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

Page 101

Daiyu's face flushed, feeling a little overwhelmed by her sisters' gazes. She quickly took a sip of tea to cover it up, then hurriedly changed the subject to the games to come, which indeed captured their attention.

Gu Yu ran all the way out of the side gate and saw a familiar carriage parked on the side. He glanced at it, lifted the curtain, and sat inside.

"Did you go to see Brother Chengli? How was it?"

Li Wensong took out an envelope, slightly bulging inside, as if it contained something else, and handed it to Gu Yu, saying:

"Please accept this first; it contains a token from Brother Chengli."

Gu Yu took it and put it in her arms, then urged this troublemaker to speak quickly, saying that she had so many younger sisters waiting in her room, and no one wanted to chat with him.

"Let me make this quick and easy. Brother Chengli is fine for now, but I'm worried that Cousin Wenjuan might not be able to handle it... So we absolutely have to win her over this time! I've already found out that her coming-of-age ceremony is in three days. I'll come pick you up then, and we'll infiltrate the opera troupe her family has contacted, and then..."

Gu Yu listened to his instructions with a dark face, clenched her fist, and really wanted to punch this shameless man, but she managed to hold back. After all, according to his absurd logic, she did have to bear some responsibility, so she could only try to comfort herself.

"It's just a costume...it's just a costume..."

Once everything was settled, before the boy could even express his concern for his friend or his confidence in his actions, Gu Yu couldn't stand it any longer and jumped out of the car, eager to go back and comfort her sisters.

Seeing Gu Yu's retreating figure without turning his head, Li Wensong was stunned for a moment. He managed to swallow back the long speech he was about to say, then chuckled a few times before covering his mouth to prevent his servants from overhearing and reporting him.

After all, what Yu Meiren doesn't know is that the opera troupe doesn't wear costumes before going on stage... It's fortunate that I didn't know either, so that I could flawlessly convince Yu Meiren of this explanation and reluctantly agree to the job.

"Hey hey hey~"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Essence of Blind Boxes

In Hengwu Garden, Xiangyun, having finished lunch, lay listlessly on the couch. Not long after, she got up with a bored look on her face, pouted, went over to drink a cup of tea, and then sat in a chair in a daze.

Since she visited the Jia family mansion again the day before yesterday, she learned that her brother Baoyu was currently focused on his studies and should not be disturbed. Although she knew he was probably under house arrest, she figured it was a good thing for Baoyu to be confined to his courtyard to study, so she naturally wouldn't bother him.

But her sisters continued to flock to Lihua Chunyu, leaving her with no one to talk to. After only two days, she couldn't sit still anymore. As the weather gradually warmed up, she couldn't concentrate on doing needlework in her room. She tossed and turned all night, finding it extremely agonizing.

Xiangyun couldn't help but glance in the direction of the pear blossoms and spring rain once again. She could almost hear her sisters' laughter echoing into her room. She bit her lip, torn between her inner turmoil and her own thoughts.

"Now that Sister Lin is already in trouble, I, Sister Bao, must rescue her. Second Sister is taciturn, and Fourth Sister seems indifferent, but I... I must keep an eye on things!"

Xiangyun, feeling increasingly compelled to help her sister, muttered to herself, rolled her bright eyes, and quietly left the house without calling her maid, Cuilu.

The Grand View Garden was exceptionally quiet at midday, especially the area from Hengwu Garden to Pear Blossom Spring Rain. Apart from the occasional bird calls and insect chirps, Xiangyun heard nothing.

Just as they approached the pear blossoms in the spring rain, they suddenly heard a faint laugh coming from the flower bushes nearby, while the room remained silent.

Xiangyun was stunned for a moment, then realized that her sisters must be playing over there, so she walked over curiously.

After winding along the path, under the shade of a low tree, a group of girls were hiding and laughing softly. In the middle, a tall, slender boy with a silk cloth covering his face was groping around with a smile.

"Brother Yu~ I'm here~"

"Hehe~"

"Qingwen is behind you, hehehe—!"

Seeing that they were having fun and hadn't noticed her, Xiangyun glanced at them, took a few steps onto the field, cleared her throat and was about to speak when Gu Yu, hearing the noise, suddenly turned around and pounced on her, laughing as he hugged her tightly.

"I finally caught him!"

A warm and clear voice came from above her head, as refreshing as a clear spring. It was the first time that she had been held in the arms of a man. The faint, cool, jade-like comfort made Xiangyun, who was walking over and feeling a little warm, relax.

Coupled with the comforting feeling of being embraced by a broad and open heart she had never experienced before, Xiangyun was both surprised and ashamed. Her mind was completely overwhelmed until Gu Yu's well-defined fingers touched her forehead. Only then did she snap out of it, her expression changing as she was about to cry out.

Baochai's eyes flashed, and she quickly covered Xiangyun's mouth, then pointed to the silk cloth in front of Gu Yu, trying to suppress a laugh, signaling her to be quiet. Daiyu was engrossed in her conversation and didn't notice the strangeness on Xiangyun's face. She glanced at Xiangyun's size and then secretly nudged Baochai to signal her to speak.

"Brother Yu, have you guessed who it is? You only have one hundred breaths left, or you'll lose!"

Gu Yu chuckled inwardly. With his keen senses, he naturally knew this person had come from outside; a quick scan would tell him who it was. Besides, every girl's figure is slightly different, and he'd never been intimate with this one before—how could he possibly be wrong?

However, Gu Yu deliberately feigned a puzzled expression, slowly stroking Xiangyun's forehead downwards with both hands, muttering to himself:

"What a pair of crescent moons! It can't be Lin Daiyu, could it be Tan Chun? Or Qingwen?"

Seeing that he had so easily determined it wasn't Daiyu with just a few words, the women giggled and winked. Daiyu bit her lip, her face burning, but she couldn't help but smile, no longer trying to hide it.

"Consider yourself lucky, but you definitely won't guess it this time!"

Gu Yu smiled strangely. If she hadn't wanted to take advantage of the situation as a matter of course, she would have recognized them all in twenty breaths!

As Gu Yu's fingers slowly traced across Xiangyun's nose, lips, and then slid down her cheeks, Xiangyun's pretty face almost bled. She regretted playing along with their foolishness, as she had now been touched all over!

Now that they were so close, Xiangyun secretly glanced at the bad guy out of the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her breathing became erratic.

Baochai was watching closely, and when she saw this, she couldn't help but smile. Afraid that her sisters would also notice, she quickly encouraged Daiyu, Zijuan, and Yingchun to deliberately make a fuss, both to make it more difficult for Gu Yu to interfere and to prevent everyone from focusing their attention on Xiangyun.

"Brother Yu, guess quickly! There are only sixty breaths left!"

"There are fifty breaths left. If Young Master Yu still can't guess, he will lose."

"Cuckoo~"

Gu Yu had already put his arm around Xiangyun's shoulder and excluded Xichun, but he hesitated again. After all, the delicate body in his arms was trembling slightly, and he was afraid that deliberately saying something would embarrass her, so he stopped exploring further.

"Could it be Sister Tan Chun?"

Daiyu chuckled and quickly urged him to make a decision:

"Brother Yu, are you ready to make a decision? Are you going to settle on it or not?"

"Twenty breaths left! Brother Yu is going to lose, hehe~"

Gu Yu stood there with a calm expression. After thinking for a moment, a subtle smile appeared on his lips. Suddenly, he leaned over and stopped next to Xiangyun's earlobe. As if he could not see the distance, his lips brushed past that delicate earlobe, leaving a faint warmth.

Xiangyun took a deep breath, her body stiffened, and her mind went blank. Gu Yu slowly exhaled a breath of warm air, which playfully blew into her delicate earlobe, making Xiangyun's scalp tingle and causing her to completely forget where she was.

"This is the first time I've smelled such a fragrance. It's deep, subtle, and captivating. The person must be a beautiful woman who is outwardly strong but inwardly gentle, with a lively and cheerful personality. That must be my third sister!"

"Brother Yu, are you sure? There are still five breaths left to change it~"

Gu Yu smiled confidently and raised his hand to lift the silk cloth from his face. His sisters quickly grabbed him with laughter, pulled Xiangyun out and stuffed her into the crowd, and then spun Gu Yu around before allowing him to untie the cloth.

"Brother Yu lost! Hehe~"

Gu Yu said with a helpless expression:

“Every time you catch me, you make me turn around. How am I supposed to know you're not just trying to trick me?”

The women all pursed their lips shyly, wanting to laugh. Although this method was indeed a bit unfair, at least it was friendly to them, the sisters! They didn't have to worry about being ridiculed by him, and they could even cheat together in solidarity, just like he said.

"No, no, I'm really not lying to you, hehehe~ Brother Yu, you guessed wrong!"

Gu Yu rolled her eyes and loudly complained:

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! You're all ganging up on me! I won't admit defeat!"

As he spoke, he lay down on a bench under the shade of trees, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.

There was a brief moment of silence on the field before everyone came to their senses. Xichun ran over with a sharp laugh, ready to protest, her clear and melodious laughter filling the entire field.

"Brother Yu is cheating! Get up, ahhhhhh—hahaha~ Sister Lin, come help me!"

"Brother Yu~ Shameless! Hehehe~"

"..."

Xiangyun stood motionless, her face flushed, watching her sisters gather around, laughing and joking without any restraint. Her heart was in turmoil, and the heat on her ear seemed to leave a brand, making her feel dizzy, yet she didn't leave as if possessed...

……

Chapter Twenty-Six: You're Awake? .jpg

As the sun set, the sisters, who had spent the day playing in the pear blossoms and spring rain, had to go home. Since that incident, Xiangyun had been sitting in a corner in a daze, only glancing at Gu Yu, who was in the center of the group, from time to time.

Now that Baochai had gone back with her, she saw that Gu Yu still looked dazed and couldn't help but blush and curse inwardly. She had figured it out; Gu Yu must have recognized her later and deliberately provoked her, but she hadn't expected it to work so well...

"Why did Sister Yun come today?"

"Hmm...? Ah! I noticed you weren't here, Sister Bao, and it was too hot in the room, so I decided to come over and hang out with you guys..."

Xiangyun seemed lost in thought, momentarily flustered. After hastily offering a reason, she hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying:

"Why are you playing this game today, Bao-jie? It's just a joke between sisters, how could it involve... Now even Xi-chun is all grown up—"

"Didn't Sister Yun play today too?"

Baochai replied with a half-smile, which immediately made Xiangyun blush. Although she wanted to say that she was forced to cooperate with the performance, she felt inexplicably guilty and opened her mouth but did not dare to refute.

"It's too big after all... it can't be..."

"I found Yu-ge's flute performance today quite novel. How about you go over early tomorrow, Yun-meimei? That way you won't be too hot after lunch."

Seeing that Baochai was changing the subject, Xiangyun pouted and finally couldn't resist the urge to bring the matter up.

"Sister Bao! I don't believe you don't understand what I'm saying. You...you don't mean you like that Young Master Yu, do you?"

Baochai chuckled, surprised that this little firecracker couldn't hold back. She stopped in her tracks and calmly stared back at Xiangyun with a smile.

"So what if it is? He's unmarried and I'm unmarried, and we haven't had any illicit affair. Why can't I even joke around with my sisters in the past?"

Xiangyun never expected Baochai's response to be so blunt. She was so shocked that she couldn't come to her senses for a moment. After stammering and pointing a few times, she suddenly felt a surge of courage. Her pretty face turned red, and she no longer cared about saving face.

"But...but Sister Lin has already...Can't you see, Sister Bao?"

Seeing her strong reaction, Baochai was a little puzzled, so she calmly replied:

"So what if I know? Everyone's so close, so I have to go even more. Otherwise, wouldn't Lin Daiyu easily win over a good man?"

Seeing that Baochai was still so stubborn and wanted to compete with Sister Lin, Xiangyun gritted her teeth. Seeing that Ying'er was a bit far away, she decided to go all out and reveal the heavy secret that had been weighing on her heart. It was better than worrying about it all by herself. She could save as many people as possible!

"But Sister Lin and that Young Master Yu... they've already been intimate!"

Baochai's body trembled, her face showing some surprise. Seeing this, Xiangyun quickly seized the opportunity and said:

“I saw it with my own eyes! They were outside... outside... kissing right outside!”

Half shy and half confused, Xiangyun thought for a long time before summarizing: "When Sister Lin opened her mouth to kiss Young Master Yu's waist, that must have been a kiss, right?"

Baochai's face was full of strange expressions. She hadn't expected that Daiyu and Gu Yu's kiss outside had been spied on. The thought made her heart skip a beat, and a look of panic appeared on her face. She asked in a trembling voice:

"What else have you seen besides these?"

What if she were seen too… Baochai twisted her handkerchief tightly in her sleeve, a surge of heat rising from her back. Xiangyun, however, looked at her with some strangeness, her heart filled with astonishment.

Is this not enough? Do they have to wait until their child is born before it counts?

"Sister Bao, what kind of bewitching potion did that man surnamed Gu give you? I see that Sister Xichun is getting old, but she is still clinging to that man. Why don't you do anything about it? ... Even if you want to compete with Sister Lin, why don't you pull Sister Xichun away?"

Xiangyun took a deep breath and decided to pour out all her questions. She simply couldn't take it anymore! She hadn't done anything wrong, so why could they disregard their reputations and get close to a man as if it were perfectly acceptable, while she had to live in fear for no reason?

Since she hadn't been spied on, Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing that Xiangyun had even noticed Xichun and the others, and considering Gu Yu's actions today, which seemed to be intentionally fueling the fire, she decided it was better to just reveal it.

"Why did you stop her? Sister Yun, have you thought about who you want to marry in the future?"

Xiangyun shook her head blankly. She hadn't even met many men, so how could she have thought about this? But a warm figure suddenly flashed through her mind, only to be suppressed by her subconscious in an instant.

"So, if you find someone you like, do you think it's better to marry him or someone you don't know?"

Without hesitation, Xiangyun replied, "Of course, it's best to marry someone you love."

Baochai replied with a smile:

"Since that's the case, why should I stop Xichun? Not only that, if Yingchun and Tanchun want to get close, Lin Daiyu and I won't stop them. Even Yun Daiyu..."

Xiangyun was already stunned, not yet understanding what was said next, and only murmured:

"Sister Yingchun...you...you..."

"A real man should have three wives and four concubines. Instead of scheming against some unknown vixen, wouldn't it be better for the sisters to live happily ever after and never be separated?"

Baochai smiled faintly at Xiangyun, but that smile looked terrifying in Xiangyun's eyes, causing her to shudder involuntarily, unable to process the explosive amount of information.

She and Lin Daiyu… Could it be that Baochai already knew? And Lin Daiyu tacitly agreed? And what about Yingchun, Xichun, and I wonder if Tanchun is included…?

The more Xiangyun thought about it, the more frightened she became. When did her sisters abandon her and become one family? She seemed to see them kneeling in a circle in front of Gu Yu, kissing him. She gasped and almost fell to the ground.

Baochai, quick-witted and agile, caught her and said with a smile:

"Sister Yun is getting on in years, it's time for her to think about her marriage. Brother Yu is handsome and talented, with a gentle nature, a rare find in the world. Now that you have the opportunity, you shouldn't miss it. Do you think you can just marry anyone with the surname Wang or Li and somehow find a good match?"

Xiangyun was stunned. She knew that Gu Yu was a rare person in the world. He was talented, good-looking, rich, and kind to his sisters. He would give them whatever they wanted, and he would even put aside his status to tell his younger sister stories to keep her entertained.

Even though she harbored prejudice against him, Xiangyun had almost fallen for him several times. Now she was being told that this was already the consensus of everyone. How could she possibly accept it?

"In short, you are all wrong! ...How important is a woman's reputation! She is not yet married, how...how can you be so frivolous?!"

Seeing that she was still being stubborn, Baochai couldn't help but laugh out loud, which indeed aroused Xiangyun's suspicion. Seeing that she was staring at her and seemed to be angry, she finally unleashed her ultimate move.