Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 108 Mid-Autumn Festival, Daiyu recites poems
August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival,
The cool wind blowing in the morning adds a bit of sadness to the elegant autumn. Perhaps the ancients deliberately set up a reunion festival before all things fell silent to soothe people's hearts.

Lin Daiyu put on a crane cloak early in the morning and took charge of the affairs of the mansion outside the hall.

"Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, and it is time to worship the ancestral temple. There is no ancestral temple in the mansion, so we will follow the previous agreement and let the two housekeepers bring the maids in the mansion to sweep the tombs for the soldiers of the Qin Palace."

"When we return at noon, we will collect the gifts for each household and have the housekeepers deliver them door to door."

"Brother Yue has gone to the Imperial City and we don't know when he will return. Let's have a banquet together tonight."

The maids each received their errands and went out to do their work.

Lin Daiyu and Xueyan walked along the mountain corridor, passed the garden in the mansion, and came to the Buddhist temple in the back room. Here, with Yue Ling's consent, a small room was opened for Lin Daiyu to worship the tablet of her mother Jia Min.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Daiyu also came with Xueyan to pay tribute to her mother.

Xueyan placed candied fruits and melons on the altar, turned over the brazier and incense altar, cleaned off some dust, wiped them clean, and put them back in their original places.

In such a solemn atmosphere, she was much more cautious in her actions. After finishing her task, she came to the cushion behind Lin Daiyu and kowtowed with her.

Three incense sticks were lit, and smoke began to fill the room. The flames in the brazier were dancing, also guiding Lin Daiyu's thoughts.

"My little girl Daiyu, I hope mother will bless father with good health from the other side. This is the capital, Brother Yue's residence. Brother Yue treats me very well. There is no ancestral temple in his house. In order to make me feel at ease, he allowed me to set up a tablet for mother. He also protects me everywhere on weekdays. Mother, don't worry about me anymore..."

She sat quietly in the room for a long time, until the sunlight outside shone through. Then, supported by Xueyan, Lin Daiyu went out again.

"Have some vegetarian food at noon. After all, you just offered incense with your mother."

Xueyan nodded.

……

In the blink of an eye, it is almost night.
Yue Ling rushed back from the government office, holding two lucky bags in his hands.

Entering the courtyard, there were lanterns and decorations everywhere, making it brightly lit. On the stone steps in front of the main hall and under the eaves, a large sandalwood table had been set up, surrounded by embroidered items. After finishing the meal, they would move to the courtyard to enjoy the moon.

Yue Ling pushed the door open and walked into the hall. What caught his eyes were the beautiful girls, all wearing new clothes of different colors. They were busy running around in the room, which made Yue Ling dizzy.

When someone noticed Yue Ling coming back, they called out, "Master."

The little girls gathered around him again.

Xueyan looked at what Yue Ling was holding and asked, "General Yue, where did you buy this delicious food?"

Yue Ling smiled and said, "You have the best nose. Here are some candies for you to share."

He took out a lucky bag and gave it to Xueyan, who held it in her hand and happily took the little girls to share the food.

Yue Ling waved to Lin Daiyu again and asked her to come closer. "This is a reward from the Crown Princess. It's for you. It should be some jewelry."

Lin Daiyu took it and found it quite heavy. She looked at Yue Ling with a sweet smile and said, "Brother Yue, have you thanked the Crown Princess for me?"

Yue Ling nodded.

Lin Daiyu's eyebrows were curved, and her amber eyes exuded a crystal-clear light. Her every frown and smile was radiant, "Thank you, Brother Yue."

When everyone sat down at the table again, good news came from outside. The Ningguo Mansion finally sent the Ruizhu pearls.

When Qin Keqing heard the news, she didn't care about anything else and ran out to look for them. When she saw the two little maids at the second gate, she hugged them tightly in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes.

Until this moment, Ruizhu was still a little dazed. When Qin Keqing held her in her arms, she just said, "Am I dreaming? Where is this?"

Qin Keqing cried and said, "I'm not dreaming. This is Yue's house, the master's place. Nothing will happen to you anymore."

The pearls of Ruizhu asked in unison, "Master?"

Yue Ling came out from behind the corridor and comforted the three people, "There is still a long time to come, come back to the hall first."

Qin Keqing stood up, wiped her tears, and took the hands of the two men. "Listen to the master, let's go back first. Everyone is waiting."

Ruizhu Zhuzhu followed Qin Keqing in a daze. She had a lot of questions to ask but didn't know where to start.

When I walked into the hall, I found that many people were waiting in front of the door.

The two little maids lowered their heads again and followed Qin Keqing humbly and respectfully.

There was a round table with seven people sitting at it. It didn't seem as empty as before. Now the room was quite lively.

Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu sat in the main seats facing the door, Xueyan and Zijuan sat on each side of them, all looking at the two new maids.

Qin Keqing sat with them and said, "Come and pay your respects to the master first."

The two maids bowed and said, "Greetings, Master."

Seeing the two maids trembling with nervousness, to them, it was just a matter of moving from one unknown mansion to another. Yue Ling smiled warmly and waved his hand, saying, "Don't be so reserved. This will be your home from now on. Has the Ningguo Mansion made things difficult for you?"

Ruizhu sighed and said, "It's not so bad. There was a big fight on the first day. Maybe I said something harsh, so Baozhu was whipped, but she was fine. On the second day, Ningguo Mansion seemed to know where the girl was. We were still worried about it, but nothing happened. The servants of Ningguo Mansion treated us much better. They didn't tie us up anymore, they just detained us."

Qin Keqing couldn't help crying when she heard that Ruizhu was whipped. Yue Ling said, "You are all dressed cleanly, so it shouldn't be a big deal. However, you still need to take care of yourself after being whipped. I'll ask the doctor to prescribe two tonics for you tomorrow."

After Yue Ling finished speaking, he looked at Lin Daiyu again, and Lin Daiyu nodded gently. "Your residence should be in the main room's porch, the one connected to the warm room. This way, you and Keqing will be closer, and you can take care of each other."

"I won't say more. I'll tell you later. When you two come, this festival will be a complete reunion."

"Okay, start eating. After we finish eating, we'll go to the courtyard to enjoy the moon."

At first, the two maids did not dare to move. They just looked at Qin Keqing beside them from time to time. However, they saw that everyone at the table was very friendly to each other and were talking and laughing.

Moreover, the two heads of the family sitting in the main seats seemed to welcome them very much, so they let down their guard and let Xueyan lead them to eat and drink to their heart's content. Their silly appearance made people laugh.

The silver moon was like a disk, hanging high in the sky. With no clouds passing by, it looked even brighter.

Under the moonlight, several large screens were placed in the courtyard of the Yue Mansion, covering the long table in the middle so that there would be no fear of the autumn wind.

On the long table were various kinds of preserved fruits and, of course, the steaming freshly baked mooncakes.

The girls all wore cotton coats and surrounded Yue Ling in a circle.

Some were playing chess, some were playing cards, all were having fun.

The girls' laughter was not annoying at all, but rather matched the pleasantness of the day.

Yue Ling sat back in the rattan chair, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

"After traveling for so long, it feels like home for the first time."

At the right time, Lin Daiyu came over, sat next to Yue Ling, and handed him a cup of warm tea.

"It seems like there are suddenly many more people in the mansion."

Yue Ling took the tea, held it in his hand, looked at Lin Daiyu, and said with a smile: "You still prefer to be secluded and don't want to join in the fun?"

Lin Daiyu thought about it and shook her head again: "Not really, they are all very good girls and add a lot of fun to the life. But when I was sick and bedridden and didn't go out for a long time, I never thought that this day would come."

The breeze blew Lin Daiyu's hair, and Yue Ling unconsciously reached out to help her smooth it down. "As long as you can be happier, it's better than sighing all day long."

Lin Daiyu nodded slightly and watched the moon with Yue Ling.

Suddenly, Yue Ling said, "When appreciating the moon, one should recite poems and compose couplets. Today, we should also follow the example of the elegant people."

"Reciting poetry?"

The girls gathered together, but as maids, they were far less knowledgeable than the two young ladies.

Yue Ling saw the confusion on their faces and said with a smile: "Since no one is very good at it, we should let the most talented person leave his calligraphy today, don't you think?"

The maids all echoed this, and Lin Daiyu could only laugh, "Brother Yue is really mean, and he's trying to make things difficult for me, deliberately putting me in a difficult position."

"It's just reciting a poem. To Miss Lin, isn't it as simple as eating and drinking water?"

Lin Daiyu pouted, not believing Yue Ling's flattery at all, "Forget it, forget it, I can't spoil everyone's fun, Brother Yue, you can come up with a question."

"When admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the theme should be the moon."

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and said in a few breaths, "I got it. Just a few words will prevent Brother Yue from laughing at me again."

The little girls all sat down beside her, stopped playing, and waited quietly for Lin Daiyu to speak.

"The bright moon shines in the blue sky, and the whole family enjoys the tenderness together. The clear light shines on the family affection, and the laughter and songs surround the painting railings. Don't sigh that the autumn wind urges the leaves to fall, and watch the leisurely rhythm of the red osmanthus. Tonight we celebrate the reunion night, and our hearts are like a silver plate that is round every year."

The little girls all cheered, but Yue Ling was slightly surprised.

"I remember that in the original novel, Lin Daiyu's poems were either sad or sorrowful, and the words she often used were 'pity', 'cold', 'broken', and 'sorrow'. How could she write such a happy and joyful poem?"

Looking at Lin Daiyu, Yue Ling had a different feeling for the first time. This was a real person, not a stereotyped character in the original novel...

……

Datong Prefecture,
This important border town also had a peaceful reunion festival today.

In the general's mansion, Niu Jizong sighed, "As expected, His Highness still wants to advocate war. Poor old master."

Shi Dingyan said: "Of course, he would attack when the situation at the border was strong. Can he still give up the opportunity now that the situation is weak?"

At the right time, a spy outside reported back, "General, Lord. Just now, Tuji Khan ordered to withdraw to the grassland in a few days. I heard that they bought a lot of winter supplies in the Western Regions. They also spread the news to the city and spent a lot of money to buy food, quilts, etc., which is more than ten times higher than the price in the market."

"At the same time, we have issued a conscription order to all tribes on the grasslands, and we will invade the border again next autumn."

Hearing this, Niu Jizong and Shi Ding looked at each other, frowned and said nothing.

　The seventh day of Riwan!!!

　　Ten thousand a day in a week, how come I fell out of the monthly ticket list... Friends who have votes, please give me some...

　　Anyway, thank you for your support
　　
　
(End of this chapter)