Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

On a hillside on the outskirts of Beijing, Miaoyu, dressed in plain Taoist robes, gazed at the long white dragon on the distant avenue.

A gentle breeze lifted her long hair, making her graceful figure appear even more ethereal and beautiful.

Looking back, she saw that the maid had already placed the incense burner, fruit, and other items according to her request before she turned back.

I personally laid out a clean silk cloth, faced the coffin on the main road, and performed the deepest kowtow...

Jia Lian was unaware that Miaoyu had also come to offer condolences; he was busy weaving through the funeral procession.

With over a hundred carriages and a procession of over a thousand people, especially a large number of female relatives, there were naturally many things to be aware of.

Although Tiekan Temple is not far from the capital, the funeral procession moved very slowly.

So after walking for half a day, many of the women in the group, led by Grandmother Jia, began to feel tired.

Fortunately, Jia Lian and the others had made preparations in advance and arranged accommodations in a flat village halfway through the journey.

Therefore, upon arriving at this place, the funeral procession was ordered to temporarily stop for half an hour to allow Grandmother Jia and others to rest and change clothes.

The term "changing clothes" actually means more than just changing clothes; it's often a euphemism for relieving oneself or using the toilet.

Men are better off; if they really need to relieve themselves, they can find a secluded corner to do so. But women are in a much worse situation. Holding their urine has often become a basic skill for them! So, when they have this need, reserved and demure women can only use the excuse of changing clothes to cover it up.

When the group stopped, the women who wanted to rest or use the restroom followed Grandmother Jia and the others to the village courtyards and farmhouses for a short stay, while those who did not have such needs rested and waited where they were.

Jia Baoyu rarely had the opportunity to leave the city, so he was naturally overjoyed and full of anticipation to be able to openly go to the farm to play.

He called his good brother Qin Zhong'er along, and while the women inside were resting, the two of them, accompanied by a servant, caused trouble and looked for novelties all over the farm.

Upon seeing a beautiful young girl of about seventeen or eighteen from a farming family, Qin Zhong could only secretly flirt with Jia Baoyu. However, Jia Baoyu, who was naturally infatuated, found this wild girl quite charming and wished he could stay there and accompany her for a long, long time...

Unfortunately, the country folk were shy, and the girl was soon called away by her parents, not even allowing the amorous young master to catch a glimpse of her.

After several secret searches, he still couldn't find the person, and Jia Baoyu felt lost and disappointed.

However, upon returning to the quarters of Grandmother Jia and the others, and seeing Daiyu, he immediately forgot about that wild girl and went up to Daiyu to shower her with affection.

It turned out that even her uncle-in-law, Lin Ruhai, had come to the funeral procession. Since Daiyu was staying by her father's side, Jia Baoyu didn't dare to disturb her.

Now that the opportunity had been seized, they immediately began to present their treasures.

"These are the wagtail-scented prayer beads that Prince Bei Jing gave me this morning. I kept them especially for my younger sister."

Jia Baoyu carefully took out a string of bright red beads from his pocket and handed it to Daiyu with a smile.

After Jia Lian refused to let Jia Baoyu ride in her carriage, Daiyu had an epiphany and from then on, she consciously maintained a distance between herself and Jia Baoyu.

Just as she was considering whether or not to accept the gift from Jia Baoyu, she heard his words and immediately threw back the string of wagtail beads that he had already stuffed into her arms, saying, "I don't want anything that a stinky man has touched."

Daiyu's temperament was far more refined and pure than Jia Baoyu's!

Although Jia Baoyu prided himself on not currying favor with the powerful, he still went to great lengths to please and flatter Prince Bei Jing in the morning.

Admittedly, he valued Shui Rong's appearance more, but if Shui Rong's identity were disregarded, he would never have treated this string of beads as a priceless treasure and presented it to Daiyu.

You must know that Daiyu was a unique celestial being in his heart!

However, Daiyu was much simpler. She didn't care what kind of king he was; in her eyes, he was just a stranger she didn't recognize.

She, Fairy Lin, had no interest in anything that the other person had touched!

Daiyu simply and clearly expressed her meaning, but unexpectedly, she threw the prayer beads into Jia Baoyu's hand, and they bounced under the table.

Upon seeing this, Jia Baoyu quickly crawled inside, picked it up, and patted off the dust.

The farmhouse floor was filthy, unlike the paved floor of the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Baoyu couldn't stand seeing his precious gem was being wasted, so he picked it up and wiped it while breathing on it. He gave Daiyu a reproachful look, and seeing that Daiyu wasn't buying it, he smiled shamelessly.

It was Daiyu; if it were anyone else, he would definitely be angry.

Jia Baoyu's great tolerance towards Daiyu does not mean that everyone else is the same.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia, Aunt Xue, Lady Wang, and others were sitting together in the room, and their actions were naturally observed by the elders.

Lady Wang's expression changed slightly as soon as Jia Baoyu crawled under the table. She quickly stood up and, while Jia Baoyu was wiping the beads, bent down to brush the dirt and dust off his knees.

Fortunately, she wasn't Aunt Zhao; she was quite shrewd and didn't blame Daiyu. She just glanced at Grandmother Jia, who had no expression on her face, and then silently pulled Jia Baoyu to stand in front of her seat.

How could Grandmother Jia not know the meaning behind Lady Wang's glance at her?

If anyone else had treated her beloved grandson like that, she would have already given them a stern reprimand. Only Daiyu, out of pity for her mother's early death, showed her all kinds of tenderness.

Knowing that Daiyu was sensitive, he knew that if he blamed her, she would be heartbroken. Besides, she was often ill; what if she suffered a serious injury?

I thought to myself, if Yu'er were a little more gentle and sensible, that would be perfect.

Judging from this situation, Baoyu's mother probably doesn't like Yu'er and will inevitably cause trouble in the future...

So he sighed, turned his head to chatter with Aunt Xue, and pretended not to see her.

Daiyu did feel a little regret for overreacting, but this slight remorse vanished immediately under Jia Baoyu's reproachful gaze.

Although Madam Wang did not reprimand her afterward, her silent actions made her feel worse than if she had been directly reprimanded.

Seeing Jia Baoyu being pulled to Lady Wang's side, her eyes immediately filled with tears of grievance, and she wished she could go out and find her father right away.

Seeing Daiyu like this, Yingchun and the others didn't know what to do.

After all, this matter was really too trivial, and no one blamed her from beginning to end. Yingchun and the others couldn't understand why Daiyu cried so easily.

Baochai, as the elder sister, quietly took two steps to block Jia Baoyu's view of Daiyu, then took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears falling from Daiyu's eyes.

Seeing Daiyu looking at her, she didn't say anything, but just smiled gently and brightly.

Daiyu was just overthinking things out of habit, and she cried because she felt embarrassed in front of everyone. But when Baochai blocked her from seeing, she felt much better.

However, she was too embarrassed to accept Baochai's kindness, after all, ever since Baochai entered the Jia family, she had openly and secretly opposed and competed with Baochai many times...

So she took Baochai's handkerchief and whispered, "I'll wash it clean and return it to you."

Lin Daiyu was not one to easily owe favors to others, and she certainly didn't want Baochai to look down on her. She knew that if her own handkerchief were to come into contact with someone else's belongings, she would immediately have the maids wash it or even burn it.

Baochai smiled slightly, neither refusing nor rejecting, and simply said "okay".

Thus, when Daiyu first saw Baochai's plump and radiant face, she found it pleasing to the eye...

"Madam, the time has come. Second Master Lian and First Master Rong are at the courtyard gate. Please, Madam and the ladies, depart..."

The servant spoke loudly in the rammed earth courtyard.

"Let's go..."

Grandmother Jia stood up, leaning on her cane, and addressed Aunt Xue and several of the head wives of the clan.

So everyone escorted Grandmother Jia out.

Grandmother Jia was always surrounded by a retinue wherever she went, so she couldn't possibly see everyone.

However, the suspicious Daiyu couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that even the old lady is blaming me for offending Baoyu? She didn't even glance at me..."