王善保家的

Her Story

Lady Xing’s woman, and the engine of Chapter 74. When an embroidered pornographic purse is found in the Garden, she carries her grudge against the maids to Lady Wang and proposes the night search. She goes through the girls’ rooms herself, and when she plucks at Tanchun’s clothes Tanchun slaps her across the face. The search then turns up love-tokens in Siqi’s box — her own granddaughter’s. She had built the raid that destroyed her family.

In Xiang Li's Hands

Doubled over, twisting, one flat hand pressed to her cheek — the slap, and no other moment. Olive-green robe with gold roundels, wine-pink lining, grey sleeves flung wide. The face is wrinkled and open-mouthed. Bare paper all round: nobody is shown striking her.

The Calligraphy

王善保家的 — the full ledger formula, husband’s name and 家的, denying her both a personal name and the softer 大娘 the Lin and Lai sheets receive.

Connections

• Lady Xing 邢夫人 — her mistress, whose resentments she carries into the Garden.
• Jia Tanchun 贾探春 — slaps her in Chapter 74.
• Siqi 司棋 — her granddaughter, ruined by the search she proposed.
• Lady Wang 王夫人 — whom she persuades to order the raid.

Others of the same kind · servant's wife / senior serving-woman Zhou Rui jia de 周瑞家的 · Lin Zhixiao jia de 林之孝家的 · Lai Da jia de 赖大家的 · Wu Xindeng xifu 吴新登媳妇 · Wang'er xifu 旺儿媳妇 · Zhang Cai jia de 张材家的 · Zheng Hua jia de 郑华家的 · Wu Xing jia de 吴兴家的 · Laixi jia de 来喜家的 · Qin Xian jia de 秦显家的 · Bao Er jia de 鲍二家的 · Liu jia de 柳家的 · Shan Daniang 单大娘 · Jin Wenxiang xifu 金文翔媳妇 and 10 more

Named on these pages Siqi 司棋 · Zheng Hua jia de 郑华家的 · Fei Pozi 费婆子 · Zhang Ma 张妈

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