The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 750 Snow Falls This Night (Part 1)

As night fell and the guests gradually left, the bustling Jia mansion slowly returned to peace.

Jia Huan's return brought joy to the entire household. The happiest of all were naturally the three beautiful maids, Ping'er, Qingwen, and Caixia, who were both crying and laughing, showing the utmost tenderness and meticulous care.

That night, inside Yuewei Residence, candles burned brightly, and the charcoal fire warmed the room. After his bath, Jia Huan, along with his three beautiful maids Ping'er, Qingwen, and Caixia, gathered around the stove to brew tea. They chatted casually, occasionally exchanging private words or whispering sweet nothings, which made the maids giggle and blush with shyness.

Just then, the curtain made a soft snapping sound. Jia Huan turned his head and saw Lin Daiyu leaning against the door, looking at him with a half-smile. Xueyan was standing behind Daiyu, her lips slightly pouting, seemingly a little envious and a little resentful.

"Miss Lin has arrived." Ping'er straightened her disheveled hair, embarrassed, and quickly stood up to greet her. Qingwen and Caixia also blushed and straightened their clothes to greet her.

Jia Huan darted forward and, without a word, grabbed Lin Daiyu's slender waist, picked her up, and spun her around a few times.

"Ah!" Lin Daiyu cried out in surprise, pleading, "Huan-di, please stop fooling around and put me down!"

Jia Huan then put Lin Daiyu down and asked softly, "It's been more than half a year since we last met. Did you miss me, Sister Lin?"

Lin Daiyu blushed, slapped Jia Huan, and whispered shyly, "You big-headed devil, aren't you ashamed in front of everyone?"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "What's there to be ashamed of? We're all family." He then pulled Xueyan close and kissed her cheek. The maid immediately blushed so much that she almost buried her chin in her chest, but she was secretly very pleased.

"Don't you dare bully Xueyan!" Lin Daiyu feigned annoyance and was about to give Jia Huan a sharp rap on the head.

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Where did I bully her, Xueyan? Did Third Master bully you? This is clearly out of affection for you, isn't it?"

Xueyan shook her head and then nodded. Her adorable expression made Ping'er and the others laugh. Lin Daiyu stretched out her slender finger and gently poked Xueyan's forehead, spitting out, "What a shameless little hussy."

Xueyan said aggrievedly, "It was Miss who asked me to serve Third Master and warm his bed, so you can't blame me."

Lin Daiyu's pretty face flushed, and she said angrily, "Fine, then you don't need to go back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion tonight. Just stay here and serve him. I'm so angry!"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "No rush, no rush, let me marry my master first."

Lin Daiyu spat lightly and made to turn and leave, but Jia Huan grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit down by the stove. He changed the subject, saying, "I was planning to visit Sister Lin at Xiaoxiang Pavilion later, but I didn't expect you to come first."

As Jia Huan spoke, he held Lin Daiyu's hand and breathed warm air on it, asking with concern, "The wind outside is quite strong, like being cut by a knife. Are you cold?"

Lin Daiyu felt a surge of warmth in her heart and shook her head, saying, "I'm not cold. I brought a hand warmer. It's your hands that are terribly cold."

Jia Huan then noticed that Xueyan was carrying a hand warmer, and couldn't help but chuckle. Lin Daiyu also gave him a slightly amused look.

Lin Daiyu knew that Jia Huan had just returned and that Ping'er and Qingwen would be very attached to him, so she hadn't planned to come over tonight. But in the end, she couldn't suppress her deep longing.

At this moment, Qingwen and Caixia each poured a cup of warm wine and handed it to Lin Daiyu and Xueyan to keep them warm. The two thanked them and drank the wine.

After chatting around the stove for a while, Jia Huan pulled Lin Daiyu into the inner room, saying in a serious tone, "Sister Lin, you've come at the perfect time. I recently composed a piece of music and was just about to ask you for your critique." Lin Daiyu was delighted to hear this and, without suspecting anything, followed Jia Huan into the inner room. But once inside, all she saw was him smiling at her.

Lin Daiyu's heart trembled slightly for no apparent reason, and she asked in confusion, "What is Huan-di laughing at? Where is the music?"

Jia Huan pointed to his chest and whispered like a thief, "The music is here, listen if you don't believe me!" After saying that, he embraced Lin Daiyu's soft and fragrant body.

Lin Daiyu then realized she had been tricked. She had been somewhat reserved in front of everyone, but now that they were alone, our Lin sister could no longer suppress her burning emotions. She hugged Jia Huan from behind, pressed her pretty face against his chest, and listened quietly to his heartbeat, whispering with deep feeling, "Huan-di—!"

Jia Huan's heart fluttered, and he lowered his head to kiss her tender pink lips. Lin Daiyu responded passionately. The two embraced and lingered in the inner room for a long time before returning to the outer room. The maids exchanged glances, their faces flushed and their hearts pounding.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the rooftop; it was snowing again.

Lin Daiyu and Jia Huan had just been passionately kissing and whispering sweet nothings in the inner room, only one step away from breaking through the barrier between them. Now, still feeling the afterglow of their passionate embrace, she was overcome with shyness and made an excuse to leave.

Jia Huan was worried, so he personally prepared the ski equipment and escorted Lin Daiyu and her maid Xueyan back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion before returning to Yuewei Residence on his own.

Now, Jia Huan returned to the outside of Yuewei Residence and saw that the snow was not falling heavily. He then said to the old woman who was on night watch, "Tell Sister Ping'er that I'm going to visit Sister Bao at Hengwu Garden on my way."

The old woman hurriedly offered her help, saying, "This servant will light the lamp for Third Master. The roads are slippery in the snow; be careful not to fall. It's not a game."

"No need!" Jia Huan waved his hand decisively, picked up the glass lantern given to him by Daiyu, and headed straight for Hengwu Garden.

When Jia Huan arrived at Hengwu Garden, he found the gate closed. Considering that Baochai was always self-disciplined, he figured she was probably already in bed. Just as he was hesitating whether to knock, the gate opened from the inside, and a night watchwoman poked her head out, muttering, "Who is it? It's so late, and it's windy and snowy... Oh, it's Third Master Huan! Come in, come in!"

The old woman recognized Jia Huan standing outside the door and immediately put on a warm smile, inviting him into the house.

Jia Huan asked, "Is Sister Bao asleep? If she is, I won't go in and disturb her. I'll come again early tomorrow morning."

The old woman hurriedly said, "She's not asleep yet. Miss Bao is reading. Third Master Huan, come in quickly. It's windy and snowy outside. Be careful not to catch a cold."

As soon as Jia Huan entered the courtyard, Xiangling came out of the house with an umbrella to check. She must have heard the commotion. When she saw Jia Huan standing in the wind and snow with a lantern, she was stunned for a moment, then turned around and called out, "Miss, it's terrible! Third Master Huan has arrived!"

Xue Baochai was idly flipping through a collection of poems in the inner room when she heard the noise and was startled. She hurriedly went out to greet them with Ying'er. At this moment, Xiangling had already led Jia Huan into the room and was helping him take off his straw hat and raincoat.

"What is Sister Bao doing?" Jia Huan asked with a smile, stamping his feet to shake off the snow.

Xue Baochai was both surprised and distressed. She quickly stepped forward and put a hand warmer into Jia Huan's arms, while hurriedly instructing, "Ying'er, quickly warm a pot of wine."

"It's snowing heavily outside, and the weather is freezing cold. Why did you have to make this trip, Huan-di? What if you catch a cold?" Bao-chai gently scolded him, brushing the snow off his shoulders.

"I heard from Sister Lin that Sister Bao's illness has relapsed, and I was really worried, so I came to see her." As Jia Huan spoke, he took Baochai's hand and led her to the vicinity of the lamplight, carefully examining her.

(End of this chapter)