The porters and servants urged the travelers forward, and they
started. Liu and the beautiful women escorted them as far as the other
side of the Ch'ung-wen gate, and there they drank a last cup together.
They separated with tears.
When they reached the river Lu, Li Chia and Shih-niang abandoned
the land way and hired a cabin in a large junk which was going to
Kua-chow. After he had paid their passage in advance, there was only a
single piece of bronze left in Li Chia's bag; the twenty ounces which
Shih-niang had given him had vanished as if they had never been. The
young man had not been able to avoid giving certain presents, and he
had also bought blankets and other necessities for the journey. Sadly
he asked himself what to be done, but she said to him:
"My Lord may cease to disturb himself. Our friends have given yet more
help."
She opened her metal casket, while he looked on in shame. She took out
a red silk bag and put it on the table, bidding him open it. He found
the bag heavy; for, in fact, it contained fifty ounces of silver.
Shih-niang had already shut the casket again, without saying what
further was in it, now she said smilingly:
"Have not our sisters the most desirable instinct? They did not wish
us to have any difficulty on our journey, and in this way they enable
us to cross mountains and rivers.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26