Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

One hundred taels of gold is worth more than a thousand taels of silver. Even in the mansions of wealthy families in the capital, which have about twenty rooms, the price is only five or six hundred taels. Not to mention the area outside the capital.

Baoyu hadn't come to see Jia Cong for a long time, probably still angry with Miaoyu. Jia Cong was happy to have some peace and quiet, and after settling things with Jia She and Madam Xing, he went to the drill ground.

After returning to his residence, he carefully examined the gifts sent by the emperor. One of them was a music box, a rare and exquisite item presented to the emperor by a Western envoy the previous year.

The box is made of yellow pear wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and coral fragments, and carved into sparse orchid branches. It is small and can be held in the palm of your hand.

After opening the box, there is a metal Western girl that can rotate and dance, attracted by a magnet. Tightening the copper spring mechanism on the side will produce clear and ethereal music from inside the box.

The other piece is an inkstone made of Chengni clay from the Imperial Collection, imitating the style of a Han Dynasty dragon-shaped zither. The inkstone is thin and exquisite, with a warm and smooth texture like cream. The dragon-shaped pattern with a lingzhi mushroom is simple and dignified, perfectly matching Baochai's elegance and manners.

Jia Cong ordered Li Rong to carry the music box, and humming a little tune, he went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Daiyu had caught a cold from Grandmother Jia a few days ago and had been resting quietly, so he hadn't seen her for several days.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, Zijuan, hearing the commotion, quickly curtsied and stepped forward.

"Greetings, Third Master. My young lady is in poor health and has already gone to bed. It is probably inconvenient for her to see anyone."

Jia Cong felt a pang of regret and was about to turn away when he heard Daiyu's timid voice coming from inside the room.

"Who's asleep?"

When the two or three old women saw Daiyu get up, they laughed and said, "We thought you were asleep."

As she spoke, she called to Zijuan, "The young lady is awake, come in and serve her." As she spoke, they all went to attend to her.

After a short while, Zijuan came out and led Jia Cong into the room. There he saw Daiyu lying on the soft couch, probably still half asleep. Her starry eyes were slightly drowsy, and her cheeks were flushed. She was a woman of unparalleled beauty.

Even Jia Cong couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, which only made Daiyu's pretty face turn even redder, and she covered her face with her handkerchief.

"Why is Third Brother looking at me like that? Now that you're an official, you probably look down on a poor girl like me. Why would you have time to come to my sickly Xiaoxiang Pavilion and get covered in medicine?"

Hearing this soft, coquettish voice, which sounded like a gentle scolding, Jia Cong secretly sighed that it was even more captivating than Baochai's. However, he maintained a smile on his face, slowly approaching the bed and lowering his voice.

"What are you saying, little sister? I heard you caught a cold, and I've been worried about you ever since."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's nose tingled slightly, but she forced herself to maintain her composure and turn her face away.

"I am just an orphan girl living under someone else's roof, with no father or mother, no one to rely on. Why should I trouble my third brother? If people see this, they will gossip behind my back and say that I don't know how to behave."

Jia Cong knew she was always two-faced, so he simply smiled and took the music box from Li Rong, gently coaxing her.

"Since lying in bed while I'm sick is so boring, this is a Western oddity that His Majesty bestowed upon me today. I find it quite interesting, so I brought it here for you to relieve your boredom. Just listening to the sound will help you dispel the vexation of your illness."

Daiyu was also somewhat intrigued, but she remained stubborn.

"Third Brother, why don't you send it to the other sisters' rooms? Perhaps they'll be even happier to see it."

Jia Cong was not annoyed. He simply pressed the copper spring mechanism on the side of the box to wind it up. In an instant, a clear and ethereal melody slowly flowed out of the box. It was neither a zither nor a se, neither a flute nor a sheng, but melodious and graceful, with a touch of foreign novelty.

Daiyu was momentarily stunned. Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, but she still stubbornly insisted on keeping her mouth shut.

"Third Master has sent me such a rare and valuable item out of the blue. I am a poor girl and I cannot repay such a favor."

Even so, she held onto the music box tightly, staring intently at the dancing figures on the box, and even her cough lessened.

Jia Cong knew he had given the right gift, and sat down with a smile.

"Sister, just keep it. It's just a toy, nothing valuable. You're already weak, so don't overthink things or shed tears while you're sick."

Unusually, Daiyu didn't retort. Instead, she happily held the music box and played with it carefully for a while before handing it to Zijuan, who was standing nearby.

"Keep it safe. If it gets damaged, the officials will punish you!"

Ziju smiled knowingly, quickly picked up the music box and bowed, but couldn't help teasing it.

"What you say is true, young lady. How could we dare? Even if Third Master were to forgive us, young lady would absolutely not allow it."

"You little hussy, you can't keep your mouth shut. If you keep gossiping, I'll tell Madam..." Daiyu scolded her a few times with a laugh, but she didn't seem angry at all.

Zijuan, smiling, took the music box and left. Li Rong, being sensible, also went to the corridor, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Jia Cong, having had his tea, felt embarrassed to disturb her rest any longer. Just as he was about to get up, he saw Daiyu wringing her handkerchief, her voice tinged with shyness.

"Since I'm so bored, Third Brother, why don't you perform a magic trick for me?"

Jia Cong was slightly taken aback, then his eyes darted around, and he pulled a copper coin from his sleeve.

"Very well, but I'm not well prepared today, please don't laugh at me, sister."

After saying that, he got up again, found a fine-tipped brush for regular script calligraphy, and held it in his right hand.

"What is Third Brother trying to do?" Daiyu moved a little closer, secretly determined not to let Jia Cong fool her with some trickery again.

Jia Cong deliberately rolled up his sleeve to show his innocence and lack of secrets, then placed the copper coin in his left palm, while his right hand loosely held a writing brush and gently tapped the coin with the brush handle.

"Little sister, watch carefully, and don't blink..."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu became even more nervous, her breathing becoming softer, and she involuntarily moved closer. Compared to Baochai's cool fragrance, a delicate and subtle aroma mixed with herbs wafted directly into Jia Cong's nose.

"Hurry up, why are you dawdling like this? Are you going to play tricks again?" Seeing him stunned, Daiyu subconsciously reached out and rummaged around, trying to find a flaw between Jia Cong's two hands.

Jia Cong steadied himself and chuckled. Taking advantage of the moment Daiyu reached out, he lightly flicked the copper coin in his palm with his left hand, while his right hand swiftly opened and snatched the coin away!

Human eyes simply cannot keep up with hand speed, let alone a young lady like Daiyu. She felt as if the copper coin had vanished into thin air without her even blinking.

If the previous "Three Immortals Returning to the Cave" story had at least a bowl as a decoy, then this one is so obvious that there isn't a single flaw to be found.

"How strange, where did he go?" Daiyu asked with a smile, reaching out to rummage through Jia Cong's rolled-up sleeves.

"It's here."

In the blink of an eye, Jia Cong grinned mischievously and reached out his right hand, gently brushing the back of his fingers against Daiyu's cheek. Daiyu froze instantly, feeling as if half of her cheek was on fire, burning hot.

Immediately afterwards, the gleaming copper coin landed brightly between Jia Cong's two fingers, so dazzling it made one's eyes dizzy.

Daiyu was both startled and embarrassed. She quickly shrank back, raised her hand to cover her burning cheeks, and glared at him with her beautiful, affectionate eyes, which were filled with both anger and shame. Her breathing became slightly disordered.

"You, you're such a scoundrel! How dare you lay a hand on me..."

Although the words were accusatory, they were as soft as waterlogged cotton, lacking any real force.