The temple has fallen into disrepair, and there are few monks; and few passersby linger by the riverbank. The family is struggling, and servants have to shoulder heavy burdens for their masters; the government is feeble, and officials trick one another. The water is shallow, leaving the fish unable to remain; the trees are sparse, and the birds refuse to roost. Such are the ways of the world, which leaves people feeling sad and desolate.
Let’s set aside the matter of Sun Xue’e, who works as a prostitute in the brothel, for now. After her elder sister passed away, Wu Yuenuang accused Chen Jingji, who has since died, and his wife, Yizhengqing, remarried. Lai Xing'er managed the household, and the maid Xiu Chun joined Wang Guniang as a nun. Lai Xing'er hasn’t remarried since his wife Huixiu passed away. The wet nurse Ruyi often brings Xiao Ge'er to his room to play and share meals. Lai Xing'er frequently buys wine to drink with Ruyi, and the two have grown close, and it’s been going on for more than just a day or two. However, it’s fine during the day, but they get shy when they return to their rooms at night. Yuenuang found out and gave them a good telling-off. But family matters are best kept private, so she gave Lai Xing'er a set of clothes, four hairpins, chose an auspicious date, and arranged for Lai Xing'er and Ruyi to marry. By day, Ruyi takes care of the children in the kitchen, and at night she sleeps in Lai Xing'er’s room.
One day, on the fifteenth of August, it was the Moon Lady's birthday. Wu Dajinzi, Er Jinzi, and three nuns came to celebrate her birthday, drinking in the backyard hall. In the evening, everyone gathered in Mengyulou's room to listen to scriptures. By the second watch of the night, Zhongqi was boiling water in the back kitchen, but the Moon Lady called him several times without response. The Moon Lady went to the front room herself and saw Daian and Xiaoyu caught off guard on the bed. The Moon Lady pushed the door open, and Daian and Xiaoyu were flustered. The Moon Lady didn't say anything, just remarked, "You little rascal, why aren't you boiling water in the back kitchen? What are you doing here?" Xiaoyu looked down and replied, "I asked Zhongqi to boil water on the stove." Then she went back to the back kitchen. Daian quickly left the courtyard and went to the front room.
Two days later, Wu Dajinzi, Er Jinzi, and the three nuns all returned home. The Moon Lady cleared out Lai Xing'er's room for Daian to stay in and asked Lai Xing'er to move into Lai Zhao's room to keep an eye on the gate. She also prepared two bedding sets for Daian, along with a new outfit, a new hat, and a pair of new shoes and socks; she styled a new hair bun for Xiaoyu, gave her some gold and silver jewelry, four gold and silver hairpins, rings, two sets of silk clothes, and then arranged for Xiaoyu to marry Daian on an auspicious date. Xiaoyu helped the Moon Lady during the day and shared all the good food with Daian at night. The Moon Lady pretended not to notice. Spoiling someone is unwise; greed knows no bounds. When resources are unevenly shared, it's hard to manage. If the household is in disarray, the servants will grumble.
Ping An'er saw that Yueniang married Xiaoyu off to Daian, and Daian was dressed better than anyone else, which made him feel unbalanced. He was two years older than Daian, twenty-two this year, but still unmarried. One day at the pawnshop, he saw Fu, the shopkeeper, take a gold headpiece and a gold-plated hook, and pawn them for thirty taels of silver. The shopkeeper only needed the thirty taels of silver for a month before redeeming them. Fu and Daian retrieved the items and put them back in the shop's cabinet. Seeing the money, Ping An'er was tempted, stole the box of gold jewelry, and ran to Wuchangjiao's place in Nanwazi—where two brothels were located, one named Xue Cun'er and the other Ban'er—and stayed there for two nights. Those thugs noticed him spending money lavishly, especially with the box still holding the gold headpiece, so they took the silver and drank and bought things. Someone reported him to the authorities, who arrested him and gave him a couple of slaps.
It was a coincidence. Wu Dian'en was promoted to inspector, riding a horse, leading the way with a wooden board in front, and passing by on the street. He saw it and asked, "Who did you catch?" The official knelt down and reported, "This person stole gold and silver jewelry to the brothel for prostitution. I found it suspicious, so I arrested him." Wu Dian'en ordered, "Bring him over for questioning." So he was taken to the inspection hall. Wu Dian'en sat down, with bailiffs on both sides. The official brought the peacekeeper in front of Wu Dian'en, and the peacekeeper recognized Wu Dian'en as a former servant of the Ximen Qing family: "As long as I see you, I will be fine." He said, "I am a peacekeeper from the Ximen Qing family." Wu Dian'en said, "Since you are from his family, why would you take these gold and silver items to your wife's house overnight?" The peacekeeper said, "I lent these items from my family to relatives to wear. I arrived late, the city gate was closed, so I stayed overnight in the area, unexpectedly being arrested." Wu Dian'en scolded, "You scoundrel, nonsense! With so much gold and silver in your family, why would you take things to your wife's house overnight? Definitely stolen! Confess quickly to avoid punishment!" The peacekeeper said, "I really lent it to relatives. Madam Wu asked me to retrieve it; I wouldn't dare lie." Wu Dian'en was furious, scolding, "This thief scoundrel, how can he confess without beating?" He ordered, "Use the clamps to clamp him!" As he was being clamped, the peacekeeper screamed like a stuck pig, "Master, spare me, I confess!" Wu Dian'en said, "If you confess honestly, I won't clamp you." The peacekeeper said, "I stole items from the pawnshop, a gold headpiece, a gold-plated hook." Wu Dian'en asked, "Why did you steal?" The peacekeeper said, "I am twenty-two this year. Madam Wu promised to let me marry a wife, but she didn't let me. Da'an is only twenty years old, but he was matched with Xiaoyu. I was not satisfied in my heart, so I stole things." Wu Dian'en said, "It must be that Da'an and Madam Wu have an affair, so they matched Xiaoyu with him. Tell the truth; if it's not your business, I will spare you." The peacekeeper said, "I don't know." Wu Dian'en said, "If you don't tell the truth, I will use the clamps on you!" The clamps were put on him, and the peacekeeper had no choice but to say, "Master, spare me, I will speak!" Wu Dian'en said, "Speak, as long as it's not your business." He removed the clamps. The peacekeeper said, "Madam Wu and Da'an have an affair. She gave Xiaoyu to him first. Madam Wu saw it, didn't say anything, and gave him a lot of clothes and jewelry, letting him marry Xiaoyu." Wu Dian'en had the bailiffs record the testimony, locked the peacekeeper in the inspection office, waiting for further instructions, and then interrogated Madam Wu, Da'an, and Xiaoyu.
That day, a set of jewelry was missing from the cabinet in Fu's pawnshop, which left Uncle Fu Er in a panic. He asked Dai An, who replied that he had been eating at the pharmacy and knew nothing about it. Uncle Fu Er was so anxious he was practically hopping with worry: "I put the jewelry box in the cabinet, how could it be gone?" He searched the floor and the cabinet, but couldn't find Ping An (the servant), and Uncle Fu Er was so frantic he started swearing and burning incense. When the claimant came for the jewelry, Uncle Fu Er could only tell him he hadn’t found it yet. The claimant came back and forth several times, didn’t see the jewelry and began to make a scene at the door: "I've been here for a month, the principal and interest add up to quite a bit, why don't you give it back to me? The jewelry and hooks are worth seventy or eighty taels of silver!" Uncle Fu Er suspected it was him who had stolen it when he realized Ping An hadn't come home all night. He searched everywhere, but still couldn't find him, while the claimant continued to cause a ruckus at the door. Uncle Fu Er told Mrs. Yue, "I’ll just offer him fifty taels of silver," but the claimant still refused, insisting, "My jewelry is worth sixty taels, and the gems and pearls on the hooks are worth ten taels, a total of seventy taels that should be compensated!" Uncle Fu Er added another ten taels, but the claimant still refused and insisted that Uncle Fu Er sort it out. Just as they were arguing, someone burst in with news: "Your servant Ping An stole the jewelry and is keeping a mistress in Nanwazi. He was caught by Inspector Wu, quickly go claim the stolen goods!" When Mrs. Wu learned it was Inspector Wu Dian'en's case, she said, "He used to be our old partner!" She called Uncle Wu over to discuss, quickly wrote up a claim document for the stolen goods, and sent Uncle Fu Er to retrieve them the next day. With the stolen goods, both families were saved from trouble.
Uncle Fu took the documents to the patrol office, thinking that Wu Dian'en would smoothly retrieve the jewelry out of kindness, but instead he was severely scolded by Wu Dian'en's men. He was almost arrested, had his clothes torn off, and was beaten so badly that his backside was bruised. Only then was he released, and they warned him that his servant had revealed an affair between the Wu family and Dai'an, that he had reported it to the county office, and that he would summon Wu for questioning. The servants cursed Uncle Fu, frightening him so much that he ran home. When he got home, Uncle Fu told Madam Yue everything that had happened without hiding anything. Madam Yue was taken aback and panicked. Meanwhile, the person who wanted the jewelry came to the door and made a scene, demanding his jewelry back and some compensation. Uncle Fu tried to soothe him and promised to pay him back if the original items couldn't be found. The man said he would talk to the head of the household and then left. Madam Yue was anxious and asked Uncle Wu to come over to discuss the situation, suggesting that he offer him something to sweeten the deal to resolve the issue. Uncle Wu agreed and said they might need to offer him something to make him cooperate. Madam Yue mentioned how they had supported Wu Dian'en in the past and even lent him money without taking back the IOU, only to be repaid with betrayal now. Uncle Wu reminded her that there are plenty of ungrateful people out there and that they should come up with a quick solution to avoid more trouble. Madam Yue asked him to hurry and try to resolve the issue, even if it meant giving him some silver. Uncle Wu left after having a meal.
Madam Yue saw her brother off at the door and happened to meet Xue carrying a flower box and leading a maid over. Madam Yue stopped her and asked, "Old Xue, where are you going? Why haven't you been coming around lately?" Xue said, "You're right; I've been very busy these past few days. One thing after another, my young mistress at home has been keeping me busier than a high-ranking official. I've been called several times, but I haven't had the time to go over." Madam Yue said, "Look at you, talking about my young mistress again." Xue said, "She's not just a young mistress anymore; she's the main mistress now." Madam Yue asked, "How did she become the main mistress?" Xue said, "You might not know, but her luck has really turned! Since she gave birth to a son, the main mistress died, and the Prefect took her as his main wife. Even the proper second mistress, Lady Sun, can't hold a candle to her. She has bought two wet nurses and four maids to serve her. There are also two favored singing girls who have been used by the Prefect. She can do whatever she wants with them; the Prefect's word is law! She's even afraid of making him angry. The other day, for some reason, she gave Miss Xue a beating and even pulled out her hair. She made me bring her out in the middle of the night and sold her off for eight taels of silver. Today, I was still asleep when she had someone call me twice, asking me to hurry to the mansion to bring her two pairs of large green cloud hairpins and a pair of nine phoenix hairpins. She gave me five taels of silver in advance. I don't know where the silver went; I still haven't delivered it to her. When she sees me, I can only imagine how she's going to scold me." Madam Yue said, "You sit in the inner room; I'll take a look at those hairpins." She asked Xue to sit in the inner room. Xue opened the flower box and took out the hairpins for Madam Yue to see. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with gold and emerald beautifully contrasting, and a gold backing. Each phoenix in the nine phoenix hairpins held a string of pearls in its mouth, so delicate. Xue said, "This pair of hairpins cost three taels and five mace of silver; the pair of green cloud hairpins cost only one tael and five maces of silver, and I still haven't even recouped my costs."
As they were talking, Dai An came and said to Madam Yue, "The one who wants the jewelry is causing a scene at the door again, saying they can't wait any longer to get their hands on the stolen goods. When will they be able to receive them? If there’s no jewelry tomorrow, they will sue Uncle Fu Er. Uncle Fu Er was upset and went home. The person left after causing a scene." Xue Sao asked, "What's going on?" Madam Yue sighed and told Xue Sao the whole story, "Ping An stole a set of gold jewelry and a gold-plated hook from the pawnshop where he worked, ran outside the city to support his mistress, got caught by Inspector Wu, and is now locked up in jail. The person came to claim the jewelry but couldn't find it and caused a scene outside. Inspector Wu was deliberately making things difficult, wouldn't let us retrieve the stolen goods, and even tried to extort money from our associates. There's truly nothing we can do. My husband has died, and our family is struggling, and we're being taken advantage of. It's really too hard!" As she spoke, tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Xue Sao said, "Don't worry, good grandmother, I promise I can find it. Our young grandmother at home, you write a note here, and I will go and tell her, let her ask the old master to have the patrol office help. Not to mention one set of headwear—ten sets can be retrieved too." Lady Yu said, "Zhou Shoubei is a military officer, how can he possibly handle the patrol office's affairs?" Xue Sao said, "You might not know, ma'am, but now Lord Zhou has just been given a new imperial edict by the court; he has a lot of power now! He's also in charge of catching bandits along the rivers." When Lady Yu heard this, she said, "Since he is in charge of this matter, Old Xue, you go and have a few more words with Sister Pang. Don't involve two people for one thing; let her speak a few good words in front of Lord Zhou and get back the set of headwear from the patrol office. I'll reward you with five taels of silver." Xue Sao said, "Dear grandmother, don't be polite about the money. I saw how worried you were just now; I felt really bad. You write a note, and I will go to the mansion to talk to the young grandmother. If it works out, great; if not, I'll come back and let you know." Wu Yu Niang asked Xiaoyu to bring out some tea for Xue Sao. Xue Sao said, "No need, just have someone write a note; I still have a lot of things to do!" Lady Yu said, "You've been out for half a day; have a bite to eat before you go." Xiaoyu quickly brought out some tea. Lady Yu accompanied Xue Sao to drink tea, and Xue Sao even shared some snacks with the girls. Lady Yu asked how old the girls were, and Xue Sao said, "She's twelve now." After finishing her tea, Xue Sao put the note in her sleeve, said goodbye to Lady Yu, and carried the flower box to the Shoubei Mansion.
Chunmei is still sleeping in bed. The head maid, Yuegui, came in and said, "Old Xue is here." Chunmei asked the little maid, Cuihua, to open the curtains in the inner room. The sunlight shone on the sheer curtains, bright and clear. Sister Xue came in and said, "Madam, you haven't gotten up yet?" Putting down the flower basket, she bowed. Chunmei said, "Don't be so polite, no need to bow." Sister Xue said, "I felt a bit uneasy, so I got up late." Chunmei asked, "Did you bring the Cuiyunzi and Jiufeng hairpieces?" Sister Xue said, "Madam, these two hairpieces took me quite a bit of work! I just retrieved them from Cuixia's shop last night and was planning to bring them today, but I didn't expect you to send someone to get them." Saying that, she took out the hairpieces for Chunmei to see. Chunmei felt that the Cuiyunzi was not delicate enough, so she put it back in the box and asked Yuegui to take care of it. Then she asked Sister Xue to have some tea. Sister Xue called in the little maid, "Bow to Madam." Chunmei asked, "Where did this girl come from?" Sister Xue said, "The Second Madam has told me several times that Lotus makes delicious meals, so she asked me to find a child to learn needlework. I brought a child to her. She is a girl from the countryside, only twelve years old, the perfect age to learn." Chunmei said, "Why did you find a child from the countryside for her? It would be more convenient to find a child from the city. What does this country girl know?" She asked again, "How much does she cost?" Sister Xue said, "Not much, just four taels of silver; her father is going to join the army." Chunmei called Haitang, "Take her to the Second Mistress's room, and give her the silver tomorrow." She then told Yuegui, "Pour a cup of Jinhua wine from the big jar to warm Sister Xue up. Also, bring her a box of snacks, so she won't complain about getting cold wine so early."
Xue Sao said, "Guijie, hold off on pouring the wine for now. I still have to finish talking to Grandma. I just had a bite to eat." Chunmei said, "Tell me, where did you eat? What did you have?" Xue Sao said, "Just now at the old lady's place, she let me have some food. It was so sad that just seeing me made her want to cry. She said that a servant from Ping An's family stole the gold-headed noodles from the pawnshop, and a gold-plated hook, and kept a mistress outside. He was caught by the guards and taken to the patrol office, where he was beaten. This family wants their noodles back, and it's causing a huge ruckus. That patrol officer Wu used to work for us; his father used to take care of his official matters. Now he's turned his back on us, not only beating the servant but also dragging others into it, and not allowing them to retrieve the stolen goods. He demanded money first before he beat and scolded the servant Fu. He scared the servant so badly that he ran back home. He begged me to come and ask for your help. It's a sad situation, with no one to help him. Could you please talk to the master for him? Get the noodles back and return them to the family; the old lady will come to thank you herself." Chunmei asked, "Do you have a warrant? It's okay, your master has gone out on patrol; he probably won't be back until later tonight. I'll wait for your master to get back before I talk to him." Xue Sao said, "The warrant is here." She pulled the warrant out of her sleeve. Chunmei glanced at it and nonchalantly set it on the windowsill.
After a while, four simple dishes were brought out on a tray, and Yuegu poured a large cup of wine, full to the brim, and handed it to Xue Sao. Xue Sao said, "Oh my goodness, how can I possibly drink this wine?" Chunmei smiled and said, "This wine is nowhere near as strong as what your husband drinks. You can drink that wine, but you can't drink this one? Anyway, drink it! If you don't drink it, Yuegu, pinch her nose and pour it in!" Xue Sao said, "Give me some snacks first." Chunmei said, "Come on, you’re just making excuses. Just now you said you had eaten, now you say you need snacks." Xue Sao said, "I had two snacks, can I still drink this wine?" Yuegu said, "Xue Mama, drink this cup of wine first, and then I'll bring you some snacks. Our grandmother says I'm useless and wants to hit me!" Xue Sao reluctantly downed a large cup, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Chunmei pouted and then asked Haitang to pour a full cup for Xue Sao to drink. Xue Sao declined, saying, "My goodness, I really can't drink anymore." Haitang said, "After you drink a cup from Yuegu, can't you drink a cup from me? Grandma will hit me!" Xue Sao, startled, quickly dropped to her knees. Chunmei said, "Never mind, let’s just give her some cake to help wash down the wine." Yuegu said, "Xue Mama, who spoils you like I do, still keeps such good rose-filled cakes for you to eat." With that, she brought over a large plate of rose-filled cakes. Xue Sao managed to eat just one, and Chunmei let her stash the rest in her sleeve, saying, "Take them home to feed your old man." After drinking the wine, Xue Sao covered her face, wrapped up a plate of smoked meat and pickled goose in paper, and stuffed it into her sleeve. Haitang forced her to drink half a cup of wine, and when she threw up, she quickly set aside the wine glass and called it quits. Chunmei ordered, "Come back tomorrow to sort this out and get the silver for your maid." Before leaving, Chunmei ordered again, "Mother, don't pretend to be deaf and dumb. If Cuiyun's work isn't up to par, bring two more pairs for me to see tomorrow." Xue Sao said, "I understand. Grandma even sent a big sister to escort me, worried the dog might nip at my leg." Chunmei smiled and said, "Our dogs at home are very smart; they only go for the spots where the bones are sticking out." With that, she had Lan send Xue Sao out through the side door.
As the story goes, when Zhou Shoubei returned from his evening patrol, he entered the back hall and the maidservants helped him out of his official robes. He was delighted to see Chunmei and the young master as he entered the room. After sitting down, Yuegui and Haitang served tea, and Zhou Shoubei listened to them discuss the details of the patrol. Soon after, the dining table was set. After the meal, they lit the candles and set out the wine glasses. Zhou Shoubei asked, "Was everything alright?" Chunmei took out the note from Xue Sao for him to read and explained the situation with Wu Yueniang, roughly summarizing: "The servant Ping'an had stolen some jewelry and was caught by Inspector Wu, and wouldn't let him settle it privately. Instead, he tortured the servant, falsely accused Wu Yueniang of having an affair, demanded money, and reported it to the authorities." Shoubei finished reading and said, "This is clearly a matter for our yamen; why report it to the authorities? That Inspector Wu is downright despicable! I'll issue an order tomorrow to have him brought in for punishment." He also said, "I heard that Inspector Wu is actually his subordinate; because he went to the capital to deliver gifts to Grand Secretary Cai, he got promoted. How could he turn around and frame his own family?" Chunmei said, "That's exactly what happened. You should help him out with it tomorrow." The night flew by.
The next day, a statement was promptly prepared for Wu Yueniang's family, stamped with large red characters in the public hall, and placed in an envelope. On top, it was written: "The Shandong Provincial Governor's Office lost stolen items, requesting the patrol magistrate to investigate and confiscate the stolen goods. Yu Hou Zhang Sheng and Li An are appointed for this." The two men took the document and headed first to Wu Yueniang's house. Yueniang hosted them with food and drink, and gave each of them two taels of silver as travel expenses. The shopkeeper, Fu, was asleep at home, so Uncle Wu followed them to the inspection office. Inspector Wu noticed that Ping'an had been in detention for two days, and no one from the Ximenqing family had come to handle it. He was about to write a report to the county government when two officials from the Provincial Governor's Office arrived with the document. Seeing the phrase "requesting the patrol magistrate to investigate and confiscate the stolen goods" written in cinnabar on the envelope, he opened it and saw that it was Wu Yueniang's statement, causing his face to turn pale. He quickly apologized, gave Li An and Zhang Sheng two taels of silver each, and immediately wrote a document to send the person up. When they arrived at the Prefectural Office, they waited for half a day. When they finally entered the Prefectural Office, the soldiers on both sides stood in formation. Inspector Wu presented the document, and the Prefect read it and said, "This matter falls under our jurisdiction. Why wasn't it reported earlier? Delaying like this is clearly favoritism and corruption!" Inspector Wu said, "I was about to report this to you, my lord, but I didn't expect your approval to arrive so soon." The Prefect shouted, "You corrupt official! What kind of official are you? How dare you oppress the people and defy your superiors! I am tasked by the court to defend the region, capture thieves, lead the army, manage the waterways, and my authority is clear. You handled this matter privately, did not report it upwards, and even used the cane to torture innocent people. This is clearly favoritism and corruption!" Inspector Wu took off his hat and kept kowtowing on the steps. The Prefect said, "I should punish you for your crimes, but I will let it go this time. If you offend again, you will be severely punished!" He then brought Ping'an forward and said, "You thief, stealing and spreading lies. Who would dare to employ such a servant in the future!" He commanded, "Give him thirty lashes and then release him. Seal the stolen goods and let his family come to claim them." He then called Uncle Wu in, gave him the document to claim the stolen goods, and sent Zhang Sheng to Ximenqing's house with a note detailing the situation. Wu Yueniang hosted Zhang Sheng with food and drink, and also gave him one tael of silver. Zhang Sheng returned to the Prefectural Office and reported the situation to the Prefect and Chunmei.
Inspector Wu wrongly accused Ping'an and ended up losing several taels of silver. Madame Yue silently returned the jewelry to its owner. After Fu got home, he fell ill with typhoid fever, became bedridden, and passed away seven days later. Madame Yue decided to redeem all the items she had pawned and ceased pawning anything further. She only allowed Uncle Wu and Daian to go to the pharmacy every day to buy medicine to support the household expenses. We'll leave this matter aside for now.
One day, Madame Yue gave Xue Sao three taels of silver to go to the Prefectural Governor's mansion to give gifts. Xue Sao hesitated, saying, "No, the lady of the mansion will blame me." Madame Yue said, "It's okay, I'll explain it to her. I appreciate your help." So, she bought four plates of appetizers, slaughtered a pig, prepared a barrel of fine wine, and a piece of satin, and asked Xue Sao to take these things to thank Chunmei in the Prefectural Governor's mansion.
Daian, dressed in a blue jacket and holding a gift list, followed Xue Sao into the back courtyard of the Prefectural Governor's mansion. Chunmei came out, wearing a gold hairpin, an embroidered jacket, and a brocade skirt, with her maids and a nurse attending her. Daian quickly knelt and bowed respectfully. Chunmei ordered, "Set up a table and serve tea to Daian." Then she said, "There's no need to be so formal; your grandmother doesn't need to go to such trouble to send so many gifts; your master surely won't accept them." Daian said, "My grandmother said, thanks to Master Zhou and Madam Zhou for their help with the Ping'an situation a few days back, these are just small tokens of appreciation for Master and Madam." Chunmei said, "How can we possibly accept this?" Xue Sao said, "If you don't take it, you'll end up blaming me later." After considering it, Chunmei accepted only the pork, wine, and appetizers, returning the satin. She handed Daian a handkerchief and three coins, and gave two coins to the men carrying the box.
Chunmei continued to ask Daian, "When are you getting married off? When will you wear the wedding headdress? When will you spend the wedding night with Xiaoyu?" Daian replied, "It will be in August." Chunmei said, "After you go home, please thank your grandmother for me for her generous gifts. I would like to invite your grandmother to come and visit, but your husband is often away on business. When the New Year and my son's birthday come around, I will visit your home." Daian said, "If you do, I'll let my grandmother know and come pick you up." After that, Chunmei waved Daian off. Xue Sao said to Daian, "Young master, you should go back first; grandmother still needs to talk to me."
Daian took the box home and told Wu Yueniang what had happened, "Chunmei asked me to come in and sit down; she even treated me to tea and snacks and asked about our family. She gave me a handkerchief and three taels of silver, and two taels of silver to the box carrier. She repeatedly thanked grandmother for the generous gifts, but grandmother did not accept them. It was Xue Sao and I who persuaded her to accept some nibbles and pork for drinking, and the silk was sent back. She also said she would like grandmother to come and visit, but these days the master is traveling. She said she would come to our house during the New Year and my son's birthday." Daian also said, "Chunmei lives in a five-room main house, wearing a brocade skirt and embroidered jacket, with a gold hairpin, a lot plumper than before, and has many maids and nurses serving her!" Yueniang asked, "Did she really say she would come to our house next year?" Daian said, "She did tell me so." Yueniang said, "We will send someone to pick her up when the time comes." Yueniang asked again, "Why hasn't Xue Sao come back yet?" Daian said, "When I left, she was still talking to Chunmei, so she asked me to come back first."
From then on, the two families kept in touch. The world sees warmth and cold, and people's faces follow highs and lows. There is a poem as evidence: Gains and losses, glory and shame, are all part of fate; the aspirations in one's heart must be achieved; without wealth, talent doesn't count for much.
