Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The funerals of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were much simpler than those of Jia She; apart from their own relatives, no one else was invited.

As the matriarch of the Jia family, it was already a great favor for Grandmother Jia to come and see her nephew off at his funeral, so there was no need for her to stay overnight at the family temple.

As she was leaving, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and the rest of the group naturally prepared to return to the city as well. One reason was to escort Grandmother Jia, and the other was, under the guise of saving trouble for Madam You and the others.

However, as the legitimate daughter of the Ningguo Mansion, Xichun definitely had to stay at this time.

She wasn't familiar with the people of the Ningguo Mansion, and worried about being bored, she pulled Tan Chun and the others aside and asked, "Third Sister, why don't you stay here too? We can keep each other company, since you're coming again tomorrow anyway..."

For Tan Chun and others, going out was a rare treat, and being able to stroll around the temple was something new and interesting.

"We can't make that decision..." Tan Chun smiled in response to Xi Chun's attempt to persuade her to stay, and gestured towards Jia Baoyu with her chin.

Xichun understood and hurriedly shook Jia Baoyu's arm, "Second Brother, go and talk to the old lady and ask her to let you stay."

"Maybe we can even go to Shuiyue Temple together sometime..."

It was originally thought that Jia Baoyu, who was always playful and easy to talk to, would immediately agree to his younger sister's request.

To everyone's surprise, Jia Baoyu simply shook his head with a wry smile, said nothing, and sat down to one side. His expression appeared somewhat somber.

Everyone was puzzled, so Tan Chun pressed him for an answer, "Second Brother, what's wrong?"

Because of the previous incident involving Jia She's funeral, Jia Baoyu had made a fool of himself at the Shuiyue Nunnery, which also implicated Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er.

These two are his good friends and playmates!

However, since that day, Qin Zhong was severely punished by Qin Bangye upon his return, which caused him to fall seriously ill, and he has not yet fully recovered.

As a result, Zhi Neng'er was chased away by Lian Er Gege to some unknown place, and her fate is unknown.

Thinking about it, I had no heart to linger in this place of sorrow; I only wished I could go back as soon as possible.

This feeling, however, was something he couldn't explain to Tan Chun.

Daiyu, who was standing nearby, was perceptive and familiar with Jia Baoyu's personality, and two guesses immediately formed in her mind.

Seeing that Tan Chun pressed Jia Baoyu for an answer but received none, she snorted, "Perhaps it's because Sister-in-law You's two younger sisters didn't come today, so he lost his mood and naturally didn't want to stay here any longer."

It's not convenient to talk about the Shuiyue Nunnery incident, so Daiyu only brought up this matter.

A few days ago, Jia Baoyu went to Ningguo Mansion every day. Grandmother Jia and others said that Jia Baoyu had become sensible and knew to kowtow in front of the spirit tablet more often.

She was initially puzzled, but it wasn't until she saw Jia Baoyu following the two You sisters around like a little puppy that she understood.

She was all too familiar with that scene; Jia Baoyu usually treated her the same way.

However, Daiyu underestimated Jia Baoyu. It's true that he likes beautiful women, but they usually come and go quickly.

Only Daiyu could truly hold him in his heart for a long, long time.

Seeing Daiyu directly rebuke him with such words, he was immediately displeased and gave Daiyu a furrowed brow.

Being mocked by Daiyu was one thing, but what displeased Jia Baoyu the most was that he felt his heart was completely devoted to Daiyu, yet Daiyu not only failed to appreciate his feelings but also misunderstood and slandered him! She had truly betrayed his sincere heart.

If it weren't for Daiyu, he would have turned his back and left long ago.

Jia Baoyu felt he had already restrained his temper, but his expression made Daiyu's mood instantly sour.

He glared at me!

He actually glared at me.

In almost an instant, Daiyu had deciphered a great deal from a single glance!

Hmph, you're still unhappy? I don't even want to talk about you.

Having vowed never to speak to Jia Baoyu again, Daiyu raised her head and got up to leave.

Upon reaching the corridor, a slight, cool breeze blew through, and Daiyu's pouting lips finally relaxed, but she didn't know where to go.

What is Lian Ergege doing at this time?

With that thought in mind, Daiyu immediately walked along the corridor toward Jia Lian's resting place.

……

Arriving at the veranda outside Jia Lian's room, just as she was hesitating about what excuse to use to see him, she heard Wang Xifeng's voice coming from under the window inside:

"I'll be going back with the old lady and the others in a bit, so you can have some peace and quiet tonight."

Don't make a fool of yourself like Baoyu did last time; it would tarnish your reputation as Second Master Lian.

When Daiyu heard Wang Xifeng inside, she instinctively wanted to turn around and go back.

But curiosity made her slow down.

Why not listen to what Lian Er and Lian Er's wife say in private...

"If you don't trust me, you might as well stay here yourself. Don't think I don't know why you left Xiao Hong behind. Do you think she's any different from Qingwen? Does she dare disobey me?"

As Jia Lian finished speaking, some soft moans and whimpers came from inside, sounds that were difficult to describe given Daiyu's limited experience.

Daiyu's face flushed instantly, her heart pounding. She thought to herself, "In broad daylight, they wouldn't be doing *that*, would they...?"

It seems like it's not a big deal if that's true. They're a married couple, but it's me who's hiding here listening to my brother and sister-in-law's private affairs. It's just too shameful.

Thinking about it this way, I felt an urgent need to leave.

Unfortunately, he was too weak to move and could only take a few steps back.

Fortunately, the sound of voices resumed soon afterward. It seemed that Sister-in-law Lian pushed Brother Lian away and scolded him with words such as "heartless" and "unworthy of attention".

"By the way, there's something I'd like to trouble you with after I leave the capital."

"What is it?"

"Lin Daiyu is frail, so please take extra care of her."

"Hehe, Lin Daiyu is the old lady's darling, and she lives next to the old lady, so she doesn't need me to take care of her."

"In short, just keep an eye on things in her room. You know how difficult the people in our family can be."

Lin Daiyu was a sensitive and thoughtful person, and being a guest in a foreign land, she was not used to arguing with others. If she suffered any grievances, she would not tell the old lady.

So, as her sister-in-law, you have to keep an eye on things.

"Hehe, look at what you're saying. Although some of our family members are blind, who would dare to really mess with her?"

I know that Mr. and Mrs. Lin have been kind to you, so you're worried that your sister Lin might be mistreated in our family. Don't worry, I've remembered what you said; it's simply what I should do.

"..."

Daiyu, who was still feeling guilty, was deeply moved when she heard Jia Lian and Feng Jie talking about this.

Indeed, my second brother Lian is the one in this family who understands me the most and cares about me the most...

But is the reason really as Sister Feng said, that Brother Lian cares about me only because of Father? Daiyu slowly loosened her hands that were supporting her against the wall pillar, stood there, somewhat dazed.

I don't know how long I stood there, but suddenly I heard the door open.

Daiyu snapped back to reality and realized that Wang Xifeng was probably about to come out. In her panic, she saw an evergreen tree on the corridor that she thought she could hide in, so she hid there without thinking.

Sure enough, through the sparse leaves, one could vaguely see Wang Xifeng leading Ping'er out, straightening her clothes in front of the door, and then quickly leaving.

Fortunately, none of them looked this way.

Only after Wang Xifeng and her companion disappeared from sight did Daiyu finally relax completely, her arm involuntarily resting against the corner of the wall as she subtly slowed her breathing.

At this moment, there should only be Lian Er Gege (Second Brother Lian) inside, should we go in...?

But what should we do once we're inside?

He hesitated for a moment, then heard footsteps ahead. It turned out to be Qingwen, who darted into Jia Lian's room with light steps.

Daiyu naturally dared not let her see it.

However, upon hearing the door close again and hearing Qingwen happily talking to Jia Lian inside, Daiyu's mood plummeted once more.

Uninterested in eavesdropping on Jia Lian's conversation with the maid, she noticed that no one was around, so she quietly got up and quickly walked back.