The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 50 Baochai's Thoughts

Upon hearing that Baochai was about to repeat what happened last time, Furong's face drained of color, replaced by a burning blush that spread to her ears and the back of her neck. She bit her lower lip tightly, her gaze darting away in a panic, unable to look at the figure standing before the bed.

Beneath the brocade quilt, those jade-like hands, usually so adept at writing, playing the zither, turning pages, and using the abacus, trembled like leaves in the wind. They tentatively reached for their waist, their fingertips hooking onto the slipknot of the damp, sweaty handkerchief. After hesitating for a long while, they finally pulled it off with a heavy heart.

A soft rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other was amplified in the quiet, warm room as her silk trousers were quietly pulled down and piled up at the back of her legs. She then fumbled to lift her plain-colored bodice, exposing her milky-white belly, which had never been shown to her before, to the quilt.

After a long while, a reply, barely audible, came:

"Thank you for your trouble, sir." The voice was trembling with tears, as if it wanted to cry but couldn't. Yet, it came from the face of such a dignified and proper young lady from a respectable family, creating a stark contrast.

With tears glistening in her eyes and soft breaths, she resembled a white jade Guanyin statue splashed with rouge, tinged with alluring beauty!
Who says this dignified woman can't be alluring and seductive? It's just that she hasn't met the true Buddha who would make her willingly fall from her lotus throne.

Ximen Da Guanren's large hand steadily reached under the water-red silk quilt. When his hot, rough palm touched the smooth, soft skin of her lower abdomen without any obstruction, the delicate body under the quilt trembled violently, and small goosebumps rose all over her body, like a frightened lamb, causing the entire quilt to rise and fall violently.

"Breathe and exhale with my movements," the official said in a deep voice. "This is for healing and saving lives; do not have any other thoughts. Just follow my palm movements and breathe with your abdomen."

The official's voice was deep, and his palm slowly pressed down.

Baochai kept her eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling wildly. Every time his hot palm pressed down, she had to exhale deeply. After a while of this massage, her pale cheeks flushed with rouge, her body gradually softened, and her cough indeed gradually subsided.

Ximen Da Guanren then brought out a bowl of warm almond, fritillaria, and snow pear soup and sat down beside her couch. He scooped up a spoonful of the clear, amber-colored soup and brought it to Baochai's lips.

"Miss Bao, be careful, it's hot. Drink it slowly to soothe your lungs." Ximen Qing's voice was deep and gentle.

What would be considered a commonplace act by men in later generations was like a thunderclap to Baochai at that moment! Her heart skipped a beat, as if she had been hit hard by something, leaving her numb and panicked.

An indescribable heat suddenly shot up to my cheeks, burning my ears. The spoon offered to my lips felt hotter and rougher than my large hand.

How could there be such a caring man! Xue Baochai slightly parted her lips, her full lips and rounded lip pearls, though lacking some color in her illness, made her appear even more delicate and fleshy.

She took a few sips and felt the sweetness seep into her lungs. Following her studious nature, she couldn't help but ask softly, "May I ask, sir, what kind of decoction is this? What is its meaning in terms of the Five Elements? In the past, when I coughed at home, my mother would usually have someone make some bird's nest porridge."

Master Ximen was completely bewildered. What was there to explain?

Baochai then said, "There are almonds in the soup? But these are bitter and warm in nature, and slightly toxic. They must be processed properly, with the tips and skins removed. If the heat is not controlled properly, they can damage the lung qi. Also, what is this? It seems to be cold in nature, which is not suitable for my initial symptoms of an external cold, with blood in my phlegm."

But then the man shouted, "Shut up! If you're sick, you should rest properly. Why waste your energy figuring out the properties and pharmacology of medicines? It's a waste of your time!"

Before she could finish speaking, another spoonful of soup was forcefully shoved into her mouth without a word. Caught off guard, a trickle of amber liquid slid down her lips and was about to drip when, before Baochai could react, a large, hot hand covered her mouth, its rough fingertips tracing her full lips and chin.

Baochai froze instantly. The rough texture brushed against her delicate lips, sending a shiver down her spine. She had been pampered since childhood, never before reprimanded by a man, nor had she ever been so abruptly treated by one.
The man's sweat and her own body scent mingled together in that large hand, each mingling with the other, rushing straight to her nose. She felt both ashamed and angry, yet half her body went limp. The hurt of being stopped transformed into a glistening, watery light in her eyes, about to fall.

She looked up and secretly glanced at the man.

Aside from being tall and handsome with broad shoulders and a wide back, his eyes were extremely charming, possessing a hint of wickedness that women find appealing.

Baochai's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly lowered her eyes, staring only at the pear soup in the spoon.

My heart was like a pool of spring water, stirred by a sudden gust of wind: I heard that this man was originally a merchant who ran a traditional Chinese medicine shop, and his business was quite prosperous. Moreover, he was so handsome and considerate in his actions... I wonder if he has a wife.
What a pity. He was ultimately just a commoner, from a humble family. If… if he could have some official rank or title, even just a nominal one, it would have been a small consolation for the Xue family, offering them some protection…

The moment this thought arose, she herself was slightly startled and quickly lowered her head, feeling a slight heat on her cheeks. She was secretly annoyed that she had such a desire to cling to someone.

Xue Baochai was an exceptionally intelligent woman, unlike other young girls who were ignorant and fooled themselves.

She suddenly realized the source of this strange emotion in her heart!

Somewhat surprised that her heart had been given away, she also felt that their meeting was a gift from heaven and that he had saved her: gratitude, destiny, fate! It all seemed so natural and logical.

Then, a thought struck him: "That's it! Why not persuade him to donate his future title? Even if it's just a nominal one, the two of them might be able to..."
I wonder what he will think if I tell him?
Then, a wave of self-pity washed over me:

My brother, that troublemaker, killed someone in Jinling while fighting over Xiangling, which led to a murder case. If it weren't for my uncle Wang Ziteng and the Jia family's intervention, it would have been a disaster!
Although the Xue family possessed immense wealth, their foundation was already rotten. As for her own brother, he only knew how to engage in cockfighting, horse racing, and womanizing, squandering his money recklessly, refusing to study or make any progress, let alone support the family.

The Xue family's trip to the capital served two purposes: first, to avoid the limelight, and second, to secure a position as a court lady-in-waiting.

Although the Xue family is descended from the descendants of the Ziwei Palace Attendants, they now have to rely on their daughters to show their faces in public and enter the palace to be selected as female officials.

His father died young, and the heavy burden should have fallen on the shoulders of him, the eldest son, but instead, he proved to be utterly useless! In the end, the entire Xue family, the crumbling family name, seemed to rest entirely on the shoulders of an unmarried daughter.

Thinking of this, my throat tightened.

Just like the peony, though beautiful and fragrant, it relies entirely on the support of green leaves. But now the Xue family is desolate and teetering on the brink of collapse, leaving the peony to stand alone in the wind, single-handedly supporting this fading spring.

Thinking of this, an indescribable sense of grievance and sadness welled up inside me, overwhelming my thoughts, which were as tangled as a knotted rope.

The fate of the Xue family is uncertain, so how could I... have any right to even consider a man I've "chosen"?

As she sipped the pear soup, gazing at the man, her mind wandered: Did he really make this for me himself? The soup was clear, the white fungus was like jade, and the pear was translucent; it was clear that he had put a lot of effort into it.

(End of this chapter)