"Early this morning," T"an Ch"un laughingly observed, "I was very cross, but as soon as I heard of her (P"ing Erh"s) arrival, I casually remembered that her mistress employed, during her time, such domestics as were up to all kinds of larks, and at the sight of her, I got more cross than ever. But, little though one would have thought it, she behaved from the moment she came, like a rat that tries to get out of the way of a cat. And as she had had to stand for ever so long, I pitied her very much; but she took up the thread of the conversation, and went on to spin that long yarn of hers. Yet, instead of mentioning that her mistress treats me with every consideration, she, on the contrary, observed: "The kindness with which you have all along dealt with our lady miss, has not been to no purpose." This remark therefore not only dispelled my anger, but filled me with so much shame that I began to feel sore at heart. And, when I came to think carefully over the matter, I failed to see how I, a mere girl, who had personally done so much mischief that not a soul cared a straw for me and not a soul took any interest in me, could possess any such good qualities as to treat any one kindly...."
When she reached this point, she could not check her tears from br.i.m.m.i.n.g over. Li Wan and her a.s.sociates perceived how pathetically she spoke; and, recalling to mind bow Mrs. Chao had always run her down, and how she had ever been involved in some mess or other with Madame w.a.n.g, on account of this Mrs. Chao, they too found it difficult to refrain from melting into sobs. But they then used their joint efforts to console her.
"Let"s avail ourselves of this quiet day," they suggested, "to try and find out how we could increase our revenue and remove abuses, so as not to render futile the charge laid on us by Madame w.a.n.g. What use or purpose is it to allude to such trivial matters?"
"I"ve already grasped your object," P"ing Erh hastily ventured. "Miss, speak out; who do you consider fit? And as soon as the proper persons have been fixed upon, everything will be square enough."
"What you say is all very well," T"an Ch"un rejoined, "but it will be necessary to let your lady know something about it. It has never been the proper thing for us in here to sc.r.a.pe together any small profits.
But as your mistress is full of gumption, I adopted the course I did.
Had she been at all narrowminded, with many prejudices and many jealousies, I wouldn"t have shown the least willingness in the matter.
But, as it will look as if I were bent upon pulling her to pieces, how can I take action without consulting her?"
"In that case," P"ing Erh smiled, "I"ll go and tell her something about it."
With this response, she went on the errand; and only returned after a long lapse of time. "I said," she laughed, "that it would be perfectly useless for me to go. How ever could our lady not readily accede to an excellent proposal like this?"
Hearing this, T"an Ch"un forthwith joined Li Wan in directing a servant to ask for the roll, containing the names of the matrons in the garden, and bring it to them. When produced, they all held council together, and fixing cursorily upon several persons, they summoned them to appear before them. Li Wan then explained to them the general outline of their duties; and not one was there among the whole company, who listened to her, who would not undertake the charge. One said: "If you confide that bamboo tree for twelve months to my care, it will again next year be a single tree, but besides the shoots, which will have been eaten at home, I shall be able, in the course of the year, to also pay in some money."
"Hand me over," another one remarked, "that portion of paddy field, and there will, during the year, be no need to touch any public funds on account of the various birds, large and small, which are kept for mere fun. Besides that, I shall be in a position to give in something more."
T"an Ch"un was about to pa.s.s a remark when a servant reported that the doctor had come; and that he had entered the garden to see Miss Shih. So the matrons were obliged to go and usher the doctor in.
"Were there a hundred of you here," promptly expostulated P"ing Erh, "you wouldn"t know what propriety means! Are there perchance no couple of housekeepers about to push themselves forward and see the doctor in?"
"There"s dame Wu and dame T"an," the servant, who brought the message, replied. "The two are on duty at the south-west corner at the "acc.u.mulated splendour" gate."
At this answer, P"ing Erh allowed the subject to drop.
After the departure of the matrons, T"an Ch"un inquired of Pao-ch"ai what she thought of them.
"Such as are diligent at the outset," Pao-ch"ai answered smiling, "become remiss in the end; and those who have a glib tongue have an eye to gain."
T"an Ch"un listened to her reply; and nodding her head, she extolled its wisdom. Then showing them with her finger several names on the list, she submitted them for the perusal of the trio. P"ing Erh speedily went and fetched a pen and inkslab.
"This old mother Chu," the trio observed, "is a trustworthy woman.
What"s more, this old dame and her sons have generation after generation done the sweeping of the bamboo groves. So let"s now place the various bamboo trees under her control. This old mother T"ien was originally a farmer, and everything in the way of vegetables and rice, in and about the Tao Hsiang village, should, albeit they couldn"t, planted as they are as a mere pastime, be treated in such earnest as to call for large works and extensive plantations, be entrusted to her care; for won"t they fare better if she can be on the spot and tend them with extra diligence at the proper times and seasons?"
"What a pity it is," T"an Ch"un proceeded smilingly, "that two places so s.p.a.cious as the Heng Wu garden and the I Hung court bring no grit to the mill."
"Things in the Heng Wu garden are in a worse state," Li Wan hastily interposed. "Aren"t the scented wares and scented herbs sold at present everywhere in perfumery shops, large fairs and great temples the very counterpart of these things here? So if you reckon up, you will find how much greater a return these articles will give than any other kind of product. As for the I Hung court, we needn"t mention other things, but only take into account the roses that bud during the two seasons of spring and summer; to how many don"t they amount in all? Besides these, we"ve got along the whole hedge, cinnamon roses and monthly roses, stock roses, honey-suckle and westeria. Were these various flowers dried and sold to the tea and medicine shops, they"d also fetch a good deal of money."
"Quite so!" T"an Ch"un acquiesced with a smile. "The thing is that there"s no one with any notion how to deal with scented herbs."
"There"s Ying Erh who waits on Miss Pao-ch"ai," P"ing Erh promptly smiled. "Her mother is well-versed in these things. It was only the other day that she plucked a few, and plaited them, after drying them well in the sun, into a flower-basket and a gourd, and gave them to me to play with. But miss can you have forgotten all about it?"
"I was this very minute speaking in your praise," Pao-ch"ai observed smiling, "and do you come to chaff me?"
"What makes you say so?" exclaimed the trio, in utter astonishment.
"It will on no account do," Pao-ch"ai added. "You employ such a lot of people in here that they all lead a lazy life and have nothing to put a hand to, and were I also now to introduce some more, that tribe will look even upon me with utter contempt. But let me think of some one for you. There"s in the I Hung court, an old dame Yeh; she"s Pei Ming"s mother. That woman is an honest old lady; and is furthermore on the best of terms with our Ying Erh"s mother. So wouldn"t it be well were this charge given to this dame Yeh? Should there even be anything that she doesn"t know, there"ll be no necessity for us to tell her. She can go straightway and consult with Ying Erh"s mother. And if she can"t attend to everything herself, it won"t matter to whom she relegates some of her duties. These will be purely private favours. In the event too of any one making any mean insinuations, the blame won"t fall on our shoulders.
By adopting this course, you"ll be managing things in such a way as to do extreme justice to all; and the trust itself will also be placed on a most satisfactory footing."
"Excellent!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Li Wan and P"ing Erh simultaneously.
"This may be well and good," T"an Ch"un laughed, "but the fear is that at the sight of gain, they"ll forget all about propriety."
"That"s nothing to do with us!" P"ing Erh rejoined a smile playing, about her lips. "It was only the other day that Ying Erh recognised dame Yeh as her adopted mother, and invited her to eat and drink with them, so that the two families are on the most intimate terms."
At this a.s.surance, T"an Ch"un relinquished the topic of conversation, and, holding council together, they selected several persons, all of whom the four had ever viewed with impartial favour and they marked off their names, by dotting them with a pen.
In a little while, the matrons came to report that "the doctor had gone;" and they handed the prescription. Their three mistresses then perused its contents. On the one hand, they despatched domestics to take it outside, so that the drugs should be got, and to superintend their decoction. On the other, T"an Ch"un and Li Wan explicitly explained to the various servants chosen what particular place each had to look after. "Exclusive," they added, "of what fixed custom requires for home consumption during the four seasons, you are still at liberty to pluck whatever remains and have it taken away. As for the profits, we"ll settle accounts at the close of the year."
"I"ve also bethought myself of something," T"an Ch"un smiled. "If the settlement of accounts takes place at the end of the year, the money will, at the time of delivery, be naturally paid into the accountancy.
Those high up will then as usual add a whole lot of controllers; and these will, on their part, fleece their own share as soon as the money gets into the palms of their hand. But as by this system, we"ve now initiated, you"ve been singled out for appointment, you"ve already ridden so far above their heads, that they foster all sorts of animosity against you. They don"t, however, give vent to their feelings; but if they don"t seize the close of the year, when you have to deliver your accounts, to play their tricks on you, for what other chances will they wait? Moreover, they obtain, in everything that comes under their control during the year, half of every share their masters get. This is an old custom. Every one is aware of its existence. But this is a new regime I now introduce in this garden, so don"t let the money find its way into their hands! Whenever the annual settling of accounts arrives, bring them in to us."
"My idea is," Pao-ch"ai smilingly suggested, "that no accounts need be handed even inside. This one will have a surplus, that one a deficit, so that it will involve no end of trouble; wouldn"t it be better therefore if we were to find out who of them would take over this or that particular kind and let them purvey the various things? These are for the exclusive use of the inmates of the garden; and I"ve already made an estimate of them for you. They amount to just a few sorts, and simply consist of head-oil, rouge, powder and scented paper; in all of which, the young ladies and maids are subject to a fixed rule. Then, besides these, there are the brooms, dust-baskets and poles, wanted in different localities, and the food for the large and small animals and birds, and the deer and rabbits. These are the only kinds of things required. And if they contract for them, there"ll be little need for any one to go to the accountancy for money. But just calculate what a saving will thus be effected!"
"All these items are, I admit, mere trifles," P"ing Erh smiled, "but if you lump together what"s used during a year, you will find that a saving of four hundred taels will be effected."
"Again!" smilingly remarked Pao-ch"ai, "it would be four hundred taels in one year; but eight hundred taels in two years; and with these, we could purchase a few more houses and let them; and in the way of poor, sandy land we could also add several acres to those we"ve already got.
"There will, of course, still remain a surplus; but as they will have ample trouble and inconvenience to put up with during the year, they should also be allowed some balance in hand so as to make up what"s wanted for themselves. The main object is, of course, to increase profits and curtail expenses, yet we couldn"t be stingy to any excessive degree. In fact, were we even able to make any further economy of over two or three hundred taels, it would never be the proper thing; should this involve a breach of the main principles of decorum. With this course duly put into practice, outside, the accountancy will issue in one year four or five hundred taels less, without even the semblance of any parsimony; while, inside, the matrons will obtain, on the other hand, some little thing to supply their wants with; the nurses, who have no means of subsistence, will likewise be placed in easy circ.u.mstances; and the plants and trees in the garden will year by year increase in strength and grow more abundantly. In this wise, you too will have such articles as will be fit for use. So that this plan will, to some extent, not const.i.tute a breach of the high principles of propriety. And if ever we want to retrench a little more from where won"t we be able to get money? But if the whole balance, if any, be put to the credit of the public fund, every one, inside as well as outside, will fill the streets with the din of murmurings! And won"t this be then a slur upon the code of honour of a household such as yours? So were any charge to be entrusted to this one, out of the several tens of old nurses at present employed in the garden, and not to that one, the remainder will naturally resent such injustice. As I said a while back all that these women will have to provide among themselves amounts to a few articles, so they will unavoidably have ample means. Hence each should be told to contribute, beyond the articles that fall to her share during the year, a certain number of tiaos, whether she may or may not realise any balance, and then jointly lump these sums together, and distribute them among those nurses only on service in the garden. For although they may not have anything to do with the control of these things, they themselves will have to stay in the grounds, to keep an eye over the servants on duty, to shut the doors, to close the windows and to get up early and retire late. Whenever it rains in torrents or it snows hard and chairs have to be carried, for you, young ladies, to go out and come in; or boats have to be punted, and sledges drawn, these rough and arduous duties come alike within their sphere of work. They have to labour in the garden from one year"s end to the other, and though, they earn something in those grounds, it"s only right that they should able to get some small benefits in the discharge of their legitimate duties.
But there"s another most trivial point that I would broach with less reserve. If you only think of your ease, and don"t share the profits with them, they will, of course, never presume to show their displeasure, but in their hearts they won"t cherish you any good feeling. What they"ll do will be to make public business a pretext to serve their own private ends with; they"ll pluck more of your fruits than they should; and cut greater quant.i.ties of your flowers than they ought. And you people will have a grievance, but you won"t have anywhere to go and confide it. But should they too reap some gain, they"ll readily look after such things on your behalf as you won"t have the time to attend to."
The matrons listened to her explanations; (and finding that) they would be removed from the control of the accountancy, that they would not be compelled to go and settle accounts with lady Feng, and that all that they would be called upon to do every year would be to supply a few more tiaos, were each and all delighted to an exceptional degree. So much so, that every one of them exclaimed in a chorus that they were quite prepared to agree to the terms. "It is better," they said, "than to be obliged to go out and be squeezed by them; and to have to fork out our own money as well."
Those too not entrusted with the care of any portion of land were also highly elated, when they heard that at the close of each year they would, though they had no valid claim, come in for some share of hard cash.
"They"ll have to bear the trouble," they however argued, "to keep things in order, so it"s only right that they should be left with a few cash to meet their various wants with; and how could we very well gobble our three meals without doing a stroke of work?"
"Worthy dames," Pao-ch"ai smiled, "you mustn"t decline. These duties are within your province and you should fulfil them. All you need do is to exert yourselves a bit by day and night, and not be so remiss and careless as to suffer any of the servants to drink and gamble; that"s all. Otherwise, I myself must have nothing to do with the control. But you, yourselves, know well enough that it"s my aunt who appealed to me with her own lips three and five times to do it as a favour to her.
"Your eldest sister-in-law," she represented, "has at present no leisure, and the other girls are young," and then she asked me to look after things. So if I now don"t accede, it"s as clear as day that I shall be the cause of much worry to my aunt. Our lady Feng herself is seriously ill, and our domestic affairs can"t hang fire. I"m really with nothing to do, so were even a mere neighbour to solicit my help, I would also feel bound to lend her a hand in her pressure of work. How much more therefore when it"s my own aunt, who invokes my aid? Setting aside the way I"m execrated by one and all, how would I ever be able to stare my aunt in the face, if, while I gave my sole mind to winning fame and fishing for praise, any one got so intoxicated and lost so much in gambling as to stir up trouble? At such a juncture remorse on your part will be too late! Even the old reputation you have ever enjoyed will entirely be lost and gone. Those young ladies and girls and this vast garden are alike placed under your supervision, purely and simply because one takes into account that you have been nurses to three or four generations and that you have most scrupulously observed the rules of etiquette and propriety. It"s but fair that you should try, with one mind, and show some little regard for what"s right and proper. But if you contrariwise behave with such laxity as to let people gratify their wishes by guzzling and gambling, and my aunt comes to hear of these nice doings, a little scolding from her will be of little consequence. But if the various women, who attend to the household, get scent of the state of affairs, they will haul you over the coals, without even so much as breathing one single word beforehand to my aunt. And venerable people, though you are, you will then, instead of tendering advice to young people, be called to account by them. As housekeepers, they exercise, it"s true, authority over you; but why shouldn"t you yourselves observe a certain amount of decorum? And if you do so, will they have any occasion to bully you? The reason why I"ve now bethought myself of this special boon for you is that you should unanimously strain every nerve to diligently attend to the garden, in order that the powers that be may, at the sight of your unrelenting care and zeal, have no cause to give way to solicitude. And won"t they inwardly look up to you with regard? Neither will you render of no effect the various benefits devised for them. But go now and minutely ponder over all my advice!"
All the women received her words with gratification. "What you say is quite right," they replied. "From this time forth you, miss, and you, our lady, can well compose your minds. With the interest both of you feel on our behalf, may heaven and earth not spare us, if we do not display a full amount of grat.i.tude for all your kindnesses."
These a.s.surances were still being uttered when they saw Lin Chih-hsiao"s wife walk in. "The family of the Chen mansion of Chiang Nan," she explained, "arrived in the capital yesterday. To-day, they"re going into the palace to offer their congratulations. But they"ve now sent messengers ahead to come and bring presents and pay their respects."
While she spoke, she produced the list of presents and handed it up.
T"an Ch"un took it over from her. "They consist," she said, perusing it, "of twelve rolls of brocades and satins embroidered with dragons, such as are for imperial use; twelve rolls of satins of various colours, of the kind worn by the Emperor; twelve rolls of every sort of imperial gauze; twelve rolls of palace silks of the quality used by his majesty; and twenty rolls of satins, gauzes, silks and thin silks of different colours, generally worn by officials."
After glancing over the list, Li Wan and T"an Ch"un suggested that a first-cla.s.s tip should be given to the messengers who brought them, after which, they went on to direct a servant to convey the tidings to dowager lady Chia.
Old lady Chia gave orders to call Li Wan, T"an Ch"un, Pao-ch"ai and the other girls. On their arrival, the presents were pa.s.sed under review; and this over, Li Wan put them aside. "You must wait," she said to the servants of the inner store-room, "until Madame w.a.n.g comes back and sees them; you can then lock them up."
"This Chen family too," old lady Chia thereupon added, "isn"t like any other family; the highest tips should therefore be conferred upon the men. But as in a twinkle, they may also send some of their womankind to come and make their obeisance, silks should be got ready in antic.i.p.ation."
Scarcely was this remark concluded before a domestic actually announced: "that four ladies of the Chen mansion had come to pay their respects."
Upon hearing this, dowager lady Chia hastily directed that they should be introduced into her presence. The four women ranged from forty years and over. Their clothing and head-gear were not, in any material degree, different from those of mistresses. As soon as they presented their compliments and inquired about their healths, old lady Chia desired that four footstools should be moved forward. But though the four women thanked her for bidding them sit down, they only occupied the stools, after Pao-ch"ai had seated herself.
"When did you enter the capital?" old lady Chia inquired.