Three Wives and Four Concubines in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Page 47

"If you dare to point out Baochai's shortcomings, then you are good. Even if I am not as good as you, how can he be inferior to you?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu thought about Baochai's usual behavior and manners, and realized that the bad person seemed to be... She couldn't help but sneer, "Who do we have here? It's her! How could I dare to pick a fight with her?"

Baoyu, observing from the side, suddenly saw Baochai, who had been caught in the crossfire before even entering the room, raise an eyebrow as if she wanted to join the fray. Before they could finish speaking, he quickly changed the subject.

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Of course I can't compare to you in this lifetime. I only pray that tomorrow I'll have a brother-in-law with a lisp, so you can hear 'Ai' and 'E' all the time. Amitabha, that's what I need now!"

After saying this, Xiangyun was prepared for Daiyu to relentlessly pursue her, but unexpectedly, she saw Daiyu blush and fall silent. Even the second sister and the others beside her had subtle expressions, and the same thought popped into their minds at the same time.

"He does bite his tongue, but although he speaks fluently... he can't pronounce a single sound correctly..."

Chapter Twenty-Two: On the Traitor Cao

Just as Xiangyun was puzzled by their reaction and was about to point it out, Lady Wang finally finished talking with Grandmother Jia and came out from the inner room.

It turns out that the Marquis of Baoling has finally filled his vacancy and is going to take up his post in another place. Unfortunately, the journey is long, and fearing that Grandmother Jia might miss her grandniece, she sent her over first. Her intentions are quite clear.

Grandmother Jia naturally saw through the family's intentions. After hearing what Lady Wang had to say, she expressed her intention to keep Xiangyun in the capital to avoid her having to travel and get tired.

After telling Xiangyun about this, seeing her overjoyed expression, Grandmother Jia was also filled with happiness and doting affection. She then recalled the matter of having all the sisters move to the Grand View Garden, which had just been agreed upon the day before.

If she is left alone in her room, it will be too lonely. It would be better for her to be with her sisters.

Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia turned to Lady Wang and instructed Wang Xifeng to prepare a separate house for Xiangyun in the garden. Unexpectedly, Xiangyun's eyes darted around and she begged to share a room with Baochai.

She has always enjoyed being surrounded by people and being in a lively atmosphere. Living alone in a room is too lonely. She also wanted to get closer to Baochai anyway, so why bother with all this?

Grandmother Jia frowned discreetly. She tried to persuade Xiangyun several times, but Xiangyun wouldn't listen. Seeing that Baochai didn't seem to object, she could only let her be.

Daiyu, watching from the side, felt both pity and amusement. Xiangyun had given up the proper treatment of a mistress and insisted on squeezing in with Baochai, a guest. This not only hurt Grandmother Jia's feelings but also embarrassed the Jia family. She was truly short-sighted.

But these things have nothing to do with her. Not only are her maids and servants provided by Gu Yu, but even her pen and paper are provided by Gu Yu. Even if she were to live and eat properly in the Jia family mansion, it would be her due as Gu Yu's granddaughter. Why should she worry about these things?

However, after the meal, Xiangyun could no longer sleep with Daiyu as before, and could only accompany Grandmother Jia in the green gauze curtains. Xiangyun thought she had offended Daiyu badly before and was feeling a little wronged, when she heard Tanchun explain things to her.

“There’s another brother named Yu in her courtyard. Although we all know him, it’s the first time you’ve met him, so it’s really inconvenient. But it will be fine once you visit each other more often.”

A hint of surprise flashed across Xiangyun's face. She had heard of Brother Yu before. He had been studying away from home for several years, and she had even sat in his study a few times. She never expected him to come back now.

It was still not too late, and the sisters could chat for a while. Tan Chun introduced Gu Yu to Xiang Yun, and for a moment they were so excited that they forgot the time.

These days, everyone has been slowly moving their belongings to the Grand View Garden, and the servants at the West Corner Gate have somehow been replaced by Gu Yu's men.

Another factor that led him to choose Pear Blossom Spring Rain that day was this West Corner Gate. Whether it was fate or not, the Grand View Garden, once completed, was so vast that Gu Yu never imagined it would be so close to his own home.

Originally, it was several miles away, but now that it's been built, the side gate of my house is just across the street from the west corner gate, and I can get back in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The thought that he would no longer have to take time out every ten days or half a month to go back and see Keqing stirred up a feeling in Gu Yu's heart.

After all, Ke Qing's alluring appearance was too tempting for him to resist, but unfortunately the timing wasn't right, and there simply wasn't time for a full-blown battle.

Given the secluded location of Pear Blossom Spring Rain, even if he secretly brought Qin Keqing in, no one would notice, and he would eventually get what he wanted.

In order to completely control this gate, Gu Yu not only reported to Grandmother Jia, but also asked Sister Feng for a favor, and even met with Jia Lian a few times.

It wasn't the first time he had met Jia Lian. After Xue Pan recovered from his injury, he had arranged several drinking sessions with him, and Jia Lian and Bao Yu were naturally present as well, so they were old acquaintances.

However, some couldn't stand seeing them looking for excitement after drinking, so they would always leave halfway through, much to the regret of the two of them.

That morning, Zijuan, as the head of intelligence in the courtyard, sent out a message early in the morning.

Fengjie's child, the eldest sister, is overjoyed. Now that Fengjie is busy making offerings to the Empress, without her supervision, the servants who helped with the relocation of the Jia family have become much more lax in their work.

Gu Yu was taken aback, and suddenly remembered the famous Sister Duo. Putting aside Jia Lian, just considering that Sister Feng had always taken care of his future wives, this kindness could not be forgotten.

There were many speculations in the past life that Jia Lian would touch anything, no matter how dirty or smelly, which caused Feng Jie to contract an illness. On her birthday, he happened to catch her cheating, and he was usually too overworked, which ultimately led to the tragedy of the miscarriage of the baby boy.

Gu Yu couldn't control Jia Lian's previous habit of going to brothels, since those were all professional and high-end establishments. But Gu Lian thought that the low-end brothel like Duo Guniang was very likely a major factor in Jia Lian's illness.

Thinking of this, Gu Yu and Daiyu went to visit Jia Lian in his courtyard.

Jia Lian was packing his things to stay in the outer study for a few days, and his face still showed some worry for his daughter, so he wasn't entirely hopeless.

However, since her eldest sister is now unable to see anyone, Gu Yu feels somewhat regretful that she cannot meet this clever girl.

He's been back for over a year now, but he hasn't thought to see Sister Feng's only daughter, since Sister Feng is usually so busy.

Fengjie was busy tidying up the clean room and had no time to entertain them. Daiyu only sat for a while before leaving with her sisters, but Gu Yu wanted to say a few words to Jia Lian, so she stayed.

The two men, leading the servants, chatted idly as they passed through a long corridor. A young woman, fair-skinned and quite attractive, walked towards them. Her short servant's dress accentuated her rather voluptuous figure.

Jia Lian unconsciously shut his mouth and kept looking at the woman. Even after the two groups had passed each other, he still couldn't help but turn his head to admire her.

Out of curiosity about 'celebrities', Gu Yu glanced at her twice before turning his gaze away in boredom. Although she was alright-looking, it depended on who she was compared to. She wasn't even half as good-looking as Xiang Ling, which was a complete waste of his time!

The servant beside him was also a talented man who had been by Jia Lian's side for a long time. He had seen Gu Yu drink with his master before, so he spoke in a more unrestrained manner.

"Did you see that person just now, sir? Everyone in the manor calls her Miss Duo. She's the wife of Duo Hunchong, and she's usually very approachable..."

Jia Lian understood the deeper meaning in his words, but because Gu Yu was nearby, he didn't press the matter. However, he made up his mind that he could keep an eye on it when he was bored in the future.

Gu Yu didn't have time to wait for him to vent his lust on the servant before plotting to seduce him, and directly sneered:

"Second Brother Lian is really quite open-minded. Could it be that he even finds this kind of trash appealing?"

Jia Lian was taken aback. He was too embarrassed to bring up the matter of stealing someone else's wife because of Gu Yu's young age, but he didn't expect Gu Yu to be even more proactive than him in bringing it up.

Seeing that everyone was on the same page, Jia Lian stopped hiding his intentions. He chuckled, a subtle expression on his face that only men understood, and leaned closer to whisper:

"Brother Yu, you don't know that the most beautiful thing about this kind of woman is her understanding of her heart."

"It's not convenient to make a move on ordinary girls, but it's not only easy to make a move on girls who have been through a lot, but they also won't cry and beg for a result with you."

"Why not enjoy yourself for a little gold and silver? They know how to please you just by patting your butt. This is something that ordinary girls can't do."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fighting Poison with Poison

"..."

Gu Yu watched Jia Lian recounting his experiences with Cao Cao, feeling utterly speechless.

Even if a young woman is very juicy and has many different positions, isn't it more fulfilling to train her yourself?

Seeing that Jia Lian was still somewhat unsatisfied, Gu Yu sighed softly:

"What Brother Lian said makes some sense, but I think that woman just now was different from the ones you usually encounter, wasn't she?"

Jia Lian was taken aback. He had not only seduced the mistresses of officials and merchants, but he had also slept with many wives from ordinary families. What was different about the one he had just met?

Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, turned to look at the handsome young servant, and said:

"I can tell you're quite familiar with that girl, and you probably know her a bit. There must be quite a few regulars in her room, right?"

The servant chuckled twice, clearly acknowledging the agreement. Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, but thinking of Miss Duo's rather beautiful face and figure, he couldn't suppress his desire.

After all, every woman he's seduced has been used before, so what's the big deal if he uses her a little? Besides, he doesn't intend to be emotionally invested. Giving her some money after he's done is enough. It's none of his business if she ends up in a brothel.

Judging from his expression, Gu Yu knew what he was thinking. She never expected that Jia Lian would not mind a woman who had been used by the servants she had used. Gu Yu couldn't help but think, "Holy crap!"

Intending to give Jia Lian a harsh lesson, to at least make him develop a more discerning palate, Gu Yu organized her thoughts and said with a look of disdain:

"Actually, I've heard a bit about this woman. Second Brother Lian, do you know she's known as Jia Banfu?"

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"It is said that half of the hundreds of people in the Jia family had been to her room."

Jia Lian was taken aback. How come he had never heard of such a dissolute woman before? But judging from the expression of the servant next to him, Gu Yu was telling the truth.

"The servants in the manor, whether they were horse handlers, guards, or manure carriers, were all welcome by the young ladies. It was possible that someone would finish carrying manure and then turn around and get intimate with her, still feeling the warmth of her lover, before the next one would come along, stuffing her in without a care for whether she was oily or muddy."

"If Brother Lian goes to find her, she might have just finished cleaning someone else's soil and could even taste someone else's precious root."

"vomit……!"

Jia Lian's face turned pale, and before he could even speak, the servant next to him gagged and turned green.

Although he was also a half-baked man, having had his ass played with by Jia Lian, at least Jia Lian was a master, so what were those manure carriers compared to him?

I hadn't thought much about it when I first started, but now that Gu Yu said it, it felt like I was personally 'cleaning up' those thugs, which made me feel nauseous.

Stimulated by the servant's vomiting, Jia Lian completely lost any desire to provoke that girl. Even if he were to visit a prostitute, he would go to a brothel, where the women had more clients than in a regular brothel, and they were all dirty, lazy men—even dogs wouldn't want them!

"These promiscuous women might even be carrying diseases. If Brother Lian is careless and catches one, it will be a huge loss. I heard about a man two years ago who got sick and his manhood was mostly rotten. His wife, who had finally conceived a legitimate son, was infected by him and died. The family line ended there."

"This...this disease is contagious?"

Jia Lian's face twitched. He had slept with countless married women and prostitutes, but he had never thought that he might get a disease. The thought of his manhood being rotten made him wonder how he would ever sleep with women again.

"Of course. If you don't believe me, you can go and see the prostitutes in the brothel. Aren't there just a lot of lazy men? Most of them will fall for it after a few years."

Jia Lian was a little scared, so he waved for the servant to go to the study to tidy up, and then pulled Gu Yu to a quiet place to humbly ask for advice.

For the first time, he envied the rich knowledge of scholars. Look at this Brother Yu, he knows that Gu Yu has never been to a brothel. He always leaves after drinking, truly a man of integrity.

Such a high-minded person, yet he knows so much about the diseases contracted by prostitutes in brothels—isn't that just because he's read too much?!

The two chatted in the corner for a while before emerging looking relaxed. Jia Lian, now aware of how to protect himself, dared not provoke those dissolute men again. Gu Yu, having helped Feng Jie eliminate many potential threats, was also quite satisfied.

Both were delighted, and their shared experience of visiting prostitutes together fostered a closer bond, making them even more intimate in their conversations.

After chatting for a while, Gu Yu excused herself and quickly walked towards her own courtyard.

He was disgusted by what he had just said and needed to hurry back to find Qingwen and the others to calm himself down.

Halfway there, Gu Yu unexpectedly ran into Baochai coming out of Madam Wang's courtyard. She saw that Baochai's face was pale and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was a little worried.

Gu Yu greeted her, and seeing her immediately put on a polite smile and turn to the side, Gu Yu felt a pang of pity.

Especially after seeing that it was him, Baochai's smile became more sincere, which made Gu Yu feel a strange feeling.

Since the incident involving the poem, the two have not been alone together. During this time, he has been busy getting closer to Daiyu, and has neglected Baochai for a while.

Upon learning that Aunt Xue was still chatting in Madam Wang's room, Gu Yu volunteered to escort Baochai back to her courtyard. For some reason, Ying'er was not by her side, leaving Baochai with no excuse to refuse.

Baochai, standing beside Gu Yu, fell silent, a rare occurrence for her, completely unlike her usual composed demeanor towards others.

Actually, she had a lot to say to Gu Yu, such as the fun she had during those days, the deeper meaning in his words, and that little poem...

Even though Lin Daiyu exposed her on the spot, without Gu Yu's frank advice, the anxious young girl was always worried that she was overthinking things, and what if she was just imagining things?

These past few days, she's been tossing and turning, unable to sleep, whenever she thinks about this. But now that the person in question is finally right in front of her, she can't bring herself to speak. She doesn't even know what she's thinking.

Gu Yu didn't know how to start a conversation. Although the two of them had shown some affection for each other recently, it was only an ambiguous exchange of glances, not even verbal flirting.

The two haven't had a proper conversation in months, and Gu Yu, unaware of Baochai's current thoughts, barely managed to exchange a few words with her halfway there.

Seeing that the opportunity was rare and even Ying'er wasn't by his side, Gu Yu gritted his teeth and decided to take the risk.

As soon as she turned the corner of a long corridor and saw that the surroundings were quiet and deserted, Gu Yu suddenly turned around and stood still.

Baochai had something on her mind, and as she turned the corner, she accidentally bumped into Gu Yu's arms, making it seem as if she had thrown herself into his arms.

"oops!"

Baochai gasped softly, looked up, and saw that she had bumped into Gu Yu's arms. Her face flushed, and she tried to get away.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yu wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her against the wall in a corner, preventing her from running away.

Why doesn't Sister Bao talk to me?

"Brother Yu—let me go!"

Baochai was filled with shyness and subconsciously tried to break free, but Gu Yu held her in his arms, and as she rubbed against him, Gu Yu couldn't help but hug her even tighter.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Treating Each Other with Honesty

As they got closer, Gu Yu's slightly hot breath brushed against Baochai's face, making her unable to resist looking up at the young man in front of her.

In just over a year, Gu Yu's handsome face had matured further, becoming even more charming, at least enough to make people realize he was a beautiful young man.

"Brother Yu, if you keep doing this, I'll—"

Baochai wanted to call out to someone but was reluctant to leave, and stopped midway through her sentence. Gu Yu smiled and felt a little relieved.

As long as he could gradually lower her defenses, he would eventually make her defenseless in front of him. Adhering to the famous saying of the unknown big shot, Gu Yu had been practicing this truth in his life.

"Sister Bao hasn't been talking to me much lately. Could it be that I've offended her in some way?"

Just as Baochai was about to speak, Gu Yu tightened his embrace and boldly pressed his forehead against hers, causing her to gasp in surprise, her voice trembling.

Looking around in a panic, Baochai breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no movement. Suddenly, she felt a pang of grievance and wanted to push Gu Yu away forcefully.