A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 65 Dream Interpretation

It was late at night.

Wang Qing rolled off Xiang Ling, still feeling unsatisfied.

Liu Wu'er, who was sleeping on the other side, slowly sat up and said in a trembling voice, "Master...Master, this servant also wants to serve you."

She pressed her blushing face against her chest, her hands twisting the ribbons around her neck, still showing lingering fear, but her tone was resolute.

"Don't get cold!"

Wang Qing grabbed Liu Wu'er's back and pulled her into his arms, stroking her as he said, "No rush, you're still young!"

"Small?" Liu Wu'er pursed her lips, tucked the blanket in, and seemed to understand something.

Wang Qing was too lazy to explain. He patted Liu Wu'er on the back of the head, withdrew his hand, turned to the side, pressed his chest against her back, and hugged Xiang Ling.

Feeling the heat behind her, Xiangling said in a soft voice, "Master...Master, I'm alright!"

"There's plenty of time! Go to sleep!"

He wouldn't feel bad riding someone else's bike, but he cherished his own.

Stopping Xiangling from putting on a brave face, Wang Qing slightly adjusted his posture and opportunistically invested.

Xiangling couldn't help but let out a soft moan, her body stiffening slightly.

Wang Qing was secretly pleased and was about to happily fall asleep when he heard Liu Wu'er beside him cautiously say, "Master! Can you hold me while we sleep too?"

Without turning his head, Wang Qing replied, "One day per person!"

"Yes!" Liu Wu'er happily agreed.

Xiangling, nestled in his arms, hesitated uncomfortably and said, "Master, why don't you hold Fifth Sister for now? This servant...this servant..."

"Alright, you're tired too, you probably won't be able to fall asleep like this!"

Wang Qing readily turned over, and Liu Wu'er, understanding perfectly, pressed her pink back against his chest.

Then, she wriggled twice like a caterpillar before saying in a slightly flustered tone, "Master...Master, there's a pestle in the blanket, it's pressing against me!"

Although Sister Liu did not keep anything to herself, she was still worried about causing unnecessary speculation.

Therefore, if one only speaks from one's own perspective and teaches by example, it is inevitable that one will generalize from limited information.

As a result, Liu Wu'er knew what happened, but not why.

Upon hearing this, Xiangling couldn't help but giggle.

Wang Qing's lips twitched, and he said irritably, "This pestle is something I specially prepared for you to nourish your body!"

Liu Wu'er dared not ask any more questions and could only endure the discomfort by tucking in her buttocks and legs.

She took Wang Qing's words seriously and dared not move rashly. She was also afraid that she would fall asleep and slip away, which would delay her rest. She did not close her eyes all night.

When Wang Qing woke up in the morning, she felt stiff all over.

Together with Xiangling, they helped Wang Qing get dressed, and after he left the bedroom, they quickly lifted the covers.

After searching for a long time without finding it, he muttered to himself, "Where's the pestle? Could it have been taken by the old man?"

Xiangling was taken aback at first, and then she realized what was happening.

He leaned close to Liu Wu'er's ear and whispered something.

She was abducted and trained to be a "skinny horse" (a euphemism for a prostitute), so her theoretical knowledge was not bad. Now, she combined theory with practice, and her words were profound yet simple, making Liu Wu'er blush.

The two were close in age, Liu Wu'er was simple-minded, and Xiang Ling was not a difficult person. They also had a mentor-student relationship, so they quickly became close.

Wang Qing didn't care about the changes between the two. After finishing breakfast, he rushed to the yamen.

Ever since he learned that the emperor intended to summon him, in addition to preparing materials for his report, he also began working on the merger of the five city garrisons, so as to avoid being caught off guard when the imperial decree came down.

Once the five city military commands are merged, the regions can no longer be divided according to the cardinal directions (east, south, west, north, and center).

As personnel and territory expand, management costs will increase exponentially.

Fortunately, with the experience of later generations to draw upon, Wang Qing plans to adopt grid-based management.

As for increasing revenue sources, West City's model is already well-known. Agreeing to the merger means acceptance, so Wang Qing is not troubled, but is worried about regulatory issues.

Therefore, it's better to use familiar people than unfamiliar ones. We can only let the original team in Xicheng, who are familiar with the business, do more work.

However, before the decree for the merger was issued, Wang Qing lied and claimed to have heard the news from Jia Zheng, and began preparations in advance.

……

That day.

Madam Wang returned to Rongxi Hall somewhat dejectedly, intending to shed her heavy burdens, when Zhou Rui's wife reported: "Madam! Granny Ma has come to collect incense money."

Madam Wang's eyes lit up immediately, and she hurriedly said, "Quick! Quickly, invite her in!"

In ancient times, women in wealthy families often had little contact with the outside world.

As a result, the practice of having numerous aunts and gossipy women arose and flourished.

Ma Daopo was one of the many aunts and gossipers.

The "three aunts" refer to nuns, Taoist nuns, and fortune tellers who specialize in feudal superstition.

The six types of women are: matchmaker, sorceress, prostitute, herbalist, and midwife.

Although some of these jobs may seem legitimate, the gossipy relatives often hold multiple positions.

This can be seen from the way Ma Daopo is addressed.

These people are often driven by profit, which is why proverbs say:

Never let three old women walk in front of the hall, and always lock the back door to prevent them from entering.

A well in the courtyard is a good omen for preventing minor misfortunes; it means fewer disasters and more good fortune.

Some families with a strong sense of social order even forbid gossips and relatives from entering their homes.

But the Jia family was clearly not that kind of family. In addition to making Granny Ma Jia Baoyu's godmother, Jingxu and Zhineng from the Mantou Nunnery also frequently visited.

Another person, Miaoyu, who was neither a monk nor a Taoist, moved into the Grand View Garden.

Although Lady Wang was superstitious, Jia Zheng was quite rigid. In the past, even if he asked a few questions, he would only send a servant to deliver the message. He rarely summoned Granny Ma, let alone used the word "invite".

Zhou Rui's wife must have something important to tell her. After inviting Granny Ma in, she took all the maids in the room out without waiting for Madam Wang's instructions.

People like Granny Ma are masters of creating an air of mystery. Seeing this, she pinched her fingertips and said in a pretentious manner, "It seems that Madam has encountered some trouble!"

With just one sentence, he hit the nail on the head regarding Madam Wang's concerns.

She swallowed hard, somewhat apprehensively, and said, "Lately, I've been having the same dream repeatedly. I don't know if it's a good or bad omen. I hope you can enlighten me, old woman!"

"Madam, why don't you recount the scene from your dream?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since the fright she suffered at Rongxi Hall that day, this dream has been like a persistent ailment, disturbing her peace of mind.

He originally wanted to consult Granny Ma to interpret his dream, but as soon as she entered the door, she revealed that she had something on her mind. He couldn't help but worry that she had discovered his secrets and that he would have to relay the information himself. So he immediately calmed down.

Although it was inconvenient to reveal the true situation in the dream, fortunately, Madam Wang grasped the key points.

Remove the inappropriate content and only claim that an indescribable person appeared in the dream, praising the person's devotion to Buddhism and instructing the person to sincerely worship.

She was already biased, and someone like Granny Ma knew exactly how to be cunning.

After a long and elaborate act of mystery, he feigned surprise and exclaimed, "So that's how it is! Madam, you're overjoyed!"

"How so?" Madam Wang asked hastily.

Granny Ma then said cautiously, "Madam has always possessed wisdom, which moved this great being, hence the bestowal of blessings and the secret instruction received in a dream. This is truly a great blessing! It's a pity that Madam failed to fulfill her vow in time, and I fear she has offended this great being. Therefore, we still need to do this and that..."

The so-called "such and such" was nothing more than a way to deceive Madam Wang into paying more for incense oil, so that they could pray for blessings and apologize on her behalf.

Madam Wang already felt that Wang Qing was her timely help, and although Madam Ma's account differed somewhat from that, it perfectly matched the scene of the god descending to earth in her dream.

Moreover, she had unspeakable suffering. In her dream, she caught a glimpse of Jia Zheng's eerie smile and subconsciously broke free from the dream. This coincided inexplicably with Ma Daopo's neglect.

At that moment, no one dared to doubt it. Not only did they grant Ma Daopo's every request, but they also added many extra things and instructed Ma Daopo to make sure that everything was done thoroughly.

Even after she had done all this, she was still uneasy.

After thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Go! Quickly go and fetch Feng'er!"

……