Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

Li Wan originally came to return the items she had borrowed from Wang Xifeng, and also to ask her to go to another courtyard to watch a play.

But who would have thought that he would get caught up in the excitement right here?

She recognized Jia Yun's slightly oversized robe at a glance from afar; it was clearly Jia Lian's old style! The style and fabric were the same ones that she and her sisters-in-law had chosen together back then!

When Li Wan noticed that Jia Yun's hair was still damp at the ends and that he had slipped out from behind Feng Jie's courtyard in a flustered manner... she was immediately shocked, covering her mouth as a storm of emotions raged within her: "What... what's going on? How did Yun-ge'er come out of Feng's courtyard? And he's wearing Lian Er's clothes?! Could it be..."

No wonder they were so close! So that's what their relationship was all about! I was wondering why!

Meanwhile, Wang Xifeng was lost in thought in the other room.

Although she had changed into her everyday clothes early on, the blush on her face lingered for a long time. Touching her still slightly hot cheeks, she felt both fear and shame as she recalled the absurd scene in the bathtub.

But what can we do?

In the end, Sister Feng could only grit her teeth and mutter resentfully, "You lecherous scoundrel!"

It's unclear whether she was scolding Jia Yun, or annoyed at her own momentary loss of composure, or... that inexplicable itch that had been stirred within her.

Jia Yun, on the contrary, seemed to have encountered a ghost, and he scurried back to his own small courtyard in the west corridor with a restless mind and barely touching the ground.

Once inside, he immediately bolted the door shut.

Jia Yun hurriedly took off the old robe that belonged to Jia Lian, as if it still carried the warm, sweet fragrance of Feng Jie's courtyard. Then he quickly changed back into his own ordinary blue cloth robe, but his mind was in turmoil, completely confused and unable to calm down.

The breathtakingly white body amidst the misty steam, the full curves faintly visible beneath the rippling water, the languid yet furious phoenix eyes, and... finally, the soft, smooth, jade-like feet, glistening with water droplets, pressing against my face...

Scene after scene, place after place, were imprinted in the depths of his mind with the finest detail, like the most exquisite erotic paintings, and could not be forgotten.

Jia Yun knew that such thoughts were extremely wrong, blasphemous, disrespectful to his elders, and something a person who had studied the classics should never have.

Jia Yun shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the erotic images. But the more he suppressed them, the clearer they became, and he could even recall the subtle sensations of being enveloped in the warm pool water.

This caused his mouth to become dry and his body to inexplicably heat up.

"Damn it!" Jia Yun cursed himself under his breath.

He felt both frustrated and a strange, inexplicable excitement. Jia Yun forced himself to calm down; his immediate priority was to get rid of this "evidence."

He then carefully folded Jia Lian's old clothes and stuffed them into the bottom of his old wooden box where he kept miscellaneous items, then covered them up with several old winter clothes.

After doing all this, Jia Yun sat back down at the old desk by the window.

But when he tried to pick up the book to read, he found that he couldn't concentrate on a single word.

Before my eyes, still swaying, was that wet, white, plump, and extremely greasy snow-white body under the dim candlelight.

Just as he was becoming distracted and unable to control himself, a soft knocking sound came from outside the window.

Jia Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he asked warily, "Who?"

"Yun-ge'er, it's me, Feng'er." A low voice came from outside, from beside Wang Xifeng's maid. "Second Mistress asked me to deliver a message to you."

Jia Yun opened the window a crack.

Feng'er handed in a folded piece of stationery and whispered, "Grandma instructed that you can read it yourself."

After saying that, she left quickly and silently, just as she had come.

Jia Yun closed the window, returned to his chair, and unfolded the stationery. The handwriting was delicate and elegant, clearly written by Ping'er or another literate maid. The content was concise and clear, delivered in a businesslike tone:

"The old lady's instructions have been finalized. A side room called Qingzhu Pavilion has been set aside in the northeast corner of the outer residence and has been cleaned. Starting tomorrow, the young ladies will go there every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM) for you to teach them calligraphy and poetry for one hour. You must do your best and make no mistakes. All the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones used will be provided by the public funds."

Jia Yun then brought the letter close to the stove, watching it curl up, turn black, and finally turn into a small pile of ashes.

"Qingzhu Pavilion..." Jia Yun murmured to himself; he knew that place.

Indeed, the relatively independent outer courtyard area was a clever arrangement, allowing him easy access without venturing too far into the inner quarters. The one-hour allotted time each day was also perfectly timed.

Jia Yun knew that from tomorrow onward, every day when he stepped into that courtyard and faced that nominal "aunt," he would no longer be as at ease as before.

The next morning, as soon as it was light, Jia Yun got up.

He specially changed into a slightly worn blue silk robe, which was neither impolite nor too ostentatious.

He felt a little uneasy as he thought about facing the several well-known beauties from the book, especially Lin Daiyu, whom he had once suspected was from the same hometown.

At exactly 7:00 AM, Jia Yun arrived at Qingzhu Pavilion in the northeast corner of the outer residence.

The room had been cleaned and tidyed up, set up as a simple study. Several pear wood desks were neatly arranged, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and a faint fragrance of lilies had been specially burned.

When he arrived, there were already four girls there.

Xue Baochai stood up first and gracefully gave him a half-bow: "Greetings, young master."

Jia Yun hurriedly returned the greeting, his gaze inadvertently falling on Baochai, and he couldn't help but secretly admire her.

She wore a honey-colored cotton-padded jacket, a rose-purple two-tone gold and silver fur-trimmed vest, and a pale yellow silk cotton skirt, all of which were neither new nor old, and did not appear luxurious. Her lips were red without lipstick, her eyebrows were green without makeup, her face was like a silver basin, and her eyes were like water apricots. Indeed, as described in the original work, she possessed the qualities of "surpassing all beauties," dignified and beautiful, with an air of elegance.

This really caught Jia Yun's eye.

She's truly a beauty!

Then Tan Chun, Xi Chun, and Ying Chun also paid their respects in turn.

Tan Chun wore a red silk jacket and a blue satin vest with embroidered lace, her shrewdness evident in her eyes, and she looked at Jia Yun with a mixture of scrutiny and curiosity. Xi Chun, still young, was dressed simply, but her expression held a detached indifference. Ying Chun, on the other hand, kept her head down, her oval face slightly flushed, appearing somewhat shy and bashful.

Jia Yun composed himself and said with a smile, "Ladies, there's no need for such formalities. Today, let's set aside seniority and focus solely on our studies."

He then took out several items carefully wrapped in oiled paper from the cloth bag he had brought with him: "For our first meeting, I have prepared some trinkets. I hope the ladies will not find them offensive."

Jia Yun distributed the soap to the four people one by one, explaining, "This product is called 'Floral Scented Soap,' which I made myself in my spare time. It's made by mixing fresh flower juice with oils, alkalis, and other ingredients, and then solidifying it. It can be used for washing your face, bathing, and washing your hair. It's more convenient and gentler than soap or regular soap, and the fragrance lasts longer."

Jia Yun wasn't a pretentious person, even after arriving at the Dream of the Red Chamber in the late Ming Dynasty. He wasn't overly particular about his daily life, such as clothing, food, and shelter. However, being used to frequent bathing and hair washing in his previous life, the soap and detergent he used now were really not very useful.

Therefore, Jia Yun had saved up money several months earlier, and after learning from a craftsman for a few days, he made some toiletries for himself based on his impressions from later generations.

Not only were the items exquisite and small, but they also smelled nice and were clean, which was something Jia Yun hadn't expected.

And the savings I had accumulated over the years are now coming in handy.

The girls curiously accepted the unusual toe-shaped contraptions thrown at them.

When they unwrapped the oil paper, they saw blocks of soap that resembled solidified cream. Some were pink, some were white, but unlike the greasy texture of ordinary soapberries or pancreas, they were dry and subtly exuded different floral scents.

Tan Chun picked up a piece first, smelled it, and exclaimed with delight, "Wow, it smells like roses! It's so pretty and smells so nice!"

Xichun also showed a rare interest, examining her soap which carried the delicate fragrance of cold plum blossoms.

Yingchun thanked him softly, holding the soap that exuded a faint jasmine scent, her blush deepening.

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Young master, you have a truly ingenious idea. This item looks exquisite. It must have taken a lot of effort on your part."

Just as everyone was enjoying a pleasant atmosphere, a series of light footsteps and a sweet laugh came from outside the door: "Oh dear, I'm late! I hope you're not angry, young master?"

Before the words were finished, Lin Daiyu, supported by Xueyan, gracefully walked in.

Today she wore a moon-white brocade jacket embroidered with plum blossoms, with a light blue pleated skirt underneath. Her figure was graceful, like a willow swaying in the breeze.

Her eyes, seemingly joyful yet not joyful, held a captivating charm; her eyebrows, like wisps of smoke, seemed to furrow yet not furrow; a melancholy graced her cheeks, and a delicate frailty clung to her entire being.

Her words seemed like a joke, but they carried a subtle, almost imperceptible, probing tone.

Before Jia Yun could speak, Tan Chun on the other side also subtly frowned.

She was straightforward, but she also felt that Daiyu's late arrival and preemptive speech were somewhat impolite.

Admittedly, Tan Chun might simply dislike Daiyu's affected manner in front of Jia Yun.

Yingchun remained as mild-mannered as ever, completely oblivious to the witty remark hidden in those few words.

The moment Xue Baochai finished speaking, she quickly turned her head away and rolled her eyes. However, she was very well-mannered and quickly regained her composure, her face still bearing that dignified and graceful smile.

Although Xichun was the youngest, she took in everyone's expressions—she simply found them amusing.

However, Lin Daiyu's eyes were so sharp and discerning that she had already caught Xue Baochai's momentary loss of composure.

Far from being annoyed, she smiled even more broadly.