Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Fortunately, Baoyu smoothed things over in time, suggesting that the theme be peach blossoms. Baochai said, "That won't do. There are always too many poems about peach blossoms; even if you write one, it will surely be cliché..."

Shi Xiangyun, however, had an idea.

"I'm getting a bit tired of poetry and prose, how about trying some lyrics?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then asked Yingchun and Xichun to come up with a few more tunes. They settled on "Willow Catkins" as the theme. Everyone looked at Baoyu and laughed, saying, "I'm not very good at this kind of poem, so I'll have to make something up myself."

So everyone drew lots, and Baochai drew "Linjiang Xian", Tanchun drew "Nanke Zi", Daiyu drew "Tang Duo Ling", and Baoyu drew "Die Lian Hua".

When it was Jia Cong's turn, the crumpled paper he was holding had the words "Water Dragon Chant" written on it. A weight lifted from his heart, and his face relaxed.

"I'm not very knowledgeable, so please don't laugh at me later..."

Zijuan lit a stick of sweet incense, and everyone began to ponder. Soon, Daiyu finished and wrote her poem. Then Baoqin and Baochai followed suit. After they finished, they looked at each other's poems. Baochai laughed, "I'll look at yours first, then mine." Tanchun laughed, "Oh dear, how come the incense is burning so fast today? There's only a third left! I've only finished half a poem." She then asked Baoyu if he had finished. Baoyu had written some, but he disliked it and wiped it all away to start over. Looking back at the incense, it was almost burnt out. Li Wan and the others laughed, "That's a loss. Banana Girl, write out your half poem now." Hearing this, Tanchun quickly wrote it down. When everyone looked, it was only half a poem, "Nan Ke Zi," which read:

Hanging slender threads, drooping tangled silk, they are hard to tie or restrain, scattered to the east, west, north, and south.

Li Wan laughed, "That's easy to do, why not continue?" Seeing the incense was finished, Baoyu willingly admitted defeat, unwilling to force himself to finish, and put down his pen to look at the half-finished poem. Seeing it was unfinished, he became even more interested, picked up his pen, and continued:

Do not grieve for what has fallen, for I know its return. The orioles are weary, the butterflies tired, the flowers fade in their late bloom; though we may meet again next spring—it will be a year from now!

Everyone laughed, saying, "You can't do what's right, yet you do this. Even if it's good, it doesn't count." As they spoke, they looked at Daiyu's poem, "Tang Duo Ling":

Petals fall on the Hundred Flowers Isle, fragrance fades in the Swallow Tower. Clumps and pairs form into balls. Drifting like a fragile life, empty lingering, a tale of romance! Even plants and trees know sorrow, youth fades to white hair! Alas, who will gather and collect this life's bounty? Married to the east wind, spring cares not, let it go, enduring the lingering.

Everyone who saw it nodded and sighed, saying, "It's too tragic, though it's certainly good."

Upon reading this poem, "Linjiang Xian," it is said:

Spring dances gracefully before the Jade Hall, the east wind swirling the leaves evenly.

Xiangyun laughed first, "What a wonderful line, 'The east wind rolls evenly'! That one is truly outstanding." Then she looked at the next line and said:

Bees and butterflies swarm in disarray. How often do they drift away with the flowing water? Why must they be consigned to the dust? A thousand threads remain unchanged, letting them gather and disperse as they please. Youthful beauty, do not laugh at my lack of roots; with the help of favorable winds, I soar to the heavens!

Everyone applauded, saying, "Indeed, the translation is excellent; this one is the best. Its poignant sorrow evokes the image of the Lady of the Xiang River, her charm captivating, yet it is like a dream within a dream..."

Before she could finish speaking, Daiyu raised an eyebrow, pointed at Jia Cong who was still copying, and rolled her eyes. "Some people just have to be lazy, waiting for everyone else to finish arguing before slowly putting pen to paper, trying to find some peace and quiet. Are they waiting to ride on someone else's coattails so they can cobble together a few lines?"

Baoyu smiled and stopped Daiyu from speaking up for Jia Cong.

"Sister Lin, please stop teasing Brother Cong. He has only just put down his gun and picked up his pen, so it's understandable that he's a little slow." But then she leaned over to look at Jia Cong's writing.

Jia Cong finally finished copying the manuscript, chuckled, stood up, and tossed the Xuan paper aside.

"Miss Lin is right. It turns out I am not as good as others, so I wrote this on the wind."

Baochai understood, but remained silent. She simply picked up the poem and carefully studied it; it was a famous piece by Su Shi.

Like a flower, yet not quite a flower, it falls unnoticed, left to fall. Abandoned by the roadside, it seems both heartless and full of longing. It torments the tender heart, its sleepy eyes half-open, half-closed. Its dreams drift with the wind for miles, searching for its beloved, only to be awakened by the warbling of orioles. It doesn't lament the flowers' fading, but the fallen petals in the western garden, impossible to gather. After the morning rain, where are its traces? Only shattered duckweed on the pond. Spring's beauty is divided into three parts: two parts dust, one part flowing water. Looking closely, they are not willow catkins, but rather, each speck is a tear of parting.

Baoyu, who had been gathered nearby, read aloud, "Abandoning home by the roadside, pondering it, it is indeed heartless yet thoughtful," and then slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "What a fine line, 'heartless yet thoughtful'! Willow catkins are inherently rootless and drifting, yet they are depicted with such sentiments. Brother Cong, your skill in this writing is far from rusty!"

Li Wan also came over to take a look. When she read the lines "Her tender heart is tormented, her sleepy eyes are half-closed, wanting to open but not quite," she nodded and sighed, "The willow catkins are brought to life so vividly, just like a young woman in her boudoir, full of sorrow. It's so delicate."

Daiyu, who was still somewhat mischievous, couldn't help but step forward when she saw everyone's expressions. Her gaze fell on the poem, from "Dreams follow the wind for thousands of miles" to the end, "Looking closely, they are not willow catkins, but teardrops of parting lovers." Her expression paused slightly, and her earlier sneer had long since dissipated. She frowned and remained silent for a long time, her eyes quietly reddening again.

Xiangyun, being straightforward, started complaining early on.

"My goodness! Third brother, this poem is on a much grander scale than mine! Putting everything else aside, the concluding lines are absolutely brilliant. They blend the sorrow of willow catkins with tears, making my heart ache as I read it. It's even more poignant than the lament of the Lady of the Xiang River!"

Baochai looked up at Jia Cong, her smile gentle yet concealing some hidden thoughts.

"Brother Cong, you have such talent! These words are so natural and unadorned, as if they flowed from your heart. I never knew you had such insight into poems about objects."

Jia Cong smiled and cupped his hands in a humble gesture.

"Sister Bao, you flatter me. I was just practicing my spear when I saw the willow catkins filling the sky, and that was all I had to say. It's nothing to speak of, and I'm sorry to have made you sisters laugh."

Even Daiyu was impressed, and everyone praised this piece as the best. Baoyu, who failed to write one, was pushed out by Li Wan with a smile, who said he would be severely punished.

Baochai, however, secretly hid behind others and rolled up Jia Cong's manuscript, intending to hand it to her maid Ying'er. But Daiyu saw it clearly and immediately became petulant again. She turned around, twisted her handkerchief, and flung herself out through the curtain.

Baoyu hurriedly chased after him, calling out to him repeatedly.

"What's wrong, little sister? Is something amiss?"

Daiyu gave a cold laugh, but kept walking towards the bamboo shadows by the Qinfang Gate. Her handkerchief was crumpled into a ball. "What's inappropriate about me? I'm just an eyesore here anyway, so I might as well go away and have some peace and quiet."

Baoyu still couldn't understand.

"Good sister, what's in the way? We're all family, having a good time. Why do you insist on going to a secluded spot? Be careful the wind doesn't make you cough."

Unexpectedly, Daiyu became even angrier upon hearing this, and left without looking back, taking Zijuan with her. This left Li Wan and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

Shi Xiangyun spoke with a smile.

"Sister Lin is weak and must be tired. She should go back to her room and rest for a while, and she'll be fine."