The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 305 Farewell to Daiyu
After Wang Xifeng became unwell, Madam Wang put Tan Chun in charge of the garden's affairs.

At first, Madam Wang was still worried and asked Li Wan to keep an eye on things. However, Li Wan was someone who didn't like to worry about external affairs and usually only cared about her own business, showing a tendency to stay away from internal strife.

Seeing that Tan Chun was organized and methodical, not only did she not cause any trouble, but she was even better than before.

Normally, the old women and maids in the courtyard would often quarrel and gossip, even behind Wang Xifeng's back. But now they have all become obedient.

You know, even the young ladies are afraid of these old women.

Li Wan knew she couldn't do it herself, but admired Tan Chun's methods, so she simply stopped keeping an eye on things, and Tan Chun took on all the responsibilities.

Since Tan Chun assigned tasks in the garden to everyone, those who did well would also receive a share of the garden's profits. As a result, everyone became more motivated and tried even harder to curry favor with Tan Chun.

What's still amazing is that Tan Chun didn't give up, but instead took this opportunity to re-establish the rules.

saying.

My monthly salary is 3,000 yuan, and my boss is my son.

My monthly salary is 30,000 yuan, and my boss is my dad.

Therefore, Tan Chun set many rules, but the old women not only did not complain, but also took the initiative to abide by them, and the Grand View Garden became quiet, and the atmosphere changed abruptly.

More importantly, no public funds were used.

The expenditures remain the same.

However, the old women in the Grand View Garden used to waste items, and they took even more care of them than they did with their own belongings.

The ducks, rabbits, geese, deer, and other animals are raised to be plump and beautiful. There are also various fruit trees, rice paddies, flower gardens, and the locals actively clear reeds and weave various baskets.

"Although the rules I set are detailed, if you think about it carefully, if you really follow what I say, you will ultimately benefit. It's better for everyone than the previous chaos."

After establishing the rules, Tan Chun spoke to the old women.

The old women all nodded in agreement.

"Third Miss is right, our garden is quieter than outside now."

“The other day, I gave the old lady a bamboo basket. She liked it very much. After asking about things in the garden, she praised it a lot.”

Just saying.

A young maidservant peered into the distance, too afraid to approach.

Tan Chun saw it and looked closely; it turned out to be Xiao Que, a third-class maid in the mansion.

The rules of the Jia family.

The maids serving the young masters and ladies are second-class, while those who do rough work in the outer rooms are third-class. Only maids like Xiren, who are valued by Lady Wang and will become Jia Baoyu's concubines in the future, are first-class.

Xiao Que was a maidservant of Aunt Zhao, but she was a third-class maidservant, which shows that Aunt Zhao's status was not as high as that of her daughter Tan Chun.

Tan Chun was an illegitimate daughter. Unless her mother promoted her, her status would not be better, otherwise she would fall to the same status as Jia Huan.

Jia Huan was, after all, a man. If Tan Chun had ended up in the same situation as her brother Jia Huan, she would have been a girl and unable to interact with the outside world. She would probably have died of depression long ago and would never have achieved her current status.

The price to pay, of course, was a falling out with his mother and being hated by his younger brother.

Tan Chun pretended not to see it.

The old women, being shrewd and experienced, pretended not to see anything.

The maid in the distance stamped her foot. Seeing that Tan Chun wasn't coming, and not daring to approach her, she could only anxiously go back.

Did she see you?

Aunt Zhao pulled Xiao Que aside and repeatedly confirmed, asking several times already.

Xiao Que affirmed, "Third Miss definitely saw me. When she saw me waving, she turned her head away instead."

Aunt Zhao said anxiously, "Why don't you go find her?"

"How could I dare?"

Xiao Que lowered her head and said aggrievedly, "Even my great-aunt is afraid of the Third Miss, how can I not be afraid of her?"

Little Magpie was afraid of the Third Sister in the past, let alone the Third Sister now.

No one in the manor disrespects the Third Miss. Even the most gossipy old women dare not speak ill of her behind her back. Xiao Que is used to being bullied and is very envious. She only regrets that she is not a maid serving the Third Miss.

Aunt Zhao tapped Xiao Que's forehead hard. "You're still talking back."

The little magpie squatted down, covered her head, and cried.

"Who are you crying to? Others bully me, and now you're bullying me too." Aunt Zhao was anxious and annoyed, afraid that people outside would hear. She said speechlessly, "I only pointed at you with one finger. If people outside hear it, they'll think I hit you. I clearly didn't hit you, but I still have to bear that reputation. If you cry again, I'll really hit you, so I won't have to bear the reputation for nothing."

Little Magpie was worried about being beaten, so she stood up feeling wronged. Although she stopped crying, she couldn't help but choke up.

"Still crying."

Aunt Zhao was furious. She had meant well, but had nowhere to vent her anger, so she could only glare fiercely at Xiao Que.

Little Magpie couldn't help but cry again.

"stop fighting."

Inner room.

Jia Huan said, annoyed.

At the desk by the window, Jia Huan put down his pen and said with annoyance, "If she doesn't want to come, she doesn't want to come. She's heartless anyway. Mother, just pretend you don't have her as a daughter. Even if she rises to a high position and lives a good life, we won't get close to her, so as not to annoy others."

Aunt Zhao was angry with Tan Chun, but she didn't want the siblings to become enemies.

"Aren't you going out yet?"

The magpie quickly ran out of the house.

After chasing away Xiao Que, Aunt Zhao said to the inner room, "Don't talk about your sister like that."

“I told you, she doesn’t even see me as her brother.”

Seeing that her mother was still defending her sister, and remembering the grievances she had suffered over the years, Jia Huan suddenly stood up and ran to the door, shouting.

Jia Huan had just finished speaking when he froze.

Tan Chun lifted the curtain and walked in, a cold smile on her face.

Aunt Zhao turned around and saw Tan Chun suddenly arrive. Her expression froze. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to be angry, she wanted to explain, but she didn't know what to do. The room fell silent for a moment.

I'm not afraid to say it to your face.

After saying this, Jia Huan quickly retreated to the inner room, returned to his desk, picked up a pen, and pretended to write.

Tan Chun rolled her eyes, then stared at Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhao felt uneasy being stared at.

Originally, he thought he was the one who had the upper hand over his daughter and didn't plan to do anything. Instead, he was planning to share the good news. But because of what just happened, it felt like his daughter had caught him red-handed, and he was afraid that the siblings had really become enemies.

After a moment, Aunt Zhao spoke up to explain, "Don't listen to your brother's nonsense."

"Alright, what's up?"

Tan Chun asked directly.

Aunt Zhao's brother has passed away, and she has no proper family members. Even if her uncle were still alive, he would only be an ordinary person who makes a living by currying favor with the men of the Jia family and cannot support her family.

My younger brother is still so small, so my mother's sudden visit must be about money.

Tan Chun doesn't plan to give it directly; what if people get used to it?

It doesn't matter if my younger brother has a bad temper, the important thing is to have a manly spirit. He must not be like Baoyu. How can he compare to Baoyu? That's why I have disciplined my younger brother many times.

A real man.

Instead of studying and learning skills properly, he spends all his time playing with the maids. That's outrageous!

He resents me because I don't let him play in the park. Well, let him be. As long as he can make a living when he grows up, I'll be grateful.

With too many things on her mind, and not easy to express them, Tan Chun had long since learned to maintain a calm demeanor, making it impossible for others to discern her emotions.

Now only the mother and her two daughters were in the room. When Aunt Zhao saw the cold-faced girl, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Jia Huan breathed a sigh of relief when his sister didn't come in.

As Jia Huan listened intently to the writing, he sensed the serious atmosphere in the outer room, and his heart pounded with anxiety, fearing that his sister might get angry at any moment.

Strange to say.

Why am I afraid of making her angry?

wrong.

Why should he be afraid of her? He reassured himself, but Jia Huan still dared not utter a sound.

Aunt Zhao, who had originally had a lot to say, began to stammer, "Master has arranged a marriage for you, but this matter hasn't been made public yet. Master has only told me, and the Old Madam, and Madam will also know."

Tan Chun's pupils trembled and slowly dilated.

The whole person is not well.

Aunt Zhao had never seen Tan Chun like this before. Startled, she instinctively grabbed Tan Chun's hand and cried out, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Jia Huan, who was in the inner room, quickly sat up straight and stared intently at the doorway.

In an instant.

Tan Chun seemed to come alive again, her eyes filled with sorrow, and she asked dejectedly, "Who is it?"

I tried so hard from a young age to please many people, but in the end, I still couldn't escape it.

"It's Wang Xin!"

Jia Huan, who was inside the room, had already arrived at the door and happened to hear Tan Chun's question. He quickly answered.

"Wang Xin?"

Tan Chun gradually became stunned.

Seeing his sister's expression, Jia Huan breathed a sigh of relief, then pursed his lips and turned back.

Aunt Zhao nodded, still looking worried, and said nervously, "Although Master Xin is much older than you, he is still a promising young man. You are still young and only engaged. Such a man is hard to find even with a lantern. You should be happy."

Tan Chun didn't know how to respond, so she quietly lowered her head.

Aunt Zhao sighed. She had thought that with her daughter's intelligence, she could see that this was a good marriage, which was why she was in such a hurry to tell her. But she hadn't expected that something had gone wrong. How could her daughter have become so foolish about this?

So they tried to persuade her gently, fearing that the girl might do something rash.

Seeing that Aunt Zhao was becoming increasingly tactless, Tan Chun interrupted her, leaving with the words "I understand" before departing.

But it was also a coincidence.

Tan Chun had no interest in going anywhere else and hurriedly returned to her own Qiu Shuang Zhai.

Different from anywhere else.

The houses in the courtyard are very large and are usually divided into several rooms, which provides both good privacy and convenience.

For example, one could sleep in the inner room and use the outer room as the main hall.

Qiushuangzhai is different.

The three rooms of Qiushuangzhai have had their partitions removed, and the furnishings inside are minimal, giving it a generous and elegant feel, unlike what one would expect from a young girl's home.

Xue Baochai came to Qiushuangzhai to find Tanchun, but did not see her. Just as she was about to leave, the two met in the garden.

"Is Lord Xin treating us?"

Tan Chun was stunned after hearing Xue Baochai's words.

Xue Baochai smiled and asked, "Are you going or not?"

"I dont go."

Tan Chun already understood what was going on and refused outright.

Xue Baochai felt strange. "Second sister-in-law asked me to invite you, to express her gratitude to Buddha. She knew you were a generous person, but we have misunderstood. This is rather abrupt. Please don't be angry."

If it were Yingchun or Xichun, Xue Baochai would definitely not have asked, even if it was Wang Xifeng who made the request.

Unable to explain, Tan Chun could only make an excuse, claiming that she was feeling unwell.

Xue Baochai actually believed it.

This explanation makes sense; it's true that Wang Xifeng missed her chance, and Xue Baochai left with regret.
-
Wang Xifeng didn't come, and Wang Xin understood her situation.

When people are in a bad environment, they have no confidence to deal with anything.

Originally, it was supposed to be a dinner for two people, but now it's just a dinner for one person.

"If you had known Second Sister-in-law wasn't coming, why would you have wasted such a good meal? It would have been a waste," Lin Daiyu said with a half-smile.

"I will not provoke you today, and I will let you off the hook."

Wang Xin shook his head.

Lin Daiyu said no more. Although Wang Xin did not stay in the mansion for long, he would eventually come back. Now that he was moving out, she would never see him again.

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu felt a little sad.

"But you're not living well? What difficulties have you encountered? Otherwise, why would you move out in the first place?"

There is no one else here.

He made a promise to Lin Daiyu.

Lin Ruhai had no other requirements for himself, only asking that he take care of Lin Daiyu.

Wang Xin said with emotion, "You are my junior, so I won't hide it from you."

Lin Daiyu was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth.

She had just said she would stop joking and stopped herself, but he was up to his old tricks again. Should she talk back or not? After hesitating for a moment, Lin Daiyu glared at Wang Xin with disdain.

Wang Xin felt a sudden light appear before his eyes.

Lin Daiyu's every move was natural and spontaneous.

With effortless grace, her eyebrows resembled distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes rippled like autumn waters.

The resentful yet forbearing expression between her brows only made her lightly painted eyebrows appear even more delicate.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, with a gold filigree peony inlaid with jewels in the center, and a gold-inlaid jade plum blossom hairpin on each side. She wore red agate teardrop earrings, a gold locket with engraved patterns around her neck, a short jacket made of goose-yellow satin, a pine-green horse-face skirt sprinkled with gold, and a blue-gold shimmering silk sash around her waist.

Wang Xin quickly looked away, focusing on his thoughts.

Daiyu harbored resentment in her heart.

This person bullied me and then ignored me. This person is awful. I shouldn't have come here; I just offered myself up to be bullied.

Thinking about how to get revenge, Wang Xin spoke up.

“There will be some inconveniences if I stay at the Jia family mansion, but these are external matters, and you don’t need to know too much about them. They won’t affect you,” Wang Xin said with a smile. “And don’t worry, even if there are any issues, I’m your uncle, and I really won’t abandon you.”

Hearing Wang Xin's explanation, Lin Daiyu no longer harbored resentment.

Ping'er and Qingwen were not there, but Zijuan and the others were waiting outside.

Lin Daiyu took the initiative to raise her wine glass and said with a smile, "Let me toast you."

"it is good."

Wang Xin did not refuse.

The Jia family mainly drank yellow wine, and the wine that the daughters drank was specially made with an extremely low alcohol content. So the young ladies in the mansion would occasionally drink wine, and the elders did not stop them.

Daiyu put down her wine cup, her face flushed, and asked with her head down, "Will Sister Baoqin come to the Jia Mansion again?"

"They probably won't come."

Wang Xin knew what Daiyu was asking, so he also knew what to answer.

Hear the words.

Daiyu became even more lost in thought.

Wang Xin sighed.

Zhang Jifu will strongly support him because he needs him to bring him more benefits, which will complicate his situation.

Before, I was the one who avoided the whirlpool; now, the whirlpool is surging towards me.

I'm afraid more and more troubles will come knocking.

Including the Jia family.

The emperor wouldn't turn a blind eye, so Jia She and Wang Ziteng would definitely come looking for him.

I won't agree to their offer. To avoid being kicked out, it's best to prepare in advance.

I just feel a little sorry for Jia Zheng.

A gentleman can be deceived by his principles.

(End of this chapter)