Chapter 57

慧紫鹃情辞试莽玉

慈姨妈爱语慰痴颦

Lady Wang takes Baoyu on a call to Lady Zhen’s townhouse. They return the visit before leaving town. He visits Daiyu, who is sleeping, so talks with Nightingale. When he touches her clothes she recoils and rebukes him – she says that Daiyu has warned them about him, and stays far away from him. Baoyu is hurt and cries in the garden. Snowgoose passes him, and is concerned. At Daiyu’s, she and Nightingale gossip; Nightingale is concerned and goes to apologise to Baoyu. They chat, but fall out when Nightingale jokes about Daiyu returning to Suzhou. Skybright arrives with summons for Baoyu from Grandmother Jia; she, Aroma and Nannie Li are alarmed by his vacant, distressed state, and delay reporting to Lady Jia. Aroma confronts Nightingale, which distresses the already ill Daiyu. Nightingale hurries to apologise again, but Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang are already present and rebuke her. On hearing the cause of his derangement, they take a less serious view. He becomes obsessed with the idea that Daiyu is to be taken away, and the word ‘Lin’ is banned after Lin Zhixiao’s arrival sends him wild. Dr Wang diagnoses him, and Nightingale stays with him as he improves. He starts feigning madness to keep Nightingale there.

Later, after being mocked by Xiangyun, he and Nightingale smooth things over. She was just trying to test him. His heart is true, and he is amused that she believed Grandmother Jia’s comment about him being betrothed to Baoqin. She returns to Daiyu’s, leaving him a mirror as a keepsake. She talks with Daiyu; she is concerned for her. Daiyu is affected, telling Nightingale she can’t stay with her. She weeps during the night.

There are three or four days’ celebration for Aunt Xue’s birthday. Xue likes Xing Xiuyan and suggests her as a wife for Xue Ke. Grandmother Jia tells Lady Xing, who assents. Youshi is to work on the settlement. Xiuyan, now close to Baochai, is delighted. One day Baochai notices Xiuyan is not wearing thick enough clothes; she has pawned them, as she is poor and has spent half her allowance on her parents. Baochai offers to pay the pawn ticket for her – it is one of the Xues’ businesses. Baochai continues to Daiyu’s, where Aunt Xue talks of romantic fate. She comforts Daiyu, who weeps to think of her own mother. Baochai suggests Aunt Xue takes Daiyu as a goddaughter. Daiyu reacts hysterically when Aunt Xue suggests Baoyu is a good match for her. Xiangyun arrives with the pawn ticket – she doesn’t know what it is, and Aunt Xue explains. Baochai takes the ticket, but cannot conceal from Daiyu and Xiangyun Xiuyan’s straitened circumstances. Xiangyun is angry, and suggests having Xiuyan to live with them. Tanchun and Xichun arrive.

Chapter 26

蜂腰桥设言传心事

潇湘馆春困发幽情

Baoyu has recovered, and his burns are healed. Meanwhile, Crimson notices Jia Yun carries a handkerchief much like the one she lost. She gossips about Baoyu, Aroma and the household with a younger maid, Melilot 佳蕙. She learns from Nanny Li that Baoyu has asked for Yun to see him; Trinket 坠儿 is sent to escort him in, and his eyes meet Crimson’s on Wasp Waist Bridge.

Yun enters Green Delights, and Baoyu apologises for missing their last meeting. They chat, and Yun protests at Aroma serving him – a servant - tea. He dawdles back with Trinket, asking her a lot of personal questions, including about Crimson. He mentions the handkerchief, which he gives her to give to Crimson.

Baoyu is bored and lethargic, but Aroma persuades him to go out instead of sleeping. He finds Jia Lan 贾兰 hunting, and disturbs Daiyu quoting from ‘the Western Chamber’; she claims to have been asleep. He presses her, leading to tears. He apologises, but is called by Aroma as Zheng wants him. It turns out to be a deceit by Xue Pan and Tealeaf; Baoyu is angry, but it is because Pan has been given food for his coming birthday and wants to share it. Pan announces that he wants dirty pictures for his birthday. Feng Ziying 冯紫英, son of a general, arrives; Baoyu gets pleasingly drunk, and arrives back to find Aroma still anxious about his meeting, and discusses the food with Baochai.

Daiyu goes to Green Delights, and Skybright, not recognising her voice, doesn’t let her in, apparently on Baoyu’s orders. She weeps for being such an outsider. She hears Baoyu and Baochai’s voices, and continues to lament her situation. A door opens, and someone comes out.

Chapter 20

王熙凤正言弹妒意

林黛玉俏语谑娇音

They hear Nanny Li and Aroma arguing in Baoyu’s room; he runs back and supports the ill Aroma, making Nanny Li cry. Daiyu and Baochai arrive to hear all her woes, and Xifeng enters to haul her away. The fall-out leads to Aroma getting upset and more ill. After dinner all the maids leave but Musk 麝月, and he combs her hair, earning a rebuke from the sharp-tongued Skybright.

At this time of year, everyone is on holiday; Jia Huan 贾环 visits Baochai to play dice with the maids. He shocks Baochai by revealing the chip on his shoulder about his half-brother Baoyu. He leaves when Baoyu arrives, and at home his real mother Aunt Zhao 赵姨娘 curses Baoyu, inciting a scolding from Xifeng. She also tells Huan off and replaces his gambling losses.

Baoyu and Baochai go to see Shi Xiangyun 史湘云, who has just arrived. First he quarrels with Daiyu, who storms out. He leaves to welcome Xiangyun, but returns to continue the argument about his temper. Xiangyun then enters, reproving them for ignoring her. Daiyu mocks her lisp; Xiangyun tells her she won’t be able to find a fault in Baochai. Baoyu is amused, and Xiangyun flees.

Chapter 19

情切切良宵花解语

意绵绵静日玉生香

After the stress of the visit, everyone is left idle and unoccupied, especially Baoyu. He finds himself alone while others gamble or watch plays on New Year’s Eve, and while Aroma is with her family, and he decides to go to Zhen’s study to look at a picture, where he finds Tealeaf making love to Swastika 卍儿. They decide to go to Aroma’s house, despite the risk that they could get in trouble. Her brother, Hua Zifang 花自芳, lets them stay. It is awkward, as the Huas are embarrassed about their humble house; Aroma passes round his jade for them to see, and Zifang gets them cabs back.

Before Baoyu returns, Nanny Li scolds the maids who are playing and drinks all Baoyu’s kumis, a present from Yuanchun he was saving for Aroma. She doesn’t mind though, so neither does he. She says it made her sick last time and asks for chestnuts instead which Baoyu dutifully peels for her. He compliments her cousin’s beauty, saying she should join the household, which upsets Aroma. Aroma reveals that her family want to buy her out of service in a year, and she wants to go back to them; Baoyu says he won’t let her. However, before Baoyu had appeared at her house earlier, she had told her family she would never want to return to them, leaving her in tears when he arrived. She had also said she wanted chestnuts to avoid a scene over the kumis. Aroma wakes Baoyu, who is crying; she tells him that if he can make certain changes she’ll never leave him.

The next morning, Aroma has contracted a chill. Baoyu goes to see Daiyu, and he becomes fascinated with a fragrance on her. They chat aimlessly, and he tells a teasing story about magic mice from near Yangzhou – she attacks him; he defends it as an allusion, when Baochai enters. Baochai sticks up for Daiyu.

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.

Chapter 8

贾宝玉寄缘识金锁

薛宝钗巧合认通灵

While Xifeng enjoys her entertainment, Baoyu surreptitiously decides to see Baochai in Pear Tree Court, who has been ill. He is detained by two literary gentlemen who have been with Zheng, and by the Clerk of Stores and several foremen. Pan is out and Aunt Xue shows him in; Baochai is better. Baochai is fascinated by Baoyu’s jade, and Oriole 莺儿 remarks on the similarity between the inscription on the jade and that on Baochai’s necklace. Baoyu likes the fragrance of her medicine and jokingly asks to try some.

Daiyu also arrives, and regrets that she chose to go when Baoyu was there also, but it is snowing so neither leaves, and they have tea. They then have wine, but Baoyu’s old Nanny Li 李嬷嬷 worries that Baoyu shouldn’t have any. Baoyu asks for his wine cold, shocking the Xues. Baoyu is invited to stay for supper, and the night if he gets too drunk. He is tired, and leaves with Daiyu after eating. They go to see Grandmother Jia, who sends Baoyu away to rest from all the drink. When he returns, he finds an angry Skybright 晴雯, who had prepared his ink and paper for him in the morning for him to write just three characters and rush off. Daiyu admires his calligraphy, and Baoyu snaps at Skybright for giving the best tea to Nanny Li. Aroma admonishes Baoyu.

Qin Zhong arrives to pay his respects to Grandmother Jia, and is invited to stay when he needs to, as he lives so far away. Qin Zhong’s father had been about to try and get Qin admitted to the school, as Dairu 代儒, the tutor, was a leading scholar. His father is not rich, but had been able to get enough money together.