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

Page 170

Unfortunately, the moment this thought crossed Gu Yu's mind, her chance to take a nap was shattered.

"The old lady is here!"

Soon, a commotion arose in the courtyard. Luxue Nunnery only had three or five small rooms, and before Daiyu and the others could react, they saw more than a dozen old women escorting Grandmother Jia into the courtyard, with Fengjie and Yuanyang attending to her on either side, all wearing thick cloaks.

“Grandpa! Look, look! I told you I was right to come, didn’t I? They tricked me into joining their poetry club the other day, and I was still not convinced. Today I caught them red-handed, and they’re all playing cards here.”

Daiyu and the others rose to greet Grandmother Jia, but before they could even accept Fengjie's playful scolding, Grandmother Jia, whose eyesight wasn't yet completely failing, immediately noticed the large stack of poems in front of Xiangyun. Instead, she playfully complained and defended her beloved granddaughters:

"What are you young ladies doing all day writing poetry? You're just wasting your energy. Why not just get together and have some fun? Besides, you're always playing around with this and that. What, you're jealous that I didn't bring you along?"

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was standing up for them, and seeing Sister Feng's deliberately aggrieved and funny expression, the women couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the room became lively for a moment.

Gu Yu's position was in a corner relative to the entrance. After the sisters had gone around to each other, she calmly got up to greet them.

Seeing that Gu Yu looked drunk, Grandmother Jia asked him a few words of concern and then let him go back to sit and rest, while she continued talking to Baoqin and Daiyu.

After welcoming Grandmother Jia to the main seat, Fengjie hurriedly ordered the servants to move the charcoal brazier closer and personally served hot tea to Yuanyang, who then offered it to Grandmother Jia to ward off the chill.

"You guys really know how to have fun in this freezing weather! Are those freshly picked red plums?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone carried it over for Grandmother Jia to examine closely. Perhaps because it had been warmed by the heating in the room for half a day, the section of red plum blossom before her looked somewhat wilted and damp. Grandmother Jia squinted and examined it along the cut for a moment, then couldn't help but smile:

"This is excellent craftsmanship! And such a good eye! Much better than mine! Which girl cut this?"

"How can the old lady be so sure it was cut by one person? What if all of us sisters worked together to cut it? I wonder who we'd be praising?"

Seeing Yingchun blushing and hesitant, Tanchun smiled and helped her out. Grandmother Jia smiled smugly, pointed to her eyes, and said:

"How could you hide this from me? You don't know, when I was your age, I also studied..."

As people get older, they like to reminisce about the past, let alone casually boast about it in front of the younger generation. When Grandmother Jia got into a trance and started talking about the funny things that happened when she was a young lady, with Sister Feng, the world's number one straight man, by her side, she just couldn't stop talking.

Finally, Grandmother Jia, still feeling unsatisfied, stood up and personally pointed to the gap in the wall, commenting regretfully:

"It's a pity that it would take too much effort to find a beautiful plum tree now, otherwise I could let you see it."

"Just listening to the old ancestor's comments is already quite confusing, enough for your granddaughters to benefit from for a lifetime. Why would it be worth it for you to personally take action? I think you should give up this idea. What if you embarrass them and make them admit their inferiority? Wouldn't that be a sin?"

The snow had gotten heavier, and Fengjie glanced out the window. She quickly coaxed Grandmother Jia to stop thinking about it and then clamored to play cards with Daiyu and the others. This finally managed to distract Grandmother Jia.

A group of people played with Grandmother Jia for half a day. Outside, Fengjie and the others deliberately made excuses, while inside, Yuanyang deliberately conspired. In addition, Fengjie's mouth kept Grandmother Jia smiling for a long time. The room was filled with joy, and they completely forgot that it was still a cold winter snowy day.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Spoiling a child is like killing a child

After playing at Luxue Nunnery for more than an hour, seeing that Grandmother Jia's energy had waned somewhat, Fengjie carefully stopped, only deliberately mocking herself for being too tired from dealing with all these clever people in the room, and asking Grandmother Jia to let her off the hook for the time being.

When Gu Yu woke up again from her half-awake state, she found that the room was mostly empty. Upon listening carefully, she heard noises outside and realized that they were sending Grandmother Jia back.

Before he could speak, Xiangling, who was still serving him, quickly explained:

"Sir, you're awake? The snow has stopped a bit now, and they're taking the old lady home."

After waking up from a nap, Gu Yu felt more refreshed than ever before. She stretched and got up feeling invigorated, casually asking:

"Why didn't the old lady call me when she went back? It's not nice to sleep in front of me like that."

"The old lady herself said not to be disturbed."

"Oh."

Gu Yu was just going through the motions.

"Bring out candied fruits and other snacks as well. We're all going to be having fun at Luxue Hermitage all day, so we need some treats."

Because Grandma Jia came over once, a few more charcoal braziers were added to the corner, making the room even warmer. After putting away the barbecue grill and other things, Gu Yu felt a bit empty, so she instructed Qingwen to bring up all the prepared snacks.

All sorts of candied fruits, winter dates, melon seeds, frosted sugar cakes... whether in season or out of season, it seems that as long as someone has seen them, you can find a whole plate of them here. Two eight-story-high, rolling cabinets are displayed together, making the room, which had just been empty, feel much more spacious.

Because they had just eaten and then spent time watching the old ladies play cards, when they returned, they were all suddenly overcome by the heat in the room and felt a bit tired. Even when they saw Gu Yu wake up, they didn't have much energy.

It was lunchtime, and seeing that they were starting to yawn while looking at each other, Gu Yu waved his hand and moved the tea table off the kang (a heated brick bed), so that they could make do with it and take a short nap.

"Close the window over there that faces the water, add two more basins of charcoal, and a half-hour nap will be enough."

Therefore, you only need to open the door a crack at the back, and there's no need to worry about ventilation.

Without saying a word, Daiyu and the others saw that Gu Yu had made perfect arrangements, which warmed their hearts. However, they couldn't resist the weariness, and without saying a few words of modesty, they snuggled together and closed their eyes.

There were too many people at this social event, and countless maids and servants were watching. Even Gu Yu felt embarrassed to be in the same room with such a large group of young ladies who wanted to rest, so she took a book and left the room, only calling a few maids in to serve her.

"...Although there's a gap, be careful that the cold wind doesn't suddenly blow in and cause an accident. You'd better stay nearby and keep watch, even if you have to bring a basin over."

"Hey."

Although it felt a bit strange that Young Master Yu had to explain even such small things in such detail, the maids below were obedient and no one dared to talk back, after all, they were allowed to warm themselves by the fire!

Gu Yu glanced discreetly at the shady old women in the other room, waved them away, and went to Qingwen's room. Here, she was surrounded by familiar maids, and she felt much more at ease.

"You all go about your business. I'm going to read for a while. Remember to wake the girls up in 15 minutes. They can't sleep too long during their afternoon nap."

Qingwen and Ying'er were busy around the stove again, embroidery needles in hand. They had intended to get up and serve him, but when they saw him walk briskly to a chair, lie down, and read a book, with Xiangling beside him so they didn't need to worry about him, they smiled and lowered their heads to continue their work.

"The girls weren't actually tired; they were probably just overwhelmed by the warmth inside."

Isn't it good enough for them to sit by a small stove like this, neither too cold nor too hot? Grandpa is just too precious.

Gu Yu patted her forehead, realizing she hadn't thought of that. But since they were already asleep, she decided to let them rest for a while and picked up her book again.

"I guess it's because the old lady came over and added a few more pots of fire. Never mind, when they wake up later, you can lead the people to bring out those pots. There's no need to put them out; just use them in your rooms."

Gu Yu was never stingy with small favors like this. Aside from their head maids, weren't the other maids and servants at Luxue Nunnery also born of parents? In later times, those old women in the opposite room could use their senior citizen cards to get on the bus for free!

The maids like Xueqin had little contact with Gu Yu. Upon hearing this, they couldn't help but raise their heads with a grateful look at the young master Yu, who was already immersed in his book. Although the room wasn't cold to begin with, who would complain about having too much charcoal fire in the room during winter?

This gentleman is truly a great philanthropist!

However, thinking about getting up later, Gu Yu suddenly patted her forehead and jumped up to get the cloak.

"Sir, is there something urgent? It's still snowing!"

"I left something in the study and forgot to bring it over. I'll go back before Lin Daiyu and the others wake up."

These words were quite serious. Qingwen's face turned red and then pale, and she didn't dare to look at Zhu'er and the others. Tears immediately streamed down her face.

"Does Master mean for Xiangling and me to die?!"

"I…"

Gu Yu turned her head in surprise, looking at Qingwen whose eyes were red. She was somewhat shocked and quickly stopped and turned around, saying:

"What are you saying? Don't overthink it. I'm just in a hurry. A grown man like me can walk faster. With this much snow, I don't want to—"

"Xiang Ling!"

Although Qingwen and Xiangling often bickered, they were perfectly in sync when they got serious. Xiangling immediately grabbed Gu Yu's arm to stop him from moving, while Qingwen took the cloak that Ying'er had just handed her without looking back and strode out.

"Oh, Qingwen—!"

"Let her go, Master. It's only because Qingwen and the others know your temperament that you've said these words. Otherwise, where would she and Xiangling have a place in this family?"

As head maids, Zhu'er and the others were perceptive and retreated when they sensed the situation was not good. Xiangling found it difficult to speak up, so Ying'er stepped in to mediate.

"Even if there were no outsiders present, I would never say such a thing. Qingwen and Xiangling were originally my maids. I used to tease them with tasks, but now you've forgotten?"

"..."

Gu Yu opened her mouth, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. Was it her fault for showing pity for them? But seeing them either running away crying or looking at her pitifully, she could only sigh and nod.

“I remember…”

"You'd better remember this for the rest of your life. As the saying goes, spoiling a child is like killing a child. Although you dote on us, you should also know that too much of a good thing can be bad, otherwise..."

"Alright, alright, you're such a smooth talker, you deserve a beating!"

Gu Yu rolled her eyes and deliberately reached out to tug at Ying'er's lips, thus letting the matter drop.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: I Have Something Fun Here.jpg

"What a spendthrift man..."

A quarter of an hour later, several maids were happily warming the newly added charcoal fire, and they didn't forget to give a shrewd critique of the young master Gu Yu, who didn't know the value of firewood and rice when he wasn't in charge of the household. Although this pot of charcoal wasn't some kind of silver frost charcoal, it was still a high-quality charcoal that only the masters and mistresses of the mansion could afford. It was warm and produced little smoke. They didn't know how much this pot of charcoal was worth!

Just like that young master Yu, who was naive and didn't know his place, he liked to show off his wealth and let them get such a good deal!

If it weren't for the fact that there were too many people around and it was difficult to divide the charcoal, they would have liked to put out the fire, tidy up the charcoal, and divide it among themselves to take home. Whether they wanted to display it for the New Year or sell it for money, it would have been a wonderful thing.

For now, they can only enjoy the high-class treatment that only the lords and ladies can enjoy, even though it's painful.

Gu Yu waited until the room was almost tidied up before leisurely entering. After all, a girl's sleeping posture is a kind of privacy, and since this place has become a temporary boudoir, it's best to maintain proper decorum.

When he went inside, sure enough, the kang (a heated brick bed) was back to normal, with everyone pretending to hold handkerchiefs and chat quietly, as if nothing had happened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, have you rested enough? Why not get up and move around a bit? Otherwise, keeping the windows closed all the time is a waste of the beautiful scenery."

People are more likely to feel cold if they sleep in clothes. Gu Yu noticed that they subconsciously moved closer to the charcoal brazier and knew that they were feeling a bit cold after waking up, so she reminded them.

Although somewhat confused, Daiyu and the others instinctively chose to trust them. They stopped sitting, stood up, stomped their feet, and wandered around the room.

Xue Baoqin and the others looked on in bewilderment as everyone suddenly started moving around, and subconsciously stood up as well. However, since everyone was moving around, it didn't seem strange.

Before long, they were surprised to find that the chill they felt when they first woke up seemed to have gradually disappeared, and the room even felt a little warm because the row of windows facing the water were closed.

Seeing that their slightly hunched bodies relaxed, Gu Yu went over and opened the window, revealing the two-colored snow plum painting again, which was truly invigorating.

"All the trees are cold and colorless, only the southern branch has flowers. To appreciate plum blossoms on a snowy day is really nothing to appreciate."

"You're spouting nonsense again! We agreed you weren't allowed to write poetry."

Gu Yu smiled without turning her head:

"I didn't write any poetry, this is just—"

"It's just an ancient work, something Brother Yu found in ancient books, isn't it? You're not allowed to mention ancient poems!"

Daiyu had already learned to answer first, and she was puzzled as to where all these ancient works she had never heard of came from. She would often browse through Gu Yu's many bookshelves when she had nothing to do, but she had never seen a single one of them. All her sisters were very talented, but coincidentally, she had never heard of any of them.

Gu Yu smiled wryly, turned around, and raised his hands in surrender. However, seeing the girl's smug expression, he sighed with a mischievous grin and said:

"Although no poem was written to express his feelings, Confucius said, 'Only when the year grows cold do we know that the pine and cypress are the last to wither.' This seems to convey a similar sentiment. Another example is Sima Yi of the Three Kingdoms period; in the end, all the stars fell, and only he survived—cough cough…"

Faced with Lin Daiyu's clenched fist, Gu Yu finally shut his mouth.

Seeing that she had finally subdued this lazybones, Daiyu gave a smug hum and called her sisters over to continue the morning's poetry competition.

But after being scolded by Gu Yu, looking at the vast expanse of white outside, with only a few red plum blossoms in the distance, the bright and beautiful snow scene suddenly seemed to dim and lose its luster, adding a touch of desolation and bleakness to everything.

The reason we admire plum blossoms in the snow is because most of the other flowers and plants have died, isn't it?

Seeing that Gu Yu had still disturbed their poetic mood, and even some of the more sentimental sisters were feeling down, Daiyu gritted her teeth and glared at the guilty, looking-around instigator beside her with a very unfriendly look.

"Oh, Qingwen's back. I'm going out to get something!"

Seeing that the girl was about to pounce on him and bite him, Gu Yu suddenly said something and walked out. Just then, a figure wearing a cloak and carrying a wooden box ran in through the gate.

Seeing that the cloak was covered with a layer of snow, so that Qingwen's face was obscured by her lowered head, Gu Yu pulled her into the house with a pained expression, took off the cloak for her, and then saw her face, which was red from the cold.

"Xiangling, quickly fetch some hot water and help Qingwen apply a face mask!"

"Sir, no need, I'm fine. This cloak is very warm, I'm not cold at all."

Although Qingwen braved the snow to make the trip, she had a big smile on her face. She stopped Xiangling from moving and even took Gu Yu's hand to touch her neck.

Sure enough, apart from a slight chill on my fingertips and face, the rest of my body was warm.

Gu Yu was also confused because he was worried. The configuration he gave these maids was better than that of most daughters of officials. How could they be so easily cold?

"You still need to be careful not to catch a cold after sweating. Xiangling, bring some hot water so you can wipe your sweat in the room."

Seeing that there was nothing to worry about, Gu Yu relaxed. After asking a few more questions, she looked at the wooden box placed to the side, picked it up, and walked towards the main house.

"If you're free right now, go and have some fun. I have some fun things to do here, the more people there are, the more lively it will be."

"Eh."

The group smiled and agreed, but they didn't plan to go over. After all, no matter how close they were, it was still in private, and it wasn't appropriate right now.

Seeing that they couldn't come up with any poems, the literary girls found places to sit down. They couldn't think of anything for the time being, and there was only one chessboard, so there weren't enough empty seats even for spectators.

Are we just going to sit here and wait for the snow to lessen so everyone can go home?

The women expressed their disbelief that their first poetry club meeting would end like this!

Daiyu was hesitating whether to slightly modify the truth or dare game they had played at the manor and bring it up. After all, putting aside the blush-inducing topics, it was very useful for building rapport and livening up the atmosphere.