On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ximen Qing was not at home, and Wu Yueniang had gone to her mother's house. Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian were playing chess in Li Ping'er’s room. Yulou asked, "What shall we bet on today?" Jinlian said, "Let's bet five coins for food and drink, three coins for Jinhua wine, and two coins for a pig's head, and have Lai Wang's wife prepare it. I heard she cooks pig's head exceptionally well; she can make it tender with just one piece of firewood." Yulou said, "But the big sister isn’t home, how can we go about this?" Jinlian replied, "It’s fine, if we win, we can always save some for her, and if we lose, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, the elder sister isn’t home." So the three of them started playing chess. After three rounds, Li Ping'er lost five coins. Jinlian had Xiuchun ask Xing to grab the wine and pig's head, and specifically instructed, "Send it to the back kitchen for Lai Wang's wife, Hui Lian, to cook, then bring it to San Niang's room to wait for us; we’ll head over soon." Yulou said, "Sixth sister, let’s have her bring it straight here after it’s cooked; Li Jiao'er and Sun Xue'e are in the back kitchen, so we won't have to worry about her goofing off." Jinlian did as Yulou suggested.
A while later, Lai Xing brought wine and a pork head to the kitchen. Huilian and Yuxiao were sitting on the stone bench eating melon seeds. Lai Xing stopped Huilian and said, "Sister Huilian, Wu Niang and San Niang asked me to get some wine and a pork head; they are in the kitchen. Help cook it and take it to Sister Liu's room." Huilian said, "I'm busy stitching shoes for the Madam! Why should I be the one to cook?" Lai Xing said, "Whether you cook it or not is up to you; I have other things to do." With that, he walked away. Yuxiao said, "Forget it, help him cook it; you know how Wu Niang is; you don't want to get her angry again." Huilian smiled and said, "How does Wu Niang know that I can cook a pork head and deliberately ask me!" So Huilian went into the kitchen, cleaned the pork head and trotters, used a long piece of firewood, added oil, soy sauce, fennel, and spices, and put a lid on the pot. After about an hour, the pork head was ready, fragrant and mouthwatering. She served it on a large ice plate, also prepared ginger and garlic, put it in a square box, and sent it to Mrs. Li's room, popping open a bottle of Jinhua wine. Yulou selected the best ones, set aside a large plate and a jug of wine, and asked the maid to take it to the upper room for Mrs. Yue. The other three settled down to drink.
As they were eating, Huilian came in with a smile and said, "Ladies, please try this pig's head meat. How is it cooked today?" Jinlian said, "San Niang just praised your cooking! It's really well cooked." Lixue asked, "Did you really only use one piece of firewood?" Huilian said, "To be honest with you ladies, I didn't just use one piece of firewood! With just one piece of firewood, the bones would have been burnt to ashes." Yulou called Xiuchun, "Get a big bowl and pour a bowl of wine for Sister-in-law." Lixue quickly asked Xiuchun to pour the wine and served a plate of pig's head meat to Huilian, saying, "You made this yourself, try it." Huilian said, "I know you ladies aren't used to salty food, so I didn't dare to put too much soy sauce. I just threw it together; I'll pay more attention next time." Then she bowed three times and joined everyone at the table for a drink.
In the evening, Yu Niang returned home, and everyone told her about the pig's head. Yulou smiled and said, "Today we played chess, and Li Dajie lost a pig's head to you to eat." Yu Niang said, "That's not fair; there should be a balance of wins and losses; it's not good for one person to always lose. How about this: on important dates, the sisters take turns to host, and invite Yu Jie to play together, how does that sound? It's much better than gambling, and no one has to suffer. What do you think?" Everyone said, "Sister's idea is good!" Yu Niang said, "I'll host on the fifth." Li Jiaoer on the sixth, Yulou on the seventh, Jinlian on the eighth. Jinlian said, "That's perfect; it's also my birthday that day, two birds with one stone." When asked about it, Sun Xue'e remained silent for a long time. Yu Niang said, "Forget it, don't mind her, let Li Dajie take over." Yulou said, "The ninth is Liu Jie's birthday; Pan Laolao and Wu Dajinzi will definitely come." Yu Niang said, "The ninth isn't suitable; let Li Dajie move to the tenth." Everyone agreed.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Ximen Qing was not at home because he had gone out to dinner at someone else's place. Yue Niang was preparing a feast in the main hall, and Sister Yu was singing. The sisters drank all day before finally breaking up. The sixth, seventh, and eighth days were also filled with banquets, but I'll skip the details. When Jin Lian's birthday rolled around, Granny Pan and Aunt Wu both came. On the tenth day, it was Li Ping'er’s turn to host. She asked Xiu Chun to invite Sun Xue'e. After being invited twice, Sun Xue'e said she would come but never showed up. Yu Lou said, "I told you she wouldn't show up, but Sister Li insisted on inviting her. She even said, 'You wealthy ones drink ten rounds, while we poor ones stumble barefoot like donkeys.' With her saying that, let's forget about her; she treats Sister like she's some kind of donkey's hoof!" Yue Niang replied, "She's no good like that; let's ignore her. Why invite her at all!" So they got the drinks ready, and everyone went to Li Ping'er’s room to drink, with Sister Yu playing and singing along. Aunt Wu, Sister Ximen, and a total of eight of them were drinking. Since Ximen Qing was not at home, Yue Niang instructed Yu Xiao, "When your father comes back, let him have his drinks." Yu Xiao agreed.
In the afternoon, Ximen Qing got home, and Yu Xiao helped him out of his clothes. Ximen Qing asked, "Where are my wives?" Yu Xiao replied, "They're all in Liu Niang's room having drinks with Aunt Da and Granny Pan." Ximen Qing asked again, "What are they drinking?" Yu Xiao answered, "Jinhua liquor." Ximen Qing said, "There's also that jar of jasmine wine your second father sent last year; open it up for them to enjoy." He had Yu Xiao open the jasmine wine, took a sip, and said, "Just right for you ladies." He then had Xiao Yu and Yu Xiao bring the wine to Li Ping'er’s room. Hui Lian was over there pouring wine for Yue Niang, and when she saw Yu Xiao coming with the wine, she quickly went to grab it. Yu Xiao shot her a quick glance and gave her a playful pinch, and Hui Lian got it right away. Yue Niang asked Yu Xiao, "Who sent you with the wine?" Yu Xiao said, "My father asked me to bring it." Yue Niang asked, "When did your father come back?" Yu Xiao replied, "He just came back, asked where the ladies were drinking, and told me to bring this jar of jasmine wine for you to drink." Yue Niang said, "If your father wants to drink, set up a table and whip up some snacks for him in the room." Yu Xiao nodded and headed back.
Huilian stood for a moment at the banquet and said, "I'll go to the back to check on the tea and brew some for everyone." Yueniang said, "Tell the eldest sister to get some Liu'an tea from the main room's dressing box and brew a pot for us to drink." Huilian swayed her hips as she went back. Yuxiao stood watch at the hall door and gestured to her. Huilian lifted the curtain and entered Yueniang's room, where she saw Ximen Qing sitting in a chair drinking. She walked over and sat down on Ximen Qing's lap, and the two began to kiss. While gripping Ximen Qing with one hand, Huilian fed him wine, saying, "Father, give me some good tea; I've already finished the last batch you gave me. I still owe Xue Sao some money; can you give me some?" Ximen Qing said, "I still have a couple of taels of silver in my pocket; you can take it." As he spoke, Ximen Qing started to pull down her pants. Huilian said, "No way, what if someone sees us?" Ximen Qing replied, "Don't go out today; let's have some fun tonight." Huilian shook her head and said, "There are too many people in the back; it'll be too chaotic. It's better for us to go to Wuniang's place; it'll be quieter there." So Yuxiao stood watch at the hall door, letting them have their fun inside.
Unexpectedly, Sun Xue'e came from behind, heard laughter coming from the room, and thought it was Yuxiao and Ximen Qing having fun. When she saw Yuxiao sitting in the corridor, she stopped in her tracks. Yuxiao, fearing she would enter the room, said, "Liu Niang asked you to go to the front; why aren't you going?" Xue'e sneered and said, "We are just unfortunate; even if we ride a fast horse, we can't keep up with them. How can we drink with them? We're so broke we don't even have pants to wear!" Just as she was speaking, Ximen Qing coughed from inside the room, and Xue'e headed to the kitchen.
Yuxiao pulled back the curtain and saw that no one was there, so she hurried out to the back to prepare some tea. After a bit, Xiaoyu returned and said, "Sister Huilian, Mother is asking why you haven't gone to get the tea yet." Huilian replied, "The tea is ready, let the eldest sister fetch some nuts." After a while, Xiaoyu came back with the tea. Yue Niang asked, "Why is the tea only coming now?" Huilian said, "Father is drinking in the room, and I was afraid to go in. I waited for the eldest sister to bring the tea leaves and shell the nuts." Everyone enjoyed their tea, and Huilian stood at the table, watching Yue Niang and the others roll dice. She intentionally said loudly, "Mother, you placed the long one on the pure six, isn't that like the division of heaven and earth? And you still won over Fifth Sister." She added, "Sixth Sister, your dice are like a pair of brocade screens. I see Third Sister's three paired with a pure five, totaling only fourteen points, so she lost." Yuxiao got angry and said, "What are you doing, Huilian? We're rolling dice here, so why are you interrupting?" Huilian was so embarrassed her face flushed red, and she hurried away.
**Who can draw water from the West River and wash away today's shame?**
Everyone kept drinking until candlelight. Ximen Qing lifted the curtain and came in, smiling, saying, "You guys are having a lively meal!" Wu Da Jins quickly stood up and said, "Brother-in-law is here!" and quickly gave him a seat. Yue Niang said, "You can drink in the back; why did you come here with men and women together?" Ximen Qing said, "Since that's the case, I'll leave." He then walked over to Pan Jinlian, who followed him. Ximen Qing was a little drunk, holding Jinlian, saying, "Little demon, I have something to tell you. I want Huilian to stay back here for the night; there's no place back there, can you let her stay with you for a night?" Jinlian said, "That's not my problem; you can take her wherever you want, just don't let her stay with me! I have no place to put her. Even if I agree, that little maid Chunmei won't go along with it. If you don't believe me, ask Chunmei; if she agrees, I'll let her stay." Ximen Qing said, "Since none of you agree, forget it! I'll go spend a night with her in the cave. Let the maid bring a bed, blankets, and make a fire. Otherwise, how are we supposed to survive this cold?" Jinlian couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I can't argue with you, you pervert. Is she your mother? Are you Wang Xiang, showing filial piety in the dead of winter, sleeping on ice?" Ximen Qing laughed and said, "Little demon, don't make fun of me. Anyway, let the maid make a fire." Jinlian said, "You can go, I got it." Later that night, everyone dispersed, and Jinlian instructed Qiuju, and sure enough, she carried blankets and made a fire in the snowy cave of Cangchunwu at the mountain's foot. Huilian sent Yu Niang, Li Jiao'er, and Yulou to the entrance, she said on purpose, "Mother, I won't see you off; I'll go ahead." Yu Niang said, "Alright, go get some sleep." Huilian sent Yu Niang in, stood at the entrance for a while, seeing no one, quickly ran down the mountain. **Don't let King Xiang strain his eyes in vain; the Wushan will send rain clouds on its own.**
Song Huilian walked to the garden gate and saw that Ximen Qing had not yet arrived, so she didn't knock but left the door slightly open. Upon entering the small room at Cangchunwu, she found Ximen Qing already inside, sitting with a lit candle. After she entered, she felt the room was cold and dusty. So she took out two sticks of sandalwood incense from her sleeve, lit them, and inserted them into the ground. Although there was a brazier on the floor, she was still shivering from the cold. She first spread a bedsheet on the bed and covered it with a mink fur cloak. After closing the door, they climbed into bed. Ximen Qing took off his white satin robe, sat on the bed, took off the woman's pants, pulled her close, spread his legs, and started getting intimate. While they were embracing each other, Pan Jinlian heard that the two had entered the room. She took off her hat and tiptoed over to eavesdrop. When she reached the corner door, she pushed it open and quietly slipped inside. Not worrying about the moss freezing her feet or the thorns tearing her skirt, she stealthily approached the moon window of Cangchunwu. After a while, she saw that the light in the room was still on and heard the woman laughing, saying, “This bed is like ice; it will freeze you, you useless old fool! Why don’t you find a warmer place and come to this ice hole? You even have a rope in your mouth; it would freeze to death before you could drag it out!” She continued, “It’s so cold, let’s sleep. Why do you keep staring at my feet? Have you ever seen such small feet? It’s as if I don’t have a shoe upper; who’s going to buy me a pair of shoe uppers? I watch others make shoes but can’t make my own!” Ximen Qing replied, “My dear, it’s fine; I’ll buy you some shoe uppers of various colors tomorrow. Your feet are smaller than your fifth sister’s!” The woman said, “How can it be compared to hers! Yesterday I tried on her shoes, and they fit my feet. Size doesn’t really matter; what counts is that the shoes look good.” Jinlian listened outside, cursing in her heart, “This shameless woman! I’ll listen a bit longer to hear what else they say.” She eavesdropped for a long time and only heard the woman ask Ximen Qing, “How long have you been married to your fifth concubine? Was she the one who came to you, or did you marry her later?” Ximen Qing replied, “We got together later.” The woman said, “No wonder after so long, you’re still so affectionate! Turns out you’re secret lovers, sneaking around as husband and wife.” If Jinlian hadn’t heard these words, it would have been fine, but after hearing them, she was so furious that her arms felt weak, and she stood still for a long time, thinking, “If these two shameless people keep this up, we’ll all be in trouble because of them!” She wanted to expose them on the spot, but she was worried about Ximen Qing's temper and didn’t want that shameless woman to feel triumphant. She thought of enduring it but was also worried they wouldn’t admit it tomorrow. “Forget it! I’ll leave a mark so they know, and tomorrow I’ll settle the score with them!” So she walked to the corner door, pulled a silver hairpin from her hair, secured the door, and angrily returned to her room.
The next morning, the woman was the first to get up, dressed, and came out with her hair in disarray. She was taken aback to find the gate unlocked and pushed against it for a while but couldn't get it open. She then went to find Ximen Qing, who asked the neighbor Yingchun to help her open the door. Seeing that the bolt was secured with Jinlian's hairpin, she realized that she had eavesdropped the night before. The woman felt a pang of guilt and walked to the front yard, just as she was about to step outside, Ping'an emerged from the east wing and smiled upon seeing her. Huilian said, "You little brat, why are you grinning like that?" Ping'an replied, "Sister-in-law, can't we just smile a bit?" Huilian said, "It's early in the morning, what's so funny?" Ping'an said, "I'm smiling because I haven't seen you for three days and I see you in a different light. I guess you didn't go home last night!" The woman blushed at his words and scolded, "You little brat, I slept just fine at home last night, how could I not go home?" Ping'an said, "You can't deny that, can you? I just saw you lock the door." Huilian said, "I got up early and went to Wuniang's place, just came out. What nonsense are you talking?" Ping'an said, "I heard Wuniang ask you to pickle crabs, saying you can crack crab legs. She also said Wuniang asked you to watch over the vendor selling dustpans at the door, saying you could sweet-talk." This infuriated the woman, and she picked up the bolt and chased Ping'an around the yard, shouting curses, "You annoying brat, let's see if I tell him tomorrow. If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how things really are!" Ping'an said, "Oh, sister-in-law, don't be angry. Who are you going to tell? I know you've climbed up the social ladder." Huilian got even angrier and chased after him to hit him. Just then, Dai'an came out of the printing shop, snatched the bolt from her, and said, "Sister-in-law, why are you after him?" Huilian said, "Ask this annoying brat, he's spouting nonsense and has made my arms feel weak with anger!" Ping'an took the opportunity to run away. Dai'an stepped in and said, "Sister-in-law, don’t be angry, go back and get ready." The woman took out a few pieces of silver from her pouch at her waist and handed them to Dai'an, saying, "Could you please make me two bowls of hot soup? And pour the broth into the thermos." Dai'an said, "No problem, I'll go." He took the silver, quickly washed up, and prepared the soup for her. The woman let Dai'an have a bowl, and she also drank a bowl. Only then did she get ready and dress up, locked the door, first stopped by to greet the Moon Lady, and then headed to Jinlian's room.
Jin Lian was combing her hair in front of the mirror, while Hui Lian carefully handed her the mirror and water, serving her attentively. Jin Lian didn’t even glance up. Hui Lian asked, “Should I roll up Mother’s slippers and put them away?” Jin Lian replied, “Do whatever you want, just leave them there. Let the maid handle it when she comes in.” Then she called out to Qiu Ju, “Where's that lazy girl gone off to?” Hui Lian said, “Qiu Ju went to sweep the floor, and Chun Mei is combing her hair.” Jin Lian said, “Don’t worry about them, just leave it there. They can come get it themselves. Those clumsy ones shouldn't mess up your sister-in-law's hands. Go take care of your father; you’re the only one who can make him happy. We're all stepmoms, but your sister-in-law is the real wife, married in the proper way.”
When the woman heard this, she understood the implied meaning behind Jin Lian's words, realizing it was the mistake she made last night. She knelt down and said, "Mother, I am your handmaiden. Please don't be angry; I was momentarily confused. If it weren't for your kindness back then, I wouldn't have married the master. Even if it's the eldest lady, she is merely the primary wife. I rely on your favor and dare not pull any tricks in front of you! Feel free to investigate; if I tell a single lie, I won't have a good death tomorrow, and every pore on my body will break out in sores!" Jin Lian said, "That's not what I meant. I can't tolerate any nonsense. Since your man has chosen you, we can't compete with you. It's just that you mustn't pull any tricks in front of your man or whisper secrets to him. You want to walk all over us and act like you're in charge; I suggest you tone it down a bit!" Hui Lian said, "Mother, please check again. I truly haven't played any tricks; perhaps you heard wrong last night." Jin Lian replied, "Silly sister, why would I waste my time listening to you? Let me tell you, no number of wives can hold a man's heart. Even though your father has so many wives at home, and other women outside, none of it can escape my notice; he tells me everything. Your eldest aunt was united with him in heart and mind; what could she hide from me? You are far from her." This rendered Hui Lian speechless. After standing in the room for a while, she went out. Just as she reached the entrance, she ran into Ximen Qing, who said, "Hello! So it turns out that what others told you yesterday, you shared with others! Today, I got a good scolding from you! What I told you should have stayed in your belly; why did you tell others? Your mouth is like a leaky faucet! Don't go spreading rumors in the future!" Ximen Qing said, "What are you talking about? I don't know." The woman glared at him and left.
This woman is a smooth talker, often stands at the door, buying things and chatting with the guys. She calls Fu the clerk "Fu Dalang," calls Chen Jingji "Brother-in-law," and calls Ben Si "Fourth Brother." Since she got close to Ximen Qing, she has become even more presumptuous, often laughing and joking with everyone, without any reservation. She would shout, "Fu Dalang, please help me check on the vendor selling powder." The clerk Fu, being the older one, quickly put down what he was doing, helped her check, and took her to buy what she needed. Dai An teased her on purpose, saying, "Sister-in-law, the vendor selling powder has already left. You should get up early to weigh the goods properly!" The woman scolded, "You little brat, Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister asked me to buy rouge, and you're telling me to weigh two catties of rouge and three catties of powder for those demons to use? Watch me go tell them!" Dai An said, "Oh, Sister-in-law, you're scaring me with Fifth Sister again!" She then shouted again, "Ben Fourth Brother, I'm telling you, help me check the plum blossom seller, I want to buy two pairs to wear." Ben Si delayed his business, quickly put down what he was doing, helped her check, and took her to buy what she needed. The woman stood at the second-floor gate, picking and choosing, and bought hairpins and handkerchiefs, totaling seven taels and five cents of silver. She took out half a tael of silver from her waist and asked Ben Si to help her find change. Ben Si was busy writing accounts, but he put down his pen to help her find change. At this time, Dai An came and said, "Let me help Sister-in-law find change." He took the silver, didn't find any change, just kept looking at the silver. The woman said, "You little brat, not finding change, just staring at it? Didn't you hear the dog barking in the middle of the night? Did you steal this silver?" Dai An said, "I don't know if it was stolen. This silver looks familiar, like what was in the master's silver purse. The other day, the master got some change after shopping at the lantern market; it's this silver, I remember it clearly." The woman said, "You little thief, how could there be two identical pieces of silver in the world? How did the master's silver end up in your hands?" Dai An said, "I have no idea!" The woman was about to hit him. Dai An quickly found seven taels and five cents for the flower seller, put the leftover silver in his pocket, and didn't give it to her. The woman said, "You little thief! If you take that, you’ll regret it!" Dai An said, "I didn’t take anything of yours. Just give me a little for some fruit." The woman said, "You little brat, here, take it." She gave Dai An the leftover silver, only giving him four or five cents, and stuffed the rest back into her waist before leaving.
From then on, she often bought flowers and plants at the door using silver, and even bought some melon seeds to share with the maids and footmen. She wore a jeweled hairpin and gold pendants, dressed in luxurious attire, wearing red silk trousers and stitched knee pads, carrying fragrant tea and incense with her wherever she went. She would spend two or three silver coins a day, all of which were secretly given to her by Ximen Qing; no need to go into details. After Jin Lian saw through her schemes, she went to Jin Lian's room every day, attending to her diligently, doing needlework, not pushing her luck, and staying discreet. At the main house, they would only exchange glances before heading over to Jin Lian's. Every day, she played chess and cards with Jin Lian and Ping'er, enjoying themselves. If Ximen Qing happened to arrive, Jin Lian would intentionally send her aside to pour wine, all just to please Ximen Qing. It was akin to:
Willow catkins dance in the wind, while delicate peach blossoms drift along the water.
