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

The next morning, Deng Zechen tidied himself up and was led into the Lin residence.

The butler, Lin Xiang, led the way with a beaming smile. He respectfully escorted Deng Zechen to the reception room before withdrawing.

Before long, Lin Ruhai appeared in the reception room. Looking at this junior who had achieved first place in the county examination at the young age of 13, Lin Ruhai's face, which was often shrouded in worry, showed a hint of joy:

"You are a promising young man. Your uncle was a child prodigy back then, but you are even more outstanding than him."

"Uncle, you flatter me. I was just lucky."

Lin Ruhai disagreed after hearing this:

"At your age, achieving the top score in the county examination in Wu County, Yangzhou, is not something that can be explained simply by 'luck.' Young people should have some ambition; being overly modest only makes one appear arrogant and pretentious."

Deng Zechen smiled and readily agreed.

"Uncle is right."

"Now that the results of the county examination are out, you and my daughter should set off for the capital first thing tomorrow morning."

I've prepared all the necessary supplies. Please keep an eye on my daughter on the way.

Deng Zechen replied repeatedly, "Uncle, you flatter me. Miss Lin's matter is my matter."

Lin Ruhai nodded slightly, about to speak, when he saw someone entering the reception room, and his eyes lit up.

Following Lin Ruhai's gaze, Deng Zechen saw a graceful figure in a white dress adorned with many red plum blossoms slowly approaching.

It looked much more lively than the last time I saw it.

Lin Daiyu was not surprised to see Deng Zechen in the reception room. After giving a slight bow, she walked to Lin Ruhai's side, and Deng Zechen returned the bow and greeted her first.

"Greetings, Miss Lin."

"Greetings, Brother Deng..."

Its sound is clear and melodious, like a spring, without a trace of turbidity.

Lin Ruhai gestured for Lin Daiyu to sit down to one side, and continued speaking:

"Yu'er, tomorrow you will depart for the capital with Ze Chen. He is a year older than you and is very capable. If you encounter any problems, you can ask him for advice."

Lin Daiyu glanced at Deng Zechen with a hint of curiosity, "I understand."

"Uncle, you're joking. I've only listened to a lot of old people chatting and learned some trivial matters about family life, and then tried to imitate them. How could I dare to call myself an expert?"

Lin Ruhai became more curious after hearing this. "Oh? I'm curious, what kind of mundane family matters could make someone your age so insightful?"

"Uncle, you're joking. It's quite simple. Once I heard about a wealthy family named Feng who had few children. The wife of the Feng family was nearly 40 years old when she finally had her only son."

His family spoiled him rotten, which fostered his naive, spoiled, and foolish nature.

He would be presented with whatever he wanted on a daily basis. If he didn't get what he wanted, he would smash things, which would make his parents and elders feel sorry for him and rush to coax him.

In the end, it turned into a situation where whoever didn't go along with him was in the wrong.

Seemingly naive and innocent, they are actually masters at reading people's expressions. If anything goes wrong afterward, they will blame it all on others, while remaining completely innocent themselves.

Furthermore, this young master Feng has always enjoyed flirting with beautiful women; whenever he sees a pretty woman, he'll say something like, "I've seen this girl before."

The elders in the family, far from being ashamed, found the young master Feng naive and adorable, completely unconcerned about the other woman's reaction.

At this point, Deng Zechen's gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Daiyu, then he casually looked away and added to Lin Ruhai:

"I heard that the Feng family had ancestors who were high-ranking officials! After hearing this, I reminded myself that I should keep my distance from such people in the future."

Lin Daiyu was half puzzled and half surprised, "Can a young master from a wealthy family be so unruly? Doesn't any of the elders in the family discipline him?"

"Yu'er, each family has its own traditions, which are not unified because of social status."

For example, our Lin family, though having held the rank of marquis for generations, has never indulged in extravagance, and the relationships within the family are simple and harmonious.

But most of the families that are close to us are much more complicated than ours. Not to mention the numerous collateral branches, most of them have one or two concubines and several illegitimate sons and daughters.

When there are too many people, less effort is put into educating the younger generation.

But with fewer people, it's easy to spoil them. Parents are reluctant to let their children experience the hardships they themselves went through, which can easily lead to an unruly and arrogant child.

Noticing Lin Daiyu's confusion, Lin Ruhai used the Lin family as an example to answer her questions.

Seeing this, Deng Zechen thought to himself:

"No wonder the people in the Lin family were so used to Lin Daiyu receiving guests. So this is how Lin Ruhai taught his daughter. It seems that Lin Daiyu's personality was not only innate but also a result of her upbringing."

Lin Daiyu seemed thoughtful. "Is that so?"

Seeing that Lin Daiyu seemed to have taken his story to heart, Deng Zechen secretly made a decision:

When I have the chance again, I must use the Land of Illusion to add more dramatic flair to Jia Baoyu's act of smashing the jade!

Otherwise, given that she was new to the unfamiliar environment, Jia Baoyu's actions might have put a lot of psychological pressure on Lin Daiyu.

Thinking this to himself, Deng Zechen didn't forget to compliment Lin Ruhai aloud:

"Uncle, you are indeed very knowledgeable!"

Lin Ruhai also laughed, his beard trembling slightly.

"Stop teasing me. Since you've brought this up, I'd like to ask you, how do you truly raise your juniors in the best way possible?"

Is it better to provide him with a life of luxury, or to lecture him with Confucian classics and lofty principles?

Hearing Lin Ruhai's words, Lin Daiyu also pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked at Deng Zechen.

After thinking for a moment, Deng Zechen replied:

In my humble opinion, if you truly want someone to be well, you must give them enough trust and support.

As long as they don't go astray or get stuck in a rut, there's no need to interfere too much.

We should encourage him to go out more, to see and experience the world firsthand.

In this way, he will know what he wants. After all, what suits you may not suit him, and forcing things may not have good results.

While providing him with a life of luxury and treating him like a treasure ensures he has everything he needs, it ultimately confines him to a self-imposed enclosure.

Wouldn't it be a pity if he wanted to make a name for himself?

While the principles of sages and virtuous men are not necessarily wrong, raising children is not like making vessels with a fixed form. Children raised solely by these rules and regulations will inevitably lack individuality.

He may not actually have taken these principles and rules to heart; he might just be putting on an act to please you.

"Haha! What you said does sound a bit like Su Ji's. Is that what he taught you?"

Upon hearing Deng Zechen's words, Lin Ruhai seemed to recall his old friend.

Seeing Lin Ruhai's reaction, Deng Zechen relaxed a bit. "Uncle has taught me a lot. These are just some silly things I've been thinking up on my own. Please forgive me, Uncle."

After hearing Deng Zechen's words, Lin Daiyu also asked:

"As a junior, how can you tell whether someone's feelings for you are genuine or not? Are there any tips or tricks?"