Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 14: Thoughtful (Seeking follow-up reading)
Dongcheng, Jinxiu Street, Guhuai Alley,
Yue Ling drove around in many twists and turns and finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous house.

The door panel was slightly dusty, and there was no plaque hanging on it. There were only two big red lanterns hanging, proving that someone had lived in this house before.

As a personal guard of the palace, Yue Ling usually lives in the palace more often and rarely goes home. The house has not been cleaned for a while.

Xueyan helped Lin Daiyu get off the carriage slowly. She looked at the ancient cypress tree in the middle of the street. There were few people passing by. It was so desolate. She couldn't help but ask, "Is this still the capital?"

Yue Ling rubbed her head and said, "Of course it is, it's just a little out of the way."

Lin Daiyu said from the side: "It's not bad to be a little more secluded."

Xueyan pointed ahead, "Is this our home?"

Yue Ling nodded, "Well, I rarely come back to live here, so I'll go clean up first."

Yue Ling carefully pushed open the door. The house was very simple and could be seen in its entirety at a glance.

It is built like a tiger descending from a mountain, facing south, with a living room in the middle, two bedrooms on the left and right, east and west wing rooms connected to the main room, a kitchen on the east, a warehouse on the west, and a horse stable behind the house.

There were some mosses on the stone steps below the door, and next to the stone well stood a jujube tree, with a few tender buds sprouting in the wind.

Xueyan was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yue Ling and asked, "So small?"

"It's indeed far from the Rongguo Mansion, but there are also two rooms. I'll sleep in the east room, and the west room is for you."

Xueyan recalled her experience in Rongguo Mansion and no longer complained about the small size of the courtyard. "It would be useless if it were bigger. I would be bullied every day and the girl would be placed in the green gauze cabinet."

Lin Daiyu didn't dislike this place. She leaned her hand on the jujube tree, looked up at the sky and around her, and felt much more at ease.

Looking back and smiling, Lin Daiyu said to Yue Ling and Xue Yan, "It's getting late. If we don't pack up, we will have no place to stay tonight."

Xueyan volunteered, "I'll go pick up the mattress."

After Xueyan left, Yue Ling settled the horses, and there was only a pile of miscellaneous items left in the courtyard, which needed to be stored in the warehouse.

Naturally, Yue Ling had to do the heavy work himself.

Lin Daiyu stood not far from Yue Ling, watching him busy.

"This room is indeed a little small for the three of us. I will choose a bigger house in the city in a few days. At first, I didn't know that your father would entrust you to me, so I didn't make much preparation."

Yue Ling drew water from the well and washed his dusty hands.

Lin Daiyu replied, "It doesn't matter. It's fine just like this. Whether the house is good or not is secondary."

Lin Daiyu came to Yue Ling naturally and handed him her handkerchief.

Yue Ling, who was about to wipe his hands with his clothes, paused, took Lin Daiyu's handkerchief, and wiped the water droplets on his face with it.

"Let's talk about it later, but there is one thing I want to confirm with you."

Lin Daiyu was full of curiosity, "What's the matter?"

Yue Ling turned his head and looked at Lin Daiyu, "Do you think I look old?"

Lin Daiyu curled her lips slightly, tilted her face to one side, stepped lightly on the bluestone bricks, and answered after thinking carefully, "Not that old, at least much younger than my father." Yue Ling nodded repeatedly, "Then can I not call you uncle? It doesn't sound right."

Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and chuckled, then quickly regained her composure, "It's not that I have to call you uncle, but in front of everyone in the hall, calling you uncle seems safer. If you don't like it, then don't call me that."

"I call you brother in private, and uncle when we are around others. Is this better?"

Yue Ling looked at Lin Daiyu, who was wearing a flawless white crane cloak, with a pair of big eyes blinking on her slightly flushed cheeks.

Therefore, Yue Ling silently said in his heart: "Forget it, you are beautiful, and what you said makes sense."

"Okay, then it's settled."

Lin Daiyu turned around on the spot, her skirt drawing an arc in the air, and faced Yue Ling, smiling and saying, "I originally thought that General Yue was a very serious person and not easy to get along with. Today I know that it is completely different from what I thought."

Yue Ling emphasized: "It's my brother, what's the difference?"

Lin Daiyu tapped her chin with her slender fingers, thinking carefully, "For example, my brother cares a lot about this title, and he also likes to take advantage of small bargains. He kept all the things given by others for various reasons."

Although Yue Ling has a respectable job and is a civil servant, he does not earn much. Now with two more mouths to feed, of course he has to be frugal.

Yue Ling curled his lips and did not refute, "If you don't take advantage of an opportunity, then it's not... Forget it, I'll go cook, you and Xueyan go back to the room and wait."

Lin Daiyu asked: "Why not take advantage of an opportunity? Brother Yue, can you cook? And give me back my handkerchief..."

……

Prince Kang's Mansion,
In the reception hall of the palace, Prince Kang sat opposite the two men and drank tea, looking worried.

One of the middle-aged men was named Du Ke. He had a hat on his head, a cunning face, and a long beard. He counted on his fingers and congratulated King Kang, "Your Highness has obtained the military token as you wished. Now it is time to show your skills. If you can make great contributions in resisting the barbarians in the north, it will be enough to prove to the world that your civil and military achievements are not inferior to those of the King of Qin."

"Even ordinary families respect the order of seniority. It is only natural for Your Highness to take charge of the East Palace."

The other man was called Tang Xiao, of medium height and slightly thin, but his eyes were bright and his face was mature. "Even if you don't achieve great feats, Fenglangjuxu is very beneficial to Your Highness as long as you can repel the enemy and defend the city. Your Highness just lacks the opportunity to prove himself. Once you can show some achievements, it will definitely shake His Majesty's heart to make him the crown prince."

"Although we are in a peaceful and prosperous era, there are also waves in the dark. We can just take it step by step."

King Kang, who was sitting in the first position, sighed and said, "You two only talked about victory, but how can a general always win? Moreover, I am not good at archery and horse riding, which is a fact known to everyone in the court. Even the experienced Duke Rong was defeated at the border, so how can I be sure of victory?"

Du Ke smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Even if we lose, we have left enough tricks for you."

King Kang seemed to understand something and turned to ask, "Are you talking about the three generals in the Qin Palace?"

Du Ke nodded, "That's right, but it's not just that."

Tang Xiao added: "Why not recruit Yue Ling into the army to replace one of the three generals? He must have some extraordinary talents if he can be trusted by the King of Qin so quickly."

Prince Kang disagreed with Tang Xiao's words and waved his hand to stop him, his tone full of disdain, "I sent someone to find out the details of that man. He has only become successful in the past two years. When he entered the Qin Palace, he claimed to be eighteen years old, but in fact he is only sixteen today. My brother can also be wrong sometimes. I thought he was just a boy who wanted fame, how could he compare to these three generals with military merits."

After discussing with the two aides with great interest, King Kang changed his tone and sighed, "The Qin Palace has many elite soldiers and generals. Now three generals have been separated, and there are also personal troops that are comparable to the imperial guards. Our palace is really not as good as them."

Du Ke comforted him, "Your Highness, don't worry. We will make arrangements. These will not be obstacles for you to enter the East Palace..."

(End of this chapter)