Explore Chapter 32 of 'The Story of the Golden Powder Family' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Now Yanxi and Leng Qingqiu each bore a heavy heart, filled with mutual resentment. The next day, Leng Qingqiu noticed a fine blue-and-white porcelain sea bowl on her dressing table. It held a bowl of lotus seed soup with rock sugar. She thought it must be left over from the night before, casually placed there. So she picked it up and ate it without much thought. Unexpectedly, after finishing it, her mind felt much calmer. She began to recall last night's events and realized she had been overly willful. The more considerate Yanxi was, the colder she had been to him. Wasn't this simply biting the hand that fed her? He hadn't said a word last night, just silently helped her pick up the scattered items. He must have felt quite wronged. She didn't even know if he had come to bed after she fell asleep. Her mother had visited last night, and she had remained in bed the whole time, so she had no way of knowing.
This line of thought filled her with guilt. She threw on her clothes and got up, intending to summon Nanny Han to ask for details. Just then, the door pushed open and Yanxi entered, smiling brightly, holding one of Leng Qingqiu's lined qipaos. He said, "Get up quickly! Zhao Mengyuan and the others arrived early this morning. I just went to Mother's place. She said you weren't feeling well and told me not to disturb you. But when I came back after going out, you still weren't up. Mother asked about you. I said you went to bed late last night, so you couldn't get up. Mother said to let you sleep and that you needn't go out today. They're all waiting over at Mother's. She sent me in to check on you. If you're up, you can go out and see them. If not, you might as well sleep a little longer."
"How long have you been in here?" asked Leng Qingqiu. "I had no idea." Yanxi replied, "Not long. When I came in, you were sleeping facing the wall. I didn't make a sound and quietly sat down on the bed. Then I heard the bedframe creak, and you turned over. I saw your eyes were open, so I spoke to you." Leng Qingqiu thought to herself how muddled she had been. Why had she slept so soundly? Probably when Yanxi entered the room, she had just turned over and was facing inward, so she didn't notice. She was usually a light sleeper once awake. Why had she slept so heavily last night? She sat up, leaned against the pillow, and gazed into space for a moment, then smiled. "I slept like a log. I had no idea you came in."
Yanxi smiled. "I've been here quite a while. I saw you were fast asleep, so I didn't want to wake you. I've been sitting here waiting for you to wake up. Hurry and get up to do your hair. I'll go to Mother's and wait for you there." Leng Qingqiu said, "Don't be in such a rush. I have some things I want to say to you." Yanxi replied, "Then say them. Isn't it nice for me to sit here a while longer?" Leng Qingqiu insisted, "You'd better go to Mother's first. Let me get up. I still have things to say." Yanxi countered, "What could be more important than seeing Mother? Just say it."
Seeing that Yanxi insisted, Leng Qingqiu had no choice. She threw on her clothing, got up, and stood barefoot on the floor, not even putting on her shoes. She said, "I thought about it half the night. I feel I haven't treated you right in some ways. Why are you so good to me when I just give you the cold shoulder? If I treated you the way you treat me, would you feel happy?" Yanxi laughed. "That makes less and less sense. Between husband and wife, should we even distinguish between yours and mine? Of course you can be casual, and I can be casual too."
"It's not like that," said Leng Qingqiu. "For example, if you had a request of me and I absolutely insisted you fulfill it, would you feel happy?" Yanxi chuckled, "No, I wouldn't." Leng Qingqiu concluded, "There you are! When I acted like that towards you last night, you certainly weren't happy. But let me ask you, why did I treat you that way? I wasn't dealing with a stranger, but my own husband. How could I possibly put on airs? It's because some of your actions were too hard for me to bear."
"What have I done that's hard for you to bear?" asked Yanxi. Leng Qingqiu said, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel you aren't truly sincere with me." Yanxi replied, "How do you know I'm not sincere? Do you think I have some ulterior motive?" Leng Qingqiu said, "It's not that you have an ulterior motive, but you keep many things from me, not letting me know. That's not being sincere."
"What am I keeping from you?" pressed Yanxi. Leng Qingqiu retorted, "You should know what you've done. Why must I say it?" Yanxi said, "I really can't think of anything I'm hiding from you." Leng Qingqiu sighed, "If you can't remember, then forget it. Let's not talk about it." Seeing she wouldn't say, Yanxi didn't feel he could press further. He smiled. "Since you're up, wash your face. I'll have the maid fetch water for you." With that, he turned to leave.
"Don't go," Leng Qingqiu called out. "I still have something to say." Yanxi asked, "What else?" Leng Qingqiu said, "You know I have a bad temper. But I have one good point: when I have something on my mind, I have to say it. Saying it makes me feel better. My outburst last night was a moment of temper. Thinking back on it now, it really was inexcusable. I apologize to you here." As she spoke, she bowed to him.
Yanxi laughed. "This is too much. If you're apologizing to me, then I should be the one apologizing to you even more." Leng Qingqiu said, "Neither of us needs to apologize to the other. Let's just leave it at that. From now on, I won't lose my temper with you again, and you mustn't keep doing things behind my back." Yanxi asked, "What am I keeping from you?" Leng Qingqiu said, "You want me to say it again, don't you? For instance, where exactly did you go last night when you came back so late?"
"I told you already," said Yanxi. "Playing mahjong with friends." Leng Qingqiu countered, "Mahjong doesn't last that late. Besides, you should name the people you were playing with. Who was it?" Yanxi replied, "Zhao Mengyuan, Liu Baoshan, and the others. You know them all, don't you?" Leng Qingqiu said, "I know them, yes. But I can't follow you around to know if you were really playing mahjong or just pretending."
"You're stretching it further and further," said Yanxi. "Do you really think I'd lie to you?" Leng Qingqiu said, "Even if you aren't lying, it's still not right for you to constantly come home in the middle of the night. First, it's bad for your health. Second, it gives people reason to gossip." Yanxi asked, "What are they gossiping about?" Leng Qingqiu said, "They say you..." She trailed off.
"Say I what? Go ahead," urged Yanxi. Leng Qingqiu said, "They say you fool around outside." Yanxi exclaimed, "Who says that? Tell me, and I'll go confront them." Leng Qingqiu said, "I only heard it from others. I don't know who said it. Who would you go and find? Anyway, there's no smoke without fire. You should be more careful about your behavior."
Hearing this, Yanxi felt displeased inside, but he didn't dare show it on his face. He forced a smile. "Alright. From now on, I'll come home earlier at night." Leng Qingqiu said, "You've said that countless times before, and it never holds." Yanxi promised, "This time I mean it." Leng Qingqiu replied, "Fine. I'll believe you one more time."
Just as they finished speaking, Nanny Han arrived with the washing water. Leng Qingqiu went to wash her face, while Yanxi sat and watched. After she finished washing, she began to comb her hair, but Yanxi remained seated, motionless. Leng Qingqiu asked, "Aren't you leaving yet?" Yanxi said, "I want to watch you comb your hair." Leng Qingqiu said, "What's so interesting about that?" Yanxi replied, "I think the way you comb your hair is especially lovely."
When Yanxi entered Mrs. Jin's room, he found it full of people. Zhao Mengyuan, Liu Baoshan, Zhu Yishi, Chen Shaohai, and others were there, along with two unfamiliar faces. As Yanxi entered, everyone stood up to greet him. Mrs. Jin said, "Old Seventh, why are you only coming now?" Yanxi replied, "I came early. I was waiting for Leng Qingqiu in our room."
Mrs. Jin asked, "Where is Leng Qingqiu? Why hasn't she come yet?" Yanxi said, "She'll be here in a moment." Just then, Leng Qingqiu arrived. That day, she wore a lotus root color qipao with a light touch of powder on her face, making her appear even more delicate and charming. Upon entering, she first paid her respects to Mrs. Jin, then nodded to everyone else.
Zhao Mengyuan laughed. "Seventh Master and Seventh Mistress are truly an affectionate couple. They can't bear to be apart for a moment." Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu blushed slightly and remained silent. Yanxi said, "Don't talk nonsense." Mrs. Jin remarked, "It's good for you young people to be affectionate."
Just then, the cook came to ask if they could start serving the meal. Mrs. Jin said, "Begin." Everyone took their seats. Naturally, Leng Qingqiu sat at the same table as Mrs. Jin and Yanxi, while the others divided into two separate tables. During the meal, the conversation and laughter were lively. Leng Qingqiu, however, spoke little. She just smiled and listened to others talk.
Yanxi feared Leng Qingqiu felt left out, so he occasionally found topics to discuss with her. Leng Qingqiu only gave brief one or two-word answers, unwilling to say more. Yanxi thought to himself that although Leng Qingqiu wasn't throwing a tantrum with him today, she still seemed somewhat unhappy. He wondered what was really on her mind.
After the meal, everyone sat drinking tea. Zhao Mengyuan said, "We came today firstly to pay our respects to you, Old Madam, and secondly to invite Seventh Master out for a day's excursion." Mrs. Jin asked, "Where do you plan to go?" Zhao Mengyuan replied, "We thought of going to the Western Hills for some fun. I wonder if Old Madam would permit Seventh Master to go?"
Seeing Yanxi wouldn't go, Zhao Mengyuan and the others didn't press the matter. They sat a while longer, then took their leave. After everyone had left, Yanxi asked Leng Qingqiu, "Do you really have a headache?" Leng Qingqiu said, "Why would I lie to you? Of course it's real." Yanxi said, "Then I'll send for a doctor to examine you."
Leng Qingqiu said, "No need. I'll be fine after lying down for a while." Yanxi said, "Then let me help you to the room to rest." So saying, he helped Leng Qingqiu back to their room. Leng Qingqiu lay down on the bed, and Yanxi sat by the bedside, keeping her company. Leng Qingqiu said, "You don't need to stay with me. I'll be fine after a nap."
Actually, Leng Qingqiu wasn't asleep at all. Once Yanxi left, she opened her eyes and lay there thinking. She thought, Yanxi clearly wanted very much to go to the Western Hills. Yet because I said I had a headache, he didn't go. This showed he was still very considerate of her. But was it too selfish of her to feign illness and trick him into staying home?
Leng Qingqiu asked, "What time is it now?" Yanxi replied, "It's already seven o'clock. Are you hungry? I'll have the maid cook some congee for you." Leng Qingqiu said, "I don't feel like eating." Yanxi insisted, "You should eat a little even if you don't feel like it. It's not good for your health otherwise."