Mirage

3. Suxin bemoans her fate as a beauty | Jishi searches for sex in the night

Let us turn from Su Wankui befriending a heroic figure to Wen Suxin lingering among the flowers by moonlight. As the sage once said, “Seductive looks are an inducement to lust.”1 This clearly means that it’s not that the boy sets out to seduce the girl but that the girl induces him do so. For if a girl is somewhat attractive, she will look in the mirror and start pitying herself, feeling that she simply has to marry a paragon. To do so, she will seize any possible chance and stoop to any number of unseemly actions. The responsibility in such cases rests entirely with her parents, who must be especially careful to keep outsiders away from their daughter and enforce a strict segregation of the sexes, so that there is no lust there to be induced. As it says in the Classic of Rites, “At nine, boys should go out to study with a teacher, living and sleeping away from the inner quarters; they should share neither the same mats as the girls, nor the same clothes trees, nor the same towels or combs”—a truly comprehensive list of precautions! But parents nowadays tend to dote on their children and let the sexes mingle, which frequently leads to clandestine meetings and shameful acts as they are overcome by their desires. Meanwhile the parents continue to dream away, constantly reassuring themselves, “After all, what do they know at their age?” How wrong they are! Clandestine love, all of them know it; Nobody has to teach them how. 3 suxin bemoans heR fate as a beauty Jishi seaRChes foR sex in the night Mirage-FA02_13Jan2014.indd 31 15/1/14 11:30 AM 32 | Mirage Suxin in her boudoir was not yet engaged, but she had eyebrows to rival the new moon and a face that would drive the spring breeze to distraction. However, she also had a wanton nature coupled with a liquid, sidelong glance as well as a romantic temperament paired with a lissome, graceful figure. Ever since her flirtation with Jishi downstairs, her passions had been stirred, and every day she made herself up seductively and longed for him to come over and dally with her. One day she had played a couple of games of checkers in her birth mother’s room and was still there at nightfall when her father came in chuckling to himself. “Suxin is grown up and I still haven’t chosen a husband for her,” he said to her mother, “but it looks as if Huiruo will be engaged to that Su boy, whose family is moving to Huatian. We’ll probably be receiving the betrothal gifts next spring.” He added to Suxin, “Now, don’t you go telling your sister about this, lest she feels she has to avoid him.” Suxin assented and left the room. She was assailed in rapid succession by both sadness and joy—sadness, because her sister would be marrying Jishi and she would definitely have no chance herself, but also joy, because her father had not told them to avoid Jishi, which meant that she could still carry on with him if the occasion presented itself. She walked over to Pity-the-Flowers Lodge where, because the weather was turning chilly, both girls had been moved upstairs to sleep. As she climbed the staircase, she was greeted by Huiruo, who asked, “Where’ve you been all this time?” “I’ve been playing a couple of games of checkers—that’s why I’m late. But what are you doing in my room?” “I felt tired after embroidering a pillow slip, so I came to your room and noticed The West Chamber on your table. I read half of the ‘Fulfilling the billet-doux’ scene and then couldn’t bring myself to read any more.2 Send someone straight to Hell, for writing that kind of thing! If you have anything good, Sis, do lend it to me.” “I don’t have anything else. Even this play is not something we girls are supposed to be reading. Don’t tell them up in front.” “I know. Let’s have supper now.” “I don’t want any.” Huiruo went to her room, finished her supper, and sat for a while before going to bed. Suxin had learned to read as a little girl, and Jishi had brought her this erotic literature in order to arouse her passions. It was not just The West Mirage-FA02_13Jan2014.indd...