Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 2 I will raise your daughter, don't worry
Early the next morning.

Yue Ling drove a horse-drawn carriage and came to the back door of the Salt Court to wait.

I thought I was just delivering a secret letter, but I didn't expect to bring two people back with me.

"We parted this morning, when will we meet again?"

The separation between father and daughter was inevitably heartbreaking. In order to avoid suspicion, Yue Ling did not enter the hall to meet Lin Ruhai again.

After a while, the morning light was warm and more people came to the streets. The back door slowly opened and the little maid Xueyan, supported by Lin Daiyu, came out.

Seeing that the little girl looked calm and didn't look like she had been crying, she walked straight over, bowed to Yue Ling, and climbed onto the carriage.

Instead, Lin Ruhai fell behind him, his eyes reddened, and he bowed to Yue Ling with an apologetic look on his face, saying, "Sorry for the wait. I'll trouble you in the future."

Yue Ling returned the greeting, "No problem. I will raise your daughter, don't worry."

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai raised his eyebrows slightly. He just wanted Yue Ling to look after his daughter for a while, not to sell her.

Lin Ruhai had a complicated expression and said politely, "Thank you."

Yue Ling nodded, raised his whip and said, "Girls inside, sit tight."

With the sound of the horsewhip, Lin Daiyu set off on her journey north to Beijing.

……

Lin Daiyu got on the carriage and could no longer hold back her tears as the carriage swayed slightly. She let them flow out of her eyes.

Seeing the young lady crying so hard and sobbing unable to speak, Xueyan was like an ant on the hot pan, running around in a panic.

While patting Lin Daiyu's back, he comforted her, "Miss, the master also said that we won't be able to stay in Beijing for long. Besides, the master's vision must be correct. General Yue should be a good person."

Lin Daiyu glanced at Xueyan and choked up, "Besides my parents, who else in the world can treat you wholeheartedly? No matter how good they are, they are still outsiders, and their patience will eventually wear out. I just don't know if my father can finish his work and take me back before then."

Xueyan thought for a moment and said, "Didn't the master ask you to go to Rongguo Mansion to deliver a letter? At worst, we can stay at Rongguo Mansion. I heard that the Jia family has two dukes, and they have endless wealth and splendor. Madam was once the most favored one in the mansion. If you go, the old lady will definitely like you."

Lin Daiyu shook her head. "That's even harder to say."

Xueyan wiped the tears from Lin Daiyu's cheeks and patted her chest, "Don't worry, young lady, I will protect you wherever you go. If you are wronged in the slightest, I will be the first to disagree."

Lin Daiyu looked Xueyan up and down. Seeing her holding her head high and chest out like a little fighting cock, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You are only a few years older than me. What can you protect? General Yue looks serious and meticulous. He is also a personal guard of the palace. He can probably kill you with just one finger."

"We'd better behave ourselves and not cause trouble for others."

Lin Daiyu had her reasons and Xueyan felt relieved and couldn't help but worry about the trip to the capital.

……

Dockyard,

There is a constant stream of ships coming and going.

Among the vast crowd of people on the shore, the carriage driven by Yue Ling was very inconspicuous.

In order to conceal his actions, Yue Ling also chose an ordinary passenger ship and traveled with ordinary passengers, which made it less likely for them to be discovered and avoid being noticed.

The carriage stopped, and Yue Ling called out, "It's time to board the ship. I'll take you aboard first, and I'll come down to get your luggage later."

Soon, the two little girls came out obediently, with their heads down and their faces red, not daring to look at Yue Ling.

Yue Ling felt helpless. This scene seemed like he was abducting a young girl. If it were in his previous life, he would have been reported by a kind-hearted passerby or stopped and questioned by the police.

"Watch your step."

Yue Ling spoke as gently as possible as he led the two girls onto the ship and placed them in the same room.

"I'll go get the luggage. You guys rest here first. Don't open the door easily. If you need anything, just knock on the wall. I live next door. It will take more than a month to get to Beijing. If you are not feeling well, don't try to stand it."

Xueyan stared at Yue Ling vigilantly and protected Lin Daiyu behind her.

Lin Daiyu nodded in response to Yue Ling's words, "Thank you, General Yue, for your trouble."

The three of them didn't have much luggage, just a few bundles.

Needless to say, as the eldest daughter of a noble family, Lin Daiyu was not spoiled and brought a bunch of useless things. She only brought some clothes for changing and books, which was very simple.

Lin Daiyu is so sensible that Yue Ling really cannot associate her with the arrogant "Lin Duidui" in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Earlier, when Yue Ling traveled through this world, he had heard of Ningrong Street, but he didn't think much about it. As he got to know this world better, he realized that this was a fictional world of Dream of the Red Chamber, but the timeline was slightly different from what he knew.

Today, the Jia family has not lost its power. Jia Daihua of Ningguo Mansion is the governor of the Beijing Camp, in charge of the military affairs of the capital. Jia Daishan of Rongguo Mansion is leading troops in the nine border areas to fight against the northern barbarians.

The eight dukes and twelve marquises all followed the lead of the Ning and Rong mansions, and the status of the two mansions was very prominent.

Originally, Yue Ling thought that he would not have too many interactions with the characters in Dream of the Red Chamber, and he also felt that he would not have any interactions with the Jia family. At most, he would become a member of the family who was confiscated when the Jia family fell into poverty.

Unexpectedly, before the story had even progressed much, the first female protagonist, Lin Daiyu, was already in his hands.

In that book, Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu have a deep friendship since childhood. They live in the same room, separated only by a green gauze cabinet. How will the plot develop in the future?
"But it's good that Lin Daiyu is by my side. She doesn't have to be ostracized by the Jia family. If she doesn't get involved in the love-hate relationship with Jia Baoyu, maybe she can live longer. Jia Baoyu is a playboy and a vagrant. He is really not worthy of the beautiful and graceful Lin Daiyu."

Thinking of this, Yue Ling gradually closed his eyes and rested.

Although they lived nearby, they had not spoken to each other for many days.

This is normal.

Yue Ling became the temporary guardian, but they were still unfamiliar with each other. On the boat, he felt dizzy every day and had no interest in chatting.

Every day Yue Ling would ask outside the door about the meals, whether it was Xueyan or Daiyu. They would all say they had eaten, and that was the end of the communication for the day.

That night, Yue Ling finished studying and was about to go to bed.

There was a hurried knock on the door outside, and a little girl cried out: "General Yue, please come and have a look, the girl is dying..."

"?"

Recognizing that it was Xueyan's voice, Yue Ling did not care about anything else and hurriedly got up and went to the next room, asking anxiously, "What's going on?"

Xueyan felt extremely guilty, wiping away tears, and said, "Today the girl said it was too stuffy in the boat, so she opened the window to let in some air. Maybe it was because she was exposed to the air for too long, and after she drank the medicine and lay down, her forehead became so hot that it burned my body. Now I can't make out what people are saying."

Lin Daiyu was lying on the couch, her face rosier than peach blossoms, she was breathing heavily, her eyes were closed, and her eyebrows were furrowed together. She must be in great pain.

"Put a cold compress on her forehead with a silk scarf. When we dock tonight, I'll go find some medicine. Remember to change your silk scarf frequently!"

(End of this chapter)