凤姐笑说:"你只别说话,等我去说。”
“You needn't say anything.” Xifeng assured her,“Leave all the talking to me.”
但一有了不是,是往你身上推的。
‘If there's any blame we'll let you take it.”
说着,大家先来至贾母房中。
When the three of them arrived in Grandmother Jia's apartment,
正值贾母和园里姐妹们说笑解闷儿,忽见凤姐带了一个绝标致的小媳妇儿进来,忙觑着眼瞧说:“这是谁家的孩子?
where she was chatting and laughing with the girls from the Garden.
At sight of the pretty young woman Xifeng had brought in, the old lady looked at her searchingly. “Whose child is this?” she asked.
说着,忙拉二姐儿说:“这是太婆婆了,快磕头。”
Pulling Second Sister forward too, she told her,“This is grandmother-in-law.
Hurry up and kowtow to her.”
又指着众姊妹说:这是某人某人,你先认了,等给老太太瞧过了,再见礼。
Then Xifeng introduced the girls to her one by one. ‘Now you know them,' she said. “After the old lady's through with inspecting you, you can pay your respects to each other.”
二姐听了, 一一又从新故意的问过,垂头站在旁边。
Second Sister pretended that this was the first time she had met them, then stood there with lowered head
贾母上下瞧了一遍,因又笑问: "你姓什么?
while the Lady Dowager looked her up and down.“What is your name?”she inquired.
贾母又戴上眼镜,命鸳鸯、琥珀:"把那孩子拉过来,我瞧瞧肉皮儿。”
Grandmother Jia put on a pair of spectacles. ‘Bring the child a little closer,' she told Faithful and Amber. ‘Let me have a look at her skin.”
贾母细瞧了一遍,又命琥珀:"拿出手来我瞧瞧。"鸳鸯又揭起裙子来。
Then the Lady Dowager made Hupo hold out her hands for inspection.
Yuanyang lifted Second Sister's skirt as well to show her feet.
贾母看毕,摘下眼镜来,笑说道:"竟是个齐全孩子,我看比你俊些。”
Her examination at an end, the old lady took off her spectacles. “Perfect!” she pronounced. “She's even prettier than you.”
凤姐听说,笑着忙跪下,将尤氏那边所编之话,一五一十细细的说了一遍,“少不得老祖宗发慈心,先许他进来住,一年后再圆房儿。”
Xi-feng laughed too, then, kneeling down, proceeded to repeat, more or less word for word, what she had told You-shi she would say. ‘Will you be very kind and let her stay here, Grandma?
She wouldn't begin living with Lian until next year, when she is out of mourning.”
贾母听了道: “这有什么不是。
‘That's quite in order,' the old lady conceded.
凤姐听了,叩头起来,又求贾母:“着两个女人,一同带去见太太们,说是老祖宗的主意。”
Xi-feng kotowed.
Then she asked Grandmother Jia if she would mind deputing two of her women to take Er-jie round to see Lady Xing and Lady Wang, and whether it would be all right for them to say that Er-jie was being installed on Grandmother Jia's initiative.
贾母依允,遂使二人带去,见了邢夫人等。
The old lady consented and Er-jie was led off to see the other ladies.
于是尤二姐自此见了天日,挪到厢房住居。
Now that Er-jie's union with Jia Lian had been brought into the open, it was possible to move her from the Garden into the apartment in Xi-feng's courtyard that had been prepared for her.
张华原无胆无心告贾家的,后来又见贾蓉打发了人对词,那人原说的:“张华先退了亲,我们原是亲戚,接到家里住着是真,并无强娶之说。
For Zhang Hua himself was too spineless to dare sue the Jia family.
Then Jia Rong sent a man to court to contend, ‘It was Zhang Hua who first gave up the engagement.
我们皆是亲戚,接到家里住着是真,并无娶嫁之说。
Being related to the You family we did, it is true, invite her to stay in our house; but there was no talk of marriage.
察院都和贾、王两处有瓜葛,况又受了贿,只说张华 无赖,以穷讹诈,状子也不收,打了一顿赶出来。
As the judges were all connected with the Jia and Wang families and had in addition accepted bribes from them, they condemned Zhang Hua as a rascal whom poverty had driven to blackmail.
His plea rejected, he was beaten and thrown out of court.
庆儿在外替他打点,也没打重。
But Qinger outside had fixed it with the runners not to beat him severely.
庆儿在外,替张华打点,也没打重,又调唆张华,说:“这亲原是你家定的,你只要亲事,官必还断给你。”
By distributing money in the right quarters, Cheerful was able to ensure that the flogging administered was a light one and got to work again on Zhang Hua as soon as it was over. ‘There's no question you were betrothed to this girl.
If you go back and tell them that it's the girl you want and nothing else, they're sure to give judgement in your favour.”
于是又告。
Thereupon Zhang Hua brought a new suit;
王信那边又透了消息与察院,察院便批:”张华所欠贾宅之银,令其限内按数交足; 其所定之亲,仍令其有力时娶回。”
but again Wang Xin took a message to the judge, and the court's verdict was:“Zhang Hua's debt to the Jia family must be repaid in full by a specified date.
As for his betrothed, he can marry her when he has the means.”
又传了他父亲来,当堂批准。
Zhang Hua's father, summoned to court to hear this verdict