Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
1. Legend has it that Nuwa, the goddess, smelt stones to repair the sky and left one unused, discarding it at Qinggang Peak. Unbeknownst to her, this stone became sentient after smelting, able to change size at will and move freely. Seeing that it had no talent to repair the sky, it sighed in self-pity.
2. One day, a monk and a Taoist priest came to Qinggang Peak and saw this bright and lustrous stone, which had shrunk to the size of a fan. Finding it adorable, they picked it up and said, "Carve some characters on it, and take you to a land of comfort and wealth—wouldn’t that be good?" The stone was overjoyed. The monk and Taoist then tucked the stone under their sleeves and vanished into the air.
3. In Suzhou City, next to a gourd-shaped temple, lived a local official named Zhen Shiyin. He had a single daughter named Yinglian, who went missing at the age of three while watching lanterns. Zhen Shiyin was charitable and had once helped a poor scholar named Jia Yucun prepare for the imperial examination in the capital. A fire later left Zhen Shiyin destitute, forcing him to move to his in-laws’ home. Disillusioned with the world, he eventually took vows as a monk with a Taoist.
4. One day, Jiao Xing, Zhen’s maidservant, was buying thread at the door when she heard a shout announcing the arrival of the new magistrate. Inside the sedan chair, she saw Jia Yucun. Confused, she was then summoned by a constable. Zhen’s in-law, Feng Su, quickly explained that Jia Yucun had already taken monastic vows. The constable then took Feng Su away.
5. It turned out that Jia Yucun had mistaken Jiao Xing for Zhen Shiyin’s new resident. Learning that Zhen Shiyin had become a monk, he sighed repeatedly. Upon hearing that Yinglian was missing, he immediately ordered his men to search for her. Before leaving, Jia Yucun gave Feng Su two taels of silver as a gift.
6. The next day, Jia Yucun sent lavish gifts to thank Zhen’s wife and wrote a letter proposing to Jiao Xing as his second wife. Feng Su, eager to curry favor, sent Jiao Xing away in a small sedan chair that very night.
7. However, less than a year later, Jia Yucun was dismissed from his post. He sent his family back to their hometown while he traveled the world. When he reached Yangzhou, his funds ran out, so he took a teaching job as a tutor in the household of Lin Ruhai, the salt inspector. His student was Lin Ruhai’s only daughter, Lin Daiyu.
8. A year later, Daiyu’s mother, Lady Jia, passed away. Daiyu, already frail and ill, was too grief-stricken to attend school for a long time. One day, with nothing to do, Jia Yucun strolled into the countryside and unexpectedly encountered an old friend, the antique dealer Leng Zixing.
9. They talked about how the Rong and Ning families in the capital, though declining, still retained great prestige. However, their descendants were failing. The eldest wife of the Rong family, Lady Shi Taijun, managed the household. Her eldest son, Jia She, inherited the family title, while her second son, Jia Zheng, served as a county magistrate and had a son named Baoyu, who was born with a jade pendant in his mouth. Lady Taijun cherished him as a treasure and named him Baoyu.
10. Just then, Zhang Rugui, who had been dismissed from office the same year as Jia Yucun, arrived. He heard that former officials were to be reinstated in the capital and asked Jia Yucun to help him regain his position. Leng Zixing suggested that he seek Lin Ruhai’s help and ask Jia Zheng to intervene.
11. Jia Yucun went to see Lin Ruhai, who happened to be arranging for his daughter to move to the capital. Lady Shi Taijun, Lin Ruhai’s mother-in-law, worried that her granddaughter would have no support, sent a boat to pick her up. Lin Ruhai wrote a letter asking Jia Yucun to accompany his daughter to the capital.
12. Jia Zheng read his brother-in-law’s letter and invited Jia Yucun to meet him. Impressed by Jia Yucun’s imposing appearance and refined speech, he did his best to help him. Within two months, Jia Yucun was appointed to a position in the Ying’an Prefecture. He then bid farewell to Jia Zheng and took up his post.