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

Page 117

Seeing Daiyu give her a charming and subtle glare, Gu Yu chuckled, casually sat down next to her, and without calling Xiangling and the others over, took the teacup on the table, poured herself a cup of tea, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

As soon as Daiyu raised her hand, she saw him pick up his cup in one go. Then she noticed that Miaoyu and the others were also looking over. She quickly put her ears down and took a couple of bites of the pastry, but her delicate earlobes turned a little red.

"This idiot... isn't he afraid of being seen by others?!"

She's been quite busy these past few days, subtly inquiring about the current situation and gaining a general understanding of it. Xiangyun hasn't settled down yet; what kind of behavior would it be if Miaoyu and the others, who are further away, saw this?

Gu Yu only realized something was wrong after finishing her tea. Accustomed to her wild ways, she hadn't paid attention to this for a moment. However, finding Daiyu's cautious demeanor rather amusing, she casually put down her teacup, thought for a moment, then suddenly and quietly patted Daiyu's arm, stood up, and said with a smile:

"Is my little sister going to give me something nice? Why are you being so secretive? Why don't you go and get it for me now?"

The commotion naturally attracted everyone's attention. Baochai, seeing the bewildered look on Daiyu's face at a glance, knew it was that rascal's trick again. She didn't know what he was up to, but she still went along with it and smiled:

"Sister Lin is quite shrewd. She prepared a gift for Brother Yu without making a sound. We didn't even think of that. We'll have to make it up to her later."

Tan Chun's eyes darted around, and she suddenly turned her gaze to Miao Yu. Although they weren't very familiar with each other in the past, she was now laughing and teasing her.

Miaoyu, drawn by her presence, felt her mind in turmoil and couldn't help but let her thoughts wander. Ultimately, she was the most distant relative in the household. The young ladies of the Jia family were all related, and the Qin sister and her group were practically family. Mengzhi held the status of a princess, while Miaoyu, a nun staying at the Jia manor, was at most a friend of Gu Yu. Now that she was a guest at his estate, she was the one who should be giving him a gift.

only…

Thinking about her current situation, Miaoyu couldn't help but blush and wanted to spit on Gu Yu. She had been invited here all alone, what could she offer as a thank you gift? Was she supposed to repay her with her body...? Bah!

Amidst her fluctuating emotions, Miaoyu couldn't help but reach out and touch the two hard objects on her chest. One was the wooden plaque that she hadn't taken back after drawing lots that day, and she had inexplicably put it on. The other was the longevity lock that her parents had given her before they passed away.

"It's better than..."

Thinking about the significance of this lock to her, Miaoyu kept thinking about something bad. She only caught a glimpse of Gu Yu's toes, and her face turned red. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even care that Gu Yu was accompanying Daiyu out.

Daiyu followed Gu Yu out the door with her head down. She walked silently for several dozen steps, and only when she saw that the people inside could no longer hear the commotion did she raise her head. Her delicate face was extremely flushed, and she bit her lip, about to refuse Gu Yu.

"You heartless wretch...!"

Just thinking about that embarrassing scene made Daiyu's face burn. Fortunately, her sisters helped her cover up a bit, so it wasn't too humiliating. However, she still couldn't help feeling ashamed and wanted to punch the bad guy in front of her a few times.

Gu Yu smiled and let Daiyu's soft, weak fists rub against his chest a couple of times, then he took Daiyu's small hand and said with a smile:

"You can't blame me for this. My sister wears her heart on her sleeve. I can't wait until tonight to help her. Otherwise, if she keeps it bottled up inside, I'll be the one who feels sorry for her."

Daiyu's heart softened, and her body went limp. She was too embarrassed to continue her tantrum. Her long eyelashes trembled, but she still shyly pursed her lips and softly protested:

"You're talking nonsense again. When have I ever had anything on my mind? You're just trying to embarrass me."

"Oh? Perhaps I misunderstood, and my sister doesn't have anything to interrogate me about? If that's the case, then I've misunderstood my sister. Shall we go back now?"

Gu Yu opened his eyes wide, looking regretful, which made Daiyu want to pinch him a few more times, and she said with a mix of amusement and exasperation:

"They're up to something again!"

After the two playfully wrestled for a while, Daiyu hummed twice, turned her head away, and couldn't help but ask:

"What exactly is Brother Yu planning to do by gathering so many sisters here?"

Although seeing Xiangyun and Miaoyu gave Daiyu a better idea of ​​what to do, she still couldn't help but want to hear what Gu Yu had to say so that she could finally settle her mind.

Gu Yu calmly pulled her to sit on the railing, and without any pretense, frankly admitted:

"My sister is naturally intelligent, so it's not hard for her to see. You two should get along well in the future."

Daiyu gave a light, sullen snort and let it go, having been prepared for this beforehand. However, she still had some doubts and asked:

"It seems that Sister Xiangyun and Brother Yu didn't get along before, I wonder how things are now, and what about Miss Miaoyu..."

Speaking of this, she felt somewhat resentful. Before, she had to hide things from her sisters, and now she had to put on an act in front of Miaoyu and the others. It seemed like there was no end to dealing with the old ones and the new ones.

Thinking of this, Daiyu suddenly raised her head alertly, stared intently into Gu Yu's eyes, and asked with pursed lips:

"Besides those currently on the estate... are there any other sisters you haven't met yet?"

Gu Yu coughed twice and quickly reassured her:

"It's really gone now! Don't worry, sister. I don't judge people by their looks. If someone isn't good, I won't even glance at them. How could I let you worry about me?"

Thinking of Xing Qiuyan and the others who still hadn't been heard from, Gu Yu felt a little uneasy, so she played a word game to leave herself some room for maneuver in the future.

Daiyu gave a noncommittal chuckle, but in her heart she was still convinced. Although Gu Yu seemed a bit of a flirt, having already stirred up so many romances before even getting married, he had extremely high standards. He basically took her group of girlfriends with him, so she didn't have to worry about how they would get along in the future.

"I think you were born in the Year of the Rabbit!"

Chapter Sixty-Five, First Level? Fifth Level!

After whispering for a while, Daiyu, seeing that it was almost time, reluctantly stood up from beside Gu Yu, and tapped the corner of his mouth again, saying:

"You seem to have it easy enough to coax us, but I wonder how long it will take you to coax that Miaoyu girl..."

Gu Yu naturally understood her unspoken meaning and immediately patted his chest and made a solemn promise that he would ensure everyone would be happy and harmonious within a month.

They returned to their room amidst laughter and chatter. No one asked what gift Daiyu had given. Gu Yu watched them chatting and laughing with a smile. Just as she was about to instruct the servants to prepare lunch, a maid suddenly entered through the door.

The sisters fell silent for a moment, all looking her over. This woman wasn't brought from the city; she had been managing things on this estate for a long time. Suddenly being stared at by so many beautiful young ladies, they panicked and forgot their earlier instructions, only respectfully calling out:

"Master—uh, young master! There's a servant outside who says he has something important to report. Please give his instructions, young master."

Seeing Gu Yu frown, the woman started to speak, but then realized what she had said and quickly changed her mind, lowering her head even further. She didn't dare to breathe loudly, secretly regretting that she had spoken clumsily.

Gu Yu rolled her eyes helplessly, turned around to apologize to the women, and then followed the woman out to meet the servant who had come to report.

What he dislikes most these days is being called "Master". He is currently living in the Jia family mansion, and his studies are not yet complete. He hasn't even had time to get his courtesy name yet. If he is called "Master" for no reason, won't he look more than ten years older?

This is the crucial moment when I'm shamelessly trying to win over young ladies, taking advantage of my young age. Now that you've exposed me, are we still going to play the game?

But as he went out, he didn't see that the sensitive and sentimental Daiyu had already reddened her eyes and was staring at his figure with a dazed look.

Yingchun was taken aback and couldn't help but ask:

"What's wrong with Lin Daiyu? Why is she suddenly crying?"

Daiyu turned her face away shyly, secretly wiping it with her handkerchief. Just as she was about to make an excuse that the wind had gotten to her face, she suddenly noticed Miaoyu and the others beside her. After hesitating for a moment, she softly explained:

"Brother Yu... lost both his parents when he was young, and has been all alone all these years..."

"!!!"

The girls in the room, except for Zijuan and Qingwen who knew a little about the situation, were all stunned. They were all very intelligent and immediately realized the difference between the two titles, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

The words "Master" and "Young Master" perfectly capture Gu Yu's longing for his family and his helplessness.

The more delicate Xichun and Mengzhi were on the verge of tears at the thought, barely managing to stop themselves with their handkerchiefs. Xiangyun, who was standing there stunned, was even more confused. The thought that this bad guy was so miserable yet always greeted people with a smile made her resentment, which had lingered after spending these days with him, seem to be dissipating.

The atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment. Daiyu, who seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, paused for a moment and then began to talk about her first meeting with Gu Yu, her face full of tender memories.

"I still remember that year, Brother Yu was only six years old. After something happened in his family, he came to my house..."

……

Gu Yu followed the woman out of the second gate and saw a figure standing respectfully to one side. The figure looked somewhat familiar, and after a moment's thought, Gu Yu remembered it was the person she had arranged to be in Old Madam You's courtyard. A thought struck her, and she subtly dismissed the woman, asking in a low voice:

"But what happened to Old Lady You?"

The servant looked around and quickly said:

"Young Master, Old Madam You seems to have come to her senses these past two days. She's stopped taking her medicine and eating, and keeps calling for you to come over so she can see her two daughters."

"As you instructed, we dare not use force for fear of breaking her skin. For now, we have simply drugged her and locked her in a room, and arranged for people to take care of her and feed her."

Gu Yu sneered inwardly. If this old bastard thought he could live a life of wealth and honor by selling his daughter, he should change his mind! Now that she was in his hands, he had plenty of ways to torture her.

"What else is there to arrange? Give the order to drug her and make her lie in bed for three days. Send her some simple food and let her be. If she has the ability to starve to death, I'll think highly of her and give her a nice coffin!"

"If you eat it, you'll have to keep it hanging for one meal a day. Just don't kill it in the next few days. I'll send you a message when the time comes."

"Eh!"

Gu Yu turned back, then suddenly remembered something she had forgotten, and quickly snapped back to attention, reminding him:

"Don't forget, you can't stop taking the medicine. You can mix it into your food or water. If you really can't, you can force-feed it. Just make sure you don't cause any external injuries. Anything is fine."

The servant nodded solemnly, indicating that he had remembered, and turned to go back to the stables to report the news without stopping, though he still felt a little sentimental.

"I don't know what that old codger did to offend the young master, he's been tormented like this!"

Thinking of all the medicine he had given Madam You these past few days, the servant shook his head in disgust, as if his own bones ached, and he couldn't help but shudder. But the young master had been so kind to them, and they were determined to repay him wholeheartedly; Madam You was nothing to them.

……

"It seems that old bastard won't last another month or two. Fortunately, my second and third sisters have come to the manor with us... How about we make an excuse to get sick with the plague in a few days and just burn him?"

Gu Yu slowly walked back to the courtyard, secretly making up her mind. Wasn't this old man the direct cause of her second and third sisters' tragedies in their past lives? Now he still wants to have fun here? Dream on!

As for burning her to ashes, firstly, it would prevent my second sister and the others from being overcome with grief upon seeing her, and secondly, since she was, after all, my mother-in-law, the coffin couldn't be too shabby for the sake of her reputation. It would cost at least several dozen taels of silver, which is money, isn't it?

"What era are we living in? Still using traditional burial methods... Let me give you a trendy way to go with the wind... Hehe~"

Thinking of this, Gu Yu was in a good mood. With a smile, she lifted the curtain and went in. Unexpectedly, she saw that all the girls had red eyes and were looking at Daiyu, as if they were having some kind of speech about thanking their parents. She was a little confused.

"What are you...?"

Because time was short, Daiyu only talked about their journey to the capital. When she saw Gu Yu return, she felt embarrassed to continue. However, she was still emotional and didn't ask him what he was doing. She just stared at him blankly.

If there weren't so many people outside, Gu Yu would have knelt down before her, drawn by her captivating gaze, just to savor the girl's beauty. But the occasion wasn't right, so he could only regretfully abandon that idea.

But when she turned her head again, she was surprised to find that every single one of them was looking at her with pity, as if she were a pitiful dog. Even Baochai, who was usually composed and dignified, couldn't suppress her emotions at this moment.

Gu Yu's lips twitched. It was a wise decision to put the issue aside. After all, it seemed like a good thing. Didn't you see that Xiangyun next to him had become much more obedient?

"Sisters, you've been helping me with my studies for so long, aren't you hungry? Why don't you go and sit down? I've already told the kitchen to serve the dishes, and I've specially prepared your favorites today."

Seeing his familiar smiling face, the women felt even more sorry for him. Baochai was the first to stand up, forcing a smile as she beckoned her sisters to leave. Her eyes subtly conveyed to them that their brother Yu was putting on such a strong act, and probably didn't want their pity. Each of them could only blink and try to suppress their gloomy emotions, barely managing to recover.

Qin Keqing deliberately lagged behind, her expressive eyes seeming to convey all the love in her heart. Gu Yu felt that these girls were acting strangely and was about to quietly ask them a question when she saw Daiyu turn around and look over again. She could only cough twice and casually brush past Keqing to offer some comfort.

During the meal, Gu Yu tried her best, but failed to liven up the atmosphere completely. After getting off the table, she quickly grabbed Xiang Ling next to her and asked for details.

Xiangling naturally didn't hide anything and told Gu Yu everything, looking at him with teary eyes and a face full of heartache:

"Master never mentioned this matter, and Qingwen and I never imagined he harbored so much bitterness. We are so grateful to Miss Lin for pointing it out..."

In the past, I would never have asked about Gu Yu's family situation. I only heard him say that there were few people in his family and no need for any rules, so I just let it go. Who would have thought that he was so pitiful, becoming a lonely person at such a young age.

The thought that they had both lost their families at a young age, but she and Qingwen still had their master to rely on, while Gu Yu himself had to protect them, moved Xiangling to tears. She started sobbing again as she spoke.

Gu Yu grimaced with a headache, and could only offer gentle comfort. Inwardly, however, she couldn't help but laugh and cry, wanting to grab Daiyu and punish her. Wasn't she just being greedy?!

"I was worried something had happened..."

Gu Yu had only been holding Xiang Ling for a short while when the activity gradually dispersed, so she had to let go and go outside for some fresh air.

Standing under the corridor, Gu Yu's gaze unconsciously wandered over the distant scenery as he tried to figure out how to appease so many girls at once.

Although he didn't have any real feelings for his parents from his memories, he didn't want to use that as leverage in his strategy, so he decided to let it go.

Chapter Sixty-Six: I, Gu, am a man of integrity!

Having never thought about it before, Gu Yu was suddenly overwhelmed by this situation and began to reflect on whether she had attracted too many romantic entanglements.

But Xue Baoqin and Xing Qiuyan behind them also seem quite pitiful, as if they desperately need my help...

Seven or eight ideas suddenly popped into Gu Yu's mind, but she rejected them herself. Then, in a daze, she thought of this again and finally sighed after a long while.

"If I don't go to hell, who will? I'll take on this miserable task!"

Shaking her head, Gu Yu turned around and saw Baochai standing quietly three steps away, staring at her with gentle, tender eyes.

Seeing that her forehead was covered with a thin layer of fragrant sweat from the sunlight, Gu Yu quickly pulled her a few steps closer and carefully wiped it away for her.

"When did Sister Bao come out? She didn't even know to avoid the sun. Now that it's so hot, won't she get sunburned?"

Baochai blushed slightly as she enjoyed his service, her attention mostly focused on the movements behind her. Only after Gu Yu put away the handkerchief did she breathe a sigh of relief and chuckle softly:

"Do you take me for a delicate fairy like Lin Daiyu? It's a bit hot, but I can bear it. I just saw you deep in thought and didn't want to disturb you."

As she spoke, her bright almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Gu Yu's eyes, determined to get to the bottom of things.

Gu Yu smiled faintly, not intending to hide it from her, and led Baochai to sit down on the side corridor, turning her head to ask:

"I was thinking, seeing that you all seemed to be in a bad mood just now, what could I do to comfort you?"

Hearing this, Baochai felt a bittersweet feeling in her heart. She hadn't expected that he hadn't considered her feelings at all. How could they possibly repay such deep affection?!

"You... Brother Yu, there's no need for this..."

Sensing something was off about Baochai's voice, Gu Yu frowned, leaned closer to examine her more closely, and then touched her forehead, asking with concern:

"The wind is cold at night in the village outside the city. Sister Bao, you must be careful. It would be terrible if you got sick."