Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 22 Warming the Bed
Baoyu Room
News of Baoyu's outburst in Lin Daiyu's room quickly spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion, but arguments between the two were commonplace, and even Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were used to it.

Not to mention, Lin Daiyu is now even more stubborn, so it's inevitable that the two will have disagreements.

Yuanyang, who served Grandmother Jia, and Jinchuan, who served Lady Wang, came to inquire one after another, but Xiren brushed them off, turning a big problem into a small one, and a small problem into nothing.

In her view, Jia Baoyu was indeed in the wrong regarding the so-called theory of official career and economics.

Right now, Jia Baoyu is still lying on the bed, staring blankly at the wall, occasionally twitching his body, refusing to eat or drink anything.

No matter how much Xiren tried to comfort him, she couldn't get a response from Baoyu, so she could only stay by his bedside and not leave him for a moment.

Qingwen sat at the desk by the window, looking at the sick Jia Baoyu, and then glanced at Lin Daiyu's room across the way. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "What heart-wrenching words did Miss Lin say to frighten the master like this? Sister was right there at the time, she must have heard it clearly, right?"

Baoyu was already in such a miserable state, how could Xiren bring it up again? She simply shook her head and refused to speak.

Qingwen had always been jealous of the two's closeness, and at this moment she couldn't help but vomit.

Those who rose to power through their bodies are now isolated from her.

Unwilling to make a fool of himself in the room, he threw down the felt curtain and went out to the deer-ear room to find some peace and quiet.

As night deepened, Baoyu also fell into a deep sleep, but suddenly woke up from a nightmare with his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"No, Lin Daiyu...you can't go with him!"

Jia Baoyu's anxious shouts startled Xiren, who was dozing lightly by the bed.

"Master?"

Baoyu looked around blankly, his pupils gradually focusing, and he gasped for breath, trying to calm the heart-wrenching pain.

"Are you having a nightmare, sir?"

Xiren leaned closer to wipe his sweat, but Baoyu suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"I dreamt that Lin Daiyu was devoted to officialdom and scholarship, and eloped with that playboy from the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion!"

Overwhelmed by immense loss and panic, Jia Baoyu was overwhelmed by the trauma of the past two days, which intertwined in his dreams, resulting in his deepest nightmare.

Xiren thought the dream was absurd and comforted her, "Master, you're overthinking it. Miss Lin never leaves the manor, how could she know any men outside?"

Baoyu shook his head vigorously, his emotions rising again. "But what Lin Daiyu said today was exactly the same as that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat)! No, if he can take the imperial examination, what's wrong with me taking it? If I can pass it on my first try, will Lin Daiyu look at me differently and stop being so indifferent to me?"

The endless hatred for Li Chen and the regret for Lin Daiyu's heartlessness miraculously transformed into Jia Baoyu's motivation.

"I'm going to take the exam! I'm going to make a name for myself and show Lin Daiyu who a truly responsible man is! I'll show that spoiled brat what the difference between heaven and earth is!"

Suddenly, Xi Ren's beautiful eyes flashed with a strange light.

He worried about Baoyu's future day and night, never expecting that this misfortune would turn out to be a blessing in disguise and awaken Baoyu's wisdom.

"Master! It's wonderful that you think this way!" Xiren's voice trembled with excitement. "Master is exceptionally intelligent. Even the scholars in your study praise your poetry and prose, and you've already thoroughly studied the Four Books and Five Classics. With a little more dedicated study, you'll surely pass the county examination with ease. At that time, Miss Lin will definitely look at you with new respect!"

Baoyu loved to hear flattery, and upon hearing this, his anger vanished and his pride soared. "Alright, Sister Xiren, bring me my book box. After the county exam, no one will dare to look down on me!"

……

“Miss, why did you keep staring at Miss Bao when she came today?”

"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't."

Li Chen practiced calligraphy all day long, and under the guidance of Lin Daiyu's insights, he finally managed to get it to a semblance of human form.

His inability to hold a pen earlier was not due to a lack of intelligence.

In truth, his mentor also disliked working in the mansion of a noble marquis, especially since the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion was far more powerful on the outside than he had imagined. So he just went through the motions and left without saying goodbye under some pretext.

"Han Shen, Mr. Han, I wonder where you are teaching now. If I pass the imperial examination with flying colors, will you regret it? By the way, I wonder how much of that mountain of homework Lin Daiyu has written."

Li Chen dipped his legs into the wooden tub to soak his feet, letting go of all these trivial matters and earnestly enjoying life in the Rongguo Mansion.

This wonderful life is all thanks to his hard work!

After Xueyan finished throwing rose petals and spices from the Western Regions into the wooden tub, she rolled up her sleeves and began to carefully wash Lin Daiyu.

"By the way, Lin Daiyu doesn't let me take a bath, so having someone else bathe me shouldn't violate any principles, right?" Li Chen pondered, then looked down at his own exquisite body, but there wasn't much to see.

"She's still too young, and in the old days she couldn't tolerate strong tonics, so she's too thin. This is not only unhealthy but also unattractive. Why don't I help her get in shape?"

Thinking of this, Li Chen instructed, "Xueyan, from now on, add a cup of soy milk to your breakfast."

"okay."

After Xueyan dried his feet and finished serving him, Li Chen turned and rolled into the soft couch.

The freshly washed feet were crystal clear, like pearls, white with a hint of pink, truly beautiful, making Li Chen unable to resist holding them in his hands and touching them.

The skin was soft and smooth, even more so than silk, making Li Chen quite fond of it.

Although she didn't have the same resources as Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu was still second to none in other aspects.

With a slight thought, Li Chen gently pulled up her skirt a little, revealing a pair of straight, slender, and shapely legs.

The skin is a cool white, so smooth that even the veins are clearly visible. And without any grooming, there's no darkening of the leg hair; only the fine downy hairs become clearly visible under the light.

"Huh, no fur?" Li Chen suddenly realized something big, "This physique can't be..."

When he went to the toilet earlier, Li Chen hadn't really paid much attention to it, but now that he thought about it, he realized he hadn't really noticed the presence of any extra hair.

Li Chen couldn't help but swallow.

Just then, Xueyan returned and, seeing Li Chen sitting on the bed, couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Miss, how much do you like your body?"

Li Chen proudly raised his head, "I'm fine with myself, why should you tell me what to do?"

"Alright, alright, I don't care. But that girl needs to be covered with some blankets so she doesn't catch a cold." With that, Xueyan blew out the candle and headed towards the side room.

"Wait," Li Chen called to Xue Yan, patting the empty space beside him, "This quilt is cold, aren't you going to warm it up for me?"

"Huh?" Xueyan blinked, full of confusion. "You never used to need someone to warm your bed."

"Don't you know I'm prone to feeling cold? If I don't mention it, won't you take the initiative?"

"But the young lady is very particular about cleanliness, I'm afraid..."

"I don't mind you." Li Chen couldn't help but chuckle.

in principle?

Lin Daiyu only said not to touch "her" body, but she didn't say not to touch others.

Xueyan had no choice but to take off her outer garments and sit on the bed as Li Chen instructed.

The beaded curtain gently fell, and the two sat facing each other on the bed. Xueyan covered her chest, but she was a little shy.

"Miss, this is indeed a bit strange. Shall I go and call Sister Zijuan to come and keep you company?"

"It'll be her turn tomorrow."

Li Chen wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Only then did they realize that this girl usually wore a chest binder. Now that the binding was gone, her plump and soft breasts were far more stunning than they had imagined, perhaps even surpassing Xue Baochai's.

No wonder it's so therapeutic.

"Girl...it itches."

Xueyan's voice was barely audible, and her body stiffened slightly. "Besides, isn't warming the bed about sleeping face-to-face?"

"Don't move," Li Chen tightened his forearm and said firmly, "I prefer to sleep like this."

"Ugh...okay."

Xueyan nestled obediently in Li Chen's arms, like a tamed kitten...

(End of this chapter)