評論
打印
Lai Wang's wife served the tea； and when she had finished rinsing her mouth， lady Feng got up； and， taking leave of all the members of the clan， she walked all alone into the ante-chamber， where she ascertained， in the order of their names， the number of the servants of every denomination in there. They were all found to be present， with the exception of one， who had failed to appear， whose duties consisted in receiving and escorting the relatives and visitors. Orders were promptly given to summon him， and the man appeared in a dreadful fright. "What！" exclaimed lady Feng， as she forced a smile， "is it you who have been remiss？ Is it because you're more respectable than they that you don't choose to listen to my words？"
"Your servant，" he pleaded， "has come at an early hour every day； and it's only to-day that I come late by one step； and I entreat your ladyship to forgive this my first offence."
While yet he spoke， she perceived the wife of Wang Hsing， of the Jung Kuo mansion， come forward and pop her head in to see what was going on； but lady Feng did not let this man go， but went on to inquire of Wang Hsing's wife what she had come for.
Wang Hsing's wife drew near. "I've come，" she explained， "to get an order， so as to obtain some thread to make tassels for the carriages and chairs." Saying this， she produced the permit and handed it up， whereupon lady Feng directed Ts'ai Ming to read the contents aloud. "For two large， sedan chairs，" he said， "four small sedan chairs and four carriages， are needed in all so many large and small tassels， each tassel requiring so many catties of beads and thread."
Lady Feng finding， after she had heard what was read， that the numbers （and quantities） corresponded， forthwith bade Ts'ai Ming make the proper entry； and when the order from the Jung Kuo mansion had been fetched， and thrown at her， Wang Hsing's wife took her departure.
Lady Feng was on the very point of saying something， when she espied four managers of the Jung Kuo mansion walk in； all of whom wanted permits to indent for stores. Having asked them to read out the list of what they required， she ascertained that they wanted four kinds of articles in all. Drawing attention to two items： "These entries，" she remarked， "are wrong； and you had better go again and make out the account clearly， and then come and fetch a permit."
With these words， she flung down the requisitions， and the two men went their way in lower spirits than when they had come.
Lady Feng then caught sight of the wife of Chang Ts'ai standing by， and asked her what was her business， whereupon Chang Ts'ai's wife promptly produced an indent. "The covers of the carriages and sedan chairs，" she reported， "have just been completed， and I've come to fetch the amount due to the tailors for wages."
Lady Feng， upon hearing her explanation， took over the indent， and directed Ts'ai Ming to enter the items in the book. After Wang Hsing had handed over the money， and obtained the receipt of the accountant， duly signed， which tallied with the payment， he subsequently walked away in company with Chang Ts'ai's wife. Lady Feng simultaneously proceeded to give orders that another indent should be read， which was for money to purchase paper with to paste on the windows of Pao-yue's outer school-room， the repairs to which had been brought to completion， and as soon as lady Feng heard the nature of the application， she there and then gave directions that the permit should be taken over and an entry made， and that the money should be issued after Chang Ts'ai's wife had delivered everything clearly.
