Learning:
The Journey of a Lifetime
A Cloud Chamber of the Mind

2006 Literature Notebook

Zhou Rui's wife [6, 7] a couple employed in the Rong-guo household.

Xue Bao-chai. [4, 5, 7] Xue Pan's sister.

Aunt Xue. [4, 7] widowed sister of Lady Wang, mother of Xue Pan and Bao-chai.

Lady Wang. [ 7] wife of Jia Zheng, mother of Jia Zhu, Yuan-chun and Bao-yu.

Caltrop. [1, 4, 7 ] Also known as Zhen Ying-lian. The young girl who was kidnapped when she was young and is now being sold as a slave. She is bought by Xue Pan and becomes his servant.

Jia-Lian [7] Son of Jia She and Jia Zheng; husband of Wang Xi-feng.

Patience [6, 7] A maid, and principal confidant, of Mrs. Lian.[Wang Xi-feng]

Leng Zi-xing. [2, 7] An antique dealer. He was a friend of Jai Yu-cun while he was a student.

Lin Dai-yu. [2, 3, 4, 5, 7] Young daughter of Lin Ru-hai. She received tutoring from Jai Yu-cun but now she is being brought up by the Jias of Rong-guo mansion.

Bao-yu. [3, 4, 5, 6, 7] The Stone.

Wang Xi-feng ("Peppercorn" Feng) (Mrs. Lian): [3, 6, 7] Wife of Jia Lian, a beautiful young woman (about 18 - 19 years old), who is responsible for much of the management of the Rong-guo mansion.

Qin Zhong. [7] younger brother of Qin-shi; Bao-yu's best friend .

After seeing Grannie Lui off, Zhou Rui's wife visits Xue Bao-chai who describes a small illness that she has. She then meets with Aunt Zue and Lady Wang and gives her report on Grannie Lui's visit.

Aunt Zue asks Caltrop to bring in a box of 12 artificial flowers. She gives them to Zhou Rui's wife to give 2 to each of the three Jia girls, 2 for Miss Lin and 4 to Mrs. Lian.

Zhou Rui's wife comments that Caltrop looks a lot like Master Rong's wife [Qin-shi] in the Ning-guo mansion.

Zhou Rui's wife hears a laugh from Jia Lian and then Patience comes out of the room. The inference from the chapter synopsis is that this is an affair.

Zhou Rui's wife meets her daughter who tells her that her husband is in a bit of trouble. Her husband is Jia Yu-cun's old friend, Leng Zi-xing, the antique dealer.

Zhou Rui's wife then meets Lin Dai-yu and Bao-yu working on some metal puzzles and gives her the 2 flowers.

The next day Bao-yu visits the Ning-guo mansion where he meets another boy, Qin Zhong. They quickly become friends.

I wonder if it will turn out that Caltrop is related in some manner to Qin-shi?

The number of characters is getting more difficult to keep straight.