Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu's face showed displeasure, and she unconsciously withdrew her hand from Grandmother Jia's.

They're both men, and they say the same things, so how come this young master raised by the Rongguo Mansion is completely inferior to Brother Deng!

Remembering what Lin Ruhai had once said, Lin Daiyu felt a surge of anger.

Everyone present noticed Lin Daiyu's displeasure upon seeing her expression, but Jia Baoyu remained bewitched, his gaze never leaving her.

Grandmother Jia, sitting at the head of the table, clearly saw things most clearly, yet she turned a blind eye to Lin Daiyu's dissatisfaction because of her own plans.

Lin Daiyu's initial feelings of filial piety, which had arisen from Grandmother Jia's warm greetings, gradually faded, and she suddenly realized something:

"Yes, isn't this exactly the kind of elder my mother described—all talk and no action, all talk and no action? It's ridiculous that I thought I had found an elder who truly cared for me again..."

Grandmother Jia beckoned to Jia Baoyu, and Jia Baoyu reluctantly turned his gaze away, snuggling into Grandmother Jia's arms as usual.

Grandmother Jia naturally embraced Jia Baoyu, teasing him as if he were a child.

When Deng Zechen was reading Dream of the Red Chamber, he didn't think much of it, but when he saw a teenage boy acting so intimately and affectionately with his elders up close, he was greatly amazed.

With Jia Baoyu in her arms, Grandmother Jia then had the energy to hold Lin Daiyu's small hand, assuming that Lin Daiyu was just being reserved because she was new to the place, and didn't take it to heart.

How could a weak woman who was raised in a secluded mansion from childhood have such a strong temper?

Baoyu didn't say anything offensive, so it's good that the two younger ones are being affectionate.

It would be even better if they could all be kept together by my side...

They are all extremely good-looking people, and they are pleasing to the eye.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia did not restrain Jia Baoyu's words and actions in the slightest, but instead indulged him quite a bit, Lin Daiyu spoke in a somewhat cold tone, but with great restraint:

"Cousin, you flatter me. Yangzhou and the capital are quite far apart. This is my first time here. How could you possibly have seen me before?"

Jia Baoyu seemed completely oblivious to Lin Daiyu's displeasure, and even smiled as he said:

"Although we've never met before, my sister's face feels familiar and kind, as if I've known her for a long time. Now that we've reunited, there's nothing wrong with it."

Grandmother Jia laughed along with him:

"Great! Great! If that's the case, then you'll be able to get along even better."

Since it was their first meeting, Lin Daiyu didn't want to directly contradict her maternal grandmother over such a small matter, so she remained silent.

But Jia Baoyu walked over to Lin Daiyu and sat down close to her. He looked at Daiyu closely for a while and then asked:

"What books has your younger sister read?"

Lin Daiyu suddenly stood up, looked around, and then deftly walked around to Deng Zechen's vicinity. Deng Zechen stood up and gave up his seat.

Grandmother Jia's face darkened slightly, but she quickly regained her kind expression.

Seeing that Jia Baoyu was no longer able to follow, Lin Daiyu sat down lightly and then slowly answered:

"I'm not very good at studying. I just learn a few characters from my teacher and read some miscellaneous books to pass the time. I can't compare to my cousin, who is a scholar who reads serious books."

Seeing that his fairy-like younger sister was avoiding him, Jia Baoyu felt very sad, but there was nothing he could do.

His hand unconsciously touched the jade pendant on his chest, and the cool touch gave Jia Baoyu another idea...

"Does my sister have any jade on her?"

The three girls exchanged a glance and simultaneously clutched their handkerchiefs.

The beautiful and spirited young girl among them unconsciously straightened her posture.

It's coming again.

Deng Zechen looked thoughtfully at the three girls dressed similarly, thinking that this must be the three springs.

Lin Daiyu was unaware of Jia Baoyu's question, but she still patiently answered it:

"I don't have it. That jade must be a rare item; it's not something everyone can have."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu suddenly became agitated, tore off his jade pendant, threw it violently to the ground, and cursed:

"What kind of rare item is this! It doesn't even distinguish between people! And it calls itself a magical jade! I don't want this worthless thing!"

The Jia family was thrown into chaos as everyone scrambled to retrieve the jade. Grandmother Jia quickly embraced Jia Baoyu and tried to comfort him…

Lin Daiyu was startled by Jia Baoyu's sudden outburst. She watched as the people in the Jia family hurriedly tried to coax Jia Baoyu, and then frantically wiped the jade pendant again and again, carefully checking for any damage, trying to persuade Baoyu to put the jade pendant back on his person.

He understood immediately:

"Such a coincidence really exists in the world. I never expected that my cousin's personality would be exactly the same as the young master Feng that my brother mentioned. It's unbelievable."

Meanwhile, Jia Baoyu, who was being coaxed by the crowd, secretly observed Lin Daiyu and saw that Lin Daiyu was not only unmoved, but also showed a hint of disdain for his behavior.

She thought to herself that this was bad, that she had made a mess of things. Before she could figure out what to do, she noticed that there was a strange man in the room.

He didn't look very old, and his clothes weren't very nice, so he probably wasn't from a wealthy family.

Thinking of his newly arrived, angelic younger sister who avoided him but subconsciously sought his protection, Jia Baoyu felt more hostile towards him.

Jia Baoyu pondered his relationship with Lin Daiyu. Following the instructions of the people in the Jia family, he descended the steps and stopped his antics. Instead, he asked Deng Zechen for the first time:

"Is this Lin Daiyu's servant? Why doesn't she leave first? What is she doing here?"

Before Deng Zechen and the other man could speak, Lin Daiyu spoke first:

"Cousin, you jest. This man was introduced to the capital to study by Father. He's the top scholar in our county. If word gets out, it might cause trouble for Father. Please be careful what you say!"

After being rebuked by Lin Daiyu's words, Jia Baoyu remained silent. Deng Zechen, knowing Jia Baoyu's character well, added insult to injury:

"You flatter me, young lady. Young Master Jia is so young and from such a family background. He must have passed the county-level examination long ago. He was just joking because he thinks we are young and is judging us by his own standards."

"Why would I stoop to the petty scheming of those corrupt officials and try to pass the imperial examinations?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu's face turned even more unpleasant. If scholars were corrupt officials, then what was her father, a top scholar, to her?

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia realized that Deng Zechen and Lin Daiyu were working together to target Jia Baoyu, and she felt a pang of heartache seeing the aggrieved Jia Baoyu.

Some blamed Lin Daiyu for siding with outsiders to attack her own brother, and immediately decided to stand up for Jia Baoyu and get revenge.

But before he could speak, Jia Zheng's voice suddenly rang out:

"Hmph! You good-for-nothing son! Look at others who are younger than you and have already become scholars, while you're still like a child who hasn't been weaned, spending your days laughing and playing around with your sisters and grandmother!"

And now they're still spouting nonsense!

Go back to your studies. I'll check your homework later, and if you don't pass, see how I punish you!

In front of outsiders, Grandmother Jia couldn't very well embarrass her son, the head of the family, by trying to protect Jia Baoyu, so she could only watch Jia Baoyu slink away.

Jia Baoyu's face was ashen. He had no idea how long his father had been there, or how much his father knew about his ramblings and smashing of the jade. He was doomed.

Mingyan, who was standing nearby, whispered to Jia Baoyu:

"The Second Master smashed the jade, and everyone panicked. I saw the Second Master come in and say something, but no one could hear him clearly..."

Upon hearing Mingyan's words, Jia Baoyu felt as if his life was over. Hadn't he already heard all the treacherous words he would later utter?