy and Virtuous Consort.To receive the Imperial Consort when she returned home,the Chia Family spent a huge sum of money to build a lavish garden in the compound.At the end of the Imperial Consort's visit,she ordered Pao-yu and his cousins to move into the garden-Tai-yu to live in Bamboo Lodge,Pao-yu in Happy Red Court,and Pao-ch'ai in Alpinia Court.
One day,in the middle of the third moon,Tai-yu suddenly remembered that the spring rain the night before must have beaten down the petals of the peach blossoms,and she was worried that the fallen petals might be trampled.With a hoe over one shoulder,she went to the blossoming peach trees by Seeping Fragrance Pond.Pao-yu was reading there on the slope of a hill.When he saw Tai-yu,he cried,"You are here just in time.Sweep up these petals and throw them into the water."
"Not into the water,"objected Tai-yu."The flowers will spoil once they flow out of the garden.I have a grave for flowers in that corner over there.We can bury them there.In time they will turn back into soil.Wouldn't that be cleaner?"Delighted by this idea,Pao-yu put his book aside and helped Tai-yu sweep up the fallen petals."What book is that?" asked Tai-yu suspiciously."It is a masterpiece,"he smiled.Tai-yu looked at the book and saw that it was The Romance of the Western Chamber, a classic love story considered unsuitable for young people at that time.
Tai-yu started to read the book and Pao-yu noticed her mouthing some of the lines."I am the one 'sick with longing,'" Pao-yu pointed at the book and joked,"And you are the beauty who caused 'Cities and Kingdoms to fall'."Tai-yu flushed and exclaimed,"You are terrible!Bringing such licentious songs in here,and what is more,insulting me with nasty quotations from them.I am going to tell Uncle and Aunt!"
"If I meant to insult you,I will change into a big turtle.Then when you become a lady of the first rank and go at last to your paradise in the west.I shall bear the stone tablet at your grave on my back forever,"Pao-yu said slowly.Tai-yu burst out laughing at this.Pointing at the book,she teased,"Why,you are nothing but a 'lead spearhead made to look like silver.'"
"Well,you also satirize me by using the words in the book.I will tell on you too,"said Pao-yu.Tai-yu replied with a smile,"You boast that you can 'memorize a passage with one reading.'Why can't I learn ten lines at a glance?" Laughing for a while,they went on burying the fallen flowers.
The next day,Tai-yu decided to call on Pao-yu.By the time she reached Happy Red Court where Pao-yu lived,the gate was closed and she was obliged to knock.It so happened that the maid Ch'in-wen was in a bad mood,having just quarrelled with the other maid Pi-hen,and she vented her anger on the visitor."They have all gone to bed,"she cried from inside."Master Pao-yu has given orders that no one is to be admitted."
Standing indignantly outside the door,Tai-yu was about to argue with the maid,but,she thought,she was after all an outsider here.It would be foolish to do so.Suddenly,she heard the sound of Pao-yu and Pao-ch'ai talking and laughing inside.This upset her even more.The more she listened,the more distressed she felt.Oblivious to the cold dew on the green moss and the chill wind on the path,she gave way to sobs.
The next day was the Festival of Grain in Ear.It was a time-honoured custom on this day,most faithfully observed by women,to offer a feast to the God of Flowers.When Pao-ch'ai found that Tai-yu had not come yet,she went to call her.As she approached Bamboo Lodge,she saw Pao-yu enter the courtyard."Pao-yu and Tai-yu have lived together under one roof,"she reflected."They are so free and easy together.If I follow Pao-yu in,he may not like it and she may resent it.I had better go back."
Pao-ch'ai had started back,when a pair of jade-colored butterflies appeared before her.They fluttered up and down most bewitchingly in the breeze.What fun it would be to catch them!Pao-ch'ai took out her fan and ran after them.Flitting now high,caused her to run this way and that,panting and perspiring from her exertions.
The butterflies led Pao-ch'ai all the way to the water's edge.By the time she neared Emerald Pavilion,she decided to give up the pursuit of the butterflies and go back.But just then she heard muffled voices from the pavilion.The whisperers were talking about the private matters of the maids. One of them sounded like Pao-yu's maid Hsiao-huang.
Hsiao-hung was saying,"Goodness!We have been so busy talking.What if someone is eavesdropping outside?We had better open the windows,so if anyone comes near we will see."It was too late for Pao-ch'ai to hide now.To make them think she had not heard their secrets,she ran forward as noisily as she could,calling out:"Where are you hiding,Tai-yu?"
Seeing Hsiao-hung and the other girl,Pao-ch'ai asked,"Where have you hidden Miss Lin?Just now,I saw her crouching here dabbling in the water.And now she has disappeared.""We haven't seen Miss Lin,"answered Hsiao-hung.Holding back her giggles,Pao-ch'ai went into the pavilion and searched it.She was sure she had outfoxed them.
Hsiao-hung was taken in.As soon as Pao-ch'ai went away,she caught the other maid by the arm and whispered,"Heaven help us!If Miss Lin was here,she must have overheard us.It wouldn't have been so bad if Miss Hsueh had overheard.But Miss Lin is petty and makes nasty remarks.If she heard and gives us away,what shall we do?"
Meanwhile,Pao-yu was entering the Bamboo Lodge.He ran across Tai-yu,who was crossing the courtyard."Dear cousin,how are you?"he greeted her laughingly.But Tai-yu simply ignored him,walking straight off.Pao-yu was puzzled by her cold behavior,having no idea why she was angry,and went after her.
On his way,Pao-yu ran into Pao-ch'ai and T'an-ch'un,his younger sister.After chatting with them,he found that Tai-yu had disappeared."She is too angry even to gather the blossoms,"he sighed.Then he gathered up the fallen flowers and went towards the mound where Tai-yu had buried the peach blossoms.
Just before reaching the flowers' grave,Pao-yu caught the sound of sobs on the other side of the hill.He halted to listen carefully.It was Tai-yu lamenting and weeping there,"As blossoms fade and fly across the sky,who pities the faded red,the scent that has been?...Men laugh at my folly in burrying flowers,but who will bury me when dead I lie?"Pao-yu, listening,was also overcome with grief and wept.
Tai-yu held Pao-yu to blame for her rejection by Ch'in-wen the previous night.As today happened to be the occasion for feasting the God of Flowers,she had buried the fading petals and connected them with her own fate.Now,giving way to her grief,she suddenly heard weeping from the other side of the hill.Turning her head and looking up,she saw Pao-yu."So that's who it is,"she snorted."That heartless,wretched..."
Tai-yu moved quickly away with a long sigh.Pao-yu overtook her and begged,"I know you won't look at me,but let me just say one word.After that,we can part company for good."Tai-yu replied,"Out with it!" "Would you listen if I say two words?"he asked with a smile,but she walked away.
"Why are things so different now from the past?"Pao-yu sighed."What do you mean by 'now' and 'the past'?"asked Tai-yu.In tears,he replied,"When you first came,anything that pleased me was yours,cousin,for the asking.I never expected you to grow so proud that you now ignore me."
This appeal melted Tai-yu's heart.Continuing to weep,she kept her head lowered and made no reply.Pao-yu went on,saying,"If I do something wrong,you can scold me or even strike me.But when you just ignore me,I can' tell why.If I die now,I will become a ghost hounded to death."By now,Tai-yu's resentment was completely forgotten."Then why did you tell your maids not to open the gate when I called last night?"she asked.
Pao-yu swore that no one had called on him the previous night except Pao-ch'ai. Tai-yu thought this over and said,"I suppose your maids felt too lazy to stir and that made them answer rudely."Then Pao-yu became happy again and wiped away his tears.He said he would find out which maids they were when he got back and give them a good scolding.
"Those maids of yours deserve scolding,"said Tai-yu,"although,of course,that's not for me to say.It doesn't matter if they offend me,but think what trouble there will be if next time they offend your precious Pao-ch'ai!"Saying this she smiled with her lips compressed.Pao-yu did not know whether to laugh or get angry.
Several years later,another of the Lady Dowager's granddaughters, Shih Hsiang-yun,came to Jungkuo Compound.While Pao-yu was happily talking with her,servant Ming-yen came to announce,"Mr. Chia Yu-ts'un has called.He wished to meet our young master Pao-yu,so your father wants you to go and see him."Pao-yu was reluctant to go.He grumbled as he pulled on his boots.
Hearing Pao-yu's grumbling,Hsiang-yun advised him,"Now you're growing up.You should associate with officials and learn something about official careers and administration.It will help you to manage your own affairs in the future."Pao-yu did not want to hear such advice,and he turned red with anger."Don't say such things to him,Miss,"Pao-yu's number one maid Hsi-jen interposed."Last time Miss Pao-ch'ai gave him the same advice and he didn't like it then either."
"Thank goodness it was Miss Pao-ch'ai and not Miss Lin-she'd have made a fearful scene,"added Hsi-jen."Has Miss Lin ever talked such disgusting nonsense?"asked Pao-yu,"If she had,I would have stopped having anything to do with her long ago."In fact,Pao-yu detested officials more than anything and was disgusted with the talk about official careers and administration.
Just arriving,Tai-yu had heard what Hsi-jen and Pao-yu said.This surprised and delighted her,but also grieved and worried her.She was delighted because he had been so indiscreet as to acknowledge his preference for her openly.However,she was grieved because of Pao-ch'ai and the talk about "a match between gold and jade" and aslo worried because she was so weak and frail that she might not have long to live.
As Tai-yu started to turn away,Pao-yu hurried out."Where are you going,cousin?What,crying again?"he asked with a smile.Then he raised his hand instinctively to wipe away her tears.At once Tai-yu recoiled a few steps and said,"Are you crazy?Can't you keep your hands to yourself?" "I did it without thinking."Pao-yu laughed,"I was dead to everything else around me."
"No one will care when you are dead,"said Tai-yu,"but what about the gold and jade loctets you'll have to leave behind?"This remark upset Pao-yu;he looked at Tai-yu for a while and said three words gently:"You mustn't worry."Then he added,"Dear cousin,you will ruin your health by worrying so much..."
The three words struck Tai-yu like a thunderbolt.As she turned them over in her mind,they seemed closer to her innermost thoughts than if wrung from her own heart.There were a thousand things she longed to say,yet she could not utter a word.She was seized by a fit of coughing and turned to go.
As Tai-yu left,Pao-yu stood as if rooted to the ground.Just then Hsi-jen walked up him to give him the fan he had forgotten.Too bemused still to know who it was,he mistook Hsi-jen for Tai-yu."Dear cousin,I never ventured before to bare my heart to you,"he declared."Now I have summoned up courage to speak.I am making myself ill on account of you.I shan't recover till you're better..."
Pao-yu's words astonished Hsi-jen.She knew that Pao-yu took her for Tai-yu.Shaking him she asked,"What sort of talk is this?"When Pao-yu caught himself and saw Hsi-jen there,he snatched the fan and ran off blushing.
One day,the chief steward of the Tsungshun prince's household came to Jungkuo Compound to search for a runaway actor by the name of Ch'i-kuan.He talked to Pao-yu's father,Chia Cheng,and suggested that the actor had fled the prince's palace and hidden in the compound with Pao-yu's help.Alarmed by this,Chia Cheng beat Pao-yu soundly with a rod.Pao-yu's buttocks and legs were beaten black and blue.
By now Aunt Hsueh,Hsiang-yun and some others had come to see Pao-yu.Pao-ch'ai came with a tray of pills in one hand.Looking at Pao-yu,she sighed:"If you had listened to our advice,this wouldn't have happened.Now you are so hurt,out hearts ache too..."She broke off abruptly.
That afternoon,dozing off a while,Pao-yu felt himself shaken and caught the faint sound of sobbing.He opened his eyes with a start to see Tai-yu.He said to her,"You shouldn't have come.The hot sun may make you sick again.I'm just pretending to be in pain to fool them.Don't worry about me."Tai-yu was already choked with sobs.
At this point some maids in the courtyard announced Hsi-feng's arrival.Tai-yu at once stood up and left.Pao-yu caught her hand protesting,"Why should you be afraid of her?" Tai-yu stamped one foot in desperation and whispered," Look at my eyes.She would make fun of me if she saw me crying."
The other girls and ladies called on Pao-yu group by group till it was time to light the lamps.After everyone had left,Pao-yu called for the maid Ch'in-wen and asked her to send two used handkerchiefs to Tai-yu."What would she want two old handkerchiefs for?She will flare up again and say you're teasing her,"cried Ch'in-wen."Don't worry.She will understand."answered Pao-yu.
When Ch'in-wen took the handkerchiefs to Bamboo Lodge,Tai-yu had gone to bed.At first,Tai-yu was puzzled:"Why should he send me the handkerchiefs?"But some careful thought cleared up the riddle for her."Leave them here,"she said to Ch'in-wen."You may go."
Tai-yu got up from the bed.She ground some ink on the inkstone,dipped her brush in it and quickly wrote these lines on the handkerchiefs:"Vain are all these idle tears,tears shed secretly for whom?Your kind gift of a foot of gauze only deepens my gloom.By stealth I shed pearly tears.Idle tears the livelong day;Hard to wipe them from the sleeve and the pillow,Then suffer the stains to stay."
Tai-yu would have written more but her whole body was afire,and her face burning.Going to the mirror,she saw that her cheeks were red.Still clasping the handkerchiefs,she went to bed and became lost in thought. "Though Pao-yu and I are mutually attracted to each other,the two aunts show no interest in a match between us.And grandmother now does not love me as deeply as before.Who will decide my marriage,the most important event in my life?"
One afternoon,Pao-yu went to call on Tai-yu,who was sick.Seeing she was taking a nap,he did not wish to disturb her.Meanwhile,Tai-yu's number one maid,Tze-chuan,was sewing on the verandah.Coming up to her,he reached out to touch her clothes and remarked,"you are so lightly dressed.Cosin Lin has been sick.If you fall ill too..." "When we talk to each other in future,kindly keep your hands to yourself.Miss Lin warned us not to flirt with you,"Tzu-chuan retorted,and then she got up.
Tzu-chuan went inside.Recently,she had been very concerned about Tai-yu's marriage prospects,for though they were mistress and maid,they were as intimate as sisters.She had said these words to Pao-yu to test him,not knowing that they had fallen on him like a bucket of cold water.Pao-yu went and sat down on a rock facing the bamboo grove and wept.
It so happened that another one of Tai-yu's maids,Hsueh-yen,passed by and noticed Pao-yu sitting there.Going over,she asked him,"What are you doing here alone?"Looking at her nervously,he said,"Your Miss Lin has ordered you to ignore me,but here you are seeking me out.Hurry up and go home."
Hsueh-yen told this to Tzu-chuan when she was back in Bamboo Lodge.At once Tzu-chuan left to look for Pao-yu.She found him and sat beside him,"I was only saying what is best for us all.Now you sit here crying in the wind;if you fall ill,what shall we do?" Pao-yu answered with a smile,"Just now we were talking face to face,but you wouldn't stay.Why are you sitting right beside me now?"
Tzu-chuan did not answer Pao-yu's question and instead asked him whether it was his suggestion to have an ounce of stewed bird's nest sent over to Tai-yu every day.Pao-yu said,"When I saw Pao-ch'ai was taking it,I thought Cousin Lin should also have it.She should take it every day so that she will get better." "That was very kind of you,"Tzu-chuan nodded."She should take it for a longer time,but where can we find the money to buy it when she goes home to Suchou next year?"
Pao-yu was startled at first;then he chuckled,"You are fibbing there is no one in Suchou to look after Cousin Lin."Tzu-chuan snorted,"The Lins are a prominent family too.How can they abandon Miss Lin to relatives and not take care of her?To tell you the truth,next spring or next autumn at the latest,the Lins are sure to send someone to fetch her.Miss Lin asked me to put the little gifts and souvenirs here in order.She wants to give you back yours and she will kept hers."
Tsu-chuan waited for Pao-yu to answer,but just then Ch'in-wen came up;she said the Lady Dowager wanted Pao-yu."He has been inquiring after Miss Tai-yu's health,and I have been reassuring him.But he won't believe me.You had better take him away,"said Tzu-chuan with a smile.
Pao-yu did not say a single word on his way home,but Ch'in-wen failed to notice his condition.After they entered Happy Red Court,Hsi-jen noticed that Pao-yu's face was streaming with sweat and his eyes were fixed and staring.She asked in alarm,"What's the matter with him?"Ch'in-wen then fell into a panic.Not daring to report Pao-yu's condition to the Lady Dowager,the two maids sent for Pao-yu's old nurse,Nanny Li.
Nanny Li,arrived soon after and asked Pao-yu some questions,but he made no answer.Then she pinched him hard,yet he felt no pain.Beating the bed and pillows,Nanny Li cried,"There is no hope now.All my care for him was in vain!"Ch'in-wen and Hsi-jen believed that Pao-yu was hopelessly ill,and they wept sorrowfully.
Ch'in-wen then told Hsi-jen what had just happened,whereupon Hsi-jen dashed off to Bamboo Lodge.Tai-yu had just taken her medicine.Disregarding everyone else,Hsi-jen flew at Tzu-chuan and asked:"What have you been saying to our Pao-yu?Go and see the state he is in!He may be dead by now for all I know.You will have to answer for this to the old lady.It is not my fault."
With a cry Tai-yu threw up all the medicine she had just taken.She was so choked for breath it seemed as if her stomach would turn inside out and her lungs would burst.Tzu-chuan hastily massaged her back.Pushing her away,Tai-yu cried,"You had better fetch a rope to strangle me."I just said a few words in fun..."protested Tzu-chuan. "Go and clear up the misunderstanding,quick!That may bring him back to his senses,"urged Tai-yu,gasping for breath.
Tzu-chuan hurried off with Hsi-jen to Happy Red Court,where the Lady Dowager had already arrived,having heard about Pao-yu's illness.As Tzu-chuan entered,the old lady's eyes flashed."What did you say to him?"she stormed.At the sight of Tzu-chuan,Pao-yu cried out and burst into tears."If you go,you must take me with you!"he shouted.After questioning Tzu-chuan carefully about what had happened,the old lady learned that it was all because of a joke.
Just then it was announced that the wife of Lin Chih-hsiao had come to inquire about the young master.On the hearing the name "Lin," Pao-yu grew frantic again.He cried,"The Lins have come to fetch her.Drive them away!"When his eyes fell on a boat,a toy from the West,on his cabinet,he shouted,"Isn't that the boat coming to fetch her?"The Lady Dowager ordered that the boat be given to Pao-yu.
Pao-yu tucked the boat under his bedding.Seizing Tzu-chuan,he refused to let her go."Now they won't be able to sail away,"he laughed.The women guessed that Pao-yu was confused by a fever.At this point Doctor Wang,the emperor's physician,was announced.After taking Pao-yu's pulse,he declared to the Lady Dowager,"The trouble with our honourable brother is that some great distress has clouded his mind.He will recover after taking two doses of this medicine."
When the medicine had been prepared according to the prescription,and Pao-yu had taken it,he did indeed calm down a little,but he still refused to let Tzu-chuan go.The Lady Dowager therefore let Tzu-chuan stay with him and dispatched her own maid,Hup'o, to look after Tai-yu.Tzu-chuan served Pao-yu day and night without any complaint.
When Pao-yu began to improve,Tzu-chuan went back to Bamboo Lodge.That might,she whispered to Tai-yu,"Pao-yu's heart is true to you."Tai-yu made no answer to this.Tzu-chuan went on,half to herself,"I have worried about you all these years."Tai-yu exclaimed,"You are crazy!Tomorrow I shall ask the old lady to take you back.I no longer dare to keep you." Tai-yu murmured,"What good will it do if you report me to the old lady and get me into trouble?"Saying this she went to bed.
Before long,misfortunes occurred one after another in the Chia family.Yuanch'un,the Imperial Consort,became very ill;Pao-yu remained deranged,having lost his jade.The Lady Dowager and Pao-yu's mother,Lady Wang,were busy visiting the sick Yuan-ch'un at the Palace.They had no time to attend to other matters.Not until Yuan-ch'un had passed away and her funeral had ended did they find out that Pao-yu's illness was serious.The Lady Dowager ordered the servants to move Pao-yu to her inner room so that she could watch over him more easily.
That day Hsi-jen heard the Lady Dowager,Lady Wang and Hsi-feng saying that they would arrange a wedding for Pao-yu to drive away his bad luck and hasten his recovery.They had taken a fancy to Pao-ch'ai because of her steadiness and the monk's prediction of "a match between gold and jade."Hsi-jen was aware that Pao-yu had his heart set on Miss Lin.If the plotted marriage came about,there would be no hope of curing him;on the contrary,it might hasten his death.She quietly asked Lady Wang to talk with her in the rear room.
Lady Wang returned and told the Lady Dowager what Hsi-jen had told her about Tai-yu.To her astonishment,the old lady sighed,"We needn't worry about Tai-yu.But if Pao-yu is really so infatuated,it is going to be difficult."She continued,"Pao-yu is the heart of the Chia family.If anything bad should happen to him,I would be too ashamed to see his grandfather in the other world after my death."
Hsi-feng,chuckling to herself,said,"Old Ancestress, there is no problem.I have got an idea."Then she whispered to Lady Wang.Seeing Lady Wang nodding,the old lady anxiously asked them what they were plotting.Hsi-feng smilingly repeated the secret to her.The old lady nodded in understanding and said,"That's all right,but rather hard on Pao-ch'ai."
Hurrying to the rear room,Hsi-feng greeted Pao-yu,"Congratulations, Cousin Pao!Your father has chosen a lucky lady for your wedding.Your bride will be Cousin Lin.Are you glad?"Pao-yu burst out laughing and stood up saying that he would go see Cousin Lin to reassure her.Hsi-feng barred his way."As she is to marry you,she will naturally feel too shy to see you.You had better not go,"said she.
As Hsi-feng was about to go out,Pao-yu stopped her and said,"I have given Cousin Lin my heart.When she comes,she will bring it and put it back in me."Suppressing a smile Hsi-feng said,"That's right,quite right!"
In haste,Hsi-feng called in all the maids from all the households of the family.She informed them that the Lady Dowager would arrange a wedding for Pao-yu to drive away his bad luck and that Chia Cheng had chosen Miss Pao-ch'ai to be Pao-yu's bride.That the bride would be Pao-ch'ai should be disclosed to others,nor should it be revealed to Pao-yu.Anyone who revealed the secret would be beaten.
There was a maid called Numskull doing heavy work at the Lady Dowager's quarters.She said to Hsi-jen with great joy,"We will have have some auspicious days.What shall I call her,Miss Pao or Second Mistress Pao?" Before she could finish,the maid Chen-chu slapped her face cursing "Damn you for not obeying orders.You are talking nonsense!"
Numskull was baffled.Feeling wronged,she hid in the garden crying.She was heared by Tai-yu,who was passing by.Tai-yu asked why she was so upset.Numskull answered in tears,"Judge for yourself,Miss Lin.Sister slapped me just because I made a slip of the tongue."
Not understanding what had happened,Tai-yu asked,"What did you say?"Numskull answered,"I spoke about the marriage of our master Pao-yu to Miss Pao-ch'ai."On hearing this,Tai-yu was stunned.She could not even hold herself steady.After composing herself a little,she took Numskull to a quiet spot to find out the details.
Broken hearted,Tai-yu asked Numskull to leave and staggered along toward the Bamboo Lodge.Just a few steps from the Lodge,Tai-yu suddenly vomited blood.Tzu-chuan was shocked and bewilded when she came out and found Tai-yu.
Maid Ch'in-wen helped Tzu-chuan to move Tai-yu to her bed and hurried over to tell the Lady Dowager.The old lady was very frightened.Hsi-feng wanted to find out who had revealed the secret."Never mind about that now.Let's go and see how she is,"said the old lady.
The Lady Dowager hurried to Bamboo Lodge and was astonished to find Tai-yu looking deathly pale,her breathing weak and her sputum streaked with blood.The old lady quietly exhorted Hsi-feng,"I am afraid the child will not recover.You must get ready to make arrangements for her funeral.If it comes to the worst ,you won't be caught unprepared at the last minute."
When the lady Dowager returned to her own quarters,she thought of what Hsi-jen had said before and told Lady Wang,"It is natural for young people who have played together as children to be partial to each other,but now that they are big enough to know the facts of life,they should maintain a distance.If not,what will become of them?To have other ideas would be improper.If Tai-yu harbors a secret heartache,I doubt if her illness can be cured,and I don't care!"
Hsi-feng added,"Don't worry about Cousin Lin,Madam.The doctor comes to look at her every day anyway.It is business of Brother Pao-yu that matters."They decided,after some discussion,that Hsi-feng and her husband were to be the official matchmakers.Pao-ch'ai's mother,Aunt Hsueh,would be sent for so they could all discuss the details of the marriage face to face.
While all were busy with Pao-yu's wedding in the Lady Dowager's quarters,Tai-yu was fading day by day.Tzu-chuan realized that Tai-yu was dying.She tried to comfort her,saying:"Just think of Pao-yu's health-he is so ill.How could he get married?Don't listen to silly rumours.Rest quietly till you are better."
Tai-yu pointed to her case and,with all her might,managed to whisper,"The handkerchief,the one with writing on it.""Miss Lin,you had better not look at it till you have recovered,"advised Tzu-chuan,but she opened the case and took out the handkerchief.Tai-yu took it and tried her utmost to tear it up,but her trembling fingers lacked the strength.
"Bring the brazier!"ordered Tai-yu.The brazier was brought in,and Tai-yu dropped the handkerchief into the fire.Aware that Tai-yu was showing her hatred for Pao-yu,Tzu-chuan protested,"Miss,why do such a thing?"Tai-yu ignored her and put the manuscripts of poems she had written into the fire.
When Tai-yu had burned the poems and the handkerchiefs,she was seized by fits of coughing and gasping for breath.Soon she said to Tzu-chuan,"Sister,I have no loved one here.I have lived chastely.Get them to send me home right away!"
Tzu-chuan saw that Tai-yu's cheeks were deeply flushed,a sign that she would not live much longer.There was no one there from the Lady Dowager's retinue to attend to Tai-yu;everyone was preparing for Pao-yu's wedding.Tzu-chuan didn't know what to do for her,but she finally realized that Li Wan,Pao-yu's sister-in-law,might be of help.As a widow,Li Wan could not attend Pao-yu's wedding.Tzu-chuan sent a maid to fetch her.
Li Wan was horrified to hear the sad news and hurried over to the Bamboo Lodge.One the way,she reflected,"Tai-yu's beauty and talent are truly matchless.But as young as she is,the poor girl is fated to die far from home.It was Hsi-feng's underhanded plan to fob off a different bride on Pao-yu.How tragic this is!"
When Li Wan walked into Bamboo Lodge,she found Tai-yu could not utter a single word.Looking at this pathetic scene,her heart broke.Weeping,she urged Tzu-chuan to wash Tai-yu quickly.While they were washing her,Tai-yu abruptly cried,"Pao-yu,Pao-yu! How..." Suddenly,her eyes turned up,and she died with grief in her heart.
She died at the very same hour Pao-yu and his bride paid their respects to Heaven and Earth.Accompanied by wedding music,Pao-yu and his bride were ushered into the bridal chamber.Marrying Tai-yu was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened in Pao-yu's life.He was beside himself with joy.At this moment,it seemed to him that he had taken flight to the land of the immortal,and at once he recovered from his illness.
In the bridal chamber,Pao-yu happily stepped over to the bride and said,"Are you better,Cousin Lin?Why keep your face covered with that rag?"He reached out to take off the veil,but then drew his hand back,remembering Cousin Lin was very sensitive and easily offended.Seeing this,the Lady Dowager broke out in a cold sweat.
After a while,Pao-yu could wait no longer,so he stepped forward and removed the veil.He opened his eyes wide and looked at his bride-she appeared to be Pao-ch'ai.Pao-yu was stupefied.He asked Hsi-jen,"Where is Miss Lin?"Hsi-jen answered,"It was your father's decision that you marry Miss Pao-ch'ai."Pao-yu insisted on looking for Miss Lin.The Lady Dowager tried every way possible to pacify him,but Pao-yu would not listen.
The following day,Pao-yu took a turn for the worse.He sobbed to Hsi-jen,"I am dying!Cousin Lin's illness will be incurable too.I beg you to persuade the old lady to move the two of us to a spare room.While we are still living,you can nurse us both,and when we are dead,you can lay us out together."
Pao-ch'ai came up to him and said,"Let me tell you the truth.Cousin Lin has already died."Pao-yu sat up abruptly."Is that true?"he demanded loudly."Of course it is.How could I say such a terrible thing if it wasn't?It would be a curse on her."answered Pao-ch'ai.
Pao-yu fainted and suddenly, there was chaos.The maids tried to revive him and then sent for a doctor.The Lady Dowager and Lady Wang did not say a word,but both blamed Pao-ch'ai for Pao-yu's collapse;if only she hadn't told him of Tai-yu's death so abruptly.Pao-ch'ai herself believed the only way to end Pao-yu's torment,and thus cure him was to tell him the truth.
The next day,Pao-yu grew a bit more lucid.But whenever he thought of Tai-yu,he fell into despair and clamoured to go to Bamboo Lodge to mourn her.Finally,the Lady Dowager ordered the servants to carry him there on a chair.On the way to Bamboo Lodge,he cried bitterly.
Pao-yu staggered into Bamboo Lodge and threw himself on Tai-yu's coffin.He cried,"Cousin Lin,I am here too late.It is I who caused your death..."
Pao-yu asked Tzu-chuan what Tai-yu's dying words had been.In the presence of the Lady Dowager and Lady Wang,Tzu-chuan dared not accuse Pao-yu,but she reported in detail how her young mistress had burned his handkerchiefs and her poems,and what her last words had been.Pao-yu wailed until he was hoarse and breathless.
Before long the Lady Dowager,advanced in years,died of illness,and Hsi-feng died of overwork.Lady Wang,Pao-ch'ai and some of the others endured successive misfortunes.Pao-yu cried bitterly when his grandmother died,but never wept again.
Soon the time for the autumn examination came.The day the exam was to be held,Pao-yu got up very early.He knelt down before Lady Wang and said,"Dear mother,you have loved me so deeply all your life that I can never repay you,but I will obtain a degree and make all of you happy.Then I will have done my duty as a son."
Pao-yu walked over to Pao-ch'ai and bowed deeply with his hands folded in front of him,saying:"Cousin,take good care of my mother and wait for my good news."Pao-ch'ai felt there was another meaning to his words,but she urged him to be off.The others were afraid that he would lose his mind again and thought it best to speed him on.Together,they urged him,"The coach is ready.Go quickly!If you delay any longer,you will be late."
Pao-yu threw back his head and laughed,"I am going.No more ado.This is the end!I myself know this is the time to be off."Seeing Pao-yu laughing like a crazy man,everyone thought he might be losing his mind again.But Pao-yu,clearheaded,had seen through the vanity of the human world.Away he went from that Red Chamber! No one knew where and when he ended his life.Lin Tai-yu,the granddaughter of the Lady Dowager of the distinguished Chia family,was the cousin of Chia Pao-yu.Because Tai-yu's mother had died and there was no one to bring her up,her grandmother arranged to bring the girl to live with her at the Jungkuo Compound in the capital.Pao-yu and Tai-yu became inseparable companions,playing together from morning till night.
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