Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 143 The Surprise Brought Back by Yue Ling
Yue's house, the back room, the Buddhist hall,
Lin Daiyu knelt on the cushion, chanting scriptures and praying devoutly.

Until a maid came to her side and whispered, "Miss Lin, it's getting late now, you should go back. Kneeling here for a long time is not good for your health. If you want to come, you can come again tomorrow."

Lin Daiyu's long eyelashes trembled slightly and she slowly opened her eyes.

Feeling a little sore in her body, Lin Daiyu folded up the hem of her skirt, nodded slightly, and stood up and said, "Okay, you don't have to accompany me anymore, go back."

After Lin Daiyu left the house, Ni Ni, who had been waiting outside the door, hurried over and said, "Miss Lin, didn't we come here to burn incense? Why did it become a prayer?"

Lin Daiyu walked slowly in the corridor, looking at the scenery in the garden along the way, and said to Ni Ni: "It's just that I feel uneasy. I might as well stay inside for a while instead of burning incense."

Ni Ni nodded and said, "Master can do everything, he will be fine, Miss Lin doesn't need to worry."

Lin Daiyu's cheeks trembled, and she asked back, "How do you know that I was praying for Brother Yue?"

Ni Ni said confidently: "Miss Lin, who else would she pray for besides the master? If it was for someone else, there is no reason for her to pray for an entire afternoon and not want to leave."

"By the way, what is Miss Lin praying for? Is it for the master to return soon, or for him to be safe and sound?"

Lin Daiyu curled her lips. How could she not even hide her thoughts from such a little girl?
"Forget it, don't even bring her next time."

Lin Daiyu made up her mind and hurried into the room.

Ni Ni hurriedly chased after him, "Hey, Miss Lin, wait for me, did I say something wrong?"

……

When Lin Daiyu returned to the courtyard, she saw that the windows on both sides were open and hot air was coming out of the room.

"How can these girls keep the windows wide open while the floor heating is on?"

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly, then pushed open the door, only to see Yue Ling standing in the hall.

Lin Daiyu rubbed her eyes, wondering, "That's not right. Even if it works, it can't work so quickly."

As I walked into the hall, I saw a row of little maids standing there, each with a red face, as if they had been severely bullied by Yue Ling.

Ruizhu had tears in her eyes. Only Qin Keqing, who had also rushed back from outside, stood there in a daze for some unknown reason.

Lin Daiyu took two steps at a time and stepped forward, asking in confusion, "Brother Yue, why did you come back so soon? It's only been two days, weren't you going to Liaodong?"

Yue Ling smiled when he saw Lin Daiyu. "I was just about to say that, but they interrupted me. On my way north, I ran into the Crown Prince returning south. The unrest in Liaodong had already been quelled, so I didn't have to go there anymore."

The maids in the room looked at each other, and instead of being shy, they all cheered and jumped for joy.

Seeing their heartless appearance, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Even so, Brother Yue can't bully them as soon as he comes back. Look at them, each of them seems to have suffered a great injustice."

Yue Ling smiled and said, "Of course I'm not bullying them."

He glanced at the girls again, and they lowered their heads in shame. "The reason behind this is a bit complicated."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it for now. I promised you souvenirs, even if I'm only away for two days, I've prepared everything, come over."

As he spoke, Yue Ling opened the package he brought back.

He first took out three bags of snacks and handed them to Xueyan, Baozhu and Ni Ni.

"This is the food enjoyed by the queen and concubines in the palace. Go back and taste it."

Glancing at the brocade bag in her hand, which was full of cakes and candied fruits, Xueyan was delighted and excitedly threw herself directly into Yue Ling's arms, saying, "General Yue, you are the best in the world!"

Lin Daiyu coughed lightly behind her.

Xueyan hurriedly came around to Lin Daiyu, held her arm, and changed her words: "Second, second, the young lady is the best."

All the girls in the room couldn't help but laugh.

Yue Ling also shook his head and smiled.

Baozhu and Ni Ni came forward together to thank Yue Ling, and then Yue Ling took out the next thing.

"Yurongsan, Ruizhu, I promised to give you this to remove your scars."

Just now, when Ruizhu heard that Yue Ling had taken out the imperial items from the palace, she had a vague premonition that the master was going to fulfill his promise.

She never thought that after such a long battle, the master still cared about her. She originally thought that this was just a promise made by the master casually, and there was naturally no deadline for when to fulfill it.

But even with this intention, Ruizhu, as a maid who joined the family later, was grateful in her heart.

Ruizhu was so moved that she shed tears again. She stepped forward and bowed to Yue Ling. With trembling hands, she took the Yurong Powder and said, "Thank you very much, Master. I will never forget your kindness to me."

Then, imitating Xueyan's behavior, she also leaned into Yue Ling's arms and hugged him for a while, then moved away after a moment and secretly looked at Lin Daiyu.

Seeing that Lin Daiyu was just smiling, he also bowed to her. Only when she returned the bow did he feel a little relieved.

The room was so harmonious, Yue Ling was in a good mood, and he said, "Zijuan, come here." Zijuan pointed at herself and said, "Is there a share for me here?"

Yue Ling reached into his bosom, took out a stack of papers, and said with a smile: "Of course, how could I treat anyone unfairly."

Zijuan stepped forward and was shocked when she saw the paper in Yue Ling's hand.

"This can't be the indenture of my body in the Jia family."

Zijuan, who has always been mature and steady, became at a loss at this moment, which was really funny.

Yue Ling said: "Twist it open and you'll know if it's what you're thinking."

Zijuan nodded slightly, looking at the paper in her hand, her body trembling violently.

When I opened it and saw the word "contract", my mind seemed to suddenly become clear and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was as if the mountain that had been pressing on her for a long time had disappeared, making her feel much more relaxed.

The girls all knew that Zijuan was a servant of the Jia family. Apart from the people from Yue's house and the people from Lin's house, she was the only outsider in the room. But now she was not an outsider, so they spontaneously came to Zijuan, hugged her and comforted her.

"Sister Zijuan, you don't have to worry about being asked to go back to Rongguo Mansion anymore."

"Sister Zijuan, we will always be together from now on, don't cry anymore."

"Sister Zijuan, I will need your guidance in the future."

Zijuan looked at Yue Ling in confusion, not knowing how to deal with her new identity.

The indenture was in Yue Ling's hands, so logically, she was also sent to this mansion and became Yue Ling's maid. But Lin Daiyu...

Seeing her looking at him, Yue Ling smiled and said, "As for you, you should continue to serve Sister Lin. I have Ke'er, Ruizhu, and Baozhu by my side, which is enough for me."

Zijuan nodded gently, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and saluted with Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu.

Looking at Qin Keqing again, Yue Ling sighed and said, "Ke'er has been here for so long, but she never said what she wanted, so I don't know what to prepare for you. Later, you can come to me and I won't treat you lightly."

Qin Keqing didn't have a strong jealousy. If the master could treat others so considerately, he could also treat her in the same way. And what she wanted, in public, she naturally couldn't say it out loud.

Glancing at what Ruizhu held in her hand, Qin Keqing was indeed a little envious, but she still replied softly, "Thank you, Master. I'll let you think about it."

Her gaze lingered on Yue Ling's waist for a few seconds, then Qin Keqing quickly retracted her gaze.

Yue Ling smiled and nodded, "Well, then everyone is happy today. Next, let's go about our business. Sister Lin, shall we go to your room?"

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes slightly, then walked ahead, pushed open her door, and didn't close it tightly, leaving a gap.

Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, then chased into the room.

As I entered the room, I saw Lin Daiyu sitting at the desk, with her hands folded in front of her, her head slightly tilted back, looking over here.

"Close the door first."

There was a hint of arrogance in his tone, but Yue Ling still did as he was told.

When he walked to her side, before Yue Ling could speak, he heard Lin Daiyu say, "Sister Zijuan is completely bewitched by you. The love in her eyes is almost overflowing with water. Even if you drive her away with a stick, she won't be able to leave."

Yue Ling said awkwardly: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's show this to Sister Lin first."

Lin Daiyu snorted and said, "I'm sorry to bother you. You have so many beautiful maids, but you still remember me as your sister. But you are embarrassed to receive my gift. You have to come to my room to give it to me. What if my sisters misunderstand me?"

"Forget it, if I hadn't given it to someone else first, I wouldn't have gotten it."

Lin Daiyu took the letter from Yue Ling's hand, unfolded it and saw that it was not a gift but a letter from the Crown Princess in the palace.

Yue Ling also curiously came to sit next to Lin Daiyu, "This is what the Crown Princess asked me to bring to you when I came back from the palace. I am curious, Sister Lin, what do you talk to the Crown Princess about? You can chat so frequently, and the letters you exchange are like family letters."

Lin Daiyu moved to the side a little so that Yue Ling could sit on a bench with her.

"A letter from His Highness? It doesn't mention anything important lately."

Lin Daiyu unfolded the letter and read it quickly from top to bottom.

At first he frowned in confusion, but as he read on, his frown grew deeper and deeper, and then it completely disappeared, with his face flushed.

"... a young and charming man, he is always surrounded by beautiful women. You must keep a close eye on him. I have hinted at you several times before, but you avoided the topic. This time, I will tell you clearly. If you are willing, I will ask His Highness to grant you two marriage certificates and arrange the matchmaking first. How can he escape?"

"Men become bad once they have power. Even Your Highness is the same. Don't be fooled by Yue Ling. Be careful!"

Lin Daiyu stamped her feet and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, when did I have such an intention? Brother Yue only regards me as his sister, and I only regard Brother Yue as his brother. How could Your Highness misunderstand me like this?"

Yue Ling was puzzled, "Sister Lin, what's written on it? Can you show it to me?"

(End of this chapter)