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

Xiren's exclamation drew the attention of all the maids in the room. Seeing Jia Baoyu on the bed looking as if his life force had been drained by a ghost, they were all too frightened to utter a sound, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

"Young Master Bao, what's wrong?"

Xiren rushed to the bedside and reached out to touch Jia Baoyu's forehead, her eyes overflowing with concern.

Jia Baoyu dodged her hand, barely managing to straighten his disheveled clothes, his voice hoarse: "I'm fine."

He doesn't look like he's alright at all.

Jia Heng watched leisurely from the side, secretly delighted.

He deliberately stretched and loosened his muscles, letting out a satisfied sigh, which contrasted sharply with the listless Jia Baoyu beside him.

"Good sister, why are you only concerned about Brother Baoyu?" Jia Heng blinked, his eyes showing a mix of youthful mischief and grievance. "I slept so well, aren't you going to praise me?"

Xiren choked and turned to look at him. She saw that Jia Heng had a rosy complexion, was full of energy, and had bright, sparkling eyes. He was indeed extremely refreshed.

She could only force a smile: "Young Master Heng looks full of energy, there's no need for me to ask any more questions."

Isn't this just a way of implying that Jia Baoyu is mentally unwell?

Jia Heng inwardly gave Xiren a thumbs up, but on the surface he put on a concerned look of sudden realization and turned to Jia Baoyu: "Brother Baoyu, you mustn't let your mind wander like that anymore."

He spoke earnestly, like a good younger brother who truly cares about his elder brother: "Look at you, you didn't sleep well all night and you've ruined yourself like this. Sister Xiren and the others must be so worried."

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

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

Jia Baoyu felt a lump in his throat, unable to breathe.

What could he say?

He claims he was so scared by Jia Heng's ghost stories that he couldn't sleep all night? Does he have no shame?!

Needless to say, Jia Heng's "thoughtful" words were like slaps to his face, especially in front of all his head maids!

A surge of heat rushed to his head, and Jia Baoyu's face turned from pale to a sickly red. His hands, hidden under the covers, gripped the sheets tightly.

Xi Ren and the other maids, however, felt that what Young Master Heng said made sense.

They genuinely loved Baoyu, and seeing him like this, they were already anxious.

"Yes, Young Master Bao, you must take care of yourself."

"Young Master Heng is right. It breaks our hearts to see you like this."

Hearing the maids' agreement, Jia Baoyu felt even more embarrassed and wished he could disappear into the ground.

Jia Heng accepted the system reward with satisfaction, but continued, "Alright, alright, stop talking about brother. Hurry up and help us wash up. Brother must be hungry too; he'll be fine after breakfast."

His words successfully portrayed him as a sensible and considerate younger brother.

Xiren quickly agreed and directed the maids to bring water and towels, and the room finally returned to its busy state.

Jia Heng was being served by a maid named Zhiyan. The maid was extremely beautiful, with particularly bright and lively eyes, but her movements carried a hint of reluctance.

Jia Heng didn't care; he was in a very good mood.

On the other hand, Jia Baoyu was being personally served by Xiren, but he remained silent throughout, radiating a low-pressure atmosphere.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Jia Heng felt a little hungry.

He looked at Xiren, who was still adjusting Jia Baoyu's collar, and asked, "Sister Xiren, where are we having breakfast?"

"Reporting to Third Master Heng," Xiren replied respectfully, "you can go to the Old Madam's place for it; she'll be pleased to see you two gentlemen. If you don't want to eat, you can have it sent from the kitchen and eat it in your room."

"You can have the kitchen deliver?" Jia Heng feigned surprise, his eyes widening. "Can we order?"

His naive and unworldly demeanor made the maids around him secretly laugh.

Xiren thought it was normal, after all, this Third Master grew up in Jinling, and his manners and etiquette were probably different from those in the manor.

She puffed out her chest and explained with a hint of pride, "Of course. Whatever Young Master Bao wants to eat, just give the order, and the kitchen will prepare it to the best of its ability."

The conversation revolves around Jia Baoyu.

"Wow, that's great!" Jia Heng immediately turned to Jia Baoyu, his face beaming. "Brother Baoyu, what would you like to eat? I'll eat with you!"

The ball was kicked to Jia Baoyu's feet again.

He had no appetite right now and just wanted to be alone.

But with so many people around, he couldn't afford to lose his temper, so he could only listlessly say, "A bowl of porridge will do."

"How can just porridge be enough?" Jia Heng immediately retorted, then enthusiastically ordered the dishes to a maid, "I want a bowl of thick rice porridge. Also, a plate of steamed chestnut flour cake with osmanthus sugar, and those pine nut and goose fat rolls! Oh, and a bowl of steamed egg with milk, to nourish Brother Baoyu!"

He ordered four or five items in one go, all of which were exquisite and time-consuming pastries.

Xiren listened and felt it was a bit too extravagant, but thinking it was to nourish Baoyu's body, she did not stop it. She just told someone to quickly go to the kitchen to deliver the message.

The Jia family was extremely efficient; the food box was delivered in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The maids placed plates of exquisite breakfast on a round rosewood table, filling the air with their aroma.

Jia Heng's appetite was whetted, and he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Jia Baoyu was pressed down at the table, with a steaming bowl of steamed egg with milk in front of him.

He felt a churning in his stomach, picked up a spoon, and stirred it half-heartedly, but couldn't put a single bite into his mouth for a long time.

Jia Heng quickly finished a goose fat roll, and when he looked up, he saw Jia Baoyu staring blankly at the bowl.

He put down his chopsticks and sighed heavily.

The sigh successfully drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Brother Baoyu, why aren't you eating?" Jia Heng frowned, his face full of disapproval. "This won't do. You have to eat well in the morning. How can you be picky about food?"

Jia Baoyu, already irritable, put his spoon down in the bowl with a slight clinking sound, upon hearing this: "I can't eat."

"Eat even if you can't eat it." Jia Heng's attitude left no room for argument. "Brother, do you know the saying, 'Every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work'? This rice and this flour were all grown by farmers under the scorching sun, sweating profusely. We were born into a wealthy family and enjoy all of this, so we can't waste food like this."

These words were spoken with righteous indignation and resounding force.

The maids in the room were stunned. They had never heard of such a principle before.

In their minds, if their masters don't want to eat, then they simply won't eat and will just throw the food away; no one would care about such things.

But unfortunately, every word Young Master Heng uttered contained the element of "reason".

Jia Baoyu's face instantly turned red and white, a truly fascinating sight.

He felt like a child being publicly reprimanded by his teacher, and the person reprimanding him was none other than his "younger brother," whom he had never taken seriously.

What made it even more embarrassing for him was that his closest maids were also surrounding him.

Humiliation, boundless humiliation.

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

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

The little devil inside Jia Heng's head was already dancing, but his face remained serious: "Brother, I know you might not like to hear this. But I'm doing this for your own good. Your body is your own responsibility; how can you not eat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiren immediately chimed in, sincerely advising, "Yes, Young Master Bao, Young Master Heng is right. Please use more, even if it's just for our sake, don't starve yourself."

"Master Bao, this steamed egg with milk is very nourishing, would you like to try some?"

Another maid also whispered words of advice.

Everyone chimed in, urging him to eat.

To Jia Baoyu, these words sounded like sarcasm and pressure.

He felt as if he were trapped in an invisible net, unable to move.

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

[Ding! Host! Your tea ceremony skills have reached perfection! Green Tea Everlasting, awesome!]

The system's voice was filled with excitement.

Jia Heng almost burst out laughing.