Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 5 Bathing
“Girl, we really made a name for ourselves today. Just now I told the kitchen to have the cook prepare a few more meat dishes, and that Sister Liu didn’t dare to say a word against it. As usual, she would have said, ‘For things that have been paid for, you need to ask Second Madam Lian first.’”

Xueyan skipped and hopped into the door, hands on her hips, and vividly imitated the way Sister Liu spoke, making Li Chen laugh.

Although she was indignant, Xueyan looked very happy, as if she was also proud of what had happened at Rongqing Hall.

Zijuan, who was standing next to Li Chen serving tea and water, looked troubled and hesitated several times before speaking.

Li Chen smiled and waved.

"Hmm? Is there anything else you need, young lady?" Xueyan stepped forward in confusion, and then Li Chen cupped her cheeks, kneading and squeezing her chubby face until it looked as cute as a doll.

Seeing Xueyan's adorable appearance, Li Chen couldn't resist the urge to ravage her.

While massaging you, Li Chen didn't forget to explain, "You can't get too cocky. If you do, people will be jealous and might try to trip you up in the dark. We believe in 'I won't offend others unless they offend me, and if they do, I'll repay them a hundredfold!'"

"Okay, I understand."

Tortured by Li Chen, Xueyan could no longer speak a complete sentence, but she still grinned foolishly.

My daughter's temperament is a bit strange today, and her palms are warmer than before.

But being respected by others and being approachable to them made Xueyan feel very comfortable, a hundred times better than the girl who sat under the moonlit window every day, either gazing longingly or shedding tears.

"Young lady, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should..."

The two, master and servant, were playing and joking around when Zijuan opened her mouth, which was inappropriate for the occasion, but in the end she couldn't help but speak up.

Li Chen released Xueyan from his grasp. She lost her balance and fell into Li Chen's arms, soft and squishy, ​​and exuding a fragrant scent.

Not captivated by the enchanting scenery, the two turned to look at Zijuan.

"I can tell you've been holding it in for a long time. If you don't speak up, you'll probably lose your appetite and sleep. So tell me, it's nothing more than something you shouldn't have done and completely offended the Second Madam."

Zijuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked in confusion, "Miss, you know all this?"

Li Chen knew more than just that; he had calculated that he was deliberately going to extremes because he had offended the Queen Mother.

After all, he didn't want to repeat the old vows of love between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu. Grandmother Jia was now his support, but she supported Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu's marriage.

The biggest opponent was Lady Wang. Li Chen completely offended Lady Wang so that she would do her best to prevent Jia Baoyu from getting close to her, so that Li Chen could have some peace and quiet.

The goal of distancing oneself from Jia Baoyu would then be more easily achieved.

It was clear that the scene that just happened outside Rongqing Hall had already achieved some success.

"However, Madam Wang supports the marriage of Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai. I think that simpleton Jia Baoyu is not good enough for Xue Baochai. I have to find a way to ruin this marriage. We've all been through Dream of the Red Chamber, so I can save as many people as I can."

Now that Li Chen's position in the Rongguo Mansion is secure, besides enjoying himself, there are always some fun things to do.

"Alright, I know you mean well, but you don't need to take this to heart. I'm just staying at the Rongguo Mansion temporarily, and I'll be moving out eventually. At that time, a superficial relationship with my second aunt will be enough."

Li Chen didn't make things too absolute, lest the clever little girl Zijuan become suspicious.

Right now, Zijuan's mind was in complete chaos. "Move out? Doesn't Miss like Master Bao? Huh?"

"What else do we need to do before lunch? Do we need to take our medicine?"

Upon hearing this, Zijuan quickly came to her senses. "Miss, you just went out and caught a chill. You should wipe yourself clean."

"Bath?"

Li Chen pursed his lips and touched his delicate arm. Suddenly... he didn't seem to have any evil thoughts; he was mostly just curious.

Zijuan shook her head. "Miss, you just took a bath yesterday. The weather is getting colder now, and taking too many baths can easily lead to catching a cold. I'll help you wipe yourself down."

"Then, thank you for your help, Sister Zijuan."

I felt a little regretful, but having sat upright in the hall the whole time, my body was now quite tired.

Li Chen took off his clothes, lay on the couch, and began to enjoy the excellent service from the maids.

Every inch of his skin was carefully cleansed, especially his sensitive skin, which gave Li Chen an infinitely comfortable feeling. Gradually, Li Chen grew to like his new identity more and more.

……

"Given Lin Daiyu's temperament, how could she possibly take things to the old lady? She's not one to cause trouble."

"Who says otherwise? I didn't expect Lin girl to be so formidable. She didn't even give Madam any face. It wasn't until she was sent to the estate that the matter was settled."

The Pear Fragrance Courtyard in the northeast corner of Rongguo Mansion
The Xue mother and daughter sat side by side on the edge of the bed, reviewing and discussing what had happened in the hall.

No matter how Aunt Xue described it, Xue Baochai remained very suspicious.

"I meant well, but Zhou Rui's wife brought this up, which made me lose favor with the old lady and the madam."

Aunt Xue sighed. After all, she was staying at the Rongguo Mansion and had tried her best to smooth things over with Grandmother Jia. She often went there to sit and smile, but today she had lost most of her goodwill.

"Otherwise, after a few days when things have calmed down, I'll invite Lin to have a meal in the courtyard. Then you sisters can chat and get closer. The old lady values ​​Lin too much. Now that she's been wronged, even Baoyu is sidelined. If you want to rebuild your relationship, I'm afraid the only way is to start with this small thing."

Xue Baochai nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's do it that way." Aunt Xue rolled up her clothes and got up, saying, "I'll send someone to inquire about Lin's tastes. You should rest and recuperate; you need to rest your mind while you have a fever."

Xue Baochai agreed, saw her mother out of her room, and then returned to the table to sit down, leaning on her chair to think.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, Lin Daiyu should not have offended Lady Wang so badly, and it was not worth it for her to do so.

The Lin Daiyu described by her mother was so unfamiliar, it was as if she were a completely different person, which puzzled Xue Baochai.

"Lin Daiyu is always meticulous in her work, thinking things through before acting. Even if she's dissatisfied, she won't make a big fuss. In particular, she dislikes the hassle of social obligations, and apart from her close relatives doing things for her, she prefers to do everything herself..."

……

The main house of the east courtyard of the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence.

Lin Daiyu slowly woke up and sat up from the bed.

Looking around, the room was still rather empty, not the Rongguo Mansion she was familiar with. Lin Daiyu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Sure enough, this was not a dream.

I have truly become a man.

Over the past few days, she has thoroughly tidied up the house.

The old clothes scattered all over the floor were sorted and handed over to the maids in the mansion to be washed. The messy bookshelves and desks were also arranged neatly by her.

While going through the old items, she also discovered the original owner's handwriting.

No wonder she could anger her husband so much that he left; her handwriting is crooked and messy, as if she were ill.

However, Lin Daiyu unexpectedly discovered a stack of papers written in charcoal. The handwriting was surprisingly neat, but it mostly used simplified characters, so she had to decipher them a little.

As for the content, it made Lin Daiyu blush.

The opening chapters feature 108 villains, which Lin Daiyu initially thought was a storytelling performance. However, after reading a few more chapters, she found that the story increasingly included depictions of erotic scenes.

The play had no ending, only the twenty-odd chapters in her hands. Lin Daiyu suddenly realized that the play might have been written by the original owner, incorporating some stories that Lin Daiyu was familiar with, and it did have a bit of originality.

Moreover, it seems that he wants to sell it to a bookstore for printing in exchange for some writing fees.

But Lin Daiyu still brought a charcoal brazier and burned them all.

The conditions at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence were indeed poor. The title of marquis had been passed down for three generations, and there was no title to inherit in the fourth generation. This was the main reason why the Zhenyuan Marquis could not tolerate the original owner of the body eating for free at home.

But after all, his ancestors were once illustrious. Even if his title was reduced, he would still be respectfully addressed as the young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion when he went out. How could he earn money by writing such a lowly profession as "fiction and unofficial history"?

In particular, the imperial examination system was required to enter officialdom, which would easily leave a stain on one's reputation among the literati.

Moreover, it contained phrases like "officials force the people to rebel" and "acting on behalf of Heaven," which were certainly satisfying to read, but if a scheming official heard about it and reported it, at the very least he would be accused of "associating with bandits and harboring resentment."

After looking at the erotic scenes again, Lin Daiyu disgustedly threw each picture into the brazier.

He then wrote a few calming mantras on his desk, which are now neatly hanging on the wall.

After gathering her thoughts, Lin Daiyu put on her worn-out, coarse cotton undershirt.

In the past, she would never have dared to imagine how uncomfortable such rough clothing would be to wear. But when she actually wore them, she didn't feel any discomfort, and now she's gotten used to it.

I'm not quite used to having to use the toilet every morning.

Grinding ink and laying out paper, Lin Daiyu left some words on the spot, recording her strange experiences.

"After changing my body for ten days, I retrieved several books from the study of the Marquis of Zhenyuan and learned that this world still belongs to the Yin family of Dajing. However, the political situation is subtle, so I dared not inquire further, lest I arouse suspicion. I originally intended to leave the mansion to inquire about the Rongguo Mansion and news of my father, but the autumn wind was fierce, and I was physically and mentally exhausted."

"My heartfelt feelings have no outlet, and my sorrow only deepens. If the Rongguo Mansion were still here, I wonder how my brothers and sisters would view my current state? Would they be willing to speak with me? We speak of our souls being in harmony; I wonder if that can truly transcend the physical body?"

Lin Daiyu held her cheek.

His eyes were glazed over as he stared at the palm-sized bronze mirror on the table.

The body's appearance was not bad either. For a man, the features were sharp and distinct, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. Perhaps because he had been possessed, he also had a scholarly air about him and a graceful demeanor.

The perceptive Lin Daiyu also noticed that the way the maids in the mansion looked at her had changed a lot lately.

"Second Young Master, are you practicing calligraphy again this morning? Come and have your meal. Everything is as you instructed: rice porridge and refreshing side dishes. Madam asked if it's too bland; she suggested the kitchen prepare some more dishes."

Lin Daiyu politely accepted the bowl and chopsticks, shook her head, and, mimicking a man's tone, said firmly, "No need. Eating too much in the morning is not good for studying."

Upon hearing this, the maid's eyes seemed to sparkle again, glancing at Lin Daiyu.

"Oh, right. Second Young Master, there's one more thing. Madam said that the new tutor we've hired will be arriving at the manor tomorrow. He's a government-subsidized student, so we'll probably have to test his academic skills. Please prepare in advance."

Lin Daiyu chewed slowly and replied softly, "Yes, I understand."

(End of this chapter)