Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Baoyu thought that his sisters had changed their personalities and were staying in Rongqing Hall for such a long time. He really didn't want to miss this opportunity to have a close conversation with them.

What’s more important is that after hearing what Mrs. Zhang said just now, he felt something was wrong.

It is really inappropriate for Jia Cong to be so intimate with Lin Daiyu.

How could he live in the East Courtyard peacefully? What would he do if Lin Daiyu suffered any harm or injustice?

But Mrs. Wang's words were obviously more threatening and intimidating, which immediately dampened Baoyu's momentum.

His lifelong wish is to be a pure and outstanding person in front of girls, to win their favor and admiration, and to win their tears of pity.
But if he could do so, his life's work would be complete, and even if he died he could be buried with their tears, thus living up to the dignity of being born with a jade in his mouth.

If I let them know the truth, I will find out that I am not a decent man. How can I have the face to get close to them and talk to them? I would rather die.

Baoyu said unwillingly, "Madam, what you said makes sense. I should recover from my illness first, and then go to honor the old lady. This is the proper way."

Mrs. Wang was relieved to see that her son had finally come to her senses. She consoled him and told him to go home, take medicine and rest.

Baoyu left Mrs. Wang's room in low spirits, feeling sad and resentful again.

He recited to himself: The Nanhua Sutra says that the clever ones work hard and the wise ones worry, while the incompetent ones have nothing to ask for.

I am such an outstanding person, standing out in the forest, and the heaven and earth are disgusted with me, so they will always send me sufferings and trials. I can't help but feel sad and depressed, which makes me feel very emotional...

……

Mrs. Wang comforted Baoyu and felt somewhat relieved, but not long after, Caiyun entered the room.

He said, "Madam, the medicine that Aunt Chen gave to Second Master last time has been boiled for the last dose today.

Doctor Hu came for a follow-up visit last night and changed a few ingredients in the prescription. Aunt Chen went to the pharmacy early in the morning to get new medicine.

All other medicinal materials were obtained, except for the wild ginseng used as the main ingredient, which needed to be thirty years old and was a rare item even in the pharmacy.

Aunt Chen went to all the major pharmacies in Beijing, but couldn't find any suitable medicine in stock.

I asked several herbal medicine shop owners, and they all said that they were out of stock at the moment, and it would take seven or eight days, or even half a month, for high-grade mountain ginseng to arrive.”

Mrs. Wang said anxiously, "How can this be possible? Doctors prescribe medicines that are effective. It would be unacceptable if Baoyu's treatment was delayed for ten days or half a month."

Caiyun continued, "Madam, don't worry. I thought that the West Palace would always store some good ginseng, mostly for the old lady to maintain her health.

I just went to the West Mansion, and under the pretext of Xiren's injury, I wanted to ask for a good ginseng for the Second Master.

But Ping'er said that there was some good ginseng stored in the palace, but the old lady used some of it a few days ago, and the second wife used the rest when she gave birth, so there was nothing left now.

She also plans to ask the second young lady from the East Mansion for some to nourish the second lady after giving birth."

Mrs. Wang was slightly startled when she heard this and said, "They want to ask the second girl for ginseng?"

Caiyun said, "Madam, how could you forget that the Third Master has a very good farm in Liaodong. Every New Year, the farm sends the harvest, and the most abundant thing is the best mountain ginseng.

Last time when my wife celebrated her birthday, the third master gave her wild ginseng as a gift. I heard that it is a good old stuff. I stewed it for my master and his wife to nourish their bodies. "

Mrs. Wang said, "I had forgotten about this. The ginseng he sent last time was indeed very good.

But Baoyu's matter cannot be made public. If I ask the East Palace for the ginseng, will they become suspicious and let the news leak out? "

……

Mrs. Wang felt that asking for wild ginseng from the East Palace would not only worry about revealing Baoyu's illness.

She felt that she was the elder, and it was disgraceful for her, Jia Cong and Yingchun to ask for ginseng. It was reasonable for them to show filial piety to her.

Caiyun said, "Madam, this is not difficult to do. We can do it without anyone noticing it. Just let Sheyue do the talking."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she felt strange and asked, "What does this have to do with Musk Moon?"

Caiyun said: "Madam doesn't know what's going on. Xiaohong, who used to be in the second master's room, has become the third master's maid.

She is now highly valued by the Third Master and is the maid in charge of Rong Xi Tang. She has a say in the East Palace."

When Mrs. Wang heard Xiaohong's name, she couldn't help feeling disgusted. Xiaohong's incident was quite embarrassing for her.

A third-class maid in Baoyu's room was driven out by herself.

However, she was picked up by Jia Cong and promoted to be one of the most important maids in the West Mansion, which was obviously meant to embarrass her.

Mrs. Wang was secretly angry and resentful for a long time because of this incident, but there was nothing she could do.

She usually hated to hear Xiaohong's name, but Caiyun kept bringing up things that were irrelevant.

But she knew that Caiyun was trying to help Baoyu think of a solution, so she listened patiently.

Caiyun continued, "Madam, you don't know. When Xiaohong was in the Second Master's courtyard, she and Sheyue were close friends. They still keep in touch and talk with each other now."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang felt even more unhappy. Musk Moon was Baoyu's maid. She knew that Xiaohong was driven away by her, and now she was Jia Cong's maid.

This brainless guy is still dating Xiaohong. Whatever happens in my Baoyu's room, the East Palace will know it clearly...

……

Caiyun said it unintentionally, but she had no idea what Mrs. Wang was thinking. She never expected that she would still be jealous of a little girl like Xiaohong.

She went on to say, “Just let Sheyue go and ask Xiaohong to speak up and tell her that Xiren has internal injuries and needs the best mountain ginseng to heal her.

As long as Xiaohong goes to the East Palace to ask for it, the Third Master and the Second Miss will definitely give it to her, and the matter will be settled without delaying the Second Master's treatment.

After we have dealt with this wave of emergencies, the pharmacies outside will have new stock in a few days, and we can just go outside to buy them, and no one else will care. "

Mrs. Wang thought carefully about Caiyun's words and felt that there was some truth in them. If she continued to use ginseng from the East Palace, it would definitely arouse suspicion.

Mrs. Wang looked down on Xiaohong, thinking that she was a slave who betrayed her master for fame and fortune. She didn't expect that she would now take advantage of her.

But she had to admit that what Caiyun said was indeed an appropriate method. Since Baoyu's hidden illness would not delay treatment, she could only make do with it for now.

Madam Wang said, "It's hard for you to think so carefully. Let's do it this way. You go to the West Mansion now to take care of it.

This time Baoyu's illness will be cured. I will definitely remember your kindness, and you will never be treated unfairly in Baoyu's room in the future.

But Musk Moon is not as good as you and Xiren. You must not let her know the truth, lest the news leaks out and cause unnecessary trouble.

I will have someone go out and buy some ordinary ginseng, and when Sheyue gets the best ones, you can replace them secretly to avoid her suspicion."

Although Caiyun had no intention of competing for favor, she thought that both she and Xiren would be concubines in the future and there was nothing to fight for.

However, Mrs. Wang's words still made Caiyun feel more confident. She knew that with the support of the lady, it would be good not to suffer any loss in the future.

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

At sunset, the sky was filled with sunset glow, casting a gorgeous golden and red halo on the backyard garden of the East Mansion.

Jia Cong returned home from the firearms workshop, went back to his own courtyard, washed his face and changed his clothes, and wanted to go for a walk in Daiyu's courtyard.

I had just walked halfway when I saw a person walking towards me. She had a pretty face and a slim figure.

She wore a light pink silk jacket, a red satin vest with dark patterns on the outside, and an ivory white pleated skirt.

As she walked briskly, the hem of her skirt fluttered slightly, and she looked nimble and agile. It was the maid Xiaohong.

Xiaohong takes care of Rongxitang in the West Mansion every day, and Jia Cong rarely sees her in the East Mansion.

But when Xiaohong saw Jia Cong, a look of surprise appeared on her face, and she walked quickly towards Jia Cong.

He smiled and saluted Jia Cong, saying, "Third Master has passed the imperial examination and has been attending the morning court every day. He has come to the West Palace less often, and I haven't seen him for a long time.

I have something to trouble you with today, Third Master. I don't know when you will leave the government office, so it may not be convenient for you to meet me.

I was just about to go talk to the eldest lady, but I didn't expect to run into the third master."

Jia Cong has always admired Xiaohong for her cleverness and quickness, her ability to adapt to circumstances, and her ability to be a smart person among the maids.

He smiled and said, "That sounds new. I usually order you around, and I've never heard that you need to trouble me for anything."

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "It's not my fault, it's something that happened to Sister Xiren in Master Bao's room."

After hearing this, Jia Cong was slightly stunned and wondered why it was related to Xiren again.

Xiao Hong said: “It was raining a few days ago, and Sister Xiren slipped and fell, and accidentally hurt herself.

The doctor said that the injury was serious and that he needed to take some old wild ginseng to replenish his body, otherwise he would be prone to developing hidden diseases in the future.

Jia Cong asked casually, "Xiren just fell down, why did it become so scary and leave a hidden disease?"

Xiao Hong's pretty face turned slightly red, and she walked closer to Jia Cong and whispered, "She Yue told me this, if it gets out, Sister Xiren will be embarrassed.

It is said that when he fell, the umbrella hit his chest and abdomen and he could not even walk. It was Master Bao who helped him back.

The doctor examined her and said that she had suffered injuries to vital parts, damage to her internal organs, kidney deficiency and blood deficiency, internal blood stasis, and she had vomited blood twice.

If you don't maintain it properly, it will be difficult to have children.

Today, the Second Madam invited a doctor for Sister Xiren, saying that she wanted to use wild ginseng of good age to replenish her body’s deficiency, but now there is nowhere to buy it outside. Musk Moon came to me for help, after all, we have been together for many years, so I will help her if I can…”

Xiaohong and Sheyue have always been good friends, and Xiren also treated her well. When she heard that Xiaohong was seriously injured, she felt a little soft-hearted and wanted to help her out of loyalty.

Otherwise, she was still a virgin and would not have been so shameful as to talk about offspring in front of Jia Cong.

……

After hearing what Xiaohong said, Jia Cong couldn't help but feel suspicious.

It was just a flesh injury caused by the fall and the umbrella, but how could it turn into an infection in the internal organs that even prevented the woman from getting pregnant?

This doesn't look like an accidental fall, but rather like a heavy blow from an external object, resulting in a strain injury.

Jia Cong suddenly asked, "Xiaohong, you said Xiren fell and was with Baoyu, or was he the one who helped Xiren back?"

Xiao Hong was puzzled by Jia Cong's strange question and said, "Mushu Yue said that Master Bao went to visit Second Madam that day, and then it rained heavily outside.

Xiren was worried that Master Bao would get caught in the rain when he returned, so she went out to bring him an umbrella, and it was on the way that he fell down.

After hearing these words, Jia Cong had a vague idea in his mind.

It turned out that it was raining too. Baoyu was just feeling annoyed and got caught in the rain, so he did something cruel and dirty.

Jia Cong sneered in his heart. If his guess was correct, Xiren was not injured by the fall, but was probably kicked. Otherwise, how could she have been left with a hidden disease.

It seems that the incident was unavoidable and it is still happening along the original trajectory, but with some minor differences.

Jia Cong said: "If a girl is left with such an injury, it will harm her for the rest of her life.

Go to the young lady and ask for a thirty-year-old wild ginseng, and tell her it was me who said it. "

Xiao Hong was delighted to hear this, and she said swiftly, "The Third Master is so kind and merciful that he is willing to use the precious ginseng even for the maids.

May you be blessed for the rest of your life, live a long life, hold a high position and receive a great salary, and become a nobleman for generations..."

Jia Cong laughed and scolded: "This is something that is worthy of your flattery. I just think that a wild ginseng can save a life, which is a very cost-effective thing."

……

Earl's Mansion, Daiyu Courtyard.

As soon as Jia Cong entered the courtyard, he saw bamboo groves in the front yard. The evening breeze blew gently, and the branches and leaves swayed in the wind, making rustling sounds.

The sound was not noisy at all, but revealed a leisurely and harmonious charm, which made the comfort and tranquility of the courtyard even more outstanding and pleasant.

At this time in the past, when Jia Cong came to Daiyu's courtyard and walked around, he would often hear the sound of her playing the piano.

Sometimes he didn't even want to go in and disturb them, but would stand outside the door and listen quietly, contentedly, until the strings stopped playing in the house.

Today the house was silent. He walked to the door of the main house and saw Xueyan coming out with two maids, carrying a few wooden barrels.

Behind the opened door curtain, a warm and fragrant breath wafted out, making people feel soft and intoxicated involuntarily.

Xueyan saw Jia Cong and said with a smile, "Third Master is here. The girl is inside. Please wait for a moment, Third Master."

After hearing this, Jia Cong put down his hand that was reaching for the door curtain and just waited for a while.

Daiyu's voice came from inside, as sweet as silver bells and jade chimes: "Is Third Brother outside? Please come in and sit down. Zijuan will make tea for Third Brother."

Jia Cong then lifted the door curtain and saw Daiyu sitting beside the bed, fiddling with the Rubik's Cube that Jia Cong had given her.

She wore a moon-white printed cross-collar jacket and a moon-white printed long skirt, which was flowing and light, exuding an attractive leisurely beauty.

Her long hair was tied into two long braids, hanging loosely behind her head, and her hair was still wet.

Her cheeks were flushed with an alluring blush, like white jade with a emerald glow.

The windows were wide open, and the evening breeze flowed into the room continuously.

But the warm and intoxicating fragrance of his daughter in the room could not dissipate for a while. Jia Cong could not help but breathe gently, feeling somewhat refreshed.

……

Just now he saw Xueyan and her men coming out with a wooden barrel, and asking him to wait at the door. He knew that he had come at the right time, as he met Daiyu bathing.

Her hair was not completely dry yet. If he hadn't come over, she would have left it there to dry without even braiding it.

Daiyu's beautiful eyes were full of charm and her gaze moved around. She seemed to notice Jia Cong's breathing and her pretty face turned red involuntarily.

She said softly, "Third brother left the government office early today. The sun has just set and it's not even dark yet."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "All the matters concerning the official business of the workshop outside the city have been taken care of. Now we just need to follow the procedures and there is no need to stay there day and night.

Of course, when it is time to get off work, I will come back early so that my sister can take the medicine on time today. Don't forget to take it.

Yesterday, Doctor Zhang sent someone to bring me some newly made pills, which will be enough for my sister to use until the end of the year. If she continues to take them for another year, the root cause of her illness will be completely gone."

Daiyu laughed and said, "Third brother is so nagging. He asks me the same question every day. Even if I am really careless, I am afraid of your questions and will never miss a dose."

Then he asked, "I heard from my third brother that Divine Doctor Zhang has not been in the capital for half a year. Who did you ask to bring this pill?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "The one who sent the medicine is a merchant from Jinling, who travels between Jinling and Shenjing for business. He was asked by Mr. Zhang to bring it here."

……

Jia Cong asked again: "Sister, you had two meals today. What delicious food did you eat?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "Today, we had dinner at the old lady's house. Besides us sisters, there were also my aunt and Baojie.

The old lady was happy to see so many people coming, so she set up a large table and asked the West Mansion's kitchen to serve many dishes.

The staple food was red glutinous rice, served with steamed duck with fermented rice wine, ham and fresh bamboo shoot soup, smoked carp with eight treasures, and various hot teas and cold dishes.

There were also two plates of tofu skin buns, which were very delicious.

The steamed lamb with milk that the old lady ate did smell delicious, but it was for elderly people and we didn't dare touch it.

It's a pity that Third Brother is not here, otherwise we would have enjoyed the meal even more. Third Brother is eating at the government office, so I think it's not very tasty, but it's just to fill our stomachs."

Daiyu seemed to regret that Jia Cong was not with her. She spoke eloquently and vividly, making him feel as if he was personally there.

……

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I have heard Xiangyun nagging that my sister usually doesn't stay for long when she pays respects to the old lady, and is always busy returning to the East Palace.

Why are you so comfortable staying in Rongqing Hall today, staying with the old lady until lunch before returning?"

At this time, Zijuan brought in some new tea and said, "The young lady just wanted to have some peace and quiet, so she stayed in Rongqing Hall for a long time.

Because Master Bao has moved to the East Courtyard these days, he doesn’t make as much noise as before.”

Daiyu's thoughts were exposed by Zijuan, and she curled her lips slightly and said, "You are the only one who likes to talk too much. During the day, my third brother is not at home, and there is no one to talk to.

Of course I went with my sisters. It was rare that everyone was in such a good mood, so they all stayed behind, and I didn’t want to come back alone.”

After hearing this, Jia Cong felt a little strange. Just now, Xiaohong came to see Jia Cong and only said that Xiren was injured, but did not mention that Baoyu moved to the east courtyard.

Said: "Xiaohong came to say that Xiren was injured and is now recuperating in the West Mansion. This is really strange.

Xiren was Baoyu's maid and they were always inseparable. Why did Baoyu go to the East Courtyard and leave Xiren alone in the West Courtyard?

I heard that Xiren was seriously injured, and the doctor said that she should use good ginseng to strengthen her body, so Xiaohong just helped her get some wild ginseng of good quality."

Daiyu also looked puzzled after hearing this and said, "Now that Third Brother says that, things are indeed a little strange.

Xiren has been injured for five or six days. I heard from Xiangyun that she has not recovered yet, which shows that the injury is serious.

Since you are going to use good wild ginseng, you should have used it long ago. Why did you wait so long before saying it?

It's no small matter that my daughter is injured, how could I be so careless and delay it?"

Jia Cong and Daiyu were both meticulous people, and when they talked about this matter casually, they both found it a little unusual.

However, no matter how strange the matter was, it was the second house's business and had nothing to do with them, so they soon stopped paying attention to it.

……

The two of them were talking and laughing quietly, their minds in harmony and understanding, and before they knew it the sky outside the window had darkened and the evening breeze was growing cooler.

The two of them had nothing to do, so they took turns playing with the Rubik's Cube in their hands, whispering to each other and becoming more and more intimate.

Jia Cong saw that Daiyu's loosely tied hair had gradually dried and was fluttering slightly in the evening breeze, making her look even more graceful and lovely.

The black hair on her temples sometimes brushed against his face, making him feel itchy and he wanted to grab it but couldn't.

Jia Cong's heart beat a little, and the corner of his eyes was attracted by the fragrant black hair, and he had the urge to stroke it with his hand.

Zijuan came in to refill the teacup with water and saw the Third Master and the girl sitting side by side on the bed, talking and laughing happily, looking very intimate.

Her face turned slightly red. She lifted the bead curtain halfway and then gently put it down again, as if she was afraid of making any noise. She turned around and left the room... (End of this chapter)