Why The Clock Startled Granny Liu
As we saw yesterday, Granny Liu was startled when she saw a mechanical clock in the Jia residence:
劉姥姥只聽見咯噹咯噹的響聲，大有打鑼櫃篩面的一般，不免東瞧西望的。忽見堂屋中柱子上掛著一個匣子，底下又墜著一個秤砣似的，卻不住的亂晃。劉姥姥心中想著：「這是什麼東西？有煞用處呢？……」正發呆時，陡聽得「當」的一聲，又若金鐘銅磬一般，倒嚇得不住的展眼兒。
Granny Liu could only hear a continuous clanking sound, a sound similar to someone striking a gong or the sifting of flour through a sieve. She couldn’t help but glance to the left and the right. She suddenly saw a small box hanging from a pillar in the main hall. There was something that looked like a steelyard weight hanging down from it. It seemed to be swaying wildly without stopping.
“What could this thing be?” wondered Granny Liu. “What could it be used for?”
Just as she was staring in bewilderment, she suddenly heard a loud “clang” as clear as a golden bell or a bronze chime. She was so startled that she couldn’t help but open her eyes wide in fright.
Was she scared because she’s a country bumpkin? Or is there more to it?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Dream of the Red Chamber to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.