"Dream of the Red Chamber," a pinnacle of Chinese classical literature, unfolds its grand narrative in the first three chapters, gradually unveiling the mystique of the illustrious Jia household and sketching the fates of its principal characters. The story begins with the origins of "The Story of the Stone," where the author, after a dreamlike experience, chooses to conceal the true events. He uses a magical stone left over from Nüwa's mending of the sky to introduce a tale of epic proportions. This stone, abandoned on Qinggeng Peak, becomes sentient and is taken by a monk and a Taoist to experience the mortal world. The stone's story is transcribed by Vanitas, the Empty-hearted Scholar, and after several revisions and title changes, Cao Xueqin finalizes the masterpiece after "ten years of meticulous reading and five revisions."
In Suzhou, a man named Shen Shiyin lives a comfortable life with his daughter, Yinglian, as his only child. Despite his modest means, he enjoys a peaceful existence until fate intervenes. In a dream, he learns of the Qiong Zhu (Crimson Pearl) fairy who wishes to repay the debt of tears to the godly youth she once served, leading to their shared mortal trial. He also glimpses the "Spiritual Stone" but awakens before seeing it clearly. Upon waking, he encounters a monk and a Taoist on the street who predict Yinglian's fate, filling him with doubt. Jia Yucun, a poor scholar residing at the Gourd Temple, often visits Shen Shiyin. During a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, Jia Yucun recites poetry expressing his ambitions, and Shen Shiyin supports his journey to the capital for the imperial examinations. Jia Yucun succeeds and becomes a local magistrate. However, his fortune is short-lived. During the Lantern Festival, Yinglian goes missing, and a fire at the Gourd Temple devastates the Shen family. Abandoned by his in-laws, Shen Shiyin falls ill and, after hearing the "Song of Goodness" from a lame Taoist, gains enlightenment and becomes a monk.
In the second chapter, Jia Yucun loses his position due to corruption and arrogance. While traveling, he meets Cold Fragrance (Leng Zixing) in Yangzhou, who tells him about the declining fortunes of the Jia family and the extraordinary birth of Jia Baoyu, who was born with a jade in his mouth. Meanwhile, Lin Ruhai, a former top scholar and salt commissioner, hires Jia Yucun as a tutor for his daughter, Lin Daiyu, setting the stage for future events.
In the third chapter, the threads of fate continue to intertwine. Jia Yucun learns of a policy to reinstate former officials and seeks Lin Ruhai's help to regain his position. Lin Ruhai writes a letter of recommendation to Jia Zheng, securing Jia Yucun a new post in Jinling. After her mother's death, Lin Daiyu is brought to the Jia household by her grandmother's servants. She meets the family matriarch, Grandmother Jia, and other prominent women, including the flamboyant and assertive Wang Xifeng. Daiyu's interactions reveal the complex dynamics of the Jia household. During dinner, she observes the family's many rules and customs. When Jia Baoyu returns, he feels a strange familiarity with Daiyu and, upon learning she has no jade, throws his own jade in a fit, only calming down with Grandmother Jia's intervention. That night, Daiyu is given a room in the Green Gauze Pavilion and receives a parrot as a gift. The next day, she learns that her cousin, Xue Pan, has committed manslaughter, and his father, Wang Ziteng, plans to bring him to the capital, adding another layer of intrigue to the story. These first three chapters, though seemingly simple, are rich with foreshadowing, hinting at the characters' fates and the family's eventual decline, drawing us deeper into the captivating world of "Dream of the Red Chamber."
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