Chapter 136 There really is a Peach Blossom Spring

The twilight was heavy, and there wasn't a trace of sunset on the horizon, only a gray expanse that looked particularly oppressive.

Baoyu felt that his heart, like the sky, was also gloomy.

Despite his pleading with the old lady and his wife, the outcome remained unchanged.

He is moving to the outer study today.

The outer study was filled with the Four Books and Five Classics that he disliked, and his father forbade his sisters to come and serve him.

The old lady tried for him for a long time, but only four old women were allowed to serve him in the outer study. The rest of the servants were pageboys and young men.

The sisters who used to live in his house have all gone their separate ways.

Baoyu thought this parting would never come, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Qingwen was originally a maidservant of the old lady, and now she has gone back to the old lady; Sister Xiren went to the madam, but the madam's side was already full, so Aunt Xue borrowed Xiren, saying that since Xiangling left, they were short of a person and had not yet had time to fill the position.

Before leaving, Xiren comforted Baoyu, saying that since they were still living in the same mansion, they would never see each other again. If he behaved well outside and received praise from the master, the master might be so pleased that he would let him come back to live with him!

Baoyu also wanted to do the same, but his intuition told him that it was impossible this time, as his master was showing no mercy this time.

He cried bitterly in the empty house, and from then on, he never heard his sisters' soft words of comfort or their tender care again.

Because she couldn't bear to see Baoyu move out, Grandmother Jia made an excuse to go elsewhere early on the day he was supposed to move out.

Wang Xifeng couldn't wait for Baoyu to move out, so as soon as Jia Zheng gave the order, even though she was busy with the charity auction, she immediately sent people to clean up the outer study.

When the day arrived, more than a dozen old women came early in the morning and moved all of Baoyu's belongings from his room to the outer study. They forbade him to take out anything that smelled like a girl. Baoyu was furious, but when the old woman said that it was the Second Master's order, he dared not say anything more.

After Baoyu moved out, Xiren went to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. She had thought that if she could no longer serve Baoyu, she might as well redeem herself and go home. However, she was quickly won over by Baochai when she arrived at Pear Fragrance Courtyard. From then on, she devoted herself to Baochai and put Baochai first in everything.

As for Daiyu, the one who started the whole thing by making Baoyu move out of the inner courtyard, she didn't care about it at all.

On the table, a mahogany house-shaped cuckoo clock ticked away. When the hour was up, the window on the top of the house automatically popped open, and then a finely carved little bird popped out of the clock, making a "cuckoo, cuckoo" sound.

This object is Daiyu's new toy. She has been studying it for two days, but she still can't figure out how the door suddenly opened, how the cuckoo suddenly popped out, or why it made a sound—a cuckoo's call. Could there really be a baby cuckoo inside? Should she feed it and give it water?

As soon as Yuan Hongqu entered Jiaoyun Garden, she saw Daiyu still studying the clock and couldn't help but tease her.

"Daiyu, have you seen any cuckoos coming out of here looking for food?"

Daiyu shook her head in disappointment.

"Granny, is it starving? Should I feed it some food through this window?"

"Hahaha, the mechanical bird can't eat grain, so we'll wind it up today. Once it's fully wound, it'll be full." Yuan Hongqu laughed as she found the mechanism on the clock, took out the winding key, and handed it to Daiyu.

"This is the key for winding the winder. Try it."

Daiyu curiously took the key, and Yuan Hongqu opened the clock cover and pointed to the keyhole for Daiyu to see.

"Granny, aren't these two holes for the cuckoo to breathe?"

Although there was a clock in the house, this was the first time Daiyu had ever been interested in a clock.

“Hmm, not bad. The key you have can provide energy to the cuckoo, which is the source of power that allows the cuckoo to keep moving. And these two holes are the power channels, so hurry up and give them power!” Yuan Hongqu said, following Daiyu’s words.

Daiyu smiled as she wound the clock under Yuan Hongqu's guidance.

It only stopped when the key could no longer be turned and the clock was fully wound.

"My second uncle said he sent this toy as a gift to apologize to Baoyu. I really like this gift. Granny, should we give my second uncle a gift in return?" Daiyu asked.

She was also at fault that day. Without waiting for the maid to announce her arrival, she and her fourth sister rashly barged into Baoyu's room, only to witness that scene.

Now that Baoyu has moved out of the inner courtyard, his maternal grandmother probably won't blame her for being nosy, but his second aunt will definitely complain about her.

“No need. Did the Second Master return your stargazing mirror to you?” Yuan Hongqu said.

Daiyu immediately felt somewhat resentful.

A few days ago, after the snow cleared, the sky was filled with stars that seemed so close she could almost reach out and pluck them. She gazed at the starry sky with excitement, but her heart was filled with regret. If she still had her star-gazing glasses, the sight of those stars would surely be even more spectacular.

What a pity.

Daiyu looked outside with a heavy heart. Night had fallen, but the gloom of the evening had not carried over into the night. The stars were shining everywhere, and the sky must be even more lively now.

"Let's go upstairs and take a look. We can see a lot from up there. Maybe the stars are clearer up there than in the courtyard." Yuan Hongqu took Daiyu's hand and led her up to the roof of Jiaoyun Garden.

There is a pavilion on one side of Jiaoyun Garden. The pavilion is not large, but it offers a panoramic view of the Lin family garden.

They moved back to the Lin residence in winter, and since the underfloor heating and firewalls in Jiaoyun Garden didn't reach the rooftop, the attic was quite cold, so it remained closed and they never went up there.

This was the first time Daiyu had ever been up to this pavilion.

The wooden stairs were covered with a snow-white wool carpet. The thick carpet felt like walking on clouds, soft and cozy, and you didn't feel cold at all.

As Daiyu stepped onto the carpet, she felt a warm feeling in her heart. She thought about how much effort Yuan Mama had put into arranging the scene, and how the starry sky would be just like that in a moment. She couldn't let Mama Mama notice anything, lest all of Mama Mama's efforts be in vain.

She turned around and smiled at Yuan Hongqu, only to see Yuan Hongqu looking at her encouragingly, gesturing for her to continue walking forward.

Daiyu took two more steps forward, gazing at everything inside the pavilion. She almost thought she was seeing things. She blinked, then finally couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"The Peach Blossom Spring in my dream, does it really exist? Granny, it really is the Peach Blossom Spring!"

Yuan Hongqu smiled as she watched the little girl excitedly touch and look at everything, checking if the flowers were real or fake, and then checking if the fruit in the potted plant was ripe or unripe. Finally, she reached the window.

But then they saw something covered by a piece of shimmering brocade by the window. The candlelight in the room reflected on the brocade, making it seem as if it had been given life.

Something covered by such precious, shimmering brocade must be extraordinary.