话说两个尼姑领了芳官等去后,王夫人便往贾母处来省晨,见贾母喜欢,便趁便回道:"宝玉屋里有个晴雯,那个丫头也大了,而且一年之间病不离身;我常见他比别人分外淘气,也懒;前日又病倒了十几天,叫大夫瞧,说是女儿痨,所以我就赶着叫他出去了。
she gives much more trouble than any of the others; and she is lazy.
During her latest spell of sickness, which must have been going on now for the better part of a fortnight, we've had her looked at by the doctor and he says she's got some kind of consumption - a kind that is quite common, apparently, in unmarried girls; so I've sent her back to her own people
若养好了,也不用叫他进来,就赏他家配人去也罢了。
so then and there I dismissed her with instructions not to come back when she's better, giving her to her family to marry off.
一则他们都会戏,口里没轻没重,只会混说,女孩儿们听了,如何使得?
Because, on account of their theatrical training, they talked in a wild way we don't want our girls to hear;
二则他们既唱了会子戏,白放了他们,也是应该的。
and as they performed for us here for a time, it wouldn't have been right to ask for money for them.
况丫头们也太多,若说不够使,再挑上几个来,也是一样。”
In any case, we have too many maids.
If we need more in future, we can always pick a few others.”
贾母听了,点头道:"这倒是正理,我也正想着如何呢。
Grandmother Jia nodded. ‘That sounds quite sensible.
I had been thinking along those lines myself.
且不明说者,一则宝玉年纪尚小,老爷知道了又恐说耽误了书;二则宝玉再自为已是跟前的人,不敢劝他说他,反倒纵性起来。
I didn't make it public for two reasons: partly because Baoyu's young, and if his father knew of this he might think it bad for his studies; partly because if she was known to be his concubine she wouldn't dare gainsay him, and Baoyu would carry on more wildly than ever.
贾母听了,笑道:"原来这样,如此更好了。
‘I see,'said Grandmother Jia, smiling. 2‘Oh well, that's all right then.
Even better.
袭人本来从小儿不言不语,我只说是‘没嘴的葫芦’。
Aroma never had much to say for herself, in my recollection.
I always thought her rather a dull little stick.
我也解不过来,也从未见过这样的孩子。
I can't understand him either.
I've never known another child like him.
只和丫头们闹,必是人大心大,知道男女的事了,所以爱亲近他们。
I'm for ever finding him fooling about with them.At first I thought this intimacy was because he'd grown big enough to know about sex;
既细细查找,究竟不是为此,岂不奇怪。
but watching him more closely I realized that wasn't the reason, which makes it even odder.
王夫人又回今日贾政如何夸奖,又如何带他们逛去,贾母听了,更加喜悦。
Then Lady Wang went on to describe how Jia Zheng had praised Baoyu today and taken the boys out with him to pay a call.
This pleased the old lady still more.
凤姐也来省晨,伺候过早饭,又说笑了一回。
Xi-feng called in, too, for her morning duty call and stayed to wait on the old lady while she took her lunch
又说笑一回,贾母歇晌,王夫人便唤了凤姐,问他丸药可曾配来。
and to joke with her for a while after it was finished.When the old lady had settled herself down for her after-lunch nap, Lady Wang called to Xi-feng to accompany her back to her own apartment.
She asked her whether she had started taking the ginseng pills yet.
凤姐道:“还不曾呢,如今还是吃汤药,太太只管放心,我已大好了。”
No, not yet, Xi-feng told her, because she was still taking the infusions; but her aunt was not to worry, because she was now feeling completely better.
因又告诉撵逐晴雯等事,又说:"怎么宝丫头私自回家睡了,你们都不知道?
She told her of Qingwen's dismissal. “How come you didn't know that Baochai — of her own accord— had moved home to sleep with her mother?” she continued.
我前儿顺路都查了一查。
“A couple of days ago I made a search of all the other apartments in the Garden.
我前儿顺路都查了一查,谁知兰小子的这一个新进来的奶子,也十分的妖调,也不喜欢他。
And, just imagine, I found young Lan's new nurse a regular vamp!
I didn't like the look of her at all.
姨妈究竟无甚大病,不过还是咳嗽腰疼,年年是如此的。
Well I know for a fact that there is nothing much wrong with your aunt: a bit of a cough and some back-ache, but then she always gets that at this time of year.
他这去必有原故,敢是有人得罪了他不成?
I am sure there is some other reason for her leaving.
Can anyone have offended her?”
那孩子心重,亲戚们住一场,别得罪了人,反不好了。”
She is such a serious child.
I should hate to think of anyone offending her after our two families have been getting on so well together all these years.”
凤姐笑道:"谁可好好的得罪他?
“Why should anyone offend them for no reason?” asked Xifeng cheerfully.
况且他天天在园里,左不过是他们一群人。”
“They spend all their time in the Garden, so if there has been any misunderstanding it must be among themselves.”