龙颜甚悦，又发内帑彩缎金银等物以赐贾政及各椒房等员，不必细说。
The Emperor was visibly pleased by her report and commanded that bounties of gold, silver and silks should be issued to Jia Zheng and the other fathers of visiting ladies by the Inner Treasury.
But there is no need for us to pursue these matters in further detail.
且说荣、宁二府中因连日用尽心力，真是人人力倦，各各神疲，又将园中一应陈设动用之物收拾了两三天方完。
The events of the last few days had taxed the energies of all the inmates of the Ning-guo and Rong-guo mansions to the utmost, and by now all of them were feeling both physically and mentally exhausted.Even so, Xi-feng forced herself to supervise the taking down and storing away of all the decorations and other movables from the garden―an operation which took another two or three days to accomplish.
第一个凤姐事多任重，别人或可偷安躲静，独他是不能脱得的；二则本性要强，不肯落人褒貶，只扎挣着与无事的人一样。
The heaviest responsibility devolved upon Xifeng, who, unlike the others, had not a moment's respite; but she was always so eager to shine, so anxious to give no one a handle against her, that she strove to carry out her many tasks as if they were nothing.
第一个宝玉是极无事最闲暇的。
Baoyu, on the other hand, was the one with the least to do and the most leisure.
偏这日一早，袭人的母亲又亲来回过贾母，接袭人家去吃年茶，晚间才得回来。
On this particular morning, Aroma's mother had been round first thing to report to Grandmother Jia that she was taking her daughter home for a New Year's party and would not be bringing her back until late that evening.
因此，宝玉只和众丫头们掷骰子赶围棋作戏。
So Baoyu was left to amuse himself with the other maids at dice or draughts.
正在房内玩得没兴头，忽见丫头们来回说：“东府里珍大爷来请过去看戏，放花灯。”
He was already tired of sitting indoors and was beginning to find the game boring, when one of the maids told him that someone had just been round from Cousin Zhen's inviting him over to the other house to see their New Year lanterns and to join them in watching some plays.
宝玉听了，便命换衣裳。
Bao-yu told the maids to fetch his going-out clothes and help him change.
才要去时，忽又有贾妃赐出糖蒸酥酪来；宝玉想上次袭人喜吃此物，便命留与袭人了。
before setting out, a gift of sweetened junket arrived from the Imperial Consort.Remembering how Xiren had enjoyed this delicacy the last time they had some, he asked them to keep it for her.
宝玉想上次袭人喜吃此物，便命留与袭人了，自己回过贾母，过去看戏。
Then, having taken his leave of the Lady Dowager, he went over to the other mansion.
谁想贾珍这边唱的是《丁郎认父》、《黄伯央大摆阴魂阵》，更有《孙行者大闹天宫》、《姜子牙斩将封神》等类的戏文，倏尔神鬼乱出，忽又妖魔毕露，甚至于扬幡过会，号佛行香，锣鼓喊叫之声远闻巷外。
The plays they were performing turned out to be very noisy ones: Ding-lang Finds His Father, Huang Bo-yang and the Ghostly Army, Monkey Makes War in Heaven and The Investiture of the Gods.
满街之人个个都赞:"好热闹戏，别人家断不能有的。”【戚序本】
The passersby commented appreciatively that no other family but the Jias could afford to put on such a lively entertainment.
先是进内去和尤氏和丫髮姬妾说笑了一回，便出二门来。
First he went to the inner rooms to chat with Madam You and tease the maids and concubines there.And when he strolled out of the inner gate
尤氏等仍料他出来看戏，遂也不曾照管。
the women assumed that he was going back to the play and made no attempt to detain him.
贾珍、贾琏、薛蟠等只顾猜枚行令， 百般作乐，也不理论，纵一时不见他在座，只道在里边去了，故也不问。
The menfolk ―Cousin Zhen, Jia Lian, Xue Pan and the rest―were engrossed in games of guess-fingers and other convivial aids to drunkenness, and if they noticed his absence at all, assumed that he was inside with the ladies and did not comment on it.
至于跟宝玉的小厮们，那年纪大些的，知宝 玉这一来了，必是晚间才散，因此偷空也有去会赌的，也有往亲友家去吃年茶的，更有或嫖或饮的，都私散了，待晚间再来；那小些的，钻进戏房里瞧热闹去了。
As for the servants who had come with him, the older ones, not expecting him to leave before dusk, sneaked off to gamble, drink New Year tea with relatives and friends or visit some brothel or tavern, intending to be back by dark.The younger ones, for their part, squeezed into the theatre to watch the fun.
宝玉见一个人没有，因想“这里素日有个小书房，内曾挂着一轴美人，极画的得神。
When Baoyu found himself alone he thought,“There's a marvellously lifelike painting of a beauty in the small study here.
想着，便往书房里来。
He made his way towards the study.
刚到窗前，闻得房内有呻吟之韵。
As he neared the window he heard a moaning inside
宝玉倒唬了一跳，心想：“美人活了不成？”
'Good gracious!”he thought. 'Can the woman in the painting really have come to life?”
乃乍着胆子，舔破窗纸，向内一看：那轴美人却不曾活，却是茗烟按着一个女孩子，也干那警幻“所训之事。”
Screwing up his courage, he made a hole in the window-paper with his tongue and peeped through.No, the painted beauty had not come to life, but his page Mingyan was holding down a girl and indulging in the game taught Baoyu by the Goddess of Disenchantment.
一脚踹进门去，将那两个唬开了，抖衣而颤。
so startling the two inside that they shook in their clothes.
一面看那丫头，虽不标致，倒还白净，些微亦有动人处，羞的脸红耳赤，低首无言。
Meanwhile he was sizing up the maid, no beauty but a girl with a fair complexion and a certain charm.Red to the ears with shame, she hung her head in silence.
宝玉跺脚道：“还不快跑!”
“Are you going to stand there all day?”he stamped his foot.