Three Wives and Four Concubines in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Page 135

"Does my sister really miss me that much?"

Gu Yu teased her, thinking that Daiyu was too proud to respond directly to him, but the next moment, the little girl in his arms gave a soft "hmm," which made his heart skip a beat and his breathing become much lighter.

"...I'll be right back, sister, don't worry. Besides, Uncle has been serving as an official in Yangzhou all alone these past few years, and he's spending the Mid-Autumn Festival all by himself. My trip is just to show my filial piety on your behalf, and also to build a better relationship with Father-in-law, hmm?"

Upon hearing the words "father-in-law," Daiyu finally blushed and looked up, giving Gu Yu, who was deliberately teasing her, a reproachful look before shyly turning her face away and saying:

"You're always bullying me... If you're so tough, try calling me that in front of my father too..."

Isn't this just because he's not here?

Gu Yu chuckled, lowered his head and buried it in Daiyu's hair. The two stood quietly in each other's arms, smelling the unique fragrance of the young girl among her soft black hair, as if time had stood still.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Yu suddenly raised her head, glanced strangely at the door, then lowered her head and smiled:

"Little sister? Sister Bao and the others are here. Shall we go out together?"

Daiyu, nestled in Gu Yu's arms, was almost falling asleep peacefully when she heard these words. She suddenly woke up, reluctantly got out of Gu Yu's arms, tidied her hair, and went out with him to meet people.

"Lin Daiyu has arrived too."

Seeing Daiyu come out to meet people with Gu Yu, the sisters showed no surprise, or rather... they had become used to it after so many unexpected events in the past.

I thought I could secretly pour out my heart to Pear Blossom Spring Rain by myself, but I met more and more acquaintances on the way, and in the end it seemed no different from any other day.

As for Daiyu, who is usually the most present, she was nowhere to be seen this time, probably because she had already passed away before them...

Now, as expected, they found Daiyu here, and they accepted it calmly.

"..."

Looking at the girl group, who seemed no different from during the day, Gu Yu chuckled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

If it were just the two of them in private, he could kiss, hug, and lift them up high. But with so many people around, even though everyone knows what's going on, in this atmosphere, who would be willing to be intimate with him in front of everyone? He wouldn't want to humiliate them.

But sitting there doing nothing wasn't going to work, so Gu Yu started talking about his preparations for leaving the capital. The women then opened up and started offering their opinions, helping Gu Yu fill in any gaps in his plans. In just a short while, they doubled the size of the team Gu Yu had envisioned.

"...We need to hire another doctor to accompany us, otherwise what if they catch a cold on the way to such a far place?"

"Yes, yes, yes! We also need to tell Xiangling and the others to be careful and bring some pills with them."

"Should we bring some more books? We'll be gone for many days; we'll need to keep ourselves occupied on the road..."

Seeing the conversation veering off-topic, Gu Yu felt speechless. However, seeing their enthusiastic discussion, and knowing that their words were all for her sake, she was still deeply moved, but...

"Ahem—if my sisters keep adding like this, I'm afraid I won't even be out of the city gates by Mid-Autumn Festival."

Baochai and the others finally came to their senses, and upon hearing this, they couldn't help but blush. Tanchun bit her lip and whispered:

“Brother Keyu is going on a long journey, it will inevitably take some time. It's okay if it's slow, as long as he has a safe trip, we'll be at peace with him…”

Who says young people can't flirt?!

Gu Yu suddenly held her breath, looking at the beautiful faces of the goddesses with their different expressions, and wisely chose not to pour cold water on them, swallowing back her plan not to take Xiangling and the others with her on this trip.

As darkness fell, they had just returned to the garden. The mansion was bustling with activity, so they dared not linger for fear of attracting gossip from the old women. Reluctantly, they took their leave and went back.

Remembering that she still had things to say, Gu Yu took Daiyu's hand and asked her to stay a while longer. Once everyone had left, she smiled and said:

"My trip is nothing important, but there is one thing on my mind that I am worried about, and I'm afraid I will have to ask my sister for a favor."

"What's wrong, Brother Yu? -- Is it about business outside?"

Daiyu tilted her head and thought for a long time, but this was the only point she could come up with. Although she didn't know much about it, she was still willing to take on the task.

Gu Yu shook her head, looking rather embarrassed. However, if she kept this a secret, it would eventually be exposed, and it would also hurt Miaoyu's sensitive young mind. It was better to tell her sooner rather than later.

"Sister, you've misunderstood. It was just yesterday that Miss Miaoyu..."

"What's up with her?"

"Ahem, she...she's been having trouble getting out of bed these past few days...and I'm about to go out, and I'm worried she might start overthinking things, so I wanted to ask my sister to visit her more often these next few days..."

Gu Yu's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her confidence completely waning, and she couldn't help but want to criticize herself.

Telling your wife that your good brother slept with another girl and that you should go and take care of her... Is this something a human being would do?

Seeing Daiyu lower her head and bite her lower lip, Gu Yu was already prepared for Lin Daiyu to throw a tantrum. Unexpectedly, after a moment, Daiyu nodded, her voice carrying an indescribable emotion:

"I've written it down..."

"..."

Gu Yu suddenly felt a pang of regret. Standing like this, he couldn't see Daiyu's expression, so he simply squatted down, looked up at Daiyu who had her head bowed, and couldn't help but apologize:

"Little sister, that was my mouth just now—wait?"

The expected expression of resentment and grievance on Lin Daiyu's face did not appear. Instead, she looked calm and even a little happy.

"younger sister?"

Daiyu blushed as she looked at Gu Yu, who was squatting on the ground staring blankly at her. She quickly composed herself and tugged at his arm to help him up.

Looking at Gu Yu's expression, she could tell at a glance what he was thinking. She wrinkled her little nose in dissatisfaction, but she couldn't help feeling a little smug inside.

Besides the sense of security that Gu Yu would never hide anything from her, no matter how big or small, even if she knew she would throw a tantrum, and the inexplicable sense of victory that even the usually composed Baochai hadn't asked for help, but instead entrusted it to her, Daiyu felt inexplicably lighter and too lazy to argue with him about these things anymore.

Anyway, it was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it?

"Thank you so much, little sister..."

Although he didn't know what Lin Daiyu was thinking, Gu Yu was very satisfied. Where could he find such a good sister? He just wanted to shout out loud:

"Who else?!"

Chapter 103 Focusing on Key Points

The next morning, an old woman stood furtively at the entrance of Pear Blossom Spring Rain. After the maids announced her arrival, Gu Yu finally saw the woman.

"This is Lin Zhixiao's family?"

The old woman was fairly pretty, and one could vaguely tell she had been quite beautiful in her youth. She had a kind face that made her approachable. However, for some reason, the dark circles under her eyes looked unusually striking.

Upon seeing Gu Yu, Lin Zhixiao's wife quickly bowed and forced a smile:

"Young Master Yu, my wife is unable to come in, so she asked me to deliver this personally. She wouldn't dare disobey Second Madam's orders in the slightest. You see..."

Originally, Xiao Hong only told Lin Zhixiao after she returned home, but the couple had supported each other through thick and thin in the Jia family, so what was there to hide?

Now it's either die with Wu Xindeng and the others, or quickly abandon the darkness and turn to the light. Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, Lin Zhixiao picked up two jugs of wine and huffed and puffed as he went out.

Besides making him prove his loyalty, there was another reason: those in the same industry are much more accurate at investigating than those above. In less than two hours, Lin Zhixiao returned under the cover of darkness, his arms full of valuables.

Not daring to close her eyes for even a moment until dawn, Lin Zhixiao's wife hurriedly ran into the garden. After all, in such a short time, Lin Zhixiao didn't have the ability to steal anything; she simply stole it back directly.

Although the treasury is usually very quiet, and the accounts are only taken out to be accounted for when the monthly wages are distributed, the master and mistress usually take out the accounts to account for the items they withdraw every few days. What's more, Wu Xindeng also has to make false accounts.

Every hour wasted increased the risk of exposure, and Lin Zhixiao's family finally breathed a sigh of relief after handing over the account books.

"Mother Lin, you've worked hard. Why don't you have a cup of tea to warm yourself up? —Qingwen, pour the tea. Don't worry about this, Mother. If that Wu fellow comes knocking on the door in the next couple of days, just pretend you know nothing about it."

Although it was Second Madam who started this whole thing, having Xiao Hong come home, this young master of the Gu family actually became Second Madam's accomplice in the garden...

Lin Zhixiao's wife stood up and awkwardly accepted the tea handed to her by Qingwen, but secretly sized up this young master Yu whom she hadn't met much before. For a moment, she didn't know whether to praise Sister Feng for her extensive connections or for the young master's great abilities.

"Now that the things have been delivered, I should leave to avoid disturbing your peace."

Gu Yu nodded politely and asked Qingwen to see her off. She didn't even glance at the account book, but simply instructed the maid to take it out and hand it to the people outside.

"Deaf and mute?... "

Thinking of the nicknames of Lin Zhixiao and his wife, Gu Yu suddenly found it a little funny.

To be fair, although this couple wasn't exactly saints and had engaged in some corrupt and illegal activities, compared to the other servants in the Jia family, they were already at the level of a nine-life-Buddha.

Just trying to stay out of trouble among a bunch of bad people, pretending it doesn't concern you, will get you ridiculed for being deaf and dumb. What a joke!

“Let’s start with Wu Xindeng, consider it the betrothal gift for marrying the four daughters of your Jia family.”

Although the Jia family is currently in a state of decadence and its downfall is only a matter of time, even without these "loyal servants," they can still enjoy wealth and honor for several more decades.

Gu Yu couldn't possibly save the Jia family; helping them clean house was already more than enough. Otherwise, after the marriage, how would Yingchun and the others save face if a bunch of their usual relatives came crying and begging?

Shaking his head, Gu Yu returned to his desk and wrote another letter, this time addressed to Commander Zuo, whom he hadn't been in touch with much lately.

Since he was notified to participate in the debate on Buddhism, I heard that this commander suffered quite a bit. Fortunately, he was indeed deceived and managed to pass the test in a humiliating manner.

Gu Yu didn't have much of a problem with him. After all, whether it was intentional or not, he hadn't suffered too much. By using this to control a commander, he had actually gained something.

"Giving 10% commission should be about right... They probably won't be completely clean, so I should end up with about 80%."

After carefully calculating the assets of Wu Xindeng and Dai Liang's families, Gu Yu reluctantly allocated 20% to the hardworking Imperial Guards. After all, how could one expect a horse to run without feeding it?

Besides, the rest isn't for me to keep all by myself. I'll have to give some to Sister Feng, won't I? I'm just earning a little bit of hard-earned money anyway.

These two families have been embezzling for so many years, and their combined assets are close to 100,000 taels. Even a tenth or twentyth of that is enough for each person to make an extra 10 or 20 taels.

"We need to hurry up and deal with the Lai family..."

Compared to the Lai brothers, these two are nothing. Even if they control the treasury, they can't make as much money as the Lai brothers. But it won't be long before it's theirs. Gu Yu couldn't be happier if they embezzled even more.

"Master, should we wrap this garment up? Qingwen made it a bit too thick; I'm afraid you won't be used to wearing it back in the South."

After Gu Yu finished all that, Xiang Ling came over right on time, carrying the clothes. She was agonizing over each piece, but there wasn't much disappointment on her face.

After all, she came to the capital with Gu Yu and was originally from the south. Moreover, she could go anywhere with Gu Yu, so what was there to be sad about? It was just a pity that she couldn't play with Zijuan and the others for a few months.

Gu Yu rolled her eyes, gently flicked Xiangling's head, and deliberately hummed:

"A maid who can't even take care of clothes properly, how useless! I'm not hiring you this time. You should stay at home and learn how to serve others first."

Xiangling took it as a joke, and smiled foolishly, pursing her lips, and kept snuggling into Gu Yu's arms:

"Master, if you're not here, who will I learn from? At worst, you can let Qingwen rest, I'll take care of her myself."

"I'm not bringing Qingwen either."

Finally noticing the odd tone in Gu Yu's voice, Xiang Ling raised her flushed face in confusion. Looking at Gu Yu's serious expression, she panicked and nervously clutched the clothes in her arms.

"What's wrong, sir? I... Waaah~! I'll change it right away... Waaah—"

Seeing that she started crying at the drop of a hat, Gu Yu quickly hugged her, wiped away her tears, and said helplessly:

"You misunderstood what I meant."

"?"

Xiangling was stunned. Tears were still falling from the corners of her eyes, and her eyes were a little red. She stared blankly at Gu Yu, waiting for him to explain, which looked quite comical.

"What I mean is... um... this trip back to Jiangnan is urgent... Lord Lin will have maids to serve him, why make you all travel and suffer?"

Looking into Xiangling's adorable big eyes, Gu Yu forced a laugh and tried to find an excuse, explaining that he really wanted to take them with him, but he had no choice.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Xiangling suddenly cried even louder, sobbing as she turned to run away. Without even seeing where she was going, she crashed straight into a pillar.

"be careful!"

Gu Yu was startled and quickly took two steps to stop her. Before she could speak, Qingwen, who had returned from seeing someone off, appeared at the door. Seeing the commotion inside, she quickly went forward to help Xiangling and asked:

"What's wrong now? Why are you crying like this?"

"Waaaaah—! Master dislikes us and doesn't want us anymore... He wants Master Lin to arrange maids to serve him, waaaaah...!"

Chapter 104 Stealing a Moment of Leisure from a Busy Schedule

"Keep these dishes warm in hot water, and bring them in later."

"Hey."

After rinsing her mouth, Gu Yu turned and went into the room, which was filled with a sensual fragrance that made it clear what was happening inside without even looking.

On the spacious bed, two young girls slept close together, their closed eyes still bearing two wet tear tracks, looking delicate and frail like pear blossoms in the rain.

Seeing the messy red marks on their fair skin, Gu Yu couldn't help but smile wryly and walked over to pat their heads.

"What a jealous little thing..."

Xiangling's earlier words had also made Qingwen cry. With two people in a 3D surround sound situation, he had no choice but to use his strength to overpower them. After making both of them unable to open their eyes on the bed, he finally had a chance to explain a few words.

"Everything is ready now, let's get ready to set off in a little while."

Gu Yu suddenly felt a little fortunate that this matter came early, just in time for the time when they had just returned to the Jia family mansion. Grandmother Jia had missed her granddaughters for so long and wanted to bring them over to the mansion to keep them company and talk.

Otherwise, how could a group of girls be gathered around me all day, shedding tears? Would I have to hold a public shaming event to deal with it?