Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 68 Turning defeat into victory
Li Chen turned his head with a wry smile, "You kept muttering about it all night yesterday, probably even in your sleep. And you kept muttering it again early this morning, like chanting a sutra, which is not like your usual self at all."

"This time it's different!"

Shi Xiangyun sat up abruptly and said with absolute certainty, "If Jia Baoyu had even a fraction of Lin Daiyu's sense of responsibility, I wouldn't be so heartbroken!"

"Even if he had said a few words of pleading for his sister-in-law in front of the matriarch last night, she could have been spared from being implicated. But he was just a coward!"

Li Chen slowly tied his hair up, sat up and put on his clothes, and said very calmly, "Perhaps he didn't know how to deal with it in his panic..."

Hearing Li Chen defend Jia Baoyu, Shi Xiangyun became even more furious.

"In a panic?"

Shi Xiangyun grabbed the pillow and started gesturing at Li Chen.

"If he had pulled me back like my sister did when the thief stabbed at me, I wouldn't have blamed him even if I had bumped into him. But instead, he pushed me forward?"

"If he acts rashly, I'll die! Sister Lin, can't you see through his true nature?"

As she spoke, Shi Xiangyun jumped off the bed barefoot, took the pillow as Jia Baoyu, threw it on the ground and stomped on it several times.

Li Chen couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to pull her back to the bed. "He was timid, but things are looking up now. He's studying hard and might even pass the county exam. Seeing more of the world might change him."

"He went to high school? Pshaw! Even if my sister went to high school, he can't!"

"I've seen through him; he has absolutely no ability! If my third sister were a boy, she would have done a better job than him!"

At this point, Li Chen couldn't help but nod. "Being incompetent is not a fault; being incompetent without realizing it is. If he weren't like this, he wouldn't have gotten into arguments with others outside, and he certainly wouldn't have caused trouble like last night."

Hearing Li Chen also speak ill of Jia Baoyu, Shi Xiangyun finally calmed down. "Sister is absolutely right. No wonder I heard that the young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion didn't give the old lady any face that day and said a few words to her."

"Looking at it this way, that young master is the good one, and Baoyu is the bad one."

Li Chen nodded repeatedly, quite pleased, thinking to himself that this girl was really perceptive.

"Oh, it's my fault. I'm always too outspoken, siding with my relatives instead of the right ones, and even gossiping about them behind their backs. If I have the chance in the future, I should apologize to them."

Li Chen reached out and affectionately rubbed her furrowed brow, smiling as he said, "It's alright, he definitely won't be angry."

"How did you know, sister? Could it be that you are acquainted with that young master Li?"

Li Chen chuckled awkwardly, "How could someone who is destined for great things bother with a little girl like you?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiangyun agreed, adding, "I really hope he passes the imperial examination and makes it impossible for Baoyu to escape!"

"Sister, do you think he can pass the exam?"

Li Chen's eyes darted around. "Perhaps it's possible."

With that, Li Chen got up and went to his desk to write something.

The message he wanted to leave for Lin Daiyu only went up to the time before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when he had driven Shi Xiangyun away.

I haven't had time to record the major events that happened last night.

Seeing that Shi Xiangyun was also following him down the path, Li Chen knew that he probably wouldn't have the chance to write any more.

"Sister, wait."

Sure enough, Shi Xiangyun then hugged Li Chen from behind, saying, "A few days ago I asked you if you knew martial arts, and you lied and said you didn't. But last night, after seeing your skills, how could you hide it from me?"

Tilting her head, Shi Xiangyun pondered, "Lord Lin is a salt official, in charge of salt soldiers. Could he also be a man of both literary and military talent?"

"So that's why Sister Lin learned martial arts? That's not right. Why was Sister Lin so frail and sickly before?" Li Chen turned around and pinched her chubby cheeks. "I don't know any martial arts. I just couldn't bear to see you get hurt, so I risked my life to go. If I had known that the villain was so fierce, I wouldn't have gone. Otherwise, I would have had a dullard by my side who would be suspicious all the time."

Li Chen tried his best to smooth things over, hoping that Lin Daiyu could continue acting when she was switched back.

……

On the other hand, in Jia Baoyu's room, there was a scene of dejection.

Having survived the ordeal yesterday, Jia Baoyu was truly uneasy all night. The next day, he was supposed to go to Mengpo Studio to study, but Lady Wang, under the pretext of recuperation, sent his teacher back the way he came.

He is still lying in bed.

Xi Ren, She Yue, Qing Wen, and several others surrounded her and took care of her closely.

Even though he was unharmed, he is now in a daze and hasn't eaten or drunk anything.

As a result, the maids in the room had another big fight.

Qingwen blamed Xiren for not taking good care of Baoyu while she was out, but Mushe retorted that Qingwen had no right to criticize Xiren.

Qingwen was the most isolated one in the room, and naturally, she was outnumbered.

He could only coldly retort, "Stop pretending! You're all Baoyu's confidants, so you'd better figure out how to take care of him!"

Then, she threw down the curtain and went out the door.

Believe it or not, Xiren really does have a way.

She followed him closely yesterday, seeing everything clearly, and knew Baoyu's temperament best.

He was sulking alone today, the problem stemming from the change in his sisters' attitude towards him.

After dismissing everyone and leaving the house, Xiren pressed herself against Jia Baoyu's back and began to speak her heart.

“Master, I know what’s bothering you. In my opinion, you don’t need to worry too much. I’ve served Yun’er for several years, and she’s the most easygoing person.”

"That's a small matter; she'll forget about it soon enough. Besides, she's someone who cares about economics."

"Now, my lord, your most important task is to focus on preparing for the exam. Once you pass the county exam, the girls will only praise you and say that you are capable."

"At that time, not only will the sisters look at us with new eyes and forget about yesterday, but we can also vent our anger over the feud with the young master of Zhenyuan Marquis. Don't you remember that you said you would save Xiangling last night?"

Baoyu sat up abruptly, muttering to himself.

"Sister Xiangling..."

Imagining Xiangling being tormented by that纨绔 (spoiled brat) in the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, Jia Baoyu felt waves of pain in his chest.

They couldn't wait to go to his residence and demand the person back.

But then he suddenly remembered that the one who had knocked the thief away last night was none other than the Marquis of Zhenyuan himself. He shuddered and fell back onto the bed.

“It is really impolite to come to their door to ask for it. I... I would like to think of another way.”

Seeing that he was on the right track and willing to talk, Xiren blew on a mouthful of porridge and fed it to him, then offered a suggestion: "Master, you've made great progress in your studies and your teacher has praised you, saying you have a chance of passing the imperial examination. That person doesn't have your abilities and is unlikely to pass. Using this as a bet to get Xiangling back isn't a legitimate reason, is it?"

Jia Baoyu's eyes lit up, and he turned over to grasp Xiren's hand, praising, "Sister is right! You truly live up to my reputation as the female strategist of the household. I should study hard!"

Jia Baoyu's eyes finally lit up, and he ate several more mouthfuls of porridge. "Bring me my book!"

(End of this chapter)