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Presentation of artificial flowers made in the Palace. Chia Lien disports himself with Hsi-feng. Pao-yue meets Ch'in Chung at a family party.
To resume our narrative. Chou Jui's wife having seen old goody Liu off， speedily came to report the visit to madame Wang； but， contrary to her expectation， she did not find madame Wang in the drawing-room； and it was after inquiring of the waiting-maids that she eventually learnt that she had just gone over to have a chat with "aunt" Hsueeh. Mrs. Chou， upon hearing this， hastily went out by the eastern corner door， and through the yard on the east， into the Pear Fragrance Court.
As soon as she reached the entrance， she caught sight of madame Wang's waiting-maid， Chin Ch'uan-erh， playing about on the terrace steps， with a young girl， who had just let her hair grow. When they saw Chou Jui's wife approach， they forthwith surmised that she must have some message to deliver， so they pursed up their lips and directed her to the inner-room. Chou Jui's wife gently raised the curtain-screen， and upon entering discovered madame Wang， in voluble conversation with "aunt" Hsueeh， about family questions and people in general.
Mrs. Chou did not venture to disturb them， and accordingly came into the inner room， where she found Hsueeh Pao-ch'ai in a house dress， with her hair simply twisted into a knot round the top of the head， sitting on the inner edge of the stove-couch， leaning on a small divan table， in the act of copying a pattern for embroidery， with the waiting-maid Ying Erh. When she saw her enter， Pao Ch'ai hastily put down her pencil， and turning round with a face beaming with smiles， "Sister Chou，" she said， "take a seat."
Chou Jui's wife likewise promptly returned the smile.
"How is my young lady？" she inquired， as she sat down on the edge of the couch. "I haven't seen you come over on the other side for two or three days！ Has Mr. Pao-yue perhaps given you offence？"
"What an idea！" exclaimed Pao Ch'ai， with a smile. "It's simply that I've had for the last couple of days my old complaint again， and that I've in consequence kept quiet all this time， and looked after myself."
"Is that it？" asked Chou Jui's wife； "but after all， what rooted kind of complaint are you subject to， miss？ you should lose really no time in sending for a doctor to diagnose it， and give you something to make you all right. With your tender years， to have an organic ailment is indeed no trifle！"
Pao Ch'ai laughed when she heard these remarks.
"Pray，" she said， "don't allude to this again； for this ailment of mine I've seen， I can't tell you， how many doctors； taken no end of medicine and spent I don't know how much money； but the more we did so， not the least little bit of relief did I see. Lucky enough， we eventually came across a bald-pated bonze， whose speciality was the cure of nameless illnesses. We therefore sent for him to see me， and he said that I had brought this along with me from the womb as a sort of inflammatory virus， that luckily I had a constitution strong and hale so that it didn't matter； and that it would be of no avail if I took pills or any medicines. He then told me a prescription from abroad， and gave me also a packet of a certain powder as a preparative， with a peculiar smell and strange flavour. He advised me， whenever my complaint broke out， to take a pill， which would be sure to put me right again. And this has， after all， strange to say， done me a GREat deal of good."
"What kind of prescription is this one from abroad， I wonder，" remarked Mrs. Chou； "if you， miss， would only tell me， it would be worth our while bearing it in mind， and recommending it to others： and if ever we came across any one afflicted with this disease， we would also be doing a charitable deed."
"You'd better not ask for the prescription，" rejoined Pao Ch'ai smiling. "Why， its enough to wear one out with perplexity！ the necessaries and inGREdients are few， and all easy to get， but it would be difficult to find the lucky moment！ You want twelve ounces of the pollen of the white peone， which flowers in spring， twelve ounces of the pollen of the white summer lily， twelve ounces of the pollen of the autumn hibiscus flower， and twelve ounces of the white plum in bloom in the winter. You take the four kinds of pollen， and put them in the sun， on the very day of the vernal equinox of the succeeding year to get dry， and then you mix them with the powder and pound them well together. You again want twelve mace of water， fallen on 'rain water' day……"
"Good gracious！" exclaimed Mrs. Chou promptly， as she laughed. "From all you say， why you want three years' time！ and what if no rain falls on 'rain water' day！ What would one then do？"
"Quite so！" Pao Ch'ai remarked smilingly； "how can there be such an opportune rain on that very day！ but to wait is also the best thing， there's nothing else to be done. Besides， you want twelve mace of dew， collected on 'White Dew' day， and twelve mace of the hoar frost， gathered on 'Frost Descent' day， and twelve mace of snow， fallen on 'Slight Snow' day！ You next take these four kinds of waters and mix them with the other inGREdients， and make pills of the size of a lungngan. You keep them in an old porcelain jar， and bury them under the roots of some flowers； and when the ailment betrays itself， you produce it and take a pill， washing it down with two candareens of a yellow cedar decoction."
"O-mi-to-fu！" cried Mrs. Chou， when she heard all this， bursting out laughing. "It's really enough to kill one！ you might wait ten years and find no such lucky moments！"
"Fortunate for me， however，" pursued Pao Ch'ai， "in the course of a year or two， after the bonze had told me about this prescription， we got all the inGREdients； and， after much trouble， we compounded a supply， which we have now brought along with us from the south to the north； and lies at present under the pear trees."
"Has this medicine any name or other of its own？" further inquired Mrs. Chou.
"It has a name，" replied Pao Ch'ai； "the mangy-headed bonze also told it me； he called it 'cold fragrance' pill."
Chou Jui's wife nodded her head， as she heard these words. "What do you feel like after all when this complaint manifests itself？" she went on to ask.
"Nothing much，" replied Pao Ch'ai； "I simply pant and cough a bit； but after I've taken a pill， I get over it， and it's all gone."
Mrs. Chou was bent upon making some further remark， when madame Wang was suddenly heard to enquire， "Who is in here？"
Mrs. Chou went out hurriedly and answered； and forthwith told her all about old goody Liu's visit. Having waited for a while， and seeing that madame Wang had nothing to say， she was on the point of retiring， when "aunt" Hsueh unexpectedly remarked smiling： "Wait a bit！ I've something to give you to take along with you."
And as she spoke， she called for Hsiang Ling. the sound of the screen-board against the sides of the door was heard， and in walked the waiting-maid， who had been playing with Chin Ch'uan-erh. "Did my lady call？" she asked.
"Bring that box of flowers，" said Mrs. Hsueh.
