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

Page 7

...

Gu Yu agreed readily at the time, but only after returning did she realize she had fallen into a trap.

Regardless of past or present lives, although I have read many books, I know very little about medicine and related fields.

In my previous life, I had only read medical masterpieces such as "Compendium of Materia Medica" and "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold". I had read a lot of prescriptions, but I had not studied them in depth.

In this life, I haven't even seen a trace of the "Compendium of Materia Medica." I've only read the beginnings of the likes of the "Huangdi Neijing" and "Nanjing," so how would I know anything about precautions?

After sitting in her room racking her brains for ages, Gu Yu wrote a few dry, pointless sentences, feeling increasingly frustrated. How was she supposed to deal with Lin Hai with this?!

However, when Sun Lingxu returned after performing acupuncture and moved into Qingfeng Courtyard, Gu Yu's eyes lit up, and she ran over eagerly to curry favor with him.

Sun Lingxu gave Gu Yu a cryptic look and chuckled, as if he had seen through her little scheme. He waited until Gu Yu was impatient before slowly and deliberately speaking:

"Lin isn't really testing you on this. It's just his personality. Just hand in what you've written these past few days, as long as the handwriting is good."

Gu Yu was skeptical, but she breathed a slight sigh of relief and carefully copied it again before taking a bath and going to bed.

……

When Gu Yu woke up, it was already dawn. Just as she was about to call her maid to wash up, she faintly heard the sound of gongs in the distance, which sounded four times in a row.

Gu Yu was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening, put on her clothes, and got out of bed. Just then, the maid who was serving her also hurried in, her face filled with sorrow.

Seeing that Gu Yu had already gotten up, he didn't say much, only saying, "Madam has passed away!" He then helped Gu Yu quickly wash up and accompanied him out the door, walking briskly towards the main hall.

Gu Zhongsun and Lingxu were not in the courtyard, and no one knew where they had gone. The gate to the neighboring courtyard was still closed and there was no movement.

Gu Yu assumed that Daiyu hadn't returned all night and didn't pay any more attention, heading straight for the main hall.

Little did they know that after Daiyu fell asleep yesterday, Jia Min arranged for people to carry Daiyu back to Chunhua Courtyard little by little. Because some calming medicine was added to her dinner, Daiyu did not notice anything along the way.

Jia Min hopes her daughter's last memory will be sleeping in her mother's arms, but she doesn't want her to open her eyes to find her loved one's cold body.

Upon arriving at the main hall, the servants coming and going all wore sorrowful expressions. When they saw Gu Yu, they merely gave a slight bow before hurrying on to continue tidying up and arranging the mourning hall.

Gu Yu only came to her senses when she saw this, and quickly looked down at her clothes. Fortunately, she didn't usually like bright red and purple colors, and there was nothing impolite about them. She decided to go and see Lin Hai first, and then go back to tidy herself up.

After kowtowing, Gu Yu's face was filled with sorrow.

Over the past few months, he had come to regard the Lin family as his own. Jia Min's kindness to him made up for the maternal love that he had never had in both his past and present lives. Now, however, they are separated by death, which is truly heartbreaking!

"Young Master Yu, Miss is still resting after being sent back to the hospital last night. Please remember to go and persuade her not to be too upset later."

Before they had taken two steps, the head steward of the Lin family caught up with them and whispered something.

Gu Yu nodded. He had thought Daiyu would have arrived long ago, but he was puzzled when he didn't see her here. It turned out she was still in the courtyard.

Although the maidservant beside Gu Yu had red eyes, she still stayed by Gu Yu's side. Gu Yu glanced at her and could only sigh that Jia Min was well-liked by the Lin family. She then said:

"You can stay here and do your part. I don't need you to serve me now. I'll go back on my own."

The maid was startled and hurriedly said she dared not, looking nervous, thinking that she had made the young master angry by being distracted.

Gu Yu had no choice but to repeat herself, indicating that she really didn't need anyone to follow her, and then waved her hand and walked away on her own.

The maid hesitated for a moment, then bowed and turned to go into the mourning hall to help.

She had been in the household for four or five years. As a servant born into the Lin family, she was treated with great favor. Jia Min had managed the household affairs for many years and had always been kind to the well-behaved servants, earning her the love and respect of everyone.

Now that she has passed away so suddenly, it would be a real shame to leave her with nothing to do.

Gu Yu walked back alone. Most of the people in the mansion were now gathered around the main hall, so there were not many people on the road. Just as she was halfway there, several maids came running up to her in a hurry.

Seeing Gu Yu walking alone, they quickly stepped forward to stop her.

"Young Master Yu! A hermit has come to the courtyard and wants to take Miss away. We can't stop him. Don't go any further. Go find the Master!"

Surrounded by a group of maids, Gu Yu was somewhat confused and had to interrupt, "What other people from outside the secular world? Why are they taking Miss away?"

The maids looked at each other in silence for a moment, until finally one of the older maids spoke up.

"After the young lady was born, she was always in poor health. Later, a bald-headed monk came and wanted to ordain her as a nun, saying that only in this way could her illness be cured."

"Of course the master refused. That bald-headed monk was spouting strange and crazy things, which angered the master, who wanted to kick him out. But even a dozen men couldn't catch him, so the matter was forbidden to be discussed in the manor."

Gu Yu realized halfway through the conversation that the newcomer was the bald-headed monk from the story of the monk and the Taoist priest, and a few beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

In his previous life, he was already skeptical of some customs and traditions, and kept his distance from them. In addition, since even the bizarre event of traveling through the Dream of the Red Chamber happened to him, he was even more wary of the monk and Taoist priest in the book, who clearly had a fantastical element.

If these two discover that he has some kind of dead person coming back to life, not to mention what the people around him will think, he will have no way to fight back if they want to capture him to study his body or even his soul.

But now Daiyu has encountered an unexpected situation and may be taken away. There is really no time to dawdle, so Gu Yu has no choice but to grit his teeth and gamble on whether she is the 'chosen one'.

Gu Yu made a quick decision, instructing the two to go directly to the front and find the steward to send a few strong servants, while he led the rest to Chunhua Courtyard to delay them for a while.

Chapter Twelve: Monks Do Not Lie

Before she even got close, Gu Yu could see a monk standing about three zhang away from the courtyard gate. Several maids were trembling and blocking the gate, but thankfully they hadn't been scared away.

Gu Yu was speechless. Before, she thought the monk was going to use force to take Daiyu away, but now it seemed that he was quite confident in stalling for time.

...

"Amitabha! The heavenly secrets were in chaos some time ago, and the Book of Fate is now useless. Let us take this opportunity to try our best to save Fairy Crimson Pearl from this calamity!"

The bald-headed monk stood there silently reciting scriptures, his mind filled with many thoughts. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head to look at Gu Yu who was approaching.

A child, barely a teenager, was walking towards them. Without even opening his eyes, he could see the purple clouds swirling around him, making it impossible to discern the child's face. He was startled.

How could such a person be in the Lin family?

When Gu Yu saw him look up at her with a surprised expression, her heart was pounding in her chest. She stared at him intently, afraid that he would unleash a powerful attack at her in the next second.

Fortunately, nothing else happened, and the monk lowered his head and started chanting sutras again, which finally calmed Gu Yu down.

If even the most fantastical monk-Taoist duo in the book can't see through his secret, then he'll never have to worry about it again!

"Great monk! My master is coming soon, you'd better leave now. You won't take in other people's starving children, but you insist on making my young lady become a nun. What are you up to?!"

Although Gu Yu was just a little kid, he gave the maids present a sense of security. The one in the lead breathed a sigh of relief and then began to teach the bald-headed monk a lesson.

“Amitabha Buddha, Miss Lin came into this life to repay her debt of tears. She will die when her tears are exhausted. Now that the matriarch of the Lin family has unfortunately passed away, Miss Lin is about to undergo a tribulation. Why not entrust her to this humble monk to help her avoid this tribulation? In this way, we can save a life and this humble monk can also do good deeds and accumulate merit. Wouldn't that be wonderful?”

Although the bald-headed monk had a bald head and bare feet, he had a peaceful expression and possessed the air of a highly enlightened master.

In addition, the maids here had witnessed the other party's ethereal manner a few years ago, so they were somewhat skeptical. However, they were not the ones making the decision, so they could only stand their ground for now.

"Hmph! Nonsense! You say Miss Lin came to repay her debt of tears? Lin Yanzheng dotes on her so much, how could he bear to let her suffer? What kind of tribulation did she go through? If you ask me, being deceived by you and going from a rich young lady to a life of hardship and suffering is the tribulation you're talking about!"

Gu Yu sneered, directly shattering the atmosphere of a virtuous monk he had created.

"Amitabha! This young benefactor is quite wise, but it seems he has a deep misunderstanding of Buddhism?"

The bald-headed monk's eyelids twitched, and he looked warily at the purple light in front of Gu Yu.

Being targeted by this incredibly lucky young master could potentially affect the fortunes of Humanistic Buddhism, so it's best to offer some kind advice first.

"Master, you misunderstand. Although I am not a devout Buddhist, there is one Bodhisattva whom I highly revere!"

Gu Yu smiled and bowed respectfully, as if the cold laugh from before had not come from him.

"Oh? Could it be Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva?" The bald-headed monk's heart stirred. As long as you don't dislike everyone, then it's fine.

Although we should not interfere with the workings of the human world, such a person with profound fortune is rare and hard to come by. Since we have met such a person today, we will make an exception and pass on the Dharma to you. This can be considered as contributing to the spread of Buddhism in the human world!

"Although Guanyin is more famous, that's not what I admire. It's heartbreaking that this Bodhisattva sacrificed herself for others and made selfless contributions, only to be recognized by a monk in the end and spared from criticism."

"???"

Before the bald-headed monk could figure out which bodhisattva fit the criteria, Gu Yu revealed the answer.

"What's wrong? Didn't the master seem to have some spiritual power? How come he can't even understand the bodhisattvas on his own altar? Poor Bodhisattva doesn't even care about his own people anymore."

"Collarbone?...!" The bald monk's face turned pale and then red, which provided a good show for the maids watching.

Seeing the bald-headed monk, who had just looked like a wise and enlightened monk, being rendered humiliated by his young master's few words, he felt a sense of relief, and his unfounded fear of the bald-headed monk disappeared.

He stared intently at Gu Yu, but still couldn't make out Gu Yu's features. The bald-headed monk sighed softly.

“Young benefactor, you are truly knowledgeable and insightful. I admire you! ... However, a monk does not lie. I have come here today for Miss Lin's sake. If you do not leave today, you will be trapped in this calamity. Once you have cried all the tears you need to cry, your life force will be exhausted, and that will be the day you perish.”

"You bald monk, you're not even skilled enough to know anything, yet you dare to spread rumors and swindle people. Let's not even talk about whether there's any calamity that made her cry. Who told you that crying would drain your energy?"

The bald-headed monk wasn't angry when he was scolded. He said, "Even ordinary people cry when they are sad, which hurts their spirit. How much more so when one is in the midst of a calamity?"

"Isn't crying from joy also crying? If excessive joy is also heartbreaking, have you ever heard the story of the three princesses?"

The bald-headed monk was taken aback; he had never heard of it before. However, Gu Yu would not tell this story in front of so many maids.

"So if you monks aren't skilled enough, you shouldn't come out and try to save people. So many families could have avoided disaster and lived a peaceful and happy life, but who wants you to forcibly drag them into a life of loneliness and misery? If you shouldn't come out, then you shouldn't come out at all!"

Upon hearing the last part, the bald-headed monk suddenly shuddered, as if suddenly remembering the recent chaos in the heavenly secrets and the ineffectiveness of the Book of Fate. He then threw his head back and burst into laughter, as if struck by enlightenment.

"The time is not yet ripe! The time is not yet ripe!"

After saying that, he ignored everyone else, turned around and left, and disappeared after only a dozen or so steps.

Gu Yu opened her mouth, looking somewhat bewildered in the direction the bald-headed monk had gone.

"What did I say that made you look like you've suddenly understood everything?"

...

…Where is the bald-headed monk?

Lin Hai, accompanied by more than a dozen servants, hurried over from a distance, his face filled with anxiety.

Hearing that the bald-headed monk from before seemed to be coming to forcibly take Daiyu away, he was really startled and hurriedly came over himself.

Upon approaching, he saw Gu Yu and a group of maids standing peacefully at the door, but did not see the bald-headed monk. He breathed a sigh of relief, waved for the servants to retreat, and stepped forward to inquire.

When he heard the maids say that Gu Yu had scolded them away with just a few words, Lin Hai turned to look at Gu Yu's innocent face with a strange expression.

Gu Yu looked completely innocent, but in his heart he wanted to drag all these girls over and spank them!

How can you call it cursing when it's a matter for scholars? Don't you even know what verbal exchange is?! Ignorance is truly terrifying!

As soon as the dust settled outside, the gate of Chunhua Courtyard suddenly opened, and Daiyu's wet nurse, Granny Wang, came out to greet them. With a worried look on her face, she first bowed to Lin Hai.

"The young lady had just gotten up and was about to go out when she was startled by the monk outside. Now, after hearing that the matter was resolved, she has fallen back into a deep sleep."

Lin Hai was about to go in when he suddenly heard the voice of the head steward. Judging from his expression, he knew what was going on. Just as he was hesitating, Gu Yu stepped forward to help him out.

"Uncle, you should go ahead and take care of your business. It's only right that I visit your sister on your behalf."

"...In that case, you should go." Although he really wanted to see his precious daughter, he couldn't delay the visitor, so Lin Hai could only go and greet the guest first, leaving Gu Yu to take care of her.

Chapter Thirteen: People from the Capital

As I slowly walked into the inner room, I saw a young maid sitting by Daiyu's bedside with a distressed expression.

Hearing Gu Yu come in, he looked up and his eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Yu waved his hand to signal him to be quiet and then pulled him out to give him detailed instructions.

"Xueyan, go outside and ask Wang Mama to stew a pot of longan and lotus seed porridge. Let it simmer slowly on the stove and bring it over when Lin Meimei wakes up."

"Tell the maids and servants outside to be quiet and attentive. If they have nothing to do, they can go to the main hall and lend a hand. Also, go to my courtyard and pick out two books from my desk."

"Hey!"

Xueyan blinked, her face still innocent, and accepted the task before heading out to find Mother Wang.

Gu Yu turned to look at the tiny figure on the bed, sighed softly, and sat down on the small stool that Xue Yan had just been sitting on.

"..."

Seeing Daiyu frown and shift her body, Gu Yu instinctively reached out to tuck the blanket around her. Looking at the helplessness and sorrow on Daiyu's face, he felt a pang of pity.

"Now that my aunt has passed away, does Daiyu still have to go to the Rongguo Mansion? If I can't take care of Daiyu then, will we have to go through the same ending as in the original novel?"

By the time he's able to go to the capital, Lin Daiyu will probably have cried her eyes out. Besides, given the complicated relationships among them, he'll probably just be a cousin by then!

Although they are too young to think about these things now, it is precisely from a young age that we should start cultivating feelings.

If Jia Baoyu is a good person, and their fate is predetermined, Gu Yu will only treat it as a story and will not act like a villain.

But it was precisely because of that lingering sense of unease that Gu Yu felt so depressed when she read Dream of the Red Chamber in her previous life.

Although Baoyu did love and care for girls, his lack of responsibility and ability meant he was simply unable to protect the girls around him when the Jia family, like a giant ship, collapsed. The tragic ending, where thousands of beauties wept and all the beauties grieved, was truly heartbreaking.

Now that we have this opportunity to rewrite the ending and rebuild the glory of a happy ending, we have an unshirkable duty!

……