Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 336: When I mention Daddy, I get upset
There was a fierce quarrel in the main hall, and Yue Ling had been led to a side courtyard.

After passing through the hall, Yue Ling looked around and found that there was no one around. This courtyard was similar in size to the small courtyard in the ancient locust tree alley in the capital.

Even their desolate looks are very similar.

However, considering that I am living in someone else's home after all, there is nothing wrong with being separated from the female members of the family.

Turning back, Yue Ling asked the housekeeper Han Dadao: "Where are the girls who came with me? Where did they live?"

Han Da smiled awkwardly and said, "According to the master's instructions, the girls are all allowed to live near the courtyards of the two concubines. This is the northeast side of the Lin Mansion. Go straight along this alley. There is a corner gate leading to the outside, which is convenient for the Marquis to enter and exit."

"Those girls all live in the northwest, separated from the Marquis by a main hall."

"The master also ordered that if the Marquis needs someone to serve him on a daily basis, he can choose one of them. The Lin family has a very strict family tradition. The Marquis brought so many maids with him, and the master was a little afraid..."

Han Da spoke sincerely and told Yue Ling the whole cause and effect without hiding anything, and also hinted that if Yue Ling was upset about this, he should not bother him.

Yue Ling shook his head helplessly. He really didn't know what image he had become in Lin Ruhai's mind.

Is he going to sleep with Lin in the same bed?

Yue Ling sighed, no longer caring about it, and asked, "Then... Sister Lin, where does Yu'er live?"

Han Da smiled bitterly and said, "Please forgive me, my Lord. The only thing I can reveal is that your residence is still far away from yours."

"And it's better not to get too close to the young lady in the Lin Mansion. To be honest with you, my Lord, I don't want the young lady to get too close to you."

"If the Marquis has made up his mind, in my opinion, it is better to take it slowly. The old master is a bit stubborn, and it will be fine if he thinks it through one day."

Yue Ling's eyes widened, as if he had learned a shocking secret from Han Da.

"Well, you said I should take it step by step, what I want is..."

Han Da was stunned. "Does the Marquis dislike my daughter and doesn't want to marry her?"

Yue Ling subconsciously waved his hands, "Of course I like it, no, no...how do you all know about it?"

Han Da was shocked at Yue Ling's slow realization and came to the Lin Mansion without any preparation. He didn't know why Lin Ruhai was so disrespectful to him.

But in Han Da's eyes, Marquis Anjing was a man of unrivalled talent. If he deliberately interfered with such a marriage, the ancestors of the Lin family would probably strike him to death with lightning. So he kindly assisted, "My Lord, you don't know the ins and outs of this. A few years ago, His Majesty gave the Lin family a reward, which included some fertile land and jewelry. He ordered that these were all for the girl's dowry when she got married."

"The master thought that the Marquis had asked His Majesty for a marriage..."

Yue Ling was so shocked that his mouth opened as wide as a goose egg and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

According to what Han Da described, Lin Ruhai must have thought that he wanted to force Lin Daiyu to marry him, and he directly bypassed Lin Ruhai, his father.

Moreover, it was because Lin Daiyu had been with him longer than in Yangzhou Prefecture. Not only did he have the opportunity to bewitch his mind every day, but he also took over his business and went directly to the palace to endorse him without consulting the Lin family.

From Lin Ruhai's perspective, how could he not be angry?

Thinking back to the way Lin Daiyu had just behaved in the classroom, which had shown favoritism, Lin Ruhai was so angry that his face turned red and white. Yue Ling couldn't help but shudder.

After taking a few deep breaths, Yue Ling's mind was a little confused. He first thanked Han Da: "Thank you for reminding me, Butler Han. Before I came here, I didn't know about the Lin Mansion. I have been away from Beijing for several years and have never asked for marriage from His Majesty. You really misunderstood me."

"However, Sister Lin and I are in love with each other. During my stay in Yangzhou, I will definitely impress Master Lin."

Han Da nodded secretly, clasped his fists and bowed with satisfaction, "May your wish come true. If you need anything, you can come to me again."

After Yue Ling returned the greeting, he said, "The waiter, call Xiangling, a girl with a rouge mole between her eyebrows. I'll trouble Butler Han to notify her."

"it is good."

Yue Ling returned to his lodgings alone. The room had been cleaned and dust-free, and the bedding and bed curtains had obviously been replaced with new ones.

But Yue Ling lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his heart still uneasy.

His original plan was to first reminisce about the old times with Lin Ruhai and get closer to him, then talk about how he had taken care of Lin Daiyu over the years, and finally confess their relationship.

Everything came naturally, and Lin Ruhai could understand his intentions.

Unexpectedly, Lin Ruhai already knew the purpose of his visit, and had a very bad first impression of him. He even cooperated with him in acting and regarded himself as an elder brother. Wouldn't he hate him very much?

I'm afraid that at this moment, Lin Ruhai would never agree to let him take Lin Daiyu away again no matter what.

Yue Ling was really confused. He didn't know how to face Lin Ruhai at the welcoming banquet.

He had already felt a little guilty about stealing someone's daughter, and now that such a big misunderstanding had occurred, he had no way to defend himself.

Yue Ling put his hands on his head and sighed deeply, "What should I do? I have no experience of meeting my father-in-law in my previous life."

At the right moment, there was a knock on the door. "My Lord, I am coming in?"

Xiangling walked in quietly. After entering, she did not forget to close the door tightly and came to the bedside curtain with a shy look on her face.

The first thing he saw was Yue Ling lying flat on the couch with a sad face.

Xiangling didn't know what was bothering Yue Ling, and she didn't ask him first. Instead, she went to make tea. After everything was ready, she came to sit on the stool under Yue Ling's bed and serve him.

"My Lord... I'm here, would you like some water?"

Xiangling was so happy to be able to stand out from the many maids and come here to serve the Marquis. Before leaving, she changed into a new set of clothes and came here cleanly.

At that time, when she walked in front of a group of maids, she was really scared by their jealous and envious gazes. Among them, Qin Keqing even wanted to eat her alive, so she put a rouge mole on herself and came to this side courtyard.

Yue Ling specifically called Xiangling instead of Qin Keqing and Zijuan, the two maids who usually stayed with her, because Xiangling was more obedient and would not easily do anything rash that would go against Yue Ling's wishes.

Moreover, Zijuan was the maid assigned to Lin Daiyu by Rongguo Mansion. If she came to serve Yue Ling, it would cause Lin Ruhai to misunderstand.

Yue Ling pinched his brows and sat up.

Xiangling supported him while putting a cushion behind Yue Ling.

After taking a sip, Yue Ling sighed slowly, "I haven't asked you about your mother in detail. If it's hard for the two women to make a living in Suzhou, they can come to the Marquis' Mansion and do a job."

"Especially now that there are so many little girls in the mansion, it would be just right for a few older women to discipline them." Xiangling's eyes lit up, then turned red, tears welled up in her eyes, "Thank you for your kindness, my aunt. My mother and aunt don't want to bother me too much... Besides, I'm still a maid of the Xue family. How can I accept so much preferential treatment from the Marquis?"

"Other sisters would definitely feel unfair if they saw this."

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows and said, "Hmm? Xiangling is here to fight for her status? Do you want to have a legitimate reason to let your mother and aunt come?"

Xiangling's pretty face turned red, and her fair complexion seemed as delicate as a blow.

Lowering her head in shame, almost crying, Xiangling quickly defended herself, "My Lord, My Lord, that's not what I meant. This is what I really think. It doesn't have that many twisted meanings..."

Yue Ling felt that Xiang Ling was not a little girl who was focused on vying for favor, so he rubbed her head and said, "Don't take it to heart. Maybe I'm just a little too sensitive because things haven't gone well recently."

Having said that, Yue Ling fell weakly on the bed again.

When it comes to war, he was invincible when he went into battle and killed the enemies. When it comes to government affairs, he had a vision for two worlds and was trusted by the emperor, so everything went smoothly for him.

But when it comes to love, he really is at a loss as to what to do.

Xiangling sat diligently on the edge of the bed, massaging the shoulders and back, without saying a word, just accompanying him silently.

Not long after, exhausted Yue Ling fell into a deep sleep.

About two hours later, when he woke up, the window frame was glowing with a dark red light. It was almost dusk when Yue Ling slowly woke up.

There was still someone by his side, massaging his arms.

Yue Ling rubbed his eyes and tilted his head to ask, "Xiang Ling, what time is it? I went to bed and you didn't even take a rest."

After asking, he received no response. Yue Ling looked over again in confusion, and what he saw was Lin Daiyu.

Just one glance, and Yue Ling was so frightened that he sat up, all his sleepiness gone, and asked in astonishment: "Sister Lin? Why are you here?"

Lin Daiyu smiled brightly and said, "Brother Yue, what's wrong with you? You acted like a stranger when you saw me. I'm not that scary, am I?"

Yue Ling smoothed his chest, took a few deep breaths and said, "It's just a little unexpected, it's not that Sister Lin is scary. This... Sister Lin is coming, does Lord Lin know?"

When talking about her father, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but curl her lips.

"Well, I feel very upset when I mention him."

"I always thought that Daddy was very open-minded, but I don't know why. After coming back this time, Daddy seemed to have become a different person. He didn't listen to what I said at all. Daddy even said that I had changed, but I don't think so."

Yue Ling asked worriedly, "But did they have a fight? What was it about?"

Lin Daiyu crossed her arms and pouted, "It's all because of Brother Yue. Daddy always speaks ill of Brother Yue, and I can't stand it!"

Hearing the father and daughter quarreling because of him, Yue Ling wanted to cry but had no tears. He could only persuade them: "No one is perfect. It won't hurt to say a few words. After all, you are father and daughter, and you haven't seen each other for many years. How can you quarrel as soon as you return home?"

Lin Daiyu pulled Yue Ling's arm and said, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Daddy has prepared a banquet in the main hall and is waiting for you to go."

Yue Ling smiled bitterly, "Sister Lin, this is the Lin residence after all, how can we be so close? For such a small matter, you can just call Zijuan and Xueyan to inform them, why bother coming here in person?"

Lin Daiyu, however, was clinging to Yue Ling, unwilling to let go. "I just came here to see where Brother Yue lives. Besides, I have a brilliant idea. Even in the Lin Mansion, Brother Yue and I can stay together."

Yue Ling really wanted to say, "Please stop coming up with ideas."

But he couldn't let Lin Daiyu down. After all, her heart was with him. If he ignored her, it would be too ungrateful.

Yue Ling couldn't afford to offend Lin Ruhai, nor could she afford to ignore Lin Daiyu. Being caught in the middle, she felt really uncomfortable.

"Okay, let go of my hand first, and let's go to the hall first."

Lin Daiyu nodded, put down her hands in an orderly manner, her eyes turned, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Okay, Brother Yue, let's go."

……

In the main hall of the Lin Mansion,
Originally they wanted to set up a few round tables for a family dinner, but when Aunt Zhou learned that the twelve little girls were from an opera troupe, she suggested that Lin Ruhai remove the two rows of tables and chairs in the main hall and put up two rows of small tables.

This also makes it convenient to have meals at separate times.

Although Lin Ruhai was the elder, it was not convenient for them to eat at the same table because most of the people in the room were maids, especially Xue Baochai and others. It was more appropriate for each person to have his own table.

Of course, Lin Ruhai accepted this suggestion. The empty space in the middle could be used for opera troupes to perform, adding color to the banquet.

Kunqu opera was popular among officials in Suzhou, and the same trend existed in Yangzhou.

It’s just that the Lin family is a frugal family, so they naturally wouldn’t keep a troupe at home, and they wouldn’t even invite people to perform.

Watching a play is one of the few pastimes in the world. Even so, the two concubines cannot enjoy it. They are looking forward to the dinner today.

Lin Ruhai sat in the first seat, with his back against a huge landscape painting, and two desks were placed on his left and right.

The first seat on the left was of course prepared for Yue Ling. He was not far from Lin Ruhai, and the two of them were close enough to hear each other's voices while chatting.

The first seat on the right was prepared for Lin Daiyu, separating her from Yue Ling. Lin Daiyu sat next to the two concubines so that she could have someone to keep her company.

When Lin Ruhai saw Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling coming together, there was already a hint of displeasure between his brows. He said lightly, "Please take a seat. It's just a simple meal. Please bear with me."

Yue Ling looked up cautiously, and sure enough, there was a hint of resentment in Lin Ruhai's eyes when he looked at him.

He had clearly not done anything yet, but his image in Lin Ruhai's mind was already as dark as it could be. Yue Ling felt quite powerless.

But it couldn't go on like this forever. Yue Ling deliberately kept a certain distance from Lin Daiyu and, following the guidance of the maid, quickly came to the first seat on the left.

When Yue Ling sat down, Lin Daiyu happened to sit beside him and sat down with him, driving away Xiangling, who was supposed to serve Yue Ling.

Seeing this, Lin Ruhai was furious again. He raised his left hand and said angrily, "Yu'er, come and sit over here."

Lin Daiyu pouted, turned her head away, and said angrily, "I won't go. I've always sat next to Brother Yue!"

(End of this chapter)