Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 108 Wang Mama Xueyan's Thoughts

But Daiyu felt sleepy in the afternoon and took a nap in the green gauze cabinet.

Seeing nothing to do, the maid Zijuan went out to talk to Xiren. Nanny Wang, who was staying by Daiyu's side, tucked in the corner of her quilt when she heard hurried footsteps. Turning, she saw Xueyan approaching in a hurry.

Seeing that she seemed to have something to say, Nanny Wang stood up and moved to a corner of the green gauze cabinet.

Xueyan said hurriedly in a low voice, "Mammy, there are rumors out there that the young lady is already engaged to the eldest wife's nephew, and that Mr. Yuan has the marriage certificate written by the master!"

Nanny Wang was extremely puzzled and asked hurriedly, "Marriage certificate? What's going on?"

Xueyan shook her head and said, "I don't know either. I just heard the old woman gossiping that the master wrote a marriage certificate to the Chen family at the beginning of the year, asking the young lady to perform the ceremony of marrying into the family with that Mr. Yuan..." She muttered to herself and told Nanny Wang everything she had heard.

Nanny Wang was Daiyu's wet nurse. She had come to the Jia household with Daiyu earlier. After staying there for two years, she returned to Yangzhou with her. Lin Ruhai had, of course, communicated his final wishes to Nanny Wang.

However, in the Rongguo Mansion, Jia's grandmother had absolute power. The last time she came here, she had placed Zijuan by her side. Later, there were rumors that Nanny Wang was "old and useless."

Nanny Wang hadn't been particularly concerned, but now she was on guard. Nanny Wang was charged with reporting to Jia Yucun, watching over Daiyu, and overseeing the Lin family's assets. Now, calling her "old and useless" meant she was being driven away from Daiyu.

Nanny Wang had previously disapproved of sending Daiyu back to the Jia family for upbringing. She had long since sensed that Lady Jia was not a pleasant person to deal with, and sending Daiyu back to the Rongguo Mansion would be like walking into a tiger's den. How could the Jia family not covet a fortune worth hundreds of thousands of yuan? Once the Lin family's fortune was depleted, would the Jia family consider raising Daiyu to death?

Grandmother Jia seems to be sympathetic to Daiyu now, but Mrs. Wang has a grudge against her mistress. Even if the girl really marries Baoyu in the future, how can she have a good life if she is bullied by such a mother-in-law?
In this huge Rongguo Mansion, there are Jia Mu's spies everywhere. If Nanny Wang wants to keep Daiyu, the only person she can count on is Xueyan who followed her from Yangzhou.

After listening to Xueyan's words, Nanny Wang did not comment, but just frowned and thought.

Before his death, Master Lin Ruhai prioritized only two things: his daughter's marriage and the continuation of the Lin family's main branch. He had previously been reluctant to grant the Jia family a marriage license because the Jia family refused to allow a son-in-law to marry into the family. Only on his deathbed did the master relent and agree to a dual-family lineage.

Now, when she suddenly heard that someone else had obtained a marriage certificate, Nanny Wang was surprised at first, thinking it was impossible! If someone really had a marriage certificate, why would the master not explain it before his death?
But then she thought, now that she was in Rongguo Mansion again, she couldn't easily leave. She would have to do whatever the Jia family said. If she delayed for a few years, and the Jia family found an opportunity to send her away, only the little maid Xueyan would be left, and she would be living under someone else's roof. Who knew what would happen to her?

Regardless of whether the marriage certificate is true or false, at least there is no choice. At least I won’t hang myself on the only branch of the Jia family!

Nanny Wang lowered her voice and asked, "What's the situation with Mr. Yuan?"

Xueyan said, "It's said that his father and the master were old friends, and his family is known for its tradition of poetry and literature. But his biological mother died early, and his stepmother was vicious..." After recounting Chen Siyuan's past, Xueyan continued, "--I heard that Master Yuan will be attending the Academy next year. I listened carefully, and the secretary said that Master Yuan's poems are a bit arrogant. Perhaps he has some talent?"

Nanny Wang pondered, "This life story sounds rather pitiful. He's usually free and easy, and has some talent and reputation... Not bad at all."

Xueyan was puzzled and asked, "Madam, have you lost your mind? What is our daughter's family background? And what is his family background?"

Nanny Wang said solemnly, "Hasn't it been heard that 'In the morning, he is a peasant, and in the evening, he ascends the throne?' Our master, though he has lost his title, studied diligently for over twenty years, only to finally achieve the title of Third Place in the Imperial Examination?" After a pause, Nanny Wang smiled and said, "Judging from this young man's temperament, he is likely to be a man of great talent. It would be a good opportunity for the young lady to marry him."

"Huh?" Xueyan was a little puzzled. She was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and all she cared about was wealth and appearance, without giving much thought to anything else.

It was this cry of hers that disturbed Daiyu from her nap.

Then a groan was heard. Daiyu stood up, tilted her head, glanced around, and said with a smile, "What's going on? Why are Mammy and Xueyan hiding in the corner whispering?"

Nanny Wang and Xueyan exchanged a glance, then went to Daiyu together, without noticing that a figure had appeared outside the green gauze cabinet.

Nanny Wang helped Daiyu to her feet. Fearing she might catch a cold, she hurriedly found some clothes for her to wear. Then she asked, "Miss, is that marriage certificate real or fake?"

Daiyu was slightly surprised, then frowned and said, "How did you know that, Mammy? Grandmother said it's not allowed to be spread outside."

Nanny Wang had a teasing look on her face, but Daiyu was clever enough to understand what she was saying at a glance.

Yes, my grandmother is old. Although she can make decisions on major matters, how can she control what others say?

Daiyu did not care to know who had spread the news, and simply said, "The handwriting and seal are genuine, but the letter was written on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and there has been no reply from the Chen family since then, so I guess they have given up on it."

Nanny Wang was anxious. She pulled Daiyu's hand and said, "Young lady, you are foolish. How can you let this go?"

Daiyu blinked and said playfully, "That's what my uncle said. It's because I made an agreement with Brother Yuan: if he passes the imperial examination before I reach the age of 15, then the letter will be a marriage certificate; if he wastes his time, then the letter will just be a letter."

Nanny Wang pondered for a moment, her surprise mixed with a hint of relief. She patted Daiyu's hand with her other hand and said, "Well done, young lady. But... isn't that too harsh? You see, the master also endured for more than ten years before passing the imperial examination, and was only awarded the title of Third Place at the age of thirty-six."

Daiyu said, "Of course I know...but how many years can I wait?"

Next year, Daiyu will be eleven. A girl's coming of age is fifteen, and a girl from a wealthy family like hers can only stay a few years longer. She will be married at eighteen at the latest. Furthermore, Lady Jia is old, and it's unclear how much longer she can hold on. It's likely that Daiyu's marriage will be decided around the time she reaches the age of fifteen.

Nanny Wang consoled her, "In my opinion, young lady, you don't have to be too demanding. Xueyan and I will carefully examine his character and personality. If his character and talent are both excellent, it's only a matter of time before he passes the imperial examination."

Daiyu nodded shyly.

Xueyan, who was watching beside him, couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Miss, have you looked carefully? The master never mentioned it, so maybe the letter is a forgery—"

Nanny Wang turned around and scolded, "Shut up! The young lady has seen it with her own eyes. The handwriting and seal are genuine. How can they be fake?"

To put it bluntly, for the sake of the Lin family's ancestral line, even if it's fake, so what? It's better than hanging Baoyu on a tree.

Baoyu only rolls around in the world of cosmetics and has been spoiled by Grandmother Jia since he was a child. It was rumored that he was hanging out with Qin Zhong and Zhineng some time ago... How could such an unrestrained and dissolute boy be a good match for him?
Xueyan remained silent, her head bowed in thought for a long moment. Suddenly, a sudden realization dawned on her. She finally understood what Nanny Wang and the young lady were thinking. Her gaze flickered between Nanny Wang and Daiyu for a moment before she smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. I know Hongyu in Master Yuan's room too. If we visit each other more often, I'm sure she'll be able to hear everything clearly."

Daiyu said angrily, "There's no need to be so deliberate... If there's any disturbance in the mansion, just keep an eye out for it privately and then tell me."

Xueyan nodded repeatedly. Daiyu remembered the blue and white porcelain doll Chen Siyuan had given her yesterday and said, "He gave me a gift yesterday, so I can't be negligent. Go find that incomplete copy of 'The Collected Works of Wang Wengong' on the bookshelf and go to the back for me when you have time."

"Collected Works of Wang Wengong" is a carved version from the Southern Song Dynasty. The full text consists of one hundred volumes, but now only a fragment of more than sixty volumes remains.

Xueyan responded, got up, and went to look for it. Turning around, she saw the curtains of the green gauze cabinet swaying, as if someone had just stopped there. She was surprised and suspicious. Nanny Wang also noticed something was wrong and hurried out of the cabinet to check. Just then, Amber came out of Jia Mu's room, and the two of them bumped into each other. Nanny Wang smiled and said, "Did someone come back just now?"

Amber smiled and said, "I was watching over the old lady the whole time, so I didn't see her. Maybe Yuanyang came back after visiting her brother and his wife?"

Nanny Wang smiled and said, "That may be the case."

Amber smiled as she passed by, found a teapot, and went to make tea herself. Nanny Wang's smile faded, and she turned back into the green gauze cabinet, pulled Xueyan aside, and said, "If anything happens in the future... don't tell Zijuan." Xueyan had already realized what was happening and nodded quickly, saying, "I understand. From now on, I'll only tell Nanny and the young lady!"

............................................................

Qishaizhai.

Baoyu had played around with the old lady for half a day in the morning and was now taking a nap.

Xiren returned from outside, smiling, to find Qingwen sitting on a chair, sewing. She came over to take a look and saw the intricate stitching on the handkerchief, the lifelike lotus flowers on it. She immediately praised it, saying, "Look at your needlework! Even if you don't become a maid, you'll probably be hired out there as a seamstress for a good price."

Qingwen smiled complacently and asked, "Where did you go just now?"

Xiren said, "I just happened to run into Yuchuan'er, so I exchanged a few words." After a pause, Xiren turned and said, "Just now in the East Courtyard, I heard the maids gossiping that Miss Lin and that Mr. Yuan were already engaged, and they were just waiting for Miss Lin to reach the age of marriage to get married."

"Hiss—" The embroidery needle pierced her fingertip. Qingwen frowned and put her finger between her lips. After sucking twice, she frowned and said, "Which old woman is gossiping nonsense? Is this a lie?"

Xiren laughed and said, "There's no smoke without fire. I think there's probably something to this."

Qingwen was born clever and charming, but due to her young age, she was a bit impatient. How could she sit still after hearing this?

She was sent to the old lady by the Lai family and later assigned to Baoyu by the old lady. Although Jia's mother never said it explicitly, Lai Ma told her privately that the old lady had taken a liking to her and intended to raise her as Baoyu's concubine.

She was younger than Baoyu, and because of her exquisite needlework skills, she was somewhat arrogant. She always treated Baoyu as a friend, and because of her pride, she never spent time with Baoyu like Bihen and Xiren.

In recent years, Baoyu has grown up, and the so-called "golden jade match" has been spread everywhere. The people below say that the old lady is optimistic about the two Yu'ers getting together, and then say that the lady is optimistic about the two Bao'ers getting together.

Qingwen thought to herself that although Miss Lin was not worldly-wise, she looked amiable; on the contrary, Miss Bao, although she always smiled, lacked a certain charm of humanity.

Because Qingwen wanted the two Yu'ers to be together.

Now that she heard that Miss Lin suddenly had an engagement, how could Qingwen, who has a fiery temper, not be anxious?
She thought about it and felt that Xiren was right, so she jumped down immediately.

Xiren hurriedly tried to stop him: "Eh? What are you going to do?"

Qingwen said, "There's no smoke without fire. Baoyu should go and see the old lady about this matter. If it's true, we'll have to find out the reason. If it's false, we'll have to punish those who gossip about it!"

Xiren pretended to stop her twice, but was eventually shaken off by Qingwen. Seeing Qingwen sprint to the bedroom, Xiren's mouth curled up, and she hurriedly chased after her: "Second Master is still asleep, don't disturb him!"

Baoyu had been taking a nap when he was woken up by Qingwen's chatter. He didn't react at first, but when he thought carefully about what Qingwen had said, he felt dizzy!

Lin Daiyu is actually engaged? When did that happen? No, it must be fake!

"That's fake! I'm going to find my ancestors!"

Baoyu stood up and ran out barefoot without even putting on shoes or socks. Xiren stopped him and, along with Qingwen, helped Baoyu get dressed before following him to Rongqing Hall.

Before leaving Qixianzhai, Xiren sensed something was amiss and quickly pulled Musk Moon aside, saying, "It looks like the Second Master is about to lose his temper again. Go find the mistress!"

Musk Moon did not dare to be careless and quickly dropped her work to go find Mrs. Wang.

Baoyu ran all the way to Rongqing Hall. At this time, Grandmother Jia had not woken up yet, but he rushed into the green gauze cabinet regardless of anything.

Nanny Wang hurriedly stopped at the door and said, "Brother, the young lady hasn't woken up yet. How about you wait a little longer?"

Baoyu pushed her twice and shouted, "Get out of the way! Sister Lin, Sister Lin! Is that engagement real or fake? Sister Lin!"

Nanny Wang refused to dodge, and Baoyu anxiously kicked her in the heart. Nanny Wang cried out "ouch" and fell into the green gauze cupboard.

By this time, Daiyu had already been dressed by Xueyan. Seeing Nanny Wang being beaten, Xueyan was furious and stepped forward to argue: "Master Bao wanted to see our girl, but he should at least wait until she changed her clothes before coming in. How can you barge in and hit me?"

Baoyu ignored Xueyan and stared at Daiyu, saying, "Pin'er..."

Daiyu's face suddenly changed: "It was just a joke that day. Don't mention it in the future."

Baoyu froze on the spot, sweat pouring down his forehead, his face purple and swollen, he stumbled a few steps and finally sat down on the ground. In his mind, Daiyu's words were a farewell, and from then on, Sister Lin was to be promised to someone else.

The shouting woke Grandmother Jia, who came out with Yuanyang and Amber in a moment. They watched Baoyu going crazy from a distance. Grandmother Jia called Baoyu anxiously several times, but when he didn't answer, she immediately looked at Daiyu and asked, "What did you say to him?"

Grandmother Jia's expression was full of resentment. Daiyu felt wronged and immediately covered her face and burst into tears, saying, "I just asked him to stop shouting, but who knew he would go crazy!"

Grandmother Jia ignored Daiyu, threw away her crutches, hugged Baoyu in her arms, and kept calling Baoyu.

Before Baoyu could reply, there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside. It was Mrs. Wang leading someone hurriedly arriving. Seeing Baoyu's appearance, Mrs. Wang was immediately shocked and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

After saying this, he glanced at Daiyu with resentment evident in his eyes. When Daiyu saw this, she cried even harder.

Baoyu burst into tears and said, "Sister Lin is going to be promised to someone, she is going to be promised to someone!"

Jia's mother realized that the story must have spread. She cursed him inwardly, but could only say soothingly, "Don't worry, Baoyu. Everything can be settled. Your sister Lin is still here, so how can you promise her to someone else?"

Mrs. Wang went forward to greet Lady Jia and quickly sent a maid to hold Baoyu back. After Lady Jia and Lady Wang were seated, Baoyu calmed down a bit and repeated what Qingwen had said. Finally, he said, "Grandmother, Mother, this... is this true or false?"

Grandmother Jia just frowned and said, "Who told you that?"

"Qingwen."

Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang immediately looked at Qingwen. Grandmother Jia looked disappointed, while Mrs. Wang's expression was incomprehensible.

(End of this chapter)