日日只在园中游玩坐卧，不过每日一清早到贾母、王夫人处走走就回来了，却每日甘心为诸丫头充役，倒也得十分消闲日月。
Each day was spent playing or resting in the Garden, and during the whole of the day, except for the brief period in the early morning when he went outside to visit his mother and grandmother, he was the willing captive of his maids and did for them whatever little services it pleased them to command.
In such enjoyable indolence several weeks slipped agreeably by.
或如宝钗辈有时见机导劝，反生起气来，只说:"好好的一个清净洁白女儿，也学的沽名钓誉，入了国贼禄鬼之流。
When Baochai or any of the others advised against this it only angered him. "Imagine a pure, innocent girl joining the ranks of time-servers and place-seekers, who set such store by reputation!" he would fume.
这总是前人无故生事，立意造言，原为引导后世的须眉浊物。
"This is all the fault of the ancients who had nothing better to do than coin maxims and codes to control stupid, uncouth men.
不想我生不幸，亦且琼闺绣阁中亦染此风，真真有负天地钟灵蔬秀之德了！”
I really think it's too bad that I should have to live in an age when the minds of nice, sensible girls are contaminated by such idiocies.
It's a tank abuse of the intellectual gifts that you were born with!”
因此祸延古人，除《四书》外，竟将别的节焚了。
Going further in his anger against the ancients, he burned all the Confucian classics in his possession except the Four Books.
独有林黛玉自幼不曾劝他去"立身扬名"等语，所以深敬黛玉。
The exception was Dai-yu, who, ever since they were little children together, had never once spoken to him about the need to ‘get on in the world' or ‘make a name for oneself'.
This was one of the reasons why he so much respected her.
如今且说王凤姐自见金钏死后，忽见几家仆 人常来孝敬他些东西，又不时的来请安奉承，自己倒生了疑惑，不知何意。
Some time after Golden's death, Xi-feng began receiving presents and courtesy calls from various senior members of the domestic staff.
Though she could not for the moment guess what lay behind these flattering attentions, her suspicions were aroused,
这日又见人来孝敬他东西，因晚间无人时笑 问平儿道:"这几家人不大管我的事，为什么忽然这么和我贴近?”
One evening, when no one else was about, she remarked to Pinger: "These families never had much to do with me before.
Why are they making up to me now like this?”
我猜他们的女孩儿都必是太太屋里的丫头，如今太太屋里有四个大的，一个月一两银的分例，下剩的都是一个月只几百钱。
"I fancy their daughters are working for Lady Wang.
Her four chief maids get one tael of silver a month, the others only a few hundred cash apiece.
如今金钏儿死了，必定他们要弄这一两银子的巧宗儿呢。”
and now that Golden's dead, one of the tael-a-month places is vacant.I expect these people are trying to get it for their own daughters.”
我看这些人也太不知足，钱也赚够了，苦事情又侵不着，弄个丫头搪塞着身子也就罢了，又还想这个。
There's no satisfying some people.
They've squeezed enough and no hard work ever comes their way.
You'd think they'd be contented with getting their daughters off their hands, but no, they want something better.
也罢了，他们几家的钱容易也不能花到我跟前，这是他们自寻的，送什么来，我就收什么，横竖我有主意。”
Well, it's not often they spend their money on me.
Since they're doing this of their own free will I'll accept whatever they bring, but it won't make any difference to my decision."
凤姐儿安下这个心，所以只管迁延着，等那些人把东西送足了，然后趁空方回王夫人。
In pursuance of this policy she kept the servants waiting for a decision and watched the presents accumulate; then, when no more seemed to be forthcoming, she availed herself of the first opportunity to raise the matter with Lady Wang.
凤姐儿得便回王夫人道：“自从玉钏儿的姐姐死了，太太跟前少着一个人，太太或看准了那个丫头，就吩咐了，下月好发放月钱。”
Xi-feng tackled Lady Wang while they sat eating the melon. ‘You've been short of a maid, Aunt, since Silver's sister died,' said Xi-feng. ‘Have you anyone in mind to replace her with?” You might let us know if you have, so that we know what to do with next month's allowance.”
这原是旧例，别人屋里还有两个一呢，太太倒不按例了。
"This just happens to be the tradition.
If even the concubines have two maids apiece, why shouldn't you have your full quota?”
王夫人听了，又想一想，道:"也罢，这个分例只管关了来，不用补人，就把这一两银子给他妹妹玉钏儿罢。
Lady Wang again reflected for some moments. ‘Very well,' she said at last, you can go on paying the allowance as before, but you needn't find me another maid.
Silver shall have it.
玉钏儿过来磕了头。
Then Yuchuan stepped forward to kowtow her thanks.
王夫人问道:"正要问你，如今赵姨娘、周姨娘的月例多少?"
"That reminds me," said Lady Wang. "How much are the concubines Zhao and Zhou allowed a month?”
凤姐道："那是定例，每人二两。
"The regular two taels each.
赵姨娘有环兄弟的二两，共是四两，另外四 串钱。”
Concubine Zhao gets another two for Huan, making four taels and an extra four strings of cash."
王夫人道：“月月可都按数给他们？”
‘Do they get the full amount every month?” said Lady Wang.
绣鸳鸯梦兆绛芸轩 识分定情悟梨香院
A Dream During the Embroidering of Mandarin Ducks in Red Rue Studio Foretells the FutureBaoyu Learns in Pear Fragrance Court That Each Has His Share of Love
话说贾母自王夫人处回来，见宝玉一日好似一日，心中自是欢喜。
The Lady Dowager went back from Lady Wang's rooms to her own quarters very pleased by Baoyu's steady recovery.
因怕将来贾政又叫他，遂命人将贾政的亲随小厮头儿唤来，吩咐：“以后倘有会人待客诸样的事，你老爷要叫宝玉，你不用上来传话，就回他说我说的，一则打重了，得着实将养几个月才走得，二则他的星宿不利，祭了星，不见外人，过了八月，才许出二门。”
but her pleasure soon gave way to worry when she began wondering what would happen when he was well enough for Jia Zheng to start asking for him again.
To guard against that contingency she had Jia Zheng's Head Boy brought before her to receive instructions direct from her own mouth. ‘In future,' she told him, ‘whenever the Master is entertaining guests or seeing anybody and asks for Bao-yu, you are to say, straight away, without needing to see me about it, first of all that Master Bao was very seriously injured by his beating and will need several months' complete rest before he can walk properly; and secondly that he has just made an offering to his star-guardian because of an unlucky conjunction in his horoscope and isn't allowed to see outsiders or go outside the inner gate until the beginning of the eighth month.”