Hung Lou Meng; Or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Volume 2

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1893 edition. Excerpt: ...Dowager lady Chia and all the inmates laughed. But subsequently, each of them was handed a thin, pure white covered cup, all of the same make, originating from the ' Kuan' kiln. Miao Yii, however, soon gave a tug at Pao-ch'ai's and Tai-yu's lapels, and both quitted the apartment along with her. But Pao-yii too quietly followed at their heels. Spying Miao Yii show his two cousins into a side-room, Pao-ch'ai take a seat in the court, Tai-yii seat herself on Miao Yii's rush mat, and Miao Yii herself approach a stove, fan the fire and boil some water, with which she brewed another pot of tea, Pao-yii walked in. "Are you bent upon drinking your own private tea?" he smiled. "Here you rush again to steal our ten," the two girls laughed with one accord. " There's none for you!" But just as Miao Yii was going to fetch a cup, she perceived an old taoist matron bring away the tea things, which had been used in the upper rooms. "Don't put that'Ch'eng' kiln tea-cup by 3" Miao Yii hastily shouted. "Go and put it outside!" Pao-yii undei-stood that it must be because old goody Lin had drunk out of it that she considered it too dirty to keep. He then saw Miao Yii produce two other cups. The one had an ear on the side. On the bowl itself were engraved in three characters: 'calabash cup, ' in the plain 'square' writing. After these, followed a row of small characters in the ' true' style, to the effect that the cup had been an article much treasured by Wang K'ai. Next came a second row of small characters stating: 'that in the course of the fourth moon of the fifth year of Yiian Feng, of the Snug dynasty, Su Shih of Mei Shun had seen it in the 'Secret' palace. This cup, Miao Yii filled, and handed to Pao-ch'ai. The other cup was, in appearance, as clumsy as it was...