Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Du Liniang, the daughter of Du Bao, the prefect of Nan'an, meets and falls in love with the scholar Liu Mengmei in a dream. Upon waking, Du Liniang becomes ill with longing for him and eventually dies. Liu Mengmei encounters Du Liniang's ghost at her grave and helps her return to life. The two eventually marry.

After Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei got married, they lived a happy life. However, their love journey did not end there.

One day, Du Liniang found out she was pregnant, which made her and Liu Mengmei very excited. They looked forward to the arrival of their child and envisioned a bright future.

However, at this time, a sudden disaster struck. The town suffered a severe drought, the crops withered, and people's life became difficult.

Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei decided to step forward and help the people overcome their difficulties. They traveled extensively, searching for water and organizing people to fight the drought and disaster relief. Through their efforts, they finally found an underground water source, solving the people's urgent needs.

In this process, the relationship between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei deepened. They were not only a loving couple, but also heroes deeply loved by the people.

Jia Baoyu was a deeply romantic man, with a free-spirited attitude towards life. Just as he was lost in his own world, Mrs. Wang sent her maid, Jin Chuan, to inform him that Jia Zheng wished to see him. It had been a long time since Jia Zheng had examined Jia Baoyu's academic achievements, so he decided to visit Mrs. Wang. Knowing Mrs. Wang's personality and character, Jia Zheng mentioned, "Madam, I just saw Huan'er yesterday. His handwriting is quite good. I wonder how Baoyu is doing with his studies now?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang quickly sent Jin Chuan to fetch Jia Baoyu.

When Jia Baoyu learned that Jia Zheng wanted to test his knowledge, he was immediately panicked. He usually only enjoyed reading casual books and paid little attention to serious studies. Now, facing such a test, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty and uneasy.

In desperation, Baoyu had to make hasty preparations. When he arrived before Jia Zheng, he felt uneasy.

Jia Zheng looked at Baoyu and asked seriously, "Have you made any progress in your studies recently?" Baoyu answered hesitantly, his eyes drifting away from time to time.

Seeing this, Jia Zheng frowned slightly. He decided to test Baoyu's poetry. He asked, "Write a poem on the theme 'Autumn'."

Baoyu was thinking nervously, but his mind was blank. Just when he was extremely anxious, he suddenly remembered the love story of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, and was moved.

He murmured softly, "The autumn wind blows, and the mountains are covered with fallen leaves. My thoughts are like dreams, and my love is like the rippling water."

After hearing this, Jia Zheng's eyes flashed with surprise. Although this poem was not a perfect work, the sincerity of the emotion it revealed surprised him.

After a moment's silence, Jia Zheng slowly said, "Let's forget about it for now. We need to study harder in the future. But this poem sounds a bit sad!" Baoyu's heart, which had not yet relaxed, became tense again after hearing this.

Jia Baoyu lowered his head, with a hint of grievance and stubbornness on his face, and muttered to himself: "I accidentally read some miscellaneous books, and felt that the sad and beautiful emotions described in the books were really touching, so I couldn't help but read a few more books." After hearing this, Jia Zheng's face became gloomy, and he scolded angrily: "Rebellious son! I asked you to read the books of sages, but you read the sour words written by these poor scholars! It really makes me angry!" As he said, he raised the board in his hand, ready to teach Jia Baoyu a lesson.

However, Mrs. Wang hurriedly stepped forward to stop Jia Zheng and said anxiously, "Master, please calm down. The child is still young and doesn't understand." Jia Zheng glared at Jia Baoyu and angrily said, "A loving mother often spoils her son!" Then he turned around and left.

Baoyu lowered his head silently, not daring to say another word, pondering his father's words in his heart. Seeing Baoyu's silence, Jia Zheng said nothing more and turned to leave the room. Mrs. Wang looked at Baoyu and shook her head helplessly. She knew that Baoyu did not like the imperial examinations, but in this feudal society, studying for a good degree was the recognized path; anything else was considered a waste of time.

However, Baoyu's heart had long been touched by the poignant love story, and he could not devote his emotions to his studies. He quietly returned to his room, took out the Peony Pavilion, and immersed himself in it again.

As time goes by, Baoyu becomes more and more obsessed with the story of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, and he begins to express his yearning for free love in his poems.