Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After enjoying the drinks and fruit, the heat in my heart subsided, but the discomfort in my body was hard to shake off.

Take Xiangyun for example. She had been running all over the mountains and fields all day and had sweated a lot. Now that the sweat had evaporated, her skin felt a little sticky.

In fact, as young ladies from wealthy families, they had considered this before going out, and almost all of them had maids who brought them changeable undergarments.

However, with Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu present, they felt embarrassed to get into the carriage to change their clothes while the others remained still.

Xiangyun, on the other hand, had a better idea than simply changing her inner garment.

She glanced at her sisters, and finally, together with Xiuyan, pulled Tanchun aside and whispered to her.

Their furtive actions attracted the attention of Baoqin and the others, so they pulled Baoqin, who had come to them willingly, inside.

Seeing their growing momentum, even Jia Lian had to ask, "What are you all whispering about so mysteriously over there?"

Daiyu said, "Mind your own business. They're probably just plotting how to come up with some weird questions to make things difficult for everyone."

As she spoke, Daiyu glanced at Baochai casually and called to Zijuan: she was going back to the carriage to change her clothes.

Seeing that Jia Lian was asking questions, it seemed that there was a disagreement among them, so Xiuyan was pushed forward to answer.

"Cousin, I...we found a pool at the foot of the mountain. The water in the pool was very clean, clear enough to see the bottom. Sister Yun wants..."

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun immediately objected, shouting, "How is it that I wanted it? Didn't you say that you used to bathe in the river when you were in Suzhou, which is why I got the idea? How could you..."

Xiuyan's handsome face immediately flushed red. She resolved never to tell Xiangyun any secrets again, and to prevent Xiangyun from saying anything that would embarrass her, she quickly said, "Anyway, we want to go over there to wash up and get rid of this greasy feeling. But we're worried it might not be appropriate, so we'd like to ask you, cousin, to help us decide."

The others, upon hearing this, were both curious and interested.

Good heavens, most of them have bathed in a bathtub since they were children, and almost none of them have had a different experience.

They had never even enjoyed a public bath, let alone bathed in a river in the wild.

Those are things that only country kids would do.

After all, given their status, if even the slightest thing were seen by someone, it would be a huge deal.

Seeing the varying reactions of the crowd, Jia Lian's expression shifted slightly.

Although he came to the horse farm often, he mostly rode his horse along the surrounding roads and was quite familiar with the roads and terrain.

He hadn't actually looked into whether there was a suitable place to take a bath down the mountain.

But he thought that, given Xiangyun and the others' perspectives, unless the environment was suitable to a certain extent, they probably wouldn't be able to muster the desire to bathe.

So Jia Lian stood up and said with a smile, "Whether it's suitable or not, we'll see after we've looked at it. Since we've just eaten, why don't we go together to take a look at the place you mentioned?"

When Jia Lian spoke, everyone else readily agreed.

So, apart from Ping'er and a few others who stayed behind to clean up the mess, everyone else followed Jia Lian and Xiangyun to the place Xiuyan had mentioned.

It turns out that the stream in this village is not only winding and meandering, but also sometimes wide and sometimes narrow.

In some places it is more than ten feet wide, while in others it can be crossed in just one step.

The streams flow gently, and fish and shrimp abound.

The pool that Xiangyun and the others mentioned was the source of the stream, formed by the convergence of mountain water in a mountain valley.

When Jia Lian and the others looked at it, they found that, just as Xiangyun and the others had said, the water in the pool was clear and cold, so clear that the bottom could be seen.

What's even more remarkable is that the pool is not deep, and the edges and bottom of the pool are made of rock, without any mud, making it a truly wonderful place for a wild bath.

Upon seeing such an elegant and natural environment and such a clean pool, the women couldn't help but feel the urge to wade in the water.

Seeing this, Xiangyun smiled at Tanchun, Baoqin, and the others, saying, "How about it? We didn't lie to you, did we? Isn't this place beautiful?"

Tan Chun, who had originally opposed bathing in the wild, had to admit that this pool was cleaner and clearer than the Qin Fang Creek in the Grand View Garden, and the environment was also more secluded. Taking a bath here seemed like a really good idea.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I was deterred by my own identity.

They were all young ladies from noble families; how could they possibly bathe in the wild!

Jia Lian could easily see the girls' desires and struggles. He squatted down and splashed some water in the pool. It was indeed a bit cold, but not bone-chilling, just right for the weather.

So he stood up and said with a smile, "Since we're out having fun, don't worry about so much. If you want to go down and take a shower, just go ahead."

"Oh, is this really okay?"

Most people were already tempted, and upon hearing Jia Lian's words, they became even more eager.

But concerns still arise: "It's so embarrassing to shower here, and what if someone sees us?"

"What's there to be ashamed of? We didn't ask you to strip naked."

Hearing Jia Lian speak so directly, the women immediately protested coquettishly.

Jia Baoyu cast an admiring glance at Jia Lian, thinking to himself, "Could I really be in for a feast for the eyes today? Even if they don't strip naked, with so many sisters and cousins ​​in the water, there'll be plenty of glimpses of spring in their clothes..."

Jia Lian, oblivious to Jia Baoyu's wicked thoughts, laughed and said, "Alright, whether you go down or not is up to you. As for the issue of being seen, you don't need to worry at all. First of all, it's impossible for anyone else to be in this manor today. Even if there were, you see there are only two paths here, one in front and one behind. Just have a few maids guarding both sides, and you'll be fine."

As he spoke, Jia Lian ordered Aqi and Aqin to each take a maid and guard the road on both sides.

Actually, this is unnecessary. Apart from the people working at the horse farm, there are only about a dozen tenant households in this estate.

Needless to say, everyone in the horse racing area knew that the young ladies of the manor were out traveling, so who would dare to wander around?

As for the tenants, although the order from above forbade the men from going out, they all knew that it must be a distinguished guest coming to visit. Who would dare to let the children and women out of their homes? What if they accidentally offended someone and caused a great disaster?

Therefore, despite all these people being in this area for so long, not a single outsider saw them.

After giving his instructions, Jia Lian turned to leave. He took a couple of steps, then turned back, looking at the dazed man standing there in surprise: "Baoyu?"

"Ah, oh..."

Jia Baoyu snapped out of his daze, his face turning bright red. He lowered his head and walked behind Jia Lian.

Jia Lian nodded, glanced at the girls who seemed hesitant to leave, smiled, and then walked back the way he came.

……

Once they reached the main path, Jia Lian noticed that Jia Baoyu seemed distracted and teased, "What's wrong? You want to stay and take a bath too?"

Jia Baoyu's round face flushed red with embarrassment, and he quickly shook his head, saying, "No, no, I was just daydreaming and didn't hear what Brother Lian said..."

Faced with Jia Lian's scrutinizing smile, Jia Baoyu wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Fortunately, Jia Lian didn't make things too difficult for him. He glanced at Xiren, who was following Jia Baoyu like a shadow, and then said to Qingwen, "You stay here and take care of the girls. Don't be too reckless in the water, or you might cut your feet on the rocks."

He had realized long ago that the girl wanted to stay.

After Qingwen left happily, Jia Lian said to Jia Baoyu, "Let's go, there's more than one place to bathe here, let's find another place."

Following the stream downstream, before long, we found a place to take a bath in an open area.

Although it wasn't as clean and secluded as that pool, he and Jia Baoyu were two men, so they weren't too particular; as long as it could remove their sweat, that was fine.

So Jia Lian opened his arms, and Xiangling removed his robes and undergarments for him. After he was left with only his shorts, he jumped into the water and began to wash himself as if no one else was around.

Jia Baoyu did not want to bathe with Jia Lian!

But as he watched the water flowing continuously from upstream, Jia Baoyu became lost in thought.

He thought that if the sisters were bathing upstream, then this water must have soaked their skin. If he were to use this water to bathe now, wouldn't that be equivalent to getting close to the sisters?

So he had Xiren take off his outer garment...

He dared not take off his undergarment, because he was still wearing a bellyband underneath. Although he himself felt there was nothing wrong with a boy wearing a bellyband, he knew that if Jia Lian saw it, he would definitely laugh at him.

……

At the upstream pool, the girls finally couldn't resist the urge to soak in the spring water on such a hot day. Led by Xiangyun and a few others, they took off their outer clothes and plunged into the water.

Seeing that most of the girls were still standing on the shore watching, Qingwen smiled and said, "Girls, don't worry, there won't be any outsiders here. We've been here for most of the day, have we seen a single outsider?"

Don't you trust what our Second Master says? He's even more worried than the girls about their bodies being seen by others.

As Qingwen spoke, she took off her clothes.

She was much more decisive. She stripped down to just her undergarment in one go, and ignoring the envious looks from others at her "slender waist and narrow shoulders," she jumped into the water with a "plop."

Qingwen trusted Jia Lian so much; Jia Lian's words just now clearly meant that she could also go into the water to play.

Since it was something Second Master permitted, there's nothing wrong with it.

Therefore, she said to the servants and others beside her, "What are you all standing there for? Come on down, the water is so cool and refreshing, it feels great to soak in!"

Shi Shu and the others glanced at their mistress and, seeing that she didn't object, followed Qing Wen's example and took off their clothes to go into the water.

Seeing that the maids were only wearing bodices and playing in the water, Xiangyun, who originally felt uncomfortable wearing an extra layer, simply took off her undergarment as well. Then she invited the sisters on the shore again and splashed water on them.

Seeing how comfortable Xiangyun and the maids looked, it didn't seem like they were lying. Plus, Xiangyun playfully splashed water on them, so Yingchun and the others couldn't resist and started going into the water too.

"Sister Bao, come down too! Look, everyone else has come down, only you are left."

When Baochai arrived, she thought that this was Jia Lian's territory, and Jia Lian had arranged for people to guard it, so there was nothing wrong with it. Therefore, she opened her arms and let Ying'er help her undress.

"Wow, look! Bao-jie is so fair-skinned!"

"Really?"

Apart from Baoqin and Xiangyun, who were relatively familiar with Baochai's figure, everyone else couldn't help but exclaim in admiration when they saw Baochai's skin shimmering in the sunlight.

Helpless, Baochai could only quickly enter the water and hide her body beneath it.

However, the pool water is clear, so how can it be used to hide anything?

The sisters quickly surrounded her, admiring and caressing her skin as if it were a rare treasure.

Just as Baochai was about to chase away these increasingly presumptuous maids, a mocking voice rang out from above:

"Hey, where did all these country girls come from!"

Everyone looked up and saw Daiyu approaching gracefully with Zijuan.

"Sister Lin, you're here! Come down quickly, the water is so refreshing!" Xiangyun called out loudly.

Daiyu walked to the shore and looked at the pond full of colorful flowers and green willows, especially the graceful figures and fair skin of the many girls. She suddenly blushed.

But then his mischievous side kicked in, and he replied to Xiangyun, "I'm not coming down here because it's cool. I suggest you come up quickly, or Pigsy will come and play tricks on you."

Daiyu's words were abrupt, and many people didn't quite understand what she meant. For example, the maids almost all stared blankly at Daiyu.

Just as Daiyu was thinking that these people were all uneducated and that her flirtatious glances were being wasted on the blind, Tanchun laughed and said, "That Lin sister is so mischievous and hateful, actually calling us spider demons."

Seeing that Xiangyun and the others were puzzled, he explained softly that it was a scene from a storybook where Pigsy peeked at the spider demons taking a bath and then turned into a fish to tease them.

Xiangyun immediately objected, angrily saying, "Fine, we kindly invited you, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you also make fun of us. You even called me Pigsy... I think you are Pigsy. We haven't seen anyone else come here, only you."

Even when Xiangyun called her Pigsy, Daiyu wasn't angry. That's how verbal battles are; whoever gets angry first loses. So, seeing Xiangyun's angry little face, she happily walked over to a clean rock and sat down facing everyone.

Seeing that everyone was staring at her, and that she had stopped taking a bath and playing around, she laughed and said, "Why are you all looking at me? Keep going. This is the first time I've ever seen so many people taking a bath together. It's quite a sight."

You don't need to worry about me, just continue.

Even though Daiyu didn't want to say it, she still spoke up, which made everyone even more uncomfortable.

The way they looked and sat made it seem as if they weren't taking a bath, but rather putting on a show for Daiyu.

Seeing this, Daiyu became even more smug, and a bright smile appeared on her lips.

At the same time, Daiyu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, no wonder so many men throughout history have been lustful, even licentious.

Even she found the sight of these beauties bathing captivating and pleasing to the eye, let alone the lustful men.

Daiyu felt she had everyone under control and was lost in thought, but she never imagined that her opponent was no ordinary person either.

Seeing how detestable Daiyu was, Tanchun, Xiangyun, and the others exchanged glances and immediately came up with a way to break the deadlock.

They moved forward quietly, and just as Daiyu looked over warily, the two of them struck at the same time, splashing water from the pool onto Daiyu.

Soon, Daiyu was soaked to the bone.

Now she stared blankly at the crowd in the pool, but apart from the instigator's triumphant revenge and the snickers of the onlookers, she couldn't see any other expressions.

Only Zijuan quickly stepped forward, wiping the water droplets from Daiyu's face while scolding the others, "What are you doing, ladies? Our young lady is frail; what if she catches a cold?"

Upon hearing Zijuan's words, Tanchun and the other woman realized they had gone too far and began to regret their actions.

The main reason was that they were afraid Jia Lian would find out and scold them. Everyone knows that Jia Lian adores Daiyu and indulges her in everything.

Just as Zijuan was about to pull Daiyu back to change her clothes, Daiyu stood up and stopped Zijuan, saying, "It's alright."

Looking down at her skirt, which was soaked, and then at Tan Chun and Xiang Yun, who looked apologetic in the pool, Daiyu maintained her cold expression, but in her heart, she was actually all smiles, like a little fox who had successfully stolen a treat.

Even now, Daiyu knows that most of the sisters in the garden are very careful around her and dare not offend her.

Only her two younger sisters dared to defy her.

They originally thought they really didn't care about her superfluous status and weren't afraid that she would complain to Grandmother Jia and Jia Lian.

It seems that's not entirely true.

Although Lin Daiyu never bothered to complain, what did it matter to her if someone else made a mistake and was afraid?

As for getting angry, she would definitely be angry if she were splashed with water by those two for no reason.

But she was the one who teased him first, and he retaliated against her afterward, so of course she wasn't angry.

Not being angry doesn't stop her; she takes advantage of their fear of her telling on them to control them.

Therefore, after the apology on Tan Chun and Xiang Yun's faces gradually turned into pleading, Daiyu finally relaxed and said to Zijuan, "How annoying, they've gotten my clothes all wet. Help me take them off."

Zijuan was stunned. Even though she had served Daiyu for many years, she couldn't figure out Daiyu's thoughts for a moment.

However, she obeyed and helped Daiyu take off her wet skirt.

Then she saw her daughter squat down, splash the water in the pool with her hand, and then stick out a small, white foot and slowly put it into the water.

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and Xiangyun even took the initiative to apologize: "Sister Lin, I'm sorry, we didn't think that much of it. You can wear my clothes later."

"Oh, I'll wear yours, what are you wearing?"

"I'm strong, I'm not afraid."

"Huh? You're not wearing it?"

"Oh dear, what did you say? I meant I can wear wet clothes without worrying about catching a cold!!"

……