Read Online The Warning Voice by Cao Xueqin - Free Book Online

me?’
    Tan-chun laughed mirthlessly:
    â€˜Oh
that
’
s
what this is about! The simple answer to that is that I have to follow the rules.’
    She sat down again, opened up the account-book and, holding it out for Aunt Zhao to see, read the relevant entries out to her.
    â€˜These regulations were laid down by the ancestors for everyone to follow.
I
can’t suddenly go altering them. It isn’t just Aroma. It will be exactly the same if one day Huan has a chamber-wife from outside. If someone in her family dies, then, as an outsider, she will get exactly the same amount as Aroma did. It has nothing to do with who is more important than whom. It isn’t a matter of prestige at all. Zhao Guo-ji was Lady Wang’s bondservant. That means that he belongs to the “home-reared” class. The rules lay down a certain scale of payments for that class. All I have done is to follow the rules. I am sure that Zhao Guo-ji must approve and be grateful to the ancestors and Lady Wang for their generosity. If he doesn’t – if he thinks he is being unfairly treated – then all I can say is that he is stupid and ungrateful and one can’t really care very much
what
he thinks. As regards face, it makes no difference to me whether Lady Wang gives him everythingshe’s got or nothing at all. And I really do think that while she is away you might try to compose yourself a bit and not go working yourself up into such a state. Although Lady Wang is so good to me, I am constantly worried that you will spoil everything with your perpetual trouble-making. If I’d been a boy I should have left home long ago and done something to show myself worthy of her kindness; but as I am a girl, I have to stay at home and never say a word out of turn. I believe she realizes this, and because she thinks highly of me she has entrusted me with this managing job as a means of proving myself. But before I have had a chance to do anything, you have to come along and start making things difficult for me. If Lady Wang gets to hear of it, she will probably conclude that the job is too hard for me and take it away again. That would be a
real
loss of face – for you as well as for me.’
    Tan-chun’s shoulders began to shake as she said this and she ended up by bursting into tears.
    Aunt Zhao did not really have an answer to what Tan-chun had said, so she tried another tack.
    â€˜If Lady Wang is so fond of you, you ought to use your position to give us a helping hand. The fact is, though, you are so anxious to keep in her good books that you forget about us altogether.’
    â€˜Of course I don’t forget about you,’ said Tan-chun. ‘But what do you mean by giving you a “helping hand”? A good mistress will always be favourable to those who try hard and make themselves useful, and a good servant doesn’t need any “helping hand” in order to keep in her favour.’
    Li Wan hovered between them, still trying to act the peacemaker:
    â€˜Please don’t be angry, Mrs Zhao. You mustn’t blame Tan-chun. I’m sure she’s most anxious to give you all the help she can; but you could hardly expect her to say so.’
    â€˜Don’t talk such stuff, Wan!’ said Tan-chun impatiently. ‘Help
whom
, for goodness sake? Whoever heard of the young mistress in a family
helping
the servants? Their private interests are no concern of mine, as you perfectly well know.’
    â€˜We’re not talking about “servants”, we’re talking about
me
,’ said Aunt Zhao angrily. ‘If you hadn’t been in charge now, I’d never have asked you. At this particular moment you happen to be in charge here. Very well. Your mother’s brother has just died. If you decide to give an extra twenty or thirty taels towards his funeral, Her Ladyship isn’t going to stop you, is she? Of course she isn’t. We all know what a good, kind person Her