New Here? This is Chapter 21 of Dream of the Red Chamber, China's greatest novel, translated into modern English one scene at a time. Start with the Start Here guide, or meet the family on the Characters page.
Jia Baoyu walks back into his room expecting a warm welcome. Instead, his maid Hua Xiren lies down on the couch, shuts her eyes and won’t say a word to him. He has no idea what he did.
Let’s figure out what happened, and why she’s acting this way.
Previously: Baoyu was hanging out in the girls’ bedroom before the crack of dawn. He washed himself in Xiangyun’s leftover water and begged her to braid his hair. Xiren walked in to find someone else had already taken care of him. (See The Missing Pearl.)
Who’s here: Jia Baoyu · Xue Baochai · Hua Xiren · Sheyue and Si’er (All the characters) [Link Sheyue and Si’er to their own pages once live.]
The Note. When Baochai sits down for a chat at the start of the scene, the novel uses one word for what she's doing, and it isn't "chatting." More below.
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Xue Baochai spends her whole visit quietly interviewing Xiren. Is that clever, or a little nosy? Tell me in the comments.
