The lyrics sing:
After parting, who knows that you and I are like pearls split in two, like jade pieces torn apart, completely severed? You forgot the vows made until the seas dry and the rocks decay, the promises of forever, and for the sake of a mere mountain chicken, you cast aside the phoenix! From then on, I can only cry in silence, walking past the Qin Tower, looking back several times, feeling hollow. Even if new love outshines the old, there will come a day of parting, and when that day comes, you too will shed tears as you set sail.
— The lyrics of "Lazy Painting of the Eyebrow" are truly poignant.
Ximen Qing is gone. Early the next morning, Wang Po took silver to buy a coffin and ritual items, as well as incense, candles, and paper money. She returned and lit an eternal lamp before Wu Da's spirit. Neighbors came to pay their respects, and Wang Po feigned tears, hiding her face. The neighbors asked, "What illness did Da Lang pass away from?" Wang Po said, "He suffered from a broken heart, worsening day by day, and it was clear he wouldn't get better. Unfortunately, he died last night; it was truly a tragedy!" As she spoke, she pretended to cry again. Though the neighbors suspected something was off about Wu Da's death, they didn't dare to ask too much. Everyone advised her, saying, "A person is dead, but the living still have to carry on. Don’t be too sad; the weather is so hot." Wang Po pretended to be grateful, and the neighbors soon left. Wang Po carried the coffin to call the coroner, He Jiu. She had already purchased everything for the funeral and gathered all the necessary items at home. She invited two monks from the Baoyan Temple to keep watch and chant sutras overnight. Before long, He Jiu arranged for several pallbearers.
He Jiu arrived around the time of Si (9-11 a.m.), slowly walking to the intersection of Zishi Street, where he met Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing called out, "Where are you going, Old Jiu?" He Jiu replied, "I'm going ahead to help collect the body of Wu Dalang, the pancake vendor." Ximen Qing said, "Wait a moment, let's chat." He Jiu followed Ximen Qing to a small inn at a street corner and sat down in a private room. Ximen Qing said, "Old Jiu, please sit." He Jiu said, "How can I possibly sit with a big official like you!" Ximen Qing said, "Old Jiu, don't be polite, please sit." After some pleasantries, they finally sat down. Ximen Qing instructed the innkeeper, "Bring a bottle of good wine." As the innkeeper served the wine and dishes, He Jiu became suspicious, thinking, "Ximen Qing has never invited me for a drink before; there must be something fishy about this wine today." After drinking for a while, Ximen Qing took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table, saying, "Old Jiu, don't think it's too little; there will be a reward tomorrow." He Jiu declined, saying, "I haven't been of much help; how can I dare to accept your silver! If you have any requests, I wouldn't dare refuse." Ximen Qing said, "Old Jiu, don't be polite; accept it." He Jiu said, "Since you say so, I will accept it." Ximen Qing said, "It's nothing major; his family will give you some money later for your efforts. It's just that now we need to prepare Wu Dalang's body properly; it's best to cover it with a nice quilt." He Jiu said, "So that's the matter! It's no big deal; how can I accept your silver?" Ximen Qing said, "If you turn it down, it would hurt my feelings." He Jiu was originally afraid of Ximen Qing, who had connections in the government, so he could only accept the silver. After a few more drinks, Ximen Qing called the innkeeper, "Make a note of the bill; come to my shop tomorrow to settle it." The two of them went downstairs and out of the inn. As they were leaving, Ximen Qing said, "Old Jiu, you must remember this matter; never reveal it. I'll make it up to you later." With that, he left.
He Jiu received the silver and thought to himself, "There's no need to go into details about this. It's just that if Wu Er comes back and asks about it, this silver could serve as proof." He then thought, "I happen to need money these days, so I'll use it for now and figure something out later." Thus, he went to the entrance of Wu Da's home. Several porters were waiting at the door. Wang Po was also anxiously waiting. As soon as He Jiu arrived, he inquired of the porters, "How did Wu Da die?" The porters replied, "His family said he died of heart disease." He Jiu entered, lifted the curtain, and went inside. Wang Po came up to him, saying, "I've been waiting for you for a long time; the master has been here for quite some time. Why did you take so long?" He Jiu replied, "I was delayed by some things and arrived late." He saw that Wang Po was wearing plain clothes and had her hair tied up in a white cloth, pretending to cry as she walked out from the inner room. He Jiu said, "My dear, my condolences; Da Lang is gone." Wang Po pretended to wipe her tears and said, "It's just so tragic! My husband had heart disease and lost his life in just a few days, leaving me all alone and miserable!" He Jiu looked Wang Po over and thought to himself, "I had only heard about Wu Da's wife before; I had never seen her in person. Turns out Wu Da married such a beautiful woman. Ximen Qing really got his money's worth with these ten taels!" He walked to the spirit tablet to examine Wu Da's body. The master finished chanting, lifted the banner, pulled back the white cloth, and took a close look. Wu Da's fingernails were blue, his lips were purple, his face was yellow, and his eyes were bulging out; it was obvious he had been poisoned. The two porters beside him said, "Why is his face also purple, and there are bite marks on his lips, with blood coming from his mouth?" He Jiu said, "Don't be ridiculous! It's been so hot these days; how could there be no changes?" He hurriedly placed Wu Da in the coffin and nailed it shut. Wang Po urged him to hurry, took out a pouch of money to give to He Jiu, dismissed the porters, and asked, "When will the funeral be held?" Wang Po said, "The lady said the funeral would be in three days, with cremation outside the city." He Jiu then stood up to take his leave. That night, Wang Po hosted a banquet, and the next day she invited four monks to chant sutras. On the third day, at five in the morning, the porters came to carry the coffin, along with some neighbors to see off the deceased. Wang Po wore mourning clothes and sat in a sedan chair, pretending to cry about "supporting the family." When they arrived at the cremation site outside the city, she arranged for the coffin to be cremated. Before long, it was reduced to ashes, and the ashes were scattered in a pool; Ximen Qing covered all the expenses for the vegetarian meal and everything else.
Wang Po returned home and set up a spirit altar upstairs, inscribed with "Spirit of my late husband Wu Dalang." In front of the spirit altar, a glass lamp flickered, inside of which were affixed sutras, paper money, and items like gold and silver ingots. That day, she was together with Ximen Qing, sending Wang Po back, and the two enjoyed each other's company openly upstairs, much better than the secretive encounters they had in Wang Po's tea house before. Now that Wu Da was dead and there was no one at home, the two could share the same bed without any reservations. At first, Ximen Qing was worried about the neighbors discovering them, so he would sit with Wang Po for a while before taking a servant through the back door of Wang Po's house. From then on, he and Wang Po became even closer, often not returning home for three to five days, leaving the place in disarray, which left everyone quite unhappy. The poem reads:
With courage as boundless as the sky, love deep and intertwined.
Indulging in joy, indifferent to life and death, who will take care of their own body?
Only for deep affection and lingering emotions, largely due to love's depth and lingering resentment.
To resolve the grievances of Wu and Yue, it’s hard to find peace until the earth and sky grow old.
Time flew by quickly, and in a flash, Ximen Qing and Wang Po had been entangled for over two months. One day, as the Dragon Boat Festival approached, one could spot:
The green willows swaying, draping their silky branches, the pomegranate flowers blooming red like blush. A gentle breeze stirred the curtains, the cool breeze whispering through the curtains. Everywhere celebrated the Duan Yang Festival, every household toasting together.
Ximen Qing returned from the Yue Temple and sat down at Wang Po's tea house. Wang Po quickly poured him some tea and asked, "Did the big shot go to the temple? Why didn't you go see your lady?" Ximen Qing said, "I just wandered around the temple today; during this festival, I thought I’d come see Liu Jie." Wang Po said, "Today Mama Pan is there with her; she probably hasn't left yet. I'll go check and let you know." Wang Po walked to the back door of the woman's house and saw that the woman and Mama Pan were inside drinking. When she saw Wang Po, she hurriedly offered her a seat. The woman smiled and said, "Godmother, you came just in time to share a drink with my mother, so she can have a baby soon!" Wang Po laughed and said, "How could this old gal have a baby? You're young and strong; it's the right time for you to have one!" The woman replied, "As the saying goes, old trees can still bloom and bear fruit!" Wang Po looked at Mama Pan and said, "Look at your daughter, always teasing me, calling me an old tree! Tomorrow, I’m still counting on this old tree!" Mama Pan said, "She has been like this since she was little; godmother, don’t take her too seriously." Wang Po said, "Your daughter is really clever; she's a good girl. In the future, I wonder which lucky guy will snag her." Mama Pan said, "Godmother, you are the matchmaker; it's all up to you!" Saying this, she put down her chopsticks, and the woman poured her some wine. Wang Po drank a few cups, her face turning red from the alcohol. Fearing Ximen Qing was waiting, she gave the woman a knowing look and said her goodbyes to go home. The woman, realizing Ximen Qing was there, quickly urged Mama Pan to leave. She tidied up the room, lit incense, cleared away the leftovers from Mama Pan, and set up a fresh spread of food and drinks.
Ximen Qing entered from the back door, and the woman greeted him and sat down after bowing. Since Wu Da's death, this woman was unwilling to mourn! She carelessly tossed aside Wu Da's memorial tablet, covered it with white paper, and hardly ate anything. She wore heavy makeup and bright clothes every day, dressing extravagantly. When Ximen Qing didn't come for two days, she cursed, "Unfaithful thief, how could you leave me here to sweet-talk another woman? You leave me here alone!" Ximen Qing said, "I had a few things to take care of the last couple of days; I went to the temple today and bought you some jewelry and clothes." The woman was overjoyed. Ximen Qing called the servant boy Dai'an and took out the items one by one from the bundle to give to the woman. The woman gratefully accepted them. The little girl Ying'er, who was usually afraid of the woman, was too scared to be careless and quickly poured tea for Ximen Qing. The woman set the table and accompanied Ximen Qing in drinking tea. Ximen Qing said, "Don't worry, I already gave money to Wang Po to buy things. I just wanted to hang out with you during the festival." The woman said, "This is for my mother; I'll save this meal. When my mother comes, we will have another meal." The woman leaned against Ximen Qing, and the two drank wine side by side.
Wang Po carried a basket and went to the street to buy wine and meat. It was early May, the rainy season. The clear sky suddenly turned into dark clouds, followed by a torrential rain. Dark clouds covered the four fields, black mist locked the sky. Lightning flashed across the sky, with the sound of banana leaves rustling. The strong wind helped knock over the tall trees; thunder roared, shaking the tall trees. Cooling off the summer heat and nourishing the fields, it was just like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers swelling with fresh water, green bamboo and red pomegranates being washed clean.
Wang Po had just bought a bottle of wine and a basket of vegetables and fruits when she got completely soaked by a heavy rain. She hurriedly took shelter under the eaves, wrapped her head with a handkerchief, and her clothes were drenched. As the rain eased up, she quickly ran home. After entering, she placed the wine and meat in the kitchen, walked into the room, and saw a woman and Ximen Qing drinking. She laughed and said, "You two really know how to drink! Look at how soaked I am; you owe me one tomorrow!" Ximen Qing said, "You old hag, you’re such a cheeky one." Wang Po replied, "Not just cheeky, you owe me a nice piece of cloth!" The woman said, "Hey, Godmother, you should warm up with a cup of hot wine first!" Wang Po drank three cups with her and said, "I’m gonna head to the kitchen to dry my clothes." She dried her clothes, prepared the chicken, duck, and dishes, set them up in the room, and warmed the wine. Ximen Qing and the woman poured more wine and clinked glasses. While drinking, Ximen Qing noticed a pipa hanging on the wall and said, "I’ve heard you play the pipa beautifully; could you play a tune tonight to liven things up?" The woman laughed and said, "I picked up a few tunes when I was younger, but I’m really not that good; don’t laugh, okay?" Ximen Qing took the pipa down, pulled her into his arms, and watched her delicate fingers gently pluck the strings, then began to sing softly:
"No need for lazy adornment, hair pinned in a cloud-like bun, a golden hairpin nestled in dark tresses. Call for Mei Xiang, open the cage, don a plain gauze gown, looking like the beauty Xi Shi. Step out from the embroidery room, Mei Xiang, let’s lift the curtain and burn some night incense."
Ximen Qing was extremely happy to hear it; he hugged the woman's neck and kissed her, praising, "I didn't expect my older sister to have this skill! Even the performances I've heard in the pleasure quarters didn't play as well as you!" The woman smiled and said, "Thank you for your praise; today I will listen to everything you say, so don't forget me." Ximen Qing held her face and said, "How could I forget you, my older sister!" The two joked and played around. After a while, Ximen Qing took off another embroidered shoe, poured some wine into it, and used the shoe as a cup to drink. The woman said, "My feet are small; don't make fun of me." Before long, the two drank and got excited, closed the door, undressed, and got into bed. Wang Po leaned against the door and sat in the kitchen with Ying'er. The two indulged in passion in the room; the woman's allure surpassed that of any courtesan, trying to please Ximen Qing in every possible way. Ximen Qing also indulged freely. The two were in their prime, as evidenced by the poem:
In the quiet orchid room, the mat and pillow are cool,
The feelings of the beauty and the talented man are profound.
Just moments ago, the red candle flickered on the pillow, when suddenly, a flame leapt over the wall.
The powder butterfly probes the fragrant flower; the dragonfly plays in the water crazily.
In the midst of deep affection and sheer joy, the pleasure lingers,
Cherish the sandalwood gentleman; don't forget each other.
Ximen Qing stayed at the woman's house until late; when he was about to go home, he left a few pieces of silver for her as pocket money. The woman repeatedly tried to keep him but to no avail. Ximen Qing put on his mask and left. The woman put down the curtain, closed the door, and shared a drink with Wang Po for a while before parting ways.
Leaning against the door, she bids farewell to Liu Lang,
The misty path lined with peach blossoms by the water.
