After Baoyu finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly froze. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. The effect was far greater than when Jia Lian had been spraying spittle everywhere!
At first, everyone found it utterly absurd. But recalling Baoyu's usual behavior, they found it not entirely out of character—perhaps only a fool like him could, upon first meeting someone, urge him to abandon fame and fortune for a woman!
After a long while, Li Wan was the first to recover. Forcing a smile, she said, "Brother Bao is being naughty again. If Master heard such a joke, what would become of us?!"
Only then did the others seem to awaken from a dream. They hurriedly chimed in, steering the matter toward it being a "joke" in hopes of covering up Baoyu's words.
Seeing that even Granny Jia, who doted on him most, was calling him a "little monkey causing trouble again," Jia Baoyu began to hesitate. Just as he was wondering whether to take the offered way out, Sun Shaozong cleared his throat and seriously asked, "Brother Bao, do you truly think it would be good for Rong if I resigned from office and married her outright?"
Baoyu was taken aback. Then, seeing Sun Shaozong's hawk-like gaze fixed upon him, he grew even more timid.
But when he thought of how a beauty like Ruan Rong had become so despondent over this matter, and how it had even made Sister Lin shed so many tears, he gritted his teeth and gathered the last of his courage. "Of course! What Sister Rong wants is to stay by your side for the rest of her life!"
"Heh... Brother Bao truly is innocent by nature."
Sun Shaozong shook his head with a laugh. "Falling in love may be a matter between two people, but once marriage is being discussed, how can other factors be ignored?"
"If I stubbornly resigned from office, the gossip outside would be one thing. But how would my elder brother regard Rong? How would I conduct myself, caught between them? Should I sever ties with my brother for my wife, or cast Rong aside for my brother?"
After a pause, he continued, "Even if I were willing to break with my brother for Rong's sake, disregarding the kindness of more than a decade of upbringing, Rong would likely spend the rest of her life mired in guilt and unease. She would also have to face others' criticism and harassment. Do you truly think that staying together like that would be the outcome she wanted?"
Jia Baoyu was left speechless by this. A young lord who spent every day coddled in comfort, when had he ever considered matters so deeply or so far ahead?
"Hahaha..."
Jia Lian laughed heartily, stepped forward, and patted Baoyu on the shoulder. "What's this, got shut down?! Second Master may look rough and uncouth, but even a single hair on him is sharper than you. With your little bit of ability, you thought you could make a joke of him?"
The others erupted into laughter as well. Then, by mutual unspoken agreement, they let the matter pass and turned to idle chatter.
Not to mention Jia Baoyu's failed opening gambit, leaving him to sulk in Granny Jia's arms.
As for Sun Shaozong, he continued to trade words easily with the others, though inwardly he felt somewhat wistful. What he had said earlier did make sense, but if he searched his own heart, it all came down to one word: unwilling.
Ultimately, it was simply because his feelings for Ruan Rong had not reached the point where he would cast everything else aside.
As everyone laughed and chatted for another quarter of an hour or so, Granny Jia began to look tired. Only then did Jia Lian take his leave with Sun Shaozong, returning to the East Wing Back Garden to drink and make merry.
Li Wan and Jia Baoyu naturally returned to the warm chamber at the rear.
The moment they entered, they found Lin Daiyu weeping like rain on pear blossoms, while Ruan Rong held her in her arms and gently comforted her.
Seeing this, Jia Baoyu asked in confusion, "Sister Pin, wasn't Sister Rong the one who came to pour out her heart to you today? Why are you the one who cannot stop crying?"
At once, Daiyu turned her head away and reproached him with her back to him. "You still have the nerve to ask me?! Who told you to force Brother Sun to state his position in front of everyone? Now look what you've done. Once word of what was said today gets out, Sister Rong's marriage will have no hope at all!"
Though Baoyu felt somewhat wronged, he had long been accustomed to yielding to her. He did not dare argue, only repeatedly apologized and admitted his fault.
Yet Daiyu was like ice and iron today. No matter how sweetly he spoke, she answered only with cold words, leaving Baoyu increasingly flustered.
After watching for some time, Li Wan gradually discerned what was going on. She knew that, besides standing up for her sworn elder sister, Lin Daiyu was largely putting herself in Ruan Rong's place and thinking of her own relationship with Jia Baoyu.
The two of them were only twelve or thirteen years old.
But girls matured early, and since others were always teasing her about Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu could not help harboring certain hopes.
Yet she had first witnessed what had happened between Ruan Rong and Sun Shaozong, and today she had heard that saying repeated: Falling in love was a matter between two people, but once marriage was truly under discussion, how could other factors be ignored?
With Lin Daiyu's intelligence, how could such words fail to stir her heart?
Thinking of this, Li Wan could not help feeling deeply moved. Others might not see it clearly, but as someone who had been through it herself, how could she not know that Lin Daiyu fundamentally did not meet Jia Manor's standards for choosing a daughter-in-law?
Leaving aside the fact that both her parents were dead and she had little family support, her slender, delicate frame alone had already ruled out more than half the possibilities!
Among the daughters-in-law of Rongguo Mansion, which one did not have wide hips and a sturdy build suited for bearing children?
At this thought, Li Wan unconsciously glanced at Ruan Rong. Though Ruan Rong's hips were not yet as exaggerated as her own, they were still unusually full and pert for a young girl. Li Wan secretly thought that coarse fellow truly liked that sort of thing. No wonder his scorching gaze had kept drifting toward...
"Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law!"
As her thoughts drifted wildly through a head full of indecent notions, Lin Daiyu's call suddenly snapped her back. Li Wan's face immediately flushed crimson. Had she been possessed today? Why did she keep thinking such vexing, filthy things?
Barely concealing her embarrassment, she forced a smile. "What is it? I was thinking about something just now and got a little distracted. I did not catch what you were saying."
Seeing the rosy, alluring flush on her face, Lin Daiyu felt inexplicably puzzled. Yet it was not her place to press Li Wan about what she had been thinking, so she continued their earlier topic. "The men of this household are usually more delicate than women. Even Granny complained about it just now! So I told Baoyu to ask Brother Sun to teach him some martial arts and archery, so he would not disgrace his ancestors. But he only kept making excuses and refusing. Sister-in-law, please talk some sense into him!"
Daiyu added, "If Brother Sun agrees, Sister-in-law, you might as well have Lan'er learn with him too. There is no need for him to achieve anything great. It would be enough if it strengthened his body."
Li Wan could not help smiling. Just moments ago, this girl had treated Baoyu like an enemy, yet now she was thinking of him again.
Still, that last suggestion truly appealed to Li Wan. She secretly considered that if Jia Lan could gain even two or three tenths of Sun Shaozong's robust physique, he would not die young like his deceased father.
Only...
"I have heard that learning martial arts is terribly hard. How could Lan'er and Baoyu endure it?"
"That is why I told Baoyu to ask Brother Sun!" Lin Daiyu said. "Sister-in-law saw it too just now. He is a man with excellent judgment and has his own important affairs to attend to, so he certainly would not train them too harshly."
After hearing this, Li Wan was eight parts persuaded.
But Jia Baoyu suddenly grew angry. He sat down heavily on an embroidered stool and muttered resentfully, "I thought Sister Lin was different from everyone else. Who would have imagined that she too would say such nonsense about bringing glory to one's ancestors!"
Lin Daiyu had never feared him. She sneered, "Who expects you to bring glory to your ancestors? I only hope that if you encounter villains outside, then even if you cannot fight a hundred men alone like Brother Sun, you can at least run faster and not become a burden to your sisters!"
Jia Baoyu immediately wilted again. Though he despised vulgar matters like official careers and worldly success, he loved showing off before his sisters. How could he willingly accept the name of "burden"?
With no other choice, he would have to grit his teeth and learn some martial arts after all.
Before you continue