Dream of the Red Chamber: Eating, Sleeping, and Angering Baoyu

He nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Jia Baoyu and said in an extremely disappointed tone, "Did you hear that! You wretched child!"

"Look at your younger brother! How overjoyed he is to hear he can go to school! That's true ambition!"

"Look at you! All you do is loaf around and never strive for anything! The scholarly tradition of the Jia family will be ruined in your hands sooner or later!"

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be going to the free school too! You'll learn from your brother what it means to be ambitious and diligent!"

[Ding! Negative emotion value from Jia Baoyu +50!]

[Ding! Negative emotion value from Jia Baoyu +50!]

Here we go again! Here we go again!

Jia Heng was overjoyed.

Father, you're such a great wingman!

Jia Baoyu lay on the ground, the excruciating pain in his back and the humiliation in his heart intertwined, almost causing him to faint.

Go to school?

Together with Jia Heng?

Should we learn from him?

This is worse than killing him!

But he no longer had the strength to resist.

He could sense that his father's patience had run out, and if he dared to say "no" again, the ruler would fall mercilessly once more.

"understood."

Jia Baoyu squeezed out three words from his throat, each word carrying the stench of blood.

This is surrender.

This was the first time in his life that Jia Baoyu had so completely submitted.

Jia Zheng snorted coldly, clearly still dissatisfied with his attitude, but at least he didn't lash out again.

He held Jia Heng's shoulder and began to give him earnest instructions, but he was speaking to Jia Baoyu, who was lying on the ground.

"Heng'er is new to the capital and is unfamiliar with the people and things in the clan school."

"As his elder brother, it is your duty to take care of him and protect him. If anyone dares to bully him or cause him trouble at school, what will you do?"

Jia Zheng's question was very profound.

These words sounded like a huge irony to Jia Baoyu.

Is this to make him Jia Heng's bodyguard?

Humiliation, endless humiliation, like a tidal wave, completely overwhelmed Jia Baoyu.

He lay there, his body trembling slightly, but he didn't say a word.

"Um?"

Jia Zheng's tone rose slightly, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Jia Baoyu closed his eyes, suppressing all his resentment deep within his heart.

He forced out a single word through gritted teeth: "Yes."

"What kind of attitude is that?"

Jia Zheng, supported by Jia Heng's arm, straightened up and looked down at Jia Baoyu on the ground.

"From what you're saying, it sounds as if I forced you and made you suffer some great injustice, doesn't it?"

Jia Baoyu lay motionless on the ground, his back wound burning, while the hole in his heart bled cold blood.

Wronged?

It's more than just feeling wronged!

"I...I said 'yes,' but my father was not satisfied."

"When I said 'no,' my father wanted to beat me to death."

"It's all my fault, no matter what, what else can I say?"

"presumptuous!"

Jia Zheng flew into a rage, threw Jia Heng aside, and raised his foot to kick Jia Baoyu.

"You wretched child! How dare you talk back! I think you don't want this body anymore!"

Alarm bells rang in Jia Heng's mind.

We can't let our father really beat Jia Baoyu so badly.

If it gets really damaged, it will be hard to explain to the old lady, and my own plans will also be affected.

Before Jia Zheng's foot could land, he lunged forward, knelt beside Jia Baoyu, and shielded him with his own body.

"Father, please calm down! Father, please calm down!"

Jia Heng looked up, his delicate face filled with anxiety and "sincerity".

"Second brother... he must be delirious from the pain! He didn't mean to talk back to you! He's just talking nonsense!"

After saying that, he immediately turned around, grabbed Jia Baoyu's cold hand, and shook it vigorously: "Second Brother! Wake up! Quickly apologize to Father! Father did all this for your own good!"

The phrase "for your own good" was like a poisoned steel needle, piercing Jia Baoyu's heart one by one.

You hit me because you think it's for my own good?

Are you forcing me to go to school for my own good?

For my own good, you want me to be the bodyguard of the person I hate the most?

He could feel the warmth of Jia Heng's hand, but that warmth made him feel nauseous.

What a hypocrite!

This liar who stole his father and now tries to gain sympathy by pretending to be sympathetic!

Jia Baoyu abruptly closed his eyes, trapping all his surging emotions inside, and remained silent.

He doesn't want to say a single word right now.

Whatever you say is wrong.

Everything I do is wrong.

Then say nothing and do nothing.

[Ding! Negative emotion value from Jia Baoyu +100!]

[Ding! Negative emotion value from Jia Baoyu +100!]

Jia Heng was overjoyed.

Second brother, you really are my good brother! This teamwork is flawless!

Seeing Jia Heng so protective of his elder brother, while Jia Baoyu lay there like a dead man, Jia Zheng was even more furious.

Take a look!

The difference in their abilities is immediately apparent between these two brothers!

He was well-educated, reasonable, and respectful to his brothers.

One who is incorrigible and stubborn!

His chest heaved violently a few times, but in the end, out of consideration for Jia Heng, he refrained from making any further moves.

He gave a heavy, cold snort, then turned away with a flick of his sleeve.

"Hmph! You better remember what I said today!"

"Starting tomorrow, you'd better go to the clan school obediently! If you dare cause any more trouble, I'll break your legs!"

"Heng'er, let's go! Let's leave this wretched child alone!"

Jia Zheng strode out.

Jia Heng quickly got up from the ground, dusted off his knees, and followed closely behind.

As he stepped across the threshold, he turned back and looked at Jia Baoyu, who was lying on the ground, with a gaze full of "worry" and "sympathy" one last time.

To Jia Baoyu, that gaze was nothing short of blatant boasting and the posture of a victor.

……

That night, at Rongqing Hall.

The atmosphere at the dinner was somewhat subtle.

Grandmother Jia sat at the head of the table, with Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun sitting on either side.

Jia Baoyu also arrived, but he had changed into loose clothes. He sat there, his handsome face pale and bloodless, looking listless. He didn't say a word, only poking at the rice in his bowl.

In stark contrast to him was Jia Heng, who sat beside him.

He stood tall and straight, looking radiant, and listened to Wang Xifeng speak with a smile.

"Oh dear, my three brothers," Tan Chun, with her sharp eyes, was the first to notice something amiss. She looked Jia Heng up and down curiously, "Why do you seem to have gotten so much fairer these past few days?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention turned to Jia Heng.

"Indeed!" Wang Xifeng immediately chimed in, her phoenix eyes scanning Jia Heng up and down, teasingly saying, "You've only been back at the manor for a day, and you're already like a completely different person. What happened? Did they roast you like charcoal in Jinling?"