Every one felt amused by her insinuations.
"What do you say?" Li Wan asked P"ing Erh smiling. "As for me, I think it my bounden duty to vindicate your wrongs, before we let the matter drop!"
"Your remarks, ladies, may be spoken in jest," P"ing Erh smiled, "but I am not worthy of such a fuss!"
"What about worthy and unworthy?" Li Wan observed. "I"m here for you!
Quick, get the key, and let your mistress go and open the doors and hunt up the things!"
"Dear sister-in-law," lady Feng said with a smile, "you"d better go along with them into the garden. I"m about to take the rice accounts in hand and square them up with them. Our senior lady, Madame Hsing, has also sent some one to call me; what she wants to tell me again, I can"t make out; but I must need go over for a turn. There are, besides, all those extra clothes for you people to wear at the end of the year, and I must get them ready and give them to be made!"
"These matters are none of my business!" Li Wan laughingly answered.
"First settle my concerns so as to enable me to retire to rest, and escape the bother of having all these girls at me!"
"Dear sister-in-law," vehemently smiled lady Feng, "be good enough to give me a little time! You"ve ever been the one to love me best, and how is it that you have, on P"ing Erh"s account, ceased to care for me? Time and again have you impressed on my mind that I should, despite my manifold duties, take good care of my health, and manage things in such a way as to find a little leisure for rest, and do you now contrariwise come to press the very life out of me? There"s another thing besides.
Should such clothes as will be required at the end of the year by any other persons be delayed, it won"t matter; but, should those of the young ladies be behind time, let the responsibility rest upon your shoulders! And won"t our old lady bear you a grudge, if you don"t mind these small things? But as for me, I won"t utter a single word against you, for, as I had rather bear the blame myself, I won"t venture, to involve you!"
"Listen to her!" Li Wan smiled. "Hasn"t she got the gift of the gab? But let me ask you. Will you, after all, a.s.sume the control of this rhyming society or not?"
"What"s this nonsense you"re talking?" lady Feng laughed. "Were I not to enter the society, and spend a little money, won"t I be treated as a rebel in this garden of Broad Vista? And will I then still think of tarrying here to eat my head off? So soon as the day dawns to-morrow, I"ll arrive at my post, dismount from my horse, and, after kneeling before the seals, my first act will be to give fifty taels for you to quietly cover the expenses of your meetings. Yet after a few days, I shall neither indite any verses, nor write any compositions, as I am simply a rustic boor, nothing more! But it will be just the same whether I a.s.sume the direction or not; for after you pocket my money, there"s no fear of your not driving me out of the place!"
As these words dropped from her lips, one and all laughed again.
"I"ll now open the loft," proceeded lady Feng. "Should there be any of the articles you want, you can tell the servants to bring them out for you to look at them! If any will serve your purpose, keep them and use them. If any be short, I"ll bid a servant go and purchase them according to your list. I"ll go at once and cut the satin for the painting. As for the plan, it isn"t with Madame w.a.n.g; it"s still over there, at Mr. Chia Chen"s. I tell you all this so that you should avoid going over to Madame w.a.n.g"s and getting into trouble! But I"ll go and depute some one to fetch it. I"ll direct also a servant to take the satin and give it to the gentlemen to size with alum; will this be all right?"
Li Wan nodded her head by way of a.s.sent and smiled. "This will be putting you to much trouble and inconvenience," she said. "But we must really act as you suggest. Well in that case, go home all of you, and, if after a time, she doesn"t send the thing round, you can come again and bully her."
So saying, she there and then led off the young ladies, and was making her way out, when lady Feng exclaimed: "It"s Pao-yu and he alone, who has given rise to all this fuss."
Li Wan overheard her remark and hastily turned herself round. "We did, in fact, come over," she smiled, "on account of Pao-yu, and we forgot, instead all about him! The first meeting was deferred through him; but we are too soft-hearted, so tell us what penalty to inflict on him!"
Lady Feng gave herself to reflection. "There"s only one thing to do,"
she then remarked. "Just punish him by making him sweep the floor of each of your rooms. This will do!"
"Your verdict is faultless!" they laughed with one accord.
While they conversed they were on the point of starting on their way back, when they caught sight of a young maid walk in, supporting nurse Lai. Lady Feng and her companions immediately rose to their feet, their faces beaming with smiles. "Venerable mother!" they said, "do take a seat!" They then in a body presented their congratulations to her.
Nurse Lai seated herself on the edge of the stovecouch and returned their smiles. "I"m to be congratulated," she rejoined, "but you, mistresses, are to be congratulated as well; for had it had not been for the bountiful grace displaced by you, mistresses, whence would this joy of mine have come? Your ladyship sent Ts"ai Ko again yesterday to bring me presents, but my grandson _kotowed_ at the door, with his face turned towards the upper quarters."
"When is he going to his post?" Li Wan inquired, with a smile.
Nurse Lai heaved a sigh. "How can I interfere with them?" she answered.
"Why, I let them have their own way and start when they like! The other day, they were at my house, and they prostrated themselves before me; but I could find no complimentary remark to make to him, so, "Sir!" I said, "putting aside that you"re an official, you"ve lived in a reckless and dissolute way, for now thirty years. You should, it"s true, have been people"s bond-servant, but from the moment you came out of your mother"s womb, your master graciously accorded you your liberty. Thanks, above, to the boundless blessings showered upon you by your lord, and, below, to the favour of your father and mother, you"re like a n.o.ble scion and a gentleman, able to read and to write; and you have been carried about by maids, old matrons, and nurses, just as if you had been a very phoenix! But now that you"ve grown up and reached this age, do you have the faintest notion of what the two words "bond-servant" imply?
All you think of is to enjoy your benefits. But what hardships your grandfather and father had to bear, in slaving away for two or three generations, before they succeeded, after ever so many ups and downs, in raising up a thing like you, you don"t at all know! From your very infancy, you ever ailed from this, or sickened for that, so that the money that was expended on your behalf, would suffice to fuse into a lifelike silver image of you! At the age of twenty, you again received the bounty of your master in the shape of a promise to purchase official status for you. But just mark, how many inmates of the princ.i.p.al branch and main offspring have to endure privation, and suffer the pangs of hunger! So beware you, who are the offshoot of a bond-servant, lest you snap your happiness! After enjoying so many good things for a decade, by the help of what spirits, and the agency of what devils have you, I wonder, managed to so successfully entreat your master as to induce him to bring you to the fore again and select you for office? Magistrates may be minor officials, but their functions are none the less onerous.
In whatever district they obtain a post, they become the father and mother of that particular locality. If you therefore don"t mind your business, and look after your duties in such a way as to acquit yourself of your loyal obligations, to prove your grat.i.tude to the state and to show obedience and reverence to your lord, heaven, I fear, will not even bear with you!""
Li Wan and lady Feng laughed. "You"re too full of misgivings!" they observed. "From what we can see of him, he"s all right! Some years back, he paid us a visit or two; but it"s many years now that he hasn"t put his foot here. At the close of each year, and on birthdays, we"ve simply seen his name brought in, that"s all. The other day, that he came to knock his head before our venerable senior and Madame w.a.n.g, we caught sight of him in her courtyard yonder; and, got up in the uniform of his new office, he looked so dignified, and stouter too than before. Now that he has got this post, you should be quite happy; instead of that you worry and fret about this and that! If he does get bad, why, he has his father and mother yet to take care of him, so all you need do is to be cheerful and content! When you"ve got time to spare, do get into a chair and come in and have a game of cards and a chat with our worthy senior; and who ever will have the face to hurt your feelings? Why, were you go to your home, you"d also have there houses and halls, and who is there who would not hold you in high respect? You"re certainly, what one would call, a venerable old dame!"
P"ing Erh poured a cup of tea and brought it to her. Nurse Lai speedily stood up. "You could have asked any girl to do this for me; it wouldn"t have mattered! But here I"m troubling you again!"
Apologising, she resumed, sipping her tea the while: "My lady you"re not aware that young girls of this age must be in everything kept strictly in hand. In the event of any license, they"re sure to find time to kick up trouble, and annoy their elders. Those, who know (how well they are supervised), will then say that children are always up to mischief. But those, who don"t, will maintain that they take advantage of their wealthy position to despise people; to the detriment as well of their mistresses" reputation. How I regret that there"s nothing that I can do with him. Time after time, have I had to send for his father; and he has been the better, after a scolding from him." Pointing at Pao-yu, "I don"t mind whether you feel angry with me for what I"m going to say,"
she proceeded, "but if your father were to attempt now to exercise ever so little control over you, your venerable grandmother is sure to try and screen you. Yet, when in days gone by your worthy father was young, he used to be beaten by your grandfather. Who hasn"t seen him do it? But did your father, in his youth resemble you, who have neither fear for G.o.d or man? There was also our senior master, on the other side, Mr.
Chia She. He was, I admit, wild; but never such a crossgrained fellow as yourself; and yet he too had his daily dose of the whip. There was besides the father of your elder cousin Chen, of the eastern mansion. He had a disposition that flared up like a fire over which oil is poured.
If anything was said, and he flew into a rage, why, talk about a son, it was really as if he tortured a robber. From all I can now see and hear, Mr. Chen keeps his son in check just as much as was the custom in old days among his ancestors; the only thing is that he abides by it in some respects, but not in others. Besides, he doesn"t exercise the least restraint over his own self, so is it to be wondered at if all his cousins and nieces don"t respect him? If you"ve got any sense about you, you"ll only be too glad that I speak to you in this wise; but if you haven"t, you mayn"t be very well able to say anything openly to me, but you"ll inwardly abuse me, who knows to what extent!"
As she reproved him, they saw Lai Ta"s wife arrive. In close succession came Chou Jui"s wife along with Chang Ts"ai"s wife to report various matters.
"A wife," laughed lady Feng, "has come to fetch her mother-in-law!"
"I haven"t come to fetch our old dame," Lai Ta"s wife smilingly rejoined, "but to inquire whether you, my lady and the young ladies, will confer upon us the honour of your company?"
When nurse Lai caught this remark, she smiled. "I"ve really grown quite idiotic!" "What," she exclaimed, "was right and proper for me to say, I didn"t say, but I went on talking instead a lot of rot and rubbish! As our relatives and friends are presenting their congratulations to our grandson for having been selected to fill up that office of his, we find ourselves under the necessity of giving a banquet at home. But I was thinking that it wouldn"t do, if we kept a feast going the whole day, and we invited this one, and not that one. Reflecting also that it was thanks to our master"s vast bounty that we"ve come in for this unforeseen glory and splendour, I felt quite agreeable to do anything, even though it may entail the collapse of our household. I therefore advised his father to give banquets on three consecutive days. That he should, on the first, put up several tables, and a stage in our mean garden, and invite your venerable dowager lady, the senior ladies, junior ladies, and young ladies to come and have some distraction during the day, and that he should have several tables laid on the stage in the main pavilion outside, and request the senior and junior gentlemen to confer upon us the l.u.s.tre of their presence. That for the second day, we should ask our relatives and friends; and that for the third, we should invite our companions from the two mansions. In this way, we"ll have three days" excitement, and, by the boundless favour of our master, we"ll have the benefit of enjoying the honour of your society."
"When is it to be?" Li Wan and lady Feng inquired, smilingly. "As far as we are concerned, we"ll feel it our duty to come. And we hope that our worthy senior may feel in the humour to go. But there"s no saying for certain!"
"The day chosen is the fourteenth," Lai Ta"s wife eagerly replied. "Just come for the sake of our old mother-in-law!"
"I can"t tell about the others," lady Feng explained with a laugh, "but as for me I shall positively come. I must however tell you beforehand that I"ve no congratulatory presents to give you. Nor do I know anything about tips to players or others. As soon as I shall have done eating, I shall bolt, so don"t laugh at me."
"Fiddlesticks!" Lai Ta"s wife laughed. "Were your ladyship disposed, you could well afford to give us twenty and thirty thousand taels."
"I"m off now to invite our venerable mistress," nurse Lai smilingly remarked. "And if her ladyship also agrees to come, I shall deem it a greater honour than ever conferred upon me."
Having said this, she went on to issue some injunctions; after which, she got up to go, when the sight of Chou Jui"s wife reminded her of something.
"Of course!" she consequently observed. "I"ve got one more question to ask you, my lady. What did sister-in-law Chou"s son do to incur blame, that he was packed off, and his services dispensed with?"
"I was just about to tell your daughter-in-law," lady Feng answered smilingly, after listening to her question, "but with so many things to preoccupy me, it slipped from my memory! When you get home, sister-in-law Lai, explain to that old husband of yours that we won"t have his, (Chou Jui"s), son kept in either of the mansions; and that he can tell him to go about his own business!"
Lai Ta"s wife had no option but to express her acquiescence. Chou Jui"s wife however speedily fell on her knees and gave way to urgent entreaties.
"What is it all about?" nurse Lai shouted. "Tell me and let me determine the right and wrong of the question."
"The other day," lady Feng observed, "that my birthday was celebrated, that young fellow of his got drunk, before the wine ever went round; and when the old dame, over there, sent presents, he didn"t go outside to give a helping hand, but squatted down, instead, and upbraided people.
Even the presents he wouldn"t carry inside. And it was only after the two girls had come indoors that he eventually got the servant-lads and brought them in. Those lads were however careful enough in what they did, but as for him, he let the box, he held, slip from his hands, and bestrewed the whole courtyard with cakes. When every one had left, I deputed Ts"ai Ming to go and talk to him; but he then turned round and gave Ts"ai Ming a regular scolding. So what"s the use of not bundling off a disorderly rascal like him, who neither shows any regard for discipline or heaven?"
"I was wondering what it could be!" nurse Lai ventured. "Was it really about this? My lady, listen to me! If he has done anything wrong, thrash him and scold him, until you make him mend his ways, and finish with it!
But to drive him out of the place, will never, by any manner of means, do. He isn"t, besides, to be treated like a child born in our household.
He is at present employed as Madame w.a.n.g"s attendant, so if you carry out your purpose of expelling him, her ladyship"s face will be put to the blush. My idea is that you should, my lady, give him a lesson by letting him have several whacks with a cane so as to induce him to abstain from wine in the future. If you then retain him in your service as. .h.i.therto he"ll be all right! If you don"t do it for his mother"s sake; do it at least for that of Madame w.a.n.g!"
After lending an ear to her arguments, lady Feng addressed herself to Lai Ta"s wife. "Well, in that case," she said, "call him over to-morrow and give him forty blows; and don"t let him after this touch any more wine!"
Lai Ta"s wife promised to execute her directions. Chou Jui"s wife then kotowed and rose to her feet. But she also persisted upon prostrating herself before nurse Lai; and only desisted when Lai Ta"s wife pulled her up. But presently the trio took their departure, and Li Wan and her companions sped back into the garden.
When evening came, lady Feng actually bade the servants go and look (into the loft), and when they discovered a lot of painting materials, which had been put away long ago, they brought them into the garden.
Pao-ch"ai and her friends then selected such as they deemed suitable.
But as they only had as yet half the necessaries they required, they drew out a list of the other half and sent it to lady Feng, who, needless for us to particularise, had the different articles purchased, according to the specimens supplied.
By a certain day, the silk had been sized outside, a rough sketch drawn, and both returned into the garden. Pao-yu therefore was day after day to be found over at Hsi Ch"un"s, doing his best to help her in her hard work. But T"an Ch"un, Li Wan, Ying Ch"un, Pao-ch"ai and the other girls likewise congregated in her quarters, and sat with her when they were at leisure, as they could, in the first place, watch the progress of the painting, and as secondly they were able to conveniently see something of each other.