Chapter Text
Too fast. Everything... happened all too fast. Nothing made sense anymore. The blood, the screams, the people. If... he could still call them "people". No, he doesn't think he could, though. They were... monsters, beasts, born out of... whatever his grandma made. The next thing he knew, the Claw, the Head, they came in and killed everyone. Everyone? Everything. Yes, thing. They are beyond human.
Jia Baoyu, the Precious Jade of Daguanyuan. A vulnerable child, watch as part of his family perished, turned into creatures beyond his comprehension. He saw his brother, his friend, die. He... died... killed, murdered. Because he witnessed something he shouldn't have. But... why wasn't Baoyu affected? He saw it too. If anything, he saw everything. And yet, in a cruel twist of fate, he survived. He hated it. He hated everything. He wanted to scream, to cry. But he couldn't. He couldn't say a thing. Not even to the mysterious woman who sat in an old chair in front of the Kong family building. He can't take it anymore. No, no more. He doesn't want to see them anymore. He wants to run. Run! Far, far away. He wants to escape, to forget. But he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to. Not in front of his grandmother. No, he can't. There is no way he could. He must maintain his dignity, he knows that much. It's what is expected of him being a child of the Jia clan. So he stayed. He stayed. Even after everything, he stayed. He couldn't leave. He knew he wasn't allowed to. So he said nothing, did nothing.
The moment he was finally dismissed by his grandmother, Baoyu ran to his room. "Young master-" The attendant inside hoped to greet the child she served. Yet, the moment he opened those doors, she was met with the child hugging her for dear life. Immediately, it filled her with panic and worry. "Young master! Are you alright?" She knelt down to face the boy eye to eye. Sure enough, his face stained with never ending tears that flowed nonstop.
"X-Xiren... I..!" Baoyu tried to say something. Anything! He wanted to tell her what happened, to tell her all his troubles, hoping it would get rid of it. But even with his best efforts, he couldn't speak. His body trembled tremendously, his voice cracks every time he tries to speak. His mind isn't cooperating. It's not working the way he wanted to. All he could do was cry and sob.
Xiren lowered down to his level held him in her arms. Gently, she held him tight, offering him the comfort that he needed. One filled with love and care towards someone who isn't even her own. But she regrets nothing.
"Ssshhh. It's alright. Everything will be alright, I promise." Xiren caresses Baoyu's head. It was comforting to him. It was all too familiar. It soothed him, calmed him, and reassured in ways that not even his parents nor grandmother could ever provide.
"Xiren... the... the Kong family... they... H-Huan too..." He tried once again to form his words. It went better than before, but still, it didn't convey everything he wanted to say. "Sshhh. It's alright. You don't have to keep talking. Just let it all out. Then you can tell me later, ok?" Baoyu nodded and continued to cry, his hands clutching Xiren's hanfu. His tears stained Xiren's hanfu, but she didn't seem to mind. The two were comfortable with each other. And at that moment, the two wouldn't have it any other way.
But while Baoyu felt calmer than he was before, Xiren could only feel rage. How could they? How could they do this to a child? A child they call their “Precious Jade”, no less. This is the last straw to her. Baoyu is a sweet child, one that did not deserve such treatment. So that night, Xiren decided to finally do something about it.
“Master Baoyu, please forgive me for what I’m about to do…” Xiren mumbled, but it wasn’t unheard by Baoyu. “What… do you mean?” Curious, Baoyu let go of Xiren to look at her. He was still sobbing, but it had died down. Seeing Baoyu’s face, Xiren’s face softened, grabbing a nearby cloth to wipe off his snot and tears. “I can’t stand seeing you like this, Master Baoyu. You deserve better…” Xiren may not know what had happened, but she knew it was bad if it made her sweet Baoyu sob like this. Baoyu was never the type of child to cry over anything. He was no cry-baby. Even the lost of his favourite toy wouldn’t spill a single tear from his face. She couldn’t stand by it much longer.
But Baoyu didn’t understand what Xiren meant. Yes, what he saw was scary, but what did she meant by “he deserved better”? But staring at her face, all could Baoyu see was the sweet smile Xiren had always gave him time and time again. “Don’t worry. We’ll leave this place for good. Then nothing bad will ever happen to you ever again. I promise you that.” Xiren kissed Baoyu’s temple as a mother would to their child. “Leave? Why?” Baoyu still couldn’t understand the meaning nor intentions of Xiren’s words, but he couldn’t detect any source of malice in them in any way. “Because… we’ll look for a better place for you. A place where you can be happy.”
“Happy? But I’m already happy.”
Those words boiled Xiren’s blood, but she couldn’t say anything. Baoyu is still but a child. He cannot see what she sees. A boy, though lived in a place where even rivalry is deadly, was protected and coddled by those around him. He wouldn’t understand the dangers and matters outside of the Daguanyuan. Of course, he believes he is happy here. Even if she believed otherwise.
“Master Baoyu, listen to me.” Firmly, but carefully, Xiren grabbed Baoyu’s shoulders so he would pay attention. “I understand how you feel, but please understand. I am doing this for your own good. To see you in sorrow after the visits with the Matriarch, it pains me.” Xiren looked at Baoyu with such desperation. Baoyu was scared. Had he somehow made Xiren upset? He didn’t mean to. He just wanted someone to talk to after his visits with his grandmother. Did… he made Xiren think that he is unhappy? But he wasn’t. After all, it’s where his family are. His mother, father, his grandmother, Xichun, Huan, Big Sister Baochai, Big Sister Daiyu, and the rest of the family who doted and loved him. He was happy, wasn’t he? Why would Xiren think he isn’t?
But even with the constant thought that told him he was happy, something inside him nodded to Xiren’s words anyway. As much as he would prefer to stay, he never had a reason to not trust Xiren. “Alright.” Was all that he said. But that one word alone was enough to clear Xiren’s mind. “Then pack your bags, Master Baoyu. We should leave tonight.” Xiren was eager. Maybe a bit too eager. Her words didn’t sit right with Baoyu. He agreed to leave, yes. But what about everyone else? He wants to say goodbye. He didn’t want to… he didn’t want to let what happened to Huan, happened to the others too… He didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.
“What about father? And mother? What about Xichun? Big Sister Baochai? Or… or Big Sister Daiyu? Can’t I say goodbye to them first…?” Baoyu couldn’t comprehend the thought of simply leaving them. His eyes pool up tears at the thought of not saying goodbye, thinking back to the death of his brother, his friend. His pleading face broke Xiren’s heart. But she knew it would be risky if he said goodbye or even told anyone at all.
“Master Baoyu… I’m sorry. We can’t. The faster we leave, the more unlikely of them to find us. And we can’t tell them either. The less people know, the better.” As she had expected, her words crushed him. He still doesn’t understand. Everything is still happening way too fast. Before he could comprehend one thing, another happened before him. He couldn’t understand anything. But one thing remained. Something in him told him to just go with her. To go with Xiren. To escape, to run away. “Ok…”
That night, Xiren prepared everything they would need to run. She packed clothing, food, even some items from Baoyu’s room to sell off later if they need to. While Xiren prepared everything, Baoyu steeled himself for what will happen. He only wished that he could say sorry to both Xichun and Daiyu. After all, the last thing he did was pushed them away. Even though they were so worried about him, he pushed them away. At the time, he thought he was protecting them. But now, he regrets not talking to them one last time.
“Master Baoyu?” Baoyu’s train of thought was cut off by Xiren’s voice. With her, she carries a bag. “Xiren…” Baoyu greeted, but he wasn’t smiling as he used to. Xiren gave him an empathetic smile. She places the bag on the floor and approached Baoyu. “I understand that this is hard. But I’m doing this for your safety, alright? Maybe one day, we’ll get to see everyone again.” Xiren’s attempt of comforting Baoyu fell short. He didn’t smile. But he nodded regardless. Xiren sighed. She couldn’t blame him. How could she? She’s ripping him away from what he has known all his life. But she knows she must steel herself. Once they leave the walls of the Daguanyuan, she will be everything he will ever know.
Xiren returns to the bag and opens it. She took out some cloth and an old tattered outfit. “I know this isn’t the best, but you should change yourself so we won’t get caught.” Baoyu looks at the clothing in Xiren’s hands. It’s not as pretty as the clothing he’s used to wearing. It’s more like the clothing he sees the servant children wear. “It’s quite worn out, but it will do. I had to grab it from one of the servant children.” So, Baoyu’s guess was right. He felt guilty for taking something belonging to someone who doesn’t have that much money like he did. But without a word, he changed his clothes.
Xiren helped Baoyu change and then wrapped the cloth over his jade eye. “This will prevent anyone from recognizing you.” She then grabbed another cloth to tie his beautiful long hair and covers it completely with a bigger cloth. “Now, listen. Once we are outside, do not introduce yourself as Jia Baoyu, ok? From now on, you are Hong Lu.” Baoyu patiently wait for Xiren to finish and nodded. Hong Lu. He has to admit, it doesn’t sound all that bad. If anything, he likes it.
“How about we try it, hmm? What’s your name?” Baoyu smiles. “Hong Lu!” In turn, Xiren smiles back. “Again. What’s your name?” Baoyu smiles brighter. “Hong Lu!” Xiren nods happily and places a hand on Baoyu’s head. “Yes, that’s right. You are Hong Lu.” Xiren was happy to see him smile again. Oh, how innocent children are. Even a simple name can make them smile. She wants to use all she could to protect this innocence. And that is exactly what she intends to do.
The midnight hour arrives. As Xiren had planned, she sneaked in the darkness to avoid the guards, and hopefully the heishou packs. She goes from one shadow to another with Baoyu in her arms. But by some miracle, she survived. She managed to reach the wall separating Daguanyuan with the rest of Hongyuan. She gently sets Baoyu down and approached a flat rock leaned on the wall. She pushed it away to reveal a small hole. It was small enough to be hidden, but big enough for her to fit in. “Slowly, crawl through. Be careful.” She whispered to Baoyu, motioning him to go through. Collecting all the courage he could, he crawled through. After making sure he reached the other side, Xiren followed him, closing the hole with the slab as best as she could. She then picked up Baoyu once more and ran to Hongyuan’s backstreets. Finally. Even though they couldn’t rest yet, Xiren was glad that she managed this far. Together, she hoped they could redo their lives. To live a better life than what they got in the Daguanyuan. Hopefully, in a different district, far away from District 8, away from Hongyuan. And most importantly, to give Baoyu a new life as Hong Lu.