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

Page 17

Baoyu laughed and said, "Alright, that's a bit too early." Then he asked Bihen, "I had breakfast at the manor today, and there was a plate of tofu skin buns. I thought you liked them, so I told Madam Zhen that I was saving them for dinner and had them sent over. Did you eat them?"

Bihen pouted and said, "Don't mention it. As soon as it was delivered, I knew it was mine, but I had just eaten, so I left it there. Later, Grandma Li came and saw it, saying, 'Baoyu may not have eaten it, take it to my grandson.' So she had someone take it home." Then Qianxue, who was standing next to her, brought over some tea.

After drinking half a bowl of tea, Baoyu suddenly remembered the tea he had brewed earlier that morning and asked Qianxue, "I brewed a bowl of maple dew tea this morning. I told you that the tea only becomes good after being brewed three or four times. Why did you brew this again now?"

Qianxue said, "I originally kept it, but when Grandma Li came, she wanted to try it, so I gave it to her."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu's forehead veins throbbed, and a surge of anger finally erupted within him. He casually threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, where it shattered with a crash, spilling tea all over Qianxue's skirt.

She jumped up again and asked Qianxue, "Who is she to you? Why are you all so respectful to her? It's just because I drank her milk for a few days when I was little. Now she acts like she's the boss. Now that I can't drink her milk anymore, what's the point of supporting this ancestor for nothing! Kick her out, and everyone will be better off!"

He then said he was about to go and report to Grandmother Jia immediately to send away her wet nurse.

Xiren wasn't actually asleep, but she pretended to be asleep to provoke Baoyu into playing with her. At first, when she heard about talking and asking about steamed buns, she didn't need to get up. But after she smashed the teacup and got angry, she quickly got up to explain and dissuade him.

Grandmother Jia had already sent someone to ask what had happened. Xiren hurriedly replied, "I had just poured tea when I slipped on the snow and accidentally broke the teacup."

After replying, she turned to comfort Baoyu and said, "If you are determined to send him away, that's fine. We are all willing to leave as well. Why don't we take this opportunity to send us away as well? That would be good for us, and you won't have to worry about finding someone better to serve you."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu looked at Xiren's pretty face and his heart softened. He fell silent and was helped to the kang (a heated brick bed) by Xiren and others to change his clothes.

She didn't know what else Baoyu was saying, but she felt his words lingering and his eyes growing increasingly tired. She quickly helped him to bed. Xiren reached out and took the jade pendant from his neck, wrapped it in her own handkerchief, and tucked it under the mattress. The next day, when she wore it, her neck was no longer cold.

Baoyu fell asleep as soon as he put his head on the pillow. At that time, Granny Li and the others had already come in. Hearing that he was drunk, they dared not come forward to offend him further. They quietly inquired whether he was asleep before leaving with peace of mind.

The next day when he woke up, someone reported, "Young Master Rong has brought Mr. Qin to pay his respects." Baoyu hurriedly went out to greet them and led them to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

When Grandmother Jia saw that Qin Zhong was handsome and gentle, and was suitable to accompany Bao Yu in his studies, she was very pleased. So she invited him to stay for tea and a meal, and ordered someone to take him to see Lady Wang and others.

Because everyone loved the Qin family, they were all delighted to see Qin Zhong's character and presented him with gifts before leaving.

Grandmother Jia then gave him a purse and a golden Kui Xing (a mythical figure associated with literature and scholarship), symbolizing "the harmony of literary stars." She further instructed him, "Since you live far away, you may experience inconvenience due to cold, heat, hunger, or lack of food. Just stay here; there's no need to restrict yourself. Just stay with your Uncle Bao and don't follow those good-for-nothings." Qin Zhong agreed to everything and went back to report.

His father, Qin Ye, is currently a construction official, nearly seventy years old, and his wife died early. Because he had no children of his own, he adopted a son and a daughter from a nursing home.

But then her son died, leaving only her daughter, nicknamed Ke'er. As she grew up, she became beautiful and charming. Because of some connection with the Jia family, they arranged a marriage between her and Jia Rong.

Qin Ye was over fifty years old when he finally obtained the Qin Bell. Because his teacher had passed away the previous year, he had no time to invite a highly skilled scholar, so he could only stay at home to review his old lessons for the time being.

Just as he was thinking of discussing with his in-laws about sending her to their private school so that it wouldn't be wasted for the time being, he happened to meet Baoyu and had this opportunity.

He also learned that the current headmaster of the Jia family school was Jia Dairu, a respected scholar of the time. He was overjoyed that Qin Zhong's studies would surely improve and he could expect to achieve fame.

However, his purse was empty, and the entire Jia family had eyes for wealth and status, so it was difficult for him to come up with the money.

For his son's important life event, he had no choice but to scrape together twenty-four taels of silver as a respectful gift, and personally brought Qin Zhong to pay his respects on behalf of the Confucian family. Then, he would hear that on the day Baoyu started school, they could go to school together.

……

As for Baochai, after seeing the three off, Aunt Xue had a conversation with her, which she dealt with, and then they dispersed.

A woman returned to her inner room and sat there blankly, lost in thought. Ying'er brought in a carved wooden basin, which startled her.

"Miss, you said you wanted to thank Young Master Yu for the gifts, so why aren't you saying anything now that you've met him? Look, this is what I brought, does it remind you of something?"

It turned out that what Ying'er brought over was hot milk, with some unknown ingredients added to it. It didn't have any milky smell at all, but instead gave off a pleasant fragrance.

Baochai blushed and avoided looking at the girl, only saying softly, "Let's talk about it another time..."

As she spoke, she took off her shoes and socks, revealing her long, slender, jade-like feet, which were as white as snow, and soaked them in the water.

Ying'er served him from the side, praising Gu Yu.

"Miss is already beautiful, and with all these things Young Master Yu has brought her, she's become even more beautiful. Could it be that he's planning to drink from Miss's feet someday?"

"Tch! You're talking nonsense again. Didn't he send it to you?" Baochai retorted, blushing, while Ying'er also felt a little shy.

As far as she knew, besides the young ladies and mistresses of the Jia family and the four women in Gu Yu's courtyard, only she, as a maid, was entitled to one of these.

After thinking for a moment, and seeing the lingering flush on Baochai's face, Ying'er spoke up, "Could it be..."

"Shut up! Go soak your pig's trotters!"

Ying'er blinked, "I haven't said anything yet." But seeing Baochai so embarrassed, she stopped teasing her and went to flirt with her own things.

Baochai's heart raced; Ying'er's words from earlier seemed to echo incessantly in her mind like a demonic spell.

She helped manage her family's business from a young age and had witnessed the fickleness of human relationships, so she naturally knew that doing more is worse than saying it.

Although Baoyu is very kind to his sisters, she observes him coldly and sees that he doesn't seem like a promising talent. He spends his days indulging in the pampering of Grandmother Jia. It's fine now that he's young, but how will he support the family business in the future?

Moreover, no matter how favored he is, he is still from the second wife's family. In the future... But in order to protect the Xue family's property, her mother didn't even dare to return to her own family home and could only stay at the Jia family's residence. She naturally understood this sentiment.

So when rumors of a perfect match between the princess and the prince began to circulate in the mansion, she knew it was her mother and Lady Wang's idea. Although she was unwilling, she resigned herself to her fate. After all, Xue Pan was useless; she herself hadn't been chosen as the princess's study companion.

But Gu Yu seemed to have changed after he came back. Although she had been receiving gifts, she had never actually seen him, so Baochai didn't take it to heart and was only thinking about preparing a grand gift for him.

Seeing Gu Yu smiling at her, Baochai's somewhat lonely heart seemed to be touched. So she secretly observed him without making a sound, unconsciously comparing him to the image of her ideal husband.

The more they inquired, the more they appreciated Baochai. She had clear boundaries, knew how to advance and retreat, took good care of her sisters, and was kind and dignified towards her servants, combining kindness with strictness.

Isn't this exactly the fantasy in my heart? A favorable wind lends its strength, sending me soaring to the clouds. I often hate that I am not born a man and cannot make my own decisions, while Gu Yu seems more decisive than I am, even though I am a man.

The thought that she was treated better than the Jia sisters, and that even her personal maid was taken care of, made her originally intelligent brain overheat.

But Gu Yu had been so enthusiastic the last few times, yet today she seemed a bit distant, which made Baochai feel uneasy. Now, with Ying'er's provocation, Baochai couldn't help but start overthinking.

"Although Young Master Yu appears to come from a wealthy family, Mother always thinks about using the Jia family's influence to preserve our family's fortune. If we fall short of the Jia family, Mother...sigh..."

After Ying'er finished tidying up for her, Baochai lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. After a long while, a soft sigh came from the silent air.

……

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Fallen for a Trick

As for Daiyu, after returning home, she specially asked Zijuan to stay with her at night, and they whispered to each other after the lights were turned off.

Seeing that her strategy was effective, Zijuan was also happy. Seeing Daiyu's joyful face, she hurriedly reminded her to be reserved.

Daiyu was in a good mood and readily agreed, but then she suddenly remembered that Baochai seemed to have secretly glanced at Gu Yu a few times during the meal. However, when she looked at her unintentionally, it seemed like her imagination. After hesitating for a moment, she still didn't say anything.

……

During the day, Daiyu, wanting to keep up her efforts, went up to the house again. Gu Yu was already up practicing calligraphy. When she saw Daiyu come over, she was both happy and surprised.

"What brings you here, Lin Daiyu?"

"Didn't I already promise Cousin Yu yesterday that I would help you study? Or is Cousin trying to slack off again?"

Daiyu smiled as she looked at Gu Yu, but her two small hands were tightly clasped together behind her back, and she felt a little nervous.

Gu Yu recalled what they had said yesterday and couldn't help but chuckle, gesturing for Daiyu to sit down.

The study wasn't very big, but it could comfortably seat seven or eight people. Daiyu glanced around and then sat down in the rocking chair, cushioned by the familiar tiger skin that Gu Yu had specially brought from Suzhou.

Daiyu's petite body was almost completely encased in the ink, watching Gu Yu writing and practicing calligraphy at his desk, just like four years ago in Qingfeng Courtyard in Yangzhou.

Now that they've all grown up, Gu Yu has become even more beautiful, and she's started to crave... oops, I mean, she's started to have her own worries.

Thinking of this, Daiyu's gaze towards Gu Yu became infatuated, her mind wandering elsewhere.

Although Zijuan repeatedly warned her to be reserved, she always took it as Zijuan telling her not to be too eager, and she went to Gu Yu's room more and more frequently.

The weather was also bad, and when Baoyu heard that he had gone to school, the two of them spent all their time together without anyone to disturb them.

They practiced calligraphy and played the zither together, and Daiyu's cousin Yu had somehow changed back to brother Yu.

The day was sunny, and just then, Li Wensong and the others called Gu Yu out for a gathering. After Gu Yu finished practicing his calligraphy and saw that Daiyu hadn't come yet, he simply went directly to Daiyu's room.

When I went inside, I learned that Daiyu, seeing that it was a bit warmer today, had taken the opportunity to wash her hair and do her makeup properly. She had just dried her hair and was applying rouge.

Young girls are naturally delicate and youthful, so they don't need heavy makeup. Just a light touch of rouge is enough to make them as beautiful as flowers.

Daiyu put her hair up, with Zijuan and the others attending to her from behind. This hairstyle gave her a unique charm. Just as Daiyu was about to pick up a box of rouge, Gu Yu stepped forward, took it first, opened it for her, and handed it to her.

Daiyu turned her head in surprise and saw that it was Gu Yu. A blush appeared on her face, but she had nowhere to hide, so she could only accept it shyly.

As she slowly applied rouge while looking at the mirror, she asked, "Why did Brother Yu come here?"

Gu Yu was looking at Daiyu and his stunning reflection in the mirror when he heard this. He couldn't very well say that someone had invited him to dinner and drinks, could he?

So he said, "Some friends from the Imperial Academy have invited me to a small literary gathering to review my knowledge."

"Oh? So you're going to achieve great things on your journey? I can't see you off, hmm?"

Seeing her nervous expression, Gu Yu couldn't help but lean down, dip her lips in rouge, and carefully touch up the corners of her mouth, saying gently:

"Since you can't give it to me, then next time I'll help you apply rouge, then I'll have some time."

After saying that, he smiled at Daiyu, turned around and left, but he didn't see that Daiyu's face was as red as the morning sun, and her eyes were shy and moist, as if she had been put into steam.

……

As soon as I arrived at Yingkexuan, I followed the servants upstairs and saw Li Wensong and Kong Chengli sitting in a corner on the second floor. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and walk over.

"What, you said you'd treat me to a meal, and now you're here playing the victim?"

"No way, but your shop is so busy that all the private rooms upstairs are full. You'll have to make do with this for a while. Luckily, the heating in your shop is pretty good. Although it's not as good as the whole house heating in your house, your arms and legs are still not cold at all."

Gu Yu snorted twice. Seeing that Li Wensong's attitude was firm, he didn't mention changing to his Chunhua Pavilion. He just ordered that the dishes be the same as what he would eat, and the price be the same as what Li Wensong ordered.

"So, what do you want to see me here for? Just for a meal, you think?"

Kong Chengli glanced at him speechlessly and said, "Don't you know why I asked you to come out? If not... why would I have dragged you out in the cold weather?"

Gu Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, but only dared to mutter a few words to herself, "Don't let me get the chance to mess with your daughters and beat up your grandson!"

Li Wensong took a sip of hot tea and said, "The Laba Festival is just around the corner. According to past practice, various literary gatherings will be held during this period, and the last one before the Laba Festival is the grandest, also known as the New Year's Literary Gathering."

"And the provincial examinations were even more extravagant. Most of the candidates who aspired to take the provincial examinations the following spring would arrive in the capital in advance to participate, making it a gathering of exceptional talents."

After a pause, Kong Chengli continued, "Usually, this final event is jointly organized by the top ten scholars of the Imperial Academy to gather the best talents in the country. Some senior scholars may also come to have some fun, and famous scholars and Confucian masters may make guest comments, while princes and grandsons of the emperor may watch the excitement."

"Given your personality, you never participate in any literary gatherings, so Brother Li and I wouldn't have bothered you, but..."

Gu Yu was speechless. She drank the newly brewed yellow wine, and a blush spread across her face. Fortunately, it wasn't as strong as the previous twenty-year-old aged wine, so she could still tolerate it.

As they were talking, the dishes were served. They had only eaten half of it when the once lively first and second floors quickly became quiet. The waiters quickly cleared away the tables and chairs, which surprised Gu Yu.

Just as they were about to have someone call the shopkeeper over, the man was already standing to the side with a forced smile.

Before Gu Yu could speak, Kong Chengli said:

“In previous years, the event was held at Zhuangyuanlou on the other side of the street. But now that we’ve been ordered to do so… In previous years, you were unwilling to take the lead, and no one else could find a host, so we couldn’t find Yingkexuan to host it. This time, it’s better for Brother Li and me to benefit from Yingkexuan and save face.”

"I also told you not to tell your manager in advance. Anyway, it's not like no one is going to pay you, and we can use this opportunity to build up our reputation. What are you afraid of?"

Gu Yu was completely at the mercy of the shopkeeper, but she couldn't object. She could only glare fiercely at him, telling him to get lost. She channeled her anger into her appetite, determined to eat Li Wensong, that gluttonous scoundrel, into bankruptcy.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that I was paying seven cents for ten cents of the food, so the more I ate, the more I lost, which made me feel even worse.

After they finished eating, the two floors were almost set up, and students who had been waiting outside came in.

They had long heard of Yingkexuan, saying that the food was even better than that in the palace, but the price was not something that could be enjoyed casually.

This year, we were able to invite Yingkexuan to host the event, allowing those students from humble backgrounds to enjoy a free feast. It's truly something to look forward to, and it gives us a new understanding of the influence of this year's top ten students from the Imperial College.

Even many senior members who were reluctant to move around, upon hearing that they could have a meal at Yingkexuan, and some of whom had even found out some inside information, booked private rooms upstairs in advance, taking the opportunity to get together with friends, which made the literary gathering even more lively.

Gu Yu spent her days hiding at home, either eating Xiangling's and the others' rouge or cultivating her relationship with Daiyu. She wouldn't have bothered to inquire about these things. However, at this moment, she understood what Li Wensong meant by "the upstairs is full."

The thought of all these troublesome things gave Gu Yu a headache, so she got up to go outside for some fresh air.

Li Wensong thought he was going to run away again, but when he remembered his purpose this time, he was so frightened that he quickly grabbed him.

Gu Yu repeatedly assured that he was really just going out for some fresh air. Anyway, the literary gathering was just a boring opening, so it didn't matter whether he was there or not. He could just come back in later.

Li Wensong then let go of him, repeatedly reminding him to come back on time, just like a nagging old mother.

Seeing that he wanted to say it again, Gu Yu simply picked up a glass of wine and shut him up, then quickly left through the back door downstairs.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Literary Gathering Begins

Stepping onto the street, Gu Yu took a deep breath of the slightly chilly air, and her spirits lifted.

Seeing groups of students dressed in their best and heading towards Yingkexuan, I decided to avoid the crowd and instead "investigate" Zhuangyuanlou, the building that wasn't selected this year.

Gu Yu casually found a corner in the hall to sit down, ordered a few signature dishes, looked around, and nodded secretly.

Although it's not as upscale as Yingkexuan, it's still several levels above other ordinary restaurants, which explains why it has been able to host the Qi Nian Literary Gathering for many years.

However, after trying the restaurant's signature dish and taking a few bites, Gu Yu calmly put down his chopsticks and asked the waiter for a pot of hot tea to pass the time.

There weren't many customers in the shop yet, and Gu Yu quite enjoyed the slightly noisy atmosphere, closing her eyes to experience this down-to-earth vibe on her own.