Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 46 New Year (Please continue reading)

The Rongguo Mansion has its own set of complicated rules for celebrating the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, before dawn, the men of the household must gather at the Ningguo Mansion to worship at the ancestral hall.

Throughout the morning, the courtyard inside and outside the mansion had to be swept and cleaned, and new door gods and couplets were put up everywhere. Only when night fell did the reunion feast, symbolizing family reunion, begin to be prepared.

The reunion banquet was held in Rongqing Hall, where relatives from both the Ning and Rong families gathered to celebrate the New Year.

At that time, Grandmother Jia will sit alone in the main hall, with a large red scarlet felt spread out below, and the female relatives will sit with her in order.

It wasn't just sitting there waiting.

Grandmother Jia would first have Yuanyang and Amber prepare a large basket of copper coins, scatter them all over the carpet, and let the maids and old women in the mansion scramble for them while saying flattering words. This was called "spreading blessings".

This demonstrates the master's favor towards his servants.

After that, Grandmother Jia distributed New Year's money to her children and grandchildren.

Inside the exquisite purse, there might be a pair of gold or silver ingots, or small coins engraved with "Peace and safety year after year." This year, Jia Baoyu is taking the imperial examination, and the four characters might be "passing the imperial examination with flying colors," just to win a lucky omen.

The food served at the banquet was also different from what was usually served.

Although it may not be the most lavish, everything used is meant to have auspicious meaning.

Tusu wine, Hehuan soup, auspicious fruit, and Ruyi cake.

The dishes are all named after this symbol, wishing for family reunion.

After the banquet, everyone went off to find their own enjoyment.

The adults would play cards with Grandmother Jia, while the sisters would play games such as chess, riddles, and passing plums while beating a drum.

Jia Baoyu would often play with his sisters in the warm pavilion and would never get involved in the card games played by Jia Lian, Jia Cong, and others.

This continues until the midnight bells ring, at which point Rongqing Hall will reopen its main gate, set up an incense table in the courtyard, and offer thanks to Heaven and Earth.

At the same time, the fireworks and firecrackers that had been prepared inside and outside the mansion were lit.

Only when the sound of fire shakes the rooftops and the flames blaze brightly can we truly say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new.

However, Lin Daiyu had always disliked such noise.

The pervasive smell of gunpowder always made her feel suffocated, so in previous years she always preferred to be alone at this time, and was too lazy to go out on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

"Bang, bang!"

A sudden burst of firecrackers outside the window pulled Lin Daiyu back to her senses. Her pupils gradually focused, and she came back to her senses.

This Spring Festival, she didn't stay at the Rongguo Mansion, but at the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion.

"At this hour, the Rongguo Mansion's joyous banquet should begin, shouldn't it..."

Lin Daiyu shook her head slightly, unwilling to think about the Rongguo Mansion anymore, and her gaze fell on the letter she was going to leave for Li Chen.

This troublesome matter distracted her, and she couldn't put pen to paper for a long time.

Should we talk about what happened at Rongqing Hall?

Should we tell you about Xiangling?

Should I lie?
Would Li Chen believe that she was doing this to get Xiangling back for him?
The matter is far more complicated than the Four Books.

Lin Daiyu rubbed her temples, at a loss for what to do.

Treat others with sincerity, treat others with sincerity...

"No! Even if my initial intentions were flawed, I inadvertently brought Sister Xiangling back to her room. Isn't that a good thing for that纨绔 (playboy)?"

"Besides, I've already made up my mind to get a good ranking in the county exam, which would be a way to make up for this mistake. Why should I feel so ashamed?"

"The only person I owe is poor Sister Xiangling! What I should really worry about is how that playboy will treat her when he returns!"

With her mind at ease, Lin Daiyu quickly put pen to paper.

She wrote down in detail everything that happened, from delivering New Year's gifts to retrieving Xiangling, to going to Rongqing Hall. Finally, she didn't forget to remind her, "Mother has said that you will not be allowed to treat Xiangling lightly! Remember that!" After putting down her pen, Lin Daiyu felt relieved.

However, the moment she relaxed, she was reminded of the image of that playboy with his body on top of hers, his head resting on Xue Baochai's lap, which made Lin Daiyu feel suffocated again.

"Yet he can use my body to do these shameful things without any restraint. I only strayed from my original intention once, and I'm already struggling like this."

"Could it be that being kind is always a bad thing, and it's better to be thick-skinned?"

Just as he was feeling indignant, the door opened softly, and Xiangling quietly entered, saying in a gentle voice, "Young Master, the family banquet has been prepared in the main hall, and Madam invites you to come over."

Lin Daiyu studied diligently for half a day and felt truly hungry.

Just as he was about to get up, he saw that Xiangling had changed into a brand new light red silk dress, with a light touch of rouge on her cheeks, which made the rouge mark between her eyebrows even more vivid, like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow. Her bright eyes were charming and incomparably beautiful.

However, the awkwardness of last night was still fresh in her mind, and Lin Daiyu felt extremely uncomfortable whenever she saw her.

When she came up to help her change, Lin Daiyu quickly got up and dodged, saying, "No need! I'm used to living alone, I can do it myself."

Xiangling's outstretched hand froze in mid-air before slowly retracting, her eyes instantly dimming.

Lin Daiyu saw it clearly, and a trace of pity flashed through her heart, but in the end she dared not say a word of comfort.

She never wanted to experience that blush-inducing, strange feeling again.

"Sister Xiangling, please bear with me for a few more days. Once I've adjusted, I promise I won't deliberately neglect you anymore. Right now, it's truly... truly beyond my control."

……

Rongguo Mansion, inside the warm pavilion
After the reunion banquet, the sisters gathered together to stay up all night to welcome the New Year.

Besides the three springs, there is another new face today: Shi Xiangyun, the eldest daughter of the Shi family.

She wore a bright red brocade jacket embroidered with gold butterflies and floral patterns, with a long skirt of hibiscus color in shades of Xiangfei (a type of Chinese porcelain). The gold butterfly patterns seemed to flutter with her light steps, and her brows exuded a heroic spirit, quite different from the delicate fragility of ordinary young ladies.

At this moment, she is circling around the entire arena.

One moment she'd be jumping onto the bed to watch Yingchun and Xichun play chess, the next she'd be squeezing over to Tanchun, Ying'er, and Ping'er's card game to offer her opinions, and then she'd be chatting and laughing with Xue Baochai and Li Chen. She was truly a restless girl.

Just then, Jia Baoyu came in carrying a variety of snacks. Shi Xiangyun immediately stepped forward and patted his shoulder affectionately: "Brother Ai! I heard you've been studying hard lately? How's your studies going?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jia Baoyu looked embarrassed and scratched his head: "It's alright, but the teacher we hired will not be able to teach us the classics until after the New Year."

Shi Xiangyun, however, was even more excited and encouraged him, "I've heard about it! A young master from another family came the other day, and my dear brother wants to compete against him in the county examination!"

"That's what a real man does! When the time comes, we'll make sure that arrogant fool sees what we're capable of!"

Fearing that she might bring up some "economic topics" and spoil the mood, Jia Baoyu quickly stuffed a piece of candied fruit into her hand, nodded perfunctorily, and turned to move closer to Li Chen.

"Sister Lin, these are your favorite snacks. Would you like some to tide you over? There's still an hour before midnight."

Li Chen stared intently at Jia Baoyu, thinking to himself, "What a good sycophant! It's just a pity that Lin Daiyu probably hates you even more than I do now."

With that in mind, Li Chen might as well give him a little treat.

Li Chen took a piece of chestnut pastry from the plate and put it in his mouth. He nodded and smiled with satisfaction, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Bao."

In fact, Li Chen had just indulged in a hearty meal at the banquet, his appetite astonishing everyone present, and he was now suffering from indigestion.

When Jia Baoyu saw that Lin Daiyu was willing to accept his gift, he was overjoyed and, taking advantage of the situation, asked, "Sister, would you... like to play a game of chess with me?"

Li Chen leaned back wearily, resting his head on Xue Baochai's legs which were pressed together, and exhaled with his eyes closed, "No, I'm very tired. Sister Bao, let me sleep for a while."

Xue Baochai looked down at the restless head on her lap and sighed helplessly, "I really can't do anything with you."

Smelling the warm fragrance of the women's clothes, Li Chen closed his eyes in peace.

If he's not careful, he might faint and bang his head on the ground when he changes bodies, and Lin Daiyu would probably be furious.

How could I not cherish my golden touch?

　Thanks for reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)