Chapter 9 - supercondensed

Before starting at school, Zheng threatens Baoyu to concentrate on his studies. Baoyu’s group of schoolfriends, particularly Qin Zhong, are bullied, which escalates to a fight in the classroom.

Chapter 9

训劣子李贵承申饬

嗔顽童茗烟闹书房

Aroma has prepared Baoyu’s things for school, but is concerned that he won’t have the proper attitude. Baoyu reassures her, thinking she’ll be gloomy because he’s away, and tells her to spend time with Daiyu. He goes to see Zheng, but is admonished for fooling around. Zheng interrogates Li Gui 李贵, Nannie Li’s 李奶姆 son who was in attendance on Baoyu, as to what Baoyu had been studying. Zheng threatens him, saying that he wants Baoyu to cease studying poetry and classics and learn the Four Books.

Baoyu and Qin Zhong continue to be great friends, and Baoyu insists on them using personal terms. Their beauty and friendship, however, leads the other pupils to spread rumours. Xue Pan joins the school on a pretence in order to meet the boys, offering them money and goods, and two other boys develop a bond of mutual attraction with Qin and Baoyu. They complain of bullying by Jokey Jin 金荣 to the unprincipled Jia Rui 贾瑞, Dairu’s grandson, who calls one of them a troublemaker. Pupil Jia Qiang 贾蔷 of Ningguo is angry, and tells Baoyu’s page Tealeaf 茗烟 to pick a fight with the bully, resulting in mayhem in the classroom. Tealeaf and Baoyu want to tell, but are persuaded not to if the bully apologises.