Chapter 27

Jia Baoyu and the Wild Beauty Story Part One

11o chapter

Jia Baoyu and the Wild Beauty Story Part One

--Thinking of after watching Director Zhao Benshan's 《Rural Love》

Liu Guozong

《Dream of the Red Chamber》 in Daguanyuan, taking Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu as pals and ladies, relying on their own talent (wealth) and fame, they spent all day in Daguanyuan reciting poetry, enjoying the moon, fighting chickens, and walking dogs, making Daguanyuan bustling with excitement; the more they stirred things up, the greater their fame grew, and the more they roused Jia's mother and Lady Feng, the more they enjoyed the liveliness.

Liking liveliness is also human nature; who in this world doesn't like liveliness? In our countryside, when a family has an 'old' person (meaning dead in the Northern Jiangsu dialect), the whole village becomes extremely happy: there's another play to watch. When the horn players blow their trumpets, the song 'Today is a good day' immediately sounds, accompanied by the robust yet beautiful melody of the suona, making the whole village joyful and harmonious.

One day, in Daguanyuan, an elderly rural woman came from outside the city, named Liu Laolao. The ladies of Daguanyuan, upon seeing Liu Laolao, were like park visitors today seeing a mud-covered old monkey—some threw bananas, some threw apples, playing for fun.

Seeking novelty, seeking excitement, seeking happiness, to stir up some ripples in the otherwise calm 'still water'—this is also a way of living. Who could say whether this is right or wrong?

The pals and ladies have played enough, fought enough. Let's try something else: 'How about telling a story? Liu Laolao.'

'Tell a story? Great! Telling stories is Old Liu's specialty. Do you like to hear the 'plain' ones or the 'meaty' ones?' Liu Laolao, left aside by the young masters and ladies, said with a smile.

'Granny, why don't you tell the children a story that's half plain and half meaty, mixing the 'plain' and 'meaty' together and serving it up? How does that sound?' Jia's mother said happily.

Although Liu Laolao is said to be a rustic countrywoman, she was born with some insight, and moreover, being old, she has experienced worldly affairs. Seeing Jia's mother pleased, she knew that once Jia's mother is pleased, things become easy to handle.

Because in the Jia household, Jia's mother is the elder, the chief authority. In any organization, when the chief nods, the matter is settled; moreover, since those pals and ladies love to hear about rural countryside affairs, even if you were to 'chop heaven with an axe on your back,' no one would call you a 'shrimp' and say you're wrong.

So Liu Laolao, following the grandmother's wishes, made up a 'half-meat, half-vegetable' love story. The story was called 'Burning the Countryside Love'. She happily regaled the brothers, sisters, and all the aunts and uncles with it――

'There was one winter when a snowfall so rare it happens once in fifty years fell. Heh, that snow really came down hard.' Liu Laolao deliberately sold a hook, saying: 'Truly "a thousand miles locked in ice, ten thousand miles of snow drifting, gazing at the Great Wall inside and out, only the busy bustle, the great river above and below, suddenly losing its roar'――

Liu Laolao grew more enthusiastic: 'Straight down comes "the mountains dance like silver snakes, the plains charge like wax elephants, wanting to vie with Heaven itself"――

Liu Laolao became more and more excited, waving her hands and feet, saying: 'Straight down comes "the sun wheel wants to hide, the earth's axis presses to collapse. The banks like long snakes churn, the hills like giant elephants.""

When this person is happy, they lose their bearings, not knowing east from west, and babble nonsense. Look at Liu Laolao's chewing—she's still full of poetic fervor, spouting out twisted poems.

The brothers, sisters, and aunts and uncles around Grandmother Jia in the Grand View Garden, seeing Liu Laolao act so clueless, found it hilarious. One clapped and cheered: 'Good, good, Liu Laolao, keep going—you're killing it!'

Liu Laolao, without bothering about truth or falsehood, just went along with the flow and kept on 'chopping'――

'Someone said it's truly that the snowflakes of Yan Mountain are as big as mats; this year's snowflakes are even bigger than Yan Mountain's, bigger than the snow seen in the "Lin Chong spends the night at the Mountain God Temple" chapter of Water Margin.'

The brothers, sisters, and aunts and uncles in the Grand View Garden, hearing Liu Laolao say the snow fell even heavier than the Yan Mountain mats, became more spirited and their interest grew stronger.

'My goodness, I've never seen such a huge snowfall before!' Baoyu interjected.

'Shut your bird's beak.' Jia Rui said, because Jia Rui and Baoyu had fallen out over a maid.

'You just can't say one less sentence—see what you can do.' One can't tell whether Daiyu's words are aimed at Baoyu or are a 'pointing at the mulberry to curse the locust' jab at Jia Rui. In plain folk speech, Daiyu doesn't have a heartache illness; she also has a stomach muscle ache.

At first, Daiyu didn't care for the earthy, foul-smelling Liu Laolao, but as soon as she heard Liu Laolao talk about the 'snow' story, Daiyu really listened attentively.

Because in Daiyu's eyes, those pure white snowflakes symbolize pure love, which exactly suits the taste of Baoyu and Daiyu, who are deep in love. That――

Flying out from the bosom of the sky,

Shaken loose from the hem of the clouds' robes,

Drifting toward the forests' brownish bald patches,

Scattered over the fields' lonely emptiness,

Soft and soundless, slowly fluttering upward,

Snowflakes drifting down;

Just like the hazy fantasies of mist and clouds,

Suddenly crystallizing into wondrous forms and colors,

Just like troubled thoughts that cannot be hidden,

Made manifest through a pallid countenance,

The troubled sky expresses

the inner resentment.

This is the sky's poem,

recorded in silent notes, slowly;

This is the secret of despair,

long accumulated in the lungs of the cloud layers;

now toward the fields and groves,

it whispers softly.

Liu Laolao angrily said: 'My little Lin sister, are you reciting poetry or listening to my story?' Fengjie said: 'Miss, don't spout nonsense; listen to Liu Laolao tell the "Burning the Countryside Love" story. Auntie, don't get angry, just go on.'

Liu Laolao deliberately coughed once and continued: 'The heavy snow fell for several days, piling up three or four feet on the ground. I got up early that day, hadn't even left my room, when I heard the firewood rustling outside—I knew someone was stealing firewood, so I peered out the window, but it wasn't anyone from our village.' Liu Laolao's tale of a snowy day when someone came to steal grass: nowadays villagers don't lack food or clothing, yet even if the snow falls deeper, they'll still go out to steal grass due to shortage of clothes and food. The ones most worried are the children who are away from home.

Liu Laolao deliberately paused for breath, creating suspense. Who would have thought Baoyu would get impatient, saying, 'Granny, who was stealing the grass?' Daiyu glanced at Baoyu with her eyes and said, 'Look at you, all antsy—settle down and listen to Granny speak slowly.'

Liu Laolao laughed and said, 'Guess who was stealing the grass.'

'How would we know? Just spit it out, you old thing.' Grandmother Jia laughed.

'She's an extremely standard, extremely pretty girl of seventeen or eighteen. Her hair is sleek and oily, she wears a bright red jacket and a white satin skirt――

'This truly is "Wearing a skirt in heavy snow—beautifully freezing."' Daiyu caught Baoyu's meaning: he was transferring his affection, his mind wandering. She gave him a white look and said, 'Is that pretty one your wife? If you don't come clean, see how I'll deal with you.' One thing counters another. A grizzly bear counters an iron ladle; Baoyu counters Daiyu. Baoyu, after being put in his place by Daiyu's words, was driven to Nan Qiang and dared not speak.

Grandmother Jia said: 'You lovebirds, bickering all day long, can't even quiet down for a moment. Never mind them, Granny, hurry on with the rest.' At that moment, a shout came from outside: 'The south stable is on fire!' Hearing the fire, Jia's household rushed out to look. When the fire gradually died down and all was safe, they returned indoors.

Baoyu still had in mind the 'little beauty' who stole grass in the snow that Liu Laolao had just mentioned. He pressed Liu Laolao: 'Did that girl manage to grab any grass?' Daiyu cut in: 'No, she was scared off by the stable fire—go on horseback and chase her!'

Daiyu's remark set everyone laughing. Only Baoyu lingered off to the side, glum, still pondering that 'beauty who stole grass in the snow': How could a single fire scare her away? How could this 'country love' not burn in room and board?

Friend, if you want to hear the full story, just listen to the forthcoming explanation――