by Cao Xueqin
‘I love meddling in other people’s affairs,’ said Grandmother Jia jovially. ‘I seem to have meddled successfully in this one. I hope I am going to be paid something for my services.’
‘Of course,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘The only difficulty will be knowing how much to give you. What shall we say? Ten thousand taels? Probably you would regard that as too little! What we really need is a sponsor to settle these matters for us.’
‘We may be short of manpower in this family,’ said Grandmother Jia, ‘but I dare say we could rustle up a couple of cripples for you!’
She sent someone to fetch You-shi and her daughter-in-law from Ning-guo House. As soon as they arrived, she explained why she had invited them, whereupon they turned to the other two ladies and offered them their congratulations.
‘Now,’ sáid Grandmother Jia when they had finished, ‘you know our way of doing things in this family, don’t you – you know we never haggle about bride-prices and “face” and that sort of thing? We want you to act as a third party and settle this for us. What we want is a settlement that is not too lavish and yet not too economical: something between the two. And when you’ve worked out what each of the parties should contribute, come and tell me what you have decided.’
You-shi promptly agreed to do this. Aunt Xue, delighted that everything had gone off so well, hurried home and at once had a formal invitation to act as marriage-sponsor drawn up and sent over to Ning-guo House to confirm the arrangement.
You-shi knew Lady Xing too well to want to be mixed up in any affair – particularly one of a pecuniary nature – to which she was a party. She had agreed in this instance only because Grandmother Jia had asked her to and she could not very well refuse. In the event she simply arranged matters in the way she thought would best please Lady Xing. Aunt Xue was a very accommodating person and could be relied on to fall in with almost any terms. But it is not with details such as these that our narrative is concerned.
Aunt Xue’s betrothal of her nephew to Xing Xiu-yan was soon common knowledge throughout the household. At first Lady Xing wanted to segregate the girl by moving her in with herself, but Grandmother Jia objected.
‘Surely she can stay where she is? She can’t see anything of the boy, of course, but surely there’s no harm in her continuing to see Mrs Xue and Bao-chai and little Qin? They’re all females, after all. It will be cosier if they get to know each other better.’
Lady Xing did not renew her offer.
And what of the parties themselves? Xue Ke and Xing Xiu-yan had met briefly on the journey to the capital and there was no reason to suppose that they were not extremely pleased with the betrothal. Inevitably Xiu-yan became a little more withdrawn after it, spending rather less of her time in Bao-chai’s and Bao-qin’s company and speaking, when she was in it, rather more sparingly. But this was partly because Shi Xiang-yun was such a tease. Fortunately she was far too intelligent and well-bred to indulge in any of that false modesty, so common among girls in her position, which shows itself in affected simpering and ridiculous grimaces.
Ever since the day they first met, Bao-chai had felt sorry for Xiu-yan. First of all she was so poor. And then there was her father. Unlike most of the fathers that Bao-chai knew about – grave gentlemen who had gained wisdom with their years – Xiu-yan’s father was a drunken sot who took little interest in his daughter’s welfare. As for Lady Xing, Bao-chai could see that the affection she showed her niece was simulated and that really she did not care for her in the least. And Ying-chun, whose apartment she shared, was too docile to assert herself even on her own behalf, let alone anyone else’s. Since Xiu-yan was too proud to ask for things, this meant that whenever anything was lacking, even one of the simple necessities of life, she had simply to go without it. Knowing this, Bao-chai did all she could to anticipate her wants; but she gave by stealth, careful lest Lady Xing, who was sensitive to gossip, if to nothing else, should get to hear of it.
Xiu-yan had learned to cherish Bao-chai as a special friend long before this magnificent betrothal so wildly beyond her own and everyone else’s expectations and, after it, continued from time to time to confide in her. Bao-chai for her part continued to treat her as an intimate friend and would use none of the formalities that are customary between prospective sisters-in-law.
One day, when Bao-chai was on her way to visit Dai-yu, she caught sight of Xiu-yan, who, as it happened, was also on her way there. Bao-chai smiled and beckoned and waited for Xiu-yan to catch up with her. The two girls then walked on together until they came to the rear side of a miniature mountain of rock. There, where no prying eyes could see them, Bao-chai stopped again.
‘The weather is still really cold. Why have you changed out of your winter clothes already and put on single linings?’
Xiu-yan hung her head and said nothing. Bao-chai guessed at once that she had been forced to pawn them.
‘It must be because you haven’t had this month’s allowance yet,’ she said. ‘How could Cousin Feng be so thoughtless?’
‘No,’ said Xiu-yan. ‘She didn’t forget. She paid the allowance on time. But Aunt Xing sent someone to tell me that she thought I didn’t really need two taels a month and that I ought to contribute one of them towards my parents’ upkeep. She said that if there ever was anything I needed, I could always hent it from Cousin Ying’s things’ – suppressed emotion was causing her to lapse into her native dialect -‘But I ask you, coz, how could I? Cousin Ying wouldn’t mind – she is so meek – and she probably wouldn’t notice, any road. But though she wouldn’t say anything, you can be quite sure that the servants would. The nannies and maids in that apartment are such a prickly lot and so spiteful with their tongues. Although I am living there, I dare not ask them to do very much for me, and even for what little they do I am expected to find money to buy them drinks and other little treats with every four or five days. Even when I was getting two taels it wasn’t enough, and now it’s only one. The only way of raising money I could think of was by pawning my winter clothes. I got someone to slip out and do it for me the other day.’
Bao-chai sighed.
‘It’s a pity all the Mei family are away just now. Academician Mei isn’t due back from his posting until the year after next. If they were here in town, Bao-qin could get married straight away and then we could go ahead with your affair and get you out of this mess. But as things are, your Prospective will never consent to get married before his sister, so the difficulty remains. I shall have to have a word with Mamma about this. Obviously you can’t go on as you are. Another year or two like this and I am afraid you will go into a decline.
‘In future, if those people are nasty to you, you must learn to put up with it. You mustn’t make yourself ill trying to please them. Perhaps you had better hand over the whole of your remaining tael to them when it comes: see if that will keep them quiet. But don’t go treating them any more, whatever you do. Never mind the spiteful things they say to you. If it gets too bad, you can always walk away. And if you are short of anything, don’t behave like a little frightened mouse; ask me straight out for it, without delay. I say this not because we are future sisters-in-law but because we are friends. We are friends, aren’t we, and have been ever since you came? If you are afraid of gossip, don’t come yourself when you want something, send your maid for it, then no one will know.’
Xiu-yan hung her head and the reply she made was scarcely audible. In order to change the subject, Bao-chai pointed to a green jade girdle-ring that was hanging from her waist.
‘Who gave you that?’
‘Cousin Tan,’ said Xiu-yan.
Bao-chai nodded.
‘She must have noticed that all the other girls were wearing one of these things and wanted to spare you the embarrassment of being the only one without. It is typical of her to be so thoughtful. However, I think you ought to realize that these sort of gewgaws are really for the daughters of mandarins and noblemen. Look at me: you don’t see any jewellery on me. A few years ago, it�
�s true, I would have been smothered with it; but I know now that we are less well off than we used to be, and have given up wearing it as a means of economizing. No doubt when you marry you will be provided with a whole trunkful of this stuff. In the meantime, though, we don’t need to compete with the others in finery, you and I. As long as we are honest and remain true to ourselves, it doesn’t matter that we cannot equal them in appearance.’
Xiu-yan smiled.
‘In that case, I shall go back and take it off,’ she said.
‘Don’t be so precipitate,’ said Bao-chai. ‘She meant it as a kindness. If she sees you not wearing it, she will wonder why. I spoke only in general terms, for your future guidance.’
Xiu-yan murmured her assent.
‘Where are you going now, coz?’ she asked Bao-chai.
‘To the Naiad’s House,’ said Bao-chai. ‘Why don’t you go back now and get your maid to bring me that pawn ticket? I’ll send someone out on the quiet to redeem the things for you and get them round to you in the evening without anyone knowing, so that you can begin wearing them again as soon as possible. We don’t want you catching cold in this wind, do we? Oh, there’s just one other thing: where did you pawn them?’
‘I think it’s called the “Reliant”,’ said Xiu-yan. ‘It’s in Drum Tower Street West.’
Bao-chai laughed.
‘Well, at least they’ve stayed in the family. If the assistants realized where they had come from, they must have thought they were receiving an advance instalment of your trousseau!’
Xiu-yan coloured, realizing that the ‘Reliant’ must be one of the Xue family’s businesses. She did not say anything, however, but with a little laugh hurried back to look for the pawn ticket.
Bao-chai continued on her way to the Naiad’s House. She arrived to find her mother already ensconced and in the midst of conversation with Dai-yu.
‘Mamma, what a surprise! When did you arrive?’
‘I’ve been so busy during these last few days that I haven’t had time to see her or Bao-yu. Today I decided to see both of them, but both of them seem to be better.’
Dai-yu urged Bao-chai to be seated.
‘The world’s affairs are very mysterious,’ she said, by way of bringing her into the conversation. ‘Who would ever have thought that your mother and Aunt Xing would end up as commères?’
‘My child,’ said Aunt Xue, ‘you are too young to understand these things. Old folk talk about “the unseen thread that binds”. They say that marriages are decided by an Old Man Under the Moon who joins future couples together by tying them round the ankles with a scarlet thread, and that once he’s done that, it doesn’t matter how far apart they are, even if there are oceans between them, sooner or later something will happen to bring them together and they will end up husband and wife. These things are quite unpredictable. Sometimes there will be two young people whose parents on both sides are favourable to their union, who have lived years together in the same place, and who take it as a foregone conclusion that they are going to marry, yet if the Old Man Under the Moon hasn’t tied them with his scarlet thread, then in spite of everything, they never will. Take you two girls, now: we don’t know whether at this moment the two young men you will marry are right here under our noses or somewhere “south of the mountains and north of the sea”!’
‘Mamma!’ said Bao-chai, burying her head in her mother’s dress, ‘how you do always drag one in when you get talking!’
‘Look at her!’ said Dai-yu, mockingly. ‘What a great baby! She’s ever so poised and grown-up when you aren’t here, Auntie. It’s only when she’s with you that she puts on this little girl act.’
Aunt Xue stroked the recumbent head, still buried in her lap, and sighed indulgently.
‘I suppose it’s a bit like Cousin Feng and your grandmother. Chai can be perfectly serious with me when things need discussing, but at the same time she knows the little ways of cheering me up – she knows that when she becomes my little girl again, it helps me forget my troubles.’
It was Dai-yu’s turn to sigh now. A tear rolled down each cheek.
‘I don’t know why she has to do it here though – unless she wants to rub in the fact that I haven’t got a mother.’
‘Oh Mamma, just listen to that I’ said Bao-chai. ‘Who’s putting on a little girl act now?’
‘You mustn’t blame her for being upset,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘Poor child! She has no one.’
She stroked Dai-yu’s hair and tried to comfort her.
‘Don’t cry, my dear. You mustn’t be upset because I make a fuss of your cousin. I’m as fond of you, you know – perhaps even more so. Although Chai has no father, she has got me and Pan: so you see I know that you have the greater need. She knows how fond I am of you, because I am always telling her. The only reason I don’t show it more is because there are a lot of people in this household who are always ready to put a false construction on things. If they saw me being nice to you, they would say that I did it not for the very obvious reason that everything about you cries out to be loved and that one can hardly help loving you, but because I saw how much your grandmother loves you and wanted to curry favour with her.’
‘You say you love me as much as Chai,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Let me be your god-daughter then. Don’t refuse, Auntie, or I shall think you don’t really mean it.’
‘If you will have me for your godmother, I should like nothing better.’
‘Out of the question,’ said Bao-chai flatly.
‘But why?’ said Dai-yu.
Bao-chai smiled mischievously:
‘Tell me, why do you think Cousin Xing was betrothed to my Cousin Ke? Why wasn’t she betrothed to my brother, who is Cousin Ke’s senior and who still hasn’t got a betrothed?’
‘I suppose because your brother is away,’ said Dai-yu, ‘or perhaps their horoscopes are incompatible.’
‘No,’ said Bao-chai, ‘that’s not the reason. It’s because someone has already been chosen for my brother. We are only waiting for him to come home to make it public. I don’t need to name names. If I tell you that you can’t possibly become Mamma’s god – daughter, you ought to be able to work it out for yourself.’
She winked at her mother and broke into a laugh.
This time it was Dai-yu who buried her face in Aunt Xue’s bosom.
‘Beat her, Auntie, beat her – I insist!’
Aunt Xue hugged her niece, laughing:
‘You mustn’t believe what she says. She’s only teasing.’
‘No, seriously, Mamma,’ said Bao-chai, ‘why don’t you ask Lady Jia some time if you can have Cousin Lin for your daughter-in-law! You will never find a better one elsewhere.’
Dai-yu threw herself on Bao-chai and made as if to scratch her:
‘Have you gone quite mad?’
Aunt Xue laughingly held them apart.
‘If I thought that your brother was not good enough for Xiu-yan – which is why I betrothed her to your cousin Ke – I certainly wouldn’t inflict him on this child here. Not so long ago Lady Jia was asking me about Bao-qin as a possible match for Bao-yu, but I had to tell her that Bao-qin was already betrothed – not that otherwise it wouldn’t have been a very good match. The other day, when we’d finished discussing Ke and Xiu-yan’s betrothal, she began teasing me about it. “Last time, when I wanted one of her girls,” she said, “I couldn’t have her; and now here she is snapping up one of ours!” She was only joking, of course, but I could see that she was thinking about Bao-yu still and half inviting me to make a suggestion. I rather wish now that I had. She is so concerned about him, and he is such a peculiar boy. You can’t see him getting on with some girl chosen for him from outside. I think much the most satisfactory arrangement would be to betroth him to your Cousin Lin here.’
Dai-yu, who up to this moment had been listening open-mouthed, turned scarlet at the mention of her own name and with a cry of rage threw herself again on Bao-chai.
‘I’ll kill you! You deliberately
led Auntie up to this.’
‘How ridiculous!’ said Bao-chai, laughing. ‘It’s Mamma who said it, not I. What are you hitting me for?’
Already Nightingale had darted forward:
‘If that’s what you think, Mrs Xue, why don’t you talk to Her Old Ladyship about it?’
‘Goodness, child, you are impatient!’ said Aunt Xue, laughing, ‘I suppose if you are in such a hurry to get your mistress married, you must be thinking of a little husband for yourself!’
‘Mrs Xue!’ said Nightingale, crimson-faced. ‘You ought to know better at your age!’
She turned and fled.
Dai-yu who, when Nightingale intervened, had angrily bidden her to mind her own business, now gloated over her discomfiture:
‘Holy Name, it serves you right! You would poke your nose in, wouldn’t you, and now you’ve got smut on it!’
There was a burst of laughter in which the maids and serving-women joined. They were still laughing when Xiang-yun ran into the room, brandishing a piece of paper.
‘What sort of bill is this?’
Dai-yu examined the paper but could make nothing of it. The women below had recognized it, however, and tittered with amusement.
‘That’s a nice thing for a young lady to be carrying!’ they said. ‘If you want to know what that is, Miss, you’ll have to pay for the lesson!’
Bao-chai snatched the paper from Xiang-yun’s hand and looked. It was Xiu-yan’s pawn ticket. She hurriedly folded it away.
‘It looks like a pawn ticket that one of the women must have dropped,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘Whoever it is will be worried when she misses it. Where did you pick it up?’
‘What’s a pawn ticket?’ Xiang-yun asked her.
The women laughed:
‘What a simpleton! Fancy not knowing what a pawn ticket is!’
‘It’s hardly surprising,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘She’s had a very aristocratic upbringing, don’t forget, and in any case she is still very young. How could she know about pawn tickets? What occasion would she ever have of seeing one? In the household she comes from even if one of the servants had such a thing, they would take very good care that she didn’t see it. You shouldn’t call her a simpleton. I doubt very much whether any of your own young ladies would know a pawn ticket if she saw one.’