Wang Xifeng Punishes Jia Rui
In this passage Wang Xifeng exacts her revenge on Jia Rui.
My Translation
Jia Rui was overjoyed when he heard her say that. “Sister-in-law,” he said, “don’t you also find every day to be absolutely boring?”
“That’s right,” replied Wang Xifeng. “All I can do is hope that somebody will come along to help me relieve my boredom.”
“I’m free every day,” said Jia Rui with a big smile. “If I were to come around every day to see you, what would you say?”
“You’re just making fun of me,” said Xifeng with a smile. “Why would you want to come see me?”
“As I stand in front of you, sister-in-law,” replied Jia Rui, “if I say a single lie, may lightning strike me down! It’s just that I heard so many people say that you were a terror, that nobody would dare do something wrong in front of you, that I was too scared to come visit. But now I see that you’re easy to get along with, that you’re nice, and that you really care about people. Why wouldn’t I want to come? I’d be more than happy to die for you!”
“I see now that you’re very smart,” said Xifeng with a smile. “You’re much smarter than Jia Rong and his brother. Since they looked so attractive, I always presumed that they would be understanding. Unfortunately, they turned out to be idiots who don’t understand how people really feel.”
Jia Rui felt these words strike his heart directly. He couldn’t help himself, and edged a bit closer to Wang Xifeng. He looked closely at the purse hanging from her waist. “What kind of ring is that?” he asked, looking at her hand.
“You should behave!” whispered Xifeng to Jia Rui. “You don’t want the maids to see us.”
Jia Rui drew back quickly, as if he had heard the voice of the Buddha himself.
“You should be going now,” smiled Xifeng.
“Let me sit here just a little longer,” he pleaded. “Sister-in-law, you are so cruel!”
“In broad daylight,” said Xifeng to him in a whisper, “with people coming and going, it’s not convenient for you to be here. You should go now. Wait until shortly after dark this evening. Wait quietly for me in the passage at the west side of the estate.”
Jia Rui felt as if he had been handed a priceless treasure. “Oh, you’re not tricking me, are you?” he asked eagerly. “But so many people go through there. How would I be able to hide?”
“Don’t worry,” said Xifeng. “I’ll give all the boys assigned to the night watch the night off. Once the gates at both ends are closed, there won’t be another person there.”
Jia Rui was absolutely delighted when he heard that. He left quickly, convinced that he had already won.
He waited impatiently for the evening. When darkness fell he slipped into the Rongguo Mansion, going quickly through the gateway just as they were closing the doors. He went to the passage on the west side and found it pitch-black and utterly deserted, just as Xifeng had told him. The gate leading towards Grandmother Jia’s residence had been bolted from the outside, and only the eastern gate remained open. Jia Rui listened closely for what seemed like an eternity, but nobody came. And then he heard a sudden clang, and the eastern gate had been locked as well.
Jia Rui was scared out of his wits, but he didn’t dare make a sound. He crept quietly to the gate and shook it, but it was bolted as tightly as if it were locked with iron bands. There was no way out. There were high walls to the north and south, walls that were impossible to climb.
A bitter wind blew through the empty space inside the passage. It was the twelfth month of the year, complete with long nights and a bitter north wind that would gnaw at your bones. Jia Rui nearly froze to death before the night was through.
It was extremely difficult, but the morning finally came. Jia Rui saw an old woman first open the gate to the east, after which she entered the passage to unlock the western gate. As soon as her back was turned, Jia Rui fled like a wisp of smoke, hugging his shoulders against the cold. Fortunately it was still early, and nobody else was outside. He ran straight through the gate at the back and all the way home.
Translation Critique
Hawkes
David Hawkes translates 喜的抓耳撓腮 as “Jia Rui positively scratched his ears with pleasure.” Naturally, this makes no sense in English.
Yang
The Yangs translate 喜的抓耳撓腮 as “tweaking his ears and rubbing his cheeks with delight.” Again, this Chinese idiom is used in an unusual way here, and it makes very little sense in English.
Chinese Text
賈瑞聽了，喜的抓耳撓腮。又道：「嫂子天天也悶的很？」鳳姐道：「正是呢，只盼個人來說話解解悶兒。」賈瑞笑道：「我倒天天閒著，若天天過來替嫂子解解悶兒，可好麼？」鳳姐笑道：「你哄我呢，你那裡肯往我這裡來？」賈瑞道：「我在嫂子面前，若有一句謊話，天打雷劈！只因素日聞得人說，嫂子是個利害人，在你跟前一點也錯不得，所以唬住我了。我如今見嫂子是個有說有笑極疼人的，我怎麼不來？死了也情願！」鳳姐笑道：「果然你是個明白人，比蓉兒兄弟兩個強遠了！我看他那樣清秀，只當他們心裡明白，誰知竟是兩個胡塗蟲，一點不知人心！」
賈瑞聽這話，越發撞在心坎上，由不得又往前湊一湊，覷著眼，看鳳姐的荷包。又問：「戴著什麼戒指？」鳳姐悄悄的道：「放尊重些！別叫丫頭們看見了。」賈瑞如聽「綸音佛語」一般，忙往後退。鳳姐笑道：「你該去了。」賈瑞道：「我再坐一坐兒。好狠心的嫂子！」鳳姐兒又悄悄的道：「大天白日，人來人往，你就在這裡，也不方便。你且去。等到晚上起了更，你來，悄悄的在西邊穿堂兒等我。」賈瑞聽了，如得珍寶，忙問道：「你別哄我。但是那裡人過的多，怎麼好躲呢？」鳳姐道：「你只放心。我把上夜的小廝們都放了假，兩邊門一關，再沒別人了。」
賈瑞聽了，喜之不盡，忙忙的告辭而去，心內以為得手。盼到晚上，果然黑地裡摸入榮府，趁掩門時鑽入穿堂，果見漆黑，無一人來往。賈母那邊去的門已倒鎖了，只有向東的門未關。賈瑞側耳聽著，半日不見人來，忽聽咯噔一聲，東邊的門也關上了。賈瑞急的也不敢則聲，只得悄悄出來，將門撼了撼，關得鐵桶一般。此時要出去亦不能了，南北俱是大牆，要跳也無攀援。這屋內又是過堂風，空落落的。現是臘月天氣，夜又長，朔風凜凜，侵肌裂骨，一夜幾乎不曾凍死。好容易盼到早晨，只見一個老婆子先將東門開了，進來去叫西門。賈瑞瞅他揹著臉，一溜煙抱了肩跑出來。幸而天氣尚早，人都未起，從後門一徑跑回家去。
Translation Notes
抓耳撓腮 is yet another word used in an unusual manner. It normally means to scratch one’s ears and cheeks out of anxiety or vexation. In this context, however, Jia Rui is acting this way out of happiness. You get this feeling that Jia Rui is so excited and happy that he can scarcely control himself.
哄 means to fool or to cheat.
天打雷劈 literally means “may heaven strike me with lightning,” i.e. as a punishment.
情願 means to be willing to do something.
蓉兒兄弟兩個 refers to Jia Rong and his brother, probably Jia Qiang. Remember that Jia Rong is the husband of Qin Keqing.
清秀 means delicate and pretty.
胡塗蟲 literally means an ignorant insect.
The references to the purse and ring are confusing, especially since they came one afte the other. The 荷包, or small purse, was worn close to a woman’s body, and had a pretty strong sexual connotation. And the ring, or 戒指, was obviously a personal object. Jia Rui is trying to make his move.
綸音佛語 means the Emperor’s words (綸音) and the Buddha’s words (佛語). The phrase implies an authoritative command that absolutely must be obeyed.
臘月 refers to the 12th month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
I'm on Wang Xifeng's side here. I expect I won't be by the end or at least for certain sections of the novel, but for now I'll just admire her take down of Jia Rui.