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

These words, spoken with a sob in their voice and full of grievance, were like a needle, precisely piercing the softest spot in Jia Baoyu's heart.

His greatest pride has always been the love and care he received from his ancestors.

If Jia Heng really went to complain, saying that he couldn't tolerate him, what would the old matriarch think of him?

He would feel that he was stingy, mean-spirited, and didn't know how to care for his new younger brother.

The thought that his ancestor might be disappointed in him made Jia Baoyu's heart clench.

His body under the covers was no longer stiff, and he slowly, very reluctantly, turned over.

In the darkness, he couldn't see Jia Heng's face clearly, only a blurry outline.

"I don't……"

His voice was muffled and hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone, and sounded extremely pitiful.

"I don't dislike you being here."

Jia Heng sneered inwardly.

See? As soon as the ancestor is mentioned, Baoyu immediately softens.

But his words were filled with joy, tinged with a cautious confirmation: "Really? Brother Baoyu?"

He moved slightly closer to Jia Baoyu, shortening the distance between them.

Jia Baoyu said, "It's true."

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

"Brother Baoyu, you're so kind." Jia Heng's voice was full of joy. "I knew it. You're different from what the servants in the mansion say. You're an exceptionally good person."

He paused, then abruptly changed the subject: "Since you're not angry with me anymore, let me tell you a story to cheer you up."

Jia Baoyu just wanted to end this conversation immediately and go to sleep.

"I don't want to hear it."

He refused curtly.

"It's a ghost story."

Jia Heng said.

Jia Baoyu's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

I won't listen.

He refused again, a hint of tension in his voice.

"Oh dear." Jia Heng let out a soft exclamation of feigned surprise, his tone carrying three parts teasing and seven parts provocation. "Really? Really? Brother Baoyu, you wouldn't be... scared, would you?"

For a pampered young master like Jia Baoyu, who was spoiled and indulged to the point of exhaustion, it was acceptable to admit that he was delicate and sentimental, but it was absolutely unacceptable to admit that he was "afraid".

That represents cowardice.

That was the kind of comment he couldn't tolerate the most.

"I didn't!" Jia Baoyu retorted almost immediately, his voice rising slightly. "You...you're talking nonsense!"

"Oh?" Jia Heng drawled, "If you're not afraid, then why don't you listen?"

He pressed on relentlessly.

Jia Baoyu was rendered speechless by his words, feeling a tightness in his chest, unable to breathe properly.

He could feel Jia Heng's gaze fixed on him, a gaze filled with a mischievous smile.

If he refuses again, he will only confirm his reputation as a coward who is afraid of ghosts.

"...You speak."

Two words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Jia Heng's plan was half successful again.

"Okay."

He cleared his throat and began to speak slowly in a flat, yet strangely rhythmic tone.

"Once upon a time, there was a scholar whose family had fallen on hard times, and he could only live in a dilapidated old house to study diligently. The house was very large and very run-down, and every night, the wind would blow through the paper windows and make a whistling sound."

"On the first night, the scholar was reading by candlelight. When it was late at night, he suddenly heard a rustling sound outside the window."

"It's like... someone is gently scratching the window paper with their fingernails."

Jia Heng paused deliberately.

The tent was eerily quiet; Jia Baoyu's breathing could be heard clearly.

The scholar thought it was just the wind blowing the branches and didn't pay any attention. But the rustling sound continued for half an hour before it stopped.

"The next night, at the same time, the sound came again. This time, it wasn't outside the window, but at his door. 'Shh,' 'shh,' it scraped against his door panel, again and again."

Jia Baoyu's hand, hidden under the quilt, unconsciously gripped the mattress beneath him.

The scholar was a little scared. He bolted the door shut, covered his head with the blanket, and didn't dare to sleep all night. The next day, when he went to check the door, it was covered with fine scratches.

"By the third night..." Jia Heng's voice was even lower, almost a whisper, "the scholar was terrified and went to bed early, wrapping himself tightly in the quilt, not even daring to light a candle."

"At that time, all was deathly silent. There wasn't a sound at all."

The scholar breathed a sigh of relief, thinking everything was alright. But just as he relaxed...

Jia Heng's voice abruptly stopped.

"..."

Silence as death.

Jia Baoyu waited for a long time, but nothing came of it. He felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

"and then?"

He asked it unconsciously.

"Then..." Jia Heng's voice suddenly came closer, almost right next to his ear, "that 'rustling' sound started right next to his bedside."

"One swipe, one swipe, scraping against his bed curtains."

Jia Baoyu shuddered and his whole body tensed up.

He felt as if the curtains by his bedside had moved slightly.

The scholar was terrified. He closed his eyes and dared not move. He could sense something outside the tent, only a sheet of cloth away from him.

"The story is over."

Jia Heng said lightly.

"Huh?" Jia Baoyu was stunned. "That's...that's it? What did that scholar see?"

"I don't know," Jia Heng said innocently. "That's the end of the story. Nobody knows what happened to the scholar afterward, because the next day, people found the room empty."

empty!

These two words are more chilling than any bloody description.

Jia Baoyu's mind was instantly filled with all sorts of terrifying imaginings.

He could almost see the empty room and the torn bed curtains.

[Ding! Negative emotion value from Jia Baoyu +200!]

Jia Heng's lips curled up slightly.

"Brother Baoyu, are you scared?" he asked, knowing full well the answer.

"I don't!"

Jia Baoyu retorted stubbornly, but his voice trembled slightly.

"That's good." Jia Heng yawned lazily. "I was afraid I'd scare you. I'm going to sleep now; I have to get up early tomorrow to pay my respects to the Ancestor."

After saying that, he fell silent.

A moment later, a steady and soft snoring sound began.

He fell asleep.

He actually fell asleep like that!

Jia Baoyu, however, kept his eyes wide open, showing no signs of sleepiness.

The candlelight outside the tent had gone out sometime ago, and the room was pitch black.

Outside the window, the night wind blew, and the shadows of the trees swayed, making a "rustling" sound.

one more time.

Jia Baoyu suddenly pulled the quilt over his head and curled himself up into a ball.

That story was all he could think about.

Fingernails scraping the window paper.

Scratches on the door panel.

And there was the rustling sound of the bed curtains swaying so close by.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and the more frightened he became, the more he thought about it. He felt that the non-existent ghost was quietly watching him from some corner of the room.

That night, Jia Baoyu remained sleepless, overwhelmed by boundless fear and regret.

The next day.

The sky was bright, and birds sang sweetly.

Jia Heng stretched and sat up in bed, feeling refreshed.

As he turned over, he saw Jia Baoyu curled up beside him.

At this moment, his hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and most noticeably, he had two thick, dark circles under his eyes.

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

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

Upon opening his eyes, Jia Heng received a congratulatory message from the system, putting him in a great mood.

He deliberately leaned closer and asked in an exaggeratedly concerned tone, "Oh dear! Brother Baoyu, what's wrong?"

Jia Baoyu glared at him angrily.

Jia Heng pointed to his eyes, feigning surprise.

"Your eyes... how come they're so dark? Really? Did you hear a story last night and stay up all night because you were so scared?"

His secret was exposed, and Jia Baoyu's face instantly turned bright red.

He sat bolt upright, straightened his disheveled clothes, and forced a last shred of dignity: "No!"

Although he denied it verbally, his weak voice and disheveled appearance betrayed him.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Xiren led several maids in carrying washing utensils.

When she saw Jia Baoyu's appearance on the bed, the copper basin in her hand clattered and she almost dropped it.

"Young Master Bao!"

Xi Ren let out a gasp.