红楼梦Chapter22_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter22

　　A venerable senior like yourself， lady Feng thereupon smiled and ventured， with a view to enhancing her good cheer， is at liberty to celebrate the birthday of a child in any way aGREeable to you， without any one presuming to raise any objection; but whats the use again of giving a banquet? But since it be your good pleasure and your purpose to have it celebrated with eclat， you could， needless to say， your own self have spent several taels from the private funds in that old treasury of yours! But you now produce those twenty taels， spoiled by damp and mould， to play the hostess with， with the view indeed of compelling us to supply whats wanted! But hadnt you really been able to contribute any more， no one would have a word to say; but the gold and silver， round as well as flat， have with their heavy weight pressed down the bottom of the box! and your sole object is to harass us and to extort from us. But raise your eyes and look about you; who isnt your venerable ladyships son and daughter? and is it likely， pray， that in the future there will only be cousin Pao-yue to carry you， our old lady， on his head， up the Wu Tai Shan? You may keep all these things for him alone! but though we maynt at present， deserve that anything should be spent upon us， you shouldnt go so far as to place us in any perplexities (by compelling us to subscribe)。 And is this now enough for wines， and enough for the theatricals?

　　As she bandied these words， every one in the whole room burst out laughing， and even dowager lady Chia broke out in laughter while she observed： Do you listen to that mouth? I myself am looked upon as having the gift of the gab， but why is it that I cant talk in such a wise as to put down this monkey? Your mother-in-law herself doesnt dare to be so overbearing in her speech; and here you are jabber， jabber with me!