The Warning Voice Read Online Free PDF Page B

behaviour.’
    â€˜It’s true, I haven’t had a really good laugh for days,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘She has made me laugh so much, I really do feel better for it. I think I’ll have another drop of wine.
    She took a sip from her cup and then turned to address Bao-yu:
    â€˜Pour a cup for your Cousin Feng.’
    â€˜No need,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Let me share your good health.’
    She took the cup that Grandmother Jia had just been drinking from and tossed back what remained of the wine in it, then, handing the cup to a maid to take away, she replaced it with a clean one that had been previously warmed in hot water. She then proceeded to do the same for everyone else, removing their dirty cups and replacing them with clean, warmed ones. After that she poured out a fresh supply of wine for everyone before returning to her seat.
    â€˜If Your Old Ladyship doesn’t want to hear a story,’ said the blind woman who had spoken before, ‘perhaps you’d like us to do a song for you.’
    â€˜Give us “O Captain, Captain”,’ said Grandmother Jia.
    The two women at once began tuning their instruments and presently struck up a lively tune, the words of which were divided alternately between them.
    Grandmother Jia inquired what the time was.
    â€˜Midnight,’ said one of the senior womenservants.
    â€˜No wonder it’s getting so cold,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘It really is bitter.’
    Maids were already arriving with more clothes, which they helped their mistresses to change into or put on over what they were already wearing.
    Lady Wang rose, smiling, to her feet:
    â€˜Why don’t you go into the room at the back, Mother, where the heated kang is? Mrs Li and my sister are not outsiders; I’m sure they won’t mind. And the rest of us will take care of them for you.’
    â€˜Why don’t we all go inside?’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘That will be much cosier.’
    â€˜I doubt there’s room for us all,’ said Lady Wang.
    â€˜I’ll tell you what,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘We don’t need all these tables now. Why don’t we have just two or three of them taken inside? We can have them put together to make one big table, then we can all squeeze up round it and keep each other warm. That will be much jollier!’
    Everyone agreed that this was a good idea and got up from their places in preparation for the move. The tables were cleared, the three largest ones were carried into the inner room and put together, and the dessert, with various additions and replacements, was relaid on them inside.
    â€˜Now,’ said Grandmother Jia when everybody was inside, ‘you must forget about seniority now and sit down where I put you.’
    She made Mrs Li and Mrs Xue sit at one end, facing south, and placed herself close to them on the east side, with Xiang-yun squeezed in on one side of her and Dai-yu and Bao-qin on the other.
    â€˜
You
must sit next to your mother,’ she told Bao-yu. So Lady Xing and Lady Wang came next on the east side with Bao-yu sandwiched between them.
    She put Bao-chai on the west side at the end nearest to Mrs Li, then came the Three Springs, then Lou-shi with her little boy Jia Jun, then Li Wan and You-shi with little Jia Lan squeezed in between them, and finally Xi-feng.
    Jia Rong’s wife, Hu-shi, sat on her own at the north end, round the corner from Xi-feng.
    When they were all seated, Grandmother Jia called to Cousin Zhen and the menfolk to leave, saying that she herself would shortly be going off to bed. Hearing her call, Cousin Zhen came hurrying inside, bringing the others with him.
    â€˜Go away, go away!’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Don’t come in here! They’ve only just sat down, they don’t want to have to all get up again. Off to bed with you! You’ve got important things to do in the morning.’
    â€˜Very good,’ said