Xue Baochao is miss Qianjin, who loves to do needlework in "Dream of the Red Chamber". Although she was born in the Jinling Xue family where "pearls are like earth and gold like iron", although she has more or less a few handmaidens around her, this Miss Qianjin's obsession with needlework is impressive.
Bao Chao saw that the weather was cool and the night was getting longer, so he went to his mother's room to discuss some needles and threads. During the day to Jia Mu's wife Wang's province twice, it is inevitable to sit with the color and sit gossip for half a time, and the sisters in the garden also have to spend time gossiping once, so the day is not idle, every night under the lamp of the female red, will go to the three more square sleep.
This is a passage from the forty-fifth episode of "Dream of the Red Chamber". I have to say that Xue Baochao is a very diligent woman, although she is Miss Qianjin, but on the female red needle thread, she is not relaxed at all. Not only did she love to do needlework herself, but she often advised other sisters to do more needlework.
After discovering that Lin Daiyu was peeking at "The Tale of the West Chamber" and "Peony Pavilion", she advised Lin Daiyu: "You and I should only do some needlework and spinning performance"; when Shi Xiangyun wanted to do the east in the Grand View Garden and asked her sisters to write poems, Xue Baochao also advised her, "In the end, this is nothing, or spinning needlework is what you and I are."
Xue Baochao's words always made the sisters bow their heads and be speechless. Indeed, in the context of the times, Xue Baochao's words were not wrong, even if they were all noble women who made slaves, needlework was also their most basic survival skill. Even if you get married in the future, if you can have a good hand of needlework, you will not be praised by your in-laws.
Xue Baochao not only loves to make needlework himself, but also loves to persuade his sisters to do needlework, but also loves to rob others of their needlework to do.
When the raider inadvertently told Xue Baochao that he wanted to ask Shi Xiangyun to make a pair of shoes for Jia Baoyu, and complained that he was too busy to take care of these things, Xue Baochao immediately took this errand on himself: "You don't have to be busy, how about I do something for you?" ”
The thirty-sixth time, Xue Baochao went to the Yihong Courtyard, and the attacker was embroidering Jia Baoyu's belly pocket, and she and Xue Baochao said a few words and wanted to go out for a walk. As soon as the attacker left the room, Xue Baochao couldn't help but pick up the needlework left by the attacker, and sat down at the head of Jia Baoyu's bed to start embroidery.
Xue Baochao's enthusiasm for needlework work has reached such a point. She said that she would talk about needlework, and she could do needlework anytime and anywhere. Compared with Lin Daiyu, who "did not take needles and threads for half a year", Xue Baochao seemed to be more grounded, more like a virtuous and diligent woman.
However, why did Cao Xueqin write about Xue Baochao's strong interest in needlework again and again? Some readers believe that this is because the Xue family is poor, and Xue Baochao has to start making needlework in order to save; some readers think that Xue Baochao is too diligent, or that it is to create a good image of virtuousness and virtue for himself.
In fact, things are not so simple. Cao Xueqin's arrangement has another very important purpose. We all know that none of the four major families in "Dream of the Red Chamber" can avoid decay and collapse. The female relatives under this ending are naturally not much better. The glory and wealth of the past have been in vain, and all the gold and silver wealth has disappeared. What should they live on?
In the first episode of "Dream of the Red Chamber", there is the story of a rich and noble woman with a family that has fallen in ruins - Zhen Shiyin's wife FengShi. Although the former Zhen family was not as rich as the Jia family, it was also free of food and clothing, and there were many slaves. However, when the Zhen family's property disappeared and Zhen Shi disappeared from home, what did the Feng family live on? "Fortunately, there are still two old servants serving around, and the three masters and servants do some needlework and thread to sell day and night."
In fact, readers have long seen that the former Zhen family is the epitome of the Jia family. Zhen Shiyin and Jia Baoyu have certain similarities, and similarly, Feng Shi and Xue Baochao also have certain similarities. Feng's husband became a monk, and she could only live by "making needles and threads for sale". Xue Baochao, who loves to do needlework, may also end up with such a bleak ending - after Jia Baoyu left home, she and the two servants lived by "making some needlework to sell".
The needlework that was once the most enthusiastic has become an important pillar to help Xue Baochao maintain his livelihood. Such an ending is both tragic and ironic. When Xue Baochao was in Jia Mansion and advised all the sisters to do more needlework, she probably never imagined that one day she would take her turn to live by "selling needlework".