Original text of Chapter 80 of A Dream of Red Mansions

1. Chapter 80: Mei Xiangling succumbs to the stick of a greedy husband, and the Taoist king makes nonsense about a jealous wife.

After hearing this, Jin Gui twisted her neck, curled her lips, and opened her nostrils. He chirped twice, clapped his hands and sneered: "Who smells the fragrance of water chestnut flowers? If water chestnuts are fragrant, where should the fragrant flowers be placed? But it makes no sense!" Xiang Ling said: "It's not just water chestnut flowers. Even the lotus leaves have a fragrance, but it is not comparable to the fragrance of flowers. If you appreciate it carefully in a quiet day and night, or in the early morning and middle of the night, the fragrance is better than that of flowers. Chicken heads, reed leaves, and reed roots are exposed to the wind and dew, and the fragrance is refreshing. "Jin Gui said: "According to you, the orchids and osmanthus are not very fragrant?" Xiang Ling mentioned the excitement. , forgetting the taboo, he said: "The fragrance of orchids and osmanthus is not comparable to the fragrance of other flowers." Before finishing the sentence, Jin Gui's maid named Baochan, pointed at Xiang Ling's face and said: "I'm going to die. Damn it! Why did you really call the girl by her name?" Xiang Ling suddenly felt embarrassed and apologized with a smile: "I just said it, grandma, don't worry about it." Jin Gui said with a smile, "What's the matter? You are too careful. But I think the word "香" is not appropriate. The meaning needs to be changed to another word. I wonder if you accept it?" Xiang Ling hurriedly smiled and said, "What grandma said, even my whole body belongs to me at this moment. Grandma, why should you change your name and ask me if I am worthy of it? Use that word if grandma says it is good." Jin Gui said with a smile, "Although you are right, I am afraid that the girl will be too careless. "The name I gave you is not as good as yours. How many days have you been here before you refute my answer?" So the girl was named. Later, I became a servant and had nothing to do with the girl. Now that I have a grandma, I have nothing to do with the girl. Besides, the girl is a very sensible person. How could she be so upset?" Jin Gui said. "That being said, the word 'Xiang' is not as appropriate as the word 'Autumn'. Water chestnuts, water chestnuts and flowers all bloom in autumn, so doesn't it have more origins than the word 'Xiang'?" Xiang Ling said, "Just follow grandma's example." From then on So he changed the word Qiu, but Baochai didn't care.

Because Xue Pan's nature is to "Watch Shu", now he has to marry Jin Gui. He also sees that Jin Gui's maid Bao Chan is very beautiful and has a flirtatious and cute behavior, so he often asks for tea and water and deliberately flirts with her. tease him. Although Bao Chan also solved the problem, he was afraid of Jin Gui and did not dare to make any mistakes. He only looked at Jin Gui's eyes. Jin Gui was also quite aware of his intention and thought: "I was about to manipulate Xiang Ling, but I couldn't find any way. Now that he has fallen in love with Bao Chan, if I give up Bao Chan to be with him, he will definitely be alienated from Xiang Ling. I When he was estranged, he manipulated Xiang Ling, and it was good that Bao Chan was mine." He made up his mind and waited for the opportunity.

That day, Xue Pan was a little drunk at night, and ordered Bao Chan to pour tea for him. When Xue Pan took the bowl, he squeezed his hand deliberately. Bao Chan pretended to dodge again and quickly retracted his hand. After two mistakes, there was a loud clang, and the tea bowl fell to the ground, spilling tea all over the place. Xue Pan was embarrassed and pretended that Bao Chan was not easy to hold. Bao Chan said: "My uncle is not easy to pick up." Jin Gui sneered: "Both of them have good accents. Don't worry about who is the fool." Xue Pan lowered his head and smiled silently, and Bao Chan went out with a blushing face. When he had a rest, Jin Gui deliberately asked Xue Pan to sleep elsewhere, "to save you from being hungry." Xue Pan just laughed. Jin Gui said: "Tell me what you want to do, don't be secretive and useless." After hearing this, Xue Pan covered his face with wine, took advantage of the situation and knelt on the quilt, pulled Jin Gui and said with a smile: "Good sister, if you want to Bao Chan rewarded me, so I will give you my brain." Jin Gui smiled and said, "That doesn't make sense. If you tell me who you love, keep it in your room so that no one can see it. It's indecent. What do I want?" Xue Pan was so happy that he couldn't thank him enough. He was doing his best as a husband and flattering Jin Gui. He didn't go out the next day and stayed at home, becoming more and more bold.

In the afternoon, Jin Gui deliberately went out to give him some space. Xue Pan started pulling and pulling. Bao Chan knew it in his heart, so he gave in half and was about to enter Hong Kong. Unexpectedly, Jin Gui was waiting with intention, and when it was hard to tell them apart, he called the girl Xiaosheer over. It turns out that this little girl was also taken care of by Jin Gui at home since she was a child. Because her parents died when she was young, and there was no one to look after her, everyone called her a small house to do some rough things. Now Jin Gui deliberately called him alone and said: "Go and tell Qiuling to get the handkerchief from my room. You don't have to say what I said." After hearing this, Xiaosheer looked for Xiangling and said, "Ling "Girl, grandma's handkerchief was forgotten in the house. Wouldn't it be better for you to fetch it and send it to me?" I don't know what it means, and I try my best to save it. After hearing this, I hurried to the room to get it. Unexpectedly, when the two of them were pushing each other, he bumped into him. His ears and face turned red with embarrassment, and he turned around to avoid it. Xue Pan thought he had passed the bright road and had no one to fear except Jin Gui, so he didn't even close the door. Now that he saw Xiang Ling bumping into him, he felt a little ashamed and didn't pay much attention. Unfortunately, Bao Chan was always the talkative one. Now that he met Xiang Ling, he felt that there was no way he could get in. He pushed Xue Pan away and ran away, complaining that he was raped and strong. language. Xue Pan finally coaxed him to take advantage of him, but was dismissed by Xiang Ling. His enthusiasm turned into anger, and he focused on Xiang Ling. He refused to say anything, so he rushed out and spat twice, cursing: "Death" Whore, what are you doing now to kill the wandering soul?" Xiangling thought something was wrong and had already run away in three steps. Xue Pan came to find Bao Chan again, but there was no trace of him, so he cursed Xiang Ling with hatred.

After dinner, he was already drunk. When he took a bath, it was a little too hot without waterproofing, and his feet were burned. He said that Xiang Ling meant to harm him, so he drove Xiang Ling naked and kicked her twice. Although Xiangling had never suffered from this qi, at this point, she couldn't say anything, so she had no choice but to feel sorry for herself and walk away.

At that time, Jin Gui secretly explained to Bao Chan that he would order Xue Pan and Bao Chan to get married in Xiangling's room tonight, and ordered Xiangling to come and sleep with him first. First Xiang Ling refused, Jin Gui said he was too dirty, and then he wanted to be comfortable and was afraid of working at night as a waiter, so he scolded her: "Your master, who has never seen the world, sees one, loves one, and occupies my people." Go, I didn't ask you to come. What's the idea? It must be to force me to die." After hearing this, Xue Pan was afraid of causing trouble to Bao Chan, so he hurriedly came to scold Xiang Ling: "I don't know how to show respect. ! If you don’t go, you’ll be beaten!” Xiang Ling had no choice but to pack up her supplies. Jin Gui ordered him to sleep on the ground floor. Xiangling had no choice but to obey her orders. As soon as he fell asleep, he was asked to pour tea, and for a while he was asked to beat his legs. This happened seven or eight times a night, but he could not sleep comfortably for a while. When Xue Pan got the treasure toad, he ignored everything as if he had found a treasure. The hateful Jin Gui secretly resented: "I'll tell you to enjoy these few days, and when I slowly control her, don't blame me then!" While forbearing, he also designed to manipulate Xiang Ling.

In the middle of the half-moon, he suddenly pretended to be sick again, saying that he was in unbearable pain and could not move his limbs. Seeking medical treatment failed, and everyone said it was fragrant. After two days of fussing, a paper figurine was suddenly shaken out from Jin Gui's pillow. On it was written Jin Gui's Nian Geng eight characters, and five needles were nailed to the heart and joints of the limbs. So everyone rebelled and took it as news, reporting it to Aunt Xue first. Aunt Xue was busy first, and Xue Pan naturally became more chaotic and wanted to torture everyone immediately. Jin Gui said with a smile: "Why bother to accuse everyone? This is probably Baochan's method of suppressing nightmares." Xue Pan said: "He doesn't have much time in your room these days, so why rely on good people." Jin Gui sneered: " Besides him, who else would dare to enter my room?" Xue Pan said, "Xiang Ling is following you every day. He will know it, just torture him first." Jin Gui sneered and said: "Who is tortured and who is willing to admit it? In my opinion, you are pretending not to know and let's just throw away your hands. It doesn't matter if you put me to death anyway, I'm happy to marry someone else. According to my conscience, I can't be left. You three hate me." As he said this, he burst into tears. Xue Pan was even more irritated by these words. He grabbed a door latch and rushed to find Xiang Ling. Xiangling yelled at Qu, and Aunt Xue came and shouted, "You started beating someone without asking for explanation. This girl has been serving you for several years, but how could she not be attentive and dedicated? How could he be willing to do such a heartless thing now?" Please tell me the truth before you start talking about it." When Jin Gui heard what his mother-in-law said, she was afraid that Xue Pan'er would be soft-hearted, so she burst into tears and cried: "This half. I have occupied my Bao Chan for more than a month and have not allowed him to enter my room. Only Qiu Ling sleeps with me. I want to torture Bao Chan, but you are so angry that you are going to beat him now. Damn it, I just want to marry someone rich and beautiful, why bother to do these tricks!" Xue Pan became more and more anxious after hearing these words. Aunt Xue was very hateful when she heard that Jin Gui was threatening her son with every word and acting in every possible way. Unfortunately, my son is not strong-willed, and he is used to being coerced by him. Now he hooked up with the girl again, and he claimed that she had taken possession of her, but he himself wanted to take advantage of the gift of gentleness and surrender to her husband. I don't know who did this nightmare magic. It is actually the saying that "it is difficult for an upright official to deal with household affairs." This is exactly what the parents-in-law are unable to deal with. So he had no choice but to scold Xue Pan angrily and said: "You are not living up to expectations! Even a naughty dog ??is more respectable than you! Who would have thought that you unknowingly groped the girl who accompanied the room, and asked your wife to say that you had taken over the girl with your mouth? Why did you go out with such shame? I don’t know who’s doing it, and I don’t care about the circumstances. I know you are a waste of old things, and you have failed me in vain. If he is not good, you are not allowed to hit him. Immediately ask someone to come and sell him, and you will be clean." After saying that, he ordered Xiangling to "pack your things and follow me." He also called for someone to come, "quickly call someone to come and sell him for a few taels of silver." Remove the thorns in the flesh and the thorns in the eyes, and let everyone live a peaceful life." Xue Pan had already lowered his head when he saw his mother was angry. After hearing this, Jin Gui cried out through the window: "You old man just sell people, don't talk about it one by one. We are jealous and can't tolerate others, how can we pull out the thorns in our flesh? A thorn in his side? Whose thorn in his side? Even if I dislike him, I won’t let my girl stay in the room.” When Aunt Xue heard this, she said angrily: “Who is this? What are the rules of the house? The mother-in-law is talking here, and the daughter-in-law is arguing through the window. You are the daughter of the old family! What are you talking about? Seeing people and hearing jokes." Jin Gui said, "I am not afraid of being laughed at! If your little wife hurts me, I am afraid of being laughed at!" Just sell me. Who doesn't know that your Xue family is rich, and you have good relatives who are holding others hostage? If you don't do something as soon as possible, why are you so blind? "What are you going to do when you come to our house with begging and complaining! Now people are here, the gold and silver ones are also lost, and the ones with a little eyes and nose are also occupied. It's time to squeeze me out!" Crying, rolling and slapping himself. Xue Pan was not good at talking, persuading, fighting, or admonishing in a hurry. He just coughed and sighed when he came in and out, and complained about his bad luck. At that moment, Aunt Xue had already been persuaded by Xue Baochai to go in and ordered someone to sell Xiangling.

Baochai said with a smile: "Our family has always only known about buying people, not selling them. Mom is so angry that it would be a joke if anyone heard it. My brother and sister-in-law think he is not good and leave me to take care of him. There's no one to do it." Aunt Xue said, "It's still naughty to keep him, so why not send him away?" Baochai said with a smile, "It's the same if he follows me. I won't let him go to the front." It's like selling it to him." Xiangling had already run to Aunt Xue, crying and begging. She didn't want to go out and would rather follow the girl, so Aunt Xue had no choice but to give up.

From then on, Xianglingguo followed Baochai, completely cutting off the path ahead. Even so, I can't help but feel sad about the moon and sigh to myself. She was originally timid, but even though she had been in Xue Pan's room for several years, she still had diseases in her blood, so she was not pregnant. Now he is angry and sad, internally and externally frustrated, and has developed dry blood syndrome. He has become increasingly thin and has fever, and is lazy about eating and drinking. Even if he consults a doctor and takes medicine, it has no effect. At that time, Jin Gui made a lot of noise, and Aunt Xue and her daughter were so angry that they just cried secretly and complained about their lives. Although Xue Pan had fought against him two or three times with the courage of wine, and wanted to hit him with a stick, Jin Gui would hand it to him and call him to hit him at will; here, when he wanted to kill with a knife, he would stretch it out to his neck. Xue Pan couldn't really take action, so he had to make a fuss for a while. Now that habits have become natural, Jin Gui has become more majestic and Xue Pan has become softer. Although the fragrant watermelon is still there, it is as if it is not there. Although it is not very pleasant, it is an eyesore, so let's ignore it. In this way, I gradually found the treasure toad. However, Bao Chan was not as temperamental as Xiang Ling. He was a fiery firewood. Since he fell in love with Xue Pan, he forgot about Jin Gui. Recently, when he saw Jin Gui molesting him again, he refused to give in even a little bit. At first there were confrontations and quarrels, and then Jin Gui became so angry that she even scolded and then hit her. Although he didn't dare to retaliate, he became very aggressive, rolling around, looking for death and survival, using knives and scissors during the day, and using ropes at night, and made trouble in every possible way. Xue Pan couldn't look at both sides at this time, so he just wandered between the two. Feeling helpless, he went out and hid in the outer room. Jin Gui is not angry, but sometimes he is happy, so he gathers people to play cards and throw dice for fun. He also liked to chew bones most in his life. He would kill chickens and ducks every day and serve the meat to others. He would only fry the bones until they were burnt and drink them with wine. When he was tired of eating or got angry, he would curse and say, "There are other people who forget about the fun of Bafentou. Why am I not happy!" The Xue family's mother and daughter always ignored him. Xue Pan had no choice but to regret day and night that he should not marry this family troubler, but he had no idea for a while. Therefore, everyone in Ningrong's second house, from top to bottom, did not know it, and there was no one who did not sigh.

At this time, Baoyu had passed a hundred days and went out for a walk. I also came here to see Jin Gui, "The way she behaves is not weird. She is usually like flowers and young willows. She is on par with other sisters. How can a person have such a temperament? It is extremely strange." Therefore, I felt puzzled. . On this day, I went to greet Mrs. Wang, and I met the Yingchun wet nurse who came to greet me. It was very inappropriate to talk about Sun Shaozu, "The only girl who sheds tears behind her back is that she only needs to come to the house for two days to celebrate her birthday." He said: "I was going to pick him up in the next two days, but because everything didn't go as planned, I forgot about it. My predecessor Baoyu went away, and I told him when he came back. Tomorrow is a good day, so I will pick him up." " Just as he was talking, Jia Mu sent someone to find Baoyu and said, "I will go to Tianqi Temple tomorrow morning to fulfill my wish." Baoyu was eager to go shopping. Hearing this, he was so happy that he didn't close his eyes all night, hoping that it would be clear.

Early the next morning, after washing and dressing, I followed two or three old ladies in a car and went out to the Tianqi Temple outside the West City Gate to burn incense and fulfill my vows. The temple was ready yesterday. Baoyu is naturally timid and dare not approach the statues of ferocious gods and ghosts. Today, the Qi Temple was originally built by the previous dynasty and is extremely grand. For example, it is very old now and extremely desolate. The clay statues inside were all extremely vicious, so I hurriedly burned the paper horse money and food, and then retreated to the Taoist temple to rest. After dinner, the nuns, Li Gui and others gathered around Baoyu and had fun. Baoyu was sleepy and returned to a quiet room to rest. The nuns were afraid that he would fall asleep, so they invited the head of the family, Taoist Master Wang, to come and talk to him. This old Taoist priest Wang specializes in selling medicine in the rivers and lakes, and getting some medicine from the sea to cure people. There is a sign hanging outside the temple, which has pills, powders, ointments, and elixirs. He is used to walking around in Ningrong and Rong. They gave him a nickname and called him "Wang Yi Tie", saying that his plaster was so effective that all diseases could be cured with just one patch. When Wang Yitie came in, Baoyu was leaning on the kang and wanted to sleep. Li Gui and others were saying, "Brother, don't fall asleep" and were messing around. When they saw Wang Yitie coming in, they all smiled and said, "Well done, well done. Master Wang, you are very good at talking about ancient records. Tell us something about it." Wang Yitie smiled and said, "That's right. "Brother, don't sleep, watch out for gluten." As he said this, everyone in the room laughed. Baoyu also smiled and stood up to dress. Wang Yitie ordered his disciples to make some strong tea quickly. Ming Yan said: "Our master doesn't drink your tea, and even sitting in this room, he still feels the smell of plaster." Wang Yitie smiled and said: "If you don't have a rich family, you will never bring plaster into this room. I know. Brother will come today, and he will use incense for the first three to five days." Baoyu said, "But I only hear that your plaster is good every day. What disease does it cure?" Wang Yitiao said, "Brother Ruo?" When asked about my plaster, it's a long story, and the details are difficult to describe in one sentence. The medicine has one hundred and twenty flavors, suitable for both kings and ministers, and suitable for guests. It can be used both as a warm and cool medicine. It can regulate vitality and nourish the appetite internally. It nourishes the body, calms the mind and calms the mind, removes cold and heat, resolves food and phlegm, harmonizes the blood vessels externally, relaxes the muscles and collaterals, regenerates dead muscles, produces new flesh, removes wind and dissipates poison, and is as effective as removing wind and toxins. I know." Baoyu said: "I don't believe that a plaster can cure these diseases. Let me ask you, is there any kind of disease that can be cured?" Wang Yi replied: "It can cure all kinds of diseases.

If it doesn't work, why don't you just grab my beard and slap me in the face, or tear down my temple? Just tell the source of the disease. Baoyu smiled and said, "Guess, if you guess it right, it will be fixed." Wang Yitie listened, thought for a while, and said with a smile: "It's hard to guess. I'm afraid the plaster is not working." Baoyu ordered Li Gui and others: "You guys should go out and take a walk." There are so many people in this room, and it becomes more and more smelly. "When Li Gui and others heard about it, they all went out to take care of themselves, leaving only Mingyan. Mingyan had a stick of dream sweet incense burning in his hand. Baoyu ordered him to sit next to him, but he leaned on him. Wang Yi was considerate and thoughtful. Impressed, he walked forward with a smile and said quietly: "I guessed it. I think my brother has something going on in the house now and needs some relief medicine, right? Before he finished speaking, Mingyan shouted: "Damn it, hit me!" Baoyu still didn't understand and asked hurriedly: "What did he say?" "Mingyan said: "Believe his nonsense. Wang Yitie was so frightened that he didn't dare to ask any more questions, and just said, "Brother, I've already said it." Baoyu said, "Let me ask you, do you have any prescriptions for women's jealousy?" When Wang Yitie heard about it, he clapped his hands and said with a smile, "That's all." Not only did they say there was no prescription, but they also never heard of it. Baoyu smiled and said, "This is nothing." Wang Yitie said hurriedly: "The plaster on Jealousy has not been applied. There is a kind of decoction that may be able to cure it, but it is slower and cannot have immediate results." Baoyu said: "What kind of decoction and how to take it?" "Wang Yi posted: "This is called 'Jealousy Treatment Soup': use one excellent autumn pear, two qian of rock sugar, one qian of tangerine peel, and three bowls of water. When the pear is ripe, eat such a pear every morning. Just eat it. Baoyu said: "It's not worth anything, I'm afraid it may not be effective." "Wang Yi posted: "If one dose doesn't work, take ten doses. If it doesn't work today, take it tomorrow. If it doesn't work this year, take it until next year. Anyway, these three herbs are good at moistening the lungs and appetizing, are not harmful to the body, are sweet, relieve coughs, and are delicious. After a hundred years, people are bound to die anyway, so why be jealous after death! That’s when it took effect. "As he said this, Baoyu Mingyan burst into laughter and scolded him as a "greasy-mouthed bullhead". Wang Yitie said with a smile: "I'm just taking a nap while I'm free, what does it matter. You are worth money just because you are joking. I tell you the truth, even the plasters are fake. I have real medicine, and I even took it and became a god. Is it true that you came here to hang out? "Just as he was saying that, the auspicious time had come, so he asked Baoyu to go out and burn money and grain to spread blessings. After finishing his homework, he went to the city and went home.

At that time, Yingchun had been home for a long time, and the Sun family's mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and others were already waiting. After dinner, they were sent home. Yingchun Fang cried and complained in Mrs. Wang's room, saying that Sun Shaozu was "a lustful person, a gambler and a drunkard, and all the wives and girls in the family would become promiscuous." After trying to persuade me two or three times, he scolded me as a ‘vinegar wife’. He also said that the master had received five thousand silver from him, and he should not have used it. Now he came to ask for it two or three times but couldn't get it, so he pointed in my face and said, "Don't pretend to be a wife or a wife with me. Your father gave me five thousand silver and bought you for me at a discount." How about I give him a good beating and put him to sleep in the lower room? When your grandfather was here that day, he wanted to get rich and rich from us and rushed to get it. Logically speaking, your father and I are of the same generation, but now you are forcing my head and betraying your generation. It's not like we should be married like this, it doesn't look like we are being snobbish. ’” One line said, the other sobbed, and even Mrs. Wang and the sisters all shed tears. Mrs. Wang could only use words to explain and persuade: “I have met this ignorant person, so what? I think your uncle also advised the eldest man back then not to be called this family member. The elder refused to listen, and he only wanted to do it, but in the end he couldn't do it well. My son, this is your fate too. Yingchun cried: "I don't believe my life is so bad!" I lost my mother when I was a child, but fortunately I lived with my aunt for a few years, and now this is the result! Mrs. Wang tried to persuade her, but also asked him where he wanted to rest. Yingchun said: "I left my sisters all at once, just thinking about my dreams." Secondly, I still think about my house and have to live in the old house in the garden for three to five days, so I am willing to die. I wonder if I will be able to stay there next time! Mrs. Wang hurriedly advised: "Quickly stop talking nonsense." However, it is a common thing for millions of people for young couples to quarrel with each other, so there is no need to say such sad things. "He still ordered people to clean up the house in Zilingzhou hurriedly, and ordered the sisters to accompany him to explain. He also ordered Baoyu: "Don't let any rumors leak in front of the old lady. If the old lady knows these things, it's all your fault. "Baoyu obeyed the order only.

On the eve of the Spring Festival, she still rested in the old hotel. The sisters were even more affectionate. They stayed for three days before going to Mrs. Xing's place. They said goodbye to Jia Mu and Wang first. Madam, and then separated from the sisters, they were even more sad. Mrs. Wang, Aunt Xue, waited for comfort and persuasion, and then she stayed at Mrs. Xing's house for another two days, and someone from Sun Shaozu came to pick her up. Go. Although Yingchun didn't want to go, she had no choice but to resign herself because of Sun Shaozu's evil intentions. Mrs. Breakdown next time.

2. Summary of content

Jin Gui and Xiang Ling chatted and asked their parents in their hometown. , Jin Gui gave up Bao Chan, and tried to control Qiu Ling. Ling. Jin Gui was making a fuss day and night. Xue Pan was so troubled that he went out and hid in the outer room. Everyone in the Rong Ning Mansion knew that Bao Yu would go out for a walk a hundred days later. Jin Gui was puzzled. The nurse Yingchun said that Sun Shaozu was misbehaving. Yingchun shed tears behind her back and wanted to go home for two days. Jia Mu sent Baoyu to Tianqi Temple to fulfill her wish. Baoyu asked for treatment for jealousy. One post is worth a hundred years.

Yingchun cried and complained to Mrs. Wang about her grievances. Mrs. Wang ordered Baoyu not to tell Jia Mu. Sun Shaozu came to pick him up and welcome the Spring Festival.

3. Introduction to the original work

"A Dream of Red Mansions", one of the four classic Chinese classics, is a chapter novel written by the Qing Dynasty writer Cao Xueqin. In the early days, only the first 80 chapters were circulated in manuscript, originally called "The Story of the Stone". Cheng Weiyuan collected the remaining manuscripts of the last forty chapters and invited Gao E to collaborate and publish the full version of the one hundred and twenty chapters, which he named "A Dream of Red Mansions". There are also versions of "Jin Yu Yuan" and "Zhi Yanzhai's Re-evaluation of the Story of Stone".

4. Introduction to the author

Cao Xueqin (about 1715-about 1763), named Zhan, also known as Mengruan, also known as Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestral home is Shenyang (some say Liaoyang). His ancestors were originally Han people. He became a Manchu nationality in the late Ming Dynasty and belonged to the Zhengbai Banner of Manchuria.

Gao E (1758-about 1815), also known as Yunshi, also known as Qiufu, also known as Lanshu, Xingyi and Honglouwaishi. Chinese classic, the novel "Dream of Red Mansions" is one of the two main editors, organizers and publishers of the publication and communication history of the first printed and complete version of the novel "Dream of Red Mansions".