Pan Jinlian saw Chen Jingji climbing over the wall early the next morning and felt a pang of regret. The next day was the fifteenth of the seventh month, and Wu Yueniang took a sedan chair to Dizang Temple to make offerings for Ximen Qing. Jinlian and the others saw Yueniang off at the door. After returning, Meng Yulou, Sun Xue'e, and the elder sister all went back, leaving only Jinlian behind. She walked to the front hall and just happened to run into Jingji coming down from upstairs with some clothes from Li Ping'er. Jinlian called out to him, saying, "I said a few words to you yesterday. Why did you run out so early? Did we really fall out?" Jingji replied, "You still have the nerve to say! I hardly slept all night, almost exhausted to death; look at my face, it's all scratched up!" Jinlian scolded, "You death-wish fool, since you didn’t do anything with her, why sneak around? What was the point of sneaking around for nothing?" Jingji said, "It was almost dawn; if I didn’t hurry and got seen, it wouldn’t be good. I didn’t do anything with her!" Jinlian said, "Since nothing happened, come again tonight; I’ll take my time asking you." Jingji said, "You kept me awake all night; let me catch some sleep during the day!" Jinlian said, "If you don’t come, I won’t let you off!" After saying that, Jinlian returned to her room. Jingji took the clothes to the shop to sell, then came back and took a nap in the side room. He waited for nightfall, wanting to go to Pan Jinlian's place. Unexpectedly, at dusk, the sky suddenly turned overcast, and it began to rain outside the window.
The dusk rain in the courtyard rustled the banana leaves.
Jing Ji looked at the heavy rain and said, "This weather is really terrible! It was hard enough to explain things clearly to her, and now it's raining again, what a pain!" He waited and waited, and it kept pouring until the first watch. Rainwater flowed down from the eaves in a rush. Unable to wait for the rain to stop, Jing Ji wrapped himself in a red blanket and went out. At this moment, Wu Yueniang returned, while his sister and Yuanxiao were still in the backyard, not yet out. Jing Ji locked the door and, in the pouring rain, entered the garden through the west corner gate, pushing open the corner door. Pan Jinlian knew he would definitely come tonight, so she had already asked Chunmei to prepare a few cups of wine for Qiujun, letting her fall asleep in the room, intentionally leaving the door slightly open. As soon as Jing Ji pushed the door open, he went in. Entering Pan Jinlian's room, he saw the sheer curtains half-drawn, the candle lit, and the table already set with food and wine, with the cups already filled. The two sat down side by side, and Pan Jinlian asked, "You really haven't been fooling around with Meng San'er? How did this hairpin end up in your hand?" Jing Ji replied, "I picked it up yesterday under the wisteria trellis in the garden. If I’m lying to you, may I drop dead!" Pan Jinlian said, "Since it’s not, you can keep this hairpin. I don’t want it. But you must keep my hairpin, fragrance pouch, handkerchief, and all these things safe; if even one goes missing, I’ll make you pay!" The two drank wine and played chess, only going to bed at the first watch. After some passionate moments, Pan Jinlian revealed all her past flings with Ximen Qing to her lover.
Autumn Chrysanthemum was in the next room when she suddenly heard a man's voice coming from this room and didn't know who it was. Just before dawn, Autumn Chrysanthemum got up to go to the bathroom and heard the door of the next room open. Under the hazy moonlight, the rain was still falling, and she saw someone wrapped in a red blanket going out from the crack of the window. "It seems to be Brother Chen! So, my mother is really something, secretly keeping a gigolo!" The next day, Autumn Chrysanthemum rushed to the back kitchen to tell Xiaoyu about it. Unexpectedly, Xiaoyu was close to Chunmei and told her about it. Chunmei said, "Autumn Chrysanthemum said that your mother is keeping Chen Jingji, who slept in her room last night and just went out this morning. Eldest sister and Yuanxiao weren't sleeping in the front either." Chunmei told Pan Jinlian about this in detail: "Mother, if you don't punish this girl for her nonsense, it could get us into trouble!" Jinlian was furious when she heard this; she called Autumn Chrysanthemum in and made her kneel to scold her, "I told you to cook porridge, and you went and broke the pot! Feeling a bit too big for your britches, huh? I haven't beaten you these days, are you itching?" Then she picked up a stick and whacked Autumn Chrysanthemum thirty times, making her scream like a stuck pig, her body all bruised. Chunmei said, "Mother, don't just beat her; you need to teach her a lesson. Strip off her clothes, call a servant, and use a big paddle to
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Jin Lian secretly arranged to meet Jing Ji to admire the moon and drink wine, and Chun Mei also joined in to play chess. They overslept that night and hadn't gotten up by the time for tea, which gave away their secret. To their surprise, Yue Niang was just combing her hair, and Xiao Yu was just standing at the backyard door. Qiu Ju grabbed Xiao Yu and said, "My brother-in-law slept in my mother's room again last night and still hasn't gotten up! A few days ago, I told you, and you even beat me. Today I saw it with my own eyes; I didn't wrong him. Grandma, you should go take a look!" Xiao Yu scolded, "You chatterbox servant, trying to get your master in trouble again. My grandma is busy combing her hair; hurry and leave!" Yue Niang asked, "What did she say?" Xiao Yu didn't dare to hide it and only said, "Fifth Mistress sent Qiu Ju to ask Grandma to speak." She didn't mention anything else. That night, Granny Moon had finished getting ready and gracefully made her way to Jin Lian's room door. Chun Mei saw her first and quickly went in to tell Jin Lian. Jin Lian and Jing Ji were still in bed, and when they heard that Yue Niang was coming, they jumped in surprise and hurriedly hid Jing Ji under the bed, covering him up snugly with the quilt. Then they had Chun Mei set a small table on the bed and brought over hairpins to get ready.
After a while, Moon Sister entered the room and sat down, saying, "Little Six, it's so late and you haven't gone out yet. What are you doing? Oh, you're stringing pearl flowers in the room." She looked at the pearl flowers and praised, "You've done it beautifully. The front has sesame flowers, the sides have square victory patterns, there are also bee-surrounded chrysanthemums, and finally concentric knots. It looks really nice! Tomorrow, you help me wear one like this." Upon hearing Moon Sister's praise, Jinlian calmed down and asked Chunmei to pour tea for her. After finishing her tea, she stayed a bit longer before leaving, saying, "Little Six, hurry up and freshen up and come over later." Jinlian agreed. After Moon Sister left, she quickly called Jingji out and they went to the front courtyard together. Chunmei and Jinlian's mother both sighed in relief, and her mother remarked, "Your mother-in-law rarely comes here. Why did she come so early today?" Chunmei said, "It must be one of our servants who gossiped about us." Not long after, Xiaoyu came and said, "Qiuju in the backyard said that Brother-in-law sleeps from day to night and from night to day. I scolded him a few times, but he didn’t budge. When Nanny asked me, I had to say that Fifth Sister asked Nanny to talk to him, and that's why Nanny came. You know what's really going on; adults don't remember the mistakes of children, just be careful of those servants." Although Moon Sister didn't believe Qiuju's words, she was worried that Jinlian, being young and widowed, would think wrongly over time, or that things would be talked about by others. Out of concern for her daughter, she didn't let Jinlian go out, gave Li Jia'er's room to Jinlian to live in, and had Jinlian and Jingji move to the backyard. When Jingji went to help at the Fu's shop, he took turns staying overnight in the shop. Jingji would go in and out with Daian to get clothes and medicine. All the doors were locked, and the maids and daughters-in-law were not allowed to go out unless necessary. In short, it was very strict, and the close relationship between Pan Jinlian and Jingji faced significant obstacles. It is true: good things often face many obstacles in this world, and the good times at home never last long. As the poem goes:
Several visits to Yu Zhen on the Tian Tai, the three mountains are hidden, deeply shrouded by the sea. In a single day, the Marquis's mansion feels as deep as the sea; from that moment on, Xiao Lang became just a stranger. Since Autumn Chrysanthemum revealed the secret, Pan Jinlian and Jing Ji haven't seen each other for over a month. Jinlian feels miserable every day; the embroidered curtains feel lonely and cold, and the painted pavilion appears desolate, her heart heavy with emptiness. She has given up on her appearance, can't eat, her belt hangs loose, and she has lost weight; all she does is sleep. Chunmei said, "Mother, dwelling on this won't change anything. Yesterday, the old lady brought two nuns; I heard they will chant sutras tonight, and the back door will be closed very late. I'll go to the stable to get hay tonight, and I'll make sure my brother-in-law meets you at the store. What do you think, mother?" Jinlian's mother said, "My dear sister, if you can help me get him here, I will surely repay you handsomely; I will never forget." Chunmei said, "Mother, what do you mean! We are family, and father is no longer here. Wherever you go in the future, I'll always stick together with you." Jinlian's mother said, "You have such a good heart; that's great."
In the evening, Jinlian's mother first went to the back yard to see Lady Yue, pretending to feel unwell, and then secretly returned to the front yard. The back yard door had been wide open for a while, and the maids and servants had all come out to listen to the nuns chanting sutras. Jinlian urged Chunmei, "Please go invite him, my dear sister." Chunmei said, "I'll first get Autumn Chrysanthemum tipsy, lock her up in the kitchen, and then go." So, she poured two big bowls of wine for Autumn Chrysanthemum, got her drunk, locked her up in the kitchen, took a basket, walked to the front yard, filled a basket with hay, and then quietly walked to the door of the printing shop, knocking softly.
Just as the shopkeeper of the Fu family was out, having gone home, only Jing Ji was lying in bed. Suddenly, he heard someone calling at the door; the voice sounded like Chunmei's. He quickly opened the door and, seeing her, grinned and said, "It really is the little sister. There's no one here, please come in." Chunmei walked into the room and asked, "Where are the others?" Jing Ji replied, "Dai An and Ping An are napping in the pharmacy over there; it's just me here." Chunmei said, "My mother has mentioned you several times, saying you are a good person. These past few days, you haven't come to our place. She said you have another woman and no longer care for us mother and daughter." Jing Ji said, "What are you saying? Ever since that day I got scared, I haven't dared to move around; Auntie is very strict." Chunmei said, "My mother has been feeling unwell these days because of you; she hasn’t had much of an appetite and can’t seem to find the energy to do anything. Today, Auntie asked her to go to the backyard to listen to some scriptures, but she didn't go and came here instead. She has been thinking about you and asked me to call you over." Jing Ji said, "Thanks for being so kind; how can I repay you? You go back first, and I'll tidy up a bit and come right away." He opened the cupboard, took out a white handkerchief and a silver toothpick to give to her. Then, he and Chunmei embraced and kissed, both feeling really happy. The poem says:
Without the chance to meet Yingying,
Let’s have Hongniang clear up the rumors.
The two played for a while, and Chunmei returned to the room with the grass, telling Jin Lian's mom everything that happened: "I called my brother-in-law, and he is coming right away. When he saw me, he was very happy and even gave me a handkerchief and a silver toothpick." Jin Lian's mother asked Chunmei to say, "You keep an eye out; just be careful when he shows up."
That day was around September 13th, the moon was round and bright. Chen Jingji sneaked over to the pharmacy and called An'er. He lied to Yue Niang, claiming he was listening to a story, but he ran to the backyard instead. Since the front garden gate was closed, he entered Jin Lian's room through the back door and used a hibiscus flower as a signal. Chun Mei quickly came out to greet him and brought him inside. Jin Lian playfully scolded, "You bad guy, why didn't you come earlier?" Jingji said, "I wanted to come sooner, but I was worried about causing trouble and dragging you into it, so I felt bad." As he spoke, the two sat down hand in hand. Chun Mei closed the back door; there was a table laid out with food and drinks. Jin Lian and Jingji sat close together while Chun Mei poured the wine, and everyone had a great time, toasting and drinking. After drinking too much, Jin Lian's eyes became hazy, and she took out the "pleasure bag" left by Ximen Qing, which contained various intimate items. Under the light, Jin Lian took off all her clothes and lay on the lounge chair. Jingji also stripped completely naked and pulled out some spring palace pictures to use as a guide. Jin Lian asked Chun Mei to help from behind, and Chun Mei pushed Jingji from the back. It was quite noisy, and Qiu Jiu woke up in the middle of the night to wash her hands, only to find that the door to Jin Lian's room was locked from the inside and wouldn't budge. She quietly crept over to the window to peek inside, only
Three people fidgeted until the early hours before finally falling asleep. Chunmei woke up before dawn and noticed the kitchen door was open, so she asked Qiujun what was going on. Qiujun said, "I really had to go, where else was I supposed to?" Chunmei replied, "You little troublemaker, there is a toilet in the house; why did you come out?" Qiujun said, "I didn't know there was a toilet in the house." The two of them bickered in the backyard until Jingji left at dawn. Jinlian asked Chunmei what happened in the backyard, and Chunmei told her about Qiujun opening the door at night. Jinlian was itching to give Qiujun a good smack. Qiujun went to tell Yuemeng early in the morning, and Yuemeng yelled at her, "You little idiot! The other day, you stirred up trouble for no reason, saying that your master was hiding Chen Jingji, sleeping during the day and night, and asked me to investigate. Your master was busy sewing in bed at that time; where did Chen Jingji come from? Later, Chen Jingji came in through the front door. You, this dead girl, you think you can just treat her like a puppet? If this gets out, people will think you did something to your master. If you don't know, you'd think that after Ximen Qing died, his wives all went crazy." Yuemeng was ready to give Qiujun a beating, and Qiujun was scared and ran away, and she never dared to complain in the backyard again. Jinlian, even though she didn't fully believe Yuemeng, felt braver. Ximen's eldest sister asked Jingji secretly. Jingji said, "Do you really believe that crazy woman? I was at the pharmacy last night; when would I have gone to the backyard? The garden gate has always been closed!" The eldest sister scolded, "You bad guy, don't try to argue. If I find out anything suspicious about you, just wait and see if you get kicked out!" Jingji said, "There are rumors every day; if you don't listen, they won't bother you. Mother won't believe her." The eldest sister said, "It's good that you said that." "Who would’ve thought that a man’s heart is so fickle, not knowing that the woman's intentions are as chaotic as silk."
