Chia Cheng reprimands his delinquent offspring. lU‐behaved boys
create a disturbance in the school.
I HE DAY PICKED OUT IN THE CALENDAR TOR THE FIRST ATTENDANCE
at the school had arrived. The maid Pearl had risen early and got ready
the writing materials and books for her master, and now she sat sadly
waiting on the edge of his bed for him to wake up. As she helped him
to dress he noticed her dejected look.
"Dear sister, why do you look so unhappy?" he asked her. "I hope
you do not feel cast aside and unwanted now, because I am going to
school?"
"It is not that," she replied, smiling. "One has to be educated, other‐
wise one gets nowhere in life. But just now I have been thinking one
should not overdo even learning. Study is like food: too much doesn't
agree with you. You must consider .your health and enjoy a little leisure
sometimes. During study keep your attention only on your books, but
in your hours of leisure think of the people at home who are near to
you. And one thing more: do not get involved in any trouble or fights
with your fellow students. You know that your father won't stand for
any nonsense. It has been on my mind to remind you of that before
you go."
Pao Yu promised to take her advice to heart.
"You will probably be freezing in the sdioolroom," she continued.
"Anyway, I have packed up a fur coat for you; I have also given your
servants a hand‐warmer for you. But you must ask for these things
when you are cold. The lazy rascals will not stir a hand for you on their
own. Do think of your health!"
"Thank you, I will certainly take care of myself. But you need not
sit here all the time in my room while I am away, getting bored to
death. Go over to Cousin Black Jade and talk to her."
On Pearl's advice he also took leave of his grandmother and his
parents before going off. The last person he went to see was his stern
father, Chia Cheng. Today it happened that the latter was back early
from his office and entertaining some visitors in the library. In the midst
of the conversation his son entered and, falling on his knees, offered
his greeting tsing an and announced that he was going to school.
Mr. Cheng regarded him with a contemptuous smile. "Do not disgrace
me before these worthy gentlemen with your jabbering about 'going
to school,' " he said mockingly. "For all I care you may go on with
your childish tricks, but kindly leave me in peace! Your presence soils
this respectable place."
"Do not be so stern, worthy old friend!" his visitors, who had risen
from their seats, urged him benignly. "Let our young nephew go to his
school happy. He will certainly get over his boyish ways soon and make
a glorious name for himself in two or three years. And you, esteemed
nephew, should not dally here, but say farewell, for it is almost dinner‐
time."
And two of the worthy gentlemen took Pao Yu between them and led
him out of the room.
"Who is accompanying him?" asked Mr. Cheng of the retinue of
servants who were waiting for his son outside the door. Four strong
fellows came forward, bowed their knee, and offered their tsing an.
Mr. Cheng turned to the biggest of them, who was called Li Kwei and
was a son of the nurse Mother Li. "You, fellow, are responsible to me
for him!" he said. "What has he learned up to now? Nothing but
empty words and jumbled phrases. His belly is full of cunning wicked‐
ness. But just wait! As soon as I have leisure I will have you stripped
naked and then we shall settle our accounts over this useless rascal!"
In utter consternation Li Kwei pulled off his cap and touched his head
to the ground.
"Old Governor," he stammered, "this miserable fellow would not
dare to lie to you. But the young Governor already really knows by
heart three parts of the holy book of Shih Ching, the Book of Songs.
He has come to the part which tells of the stag crying in the distance
and the lotus leaf drifting on the waves."
These particulars caused the worthy gentlemen to laugh aloud, and
even Mr. Cheng could not keep up his stern expression but had to
smile.
"And even if he knows thirty chapters of the Shih Ching by heart,
that is still just as much vain noise and illusion as if a person who
steals a beii wcic to stop up his ears and pretend to be dumb," he
said. "Give my kind regards to the old schoolmaster and tell him not
to waste his time teaching the Shih Ching and such antiquated useless
rubbish; he should rather make them study the Four Classical Books
so thoroughly that his pupils will know the text by heart from be‐
ginning to end. That is the most important thing."
"Shih, yes," murmured Li Kwei eagerly, and as the old Governor
said nothing more he withdrew quickly with his companions to where
Pao Yu was waiting outside, alone and neglected. "Did you hear, little
brother?" said Li Kwei to him on the way. "He'll have us stripped
naked and thrashed. In other places a little honor and glory comes to
the servants from the master. We, on the other hand, spend ourselves in
vain in your service and only get rewarded with scoldings and beat‐
ings. We would be happier if we were treated with a little more con‐
sideration in the future."
"Do not take it badly, good elder brother!" urged Pao Yu kindly.
"As soon as I can I will show my gratitude for your good services and
invite you to be my guest."
"That would be too great an honor, little ancestor! It will be enough
if you would listen to me if I have something to say to you."
They were back at the residence of the Princess Ancestress. She was
talking to Chin Chung, who had come to fetch Pao Yu. After another
farewell the uncle and nephew set off together for the school. But it
suddenly occurred to Pao Yu that he should also bid farewell to Black
Jade. He therefore turned back again to the green pavilion. There he
found his cousin at the window in front of a mirror, busy doing her
hair. When she heard that he was on the way to school, she said with
a slightly ironical smile: "To school? Splendid! You will certainly be‐
come a great man and pluck cinnamon flowers in the Palace of the
Moon. It is a pity I cannot go with you."
"Dear Mei mei, you will wait with the supper until I come back
from school, won't you?" he begged. "And I would like to help you to
make up your face as usual. Please postpone doing it until I come home
again!"
"Will you not say good‐by to Cousin Precious Clasp too?" she called
after him as he was leaving. He only smiled and at last went off to
school with his nephew. The school had been founded by the first Prince
of Yungkuo, and according to the founder's intention it was primarily
meant for the gifted sons of the poorer families of the clan, who could
not afford the luxury of their own private tutors. The school was sup‐
ported by the contributions of those members of the families who had
attained lucrative positions. These contributions provided the pupils
not only with free education but also free food. According to the deed
of foundation, the Principal was to be an old and worthy scholar,
proved in the virtues of the Confucian philosophy.
"From this first day of attendance at school together, Pao Yu and
Chin Chung became inseparable comrades. They went to school to‐
gether and came home together, they sat together at their lessons and
stood together during recreation. The Princess Ancestress treated Chin
Chung as if he were a grandchild or great‐nephew by blood. She often
kept him as her guest for three or five days on end, and she also helped
him generously with clothing and other necessities. After two months
Chin Chung was as intimate with everyone in the Yungkuo palace as if
he belonged to the family.
When it came to satisfying a mood or humor, Pao Yu was apt to be
neither particularly sensible nor logical. Thus, he suggested that good‐
fellowship should be the keynote of relations with his nephew. "We are
the same age and studying side by side. Why should we keep up the
ceremonial distinction between uncle and nephew? Let us in the future
call each other friend and brother!" He kept dinning this into the
other's ears so continually that at last Chin Chung overcame his initial
shyness and accepted the suggestion.
The many pupils at the family school almost all belonged, it is true,
to the same clan and were all more or less interrelated by blood or mar‐
riage, but as the proverb so aptly says, even among dragons there are
nine varieties, and each variety is different from the other. In short, it
is easy to realize that there were snakes and vipers creeping around
among the dragons of the family school, and that high and low were
mixed together.
. It was inevitable that the two handsome, blossom‐fresh young new‐
comers should very soon attract general attention among their fellow
pupils, Chin Chung on account of his gentle, mild ways and his bash‐
ful, shy nature, which made him blush like a girl when spoken to; Pao
Yu, on account of his wealth and his self‐assured bearing, his master‐
ful behavior, his ease and skill with words. Their close friendship was
much remarked upon and discussed behind their backs. Envy and
jealousy did their worst. In short, it was not long before the relation‐
ship of the two was whispered about and secretly discussed everywhere
both inside and outside the schoolrooms.
Friend Hsueh Pan too was attending the family school, but less
through zeal for learning than for certain private ends. When he heard
for the first time of the existence of this school, in which there was such
a choice selection of charming young boys, this news at once awakened
base desires in him. Pretending that he wished to improve and enrich
his knowledge, he had procured his admission from old Tai Ju by a
substantial gift of money. In reality, he wanted to be like the fisherman
who fishes for three days, and idles about for the next two days while
his nets are drying. He had less interest in learning than in forming
friendships with boys. He did in fact find among the pupils some who
let themselves be enticed by gifts of money and other favors to be ac‐
commodating to his purposes, which it is not necessary to discuss in
more detail. Chief among these were two elegant boys, who on account
of their smart and attractive appearance were nicknamed Hsiang Lien,
"Fragrant Attachment," and Yu Ai, "Precious Favorite." In the school
they were on a whole admired, but only in secret, for through fear of
Hsueh Pan none of the other boys ventured to make friends with them.
Pao Yu and Chin Chung were also attracted to these two soon after
coming to the school, but through fear of Hsueh Pan did not dare to
show their liking, and confined themselves to admiring glances from a
distance. And Hsiang Lien and Yu Ai reciprocated in kind. Day after
day the same secret game went on in the class during instruction: from
four different seats four pairs of eyes met and spoke together the silent
language of love. In conversation during recreation they expressed their
hidden sentiments and feelings by means of gentle allusions and am‐
biguous phrases.
But carefully though they carried on this secret game, it could not
remain hidden from the sharp eyes of certain sly boys. Consequently,
there was much winking, and suggestive clearing of the throat, and
coughing behind the backs of the four.
The Principal, Chia Tai Ju, happened to be absent from school one
day owing to a domestic celebration. To keep his pupils busy he had
given them one half of a stanza. They were to compose a complemen‐
tary second half. That was their assignment. He had entrusted the care
of the school during his absence to his assistant and grandson, Chia Jui.
Just by chance Hsueh Pan was absent from the school that day. Chin
Chung and Hsiang Lien availed of his absence to signal each other by
glances more open than usual, and finally, on the pretext of attending
to the wants of nature, they stole away to the farthest corner of the
school courtyard for an undisturbed conversation.
"Would your father object if we were friends openly?" Chin Chung
had just asked the other, when they heard someone clearing his throat
behind their backs. Greatly startled, they turned around to find a fellow
pupil, one King Yung, standing before them laughing maliciously. He
had sneaked along secretly behind them. Unlike the gentle Chin Chung,
Hsiang Lien was inclined to be hot‐tempered.
"What does this silly coughing mean? Are we not allowed to speak
together?" he said to the mischief‐maker, embarrassed and annoyed at
the same time.
"Don't let me disturb you!" the other replied mockingly. "But if you
claim the right to speak, may I on my part be allowed to cough?
Though if you have something to say to each other, why do you not do
so openly? One just wonders what secret doings you're up to here. Let's
not pretend; I know all about it! And now you can have your choice:
either you let me in on your game and I'll keep my mouth shut, or the
whole school will hear about it."
"What is there to hear?" asked Chin Chung and Hsiang Lien both
together, blushing to the roots of their hair.
"The truth!" replied the other, laughing. Then he clapped his hands
and called out loudly across the school yard: "Hi, come here! "Freshly
baked pancakes for sale!"
The two friends rushed raging into the school and complained to
Chia Jui, who was in charge, of their schoolfellow's gratuitous insults.
Now, this Chia Jui put profit above conscience; he used his position as
teacher in the school to fleece thoroughly the pupils entrusted to his
ca.re. Hence he did not try to check Hsueh Pan in his disgraceful doings
but he actually aided and abetted him to win the favor of the rich
libertine and thus obtain money and good meals.
If Chin Chung and Hsiang Lien believed they would be protected by
Chia Jui, they were very much mistaken. Chia Jui bore a grudge
against Hsiang Lien, because while the latter was going with Hsueh Pan
this drifting water plant had meantime dropped him for new friends
he had never procured the least favor for him from his rich patron.
When the two, therefore, came with their complaint, he showed himself
very offhand and promptly took the side of their enemy, King Yung.
Moreover, at the time King Yung was in high favor with Hsueh Pan,
and that was all that mattered to him. True, he did not dare censure
Chin Chung, in consideration of his influential friend Pao Yu, with
whom he did not wish to quarrel. But all the less did he restrain his dis‐
pleasure towards Hsiang Lien; he blamed him before the whole class
and pointed him out as a quarrelsome disturber of the peace.
Annoyed and hurt by the undeserved blame, Hsiang Lien went back
to his seat in the class, whence he signalled his displeasure by glances,
growling, and whispered abuse to his friends. King Yung, on his part,
felt obliged as victor to make himself important and conspicuous by
significant nods, grimaces, and self‐complacent mutterings directed to
this side and that.
"I've just caught them in the darkest corner of the courtyard," the
whispering went to right and left. "I saw them quite distinctly kissing
and caressing, and I heard them talking about wanting to belong to
each other. And they were so much engrossed in their important con‐
versation that they never even noticed me!"
Among the listeners on the near‐by seats was one who was much an‐
noyed by such talk. He was sixteen‐year‐old Chia Chiang, who belonged
to the Ningkuo branch of the clan. Prince Chia Chen had taken him in
as an orphan child and brought him up as his own son. But his extraor‐
dinarily close friendship with Chia Yung, the Prince's son, had caused
suspicious whispering and comment among the servants which had
finally come to the ears of the Prince. In order to save his house from
disrepute the Prince had recently decided to have his foster son live
outside the Ningkuo palace. Thus Chia Chiang was more or less per‐
sonally stung by King Yung's nasty talk and as intimate friend of Chia
Yung, felt impelled to stand by the latter's brother‐in‐law, Chin Chung.
To be sure, he did not want to get personally involved, as he was afraid
of a quarrel with Hsueh Pan if he should openly take sides against the
latter's protege, King Yung. Being clever, he chose a good way of at‐
taining his end without taking any personal risk, but remaining com‐
fortably in the background.
On the favorite pretext of having to relieve himself, he suddenly dis‐
appeared from the class. Outside in the school courtyard he went up to
Pao Yu's attendants, took aside Ming Yen, who was known as a turbu‐
lent, daredevil fellow, and thoroughly incited him against King Yung.
He insisted that by insulting Chin Chung, King Yung had also insulted
his master Pao Yu, and if the shameless fellow was not made to shut up
very soon he would take still greater liberties in the future. Having per‐
formed the work of incitement, he returned to the class, calmly put on
his outdoor clothes, and asked permission of Chia Jui to leave tne
school a little earlier today, as he had an urgent errand to do. He
wished to be out of the way of the approaching storm, which he himself
had provoked. He was just in time, for already Ming Yen, who had
been stirred up by him, came rushing into the classroom, his face blaz‐
ing red, and without using the title of "young gentleman," which was
fitting for him as a servant to use, he called out roughly and without
respect:
"Which of you here is King Yung?"
When the boy he was looking for was 'pointed out to him, he seized
him boldly and firmly by the shoulder, and shouted at him: "Whatever
we do with our behinds is no damn business of yours, you chicken‐arse!
Be glad if we leave your old man in peace! But I advise you, King
Yung, to kindly leave my young master alone!"
There was general pandemonium in the class. Chia Jui exhorted the
intruder to behave somewhat less wildly. But King Yung, whose face
was yellow with rage, cried: "Rebellion! Anarchy! A slave dare not
take liberties like that! But just wait, I'll have a word with your
master!"
He freed himself from Ming Yen's grasp, and was about to fall on
Pao Yu. At that moment Chin Chung heard a whizzing noise close to
him. By a lucky chance he moved aside, so that the missile which was
slung by an unknown hand it was a square India ink stone whizzed
by within a hair's breadth of the back of his head, and clattered down
on a bench farther up in front, between the places of Chia Lan and Chia
Chun. At the same time a china pot full of India ink was broken into
fragments, and the books which lay about were splashed all over with
ink. In reply a heavy book box was hurled from this bench to the back,
but it fell short and landed on the bench of Pao Yu and Chin Chung,
where it knocked down the books and writing materials and shattered
Pao Yu's tea bowl too. Meantime little hot‐tempered Chia Chun had
jumped up to fight whoever had thrown the India ink stone. In a trice
a tangle of fighters had formed round King Yung, who had suddenly
got hold of a feather duster, the long bamboo handle of which he
brandished wildly and hit out with. Ming Yen also got a blow from it.
This, in turn, gave Ming Yen a reason to call in his three colleagues
who were waiting outside, the servants Sao Hung, Chu Yo, and Mo Yu,
to support him. The three rushed in like a swarm of hornets, shouting
wildly: "You bastard brood dare to raise your weapons against us!"
Mo Yu was armed with a wooden door bar, while Sao Hung and Chu Yo
brandished horsewhips in their hands. In the wild confusion which now
followed, the despairing deputy schoolmaster tried in vain to make his
warning and imploring voice heard. They were all utterly beyond con‐
trol; discipline and order were at an end. Some joined in heartily just
for the fun of it, hitting out in all directions; others stood on the
benches and tables and egged on the fighters by clapping their hands
and shouting: "Stand firm, stand firm! Flay them! Flay them!" Only a
few of the more timid boys kept shyly away from the general tumult.
The whole class was like a boiling caldron. The intervention of some of
the older, more sensible servants such as Li Kwei at last brought the
uproar to an end. To the question regarding the cause, the answers
were varied, everyone attributing the blame to someone else. Li Kwei
saw to it first of all that the warlike Ming Yen and his three companions
were got away from the scene of battle. Then there was quietness. Pao
Yu was just wiping with the ‐lapel of his coat a bleeding wound which
his friend Chin Chung had received on the for' ‐head from the handle of
King Yung's feather duster, when along came Li Kwei.
"Have my books put together and send my horse!" he ordered Li
Kwei. "I shall ride straight off to old Tai Ju and complain of his
deputy. He not only failed to give us protection against those who insulted
us, but even encouraged the offenders to do us violence; and this
led to the general attack. Ming Yen was quite right to come to my aid.
They hit him and Chin Chung until they bled. Naturally, I cannot re‐
main longer in this school." Li Kwei pacified him and tried his best to
dissuade him from his purpose. It would not be very nice or becoming
to worry the worthy old gentleman about such a trifle, he said.
"And you are to blame for it all," he continued, turning to Chia Jui.
"As deputy schoolmaster and brain of the class you should have inter‐
vened justly and not let things go so far. Instead, you looked on idly
and let the mischief develop."
"I warned often enough and called for order, but they did not listen
to me," protested Chia Jui.
"Take it badly or not when I speak so openly, sir, but it is your own
fault that you are not respected in the school," Li Kwei continued his
censure unflinchingly. "If you had always behaved in a blameless man‐
ner, you would be respected. The matter may still be very unpleasant
indeed for you if it comes to the ears of the worthy old Master Tai Ju.
You must strive to unravel the tangled net as quickly as possible, sir."
"What do you mean by unravelling?" interjected Pao Yu indig‐
nantly. "I am going to make a complaint."
"Either King Yung leaves the school or I do not come any more,"
added Chin Chung.
"It would be a fine thing indeed if we were to yield the ground be‐
fore that insolent fellow!" said Pao Yu, flaring up in anger. "I shall see
that he gets out. Anyway, how is this King Yung related to us?"
"He is a nephew of Mrs. Chia Huang of the Ningkuo branch," the
voice of the servant Ming Yen was heard to say from outside the win‐
dow. "Mrs. Huang is his aunt on the father's side. She is always on her
knees to our second mistress, Madame Phoenix, to make this or that
request or petition. It is impudent enough for such a wretched lickspittle
even to rub shoulders with us. How can we be expected to respect such
'masters'?"
"Be silent, son of a bitch!" muttered Li Kwei aside to him. "What
are the flybites of other people to you?"
"Then he is a nephew of sister‐in‐law Huang," remarked Pao Yu
contemptuously. "Good, I will go to her and give her a piece of my
mind about her scamp of a nephew."
"Why take all that trouble yourself?" the turbulent Ming Yen inter‐
jected again. "Let me go! I shall tell her that the old Princess Ances‐
tress wishes to speak to her. And I'll take her over straight away in a
hired coach. In your grandmother's presence one can make a statement
much better."
"Be off!" Li Kwei rebuked him. "Or do you want to get a thrashing?
I have only just managed to quench the fire, and you want to poke it up
again! If you don't stop trying to stir up your master I will have you
punished."
While Li Kwei was trying with all his might to make peace in the
school dispute, the deputy schoolmaster Chia Jui, who was thoroughly
frightened, was begging and beseeching first Chin Chung, then Pao Yu,
to spare him and let the matter be hushed up. After holding out for a
long time Pao Yu at last declared that he would be prepared to refrain
from complaining if King Yung would make a full and formal apology.
King Yung was now pressed hard from every side. He reluctantly con‐
sented to make a slight bow in token of apology to his chief opponent,
Chin Chung, whom he had so grievously offended. But Pao Yu did not
consider this reparation sufficient. He insisted upon a full ceremonial
kowtow. Chia Jui implored King Yung to give in. "Be wise," he urged,
"and remember the proverb:
Banish the moment's anger,
And spare yourself many days' anguish."
Coerced and urged on all sides, King Yung at last submitted and con‐
sented to perform the required kowtow. And with this the school brawl
ended.