The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 122: Daiyu

Lin Daiyu had just asked her servants to rescue people when three generations of the Jia family showed up.

The older Zijuan had gone out to do some work, leaving the room with only Xueyan, a teenage girl who was not very sensible.

Xueyan quickly called out, "Old lady! Madam! Grandma!"

The weather was hot, and Lin Daiyu, wearing a blue satin dress, hurriedly got out of bed to greet the guests.

"Sister, I brought some herbal tea for you to cool down. The old lady also wanted to come and talk to you, so she came together."

Jia Yuanchun's father is Lin Daiyu's uncle. Jia Yuanchun also knows Lin Daiyu's mother, and they are cousins.

Lin Daiyu felt that it was unusual for these three people to come together, so she said carefully, "Thank you, Sister Yuanchun."

Soon the three big men of the Jia family sat down, and Mrs. Wang's maid stood at the door tacitly.

This small action made Lin Daiyu more aware that what was going to happen next was not a small matter.

Jia Yuanchun raised her head and looked around the room. "This room is quite cool. Are you feeling comfortable here, sister?"

Lin Daiyu said softly, "It's comfortable. It's warm in winter and cool in summer in Four Seasons Garden. I'm also well taken care of by my sisters, grandmothers, wives, old ladies, and the Duke. It's always been good."

Jia Yuanchun nodded and said, "I came here this time because I have something to ask you, please don't blame me."

Lin Daiyu said softly, "Sister, please ask."

Jia Yuanchun asked the maid to put down a few bowls of cooling tea, and then used tweezers to take ice cubes from a porcelain bowl and put them in several bowls.

"Have some tea first, and cool down the fire."

The four of them picked up the tea bowls and took a sip of the herbal tea with a spoon.

When it was almost over, Jia Yuanchun asked, "Before..."

After Jia Yuanchun opened her mouth, she didn't know what to say.

At this time, the old lady said directly: "I was old and confused before. I always thought Baoyu was still a child. At that time, I let you two live together. I also heard from Qingwen and Baochai and other maids that you often slept together. Has he done anything improper to you?"

Madam Wang said sternly, "Don't worry, if he has done anything like that, we will definitely take care of it for you!"

If you can make a done deal, it may not be a bad thing.

Jia Rong is the type of person who will do it if he likes someone, but won't make a promise if he doesn't. He has known Lin Daiyu for many years and has never talked about that kind of thing, so it is probably nothing.

Mrs. Wang felt that her son and Lin Daiyu were a good match.

I thought about this before, but later decided it wasn't suitable.

Now that his thoughts have been hit repeatedly, he has begun to have evil thoughts.

Lin Daiyu said quickly, "No! I have always been abiding by the rules and etiquette with Master Bao, and I only treat him as a relative's child. There has never been anything like that."

How could a girl's innocence withstand such interrogation? If her parents were still alive, Lin Daiyu would only want to go home.

It's a pity that there's no one at home anymore, and now...

At this time, Lin Daiyu thought of Jia Rong. If Jia Rong had not been in seclusion to make medicine, but had been wandering in the garden all day, these three people would never dare to ask this question.

Jia Yuanchun said quickly, "That's good. We know what kind of person your sister is. We are just afraid that Baoyu, that bastard, will do something stupid. If the master knows about this, he will definitely beat him to death to make amends for the young lady."

Lin Daiyu didn't want to talk anymore, she lowered her head and said nothing.

For Lin Daiyu, who was well-read, this kind of inquiry was already a humiliation.

Jia Yuanchun also knew that Lin Daiyu was unhappy, and explained: "Sister, don't be angry. It's not that we don't trust you, but we don't trust Baoyu, so we came here to ask you."

Mrs. Wang said directly: "When you went to Rong Mansion, I told you not to provoke that devil."

"He speaks sweet words one moment, is carefree the next, and is crazy the next. Your master Rong and I have both advised him not to hang around in the inner chambers all the time, and we have also advised you not to provoke him."

Instead, Mrs. Wang threw the problem to Lin Daiyu.

The women in the family had actually told Lin Daiyu a long time ago what kind of person Jia Baoyu was. Even Jia Rong had repeatedly advised Lin Daiyu not to pay attention to Jia Baoyu, but Lin Daiyu just didn't listen.

Lin Daiyu had nothing to say. She didn't have any friends in the Jia family, and Jia Baoyu kept coming over to her. If she ignored him, he would go crazy. What else could she do?

Jia Yuanchun was worried that something might go wrong. It would be bad for everyone if Jia Rong knew about this.

In terms of family status, Jia Yuanchun's self-awareness is getting stronger and stronger. She knows that after she made Lin Daiyu cry, Jia Rong will...

Although she couldn't imagine what Jia Rong would do, Jia Yuanchun was afraid.

"I know your difficulties, but have you ever thought that there is actually someone in this mansion who is in a similar situation to you?"

Lin Daiyu raised her head and looked at Jia Yuanchun, "Who is it? Sister Baochai?"

Jia Yuanchun smiled and shook her head, saying softly, "Who else could it be? Of course it must be our master."

Lin Daiyu was stunned, not understanding how she and Jia Rong were alike.

Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "My sister is confused and always ignores the difficulties of the master. If you think about it carefully, the master also lost his mother when he was seven or eight years old, and his father when he was ten years old. How could the master not know the warmth and coldness of human nature that you have experienced?"

Lin Daiyu felt something was wrong, "Sister, you are joking. Brother Rong still has a group of people who care about him."

"You are the same, aren't you?" Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "Don't think it's like this now. In the past, our master had no contact with the Rong Mansion. Although they were less than a hundred meters away, he would go there once a year."

The old lady said, "Yuanchun is right. It is only in the past few years that he has become so popular that we shamelessly acknowledged him as a relative. When his father passed away, he intended to have no further contact with our family."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "At that time, the Ning Mansion was separated from the Rong Mansion, and it had nothing to do with the other four kings and six dukes. The Ning Mansion you have seen over the years can be said to be built by your brother Rong from scratch. It is not an exaggeration at all."

Jia Yuanchun joked to Lin Daiyu, "If the master were a girl, he would have to live in Rong Mansion like you. Just imagine if Xichun didn't have the master's support, wouldn't she have lived the same life as Yingchun these years? Or even worse."

Lin Daiyu nodded and did not refute this.

Jia Yuanchun added: "If I were a man, I would definitely follow you, Master, and work with you to build a career and serve in the same court. Before your father died, he would have given you to Master to take care of."

Lin Daiyu thought about this possibility and found that it was indeed the case.

If I were a ten-year-old boy, my father would never leave me alone in my hometown, nor would he hand me over to the Rongguo Mansion which was full of playboys.

Jia Rong lost his mother in his childhood and his father in his youth. He studied hard on his own and achieved fame. He also managed the entire Ning Mansion in an orderly manner. He was also a student and good friend of his father Lin Ruhai. At that time, he had already established a family and a fortune.

Regardless of the considerations, as a man, I will be handed over to Jia Rong's care.

Unfortunately, she was a girl, so she was sent to her grandmother's house as a last resort.

Seeing that Lin Daiyu had figured it out, Jia Yuanchun continued, "The master has known your feelings all these years. He knows that you are in poor health and sensitive, so he has always followed your wishes. He built a garden for you and found sisters for you to play with so that you wouldn't be lonely."

"Although you may think that the master is lustful and has many wives and concubines, you can see that the master wants the bodies of me and my six sisters right now. Although he has promised the rest, he has always abided by the etiquette and morality. He will not destroy the innocence of the girls by not giving them a name."

"On the contrary, my good-for-nothing brother has tried seven or eight women at such a young age."

Jia Baoyu didn't have that many, but for the sake of her master's face, Jia Yuanchun naturally gave Jia Baoyu a few more.

"When your brother Rong and I got married, it was our first time. Your brother Rong got married and had children when he was sixteen or seventeen, which made the Jia family prosperous."

"Although there are many women around him, he loves and cares for them all. For example, Baoqin and Sister Keqing have been married for seven or eight years, and they are still very good."

"Your father was the only son in the family, so he had no brothers or sisters after the incident. The Ning Mansion is also the only son in the family. The master's family is very concerned about the issue of offspring. Seeing that your family is also like this, you should understand the importance of marrying more good women and having more children." "We can't let the children in the future suffer the same hardships as the last generation. You have seen the group of naughty children in the family. They fight and make noise every day. It's so lively."

Lin Daiyu said, "Sister is right."

Jia Yuanchun did not continue talking about Jia Rong, but just said some good words in advance and asked Lin Daiyu to think about it carefully.

The three people from the Jia family sat for a while and then left. Not long after they left, Shi Xiangyun and Xue Baochai came in stealthily.

"What are the three of them doing here? The maid wouldn't let us in just now."

Lin Daiyu shook her head and sighed, "It's still a matter in the west."

Xue Baochai said quickly: "But I want to ask you about your relationship with Bao?"

"Almost." Lin Daiyu looked at the two people from the Ning Mansion in front of her, sat down helplessly and said, "Have some tea, the herbal tea just delivered."

"Okay! I'm thirsty!" Shi Xiangyun sat down happily.

Lin Daiyu couldn't help laughing when she looked at the chubby Shi Xiangyun and the equally fat Xue Baochai.

Xue Baochai asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." Lin Daiyu didn't dare to say that the two of them looked like sisters, so she hurriedly said, "Let's eat quickly. Is it hot outside?"

"It's so hot!" Xue Baochai took a sip of herbal tea and fanned herself with a fan. "I want to take a bath to cool down, but then I think about walking such a long way to the front yard. Sister Feng said that this year we will build a big bathing pool in the garden, so we can take a bath in winter and take a shower in summer."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "This is a good thing."

After drinking the tea, Shi Xiangyun still felt a little hot, so she said to Lin Daiyu, "I'll treat you to some iced yogurt, Cuilu, go to the kitchen and get six bowls of iced milk cakes. I'll pay for it."

"Yes!" Cuilu responded happily and quickly ran out to the kitchen to buy ice cream.

Normally, there are fixed meals in the kitchen, but they are not unlimited. You have to pay for anything beyond daily meals yourself.

Jia Yuanchun often entertained guests, and the funds for family activities were under her management. Wang Xifeng also had separate funds, and occasionally she would embezzle some of the money, but as long as everyone's birthdays and some activities were organized to their satisfaction, they didn't care about this.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "You've been spending money lavishly again. You've almost spent all your money this month, haven't you?"

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "It's long gone. I borrowed this from my elder sister. I'll have money when my elder brother comes out!"

Lin Daiyu thought that this was not the right way for her to continue, as she didn't know who she could rely on when she ran out of money in the future. However, she then thought that the relationship between Shi Xiangyun and Jia Rong was already tacitly agreed upon, so Jia Rong would naturally support her.

With Jia Rong around, Shi Xiangyun could quickly get over the unfortunate experiences of her aunt and sister at the beginning of the year without having to worry about so many troubles.

No one in the Ning Mansion ever treated Shi Xiangyun as an outsider.

Jia Yuanchun and Jia Rong lent money to the girls, but they never had to pay it back.

Not only Shi Xiangyun and Wang Xifeng gave again and again, Lin Daiyu herself was also a beneficiary and received a lot of financial support from Jia Rong.

Lin Daiyu suddenly realized that she had already been a member of the Ning Mansion.

Even compared with Xue Baochai, Li Wan, Li Qi, Li Wen and others, she better meets the standards of being a member of the Ning Mansion.

Soon, Cuilu, Ying'er and Xueyan brought six bowls of iced yogurt cakes.

While Lin Daiyu was eating, the maid Zijuan came back and said with sweat on her forehead, "Miss, the matter has been settled."

After Zijuan finished speaking, she looked at the six masters and servants who were eating yogurt ice cream behind her back, and stood there looking at Lin Daiyu with grievance.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "This is Sister Yun's treat. It was prepared after you came. Take the money and buy two bowls for you and Mother Wang."

"Yes! Thank you, Miss!" Zijuan went out happily.

Mother Wang was Lin Daiyu's wet nurse, an old servant who came from the Lin family. Zijuan was given by the old lady. Xueyan was still a little girl at that time and was not very good at her job.

She is not very healthy now and is still a greedy little girl.

Seeing that Lin Daiyu was rich and Shi Xiangyun had connections for borrowing money, Xue Baochai could not help but sigh, "You are good, but I am much worse off. Our family business has long lost its income, and now I have to rely on the monthly salary from the master to survive, and I have to help my brother who spends money lavishly."

Lin Daiyu asked, "Isn't your medicine taken care of by the master? And the monthly allowance is also based on the aunt's, twenty taels a month, which is almost the same as the old lady in Rong Mansion before."

Xue Baochai explained hurriedly: "It is naturally more than before, but I just want to save some money for my brother to marry a wife, so I dare not spend more."

Lin Daiyu thought for a moment, "Nowadays, money is also flowing like water here, several times more than before in the west."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Big brother can make money. I often go to visit big sister and have fun. I have eaten a lot of delicious food and drinks there. I also heard Sister Feng and Big sister calculate the accounts. They said that what they earn in the first month alone is enough to spend for three years."

Lin Daiyu thought about it carefully and realized that it seemed that Mrs. Xing came to stay here around the first month of the year, and she and the old lady and others came from the west to stay here to celebrate the New Year. Also, something happened to the Shi family.

"I was here during the first month of the year. What kind of money did I make then? I have no recollection of it."

Shi Xiangyun also recalled, "I forgot too. It seems that nothing happened during the month of the New Year."

Xue Baochai looked at the two of them unhappily, "Stupid, the people who came to give gifts in the first month of the year lined up outside for a hundred meters, and you just stayed in the garden. My mother said that the gifts we received in those few days filled up more than a dozen rooms in three courtyards."

"I also heard that on the day when the Wang family came to pay New Year's greetings, there were more than 100,000 silver coins in the house. The Wang family must have been afraid that they would be raided and have no one to rely on, so they sent the money in advance."

"You know the Wang family, they have plenty of money. Even though Sister Feng pretends to be poor, the master has already doubled her dowry."

"The master is never stingy when it comes to spending money on the women in the family. Xiangyun, wait for the master to come out and cry poor in front of him. The little money he gives you will be enough for you to eat for several years!"

Shi Xiangyun laughed and cursed, "Bah! Why don't you go and cry about being poor?"

Xue Baochai was angry, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. You will continue to live a poor life with me!"

The girls chatted and laughed for a while, and after more than 20 minutes, Zijuan came back looking aggrieved.

"Miss, the kitchen said that the remaining ones were bought by Master Miaoyu, and the remaining ones are to be kept for the Madam and the young master and young lady, so they dare not sell them to me."

Xue Baochai said to Lin Daiyu: "Miaoyu only has two taels of silver per month, but she is a daughter of an official family and has been a nun. She has a lot of wealth and is not short of money."

"In the past, we had money but nowhere to spend it. We didn't have anything in our house. It was originally prepared for us family members, but she ended up relying on her wealth and not being polite to others."

Seeing the maid being wronged, Lin Daiyu had no choice but to stand up and say, "I'll go to the kitchen and ask if there's anything left."

The maid didn't come out, but after Lin Daiyu came out, she finally brought out two more bowls.

When Lin Daiyu and Zijuan came back, Xue Baochai, who was accompanying them, scolded them: "You look down on people with your dog eyes!"

Zijuan couldn't buy it if she went there, and Xue Baochai certainly couldn't buy it if she went there. Only Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun and a few concubines could buy it.

Neither Qingwen nor Xiaohong may be able to buy it.

Xue Baochai was not scolding on behalf of Zijuan. She was thinking about how she herself would be a concubine and even less likely to be a successful one, so she couldn't help but scold those kitchen maids who looked down on others.

Lin Daiyu didn't say anything. After returning, she looked at the tall Zijuan and the short Xueyan standing there happily sharing a bowl of ice milk. She gave the other bowl to her wet nurse, Mother Wang, and went to read a book herself.

Lin Daiyu was reading a book, and then she fell asleep with the book in her hands.

Suddenly, she had a dream that she was a man, and that she became good friends with Jia Rong. She followed Jia Rong to be an official, attend court, and swim...

When she woke up from her nap in the evening, she blushed when she thought about her absurd dream. It turned out that she still had not forgotten Jia Rong's heroic figure.

(End of this chapter)