Chapter 65

贾二舍偷娶尤二姨

尤三姐思嫁柳二郎

Lian and Erjie’s marriage is carried out and she moves in to her new lodgings with Sanjie and Mrs You; he is besotted with her, and asks that she is called ‘Mrs Lian’. When he occasionally returns to Xifeng, she suspects nothing, assuming he has important business with Zhen at Ningguo. He hands his savings to Erjie and promises to marry her openly after Xifeng dies. He is very grateful to the facilitator Zhen.

One day when Lian was not present, Zhen calls on the Yous, and gets intimate with Sanjie; the maids and servants quarrel. Lian arrives unexpectedly and goes to his bedroom after the Mattress whispers to him that Zhen is present. Lian’s page Rich 隆儿 also deduces that Zhen is present by the extra horse. He quarrels with Zhen’s pages, who are very drunk and staying the night too, and Erjie is just able to distract Lian’s attention from the commotion. Lian suggests that Zhen and Sanjie formalise their relationship – Erjie isn’t sure - and he goes to see his embarrassed cousin. His suggestion causes the attractively dishevelled Sanjie to erupt, making Zhen and Lian tonguetied, spellbound, smitten and repulsed, and finally she storms off and dismissed them.

Sanjie continues to abuse Lian, Zhen and Rong to all who will listen, although she does still summon Zhen at times. She resolves to milk the rich men for all she can, and makes extravagant demands for food, clothes and jewellery – she is far from the complaisant mistress Zhen had hoped for, and despite Erjie’s devotion even Lian is caused to regret the situation. Erjie urges Lian to find a husband for Sanjie, but Zhen won’t give her up. Erjie prepares a party for the four of them but Sanjie, predicting the reason for it, bursts into tears and declares that she repents and wishes to be a good wife; she has one particular man in mind. Lian guesses Baoyu, but to Erjie and Mrs You’s surprise she rejects this. Lian’s page Joker 光儿 arrives to call him away, and he is left to answer the girls’ questions about Rongguo; he is very rude about Xifeng. He entreats Erjie not to go and see her, as she intends. He tells her that Xifeng is a jealous type and is frightened of the Patience, before jokily describing the other young ladies of Rongguo to them.