Chapter 37

秋爽斋偶结海棠社

蘅芜院夜拟菊花题

Jia Zheng is appointed to the provinces, leaving Baoyu free in the garden. On a bored day, he encounters Tanchun’s maid Ebony 翠墨 who gives him a letter from Tanchun proposing a poetry club – he is struck by her poeticism and goes to see her. On his way he receives a letter from Jia Yun via an old lady saying that he has a rare variety of crabflower to give him – he asks them to be sent to his rooms. At Tanchun’s, all the young girls are present. Tanchun is flattered, Daiyu initially counts herself out, and Li Wan proposes herself as president. They agree all to be equals and come up with appropriate, referential and slightly mocking pennames for each other. Li Wan proposes some club rules – she, Yingchun and Xichun won’t have to write, and Li will host and be president. All assent (although with slight bitterness from Tanchun). They agree to meet twice a month, and to have one immediately. Li suggests the crab-blossom as a subject, Yingchun selects a form at random, and chooses at random the final characters of each line. They are timed by a stick of incense burning; Daiyu plays outside. After the other poems have been read, she saunters in and puts a poem down on paper – it is elegant and original, but Baochai is declared the winner, with Baoyu last. They agree to meet on the second and sixteenth of every month at Li Wan’s, who will choose the subjects and rhymes, and Tanchun suggests the name ‘Crabflower Club’ in honour of their first meeting.

Aroma takes delivery of the crabflowers, and asks the old lady to get her a cab to take some things to Xiangyun; unfortunately, Skybright has taken one of these things, an onyx saucer, to Tanchun’s. Ripple reveals that two vases are also missing, as Baoyu arranged cassias in them for Lady Jia and Lady Wang – she had gone with him, and was showered with presents. The maids tease each other, and are sent to retrieve the objects. The gifts are sent to Xiangyun via one of the old nannies.

Baoyu returns to admire the flowers and tell Aroma about the club; she tells him about the gifts, and he immediately wants to invite Xiangyun to join the club. Aroma isn’t sure, but the nanny arrives back, having told Xiangyun about the club, making her upset – Baoyu immediately asks Grandmother Jia for her to be fetched. She is eventually fetched the next afternoon, and the club meets again. Her penalty is to write a poem on the same theme as before – she writes two – and provide refreshments the next day. She stays with Baochai, and they stay up talking about the club, and Baochai reminds Xiangyun that she shouldn’t waste her money on this frivolous entertainment – she suggests throwing a crab and cassia party, after which the club can meet. They bond as sisters, and discuss modern poetry, alighting on a chrysanthemum theme for the next day’s poems’ titles, coming up with twelve titles in an order, choosing to have no set rhymes: everyone is to try as many as they want.