3. (Sons') wives should serve their parents-in-law
as they served their own. At the first crowing of the
cock, they should wash their hands, and rinse their
mouths; comb their hair, draw over it the covering
of silk, fix this with the hair-pin, and tie the hair at
the roots with the fillet. They should then put on
the jacket, and over it the sash. On the left side
they should hang the duster and handkerchief, the
knife and whetstone, the small spike, and the metal
speculum to get fire with; and on the right, the
needle-case, thread, and floss, all bestowed in the
satchel, the great spike, and the borer to get fire
with from wood. They will also fasten on their
necklaces[1], and adjust their shoe-strings.
4. Thus dressed, they should go to their parents and parents-in-law. On getting to where they are, with bated breath and gentle voice, they should ask if their clothes are (too) warm or (too) cold, whether they are ill or pained, or uncomfortable in any part; and if they be so, they should proceed reverently to stroke and scratch the place. They should in the same way, going before or following after, help and support their parents in quitting or entering (the apartment). In bringing in the basin for them to wash, the younger will carry the stand and the elder
the water; they will beg to be allowed to pour out
- ↑ "Necklaces" is only a guess at the meaning. Khǎn Hâo and others make the character to mean "scent bags." But this also is only a guess. There is nothing in its form to suggest such a meaning; and as many other critics point out, it is inconsistent with the usage in paragraph 5. These acknowledge that they do not understand the phrase 衿纓. See I, i, 3, 34, but the use of ying there is considered inappropriate here.
