aircannonsinc Page 16
Page 16
"Hey."
……
The distance was less than a hundred paces to the left and right, and Gu Yu and Daiyu did not bring Xiangling and Zijuan out to walk in the snow.
The two walked side by side, and although there was some noise from the wind and snow around them, they felt a strange sense of tranquility. Unfortunately, they soon arrived at Pear Fragrance Courtyard.
Meanwhile, Baoyu waited for Grandmother Jia to take a nap at noon. Since he had nothing to do in the afternoon and heard that Baochai was not feeling well, he took advantage of the snow stopping and went to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. He first went into Aunt Xue's room and saw Aunt Xue doing needlework with the maids.
Baoyu quickly greeted her, and Aunt Xue pulled him into her arms, laughing and saying, "The weather is getting colder, my child, it's kind of you to think of coming. Come and sit on the kang (heated brick bed)." She then ordered someone to pour hot tea.
Baoyu's mood immediately improved, and he asked, "Isn't my brother home?" Aunt Xue sighed, "He's like a horse without a bridle, always busy, how could he possibly stay home even for a day?"
Baoyu asked, "Is Sister feeling much better?" Aunt Xue replied, "Yes, she is. You were thinking of sending someone to check on her the other day. She's in the inner room, isn't she? Go see her there; it's warmer inside than here. She can sit there. I'll tidy up and then come in to talk to you."
Upon hearing this, Baoyu hurriedly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and went to the door of the inner room, where he saw a half-worn red curtain hanging. Baoyu lifted the curtain and stepped inside, and the first thing he saw was Xue Baochai sitting on the kang doing needlework.
Her hair was tied up in a jet-black, shiny bun. She wore a honey-colored cotton-padded jacket, a rose-purple two-tone gold and silver fur-trimmed vest, and a pale yellow silk cotton skirt. All of her clothes were neither new nor old, and did not appear luxurious.
Her lips were red without rouge, her eyebrows were green without paint, her face was like a silver basin, and her eyes were like water apricots. She rarely spoke, which people called feigning ignorance; she was content with her lot and followed the times, claiming that she was simply keeping to her simple ways.
As Baoyu looked at her, he asked, "Sister, are you feeling much better?" Baochai looked up and saw Baoyu coming in. She quickly stood up and replied with a smile, "I'm much better now. Thank you for your concern."
As he spoke, he had him sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and then ordered Ying'er to pour tea.
She inquired about the well-being of the old lady and her aunts, and also asked about the other sisters. Meanwhile, she noticed that Baoyu was wearing a filigree and jewel-inlaid purple-gold crown and a gold headband with two dragons chasing a pearl on his forehead.
She wore a light brown robe with a python pattern and white fox fur trim, tied with a five-colored butterfly and phoenix sash, and around her neck hung a longevity lock and a name tag. She also had a precious jade that she had been born with.
Baochai smiled and said, "Everyone talks about your jade all the time, but I've never really had a chance to appreciate it properly. I'd like to take a look at it today."
As she spoke, she moved closer. Baoyu also leaned in, took it off his neck, and handed it to Baochai. Baochai held it in her palm; it was as large as a sparrow's egg, as bright as the morning glow, as smooth as cream, and adorned with five-colored patterns.
After Baochai finished reading, she turned the book over again to examine it closely, and murmured, "Never forget, may you live a long and prosperous life."
After reading it twice, he turned back to Ying'er and smiled, "Why aren't you pouring tea? What are you doing standing here in a daze?"
Ying'er chuckled and said, "These two sentences sound like a pair with the two sentences on the girl's necklace."
Upon hearing this, Baoyu quickly smiled and said, "So there are also eight characters on Sister's necklace. Let me take a look."
Baochai said, "Don't listen to him, there's nothing written on it." Baoyu laughed and pleaded, "Good sister, why are you looking at me like that?"
Unable to resist her persistent nagging, Baochai said, "It's only because someone gave me a couple of auspicious words that I had it engraved on, so I can wear it every day. Otherwise, what's the fun in carrying something so heavy?"
As she spoke, she unbuttoned her coat and pulled out a jeweled, sparkling gold necklace from her bright red inner coat.
When Baoyu hurriedly picked up the lock to look, he found that there were indeed four seal characters on one side and eight characters on the other two sides, forming two auspicious omens.
Baoyu read it, read it twice, and then read his own twice. He then asked with a smile, "Sister, these eight characters really do match mine."
Ying'er laughed and said, "It was given by a bald-headed monk. He said it must be engraved on goldware—" Before she could finish speaking, Baochai scolded her for not pouring tea, and then asked Baoyu where he came from.
Baoyu was sitting quite close to Baochai at this moment, and he smelled a cool, sweet fragrance, but he didn't know what it was, so he asked:
"What kind of incense is Sister using? I've never smelled this before." Baochai laughed, "I hate incense. It makes my clothes smell smoky and pungent."
Baoyu asked, "If that's the case, what is this fragrance?" Baochai thought for a moment and smiled, "That's it, it's the fragrance of the pills I took this morning."
Baoyu laughed, "What kind of pill smells so good? Good sister, give me one to try." Baochai laughed, "You're being silly again. You can't just eat medicine like that!"
Just then, they heard someone outside say, "Miss Lin and Young Master Yu have arrived."
Chapter Twenty-Six: Changing the Plot
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Daiyu staggered in, followed by Gu Yu.
Upon seeing Baoyu, Daiyu exclaimed with a smile, "Oh dear, I've come at an inopportune time!"
Baoyu and the others quickly stood up and offered them seats with smiles. Baochai then asked with a smile, "What do you mean by that?"
Daiyu originally wanted to make a few more jokes, but then she remembered that Gu Yu was right next to her, so she gave up the idea and just smiled and said:
“If we’re going to have a whole group come, then we can have them all come. If we don’t have any, then no one will come. Today, Brother Bao Er came, and tomorrow, Cousin Yu and I will come. If we stagger our visits, won’t we have people coming every day? It won’t be too deserted, nor too crowded. Why don’t you understand what I mean, Sister?”
Baochai glanced at Gu Yu behind her, then quickly looked away. Her heart skipped a beat, though no one knew it. She forgot to reply to Daiyu.
When Baoyu saw that she was wearing a pale yellow satin jacket with a matching collar, just like Gu Yu, he felt a strange sense of loss, as if something important had been stolen from him.
He asked, "Has it snowed?" The women below replied, "It's been snowing for half a day."
Baoyu asked, "Did you bring my cloak?"
Daiyu then smiled and said to Baochai, "Isn't it true that he should leave now that I'm here?"
Upon hearing this, Baoyu became anxious and quickly explained, "When did I say I was going? I just brought it in preparation."
Standing to the side, Baoyu's wet nurse, Granny Li, disregarded the atmosphere of their conversation and spoke up, "It's snowing again, and it's getting late. Why don't you stay here and play with your sisters? Auntie is setting out tea and fruit. I'll have a maid fetch your cloaks and tell the little ones to disperse." Baoyu paused for a moment, then agreed.
But when he turned his head again, he saw Gu Yu and Lin Meimei talking to each other with their heads turned to the side. The strange feeling in his heart became even stronger, and he couldn't help but interrupt:
"Brother Yu, what brings you here now?"
Gu Yu stopped talking, glanced at Bao Yu, and felt that he was getting in the way. Didn't he see that she was trying to make her sister happy?
"I heard that Sister Bao was sick, and I've been thinking about her. Since it's not far from here, I came with Sister Lin to visit her."
Baochai blushed slightly and quickly thanked her with a smile:
"Why did it have to be like this in this freezing weather? I was just feeling a little unwell, but I'm much better now. It's really hard on Lin, who is also weak, to come out like this."
As she spoke, Baochai took Daiyu's hand and chatted and laughed softly. However, Gu Yu felt that Baochai had glanced at her just now, but she was not sure if it was just her imagination.
The three of them huddled together for a moment, ignoring Baoyu, who seemed like the only outsider. Before he could even feel annoyed, Aunt Xue had already laid out some fine tea and fruit to invite them to have tea.
Baoyu relaxed a bit and went out to sit with the others. He then praised the delicious goose feet and duck tongues of Sister-in-law Zhen from the mansion the other day.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue quickly took out some of her own leftovers and laid out all the boxes of pastries that Gu Yu had just brought, then smiled and said:
"It's fortunate that Yu-ge'er is so reserved. Bao-yatou is nothing special, but she brought so many gifts just to come and have fun. The pastries in Yingkexuan are usually hard to buy even if you want to."
Baochai smiled and stood up to thank him again, to which Gu Yu quickly responded with a few words of modesty.
Daiyu blinked. She hadn't expected that the snacks she often ate in the courtyard were actually a rare treat. But seeing the two of them exchanging glances, she suddenly didn't find them so delicious anymore.
For some reason, Baoyu suddenly picked up Aunt Xue's duck feet and ate a few bites, then laughed and said, "This must be eaten with wine."
Aunt Xue then ordered someone to bring the finest wine. Upon seeing this, Granny Li quickly came forward to dissuade him, saying, "Madam, the wine is no longer needed." Baoyu pleaded, "Mama, I'll only drink one cup."
Granny Li wouldn't budge: "Useless! You can drink a whole jar in front of the Old Madam and Madam. The other day I was out of sight for a moment, and I don't know which unruly boy, only thinking of pleasing you, didn't care about anyone else's life or death, gave you a sip of wine, and I was scolded for two days because of it. The concubine doesn't know, he has a terrible temper, and he becomes even more unruly after drinking. One day the Old Madam was in a good mood, and she let him drink as much as he wanted, but on other days she forbids him from drinking. Why should I suffer for nothing?"
Aunt Xue laughed and said, "Old man, you can eat whatever you want. I won't let him eat too much. Even if the old lady asks, I'll take care of it." Then she instructed the maid, "Come, let your grandmothers go and have a cup of Tangtang Xueqi too."
Hearing this, Granny Li had no choice but to join the others in having some drinks. Aunt Xue personally poured Gu Yu a cup of wine as a sign of intimacy, which Gu Yu quickly accepted and drank in one gulp, making Aunt Xue's smile even brighter.
Seeing that the annoying Granny Li had finally left, Baoyu relaxed and said, "There's no need to warm it up, I only like to eat cold food." Aunt Xue hurriedly said, "That won't do. If you drink cold wine, your hand will stumble when you write."
Seeing Baochai about to speak, Gu Yu raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Brother Bao, you've been studying all sorts of things every day, don't you know that wine is very hot in nature? If you drink it hot, it will dissipate quickly; if you drink it cold, it will condense inside, and your internal organs will have to warm it up, which will be harmful. From now on, you should not drink cold wine."
Although Baoyu had been lectured, he found the words quite reasonable, so he put down the cold wine and ordered someone to warm it up before drinking it.
Baochai's eyes flashed as she secretly observed Gu Yu. She had just been thinking about these words, but she didn't expect Gu Yu to have the same thoughts as her. Could it be that they were telepathically connected... Pshaw!
Daiyu cracked melon seeds, smiling with her lips pursed, but her eyes were fixed on Baochai's face, lost in thought. She then glanced at Gu Yu, wondering what tricks he was up to.
Gu Yu, however, remained calm and collected, simply burying himself in eating and drinking, looking like a heartless, lazy machine.
Just then, Daiyu's maid Xueyan came to deliver a small hand warmer to Daiyu. Daiyu smiled and asked her, "Who asked you to bring this? It's so kind of them to go to such trouble. I'm freezing!"
Xueyan said, "Sister Zijuan was afraid you'd be cold, so she sent me to bring this." Daiyu took it, held it in her arms, and then, seeing Gu Yu looking at her, smiled at him and said:
"It's a good thing you listened to her. You probably forgot that Cousin Yu specially brought me here. How could there be a problem?"
Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt a lump in his throat. He glanced at Gu Yu sullenly, then drank another cup of wine, thinking that if he lived next to Lin Daiyu, he could certainly do the same.
Baochai seemed lost in thought and remained silent. Seeing the sudden quiet, Aunt Xue spoke up with a smile:
"You're usually frail and can't stand the cold, it's not good that they're worried about you."
Daiyu laughed and said, "Auntie doesn't know. Luckily it's here with you, Auntie. If it were someone else's house, wouldn't they be annoyed? They would say that they don't even have a hand warmer, so they have to send one from home. Not only would the maids be overly cautious, but they would also think that I am usually so frivolous."
Aunt Xue said, "You're overthinking things. You have such thoughts, but I don't."
As they were talking, Baoyu had already drunk three cups. Granny Li came up again to stop him. Baoyu was feeling rather down, so he wasn't about to refuse.
Baoyu had no choice but to plead, "Good Mother, I'll only eat two more bowls and then I'll stop." Granny Li said, "You'd better watch out, Master is home today, he might ask you about your studies!"
Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt even more uneasy, slowly put down his wine, and lowered his head.
Seeing that the atmosphere had suddenly become somewhat subdued, and that Gu Yu had stopped what he was doing and looked up to observe, Daiyu quickly said:
"Don't spoil the fun! If your uncle calls you, just say your aunt is saving it. This mother of mine, she's had a few drinks and is using us to sober up again!"
Meanwhile, she secretly urged Baoyu:
"Ignore that old codger, let's just enjoy ourselves."
The old woman, Li, did not understand Daiyu's meaning, so she said, "Lin'er, don't help him. You should try to persuade him; I'm afraid he'll listen to you."
Daiyu, in a moment of anxiety, stopped looking at Gu Yu and gave Li Mama a cold glance, then sneered, "Why should I help him? I have no reason to advise him. You're too cautious, Mama. The old lady usually gives him wine, so it shouldn't be a problem if he has a little more here with Auntie. After all, Auntie is an outsider, so it's not necessarily appropriate for him to be here."
Upon hearing this, Granny Li was both anxious and amused, saying, "This Lin girl is truly something else; her words are sharper than knives. What you've said is nothing."
Baochai couldn't help but laugh, pinching Daiyu's cheek and saying, "This Lin sister's mouth is so witty, you can't help but hate her, and you can't help but like her."
Aunt Xue tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, my child! There's nothing good for you to eat here, so don't worry about these little things. It just makes me uneasy. Just eat without worry, I'll take care of everything. After you finish dinner, you'll get drunk, and then you can sleep with me."
She then ordered a servant, "Bring some more hot wine! Your aunt will have a couple of cups with you, then we can eat." Upon hearing this, Baoyu perked up again.
Seeing this, Granny Li had no choice but to instruct the maids, "Be careful here. I'll change my clothes at home and come back quietly. Tell the mistress not to let him have his way, and to give him plenty of food." With that, she went home.
Although there were still a few old women left, they were of little use and, seeing that Granny Li had left, they all quietly went to find a place to relieve themselves. Only two young maids remained, eager to please Baoyu.
Fortunately, Aunt Xue coaxed him so much that he only drank a few cups before quickly taking the cup away. He drank two bowls of the sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup she made, and also ate half a bowl of green rice porridge.
Soon, Xue and Lin finished their meal, both secretly watching Gu Yu eat slowly and gracefully, even her eating was so beautiful. Afterwards, strong tea was served, and everyone ate. Aunt Xue was finally relieved.
Xueyan and three or four other maids had already eaten and came in to serve. Seeing that it was getting late, Daiyu looked at Gu Yu, and the two exchanged a glance and understood what was on their minds. They then got up together to take their leave.
Baoyu was feeling lazy when he saw the two of them suddenly wanting to leave, so he quickly said, "If you're leaving, I'll go with you."
Daiyu didn't reply, but glanced at Baochai, who seemed a little off today, and felt a sense of unfounded wariness. She simply smiled and said:
"My cousin Yu and I have been here for a day, and it's time for us to go back. I also promised to help him with his studies."
As the group was about to leave, a young maidservant hurriedly brought over a bamboo hat. Baoyu lowered his head slightly and told her to put it on. However, he was still thinking about why Lin Daiyu had ignored him earlier, which made him feel even more uncomfortable, though he didn't know why.
The maid shook the bright red felt hat and put it on Baoyu's head. Baoyu said irritably, "Enough, enough! You stupid thing, be gentle! Haven't you ever seen someone else wear one? Let me wear it myself."
Seeing the maidservant standing to the side with a wronged expression and her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, Daiyu was about to advise her to be more friendly, but then she saw Gu Yu fiddling with the cloak. She couldn't bother to advise her anymore, so she quickly stood on the edge of the kang and let Gu Yu come closer. With a blush, she gently helped Gu Yu put on the cloak.
Gu Yu chuckled softly, earning a haughty eye roll in return. After Daiyu helped him tie it, he turned to Baoyu and said, "Brother Bao, shall I help you?"
Baoyu looked at Gu Yu's handsome face, and most of the nameless irritation in his heart subsided. He thanked him and let Gu Yu put it on for him.
Seeing that the group was about to leave, Aunt Xue hurriedly said, "Your mothers haven't arrived yet, so please wait a little longer."
Upon hearing that they still had to wait for that old man, Baoyu became somewhat impatient and said, "Let's go wait for them. Having the maids with us is enough." Aunt Xue was still worried, but in the end, she ordered two women to accompany him. The group said goodbye and went straight out the door, each returning to their own home.
However, seeing the two wearing surprisingly matching jackets and cloaks, Baoyu felt a little stifled, but he didn't know why, so he could only leave quickly in a huff.
His temper today was so strange. He wanted to lash out, but he had no reason to, so he could only hold it in. It was really hard on him to put up with this.
Grandmother Jia had not yet had dinner, and knowing that Baoyu had come from Aunt Xue's place, she was even more pleased. Seeing that Baoyu had drunk some wine, she ordered him to go back to his room to rest and not to come out again. She also instructed someone to take good care of him.
Suddenly remembering the people who were with Baoyu, he asked everyone, "Where is Granny Li?" No one dared to say directly that she had gone home, but said, "She just came in, and must have gone to do something."
Baoyu's anger suddenly found an outlet. He staggered back and said, "He's enjoying himself even more than the old lady. Why ask him! Without him, I'm afraid I'd live two more days." As he spoke, he went to his bedroom.
There was a brush and ink on the table. The maid Bihen from the courtyard took it first and said with a smile, "Good, good, you made me grind all that ink. You were so happy this morning that you only wrote three words before putting down the brush and leaving, making us wait all day. Come quickly and finish writing all this ink for me!"
Baoyu suddenly remembered what he had done that morning and laughed, "Where are those three words I wrote?"
Bihen smiled as she helped Baoyu brush off the remaining snow.
“This person is really drunk. You went to that mansion earlier and told me to put it on this door frame, and now you're asking this question again. I was afraid someone else would put it on badly, so I climbed up the ladder myself to put it on, and my hands are still frozen stiff.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ying'er's Assistance
Upon hearing this, Baoyu was deeply moved and smiled, saying, "I forgot. Your hands are cold, let me warm them for you."
As he spoke, he reached out and took Bihen's hand, and together they looked up at the new book on the door frame, which read "Jiangyunxuan".
Baoyu looked and asked again, "Where is Sister Xiren?" Bihen gestured towards the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room. Baoyu looked and saw Xiren sleeping there, fully clothed.