Lin Zhixiao
林之孝
“Deaf as Heaven”
His Story
Steward of the Rong mansion, husband of 林之孝家的 and father of the maid 小红. The household’s verdict on the couple is 天聋地哑 — one deaf as heaven, the other dumb as earth — and it holds. He hears nothing he need not hear, says nothing he need not say, and lets trouble pass over the top of him. The accounts stay in order. Nothing else does, and none of it is ever his doing.
In Xiang Li's Hands
Stooped over stacked ledgers in red, grey and white, one hand raising an unrolled sheet of paper, the other splayed on a box lid. Grey-green robe, black cap, thin grey beard, and the eyes pulled up and away from the page toward whoever has just come in. Caution painted as posture.
The Calligraphy
林之孝 — the plain full name, and unusually set at the upper left rather than the right, so the name is read before the man.
Connections
- Crimson 小红 — his daughter, a maid in Green Delights 怡红院.
- Lin Zhixiao’s wife 林之孝家的 — his wife, the other half of 天聋地哑.
- Jia Lian 贾琏 — the master whose outside business he manages.
Others of the same kind · steward / manager Lai Da 赖大 · Lai Er 赖二 · Lai Sheng 赖升 · Lai Shangrong 赖尚荣 · Lai Mama 赖嬷嬷 · Zhou Rui 周瑞 · Dai Liang 戴良 · Yu Lu 俞禄 · Wang Xin 王信 · Laiwang 来旺 · Jin Cai 金彩 · Jin Wenxiang 金文翔 · Jiao Da 焦大 · Li Shi'er 李十儿 and 8 more
Named on these pages Xiaohong 小红 · Lin Zhixiao jia de 林之孝家的
Dream of the Red Chamber
Xiang Li painted all 413 characters of the novel between 1975 and 1985, the first person to complete the entire cast. See the whole collection · Chinese Empresses
