Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

At this moment, everyone was talking at once, the cacophony of voices as loud as a swarm of bees buzzing in his ears. Standing in the crowd, Jia Baoyu felt as if countless little bugs were crawling around in his head, making him extremely upset.

In stark contrast to Jia Baoyu, however, is Wang Xifeng. She observes the chaotic scene with a cold gaze, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, her half-smile making it difficult to discern her true thoughts. Perhaps for this shrewd and capable Second Lady Lian, such farces are merely a minor incident in life.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu secretly felt fortunate that his daughter wasn't as delicate and sensitive as Lin Daiyu. If it were Lin Daiyu, placed in such a public spotlight, she would have been terrified to the point of losing her color, vomiting blood, and fainting. Thinking of this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but gently shake his head, feeling increasingly helpless about the situation.

Seeing Jia Baoyu's antics, Old Lady Shi, who was sitting nearby, was so angry that her face turned blue and her eyes almost rolled back. She kept muttering "Injustice, injustice", as if she had no other words to express her inner anger and dissatisfaction.

"Are you crazy? You're already a grown-up, why are you still throwing things like a child?"

"Do you know that all your blessings are made possible because of this piece of jade? If you continue to fall down like this without any care, do you want to destroy my life as well?" Someone else shouted in grief.

Seeing this, Mrs. Wang could no longer sit still. She stood up hastily and walked quickly towards Jia Baoyu, anxiously admonishing him as she walked, "Put it on quickly! My son, are you deliberately trying to piss me off to death?"

"Look how angry the old lady is. Even if you don't feel sorry for the jade, at least you should feel sorry for us two old people!" Mrs. Wang held Jia Baoyu's sleeve tightly, her eyes full of pleading.

"Your grandmother is old now, and her body is not as strong as before. How can she withstand the shock and torture you have caused her?" Mrs. Wang continued to persuade her earnestly, hoping that Jia Baoyu would change his mind and stop acting so willfully.

Jia Baoyu was actually quite calm, and even felt a little annoyed. He deftly dodged his mother's outstretched hand, but his lively eyes were busy, glancing furtively in the direction of Xifeng and Jiaojiao.

Xifeng, on the other hand, had seen through Jia Baoyu's tricks in a previous life. That piece of jade was Jia Baoyu's greatest asset. Whenever something unpleasant happened, he would fling it to the ground to ward off disaster. This had happened more than once, but there was nothing he could do. Old Lady Shi just fell for it. Over time, Jia Baoyu became increasingly adept at utilizing the jade. And so, with just one casual throw, the entire harem erupted in a state of intense "combat." He had to appease this young master, or the entire Rongguo Mansion would be in turmoil!

Look at Jiaojiao over here. She is not the sentimental and fragile Lin Daiyu. Jiaojiao has a strong heart. If she sheds a few tears for Jia Baoyu, a fool, wouldn't she look even more foolish?

At that moment, Xifeng's eyes rolled, and she reached out and gently nudged Jiaojiao beside her. Jiaojiao, also a quick-witted person, immediately stood up and rushed straight towards Jia Baoyu. The maids, seeing Jiaojiao's frighteningly gloomy expression, thought she was about to give Jia Baoyu a severe lesson. Frightened, they rushed forward like a swarm of bees, firmly blocking the two men.

Jiaojiao glanced at her sideways, then reached out and grabbed the jade. Under everyone's vigilant gaze, she turned and walked towards Old Lady Shi.

"Mrs. Jia, in my opinion, it would be best for you to collect and keep this treasure yourself!" the speaker suggested sincerely.

"That's right! Look at the stubborn temper of this young master of your family. If he accidentally drops it a few more times, how can this beautiful jade not crack?" Another person echoed, with a hint of worry in his tone.

"After all, no matter how precious this thing is, it is not as hard as stone!" Someone shook his head and sighed.

"I think my mother and I are only adding to your troubles and making things worse by being here. We should avoid letting everyone in your family put the blame on us." After saying this, the man turned around and was about to leave.

At this moment, Lady Shi hurriedly stretched out her hands and carefully caught the jade stone tied with an exquisite tassel knot. She held the jade tightly, as if she was afraid that she would lose it if she let go.

"Feng girl, and your mother, please say a few nice words to comfort Baoyu!" Old Lady Shi turned her head and looked at Wang Xifeng and her daughter eagerly.

"He lost his temper because he was always thinking about the second daughter of the Lin family! But our Baoyu is kind-hearted and good-hearted by nature. He definitely doesn't have any bad intentions!" Old Lady Shi continued to explain, her words full of love for her grandson.

Meanwhile, Wang Xifeng clutched her handkerchief tightly, her gaze shifting as she looked at Old Lady Shi. She wondered to herself, "What are you really up to? Are you willing to disregard everything else just to please your precious grandson?" Besides, your Jia Baoyu is already a teenager. Even if he occasionally throws a tantrum, why would he frighten you like this?

On the other side, when Jia Baoyu saw that Lady Shi finally obeyed his wishes, an expression of smugness that was hard to conceal appeared on his face, and he almost laughed out loud.

However, he knew in his heart that he must not reveal any flaws at this moment! If he wanted to successfully achieve his goal, this play had to continue!

He looked at the old lady with a sad face, his eyes slightly red, and said with a sob: "Old lady! You really don't have to compromise like this for me. I think the reason why she hates me so much is simply because I have already been engaged!" After that, he sighed heavily, as if a heavy burden was pressing on his heart.

Then, as if he had made up some kind of decision, he clenched his fist suddenly and said with a firm look: "I have thought it over carefully! As the saying goes, 'My heart is toward the bright moon'. Even if Sister Bao has feelings for me, I will only let her down this time!" As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head and said no more. He looked very lonely and helpless.

Wang Xifeng stood aside, suppressing her inner rage. Her hands, unstained by blood for years, trembled slightly, and an indescribable tingling sensation spread from her palms. If she hadn't relied on her strong sense to suppress the rage and impulse that was about to burst forth, she would have lost control and buried these foolish people deep in the ground!

Meanwhile, upon hearing this, Old Lady Shi was no less frightened than Wang Xifeng. She subconsciously clutched the fabric of her clothes at her chest, her knuckles turning white, and even her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"But child, you are engaged now after all! You must not let your mother fall into a dilemma, and you must not let our entire Rongguo Mansion suffer shame and hardship because of this!" As Old Lady Shi said this, she stared at the person in front of her with a worried look.

She then took a deep breath and continued, "If you insist on breaking off the engagement, how could the Xue family let it go? They would definitely break off completely with your mother over the cancellation of the engagement, and might even come storming the gates of our Rongguo Mansion to demand an explanation! The consequences of that would be unimaginable!"

Mrs. Wang was furious, her face livid, her whole body trembling, as if her heart and gallbladder were about to burst with rage. Her eyes widened, glaring fiercely at the person before her, her fury uncontrollable like a volcanic eruption. However, she didn't blame her son for his absurd behavior, instead placing all the blame on the women of the Lin family.

In her eyes, all the girls of the Lin family were reincarnated fox spirits, who used their charming methods to seduce her precious son, causing him to lose his mind and become crooked.

Mrs. Wang shouted angrily, her mouth spitting with saliva flying: "Humph! I thought you were a well-behaved, sensible, and well-educated child! Who would have thought that it was you, a little bitch, who made Baoyu go so crazy!"

As she spoke, she pointed her finger at him, her face filled with resentment. She continued to curse, "You keep saying you want to keep your distance from Baoyu, but it seems to me that your real plan is to make Baoyu obsessed with you, thinking about you all the time!"

At this moment, Madam Wang became increasingly excited, her voice becoming increasingly sharp. "Look now, you've finally achieved your goal! And look at my son! He's almost breaking with the entire family because of you!"

After saying this, Mrs. Wang turned abruptly to face Lady Jia and declared firmly, "Old Madam, no matter what, even if you could talk your mouth off and say anything, I will absolutely not agree to this marriage! Our Jia family has already finalized the matter with my sister's family, and we've even exchanged engagement letters! How could we tolerate this sudden appearance of Cheng Yaojin?"

Then, Mrs. Wang turned to look at Jia Baoyu, who was standing nearby, and shouted, "Baoyu, get back here right now! If you still have any filial piety and don't want to piss me off to death, then come over here and sit down!"

Unfortunately, Jia Baoyu was already lost in his obsession, completely oblivious to his mother's stern threats. Wang Xifeng, on the other hand, stood by and watched coldly, not even bothering to argue with the entire family about right and wrong. After all, in such situations, the more you talk, the more mistakes you make. Furthermore, even if she truly wanted to explain, no one would likely be willing to listen to what she had to say.

"Jiaojiao, this is not a place to stay for long. Let's go back home!" The person who spoke looked anxious, with a hint of panic in his voice. However, now that things have come to this, how can they let them escape so easily?

At this crucial moment, how could Jia Baoyu give up? With his mission so close to completion, how could he let go of Jiaojiao, the woman he longed for so long? After all, in his absurd mind, all the beautiful women in the world should belong to him.

Back then, it was only because Lin Ruhai came to the house that Jia Baoyu felt apprehensive and hesitated to act. Now that the time was ripe, he naturally would not miss this opportunity.

Jia Baoyu's face flushed red as he stared at Jiaojiao with ardent eyes, saying eagerly, "Listen to me, we're a match made in heaven! A while ago, I had a beautiful dream. In that dream, we were childhood sweethearts, inseparable. When we came of age, we were happily married, and the wedding was personally officiated by our ancestor! Isn't such a happy marriage destined by heaven?"

As he spoke, Jia Baoyu grew increasingly agitated, and, disregarding the presence of the others, he advanced on Jiaojiao. Seeing this, Jiaojiao and her followers retreated involuntarily, but the room was limited, and they were soon cornered, with nowhere to retreat. The others in the room simply stared blankly at Jia Baoyu's frantic behavior, no one stepping forward to stop him.

Finally, Wang Xifeng, unable to bear it any longer, stood up abruptly and, without a word, reached out and picked up a long-cold teacup from the table beside the chair beside her. With a loud "splash," the entire cup of tea spilled onto Jia Baoyu's handsome yet slightly crazed face.

"Old Madam! Second Madam, when I return today, I will report the whole story to my master!" The person who spoke was firm in his words, leaving no room for maneuver.

"From now on, my mother and I will never bother your family again!" Before she finished speaking, the woman suddenly turned her head and gave Nanny Chen a meaningful look. Nanny Chen understood the hint and waved behind her. The maids who had accompanied them immediately took action, quickly moving to the front to clear the way for their master.

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu was extremely anxious and wanted to rush forward to stop them, but he was blocked by the maids of Xifeng and her daughter. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get any closer.

At this moment, seeing the situation develop to this point, the old lady Shi in the house was so angry that her face turned blue, and she shouted repeatedly, "My head hurts! My chest hurts!" However, Xifeng and her daughter seemed not to hear it. They walked straight to the door without looking back, with steady and firm steps.