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

Page 108

The sisters in the room waited for a long time but the two did not return. Yingchun, in a moment of inspiration, pulled Daiyu to play chess, and the other women also pretended to watch, as if they had forgotten that two people had gone out.

When the second game was over, Xiangyun, her face pale, was about to grit her teeth and rush out to find someone when the door suddenly opened.

Tan Chun followed Gu Yu in with a slightly flushed face. Xiang Yun hurriedly stepped forward and carefully examined her. Seeing that her clothes were neat and tidy, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She only subconsciously exchanged a glance with Gu Yu beside her, and the courage she had just mustered vanished completely. She quickly lowered her head and moved away.

Watching Xiangyun's hurried departure, Gu Yu smiled gently. She had carefully helped Tanchun put it on after she had finished; how could Xiangyun possibly notice? Although one crucial garment was missing, it was beyond Xiangyun's ability to detect…

Xichun smiled and stepped forward, pulling Tanchun over. She winked mischievously at Gu Yu and playfully dragged her to watch Daiyu and the others play chess.

"Slow down, little sister—"

Xichun turned around, about to speak, when she suddenly sniffed her delicate nose strangely and looked at Tanchun with a puzzled expression.

Why does it smell so familiar...? It seems to be coming from my third sister's mouth?

Chapter 41 A roundabout way to save the country

Staring at Tan Chun's unnatural expression, Xi Chun's doubts deepened. Before she could think further, Gu Yu stepped forward and touched her lips, exchanging a strange glance with the girl before pushing her around and heading towards the desk.

"What are you standing there for? Come here quickly, I'm going to teach my little sister a new kind of painting today!"

A faint blush rose on Xichun's face. She finally understood what she had smelled earlier. When Gu Yu pushed her to paint again, she thought it was the same as last time. She felt both shy and excited, and she still couldn't handle this kind of play.

Just as she slowly moved to the desk, thinking of begging Gu Yu to let her off this time, Gu Yu unexpectedly set out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, carefully laid them out with a paperweight, and personally ground the ink.

Xichun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called out to Daiyu with a smile, "Sister Lin, Sister Bao, Sister Yingchun, come and see! Brother Yu says he's going to make a new painting!"

Daiyu and the others were just trying to pass the time and avoid awkwardness, and hadn't really put any effort into the chessboard. Hearing this, they all quickly gathered around with smiles. Xiangyun quietly hid behind them, looking at her smiling sisters, feeling somewhat resentful.

"What new paintings could such a lecherous scoundrel possibly have? He's just good at pleasing you, a living, breathing fraud!"

Looking at the beautiful women gathered around the desk, Gu Yu smiled brightly, waved his hand, dipped his rabbit-hair brush in ink, and casually chose a spot on the rice paper to begin sketching.

This immediately amused Xiangyun. "He calls this painting? He's just a smooth-talking liar!"

Although Daiyu had seen Gu Yu paint before and knew his skills, she still deliberately teased her sisters. Gu Yu raised his eyebrows and smiled, without refuting, and buried himself in his brush. In less than half an incense stick's time, the image below was completed.

Xi Chun, standing beside Gu Yu, was the first to see the drawing on the paper. She exclaimed in surprise and pointed at it, saying:

"What is Brother Yu drawing? It looks like a cat, but it's so strange."

"Where? Where? Let me see!"

The sisters all turned around, clamoring to see the masterpiece. Gu Yu was pushed to the back, and just then he bumped into Xiangyun, who was hiding behind. On a whim, he deliberately reached out and patted her buttocks.

Xiangyun was attacked in a sensitive area and was so frightened that she quickly covered it and turned her head to glare at the culprit next to her. However, when she saw Gu Yu's mocking eyes, all the shame and anger in her eyes disappeared. She was afraid that he would make her fulfill the previous conditions on the spot.

After teasing the little firecracker, Gu Yu stopped pressuring her. Just then, Baochai turned around to talk to him, and he took the opportunity to squeeze into the crowd. Her soft and tender body was incredibly appealing.

"Brother Yu, what kind of painting is this? It looks really strange, yet it has a unique kind of beauty. The cat is so adorable, I find it quite interesting."

On the paper, in the blank area on the left, there was a cat that was only six or seven inches long. A few simple strokes were enough to capture its essence, but the head that took up almost half of its body size didn't seem to conform to common sense.

But that's the strange thing. Despite being so contrary to reality, the cat gives off an increasingly lively feeling. Whether it's its intelligent big eyes or its curled-up body, it makes these girls want to touch it. It's really quite bizarre.

Gu Yu touched his nose smugly. This kind of simple Q-version comic was one of the few hobbies he had in his previous life. Now that his drawing skills have improved, he is becoming more and more adept at drawing these cute things.

"This is a comic, meant to capture the spirit of casual strokes. With a few minor modifications, it can be completely transformed."

Standing at the table once again, Gu Yu picked up his pen and began to explain and draw at the same time. Although Xiangyun had just been taken advantage of by him, she couldn't help but tiptoe and peek at him.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated... I will definitely defeat this evil spirit and save my sisters from this hell!"

"This painting focuses only on form; it's perfect for casual scribbling and a bit of fun, so you don't need to try to understand it. Just take a look."

Seeing her sisters looking like they were listening attentively to the lesson, Gu Yu quickly waved her hand to dispel their thoughts. She was just using this as a roundabout way to achieve her goal, so why should she study it so seriously?

"This kind of painting only focuses on curves. If you want to learn, Sister Xichun, just watch how I start painting. Look, don't these curves resemble the cat's face? And with its plump body... look—"

In just a few words, a little mouse leaped onto the paper. For the first time, Xichun thought that mice could be cute, and she immediately wanted to try drawing one herself.

Gu Yu looked up and saw that Daiyu and Baochai were also looking at her with interest. She smiled helplessly and quickly called Qingwen and the others to come and help. Fortunately, the large desk and the tea table outside were enough for them.

In the time that followed, Gu Yu flitted among the delicate flowers like a butterfly, offering advice and taking advantage of others when they weren't looking. For a time, she was even more beautiful than the flowers.

Before long, Xichun successfully drew a big cat, just like the cat in the painting. Gu Yu was full of praise. Next, Daiyu and Baochai also succeeded. Only Yingchun drew the head, feeling that she couldn't draw the body.

Seeing that she looked a little embarrassed, Gu Yu quickly went over, smiled, and pressed down the pen in her hand, saying softly with a smile:

"If Second Sister isn't interested, she can just give up. Why force herself? I actually quite enjoy playing chess with Second Sister..."

Yingchun blushed and obediently put down her calligraphy brush, not daring to look up at him. Gu Yu's words weren't about playing chess at all; they were clearly implying the ambiguous scene of them playing chess together back then!

After spending half a day fooling around with her sisters, Gu Yu, still in high spirits, treated them to a meal. She then mentioned that she had prepared paints and other things for the next day, and that there would be even more beautiful ones. After making plans with her sisters to continue the next day, she finally saw them off.

Xiangyun was the first to run out, and only breathed a sigh of relief after she left the pear blossom spring rain area. When she said goodbye, she didn't dare to look Gu Yu in the eye, for fear that he would give her a look and tell her to wait for him at the "usual place".

Now that she had escaped death, she was already worrying about how to avoid it tomorrow, and her heart was truly tormented. Baochai, who followed behind, pretended not to see her little expression, and the two accompanied each other back to Hengwu Garden.

Looking at the still bright sky, Gu Yu stroked her chin, then suddenly her eyes lit up. She greeted Xiang Ling and the others, and headed east towards the Longcui Nunnery…

The next morning, the women arrived at Pear Blossom Spring Rain early. Before they had been sitting for long, another person suddenly entered. Daiyu was startled and subconsciously turned to look at Gu Yu.

Baochai took the initiative to stand up to greet Miaoyu, and introduced her to the other women. In fact, Tanchun and the others had also met Miaoyu twice, but Miaoyu had only given a few lectures at Lady Wang's place, so they were not very familiar with her.

Now that they had met, Daiyu saw Baochai's familiar manner and noticed Miaoyu's furtive glances at Gu Yu. A thought struck her, and she quickly stood up to instruct Zijuan to pour tea, which indeed caught Miaoyu's attention.

"Hello, Miss Lin."

Daiyu returned the greeting politely. After exchanging pleasantries, the two turned around and playfully pulled Gu Yu's arm to go to the desk to continue painting. Miaoyu was surprised to see this, never expecting that the two were still so close at their age. However, seeing that everyone ignored them, she suppressed her emotions, and her initial excitement dissipated somewhat.

Chapter 42 Professional Team

Gu Yu naturally noticed Daiyu's little actions, but still obediently followed her to the table. Today's tools were much more impressive than yesterday's, with twenty or thirty different paint boxes lined up in a row, looking quite imposing.

Yesterday, because there was only ink available, Gu Yu used some simple sketching techniques. Today, she didn't need to put in much effort. She picked up a few different brushes, quickly drew the shape of yesterday's cat, and then began to carefully color it.

Seeing that several people were gathered around watching Gu Yu paint, Miao Yu, out of curiosity, went over to join in the fun. Unexpectedly, it was a style she had never seen before, and she couldn't help but take a closer look at Gu Yu, who was engrossed in painting, her eyes shining.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yu could paint in addition to poetry... Recalling his elegant and eloquent manner when he visited her yesterday, Miaoyu couldn't help but stare intently. After a while, she quickly looked away, relieved that none of the women noticed her.

Seeing that Gu Yu wouldn't finish painting anytime soon, Baochai glanced at the somewhat unfamiliar Miaoyu beside her, then took out the paintings of the sisters from yesterday for everyone to compare. In just a few words, she made Miaoyu understand the reason.

Daiyu sat in the chair, glancing discreetly at Xiangyun beside her, whose expression was abnormal, and then at Miaoyu and Baochai, who were clearly not quite right. Although she didn't know the specifics of the situation, she couldn't help but spit on one of the people inside.

"Such a domineering personality, not letting a single one escape..."

However, it seems that Baochai and this Miaoyu are not very familiar with each other... Daiyu pursed her lips, took the initiative to get up and move closer to join the conversation.

Although the three of them were chatting and laughing, Tan Chun couldn't help but shrink back, feeling that something was off, as if Sister Lin and Sister Bao were talking at each other. So she pulled Ying Chun and Xi Chun aside to dawdle, not daring to interrupt.

Fortunately, this scene didn't last long. Before Zijuan could hesitate about whether to go up and refill the tea, Gu Yu's laughter rang out:

"Sister Xichun, come and take a look at the colors in this painting, what do you think?"

Hearing that Gu Yu had resolved the matter, Daiyu stopped talking, exchanged a smile with Baochai, and for some reason, suddenly suppressed her little emotions. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she took Baochai's arm and walked inside together.

Looking at the even cuter image after the coloring was applied, the sisters were full of praise. However, compared to the casual sketches they could finish in the time it took to burn an incense stick yesterday, their desire to learn was much lower. Apart from Xichun, who was somewhat eager to try, the rest of them did not plan to learn.

Instead of wasting time and energy learning this kind of thing, it's better to just appreciate it. Anyway, Gu Yu will draw it.

Thinking of this, they recalled Gu Yu's words from yesterday and realized with a start that it was indeed true.

Miaoyu, being new to the place, kept quiet and observed more than she spoke. Although she wanted to ask about the secrets behind it, she felt it was inappropriate and could only watch enviously as Xichun chattered around Gu Yu.

……

That evening, Gu Yu suddenly received news that Li Wensong had been beaten!

After finding out that it was his father who gave the order and not someone else who beat him, Gu Yu first breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Well done!"

After thinking for a moment, Gu Yu instructed her servants to send gifts to express her condolences. After all, she was about to leave the city to escape the summer heat and would be spending time with her sisters, so she wouldn't have time to think about this rascal.

Over the next few days, Gu Yu drew everything from kittens and puppies to Nezha, Sun Wukong, and other gods and monsters in picture books. Finally, she unleashed her long-planned trump card: an anime character that bore a four or five-point resemblance to Meng Zhi.

Daiyu looked at him suspiciously for a moment, holding back until the event ended, before finally falling a few steps behind and hesitantly poking Gu Yu's waist, asking:

"You painted this, did you perhaps have a plan all along? Or is there something you're hiding from me again?"

Gu Yu's body trembled, and she slowly turned around, her expression somewhat inscrutable. She lowered her voice and whispered in Daiyu's ear.

"Sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing...like now that you've found out, I guess I'll just have to..."

"eat you!"

"Mmm~!"

While talking to Baochai, Miaoyu and Baochai lagged a few steps behind. Suddenly, Miaoyu turned around and looked towards the study, then asked hesitantly:

"Why do I think I heard some strange noise?"

Baochai smiled and said:

"It's probably the birds chirping under the eaves. You weren't paying attention inside, so it seems abrupt now that you're out here."

Miaoyu waited quietly for a moment, and when there was no more sound, she shook her head and left with Baochai, laughing at herself for being too sensitive.

After parting ways with Baochai, Miaoyu returned to Longcui Nunnery. Just before falling asleep that night, she suddenly thought of something that she couldn't understand no matter how hard she tried.

Where is Miss Lin?

...

These past few days, Xiangyun has been acting like a thief, half-heartedly following Gu Yu to Pear Blossom Spring Rain every day, and then beginning her day of hiding. However, the disgust and anger in her heart seemed to have lost its strength like a rootless duckweed, and she secretly looked at Gu Yu more and more often.

She had always admired Gu Yu's talent and learning. If she hadn't accidentally discovered that he was two-timing her, and both of them were her sisters, she might have already fallen for him.

Even so, seeing him write stories to make Xichun happy, spend money to satisfy the sisters' appetites, and treat the servants with great gentleness, her heart began to waver more and more.

Such a perfect womanizer... Sometimes she even regretted discovering this fact; self-deception was a valid method, after all.

Before she could agonize over it for long, this man rudely defiled her innocence amidst the flowers, and even used the purity and ignorance of his sisters to blackmail her. Now, however, he seemed to have forgotten about that incident. His fickle decisions were exhausting, and she had a constant urge to give up.

It's up to you whether you come or not!

Thinking this way, Xiangyun relaxed a lot. Except for still not daring to look at Gu Yu too much, she gradually returned to chatting and laughing with her sisters.

Early that morning, the sisters were preparing to gather together to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia. They had heard that the Second Master was going to take up a post as an educational commissioner in another region, and that he had been packing his luggage for the past few days, seemingly in a great hurry.

They did this partly to show their willingness to see Jia Zheng off, and partly because Gu Yu had said in advance that she had something to do in the morning and would be going out of the garden, so taking the opportunity to go out of the garden was a way to get everyone to comply.

Not long after they left the garden, a group of people headed towards the Green Bamboo Nunnery. Miaoyu's maid opened the door, but was caught off guard and retreated in fright, watching helplessly as the group of old women entered the house.

"What terrifying eyes... Ah! Miss, someone's come in!"

"Please pack your things and come with us, Miss Miaoyu. My young master needs your help with something."

Miaoyu stood up, looked back at the respectful old women, lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. She changed her clothes and followed the old women out the door.

The maid wanted to follow, but an old woman shut her down with a single sentence.

“How can a cultivator like Miss Miaoyu take a maid to claim land? You can rest assured and leave her to us. We will ensure Miss Miaoyu returns safely.”

In front of an unrelated maid, the old woman naturally showed no respect or smile. She simply glared at the maid with a stern face, which frightened the girl so much that she retreated with tears in her eyes. She only dared to kowtow a few times to the Buddha in the room, praying that nothing bad would happen to her young lady.

Chapter Forty-Three Leaving the City

Inside Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia was smiling and talking to Daiyu by the hand when suddenly a servant came to announce that Master Zheng had arrived. Daiyu and the others then got up and retreated to a side hall.

Not long after, Jia Zheng entered the court with a beaming face mixed with emotion. He bowed to Grandmother Jia, his voice tinged with excitement and reluctance, and respectfully kowtowed to her, saying:

"I have already paid my respects to our ancestors. This trip will take at least several months before I can return. I will not be able to serve my mother by her side then, so please take good care of yourself!"

Grandmother Jia's eyes reddened as she looked at her youngest son's graying temples. She seemed to forget the unpleasantness of the past few days caused by Baoyu's beating, and quickly gestured for Yuanyang to help him up, earnestly instructing her:

"My son is loyal to the king, but he is now nearly fifty years old. He must be careful on his long journey. There is nothing in the manor that you should worry about. You can put your mind at ease!"

Jia Zheng exchanged a few more greetings, and only after a servant came in to deliver a message did he bow again and withdraw. Daiyu and the others said goodbye through the curtain before filing out one by one.

Looking at her granddaughters, Grandmother Jia suddenly realized that she would be sending them away again soon. The emotions she had just barely suppressed surged up again. After reluctantly pulling her Yu'er aside and saying a few words, her aged face showed some weariness.

Yuanyang hurriedly helped Grandmother Jia back to her room to rest. Daiyu and the others withdrew one by one, exchanging glances as they prepared to return to the garden to pack their things, their hearts filled with excitement and anticipation.

Before they even reached the gate, they saw several old women waiting there, with Xueyan, who hadn't come along, standing there expectantly. Seeing the young women approaching, the old women quickly asked them to turn aside. Yingchun, still not quite understanding, continued:

"But we still need to go back and pack. What will happen to the things in the house if we go out like this?"

Baochai quickly came up and took Yingchun's hand. The girls quietly followed the old women out through another side door. Several carriages were parked in the quiet alley, and a row of servants stood respectfully to the side with their eyes lowered and their voices lowered. Their demeanor was completely different from that of the unruly servants of the Rongguo Mansion.

Several old women saw Daiyu and the others off to their carriages one by one. Ignoring the whispers between Zijuan and Xueyan, they carefully counted the passengers. When they saw that the three sisters had boarded one carriage, Baochai and Xiangyun had boarded another, and there were still four carriages without passengers, they immediately realized that those were the carriages for the sisters outside the mansion.