Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 365: Flower Goddess Festival, Daiyu's Birthday
"Sister Bao, you're back? How are things going outside?"

As soon as Xue Baochai passed through the second door, she saw Lin Daiyu, who had been waiting behind the shadowy screen, coming to greet her with a smile.

Xue Baochai hurriedly wiped her face with her sleeves, sorted out her mood, and responded with a smile: "Fortunately, things turned out just as the Marquis expected. The mastermind has been found. There is something fishy about the brothel, and it is in collusion with Governor Cui."

"Right now, Lord Lin and the Marquis should have already caught the two men in the government office. With both witnesses and physical evidence, the evidence is irrefutable and the case is settled."

Lin Daiyu couldn't help but clap her hands and laughed, "Great, great, it's so satisfying! Our previous painstaking efforts paid off. This time we have caught them all in one fell swoop. Brother Yue and Father can also give an explanation to His Majesty."

Xue Baochai lowered her head and nodded gently a few times.

Taking Xue Baochai's arm, Lin Daiyu wanted to take her back to her room.

It was a bright moon and a sparse star, and the evening breeze was gradually rising. The two of them walked in the dark corridor, and they had company.

But when she walked beside Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu noticed something unusual. Somehow, she always felt that there was neither joy nor relief on Baochai's face, as if she was deliberately trying to avoid her.

This really made Lin Daiyu confused.

If Lin Daiyu is a person who likes quietness, Xue Baochai is just the opposite, she likes to join in the fun.

At this moment, Lin Daiyu came to greet her, but she still felt uncomfortable. How could Lin Daiyu not be surprised?

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but ask again: "Sister Bao, is there anything else you haven't told me?"

Xue Baochai seemed to have just woken up from a dream. She came back to her senses, laughed and said, "No, no, I just saw Sister Lin and remembered that it is Sister Lin's birthday in two days. Now, I haven't figured out how to celebrate Sister Lin's birthday, so I was distracted for a while."

Although she made excuses like this, Xue Baochai didn't think so at all.

In fact, she saw Lin Daiyu at a glance, and the scene of her and Yue Ling walking in the garden just now seemed to be vivid in her mind.

Of course Xue Baochai saw clearly how sincere the feelings between Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling were.

But for her own selfish reasons, she threw herself into Yue Ling's arms without hesitation, and even held him tightly for a while without letting go.

If she were to be honest, she was too addicted to the feeling of leaning on Yue Ling, which made her feel at ease.

But reason told her that she was also Lin Daiyu's sister, and what she did was no different from a cat stealing fish, just like Qin Keqing's behavior.

She even made an extremely embarrassing confession of love. Thinking back on it now, my face feels so hot.

Thinking back to the beginning, she despised Qin Keqing the most.

Now it has become even worse than before. Stealing hearts is obviously more serious than cheating on someone.

When facing Lin Daiyu again, Xue Baochai couldn't help feeling a little guilty and wanted to avoid her even more.

Lin Daiyu saw through her slight awkwardness, and Xue Baochai quickly regained her composure and took a deep breath.

Of course, she didn't want to destroy the relationship between Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling, and she especially cherished her sisterhood with Lin Daiyu. The two had faced many ups and downs together, and she just wanted to join in.

For a man as outstanding as Yue Ling, there are countless women who admire him. Xue Baochai knows that she is not the only one, nor the last one, so how can she dare to ask for anything more.

After hearing what Xue Baochai said, Lin Daiyu smiled, put aside her doubts, and said, "It's just a birthday. I haven't even celebrated it with Sister Bao, so how can I expect Sister Bao to take care of it with great care?"

"Come to think of it, I had a chat with Xiangling and Ying'er a few days ago, and I found out that Sister Bao's birthday is in the first month of the year, exactly one month earlier than mine."

Xue Baochai shook her head and smiled, stroking Lin Daiyu's hand, "This is different. You call me sister, so of course I have to do what a sister should do."

"However, my sister's birthday must be the one that the Marquis cares about the most. I'm afraid it's not my turn to make the decision."

"Sister, you were waiting for the Marquis at the second gate just now, right? The Marquis is traveling with Lord Lin, don't be surprised if Lord Lin sees you again."

After being teased, Lin Daiyu blushed. She shook off Xue Baochai's hand and said in a tone of resentment, "I don't know who you learned bad things from, sister. You have to tease me to relieve my boredom. How come Daddy caught you again? What did he catch? Brother Yue and I are innocent!"

Xue Baochai's eyebrows curved, and she smiled as she said, "Oh? Really? Then which one was it that the Marquis held in his arms and played with in the garden a few days ago?"

"This matter has long been spread throughout the garden. As for being innocent, you can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me."

"I still remember that when we were parting in Cangzhou, a girl was so bold that she leaned out of the carriage and kissed the Marquis in the face..."

Lin Daiyu's pupils gradually dilated. She quickly rolled up her sleeves and covered Xue Baochai's mouth. Her face turned red with embarrassment. It was only under the lantern that it was not so obvious, otherwise she would have shown her embarrassment long ago.

"Good sister, please stop talking and go back to your room to rest."

Hearing Lin Daiyu begging for mercy, Xue Baochai's eyes curved into crescent shapes, and she felt relieved. She decided to stop teasing her.

Pushing Lin Daiyu's hand away, Xue Baochai pushed the door open and said, "Sister, why don't you go back to your room and rest first? We don't know when the Marquis and Lord Lin will be back."

Lin Daiyu exhaled lightly and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you, sister. Now that the important matters have been settled, I can rest assured. Sister, take a rest. I'm going back now."

Xue Baochai nodded and watched Lin Daiyu go away. She was taken away by the maid waiting behind the corridor before returning to her room.

Leaning against the wooden door, Xue Baochai raised her head and slowly let out a breath.

"Girl, you're back? How's it out there?"

Ying'er in the room lit a candle. When the room was illuminated, Xue Baochai's eyes were red and her cheeks were covered with tear marks from the wind drying her tears.

Ying'er was startled by this look. She was already tired from waiting, but she immediately perked up and busied herself wiping Xue Baochai's face with a handkerchief dipped in water.

"Miss, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me. Did you get wronged outside? This shouldn't be the case. Wasn't the Marquis also there?"

Xue Baochai took a deep breath, shook her head and said, "It's okay, it's fine now."

But Ying'er, who grew up with Xue Baochai since childhood, of course knew how strong-willed Xue Baochai was and how she never cried no matter what happened.

While she was wiping, she not only discovered that Xue Baochai was crying, but also crying very hard, so she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

"Could it be that the girl and the Marquis had a falling out? Could it be that..."

At this moment, Ying'er had already made the worst plan, which was to be kicked out by the Marquis, and return to the capital to live with Aunt Xue and Xue Pan, and follow the old path.

Seeing Ying'er looking worried, his little face twisted into a ball and he didn't even know whether he should ask or not.

Xue Baochai couldn't help but cover her mouth and laughed, "What are you thinking? Do you really think the Marquis is a heartless and ungrateful person?"

These words made Ying'er confused, and her brain, which was not very smart to begin with, became even more confused.

"According to what you said, it's a good thing? But you cried, so it's a good thing with twists and turns? Girl, you won't confront the Marquis, right?"

Xue Baochai's face turned red with embarrassment at the maid's words. She looked up and saw her eager eyes. She didn't want to hide it from her and make her worry for nothing, so she nodded silently.

Ying'er's eyes widened instantly, and she grasped Xue Baochai's hand with joy, "Does the Marquis agree?"

Xue Baochai nodded, but then shook her head, "The Marquis didn't say it clearly."

"Okay!"

Ying'er had no time to care about what Xue Baochai said. She burst into tears in her room with joy, "Finally, I have finally waited for this day!"

Xue Baochai was shocked at Ying'er's reaction and stared at her madly in disbelief.

"To be honest, I've been annoyed with Xiangling for a long time! Ever since she was chosen by the Marquis and we had physical contact, I have been unconsciously lowering my head in front of her."

"It's just that the Marquis's playing style is a bit lascivious and his taste is different from that of ordinary people. I... I can tolerate it!"

"For the sake of my lady, I've risked everything. If the time comes and my Lord needs to humiliate someone, you can just call me over. I can do it!"

Xue Baochai rolled her eyes, leaned heavily on the chair, and warned coldly: "In the future, you should have less contact with Sister Keqing and read less of what she wrote."

"what?"

"Remember?"

"Okay girl, I remember..."

February 12th, Flower Goddess Festival.

The Flower God Festival, also known as the Flower Festival, is held in early spring in February, heralding the official start of spring ploughing.

The festival named after the flower has gradually evolved into a form that is completely different from the outside world for young ladies.

On this day, the girls in the room would sit on a piece of paper-cut flowers or cut red cloth and hang them on the branches, which meant to protect the flowers and pray for them.

Young ladies in the boudoir don't have many entertainment activities to begin with. They can only have fun during some festivals, so on this day, they become even more excited.

These alone are not enough to describe the liveliness of the Lin Mansion at this time.

Not only is it the Flower Goddess Festival, this day is also Lin Daiyu's birthday. Worshiping Lin Daiyu, the flower god, is obviously the theme of the Lin family.

Early in the morning, Lin Ruhai called Lin Daiyu to his side and gave her some instructions, asking them to have fun in the house and to pay attention to their safety so as not to get hurt.

Lin Ruhai has been busy with official business and cleaning up the salt case lately, so he was not at home to attend their banquet.

He was also afraid that with an elder like him around, the girls would feel restrained and not be able to have fun.

Although the two concubines preferred lively occasions, they were also more discerning. Knowing that Lin Daiyu was going to celebrate with Yue Ling today, they reluctantly did not join in the fun to avoid spoiling the mood.

In the end, the only people who celebrated Lin Daiyu's birthday were the old people from Anjing Marquis' Mansion.

The birthday banquet was held in Lin Daiyu's courtyard.

The corridors, eaves, and everywhere were decorated with lights and colors, and the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard were tied with paper flowers and red cloth. At first glance, it looked like a sea of ​​bright red, as if they were in full bloom.

Lin Daiyu, the little birthday girl, was accompanied by Zijuan and Xueyan and was asked to go out of the courtyard and wait outside for the arrangements inside.

Looking around, Lin Daiyu still hadn't seen Yue Ling since the morning, so she couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen Brother Yue? He hasn't come yet."

Zijuan smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, young lady, the master will come, he won't forget."

Lin Daiyu blinked, her face full of confusion.

Normally, if Yue Ling wasn't here at the moment, he should have come long ago, but she had to wait and wait and he still hadn't shown up.

If it wasn't for a legitimate reason, Lin Daiyu would really make a fuss, as this was her last birthday before she came of age.

As people were talking and laughing here, a group of girls came together from the circular corridor in the distance.

Qin Keqing was the first to come face to face. She came to Lin Daiyu's side and said with a smile, "Sister Lin, this is for you. After your birthday, you will be a big girl. You can use it in the future."

Qin Keqing showed her palm, which contained an exquisite rouge box, which was engraved with flower and bird patterns. When she unfolded it, it contained rouge powder with a faint fragrance.

It's neither pungent nor has a light fragrance, which is just right.

Qin Keqing smiled and explained, "This box is a new thing I found in the shop. The rouge inside is all made by me, and there are also flowers we picked in Canglang Garden."

Lin Daiyu stood up, put away the rouge box, and replied with a smile: "Thank you, sister Ke'er, it's thoughtful. I will keep it well."

Qin Keqing presented a gift, and Xue Baochai behind her was not to be outdone. She stepped forward and pushed Qin Keqing aside, saying, "Sister Lin, this is from me. It's a banana leaf white Duan inkstone."

The gift sent by Xue Baochai was also the size of a palm.

The inkstone is fine in texture and is a famous stone from Duanzhou, Guangdong. It has natural banana leaf green patterns and mottled green, which looks like the shadow of Xiaoxiang bamboo, just what Lin Daiyu likes.

There are also four words engraved on the bottom of the inkstone: "Sisters Know Each Other".

The texture and workmanship are both of high quality, and you can tell at first glance that it is an exquisite item.

Lin Daiyu took it and liked it very much. She thanked her repeatedly, "Thank you, Sister Bao, for your trouble."

Xue Baochai smiled and shook her head, "Sister Lin prefers poetry and books, and also loves to practice calligraphy, so she can't live without an inkstone. It would be best if she could use it as it should be."

Lin Daiyu nodded repeatedly, "Of course!"

Lin Daiyu looked at the inkstone again and again. She liked it more and more. She brushed her fingers over the words engraved on the bottom of the inkstone. Judging from the workmanship, it didn't look like it was prepared in recent days.

It seems to have been finished for some time.

"Hey, didn't Sister Bao say a few days ago that she hadn't prepared a gift for me yet? How come she just casually took out something that she had prepared for a long time? This..."

"Could it be that Sister Bao hid something from me at that time?"

Her eyes turned suspiciously, and before she had time to think deeply, Xiangling stepped forward and said timidly, "I'm not outstanding at all. I'm usually looked after by Miss Lin and Miss Bao, and I don't have anything that's worth showing off."

"I asked Miss Bao and Sister Keqing for advice, and I finally learned how to make this."

As she spoke, Xiangling also pushed out the gift she had prepared, which was a bottle of ink.

Xiangling explained, "Now that I have an inkstone, I made this bottle of ink for Miss Lin myself. It is made from bamboo leaves and has a light bamboo fragrance. It's up to Miss Lin to decide whether it's good or not."

After all, Xiangling was just a maid now, and she didn't have much money, so of course she couldn't afford to give someone too luxurious a gift.

Unlike Qin Keqing and Xue Baochai, she can do things on her own when the situation is limited.

This made it even more precious. Lin Daiyu accepted it and said comfortingly: "This is your thoughtful gesture, of course I will use it seriously."

After hearing this, Xiangling and the maids behind her breathed a sigh of relief.

They are all maids, and their situation is the same as Xiangling.

Qingwen hurried forward and said, "This is the handkerchief that the young lady and I embroidered."

Ying'er also said, "Miss Lin, this is the sachet I made. It has six kinds of threads I made. Miss Lin said she wanted to learn how to make it, but she must have been busy and forgot about it. You can take this apart and tie it back together. Miss Lin is very talented and will definitely learn it once she sees it."

Lin Daiyu accepted the gifts from the two with great joy and thanked them repeatedly.

Ruizhu's daughter, Baozhu, who was at the end of the team, also came forward and said, "Miss Lin, this is the tea leaves that Baozhu and I picked together. They are the best new tea leaves. We planted them in the yard when we had nothing to do, but not many survived... I'm giving the rest to you to try. They have a very light taste."

"Okay, thank you guys, you're all so thoughtful."

At this moment, Lin Daiyu's arms were already filled with a pile of gifts, and she seemed to be unable to hold them all, so she had to give some to Zijuan and Xueyan.

It was the first time in many years that Lin Daiyu received so many gifts, and she was very happy.

"Although they are noisy and disobedient on weekdays, they are still good children."

Lin Daiyu looked around the room with a smile on her face, somewhat enjoying the feeling of being pampered by everyone at this moment.

It is so much better than the initial life of being homeless.

Even though she didn't like the hustle and bustle, she now felt that everything was worth it in the long run.

Exhaling lightly, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but look into the distance again, and sighed faintly, "Strange, why hasn't Brother Yue come yet? Could it be that something happened outside and Dad called him out?"

While the girls were laughing and making noises outside, the door to the main room suddenly opened. Lingguan and Ruiguan, dressed in theatrical costumes, rolled out a red carpet, walked over the threshold, rolled down the stone steps, and finally arrived at the bluestone slab in front of Lin Daiyu.

After a while, the sound of stringed instruments was heard in the room, and six little girls came out together and began to perform a dance.

Lin Daiyu was surprised and said, "Hey, why did it start already? Brother Yue hasn't arrived yet."

The girls crowded around Lin Daiyu and walked forward.

"Come and take a look first, it must be here soon."

(End of this chapter)