The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

The days of returning home always go by quickly, and in the blink of an eye it’s the end of the month.

Li Hu, wearing a loose cotton shorts and long trousers, lay on the recliner where Lin Daiyu often sat, with his eyes closed, letting Xiangling fan him gently and letting Xueyan massage his legs gently.

Qingwen sat by the door embroidering, glancing at Li Hu from time to time, laughing in her heart: The Second Master has been spoiled by the young lady.

At this time, footsteps were heard from the hall. Qingwen hurriedly put down her needle and thread, stood up and lifted the bead curtain. Sure enough, it was Lin Daiyu who came back.

Lin Daiyu walked in, looked at Li Hu's expression, smiled and shook her head, took the food box from Zijuan and said, "Try the porridge I just made."

Li Hu seemed to be asleep, motionless.

Lin Daiyu put the food box on the low table beside her, opened the lid, took out a bowl of porridge from the food box, then kicked Li Hu's leg and said unhappily: "Don't pretend, I know you are not asleep."

Li Hu was still lying there motionless.

Lin Daiyu was a little annoyed and said to Zijuan, Qingwen, Xueyan and Xiangling, "You all go out."

Zijuan, Qingwen, Xueyan and Xiangling smiled at each other and walked out together.

Lin Daiyu put the bowl of porridge back into the food box, then slowly bent down and stretched out a small hand to twist Li Hu's ear.

Li Hu seemed to sense something, turned over and dodged.

Lin Daiyu laughed in anger and twisted Li Hu's waist very skillfully, "I know you want to taste that soup that you will never forget."

Li Hu opened his eyes, and took Lin Daiyu into his arms, while at the same time he cut Wang Daniu into pieces in his heart.

The next day after returning home, Lin Daiyu began to cook porridge for him, cooking different kinds of porridge to see which one Li Hu liked best. He was puzzled at first, until she accidentally let it slip during a quarrel the day before.

Li Hu suddenly realized that it was because of Xue Pan's words. He immediately went to find Wang Daniu. Although the boy tried his best to deny it, Li Hu knew that he must have been the one who reported it.

"Let me go, it's hot." Lin Daiyu pushed Li Hu away and stood up.

Li Hu sat up and said, "The lotus seed soup you made is delicious."

Lin Daiyu said nothing, but took out the bowl of porridge from the food box and handed it to him.

Li Hu had no choice but to take the porridge and scoop half a spoonful into his mouth.

Lin Daiyu then smiled a little and blinked her eyes: "How is it?"

Li Hu: “Hot”

Lin Daiyu's face fell and she said "Oh" in displeasure.

Li Hu: "This time it's really hot, not bad."

"Really?" Lin Daiyu looked like, "Don't lie to me."

Li Hu scooped another half spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and then put it into his mouth.

Lin Daiyu looked at him expectantly.

Li Hu tasted it carefully, then nodded and said, "This green glutinous rice porridge cooked by my sister is really delicious, better than the small kitchen. It would be even better if there is a small dish of winter bamboo shoots and fern."

Lin Daiyu looked at him, as if trying to see how much sincerity there was in his words.

Li Hu also looked at her, his face full of sincerity.

Lin Daiyu burst out laughing, "You're talking nonsense again. Where on earth did these winter bamboo shoots come from?"

After a pause, he said, "If you like it, I will make it for you every day in the future."

Li Hu swallowed the porridge in his mouth: "According to what my sister said, I am destined to eat porridge."

Lin Daiyu blushed, but she said stubbornly: "It's up to you whether you want to eat or not. I'm too lazy to serve you."

Li Hu: "Eat, why not? Make me another bowl tomorrow."

Lin Daiyu tilted her head slightly and looked at him for a while, then burst into laughter: "It depends on whether I am happy or not."

Li Hu smiled and drank the remaining porridge in one gulp: "Ah~ I'm full."

Lin Daiyu blinked her eyes and said, "I asked the kitchen to steam some jade bean cakes."

"I'm full." Li Hu rolled his eyes. "You used all your cleverness on me."

"A dog bites Lu Dongbin, who doesn't appreciate a good person's kindness." Lin Daiyu curled her lips, took the empty bowl, picked up the food box and walked out.

Li Hu suddenly remembered: "Will you not make lotus seed soup in the future?"

Lin Daiyu paused and said, "I won't do it anymore." She took another step and walked out.

Well, he's fighting with the soup again! Li Hu shook his head. This little temper is exactly the same as "Lin Daiyu"!
Thinking of the soup, Li Hu was stunned for a moment, as if he had forgotten something? Then he clapped his hands and forgot about Xue Pan, the big fool! I don't know what he has been tortured into by Wang Ren, the pervert, these days.

Thinking of this, Li Hu stood up, walked towards Lin Daiyu's study, and wrote a letter to Dai Quan, asking Xue Pan to jump out of Wang Ren's clutches and into another fire pit. There are few normal people in the Southern Pacification Office.

However, the others were not as perverted as Wang Ren, who didn't even let them go home.

Li Hu didn't know that Xue Pan had already returned home. But he didn't walk back, he was carried back by someone.

As the old saying goes, if you often walk by the river, you will get your feet wet. Under Wang Ren's targeting, Xue Pan had to deal with the warriors who were making trouble on Qianmen Street every day. Today, he finally encountered a tough guy who didn't care about his life. Xue Pan and his men were involved in the melee. When the men from the Southern Pacification Division in other places arrived, Xue Pan had been beaten to a pulp!

On the bed, Xue Pan had a bruised face and nose, and his head was wrapped in thick white silk.

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai cried until their eyes were swollen, and Xue Baoqin's eyes also turned red from crying.

"Uncle is awake!" Tongxi and Tonggui exclaimed at the same time.

Aunt Xue, Xue Baochai, and Xue Baoqin stopped crying and looked towards the bed.

All eyes turned to Xue Pan's face.

The crying and shouting pulled Xue Pan back from the darkness. Xue Pan tried hard to open his eyes, but found that he could not open them. He could only see a faint light and his face was swollen.

Aunt Xue grabbed Xue Pan's hand and cried, "Son, open your eyes and look at mother."

Finally, Xue Pan's mouth slowly opened, "Wang Ren, that bastard."

Aunt Xue was stunned.

Xue Pan's eyes slowly opened a little, and he gradually saw Aunt Xue sitting beside the bed: "Mom."

"Hey, don't move." Aunt Xue wiped her tears and said to Tongxi and Tonggui, "Go and get the medicine."

Xue Baochai walked to the bedside.

Xue Pan then saw Xue Baochai again and said, "My sister is here too." He tried to sit up, but he couldn't.

"Lie down and don't move!" Aunt Xue said hurriedly.

Xue Baochai spoke up: "What did you mean by what I just said, brother?"

Xue Pan was immediately excited: "It's all because of that bastard Wang Ren! Those people must have been assigned by him"

Aunt Xue asked anxiously, "Really?"

Xue Pan: "Yesterday that bastard said he wanted to marry my sister. I called him a 'toad wanting to eat swan flesh' and told him to piss and look at himself. I also punched him. He just sneered at that time and now he got into trouble. How can such a coincidence happen in the world?"

At this time, a maid came in hurriedly and said to Aunt Xue, "Madam, someone from the Southern Pacification Office came and said that the master should have a good rest tonight and continue his work at Qianmen Street tomorrow."

"This is too much!" Aunt Xue was so angry that her eyes turned red.

The old woman hesitated for a moment and whispered, "The old man was so angry that he said something, and the man replied, 'What if I bully you?'"

Xue Pan: "It must be that bastard Wang Ren!"

Xue Baochai bit her lower lip tightly and twisted her handkerchief in her hands.

Aunt Xue stood up suddenly: "I will go find him and ask him if he still has a conscience. If it weren't for our family's support in Jinling, he would have died in the casino long ago."

Xue Baochai stopped Aunt Xue and said, "It's useless. He even harmed his own sister. What else can't he do?"

Aunt Xue was stunned for a moment, and gritted her teeth: "How could the Wang family produce such a beast!"

Xue Baoqin spoke up: "Let's think of a solution as soon as possible."

Aunt Xue looked at Xue Baochai and asked, "Who should I ask for help in this matter? Your aunt, or Feng girl?"

Asking for help from Lady Wang? Not only did she want herself and Baoqin to be Jia Baoyu's concubines, she also wanted the Xue family's property. As for Wang Xifeng, Wang Ren had not come to see her yet, and he would not listen to her.

Xue Baochai lowered her head. The only family she could ask for help was the Li family. However, she had already told Li Hu about her brother's matter. With Li Hu's ability, it was just a matter of a word. Several days passed, and there was no movement.
Glancing at her brother lying on the bed, and then at her mother with a sad face, Xue Baochai closed her eyes and went to the Li family! (End of this chapter)