Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 47: One more time?
To be fair, Lin Daiyu preferred the New Year's Eve at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence.

Although the reunion feast was only slightly more lavish than usual, it was warm and comfortable.

A square table with four corners, four sets of bowls and chopsticks, and an empty chair.

Lin Daiyu thus quietly enjoyed a reunion dinner with the Marquis of Zhenyuan and his wife.

During the meal, Madam Zou took out a letter from the Nine Borders and read it to the Marquis and her.

The letter was written by the spoiled older brother, and it was filled with his concern for his parents and his self-reproach for not being able to be by their side to fulfill his filial duties.

He also mentioned his younger brother briefly at the end.

Such as, “I am very pleased to hear that you have been studying diligently lately. When you return home one day, we will surely drink and have a good time together.”

Lin Daiyu initially scoffed at it.

Wasn't that playboy's diligence in studying entirely thanks to her?
But then he thought, if even his closest brothers thought he was a real playboy in the past, then what made him so capable?

Could it be that beneath his playboy exterior, he was actually hiding his true abilities?
Lin Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Later, Madam Zou also gave out New Year's money to the servants in the mansion, and even Xiangling received a share.

Lin Daiyu, on the other hand, received two "top honors" and "first place" awards.

The item itself is not heavy, but its value lies in the four characters "独占鳌头" (meaning "to stand out from the crowd"), which were actually cast based on her handwriting.

This thoughtfulness deeply moved Lin Daiyu.

He happily embraced Ms. Zou, his heart filled with emotion.

If her mother were truly alive, the Lin family in Yangzhou would probably be in a similar state during the New Year.

While keeping vigil for the New Year, Madam Zou noticed that she looked tired and felt sorry for her, as she had been studying hard for days. So she asked Xiangling to help her go back to her room to rest early.

This saved her the trouble of finding an excuse to avoid the crowd and wait to change.

Now, Lin Daiyu genuinely felt that the simplicity and sincerity of the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence was far more reassuring than the noisy Rongguo Mansion where everyone wore multiple faces.

As soon as midnight arrived, the familiar hazy feeling came as expected.

Lin Daiyu fainted on the bed in a daze, and then fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps she had been thinking too much lately, because she actually dreamed, which was quite rare for her.

In my dream, I became a bee, diligently collecting nectar among the flowers.

She didn't care who drank the honey; the closer she got to the petals, the stronger the fragrance became, making her want to drink more.

"Ouch, Lin Daiyu, it itches..."

Xue Baochai, blushing, gently held the restless head in her arms, feeling both amused and exasperated.

This girl's sleeping posture is really terrible; in front of everyone, she kept snuggling into her arms.

At this moment, the New Year's bell had already rung, and firecrackers were set off inside and outside the mansion, announcing the arrival of the new year.

After exchanging congratulations, everyone could return to their rooms.

Since Lin Daiyu was fast asleep with her head on her lap, Xue Baochai couldn't bear to wake her, so she could only sit there and wait for others to come up and greet her.

"Happy New Year, Sister Bao! And Sister Lin too... Hmm, sleeping so soundly?"

Xue Baochai replied with a smile, "She is weak and must be exhausted."

Happy Chinese New Year, Sister Bao!

"Happy birthday, Bao-meimei!"

"May Aunt Bao be blessed..."

The siblings in the household all came to greet them. Seeing the two of them behaving intimately, they all smiled knowingly and dispersed.

When Jia Baoyu returned from his social engagements outside, he saw that Lin Daiyu was still unconscious, so he went up to her and said, “Sister Bao, it’s not good for you to keep lying there like this. You haven’t gone to wish the old lady and the madam a Happy New Year yet. Why don’t you leave Lin Daiyu in my care and I will go and call Zijuan and Xueyan to take her back?”

In the past, Xue Baochai might have readily agreed to do him a favor. However, after becoming close to Lin Daiyu and knowing that she had no other intentions towards Baoyu, Xue Baochai no longer wanted to grant her wish.

Seeing him clasping his hands together, looking eager, Xue Baochai simply smiled calmly, "There's no rush. The old lady is resting late today. Besides the gifts from the family, she also needs to dress up in full regalia and go to the palace to offer congratulations later."

"You have such an impulsive nature, how can I entrust Lin Daiyu to you? You should go and find Zijuan and the others."

Jia Baoyu looked troubled: "There are so many people coming and going right now, it's so chaotic, how can we find two people?"

"It would be better if I and my sister helped her back first; she can't sleep well here."

Just as Jia Baoyu was about to come closer...

Xue Baochai secretly pinched Lin Daiyu's arm lightly.

"Ok?"

Lin Daiyu slowly awoke from her fragrant dream, murmuring to herself, "What soft and sweet bedding, let me snuggle in it a little longer..."

Xue Baochai blushed, gently poked Lin Daiyu's brow, and scolded softly, "Aren't you awake? What nonsense are you spouting? Look where you are!"

Lin Daiyu suddenly opened her eyes and met Xue Baochai's lowered gaze. She trembled and hurriedly sat up.

"what?!"

Lin Daiyu held her cheeks in her hands; they were burning hot.

In her dream just now, she seemed to have said the same things as that lecherous man?
It’s so embarrassing!

When she caught a glimpse of Jia Baoyu to the side, her shyness was instantly replaced by a sense of clarity, and she even subconsciously moved her body away a little.

Lin Daiyu frowned and stared at her, asking, "Has the morning bell already rung? Why aren't you going back yet?"

Jia Baoyu scratched his head. "I was worried about my sisters and was just about to send them home first."

Lin Daiyu, however, took Xue Baochai's arm and said in a nonchalant tone, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll go back with Sister Bao."

"Sister Bao, let's go!"

Xue Baochai smiled helplessly and let her pull her up.

She wondered why Lin Daiyu was so decisive all day long, never listening to her and making decisions on her own.

Jia Baoyu stood there stunned, his face falling again, feeling utterly aggrieved: "Just now you were willing to eat my snacks, how come you're so disgusted with me now? I was genuinely worried, could it be that you're upset because I didn't talk about 'economics' just now? This is truly distressing!"

……

After exchanging greetings with Xue Baochai and the elders, Lin Daiyu did not linger for a moment and went straight back to her room.

Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, she couldn't see any warmth in Rongqing Hall, and her heart was full of resentment.

Back in my room, I finally felt at ease.

Before Zijuan and Xueyan returned, Lin Daiyu, dragging her tired and bloated body, first went to her desk and began to look through the booklet in which she communicated with Li Chen.

Lin Daiyu was eager to know just how close she and Baochai were, that Baochai seemed so used to her lying on her lap.
The opening line was a question about academic matters, written in neat and earnest handwriting, which made Lin Daiyu nod frequently.

This纨绔 (playboy) has made further progress in his calligraphy; he has quite a talent.

However, as my gaze shifted downwards, a few lines of text suddenly caught my eye.

"Upon arriving at the Rongguo Mansion, I had my period 21 times, Zijuan 10 times, and Xueyan 10 times."

Lin Daiyu's face suddenly flushed, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened, almost tearing the paper.

"Why write about menstrual belts in such detail!"

"This spoiled brat is clearly humiliating me on purpose!"

Lin Daiyu took a deep breath, then suddenly came to her senses and looked at the line of words again, “Wait, Zijuan ten times, Xueyan ten times, what’s the last one?!”

(End of this chapter)