Xia Nainai
Xia Nainai 夏奶奶 — La Viuda del Osmanto. Una viuda con una hija y una fortuna en jardines de osmanto, que crió a Xia Jingui sin negarle nada.
夏奶奶
“The Osmanthus Widow”
Her Story
A widow with one daughter and a fortune in osmanthus gardens, who raised Xia Jingui by refusing her nothing. The match she made for her with Xue Pan brought down both houses. In Chapter 103 Jingui dies of the poisoned soup she had prepared for Xiangling and drank herself by mistake; her mother comes to the Xue house with a crowd behind her, insisting her daughter has been murdered, and has to be faced down before the matter is settled.
In Xiang Li's Hands
Both arms up — one flung back, one forward — body pitched into a stride, face lifted in profile. Grey robe under a black jacket in gold swirls. Behind her a wall of pale scrolling cloud. This is a woman arriving to make a scene, and the sheet gives her the room.
The Calligraphy
The inscription 夏太太 gives no personal name at all, only the surname and the courtesy title for a married woman of means — exactly how the Xue household would have had to address her.
Connections
- Xia Jingui 夏金桂 — her only daughter, indulged into ruin.
- Xue Pan 薛蟠 — her son-in-law, whose household she storms.
- Xia San 夏三 — the adopted son of her house.
Others of the same kind · official / noble / royal Qin Zhong 秦钟 · Jia Yucun 贾雨村 · Bei Jing Wang 北静王 · Leng Zixing 冷子兴 · Zhang Rugui 张如圭 · Menzi 门子 · Xiping Junwang 西平郡王 · Nan'an Taifei 南安太妃 · Zhangshiguan 长史官 · Feng Ziying 冯紫英 · Sun Shaozu 孙绍祖 · Yun Guang 云光 · Fu Shi 傅试 · Fu Qiufang 傅秋芳 and 9 more
Named on these pages Xia San 夏三
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
