Explore Chapter 5 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.
Song Runqing visited Yanxi, which was like adding a golden hue to white silk, making it exceptionally beautiful. He came in from outside, clapping his hands and laughing, saying, "Indeed, my judgment was correct. This Seventh Master Jin is truly a mature young man. We hit it off immediately and have become friends. With such a friend, finding a job will be no problem at all." As he spoke, he shook his head a few times. Mrs. Leng saw him and said, "Second Brother, this was your first visit to their place. Why did you stay so long?" Song Runqing replied, "I know, but he kept insisting I stay, so I had to sit a while longer." Shaking his head, he added, "He wants to learn poetry from me. If I can take such a disciple, I could die with my eyes closed. Aside from his father, his eldest brother works in the foreign affairs office, his second brother in the salt administration, and his third brother in the transportation department-all promising careers. I haven't asked which office he's in, but it must be a good one too. He's truly amiable, without any airs of a young master, a youth on the right path." Seeing her brother so delighted, Mrs. Leng did not stop him.
The next morning, a servant from over there came to the gap in the wall to inquire if the uncle was at home, as their Seventh Master wished to visit. Song Runqing was just opening the main gate to go to his office when he heard this. He quickly retreated into the courtyard and called out, "I'm honored, I haven't gone out yet." He then instructed Han Guanjin to quickly tidy up the small guest room and told Nanny Han to boil water and buy cigarettes. He himself sat in the guest room first, waiting for the visitor. Yanxi, however, was not as ceremonious. He simply stepped through the gap in the wall, entered the courtyard, and coughed lightly. Song Runqing peeked out and immediately walked into the courtyard, bowing deeply in welcome. Yanxi laughed and said, "I'm not being very respectful, coming over by climbing the wall." Song Runqing also laughed and said, "This way, we can be informal." He then led Yanxi to the living room and entertained him earnestly. Later, when they talked about poetry, he took Yanxi to the study and brought out all the poetry collections he had at home, one by one, for Yanxi to look at. Yanxi just spent some time casually with him and then left.
The next morning, Yanxi suddenly sent over a banquet. He had a servant come to say, "Originally, we should have invited Mr. Song and Mrs. Leng over to show respect. But since we just moved in, all our servants are rough-handed and can't entertain properly, so we're sending this banquet over. Please forgive us for not accompanying you." Song Runqing quickly examined the banquet-it was a top-grade shark fin feast. Since the start of the year, although he had attended two banquets, one was for a funeral and the other was a vegetarian feast, nothing as sumptuous as this. Moreover, besides the feast, there were two bottles of liquor: one of Three Stars brandy and one of grape wine, just to his taste. At the sight, his mouth watered. He immediately said to Mrs. Leng, "Elder Sister, do you know what this means? This is the apprentice wine he's prepared." Mrs. Leng said, "It must be so. What else in our home would catch their eye?" The next day, Song Runqing selected a copy of the 'Changqing Collection' and a copy of the 'Suiyuan Complete Works,' placed them in a glass case, and sent them over. Song Runqing's intention was that these were excellent editions, and they had been meticulously annotated by his eldest brother in fine calligraphy-truly a generous sharing of knowledge, not just a gift. But who would have thought that Yanxi didn't even look at them and just had the servant put them on the bookshelf. He thought to himself, the silk fabric had been sent, but when would she wear it, and when would I see her wear it? If she didn't make clothing soon, what then? He pondered blankly for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "I've got it, I've got an idea." He immediately told Jin Rong to call Grand Stage and have them send two first-class box tickets, and these two boxes had to be adjacent. If they weren't adjacent, he didn't want them. Shortly after, the Grand Stage accountant delivered the box tickets. Yanxi looked and saw they were indeed adjacent, which delighted him. The next day, he used the pretext of discussing poetry with Song Runqing to say that someone had given him a box ticket, but he couldn't go alone, so he'd pass it on to Mrs. Leng inside. The play was rare, so she might like to see it. Song Runqing took the box ticket and saw it was for a good play that had been widely advertised in the newspapers. He hurriedly took the ticket and went in to tell Mrs. Leng. When Mrs. Leng heard that the Jin Family young master had come, and considering his repeated courtesy, she used four plates to serve four kinds of dried snacks. Yanxi said, "If you're so polite, I'll hesitate to come often in the future. We're just separated by a wall, coming and going frequently. Why bother with all this? It's just that your side has blocked up the wall; otherwise, we could use the same gate. That property manager Wang Desheng is very negligent. I've long said to fix this wall quickly, but he keeps procrastinating day by day until now." Song Runqing said, "It doesn't matter. We get along well, so why worry about formalities? In my opinion, it's best to open a door so we can chat often without going the long way around." Yanxi said, "Excellent! Let's do that, so I can learn more from you." That was what they said on the first day. On the second day, Wang Desheng brought masons to repair the wall and add a door. The door opened from there to this side, making it seem like this was an inner courtyard. After the door was opened, Yanxi often invited Song Runqing over for casual meals, and he frequently sent over food and entertainment. Mrs. Leng, seeing Yanxi so courteous and well-mannered, felt very apologetic. Sometimes when Yanxi came over, they would occasionally meet and exchange a few words, becoming much more familiar.
Time flies, and in a blink, three days passed. Only one day remained until the play. Leng Qingqiu had already had the lotus-colored silk fabric made into clothing by a tailor under a tight deadline, and it was finished the day before. That evening, Yanxi told Song Runqing not to hire a carriage, as he could use his automobile to take them there and back. Song Runqing agreed wholeheartedly even before consulting Mrs. Leng. He went in and said to Mrs. Leng, "Today, we're really going to enjoy ourselves. Jin Yanxi has lent us his automobile to ride in." Nanny Han laughed and said, "I've never ridden in an automobile before. Today, I'll try something new." Leng Qingqiu said, "Riding in an automobile isn't a big deal, but it'll be much more convenient when we return late at night, saving us the trouble of hiring a carriage." Mrs. Leng originally didn't want to ride in someone else's car, but seeing everyone agree, she didn't object. After dinner, Yanxi's automobile was already parked at the door. They boarded the automobile, and in no time, they arrived at the entrance of Grand Stage. Yanxi had arranged everything meticulously. He had sent Jin Rong to wait at the door. As soon as they arrived, he led them to the upstairs box. The railing handrail was covered with plates of dried and fresh fruits, cigarettes, and teacups. The theater attendants, thinking they were from the Jin Family, were extra attentive. After about one act, Yanxi also arrived and sat in the box right next to them. Mrs. Leng and Song Runqing saw him and quickly greeted him. Yanxi beamed and nodded to each person on this side. Leng Qingqiu, feeling that she couldn't ignore such courtesy, also stood up and nodded slightly. Yanxi, seeing Leng Qingqiu acknowledge him, was overjoyed. Although his eyes were on the stage, he didn't notice whether the actors had red faces or white faces. Mrs. Leng and Leng Qingqiu didn't understand opera well, so they kept asking Song Runqing. Mr. Song, who visited the theater less than three times a year, knew the stories but couldn't explain what the actors were singing. Later, when the stage performed The Story of Su San, the dan singer's yiyaya was completely incomprehensible. They knew the plot but not the lyrics. Yanxi couldn't help himself. Before the aria started, he told Song Runqing the lyrics, as if to make sure they heard. Mrs. Leng and her daughter, understanding the lyrics first, found the dan's singing quite enjoyable. They didn't speak until the act ended. Because they enjoyed this act, they later asked Song Runqing about various actions on stage, which indirectly meant asking Yanxi, so Yanxi answered every question. Later, when the stage performed Borrowing the East Wind, they saw a person holding a black cloth flag, waving it as he crossed the stage. Leng Qingqiu said, "Uncle! What does this mean?" Song Runqing said, "That's a messenger soldier." Leng Qingqiu said, "That can't be right. He has a tuft of yellow hair on his head, like a monster." Song Runqing laughed and said, "Don't say such amateurish things. How could there be monsters in 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?" Yanxi, seeing they were both wrong, couldn't help smiling at Song Runqing and said, "Not a monster, but almost like one." Song Runqing said, "How is it almost like a monster? Surely not a deity, so a ghost?" Yanxi said, "Not a deity or a ghost. He represents a gust of wind blowing past. If you must call it something, it's hard to define. Traditional opera has this bit of mystery." Leng Qingqiu heard this and couldn't help laughing. Yanxi, seeing her laugh, grew even more excited and freely criticized the play. Although they didn't speak directly, intentionally or not, they occasionally exchanged a word or two.
When the play was about to reach its climax, Yanxi prepared to leave. Song Runqing said, "This is the best part. Why leave now?" Yanxi said, "I thought I'd take the car first and come back to pick you up later." Song Runqing said, "Why bother? Let's all go back in the same car. Your automobile is big enough to fit everyone." Mrs. Leng said, "Yes, let's go back together. It's so late, no need to make the driver make an extra trip." Yanxi said, "But it'll be very crowded." Song Runqing looked and said, "There are only five of us, not many." Yanxi, hearing this, stayed to watch the play to the end. When they boarded the car, Leng Qingqiu and Nanny Han sat on the backward-facing seats. Yanxi said, "No need to be polite. Miss Leng, please sit in the front." Leng Qingqiu said, "No, this is fine." Yanxi refused to get in until she sat in the front. So Leng Qingqiu, Mrs. Leng, and Song Runqing sat in a row, Nanny Han sat opposite Leng Qingqiu, and Yanxi sat opposite Song Runqing. Song Runqing laughed and said, "Brother Yanxi, this is probably your first time sitting backward in an automobile." Yanxi said, "No, I've done it before." As he spoke, he casually pressed the lamp switch on the ceiling, and the light turned on. Leng Qingqiu, with a stranger sitting opposite, felt somewhat embarrassed and lowered her head to fiddle with her handkerchief. Yanxi, seeing her discomfort, also lowered his head. In that moment, he couldn't help but glance at Leng Qingqiu's feet. She wore black thread stockings and maroon silk flat shoes, still seventy percent new. He couldn't help feeling sorry for her. With such a beautiful gown, the shoes and stockings were a bit too plain, a flaw in perfection. Just from this thought, he resolved to solve this problem for her.