Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 416: Past Dreams
When Baochai heard what Tanchun said, she hurriedly thanked her and then took a carriage to the Jingling Marquis's Mansion. When she arrived at Ningrong Street, she saw that the plaque of Rongguo Mansion had been removed, the gate was open, and many craftsmen were shuttling back and forth. Baochai was very surprised and muttered, "I wonder which master this mansion was given to."

Ying'er, who was listening, took note of it. She got off the carriage and went to ask the gatekeeper of the Marquis' Mansion. She turned around and said to Baochai in surprise, "Miss, I just heard that a fire burned down most of the Rongguo Mansion. When the emperor ascended the throne, he not only promoted the title of Fourth Master Jian, but also gave this abandoned house to Fourth Master Jian."

Baochai said nothing. As she entered the ceremonial gate, Qianxue came to greet her and said with a smile, "Miss Xue, you have come at an unfortunate time. Today, the mistress has led many concubines to the temple to burn incense."

Baochai asked, "It's not a festival, but are you going to fulfill your vow?"

Qianxue smiled and said, "Miss Bao is really smart. In the past two months, several concubines have become pregnant one after another, and they all clamored to go and fulfill their vows. Madam had no choice but to take them there today when she was free. Now there are only Madam Yun and Concubine Yingchun at home."

Li Weijian married a legitimate wife, so he could tell the difference between the elder and the younger, but the subordinates were not comfortable addressing them. After some discussion, they decided to address Daiyu as Madam and Xiangyun as Madam.

Baochai frowned and asked, "Do you know when the Marquis will return home?"

Qianxue said: "It's hard to say. The King of Loyalty and Bravery is seriously ill. The Marquis has to visit the King's Mansion from time to time in the past few days."

Baochai followed Qianxue into the east courtyard and heard Xiangyun's silver bell-like laughter from a distance. When she entered, she saw Xiangyun sitting cross-legged on the couch. Perhaps some maids told some funny jokes, and Xiangyun was laughing so hard that she was laughing. Yingchun also smiled apologetically and pointed at a little maid and said, "She is really a mischievous person who is good at making jokes."

When Xiangyun saw Baochai coming, she did not stand up, but waved casually: "Sister Bao is here, please sit down quickly. This girl just told a joke that was really hilarious."

Baochai greeted the two people according to the etiquette, and when they were seated, she said, "Ms. Yun is not young anymore, and will soon be a mother, so why do you still not know the etiquette?"

Xiangyun pouted and said, "Look, I said Sister Bao is the most polite. Even the master in this family never says anything about me, and the mistress only rolls her eyes at me. But Sister Bao comes and starts to criticize me."

Baochai smiled bitterly and said, "Sitting cross-legged with your lower abdomen is not good for the child."

Xiangyun blinked, touched her belly and indeed became nervous, then stretched out her legs, simply leaned on the couch, blinked and said, "Is this okay?"

Baochai nodded helplessly, and Xiangyun smiled and said, "I asked you all to come earlier. Although the Grand View Garden is ruined now, everyone is still here. Your coming will make the house more lively."

The maid beside her hurriedly said, "Madam, this is not a good thing to say."

Xiangyun said indifferently, "What nonsense is that? If Fourth Brother doesn't go for three days, he will come for five days. He will visit the maid five or six times a month. I think if he can take care of her for another two years, he will come back home sooner or later."

Yingchun looked embarrassed and said, "Madam, you are too kind. He... the master also took extra care of the third and fourth sisters because of me."

Xiangyun curled her lips and said, "Second sister, stop speaking for him. I've only been married for a few days and someone sent an otaku here. If it weren't for Sister Lin giving him a bad look, I'm afraid the otaku would have stayed."

After some laughter and conversation, Sister Bao finally couldn't help but say, "Mrs. Yun..., I came here to ask for medicine for my nephew."

"Ask for medicine?"

Sister Bao said, "Peng'er caught a cold and now has a high fever and convulsions. I heard that there is a miraculous medicine in the Marquis' Mansion, so I came to ask for it with the audacity."

Xiangyun's eyes flickered in surprise, and she looked at Yingchun and said, "Second sister, have you heard of any holy medicine in your family?"

Xiangyun is carefree and has not taken care of anything since she married into the Bo's mansion. However, Yuanyang, who is by her side, has been assigned a job and is now in charge of the farm outside.

Although Yingchun didn't care about anything, she was pitied by Li Weijian. Seeing that she was bored, he simply asked her to read more medical books so that if there was a headache or fever in the family in the future, it would be helpful. Yingchun knew that it was Li Weijian who was tinkering with the new medicine.

Seeing Xiangyun looking over, he said, "Madam, the master once said that in order to cure the old illness of the loyal and brave king, he used old mustard pickles as an example and used powder paste to grow Penicillium. After two years, it has been eliminated a lot, but a lot of Penicillium has been retained. I am afraid that the holy medicine that Sister Xue mentioned is this."

Xiangyun said nonchalantly, "Since we have some at home, let's give one to Sister Bao. We can't just watch our child get seriously ill."

Yingchun said, "Although there are some left at home, they are all managed by Madam. Now Madam and Hongyu have gone to the Buddhist temple..." As she spoke, she looked at Baochai and said, "If Sister Xue can wait, why not wait a few more hours?"

How could Baochai wait any longer? She immediately asked, "Which Buddhist temple did Sister Lin go to?"

When she asked, she found out that it was the Buddhist temple on Xiangshan Mountain. Baochai thought for a while, then stood up and said, "In an emergency, I have to make an emergency decision. It seems that I have no choice but to go to the palace to ask for help from Fourth Brother Jian."

Xiangyun thought about it and realized that there was no time to delay, so she sent her maid to ask the boy in front to take Baochai to find Li Weijian.

When Baochai left the mansion, she saw the changed gate and felt mixed emotions. She hurriedly took a carriage to the palace, but when she arrived, she found that Li Weijian had already returned to the Ministry of Revenue. Baochai had no choice but to go to the Ministry of Revenue again.

Because Baochai was a female member of the family, it was not appropriate for her to go into the government office, so she waited outside. Only the servant went in to inform him. After a moment, the servant came running in, opened the handkerchief in his hand, and revealed two small porcelain bottles inside. He said, "The emperor has summoned you. Fortunately, Miss Xue came in time, otherwise the master would have to go to the imperial city. This is penicillin. Children should take half a spoonful twice a day, mixed with water. This medicine cannot reduce fever, but only treats inflammation. The master said that the fever must be reduced with cold water."

Sister Bao received two porcelain bottles, and she treasured them like nothing else, tightly grasping them in her hands. She thanked the servant and hurried back home. When she got home, she told the maids to wipe the child with cold water and feed him penicillin. The child's fever subsided slightly at night, and within three days, he only had a slight cough.

Everyone in the family felt relieved that their only child was saved.

Sister Bao put her worries aside and suddenly felt that she had no place to put her sorrow. She drank a few more glasses of wine and sat in the room in a daze. The east wind blew up the curtains, revealing the person behind the curtains. She was still elegant, with smooth skin and in her prime. Baochai walked into the yard and suddenly heard laughter outside the wall. She thought that she had known and observed etiquette all her life, but ended up lonely and helpless. What was the use of etiquette?
Thinking of Baoyu again, he secretly believed that if Baoyu had been half as good as Li Weijian, and had learned a little more about the ways of the world, he would not have been wandering outside and has not returned yet.

After thinking for a long time, Sister Bao sighed, and suddenly smiled. It seemed that she had made up her mind.

A few days later, Ying'er heard that Li Weijian would come to visit Tanchun and Xichun after his office was over, so Bao-chai found a box of snacks and sent it to the next door. She then said that she felt bored at home, so she went straight to the side garden to play.

Over there, Li Weijian had been talking with Tanchun and Xichun for a while, and was just coming over here when he suddenly heard a woman's laughter. Looking up, he saw someone swinging on a high swing. She was wearing a thin spring shirt that revealed her shoulders. Her clothes moved in the wind, revealing her fair and fragrant skin. As the swing rose and fell, she was filled with laughter.

Li Weijian was staring at her in a daze, and it took Tanchun a long while to wake him up.

Tanchun and Xichun looked at each other, and both sisters were angry. Sister Bao was usually quiet and dignified, how could she have behaved so rudely? In addition, Ying'er came to inquire before, how could they not have thought that Sister Bao was targeting Fourth Brother Jian this time? Li Weijian smiled and said, "Miss Xue is so idle. I heard that Peng'er was sick and had convulsions a few days ago. I wonder if he is better now?"

Xichun pouted and said, "Fourth Brother Jian, why don't you ask yourself?"

Li Weijian smiled and rubbed Xichun's little head: "Yes, I was just about to ask."

After saying that, he walked towards the side garden with his hands behind his back. Xichun blinked and wanted to slap herself in the face. Who would have thought that Fourth Brother Jian would really die?

Xichun couldn't help but curse, "You have no sense of shame."

Although Tanchun was unhappy, she had lived next door to Bao-chai for a long time and knew her situation, so she shook her head and said, "Don't blame her... She has no other choice." Seeing Xichun's confusion, Tanchun said, "This world is not a place for girls like us to be in charge of the family. Isn't it the same for a woman with a strong temper like Feng-chai?"

As Li Weijian moved into the garden, Sister Bao seemed to have seen it. She cried out "Aiya" and got off the swing in shame. She quickly covered her face with her sleeves and turned away. Perhaps she walked too hastily, and a ball of white stuff fell. Sister Bao didn't bother to pick it up, but just walked forward.

Li Weijian did not chase after it. When he got closer to the object, he saw that it was a handkerchief. He unfolded it and found a faint fragrance inside, as well as a meaningful poem:
I am too embarrassed to express my feelings when we meet, and I am too worried to forget the way home.

His majestic and heroic figure often appears in my dreams, and I am too lazy to comb my hair under the cold moon.

After reading it, Li Weijian smiled, hid the handkerchief in his sleeve pocket, turned around and walked out of the side garden, said goodbye to Tanchun and Xichun, and then left the Jia family.

After getting on the carriage, he called Ding Rusong and ordered him, "Go check if the Xue family has encountered any difficult problems."

Ding Rusong said with a bashful look, "Master, the courtesan hasn't come yet, and the mistress is still angry now."

Li Weijian glared and said, "I asked you to check, but you didn't tell me what to do. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Ding Rushong bowed awkwardly in response and went to order his men to investigate.

When I returned to the mansion that day, I saw Xiangyun eating melon seeds, but I didn't see Daiyu waiting for me to return. After asking, I found out that she was late today, so Daiyu decided to stay in Yu Garden for one night and return tomorrow morning.

After talking with Xiangyun for a long time, the two went to sleep together at night. Li Weijian was half asleep and half awake when he suddenly heard Xiangyun mumbling and then crying.

Li Weijian was so frightened that he hurriedly got up and asked the maid to light the lamp to wake Xiangyun up. Xiangyun finally came to her senses. She stared at the lamp for a long time, sighed and exhaled, saying, "Luckily it was just a dream."

Li Weijian carefully held Xiangyun in his arms and said, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Xiangyun nodded, then shook her head, biting her lower lip and said, "I can't say for sure, but everyone in the dream was too miserable."

When Li Weijian asked further questions, Xiangyun recalled and told the story.

But Xiangyun dreamed that she married someone else, but she met bandits on the road and her husband died tragically. Xiangyun lost her property and became homeless, wandering around like duckweed.

One year, he arrived at the capital and the Rongguo Mansion, but found that it had been abandoned. He looked for the old servant who lived in the back and found that the Rongguo Mansion had been searched and confiscated, and Jia She, Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, Jia Lian and others were all convicted and beheaded soon.

Later, thieves attacked again. Seeing that her family was about to be ruined, Daiyu hanged herself in the forest to avoid being raped and humiliated. The third girl, Tanchun, married overseas, the fourth girl, Xichun, became a nun, and the second girl, Yingchun, was tortured to death by Sun Shaozu.

In the end, Sister Bao married Baoyu, but Baoyu could not stand Sister Bao's admonition and simply left home to wander.

Xiangyun wandered around again, and in the blink of an eye, she was old. One day, she was frozen and fell on the roadside. Suddenly, a beggar rescued her. The two of them were warming themselves by the fire in the mountain temple. Xiangyun took out the golden unicorn to celebrate that it was not lost. Unexpectedly, the beggar was shocked and found out that the man was Baoyu!
When Xiangyun dreamed of this, she woke up in shock. She hasn't calmed down yet and just keeps crying.

Li Weijian felt mixed emotions and thought to himself, without me, is this the fate of Xiangyun and others?

Xiangyun wiped her tears and suddenly said in surprise, "Strange, why didn't Fourth Brother Jian appear in my dream?"

Li Weijian smiled and consoled her, "Dreams are the opposite of reality. Since you've married me, how can you dream about it?"

Xiangyun nodded and continued, "I still remember that when I wanted to drown myself in my dream, Second Brother Bao tried to persuade me to stop, but I said, 'The sun sets, my life is coming to an end, the good old days are just a dream of yesterday, I can't bear to see my family broken up and my life wasted, but it won't help. This world won't tolerate you and me, let me go, and get out of this filthy world as soon as possible'."

Li Weijian said, "Go talk to Sister Lin about this someday. Maybe you two can compose an impromptu poem."

Xiangyun pursed her lips and punched Li Weijian, then hugged Li Weijian's neck and refused to let go. She sniffed Li Weijian's neck like a dog, and said after a while: "It's great that I married Fourth Brother Jian. Otherwise, if I married someone else, wouldn't I become an old hag?"

Li Weijian reached out and scratched Xiangyun's nose, saying, "Where can I find such a pretty old woman?"

Xiangyun blinked, and suddenly she was moved. The two had been married for several months, and Li Weijian knew what Xiangyun's expression meant, so he said solemnly: "Don't make trouble, it's only been three months, it's not good to make trouble."

Xiangyun blinked her big eyes and whispered something in Li Weijian's ear. Li Weijian could only let her do what she said. Then he saw Xiangyun's body sliding down and into the quilt in a blink of an eye. Li Weijian grimaced in pain and flicked Xiangyun's forehead with his hand: "You naughty girl! You will be a mother in a few months, how can you be so naughty?"

Xiangyun said with a bitter face: "Who wants to be a mother? I have missed so much fun just because of the little thing in my belly."

Li Weijian glared: "You really dare to say anything."

Xiangyun tilted her head and smiled: "What can't be said in bed?"

Li Weijian thought to himself, I usually say these things, right? Now I am being lectured by Xiangyun, how can I complain? While hesitating, Li Weijian suddenly remembered the situation of Baojie during the day, and he couldn't help but feel happy.

(End of this chapter)