Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 384: The Girls of Anjing Marquis’ Mansion—The More the Better

The maids, who were already a little flustered, became even more at a loss after hearing Mrs. Wang's scolding, and rushed forward to the flower bed to look for the spiritual jade.

At this moment, they no longer cared about the flowers that they had carefully watered and cared for every day. They stepped into the soil and started to turn over the soil with their hands.

Madam Wang searched for it several times but couldn't find it at all. She was so angry that she pulled it out with the flower and roots and threw it on the ground. Her face became more and more angry. "What evil things did you evil creatures do in the room to anger him again?"

"Good people will also be driven crazy by you!"

"You'll search here today. If you still can't find it before dark, you'll go before our ancestor and see for yourself!"

The maids responded timidly, suppressing their grievances, lined up, rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, stepped into the flower bed, and began to search in the soil.

The flower bed had just been watered at noon and was very muddy. Even if many people gathered there, it was difficult to find the small piece of jade.

Seeing that many flowers in full bloom in the flowerbed were ruined like this, Lin Daiyu could only sigh in her heart, but she was not in the position to stop everyone and save those flowers. She went into the room first and wanted to ask her sisters if anything had happened.

This was not the first time Lin Daiyu had met Jia Baoyu. She knew Jia Baoyu's temper. She was throwing jade in the room again, which must have been due to an argument with her sisters.

Therefore, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but worry about them, fearing that they would suffer losses and be wronged.

Xueyan and Xiangling were still staring blankly at those people looking for the jade. Lin Daiyu turned around first, stepped over the threshold and went into the room.

"Girl, wait for me!"

Xueyan suddenly came to her senses and pulled Xiangling over.

Mrs. Wang, who was standing in the flower bed, saw Lin Daiyu and the others watching coldly from afar, and she was even more angry.

"I think this girl from the Lin family is going to be the bane of Rongguo Mansion!"

While secretly complaining in her heart, Madam Wang looked around coldly and said with gritted teeth, "A bunch of spoilers, get out of the mansion if you can't find them."

"I can't live a comfortable life. The mansion is about to welcome great things, but you have ruined the good fortune. It's really not a pity to die!"

Pointing at the bewildered Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun, he added, "You came here too! You can make your own brothers angry, aren't you the one who is asking for trouble?"

Sanchun had no choice but to swallow her anger and agree, "Yes..."

……

After crossing the threshold, Lin Daiyu saw Xiren still squatting on the ground and Jia Baoyu lying in Xiren's arms in a daze.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu's face was pale and his lips were purple, like a purple grape dotted on a large silver plate.

Leaning on Xiren's shoulder, his eyes were still lifeless, staring blankly in the direction of the door.

When his eyes met Lin Daiyu's, he began to shiver as if by reflex.

Xiren was shocked and thought that her mania had become more serious. When she turned around, she saw Lin Daiyu standing on the porch.

Jia Baoyu's body was shaking even more violently, and Xiren couldn't hold him down by herself. Finally, he broke free and stood up.

However, Jia Baoyu was not like she thought. He was not going to make a scene in the room. Instead, he seemed very calm. He greeted Lin Daiyu politely and said politely, "Sister Lin, why are you here?"

Qin Keqing and Xue Baochai looked at each other, smacked their lips secretly and said, "Tsk, I was right, he is not mentally ill at all, he is just making trouble on purpose to make things worse, he is not an easy person to deal with!"

Xiren, who was standing aside, must have noticed the change in Baoyu's expression.

He wanted to look up at Lin Daiyu, but he didn't dare to look her in the eye. He had admiration for her, but he was also very timid. He didn't even dare to act rashly. He could only greet Lin Daiyu from a distance, with several steps between them.

Lin Daiyu's gaze fixed on him, causing Jia Baoyu to unconsciously get goose bumps all over his body.

"What happened? They started a fight in the room again, threw the jade out of the door, and smashed my snow goose."

Xueyan cooperated by rubbing her chest and pouted, "Yes, yes, it hurts!"

Hearing Lin Daiyu's accusation, Jia Baoyu felt panicked.

He thought that the girls in the room were of lower status than him and he could still make some trouble. However, he made trouble twice in front of Lin Daiyu and each time he got the same result: he was beaten and could not get out of bed for several months.

Lin Daiyu's eyebrows are as dark as ink, her cheeks are as clear as peach, and the delicate pink on her lips is just right. Her face is as bright as peach blossoms, more beautiful than the precious flowers blooming in the garden in March, which is simply infatuated.

Face to face with her, Jia Baoyu felt ashamed of himself. He was even more embarrassed as he had just been caught falling into Xiren's arms.

Baoyu did not dare to offend Lin Daiyu, so he had to apologize to Xueyan who was beside her, "Sister, I did it unintentionally just now. I wonder if you are hurt somewhere. I will ask Sister Xiren to get some ointment for the bruises."

Xueyan spat, "Bah, you scoundrel! You are not a good jade, so what you throw away is not a good piece either!"

Baoyu didn't know why Xueyan scolded him, but he still lowered his head in shame, feeling infinite remorse in his heart.

It wasn't the fight that just happened, nor was it the fact that he hit Xueyan, but that in front of Lin Daiyu, he couldn't help but feel that he was inferior to her. This feeling of disappointment was like a piece of his heart was dug out, leaving him feeling empty.

When did he lose the courage to talk to Lin Daiyu normally?

Baoyu couldn't figure out what was going on, but he was still frightened by the beating he received last time.

Looking at the other girls in the room, they were all looking at her with a teasing expression, as if she was watching a clown in a play.

And everyone in the Jia family just now actually didn’t care that much about him, they were just under pressure from their ancestors and his mother.

Baoyu, who had realized the truth, felt even more pain in his heart, and could not help but secretly ask himself, "Could it be that in their eyes, only those worldly ways are good, and that being in cahoots with the country's parasites and corrupt officials is good?"

"Fame and fortune are not as sincere as family affection. Can't they see my sincerity? I wish I could cut open my heart and show it to them."

"I obviously didn't do anything wrong, why do I always feel that she is becoming more and more distant from me. What does Yue Ling have? He just has power and influence. How can he treat my sisters as kindly and warmly as I do?"

"This one, two, three or five of them are the most beautiful girls I have ever seen, but they have fallen into depravity and provoked Yue Ling. His hands are stained with so much blood, and he stepped on the bones of countless people to get to the top. How can a vicious and reckless man touch a delicate flower?"

“It’s really hard to understand.”

Jia Baoyu's eyes darkened and gradually turned gray. He walked out dejectedly.

He was somewhat doubtful, whether his thoughts were wrong, or whether he was right, and these girls were worldly. Lin Daiyu didn't want to talk to him, as he walked by like a lost dog. It was really that he left a very bad impression on Lin Daiyu. He had been trying to get close to her since childhood without a sense of boundaries, saying that they were old acquaintances, and it had never changed.

Now Jia Baoyu is already fifteen years old, and he has not even finished elementary school, let alone achieved fame and honor.

When passing by Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu observed her with the corner of his eye, but found that Lin Daiyu's eyes never shifted, as if she didn't want to look at him even once more with disgust.

Jia Baoyu was completely disheartened and lowered his head silently.

Just as he was about to step out of the door, he heard Qin Keqing behind him say, "Second Young Master, your name is Baoyu. Now that you've lost your jade, are you still Baoyu? Apart from that piece of jade, you don't have any other strengths. Why don't you go and look for it quickly?"

"you……"

Jia Baoyu's face turned red with anger again. He wanted to turn around and argue with her, but because Lin Daiyu was standing in front of the hall, she seemed to be emitting a frosty aura, so Jia Baoyu swallowed his words back.

With a deep sigh, Baoyu flicked his sleeves and walked out the door.

"Yes, without 'Baoyu', am I still Baoyu?"

Xiren also got up immediately and chased after her. Before leaving the house, she did not forget to bow to Lin Daiyu and was very polite before catching up with her.

The girls couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that they were so relaxed, Lin Daiyu also breathed a sigh of relief and walked closer and said, "I thought that fool was making things difficult for you. I'm afraid you've suffered a loss."

Ying'er covered her mouth and responded, "My daughter and Sister Keqing can suffer from his harm, but he doesn't even look in the mirror to see what he is capable of."

Xue Baochai pulled Ying'er back, changed the subject, and asked, "Sister Lin, have you finished talking with the Second Madam? Should we go back home?"

Qin Keqing smacked her lips and said, "Look how anxious I am for you, precious maid."

"you!"

Lin Daiyu held her forehead, raised her hand and pressed it down, saying, "Okay, okay, stop making noise here, let's go back home first."

Shi Xiangyun only then popped her head out from behind Xue Baochai, fell into Lin Daiyu's arms, and said with a sob, "Sister Lin, I finally see you again."

Lin Daiyu was stunned at first, then she raised her hand and patted her on the back. She understood what was happening and said comfortingly, "Did I bully you just now? Don't be afraid. If you don't want to stay here, come back with us."

"There are still many vacant houses in the mansion. One more person won't make much difference."

Shi Xiangyun looked up in surprise and said, "We haven't seen each other for so many years. I have so much to say to Sister Lin that I can't finish it all night. Can I still stay in Sister Lin's room?"

Thinking that she was going to spend the night in Yue Ling's room, and looking at Shi Xiangyun who was acting like a spoiled child in her arms, Lin Daiyu couldn't refuse, so she reluctantly said, "Okay, no problem."

"Besides, Brother Yue may have to stay in the palace today and won't be able to come back."

"What does this have to do with Marquis Anjing? Do I need the Marquis's permission?"

Lin Daiyu accidentally said what was in her heart. Shi Xiangyun's tearful eyes blinked and she asked in confusion.

The faces of the girls around all had ambiguous expressions and they all turned their heads away.

Lin Daiyu's lips trembled, and her face gradually turned red. She thought to herself, "It's bad. There's no one from the Jia family in this room anymore. I let my guard down. How could I say everything I was thinking? I'm so embarrassed! I have to think of an excuse to get away with it!"

Before Lin Daiyu could open her mouth to make amends, Miaoyu asked anxiously, "Miss Lin, I also want to take my master to the Anjing Marquis' Mansion to recuperate. Is that okay? I don't have to live in the main courtyard. I can just set up two beds in the Buddhist nunnery."

It was not until this moment that Lin Daiyu discovered that there was another Miaoyu sitting in the corner.

Meeting old friends again should have been a cause for great joy, but Lin Daiyu widened her eyes in surprise.

He twitched his lips and said reluctantly, "It is really a fate that brings us together. It is more than 3,000 miles from Suzhou to the capital. I didn't expect that I could really meet Master Miaoyu again."

Miaoyu lowered her head silently. She had done some very rude things in the past, and there was a reason why Lin Daiyu disliked her a little, but she still felt very regretful in her heart.

Ever since her master said that she might be dragged to this mansion to be paired with a boy, this has become a knot in her heart.

But the next moment, Lin Daiyu still softened her heart and said: "Forget it, after all, you also settled us in Panxiang Temple, and chanted sutras and prayed for my mother. I have no reason to refuse you."

It was really because the atmosphere in Rongguo Mansion was too bad, and Lin Daiyu couldn't bear to let the girl she had old friendship with sink into depravity in this mansion.

Miaoyu's eyes widened in disbelief, she stood up in surprise and bowed, "Thank you Miss Lin, I will go back and pack my gifts now!"

Looking around at everyone again, Lin Daiyu sighed and said, "Okay, it's time for us to go out too."

Xueyan clapped her hands and cheered, "Great, we're finally leaving this place!"

The girls surrounded Lin Daiyu and walked towards the door. The people in the flower beds were still busy searching, while Jia Baoyu stood alone in front of Mrs. Wang, as if he was being scolded.

As they were far away and couldn't hear clearly, the girls didn't care and walked out without saying hello.

Before leaving the small courtyard at the back of the house, a maid came in with a slim waist, thin shoulders, an oval face, and a few freckles on both cheeks.

Yuanyang smiled and greeted Lin Daiyu, then said to Mrs. Wang in the distance, "The old master knows that Miss Lin has arrived, and is waiting for her to come over to talk to him. Second Madam, are you coming too?"

Yuanyang saw Baoyu who seemed to have lost his soul and added, "Second Master Bao, come too."

Mrs. Wang was secretly shocked. She wondered what news Grandmother Jia had heard that made her suddenly ask them to come over. It was obvious that Grandmother Jia had stopped asking about the affairs of the mansion a long time ago, and she didn't care about Lin Daiyu as much as she did at the beginning.

Unable to figure it out for the moment, she stopped thinking about it. Madam Wang turned around and told the other maids, "Hurry up and look for it. If you haven't found it by the time I come back, I'll really have to let you off the hook!"

Lin Daiyu looked at Yuanyang in confusion, wanting to ask what she was supposed to do specifically, but seeing her smiling face, she didn't want to waste any more words, and asked instead, "Where are they?"

Lin Daiyu tilted her head back, and Yuanyang understood and said with a smile, "Come together, the old ancestor likes lively occasions."

After Lin Daiyu and her group left, Yuanyang followed behind and asked Mrs. Wang, "Madam, what are they looking for? Why are they playing in the mud for no reason?"

Mrs. Wang looked very embarrassed. It was too obvious that the jade on Jia Baoyu's neck was missing. She could not hide it, so she had to tell the truth: "It was the 'Paranormal Jade' that was thrown away by this evil creature. It fell into the flower bed and has not been found yet."

Yuanyang's mouth opened wide in an instant, like a goose egg, "What? Second Madam, what did you just say? The spiritual jade is missing?!"

(End of this chapter)