The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 511: Removing the dross and retaining the essence
The dead leaves of Xiangfei bamboo fell all over the ground, making a rustling sound when stepped on, adding a bit of tranquility and a touch of melodiousness to the bamboo forest.

Lin Daiyu liked to listen to the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves in the forest, and also loved the quiet scenery of falling leaves. Whenever she was alone, she would wander on the quiet path in the bamboo forest outside the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

It was afternoon, and the sun shone through the sparse bamboos, casting a myriad of light spots on the ground, mottled and dotted like stars. Suddenly, a patch of green under her feet caught Lin Daiyu's attention. She looked down and found a yellow-green grass bud poking out from under the thick fallen leaves, fresh and tender.

Lin Daiyu's beautiful eyes lit up. She lifted her skirt slightly, squatted down, and pushed aside the bamboo leaves around her. She was pleasantly surprised to find that under the dead leaves there were nests of fresh grass buds. They were of different lengths, tender and lovely, yet gave people a sense of thriving power.

Lin Daiyu was stunned for a moment, and muttered to herself with a look of joy: "The rain on the streets is as soft as butter, but the grass looks green from a distance but not near. These grass buds must have sprouted after the cold rain the day before yesterday."

"Sister Lin, be careful behind you?" A voice suddenly came from behind.

Lin Daiyu was slightly startled and quickly stood up and turned to look. She saw Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin and Sanchun standing not far away, looking at her and smiling, while Jia Baoyu had already tiptoed to within two steps behind her.

"Damn it, Third Sister ruined my good thing!" Jia Baoyu originally wanted to sneak up behind Lin Daiyu to play a teasing on her, but was exposed by Jia Tanchun. He couldn't help but complain.

Xue Baochai laughed and said, "Brother Bao is grown up now, but he is still just naughty. Pin'er is timid and weak. If she gets frightened unexpectedly, what if she gets sick?"

Jia Baoyu laughed a little embarrassedly and said, "I just wanted to see what Sister Lin was doing here, not to scare her. Hey, these grass sprouts are so fresh and beautiful!"

Jia Baoyu squatted down and pushed aside the fallen leaves around him, revealing more grass buds underneath. At this time, the girls also came over and couldn't help showing looks of surprise when they saw those grass buds.

Jia Tanchun said happily, "The garden is still bare everywhere, but I didn't expect that these grass sprouts would appear first in Xiaoxiang Pavilion. It's really strange!"

Xue Baoqin tilted her head slightly and thought for a while, then smiled and said, "Yes, it must have been the day before yesterday when a cold rain fell, which made the ground wet. The thick layer of bamboo leaves here is like a quilt, warmer than other places. The grass seeds in the soil were moistened by the rain and warmed up, so the grass buds sprouted first."

Lin Daiyu exclaimed, "Although sister Qin is the youngest among us, she has traveled a lot since she was young and has more experience than us. If she hadn't said it, we wouldn't have known this. Now it seems that not only the flowers and trees facing the sun have early spring, but even the flowers and trees under the dead leaves can also have early spring."

Xue Baoqin said playfully, "Sister Lin loves bamboos. She won't even let the servants sweep away the fallen bamboo leaves. This is the reason why these grass seeds are early in spring. From this, it seems that Sister Lin will be the first to see spring in the future. I just wonder where my brother-in-law Lin is now?"

Lin Daiyu's face immediately turned red. She stretched out her hand and tried to tear Xue Baoqin's mouth, saying, "What a sharp-tongued face! Just tear it off!"

Xue Baoqin hurriedly hid behind Xue Baochai to ask for help, while the other girls watched the fun with a smile. Xue Baochai hugged Lin Daiyu and said with a smile: "Sister Qin is ignorant, Pin'er, please forgive her!"

"Yes, yes, yes, Sister Lin, please forgive me. I won't dare to do it again next time!" Xue Baoqin giggled.

Lin Daiyu couldn't catch anyone, so she could only angrily say, "It's all because of Sister Bao that she was spoiled. You guys are in cahoots with each other to bully me!"

Xue Baochai helped Lin Daiyu straighten her messy hair while smiling and saying, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. Next time you make fun of her, I'll help you get back on track."

Jia Baoyu loved watching the sisters play around, it was really pleasing to the eyes, so he stood aside and watched with a smile. Xue Baoqin asked curiously, "Why are you grinning like an idiot, Brother Bao?"

Jia Baoyu smiled and said, "I'm happy to see my sisters happy." Then he looked at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu turned to ask Jia Tanchun, "You are all so well-gathered, could it be that you have made an appointment to come here?"

Jia Baoyu clapped his hands and said, "I almost forgot something important. I heard that Huan'er is planning to sell half of his slaves and is gathering everyone in the Grand Hall. We have to stop him."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "So that's how it is. But even if Huan-di wants to sell the servants, he certainly wouldn't dare to sell the people in Yihong Courtyard. Why should Second Brother Bao be so anxious?"

Jia Baoyu's face flushed. Lin Daiyu's words were clearly ironic. He said awkwardly, "No matter whose servants you sell, it's inhumane. Most of the servants in our house have families. Can Sister Lin bear to see them separated?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "Of course I can't bear it, but..."

Jia Baoyu said happily before Lin Daiyu finished speaking: "Then let's go and ask the old lady and the lady to stop Huan'er from doing evil!"

As soon as these words came out, all the girls present frowned. Jia Tanchun was even more displeased and said, "The matter of selling slaves is just a rumor. We went there just to verify it. How can it be said that we are trying to stop Brother Huan from doing evil? Second Brother Bao, please don't talk nonsense."

"Let alone anything else, selling slaves is not a wise move. I believe that with Brother Huan's wisdom, he will never do such a thing!" Xue Baochai said calmly. Lin Daiyu smiled slightly, and Xue Baochai's pretty face warmed slightly, and she asked back: "Do you agree with me, Pin'er?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I don't know. When you see Brother Huan later, Sister Bao will ask him."

Jia Baoyu was already embarrassed by Jia Tanchun's questioning, and seeing Xue Baochai defending Jia Huan and Lin Daiyu's attitude obviously leaning towards Jia Huan, he couldn't help but sneer, "That's not necessarily true. Huan'er always only seeks results and does whatever it takes. The mansion is now heavily in debt, so how could he not think of ways to save money? Look, I heard that Sun Shaozu came to ask for six thousand taels of silver, and Huan'er used a trick. Not only did he not return the money, he also sent him to the government. It's really too much."

Xiu Ju, the maidservant next to Jia Yingchun, immediately retorted unhappily, "The money owed by the master is owed by the man. Why should Gong Zhong pay it back? Moreover, this guy even came to the mansion with a kitchen knife and made a scene. He refused to listen to anything and threatened to die. The master couldn't do anything about him. How can the Third Master Huan get rid of him if he doesn't use some tricks? Is it really like what the first wife said, that Sun Shaozu will take the third girl away to pay off the debt?"

"I... didn't mean that!" Jia Baoyu's face flushed, and he defended himself, "I just wanted to say that Huan Ge'er used unscrupulous means, which is not what a gentleman does!"

Xiu Jue sneered, "When dealing with evil people, you should use any means necessary. If it weren't for Third Master Huan dealing with the situation outside, the whole family wouldn't be safe. Second Master Bao is talking without any worries. If there is anything you can do..."

"You little bitch, you've drunk a lot of yellow soup, and you're talking nonsense here!" Jia Yingchun hurriedly stopped Xiu Ju, who said aggrievedly, "I'm just feeling sorry for Master Huan San..."

Jia Yingchun scolded, "Shut up, go back to the madam first, and then I'll kick you out, you little bitch!" At the same time, she apologized to Jia Baoyu.

Jia Baoyu's ears were red with anger and he could not say a word. Just at this moment, two maids came in from outside the bamboo forest. They were Zijuan and Chunxian.

It turned out that Zijuan and Chunxian had just returned from a meeting in the big flower hall. They didn't expect to meet everyone as soon as they entered the bamboo forest. They couldn't help but feel a little surprised and hurried forward to greet them.

Lin Daiyu asked, "You're back so soon? Master Huan San called all the servants to the Grand Hall, but he wants to sell half of it?"

Zijuan smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't know where this rumor came from, but it scared everyone and caused Master Huan San to be scolded behind his back."

Jia Baoyu was stunned for a moment, then asked quickly, "Didn't Huan sell anyone?"

Zijuan nodded and said, "No one sold their bodies, but the mansion is really in trouble and can't afford to support so many people, so Third Master Huan said that from now on, we will stop paying monthly wages until the mansion pays off its external debts. If anyone is willing to find a way out on their own, they will be given two taels of silver each, and they can regain their freedom after receiving the indenture. So now no one scolds Third Master anymore, and they are grateful to him."

Jia Tanchun couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and raised her eyebrows and said, "I knew Brother Huan wasn't that kind of person."

Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu smiled at each other, and the latter asked, "Is there anyone who voluntarily leaves the mansion?"

Zijuan sighed, "There are many. When we came back, many people were queuing up to receive their indentures and silver. I guess at least half of them left."

Jia Tanchun could not help but sneer, "In times of crisis, we can see the loyalty of an official; in times of turmoil, we can see the sincerity of an official. But it is better for these ungrateful people to leave. People with different ideals cannot work together. As long as my Jia family survives this disaster, we will surely be reborn. By then, let these short-sighted people regret it."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Isn't this exactly what Brother Huan wanted? It is a good thing to get rid of the dross and keep the essence. Those who voluntarily stay to help each other are naturally loyal servants. I thought it would be difficult to accomplish this, but Brother Huan did it in a snap, effortlessly and beautifully. What a brilliant skill!"

Lin Daiyu chuckled softly, and Xue Baochai asked nonchalantly, "What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?"

Lin Daiyu did not answer, but asked Zijuan: "Is Mr. Huan San still in the Grand Hall?"

Zijuan shook her head and said, "Master Huan left after making the public announcement. I guess he has already gone home."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Well, we are all arguing over him, but he is just enjoying himself at home. Let's go and make trouble for him."

Xue Baochai hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I have something else to do, so I won't go."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "See, no wonder everyone says Bao-jie is considerate. She is afraid that we will disturb Huan-ge'er and make him fail to pass the imperial examination!"

Xue Baochai said, "It's Pin'er's little mouth that should be torn. Well, since you say so, I must go."

So the group went to Yueweiju. Jia Baoyu was bored, so he found an excuse to slip away and went back to Yihongyuan to play with his maid.

(End of this chapter)