The Warning Voice by Cao Xueqin Read Free Book Online Page A

trickled away before they’d had a chance to let it off.’
    â€˜But surely he’d have
heard
it go off?’ said Xiang-yun.
    â€˜He was stone deaf,’ said Xi-feng.
    There was a burst of laughter from her audience. But they were still worried about her earlier story.
    â€˜What about the other one you were telling? What
did
happen then? You really ought to finish it, you know.’
    â€˜Oh how you do pester one!’ said Xi-feng, thumping the table in pretended annoyance. ‘Next day was the sixteenth; the party was over; the festival had ended. If you ask me, I think they were too busy clearing up and putting things away to
know
what had happened then.’
    This brought another burst of laughter.
    â€˜That’s two o’clock sounding outside,’ said Xi-feng. ‘I’m sure Grannie must be tired. If you ask me, I think we all ought to be like the deaf man’s firework and “trickle away”.’
    You-shi, who in the vehemence of her mirth was rocking back and forth with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth, stopped for a moment to point a minatory finger at Xi-feng:
    â€˜She really is a caution, this one!’
    â€˜She’s a caution all right, and no mistake!’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘By the way, talking of fireworks, why don’t we let
ours
off now? They will help us to overcome the effects of all that wine.’
    At once Jia Rong jumped up and hurried out. Under his supervision a team of pages set up a number of framework stands in the courtyard on which fireworks were then fastened or hung. Though none of them particularly large ones, they were all imported tribute fireworks of the very highest quality. There were fireworks of all sorts, including a number of bangers. Dai-yu, being of a nervous disposition, was terrified of pops and bangs. Knowing this, Grandmother Jia hugged her to her bosom to comfort her. Aunt Xue offered the same protection to Xiang-yun, but Xiang-yun laughed and said that she didn’t mind the fireworks.
    â€˜There’s nothing she likes better than letting them off herself,’ said Bao-chai. ‘
She
’
s
not afraid of fireworks!’
    Lady Wang hugged Bao-yu.
    â€˜What about me?’ said Xi-feng. ‘Doesn’t anyone love me?’
    â€˜I’ll hold you,’ said You-shi, laughing, ‘– though why you should act the shrinking young thing
now
I can’t imagine. Normally when you hear fireworks you get so excited I’d sooner eat a bee’s turd than stand by and watch you!’
    â€˜Wait until this is over,’ said Xi-feng. ‘We’ll go out in the courtyard and let some off ourselves. I’m sure I can do it better than these boys.’
    While they were speaking, a succession of different sorts of fireworks were going off outside: golden rain, ‘nine dragon’ rockets, thunderflashes, cloud-hoppers, and many other sorts. When the display was over, the boy-actors were asked to go up on the stage again and play the Beggar’s Song, and everyone amused themselves by throwing money onto the stage and watching them scramble for it.
    As hot soup was once more being served, Grandmother Jia remarked that after being up for so many hours she was beginning to feel rather empty.
    â€˜We have some duck and rice stew ready,’ Xi-feng told her.
    â€˜I think I’d like something a bit lighter than that,’ said Grandmother Jia.
    â€˜We’ve got a rice and date frumenty that was made for the ladies who don’t eat meat,’ said Xi-feng.
    â€˜That will do,’ said Grandmother Jia.
    The used things were removed now from the table and another set of dishes containing all sorts of tempting entremets laid out in their place. When everyone had sampled what they fancied, they rinsed their mouths out with tea supplied for that purpose and the party finally broke up.
    *
    Early on the morning of the seventeenth the family paid a formal visit to the