Servitude
This is a fascinating section. Jia Baoyu is forced to come face to face with the true nature of the relationship between himself and Hua Xiren.
My Translation
A little while later, Baoyu returned and sent somebody to go get Hua Xiren. He found Qingwen lying on the bed, not moving.
“Are you sick?” he asked her. “Or did you lose at cards?”
“Actually, she won,” replied Qiuwen. “But then that old lady Li showed up and messed up the game, and so she lost everything. She got so mad that she just went to bed.”
“Don’t take things too seriously like she does,” laughed Baoyu. “Just let her be.”
Just then Xiren arrived. She and Baoyu greeted each other. Xiren asked Baoyu where he had eaten and when he had gotten back, and gave greetings to all the other maids from her mother and sister. Soon she changed out of her outdoor clothes and took off her makeup.
Baoyu ordered somebody to bring the cream dish he had set aside for Xiren.
“That old Nanny Li ate it,” replied the maids.
Baoyu was about to say something when Xiren quickly cut in with a smile. “Oh, so that’s what you saved for me! Thank you for going to all that trouble. The other day I ate too much of it because it was so good, and I got an awful stomachache. I threw up before I finally felt better. It’s just as well that she ate it. It would have gone to waste if it sat here anyway. You know, what I’d really like are some dried chestnuts. You go peel them for me, and I’ll go make the bed.”
Baoyu believed what she said and simply dropped the matter. He took the chestnuts and sat peeling them under the lamp. After a while he looked around the room. Noticing that nobody else was there, he turned to Xiren with a smile. “Who was that girl wearing red in your house today?” he asked.
“That’s my older cousin on my mother’s side,” replied Xiren.
Baoyu sighed in admiration.
“What are you sighing about?” asked Xiren. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking she’s not good enough to wear red.”
“No, no,” laughed Baoyu. “If someone like her isn’t good enough to wear red, who in the world would dare? It’s just that she seemed so lovely. I kept thinking how wonderful it would be if we could get her into our household.”
Xiren replied with a cold laugh. “I might be stuck with the fate of a slave,” she replied, “but does that mean all my relatives are destined to be slaves, too? Is there a reason you want to pick the best looking girls to bring to your family?”
“There you go again,” laughed Baoyu quickly, “reading too much into things. When I said ‘our household’ did I necessarily mean as a slave? Couldn’t she just marry into our family?”
“Our family isn’t at your family’s level,” replied Xiren.
Baoyu didn’t say anything more and sat there peeling chestnuts.
“Why are you so quiet?” laughed Xiren after a short while. “Did I offend you just now? If you’re still upset about it tomorrow, you can pay a few taels of silver and simply buy them into the family.”
“How is anybody supposed to answer what you just said?” laughed Baoyu. “I was only saying that she looked nice and that she would fit in well in a grand house like this. She’s so much different from the muddy creatures like me who were born here.”
“She might not have that kind of luck,” replied Xiren, “but she’s still been pampered and spoiled. She’s the apple of my aunt and uncle’s eye. She’s seventeen now, and they’ve got her dowry all ready. She’s getting married next year.”
When Baoyu heard the phrase “getting married,” he couldn’t help but let out a few audible sighs. He was still feeling uneasy when Xiren sighed and continued.
“These past few years I’ve hardly seen any of my sisters,” she said. “And now that I’m supposed to go back, they’re all leaving, too!”
Baoyu had a feeling that there was something deeper behind her words. He was startled. He quickly threw down the chestnuts. “What do you mean by ‘supposed to go back?’” he asked.
“Today I heard my mother and brother talking,” replied Xiren. “They want me to hang on here for another year, and then next year when they come up to the city they’ll redeem me and will take me home.”
Baoyu grew even more alarmed when he heard this. “Why would they redeem you?” he demanded.
“What a strange question,” replied Xiren. “I’m not like one of those slaves here who was born into servitude. My whole family is elsewhere, and I’m the only one here. How is this supposed to end?”
“But I don’t want you to leave,” said Baoyu. “What about that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” replied Xiren. “Even the imperial palace has fixed rules. Every few years they take in new people and release the old ones. And that’s the palace; why would your family be any different?”
Baoyu thought it over a bit and had to admit that she was right. And so he tried again. “What if Grandmother Jia doesn’t let you go?”
“Why wouldn’t she?” replied Xiren. “If I truly was indispensable, that is if I somehow convinced Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang to keep me, they could just pay extra silver to my family and keep me here. But, really, I’m just an ordinary girl. There are plenty of girls better than me.
“I’ve served Grandmother Jia since I was little, and then served Miss Shi for a couple of years, and now I’ve served you for a couple of years. If my family wants to redeem me, that’s only proper. In fact, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang might not even ask for compensation; they might just graciously let me go.
“As far as keeping me because I’ve served you well, that simply isn’t going to happen. Serving you well is simply my duty. It’s nothing extraordinary. Once I’m gone, there will be others just as good. It’s not as if things can’t go on without me.”
Baoyu heard all of this, and could only see the logic of her leaving. There seemed to be no reason for her to stay. And so he became more and more frantic. He tried once more. “Even so, if I’m determined to keep you, I’m not afraid to talk with Grandmother Jia and your mother. I’ll give your mother plenty of silver. She won’t dare refuse then.”
“My mother wouldn’t dare force the issue,” said Xiren. “But regardless of whether you’d give silver and whether she’s agree, even if you didn’t talk to her nicely, even if you didn’t give a cent, even if you only stubbornly insisted on keeping me, my mother still wouldn’t disobey. But the thing is that our Jia family has never done things that way; you know, throwing its weight around and using its power to get its own way. This isn’t like buying some object that you really like, where you pay ten times its price to get it, and where it’s acceptable because the seller doesn’t lose out. But to keep me for no reason at all, well, it does you no good, and it tears our family apart. Would Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang ever agree to that?”
Baoyu listened to all of this and thought for a long time. Finally, he said, “It seems that you’ve already decided. You’re going, right?”
“It’s settled,” replied Xiren.
Who knew that a person like this could be so heartless? thought Baoyu to himself. He sighed and said, “If I had known everyone was going to leave in the end, I would never have gotten involved with any of you! I’ll be left here alone like a ghost!” With that, he angrily flung himself onto his bed and went to sleep.
Translation Critique
Hawkes
Hawkes translates the name 秋紋 (Qiuwen) as “Ripple.” This comes directly from the meaning of the name. Once again, “Ripple” is a pretty odd name for a girl.
Hawkes has Xiren call her relative in the red dress “my mother’s sister’s child.” I’m not certain why he doesn’t use the more obvious term “cousin” here.
Hawkes inserts this small poem into Xiren’s explanation of how even the palace will let servants go after a while:
Even in palace hall
Law is the lord of all.
This isn’t part of the original Chinese text.
Yang
The Yang translation of this section is straightforward and accurate.
Chinese Text
少時，寶玉回來，命人去接襲人，只見晴雯躺在床上不動。寶玉因問：「可是病了？還是輸了呢？」秋紋道：「他倒是贏的；誰知李老太太來了，混輸了，他氣的睡去了。」寶玉笑道：「你們別和他一般見識，由他去就是了。」
說著，襲人已來，彼此相見。襲人又問寶玉何處吃飯，多早晚回來，又代母妹問諸同伴姊妹好。一時換衣卸妝。寶玉命取酥酪來。丫鬟們回說：「李奶奶吃了。」寶玉才要說話，襲人便忙笑說道：「原來留的是這個，多謝費心。前兒我因為好吃，吃多了，好肚子疼，鬧的吐了才好了。他吃了倒好，擱在這裡白糟蹋了。我只想風乾栗子吃，你替我剝栗子，我去鋪炕。」
寶玉聽了，信以為真，方把酥酪丟開，取了栗子來，自向燈下檢剝。一面見眾人不在房中，乃笑問襲人道：「今兒那個穿紅的是你什麼人？」襲人道：「那是我兩姨姐姐。」寶玉聽了，讚歎了兩聲。襲人道：「嘆什麼？我知道你心裡的緣故，想是說他那裡配穿紅的。」寶玉笑道：「不是，不是。那樣的人，不配穿紅的，誰還敢穿？我因為見他實在好的很，怎麼也得他在咱們家就好了。」襲人冷笑道：「我一個人是奴才命罷了，難道連我的親戚都是奴才命不成？定還要揀實在好的丫頭才往你們家來？」寶玉聽了，忙笑道：「你又多心了。我說往咱們家來，必定是奴才不成？說親戚就使不得？」襲人道：「那也攀配不上。」
寶玉便不肯再說，只是剝栗子。襲人笑道：「怎麼不言語了？想是我才冒撞衝犯了你？明兒賭氣花幾兩銀子買進他們來就是了。」寶玉笑道：「你說的話，怎麼叫人答言呢？我不過是贊他好，正配生在這深宅大院裡，沒的我們這宗濁物倒生在這裡。」襲人道：「他雖沒這樣造化，倒也是嬌生慣養的，我姨父姨娘的寶貝兒是的。如今十七歲，各樣的嫁妝都齊備了，明年就出嫁。」
寶玉聽了「出嫁」二字，不禁又「嗐」了兩聲。正不自在，又聽襲人嘆道：「我這幾年，姊妹們都不大見；如今我要回去了，他們又都去了！」寶玉聽這話裡有文章，不覺吃了一驚，忙扔下栗子，問道：「怎麼著，你如今要回去？」襲人道：「我今兒聽見我媽和哥哥商量，叫我再耐一年，明年他們上來就贖出我去呢。」寶玉聽了這話，越發忙了，因問：「為什麼贖你呢？」襲人道：「這話奇了。我又比不得是這裡的家生子兒。我們一家子都在別處，獨我一個人在這裡，怎麼是個了手呢？」寶玉道：「我不叫你去，也難哪。」襲人道：「從來沒這個理。就是朝庭宮裡也有定例，幾年一挑，幾年一放，沒有長遠留下人的理，別說你們家。」
寶玉想一想，果然有理，又道：「老太太要不放你呢？」襲人道：「為什麼不放呢？我果然是個最難得的，或者感動了老太太、太太，不肯放我出去，再多給我們家幾兩銀子留下，也還有的；其實我又不過是個最平常的人，比我強的多而且多。我從小兒跟著老太太，先伏侍了史大姑娘幾年，這會子又伏侍了你幾年，我們家要來贖我，正是該叫去的，只怕連身價也不要，就開恩放我去呢。要說為伏侍的你好，不叫我去，斷然沒有的事。那伏侍的好，是分內應當的，不是什麼奇功。我去了，仍舊又有好的了，不是沒了我就使不得的。」
寶玉聽了這些話，竟是有去的理，無留的理，心裡越發急了。因又道：「雖然如此說，我的一心要留下你，不怕老太太不和你母親說。多多給你母親些銀子。他也不好意思接你了。」襲人道：「我媽自然不敢強。且慢說和他好說，又多給銀子。就便不好和他說，一個錢也不給，安心要強留下我，他也不敢不依。但只是咱們家從沒幹過這倚勢仗貴霸道的事。這比不得別的東西，因為喜歡，加十倍利弄了來給你，那賣的人不吃虧，就可以行得的；如今無故平空留下我，於你又無益，反教我們骨肉分離。這件事，老太太、太太肯行嗎？」
寶玉聽了，思忖半晌，乃說道：「依你說來說去，是去定了？」襲人道：「去定了。」寶玉聽了，自思道：「誰知這樣一個人，這樣薄情無義呢？」乃嘆道：「早知道都是要去的，我就不該弄了來！臨了剩我一個孤鬼兒！」說著，便賭氣上床睡了。
Translation Notes
Once again, it’s been a little while since we last saw Jia Baoyu’s maid Qingwen (晴雯). I wrote a bit more about her in this post:
Qiuwen (秋紋) is a minor character we haven’t met yet. Her name means something like “autumn ripples.”
When Xiren replies 攀配不上 at the thought of her cousin being introduced as a family relative, she’s actually accenting the huge difference in social standing and prestige between the families. Baoyu tends to ignore this part of social norms and simply wants to surround himself with as many attractive people as possible.
Baoyu’s phrase about “muddy creatures like me who were born here” (這宗濁物倒生在這裡) is an allusion to his earlier comments about boys and girls:
女兒是水做的骨肉，男子是泥做的骨肉。我見了女兒便清爽，見了男子便覺濁臭逼人！
Girls are made of water, pure and clear. Boys are made of mud, foul and dull. My soul feels refreshed when I see a girl, but seeing a boy makes me feel absolutely filthy!
Xiren’s phrase about being “redeemed” by her mother and brother, or 贖出我, needs to be explained. Hua Xiren was sold into the Jia household as a girl. Because of this, it is possible for her family to redeem her if they have enough money and take her back home. She would likely then be married off. This, of course, would end her time as a maid, and would basically end her relationship with Jia Baoyu.
了手 is a somewhat old phrase that means “to end” or “to finish.”
Hua Xiren plays an interesting rhetorical trick. Jia Baoyu starts talking about 咱們家; 咱們 means “us” or “our” and includes both the speaker and the person who is being spoken to. Hua Xiren’s response to this language is to point out that she’s really a slave (奴才) to the Jia family. However, when Baoyu talks about being stubborn and simply not relenting she uses that same “our family” (咱們家) phrase to tell him that the Jia family has never simply stubbornly clung to something for no reason.
Hua Xiren then mentions that her staying with the Jia family would cause 骨肉分離, or blood relations to be torn apart. She’s referring to her own family in this case, and the injustice of forcing her to stay away from her own family merely to satisfy Jia Baoyu’s whims.