Explore Chapter 18 of "八十一梦 五子登科" with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
The Red Chamber stood in a well-known pleasure district of the town. Despite the war, the air was filled with the sounds of music and song, and the streets were ablaze with lanterns and wine. As soon as we alighted from the carriage, a man came forward to greet us. He wore a long blue cotton gown, was about forty years old, and his face was wreathed in smiles. He led us upstairs. Downstairs was an open hall with a dozen square tables, several already occupied by guests drinking and playing the finger-guessing game, their shouts and laughter unceasing. The upstairs was divided into many small rooms, each door hung with a colorful curtain, through which faint sounds of merriment could be heard. We entered one of the rooms. The furnishings were exquisite: a square Eight Immortals table, four chairs, and several hanging scrolls of flowers and birds on the walls. The man who had greeted us asked what wine and dishes we wanted. I ordered a few items at random and asked for a pot of Huadiao wine.
After three rounds of wine, I was still pondering how to broach the subject when the man opposite me smiled faintly, took out a white paper from his sleeve with a few lines of small characters written on it, and handed it to me. I took it and read it. It contained some news about business and methods of using that information to make a profit. After reading, I was secretly delighted but showed no emotion. I folded the paper and put it into my pocket. The man then leaned over and whispered a few words in my ear. I nodded repeatedly. The feast continued until the moon was high in the sky before we finally parted.
Back at my lodgings, I took out the paper and read it over and over again. Every word seemed a pearl, every sentence a gem of gold and jade. The strategy of "feigning retreat to advance" required me to first show weakness, making the other party think I had no desires, and then strike suddenly to win a great victory. I followed the plan, and sure enough, in just a few days, I reaped a huge profit. From then on, I believed all the more in that saying: "Nothing in the world is impossible. It only depends on whether one has the will."