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

Page 39

She used to live one day at a time, thinking that her unreliable parents would just arrange a marriage for her and that would be the end of her life.

Unexpectedly, at this confusing age of a young girl, Gu Yu appeared, and Grandmother Jia even hinted at a marriage proposal for her. What was even more unexpected was that Gu Yu was so bold, not only taking a liking to her but also actively and repeatedly challenging her bottom line.

From then on, a figure that stirred her heart appeared in her occasional dreams.

Although she had never read those miscellaneous books, the old women and maids in the Jia family were quite talkative, and Yingchun didn't really care about them. They spoke without any restraint, which gave Yingchun some vague ideas about them.

Upon seeing the actual object for the first time, Yingchun reached out and pinched it. Fortunately, her soft little hand had little strength, but it only made Gu Yu's anger flare up even more.

A group of people gathered together, with only Daiyu and Xichun being the most dressed and young, so they didn't reveal their bodies. Qingwen, Xiangling, and even Yingchun were all slender and graceful, leaving Gu Yu dazzled.

The group chatted and laughed, and naturally the conversation turned to the major events that had occurred in the Jia family in the past few days. Tan Chun smiled and said:

"My goodness, Huifang Garden is already big and beautiful enough. I heard that the gentlemen are going to invite Shan Ziye to expand it several times over, based on Huifang Garden! What a beautiful garden it will be then!"

Baochai, who had only arrived that afternoon, chimed in upon hearing this:

"With the masters taking care of everything, Feng'er can finally get some rest. Now that the master and mistress are in charge of everything in the mansion, she's finally free. She might just come over and have some fun."

After Daiyu mistakenly believed that Lin Ruhai was finding a marriage for Gu Yu, she became less wary of Baochai, and the two gradually became more familiar with each other.

Some time ago, Baochai's birthday celebration couldn't be held because Xue Pan was still a few days away from getting out of bed. It was Daiyu and Tanchun who discussed it and celebrated for her privately.

Gu Yu turned her head to admire Baochai's figure, and couldn't help but compare it with Yingchun's. Unfortunately, she had no practical experience with one of them, so she could only feel regret.

"Shouldn't we speed things up a bit... After all, a young woman's youth can't be wasted, and as a man, I should put in more effort... Yes, that's it!"

Seeing that Baochai was already fifteen years old, Gu Yu was also afraid that Aunt Xue would be so thoughtless as to arrange a marriage for Baochai without her consent.

She had never confessed her feelings to Baochai, and given Baochai's considerate nature, she might actually obey her mother's wishes and do everything for the sake of the Xue family.

Thinking this way, Gu Yu began to consider how to win over Baochai. With her pure and aloof personality, it seemed that many of the romantic tricks she thought she used would not work.

His thoughtful expression naturally appeared to others as him staring intently at Baochai's skirt. Baochai, unable to bear his gaze any longer, straightened her legs slightly and a strange expression crossed her face.

Daiyu glared resentfully at Gu Yu's infatuated expression, feeling a pang of jealousy, but she still called out:

"Sister Baochai, quickly wipe your sweat, your face looks strangely hot."

Without getting up, she crumpled the handkerchief into a ball and threw it, which unfortunately hit Gu Yu in the face, who was two or three meters away from Baochai.

"Hey!"

Gu Yu was startled. Coming to her senses, she caught the thing that fell on her face and looked closely. It was a handkerchief, which puzzled her.

Seeing the smiles that Xichun and the others couldn't help but smile, Gu Yu realized that the handkerchief looked familiar; it was Lin Daiyu's.

Gu Yu was initially delighted, but then realized he should return it to Daiyu, since he couldn't accept such a personal item without knowing its purpose.

As soon as Daiyu saw Gu Yu stand up with a handkerchief in his handkerchief, she understood his meaning. Her previous smugness vanished completely, replaced by a pale face.

Before Gu Yu could speak, Daiyu's eyes reddened, she got up and walked out, leaving Gu Yu standing there dumbfounded.

Chapter 5 A true brother is one who lends you a hand.

"What's going on now???"

Gu Yu had just stood up when she saw this scene, and she really couldn't understand what she had done to anger Daiyu.

Baochai chuckled and said:

"Brother Yu, why don't you go and appease them? We've been playing for so long, it's time for us to go. Don't worry about us."

As she spoke, she told Tan Chun and the others to take their leave. Gu Yu gave her a grateful look, and after seeing the group off from the hospital, she immediately went to Daiyu's room and knocked on the door.

"Zijuan—, Xueyan—! Open the door quickly!"

Despite banging on the door loudly without any response, Gu Yu had no choice but to call out two maids to open the door.

"Don't open it!"

Zijuan saw Daiyu sitting on the kang wiping her eyes, telling them not to pay attention to what was happening outside without even looking up, but then she didn't say anything more. Zijuan understood what Daiyu was thinking.

With a glance, she signaled to Xueyan to open the door. Zijuan went to brew a pot of tea first, and when she brought it into the inner room, Gu Yu was already standing quietly beside Daiyu.

Seeing Daiyu gently wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, not even glancing at him, Gu Yu felt both sad and heartbroken.

"Why are you so angry, little sister? You've only made yourself sick by crying. It's not only heartbreaking for us to see, but even Uncle Lin would worry if he heard about it!"

When Gu Yu came to persuade her, Daiyu's sobs subsided a few degrees. Unexpectedly, he brought up the very thing she shouldn't have, and actually mentioned Lin Ruhai!

That day, her father admitted that he would choose a husband for Gu Yu and said he would resolve the matter. But he ran away without saying a word to her and didn't even leave a letter.

This has left Daiyu feeling uneasy to this day, unsure whether the problem has been solved or not.

Feeling somewhat anxious and uncertain, she couldn't help but want to provoke Gu Yu, but she didn't expect him to put on such an act!

Daiyu gave a cold laugh, raised her head, and stared at Gu Yu with slightly reddened eyes:

"Oh? I have no idea what I'm angry about! And who will care about me? Is it Sister Yingchun? Or Sister Baochai? I almost forgot, Sister Tanchun and Sister Xichun are also good, we can't forget them!"

Gu Yu's heart skipped a beat. Hearing Daiyu's words, he sensed something different. He quickly gave a dry laugh and tried to change the subject.

"What are you saying, sister? Do you think I don't care?"

"Humph!"

Daiyu endured it for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back anymore.

“Cousin Yu is the kind of person who gets bored easily. With so many sisters, how could he possibly remember me, the sister he recognized when we were six years old in Yangzhou?”

Before Daiyu could continue speaking, Gu Yu couldn't help but interrupt her, feeling somewhat annoyed.

"How could I be fickle? Sister, what you're saying makes no sense!"

He had thought of her day after day for years and never forgot to share the best things with her, but he never expected to be accused of being fickle and unfaithful. He was more wronged than Dou E!

Seeing that he was "unrepentant," Daiyu finally shed tears, her voice choked with sobs.

"Then let me ask you, why did you return the handkerchief I threw at you in front of so many sisters?"

Gu Yu was extremely conflicted. He wanted to accept it too! But you only see me as a brother, how could I accept it and ruin your reputation?

"That's a private thing, after all, little sister..."

"Then why do you have two other handkerchiefs in your room?! You can accept the ones from other sisters, but not mine? I think Sister Yingchun is hiding your handkerchief!"

Gu Yu almost couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap!" Did this girl have X-ray vision? How did she know all of this?!

Seeing that Gu Yu was speechless, Daiyu was truly heartbroken, tears streaming down her face, her eyes red and swollen.

Zijuan was getting anxious listening from the doorway, wishing she could call Gu Yu out and have a good talk with him, but since the two of them had finally gotten to be alone, it was really inappropriate to go in and ruin the atmosphere, so she could only press her ear even harder to eavesdrop on the information.

Seeing Daiyu's beautiful face and her bright, intelligent eyes now streaming with tears, Gu Yu's heart melted. She also recalled what Kong Chengli had said that day.

"What's done is done... strike first, win big..."

After carefully considering whether Lin Ruhai would break her legs and whether Daiyu would hate her completely afterward, Gu Yu felt confused.

However, there was no time for him to contemplate life right now, so Gu Yu simply followed his heart, took out a handkerchief, forcefully lifted Daiyu's face, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said some inexplicable words.

"Sister Lin... I will let you know my heart in a few days. I only hope you won't hate me or be angry with me..."

Before Daiyu could react, Gu Yu placed the handkerchief in her hand, turned around, and left.

Daiyu stared blankly at the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes finally no longer red, but the tears gradually shifted to her face.

Zijuan walked in looking confused; she still hadn't figured out what Gu Yu meant by his last words.

In truth, Daiyu didn't quite understand Gu Yu's words, but her heart was racing. Her sixth sense told her that it must be good news.

...

When the main gate of the examination hall opened wide, Kong Chengli and Li Wensong, who were the first to walk out, immediately saw Gu Yu waiting at the door. Before they could even feel moved, Gu Yu grabbed them and led them to the welcoming pavilion.

After a series of familiar actions, Gu Yu stopped asking Li Wensong and instead stared at Kong Chengli, saying:

"Brother Chengli, is it really possible that you said something like 'making the rice into rice' before...?"

"puff!!!"

Li Wensong spat out all the wine, but luckily he turned his head in time and spilled it all on the ground.

"Beautiful Yu, what's gotten into you?! Think twice before you act!"

Gu Yu took a deep breath and finally confessed.

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. That friend I mentioned before......"

"..."

After hearing about Gu Yu's experiences starting from Suzhou, Li Wensong and Kong Chengli, whose minds were slightly tired from nine consecutive days of exams, perked up and felt that Gu Yu's emotional experiences could be written into a bestselling story.

Three people who were 'single dogs' in some sense spent a long time analyzing the situation word by word, and finally miraculously came to a somewhat correct conclusion.

"It seems your cousin has some feelings for you, but I wonder what Lord Lin's attitude is?"

"I think it's hard to say. Wasn't Consort Yu dragged to a palace banquet a few days ago? Could it be that Lord Lin doesn't want his daughter to marry Consort Yu, so he's already making it clear that he's finding him a good match?"

Gu Yu frowned and carefully recalled Lin Ruhai's words and actions. Back in Yangzhou, when Jia Min jokingly offered to marry Daiyu to him many times, Lin Ruhai didn't seem to respond much.

Thinking of this, Gu Yu was taken aback. He had initially thought that Lin Ruhai was fine, but Daiyu didn't like him. However, after analyzing the situation, he realized that Daiyu had some feelings for him, while Lin Ruhai didn't want to marry off his daughter.

What kind of mess is this! Remembering that Lin Ruhai hadn't said goodbye before leaving Beijing, Gu Yu became increasingly suspicious. Seeing his expression, Kong Chengli and the others exchanged glances, assuming Gu Yu had figured something out.

"In that case... why not strike first? Your cousin isn't entirely heartless. If you manage to get things done first, you can then appease her properly. When Lord Lin finds out in the capital, there won't be much he can do."

“Exactly! I guess your cousin is also worried about her kinship and doesn’t want to show it. Consort Yu, you should help her break free from these constraints and cultivate your relationship every day. By the time Lord Lin comes to the capital and finds out that you two are already in love, he won’t force you to break up.”

Gu Yu felt a surge of excitement and repeatedly toasted her two close friends.

"Thanks to Brother Wensong and Brother Chengli! I will never forget their kindness!"

Kong Chengli responded with a smile, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused.

"Since Lady Yu dares to do this even under pressure from Lord Lin... then I..."

The three of them drank to their hearts' content. Unexpectedly, after not seeing each other for a while, Gu Yu's alcohol tolerance had increased considerably, so he didn't have to leave after only a few sips.

Chapter Six: Vaccines

Daiyu has been smiling more and more these days. Ever since Gu Yu said those strange things that day, she's been coming to visit her more often.

Although it's not like when they were in Yangzhou, when the two of them were inseparable all the time, it still makes Daiyu very happy now.

The only thing that puzzled her was that Gu Yu would always bring food whenever he came over. Seeing his thoughtfulness, Daiyu, who was finally able to spend more time with him, naturally didn't want to refuse.

However, she didn't have a big appetite to begin with, and she was almost too full to eat every day. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and asked Gu Yu why.

"My sister is so thin, I'm worried... She should eat more and gain some weight so she'll look healthy!"

Daiyu glanced at Xiangling and Qingwen playing with the maids in the courtyard. Although both of them were petite, their undeniable curves immediately made her think she 'understood' Gu Yu's meaning, and she couldn't help but feel shy.

After washing up in the evening, Daiyu couldn't help but tell Zijuan about what she had discovered during the day. However, to her surprise, Zijuan couldn't understand her thoughts, and she couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved.

Looking at the curves of Zijuan's chest, and then secretly squeezing her own slight rise and fall, Daiyu felt very uncomfortable and secretly decided that she must eat more in the future.

A few days later, Gu Yu suddenly received a letter from Kong Chengli and his group.

The flood season in the Jianghuai region arrived early this year, causing severe flooding and affecting more than 800,000 people in three prefectures.

Lin Ruhai had only traveled halfway when he received an imperial edict, temporarily dispatching him to Suzhou, the city most severely affected by the disaster, for disaster relief. He would likely be busy for several more months.

Gu Yu was just thinking of a way to distract Lin Ruhai when this unexpected incident occurred.

Thinking of the horrific scenes he had witnessed when he left Beijing, Gu Yu realized that the disaster victims were probably in even worse shape. After some thought, Gu Yu wrote a letter to Gu Zhong, who was stationed in Suzhou, asking him to fully cooperate with Lin Ruhai.

Leaving aside the prestige of the Gu family, which has been established in Suzhou for seven generations, the mere fact that it has been rooted in Suzhou for hundreds of years allows it to easily mobilize a large amount of resources in the city.

Without the support of the Gu family, Lin Ruhai, alone in this emergency, wouldn't be able to conjure up food and other supplies out of thin air. Those wealthy landlords wouldn't offer any food if there was no benefit for them.

By the time the imperial court's aid arrives, countless disaster victims will have already starved to death.

Gu Yu sent Gu Zhong to help, partly out of pity for the disaster victims in the village, and partly to curry favor with Lin Ruhai. After all, German orthopedics was still in its infancy in this world, and he didn't know if the doctors in the Great Qian Dynasty who treated sprains and bruises could save his leg.

Since Lin Ruhai delivered the agreed-upon sums of money in batches, Jia She and his men have been able to work even more freely. Even just looking at the sketches and the already magnificent Huifang Garden, one can already imagine the grandeur of the garden once it is completed.

Wang Xifeng didn't know much about official positions, but those chests of gleaming silver gave her a new understanding of Daiyu.

She never expected that the old ancestor's granddaughter's family was so wealthy. And when she thought about the Yingkexuan, where Gu Yu's family moved mountains of gold and silver into, Wang Xifeng was even more envious.

Now everyone in the manor is focused on the garden, and even Madam Wang is personally involved, something she hasn't done in a long time. This has given Wang Xifeng a rare moment of free time, and she's been going to visit Gu Yu with the three sisters, hoping to get closer to her.

After all, if these two rich kids let slip even a small loophole, I could make a fortune!