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

Xing Xiuyan thought that if she tried her best to be careful, the distance between them would be at most just like the ambiguous one they had just been. But she didn't expect that just by draping her cloak behind him, she would almost throw herself into his arms.

Such an act of offering oneself up so readily could make a girl blush to death, but she couldn't back down now!

If you don't return it, you can say that you were too busy with important matters to pay attention to. But if you return it, doesn't that mean you've been paying attention to this aspect?

Unfortunately, the cloak was of such high quality that the blushing girl couldn't muster any strength. Shaking the cloak almost made her melt. The person in front of her couldn't hide the smile on their face, but annoyingly, they didn't say anything to show any consideration. It took them a long time to finally put the cloak on her.

Fortunately, because Gu Yu bent down, tying the ribbon for him was much easier. After finally finishing this ambiguous act of help, Xing Xiuyan rushed out without saying a word, leaving behind someone who was smiling meaningfully.

Yingchun was already standing under the eaves in the courtyard. She wasn't surprised that Xing Xiuyan and the others had taken so long to come out. Pretending not to see the blush on Xing Xiuyan's face, she led Siqi and a few old women to follow the troops.

After all, it's so cold. Even if we only bring Siqi, let alone not Siqi, the old women below won't agree to let the girls go out. If something happens, who can bear the blame?

With outsiders present, Gu Yu naturally couldn't be too affectionate. He could only put on the airs of a refined gentleman, politely saying a few polite words, keeping his eyes straight ahead, only thinking about getting to Luxue Nunnery as quickly as possible.

The Luxue Hermitage is built facing the water in front of the plum grove. It consists of a few rooms with thatched eaves, earthen walls, hibiscus hedges, and bamboo windows. You can fish right outside the window. It is covered with reeds on all sides. A winding path leads through the reeds to the bamboo bridge of the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion.

The other path leads along the corridor beneath the Grand View Garden's central villa for the imperial visitor, and after turning past the ceremonial gate, it becomes the old path the sisters took when they came from the east corner gate and saw Gu Yu return.

Now that they were on Zilingzhou Island, they naturally didn't need to take such a long detour or cross the vast reed beds by boat. Gu Yu led them to the bridge and saw that the gate of Ouxiang Pavilion was tightly closed, and immediately realized what was going on.

"It seems that Sister Xichun and the others have already left. We must be the last ones to arrive."

As for the reason for falling behind... Xing Xiuyan turned her head to look at the vast reed beds that were indistinguishable from the white snow in the sky, and focused on appreciating the beautiful scenery.

As you cross the bamboo bridge through the reeds, even before entering the courtyard, you can faintly hear laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside.

The women below, quick-witted as ever, rushed forward to remove their cloaks and brush off the snow, but after retreating, they exchanged glances, their faces filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

They had all seen how frugal Miss Xing usually was, and they knew without a doubt that such fine fabric must have been a gift from an outsider.

If only I were thirty or forty years younger… Humph! It's all my husband's fault for being ugly and incapable of giving me a beautiful daughter!

The underfloor heating in the room was burning brightly, but it wasn't as comfortable as the underfloor heating Gu Yu had installed. It was dry and hot. In addition, since the group of girls came to appreciate the plum blossoms and snow, they would naturally open the windows, so it wasn't time to take off their outer clothes.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Troubles of Happiness

Gu Yu went in first and saw a three-foot square table in the room, with a pile of the finest silver charcoal in the middle, burning bright red. On top of it was an iron rack, and there were iron hooks and porcelain plates with various kinds of meat on the side, a dazzling array.

"Brother Yu is here!"

The girls were all gathered around the window watching the snow, chattering and pointing out interesting scenes outside. Xichun, however, wasn't as inspired as them and just stood by casually glancing at the scenery. That's why she was the first to notice Gu Yu coming in.

Besides the young ladies, there were also several other maids in the room, including Siqi and Ruhua, so Xichun didn't dare to rush over. She just blinked her bright eyes and looked at him happily.

Gu Yu glanced at her sisters who had all looked over after hearing the noise, and saw that the fishing rod that was originally used for fishing by the window was still properly propped up there, so she couldn't help but make a joke.

"Are these girls fishing for snow? That's quite interesting."

"Of course we can't compare to Brother Yu's imposing presence, fishing alone on a snowy river. How could we be so petty?"

Daiyu's eyes sparkled, and without hesitation, she accepted Gu Yu's words, exchanged smiles with her sisters, and deflected them verbatim.

Gu Yu rolled her eyes, deliberately made a gesture of bowing and begging for mercy, which caused a burst of giggles, before finding a grand chair to sit down.

Without disturbing the group of girls who were inspired to write poetry, Gu Yu leaned back in his chair, took the hot tea handed to him by Xiang Ling, and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. Xi Chun chatted quietly beside him.

"Sister Lin invited Third Sister and me to Daoxiang Village to invite the two sisters from the Li family. My sister-in-law didn't believe it, but Sister Lin was clever enough to tell her to go and take care of Lan'er, while we just had some fun on our own."

"Sister-in-law Zhu has really gone to great lengths for Lan'er. This is good, it saves her from having to worry about anything else. If Lan'er catches a cold in this freezing weather, who will take care of her?"

Gu Yu nodded seriously, and the two of them exchanged a mischievous smile, barely able to contain their high-sounding words.

Not long after, Qingwen, who was directing the servants in the next room, came in, whispered a few words in Gu Yu's ear, and then left.

Gu Yu clapped her hands, trying to attract the attention of the girls who were still discussing, and raised an eyebrow helplessly:

"It's so early in the morning, and you haven't eaten anything yet, yet you're drooling so much. Aren't you hungry? I cooked some porridge next door. Why don't you rest for a bit and have some porridge to warm your stomachs?"

"Qingwen—"

"Hey."

The next moment, Qingwen, leading her maids, lifted the curtain and came in. Two maids behind her carried in a food basket. Seeing the familiar patterns on it, the new sisters, needless to say, couldn't help but make a bitter face, especially Daiyu and the others.

"This is what you are doing?"

As the maids laid out the steaming, thick porridge, Baoqin immediately recognized it as brown sugar and purple rice porridge, seemingly mixed with some other ingredients. Even before smelling it, one couldn't help but imagine its sweet aroma.

But as soon as Baoqin turned her head to Daiyu and the others, who were more familiar with Gu Yu, she was surprised to see that they all had bitter faces, as if they were going to be tortured. She couldn't help but blink in confusion.

Could it be that the porridge doesn't taste good?

Baoqin had never thought about this question. Even if an ordinary poor family cooked a pot of porridge, it wouldn't taste so bad that it was hard to swallow, let alone a family like theirs.

Baochai took the lead and went over, giving Gu Yu a resentful glance at his mischievous grin. She still sat down at the table, picked up a bowl, stirred it with a spoon for a long time, and then hesitated so much that she almost had to pinch her nose before she would swallow it.

"Is it that exaggerated?"

Baoqin's eyes widened as she looked at her usually calm and composed cousin, who had such an expression. Her heart pounded, and she glanced warily at the bowls of porridge on the table.

With Baochai taking the lead, the women had no choice but to take over one by one with a generous and tragic spirit, stirring the bowl with their spoons as if they wanted to wear it down to the bone.

When the aroma of the porridge finally wafted over, Baoqin sniffed and finally realized why.

It turns out to be a medicinal diet!

After taking the porridge from Ying'er, Baoqin stared at it for a long time, held her breath, and tentatively took a small bite. She finally understood why it was made into brown sugar and purple rice porridge.

bitter!

The strong sweetness couldn't mask the bitter taste of the Chinese medicine, which immediately filled her mouth. Baoqin couldn't help but frown, but finally swallowed it down, though she was still a little curious.

These girls are generally more delicate. They take medicine all the time, and they get sick once or twice every three to five months. They can swallow that medicine, so why does this medicinal food with added sugar feel like swallowing a knife?

Baoqin and the Li sisters, who were the last to receive their food, were among the first to finish eating. They elegantly took out handkerchiefs to wipe their mouths, and Baoqin, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, secretly went to question Yingchun, who was sitting next to her.

"Second sister...why do you all look so uncomfortable? Is this porridge really that bad?"

Yingchun, her little face contorted in pain, was struggling to swallow the last mouthful of porridge when she heard this. Without giving it much thought, she rinsed her mouth and explained in a low voice:

"Compared to pure Chinese medicine, it's certainly not that bad to drink, but since it's something only healthy people drink, they naturally don't like it, and besides..."

The girl blushed slightly, paused shyly, and then said:

"This medicinal porridge was specially prescribed by Brother Yu for us to nourish our bodies in winter. We're supposed to drink it every five days after it snows, so seeing it now makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Also... my tastes have become so refined over time, so drinking this strangely flavored porridge is bound to be a bit..."

They've become a bit picky...

Recalling the banquet she had eaten at Pear Blossom Spring Rain, Baoqin suddenly realized why it was like this.

Having grown accustomed to such delicious food every day, it's no wonder that everyone looks like they're being tortured when suddenly forced to drink a few sips of bitter medicine. It's quite the same situation.

However, even the usually honest Yingchun didn't tell her about the medicinal effects of the food.

Just thinking about how Gu Yu spoke so earnestly about the benefits of this medicinal diet for women made Yingchun's heart tremble, and she really didn't know what expression to make.

This person has always been unconventional and unrestrained by worldly formalities and rules. As long as it's good and right, no matter what outsiders think, he can explain it clearly and do it thoroughly without batting an eye.

However, some things were simply too challenging for these young women to comprehend...

Shaking her head to clear the memory of the dampness at her toes, she saw that the women on the table had almost finished eating. Xiangling, Zijuan, and the others gathered together, while Siqi and the others were taken to another room to set up a separate table for the maids. Yingchun then pulled Xichun and the others, who weren't particularly interested in the couplets, to another room to play chess for a while.

Looking at Lin Daiyu glaring fiercely at her and forbidding her from interrupting, and then at Xichun being pulled over, Gu Yu thought for a moment and decided to walk towards the easiest target.

Because she had just changed into a new cloak, Xing Xiuyan tried her best to keep a low profile. She neither participated in the poetry recital nor wanted to join in the chess game. She wished she could sit for a while and then go back as soon as possible.

Chapter Sixty: The Formal Embrace

To her surprise, with so many sisters present, Gu Yu didn't pick and choose any of them, and instead walked straight towards her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched his footsteps gradually approaching. Xing Xiuyan couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. It wasn't just nervousness, but also a strange sense of emotion. Her heart was beating faster and faster.

Gu Yu had already noticed that she was nervously shrinking in the chair, so he didn't say anything, but quietly reached out and pulled her up, winking with a smile to indicate that she should follow him to the back of the house.

A few of Daiyu and the others turned around and saw them leaving, but they quickly turned back and pretended not to notice. The two of them quietly walked out through the back door.

Compared to the stunning window views from Daiyu and the others, the small veranda behind this house was not only narrow, with only a section at the top facing the water, but also blocked from the wind. What was originally just a wisp of cold wind became noticeably stronger here.

The slight howling wind outside and the warmth and laughter inside the room were shut out again as the curtains were drawn. My body, which had been limp, suddenly perked up and was awakened by the cold.

Gu Yu turned around and saw the girl subconsciously shrinking closer to her to avoid the wind. A smile appeared on her face, and she adjusted her position to protect her from the wind.

"Why don't you join their poetry recitation? Or play chess too?"

"I am naturally stupid, how can I compare to their talent and discernment? It's better not to make a fool of myself."

Xing Xiuyan was trapped in a corner by him, with a lonely section of the corridor behind her that had nothing to do. If she tried to go around and pretend to look at the scenery, she would be blown by the cold wind mixed with the chill of the water. For a moment, she was stuck and could only lower her head and give vague answers, but in reality, a blush had already risen on her face.

"If Sister Xing is stupid, then wouldn't all the other men and women in the world be as stupid as pigs?"

Gu Yu wanted to tease her, so she reached out and grabbed her small hands that were clasped in front of her, gently kneading them. Before she could even open her mouth, she smiled faintly and said:

"This is something Sister Xing promised."

"..."

Having already vaguely figured out Gu Yu's temperament, Xing Xiuyan wisely didn't continue arguing with him, otherwise she would only suffer more losses. So she turned her head away and let him touch her to his heart's content.

Seeing that the girl wasn't fooled, Gu Yu pursed his lips and focused intently on playing with her soft hands. He then silently and slowly shifted away from the wind, causing Xing Xiuyan to unconsciously adjust her position and move closer to his embrace.

That's all nonsense!

Feeling the heat emanating from her body, Xing Xiuyan's breathing became more and more rapid, and a rare, hazy, intoxicating look returned to her peach blossom eyes.

You're just lying to yourself, talking about transferring heat... It's clearly the fire inside your own body...

Unbeknownst to them, their figures gradually overlapped until their clasped hands pressed against Xing Xiuyan's chest. Only then did the girl realize how close they were. Recalling the indecent advances of that day, she felt both ashamed and afraid.

Although Miaoyu had comforted her, she was still an innocent person and it was unreasonable for her to be taken advantage of again. Moreover, Xing Xiuyan didn't know whether she was afraid that Gu Yu had broken his oath or that she was afraid of seeing him break his oath.

Gu Yu firmly grasped her small hand, which instinctively tried to pull away and escape, without taking any further action. She only pitifully lowered her head and complained:

"My back is almost frozen from the wind trying to shield Sister Xing from it..."

That's right. The two of them had naturally taken off their cloaks and put them aside inside the house. Now that they had quietly slipped out, they didn't have time to put them back on.

Xing Xiuyan panicked, fearing that Gu Yu would get sick from the cold wind, so she quickly grabbed his hand and tried to push him into the house.

"Let's go inside quickly, we've talked for a while now."

"Eh~"

Gu Yu stretched out a foot to block her, stared at the clueless girl for a while, and suddenly smiled. The close-up beauty of the girl made her blush, and her momentum immediately weakened.

"What I mean is... it's a bit cold right now. I warmed up Sister Xing's hands earlier, could Sister Xing help me warm up my body now?"

"How...how can it be warm..."

Xing Xiuyan's heart was pounding, and she already had a premonition, but her voice trembled as she asked the question, almost uncontrollably.

"Of course..."

The two bodies drew closer. Gu Yu slowly lowered his head and moved closer to Xing Xiuyan's face. The girl stared wide-eyed at Gu Yu's face as it drew nearer. Her heart pounded in her chest, she could hear nothing, and even felt dizzy. She involuntarily held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the unknown mystery to unfold.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…

Xing Xiuyan gasped for breath until her face turned red and she could barely breathe. She suddenly opened her eyes and gasped for air, but received no response. Gu Yu was bending over, maintaining an ambiguous distance, but he didn't move any closer.

"What's wrong with Sister Xing? Why is she suddenly practicing holding her breath?"

Gu Yu deliberately teased the embarrassed girl with a puzzled look, but before he could continue, he saw Xing Xiuyan's face turn red and she lower her head, trying to run over. In just a few moments, tears were already welling up in her eyes. Gu Yu dared not tease her any further and quickly pressed her hands against the wall to explain:

"Sister Xing, wait! Listen to me... cough cough, didn't I promise you that I wouldn't act on my own before you agree? I haven't even asked you if you'd like to help me keep warm yet."

"you!…"

Gu Yu moved even closer, and their bodies were almost touching as the girl's chest rose and fell, which made Xing Xiuyan choke on her next words.

"You...you let go—"

"Sister Xing, I'm so cold..."

When had the girl ever seen Gu Yu so lazy and shameless, both soft and hard? She felt shy and wanted to laugh at the same time, but she couldn't help but take a deep breath. Her chest was rubbing against each other again. Although it was the middle of winter and she didn't feel anything through so many clothes, the ambiguous atmosphere was completely different from before.

"You...how would I know what to do...Oh, please let go—"

"It's okay, it's okay, I can do it myself."

Before she could back down or refuse, Gu Yu quickly and cheerfully agreed to the matter without fully understanding what was going on, and then gave a meaningful smile.

"Sister Xing, you promised..."

"!!"