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

Page 25

But there was no progress on this matter, and it was really not easy to reveal anything. Gu Yu opened her mouth several times as if to speak, but then closed it again.

However, one advantage of the ancient times was that there was no need for forced explanations. Gu Yu simply went over and hugged Qingwen tightly, kissing her after every sentence she spoke, completely quelling her temper.

She then invited Xiangling to come with her on her birthday, which quickly attracted Qingwen's attention.

However, they had wasted too much time. Just after breakfast, Baoyu and the three sisters arrived together. Daiyu, hearing the commotion, also came out and chatted and laughed with the three sisters.

Everyone entered Gu Yu's room together, and Gu Yu then noticed that Li Wan had also come along with a child.

There was another mother and child standing nearby, but just by standing there, they paled in comparison to Li Wan's group.

Before Gu Yu could ask, Li Wan, blushing, stepped forward to speak. It turned out that this child was Jia Lan, the son of the late Jia Zhu, who was usually cared for at the clan school.

But Jia Daishan was just an old Confucian scholar, lacking even the energy to discipline, let alone how profound his knowledge was.

Yesterday, upon hearing that Baoyu and the others were coming to Gu Yu's place to learn from him, and upon learning that Gu Yu, at such a young age, had already passed the imperial examination, Li Wan couldn't help but have an idea. So, she gritted her teeth and decided to bring Jia Lan over first.

As for the mother and son next to them, they are naturally Aunt Zhao and Jia Huan.

Although Jia Huan is fairly handsome, his demeanor is not that of someone from a prominent family. He's like a frozen cat, not presentable at all.

However, Aunt Zhao was indeed quite beautiful. Even at thirty years old, she still dressed extravagantly, no wonder Jia Zheng favored her so much.

Gu Yu looked at Jia Lan's delicate face, which was full of obedient expressions, thought for a moment, and then readily agreed.

Although this world is not as cruel as the social norms of the Ming and Qing dynasties of the past, widows from wealthy and powerful families are still not allowed to remarry easily, which is what they consider their dignity.

Although Grandmother Jia pitied her young age and was willing to let her go, she already had a son and couldn't bear to part with him.

Moreover, the Li family has rigid rules. Even if Grandmother Jia here agrees, she would probably be beaten to death by her own family if she went back to save face.

Gu Yu also felt sorry for Jia Lan, whose glorious rise to high rank and wealth was followed by a tragic end. By placing Jia Lan under his command, at least he wouldn't be forced into such a situation by Li Wan, who had high hopes for her son.

As for the comments from later generations who disliked Li Wan, saying that she didn't help Baoyu and the others after the Jia family's downfall, but instead took the money she had saved in the Jia family and ran away, only caring about Jia Lan, Gu Yu didn't have any thoughts on it.

How much affection could a woman have for the Jia family when she was barely college-aged and her son, Jia Lan, the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion, could only play with Jia Huan and the others?

After her husband's death, she poured all her heart and soul into Jia Lan, leaving her heart as withered as a dead tree; what else mattered to her?

Seeing Gu Yu nod, Li Wan rarely showed a look of joy and even wanted Jia Lan to kowtow. Gu Yu saw him acting like a little adult and pretending to be mature, chuckled, and quickly stopped him.

He also declined the tuition fee prepared by Li Wan, humbly saying that he was not knowledgeable enough to be a teacher and could only offer some guidance.

Aunt Zhao's eyes lit up. She didn't know what use Gu Yu's reputation was, but she heard the master say yesterday that Bao Yu should follow him to learn, so it must be a good one.

Therefore, she begged for half the night before she was able to come with Baoyu today.

Unexpectedly, Li Wan also sent her precious son here, which further solidified her resolve.

After Li Wan finished speaking, she pretended to be pitiful and pushed Jia Huan forward, but what she said was incoherent and rambling, which made Tan Chun, who was standing next to her, furious but helpless.

Seeing Tan Chun looking over, Gu Yu felt ashamed and was about to tell Aunt Zhao to leave when Gu Yu smiled at Tan Chun, indicating that it was alright, and agreed.

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Aunt Zhao was overjoyed and wanted Jia Huan to come forward and kowtow, but she did not mention giving him tuition fees.

Gu Yu didn't care about these formalities. He said a few polite words and saw the two off, leaving Jia Lan and Jia Huan behind.

They were about the same age and both had decent looks. One was well-behaved and sensible, while the other had a sleazy demeanor and a petty air about him. They were quite different standing there. I wondered how they usually played together.

Tan Chun looked at Gu Yu gratefully. Unlike her own brother and mother, she was ungrateful and knew that Gu Yu would definitely not approve of her. However, she also hoped that Jia Huan could make progress, and she was very conflicted.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yu agreed out of consideration for her, making her happy on both sides. In her heart, she gave Gu Yu a big "good guy" card.

"Brother Yu is such a good person..."

The study wasn't very big, but thankfully it was connected to the inner hall, so they didn't have to squeeze in. Gu Yu then arranged for the two to sit down in the inner hall. After asking about their studies, he noticed that Jia Huan hadn't even brought any books, so he prepared some for him.

After sitting with them for a while, Baoyu got bored and wanted to go into the study to chat and laugh with his sisters, but Daiyu was sitting outside, which put him in a dilemma.

Listening to Gu Yu leading the two in studying, Daiyu couldn't help but be a little lost in thought. It was the same back in Yangzhou, except that her father led her and Gu Yu. Now, Gu Yu's knowledge had surpassed hers, and he didn't even need her to comment on his answers to the questions.

Thinking of this, Daiyu glared at Gu Yu resentfully. Gu Yu, who was keenly aware of this gaze, was a little confused, wondering what he had done to offend Lin Daiyu again.

The two were not very learned. After reading two articles, they engaged in tedious calligraphy practice. Gu Yu took out his calligraphy copybook from a few years ago, patted his behind, and left. He would give feedback and guidance later.

Baoyu, who had been dozing off listening nearby, suddenly perked up and, seeing Daiyu get up, wanted to follow her inside.

Although Daiyu didn't interact with him much when she first entered the Jia family, she was willing to associate with him after she learned about his true nature and treated him as a close brother.

Although he had always been surrounded by beautiful women, he always felt that this Lin Daiyu was somewhat special, and therefore paid more attention to her than to the other three sisters.

It just so happens that Grandmother Jia often says that Lin Daiyu has lost her mother's love and that he should take good care of her, which he is happy to do.

But things changed after Gu Yu returned. Although Daiyu was still happy to see him, he sensitively noticed that most of Lin Daiyu's attention had been diverted.

Many times when we invite her over, she won't come over. She used to come out every day after taking medicine and getting better. In previous years, even when the weather got cold, she didn't go out much like she has these past few months!

But Baoyu didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable. Gu Yu was Daiyu's cousin, just like her. He couldn't care less who she liked to play with, so why should he care?

Thinking of this, Baoyu shook his head, then smiled and ran off to chat and laugh with his sisters.

Qingwen and Xiangling were both in the study. Taking advantage of the small space, Gu Yu told the maids and servants who had come with Sanchun and the others to go back first, and that he would send someone to take them back later.

He then slipped each of them some money for tea, and easily sent them away.

As for Siqi and the others, some had their own thoughts, while others were persuaded to leave by their masters, and none of them stayed.

Looking at the beautiful women vying for attention in the room, Gu Yu smiled smugly, but also felt it was a pity that Baochai and Keqing were not there, otherwise it would have been perfect.

However, thinking that Baochai seemed to be feeling unwell recently, Gu Yu decided to visit her another day when he had some free time.

Chapter 43 Interrupting a Good Thing

As soon as the three of them entered, everyone in the room turned to look at them.

Daiyu greeted Yingchun with a normal expression, chatted and laughed for a while, and then accompanied her to play chess.

Baoyu wanted to talk to Qingwen and Xiangling for a while, but they still didn't like him.

Seeing this, Baoyu had no choice but to give up. He had never seen such beautiful maids before, and he estimated that even the twenty-odd maids in his own courtyard combined couldn't compare to these two.

But he had spoken without thinking, asking for rouge, which offended the maid Qingwen. Although she didn't use any foul language, her sharp tongue made him cover his face and run away. Later, even the obedient Xiangling ignored him.

Tan Chun bit her lip, feeling embarrassed as she stepped forward to ask Gu Yu to teach her the Slender Gold Body Technique, her face burning with embarrassment.

She not only shoved her good-for-nothing brother into the family, but also wanted to learn Gu Yu's handwriting, fearing that Gu Yu would think she was a greedy woman.

However, she couldn't resist the allure of the Slender Gold style calligraphy and also wanted to get closer to her handsome cousin Gu Yu and build a good relationship, so she had to suppress her shame and approach him to start a conversation.

Seeing that her once spirited eyes were now filled with shyness, Gu Yu chuckled inwardly. He teased her for a while before she finally agreed, and then led her to his desk to find his calligraphy practice books for her to copy.

Tan Chun is only a few months younger than Dai Yu, unlike Xi Chun who is much younger. Shouldn't we increase the intensity of her training? Gu Yu was thinking about this when she assigned Bao Yu some homework.

Seeing that all the sisters had something to do all at once, and that the two maids were ignoring him, Baoyu looked distressed and could only take out a book and start reading.

There was no way around it; if he came here and didn't learn anything, Jia Zheng would skin him alive when he went back.

Seeing that Xichun was a little bored, Gu Yu had an idea and asked Xiangling and Qingwen to keep her company.

She happened to be learning to paint, and she had some common ground with Qingwen and the others, so she could wear more varied clothes when she came back.

After making all the arrangements, Gu Yu realized she had forgotten about herself. However, she wasn't worried at all. After sitting for a while, she went out to look at Jia Lan and Jia Huan's calligraphy.

The latter wrote more, but his handwriting was rather messy, not as careful as Jia Lan's.

After giving some more instructions, they went back in, and just as Gu Yu had predicted, there were sounds coming from the room.

"Brother Yu, come quickly and help me take a look."

When Gu Yu saw that Tan Chun had indeed asked for help, the corners of his mouth turned up. The Slender Gold style of calligraphy was not something that could be mastered after just one reading, let alone Tan Chun, a woman, who would find it even more difficult to comprehend the spirit of the Slender Gold style of calligraphy, which was as strong as iron and as hard as gold.

How is Tan Chun doing?

Gu Yu looked at the copy of the calligraphy and found it full of flaws. The small regular script she had practiced was too different from the thin gold script, so forcing it was really a waste of effort.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Yu wanted to persuade her to give up, but Tan Chun was very interested in the handwriting and was very determined.

Gu Yu felt both helpless and secretly pleased, and then righteously declared that he would teach her calligraphy.

Tan Chun was curious about how he would guide her in practicing calligraphy when Gu Yu walked behind her, took her hand, and personally guided her through the strokes.

Although Tan Chun was quite intelligent, she was still not old enough. She had some vague feelings in her heart but did not yet understand matters between men and women.

Although she felt ashamed, she didn't think of anything vulgar. She just blushed and remained silent, but her mind was somewhat scattered.

Gu Yu certainly didn't stoop to such a frivolous level; he simply wanted to change Tan Chun's perception of him as a "brother."

Unlike Yingchun, who was already grown up, or Xichun, who was still innocent and carefree, Tan Chun naturally felt close to him. Therefore, Gu Yu decided to take the initiative and try to change her mindset.

Holding Tan Chun's hand, Gu Yu guided her through copying a calligraphy model. Then, she let go of Tan Chun's hand, allowing her to experience the meaning for herself. After letting go, she moved closer to Daiyu and Yingchun.

Seeing the fierce battle on the chessboard, Gu Yu was surprised to find that Daiyu was actually at a slight disadvantage. He chuckled and went to Yingchun to offer advice.

Before he could exchange more than a few words, the two women's gazes completely shut out this hopeless chess player. Gu Yu could only manage an awkward smile and say, "You guys play, I won't say anything..."

But then Yingchun's body stiffened, and her face visibly flushed red. Daiyu was waiting for her to finish, so she could only endure the pressure on her back and struggle to support herself.

Gu Yu stood beside Yingchun, leaning slightly forward and intently watching the chessboard, but her left hand secretly stroked Yingchun's back.

The weather was cold, and everyone was wearing many layers. Even though there was a heater in the room, they only took off one layer, so Gu Yu didn't feel anything when she touched it.

But he just wanted to tease Yingchun a little, and seeing her blushing and embarrassed, not daring to make a move, he felt a sense of vengeful pleasure.

However, he didn't dare to go too far. When he saw Daiyu asking Yingchun if it was too hot, he let go of her hand.

When lunchtime arrived, Baoyu and the others were once again amazed by the abundance of the dishes. They ate until their stomachs were almost bursting before saying goodbye and preparing to go back for a midday rest.

Gu Yu secretly kept a watchful eye on things and sent several more people to deliver the gifts. However, there was no one left when they reached Yingchun's place, so they had to wait for the next delivery.

Seeing that it was the familiar two of them alone again, Yingchun felt both shy and flustered. She stood up to leave, but Gu Yu grabbed her and wouldn't let go.

Only a few people remained in Daiyu's room in the courtyard. Even Qingwen and Xiangling had gone to see Xichun off. Gu Yu stopped being secretive and opened up, laughing, "Second Sister hasn't come to see me these past few days. Could it be that she dislikes this place?"

Seeing that his voice was getting louder, Yingchun was startled and took the initiative to cover Gu Yu's mouth, her face still showing some panic.

Not wanting to frighten her any further, Gu Yu picked her up and sat her back down in the same spot where they used to play chess, just like the day before.

This time, however, it was a real hug. Yingchun knew there was no one outside, and although she didn't feel it in her heart, she still relaxed a little.

Gu Yu tightened his arms around Yingchun, his gaze fixed intently on her, demanding an explanation from her for not coming these past few days.

Yingchun was gentle and weak, and could not express the torment in her heart. In addition, Siqi found out when she returned, which made her even more worried and afraid.

Gu Yu knew she wouldn't confess easily, so he boldly kissed her cheek and smiled:

"If Second Sister won't tell, then I'll punish you. I'll stop when you say you miss me, otherwise I won't care if anyone comes in."

Yingchun trembled, her face flushed as he kissed her several times before she finally realized what was happening. But she really didn't know how to answer this deadly question!

Seeing that Yingchun was "stubborn and unyielding," Gu Yu patiently tried to win her over like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, until he heard Xueyan's voice in the courtyard, which startled Yingchun, who hurriedly tried to break free from Gu Yu's embrace.

Gu Yu didn't care about any of that and still wouldn't let her leave. Yingchun felt both ashamed and anxious, and she almost fainted.

Fearing that Gu Yu was telling the truth and wouldn't let her in, she could only blush and stammer in a low voice, "I...I...I think about you all the time..."

These words seemed to ignite a fire within Gu Yu, and the next second he stopped kissing Yingchun's cheek.

Just as Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, feeling the heat on her lips, staring blankly at Gu Yu's burning gaze, and was stunned on the spot.

Gu Yu stared at Yingchun's adorable, bewildered expression, then hugged her even tighter. He pried open her teeth and began hunting the sweetfish she had raised for fourteen years, determined to make it his prize for life.

Yingchun stared blankly at the intertwined sensation of her lips and teeth, feeling as if she were floating on clouds, her mind completely blank.

She, who used to be known as "Second Wooden Head," now seemed to have become a sage, her mind sharp and clear.

She could feel her tongue, which was being held captive, moving weakly with Gu Yu's rhythm, and she could also feel the slight movements of Gu Yu's lips, as well as the strength of Gu Yu's hands behind her.

Gu Yu felt as if she were being electrocuted, which not only made her mouth numb but also gradually spread throughout her entire body.

She didn't know how much time had passed, or it seemed like only a moment. When she heard Xiangling's voice, Yingchun was startled awake. With a scream, she suddenly pushed Gu Yu away, covered her face, and ran out.

Xiangling looked at Gu Yu curiously, her face also showing some shyness. She really didn't know when the second young lady and Gu Yu had gotten together, and she was at a loss for words after witnessing their intimate moment.

Gu Yu smacked her lips, still savoring the moment, and looked at Xiang Ling with amusement, saying, "Aren't you going to see her off? Be careful, the road is slippery."

"Eh."

As for how Yingchun will react to Xiangling's innocent yet curious gaze on the road, the unscrupulous Gu Yu can only say that he is also looking forward to it.

……

Chapter Forty-Four: The Foolish Tyrant

The next few days were still sunny, and everyone came to study for half a day as if clocking in. After lunch, they would go back for a nap, and the fun in the afternoon and evening was another matter.