Explore Chapter 9 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.
By this time, Xizhen had already gone quite far away. Second Miss Wu promptly walked off as well. Yan Xi followed her all the way from the corridor. "I really have something to say to you," he said, glancing ahead and seeing that Xizhen had already turned past the winding gallery. He then asked, "Did you see my note?" Second Miss Wu smiled and replied, "What note? I didn't see it." Yan Xi said, "Don't play dumb. If you hadn't seen the note, why would you have come?" "I was introducing Miss Qiu to you to borrow some books," Second Miss Wu said. Yan Xi asked, "How did she know I have film magazines?" Second Miss Wu giggled, "How should I know?" With that, she raised her two snow-white arms, clenched her fists, propped up her left cheek, and laughed giddily. Seeing her like this, Yan Xi smiled and said, "Come sit in my room for a bit. I have something to tell you." Second Miss Wu gently pushed him away with her hand. "I'll go tell Miss Bai that you like making friends with girls." Yan Xi grabbed both her hands. "Making friends-she can't interfere with that either." Second Miss Wu snatched her hands back to her chest, turned around, and walked away. She didn't follow the corridor. Instead, she stepped over the low railing and slipped behind a cluster of flower trellises. A large electric lamp was fixed upon the trellis. He saw her press three fingers of her right hand to her lips, then flip her palm over and toss a playful gesture towards him before turning to run through the inner courtyard gate.
Yan Xi stood there, one hand resting on a wooden pillar of the corridor, the other tucked into his trouser pocket, staring blankly into the inner courtyard. Suddenly, a voice called from behind, "Old Seventh, what are you doing standing here alone?" Yan Xi turned to look. It was his eldest brother, Jin Fengju. "It was stuffy sitting inside," he replied. "I came out for some fresh air." "Lies come out of your mouth so easily," Fengju said. "If you wanted air, you have a big courtyard right outside your own door, much more spacious than here. Why bother coming here? I just saw the shadow of a girl flash by, followed by the sound of leather shoes. Didn't someone just come to talk to you here?" "Clearly you saw," Yan Xi said. "Why bother asking?" "Let me be frank," Fengju said. "I advise you not to associate with those two Wu sisters. Their nickname isn't very pleasant." "What nickname do they have?" Yan Xi asked. "I've never heard it." "I don't need to tell you," Fengju said. "If I did, you'd definitely say I'm spreading rumors." "She's not anything special to me. Why would I take her side like that? Just tell me, what's their nickname?" "Don't you know anything about it?" "Of course I don't know a thing. If I knew, why would I ask you?" Fengju smiled slightly. "Well, their nickname is really not refined. They're called..." "Called what?" Yan Xi pressed. "Ahem! It's unpleasant to say," Fengju said. "They're called 'salt-sisters.'" Hearing this, Yan Xi felt as if he had suffered some kind of loss. "Your story seems unreliable," he said. "I don't dare believe it." "I knew you wouldn't believe me if I said it," Fengju said. "No wonder-love is blind. Actually, if you carefully investigate the Wu family's circumstances, you'd understand this talk has its origins. Just think. Their father only has a petty official post. The monthly motorcar expenses for the two sisters alone take up a large portion of that. Could he really afford to let his two daughters run around day and night in society, spending so lavishly? We can infer from this that the money they use certainly doesn't come from their family. If the money isn't from their family, the rest goes without saying. I see your feelings for her aren't that deep yet, so I'm telling you honestly. Otherwise, I wouldn't say anything." Although Yan Xi resisted his words, the reasons he gave were quite substantial. "Everyone has their secrets," he said. "How would an outsider know? Besides, if what you say is true, why didn't you stop your wife from inviting them today since she's the host?" "I didn't know beforehand," Fengju said. "Even if I had, I wouldn't have stopped her. She's invited your sister-in-law several times already. My advice is to return the favor quickly and keep less company with them afterwards. That's why I often say it's fine for a few acquaintances to listen to opera or play small-stakes cards. But once you get caught in the whirlpool of high society, spending money is the least of it. You lose track of day and night, and your health can't take it. From what I've heard, for these social butterflies, if they don't use methods like the Wu sisters, they all end up in debt. Just a couple of days ago, the eldest daughter of the He family secretly brought some pearls and asked your sister-in-law to sell them for her. The things looked like they were worth around three thousand, but she said she'd sell them for two. Think about it. The He family is such a respectable household. For their eldest daughter to have to sell her jewelry, how desperate must her private debts be? If even women are like this, imagine the men!" "Is this really true?" Yan Xi asked. "If you don't believe me," Fengju said, "ask your sister-in-law." "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I saw her hosting a big banquet in the main hall of the Xilai Hotel just the other day. That meal must have cost four or five hundred dollars at least. If she's so hard up, why spend money like that?" "Precisely because of that," Fengju said, "the debts keep growing bigger." Hearing this, Yan Xi began to ponder the reason that led them to such a state. Fengju, seeing Yan Xi lower his head in silence, went on his way towards the rear. Yan Xi looked up. Not seeing Fengju, he also returned to his own room.
Once back in his room, he thought of the girl from Falling Flowers Lane. He mused that his elder brother's words were indeed correct. If it were just about making friends with girls, the new-style women from society were naturally fine. But to take a lifelong partner, someone to manage household affairs, a simpler, more modest one was better. If I married that girl, he thought, her love would surely be pure and unwavering. She seems very gentle too, absolutely not like the women from society who not only won't tolerate interference in their actions but will also meddle in yours. Even in terms of looks, that kind of natural beauty is better than those who leap out from piles of powder and rouge in society. Good. That settles it.
His mind made up, he rang the bell and summoned Jin Rong. "I want to pick you to make a small fortune," he said. "Can you manage it?" Jin Rong smiled. "Who wouldn't jump at a chance to make money?" "I know you'd take it on," Yan Xi said. "I'm asking if you can actually accomplish it." "I wouldn't dare promise recklessly," Jin Rong said. "I need to hear your instructions first." "I want the house at Number Twelve, Circle Lane," Yan Xi said. "Find a middleman and buy it for me." "Are you joking, Seventh Master?" Jin Rong asked. "Why do you want to buy that house?" "Do you think I'm joking?" Yan Xi replied. "Just buy it for me. How much do you think it will cost?" "How would I know how much it costs without knowing if it faces east or west, or how big it is?" Yan Xi also realized his question was rash and smiled. "I seem to remember telling you. Fine. Go take a look first thing tomorrow morning and report back to me." Jin Rong smiled. "Who told you, Seventh Master, that the house is for sale?" "No one told me." "Then did you see an advertisement in the paper?" "No." "If it's neither," Jin Rong said, "how do you know the house is for sale?" "I don't know. I just want to buy it." Jin Rong exclaimed, "My good master! How can you think everything in the world is so easy? This isn't some shop selling bits and pieces where we can buy whatever we want. If the owner has no intention of selling, how can I go ask the price?" Yan Xi said, "I saw that house is empty. If not for sale, it must be for rent. Go ask. You won't go wrong." Jin Rong lowered his head and thought. Why would he want to acquire property? Isn't this a joke? Oh! I see. It's very close to Falling Flowers Lane. He probably wants to be neighbors with that girl. He smiled and said, "I guessed it right away. You want to buy a house there to prepare for a wedding. But there's still an alley between there and Falling Flowers Lane." Yan Xi smiled. "Never mind that. Just do as I say." Jin Rong leaned closer and asked with a smile, "Naturally, you're buying this privately and want it kept secret. But have you prepared the cash?" "I have my ways for my own affairs," Yan Xi said. "You don't need to worry. I told you to buy the house, so just go buy the house. Don't concern yourself with the rest." Not daring to say more for fear of a rebuff, Jin Rong assented and left.
The next day, Jin Rong followed Yan Xi's instruction and went himself to look at the house at Number Twelve, Circle Lane. Upon arriving at the entrance, he found the large double doors shut with no rental notice posted. Peeking through the crack, he saw an empty, vacant space inside with no one in sight. After listening quietly for a while and hearing no sound, it indeed seemed like an empty house. He hesitated, unsure what to do. He thought, since the door was bolted from the inside, there must be someone inside. I'll try calling out. So he knocked on the door several times. Soon, he heard a fit of coughing from inside, intermittent, growing from far to near, accompanied by the shuffling sound of footsteps. When they reached the door, the bolt clattered, and one door slowly creaked open. Jin Rong saw a head poke out-a face like dried wax, smeared with snot and tears. A hoarse voice came from within a bushy beard. "Who are you looking for?" Jin Rong replied with a courteous smile, "I've come to see the house." The old man said, "This house isn't for rent." With that, he withdrew his head. Afraid the man would shut the door, Jin Rong quickly stuck his foot in and stepped inside. "Isn't this an empty house? Why not rent it out?" The old man said, "If the owner doesn't want to rent it, he doesn't. Why do you keep asking, sir?" Seeing he was a stubborn old fellow, Jin Rong knew he couldn't force the issue. He took out two cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to the old man. "Have a smoke." The old man took the cigarette. "Need a light?" He reached into his pocket, fumbled around, and pulled out a few matches. He struck one and lit Jin Rong's cigarette. Jin Rong said, "Much obliged," and drew on the cigarette. Then the old man lit his own. "What's your surname?" Jin Rong asked. The old man said, "I'm Old Li, the caretaker." "I thought so," Jin Rong said. "This kind of job can only be done by an honest old-timer. Is there anyone else?" "No one else. Just me." "You're very patient. You've been watching it for quite some time, haven't you?" "Indeed! Over two months now." While talking, Jin Rong walked further inside. He saw it was a large courtyard divided in two by a plastered wall. There was a locust tree on each side. The house had a corridor and was quite spacious, but the paint was peeling, making it look terribly old. Entering this courtyard, he found covered walkways on both sides. In the middle was a rockery facing the main quarters. There were two small trees and a square grape arbor. Turning left and right from here were two wing-rooms. Behind the wing-rooms stood a dozen or so trees of varying heights, lush and green, casting deep shade over the whole courtyard. The grass on the ground had grown three or four feet tall, reaching a person's waist. Heaps of refuse, dirt, and rubble were scattered left and right everywhere. Looking around, it was truly a derelict compound. From within the grass piles came a faint, dank, musty smell that assailed the nose. The entire place, front and back, showed not a hint of prosperity. Jin Rong found it very strange. Aside from the few trees, nothing here would suit our Seventh Master's taste. Why had he taken a fancy to it and insisted on buying it? Jin Rong gave the place a general look over and surmised that the owner was a wealthy family planning to rebuild on the land. Otherwise, why keep such a dilapidated house? He asked the old man, "Why isn't the house rented out?" The old man replied, "The owner wants to rebuild it for himself to live in." "When will they start?" Jin Rong asked. "Can't say," the old man said. He seemed rather impatient. Jin Rong felt in his pocket, took out two ten-cent bills, and handed them to the old man. "Sorry to disturb you. Here's a little something for a pot of tea at a small teahouse." The old man said, "What's this! Making you spend money." As he spoke, he rubbed his two thin, withered palms together, his eyes smiling at the bills. Jin Rong took the chance to stuff them into the old man's hand. The old man put the money away and said with a smile, "I was sent here by Master Wang, who collects the rent. I don't know the owner myself. If you want to inquire about this place, find that Master Wang. He's been coming often these days. When he comes, he hangs out at the big wine jar place at the lane entrance. Go look for him there. You won't miss him." "How will I recognize him?" Jin Rong asked. The old man said, "He's easy to recognize. Face full of drink-blisters, a big red nose, around thirty years old, speaks with a Shandong accent. At that wine shop, besides him, there's no one else like that." Just then, a series of jingling sounds from a small gong rang out. Judging by the noise, it was just outside the compound wall, probably a coppersmith's carrying pole passing through the small alley. "What's on the other side of this wall?" Jin Rong asked. The old man said, "It's Falling Flowers Lane." Jin Rong understood in his heart. He thought, our Seventh Master has really thought this through carefully. He's had a look at this whole property, from the front gate to the back wall. Since he's set on this foolish plan, he probably won't rest until he gets the house. The old man asked, "You're asking about this because you want to rent the house?" Jin Rong vaguely assented, "Yes. But since the owner wants to rebuild, it seems renting is out of the question." "No problem," the old man said. "Just work on that Master Wang a bit." Lowering his voice, he added, "We're all just people working for others. You understand how it is, don't you?" Jin Rong smiled and nodded, then walked out the main gate. The old man called after him, "If you come again, just knock. I'm here day and night." Jin Rong knew it was the power of those few dimes. He smiled in acknowledgment and left. Thinking since he had come this far, he might as well see the matter through thoroughly, he first went to the wine shop for a drink to find out when this Mr. Wang would come.
As luck would have it, in less than half an hour, a man with a blotchy, drink-reddened face came in from outside. Jin Rong saw he matched the old man's description perfectly. Seeing him enter, Jin Rong quickly stood up and offered him a seat. The man, judging by Jin Rong's demeanor, guessed he was a fellow in the trade and nodded in acknowledgment. "Excuse me, but is your surname Wang?" Jin Rong asked. "That's right," the man said. "I'm Wang Desheng. Do you know me?" "I feel like we've met somewhere," Jin Rong said, "but I just can't recall." So saying, he invited Wang Desheng to sit with him and first ordered a pot of sorghum liquor for him. Seeing he was being treated to wine, Wang Desheng was pleased, feeling Jin Rong was sincerely seeking friendship. After a brief show of modesty, he settled in comfortably. "I'd like to ask you about something," Jin Rong said. "Is the house at Number Twelve, Circle Lane, your employer's?" "Yes." "It's sitting empty now. Why not rent it out?" "The owner wants to rebuild a new one." "I know that. But the house is just lying vacant. When will it ever be rented out? Whether it's rented out after being rebuilt or before, it's still money. If someone wants to rent it now, I think it's better to rent it out." Wang Desheng, realizing he wanted to rent the place, said, "That's true too. But the owner has his calculations about rebuilding before renting. How would we know?" "My employer has some business to attend to in this Circle Lane," Jin Rong explained, "and for the moment, there's no other house for rent here. It's a problem. It just so happens your place is empty, so he'd very much like to rent it. As for the rent, that can be discussed." Wang Desheng thought for a moment. He knew this person must have some urgent need that required renting this very house. "My employer has plenty of property," he said. "He doesn't really care about a little rental income." "This is just between us fellows," Jin Rong said. "Let's not hide anything. I can see you, Master Wang, can make most of the decisions for your employer. If you can manage it somehow, it can surely be done. Otherwise, this house is in quite a wretched state anyway. If your employer is willing to sell, the price isn't a big issue as long as it's fair." Wang Desheng, hearing him take a further step and actually propose buying the house, was quite taken aback. He thought, could it be there's treasure buried here? Why is there such a desperate desire for it? So he dropped the topic of the house and slowly started probing, asking who Jin Rong's employer was, whether he was preparing for a wedding, questioning him relentlessly from start to finish. Jin Rong thought, if he didn't clarify the matter, Wang Desheng would surely treat it as some lucrative deal and they'd never reach an agreement. So he explained that the house was for the young master to live in. As for the purpose of living there, it was to take a girl from the neighborhood as an outside mistress. Having drunk several cups, Wang Desheng was somewhat tipsy. He asked with a smile, "May I ask which family the girl is from?" "I don't know either," Jin Rong said. "Anyway, she must live near this house." Wang Desheng thought for a moment and smiled. "Oh! I know. It must be from the Leng Residence in Falling Flowers Lane. She's the prettiest in these two alleys. The house she lives in is also ours, no wonder your young master wants to live here. Since it's the Jin Residence that wants to buy it, and you have plenty of money, as long as you're willing to pay the price, never mind the details, I'll advise my employer to sell." "So, how much do you think?" Jin Rong asked. "Probably over ten thousand, I'd guess?" Jin Rong laughed. "This house is useless except for the land. How can it be worth that much?" "Normally speaking," Wang Desheng said, "it might only be worth four or five thousand. But now one party wants to buy, the other doesn't want to sell. Without a high price, how will it work? Besides, let me just say this-I don't even know my employer's thoughts yet." Seeing there was some hope, Jin Rong pressed on even more. They agreed to meet again at the same place tomorrow morning. For today, each would inform their respective employers and discuss the matter.
He settled the wine bill and walked home. He reported the matter from beginning to end to Yan Xi. Yan Xi was overjoyed. He immediately told Jin Rong to order the car. Taking Jin Rong with him in the motorcar, he went to Circle Lane to see the house. Yan Xi went in and looked around, feeling the house was indeed too old. But when he reached the back garden, he looked towards the neighboring wall and suddenly broke into a smile, as if remembering something. Then, with Jin Rong, he took a detour to the rear of the house in Falling Flowers Lane and looked for a while. Indeed, the row of trees he had seen the other night was exactly in this back garden. This house was right next door to the Leng Residence. He remembered there was a boundary stone on the side of the Leng Residence gate. Looking now, it was right at the corner of the wall. He looked at the characters on that boundary stone and the ones on the stone at the foot of this wall. They were exactly the same: both bore the four characters "Sanhuaitang Boundary." Yan Xi smiled at Jin Rong and said, "That Wang fellow said the house the Lengs live in is also his, right? Seeing this, it's indeed true. Tell him I'll buy them both." Jin Rong said, "He's asking ten thousand for that dilapidated house over there. This house here, though small, is in good condition. Won't that cost another three or four thousand?" Yan Xi said, "Since when do you need to worry about me spending money? Just get things done properly, that's all." Having looked the place over, Yan Xi was very pleased. He calculated in his mind: Let's offer ten thousand for both. They're probably worth six or seven thousand in total anyway. The loss is limited-just like losing a big bet. I remember I have six or seven thousand left in my passbook. Borrowing three or four thousand from various places is nothing. Then this matter is settled. He looked over the place, made his plans, and was in high spirits. Returning home, he paid no attention to anything else and went straight to his bedroom to calculate his finances. But when he took out the passbook from the small insurance trunk under the bed and looked, he was greatly disappointed to find only a little over two thousand left. Puzzled, he wondered how he had spent so much money. He went over the accounts from beginning to end and felt it was about right.
At that moment, a scratching sound came from the glass window. He looked up abruptly and saw the shadow of a flowery dress flash past outside. "Who is it?" Yan Xi asked. Someone outside the window answered with a laugh, "It's me." Yan Xi smiled. "Xiaolian, come in. I have something to tell you." "I won't come in," Xiaolian said. "What is it?" "Really something. Come in." "What a coincidence!" Xiaolian said. "As soon as I come, you have something. If I hadn't come, who would you have gotten to do it?" "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do," Yan Xi said. "I'll do it myself." "Really something?" Xiaolian asked. "Fine, I'll come in. You can't eat me anyway." So saying, she entered with a smile. Yan Xi saw she was wearing a long Indian cloth gown printed with blue bamboo leaves on a white background. He smiled. "You gave me a fright. I thought the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Sea had appeared." Xiaolian smiled. "This is my new dress. Do you like it?" "Nice! Very nice!" Yan Xi said. "Didn't I say you look like the Bodhisattva?" "You're making fun of me," Xiaolian said. "That's not praise." Yan Xi smiled. "Don't move. Let me have a good look." He stood up and tilted his head, pretending to scrutinize Xiaolian carefully from head to toe. "I knew you had nothing important," Xiaolian said. With that, she turned to run. Yan Xi grabbed her sleeve. "Really something. Don't run." He picked up the passbook he had thrown on the sofa and handed it to Xiaolian. "Do me a favor and calculate this carefully for me. Is the account correct?" "Why don't you calculate it yourself?" Xiaolian asked. "I'm careless," Yan Xi said. "I find dimes and cents troublesome and can't be bothered to calculate. But if I don't count the dimes and cents, the total won't add up. I know you're the most meticulous, so please do it for me." Xiaolian narrowed her left eye and pouted her lips. "Stop buttering me up." "How strange!" Yan Xi said. "Where did you learn that phrase?" As he spoke, he took Xiaolian's hand and smiled. "Why would I butter you up?" Xiaolian shook off his hand. "Stop fooling around. What will people think if they see? Do you want me to calculate or not? If you do, sit over there and don't move. If not, I'm leaving." She finished speaking, turned her body, faced outward, and looked ready to leave. Yan Xi hurriedly rushed forward, blocked the door, and spread his arms. "Don't go! Don't go! I'll let you calculate properly. I'll sit to the side and not move. Is that okay?" "That'll do," Xiaolian said. She sat down at the table and began calculating the accounts in the passbook item by item using pen arithmetic. While calculating, she kept glancing at Yan Xi to see if he moved. Yan Xi just smiled. The moment he shifted his body, Xiaolian threw down the pen and ran. Reaching outside the window, she then said, "I knew you'd try something." Yan Xi called from inside the room, "I asked you to calculate. Why did you run off before finishing?" "I finished," Xiaolian said. "There's no mistake." "What's the total?" Yan Xi asked. "Isn't it written clearly in the passbook?" Xiaolian said. "Why ask me?" By then, she was already far away. Yan Xi muttered to himself, "That girl loves to tease people, but teases and then runs away. So affected. Someday I'll deal with her properly!" He suddenly looked up and saw Zhang Shun standing before him. He couldn't help but blush. "What did you come in for?" "Didn't you call me, Seventh Master?" Zhang Shun said. "Who called you?" Yan Xi asked. Zhang Shun smiled. "You're still pressing the bell." Yan Xi looked down and saw his own hand was indeed pressed on the electric bell button. He smiled. "I was calling Jin Rong." "Didn't you send him out, Seventh Master?" Zhang Shun asked. "Forget it then," Yan Xi said. Unable to make head or tail of it, Zhang Shun left. Yan Xi picked up the passbook and looked at the amount again. He thought, this amount is far short of the budget. How can I buy a house? Now there are only two options. The first is to overdraw a sum from the bank. The second is to borrow piecemeal. But the first might lead to a refusal. Better implement the second. His mind made up, he began to implement the second option.