That day, Ximen Qing was overjoyed to see Song Xun'an delivering gifts at Xia Tixing's place. Xia Tixing was especially enthusiastic, keeping him topped up with drinks, and finally let him head home after midnight. Pan Jinlian had been waiting by the lamp for a while, after taking off her makeup, getting the bed ready, lighting some incense, and freshening up. As soon as Ximen Qing entered, she hurriedly helped him take off his clothes. Chunmei brewed tea and served it to him before allowing him to go to bed to rest. Pan Jinlian sat on the edge of the bed, completely naked, her head lowered, her pale legs tucked under her, and she had changed into a pair of bright red flat slippers. The moment Ximen Qing saw her, he got instantly turned on. He asked Pan Jinlian for it, and she quickly fished it out from under the bed for him. Ximen Qing put it on and embraced Pan Jinlian, saying, "How about we play a little game tonight, are you up for it?" Pan Jinlian gave him a look: "You shameless guy, always messing around with those young lads, and now you're bothering me? Go play with them!" Ximen Qing laughed and said, "Little enchantress, cut the act! As long as you agree, why would I care about those young lads? What you really want is this, come on, I guarantee you'll feel good." Pan Jinlian couldn’t help but give in to him... Ximen Qing called out, "Come on, let it out, it's all good. Tomorrow I'll buy you a beautiful makeup dress to wear." Pan Jinlian said, "I do have clothes, but yesterday I saw Sister Li Gui wearing a jade-colored, gold oil goose-yellow silver-striped gauze skirt made from lambskin, it looked really nice, said to be bought from the city. They all have it, but I don’t. I don’t know how much it costs, can you get me one tomorrow?" Ximen Qing said, "No problem, I'll buy it for you tomorrow!" ... A night of passion.
The next day, Ximen Qing returned from the magistrate's office, and An Zhushi and Huang Zhushi sent someone to deliver an invitation, saying that on the 22nd, there would be a banquet at Liu the Eunuch's estate, and asked him to arrive early. Ximen Qing sent the messenger away, had breakfast, and just as he stepped out of the hall, he saw Xiaozhou kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. Ximen Qing said, "You came just in time; I was just thinking of combing my hair!" So he walked to the Feicuixuan, sat on a cool chair, took off his hat, and let his hair down. Xiaozhou prepared the comb and combed his hair for him. While combing, he said, "Sir, you’re definitely going to get promoted and make a fortune this year. The color of your hair looks really good!" Ximen Qing felt elated. After combing his hair, he had him clean his ears and massage his shoulders. Xiaozhou was quite skilled at massage, leaving Ximen Qing feeling completely relaxed. He rewarded him with five silver coins, allowed him to have something to eat, and then went to help his son get a haircut. Ximen Qing dozed off on the marble bed in his study.
That day, Miss Yang rose, and Aunt Wang and Aunt Xue were going home. Mrs. Wu filled the boxes they brought with steamed pastries and tea snacks and saw them off at the gate. She gave each aunt five coins, and the two younger aunts received two pieces of cloth. Aunt Xue instructed Mrs. Wu, "Take the medicine on the Renzi day, and you will surely conceive." Mrs. Wu said, "Aunt Xue, when you leave, it will be my birthday in August; you must come then, I will be waiting for you!" Aunt Xue clasped her hands together and said, "I apologize for the trouble. May Buddha bless you; I will definitely come then." Then she bid farewell. Mrs. Wu and the others saw them off at the gate. Mrs. Wu and Aunt Zhang went back to the backyard, while Yulou, Jinlian, Pinger, Sister Ximen, and Li Guijie played with the little lord in the garden. Mrs. Li said, "Guijie, let me hold him." Guijie said, "Sister Liu, it's okay, I want to hold the little brother." Yulou said, "Guijie, you haven't been to your father's new study yet!" In the garden, Jinlian saw the purple wisteria blooming beautifully, picked two flowers, and gave them to Guijie to wear. They walked along the pine wall to the Feixu Pavilion, where they saw the bed, canopy, screen, calligraphy, painting, and musical instruments, all very elegant. The bed was adorned with a silver canopy, an ice mat, and coral pillows. Ximen Qing lay soundly asleep on the bed, with a gold incense burner next to him burning a strand of dragon incense. The green window was ajar, with plantain trees outside. Pan Jinlian fiddled with his incense box on the table, while Yulou and Mrs. Li sat on chairs. When Ximen Qing turned over and saw all the women in the room, he asked, "What brings you all here?" Jinlian said, "Guijie wants to see your study, so we brought her here to take a look." Ximen Qing played with the little lord for a while. At this time, Huatong came in and said, "Ying Er is here." Everyone hurriedly hid on Mrs. Li's side. Yinge walked to the pine wall and saw Guijie holding the little lord, saying, "Ah! Li Guijie is here." He deliberately asked, "When did you arrive?" Guijie said, "Mind your own business! Why do you ask so many questions?" Yinge said, "You little slut, it's not my business? Give me a kiss!" He leaned in to kiss her. Guijie pushed him away and scolded, "You jerk! If I weren’t worried about scaring the child, I’d slap you silly..." Ximen Qing came out and said, "You fool, you scared the child!" He told the book boy, "Give the child to Sister Liu." The book boy quickly took the child away. Nanny Ruyi waited at the corner of the pine wall and took the child. Yinge and Guijie stood talking; Yinge asked, "How are things going for you?" Guijie said, "Thanks to the master's kindness, he sent Bao Ge to Tokyo to assist me." Yinge said, "Good, good, then you can rest assured." After speaking, Guijie went to the backyard. Yinge said, "Little slut, come here, I still need to talk to you." Guijie said, "I'll be there in a moment." Then she went to Mrs. Li's side.
Ximen Qing and the Count had just sat down when Ximen Qing said, "Yesterday I was drinking at Xia Longxi's house, and Song Daolong sent someone to deliver a gift, a fresh pig. I was worried it wouldn't last, so I had the chef handle it this morning, stewing it with pepper. Wait here, I'll call Xie Er Ye (Xie Zhong) to come; we'll play backgammon together and eat together." He then had Qintong go invite Xie Zhong, "Tell Xie Er Ye I'm here." Qintong promised and went. The Count asked, "Is the money from the Xu family coming?" Ximen Qing said, "That kid is really something else; give him two hundred and fifty taels tomorrow. Let him come back the day after tomorrow; if that's not enough, I'll cover the rest." The Count said, "That's good. I reckon he'll buy some good things to show his respect to you today." Ximen Qing said, "He doesn't have to bother." After chatting for a while, Ximen Qing asked, "Has Lao Sun, Zhu Mazhi, and the others all been exiled?" The Count said, "Since they were caught at Li Guier's house, they were locked up in the county for a night, and the next day, the three of them were chained and escorted to the capital. When they get there, who knows if they can come back! They say they only knew how to drink and eat meat all day, finally getting to eat some good food! They brought this on themselves. In this hot weather, wearing iron chains and having no money, what good outcome can they expect?" Ximen Qing laughed and said, "Serves them right! Who told them to follow the Wang family's servants around causing trouble all the time!" The Count said, "You're right, brother. Flies don't land on unbroken eggs; why didn't they come to me and Xie Zhong? What's pure is pure, what's turbid is turbid."
Just then, Xie Xida arrived. After greeting, he sat down and kept fanning himself. Ximen Qing asked, "Why are you sweating so much?" Xie Xida replied, "Brother, don’t even get me started. I’m all worked up for nothing today. Early this morning, Old Sun's mother came to my house, saying I bullied her. That old hag! Her husband just sits around all day drinking and pigging out in the yard, wasting money, and she comes to complain? Who doesn’t know! She wants money; did I even give her a penny? I shot my mouth off a bit and then walked out. I didn’t expect you would call for me here, brother." The count said, "I just told brother, the new wine is all mixed up, clear and cloudy. What did we say back then? I said following that Wang family's little servant would sooner or later lead to trouble. And now? We’ve fallen into this pit; we can’t blame anyone else!" Ximen Qing said, "What’s that little Wang servant even capable of? He’s not even got his head screwed on right, yet he wants to support a wife! Not even enough for our pocket money; it’s really embarrassing!" The count said, "What has he even experienced? Compared to your matters, brother, it would scare him to death!" After that, the little servant brought in tea. Ximen Qing said, "You two play some Backgammon. I’ll have the little servant bring out the noodles I made." After a while, the qin boy came to set the table. The painting boy brought out a square box with four small dishes, along with three plates of garlic sauce, a large bowl of pork stew, a silver soup spoon, and three pairs of chopsticks. Once everything was set, the three sat down, then three bowls of noodles were served, each person poured their own stew and added garlic vinegar. The count and Xie Xida picked up their chopsticks and quickly finished one bowl. The two of them scarfed down food and ate seven bowls in one go. Ximen Qing hadn’t finished his two bowls yet and said, "My goodness, you two ate so much!" The count said, "Brother, who made this noodle today? It’s so delicious and refreshing." Xie Xida said, "This stew is really well made; I just ate earlier, otherwise, I would want another bowl." The two of them were scarfing down food and stripped off their clothes. Seeing the qin boy tidying up, they said, "Young official, go to the back and fetch some water for us to rinse our mouths." Xie Xida said, "Warm tea is fine; the hot one’s too hot to handle, and the cold one has too strong a garlic taste." After a while, the painting boy brought tea. The three of them drank tea and then went out to stroll by the flower platform in the courtyard. At this time, the Huang family dropped off four boxes of goodies. Ping An brought the items in for Ximen Qing to see: a box of fresh water chestnuts, a box of fresh arrowhead, four iced big shad fish, and a box of loquats. The count saw this and said, "Nice haul! No idea where he scored this from; let me try some." He grabbed several and gave Xie Xida two, saying, "Still kicking, and he doesn’t even know what he’s got!" Ximen Qing said, "Serves him right; he hasn’t even offered to the Buddha and is already eating?" The count said, "What do you mean he hasn’t offered it to the Buddha yet? I’m just tasting it." Ximen Qing instructed, "Take it to the back and stash it away. Give him three coins as a reward from your third lady." The count asked, "Was it sent by Li Jin or Huang Ning?" Ping An said, "It was Huang Ning." The count said, "Looks like this kid struck gold today; reward him with three coins." Ximen Qing just watched the two of them play Backgammon and didn’t say another word.
Once upon a time, Yueyong, Guijie, Lijiaoer, Mengyulou, Panjinlian, Lipinger, and Da Jie all finished their meal in the backyard and sat in the corridor. Just then, Xiaozhou appeared cautiously in front of the screen wall, and Lipinger said, "Xiaozhou, you came at the right time! Come in and give the little lord a haircut; his hair has grown long." Xiaozhou hurriedly stepped forward and replied, "My father asked me to give the little lord a haircut just now." Yueyong asked, "Liujie, look at the almanac. Is today a good day for a haircut?" Jinlian asked Xiaoyu to bring the almanac, looked it over, and said, "Today is the twenty-first day of the fourth month, Gengxu day. Jin Dinglou Jin Gou is in charge, good for sacrifices, official duties, traveling, tailoring, bathing, haircuts, construction, and groundbreaking—it's a good day!" Yueyong said, "Since it's a good day, let someone prepare hot water. You help wash the child's hair, and let Xiaozhou give him a haircut slowly." Xiaoyu stood by with a cloth to catch the hair. After Xiaozhou shaved a few times, the little lord started crying loudly. Xiaozhou comforted him while cutting, and the child cried so hard he lost his voice, his face turning red. Lipinger was frightened and quickly said, "Stop cutting, stop cutting!" Xiaozhou, terrified, bolted away. Yueyong said, "I knew this child was a bit of a handful; he loves his hair. I'll just cut it myself. Why bother calling someone if it’s not going to turn out right?" After the child cried for a while, Lipinger finally calmed him down and said, "You naughty little rascal, you’re so bold! You came here to give your brother a haircut like this, making him look so ugly, bullying my brother! Bring back the tools and let me take care of my brother!" With that, she carried the child to Yueyong. Yueyong said, "You got scared just from a haircut? We’ll trim the rest tomorrow." After playing for a while, Lipinger handed the child to the wet nurse. Yueyong instructed, "Don't feed him milk first; let him sleep for a while before feeding." The wet nurse carried the child away. Just then, Lai'an came in to collect Xiaozhou's shaving tools, saying that Xiaozhou looked pale with fright. Yueyong asked, "Did he eat?" Lai'an said, "He did; his father rewarded him with five silver coins." Yueyong told Lai'an, "Take a bowl of wine to him. It's not easy to make a few bucks!" Xiaoyu quickly poured a bowl of wine and also brought a plate of cured meat for Lai'an to take to Xiaozhou.
Wu Yueniang asked Jin Lian to look at the almanac: "Can you see when Renzi day is?" Jin Lian looked and said, "The twenty-third is Renzi day, during the Grain in Ear festival in the fifth month." Then she asked, "Sister, why do you want to know this?" Yueniang replied, "Oh, it's nothing, just asking out of curiosity." Li Guijie took the almanac and looked at it, saying, "The twenty-fourth, oh, it's my mother's birthday! I have to go home." Yueniang said, "The tenth of last month was your sister's birthday, that's already passed us. And the twenty-fourth is your mother's birthday again. Your family is really lively, celebrating multiple birthdays in one day: thinking about money by day and men by night; morning is for mom's birthday, noon is for sister's birthday, and evening is for your own birthday. — Why are they all packed together? Since your brother-in-law has money, let's celebrate all our birthdays!" Guijie just smiled and said nothing. At this moment, Ximen Qing sent a painter boy to invite them, and Guijie hurried to Yueniang's room to dress up, then went to the garden.
In the pavilion, an Eight Immortals table had already been set up, with two large plates of roasted pork and many dishes on it. Everyone ate for a while, and Guijie poured wine on the side. The count said, "Your father already knows, it's not me forcing you; the arrangements have been made. Your father has also spoken for you in the county, he won't come after you again. Who deserves the credit for this? It's thanks to me pestering your father that he finally agreed. Why would he be willing to speak for you? Sing a song you like; I’ll drink to it, and consider it a repayment for my kindness." Guijie laughed and scolded, "You old thing, you really have thick skin! Does my father believe your words?" The count said, "You little demon! You haven't even married yet, and you're already hitting the monk. If you want to keep eating, don’t upset the chef! If you dare say the monk has no mother-in-law, I won't go easy on you! Don't laugh at me, I'm still quite formidable." Guijie picked up a fan and playfully swatted him twice. Ximen Qing laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, tomorrow we'll settle this score and see who's right and who's wrong." After laughing for a while, Guijie slowly picked up the pipa, placed it on her lap, opened her mouth, and began to sing:
"Who would want this? The skin is fragrant, but thin and worn. The mirror is clouded and indifferent. The makeup is tired and uneven, and the flower branch is lazily adorned. It only deepens the frown of dark brows in the sorrow of spring.
The Count said, 'You were so affectionate back then; now, just because he was a little frightened, you shouldn't complain.' Sister Gui replied, 'What nonsense are you talking!' —
What’s hardest to bear is the horn from the watchtower, echoing with heart-wrenching sorrow.
The Count said, 'Your heart hasn't broken; this time when you come back, your bond has been severed. Don't mention the two of you.' Sister Gui hit the Count hard and scolded, 'You rascal, I'm really angry today; you just talk nonsense!' —
In the quiet window, the moon shines brightly again, and I loathe leaning alone against the curtain. Suddenly, I hear a solitary wild goose calling outside the building, awakening all my sorrows again. The night grows long, and I no longer notice the lamp dimming and the incense ashes sleeping unformed. How can he sleep so soundly!
The Count said, 'You silly girl, how can he not sleep soundly? He hasn't been taken away. He's still sleeping at home. You hide in his house, clutching the sheepskin every day, waiting for the people from Tokyo to come, so you can feel at ease.' Sister Gui, furious, said, 'Dad, look at Ying Huazi, I don’t know what’s wrong with him; he keeps bothering me.' The Count said, 'Have you only just recognized me as your father?' Sister Gui ignored him and played the pipa while singing:
Thinking it over, thinking it over, why can't I care? In a place with no one, in a place with no one, tears fall quietly.
The Count said, 'A person wet the bed. One day, his mother died, and he kept vigil by her spirit while sleeping. He overslept and wet the bed again. Someone saw the wet mattress and asked what happened; he couldn’t explain, only replied: “You don’t know, my tears flowed out from my stomach at night.” — Just like you, unable to voice it, only able to cry in silence.' Sister Gui said, 'You shameless thing, did you see that? It makes me so mad!' —
I resent him, I truly resent him for not being thorough; who knew that he would leave first here? I regret not taking him seriously back then."
The Count said, "Foolish girl, you're not young anymore. Even a three-year-old child can't be easily fooled, let alone those flirtatious young men. Are you serious about him? Forget it, listen to me sing a southern tune for you: 'The matters of love and romance, let me tell you: at this age, it's hard to tell what's real and what's fake. Everyone is cunning, everyone is experienced, using tricks to deceive fools. Old women just want to cheat money, young girls have to rush forward desperately. It's painful, like jumping into a river; it's distressing, like being lost. When will this nonsense be over? Even if I were to turn into a donkey or a horse, I won't do this business anymore.'" This song brought Guijie to tears. Ximen Qing picked up a fan and hit the Count on the head, laughing and scolding, "You fool! You've really upset Guijie." Then he said to Guijie, "You sing, ignore him." Xie Xida said, "Ying Erge, you're really mean! Today, you're bullying my goddaughter from top to bottom. If you keep talking nonsense, you might end up with a big sore on your mouth!" After a while, Guijie picked up the pipa and sang again: "People all say he's sincere." Guijie was about to speak, but Xie Xida covered his mouth and said, "Guijie, you sing, ignore him!" Guijie sang again: "But in reality, he's just trying to seduce. With eyes wide open, my heart and words don’t align." Xie Xida let go of his hand, and the Count said, "If only the heart and words aligned, that would be wonderful. Right now, the heart and words don't match, but they match in the tiger's mouth. It won't take long, just the time it takes to burn a few sticks of incense." Guijie said, "Did you see it? Are you blind?" The Count said, "I didn't see it, isn't it at Lexingtang?" Ximen Qing and the others all laughed. Guijie sang again: "Swearing oaths of love, saying false words as true, almost causing harm to lovesickness for him. Betraying someone's heart, seeing his family's pretense, how can I expect to have a bright future?" The Count said, "Don't count on a bright future with him; tomorrow, he's definitely going to be arrested and questioned." Guijie sang again:
【Amber Cat Pendant】Day by day, drifting further apart, when will we meet again? It's foolish to wait; my infatuated heart cannot endure. The dream of romance at Wushan remains unfulfilled. Callous, the fierce struggle of this life has torn us apart.
【Epilogue】Enemies parted in such a cruel twist of fate, abandoning each other in solitude. The love and affection of that world has turned into nothing but empty words.
After finishing the song, Xie Xida said, "Alright, alright. Have the pageboy take away the pipa; I’ll pour Guijie a drink to ease her anger." Baochai said, "I'll go add some dishes. I'm not skilled, but I can at least be diligent." Guijie said, "Go away, who cares about you! You hit someone, and now you're trying to be nice." Xie Xida poured Guijie three more glasses of wine, then pulled Baochai to play a game of double sixes. Ximen Qing signaled to Guijie and left. Baochai said, "Brother, go to the back and bring some nice tea. I had some garlic earlier, and now I'm feeling a bit queasy." Ximen Qing said, "I don't have any nice tea!" Baochai said, "Brother, don't fool me; Hangzhou's Liu Xueguan sent you plenty; it's not right to drink alone." Ximen Qing chuckled and went to the back. Guijie also stepped out, picking flowers by the Taihu stone before she disappeared. Baochai and Xie Xida played three more rounds of double sixes, waiting for Ximen Qing to return. Baochai asked the pageboy, "What is your master doing in the back?" The pageboy replied, "Master is in the back; he'll be out soon." Baochai said, "Soon? That's a bit odd!" Then he said to Xie Xida, "You stay here; I'll go find him." Xie Xida then played chess with the book boy.
Originally, Ximen Qing went to Li Ping'er's room, took the medicine and then came out. He saw Li Guijie under the wooden pavilion, pulled her into the snow cave at Cangchun Pavilion, closed the door, sat on the low bed, wrapped his arms around Guijie, who sat on his lap... The two of them... got intimate. Ying Bojue searched various pavilions but couldn't find them. He passed through the small hole in Dicuiyan, arrived at the wooden pavilion, passed through the grape trellis, reached the depths of the pine and bamboo forest, by the side of Cangchun Pavilion, and faintly heard laughter but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Bojue slowly approached, lifted the curtain, saw that the two doors were slightly ajar, and eavesdropped from outside. He heard Guijie's trembling voice as her body responded to Ximen Qing, shouting, "Hurry, don't let anyone come." Bojue suddenly shouted, pushed open the door and went in, seeing Ximen Qing... with Guijie, saying, "Quick, splash some water to separate these two!" Li Guijie said, "You scared me when you suddenly barged in!" Bojue said, "Hurry? Easy? It's worth the price. I'm afraid of being seen, that's why I came. Come here, let me kiss you." Ximen Qing said, "You little minx, I'm begging you. Otherwise, I'll shout it out, even the women in the backyard will know. Since you acknowledged me as your godfather, I kindly let you hide for two days, and you're still cheating on your man. I'll teach you a thing or two!" Guijie said, "Get lost, you immoral person!" Bojue said, "Me, get lost? Let me kiss you first." So he kissed Guijie before leaving. Ximen Qing said, "You troublemaker, make sure to close the door!" Bojue closed the door as he walked away, saying, "My child, you two do whatever you want; it's none of my business, even if you go all the way." He walked to the bottom of the pine tree, then turned back and said, "What happened to the fragrant tea you promised me?" Ximen Qing said, "You troublemaker, I'll get it to you next time; just don’t bother me again!" Bojue finally laughed and left. Guijie said, "What a heartless guy!" Ximen Qing and Guijie spent a whole hour in the snow cave, had a red date, and then wrapped things up.
A poem stands as proof:
On the begonia branch, the oriole calls restlessly; in the shade of the green bamboo, the swallows chatter incessantly. When idle, I entrust it to the painter's brush, yet the beauty of spring cannot be captured on canvas.
After a while, the two emerged, fully dressed. Sister Gui pulled out a stash of fragrant tea from her sleeve and tucked it away. Ximen Qing, glistening with fragrant sweat and panting, walked beneath the mallow flowers to relieve himself. Li Guijie retrieved a mirror from her waist, set it on the moonlit sill, fixed her hair before leaving.
Ximen Qing came out of Li Ping'er's room and washed his hands. Bao Yu asked him for fragrant tea, and Ximen Qing replied, "You little rascal, you haven't been feeling well lately, why are you still running around everywhere?" Then everyone pinched off a bit of tea leaves for him. Bao Yu said, "Is this all you're giving me? Forget it! I'll go ask that little demon from the Li family." Just then, Li Ming arrived and bowed deeply to him. Bao Yu asked, "Where is Li Rixin? Have you inquired about his situation?" Li Ming said, "My sister owes you, old man. These days, no one from the county has come to urge us; we're just waiting for word from the capital." Bao Yu asked, "Has Qi's little wife come out?" Li Ming said, "Qi Xiang'er is still hiding out at the Wang family's place. My sister is fine here with you; who dares to provoke her?" Bao Yu said, "Otherwise, it would be troublesome. Thanks to your father and me for convincing him: 'If you don’t help him, what’s he supposed to do?'" Li Ming said, "If you don't step in here, it’ll be a disaster. My third aunt's temper, she can do anything!" Bao Yu said, "I remember his birthday is coming up; let’s go wish him well when the time comes." Li Ming said, "Dad doesn't need to worry. After tomorrow's busy day, my third aunt and sister want to invite you over for a bit." Bao Yu said, "We can always catch up on the birthday wishes then." Then he asked Li Ming to come over, "Help me finish this glass of wine. I drank too much today and can't drink anymore." Li Ming took the wine glass, knelt down, and drank it clean. Xie Xida poured him another drink. Bao Yu asked, "Have you eaten?" There were still some snacks on the table, and Xie Xida brought over two plates of roasted pig's head and duck for him. Li Ming took them with both hands and started eating. Bao Yu also picked up half a piece of shad for him, saying, "I see you haven't had this yet this year; give it a try." Ximen Qing said, "You silly, you’ve eaten it all; why leave any behind?" Bao Yu said, "Save it for later when the banquet’s over; if you get hungry, you can snack on it. Am I going to starve? You guys don't understand, this kind of fish from Jiangnan is only available once a year; even the bones are delicious."
It's really not easy! Honestly, even the imperial court has never had a taste! If it weren't for me, who else would even get to try it?
As they were speaking, Huatong brought out four plates of fresh fruit: water chestnut, water caltrop, lotus root, and loquat. Before Ximen Qing could take a bite, Count Ying grabbed them and stuffed them directly into his sleeve. Xie Xida chimed in, "Save a few for me too," and snatched a plate of water chestnuts. Only the lotus root remained on the table. Ximen Qing popped a piece into his mouth, giving the rest to Li Ming. He asked Huatong to bring over two more loquats for Li Ming. Li Ming accepted them, then began playing the zither and singing. After singing a tune, Count Ying requested another tune and had him perform "Flower Medicine Pavilion." The three of them kept eating until it was time to light the lanterns, then they had a bowl of green bean and rice porridge before getting up. Count Ying said, "Brother, I know that Master An is inviting you tomorrow and you won't be free. I'll go see Li Si and Huang San the day after tomorrow." Ximen Qing nodded and the two of them left without waiting for a send-off. Ximen Qing had the boy clean up and then went back to rest in Meng Yulou's room. The night went by without a hitch. The next morning, Ximen Qing did not go to the yamen. After having porridge and getting dressed neatly, he rode his horse with the boy and Daian, riding thirty miles south of the city to attend a banquet at Liu the Eunuch's manor. There is no need to elaborate on this matter.
Pan Jinlian saw that Ximen Qing was not at home, so she discussed with Li Bing'er and had Chen Jingji lose three taels of silver at cards, and Li Bing'er added another seven taels of silver. She had Lai Xing buy a roasted duck, two chickens, and a tael of silver's worth of food, a jar of Jinhua wine, a bottle of white liquor, and a tael of silver's worth of cold cake, and had Lai Xing's wife prepare everything. Jinlian said to Yueliang, "Sister, that day when you played cards, you won three taels of silver from Chen's brother-in-law, and Li Bing'er added a little more. Today we are hosting a banquet in the garden." Wu Yueliang, Meng Yulou, Li Jiao'er, Sun Xue'e, Big Sister, and Guijie first had a meal in the pergola, then took the food and wine to the Woyun Pavilion on the mountain to play chess, shoot arrows, and enjoy drinks. Yueliang asked, "Why didn’t the master come today?" Big Sister said, "Dad sent him to the Xu family to collect debts; he should be back soon."
A little while later, Chen Jingji arrived, greeted Yue Niang and the others present, and pulled the eldest sister to sit down. He said to Yue Niang, "The silver from the Xu family is coming back, a total of five hundred taels, which has been delivered to the room and received by Yu Xiao." So everyone drank and chatted, and after a few drinks, the atmosphere grew even livelier. Yue Niang, Li Jiao'er, and Gui Jie played chess, while Yu Lou and the others got up to enjoy the flowers and play. Only Jin Lian remained, fanning herself with a white round fan as she headed to the banana grove behind the mountain to cool off. She saw a beautiful wild purple flower on the grass in the corner and went to pick it. Unexpectedly, Jingji noticed her immediately and quietly followed her, saying from behind, "Wu Niang, what are you looking for? This grass is very slippery; be careful not to fall; I would be heartbroken." Jin Lian turned her head, squinted, and playfully scolded, "You dead ghost, if I fall, would you be heartbroken? That's not your concern! Why are you following me? Aren't you afraid of being seen?" Then she asked, "Where's the handkerchief you bought?" Jingji smiled and took it out from his sleeve to give it to her, saying, "Li Niang's is all here." He then asked, "The handkerchief is bought; what will you give me in return?" As a result, Jin Lian's face was close to him, and she pushed him away. Unexpectedly, Li Ping'er was holding Guan Ge'er, and Rui Yi followed from the other side of the pine tree wall. Seeing Jin Lian waving the white round fan, she didn't realize it was to push Jingji away; she thought she was shooing away butterflies and hurriedly shouted, "Wu Mama, butterflies, don't scare Guan Ge'er." Jingji quickly hid into the mountain. Jin Lian was afraid Li Ping'er would see, so she deliberately asked, "Did Chen Jiefu give you the handkerchief?" Li Ping'er said, "He hasn't given it to me yet." Jin Lian said, "He just hid it in his sleeve; it wouldn't be good to give it to us in front of the eldest sister, so he quietly slipped it to me." So, the two of them sat on the stone platform beneath the banana grove, opened it up, and shared it. After sitting for a while, Li Ping'er said, "It's very cool here." She told Rui Yi, "You go to the Ying Chun room to get the child's pillow and mat, and also the bones; Wu Niang and I will play bones here. You keep an eye on things inside." Rui Yi went.
After a while, Yingchun brought over the pillows, mat, and dominoes. Leping spread out the mat, set the baby on a small pillow to play, and played dominoes with Pan Jinlian. After a game, Leping asked Yingchun to fetch a pot of good tea from inside. Unexpectedly, Yulou spotted them from the Woyun Pavilion, waved at Leping, and called her over: "The big sister wants to talk to you." Leping handed the child over to Jinlian and said, "I'll be right there." Jinlian was preoccupied with Chen Jingji in the cave and didn't pay attention to the child, quickly dashed to the cave and told Chen Jingji, "No one is here, come out." Chen Jingji invited her in to see the mushrooms: "There are so many big mushrooms growing in here!" He coaxed her into the cave, and then... well, let's just say they got close.
Just at this moment, Li Ping'er walked to the pavilion. Yue Niang said, "Meng Sanjie and Guijie lost in the game of pitch-pot; why don't you play a few rounds for them?" Li Ping'er said, "There's no one watching the child." Yulou said, "Sister Six (Pan Jinlian) is watching, there's nothing to worry about." Yue Niang said, "Meng Sanjie, why don't you go check on the child?" Li Ping'er said, "Sanniang, could you please bring the child over?" Then she said to Xiaoyu, "Go get the child's mat and pillow." Xiaoyu and Yulou went under the banana tree; the child was lying on the mat, crying and kicking, completely unaware of where Pan Jinlian had gone. A big black cat nearby, seeing people coming, ran away in a flash. Yulou said, "Oh no! Where did his Fifth Mother (Pan Jinlian) go? Leaving the child here, scared by that cat!" Pan Jinlian hurriedly emerged from the snow cave and said, "I was washing my hands inside; who went over there! How could a cat scare him? What are you talking about?" Yulou didn’t even glance into the cave; she carried Guanger and went to the Woyun Pavilion. Xiaoyu followed with the mat and pillow. Pan Jinlian, worried she'd get into an argument, followed along. Yue Niang asked, "What's wrong with the child?" Yulou said, "When I went there, I don't know where a big black cat came and squatted next to the child." Yue Niang said, "That must have scared the child." Li Ping'er said, "His Fifth Mother was keeping an eye on him." Yulou said, "Sister Six went to wash her hands in the cave." Pan Jinlian walked over and said, "Third Sister, why are you so worked up? Where did that cat come from? He's probably hungry, wants milk and is crying, blaming it on everyone else." Li Ping'er saw Yingchun bringing tea and asked her to call the wet nurse to feed Guanger. Noticing no one around, Chen Jingji crawled out of the cave, went around the pine tree wall, under the awning, and straight out.
With both hands, one carves a path through life and death. One leaps out of the door of right and wrong. When Yueniang saw the child crying instead of nursing, she said to Liping'er: "Take him back to the room and soothe him to sleep." So everyone put down their drinks and left. It turned out that Chen Jingji had not succeeded with Pan Jinlian; things hadn’t gone well, so he returned to his room feeling quite discontented. It is: Helpless as the flowers fall, familiar like the swallows returning.
