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

The considerate Gu Yu had no choice but to abandon that plan. However, she turned her head and looked at Daiyu's slightly loose sleeves. Her eyes lit up, and she rolled them up a bit more before slipping her hand inside the sleeve...

……

After Zijuan and the others finished serving, they sat in the room to rest for a while. Just as they were about to pour themselves a cup of tea, they saw Daiyu walk in with Gu Yu, her face flushed.

Seeing that her clothes were neat and tidy, Zijuan assumed that Gu Yu had said some sweet words to bewitch her young lady, but she never expected that Gu Yu was so audacious.

Daiyu sat down on the chair with her legs trembling slightly. Her heartbeat hadn't returned to normal. She never imagined that she could feel such stimulation through a layer of undergarment. Why didn't she have such a reaction when she touched it directly while bathing?

Fortunately, she had only started bleeding today, and the flow wasn't heavy yet, so the slight lubrication wasn't enough for her to leave now. After all, so many of her friends were here today. Not only did she not want to leave to play and joke with them, but with Gu Yu around, she wouldn't feel comfortable going back to rest alone.

Although a long time has passed, she still remembers the two aunts of her father that she saw when she was a child. Her mother said a few words back then, and she can understand the meaning behind them now.

"...Because Father is always with Yu'er, he doesn't have much time to visit these two concubines..."

At the time, she didn't quite understand, but now she realizes that if you don't fight for some things, others will take them all...

Gu Yu's energy and time are always limited. If she doesn't come to take up her time often, it will only benefit the other sisters, and there may even be other vixens eyeing her. Only a fool wouldn't fight for it!

Chapter Sixty-Four: What if our roles were reversed...?

After watching her sisters leave laughing and joking, Gu Yu glanced at the setting sun, stretched lazily, and thought to herself that she hadn't felt it at the time, but now that the party was over, she felt a little sore and tired.

Qingwen turned and closed the courtyard gate, pouted, and finally couldn't help but say:

"You're being too dissolute, sir. Even though the girls are all... they still have a reputation, so you should be careful. How could you start touching them like that in public? It's lucky that only Ying'er and I saw it, otherwise who knows how things would have turned out."

Gu Yu chuckled, pinched Qingwen's little nose, a strange look flashing across her face, but she still smiled and said:

"What do you know? Even Siqi and Ruhua aren't here. So what if you saw them? I'll punish anyone who disagrees, and see who dares to laugh at me."

"Why do you sound so jealous, you little hussy? Are you upset that I didn't spend enough time with you today?"

Qingwen blushed and quickly swatted away Gu Yu's outstretched hand, seeking warmth from Xiangling in the room. Now all alone and helpless, if she were to truly provoke Gu Yu, she might not be able to walk for the next few days!

Watching Qingwen's disheveled retreating figure, Gu Yu chuckled softly, his eyes momentarily dazed. It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that his mind was filled with how to torment these young ladies, but compared to the originally planned tragic ending, he would rather they only care about their romance with him.

He is currently being protected under the wings of others. Three years later, when he is ordered to join the scheme, he will not even be able to see his own future clearly. How can he then spend his days by their side as he does now?

"Drink today, for tomorrow we may die," he said, never one to worry unnecessarily. His primary goal now was to seize all the girls in the Jia household while he was still there, and deal with the future later.

……

Baoyu was now a young boy, and his body recovered quickly. After resting for half a month, his complexion returned to normal, and even the burns on his face healed. So he moved back to Yihong Courtyard.

Although Fengjie's condition had improved, her health was not as good as Baoyu's, and she was still somewhat weak. Therefore, she could only ask Jia Lian for help and thank Gu Yu twice before continuing to rest in bed.

Gu Yu accompanied her sisters to celebrate. Because of the lively atmosphere, Bao Yu didn't notice that his sisters' gazes were not focused on him, the host.

Not two days later, because it suddenly rained the day before, Xichun caught a cold. Gu Yu was thinking of going to visit her after getting up early when her maid sent word that someone outside had invited her.

Gu Yu opened the letter and saw it was from those two mischievous friends. Without further ado, he left them aside, went to see Xi Chun, and after offering her detailed concern, finally went out the side gate to meet up with her.

"Hey Yu Meiren, is it really that interesting for you to stay in the garden all day? I've asked you to come out several times during my days off, but you never came. Today I finally met you. You're harder to invite than a living Buddha."

Gu Yu plopped down without any ceremony, poured herself a cup of tea, and raised an eyebrow at Li Wensong, who was complaining.

"How can you drag me into this? Why don't you mention that someone made us wait for two hours just to accompany his cousin to buy things? I never made you wait."

Kong Chengli, who was caught in the crossfire, calmly took a sip of tea, glanced at Li Wensong indifferently, and mercilessly exposed his hypocrisy.

He came today to invite you—

"Ahem! Brother Kong, you worked too hard yesterday. How about I invite you to Yu Meiren's Yingke Pavilion to relax another day?"

Li Wensong's lips twitched, and he quickly interrupted Kong Chengli, trying to silence him.

Although Gu Yu only heard half of what was said, she knew that this kid had some request for her, so she immediately perked up and looked at Li Wensong, whose face was tense, with a half-smile:

"What, so today's banquet is a trap? Or are you asking me to play the role of Han Xin, the commander of the army?"

Li Wensong twitched the corners of his mouth, forcing out a fawning smile.

"This isn't a trap... Han Xin! We're inviting you to be Han Xin!"

Gu Yu raised his eyebrows smugly and rubbed his fingers together, his meaning clear. Li Wensong knew that Gu Yu wanted to mention Han Xin as much as possible, so he reluctantly held up three fingers to show his intentions, but Gu Yu still looked completely unconcerned.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Li Wensong took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and held up five fingers. Gu Yu then smiled and gave him a high five.

"Brother Li is in trouble, and as his brother, I can't stand idly by! No matter what it is, leave it to me!"

Li Wensong forced a pale smile that looked more like a grimace, then lowered his head to drink tea, trying to ease the pain in his heart. Although his Li family held high positions and had been officials for generations, young masters like them had a fixed monthly allowance, unlike those纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) who squandered their wealth recklessly. Five banquets had emptied more than half of his savings!

After the price was agreed upon, Gu Yu inquired about the reason for the incident, and couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time had passed. It turned out that the young man had taken a fancy to a young lady while on a spring outing a few days ago, and after making inquiries, he learned that she was the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Justice.

Unfortunately, the current Minister of Justice, Zhou Heng, had no connection with the Li family. Zhou Heng had no reason to offer his daughter in marriage for the sake of his official career. When he heard that the Prime Minister Li's eldest son was eyeing his precious daughter, he simply turned a blind eye. It was impossible for him to give him a friendly look. Therefore, Li Wensong could only rely on his own abilities.

Although this grandson was usually unruly and dissolute, in the eyes of outsiders he was a rare and handsome eligible bachelor, so Madam Zhou was quite happy to have him visit her home, and they could often meet up for a chat. With the Grain in Ear season approaching and the day for sending off the Flower Goddess approaching, in order to please his beloved, Li Wensong had no choice but to call over his group of mischievous friends to brainstorm ideas.

Although he could once confidently pontificate to Gu Yu, he was completely flustered and revealed his true colors when it came to his own turn. Gu Yu, having gleaned bits and pieces of information from Kong Chengli, knew that this kid was nothing more than a keyboard warrior, so now that he had him under control, he was bound to take a few bites out of him.

Now, Gu Yu is the most experienced of the three, spending all her time hanging out with her sisters, while Li Wensong and the others can only miserably intern at the Hanlin Academy, and they can't help but be envious.

The group left immediately, paid their bill, and headed towards Gu Yu's shop. Li Wensong, after holding back for a while, finally couldn't help but ask Gu Yu:

"You usually spend all your time with your sisters, where do you get so much to talk about? Last time I finally managed to get her to come out to the Taoist temple in the city, and we only exchanged about ten sentences before we ran out of things to say..."

Kong Chengli silently moved closer as well. Although his cousin was quite talented and he could chat with her for a while, he was gradually running out of simple topics to discuss. Was he supposed to talk to her about current affairs and literature in the future?

Gu Yu looked at the two poor single guys with pity and decided to mercifully teach them a lesson in picking up girls.

"Topics are created by people. She doesn't understand your classical Chinese, so can't you talk about trivial matters and interesting things? When we went abroad to study, didn't we have so many stories to tell?"

Li Wensong scratched his head, still feeling somewhat uncertain.

"Can these women really listen to stories of murder, adultery, cruelty, and greed? I almost vomited when I saw them back then..."

Gu Yu cursed inwardly, glaring at him with exasperation:

"Can't you embellish it a bit? Why say these things out loud? Just talk about your travels, visiting historical sites, and some local legends. If you really can't, you can make up a couple. Do you think anyone will expose you?"

The two looked like they had just realized something, which filled Gu Yu with a sense of accomplishment. Just as she was about to continue giving her advice, she suddenly saw an elegantly decorated jewelry store by the roadside. On a whim, she led the two inside to browse.

Chapter Sixty-Five: A gentleman takes revenge and does not let it linger overnight.

This shop is none other than Huizhen Pavilion, a famous shop in the capital. Its new styles always lead the trend, and its jewelry is often sent to the palace as tribute. Its background is unfathomable.

Although Gu Yu kept to himself and rarely went out, Li Wensong and Kong Chengli were quite famous. When the maids standing inside saw the three of them walk in, they recognized them at a glance and hurriedly came to serve them, and then went to inform the manager.

After walking a few steps, the shopkeeper inside greeted us warmly, his prosperous face beaming with a smile that closed his eyes.

"Rare guests, rare guests indeed! Young Master Kong and Young Master Li, is there anything you need? We'll make sure you're satisfied with whatever you like! ...And who is this gentleman?"

Li Wensong glanced at Gu Yu sideways, then chuckled and brushed it off.

"We're just here for a stroll, no need to trouble ourselves. Just point to two maids, and you can go ahead, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper agreed with a normal expression, but couldn't help glancing at Gu Yu out of the corner of his eye, a strange look flashing in his eyes. He then called over a maid named Xiao Wu to accompany them.

After the shopkeeper left, Gu Yu led them around to see the sights. The maidservant beside them dutifully introduced each item, which Gu Yu listened to with great interest.

"...This green jade openwork butterfly and flower hairpin is a new style this month. It is carved from a whole piece of green jade and decorated with melted gold. When worn, the jingling of the pendants makes it seem as if butterflies are fluttering. It is most suitable for young women."

Xiao Wu, observing their expressions, discerned from their brief conversation which woman they were trying to please. He then abandoned the grand and elegant jewelry and led them directly over, introducing the jewelry designed specifically for young women.

At this point, Li Wensong and the others realized that buying gifts to please the girl was indeed a good idea. After hearing her introduction, they were all somewhat tempted, and Li Wensong asked about the price:

"What's the price of this hairpin?"

"Not expensive at all, this one is only 120 taels of silver."

Upon hearing that the business was promising, Xiao Wu's smile widened, and he began to boast to them about which master craftsman created the piece, highlighting its complexity and absolute value for money.

Gu Yu looked at the other styles again, and they were indeed not as good as the one in her hand. After calculating in her mind, she decided to buy it with a wave of her hand.

"Prepare for me first... um—twelve!"

"I want three too."

"I want five."

Gu Yu looked at the two hypocritical men in astonishment, especially Li Wensong, who had just been talking about how much he admired Miss Zhou. He'd just casually mentioned five fingers; it was clear how licentious this guy was!

Xiao Wu smiled brightly, about to agree, but upon hearing the number of people, he doubted whether he had misheard. He forced a laugh and quickly ran to ask the shopkeeper.

After all, she wasn't lying. These jewelry pieces were indeed crafted by master craftsmen, and she wasn't sure if the store still had that much stock.

"What? Nineteen?...I'll go there myself."

The shopkeeper frowned, his face a mixture of emotions, unsure whether to laugh or cry. This huge order was equivalent to a month's worth of business, but as this hairpin was a newly released style, he didn't have much stock left.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Gu Yu glanced at Li Wensong, who had a serious expression on his face, and couldn't help but criticize him:

"Didn't you say you admired that Miss Zhou? Why did you buy so many?"

Li Wensong looked bewildered and said, "Didn't you buy more than a dozen pieces? You must have taken care of your sisters at home too, right? I also have a few sisters. It's rare for me to go out and buy jewelry for my daughter, so naturally I have to give them a set too."

As he said this, Li Wensong suddenly realized something, exchanged a glance with Kong Chengli, and turned to stare at Gu Yu with some suspicion on his face.

"...What are you going to do with all this?"

"..."

Gu Yu's lips twitched, and after coughing twice, she guiltily looked away.

"Of course I'm giving them to the sisters in that household; otherwise, why would I buy so many?"

However, both of them were exceptionally intelligent and would not be fooled by him. They stared at Gu Yu with a mixture of surprise and envy, their hearts overflowing with the sweetness of their relationship.

"..."

Suddenly remembering something, Li Wensong was about to ask him something when the shopkeeper came running over, smiling obsequiously at Kong Chengli and Li Wensong:

"Thank you for your patronage, gentlemen. However… this piece of jewelry is a newly released style, and we don't have enough of the finest jade available right now. So, what do you think…?"

Gu Yu glanced at him and interrupted with a smile:

"It doesn't have to be all green jade. Red jade, purple jade, and yellow jade will all do. Does the vast Huizhen Pavilion not even have a dozen or so hairpins to offer?"

Seeing that Gu Yu spoke up, and that Li Wensong and Kong Chengli actually acquiesced, the shopkeeper's eyes flashed, and he looked at Gu Yu gratefully and thanked her:

“This young master is truly considerate. It’s not easy to find the same jade pieces. If everyone were as understanding as you, I could work for another ten years.”

Gu Yu waved his hand casually, signaling him to fetch the hairpin, but his mind had already wandered far away. Just as Li Wensong said, this hairpin seemed suitable as a gift for sisters or young ladies. Should he bring out something different?

After confirming the goods, they handed them over to the servants of the Li family outside. Everyone took out their silver notes to settle the bill. After silently calculating, Li Wensong finally declared in despair that he was about to go bankrupt. He then tried to ingratiate himself with Gu Yu by asking her to waive his meal expenses.

"hehe--"

Gu Yu smiled meaningfully at him, then immediately took his leave. He still needed to go home and carefully select a few special gifts to give as presents.

"You, you, you...! Ah Hu, when you deliver the things later, if no one pays your travel expenses, you absolutely mustn't hand them over!"

The servant carrying the items next to him gave an awkward smile, unsure of how to respond.

Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, deliberately let out a long sigh, and said with a desolate expression:

"I just discovered a major flaw in your plan, and I was going to tell you, but I never expected you to be like this... Sigh! It's truly disheartening!"

Li Wensong's expression changed. He had spent nearly a thousand taels of silver on this matter. If he hadn't already entered the Hanlin Academy, his monthly allowance as a young master would have been enough to cover the cost, even if he were sold off!

"Brother! Big brother!! You can't do this! Tiger, go deliver the things now, and then come home!"

The servant boy quickly agreed and hurried away. Gu Yu was grabbed by the sleeve by Li Wensong, who deliberately tugged at him several times, making him beg for mercy before letting him go.

Kong Chengli silently rubbed his forehead. He didn't know how Li Wensong's brain worked. He was usually lively and carefree, but he was always completely under Gu Yu's thumb. He never learned his lesson and kept trying to provoke her. He always ended up getting the short end of the stick. He deserved it!

However, he was also very curious about the flaws Gu Yu mentioned. Since it wasn't his turn to suffer, he felt at ease listening in.

"The gifts you gave to your sisters were exactly the same as Miss Zhou's. Do you want Miss Zhou to think you didn't have the intention, or that you were being too presumptuous?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to give a special personal item, such as a jade pendant, a fan, a sachet, or a forehead band. It's a small gift with a lot of sentiment, and you don't have to worry about it being too expensive or inappropriate. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As if struck by lightning, Li Wensong understood the key point. His expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly asked Gu Yu:

"Then why did I even bother buying so many hairpins?"

Gu Yu laughed out loud without any sense of decency:

"How would I know? I bought them myself as gifts for my sisters, and I also gave them small gifts. I never said I asked you to buy hairpins for me."

"Holy crap—!!!"

Li Wensong's lips trembled as he realized he had been tricked by this guy. This guy had millions in assets and could squander them as he pleased. His own little savings were like rotten grass trying to compare to the bright moon in the sky. How could he withstand such a waste?