Classic Pieces (3) - A Dream of Red Masions 红楼梦

This is a story from A Dream of Red Mansions. Third Sister You，a very pretty and strong character，was the sister of jia Zhen's wife. When Jia Zhen， a play boy by nature，was tired of his wife，his eyes fell on the beautiful Third Sister. Collaborasted with his cousin Jia Lian they tried to seduce the girl，only to be met with a harsh telling-off. The two playboys，scared by this virtuous but unyielding girl， tried to marry her off as soon as possible. When the Third Sister fell in love with LiuXianglian， an actor who had once played opera in the residence，her sister，Jia Zhen's wife，told her that the young man had left town. But the Third Sister was determined. "I'll wait for him，one year or ten，it doesn's matter，" she said. "And if he dies I'll shave my hair and become a mun." On a business trip in the capital，Jia Lian chanced to meet Liu. Jia told Liu of the Third Sister's wish. Liu aired his willingness on the spot. He asken Jia to give his mandarin duck sword to the girl as a token of his betrothal. Feeling assured of her marriage and future， every day the girl looked several times affectionately at the sword she had hung by her bed. A few months later， Liu returned. When he saw the girl's beautiful looks，he grew suspicious of her virtue."The men in the Jia family are all promiscuous，" he thought."Why would this girl fall in love with me when she and I have never met？" He stepped back on the betrothal on a pretext that his aunt had betrothed him to sombody else and he came to retrieve his sword. Third sister knew what was on his mind. Heart bleeding， she took the sword from the wall， unsheathed it and committed suicide before Liu，an act to show her virtue and unyieldingness. The regretful young man cried bitterly over her corpse. He spent the rest of his life as a priest in a Taoist temple.

《红楼梦》中的故事。尤三姐是贾珍之妻尤氏的妹妹，她花容月貌，性格刚烈。贾珍玩腻了尤二姐，就串通贾琏打尤三姐的主意，却被尤三姐狠狠地责骂一番。从此二人很怕尤三姐，一心想快点把她嫁出去。尤三姐看中了曾来贾府唱过戏的柳湘莲，姐姐告诉她湘莲现在不在京城。尤三姐说：“他一年不回我等一年，十年不归我等十年，人死了，我情愿剃头当尼姑去。”贾琏离京办事，遇上柳湘莲，说了尤三姐的事，湘莲应允，并取“鸳鸯剑”作聘礼，转交给尤三姐。三姐觉得终身有靠，将剑挂在床头，每天看几次。数月后，湘莲回京，得知尤三姐是天下无双的美人，他认为宁府的人品行不端，三姐和我素不相识，为何钟情于我，对尤三姐产生了怀疑，便假称姑妈已给定婚，想要回宝剑。尤三姐猜想湘莲一定是把自己当成下流女子了，心如刀绞，于是，摘下宝剑，当着湘莲的面自刎以表清白。湘莲后悔，抚尸大哭离去，后出家当道士去了。