by Cao Xueqin
Baoyu bowed again in his delight and exclaimed, “So it’s your birthday too, sister!”
As Pinger hastily curtseyed in return, Xiangyun took Baoqin and Xiuyan by the arm.
“You four had better spend the whole day bowing and curtseying to each other,” she cried.
“Is it Cousin Xiuyan’s birthday too?” asked Tanchun. “How could I have forgotten?” She ordered a maid, “Go and tell Madam Lian, and have another set of presents like Miss Baoqin’s sent at once to Miss Yingchun’s apartments.”
When the maid had gone off on this errand Xiuyan, now that Xiangyun had disclosed that it was her birthday, had to make a round of courtesy calls too.
“This is rather intriguing,” remarked Tanchun. “There are twelve months in a year with several birthdays in each. On account of there being so many people here some birthdays coincide, with two or three of them falling on the same day. Even on New Year’s Day we celebrate one —that’s Elder Sister’s birthday. No wonder she’s had such good fortune, with her birthday coming before anyone else’s. It was great-great-grand-father’s birthday too. Then comes the birthday of the old lady and cousin Baochai; there’s one coincidence for you. The first of the third month is the mistress’ birthday; the ninth is Cousin Jia Lian’s. There’s none in the second month....”
“The twelfth of the second month is Miss Lin’s birthday,” put in Xiren. “Only she isn’t one of our family.”
“Of course!” chuckled Tanchun. “What’s wrong with my memory?”
Baoyu pointed at Xiren.
“She and Cousin Daiyu have the same birthday, that’s why she remembers it.”
“The same birthday, do they?” cried Tanchun. “But you’ve never even kowtowed to us each year. We didn’t know when Pinger’s birthday was either. We’ve only just now learned it.”
“We’re nobodies,” rejoined Pinger. “We haven’t the luck to be congratulated on our birthdays or the rank to receive presents, so why trumpet the day abroad? Naturally we keep quiet about it. Now that she’s given me away, I shall call on you young ladies later to pay my respects.”
“We mustn’t put you to such trouble,” Tanchun demurred. “Instead we must celebrate your birthday too today, so as to make me feel better.”
Baoyu, Xiangyun and the rest approving this, Tanchun sent a maid to report to Xifeng, “We’ve decided not to let Pinger go today, as we’re all chipping in to celebrate her birthday.”
The maid went off smiling, returning after some time with Xifeng’s reply.
“Madam Lian thanks you young ladies for doing her such an honour. She wants to know what birthday treat you’ll be giving Pinger, and says if you promise not to leave her out she won’t come to plague her.”
All laughed at this.
Tanchun said, “As it happens, our meals today aren’t being prepared by the kitchen in the Garden. We’re having noodles and dishes cooked outside. So we can whip round for the money, and get Mrs. Liu to take charge and prepare something here.”
The others all agreed to this.
Tanchun then sent to invite Li Wan, Baochai and Daiyu, while another maid summoned Mrs. Liu who was instructed to lose no time in preparing in her kitchen a feast for two tables. Mrs. Liu was puzzled by this.
“The outside kitchen’s got everything ready,” she said.
“You don’t understand,” Tanchun told her. “Today is Miss Pinger’s birthday. The meal prepared outside is provided by the chief accountant’s office. Now we’ve raised the money ourselves for a special party for Pinger. You just choose and make some new appetizing dishes, and bring the bill to me later.”
Mrs. Liu laughed.
“So it’s Miss Pinger’s birthday too, eh? I didn’t know that.” She approached Pinger to kowtow to her, and when Pinger stopped her went off to prepare the feast.
Tanchun had already invited Baoyu to have his noodles with them in the Council Hall; so as soon as Li Wan and Baochai had arrived, maids were sent to invite Aunt Xue and Daiyu over. As the day was mild and Daiyu was feeling better, she accepted the invitation. The hall was packed with people, gay with flowers and silks. But now Xue Ke sent Baoyu four birthday presents—a scarf, a fan, some scent and silk— so Baoyu went over to eat noodles with him. Both families had prepared feasts and exchanged gifts. At noon Baoyu drank a few cups of wine with Xue Ke, and Baochai took Baoqin to pay her respects to him too. After toasting Xue Ke, Baochai told him:
“There’s no need to send a feast to the other house. Better dispense with those formalities and just invite the shop assistants to a meal. We’re going to the Garden now with Cousin Baoyu, as we have others to look after; so we can’t keep you company.”
“Don’t let me keep you, cousins,” replied Xue Ke. “The shop assistants will be here any time.”
Then Baoyu asked to be excused and left with the girls. When they entered the side gate, Baochai ordered the women in charge there to lock it, and took the key herself.
“Why lock this gate?” asked Baoyu. “Hardly anyone uses it; but now auntie and you two are inside and it will be awkward if you want something fetched from your home.”
“One can never be too careful,” was Baochai’s reply. “There’s been all sorts of trouble in your house these last few days, but our household wasn’t involved: that shows the advantage of keeping the gate shut. If it were left open, people might take a short cut through here, and then which of them should we stop? Better lock it, even if that’s less convenient for mother and me. Don’t let anyone through. Then whatever trouble there may be, our household won’t be implicated.”
“So you knew we’d lost some things recently,” remarked Baoyu with a smile.
“You only heard about the rose flavoured juice and pachyma flour because of the girls involved,” retorted Baochai. “If not for them, you wouldn’t even have known of those two things. Actually there have been losses more serious than that. If it isn’t noised abroad, so much the better for everyone; otherwise, goodness knows how many people in the Garden would be implicated. I’m telling you this because you pay no attention to what goes on. I told Pinger the other day, too, because she’s an intelligent person and as her mistress isn’t here I wanted her to know. If word doesn’t get out, we may as well do nothing; if there’s a scandal, she’ll have been forewarned and know what it’s all about, then she won’t wrong innocent people. Take my advice and be more careful in future. And don’t repeat what I’ve told you to anyone else.”
They now reached Seeping Fragrance Pavilion where a dozen or so girls were amusing themselves by watching the fish. Among them were Xiren, Xianling, Shishu, Suyun, Qingwen, Sheyue, Fangguan, Ouguan and Ruiguan. When they saw them approaching they said:
“Everything’s ready in Peony Bower. Hurry up and go to the feast.”
Baochai went with them to Peony Bower, a small three-frame hall in Red Fragrance Farm, where all the ladies of the house including even Madam You had assembled. Only Pinger was missing.
Pinger had gone out, as it happened, because the families of Lai Da, Lin Zhixiao and the other stewards had been sending presents over in turn, and many of the servants of the first, second and third rank had also come one after another with gifts to offer their congratulations. Pinger was kept busy dispatching the messengers with tips and thanks, and she also had to report each case to Xifeng. Only a few of the gifts did she keep for herself; some she declined, and the rest she immediately made over to others. After occupying herself in this way for a while, she waited on Xifeng while she had her noodles, then changed her clothes and went back to the Garden. As soon as she entered it, she was met by several maids who had come to fetch her. They escorted her to Red Fragrance Farm where a sumptuous feast had been spread.
“Now all the birthday stars are here,” cried the others laughingly. They insisted that these four must take the seats of honour, but this they declined to do.
Aunt Xue declared, “I’m too old to mix in your crowd, and I feel very boxed up here too, I’d rath
er lie down in comfort in the Council Hall. I can’t eat anything or drink much either, so I’ll leave my place to them and that will suit everybody.”
At first Madam You and the rest would not hear of this, but Baochai said, “That’s all right. Why not let mother lie down in the hall where she can relax? We can send over any dishes she likes. She’ll feel freer. Besides, there’s nobody in front today, and she can keep an eye on things.”
“In that case,” agreed Tanchun, “we’d better do as she asks instead of standing on ceremony.”
So they saw Aunt Xue to the hall, told the young maids to spread a silk mattress, back-rest and pillows for her, and instructed them:
“Mind you look after Madam Xue well. Massage her legs, serve her tea and don’t shirk your work. We’ll be sending food over later, and after she’s eaten you can have what’s left. But you mustn’t leave this place.”
The young maids promised to carry out these orders.
Then Tanchun and the others went back. Finally they made Baoqin and Xiuyan take the top seats at the first table with Pinger facing west and Baoyu facing east, while Tanchun got Yuanyang to join her at the lower side of the table. At the table on the west side sat Baochai, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Yingchun and Xichun in the same order, with Xiangling and Yuchuan on the fourth side. Madam You and Li Wan shared a third table with Xiren and Caiyun. At a fourth sat Zijuan, Yinger, Qingwen, Xiaoluo and Siqi.
When all were in place, Tanchun wanted to offer toasts, but Baoqin and the other three declined.
“If you start that,” they objected, “we’ll be standing here all day toasting again and again—and still never finish.”
At that she did not insist. Then two women story-tellers offered to perform a ballad for the occasion.
“No one here wants to hear your wild talk,” everyone said. “Go to the hall to amuse Madam Xue.” They picked various dishes and had them sent to her.
“Just feasting quietly is no fun. Let’s play some drinking games,” Baoyu proposed.
All the rest agreed, and suggested different games.
“Let’s write down the names of all sorts of games and draw lots to decide which one to play,” said Daiyu.
This met with general approval and writing-brush, inkstone and fancy note-paper were sent for.
Now Xiangling had been learning to write poetry and practising her calligraphy every day. When the brush and inkstone arrived, she could not resist getting up at once and offering to act as amanuensis. As the others thought of and called out the names of a dozen games, she put them down on separate slips of paper, which were rolled into spills and put in a vase. Then Tanchun told Pinger to take one. Pinger stepped forward to mix the lots and picked one out with her chopsticks. When she unfolded it, she found written there “She-fu conundrums.”
“You’ve picked the ancestor of all drinking games,” chuckled Baochai. “It was played in ancient times, but the original rules have been lost now. What we have is a later version, more difficult than all other drinking games. Half of us here wouldn’t be able to play it. Better scrap this and pick one to suit all tastes.”
“As this has already been picked,” Tanchun objected, “how can we scrap it? Pick another as well, and if that one’s more popular let the others play that while we play this first one.”
She told Xiren to draw another lot, and this proved to be the finger-guessing game.
“This is simple and quick, it suits me!” chortled Xiangyun. “I shan’t play conundrums; that’s too boring and depressing. I shall guess fingers.”
“She’s broken the rules,” cried Tanchun. “Quick, Cousin Baochai, make her drink a cup as a forfeit.”
Baochai laughingly forced Xiangyun to drain a cup.
“I’m taking charge so I’ll drink a cup too,” said Tanchun. “There’s no need for any announcement, just do as I say. Fetch a dice-bowl and throw the dice in turn, starting with Baoqin. When two people throw the same number they must play conundrums.”
Baoqin cast a “three”; Xiuyan and Baoyu threw different numbers; and Xiangling when it came to her turn threw another “three.”
“We must stick to objects in this room,” said Baoqin. “If things outside were chosen, we wouldn’t have a clue.”
“Right,” agreed Tanchun. “Anyone who makes three wrong guesses must drink a cup. Now give her a conundrum to guess.”
Baoqin thought for a moment then said, “Old.”
Xiangling, who was unfamiliar with this game, looked round the room and feasters but could see nothing fitting a classical allusion containing the word “old.” But Xiangyun on hearing the clue had started staring around too. Catching sight of the name Red Fragrance Farm over the door, she realized that Baoqin had in mind the line “I am not as good as the old gardener.” I As Xiangling could not guess the answer and they were beating the drum to hurry her, she quietly tugged at her sleeve.
“Say ‘peony,’“ she whispered.
Daiyu saw this and cried, “Quick, punish her! She’s cheating.”
That gave the game away and Xiangyun, forced to drink a cup of wine, in a huff rapped Daiyu’s knuckles with her chopsticks. Then Xiangling had to drink a cup as a forfeit too.
Now Baochai and Tanchun threw the same number, and Tanchun gave the word “man.”
“That’s too general,” protested Baochai.
“I’ll add another word then,” said Tanchun. “Two clues for one conundrum can’t be considered too vague.” This time she gave the word “window.”
Baochai thought this over and, seeing chicken on the table, remembered the allusions “cock-window” and “cock-man,” so she answered with the word “roost.” Tanchun knew that Baochai had guessed right and had in mind the allusion “Chickens come home to roost.” Smiling at each other both girls took a sip of wine.
Meanwhile Xiangyun, too impatient to wait, had started playing the finger-guessing game with Baoyu, shouting “three” or “five” at random. Madam You and Yuanyang, facing each other across the table to play the same game, were shouting now “seven” now “eight.” Pinger and Xiren had paired off together too, and were indicating the numbers they guessed with their fingers, which set their bracelets tinkling. Xiangyun, beating Baoyu, was entitled to make him pay forfeits before and after drinking. She announced, “Before drinking, the loser must quote one line from a classical essay, one from an old poem, one domino’s name, one name of a melody, and one line from the almanac. All these together must make up a sentence. The forfeit after drinking is to name some sweetmeat or dish and link it with human affairs.” The others hearing this laughed.
“Her forfeits are always more pernickety than other people’s; still, they’re fun,” they remarked, then urged Baoyu to speak up quickly.
“We’ve never done this before. Give me a chance to think first,” he begged.
Daiyu offered, “Drink an extra cup and I’ll do it for you.” So Baoyu drank while Daiyu recited:
“Sunset clouds float with the lone wild duck,
The wild goose cries through the sky above wind-swept river;
A wild goose with a broken leg,
Its crying fills all hearts with sorrow.
Such is the wild goose’s return.”
Amid general laughter the others commented, “Stringing lines together like this is rather fun.”
Then Daiyu picked up a hazel-nut to pay the after-drinking forfeit and said:
“Hazel-nuts having nothing to do with neighbourhood washing-blocks,
Why with them comes the sound of clothes beaten by ten thousand households?”
After these forfeits had been paid, Yuanyang and Xiren who had also lost each recited a proverb alluding to “long life,” which we need not repeat.
They went on playing the finger-guessing game for some time, Xiangyun pairing off with Baoqin. Then Li Wan and Xiuyan, casting dice, threw the same number. Li Wan gave the clue “gourd,” which Xiuyan answered with “green,” and as she had guessed correctly each took a sip of wine
. By now Xiangyun had lost the finger-game and had to pay a forfeit.
Baoqin quipped, “Please get into the jar, sir!”
The rest laughed and cried, “Very apt!”
Then Xiangyun declaimed:
“Leaping and rushing,
The river’s waves surge towards the sky;
An iron chain is needed to fasten the lonely boat,
Because there is wind on the river
It is not expedient to make a journey.”
Roaring with laughter the rest said, “How side-splitting! No wonder she made up this forfeit. It was so as to make us laugh.”
They waited then to hear her final line; but having tossed off her wine Xiangyun helped herself to a piece of duck, noticing as she did so that there was half a duck’s head in the bowl. She picked this out and started eating the brain.
“Don’t just eat,” they scolded. “Finish your forfeit first.”
Then holding up her chopsticks Xiangyun said,
“This duck’s head is not that serving-maid,
How can its head be smeared with oil of osmanthus?”
At that the rest laughed even louder, while Qingwen, Xiaoluo, Yinger and the other maids came over to protest:
“Miss Xiangyun, you’ve making fun of us. You must drink a cup by way of penalty. Why should we be smeared with osmanthus oil? You’d better give us each a bottle of it.”
Daiyu chuckled, “She wouldn’t mind giving you a bottle, if it weren’t for fear of being suspected of theft!”
Most of the company paid no attention; but Baoyu, understanding, lowered his head while Caiyun, having a guilty conscience, blushed. Baochai shot Daiyu a warning glance, making her regret her indiscretion; for in her eagerness to tease Baoyu she had forgotten until it was too late how sensitive Caiyun was. Dropping the subject then, they went on with their games.
Presently Baoyu and Baochai threw dice with the same number. Baochai gave the clue “precious” and Baoyu after a little thought knew that this was a playful reference to his magic jade.