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Chia She and the others， perceiving how persistent he was in his refusal had no course but to take their leave， express their sense of gratitude and to rejoin the cortege. They issued orders to their servants to stop the band， and to hush the music， and making the procession go by， they at length left the way clear for Shih Jung to prosecute his way.
But we will now leave him and resume our account of the funeral of the Ning mansion. All along its course the road was plunged in unusual commotion. As soon as they reached the city gates Chia She， Chia Cheng， Chia Chen， and the others again received donations from all their fellow officers and subordinates， in sacrificial sheds erected by their respective families， and after they returned thanks to one after another， they eventually issued from the city walls， and proceeded eventually along the highway， in the direction of the Temple of the Iron Fence.
Chia Chen， at this time， went， together with Chia Jung， up to all their seniors， and pressed them to get into their sedan chairs， and to ride their horses； and Chia She and all of the same age as himself were consequently induced to mount into their respective carriages or chairs. Chia Chen and those of the same generation were likewise about to ride their horses， when lady Feng， through her solicitude on Pao-yue's account， gave way to fears lest now that they had reached the open country， he should do as he pleased， and not listen to the words of any of the household， and lest Chia Chen should not be able to keep him in check； and， as she dreaded that he might go astray， she felt compelled to bid a youth call him to her； and Pao-yue had no help but to appear before her curricle.
"My dear brother，" lady Feng remarked smiling， "you are a respectable person， and like a girl in your ways， and shouldn't imitate those monkeys on horseback！ do get down and let both you and I sit together in this carriage； and won't that be nice？"
At these words， Pao-yue readily dismounted and climbed up into the carriage occupied by lady Feng； and they both talked and laughed， as they continued their way.
But not a long time elapsed before two men， on horseback， were seen approaching from the opposite direction. Coming straight up to lady Feng's vehicle they dismounted， and said， as they leaned on the sides of her carriage， "There's a halting place here， and will it not please your ladyship to have a rest and change？"
Lady Feng directed them to ask the two ladies Hsing and Wang what they would like to do， and the two men explained： "These ladies have signified that they had no desire to rest， and they wish your ladyship to suit your convenience."
Lady Feng speedily issued orders that they should have a rest， before they prosecuted their way， and the servant youth led the harnessed horses through the crowd of people and came towards the north， while Pao-yue， from inside the carriage， urgently asked that Mr. Ch'in should be requested to come.
Ch'in Chung was at this moment on horseback following in the track of his father's carriage， when unexpectedly he caught sight of Pao-yue's page， come at a running pace and invite him to have some refreshment. Ch'in Chung perceived from a distance that the horse， which Pao-yue had been riding， walked behind lady Feng's vehicle， as it went towards the north， with its saddle and bridles all piled up， and readily concluding that Pao-yue must be in the same carriage with that lady， he too turned his horse and came over in haste and entered， in their company， the door of a farm-house.
This dwelling of the farmer's did not contain many rooms so that the women and girls had nowhere to get out of the way； and when the village lasses and country women perceived the bearing and costumes of lady Feng， Pao-yue， and Ch'in Chung， they were inclined to suspect that celestial beings had descended into the world.
Lady Feng entered a thatched house， and， in the first place， asked Pao-yue and the rest to go out and play. Pao-yue took the hint， and， along with Ch'in Chung， he led off the servant boys and went to romp all over the place.
the various articles in use among the farmers they had not seen before， with the result that after Pao-yue had inspected them， he thought them all very strange； but he could neither make out their names nor their uses. But among the servant boys， there were those who knew， and they explained to them， one after another， what they were called， as well as what they were for. As Pao-yue， after this explanation， nodded his head； "It isn't strange，" he said， "that an old writer has this line in his poetical works， 'Who can realise that the food in a bowl is， grain by grain， all the fruit of labour.' This is indeed so！" As he spoke， they had come into another house； and at the sight of a spinning wheel on a stove-bed， they thought it still more strange and wonderful， but the servant boys again told them that it was used for spinning the yarn to weave cloth with， and Pao-yue speedily jumping on to the stove-bed， set to work turning the wheel for the sake of fun， when a village lass of about seventeen or eighteen years of age came forward， and asked them not to meddle with it and spoil it.
