十拜老娘经

十拜老娘经

莲山课件-皮带机

2023年2月19日发(作者：夹具名称)

曹雪芹杨宪益霍克斯

第六十六回

情小妹耻情归地府冷

二郎一冷入空门

话说鲍二家的打他

一下子，笑道："原有些

真的，叫你又编了这混

话，越发没了捆儿。你

倒不象跟二爷的人，这

些混话倒象是宝玉那边

的了。"尤二姐才要又

问，忽见尤三姐笑问

道："可是你们家那宝

玉，除了上学，他作些

什么？"兴儿笑道："姨

娘别问他，说起来姨娘

也未必信。他长了这么

大，独他没有上过正经

学堂。我们家从祖宗直

到二爷，谁不是寒窗十

载，偏他不喜欢读书。

老太太的宝贝，老爷先

还管，如今也不敢管

了。成天家疯疯颠颠

的，说的话人也不懂，

干的事人也不知。外头

人人看着好清俊模样

儿，心里自然是聪明

的，谁知是外清而内

浊，见了人，一句话也

没有。所有的好处，虽

没上过学，倒难为他认

得几个字。每日也不习

文，也不学武，又怕见

人，只爱在丫头群里

闹。再者也没刚柔，有

时见了我们，喜欢时没

上没下，大家乱顽一

阵，不喜欢各自走了，

他也不理人。我们坐着

卧着，见了他也不理，

他也不责备。因此没人

怕他，只管随便，都过

Chapter66

AGirlinLoveIs

Rejectedand

KillsHerself

ACold-HeartedMan

Repentsand

ThinstoReligion

BaoEr’swifeslapped

Xingerplayfully.

‘Howyoudotwistthe

truthandexaggerate!’she

teased.‘Thesense­less

wayyoutalksoundsasif

youwereBaoyu’sservant,

notSecondMaster’s’.

BeforeSecondSister

couldaskanyother

questions,ThirdSisterput

in,‘Bytheway,what

doeshedo,thatBaoyuof

yours,apartfrom

study­ing?’

‘Don’task,aunt,’

Xingerchuckled.‘1fftell

you,youwon’tbelieve

eis,he’s

uniqueinneverhaving

hadanyproperschooling.

Allearliergenerationsof

ourfamilyrightdownto

SecondMasterstudied

hardforyears;he’sthe

onlyonewhowon’tstudy,

andhe’stheoldlady’s

thisfathertried

todisciplinehim,buthe’s

longsincegiventhatup.

‘Baoyucarriesonthe

wholetimelikealunatic,

talkinginawaythatno

oneunderstands,andwhat

hegetsuptogoodness

’s

handsomeandistakenfor

anintelligentboy,butfor

CHAPTER66

Shamedrivesawarm-

heartedyoungwoman

totakeherlife

Andshockleadsacold-

heartedyounggentleman

torenouncetheworld

Ourlastchapter

concludedwithJoker’s

femaleaudience

laughingatthenotionof

MissWood’sbeing

blowndownandMiss

Snowmeltedbythe

breathing-outofthe

tress

dealthimaplayfulbox

ontheear.

‘Theremaybesome

truthinwhatyousay;

butyourwayoftelling

thingsturnsevengood

senseintononsense,’she

said.‘Youaremorelike

oneofBao-yu’sboys

thanoneofthe

Master’s.’

Er-jiewasabouttoask

anotherquestion,but

San-jiegotinfirst.

‘Yesnow,aboutBao-yu:

whatdoeshedo-apart

fromgoingtoschool?’

Jokerlaughed.

‘Don’taskabouthim,

Miss!You’dnever

believehalfofitifItold

nwith,

althoughhe’ssuchabig

fellownow,he’snever

hadwhatyoumightcall

aproperschooling.

Everyoneinthefamily

sincehisgreat-

grandfather’stime,

includingtheMaster,

hadtodotheirtenyears

inthefamilyschool;but

-yudoesn’t

的去。"尤三姐笑道："

主子宽了，你们又这

样，严了，又抱怨。可

知难缠。"尤二姐道："

我们看他倒好，原来这

样。可惜了一个好胎

子。"尤三姐道："姐姐

信他胡说，咱们也不是

见一面两面的，行事言

谈吃喝，原有些女儿

气，那是只在里头惯了

的。若说糊涂，那些儿

糊涂？姐姐记得，穿孝

时咱们同在一处，那日

正是和尚们进来绕棺，

咱们都在那里站着，他

只站在头里挡着人。人

说他不知礼，又没眼

色。过后他没悄悄的告

诉咱们说：`姐姐不知

道，我并不是没眼色。

想和尚们脏，恐怕气味

熏了姐姐们。'接着他吃

茶，姐姐又要茶，那个

老婆子就拿了他的碗

倒。他赶忙说：`我吃脏

了的，另洗了再拿来。'

这两件上，我冷眼看

去，原来他在女孩子们

前不管怎样都过的去，

只不大合外人的式，所

以他们不知道。"尤二姐

听说，笑道："依你说，

你两个已是情投意合

了。竟把你许了他，岂

不好？"三姐见有兴儿，

不便说话，只低头磕瓜

子。兴儿笑道："若论模

样儿行事为人，倒是一

对好的。只是他已有

了，只未露形。将来准

是林姑娘定了的。因林

姑娘多病，二则都还

小，故尚未及此。再过

allhelookssosmarthe’s

actuallymuddle-headed,

withnothingtosayfor

onlygoodthingabouthim

isthatthoughhe’snever

beentoaproperschool

he’smanagedtolearnto

rstudies

booksorprac-tises

militaryarts;andhe

doesn’tlikemeeting

strangers,insteadhejust

lovestofoolaboutwith

themaids.

‘Hehasnosenseof

what’sfittingeither.

Whenheseesus,ifhe’s

inthemoodhe’llplay

aroundwithusquite

forgettinghisstation;if

he’snotinthemoodhe’ll

gooffbyhimself,

we’resittingorlying

aboutwhenheturnsup,

andwepaynoattentionto

him,heneverticksusoff.

Sonobody’safraidof

him;weknowwecan

behavejustasweplease.’

‘Whenyourmaster’s

lenientyourunhimdown;

ifhewerestrictyou’d

complain,’saidThird

Sisterwithasmile.‘That

showswhatatroublesome

lotyouare.

‘Hemadeagood

impressiononus,’

remarkedSecondSister.

‘Wedidn’tknowhewas

ity

whenhe’ssucha

handsomeboy.’

‘Don’tbelievethe

nonsensehetalks,sister,’

saidThirdSister.‘We’ve

metBaoyuseveraltimes.

Thewayhebehavesand

likestudy;sobecausehe

isHerOldLadyship’s

darling,that’

Zhengusedtotryanddo

somethingwithhim,but

thatwassoonputastop

tobyHerOldLadyship.

Nowadayshespendsthe

wholeofhistimejust

can’tunderstandwhat

he’stalkingabouthalf

thetime,andyoucan’t

makeanysenseofwhat

sbright

enough,andpeople

alwaysassumefromhis

looksthathemustbe

clever;butunderneathit

he’tell

hemustbestupidfrom

thefactthatheneverhas

awordtosayfor

himselfwhenhemeets

anyone.I’llgivehim

this,though:althoughhe

doesn’tgotoschool,he

’s

abouttheonlythinghe’s

n’t

study,hedoesn’tcare

forphysicaltraining,

andhedoesn’tlike

spendsallhistime

playingaroundwitha

’ssoft,

meswhenhe

seesus,ifhe’sinthe

mood,he’llplaywithus

asifhewereanequal.

Othertimesheignores

we’resittingdownor

lyingdownwhenhe

comesby,wedon’tget

upforhim;wejusttake

n’t

’safraidof

stwhatwe

likewhenhe’saround.

Heneverstopsus.’

‘Youtalklikethisabout

someonewhoiseasy-

goingwithyou,’said

三二年，老太太便一开

言，那是再无不准的

了。"大家正说话，只见

隆儿又来了，说："老爷

有事，是件机密大事，

要遣二爷往平安州去，

不过三五日就起身，来

回也得半月工夫。今日

不能来了。请老奶奶早

和二姨定了那事，明日

爷来，好作定夺。"说

着，带了兴儿回去了。

这里尤二姐命掩了

门早睡，盘问他妹子一

夜。至次日午后，贾琏

方来了。尤二姐因劝他

说："既有正事，何必

忙忙又来，千万别为我

误事。"贾琏道："也没

甚事，只是偏偏的又出

来了一件远差。出了月

就起身，得半月工夫才

来。"尤二姐道："既如

此，你只管放心前去，

这里一应不用你记挂。

三妹子他从不会朝更暮

改的。他已说了改悔，

必是改悔的。他已择定

了人，你只要依他就是

了。"贾琏问是谁，尤二

姐笑道："这人此刻不在

这里，不知多早才来，

也难为他眼力。自己说

了，这人一年不来，他

等一年，十年不来，等

十年，若这人死了再不

来了，他情愿剃了头当

姑子去，吃长斋念佛，

以了今生。"贾琏问："

倒底是谁，这样动他的

心？"二姐笑道："说来

话长。五年前我们老娘

家里做生日，妈和我们

到那里与老娘拜寿。他

speaksdoesseemrather

effeminate,butthat’s

becausehespendsallhis

timeintheinner

’tcall

himmuddle-headed.

Rememberwhenwewere

inmourning,thatdaythe

monksfiledroundthe

coffin?Wegirlswereall

standingthereandhe

steppedinfrontofus,

standinginourway.

Peoplesaidhehadno

mannersandshouldknow

better;butlaterdidn’the

tellusinconfidence,‘You

know,sisters,it’snotthat

Ihadnosenseofrespect,

butthosemonksareso

dirtyIwasafraidyou’d

findtheirstench

overpowering.’

‘Thenhewasdrinking

tea,andyouwantedsome

atoldwoman

tookhisbowltopour

someforyou,hesaidat

once,‘I’vedirtiedthat

bowl;youmustwashit

first.’Fromthesetwo

incidents,viewed

dispassionately,Isaw

howobligingheis

towardsusgirlsheknows

howtomakehimself

doesn’tseemrightto

outsid­ers;that’swhythey

can’tunderstandhim.’

‘Itsoundsasifthetwo

ofyouarealreadyofone

mind,’SecondSister

chuckled.‘Howwouldit

beifweweretobetroth

youtohim?’Inhibitedby

Xinger’spresence,Third

Sisterjustloweredher

headandwenton

crackingmelon-seeds.

San-jie,‘yetyou

complainjustasmuch

aboutsomeonewhois

seethat

youaredifficultpeople

toemploy!’

‘IalwaysthoughtBao-

yulookedsonice,’said

Er-jie.‘How

disappointingtolearn

thatthereisreally

nothinginhimafterall!’

‘Yousurelydon’t

believetherubbishthis

boyhasbeentalking,

sister?’saidSan-jie

impatiently.‘Wehave,

afterall,seenBao-yu

severaltimesourselves.

Isupposeyoucouldcall

r

heiseatingortalkingor

movingabout,thereis

certainlysomething

rathergirlishabouthis

mes

fromspendingnearlyall

histimeinthewomen’s

quarterswithnoother

stupid?Ihardlythinkhe

’t

yourememberwhenwe

werestillinmourning,

thattimewewere

standingwatchingthe

monksastheywent

roundthecoffinandhe

stoodrightinfrontof

us?Everyonesaidhow

ill-mannereditwasof

himandhow

n

afterwardshequietly

cameuptousand

explained:“Ihopeyou

didn’tthinkitvery

inconsiderateofmeto

standinfrontofyoulike

that,”hesaid’“butI

noticedhowdirtysome

ofthosemonkswereand

Iwasafraidthatthe

smellofthemmight

distressyou.”Then

家请了一起串客，里头

有个作小生的叫作柳湘

莲，他看上了，如今要

是他才嫁。旧年我们闻

得柳湘莲惹了一个祸逃

走了，不知可有来了不

曾？"贾琏听了道："怪

道呢！我说是个什么样

人，原来是他！果然眼

力不错。你不知道这柳

二郎，那样一个标致

人，最是冷面冷心的，

差不多的人，都无情无

义。他最和宝玉合的

来。去年因打了薛呆

子，他不好意思见我们

的，不知那里去了一

向。后来听见有人说来

了，不知是真是假。一

问宝玉的小子们就知道

了。倘或不来，他萍踪

浪迹，知道几年才来，

岂不白耽搁了？"尤二姐

道："我们这三丫头说的

出来，干的出来，他怎

样说，只依他便了。"

二人正说之间，只

见尤三姐走来说道："姐

夫，你只放心。我们不

是那心口两样的人，说

什么是什么。若有了姓

柳的来，我便嫁他。从

今日起，我吃斋念佛，

只伏侍母亲，等他来

了，嫁了他去，若一百

年不来，我自己修行去

了。"说着，将一根玉

簪，击作两段，"一句不

真，就如这簪子！"说

着，回房去了，真个竟

非礼不动，非礼不言起

来。贾琏无了法，只得

和二姐商议了一回家

务，复回家与凤姐商议

‘Asfaraslooksand

behaviourgo,they’d

makeafinecouple,’

chortledXinger.‘Only

he’salreadymadehis

choice,althoughithasn’t

’s

boundtobeMissLin.

Nothinghasbeendoneso

far,asshe’ssodelicate

andthey’rebothstill

young;butinanothertwo

orthreeyears,assoonas

theoldladysaystheword

itwillcertainlybe

settled.’

Astheywerechatting,

Longercamebackto

report,‘Theoldmaster

hassomebusiness,

somethingextremely

importantand

confidential,thathe’s

sendingSecondMasterto

Pinganzhoutoattendto.

He’stosetoutinafew

daysandthewholetrip

thereandbackwilltake

hecan’tcomebacktoday.

Hehopestheoldmistress

andSecondAuntwillsee

tothatmatterrightaway,

sothathecanmakethe

finaldecisionwhenhe

comestomorrow.’This

said,hewentoffwith

Xinger.

SecondSisterordered

thegatetobeclosedand

theyturnedinearly,but

shespentmostofthe

nightquestioningher

sister.

Thenextdayitwas

afternoonbeforeJiaLian

arrived.

‘Whybeinsucha

hurrytocomewhen

you’veotherimportant

shortlyafterthat,when

hewasdrinkingsome

teaandyousaidyou’d

likesometoo,he

stoppedoneoftheold

womenfromemptying

theslopsoutofhiscup

andfillingitupagain

foryou.“No,no,”he

said,“that’sdirty!You

mustwashitfirstbefore

youpourherany.”Just

onthestrengthofthose

twoincidentsIthinkyou

6ughtinfairnessto

agreethat,whenheis

withgirlsatanyrate,he

isperfectlycapable.

Peoplefailtofindout

whatheisreallylike

becausetheyareputoff

byhismanner.’

‘Tohearyouspeak,it

soundsasifthetwoof

youwouldgetonvery

welltogether,’saidEr-

jie.‘Ithinkweoughtto

not?’

San-jiewas

preventedfrom

answeringbyJoker’s

ely

lookeddownand

occupiedherselfby

crackingamelon-seed

betweenherteeth.

‘They’dmakeafine

pair,’saidJoker,

‘whetherfromthepoint

ofviewoflooksorof

ything

is,he’sgotsomeoneelse

ghit

hasn’tbeenmade

officialyet,it’sasgood

ascertainthathe’sgoing

reasontheyhaven’tbeen

properlyengagedyetis

becauseMissLinisso

oftenill’andalso

becausetheyarestilla

bitontheyoungside;

buttwoorthreeyears

起身之事。一面着人问

茗烟，茗烟说："竟不

知道。大约未来，若来

了，必是我知道的。"一

面又问他的街坊，也说

未来。贾琏只得回复了

二姐。至起身之日已

近，前两天便说起身，

却先往二姐这边来住两

夜，从这里再悄悄长

行。果见小妹竟又换了

一个人，又见二姐持家

勤慎，自是不消记挂。

是日一早出城，就

奔平安州大道，晓行夜

住，渴饮饥餐。方走了

三日，那日正走之间，

顶头来了一群驮子，内

中一伙，主仆十来骑

马，走的近来一看，不

是别人，竟是薛蟠和柳

湘连来了。贾琏深为奇

怪，忙伸马迎了上来，

大家一齐相见，说些别

后寒温，大家便入酒店

歇下，叙谈叙谈。贾琏

因笑说："闹过之后，我

们忙着请你两个和解，

谁知柳兄踪迹全无。怎

么你两个今日倒在一处

了？"薛蟠笑道："天下

竟有这样奇事。我同伙

计贩了货物，自春天起

身，往回里走，一路平

安。谁知前日到了平安

州界，遇一伙强盗，已

将东西劫去。不想柳二

弟从那边来了，方把贼

人赶散，夺回货物，还

救了我们的性命。我谢

他又不受，所以我们结

拜了生死弟兄，如今一

路进京。从此后我们是

亲弟亲兄一般。到前面

busi­ness?’SecondSister

askedhim.‘Youmustn’t

delayyourjourneyonmy

account.’

‘It’snotallthat

important,’hetoldher.

‘ThenuisanceisI’vegot

tomakealongtrip,

startingearlynextmonth,

andIshan’tbebackfora

fortnight.’

‘Well,justgowithan

dn’t

worryaboutanything

er’snotthe

typethatkeepschanging

sshe’s

goingtoturnoveranew

leaf,andshe’llbeasgood

’salready

madeherchoiceofaman.

Allyouneeddoistofall

inwithherwishes.’

‘Whoishe?’askedJia

Lian.

‘He’snotherenow,

andthere’snoknowing

whenhe’llcomeback.

Butshe’smadean

staysawayforayear,

she’llwaitforayear,she

esn’treturn

fortenyears,she’llwait

’sdead

andnevercomesback,

she’llgladlyshaveoffher

hairandbecomeanun,

fastingandchanting

sutrasallherlife.’

‘Whocanthefellowbe

thathaswonherheartso

completely?’

‘It’salongstory,’said

SecondSisterwitha

smile.‘Fiveyearsago,

whenitwasour

grandmother’sbirthday,

mymothertookusthere

tooffercongratulations.

fromnow,assoonas

HerOldLadyshipgives

theword,theyaresure

tobe.’

Theywerestill

discussingthiswhen

Richarrivedwitha

messagefromJiaLian.

‘SirSheissendingthe

MastertoPing-anina

fewdays’timeon

importantsecret

’llprobably

beawayforfifteenor

’t

comebackheretonight,

buthesays,MrsYou,

willyouandthe

Mistressgetthat

businessyouknow

aboutsettled,sothat

whenliecomes

tomorrow,he’llknow

whathehastodo?’

Ilavingdeliveredthis

message,hewentback

again,takingJokerwith

-jiehadthegate

dosedafterthemand

retiredearlyforthe

night,agoodpartof

whichshespentin

extractingtherequired

informationfromher

sister.

JiaLiandidnotarrive

untilafternoonnext

-jieexpressed

concernthathehad

comeatall.

‘Ifyouhavesomething

importanttodo,you

don’tneedtoput

yourselfinarushby

d

hatetobethecauseof

yourstartinglate.’

‘Itisn’tanythingreally

important,’saidJiaLian,

‘justajobthatneeds

doingwhichhappensto

beratherfaraway.I

shallhavetoleaveby

thebeginningofnext

monthanditwillbe

岔口上分路，他就分路

往南二百里有他一个姑

妈，他去望候望候。我

先进京去安置了我的

事，然后给他寻一所宅

子，寻一门好亲事，大

家过起来。"贾琏听了

道："原来如此，倒教我

们悬了几日心。"因又听

道寻亲，又忙说道："我

正有一门好亲事堪配二

弟。"说着，便将自己娶

尤氏，如今又要发嫁小

姨一节说了出来，只不

说尤三姐自择之语。又

嘱薛蟠且不可告诉家

里，等生了儿子，自然

是知道的。薛蟠听了大

喜，说："早该如此，这

都是舍表妹之过。"湘莲

忙笑说："你又忘情了，

还不住口。"薛蟠忙止住

不语，便说："既是这

等，这门亲事定要做

的。"湘莲道："我本有

愿，定要一个绝色的女

子。如今既是贵昆仲高

谊，顾不得许多了，任

凭裁夺，我无不从命。"

贾琏笑道："如今口说无

凭，等柳兄一见，便知

我这内娣的品貌是古今

有一无二的了。"湘莲听

了大喜，说："既如此

说，等弟探过姑娘，不

过月中就进京的，那时

再定如何？"贾琏笑道：

"你我一言为定，只是我

信不过柳兄。你乃是萍

踪浪迹，倘然淹滞不

归，岂不误了人家。须

得留一定礼。"湘莲道：

"大丈夫岂有失信之理。

小弟素系寒贫，况且客

They’dinvitedatroupeof

amateuractors,among

themacertainLiu

Xianglianwholikedto

playtheyounghero’spart

ksucha

fancytohim,shenow

declareshe’stheonlyman

arwe

heardthathe’dgotinto

don’tknowwhetherhe

hasevercomeback.’

‘Well,Inever!’

exclaimedJiaLian.‘So

that’

won-deringwhatsortof

,

she’smadeagoodchoice.

ButyouknowthisSecond

MasterLiu,forallhe’sso

handsome,iscoldand

o

timeformostpeoplebut

happenstogeton

splendidlywithBaoyu.

Lastyearafterhebeatup

thatfoolXuePanheleft,

feelingtooembarrassedto

seeus,andwedon’tknow

wherehe’

peoplesayhe’sreturned.I

supposewecanask

Baoyu’spagestofindout.

Ifhehasn’tcomeback

andisstilldriftingabout,

Heavenknowshowmany

yearshemaystayaway.

Yoursistermaywaitin

vain.’

‘No,mysister’salways

asgoodasherword,’she

assuredhim.‘Justlether

haveherway.’

AtthispointThird

Sisterjoinedthem.

‘Believeme,brother-

in-law,I’mnotoneof

thosewhodon’tsaywhat

theythink,’shedeclared.

abouthalfamonth

beforeIgetback.’

‘Well,whileyouare

away,justconcentrate

onthejob,’saidEr-jie.

‘Youdon’thaveto

worryaboutanything

lbe

-

jieisn’tthesortofgirlto

changehermind

overnightandshehas

definitelychosenher

you

willhavetogoalong

withherchoice.’

‘Ahyes,’saidJia

Lian.‘Whoisit?’

‘Someonewhomay

notbeavailableat

present,inwhichcase

it’sanyone’sguesswhen

hewillbeback,’she

smiled.‘Imustadmit,

shehasaverygoodeye.

Andshesaysthatsheis

preparedtowaitaslong

asitwilltake-tenyears

y

chancehe’sdeadorfor

somereasonorother

can’tevercome,she

saysshewillcutherhair

offandbecomeanun.

Shewouldratherspend

therestofherlifein

prayerandfastingthan

marryanyoneelse.’

‘Well,comeon!’said

JiaLian.‘Whoisthis

personwhohasmade

suchapowerful

impressiononher?’

‘It’salongstory,’

saidEr-jie.‘Fiveyears

agomymothertookus

bothwithhertoherold

homeformy

grandmother’sbirthday.

Thefamilyhadinviteda

troupeofamateuractors

fortheoccasion,all

youngmenofgood

who

playedthejuniormale

中，何能有定礼。"薛蟠

道："我这里现成，就

备一分二哥带去。"贾琏

笑道："也不用金帛之

礼，须是柳兄亲身自有

之物，不论物之贵贱，

不过我带去取信耳。"湘

莲道："既如此说，弟无

别物，此剑防身，不能

解下。囊中尚有一把鸳

鸯剑，乃吾家传代之

宝，弟也不敢擅用，只

随身收藏而已。贾兄请

拿去为定。弟纵系水流

花落之性，然亦断不舍

此剑者。"说毕，大家又

饮了几杯，方各自上

马，作别起程。正是：

将军不下马，各自奔前

程。

且说贾琏一日到了

平安州，见了节度，完

了公事。因又嘱他十月

前后务要还来一次，贾

琏领命。次日连忙取路

回家，先到尤二姐处探

望。谁知贾琏出门之

后，尤二姐操持家务十

分谨肃，每日关门ア

户，一点外事不闻。他

小妹子果是个斩钉截铁

之人，每日侍奉母姊之

余，只安分守己，随分

过活。虽是夜晚间孤衾

独枕，不惯寂寞，奈一

心丢了众人，只念柳湘

莲早早回来完了终身大

事。这日贾琏进门，见

了这般景况，喜之不

尽，深念二姐之德。大

家叙些寒温之后，贾琏

便将路上相遇湘莲一事

说了出来，又将鸳鸯剑

取出，递与三姐。三姐

‘.

LiucomesI’llmarryhim.

UntilthenI’llfast,chant

sutrasandlookaftermy

motherwhilewaitingfor

himtocomeandmarry

me,evenifIhavetowait

nevercomes,I’llgoand

becomeanun.’Drawinga

jadepinfromherhairshe

brokeitintwo,

exclaiming,‘IfI’vesaida

singlewordthatisn’ttrue,

mayIenduplikethis

pin!’

Thissaid,shewent

afterthatshewas,indeed,

mostcorrectinherspeech

andbehaviour.

TherewasnothingJia

discussedsomefamily

businesswithSecond

Sister,hewenthometo

tellXifengabouthistrip,

thensenttoaskMingyan

whetherLiuXianglian

hadreturnedornot.

‘Idon’tknow,’said

Mingyan.‘Probablynot.

OtherwiseIwouldhave

heard.’

AndLiu’sneighbours

whenquestionedsaidhe

JiaLianhadtopasson

thisinformationto

SecondSister.

Asthetimeforhis

departureapproachedhe

announcedthathewas

leavingtwodaysearly,

butinfacthespenttwo

nightsinSecondSister’s

place,startinghisjourney

observedthatThird

Sister’sbehaviourhad

leadwascalledLiu

e

onlymanmysisteris

yearhegothimselfinto

somesortoftroubleand

hadtogointohiding,

andwedon’tknow

whetherhe’soutofityet

ornot.’

‘Sothat’swhoitis!’

saidJiaLian.‘No

wondersheissokeen.

Yes,shecertainlyhasa

’s

somethingyouprobably

don’tknowabouthim,

iuisa

veryhandsomeyoung

man,buthe’sanawfully

ery

-yu

isprobablytheperson

tookhimselfoff

somewhereorotherlast

yearafterbeatingupthat

oafXuePan-Isuppose

becausehewantedto

avoidmeetingus.I

haven’tseenhimsince

edidtell

methatthey’dheardhe

wasback,butitmay

havebeenonlya

silyfind

outbyaskingoneof

Bao-yu’spages.-But

supposeitisonlya

’ssucha

rollingstone,itmaybe

yearsbeforehecomes

’titbe

ratherawasteforherto

putoffmarryingforso

long?’

‘WhenourSan-jie

saysshe’sgoingtodo

something,shedoesit,’

saidEr-jie.‘Ithinkyou

willhavetogoalong

withher.’

Theywereinterruptedat

thispointbySan-jie

herself,whohad

看时，上面龙吞夔护，

珠宝晶荧，将靶一掣，

里面却是两把合体的。

一把上面錾着一"鸳"

字，一把上面錾着一"鸯

"字，冷飕飕，明亮亮，

如两痕秋水一般。三姐

喜出望外，连忙收了，

挂在自己绣房床上，每

日望着剑，自笑终身有

靠。贾琏住了两天，回

去复了父命，回家合宅

相见。那时凤姐已大

愈，出来理事行走了。

贾琏又将此事告诉了贾

珍。贾珍因近日又遇了

新友，将这事丢过，不

在心上，任凭贾琏裁

夺，只怕贾琏独力不

加，少不得又给了他三

十两银子。贾琏拿来交

与二姐预备妆奁。

谁知八月内湘莲方

进了京，先来拜见薛姨

妈，又遇见薛蝌，方知

薛蟠不惯风霜，不服水

土，一进京时便病倒在

家，请医调治。听见湘

莲来了，请入卧室相

见。薛姨妈也不念旧

事，只感新恩，母子们

十分称谢。又说起亲事

一节，凡一应东西皆已

妥当，只等择日。柳湘

莲也感激不尽。

次日又来见宝玉，

二人相会，如鱼得水。

湘莲因问贾莲偷娶二房

之事，宝玉笑道："我听

见茗烟一干人说，我却

未见，我也不敢多管。

我又听见茗烟说，琏二

哥哥着实问你，不知有

何话说？"湘莲就将路上

indeedchangedoutofall

recognition,andas

Sec-ondSisterwas

managingthehouse

diligentlyandprudently

hehadnoneedtoworry.

Heleftthecityearlyin

themorningandtookthe

highwaytoPinganzhou.

Hetravelledallday,

stoppingonlytorefresh

himselfwhenhewas

hungryorthirsty,staying

ininnsatnight,andhe

hadbeenthreedayson

thewaywhenacaravan

ofpack-horsescame

towardshimescortedbya

dozenorsomenon

drew

nearhesawtohis

astonishmentthatamong

themwereXuePanand

he

spurredhishorseforward

tomeetthem,andafter

exchang-ingtheusual

courtesiestheychosean

inninwhichtorestand

chat.

JiaLiansaid,‘After

thetwoofyoufelloutwe

wereveryeagertopatch

itupbetweenyou,but

BrotherLiuhadvanished

comeyou’retogether

today?’

‘Wondersnevercease,’

saidXuePan.‘Iandmy

assistantsboughtsome

goodsandstartedbackto

wentwelltilltheother

daywhenwereached

Pinganzhouandabandof

brigandsseized

alongcameBrotherLiuin

thenickoftimetodrive

evidentlybeenlistening

totheirconversationand

chosethismomentto

comeintotheroom.

‘Setyourmindatrest,

oneofthosepeoplewho

sayonethingandmean

another;Ireallydo

turnsup,Ishallmarry

wonand

untilhedoesIshall

spendallmytime

praying,fastingand

hehasstillnotturnedup

whenMammaisno

longerheretolookafter,

Ishallgointoa

convent.’

Shedrewajadehairpin

fromherhairand

deliberatelybrokeitin

two.

‘SobeitwithmeifIdo

notdoexactlyasIhave

sworn!’Shewent

straightbacktoher

roomthen;andfromthat

dayonwardsher

conductwasindeed

exemplary.

JiaLiancouldsee

thathehadnochoice

buttofallinwithher

wishes,andafterabrief

discussionofdomestic

matterswithEr-jie,went

homeforfurther

discussionswithXi-feng

aboutthepreparations

t

homehesentsomeone

toaskTealeafaboutLiu

Xiang-lian.

‘I’mafraidIdon’t

know,’saidTealeaf.‘I

shouldthinkheprobably

hasn’

hehad,Ishouldalmost

certainlyhavegotto

hearaboutit.’

Inquiriesmadeamong

Xiang-lian’sneighbours

所有之事一概告诉宝

玉，宝玉笑道："大喜，

大喜！难得这个标致

人，果然是个古今绝

色，堪配你之为人。"湘

莲道："既是这样，他那

里少了人物，如何只想

到我。况且我又素日不

甚和他厚，也关切不至

此。路上工夫忙忙的就

那样再三要来定，难道

女家反赶着男家不成。

我自己疑惑起来，后悔

不该留下这剑作定。所

以后来想起你来，可以

细细问个底里才好。"宝

玉道："你原是个精细

人，如何既许了定礼又

疑惑起来？你原说只要

一个绝色的，如今既得

了个绝色便罢了。何必

再疑？"湘莲道："你既

不知他娶，如何又知是

绝色？"宝玉道："他是

珍大嫂子的继母带来的

两位小姨。我在那里和

他们混了一个月，怎么

不知？真真一对尤物，

他又姓尤。"湘莲听了，

跌足道："这事不好，

断乎做不得了。你们东

府里除了那两个石头狮

子干净，只怕连猫儿狗

儿都不干净。我不做这

剩忘八。"宝玉听说，红

了脸。湘莲自惭失言，

连忙作揖说："我该死胡

说。你好歹告诉我，他

品行如何？"宝玉笑道：

"你既深知，又来问我作

甚么？连我也未必干净

了。"湘莲笑道："原是

我自己一时忘情，好歹

别多心。"宝玉笑道："

thebrigandsaway,rescue

ourgoodsandsaveour

livesintothebargain.

Whenhewouldn’taccept

anythingforhishelp,we

becameswornbrothers

andhavebeentravelling

wonwe

shallbelikerealblood-

hallpart

companyatthecrossroad

infront,ashehastogo

twohundrediifarther

southtovisitanauntof

gotothe

capitalfirsttofinishmy

business,thenfinda

houseforhimanda

suitablewife,sothatwe

canallsettledownthere.’

‘Ifthat’sthecase,’

exclaimedJiaLian,

‘We’vebeenworrying

need-lesslyforseveral

days.’AsXuePanhad

spokenoffindingawife

forXianglian,hehastened

tocontinue,‘I’vegotthe

verybrideforhim,a

splendidmatchfor

BrotherLiu.’Hewenton

toexplainhowhehad

marriedSecondSister

Youandnowwantedto

findahusbandforher

youngersister,omitting

onlytoaddthatLiuwas

ThirdSister’sownchoice.

HethencautionedXue

Pan,‘Mindyoudon’ttell

ituntil

shehasason,thenof

coursethey’llhaveto

know.’

XuePanwas

delighted.

‘Youshouldhavedone

thatlongago,’hesaid.‘It

servesCousinXifeng

right.’

confirmedthathehad

n

wasobligedtoreport

backtoEr-jiethathe

haddrawnablank.

Alittlebeforehewas

duetobeginhisjourney,

JiaLiantookleaveof

Xi-fengandthefamily,

butonlyinorderto

spendhislasttwonights

d

San-jiesoalteredonthis

visitastoseemalmosta

differentpersonEr-jie,

too,showedherselfso

carefulandcompetentin

hermanage-mentofthe

littlehouseholdthathe

couldseetherewouldbe

noneedtoworryabout

eitherofthemwhilehe

wasaway.

JiaLianleftthecity

earlyonthedayofhis

departureandthereafter

followedthemainroad

toPing-an,puttingupat

somestaging-postor

hostelryeachnightand

makingshorterstopsfor

mealsandrefreshments

twodaysofuneventful

travellinghecame,on

thethirdday,upona

littlecaravanmoving

towardshimalongthe

roadaheadconsistingof

anumberofpack-

animalsandsometenor

sohorsemen,ofwhom

theleadingtwo

appearedtobemasters

theydrewnearenough

forhimtomakeout

theirfaces,JiaLiansaw

withastonishmentthat

thetwoleading

horsemenwereXuePan

andLiuXiang-lianand

urgedhishorseforwards

greetingsandthe

何必再提，这倒是有心

了。"湘莲作揖告辞出

来，若去找薛蟠，一则

他现卧病，二则他又浮

躁，不如去索回定礼。

主意已定，便一径来找

贾琏。贾琏正在新房

中，闻得湘莲来了，喜

之不禁，忙迎了出来，

让到内室与尤老相见。

湘莲只作揖称老伯母，

自称晚生，贾琏听了诧

异。吃茶之间，湘莲便

说："客中偶然忙促，谁

知家姑母于四月间订了

弟妇，使弟无言可回。

若从了老兄背了姑母，

似非合理。若系金帛之

订，弟不敢索取，但此

剑系祖父所遗，请仍赐

回为幸。"贾琏听了，便

不自在，还说："定者，

定也。原怕反悔所以为

定。岂有婚姻之事，出

入随意的？还要斟酌。"

湘莲笑道："虽如此说，

弟愿领责领罚，然此事

断不敢从命。"贾琏还要

饶舌，湘莲便起身说："

请兄外坐一叙，此处不

便。"那尤三姐在房明明

听见。好容易等了他

来，今忽见反悔，便知

他在贾府中得了消息，

自然是嫌自己淫奔无耻

之流，不屑为妻。今若

容他出去和贾琏说退

亲，料那贾琏必无法可

处，自己岂不无趣。一

听贾琏要同他出去，连

忙摘下剑来，将一股雌

锋隐在肘内，出来便

说："你们不必出去再

议，还你的定礼。"一面

‘You’retalking

nonsenseagain,’putin

Xianglianwithasmile.

‘You’dbettershutup.’

‘Inthatcase,’saidXue

Pan,changingthesubject,

‘wemustfixupthis

match.’

‘It’sbeenmyintention

allalong,’Xiangliantold

them,‘tomarryonlyan

thisproposalcomesfrom

myhonourableelder

brothers,Ishan’tinsiston

that.I’llagreetowhatever

yousuggest.’

‘Wordsdon’tcarry

conviction,’JiaLian

rejoined.‘Butonceyou

seeher,BrotherLiu,

you’llrealizethatthis

sister-in-lawofmineisa

matchlessbeauty.’

Xianglianwas

overjoyedbythis

assurance.

‘Ifthat’sso,’hesaid,

‘WhenI’vecalledonmy

aunt,inlessthana

fortnightI’llcometothe

capitalandwecansettle

’s

that?’

‘We’rebothmenofour

word,’repliedJiaLian.

‘Butyou’resucharolling

stone,alwaysonthe

move,Idon’tlikeleaving

rift

awaynowanddon’tcome

back,what’stobecomeof

her?You’dbetterletme

havesomebetrothal

token.’

‘Atruemannevergoes

backonhisword.I’mnot

richandI’minthemiddle

ofajourney,sowhere

wouldIgetabetrothal

customarygeneralities

hadbeenexchanged,the

threeofthemwentinto

anear-byinntositdown

Lianaskedthequestion

thathadbeenpuzzling

him.

‘Afteryourlittle

incidentlastyear,the

restofuswereanxious

tomakeitupbetween

you,butyoungLiu

seemedtohave

disappearedwithouta

oucome

tobetogethernow?’

‘It’saverystrangestory,’

saidXuePan.‘Myboys

andIfinishedsellingour

stuffoffinthespring

andwe’vebeenonour

homewardjourneyever

hingwas

goingquitesmoothly

untilacoupleofdays

staswe

wereapproachingPing-

an,weranintoagangof

robberswhotookaway

tat

thatverymomentup

popsyoungXiang-lian

outofnowhere,drives

offtherobbers,getsall

ourstuffbackforus,

refusedtoletmethank

him,butintheendhe

agreedthatweshould

becomeblood-brothers.

We’vebeentravelling

togethereversince.

Fromnowonwe’re

goingtobejustlikereal

brotherstoeachother.

He’sleavingmeatthe

nextcrossroadsand

goingoffsixtyor

seventymilessouthof

heretolookupanaunt

ofhis,whileIgoon

aheadtothecapital.

WhenI’vesettledmy

ownaffairs,I’mgoingto

泪如雨下，左手将剑并

鞘送与湘莲，右手回肘

只往项上一横。可怜"揉

碎桃花红满地，玉山倾

倒再难扶"，芳灵蕙性，

渺渺冥冥，不知那边去

了。当下唬得众人急救

不迭。尤老一面嚎哭，

一面又骂湘莲。贾琏忙

揪住湘莲，命人捆了送

官。尤二姐忙止泪反劝

贾琏："你太多事，人家

并没威逼他死，是他自

寻短见。你便送他到

官，又有何益，反觉生

事出丑。不如放他去

罢，岂不省事。"贾琏此

时也没了主意，便放了

手命湘莲快去。湘莲反

不动身，泣道："我并不

知是这等刚烈贤妻，可

敬，可敬。"湘莲反扶尸

大哭一场。等买了棺

木，眼见入殓，又俯棺

大哭一场，方告辞而

去。

出门无所之，昏昏

默默，自想方才之事。

原来尤三姐这样标致，

又这等刚烈，自悔不

及。正走之间，只见薛

蟠的小厮寻他家去，那

湘莲只管出神。那小厮

带他到新房之中，十分

齐整。忽听环ぐ叮当，

尤三姐从外而入，一手

捧着鸳鸯剑，一手捧着

一卷册子，向柳湘莲泣

道："妾痴情待君五年

矣。不期君果冷心冷

面，妾以死报此痴情。

妾今奉警幻之命，前往

太虚幻境修注案中所有

一干情鬼。妾不忍一

token?’

‘I’vesomething

suitable,’XuePancutin.

‘Justtakeit,Second

Brother.’

‘Idon’twantgoldor

silk,’saidJiaLian.‘What

Ihaveinmindisoneof

BrotherLiu’spersonal

possessions;itdoesn’t

havetobeanything

valuable.I’lljusttakeitas

apledge.’

‘Verywell,then,’

agreedXianglian.‘The

onlythingsIhavewith

me,apartfromthissword

whichIneedinself-

defence,areapairof

‘duckanddrake’swords

inmyluggagethey’rea

familyheirloomwhichI

neverusebutalwayskeep

take

themasapledge.

Howevermuchofa

wandererIam,I’dnever

giveuptheseswords.’

Afterthattheydranka

fewmorecups,then

mountedtheirhorses,

tooktheirleaveofeach

otherandwenttheir

differentways.

Truly:

Generals,not

dismounting

fromtheir

horses,

Gallopoffto

their

destinations.

AfterJiaLianreached

Pinganzhouhecalledon

thegovernortosettlehis

business,andwastoldto

comebackagainbefore

y

nextdayhehurriedly

findanewhousefor

himandfixhimupwith

anicelittlewife,and

we’rebothgoingto

settledownandbe

familymen.’

‘Isee,’saidJiaLian.

‘Well,I’mgladtohear

’sapitywehadall

thatworryfornothing.’

Hepausedamoment

beforecontinuing.

‘Yousaidsomethinga

momentagoabout

findingyoungLiua

ntoknow

ofsomeonewhowould

suithimperfectly.’

Heproceededtotellthe

othertwoabouthisown

marriagetoEr-jieand

howtheywereanxious

tofindahusbandforher

youngersister,omitting

tomention,ofcourse,

thatSan-jiehadchosen

LiuXiang-lianherself.

‘Don’tsayanything

aboutthistotheothers

whenyougethome,’he

toldXuePan.‘I’m

waitinguntilwehavea

tellthem

aboutitthen.’

XuePanseemed

delighted.‘Hightime,

tooI’hesaid.‘Cousin

Fengistoblamefornot

givingyouone.’‘There

yougoagain!,said

Xiang-lian,laughing.

‘Youmustn’tsaythings

likethattopeople.

Betterkeepyourbig

mouthshut!’XuePan

obedientlyfellsilent,

merelyobserving,

beforehedidso:‘We

oughttotakeLianupon

hissuggestion,though.’

‘I’dalwayssetmyheart

onmarryinga

stunninglybeautiful

girl,’saidXiang-lian.

‘However,sinceyou

别，故来一会，从此再

不能相见矣。"说着便

走。湘莲不舍，忙欲上

来拉住问时，那尤三姐

便说："来自情天，去由

情地。前生误被情惑，

今既耻情而觉，与君两

无干涉。"说毕，一阵香

风，无踪无影去了。湘

莲警觉，似梦非梦，睁

眼看时，那里有薛家小

童，也非新室，竟是一

座破庙，旁边坐着一个

跏腿道士捕虱。湘莲便

起身稽首相问："此系何

方？仙师仙名法号？"道

士笑道："连我也不知道

此系何方，我系何人，

不过暂来歇足而已。"柳

湘莲听了，不觉冷然如

寒冰侵骨，掣出那股雄

剑，将万根烦恼丝一挥

而尽，便随那道士，不

知往那里去了。后回便

见____

startedback,andassoon

ashegothomewentto

seeSecondSister.

Sincehisdeparture

SecondSisterhadbeen

runningherhousehold

mostprudently,stayingin

everydaybehindclosed

doorsandtakingno

interestinoutsideaffairs.

AndThirdSisterhad

provedheriron

resolu-tion:apartfrom

waitingonhermotherand

sistershehadkeptto

herself,doinghershareof

workeverydayand

sleepingaloneatnighton

herlonelypillow.

Althoughunaccustomed

tosuchasolitarylifeshe

avoidedallcompany,

simplylongingforLiu

Xianglian’searlyreturn,

sothatthemainaffairof

herlifecouldbesettled.

WhenJiaLiansaw

howthingswere,hewas

verypleasedwithSec-ond

Sister’svirtuousconduct.

Aftertheusualcivilities

hadbeenex-changed,he

describedhisencounter

withLiuXianglianonthe

roadandtakingoutthe

pairofswordspassed

lookedatthedragonand

serpentdesignsonthe

sheathwhichwasstudded

withbrightpearlsand

jewels,thendrewoutthe

twoswords,identicalin

size,oneengravedwith

theword‘duck,’theother

‘drake.’Thebladeshad

thecoldgleamoftwo

autumnstreams.

Overjoyed,shehastily

tookthemtoherchamber

bothrecom-mendthis

one,I’mpreparedto

lowermyexpectationsa

,allright,MrJia.

Ileaveittoyouto

arrangethis,

myselfinyourhands.’‘I

don’taskyoutobelieve

thisnow,’saidJiaLian,

smiling.‘You’llbeable

tojudgeforyourself

whenyouseeher:but

thissister-in-lawofmine

isastunninglybeautiful

dgosofaras

tosayshemustbeone

ofthemostbeautiful

womenwhohaveever

lived.’Xiang-lian

brightened.‘Allright,

efixitup

whenIgetbacktothe

capitalinabouta

month’stime,whenI

havefinishedseeingmy

aunt?’‘IfyouandIwere

theonlyonesinvolved,I

wouldgladlyleaveitat

that,’saidJiaLian,‘but

knowinghow

unpredictableyour

movementsare,Ican’t

helpfeelingalittle

nervousonthegirl’s

eyou

failedtoturnup?It

couldmeanawhole

yououghttogiveme

somesortofpledge.’‘A

gentleman’swordought

tobepledgeenough,’

saidXiang-lian.‘Inany

case,I’malwayshard

up;I’mnotinaposition

togiveyouabetrothal

gift-particularlywhenI

amontheroadlikethis,

awayfromhome.’

‘There’sallmystuffat

yourdisposal,’saidXue

Pan.‘Helpyourself.

Givehimashareof

that.’

‘Itisn’tmoneyor

tohangthemonthewall

ay

shewouldfeasthereyes

onthem,happythather

futurewasprovidedfor.

AfterJiaLianhad

spenttwodaysthere,he

wenttoreportonhis

missiontohisfather,then

returnedhometoseehis

ifeng

waswellenoughtoattend

toaffairsandgetabout

aLiantold

JiaZhenaboutThird

Sister’sengagementhis

cousinshowedlittle

interest,ashehad

recentlyfoundhimselfa

newmistressandgivenup

callingontheYousisters.

HewaswillingtoletJia

suspectingthatthelatter

mightbeunabletodefray

alltheexpenses,hegave

himthirtytaelsofsilver

whichJiaLianpassedon

toSecondSisterto

preparehersister’s

trousseau.

LiuXiangliandidnot

cometothecapitaltillthe

calledonAuntXueand

XueKehelearnedthat

XuePan,being

unac-customedtothe

rigoursoftravelanda

differentclimate,had

fallenillassoonashe

arrivedhomeandwasstill

beingtreatedbydoctors.

HearingofXianglian’s

arrival,heinvitedhim

intohisbedroom.

Fullofgratitudeforthe

goodturnXianglianhad

donethem,AuntXuelet

bygonesbebygones,both

jewelleryI’mafter,’said

JiaLian.‘Itdoesn’thave

tobeanythingvaluable.

Justgivemesomething

youcarryaboutwith

youthatIcantakeback

withmeasatoken.’

‘Atallevents,Ican’t

giveyouthissword,’

saidXiang-lian.‘Ineed

itforself-defence.I

havegotanothersword

inmyluggageIcould

letyouhave-well,two

swords,really:it’sapair

ofswordsinone

scabbard,whattheycall

a“DuckandDrake”

’safamily

useit,

butIalwayscarryit

neverbeartobeparted

fromitforlong,so

howevermuchImay

wander,ifyoutakethat

asmypledge,youcan

besureofmyeventually

comingbacktogetit.’

HehandedJiaLianthe

heirloomwhenhehad

gotitoutofhisbundle,

andafterafewmore

drinksthethreemen

remounted,tookleaveof

eachother,andwent

theirseparateways.

InduecourseJiaLian

arrivedatPing-anand

sawtheMilitary

Governor,onlytobe

toldthatthebusinesshe

hadcomeaboutcould

notbedealtwith

satisfactorilyuntilsome

timeinthetenthmonth.

Astherewasnopointin

staying,hestartedback

theverynextdayforthe

capital,calling

infirstatEr-jie’splace

onhisarrival.

Er-jiehadrunthelittle

sheandhersonthanking

wentontospeakofthe

wedding,allthe

preparationsforwhich

werecompleteexceptfor

thechoiceofan

ian,

inturn,wasloudinhis

thanks.

Thenextdayhecalled

onBaoyu,andmeeting

againtheyfeltsoathome

witheachotherthat

Xianglianaskedformore

detailsaboutJiaLian’s

secretmarriagetoa

secondwife.

‘Ionlyheardaboutit

fromMingyanandthe

others,’Baoyutoldhim.

‘Anditwasn’tmy

businesstointerfere.I

alsoheardfromMingyan

thatCousinLianwasvery

anxioustofindyouI

don’tknowwhatfor.’

Xianglianexplainedall

thathadhappenedonthe

road.

‘Congratulations!’

criedBaoyu.‘You’dbe

hardputtoittofinda

’sreally

ravishing,justtheright

matchforyou.’

‘Ifshe’ssolovelyshe

oughttohavelotsof

suitors;whyshouldhe

singlemeout?It’snotas

ifthetwoofuswereclose

friendsorhehasany

ourbriefmeetingonthe

roadhekeptpressingme

toagreetothis

uld

thegirl’sfamilybein

suchahurry?Icouldn’t

helphavingmisgivings,

householdduringhis

absencewithexemplary

courtyardgatehadbeen

keptshutandboltedall

dayandshehad

receivednooutside

-jie,too-a

youngwomanwho

neverdidanythingby

halves-hadcontinued

asgoodasherword.

Whennotactually

keepingtoherown

room,shehadspentthe

wholeofthetimeeither

ministeringtothewants

ofhermotherorsitting

andsewingwithEr-jie.

JiaLianwasgratifiedto

findallthesesignsof

prudenthousekeeping

onhisreturnandhis

respectforEr-jie’s

wifelyvirtuesincreased.

Whenthegreetingsand

routinequestionings

wereover,hetoldthe

sistersabouthis

encounterwithLiu

Xiang-lian,andgetting

theDuckandDrake

swordsoutofhis

luggage,hehandedthem

toSan-jietotakecare

-jiefirst

examinedthescabbard.

Itwasembossedwitha

designofinterlacing

dragonsandsea-

monstersandencrusted

alloverwithjewels.

Thenshetookoutthe

swords,identicalexcept

thatonehadthe

character‘Duck’andthe

otherthecharacter

Drake’engravedonits

tblades!

Cold,cruel;glittering

withthecoldbrightness

-

jiewasenrapturedby

themboth

backintotheirscabbard

andsoonstarted

re-grettinghavinggiven

himmyswordsasa

’swhyI

thoughtofaskingyoujust

what’sbehindthis.’

‘You’reasmart

fellow,’answeredBaoyu.

‘Onceyou’vegivenyour

pledgehowcanyoustart

havingsecondthoughts?

Youalwayssaidyou

wantedaravishing

beauty,andnowyou’ve

’tthatgood

enough?Whybeso

suspicious?’

‘Ifyoudidn’tknow

aboutJiaLian’ssecret

marriage,howdoyou

knowthatshe’sso

beautiful?’

‘She’soneofthetwo

daughtersofMadam

You’sstep-mother,old

,byherfirst

otof

themforacoupleof

months,soofcourseI

hersister

arereallyapairof

beau­ties.’

Xianglianstampedhis

foot.

‘That’snogoodthen!I

can’tgothroughwithit.

Theonlycleanthingsin

thatEastMansionof

yoursarethosetwostone

e

catsanddogsthereare

’twantto

beacuckoldandtake

someoneelse’sleavings.’

Xianglian,regrettinghis

tactlessness,madehaste

tobow.

‘Ideservedeathfor

talkingsuchnonsense.

andcarriedthemoffto

herownroom,where

shehungthemupover

ftershe

wouldlookupatthem

fromtimetotimeand

smile,happyinthe

knowledgethatnowher

futurewasassured.

Afteracoupleof

nightswithEr-jie,Jia

LianwentbacktoRong-

guoHousetoreportto

hisfatherandtorejoin

theothermembersofthe

dXi-

hadbynowrecovered

sufficientlytogetabout

andhadresumedher

dutiesashousehold

ashe

could,hewenttosee

CousinZhenandtell

himaboutSan-jieand

Zhenwaslatelymuch

takenupwithanew

acquaintanceandhad

losthisformerinterest

thereforereceivedJia

Lian’snewswith

equanimityandseemed

perfectlycontentto

leavethematterinhis

hands,merelyinsisting

onhimselfcontributing

thirtytaelstowardsthe

expenses,sincehe

fearedthatJiaLian’s

resourcesmightbe

n

acceptedthemoneyand

handedittoEr-jieto

spendonSan-jie’s

trousseau.

Roundaboutthe

middleoftheeighth

monthXiang-lian

arrivedbackinthe

capitalandatoncewent

topayhisrespectsto

AuntXueandmakethe

acquaintanceofXueKe.

Butdoatanyratetellme

whathercharacter’slike.’

‘Ifyouknowsomuch

already,whyaskme?I

maynotbecleanmyself

either.’

‘Iforgotmyselfjust

now,’saidXianglianwith

asmile.‘Pleasedon’t

makesuchanissueofit.’

‘Whymentionit

again?’retortedBaoyu.

‘Thismakesitseemthat

youtakeitseriously.’

Xiangliantookhis

leavethenwithabowand

ghtofgoing

toseeXuePan,but

reflectedthatasthelatter

wasunwellandso

iras-cibleatthebestof

timeshehadbettergoand

gethispledgeback

cision

reached,hewenttofind

JiaLian.

JiaLianwasinthenew

heardthat

Xianglianhadcomehe

wasoverjoyedand

hurriedouttowelcome

him,thenusheredhim

intotheinnerroomand

introducedhimtoold

aston-ishment,insteadof

kneelingtoherashis

futuremother-in-law,

Xiangliansimplybowed

andaddressedheras

‘aunt,’referringtohimself

as‘yournephew.’

Andastheywere

sippingteahesaid,

‘Duringmyjourney,asit

hap-pened,Iwas

overhasty,notknowing

thatmyaunthadarranged

amatchformeinthe

fourthmonth,makingit

HewastoldthatXue

Panhadbeenillinbed

almostsincethedayhe

gotback(somesickness

broughtonbychangeof

waterortheeffectsof

travel)andwasstill

underdoctor’s

r,on

hearingthatXiang-lian

hadcome,XuePan

insistedonhavinghim

broughtintohis

is

mother,whoseearlier

resentmentagainst

Xiang-lianhadbeen

completelybanishedby

hergratitudetohimfor

savingherson’slife,

spokeeloquentlyoftheir

indebtedness,andwhen

theconversationturned

tothesubjectofXiang-

lian’smarriage,they

insistedthatallthe

materialthingsrequired

foritshouldbesupplied

bythem,sothathe

shouldhavenothingto

dohimselfexceptname

ow

Xiang-lian’sturntobe

grateful.

NextdayXiang-lian

twoofthemwere

alwayswonderfullyat

easeineachother’s

companyandXiang-lian

feltsufficientlyintimate

toaskhimconfidentially

aboutthecircumstances

ofJiaLian’ssecond

marriage.

‘Ireallydon’tknow-

beyondwhatTealeafhas

toldme,’saidBao-yu.‘I

haven’tbeentosee

’treallythink

it’f

mentionedthatCousin

Lianwasveryanxious

toseeyouabout

something,butIdon’t

impossibleformeto

dn’tbe

rightwouldit,brother,for

metoacceptyour

proposalandrefusemy

aunt’’dgiventhe

usualgiftsofmoneyand

silk,Iwouldn’tventureto

asktohavethemback;

butthoseswordswereleft

mebymygrandfather,so

Imustbegyoutoreturn

them.’

JiaLianwasveryput

outwhenheheardthis.

‘Apledgeisapledge,’

heargued.‘Andapledge

isgiventostopaman

fromgoingbackonhis

cancelan

engagementsocasually?

Prayreconsiderthe

matter.’

‘Inspiteofwhatyou

say,’repliedXianglian,

‘I’mwillingtoacceptany

penalty,butonthismatter

Idefinitelycannotobey

yourorder.’

JiaLianwasaboutto

replywhenXianglian

stoodup.

‘Let’sdiscussthis

outside,’heproposed.‘It’s

notconvenienther.’

ThirdSisterhadheard

allthisclearlyfromher

been

waitingandwaitingfor

LiuXianglian’sarrival,

butnowhehadsuddenly

wascleartoherthathe

musthaveheardsome

gossipintheJiamansions

whichledhimtobelieve

herashamelesswanton,

sheletthetwomengoout

nowtodiscussit,she

knowwhatitwas.’

Xiang-liantoldhim

aboutthevariousthings

thathadhappenedto

himonhistravels,

endingupwithan

accountofhisencounter

withJiaLian.

‘Congratulations!’

saidBao-yu.‘Youarea

’sa

ravishinglybeautiful

fectmatch

foragood-lookingchap

likeyou!’

‘Ifsheisso

beautiful,’saidXiang-

lian,‘therecanbeno

shortageofsuitors

wantingtomarryher.

Whyshouldyourcousin

pickonme?I’venever

beenparticularly

friendlywithhiminthe

past-certainlynotto

thatextent-yetwhenI

methimonthisjourney,

hewassopressing,so

insistentthatIshould

givehimadefinite

undertakingtomarry

Itomake

ofit?It’salmostasifthe

girl’sfamilywasdoing

’thelp

feelingverydubious

aboutthewholeaffair.I

wishIhadn’tgivenhim

ht

ofyouastheperson

mostlikelytobeableto

helpmegettothe

bottomofthisbusiness.’

‘Forapersonso

intelligentyouhaveleft

itabitlatetostart

feelingdubiousnowthat

youhavepromisedto

marrythegirland

alreadygiventhemyour

pledge,’saidBao-yu.

‘Youstartedoffby

sayingthatyouwanted

thatyou’vegotone,why

foresawthatJiaLian

wouldfailtowinhim

roundandshewouldbe

soonasJiaLianagreedto

hisproposalshetook

downtheswords,

concealingthe‘duck’

behindherelbow,and

wentouttointercept

them.

‘There’snoneedfor

youtogoouttodiscuss

thisfurther.’shetold

them.‘Here’syour

pledge,I’mreturningit.’

Hertearsfallinglike

rain,withherlefthand

shepassedthesheathwith

oneswordinitto

Xianglian,andwithher

rightcutherthroatwith

!

Thejadehill

crumbles,neverto

riseagain;

Peach-blossom,

trampled,stainsthe

groundwithred.

Herfragrantspiritis

lostintheinfinite

‘Noneknows

whitherithasfled.

Allpresentwere

consternatedandtriedin

bingwith

horrorcursedXianglian,

whileJiaLianseizedhold

ofhim,callingservantsto

tiehimupanddraghimto

court.

SecondSisterdriedher

tearsthentourgeher

husband,‘Lethimbe!He

didn’tthreatenher,she

usewoulditbetotake

himtocourt?Thatwould

notleaveitatthat?Why

thesesuspicions?’

‘Yousaidjustnow

youdidn’tevenknow

abouthersister’s

marriage,’saidXiang-

lian.‘Howdoyouknow

sheissobeautiful?’

‘Isawherpractically

everydayforamonthat

Ning-guoHousewhen

sheandhersisterwere

broughttherebyCousin

Zhen’smother-in-law,’

saidBao-yu.‘How

couldIfailtoknow?

Ravishinglybeautiful.

Obviouslymadeforyou.

YouSan-jie,yousee:

eventhenamemakes

heryours!’Xiang-lian

stampedimpatiently.

‘Andeveryoneelse’s,no

doubt.’Bao-yu’s

execrablepunhadnot

amusedhim.‘Itwon’t

athoroughly

y

cleanthingsaboutthat

Ning-guoHousearethe

stonelionsthatstand

verycatsanddogsthere

arecorrupted!’

Bao-yureddened,and

Xiang-lian,realizing

thathehadgonetoofar,

beganpumpinghis

bandsapologetically.

‘I’msorry,Ishouldn’t

havesaidthat.-But

surelyyoucantellme

somethingabouther

character?’

‘Sinceyouappearto

knowalready,Idon’t.

quiteseethepoint,’said

Bao-yuwryly.‘Inany

case,perhapsI’mnone

toocleanmyself.’

‘WhatIsaidwas

spokenintheheatofthe

moment,’saidXiang-

lian.‘Youmustn’ttakeit

toheart.’

onlycauseaworse

’dbetterlet

himgo,tosavefurther

trouble.’

ThenJiaLian,not

knowingwhatelsetodo,

letgoofXianglianand

toldhimtogetout.

However,hedidnotmove

butburstintotears.

‘Ineverknewthis

intendedwifeofminewas

sochaste,sucha

mag­nificentgirl.’he

exclaimed.

Prostratinghimself

overhercorpsehegave

waytoastormof

na

coffinwasbroughtand

herbodylaidinit,he

claspeditandlamented

bitterlybeforefinally

leavingthem.

Onceoutsidethegate

hedidnotknowwhereto

go,dazedandsunkin

gloomasherecalledwhat

hadjusthappened.‘So

shewassolovelyand

chaste,’hereflected,torn

byremorse.

Hewanderedaimlessly

onuntiloneofXuePan’s

pagesappearedandasked

tookhimtoamagnificent

d

thetinklingofpendants,

andincameThirdSister,

inonehandthe‘duckand

drake’swords,intheother

arsshe

toldhim:

‘Yourdevoted

handmaidwaitedfive

yearsforyou,mylord,

notknow-ingyouwould

provesocold-hearted.I

havepaidwithmylife

‘I’vealreadyforgotten

it,’saidBao-yu.‘Ifyou

goontalkingaboutit,

youwillmakeitseem

thattheonewhohas

takenittoheartisyou.’

Xiang-lianpumpedhis

handsagainandtookhis

till

thoroughlyunhappy

aboutthewholeaffair.

Atfirsthethoughtof

goingbacktoXuePan

andtalkingitoverwith

him;thenhechangedhis

mind,partlybecause

XuePanwasillbut

mainlybecauseinany

casehehadlittle

confidenceinhis

ndhe

decidedthatperhapsthe

bestthingwouldbe

simplytoaskforhis

hadmadeuphismind,

hedecidedtotackleJia

Lianaboutit

d

himatEr-jie’splace.

JiaLian,delightedto

hearthatXiang-lianhad

alreadycometocall,

camehurryingoutto

meethimandconducted

himtotheinsidesitting-

roomtointroducehimto

hisfuturemother-in-law.

Hewassomewhat

surprisedwhenXiang-

lianmerelybowedtothe

oldladyinsteadof

makingherakotowand

addressedherformally

as‘MrsYou’.The

significanceofthis

becameapparent

presentlywhenteawas

servedandXiang-lian

cameatoncetothe

point.

‘Iamafraidthat

whenImetyourecently

onmytravelsIactedfar

’t

nowformyinfatuation.

Today,attheorderofthe

goddessof

Disenchantment,Iam

goingtotheIllusoryLand

oftheGreatVoidto

registeralltheamorous

couldn’tbeartogoaway

withoutbiddingyou

farewell,forfromthisday

onweshallnevermeet

again.’Thissaid,she

turnedtoleave.

Xiangliancouldnot

beartolethergoand

quicklysteppedforward

tostopherandquestion

her.

‘Wecamefromthe

HeavenofLoveandwe

mustreturntherefromthe

EarthofLove,’shetold

him.‘Iwasdeludedby

loveinmylastlife,butas

Ihaverepentedofitand

awakened,fromnowonI

shallhavenothingtodo

withyou,sir.’

Ashervoicedied

away,afragrantwind

sprangupandshe

vanishedintothinair.

Xianglianwokewitha

start,wonderingifhehad

openedhiseyesand

lookedround,therewas

nosignoftheXues’page

boyorofthebridal

na

tumble-downtemple,and

besidehimalameTaoist

priestwassittingcatching

ianrosetohis

feet,thenbowedtothe

ground.

‘Wherearewe,holy

master?’heaskedthe

priest.‘Andwhatisyour

knowatthetime,hutit

seemsthatmyaunthad

alreadyinthefourth

monthchosenanother

girltobemywife.

Whenshetoldmeabout

it,therewasobviously

holdtomyagreement

withyouwouldhave

meantdisobeyingmy

aunt,andthatofcourse

isoutofthequestion.

Now,ifthepledgeI

gaveyouhadbeengold

orsilkorsomethingof

thatsort,Ishouldsimply

haveforgottenaboutit;

butthoseswordsIgave

youwereafamily

heirloomleftmebymy

grandfather,soI’m

afraidIshallvery

regretfullyhavetoask

youforthemback.’

JiaLianwasunable

totakethiscalmly.

‘Nowlookhere,

youngLiu,thiswon’t

do,youknow!Apledge

le

ideaofitistoguard

againstpeoplehaving

secondthoughtslike

gementto

marryisn’tsomething

youcanjustjumpinto

andoutofatwill.I’m

afraidwhatyouare

proposingisquite

impossible.’

Xiang-liansmiled

patiently.

‘Nodoubtyouarein

theright,andIam

perfectlypreparedfor

youtoreproachme;but

I’mafraidIcannotgo

throughwiththis

marriageunderany

circumstances.’

JiaLianseemed

abouttoargue,but

Xiang-lianfrustrated

himbyrisingtohisfeet.

immortalname?’

Thepriestchuckled,‘I

myselfdon’tknowwhere

weareorwhoIam.I’m

simplyputtingupherefor

thetimebeing.’

AtthisLiuXianglian

shudderedwithcold,asif

themarrowofhisbones

the

‘drake’swordandwith

onestrokecutoffhishair,

thenwentawaywiththe

priest,nooneknows

where.

Toknowwhatbecame

ofhim,readthenext

chapter.

‘Couldwegoand

discussthissomewhere

else,please?Itisn’tvery

convenient,talking

aboutitinhere.’

YouSan-jiehadbeen

abletohearthewholeof

thisconversationquite

clearlyfromherroom.

Shehadwaitedsolong

forXiang-lian,andnow

thatatlasthehadcome,

mustbebecauseof

somethinghehadheard

aboutherintheJia

ably

thoughtofherasa

shame-lesswanton,the

sortofwomanwho

throwsherselfatmen,

unworthytobehiswife.

Ifsheallowedthetwo

mentogoofftogether,

therewaslittle

likelihoodthatJiaLian

coulddoanythingto

stophimbreakingoff

theengagement;and

evenifhetriedarguing

withhim,theprobable

outcomewouldonlybe

furtherdamagetoher

,

therefore,assheheard

JiaLianagreeingtogo

outsidewithhim,she

snatchedtheswords

downfromthewall,and

havingfirstdrawnout

theDuckandhiddenit

behindherback,she

hurriedintothesitting-

roomtoseethem.

‘Thereisnoneedfor

youtogooutand

discussanything,’she

said.‘Hereisyour

pledgeback.’

Thetearswere

pouringdownher

heldoutthescabbard

withthesingleswordin

Xiang-liantookit,she

whippedtheothersword

outwithherrighthand

andslasheditacrossher

lloverin

amoment.

Redscatterofbroken

blossoms,andthejade

columnfallen,Neverto

riseagain...

Theterrifiedservants

madefutileattemptsto

resuscitateher,butshe

MrsYouweptand

screamed,breakingoff

fromtimetotimeto

inveighagainstXiang-

Lianseizedholdof

Xiang-lianandcalled

forsomeonetobringa

rope,intendingtotie

himupandtakehimto

theyamen;butEr-jie

checkedherweeping

anddidherbestto

dissuadehim.

‘Hedidn’tforceher

todoit,itwasherown

od

willtakinghimtothe

yamendo?Wedon’t

wantapublicscandalon

topofeverythingelse.

Muchbetterlethimgo.’

Jia‘Ian,whose

resolutionseemed

temporarilytohave

desertedhim,letgoof

Xiang-lian

automatically:butXiang

lianmadenoattemptto

escape.

‘Ididn’tknowshe

waslikethis,’hesaid,

weeping.‘Shehada

’tmy

lucktohaveher.’

Helifteduphisown

voicethenandwept,as

ifhehadbeenweeping

ed

withthefamilyuntilthe

coffinhadbeenbought

andSan-jielaidinsideit;

andwhenthelidwas

closedoverher,he

threwhimselfonitand

clungtoitforalong

en

didhetakeleaveof

them,walkingaloneOut

ofthegate,blindedby

histearsandscarcely

knowingwherehewas

going.

Ashewalkedalong

inadaze,histhoughts

fullofSan-jie’srare

combinationofbeauty

andresolutenesswhich

hehadsowantonly

rejected,oneofXue

Pan’slittlepagescame

lookingforhimtotake

himtohisnewhouse.

Xiang4ianwastoo

distractedtopaytheboy

muchattentionand

allowedhimselftobe

wasapleasant,well-

appointedlittlehouse

Whileheandthepage

stoodwaitinginthe

sitting-room,hehearda

littletinklingnoise-the

soundmadebythe

girdle-gemsofa

hurryingwoman-and

San-jiecameintoitfrom

the

Duckcradledinher

thand

washoldingsomesort

ofalbumorledger.

‘Ilovedyouforfive

years,’shesaid.(The

tearswerestillrunning

downhercheeks.)‘Idid

notknowthatyourheart

wasascoldasyourface.

Itwasafoolishlove,

andIhavepaidforit

orderedtogotothe

FairyDisenchantment’s

tribunalintheLandof

Illusiontokeepthe

recordsoftheother

loverswhoareunderher

uld

notbeartoleavewithout

seeingyoulustonce

thisIshallneverseeyou

again.’

Shebegantogo,but

Xiang-lianwantedto

questionherandtriedto

spokeagain,butthis

timeitsoundedmore

likeanincantation.

‘FromloveIcame;

fromloveInowdepart.

Iwastedmylifefor

love,andnowthatI

havewokenup,Iam

ashamedofmyfolly.

Fromnowonweare

nothingtoeachother,

youandI-nothing.’A

littlegustofwindwitha

faintfragranceonit

seemedtoblowpasthim

assheutteredtheselast

words,andtheverynext

momentshehad

vanished.

Xiang-liancameto

himselfwithastart,

uncertainwhetherornot

hehadbeendreaming.

Hecouldseenosignof

XuePan’slittlepage

whenhelookedabout

him,andthenewhouse

hadturnedintoa

farfromhimaTaoist

withacrippledlegsat

catchingandkillinghis

-liangotup

andwentovertohim.

‘Whatisthisplace,holy

one?’heasked,having

firstclaspedhishands

andknockedthem

againsthisforeheadin

theap-propriate

salutation.‘AndmayI

knowwhomIhavethe

honourofaddressing?’

TheTaoistchuckled.

‘Idon’tknowwherethis

placeisanymorethan

isaplacewhereIam

restingalittlewhile

beforegoingon

elsewhere.’

ItfelttoXiang-lianasif

adoucheoficywater

hadpenetratedhimto

thebonewithits

understood.

Withoutamoment’s

hesitationhedrewthe

companionlessDrake

outofitsscabbard,

stretchedouthisqueue,

slashedthroughthe

unnumberedstrand,

Thatbindustothe

worldanditsannoys,

andassoonastheTaoist

wasready,followedhim

wherethetwoofthem

wentto,Ihavenoidea.

Otherinformationapart

fromthatwillbe

availableinthe

followingchapter.