The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei by Roy David Tod

Author:Roy, David Tod
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2011-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

Ch’un-mei Manages Coquettishly to Resist Hsi-men Ch’ing

Laid by every man in the street, and

Fucked by every guy in the alley,

why should I deserve to be so reviled by the First Lady? She is critical of my mistress for failing to discipline me. No doubt she would have me dragged down and given five strokes with the bamboo on behalf of that blind whore. In the future, if that wife of Han Tao-kuo’s fails to come here, so be it. But if she should come, just see what sort of a talking to I’ll give her. It was she who sent that blind whore here, so she is the root of the problem.”

“Even if it was she who sent her here,” said Hsi-men Ch’ing, “it was with the best of intentions. Who could have known that she would be the cause of such a quarrel?”

“If she had only been a little more accommodating,” said Ch’un-mei. “I rebuked her with the best of intentions, but she was too narrow-minded to take it.”

“When I came in, just now,” said Hsi-men Ch’ing, “why didn’t you pour out a cup of tea for me? That slave’s hands are unclean. I wouldn’t drink any tea that she poured.”

Ch’un-mei responded by saying:

“Since Butcher Wang is dead and gone,

One must eat pork with the bristles.

Right now, while I am in here, so weak I can hardly walk, you would have me pour your tea, would you?”

“You crazy little oily mouth!” responded Hsi-men Ch’ing. “Who told you not to eat anything anyway?”

He then went on to say, “Let’s move into the other room. I haven’t had anything to eat yet either. I’ll have Ch’iu-chü go back to the kitchen in the rear compound and bring us some food. They can pour us some wine, bake some stuffed pastries, and heat some soup flavored with pickled fish for us to eat.” Thereupon:

Without permitting any further argument,25

he took hold of Ch’un-mei’s hand and dragged her into Chin-lien’s room next door, where he ordered Ch’iu-chü to take a box back to the rear compound and bring them some dishes of food to go with their rice.

Before long, she came back with a square box of delicacies, containing a bowl of braised pig’s head, a bowl of slow-boiled mutton, a bowl of blanched chicken, and a bowl of sautéed fresh fish, along with a supply of white rice. There were also four bowls of side dishes to go with the wine, consisting of jellyfish, bean sprouts, potted pork, dried shrimp, and the like. Hsi-men Ch’ing told Ch’un-mei to sprinkle some euryale seeds26 over the potted pork, add some marinated bamboo shoots and leeks, and mix these ingredients into a large bowl of savory wonton soup. A table was set up, the dishes were placed upon it, the bowls were filled with rice, and a box of baked stuffed pastries was provided.

Hsi-men Ch’ing and Chin-lien:

Sat down shoulder to shoulder,

while Ch’un-mei placed herself to one side and proceeded to share their repast. The three of

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