The Rongguo Mansion and the Ningguo Mansion:

The Rongguo Mansion and the Ningguo Mansion introduces the origin of Dream of the Red Chamber and the main characters in the novel. The Rongguo Mansion and the Ningguo Mansion were two celebrated noble households in the capital back in the day. Jia Zheng’s wife gave birth to a son who carried a piece of jade in the mouth at birth. The boy was named Baoyu, meaning “precious jade”. As a young boy Baoyu always loved to hang around with girls. His cousin Lin Daiyu lost her mother when she was young, so their grandmother had her taken to the Rongguo Mansion. The young cousins Jia Baoyu and LinDaiyu spent a lot of time together and got along very well. The peasant Liu Laolao and her poverty-stricken family came from the suburbs to the capital seeking help from the Rongguo Mansion. Did the manager of Rongguo Mansion Wang Xifeng help her or not? 

The Grand View Garden:

The Grand View Garden tells the story of the construction of the Grand View Garden and things that happened in it. JiaYuanchun, the eldest daughter of Jia Zheng, was chosen as an imperial concubine and the emperor allowed her to visit her family. The Jia family built a special courtyard for her to live in during the visit, which cost a good amount of money. Yuanchunname the courtyard “Grand View Garden”. When Yuanchun’s visit ended, Jia Baoyu moved in the garden with Lin Daiyuamong other sisters and girls of their age. Baoyu teased his mother’s maid Jinchuan. His mother Madam Wang was so annoyed she sent Jinchuan away. Out of shame Jinchuan jumped into a well and died, and Baoyu received a good beating from his father.

A Few Incidents in the Rongguo Mansion:

Few Incidents in the Rongguo Mansion, and The Decline.

A Few Incidents in the Rongguo Mansion tells a few things that happened in the Rongguo Mansion. Liu Laolao brought some fruits and vegetables from the countryside, making Grandma Jia so happy that she invited Liu to visit the Grand View Garden with her; knowing Jia Lian cheated on her with a servant’s wife, Xifeng was enraged and made a scene; Jia She wanted to take Grandma Jia’s maid Yuanyang as his concubine, but neither Yuanyang nor Grandma Jia agreed; Baoyu fell ill becauseDaiyu’s maid Zijuan told him Daiyu was going back to her own home in Suzhou.

The Decline:

The Decline tells the story of how the Jias’ property was confiscated and the family declined. Jia Lian secretly married YouErjie, and the news came to Xifeng. When Jia Lian was not home, Xifeng ticked You Erjie into the Rongguo Mansion and tortured her to death. Baoyu lost his jade and became a fool. In order to “bring him good luck”, Grandma Jia decided to arrange a marriage for Baoyu, bringing Baoyu and Daiyu’s love to a tragic end. Baoyu married Xue Baochai, and Daiyu died. The emperor sent troops to search the Jia family and confiscate their property, and thus began the decline of the once prosperous family. At the end, Jia Baoyu left home and ran away.