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

Page 11

Baoyu had already noticed a graceful young woman sitting next to Grandmother Jia, and guessed that she was Aunt Lin's daughter. He hurriedly came to pay his respects, but he did not know the details of Gu Yu sitting next to him and did not look at her closely.

Upon closer inspection after she returned to her seat, she was truly unlike any other. She possessed two delicately arched eyebrows, seemingly furrowed yet not quite, and eyes that held a mixture of joy and sorrow. A melancholy graced her cheeks, and a delicate frailty pervaded her entire being.

Tears glistened in her eyes, her breath came in soft gasps. In repose, she resembled a delicate flower reflected in water; in motion, she was as slender as a willow swaying in the breeze. Her heart possessed more wisdom than Bi Gan's, and her illness made her even more beautiful than Xi Shi.

After reading it, Baoyu laughed and said, "I've seen this younger sister before." Grandmother Jia laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. When have you ever seen her?"

Baoyu replied with a smile, "Although I have never met him before, his face looks familiar, and I feel as if we have been separated for a long time and are reunited."

Seeing Baoyu's enthusiasm, Grandmother Jia said happily, "Good, good! This will make us even more harmonious."

Daiyu looked at Gu Yu with a strange expression, suppressing a laugh and looking at him in surprise.

She initially thought Gu Yu's words were just a joke, but she never imagined that all纨绔子弟 (spoiled young masters) in the world used the same rhetoric!

Baoyu then sat down next to Daiyu, looked her over carefully, and asked, "Sister, have you ever studied?"

Daiyu, just wanting to get by, replied again. Baoyu paused, surprised that Daiyu, so young, was more well-read than him, so he skipped that and asked again:

"May I ask what the two characters are in my sister's name?"

"Daiyu".

Seeing that Baoyu was still staring at her, Daiyu was about to reach out and write it down when Baoyu instinctively reached out to take her hand. She stopped immediately and said, "The Dai in Qingdai, the Yu in Yushi."

"Does my younger sister have a courtesy name?"

Daiyu's face immediately turned cold, and she stopped looking at him.

"No words."

Baoyu's eyes lit up, and he interjected, "How about I give you a wonderful word, little sister? Perhaps..."

"Cousin, watch your words!"

Daiyu's expression changed, and she was about to speak up in a flustered manner when Gu Yu immediately interrupted Baoyu, earning Daiyu a grateful look.

When Baoyu was interrupted, it was Gu Yu sitting next to him. He looked her over carefully, and his originally displeased expression softened a bit.

Just then, Grandmother Jia spoke up to explain for him: "This is your uncle's child, named Yu-ge'er, who is a year younger than you."

Baoyu then asked, but Gu Yu was somewhat speechless and only said, "When Lin Daiyu comes of age, she will be given a calligraphy piece in Suzhou. There is no need for you to trouble yourself, cousin."

Baoyu still didn't quite understand, but seeing Daiyu's cold expression, he wisely gave up and awkwardly said:

"I just read in the 'Comprehensive Examination of Historical Figures' that 'in the West there is a stone called Dai, which can be used as ink for drawing eyebrows.' Besides, Lin Daiyu's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, so I thought of the word 'good'."

As Daiyu listened, she recalled Gu Yu's words and found it increasingly unbearable. Finally, she managed a slight smile.

Although Tan Chun was young, she had some insight, so she spoke up to smooth things over, laughing and saying, "I'm afraid it's just your fabrication again!"

Baoyu was taken aback, and just then he saw the smile on Daiyu's face. He thought he had won over this beautiful Lin sister, and he became smug again.

"There are too many fabrications besides the Four Books, but it's impossible that I'm the only one who fabricated something."

He turned back to Daiyu and asked, "Does my sister have any jade?"

Daiyu had long heard that her cousin was born with a jade in his mouth, and when she saw the jade pendant tied around his neck with a five-colored silk ribbon, she knew that this was what it referred to.

He simply shook his head and said, "I don't have this. It must be a rare item; not everyone has it."

Baoyu was startled and finally realized that Daiyu's words contained a hint of politeness and distance towards strangers. Suddenly, he went crazy and ripped the jade pendant off his neck, throwing it violently.

He cursed, "What rare thing! People can't even tell the difference between good and bad, let alone talk about whether it's effective or not! I don't want this worthless thing!" The crowd on the ground was so frightened that they rushed to pick up the jade.

Grandmother Jia hurriedly hugged Baoyu and said, "You wicked child! It's easy for you to get angry and hit or scold people, but why did you have to smash that vital part of your body!"

With tears streaming down his face, Baoyu cried, “I have none of my sisters and cousins ​​at home, and I’m the only one who doesn’t. I thought it was boring. Now that this fairy-like sister has come, I don’t have any of her either. I know she’s not a good person.”

Grandmother Jia quickly coaxed him, saying, "Your sister did have a jade. When your aunt passed away, she couldn't bear to part with your sister and had no other choice, so she took her jade with her. Firstly, it was to fulfill the proper burial rites and show your sister's filial piety; secondly, it was so that your aunt's spirit could see your sister. Therefore, when she said she didn't have it, it was just to avoid exaggerating. You should wear it properly, or your mother will find out!"

As he spoke, he took the kiss from the maid and put it on her wrist.

Upon hearing this, Baoyu thought about it for a moment and decided not to pursue the matter further.

Meanwhile, Daiyu stood up in shock. Seeing the chaos in the room, with everyone's attention focused on Baoyu, she thought she had caused a huge disaster. Her eyes welled up with tears of grievance, but she dared not cry.

Just then, he suddenly felt his hand being held, just like it had been for the past few months. Gu Yu was still by his side as always.

Daiyu opened her mouth, but then coughed agitatedly amidst her fluctuating emotions.

After Baoyu was comforted, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then they heard Daiyu coughing. Just as they were about to go over to comfort her, they suddenly saw Daiyu take off the handkerchief covering her mouth, revealing a pool of bright red blood.

Grandmother Jia was startled and was about to call someone to fetch a doctor when Gu Yu explained, "Don't worry, it's just some blood stasis. Coughing it out will actually be better for your health."

Grandmother Jia examined Daiyu's complexion more closely and found that she was only slightly pale. She was somewhat relieved and asked about the specific situation. She had originally thought that Daiyu was just suffering from some minor ailments, but she never expected that she would vomit blood!

"Lin Daiyu's illness will require several years of recuperation. She is most susceptible to such stimulation in daily life, and her daily diet must also be carefully monitored..."

Gu Yu rambled on and on, and Daiyu blinked, but didn't expose him.

Her illness isn't that serious! Even if she coughs up blood, it won't happen again in two or three months, okay?

She even mentioned that there was some poison in her blood, and then took her handkerchief back, saying she wanted to destroy it properly, which startled everyone and made Daiyu laugh.

Just then, a servant came in to ask where Daiyu was staying. Grandmother Jia glanced instinctively at the blood-stained handkerchief still clutched in Gu Yu's hand and hesitated.

She originally thought that Daiyu was the only daughter of the Lin family and knew Lin Hai's abilities. She had already had the idea of ​​betrothing Daiyu to her own Baoyu when she summoned Daiyu to the capital. Upon meeting Daiyu and seeing how beautiful she was, her desire became even stronger.

As for Gu Yu, she knew a little about the situation. Her previous statement that the sisters should not be reserved and should get close to each other was actually a way to take advantage of their proximity and see if she could send one or two of them into the Gu family. She was making a big plan in her mind.

Originally, he thought that Daiyu would stay by his side and live in the Bisha Pavilion. Since Baoyu was already living with him, the two of them would spend time together and develop feelings for each other, which would increase his chances of marrying Daiyu in the future.

But now that Daiyu is still vomiting blood, and even her blood contains toxins, Baoyu's importance still comes first.

Moreover, although she doted on Baoyu, she also understood his temperament. If they lived together, they would inevitably quarrel frequently, and Daiyu would probably be exhausted.

Gu Yu kept a close eye on Grandmother Jia, and from her expression, he vaguely guessed what was going on, so he spoke:

"Why don't you live in the same courtyard as me? I'll be entering the Imperial Academy in a few days anyway, and there will be no one there for nine out of ten days, so there's no need to bother clearing out a courtyard."

"Furthermore, I've started cooking over there, and the staff are all elderly people I brought from Suzhou. They can take care of Lin Daiyu's diet without making things difficult for the kitchen managers or having to assign more servants to do so. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Grandmother Jia glanced at the servants' slightly wary expressions as they looked at the handkerchief, and knew that they didn't want to serve this young lady. She could only sigh with regret.

“Ru Hai told me before that although Yu Ge’er is young, he is quite methodical in his actions, so I don’t need to worry about him. I was a little skeptical… In that case, Yu’er will live with you.”

She actually knew Lin Hai's intentions when she saw his arrangement. He wanted Daiyu and Gu Yu to get closer, but when she saw that Daiyu was such a good girl, she wanted to keep her for her own Baoyu.

Unexpectedly, Daiyu's body was so weak that it was doubtful whether she could even grow up, which immediately dispelled many of her worries.

Grandmother Jia then asked how many maids and servants were assigned to the courtyard, and Gu Yu answered them one by one. Seeing that everything was prepared and there was nothing missing, she looked at Bao Yu, who had just been coaxed away, and then went back to the group of sisters to chat and laugh in hushed tones. She couldn't help but feel a little tired.

When the topic of distributing monthly allowances to the servants came up, Gu Yu politely declined. Grandmother Jia was too tired to even try to persuade her anymore; the weariness of old age washed over her, and the others tactfully dispersed.

Baoyu was unaware that Grandmother Jia had originally planned for Daiyu to live with him. He watched Daiyu leave with Gu Yu with reluctance, feeling as if he had lost something important.

But when I touched the jade, it was still on my neck. The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt, and I had another episode of hysteria after I got back.

Daiyu and Gu Yu followed the two nannies, turning left and right as they walked, until they arrived at the entrance of a courtyard.

Next to it, across a passageway, was an even larger courtyard, indistinct in the darkness. Gu Yu guessed that this was Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Mama opened the door and closed the courtyard gate. Inside, it was their domain. Xiangling and a maid came out to greet Gu Yu, and this was none other than Qingwen.

Gu Yu looked her over and saw that Qingwen had a delicate face and, like Xiangling, did not look like a maid. Her eyebrows and eyes were charming and clever, and she vaguely resembled Daiyu.

Qingwen also curiously looked at Gu Yu for a couple of seconds, and immediately blushed and lowered her head. Good heavens, how can there be such a handsome boy in the world!

Qingwen is only ten years old now, two months younger than Xiangling, but judging from their descriptions, Xiangling seems even younger.

Just then, Xueyan and Zijuan moved in with their belongings, and Gu Yu and Daiyu each went in to set up one of the two large rooms.

Gu Yu wanted to spend some more time with Daiyu, even if it meant shamelessly sleeping with her for another night. But with Wang Mama always there, he didn't dare to ask and had to go back to take a bath and go to sleep.

After Qingwen finished preparing everything, Xiangling, blushing, also finished serving Gu Yu and helped him take a bath.

Qingwen first lay down on the outer cot, thoughtfully leaving most of the bed for Xiangling, who was going to warm the bed.

But when she couldn't open her eyes anymore, she still didn't see any movement of the person getting up from the bed inside. Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, then covered herself with disbelief, her face flushed.

"...They're so young, it can't be..."

Gu Yu, who was sleeping with the warm and cozy Xiangling in his arms, probably had no idea that someone had already seen him as a dissolute young man who, at only seven years old, already knew how to play with maids.

Because Qingwen frequently visited the mansion, she was already somewhat precocious. She had also witnessed the behavior of a young master like Baoyu, who chased after maids and ate the rouge off their lips. As a result, a blame was suddenly placed on Gu Yu.

Even if he knew, Gu Yu probably wouldn't care, because he really just wanted their bodies, he was just in the developmental stage...

Chapter Nineteen: The Autumn Examination

……

In August of the thirteenth year of Jianping, another autumn imperial examination came to a close.

Gu Yu stretched his limbs, let out a long breath, and stood at the entrance of the examination hall watching the sun set in the west. Before he could even sigh, he saw two people waving at him from under a tree not far away.

"Beautiful Yu~!"

Gu Yu's face darkened, and he quickly stepped forward, wishing he could sew the boy's mouth shut with a needle, but he was forced to stop by the smell emanating from the two of them.

"Strange, why do Chengli and I both smell sour and stinky, but you still smell so good?"

Li Wensong sniffed, looking at Gu Yu, who was still elegant and refined, with envy, jealousy and hatred. Then he thought about how he and Kong Chengli were usually handsome and dashing, and how they had suffered so much these past few days, which made him even more heartbroken.

"Stop joking around, hurry back and take a shower, eat, and rest."

Gu Yu rolled her eyes, but she felt much more relaxed after the exam and was in a pretty good mood.

"That won't do. Who knows how long you'll be gone if we go back now? How about we go to Yingkexuan for a meal now and then go back, so we can make up for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet we had a few days ago? What do you say?"

Kong Chengli nodded in agreement. They hadn't been eating or sleeping well in the examination hall for the past few days, and this remark had whetted their appetites.

Yingkexuan has gained fame in recent years, overwhelmingly winning the title of the best restaurant in Beijing with its novel concept of the eight major cuisines and its rich and diverse array of delicacies.

Despite the high prices, the venue is always packed, and reservations are required every time.

However, since his employer is here, there's no need for such trouble.

Seeing the two men staring intently at him, Gu Yu knew he was going to be taken advantage of, so he could only smile wryly and beckon to the servants nearby, telling them to go back and prepare a Mid-Autumn Festival feast.

"Why don't you go back and change your clothes? I feel uncomfortable even in these."

"Why go through all that trouble? I'll have my servants fetch the clothes and wash them right here at your shop."

Li Wensong laughed heartily and was about to pull Kong Chengli along when he didn't expect that the fellow had already turned around and started giving orders to the servants.

After finishing their business, the three mounted their horses and chatted about the exam questions they had just finished as they headed to Yingkexuan.

Although the three men looked somewhat disheveled, they were all handsome and dashing young men with fair skin. One was elegant and charming, another was gentle and refined, and the third was exceptionally handsome without appearing effeminate.

The combination of several distinct temperaments, along with the leisurely and carefree demeanor of the horse, is particularly captivating.

When they arrived at Yingkexuan in the east of the city, the servants had already prepared hot soup and clothes. Gu Yu led the two upstairs, and each of them chose a room to wash up.

Li Wensong, who finished first, felt a bit hungry, so he pulled Kong Chengli, who came out later, to Gu Yu's private room, Chunhua Pavilion, to have some pastries to tide them over.

Their family background was extraordinary, and they had even tasted a lot of food from the palace. After trying the food at Yingkexuan for the first time, they thought that it was just novel in its variety, and the taste was only similar to that in the palace.

I never expected that after I came with Gu Yu, I would find out how many tricks this scoundrel had up his sleeve.

If the host family gets a 10 out of 10, the highest-level so-called members get an 8 out of 10, and the first time they come, they only get a 4 out of 10.

When they learned the truth, they almost burst into tears. Fortunately, Gu Yu gave them two prefecture-level plaques in the end, which was enough to get them seven points.

Although he almost swallowed his tongue when he ate the pastries from this shop again after two years, Li Wensong still managed to resist the urge to stuff a few more pieces into his mouth, since the main course was the main event later!

Gu Yu arrived late, after the maids had served four or five cold dishes.

The two looked up, about to greet each other, but fell silent when they saw Gu Yu's handsome face, flushed with rosy cheeks, after he had finished washing up.

I tried to avoid eye contact, stealing a glance, then another, and finally, one last look…

"what happened?"

Gu Yu touched her face in confusion. There was nothing there.

Li Wensong gave an awkward laugh, brushed it off, and focused all his attention on the dishes, trying hard not to recall his embarrassing past...

……

"who are you?"

"My name is Li Wensong, grandson of Li Zuoxiang."

"My name is Kong Chengli, ... grandson of the Duke Yansheng."