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

Jia Cong then bid farewell to the two and led Li Rong toward Jiangyun Pavilion. After taking a few steps, he turned back and saw Jia Huan being urged by Caixia to go to the other side, with Qian Huai following closely behind. He felt that although the boy was unruly, he also had some childlike innocence.

The master and servant kept walking, and soon the vermilion gate of Jiangyun Pavilion came into view. A young maidservant had already spotted them at the gate and went inside with a smile.

"Second Master, Third Master Cong has arrived..."

Baoyu's voice came from the main room.

"Quickly, let Brother Cong come and help me!"

Jia Cong was a little curious. He rarely came to Jiangyun Pavilion. Occasionally, he would pass by and only catch a glimpse of the lush flowers and trees in the courtyard, but he had never set foot inside. Now, hearing Baoyu's words, he wondered what new thing had happened, so he quickened his pace a little.

Upon entering the room, they saw several head maids serving on both sides, with Jia Baoyu sitting in the middle. He was dressed in a brand-new silver-red gauze shirt, pine-colored silk trousers with the cuffs loose, and a moon-white soft sash loosely tied around his waist.

Meanwhile, sitting to the side were Daiyu, Baochai, and Tanchun, each with a smile in their eyes but a hint of cunning.

When Jia Baoyu saw Jia Cong enter the room, he quickly got up and pulled him over. "Good brother, thank you for coming. Please help me first!" Jia Cong looked closely and saw that Baoyu was playing a game of composing poems with rhymes with his sisters. There were flowery paper sheets spread out on the table, and the rhymes had already been decided.

Baochai carefully read the note, Daiyu leaned against the window and picked up her pen, and Tanchun was smilingly pointing at Baoyu's half-finished poem. It turned out that everyone had set the topic as "autumn," and Baoyu had been struggling for half a day, only managing to come up with two lines. He was also afraid of being teased by Daiyu and Baochai, so he was in a hurry.

Not wanting to be impolite, Jia Cong first inquired about the well-being of his sisters before smilingly addressing Baoyu.

"Second brother, you jest. I've always been rather uneducated and lack talent; how could I possibly write for someone else? I'd only make a fool of myself!"

Baoyu held onto his hand tightly, pleading, "Good brother, please help me this time. It's just a joke between the sisters, there's no way it'll make us a laughingstock."

Jia Cong could not refuse, so he took the wolf-hair brush, pondered for a moment, then dipped it in ink and wrote a few words on the floral paper:

"The crows' cries scatter across the empty Jade Screen, a pillow of coolness and a fan's breeze; I wake to find no trace of autumn's sounds, only the moon shining through the fallen leaves of the paulownia tree on the steps."

His handwriting wasn't particularly beautiful, but thanks to his martial arts training these past few days, his strength had improved. While his brushstrokes lacked the elegance of delicate flowers, they possessed a certain strength and power. His strokes were steady and steady, and his horizontal, vertical, and diagonal strokes also revealed a certain crispness and vigor of a martial artist.

"What a fine poem! No wonder the Second Master always praises it. We didn't even know that such a great family lived in the garden... The poem is elegant and refined, with the autumn sentiment flowing from the pen. The theme is also refreshing and bright, without a trace of melancholy. Brother Cong's talent is truly impressive." Xue Baochai, who understands people's hearts best, was the first to pick up the manuscript.

What a charming and shrewd Lady Hengwu!

Jia Cong couldn't help but think to himself that this Sister Bao was truly adept at tact. With a single word of praise, she not only elevated herself but also smoothed things over for Bao Yu, without offending anyone else. No other woman in the mansion could match her thoughtfulness.

Moreover, the weather was still hot, and Baochai's thin silk could not conceal her full figure; the fabric was slightly see-through at her shoulders, revealing a patch of snow-white skin.

But he showed no sign of anger, only smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Sister Bao, you flatter me. I am certainly no match for you all. I suppose Second Brother could have done it too, but I arrived at an inopportune time and disturbed his thoughts..."

But Baoyu was lazy and not jealous; he simply put his arm around Baoyu's shoulder affectionately.

"Brother, you're usually so careful and respectful; it's rather pointless for you to act this way around me..."

As Tan Chun and Bao Chai were carefully studying the poem's wording and phrasing, Lin Daiyu unexpectedly raised her eyebrows slightly, leaned against the latticed window, and spoke softly with a hint of disdain.

"Such pretentious behavior, hiding one's talent when one has it, is more awkward than having none at all. If one dares to put pen to paper, why pretend to be humble? It only makes one lose the straightforwardness of a scholar."

Jia Cong blushed, but before he could explain, Bao Yu chuckled.

"Sister Lin, please stop talking. It's just that I can't bring myself to do it, so I had Brother Cong do it for me. If you want to punish me, just do it to me!"

Daiyu spat lightly.

"How shameless! You're the kind of person who has no talent, so you find someone else to write for you, and then you dare to brazenly show it off. People with real skills know to hide their abilities, but you're the one who uses someone else's talent as your own face!"

Baoyu wasn't annoyed; he just joked around a few times. Daiyu didn't necessarily look down on him. Seeing that Baochai and Tanchun were enjoying it, she couldn't help but join in and read every word carefully.

Baoyu then pulled him over and led him to a side room, where he instructed a servant to fetch the legendary Western ship.

"Brother, look! This is that Western automatic boat. It looks fascinating. Let's take a look and have some fun with it..."

Jia Cong understood clearly that it was a paddle steamer. Compared to the Great Jing Dynasty, which was still using manpower to row boats, it was a huge improvement. With paddle wheels installed, there was no need to worry about masts and oars, so the draft was much deeper.

"Hmm, has industry developed to this point?" He murmured, taking the model from Baoyu's hand and examining it carefully.

Baoyu, thinking he liked it, simply and generously waved his hand.

"If you like it, brother, I'll give it to you. It's just a toy, after all."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong was alarmed and immediately returned the ship.

"Second Brother is joking. A gentleman would never take what another cherishes. Besides, if the masters found out, they would say we're wasting our time on frivolous pursuits..."

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because just bringing it up made Baoyu instantly nervous, and he quietly lowered his voice.

"I called you here today precisely for this matter. After my elder sister was made a concubine, the garden is almost finished. I heard that my father is making arrangements for me to accompany her there, probably to check her studies..."

Jia Cong paused, then remembered that autumn was approaching, and Baoyu should be going to the Grand View Garden to inscribe plaques and couplets.

"Why are you so strict about checking homework? Second Brother is exceptionally intelligent; what's there to be afraid of?"

Baoyu waved his hand with a pained expression, his fingertips twirling the pen holder on the table as he sighed:

"You have no idea, my father is the strictest. I'm most afraid of him testing my skills in poetry and calligraphy. If I get one wrong, I'll get a good scolding. He mentioned the inscription for the garden the other day, and I'm feeling really anxious. I don't have much to say, so I'm just waiting for you to come and lend a hand."

As she spoke, she tugged at Jia Cong's arm and shook it, her eyes full of pleading: "Good brother, since you have such a talent for calligraphy, come with me when the time comes. If my father questions me, you can quietly give me a few pointers, which will help me escape this ordeal."

After saying this, Baoyu picked up a brocade cloth with lotus patterns from the inner room and untied it layer by layer. Inside was a piece of red gold inlaid with a cat's-eye stone. The cat's-eye stone was lustrous and translucent, and it shimmered with light when you turned your head. It was a rare item that was presented as tribute from Siam two years ago, and Grandmother Jia had just given it to him a few days ago.

"Good brother, please accept this. When things happen in the garden, we'll rely on your help. In any case, only the two of us will know!" He said, stuffing the package into Jia Cong's arms with a sincere expression.