柳家的听了，便将茯苓霜搁起，且按着房头分派菜馔。
Mrs. Liu, having put the pachyma flour away, was busy allotting the dishes for different quarters when Yingchun's little maid Lianhua came in. “Sister Siqi says she wants a bowl of beaten eggs very lightly steamed,”she announced.
忽见迎春房里小丫头莲花儿走来说：“司棋姐姐说了，要碗鸡蛋，炖的嫩嫩的。
Mrs. Liu, having put the pachyma flour away, was busy allotting the dishes for different quarters when Yingchun's little maid Lianhua came in. “Sister Siqi says she wants a bowl of beaten eggs very lightly steamed,”she announced.
”
Mrs. Liu, having put the pachyma flour away, was busy allotting the dishes for different quarters when Yingchun's little maid Lianhua came in. “Sister Siqi says she wants a bowl of beaten eggs very lightly steamed,”she announced.
不知怎的，今年这鸡蛋短的很，十个钱一个还找不出来。
“There's such a shortage of eggs this year, goodness knows why, they cost ten cash each, and even at that price they're hard to get.
昨日上头给亲戚家送粥米去，四五个买办出去，好容易才凑了二千个来，我那里找去？
The other day, when they were making up a present for one of Her Ladyship's relations that had just had a baby, there were four or five of our buyers out scouring the markets for eggs.
They had no end of a job getting together two thousand.
So you can imagine what it must be like for me.
你说给他，改日吃罢。”
Go and tell her she can have them some other time.”
莲花儿道：“前日要吃豆腐，你弄了些馊的，叫他说了我一顿，今儿要鸡蛋又没有了。
“The other day when she asked for beancurd, you sent over some which was rancid,”protested Lianhua. “She gave me a scolding for that.
一面说，一面真个走来，揭起菜箱一看，只见里面果有十来个鸡蛋，说道："这不是?
She stepped over to the food-container and took the lid off.
Among the other things revealed was a little cache of some ten or a dozen eggs. ‘There you are, what are they then?” she said.
你就这么利害，吃的是主子分给我们的分例，你为什么心疼？
‘Aren't you terrible?” The food we eat is all paid for, I don't know why you're so grudging with it.
又不是你下的蛋，怕人吃了。”
It isn't as if you'd laid the eggs yourself!”
你娘才下蛋呢！
“Your mother's the one who lays eggs!
通共留下这几个，预备菜上的飘马儿，姑娘们不要，还不肯做上去呢。
These few are all we've got left for making sauce with.
They're for emergencies.
预备遇急儿的，你们吃了，倘或一声要起来，没有好的，连鸡蛋都没了！
Unless the young ladies ask for some, I won't use them.If you've eaten them all up, there'll be a fine to do!
你们深宅大院，‘水来伸手，饭来张口’，只知鸡蛋是平常东西，那里知道外头买卖的行市呢。
You people lead such soft, sheltered lives.
All you've got to do is stretch your hands out for washing-water and your mouths open for food.
You think eggs are the commonest things in the world, you don't realize there can be such things as shortages.
别说这个，有一年连草根子还没了的日子还有呢。
Never mind eggs, the day may yet come when there's not even a corn-stalk to be had.
我劝他们，细米白饭，每日肥鸡大鸭子，将就些儿也罢了。
Take my advice and be satisfied with the fine rice, fat hens and big ducks you get every day.
吃膩了膈，天天又闹起故事来了。
You're so sated with all that rich food, though, that you pester us all the time for something different:
投鼠忌器宝玉瞒赃 判冤决狱平儿行权
Bao-yu owns up to a crime hedid not commitAnd Patience bends authority in order thatthe innocent may be spared
别讨我把你头上的杩子盖似的几根黄毛挦下来！
Don't make me tear out that tuft of mangy hair stuck on your head like the lid of chamberpot.
还不开门让我进去呢。”
Hurry up!
Open the gate and let me in.”
那小厮且不推门，又拉着笑道：“好婶子，你这一进去，好歹偷几个杏儿出来赏我吃。
‘If I let you in, promise you'll pinch a few apricots for me,' said the boy,
你要忘了，日后半夜三更打酒买油的，我不给你老人家开门，也不答应你，随你干叫去。”
If you forget, don't expect me to open the gate for you in future, when you want to buy wine or oil in the middle of the night.
今年不比往年，把这些东西都分给了众奶奶了。
Nowadays it's all divided up among the garden-women;
一个个的不象抓破了脸的，人打树底下一过，两眼就象那黧鸡似的，还动他的果子！
every single one of them spoiling for a fight.Just walk under a tree, and they glare like broody hens.