Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 361 A Couple of Crazy Boys and Resentful Girls
The Salt Inspectorate, the main hall,

Lin Ruhai, who claimed to be ill and unable to go out, was dressed in plain clothes, sitting cross-legged behind a desk, frowning and concentrating, writing a document.

Although everything has been explained bit by bit, Lin Ruhai still needs to coordinate it, and he dare not slack off at all.

Lin Daiyu was sitting beside him, holding a book in her hands, her eyes were absorbed, but she didn't look like she was thinking at all, she was just in a daze.

Lin Ruhai felt something in his heart, and when he turned his head, he saw that Lin Daiyu's eyes were fixed on the word "Lingxiao" in the book.

The implication was self-evident, and Lin Ruhai could not help but feel annoyed. He kept complaining, "This girl, Yue Ling was only away for two days, and she was already thinking like this. She is really a foolish and resentful girl, and she is not decent."

Lin Ruhai rolled his eyes and didn't want to pay any more attention. He spread out another piece of rice paper and picked up the brush to dip it in ink.

Not long after, Qingwen hurried in from outside the hall, knocked on the door, and said, "Miss, the Marquis is back, and as soon as he came back he was anxious to find..."

Before he could finish his words, Lin Daiyu seemed to have received some signal. She jumped up from her chair, shook her clothes, and went out.

"Qingwen, follow me!"

The inkstone was knocked over by his sleeve. Lin Ruhai raised his hand to catch it, but he was a moment too late. The ink spilled all over the corner of the table.

When Lin Ruhai raised his head again, he frowned and looked around, but Lin Daiyu was no longer in the room.

"This girl, as soon as she heard the name Yue Ling, she became a different person. The spiritual energy in her body was gone, and she was just indulging in love, as silly as Xueyan."

"And how come Yue Ling came back so soon? It really didn't give us a few days of peace."

Lin Ruhai was full of complaints and sighed a few times before picking up his pen again.

……

"Master Hou is back."

As soon as he entered the salt yard, the salt soldiers came forward familiarly. Some took Yue Ling's luggage, and some held the reins of the horses. They had already treated Yue Ling as a member of the salt yard.

Yue Ling dismounted from his horse, greeted everyone, and then walked into the inner quarters of the Lin Mansion.

Under the eaves, Han Da also rushed over after hearing the inquiry.

"Housekeeper Han, Miss Bao is still at home. I have something important to do to find her."

Before Han Da could answer, Lin Daiyu came out of the room.

Han Da, who was sandwiched between the two, was a man who could read people's expressions. He tactfully bowed to Yue Ling and said, "The young lady is in front. My Lord, you should ask her about the matters in the inner house."

As he spoke, Han Dabian walked along the road, his feet moving fast.

Yue Ling smiled helplessly, not knowing whether to say that the servants in the Lin Mansion were too discerning, or to say that business came first and he should answer his question first before leaving.

After thinking it over in his mind, Yue Ling stepped forward to catch Lin Daiyu and asked with a smile, "Sister Lin, how is the matter we discussed before going?"

Standing in front of Yue Ling, Lin Daiyu looked him up and down, then stepped back and said, "Just now, Brother Yue stopped Butler Han. He definitely didn't ask where I was going, right?"

"Are you looking for Sister Bao?"

Lin Daiyu turned her head and looked to Qingwen for an answer.

Qingwen, who was following behind Lin Daiyu and observing her heart, raised her eyes to glance at Yue Ling's face, and then caught a glimpse of Lin Daiyu's face with her peripheral vision. She knew that she could not shirk her responsibility, so she had to tell the truth: "Miss, you are right. The Marquis was looking for Miss Xue just now."

Lin Daiyu turned around and pouted, "Humph, it's really my bad luck that I came here. It's not Sister Bao who came to greet you. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Sister Bao went out to look at the salt fields this morning. Brother can still catch up with her."

Speaking lightly, Lin Daiyu snorted, turned her back to Yue Ling, and went back to her room.

"No, no, I'm looking for Miss Bao for serious matters. There is indeed something strange about that town. All these clues can be gathered together and handed over to her, which will be more conducive to her performance."

"Sister Lin knows my heart. How could I treat you so badly and think of someone else..."

Lin Daiyu was so jealous that Yue Ling had to hurriedly explain himself.

Lin Daiyu was seen turning around, twitching a few times, and then raising her sleeves to cover her face, looking as if she was in great pain.

Only then did Yue Ling realize that he had been tricked by Lin Daiyu.

If you think about it carefully, you will understand that Lin Daiyu knows what she is doing when she goes out. It can only be official business when she goes to see Xue Baochai, so why would she be jealous of this?

Yue Ling held his forehead helplessly, then tiptoed to Lin Daiyu's back, unexpectedly inserted his hands under her armpits, and lifted Lin Daiyu up with one force.

The sudden lift of his feet off the ground frightened the timid Lin Daiyu. She looked back with great effort and realized that she had been picked up by Yue Ling.

She kicked her embroidered shoes in the air, and they swayed like a small boat. Lin Daiyu said anxiously, "Brother Yue, Brother Yue, put me down quickly. I am not a child anymore, why are you still holding me up so high?"

"Besides, I'm wearing a skirt!"

Lin Daiyu's face turned red with shame, and even though she was wearing trousers under her skirt, she was still very embarrassed.

But Yue Ling would never respond to her plea for mercy. He had no intention of letting go of teasing her and was just about to vent his anger.

Not only did he lift her in the air, he also gently threw her up and caught her.

“No, no, ah…”

Lin Daiyu screamed a few times, closed her eyes tightly, not daring to open them, and grabbed at the air with her hands, trying to hold onto something to steady her body.

Qingwen, who was standing next to the two men, felt embarrassed when she saw this scene.

Moreover, she didn't know whether to leave or not, so she had to stare at her feet and pretend she didn't see the two people playing.

The servants of the Lin family walked by and saw the son-in-law and the girl quarreling in the garden. They hid in the distance, laughing and pointing.

When Qingwen saw this, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Lin Daiyu.

Finally, Yue Ling got tired of throwing, and he caught Lin Daiyu steadily again, then began to breathe heavily.

"Okay, will you dare to tease me again in the future?"

The posture of the two changed from Lin Daiyu being held up by Yue Ling at the beginning to being carried like a princess. Lin Daiyu wrapped her arms tightly around Yue Ling's neck, and tears came out of the corners of her eyes from laughing so much.

"No, no... I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again..."

Lin Daiyu also gasped and begged for mercy repeatedly.

When she opened her eyes, the person she had been thinking about day and night was right in front of her. Lin Daiyu's eyes were like a pool of autumn water, staring at him intently.

Yue Ling stopped playing with her and looked at Lin Daiyu who was nestled in his arms.

Not long ago, the two of them had just done something even more intimate than what they were doing now, and the kiss that night was just a hair's breadth away from being intimate.

After playing around, both of their hearts were pounding, as if they were reenacting the excitement of that night.

Just as this charming feeling was about to fade away, Lin Ruhai came out from the courtyard gate with his hands behind his back, coughed a few times, and said in a cold tone: "What are you two doing in this garden? You are so outrageous, go back to your rooms!"

The two of them quickly separated and each tidied up their messy clothes.

After Lin Ruhai walked back to the room, they looked at each other and laughed again. Lin Daiyu stuck out her tongue and said, "Let's go back to the room. Things are going well, but for some reason, Dad seems to be in a bad mood recently."

Yue Ling complained: "Since we came to Yangzhou Prefecture, life has not been easy..."

Behind the two of them, Qingwen, who had always kept her head down in shame, raised it at this moment and secretly looked back and forth between Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu.

Looking at the Lin family servants who were watching the excitement in the distance and dispersing, Qingwen couldn't help but sigh and said to herself: "Miss, I think I have found the source of the bad atmosphere in the mansion, but... I don't know how to start."

……

Yangzhou government office,

After returning from the Salt Court, Cui Ying's mind was full of matters concerning the auction.

Time waits for no one. When the ice and snow melt in early spring and the canal is unobstructed, the salt from Lianghuai must be sold to various places as soon as possible to balance the salt prices in different places.

Therefore, it is better to finalize the spot of this last general merchant as soon as possible rather than later.

The master pushed a chair and arranged for Cui Ying to sit down. He poured tea for her and asked, "Sir, has the date of the auction been set?"

Cui Ying frowned and nodded, "The tenth day of the second month."

The master twirled his fingers, calculated in his mind, and said, "There are still more than twenty days left. It's really too tight."

"In addition to handling the auction, we also have to issue salt permits and resell the salt fields. We can't delay a step."

"If the family chosen in the end can handle the situation, that's fine. But if they can't, and something goes wrong, you will still have to take the blame."

Cui Ying tapped his fingers lightly on the table. His thin face made his eyes even sharper, and they flashed with strange light.

One click, two clicks, and the whole hall was silent.

After a long while, Cui Ying took out a piece of printed paper from his bosom and told the master beside him, "I know what to do. This is to ensure that it is safe. Keep it well."

The master took it with both hands, carefully opened it and took a look. His eyes widened and he was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

Cui Ying frowned again and said, "Why are you standing there? Take them down. Let them go and prepare well. Don't lose face in public."

"When the time comes, the judges in the hall will include Marquis An Jing and Censor Lin. Even if I am willing, I will be powerless."

The master quickly put the printed paper into his sleeve, bowed and said, "Yes, I understand."

……

As the sun sets,

Three carriages slowly landed at the salt field.

First taking the canal and then the land route, Xue Baochai walked for nearly three days before she arrived at the Lai family's salt field, which was known as the best salt field.

According to the salt system at that time, salt merchants were divided into two categories: market merchants and transport merchants.

As the name suggests, salt merchants are responsible for all matters related to salt fields. They purchase salt from salt farmers in the salt fields they are responsible for, have the monopoly privilege of salt production in the salt fields, and control the source of salt.

Transporters, on the other hand, obtain permission from the salt depot and transport salt along the prescribed route. After paying the tax and applying for a permit, they go to designated salt dealers to buy salt with the permit and finally sell the salt to designated salt sales areas.

Of course, the salt administration also had to deal with the government. The salt merchants who were able to communicate with officials and lay bare the salt taxes gradually gained a dominant position among the salt merchants and became the general merchants, able to control both the market merchants and the transport merchants.

In order to become a general merchant, one must have a clear understanding of the operations of market merchants and transport merchants in every detail. This is also the purpose of Xue Baochai's going out.

On the carriage, Ying'er rubbed her dizzy head and asked Xue Baochai, "Miss, shall we rest in the inn outside for a day before going to the salt field?"

Xue Baochai put on her makeup in front of the mirror, covered her face with a green veil, pursed her dry lips, and said, "If it was originally scheduled to be today, then we should go today. If we postpone it for another day, we will have to return one day later."

"Time is tight. If we fail to communicate with the Marquis in time, mistakes will inevitably occur. If we check it quickly today, we will have time to make adjustments."

How could Ying'er not understand all these profound truths? She really admired her own girl for being so crazy and crazy when working, like a wooden man who never felt tired.

"Okay girl, I'll help you comb your hair."

Taking the comb, Ying'er carefully combed the hair behind Xue Baochai's head.

As she was being served, Xue Baochai gradually closed her eyes.

Her purpose of this trip was not only to inspect the salt field, but also to demonstrate her value in front of Yue Ling.

Both of them were under great pressure. Just before leaving, she received another letter from her sister.

At this time, Xue Baoqin had arrived in the capital and had completely finished the matter on Shuangyu Island.

She didn't have the nerve to write to her to ask about Yue Ling's itinerary, so she wrote to her to ask about it indirectly. Xue Baochai could see what her sister was thinking.

What annoyed her the most was that her sister did not try to hide it at all, as if she was deliberately letting her know how much she liked Yue Ling.

Xue Baochai knew best what her sister was capable of. If she were in the capital and she really got involved, it would be hard to say what would be the outcome of the situation.

This Yangzhou Salt Case may be the only highlight moment in Xue Baochai's life. In order to prove her own worth, no mistakes are allowed.

After tidying up the carriage for a while, Xue Baochai lifted the carriage curtain and stepped onto the ground.

Several shopkeepers of the Xue family who were traveling with them had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Xue Baochai appear, they surrounded her.

"Miss..."

Xue Baochai shook her head and whispered to several shopkeepers, "We are here as tea merchants. Please do not call me Miss."

"What's your name then?"

Xue Baochai thought for a moment and said shyly, "Just call me Madam."

The shopkeepers looked at each other, and noticed the bun on the back of Xue Baochai's head, so they stopped talking and agreed.

The crowd walked into the salt field and explored along the border of the salt field. Soon they attracted the people on the salt field to come over and talk to them.

"You all have extraordinary manners and are dressed in silk and satin. Are you here to buy salt fields? If I am wrong, you are really here. This place was originally the best salt field of the Bao family. It has the most concentrated brine, produces the most salt, and is of the best quality."

As he spoke, the visitor grabbed a handful of salt from the nearby salt flat, twisted it with his fingers and said, "This is called jade plate salt, it is slightly green in color, a level higher than sea salt, and the price is 20% higher. All the salt produced here is of this type."

Xue Baochai frowned slightly and whispered, "The best salt in Lianghuai is Tianqing salt, which is only supplied to a few high-ranking officials and nobles, not Yuban salt."

The visitor looked at the men in surprise and turned his eyes to the girl who was talking. He sang a nod respectfully and said apologetically, "I thought these were the boss's family. I didn't expect that I neglected the real noble lady. I was blind and didn't recognize the great man."

"You are absolutely right. Please move to the inner hall to talk."

Xue Baochai waved her hand and said, "We can see the answer right here. I came here today to see whether this salt field is consistent with the records in the book."

"Tell me about the concentration of brine in Tianqing salt, Yuban salt, and ordinary official salt, the price of firewood in the salt fields, and how many loads of firewood can produce one load of salt. "

Everyone present showed admiration and nodded secretly...

(End of this chapter)