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

It was only then that Deng Zechen noticed that Jia Baoyu was still walking with a limp, obviously because of the beating Jia Zheng had given him last time. Although he was only hit a few times before being stopped, it seemed that he had been hit quite hard.

Deng Zechen looked at Jia Baoyu's hesitant and undisguised mockery.

Then, thinking back to the book, when Jia Baoyu flirted with Jin Chuan and was discovered by Lady Wang, he simply ran away without taking any responsibility. Even after Jin Chuan died, he remained heartless and had the nerve to hang around Yu Chuan.

Looking at Jia Baoyu's large face again, I felt a wave of nausea, and he spoke in a strange, sarcastic tone:

"If it's not with me, will it be better with you? Do you think all the women in the world can only be happy by your side? How old are you to still be beaten by your own father, and after that you don't even feel ashamed to come out and embarrass yourself. If I were you, I wouldn't even have the face to show my face in public."

Grandmother Jia was still asleep, and with no elder present to support Jia Baoyu, he received a thorough humiliation from Deng Zechen. Lin Daiyu, far from helping him, seemed to subtly agree with his behavior.

She was both anxious and angry, her face turning red with embarrassment. "You...you...how rude of you!"

Even an argument is only interesting when the two sides are evenly matched; there's no sense of accomplishment in winning an argument with someone who stutters.

Deng Zechen ignored Jia Baoyu and went to talk to Xiangling instead.

"I've rented a yard outside, so come with me today. I'm busy studying during the week, so you can do whatever you want at home. I'll tell you where I keep the money later, and you can buy whatever you need."

During this time, Xiangling followed Lin Daiyu and found that the other party did not treat her as a maid or servant. Instead, she taught her to write poetry and read books, which made her feel much more at ease and less apprehensive than before.

Upon hearing Deng Zechen's words, the expressions of the people present varied.

Xiangling was even more distraught. She had been abducted as a child and had grown up amidst beatings and scoldings, having long forgotten everything from the past. She had thought that the best outcome would be to become a slave in a wealthy family, but she never expected to have a home.

Even though she still had doubts about what Deng Zechen said, she was still very happy.

After all, Lin Daiyu and Deng Zechen helped her escape her suffering, and those who associate with such a kind-hearted and ethereal person as Miss Lin must also be virtuous and kind-hearted.

"Yes, thank you very much, Brother Deng."

Lin Daiyu was also happy for Xiangling, but when she thought that Deng Zechen still needed Lin Ruhai's financial assistance to study, where would he get the spare money to rent a courtyard?

But I don't want to ask too many questions right now. I just want to know the address before making any decisions. "Where did you rent the yard?"

"At the intersection of North and South Streets, once Xiangling is settled in, if she misses you, let her come and visit you."

Jia Baoyu was extremely displeased upon hearing this, especially after seeing that Lin Daiyu had not refused but rather seemed quite fond of it. He thought, "Where outside is there anything better than this mansion? How could a fairy like Lin Daiyu possibly go to such a dilapidated place with its small gates and courtyards?"

These words caused not only Deng Zechen and Lin Daiyu to frown, but even the old nanny from the Rongguo Mansion seemed unable to bear it any longer, secretly thinking that something was wrong:

"Who would directly insult someone's family to their face, calling them impoverished? Besides, this scholar is on good terms with Miss Lin; wouldn't saying such things put Miss Lin in a difficult position?"

One of the nannies quietly stepped forward and tugged at Jia Baoyu, but Jia Baoyu ignored the warning and only focused on glaring angrily at Deng Zechen.

Deng Zechen didn't get angry as others had expected when he heard Jia Baoyu's words; instead, he laughed.

"No matter how good this mansion is, can you make the decisions? Is your Rongguo Mansion the only good place in the world, while all other places are ruins?"

You were just lucky to be born into this wealthy family. Once you leave this place, who will take you seriously, someone who's neither good at academics nor martial arts?

At this point, Deng Zechen paused, using his height advantage to scrutinize Jia Baoyu from head to toe with a condescending gaze, making a "tsk tsk" sound as he continued:

"My mansion may be small, but I earned it through my own abilities, and I'm in charge of everything. Besides, I'm only inferior to your Rongguo Mansion right now, not to you Jia Baoyu. Just you wait and see, in six or seven years, you won't even have the chance to stand on equal footing with me!"

When Jia Baoyu heard Deng Zechen so bluntly ridicule him as a good-for-nothing playboy, he thought of the beating he had received for his previous words of arrogance, and his hand involuntarily touched his still slightly sore buttocks.

"You..."

Deng Zechen had no patience to listen to Jia Baoyu anymore. After saying goodbye to Lin Daiyu, he left Rongguo Mansion with Xiangling.

The two walked down the street in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Deng Zechen wondered what had happened to Ruizhu that day, and whether Qin Keqing's storyline had changed. Since they had already met, he should try to compete for the mission rewards...

Xiangling, who was trailing behind Deng Zechen by a small margin, looked at the tall, upright figure in front of her and recalled some things Lin Daiyu had told her about Deng Zechen:

"Brother Deng has already achieved the top score in the county examination at such a young age, making him a quasi-scholar. Miss Lin also said that Brother Deng is quick-witted and studies very diligently, and will surely have a bright future. Would such a promising scholar still remember what she said...?"

"Urgent border report! Make way! Everyone make way! Urgent border report!"

A rapid sound of hooves rang out, and Deng Zechen immediately stopped to avoid it. Xiangling, caught off guard, crashed straight into Deng Zechen's back.

A messenger with a flag strapped to his back rode past on his warhorse, kicking up dust that lingered for a long time.

Looking at Xiangling, who had just bumped into his back, Deng Zechen leaned forward and tilted his head to look at Xiangling, who was covering her face, feeling a little worried:

"I hope it's not badly damaged? It shouldn't be. I may be skinny, but I'm still a little chubby..."

"Is it alright?"

Xiangling lingered, reluctant to lower her hand, feeling a stinging pain in her nose and a burning sensation on her face, as if she were experiencing a fever.

"So hard... It looks so tall, is it made from a tree trunk?"

Noticing Deng Zechen's probing gaze, Xiangling became even more embarrassed. She slowly lowered her hands, which had been covering her nose and most of her cheeks, and answered in a muffled voice:

"No...it's nothing, I wasn't paying attention while walking..."

"Oh, it's alright. Let's go, we're almost home."

Deng Zechen pretended not to notice Xiangling's unusual behavior.

After the two arrived at the small courtyard rented by Deng Zechen, Deng Zechen handed the lease agreement to Xiangling and then passed her a box:

"Here is the deed for this courtyard. Keep it safe. This box contains almost all my silver, a total of 54 taels. I've kept some for myself as a reserve. You manage this money and buy whatever the household needs."

Xiangling looked at the contract in Deng Zechen's hand and the box containing the silver, feeling somewhat at a loss, unsure whether to accept it or not.

"If you give them all to me, what will Brother Deng use them for? Besides... how can I possibly care about this? I have no official status or position..."

As he spoke the last few words, his voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Deng Zechen put the contract into the box and forcefully shoved it into Xiangling's arms. "Take it if I give it to you. I asked you to help me manage the household because you're so thoughtful. Although we have less money right now, I'll have income every month, and things will get better in the future."

Xiangling held the box containing the silver and land deeds, feeling it was burning hot.

The heat seemed to penetrate the box and her clothes, directly warming her heart. This warmth then flowed down her cheeks, dripping onto the box.

Deng Zechen looked at Xiangling, whose eyes had suddenly turned red from crying, and he was at a loss for what to do.

What happened? Why did the girl cry when I gave her money?

Women's emotions are truly unpredictable, like a sudden storm. Deng Zechen felt a sense of unease.

"Could the tutorial I read in that book be wrong? Isn't money supposed to be the greatest source of confidence? I was even thinking that giving Xiangling money and the house deed would put her at ease, and with an initial affection level of 50, maybe this would be a huge boost? This isn't going well!"