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Walking accordingly through the corner door, he stepped into Madame Wang's apartment. Here he discovered several waiting-maids, dosing with their needlework clasped in their hands. Madame Wang was asleep on the cool couch in the inner rooms. Chin Ch'uan-erh was sitting next to her massaging her legs. But she too was quite drowsy, and her eyes wore all awry.
Yue Ch'uan-erh and every one present were highly amused. "You yourself," observed Yue Ch'uan-erh, "have been scalded, and do you keep on asking about myself?" At these words, Pao-yue became at last aware of the injury he had received. The servants rushed with all promptitude and cleared the mess. But Pao-yue was not inclined to touch any more food.
But as they were talking, they saw Hsiang Ling draw near smirkingly, and Chou Jui's wife at once seized her by the hand, and after minutely scrutinizing her face for a time, she turned round to Chin Ch'uan-erh and smiled. "With these features she really resembles slightly the style of lady Jung of our Eastern Mansion." "So I too maintain!" said Chin Ch'uan-erh.
"Is your mother all right," he forthwith inquired of Yue Ch'uan-erh. An angry scowl crept over Yue Ch'uan-erh's face. She did not even look straight at Pao-yue. And only after a long pause was it that she at last uttered merely the words, "all right," by way of reply. Pao-yue, therefore, found talking to her of little zest.
"How did this happen!" she smilingly shouted with vehemence to the intense consternation of the waiting-maids, who rushed up and clasped the bowl. But notwithstanding that Pao-yue had scalded his own hand, he was quite unconscious of the accident; so much so, that he assailed Yue Ch'uan-erh with a heap of questions, as to where she had been burnt, and whether it was sore or not.
Though Madame Wang was a generous, tender-hearted person, and had at no time raised her hand to give a single blow to any servant-girl, she, however, when she accidentally discovered Chin Ch'uan-erh behave on this occasion in this barefaced manner, a manner which had all her lifetime been most reprehensible to her, was so overcome by passion that she gave Chin Ch'uan-erh just one slap and spoke to her a few sharp words.
When you see our venerable senior and madame, my mother, you should be a little more even-tempered, for if you still behave like this, you'll at once get a scolding!" "Eat away, eat away!" urged Yue Ch'uan-erh. "There's no need for you to be so sweet-mouthed and honey-tongued with me. I don't put any faith in such talk!" So speaking, she pressed Pao-yue until he had two mouthfuls of soup.
"Well, in that case, it is indeed a piece of good fortune for me! I'll come over myself in the evening." But before she could conclude her reply, she of a sudden noticed an old matron come up to her with precipitate step. "Where does the report come from," she interposed, "that Miss Chin Ch'uan-erh has gone, for no rhyme or reason, and committed suicide by jumping into the well?"
But no sooner had they inquired how he was, and passed a few remarks than Yue Ch'uan-erh, becoming conscious of the arrival of strangers, did not bandy words with Pao-yue, but stood with the plate of soup in her hands, engrossed in listening to the conversation. The soup fell over Pao-yue's hand. But it did not hurt Yue Ch'uan-erh. She sustained, however, such a fright that she gave a start.
Lady Feng first and foremost hastily asked for clean utensils, and drew near the table to select some eatables for Pao-yue. Presently, the soup a la lotus leaves arrived. After old lady Chia had well scrutinised it, Madame Wang turned her head, and catching sight of Yue Ch'uan-erh, she immediately commissioned her to take some over to Pao-yue.
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