The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 673 Night Talk between Daiyu and Baochai
At dusk, standing atop Jiayuguan Fortress and looking west, one sees the boundless Gobi Desert, with the setting sun casting a deep red and round glow, a magnificent sight that soothes the soul.

Jia Huan leaned on the railing, his hands resting on the battlements, gazing into the distance. Beside him were Duan Yong, Man Gui, Lu Xiangjin, and others, with Chu Sheng, the garrison general of Jiayuguan, personally accompanying them. At this moment, everyone was captivated by the magnificent desert sunset; no one spoke, and only the howling of the desert wind filled their ears.

After a long while, Jia Huan finally came to his senses and asked, "General Chu, how many more days is it to Hami?"

Chu Sheng replied, "It takes three or four days for a fast horse, but about ten days for ordinary merchants. The first half is fine, as you can find water and pasture. However, the second half is four or five days without water, and you have to break through the ice to get water. So it's best to prepare enough food and water, as well as fodder for the livestock, before you set off, otherwise it will be very troublesome."

Duan Yong frowned and complained, "What a godforsaken place! Our Great Jin princess is so precious, it's torture for her to be married off to a place like this."

King Baiwa of Hami failed to arrive on time, which obviously aroused the dissatisfaction of Eunuch Duan. In addition, since he was a dowry eunuch, he was bound to spend the rest of his life in such a harsh place, so he couldn't help but complain.

Chu Sheng's face showed sympathy, but since the marriage alliance was decided by the emperor, he dared not interrupt and remained silent with his head down.

"Envoy Jia, Her Highness the Princess requests your presence." At this moment, Xueyan approached and gracefully curtsied to Jia Huan.

Jia Huan glanced at Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and the other ladies who were watching the sunset on the other side of the city wall, and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Xueyan!"

"You're too kind, Envoy Jia. Please come with me!" Xueyan said with a light laugh, leading Jia Huan back. Duan Yong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not follow. He thought to himself, "Never mind, we'll be out of the pass in a few days and will soon be in Hami. Let them have a private chat. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, I doubt the two of them will do anything out of line."

Chu Sheng and his soldiers couldn't help but swallow hard as they looked at Xue Yan's graceful and beautiful back. If even a palace maid by Princess Kangle's side was so beautiful and outstanding, they couldn't imagine how stunningly beautiful she must be. It was a pity that the princess always wore a veil, so they never had the chance to see her face.

The evening air was quite cool. At this time, the women were gathered around Daiyu and Baochai like stars around the moon, excitedly pointing and laughing at the red and round setting sun in the distance.

"Third Master is here!" Zijuan, Ying'er, and Xiangling all bowed gracefully when they saw Jia Huanxing approaching.

Lin Daiyu beckoned to Jia Huan and asked with a smile, "Brother Huan, what's the first thing that comes to mind when you see this sunset?"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Naturally, it's Wang Wei's 'A lone plume of smoke rises straight from the desert, the setting sun hangs round over the long river.'"

Xiangling clapped her hands and laughed, "What a coincidence! That's the same line I was thinking of. When I read Wang Wei's poem 'Beyond the Frontier' before, I thought the word 'straight' was illogical and the word 'round' was too vulgar. Now that I'm here, I realize that what the poet said is true. I can't find two other words to replace it."

There's also the line "The sun sets, the river and lake turn white; the tide rises, the world turns blue." The words "white" and "blue" seem illogical, but only these two words can fully describe it. Saying it in your mouth feels like saying an olive weighing thousands of pounds.

And then there's the line, "At the ferry crossing, the sun sets, and a lone wisp of smoke rises from the village." The words "remains" and "rises"—how did he come up with that? I remember that year when my daughter and I went to the capital. We moored our boat at dusk, and there was no one on the shore, only a few trees. In the distance, a few families were cooking dinner, and the smoke from their chimneys was a deep blue-green, rising straight up to the clouds—exactly as described in the poem.

Xiangling, this beautiful maid, truly lives up to her reputation as a poetry fanatic. She is usually not good with words, but when she talks about poetry, she becomes eloquent and her beautiful eyes seem to shine, shining straight into people's hearts. Her beauty is as stunning as a graceful lotus flower, leaving a deep impression on people.

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "Good, being able to express such insights shows that you have indeed understood."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "From now on, we have one more poet among us."

Jia Huan laughed and said, "One is influenced by one's surroundings. With talented ladies like Sister Lin and Sister Bao influencing you day and night, it would be difficult for Sister Xiangling not to become a poet."

Xiangling blushed and said shyly, "Third Master, you flatter me. I only know a little bit about poetry, how dare I call myself a poet?"

Lin Daiyu, with her exceptional talent and aloofness, sneered upon hearing this, "What's there to be afraid of? With your current level, you might not be able to pass the county-level imperial examination, but when it comes to poetry, even a county-level scholar might not be as good as you."

Jia Huan laughed and said, "That's right, look who taught this outstanding student."

The women all giggled. Lin Daiyu's face flushed slightly. Come to think of it, she was indeed Xiangling's teacher.

"It's getting dark, let's go downstairs. It's windy here, be careful not to catch a cold," Jia Huan said with a smile.

Lin Daiyu glared at Jia Huan through her veil and said petulantly, "If you want to go down, go down yourself. I'll stay a little longer; such a beautiful view is rare!"

"Alright, I'll stay a little longer then!" Jia Huan said with a smile.

Lin Daiyu's eyes flickered as she asked, "What if I want to stay until dawn?"

"Then I'll stay until dawn."

Lin Daiyu felt a surge of sweetness in her heart. She turned her head and continued to watch the sunset until the last ray of light disappeared at the horizon. Only then did she descend the city wall with satisfaction and return to the inn where she was staying to rest.

Night fell, the world was plunged into darkness, and all was silent except for the howling wind across the desert rooftops. Lin Daiyu was clearly very tired, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. Xue Baochai lay quietly beside her, her chest rising and falling slightly, as if she had already fallen asleep.

Lin Daiyu wanted to get up and walk around, but worried about waking Xue Baochai, so she could only remain lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. "What are you thinking about?" Xue Baochai suddenly asked gently.

Lin Daiyu patted her chest and laughed, "You startled me! I thought you were asleep, Sister Bao."

"I don't know why, but I'm not sleepy at all tonight," Xue Baochai said softly.

Lin Daiyu said, "I'm a little sleepy, but I can't fall asleep. Sister Bao is also uneasy."

Xue Baochai remained silent.

Despite Jia Huan's promise and the fact that both Daiyu and Baochai believed in his abilities, they became increasingly worried as they drew closer to Hami. After all, their brother Huan wasn't omnipotent, and whether he could return to his homeland after leaving the country was uncertain.

Lin Daiyu sighed softly and said, "I urge you to drink another cup of wine, for beyond Yangguan there will be no old friends. Yangguan is not far from here."

Xue Baochai gently comforted her, "Pin'er, don't worry. Brother Huan always keeps his word and can do what others can't."

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said resolutely, "I'm not worried about myself. If I really fall into Baiwa's hands, I'll just die. I'm just worried that Huandi will take a risk."

“That’s how he was back in Jinling…” Xue Baochai originally wanted to say that Jia Huan risked his life to rescue her, but she stopped halfway through her sentence because she felt it was inappropriate.

Lin Daiyu said with a hint of jealousy, "Sister Bao, you don't need to hide it from me, I know everything."

Xue Baochai's heart skipped a beat, and she sat up a little guiltily, laughing, "You little devil, what do you know? What have I been hiding from you?"

Lin Daiyu also sat up and took Xue Baochai's hand, saying, "Good sister, tell me, when your marriage with Huandi was about to be settled, and the old lady, madam, and master all agreed, why did your aunt later refuse?"

Xue Baochai smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "Whose nonsense have you been listening to? You're just making things up out of thin air. There's no such thing as an engagement at all."

Lin Daiyu sighed softly, “I am a suspicious person. I can think about even the smallest things for a long time. Sister Bao, please don’t hide it from me. That day in the peony garden, I heard Caixia, who was by Madam’s side, say that you and Huan were going to get married. At that time, I felt like the sky was falling and I only thought about dying. Later… later Huan found me in the peach blossom forest on the back mountain.”

At this point, Lin Daiyu blushed and her heart raced. Xue Baochai also blushed. The scene of Jia Huan and Lin Daiyu kissing under the peach tree was still like a needle piercing her heart.

"That day...did Sister Bao see it?" Lin Daiyu asked awkwardly. She had always been suspicious. When Xue Baochai suddenly refused to marry Jia Huan, she had kept her doubts to herself. Tonight, she finally couldn't help but ask.

It has to be said that a woman's intuition is really accurate. Lin Daiyu had long seen that Xue Baochai had feelings for Jia Huan, but she suddenly refused to marry him back then, which happened right after she had her affair with Jia Huan. So Lin Daiyu had her suspicions at that time.

"What did you see? What's wrong with you tonight, Daiyu? You're talking strangely," Xue Baochai asked with a smile, suppressing the bitterness in her heart.

Lin Daiyu snorted, "Sister Bao, you don't need to hide it from me anymore. Ying'er has already told me that Auntie promised Huan that as long as you return safely this time, she will allow you to marry Huan."

Xue Baochai felt her head buzz, and she was so ashamed that she wanted to disappear. She said in a trembling voice, "Pin'er, that was a promise between Mother and him... I haven't agreed yet!"

"Why won't you agree? Don't you care about Huandi?"

"I……"

Lin Daiyu chuckled and hugged Xue Baochai, saying, "Good sister, actually Huan-di has already confessed to me."

Xue Baochai blushed with embarrassment and stammered, "He... really told you?"

Lin Daiyu nodded and sighed, "Even if Huan-di hadn't said anything, how could I not have noticed?"

"Then... Pin'er, you don't mind?" Xue Baochai was a little surprised.

Lin Daiyu said sourly, "It would be a lie to say I don't mind, but it's hard to avoid men having multiple wives and concubines. Rather than letting someone else have them, it's better to let Sister Bao have them. At least we know each other well and are like sisters." She then covered her mouth and laughed.

Xue Baochai blushed and lightly spat, feeling a sense of relief. Lin Daiyu hugged Xue Baochai and said earnestly, "Good sister, I mean it. If we can return home safely this time, how about we become best friends for life?"

Xue Baochai hugged Lin Daiyu back and nodded, saying, "In my heart, I have long regarded you as my own sister."

(End of this chapter)