The Golden Days

by Cao Xueqin

  ‘Look, Diamond, if you’ll promise not to get angry, I’ll tell you what happened,’ said Jia Yun, and proceeded to give him an account of his interview with Bu Shi-ren. Ni Er was hugely incensed:

  ‘Damn fella! Give the damn fella piece of my mind if he wasn’t a relation of yours. Make my blood boil. Damn fella! Nemmind. Dome be downhearted. Got a few taels of silver here. If you can use it, help yourself! Good neighbour of Dime’s. Here y’are. Interest-free loan.’

  ‘This man’s a racketeer,’ Jia Yun thought to himself, ‘but he’s been known to do a good turn before now – in fact, he’s got quite a reputation in some quarters as a champion of the poor. If I don’t accept his offer, he may turn nasty and I shall be in trouble. Better accept the money and pay back double the amount when I can.’

  Having made the decision, he thanked Ni Er with a smile:

  ‘You’re a real sport, Diamond! Since you’ve been kind enough to make the offer then, I won’t refuse. I’ll make you out a proper IOU for it when I get home.’

  Ni Er roared with laughter:

  ‘There’s only fifteen taels and six pennyweights of silver here. If you’re going to go writing IOUs, I won’t lend it to you!’

  Jia Yun laughed too and took the money from him:

  ‘All right, Diamond, anything you say! Let’s not fall out about it!’

  ‘That’s more like it!’ said Ni Er. ‘Getting dark now. Won’t keep you for a drink. Still got a little business to do. You go on home. Like you to give a message to my old woman, be so kind. Not going home tonight. If there’s anything to tell me about, she can send my daughter round first thing tomorrow. Find me at Bandy Wang, the horse-dealer’s.’

  With these words he went on his way, lurching horribly.

  The encounter left Jia Yun somewhat bemused.

  ‘That Ni Er’s certainly a character!’ he thought. ‘The trouble is, it may only have been the drink that made him generous. Perhaps when he’s sobered up tomorrow he’ll want his money back with a hundred per cent interest. What am I going to do then?’

  Then he suddenly remembered what the money would enable him to do:

  ‘Of course! It doesn’t matter! If I get the job, I can pay back the loan and a hundred per cent interest easily.’

  With that thought uppermost in his mind he went into a money-changer’s to have the silver weighed. To his great delight it turned out to be exactly the amount Ni Er had said, not a pennyweight less. Then he went home, calling at Ni Er’s house on the way to give the message to his wife. Entering his own house he found his mother on the kang spinning. She looked up as he entered:

  ‘Where have you been all day?’

  He did not like to mention that he had been to see her brother in case she was angry. He only said:

  ‘Been at Rong-guo House waiting for Uncle Lian. Have you had supper yet ?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve had mine. I put something aside for you.’

  She called to their little slavey to fetch it for him. Except for her work-lamp it was already dark indoors, so after finishing his supper he got himself ready for the night, unrolled his bedding, and settled down to sleep.

  Rising early next morning, he went off as soon as he had washed to the shops in Central Street outside the south gate of the Inner City and bought camphor and musk at a perfumer’s. From there he went to Rong-guo House, and having first ascertained at the gate that Jia Lian was out for the day, he made his way to the Lians’ apartment at the back. Outside the gateway leading to their courtyard a number of page boys were sweeping the ground with long-handled brooms. Suddenly Zhou Rui’s wife came out and addressed them:

  ‘Stop sweeping now! The Mistress is coming.’

  Jia Yun hurried up to her with a smile of greeting:

  ‘Where is Aunt Lian off to, then?’

  ‘Her Old Ladyship wants her,’ said Zhou Rui’s wife. ‘I think it’s to see about some tailoring.’

  As she spoke, the subject of his inquiry emerged from the gateway, surrounded by a bevy of attendants. Jia Yun was well aware that she had a weakness for flattery and the showier forms of deference. Bringing his hands together in an exaggerated salute and stepping briskly forward, he made her a tremendous bow and wished her in good health.

  Xi-feng continued to walk on and, without actually looking at him or turning her head, inquired after his mother’s health and asked why she never came to visit.

  ‘She’s not been very well, Auntie. She’s always thinking about you and meaning to pay a call, but when it’s come to it, she just hasn’t been able to get out.’

  ‘You’re a wonderful liar!’ said Xi-feng with a laugh. ‘I don’t suppose she’s ever thought about me until this moment!’

  ‘I’m too much afraid of lightning to lie to my superiors,’ said Jia Yun. ‘Mother was talking about you only last night, as a matter of fact. She said, “Your Auntie Lian is only a single weak woman, yet she has all those responsibilities. It’s a good thing she has the will-power to keep everything running so smoothly, because if that should go, she’d be worn out in no time.’”

  Xi-feng was now all smiles, and halted in spite of herself to hear more.

  ‘And why should you and your mother be chewing over my affairs behind my back, pray?’

  ‘That’s a long story,’ said Jia Yun. ‘A very good friend of mine who runs a perfumery and had quite a bit put by in savings decided to invest his money in a government post and bought himself the place of an Assistant Sub-Prefect. Well, a few days ago his posting came and it turns out to be for somewhere down in Yunnan. He’s taking his family with him, so of course he won’t be able to keep on the shop, and he’s been going over all his stock deciding what to give away and what to put in his clearance sale. He decided to give the more valuable stuff to friends and relations. My share was a whole quarter of a pound of Borneo camphor and another quarter of musk, and I was discussing with Mother last night what we ought to do with it. We don’t know anyone who could afford to buy it; and it seems a shame to sell it at less than the price; and even if we gave it away, we couldn’t think of anyone who would want so much. But then I suddenly thought of you and the packets of money you’ve spent on this kind of thing in years past, and I thought to myself that this year, what with Her Grace in the Palace and the Double Fifth already not far off, you’re sure to be using ten or twelve times the usual amount. So, to cut a long story short, we decided to make a present of it to you. There you are, Auntie -a little token of my esteem!’

  As he spoke, he took out a small brocade-covered box and respectfully raised it in both hands to offer her.

  Now Xi-feng was just beginning to think about the problem of purchasing aromatics for the Double Fifth festival, and it pleased her very much to be relieved of the trouble of doing so – especially when it was in so agreeable a manner. She smiled at him graciously before turning to her maid:

  ‘Felicity, take my nephew’s present and give it to Patience to take care of!’

  The smile was directed once more on Jia Yun:

  ‘You are very thoughtful. I’m not surprised your Uncle speaks so highly of you. He’s often told me what a well-spoken, sensible young man you are.’

  They seemed to be sailing into harbour. Jia Yun took a step closer:

  ‘Has Uncle been talking to you about me then ?’ – The tone in which he asked the question was deliberately meaningful.

  Xi-feng was on the point of telling him that he would get the tree-planting job when she reflected that by doing so she would be cheapening herself in his estimation. He would almost certainly suppose that she was promising it in return for the perfume. In replying to his question she therefore confined herself to a few insipid civilities, avoiding all mention of jobs and trees, and presently continued on her way to Grandmother Jia’s.

  Obviously Jia Yun was in no position to raise the subject if his aunt was not willing, so he was obliged to return in the same uncertainty in which he had come. Back home he remembered Bao-yu’s invitation of
the previous day, and as soon as herhad finished his meal, he returned once more to Rong-guo House and made his way to Sunset Studio outside the gateway leading to Lady Jia’s quarters. He found the pages Tealeaf and Ploughboy sitting over a game of chess and arguing about a piece that one of them had just taken. Other pages – Trickles, Sweeper, Cloudy and Storky – were up on the roof looking for fledgelings. Jia Yun entered the courtyard and stamped his foot:

  ‘Come on, you young rapscallions! Can’t you see you’ve got a visitor?’

  The pages, except Tealeaf, melted away. Jia Yun went into the study and sat down in a chair.

  ‘Has Master Bao been here yet?’

  ‘He hasn’t been here yet today,’ said Tealeaf. ‘If you want to talk to him, I’ll have a look and see if he’s about.’

  With that he, too, vanished.

  For about the time it would take to eat a meal, Jia Yun gazed at the paintings, calligraphic scrolls and antiques which adorned the room. At the end of that time, as there was still no sign of Tealeaf, he took a look outside to see if there were any other pages whom he could ask to take a message; but they had all gone off to play elsewhere. Dejectedly he went back once more to wait.

  ‘Tealeaf!’

  A soft and thrilling voice was calling from outside. Craning out to look he saw a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old maid standing near the entrance to the study. She was a neat, pleasant-looking girl with a pair of limpid, intelligent eyes. Seeing a strange man in the room, she quickly shrank back out of his line of vision. At that very moment Tealeaf walked back into the courtyard.

  ‘Ah, good!’ he said, catching sight of the maid. ‘I was beginning to wonder how I’d ever get a message to him.’

  Jia Yun ran out to question him:

  ‘Well?’

  ‘Waited for ages,’ said Tealeaf, ‘but no one came by. She’s from his room, though’ – he indicated the soft-voiced maid – ‘Listen, dear,’ he said addressing her. ‘Can you take a message for us ? Tell him that Mr Jia from West Lane is here.’

  On learning that the visitor was a member of the clan, the maid became less concerned about concealment and engaged the limpid eyes in bolder scrutiny of his features. The object of her scrutiny now addressed her:

  ‘Don’t bother about the “West Lane” stuff! Just say that “Yun” has called!’

  The girl reflected for some moments, then, with a half-smile, she said:

  ‘If I were you, Mr Jia, I’d go home now and come again tomorrow. I’ll try to get a message through to him this evening if I get the chance.’

  ‘What’s the idea?’ said Tealeaf.

  ‘He didn’t have his nap today,’ said the maid. ‘That means he’ll be having dinner early. Then suppose he doesn’t go out after dinner: are you going to let Mr Jia wait here all day without eating? It would be much better if he went home now and came again tomorrow. Even if I succeed in getting word through to him as soon as I get back, he’ll probably only send an answer to the message. I don’t expect he’ll actually come over.’

  Her words were sensible and to the point and were spoken in the same thrilling tone that had first attracted him. Jia Yun would have liked to ask her name, but etiquette forbade that he should do so now that he knew she was one of Bao-yu’s maids. He just said:

  ‘I’m sure you’re right. I’ll come again tomorrow, then.’

  He turned to go.

  ‘I’ll get some tea for you, Mr Jia,’ said Tealeaf. ‘Have a cup of tea before you go.’

  ‘No thanks,’ said Jia Yun, looking back over his shoulder but continuing to go. ‘I’ve got other business.’

  The words were for Tealeaf, but the look which accompanied them was directed at the soft-voiced maid, who was still standing there.

  Jia Yun went back home and returned next day as she had advised. On his way in he ran into Xi-feng outside the main gate. She was about to visit Jia Lian’s parents next door and had just got into her carriage. Seeing Jia Yun, she made her attendants call to him to stop.

  ‘Yun!’ She smiled at him through the window of the carriage. ‘You’ve got a nerve, my lad, playing a trick like that on me! I see now why you gave me that present. It’s a job you were after. Your Uncle told me yesterday. Apparently you’ve been on to him about it already.’

  Jia Yun smiled back ruefully:

  ‘I’d rather we didn’t go into my dealings with Uncle, if you don’t mind! I’m beginning to wish I’d never spoken to him about it. If I’d realized earlier what the situation was, I should have gone straight to you in the first place. I’m sure if I had, it would all have been settled long ago. I’m afraid Uncle has let me down.’

  ‘Humph!’ said Xi-feng. ‘So that’s why you came to me yesterday, is it? You’d had no success with the husband so you thought you’d try your luck with the wife!’

  ‘That’s most unfair, Auntie!’ Jia Yun protested. ‘It was a purely disinterested present. I wasn’t thinking at all about a job when I gave it to you. If I had been, why do you suppose I didn’t take the opportunity of asking you about it at the time ? However, since you do now know that I’m looking for one, I’d like to forget about Uncle and throw myself on your kindness instead.’

  ‘You have a very devious way of going about things,’ said Xi-feng with a hint of malice in her smile. ‘Why couldn’t you have spoken up sooner ? A little thing like this is hardly worth so much delay. We still need some more trees and shrubs planted in the garden, and I’ve been trying to think of someone to do the job. If you’d spoken up earlier, it could all have been done by now.’

  ‘You can set me to work tomorrow, Auntie. I’ll be ready.’

  Xi-feng thought for a while.

  ‘I don’t know that it’s a very suitable job for you. Perhaps we’d better wait until next New Year and put you in charge of lanterns and fireworks. That’s a much bigger job.’

  ‘Look, Auntie: you give me this planting job now, then; if you’re satisfied with the way I do it, you can give me the other job later on.’

  Xi-feng laughed:

  ‘You certainly know how to fish with a long line! – All right, then! It’s not really my affair, but I suppose as your Uncle has mentioned it to me-I’m only going next door now and I shall be back again after lunch. Come round a little after midday to get the money and you shall start your planting the day after tomorrow.’

  She told the servants to harness the carriage and drove off to make her call.

  Beside himself with joy, Jia Yun now continued on his way to Sunset Studio to look for Bao-yu. In point of fact Bao-yu had gone off first thing that morning to call on the Prince of Bei-jing; but no one seemed to know about this, and Jia Yun sat waiting expectantly throughout the whole of the morning. Having waited until noon, he inquired whether Xi-feng was back yet, and being informed that she was, he wrote out a form of receipt, took it round to the Lians’ apartment, and sent in word that he had called for his tally. Sunshine came out in response to his message and asked him for the receipt, which he took indoors. Presently he reappeared and handed it back to Jia Yun with the date and amount filled in in the blanks he had left for this purpose, together with the precious tally which would enable him to draw the money. Glancing at the receipt as he took it from him, Jia Yun was delighted to observe that the figures entered were for a payment of two hundred taels of silver. He hurried off to the counting-house to collect it, then home once more to share the joyful news with his mother.

  Next day he was off long before daylight to look up Ni Er and pay him back the loan. That done, he took another fifty taels of the silver with him and called on a nurseryman outside the West Gate called Fang Chun, from whom he bought a large number of trees.

  At this point our narrative abandons Jia Yun’s affairs and returns to Bao-yu.

  When Bao-yu, in the course of his meeting with Jia Yun, had invited Jia Yun to drop in and spend the following day with him, the invitation was of the careless, half-serious kind that is unfortunately typical of young gentlemen of his clas
s. As he had made no real effort to remember it at the time, it naturally slipped his memory the following day. Returning now, two evenings later, from the palace of the Prince of Bei-jing where he had been all day, he called first on his grandmother and his mother and then returned to his own rooms in the garden and changed back into his everyday clothes.

  He decided to take a bath; and since Aroma was out, having been ‘borrowed’ by Bao-chai to make braid buttons on a dress, Ripple and Emerald had gone off to see about the water. Of the other senior maids, Skybright had been fetched home for her cousin’s birthday and Musk was away ill; and the few heavy-work maids left in attendance had all assumed that their services would not be required and had gone off in search of their gossips. For a quarter of an hour Bao-yu was left entirely on his own. It chanced that precisely at this moment he wanted someone to get him some tea. He had already called a couple of times without response and at his third call two or three old charwomen came hurrying in to see what was the matter.

  ‘No, no: I don’t need you!’ – he waved them away impatiently. The old women retired, baffled.

  Since there were no maids, Bao-yu saw that he would have to serve himself. He found himself a cup and was about to take up the pot to pour himself some tea when a voice started speaking right behind him:

  ‘Let me, Master Bao! You might scald yourself.’

  Bao-yu jumped. The owner of the voice hurriedly relieved him of the cup.

  ‘Where have you been all this time?’ he said. ‘You gave me quite a start, coming up suddenly like that!’

  She handed him his tea with a smile:

  ‘I was in the back courtyard. I came in through the courtyard door at the back. Didn’t you hear me coming?’

  Bao-yu sipped his tea and observed her carefully. Her dress, though not shabby, was far from new. By contrast she had a magnificent head of raven-black hair which was done up in a simple bun. The face was rather long and thin; the build slender; the overall impression that of a tidy, clean, graceful person.

  ‘Do you belong here then?’ he asked her.

  ‘Yes.’ She seemed amused.