Lin Daiyu, with a hint of a smile, said:
“Brother Xuan, don't say that, maybe Brother Bao really has these treasures.”
“As the saying goes, 'Phoenixes don't land in places without treasures,' this phoenix egg in our family might just have all sorts of divine treasures to match.”
“Brother Bao, why don't you show them off to your elder and younger sisters to admire?”
Jia Baoyu’s face turned sour.
He had just said it casually, where would he find divine treasures?
But even though he didn’t actually have them, it was still a good idea.
“Sister Lin is right, I should let the elder and younger sisters admire them.”
“The so-called 'huǎng jīn shéng' (golden rope) is actually the waistband of the Jade Emperor, now my phoenix egg’s sweatband also acts as a waistband, watch me tie Sister Lin up!”
As he spoke, he untied the sweatband around his waist, ready to use it to tie someone up.
Lin Daiyu, furious, clenched her small fist and gave him a hard rap on the head.
She scolded, “What kind of smelly man’s thing are you trying to use to tie me up with? Jia Baoyu, I think you just haven’t gotten a good beating from Second Uncle for a long time!”
“I, how could I be a smelly man…”
The big-faced Bao held his forehead, his mouth pouted in grievance.
He didn’t even bother to pick up the sweatband that fell on the ground.
He even wished he could learn from Nezha, cut flesh to repay his father and scrape bone to repay his mother, abandon this fleshly body and change into a new body made of water.
Li Xuan saw him like this and felt a little embarrassed to not bully him.
He pressed his hand down on Baoyu’s head, rubbed his hair hard, and laughed:
“Baoyu, you think you're not a smelly man, I think I’m not either.”
“Then think about this, if I, Xuan-Fourth Brother, were to untie my waistband and tie it around Sister Lin, would you feel comfortable?”
Jia Baoyu blurted out, “No, how could Sister Lin let…”
Before he finished his sentence, he realized where the problem lay.
But he still stubbornly argued, “I’m different from others, I, I, I… I love my elder and younger sisters the most!”
At the same time, he moved his hand towards the Spirit Jade.
Li Xuan’s other hand was faster, pressing down on his hand.
He said with a straight face, “Are you going to throw the jade again?”
“And then let the Old Ancestor and your mother reprimand your elder and younger sisters, making them not dare to disobey you anymore?”
He was usually gentle and kind-looking.
But when Li Xuan put on a serious face, the imposing and solemn air of someone upholding justice came naturally.
“No, no,” Jia Baoyu glanced at the faces of the women present, and hurriedly defended himself, “I didn't!”
The big-faced Bao wouldn’t admit it, he had always thought that Xuan-Fourth Brother was like Yang Er Lang.
That previous move was even more like a law-enforcing deity!
“If you didn't, then put your hand down, you know the saying 'guā tián lǐ xià' (literal meaning: under melon fields and plum trees, meaning: be careful of appearances)."
Li Xuan’s face relaxed, and the atmosphere eased a bit.
He looked at Lin Daiyu and still advised:
“Baoyu, think about it, you wouldn’t even like it if I tied Sister Lin up, so how could I be happy about this? Would Sister Lin be happy? Would Sister Lin’s parents be happy?”
“Think before you act in the future, if someone did this to Sister Lin, would you agree?”
“That way, the number of times your father beats you with a ruler will also be reduced.”
Hearing that he would be beaten less, Jia Baoyu’s eyes lit up, as if they were shining.
He was just a kid, what did he know about love or anything like that, it was all just gossip spread around the house, and they unconsciously followed along.
Right now, they were just good friends.
Well… perhaps in the eyes of Five-Star General Lin Daiyu, she was just playing with a child.
“Really, will Father beat me less?”
The big-faced Bao grabbed Li Xuan's sleeve, his expression full of anticipation.
Clearly, getting fewer beatings was more important than playing with his friends.
“Really!” Li Xuan nodded affirmatively.
You see, the big-faced Bao got beaten for not progressing in his studies, being impatient with economics, official careers, and the civil service examination, as well as for messing around with his elder and younger sisters and maidservants.
“So, if I don’t see my elder and younger sisters, will I not get beaten anymore?”
Jia Baoyu finished speaking, and before Lin Daiyu and the others could either coldly snort, be disappointed, or exclaim in surprise.
He shook his head and said, “Forget it.”
“If I can’t see my elder and younger sisters, I might as well just die.”
“Father can beat me if he wants!”
Everyone: “…”
It was still Min Tanchun who stepped in again to save the day, “Of course, our elder and younger sisters are the lifeblood of Second Brother Bao.”
“Even when he got beaten last time, he kept shouting, which angered Father and made him give him several more strokes with the ruler!”
“Hmm, now that you mention it, I’m interested,” Li Xuan pushed some pastries and drinks towards Tanchun, “Please tell me more, little sister.”
Tanchun smiled, her lips slightly pursed, and looked at Jia Baoyu, saying:
“Why don’t you let Second Brother Bao tell us, he is the one involved after all.”
“There’s nothing wrong with saying it,” the big-faced Bao grinned at everyone, not taking it seriously at all, “It’s just that when I get beaten, I call out to my elder and younger sisters!”
“I call out ‘Good elder sisters, good younger sisters’ and I feel like the ruler hitting me feels lighter.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s a magic spell for getting beaten!”
Everyone: “You…”
The pleasant time spent with the group of young ladies passed quickly.
In a blink of an eye, the various noble families who had gone out returned with excited faces.
Then they started playing music and dancing again, drinking until they were satisfied and stayed overnight!
I don’t know what earth-shattering things they did while out, but they all came back and wouldn’t leave, they just happily drank.
The ones who were drunk stayed at the Rongning Two Mansions.
Those who couldn’t stay found arrangements nearby, their spirits were all very high.
Jia Lian was also very excited after he returned, as the new groom he took the initiative to drink with people, he was determined to get drunk, and he also wanted to force Li Xuan to drink.
After a few jugs of good wine, Li Xuan felt like he was going to do something, so he began to pretend to be drunk.
They drank a few rounds more, and it seemed like Jia Lian was sure that Li Xuan had reached his limit.
Jia Lian stood up and said:
“You, you guys keep drinking, I need to send today’s hero, my brother Xuan, to rest.”
“He’s still a child, he can’t learn from you drunkards!”
Li Xuan cooperated, “Drunkards, who’s a drunkard, I don’t agree, come, come, let’s have a contest…”
Feng Ziying pounded on the table and yelled, “Second Brother Lian, did you hear that? Brother Xuan wants to keep drinking, what are you running away for? Come, let’s fight!”
Jia Lian rolled his eyes, “Get lost!”
“You’re already so old, you bully a child who’s not even of age, how can you have the face to do that?”
“No, Brother Xuan just has a youthful face, he’s really so young?”
“Why would I lie to you.”
“Fine, I’ll let him off today, Liu Xianglian, let’s drink!”
He led Li Xuan away from the group, Jia Lian took him directly towards the back, went past the fěn yóu dà yǐng bì (powder and oil great screen wall) and entered the new house.
He stuffed a pill into Li Xuan’s mouth and laid him on the red wedding bed.
They were perfectly matched as a couple.
Jia Lian didn’t say anything, he just sighed and turned to leave for the outer room.