The Warning Voice (35 page)

‘I'm not surprised they all say what a nice girl that Bao-chai is,' she said to herself when the consignment of toys arrived for Jia Huan. ‘You can see from this how kind and generous she is. Her brother can't have brought all that much back for her from his travels, yet every single person has been remembered. No one's been left out because they aren't important, even the unlucky ones like us that no one else ever bothers about. Now if it had been that Lin girl, it would have been a very different story. She can scarcely even bring herself to look you straight in the face. You wouldn't catch
her
sending us things like this!'

As these thoughts passed through her mind, she was turning the things over and over in her hands and arranging them this way and that upon the kang. Presently the thought occurred to her that Bao-chai was close kin to Lady Wang. Why should she not take advantage of that fact to ingratiate herself with Lady Wang? Gathering the articles up in her arms, she went off, full of fuss and self-importance, to Lady Wang's room and took up a position at her elbow.

‘Look!' she said, putting on a very affected smile. ‘Look what Bao-chai has just sent our Huan! Such thoughtfulness in one so young! She's a real little lady, Bao-chai. She has class. And so generous. You can't help admiring her. I don't wonder you and Her Old Ladyship are so fond of her and always speaking so highly of her. I didn't like to keep these things without your permission, that's why I've brought them. And I thought it might amuse you to look at them.'

Lady Wang had guessed what the motive for her visit must be long before she had finished. The clumsy attempt to ingratiate was by no means pleasing to her, but she could not ignore it altogether.

‘Certainly you should keep them,' she said. ‘Let Huan have them to play with.'

She had merely glanced at the toys in saying this and then turned away again.

So Aunt Zhao, who had been so cock-a-hoop when she came, had got nothing for her pains but a smutty nose. Angry, but
not daring to show it, she returned crestfallen to her room and threw the things into a corner, muttering crossly to her-self as she did so.

‘Hfn! What do you make of that then?'

And she sat on her own there on the kang, continuing to mutter to herself as she brooded angrily on her wrongs.

‘When we were delivering at Mrs Lian's just now, Mrs Lian looked absolutely furious about something. I had a word with Crimson on my way out and she said that when Mrs Lian came back from Her Old Ladyship's a little before we arrived she was looking very grim – not at all her usual smiling self. She called for Patience as soon as she got back and they were talking earnestly together about something, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. It looks as though something really serious must have happened. Did you hear about anything while you were at Her Old Ladyship's today, miss?'

Bao-chai wondered what could have made Xi-feng so angry, but could think of nothing.

‘Every household has its own troubles,' she told Oriole. ‘It isn't our business to inquire. Go and pour me some tea.'

So Oriole went out to pour tea and nothing more on that subject was said.

‘Where's Aroma?' he asked them.

‘Must be in one or other of the courtyards hereabouts,' said Musk. ‘She can't be lost. Why the sudden urge to see her?'

Bao-yu smiled.

‘I didn't imagine she was lost. The reason I asked is because I've just got back from seeing Miss Lin. She seemed to be rather upset about something, and when I asked her what it was, she said the things that Miss Bao sent her were made quite near her old home and the sight of them had upset her. I was going to ask Aroma if she'd mind going over and having a word with her.'

‘Oh dear! Who's in for it this time?'

It was Skybright who said this. She had come in at that moment and overheard only the last few words he had spoken. He repeated for her benefit the whole of what he had just been saying to Musk.

‘Aroma went out a few minutes ago,' said Skybright. ‘I think she was going to call on Mrs Lian. It's quite possible that she may drop in at Miss Lin's place on her way back.'

Bao-yu made no reply. Ripple poured him a cup of tea. He took it from her absent-mindedly, rinsed his mouth with some of it, handed the rest to one of the junior maids, and stretched himself out on his bed, looking thoroughly miserable.

‘I'm off to Mrs Lian's now. Stay in the room while I'm gone, will you? We don't want Master Bao calling out and finding nobody there.'

‘Aiyo!' said Skybright sarcastically. ‘You are the only one
who ever thinks about him, of course. The rest of us just sit around all day doing nothing.'

Aroma merely laughed and went off without replying. As she came within sight of the water near Drenched Blossoms Bridge, she saw that the lotuses were all dead and ragged-looking; but the hibiscus-bushes along the banks were just coming into flower, the pink budding clusters making a brilliant contrast with the bright green of the leaves. She lingered on her way along the embankment so that she could get a better view of them. Looking up suddenly from her contemplation of the hibiscus bushes, she became aware that on the other side of the path a little ahead of her someone was standing under the grape-vine waving a feather-duster about, apparently dusting something. When she got a little nearer, she could see that it was that indefatigable gardener, Mamma Zhu. Recognizing Aroma, the old woman beamed and came up to greet her.

‘It's not often
you
find time to go out walking, miss?'

‘No, indeed,' said Aroma. ‘I'm on my way to see Mrs Lian. What are you doing?'

‘I'm trying to keep these wasps off the grapes,' said the old woman. ‘There was very little rain in the dog-days this year, consequently it's brought the pests out onto all the fruit. It gets riddled all over with bites and a lot of it is dropping before it's ripe. These wasps are terrible things. You'd never credit it. They'll go for just two or three grapes in a bunch, but the juice drips from them onto the rest, and then the whole bunch is spoiled. Look at that, miss! A whole lot more of them have settled just in the time we have been talking.'

‘Even if you keep at it non-stop with that duster of yours, you're not going to keep off more than a few of them,' said Aroma. ‘Why don't you ask one of the buyers to get a lot of muslin bags made for you, to tie over the bunches? They will keep off the birds and wasps while still allowing the air to get at them.'

‘I certainly will,' said the old woman. ‘What a clever idea! I've never heard of that one before – but then this is the first year I've had the job, you see.' She smiled. ‘Look, miss,
although so many of the grapes are spoiled, they still taste good. Let me pick you some to try.'

Aroma looked serious.

‘No, no. I don't think they're ripe enough to eat yet, in any case; but even if they were, I couldn't possibly eat any before the first-fruits have been offered to the ancestors. Surely a person who has worked as many years for the family as you have must know that rule?'

‘Of course, miss. You are quite right,' said the old woman hurriedly. ‘It was being so pleased that put it for the moment from my mind. I am a foolish old woman.'

‘It doesn't really matter,' said Aroma. ‘But you older servants ought not to set us younger ones a bad example.'

She continued on her way then, out of the Garden and round to Xi-feng's place. As she entered the courtyard, she could hear the sound of Xi-feng's raised voice coming from inside the house.

‘It's monstrous! Treating me like a criminal, after all I've had to put up with in this place!'

Whatever the background of this remark might be, it was obvious to Aroma that this would be an extremely inopportune moment to go in; and yet it was already too late for her to turn back. The best she could do was to advertise her presence. She deliberately made a heavier noise with her feet and called out to Patience through the window. Patience came hurrying out to welcome her.

‘Is Mrs Lian in?' Aroma asked her. ‘Is she quite better yet?'

By now she was inside the house; but Xi-feng had already had time to get up on the couch and pretend that she had been lying down. She rose to her feet as Aroma entered.

‘Yes, I am a little better, thank you. It is kind of you to remember me. It seems quite a time since you last came round here.'

‘Knowing you weren't well, I ought by rights to have been coming every day,' said Aroma. ‘On the other hand, when you are poorly, you need lots of peace and quiet for resting, and I was afraid that if I came too often it might disturb you.'

‘Oh, I don't mind the disturbance,' said Xi-feng smiling.
‘But I realize that it isn't easy for you to get away from Master Bao. Although he has so many girls to wait on him, you are the one he really relies on. Patience tells me you are always asking her how I am; so you see, even though you can't get over here, I know that you are concerned about me.'

She asked Patience to bring a stool over and put it down beside the couch she was reclining on for Aroma to sit on. Felicity came in with some tea. Aroma inclined herself politely as she accepted it and murmured something about Felicity troubling herself.

While she was talking to Xi-feng, she noticed a junior maid go up to Patience in the outer room and quietly announce that Brightie had arrived and was waiting at the inner gate. She heard Patience answer the girl in the same guarded undertone:

‘Good. Tell him to go away for a few minutes and come back later. Tell him not to hang about outside this courtyard.'

Aroma knew from this that Xi-feng must have business of some kind, so after sitting for a minute or two longer, she got up to go. Xi-feng made no attempt to stop her.

‘Come again when you can,' she said. ‘It does me good to talk to you.'

She summoned Patience to see Aroma out. As Aroma followed Patience through the outer room, she saw two or three junior maids waiting there, obviously scared out of their wits and looking as if they scarcely dared to breathe. Aroma passed through the courtyard gate and continued on her way back alone, wondering what could be the matter.

As soon as she had finished seeing off Aroma, Patience went in again to report to Xi-feng.

‘Brightie came, but because Aroma was here, I said he was to go and wait in the front. Shall I have him called in now straight away, or shall I let him wait a bit? What do you want me to do?'

‘Call him in,' said Xi-feng.

‘Tell me,' said Xi-feng in the interval while they were waiting for him to arrive, ‘what exactly was it you heard?'

‘It was that girl I sent out just now who actually heard it,' said Patience. ‘She said that while she was waiting at the inner
gate, she heard two of the pages talking to each other on the other side of it. One of them said, “The new mistress is even prettier than the old one and ever so much better-tempered.” Then she heard someone else – she thought it might have been Brightie – telling the other two off. “What's this' new mistress' ‘old mistress' you're talking about? You'd better keep your voices down. If anyone inside gets to hear about this, you'll have your tongues cut out!”'

At this point one of the junior maids came in.

‘Brightie's waiting outside, ma'am.'

A chilling little laugh from Xi-feng.

‘Tell him to come in.'

The little maid went outside again.

‘The mistress says you are to come in.'

‘Hei!'

Brightie stepped smartly inside, dropped his knee to the ground, and ended up standing stiffly to attention in the doorway leading to the inner room.

‘Come here,' said Xi-feng. ‘I want to talk to you.'

Brightie came into the room and stood in front of his mistress, a little to one side.

‘Your master's got himself a woman outside,' said Xi-feng. ‘Did you know?'

Brightie dropped his knee to the ground once more.

‘I spend all my time on call at the inner gate, madam. I've no means of knowing what the master does outside.'

Xi-feng's smile was full of malice.

‘Of course you wouldn't know. You wouldn't stop other people talking about if you did, would you?'

Brightie realized from this that the words he had recently been saying to the other pages must have been overheard and that it would be impossible now to deceive her. He fell on his knees to reply.

‘I really don't know, madam. I just happened to hear Joker and Happy talking a lot of nonsense, so I shouted to them to be quiet; but I really couldn't tell you the exact circumstances they were talking about; I should only be making it up if I tried. You want to ask Joker, madam. When the master's here, he spends most of his time with him outside.'

Xi-feng spat with great force.

‘Black-hearted, worthless scum the lot of you! You are all in league against me, do you think I don't know? Go out and find that little pimp Joker and bring him here. And don't go away when you've done that, either. Wait here. I'll have a few questions to ask' you when I've finished with him. – Wonderful!' she commented to herself. ‘This is my trusted servant whom I employ on all my most confidential business!'

‘Yes, madam. Very good, madam.'

Brightie knocked his head upon the floor, then scrambled to his feet and went off to look for Joker.

Joker was in the counting-house fooling about with some of the other pages when word came to him that he was ‘wanted by Mrs Lian'. Startled, but never for a moment imagining that his master's secret had been blown, he hurried off after Brightie to Xi-feng's apartment to find out why he was wanted. When they got there, Brightie went in first.

‘Joker is here, madam.'

‘Bring him in!'

Even before he had seen her, the mere sound of that strident summons was enough to throw Joker's thoughts into confusion. But there was nothing for it: he had to screw up his courage and follow Brightie into the inner room.

‘Well, my little man,' said Xi-feng as he entered, ‘this is a fine thing you and your master have been up to! I think you had better tell me all about it.'

Joker heard the words, he saw the anger in Xi-feng's face and the terrified looks of the maids who stood motionless to left and right of her, and his legs became so weak that he sank involuntarily to his knees and began kotowing.

‘I've been told that this business has really nothing to do with you,' she said. ‘Your only fault is in not having come to me and reported it. I am willing to overlook that if you tell me the truth. But woe betide you if you tell me a single word that is false! If you had a dozen heads, I should have each one of them!'

Joker rose up, trembling, to his knees:

‘What is it the master and I have done wrong that you want to know about, madam?'

It was as though the fire that smouldered in Xi-feng had suddenly burst into flame.

‘Strike the mouth that said that!' she shouted, beside herself.

Brightie advanced, with hand upraised, to do her bidding.

‘Not you, idiot!' Xi-feng shouted. ‘I am asking him to strike himself. Don't worry, I shall have you striking your own mouth too before we are finished!'

Joker, still kneeling, began opening his arms to left and right of him and bringing them forcibly together, so as to slap his hands simultaneously upon his face. Xi-feng allowed him to do this a dozen or more times before shouting to him to stop.

‘Now,' she said, ‘what's all this about the “new mistress” your master has married? I suppose you are going to tell me you know nothing about it?'

Joker, gathering from this that the whole story was out, became quite desperate. Plucking his hat off, he began bumping his head on the floor in a frenzy of self-abasement.

‘Only spare my life, madam! I swear that every word I tell you shall be the truth.'

‘Get on with it, then!'

Joker knelt stiffly upright in order to do so.

‘I didn't know about this business at the beginning, madam. I think it started during the time when Sir Jing's body was still lying at the temple. Yu Lu went out there one day to ask Mr Zhen for some money and when Master Rong came back into the city to see about it, the master came with him. On their way they got talking about Mrs Zhen's two sisters, and the master said how much he admired the new mistress – er, the other Mrs Lian, and Master Rong,
be
said, joking-like –'

Xi-feng spat.

‘Turtle's egg! What “other Mrs Lian”?'

‘Beg pardon, ma'am!' said Joker hurriedly, and kotowed again.

When he had risen once more on his knees, he fixed his eyes miserably on the ceiling, unable to go on.

‘Well?' said Xi-feng. ‘Is that all? Why don't you go on?'

‘You'll have to bear with me, madam,' said the wretched Joker, ‘otherwise I daren't.'

‘Bear with you?' said Xi-feng. ‘Bear with your mother's arsehole! I advise you to get on with your story: it will be very much better for you if you do!'

‘Master Rong said he could arrange for the master to marry her. The master was very pleased. Then – well, I don't know how exactly, but he did.'

The very faintest of smiles hovered briefly over Xi-feng's face.

‘I don't suppose you
do
know. No doubt if you did, it would make a very complicated story. All right, go on. What happened after that?'

‘After that Master Rong found the master a house.'

‘Oh?' said Xi-feng sharply. ‘Where is it?'

‘A few streets behind our place,' said Joker. ‘Not very far.'

‘So!' Xi-feng turned and looked hard at Patience. ‘You heard that? You and I are both dead, Patience. We don't exist any more!'

Patience dared not reply.

Joker continued his story.

‘Mr Zhen gave a lot of money to the Zhangs so that they wouldn't object to the wedding.'

‘Now we have a Zhang family in the story,' said Xi-feng. ‘This is getting rather complicated.'

‘Ah yes, you see, madam, the other Mrs Lian –'

Joker suddenly realized what he had said and dealt himself a slap across the mouth. Xi-feng laughed in spite of herself and the maids to right and left of her puckered up their faces and giggled. Joker thought for a bit.