The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Xiren brought Yinglian to Wang Xifeng not for anything else, but to ask her to help give Yinglian an identity.

Yinglian was brought from Jinling by Jia Jue, so she wasn't considered a maid in the household.

To put it bluntly, Yinglian didn't receive a monthly allowance.

Jia Jue had Xiren bring Yinglian over so that she could receive her monthly allowance.

Jia Jue's idea was simple—since Yinglian had served him for so long, he couldn't let her do it for free. Since she had put in the effort, she should receive some reward, even though it seemed insignificant to Yinglian.

Because this young girl had entrusted her entire life to this young master of the Duke's mansion.

This is not just because Jia Jue saved her.

Furthermore, it's because her thinking has been shaped into a fixed mindset by the education she received from the children.

Even if no one saves her, but someone buys her—whether it's Feng Yuan or Xue Pan—she will entrust her life to the young master who bought her without reservation.

-

But let's get back to the point.

The moment Wang Xifeng saw Yinglian, she already knew Xiren's purpose.

She didn't speak first; she was waiting for Xiren to speak first, because only by asking others could her nobility and the significance of her existence be revealed.

Xiren spoke up—"How is Second Mistress? How are you?"

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "What could possibly be wrong with me? It's you who went to Jinling with Brother Jue. The journey was long and arduous; you mustn't overwork yourself."

Xiren smiled and said, "It's true that the mountains are high and the roads are long. But since we're with Second Master, who is kind and benevolent, we've never been given any trouble. Just now, Second Master even rescued a girl in Jinling, and that's her."

As she spoke, Xiren pushed Yinglian forward and said, "Your name is Yinglian."

Yinglian blushed and kept her head down, remaining silent, looking every bit the demure young lady.

Wang Xifeng took the initiative, linking her arm with Yinglian's, and said, "Oh my, this is the girl we took in in Jinling. She is indeed very beautiful."

Xiren replied, "Indeed! But who would have thought that her complicated life story was entirely due to her pretty face? Would you say that's lucky or unlucky?"

As she spoke, Xiren embellished Yinglian's backstory—saying that she was taken away by a servant boy when she was a child because she was cute, and that she was fought over by two young masters when she grew up because she was beautiful, and that she almost lost her life on the spot.

Of course, Xiren did not reveal who these two young masters were.

After listening to Xiren's story, Wang Xifeng sighed and said, "Good child." Then she smiled and said, "What's so fortunate or unfortunate about it? Although she caused a lot of trouble in the past because of her face, now that she's in our family and is Brother Jue's person, she naturally won't cause trouble because of her good looks anymore—look at how many pretty maids we have in our family? Aren't they all doing well?"

Xiren laughed upon hearing this, "Exactly! Second Madam is so thoughtful. Once she's in our household, she certainly won't cause trouble because of her face anymore. However, she doesn't yet have a formal title. I wonder if Second Madam could..."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Of course, of course!"

He agreed to the matter with just a few words.

In truth, Wang Xifeng respected Xiren, acknowledging her hardships, talent, and admirable character. Furthermore, after several conversations with Jia Jue, she firmly believed he was destined for greatness. Xiren would undoubtedly be of great use to Jia Jue, therefore she didn't want to offend her.

Furthermore, she felt somewhat guilty towards Xiren because she had schemed to get her out of Baoyu's room.

When she saw that the Second Mistress had agreed, Xiren was overjoyed and quickly nudged Yinglian.

Yinglian understood and said, "Thank you, Second Madam!"

"There's just one thing I need to say first," Wang Xifeng said before the two could even finish their pleasantries.

"Please speak, Second Madam."

Wang Xifeng said, "According to custom, each young master in our household should only have two head maids serving him. Brother Jue already has three of you in his room, which is already against the rules. There can't be any more head maids here."

Xi Ren quickly replied, "Of course we know that..."

-

While a few people were talking, the atmosphere at Grandmother Jia's place inevitably became a bit cold after Wang Xifeng left.

After Wang Xifeng left, among the remaining people, the most lively one was Baoyu.

For the past few months, he had been feeling down because Lin Daiyu was ignoring him. But now, seeing such a beautiful and angelic woman arrive, his heart was filled with joy, and he couldn't help but pester Baochai with questions, just like when Daiyu first entered the mansion.

Although Baochai was able to cope for the time being, she was feeling quite tired.

She thought to herself, "They're brothers who were born and raised together, how come one of them is like this and the other like that!"

Of the three sisters, Yingchun was a blockhead, Xichun was very aloof, and only Tanchun was quick-witted, so she was able to speak up for Baochai and help her out of a predicament. This made Baochai think much more highly of her.

As for Daiyu—she remained silent and composed on the side.

Suddenly, everyone heard Baoyu ask a question—

"Does your sister have any jade too?"

Suddenly, the entire room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop—everyone was silent.

Only Baoyu seemed oblivious, earnestly asking the question.

It must be said that Baochai and Daiyu are the two most famous beauties in "Dream of the Red Chamber". The moment Baoyu asked this question, Baochai had the same thought as Daiyu - "He probably has a jade, so he wants to ask if others have one."

Just as she was about to say "no," she suddenly saw everyone's expressions change, and she knew in her heart that this problem was probably not so simple.

At this moment, she was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to answer yes or no.

Just as Baoyu was expecting an answer, Grandmother Jia spoke up, "Baoyu, your sister has had a long and tiring journey. We haven't even let her rest properly after talking for so long, which is quite impolite."

Baochai quickly replied, "Grandma, what are you saying? I find it quite amusing here, and the bumpy journey has been much more pleasant."

Distracted by the old lady, Baoyu abandoned the question and said instead, "Yes, Sister Bao must be very tired after her journey. Why don't you go and rest?"

At this moment, Grandmother Jia also said, "That's right, let's all disperse, this old woman can't handle it anymore."

Upon hearing what Grandmother Jia said, everyone stood up to prepare to take their leave.

After exchanging a few more words while standing, they finally came out together.

Jia Jue and Daiyu walked at the very back of the group.

When they reached the door, Jia Jue tugged at the hem of Daiyu's dress.

Daiyu understood.

The two of them thought their little actions were extremely discreet, but little did they know that Baochai had seen them all.