Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 667: The fragrance of the love
Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

By June, the capital had entered midsummer. Every day after 9:00 p.m., the sun outside would be scorching hot and it would be extremely hot and stuffy.

Baoyu leaned on the bed and read a book of popular stories to relieve his boredom. He asked Mingyan to collect this book from the market, and it was full of erotic stories about infatuated men and resentful women.

If he were asked to recite the Four Books, he would inevitably turn pale and have a splitting headache; but when asked to read these erotic novels about the market, he was very attentive.

Mingyan collected more than a dozen books, and he finished reading half of them in a few days. He also enjoyed pondering the exciting plots over and over again.

Because he had often been in bed recuperating from his injuries, he had gained a lot of weight this year and could not stand the heat. After a while, he started clamoring for water.

Caiyun, who was outside the door, heard the sound and quickly poured some cold tea and brought it in.

Since the day when Lady Jia gave the gift, Xiren and Caiyun officially entered Baoyu's room.

Xiren was just a nephew holding a lantern as usual, but Caiyun moved from Mrs. Wang's room in the east courtyard to Baoyu's courtyard.

Caiyun was somewhat happy about this matter. After all, for a servant girl, becoming a servant of the master was a very good outcome.

Compared to Qiu Wen and Bi Hen who were jealous, Cai Yun was considered proud.

But to say that she was ecstatic about becoming Baoyu's woman and felt that she had reached heaven in one step was not the extent of that.

Caiyun was not a maid bought from outside. She was a maid born in the Jia family. She grew up in the West Mansion and knew everything about the family affairs.

If I were to say two years ago that becoming Baoyu's woman would have been a very glorious thing.

At that time, every good-looking maid in the mansion wanted to go into Baoyu's room.

But now times have changed. Master Bao is no longer the phoenix of the Jia family. The most powerful and outstanding man in the Jia family is Master Cong, who inherited the family business of the two mansions.

But Caiyun was a dutiful maid and she knew her weight and position.

She knew very well that she was not as smart and capable as Yuanyang, who could not win the old lady's appreciation and respect and become a top figure among the maids.

She was not as proud as Qingwen, who was flattered wherever she went. It was said that even when she became a maid of Master Cong, he still doted on her very much.

Caiyun asked herself that she was inferior to them in many ways. She was just pretty and decent in appearance, but everything else was ordinary.

She thought she didn't have the ability to climb up the social ladder, so she decided to be more down-to-earth and do her job well.

Even in Lady Wang's room, Caiyun was not the most outstanding one.

However, Caixia, who was more clever than her, had been having an affair with Master Huan San early on. Jin Chuan'er, who was prettier than her, was driven out of the Jia family and nearly lost her life because of playing with Master Bao Er.

When Mrs. Wang wanted to choose a wife for Baoyu from among his personal maids, there was no one else to choose from except Caiyun.

For Caiyun, this result was neither good nor bad. It was better than the best but worse than the worst. What else could a maid expect when she was destined to be a concubine?

……

Originally, considering Baoyu's frivolous nature, it was inevitable that Caiyun would be provoked if she entered his room.

But Baoyu recently injured his knee and couldn't even stand up straight, and he couldn't do much else, so Caiyun hasn't been able to succeed.

Baoyu saw Caiyun coming over with tea. It was a hot summer day, and the clothes she was wearing were light and breathable, making her look quite graceful and elegant.

She wore a lilac-colored embroidered cross-collar long vest with a white cross-collar lining, a white pleated skirt, and a blue sweat towel tied around her waist, which made her look quite charming.

Baoyu took the teacup handed to him by Caiyun, seemed to be thirsty, and drank the tea in one gulp.

He handed the teacup back to Caiyun, and while she was taking the teacup, he grabbed her hand and pulled it hard, causing Caiyun to stagger and fall onto the bed.

Baoyu chuckled, hugged her, and groped her with his hands, saying with a smile: "My dear sister, I feel so bored, can you please talk to me?"

In the past, Caiyun was Mrs. Wang's maid. She learned some of Mrs. Wang's old-fashioned personality. She behaved restrainedly in her daily life and rarely joked with Baoyu.

At that time, even if Baoyu wanted to provoke her, he didn't dare to do so. Most of the time, he would retreat and find other maids to play with.

But the more you can't get something, the more you will be curious about it.

Now that Caiyun has entered his room, Baoyu will never let her go. He has long thrown aside his previous behavior of pretending to be gentle, considerate and suave in front of the maids and become unscrupulous.

Caiyun was suddenly attacked and couldn't help but scream.

Although Baoyu couldn't do anything since she entered his room due to his injured knee, Caiyun had already taken advantage of him through the usual caressing and pulling.

But now that the sun was at its highest point and such a thing was about to happen, she was still shocked and hurriedly struggled to stand up from the bed.

Although Baoyu is not a serious scholar, he is a serious weak man. In addition, his knee has not yet healed, so his hands and feet are getting weaker.

After a few struggles by a maid who often did the work, she was easily able to escape.

Other people's scholars are useless. Although Master Bao does not study, he is more bookish than scholars in terms of uselessness.

Caiyun took a few steps back with a red face, and said angrily, "Second Master, what are you doing? You are making a fuss in broad daylight.

If someone saw this, I don’t know how they would stigmatize me. I would not be able to live as a human being in the future.”

Baoyu didn't expect that even after Caiyun entered his room, he was still as serious and boring as before, and he felt depressed.

He said, "Sister, what are you talking about? Now that you have entered my room, you are my legitimate wife. It doesn't matter if we are intimate for a while.

This is the great principle of human relations, and it is natural and just. Ancient saints and sages all believed this. Sister, why do you have to think about those vulgar thoughts? Wouldn't it be a disgrace to a girl like you? "

Although Caiyun didn't quite understand what was said, it still sounded a bit awkward.

She said, "I am not like the Second Master who reads books every day and has a wide range of knowledge. I am just an ignorant girl who thinks that broad daylight is not good."

Although Baoyu had a pure heart, comparable to the bright moon and the fresh breeze, he couldn't help but blush when he heard Caiyun say that she read every day and had a wide range of knowledge.

……

At this time, Xiren heard the commotion in the room and hurried in to check what was going on. She saw Baoyu looking unhappy, Caiyun's face was flushed, and her clothes were a little messy.

He said, "What happened? How could an accident happen when I was not here?"

Xiren had already known Baoyu about their sexual affairs, so seeing Caiyun's appearance, it was easy for her to guess what had happened.

Originally, the soup was drunk by her alone, but now there was one more person to share. Although Xiren appeared virtuous on the surface, she was not so generous in her heart.

These days, Caiyun has been coming into the room, and Xiren has always felt a little uncomfortable, but she has concealed it cleverly so that others cannot notice.

Fortunately, Caiyun was inexperienced and a little shy, so Xiren secretly flattered Baoyu, climbed into his bed every day and took up the best position.

Even though Baoyu had a knee injury and could not move easily, Xiren still served him at night and tried to make him feel comfortable, which prevented Caiyun from succeeding.

When Xiren saw Caiyun's expression, she couldn't help but laugh. What a silly girl! She had already entered the Second Master's room, but she still cared whether it was broad daylight or not. Who would care about you?

Said: "I advise you to play less, the West Mansion is not the same as before, the girls all live in the East Mansion, it is much quieter here than before.

If there is any noise, outsiders can hear it clearly. If they know that an accident happened here, it would be very unpleasant if it got out.

Now the Third Master has sent Wu'er to be the housekeeper of the West Mansion. He will be the Third Master's pair of eyes.

If the Second Master wants to live peacefully in the West Mansion, it is better to keep it quiet on a daily basis, which will be convenient for everyone.

It is very good that the Second Master has been studying hard these days, and the Master will be happy to know it."

Baoyu listened to Xiren's seemingly virtuous advice, but turned a deaf ear to its meaning, but when he heard that the girls all lived in the East Palace, he

I couldn't help but feel infinitely aggrieved and sad, and I felt that the world was unfair.

I am still in the West Palace, but my sisters don’t know how to sympathize with me. They just want to have fun in the East Palace. It has been more than a year. What will happen if it continues like this...

But when the master heard Xiren say something about studying hard, he would be very happy. His face turned pale and he quickly stuffed the erotic book on the bedside table under his pillow.

He asked, "Sister Xiangyun came to see me the day before yesterday and said she would come again today. Third sister comes every day to visit, so why is there no sign of her today?"

Xiren said: "Sisters, you are just saying it casually. Today, things are getting more and more chaotic outside. It's quite a long way to get from the East Palace to our place.

Under such a scorching sun, the girls' delicate bodies cannot stand it, so it is reasonable for them not to come."

……

At this time Qiu Wen also came in from outside. Xiren could hear the noise made by Baoyu and Caiyun just now. She had always dreamed of climbing onto Baoyu's bed. In the past few days, Qiu Wen's mind was on Caiyun, so how could she not hear it?

When she heard the others talking excitedly, she came out and said, "I think Miss Shi and Miss Three will probably not come today."

Baoyu frowned and said, "How do you know whether they will come or not?"

Qiu Wen smiled and said, "Sister Xiren said that the sun was too strong and that girls couldn't stand it, that was a natural reason, but it was only a temporary reason.

The Second Master may not know that the Third Master Dongfu Cong has passed the imperial examination and is no longer like before, shutting himself in to study hard every day.

I heard people say these days that the Third Master is now much freer. He just stays at home every day and does nothing else but play chess, write, and stroll in the garden with the girls.

The sun is so hot today, there is no way the two girls will go out. They will probably stay in the house to cool off and chat while waiting for the third master to get off work.

The most important thing for Second Master is to focus on recovering from his injuries. It doesn't matter if the girls don't have time to come over. We will just accompany Second Master and he can tell us what he wants to play.

They can enjoy themselves, so why can't we enjoy ourselves?"

When Baoyu heard this, he thought of how these sisters were only enjoying themselves with Jia Cong and treated him as if he didn't exist, and he felt inexplicably sad and angry.

Xiren saw that her second master's eyes were filled with tears, and he was half looking up at the roof, his expression began to become strange again, and she thought to herself that something was wrong.

Qiu Wen, this fool, only knows how to act coquettishly in front of the Second Master, but she doesn't understand the Second Master's thoughts at all.

She thought she was being nice and trying to please the Second Master, but she didn't know that these nonsense were actually hurting the Second Master's heart.

Baoyu said indignantly: "Didn't Jia Cong worship Wen Zong as his teacher? He always said he wanted to read the books of sages, and now he has achieved some fame.

Just play around like this in a ridiculous way. What official career and economics, what moral articles, are nothing but fame-seeking and pseudo-morality.

You often say that I am a perverse scholar, that they are all parasites, and that they are all wrong. Now you know that my views are all correct..."

When Qiu Wen heard Baoyu's words, she secretly stuck out her tongue. She didn't say anything, so how did she provoke the Second Master again?

Caiyun felt a little dizzy after listening to what her second master said. Second master was mumbling something weird. What was he mumbling about? Was he possessed again?

Seeing that Baoyu was becoming more and more immersed in the conversation, Qiu Wen kept talking to herself without paying any attention to the people around her.

She had been in Baoyu's room for many years and had seen a lot of the world. She knew that something was wrong and was afraid that something would go wrong and she would be held responsible.

He didn't care about much at the moment and took advantage of Xiren's attention being on Baoyu and quickly slipped out of the room.

When Caiyun saw Qiu Wen leaving, she also followed her out of the room. Xiren looked at Baoyu with a strange look on his face and couldn't help but sigh to herself.

……

Da Zhou, Ministry of Works.

Jia Cong went to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty early in the morning, and then rushed to the firearms workshop before noon to check the progress of the breech-loading rifle construction and take stock of materials and personnel related matters.

Just after noon, he hurriedly left the workshop and went to the Ministry of Works' Tuntian Qingli Division to handle official business.

The fine iron, charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur and other materials needed for the construction of the workshop's breech-loading rifles are all high-quality items for various civilian uses.

Ordinary merchants are unable to supply it, and the Ministry of Industry’s Tuntian Qingli Division is currently responsible for collection, purchase, and transportation.

As soon as he arrived at the Ministry of Works, he saw a carriage parked in front of the gate. An elegant woman was standing in front of the carriage, handing a food box to a man.

Jia Cong recognized that the man was Lin Zhaohe, and couldn't help feeling surprised that he would appear in the Ministry of Works.

The woman gave Lin Zhaohe a few more instructions before getting on the carriage and leaving. Lin Zhaohe turned around and saw Jia Cong, with a gentle smile on his face.

Jia Cong saw him coming over with a food box. Although he was walking normally, there was a subtle stiffness in his steps. He thought that he had just recovered from an injury.

Lin Zhaohe walked up to Jia Cong, put down the food box in his hand, clasped his fists and said, "I, Lin Zhaohe, have been assigned by the Ministry of Personnel to observe the government affairs of the Dushuiqinglisi. I am honored to meet you, Lord Jia."

Jia Cong was the head of a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works. Lin Zhaohe was a Jinshi who observed government affairs and had not yet been assigned an official rank. When he entered the Ministry of Works to observe government affairs, he naturally had to behave with courtesy towards Jia Cong according to official etiquette.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I see. These past few days I have been wondering where Brother Lin would go to observe government affairs. I didn't expect that you would come to the Ministry of Works and meet me again, you and I are of the same year."

As he spoke, he glanced at the food box on the ground and said with a smile, "My family heard the news that I was in the capital, and they were worried about me, so they rushed over to take care of me.

I just recovered a few days ago, so I didn’t miss my visit to observe government affairs. My wife was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get used to the food in the government office after I recovered, so she sent me some food every day.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "My sister-in-law is virtuous, Brother Lin is so lucky."

Lin Zhaohe smiled and said, "When I got married, I was still a poor scholar. We are a family and we can support each other and endure hardships."

Jia Cong asked, "The court will hold an examination for the Hanlin Academy next month. Brother Lin, have you ever thought about your fate?"

Lin Zhaohe was silent for a moment, then said: "The talent of being a Hanlin scholar is a must for scholars of my generation, but I have my own reasons, and after thinking it over, I still don't want to take the exam.

I have been observing government affairs in the Ministry of Industry, and I have learned more about the methods of public administration and practical government. If I can be sent to serve as an official in the future and benefit the people, it will not be in vain for all my years of hard study."

The two chatted casually, went into the Ministry of Works together, and said goodbye to each other.

Jia Cong watched Lin Zhaohe's departing figure, holding the food box in his hand. Although his steps were a little unsteady, he walked steadily, and felt a little emotional in his heart.

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

The scorching heat gradually died down in the afternoon. Just after the afternoon, Lingguan and Douguan held basins of water and watered the flowers and plants that had been exposed to the sun for half a day.

After watering the flowers and plants, they fetched basins of well water and sprinkled them in the yard. They also splashed water on each other and played, the water sparkling and the air filled with laughter.

The bluestone floor of the yard was watered with cold well water, the heat gradually dissipated, and the whole yard seemed much cooler.

When the heat in the yard had gone away, the doors of the rooms under the eaves were pushed open one after another, and beautiful shadows swayed and bursts of laughter were heard.

Zhishao, Yinglian, Qingwen and others, with their hair draped over their heads and basins in their hands, placed small stools in the shade of the eaves.

They fetched cool well water, mixed it with boiling hot water, and playedfully washed their long black hair.

The yard was filled with the sound of flowing water, laughter and ringing bells, and the slightly warm summer breeze blew back and forth. The air was filled with the refreshing scent of rouge mixed with the fragrance of soapberries and plants.

Lingguan untied her hair and helped Douguan wash it before she wet it. Douguan muttered, "Xiaofu, rub it gently, it hurts."

Lingguan laughed and said, "You run around everywhere every day and your head is covered with sweat. How can you wash it clean if you are gentle? Don't complain about the itchy head when the time comes."

Douguan was impatient and wanted to escape, but Lingguan held him by the neck and poured ladles of warm water on his head. He kept mumbling, and everyone laughed when they saw him.

After waiting for a long time for Lingguan to finish dressing up, Douguan wiped his hair with a towel and ran away impatiently.

While washing her hair, Lingguan also reminded him: "Adou, sit in a cool place under the porch. Don't run around. Be careful not to get blown by the wind before your hair is dry."

Douguan responded casually, her petite body just wandered across the corridor, and soon she was out of the courtyard.

She strolled around the garden casually, breaking off a number of fresh willow branches to make a wreath for fun.

It was past the Shen hour and the setting sun began to shine, with red and orange colors everywhere. Douguan saw Jia Cong's figure from afar.

Ah, the Third Master got off work very early today. Douguan scratched his wet hair and felt shy and embarrassed...

Lingguan, Yinglian and Qingwen were wiping their wet hair with cotton cloth, and Zhishao was about to finish washing her hair when they saw Douguan running into the yard.

He said, "You are taking so long and haven't washed your hair yet. The Third Master will come back from work and will have already entered the inner courtyard. If he sees you with your hair dishevelled, it will be really ugly."

As soon as Douguan finished speaking, he ran into the room with disheveled hair, and even remembered to close the door.

After hearing what Douguan said, Qingwen screamed, knocked over the washbasin, and spilled water all over the floor. She hurriedly packed up her things and went into her room.

Before entering the room, she did not forget to shout to the neighboring room: "Douguan, you are just a little girl, but you know how to act nice in front of the Third Master. You are so smart!"

Lingguan and Yinglian also packed up their things with a smile and hid in their rooms.

Although they usually served Jia Cong and were very close to him, the dishevelled appearance of girls was somewhat indecent, so they tried not to let others see it if possible.

Zhishao had just finished rinsing her hair and was wiping it with a cotton cloth. She looked a little amused and said, "Why are you hiding? It's not like you haven't been seen washing your hair by the Third Master before."

She was wrapping her hair with cotton cloth and rubbing it carefully when she felt the light in front of her eyes dim slightly. She quickly pulled off the cotton cloth and saw Jia Cong smiling at her...

(End of this chapter)