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

After discovering that the Sanqing Temple was deserted, Jia Yun was depressed for several days.

He asked himself if he had been sincere to the Zhou family, and if the feelings between him and Zhou Yingluo, which were unspoken but understood each other, were genuine. Why then did he get a departure without saying goodbye?

With Jia Yun so disheartened, it's understandable that he might neglect his studies. However, in Grandmother Jia's eyes, this became a reason for the young man to feel excessive pressure from the imperial examinations and need to relieve it.

Furthermore, given that Jia Yun had previously passed the county examination as a candidate for the lowest level of education, Grandmother Jia felt even more certain that this move had been the right one, and she valued Jia Yun even more.

Just then, Qingwen, who lived in Baoyu's room, was disliked by Lady Wang because of her beautiful appearance and clever personality. Lady Wang hinted several times that she should be kicked out.

To be honest, Lady Wang also had her own selfish motives. Her original plan was to give Qingwen to Baoyu as a concubine.

But who would have thought that Baoyu and Xiren had already had physical intimacy?

This provided the reason for Baoyu's failure in the imperial examination. She also feared that if the outstanding Qingwen got closer to Baoyu, her son would become too engrossed in romantic relationships and neglect his studies again.

So she subtly hinted to the old lady on several occasions that she wanted to give it away.

Grandmother Jia originally liked Qingwen's quick and efficient manner. Knowing that she was also excellent at needlework, she went along with it and gave Qingwen to Jia Yun, saying that "having a good person by his side to serve him with his writing materials would allow him to study in peace."

This news caused countless people in the mansion to secretly gnash their teeth in anger.

Qingwen was exceptionally beautiful and had a great figure among the maids, and Baoyu also had a certain fondness for her.

Although Xiren, Sheyue, and others must have been secretly delighted, how could they not be envious that such beautiful women had now been given to Jia Yun from the collateral branch of the West Corridor?

Even Jia She felt a pang of jealousy after hearing about this.

He had met Zhou Yingluo once before, and the girl's lively and charming appearance captivated him. However, after inquiring, he learned that the Zhou family father and son were highly skilled in martial arts and that she was Jia Yun's sweetheart, so he reluctantly gave up.

Now that he saw that such a beautiful woman as Qingwen had ended up in Jia Yun's courtyard, he couldn't help but have designs on her.

He had always admired Qingwen's cleverness, but he had hesitated to make a move because of Baoyu and Lady Wang. Now that he was outside the Jia family mansion, he felt it was an opportunity.

Normally, Jia Yun would have found an excuse to politely decline.

He already had someone he loved, and he knew that Qingwen was proud and might not be willing to live a life of hardship with him.

But at this moment, he was deeply troubled by self-doubt and anguish at being "abandoned" by the Zhou family, and his defenses were weak. In addition, the gift from Grandmother Jia represented a kind of recognition and reliance that he could not refuse.

More importantly, deep down, Jia Yun harbored a resentment and self-abandonment that he himself was unaware of—since you left without saying goodbye and treated me as if I were nothing, why should I continue to hold onto that illusory feeling?

A "what the heck, since that's how it is, I'll just accept reality" mentality led him to silently accept this reward.

However, before that, taking advantage of the joy of passing the county examination, Jia Yun shamelessly went to pay a visit to Li Wan's father, Li Shouzhong.

Following the etiquette of scholars, Li Shouzhong gave him the courtesy name "Wenwei," meaning "a gentleman's transformation is like a leopard's, his writing is brilliant." Jia Yun respectfully thanked him, and from then on, he had a formal courtesy name.

When Qingwen was sent to Jia Yun's courtyard, she felt a mix of emotions.

Although she disliked the scheming and infighting around Baoyu, she suddenly left the prosperous and wealthy Jia family mansion and came to this poor and simple west corridor to serve a distant relative who was famous but had a shallow foundation.

As proud as she was, she naturally felt somewhat wronged and resentful.

On the first night, Qingwen secretly hid a pair of scissors under her pillow, just in case Jia Yun was lustful and she would fight to the death.

Who would have thought that after a few days, she would see that Jia Yun had a calm and upright demeanor, and was not the frivolous playboy he was, and that he treated her with great respect.

When she was reading in the morning, she would pour tea and grind ink beside her. Jia Yun would only politely say "thank you" with a clear and honest look, without the slightest offense.

Qingwen's guard gradually relaxed.

She was a capable and efficient person, and once she arrived, she served Qingwen wholeheartedly. Jia Yun's mother, Madam Bu, was also a kind person. Seeing that Qingwen was pretty and hardworking, she took a liking to her and treated her very well, which made Qingwen feel a warmth she had never experienced before in this poor little courtyard.

After Qingwen arrived at Jia Yun's small courtyard, although she was not as wealthy as she was in the Grand View Garden, she was still able to live a quiet and comfortable life.

Occasionally, a few close female friends would come to visit her, and upon seeing Jia Yun, they would all secretly gasp in astonishment.

That day, Qixia and Qiuwen came to visit Qingwen together, just as Jia Yun was reading in the courtyard. The two glanced at her through the window, then turned and whispered to Qingwen, "You, Qingwen, no wonder you can stay here! It turns out you have such a handsome young man by your side!"

Qixia covered her mouth and laughed, "If I were you, I'd be happy even if I only ate porridge and pickled vegetables every day. A man of such good looks is enough to fill you up just by looking at him, why would you need to eat anything!"

Qiuwen chimed in, "Isn't that right? It's much better than that crude screwdriver. You're really lucky to have found such a peaceful place away from that troublesome place."

Qingwen blushed at their words and quickly retorted, "Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouths off!" As she spoke, she went to pinch their mouths, and the three girls burst into laughter.

Only Lin Xiaohong would occasionally come over to bring some needlework. Seeing that Qingwen and Jia Yun got along well, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

She already had some feelings for Jia Yun, but now that she saw such a dazzling person by his side, she had no choice but to silently suppress her feelings. She didn't stay long after arriving; she simply delivered the gifts and left.

Meanwhile, Baoyu caused quite a stir after learning that Qingwen had been given to Jia Yun.

He first threw a tantrum, smashing things in the courtyard, and then yelled that he wanted to go to the west corridor to get Qingwen back. Xiren and the others couldn't stop him, so he took Mingyan and a few servants and actually stormed towards the west corridor.

Fortunately, Jia Zheng finished court early and bumped into Bao Yu storming out of Rongxi Hall with his entourage. Upon questioning him, he flew into a rage: "You wretched child! You dare to ask for the person your grandmother bestowed upon you? Have you no manners at all?!"

He immediately ordered his men to press Baoyu down on a stool and give him a thorough beating.

Jia Zheng had never liked the many beautiful women around his son, and now that the most outstanding one had been chosen out, he only hoped that his son would change his mind. But who would have thought that Baoyu would dare to try and snatch her away?

Even when Grandmother Jia heard about it, she could only sigh and say, "Good for her! If she doesn't know her own strength, what will become of her in the future?"

Surprisingly, she didn't stop him—but then again, she saved Baoyu from physical punishment.

Jia Yun's martial arts skills are formidable; the scene of him wreaking havoc in front of Rongxi Hall is still vivid in our minds. What use would these small fry be? If they provoke the other party's ferocity, Baoyu might also suffer a beating.

After being beaten and seeing that even his grandmother wasn't protecting him, Baoyu finally gave up.

He lay on the bed crying all night. While Xiren applied medicine to him, she secretly rejoiced: Fortunately, Qingwen had left, otherwise, with this kind of commotion, who knows how much trouble would have arisen.

But Qingwen found an opportunity and said to Jia Yun seriously, "Second Master, since the Old Madam has bestowed me upon you, I will serve you wholeheartedly. However, there is one thing: I will only do my duty and will not act as an 'insider'."

Although her face was slightly flushed when she said this, her eyes were unusually firm.

Upon hearing this, Jia Yun breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently: "Don't worry, Miss. Although I am not very talented, I know the meaning of respect. Please consider this place as a temporary shelter. If you find a better place to stay in the future, I will not stop you."

Hearing him say that, Qingwen felt a warmth in her heart, and her opinion of him improved even more.

One day, Jia Yun was feeling extremely frustrated and couldn't concentrate on reading this awful book. He decided to put it down and go for a walk to clear his head.

When Jia Yun saw Qingwen arrive, he noticed that her clothes and jewelry were still in the style of what she wore in the old lady's room, which seemed somewhat out of place with his current status and environment.

So Jia Yun had an idea. He said gently, "It's so boring staying at home all day. Why don't you come out with me for a walk? We can go to the silk shop and buy some new fabric to make you a couple of casual clothes."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen put down her needlework and replied with a "Yes" on her face, but her heart was immediately in turmoil.

She followed Jia Yun out the door, trailing half a step behind. Her beautiful eyes swept over Jia Yun's tall and straight back, and she couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Second Master meant well, how could I not know? He's just worried that wearing my old clothes would attract gossip and seem out of place. But..."

Qingwen quietly tugged at her smooth, glossy lotus-root-colored silk dress, a gift from the old lady last year when she was in a good mood. Even Xiren, the maid in Baoyu's room, didn't have such a presentable dress.

"...But the fabric Jia Yun has chosen is probably not even as good as what the third-class maids in the manor wear. In order not to be ostentatious, it must be a vulgar pattern, how can it compare to the soft gauze and cicada-wing silk I saw in the manor?"

Qingwen felt a little wronged, but also a little amused.

But then she thought again that Jia Yun's family was already poor, and this gesture was already expensive, and the sentiment behind it was even more precious.

"Forget it, it's already quite an achievement for a man to think of these things. Do you expect him to know what color goes with what pattern, or what fabric suits what skin tone? It's all from his heart, and if I'm picky, I'll just be an ungrateful person."

Thinking about it this way, Qingwen's slight unease gradually dissipated. However, looking at the drab and dull fabrics in the silk shops on the street, she finally sighed inwardly, unable to muster much interest.

The two walked on, one in front of the other, each lost in their own thoughts.

Jia Yun was preoccupied and didn't notice Qingwen's subtle and complex thoughts. Qingwen, on the other hand, could only bury her little complaint in her heart, maintaining her usual cheerful and calm demeanor.