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

After the storm subsided, Jia Baoyu became the most awkward person.

Surrounded by people, he felt like an outsider, especially when he looked at Jia Heng's "sincere" face, which made him furious.

On what grounds?

It was clearly his jade that was stolen, and he was the one who suffered injustice, so how come in the end he became the one who was petty and narrow-minded?

The more Jia Baoyu thought about it, the angrier he became. His chest heaved, and his eyes reddened again.

Jia Heng walked up to Grandmother Jia and looked up at his dark little face.

"Grand Ancestor, I returned in a hurry this time and was unable to prepare any decent gifts for you."

His words carried a hint of guilt, successfully drawing everyone's attention.

Grandmother Jia, who was feeling sorry for her grandson who had just returned, took his hand with even more affection when she heard him say this.

"Silly child, your safe and sound return is the best gift for your grandmother."

"No."

Jia Heng stubbornly shook his head, then carefully took out a scroll from the inner pocket of his robe, as if presenting a treasure.

The paper on the scroll was yellowed and looked quite old, but he had preserved it very well.

"I...I don't have the money to buy those gold and silver jewels, so I painted a picture myself, intending to give it to our ancestors."

This statement aroused everyone's curiosity.

What can a child who has suffered outside for many years draw?

Grandmother Jia was very obliging, smiling and saying, "Good, good, quickly open it and let Grandmother see what wonderful things our Heng-ge'er has drawn."

Jia Heng nodded and, with the help of a maid, slowly unfurled the scroll on the table.

The moment the scroll was unfurled, a soft gasp filled the room.

The painting lacked fine brushstrokes and ornate coloring; the lines were even somewhat immature.

But the content of the painting stunned everyone.

It was a magnificent palace complex beyond imagination, with pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted rafters, layer upon layer, with an imposing presence that almost bursts off the page.

In the very center of the entire palace complex, on the most magnificent and splendid hall, Jia Heng wrote three characters in his childish handwriting: Rongqing Hall.

Jia Heng pointed to the grand hall and said to Grandmother Jia with a proud look on his face.

"Grandmother, this is what I've been thinking. When I become successful and make a lot of money, I'll build you a grand palace like this to live in!"

"This biggest, best, and most magnificent house is yours!"

Grandmother Jia stared blankly at the painting and the three characters, speechless for a moment.

She had seen countless rare treasures and heard countless flattering words.

But nothing, nothing, can compare to the "pie in the sky" drawn by this dark-skinned, thin grandson.

This pie is too big, too unreal, but it's also so...heartwarming.

"Good...good child!" Grandmother Jia's eyes welled up with tears. She held Jia Heng's hand tightly. "Grandmother likes it, Grandmother likes this gift very much!"

Watching from the side, Wang Xifeng clicked her tongue in amazement and jokingly said with a smile, "Heng-ge'er has quite the ambition! How much silver would it take to build this?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Heng immediately puffed out his small chest, held up eight fingers, and spoke with a resounding thud.

"When I'm rich in the future, I'll give all eight hundred million taels of silver to my ancestors!"

"Let our ancestors enjoy delicacies every day, wear gold and silver, and become the richest old lady in the world!"

Eight...eight hundred million taels?

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was stunned by this astronomical figure.

Wang Xifeng laughed so hard she almost couldn't breathe.

"My dear brother, do you know how much eight hundred million taels of silver is? Even if we sold our entire Rongguo Mansion, no, the entire city of Jinling, we probably still couldn't raise that amount!"

Everyone was amused, and the atmosphere was lively.

Some say he's just a child who speaks without thinking, which is really cute.

Some say he is commendable for his filial piety and has lofty aspirations.

Jia Heng, however, looked completely serious, showing no sign of joking.

"I'm sure I'll earn it in the future!"

His expression was so firm and confident that even those who wanted to laugh at him couldn't help but laugh.

Grandmother Jia was deeply moved by his enthusiasm and nodded repeatedly, "Good! Good! Grandmother believes in you! Grandmother is looking forward to enjoying the blessings of our Heng'er!"

Amidst the praise, Jia Heng suddenly turned his head and looked at Jia Baoyu, who had remained silent.

His expression was innocent and naive.

"Brother Baoyu, since you are so beloved by the Grandmother, you must have given her many precious gifts, right?"

Jia Baoyu: "..."

He froze completely.

Gift?

What gifts did he give to his ancestors?

From childhood to adulthood, he has always received gifts and tried to make others happy.

He is the center of this family, the apple of the ancestors' eye, why would he need to give gifts?

Isn't his very existence the best gift?

But could he really say those words?

Compared to Jia Heng's astonishing filial piety of "painting palaces and promising eight hundred million," everything he did seemed so pale and powerless.

Jia Baoyu's face flushed red and then turned pale. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

"I...I..."

The eyes of everyone in the room seemed to fall on him, albeit subtly.

There was inquiry, doubt, and even a hint of...disappointment in that gaze.

Jia Heng immediately stepped forward and once again "understandingly" helped him out of the predicament.

"It's alright, it's alright! Brother Baoyu, don't worry!"

He grasped Jia Baoyu's hand, shook it vigorously, and gave him a look that said, "I understand you."

"I know, Brother Baoyu, you're definitely not the kind of stingy, selfish, or unfilial person!"

"You've just... you've just been too busy, busy writing poetry, busy playing with your sisters, so you didn't think of it for a moment, right?"

"You definitely put your ancestors first in your heart!"

These words, rather than helping him out of a predicament, only made Jia Baoyu feel even more threatened.

Every word implies that he is "a person who only cares about his own enjoyment and does not know how to be filial."

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

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

Jia Baoyu felt a rush of blood to his head. He wanted to argue and shout, but under the complex gazes of the crowd, he couldn't say anything.

Just then, Jia Heng turned to Lady Wang and bowed.

"Mother, your son has also prepared a gift for you."

Lady Wang was just worried about Baoyu's predicament, and when she heard this, she was taken aback.

"Oh? What is it?"

"My son is away from home all year round and has nothing of value. He only has a poem he wrote on the road, which he wants to tell his mother."

After Jia Heng finished speaking, without waiting for Madam Wang's response, he slowly began to recite in a slightly hoarse and melancholic child's voice.

"My mother combs my hair."

"There are peach blossoms in Jinling."

"Who will help me now?"

"Wiping away tears, missing your mother?"

The poem is simple and straightforward, without any fancy words.

But these simple twenty words struck Madam Wang's heart like a heavy hammer.

My mother combed my hair...

She seemed to see Jia Heng as a child, sitting obediently on her lap, letting her comb his hair.

There are peach blossoms in Jinling...

That was probably the most beautiful bright spot in his memory of home and his mother.

Who will help me wipe away my tears as I miss my mother?

This last sentence was like the sharpest thorn, instantly piercing through all of Madam Wang's strength and pretense.

She thought of the hardships and suffering her son endured away, how lonely and helpless he was, how he could only wipe away his tears himself, and how he longed for his mother far away...

A wave of immense guilt and heartache instantly overwhelmed her.

Madam Wang's shoulders began to tremble slightly. She quickly picked up a handkerchief and covered her face, but the suppressed, faint sobs still escaped her lips.

The room was deathly silent.

Everyone was deeply moved by the sincere emotions contained in the poem.

Even Grandmother Jia, who always doted on Baoyu the most, sighed deeply at this moment, reached out and patted Lady Wang's back, her eyes reddening.

Praises rang out again.

"What a beautiful poem! It's truly a beautiful poem!"

"Hengge'er is such a good child. He has suffered so much, yet he still thinks of his mother all the time."

"Although this poem is simple in language, it contains genuine emotion and is very moving."

"I never expected that Heng-ge'er could write poetry at such a young age. He's truly remarkable."

……

Jia Heng stood there, head slightly bowed, looking deeply affectionate, perfectly accepting everyone's praise and sympathy.

As Jia Baoyu looked at his mother, who was shedding tears for her other son, and at Jia Heng, who was being praised by everyone, he felt as if the whole world was spinning.

He lost.

A crushing defeat.

Whether it was pleasing the ancestors or making his mother shed tears, he was utterly defeated by this younger brother whom he had never taken seriously.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation and anger exploded in his chest.

Jia Baoyu suddenly pointed at Jia Heng, a low growl like that of a trapped beast escaping his throat: "It's all your fault!"