Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After Jia Lian finished speaking about the important matter, Bao Yu quickly nudged Jia Lian's sleeve and urged, "Second Brother Lian, hurry up and tell everyone..."

Jia Lian shook his head and smiled, seemingly helplessly, then said to everyone, "As you all probably know, I'm a rough man. I'm more suited for martial arts and fighting, but I'm not very good at these elegant things at the dinner table..."

As soon as Jia Lian said this, the audience burst into laughter.

Tan Chun said, "Second Brother Lian is so modest. If you are a rough person, then we are not even rough people. From now on, we dare not mention the word 'elegance' again."

"That's right, brother, your poems are so good, we're all waiting for you to show us more amazing poetry."

Yingchun, the young lady, also joined in the fun with a smile.

The others looked at him with ambiguous smiles, their eyes conveying only three words: distrust.

Jia Lian touched his nose, thinking to himself that once you put on a show, you can't take it back.

"Fine, since you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

But Baoyu, even if you don't understand me, you should at least understand your sister-in-law Lian. She can't even read a single character, let alone compose a poem with him. Isn't that making things difficult for her?

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes at him, but she knew that she was the least educated person present, probably not even as well as the eight or nine-year-old Xichun.

So he laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about me. Play whatever you like. At worst, I'll just pour you drinks, okay?"

Jia Baoyu and the others smiled. This is why, although they couldn't get along with Wang Xifeng, they didn't dislike her at all; on the contrary, they liked her because of her high emotional intelligence.

Baochai then smiled and said, "Since it's a drinking game, it should be something that can be enjoyed by both the refined and the common people. Although couplets and poems are elegant, they are not suitable for this occasion. Let's choose something else."

Jia Baoyu was just getting into it; in reality, he wasn't particularly skilled in poetry, at least not as good as Daiyu. He was probably just testing Jia Lian.

Hearing Baochai say this, she realized that Aunt Xue was probably like Wang Xifeng, not good at this kind of thing, so she could only nod and agree to try a different game.

However, everyone then offered several different ways to play, all of which were rejected.

Because the people present had different cultural backgrounds and interests, the proposed games were either too vulgar or too refined and difficult, and could not please everyone.

Daiyu then laughed and said, "If we keep talking like this, I'm afraid we still won't be able to reach a conclusion by nightfall."

"In my opinion, why don't we bring out that drinking game box, send someone to draw one, and play whatever we draw? Wouldn't that be simple?"

"Sister Lin, your insight is brilliant! This is excellent and perfectly fair. I'm sure everyone will have nothing to say about it now."

Lin Daiyu's number one simp, Erbao, has arrived.

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "I do have a drinking game box here, but I haven't used it much. Since you want to use it, I'll go get it for you."

Because Ping'er had gone to fetch Jia Lan, Wang Xifeng got up and went inside herself.

Wang Xifeng took out the drinking game box, and Ping'er brought Jia Lan over as well.

When Jia Lan saw his aunts and uncles, he appeared very reserved. He formally bowed to everyone present and then obediently sat down next to his mother, Li Wan.

"Who will draw lots?"

Wang Xifeng held up the drinking game box and asked everyone with a smile.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Lan'er is the youngest here, so let him draw the lot."

Therefore, Jia Lan, who had just sat down, had to stand up again, bow to everyone once more, and then step forward to bow to Wang Xifeng.

Being overly polite is not good.

Then, reaching into the box, he randomly picked up a slip of paper, turned it over, and read it aloud in a clear voice: "Shoot a riddle?"

From Jia Lan's questioning voice, it is clear that he does not understand what "shooting the cover" means.

But the uncles and aunts present were in an uproar.

"Good for you, Lan'er! You drew the most difficult one on your first try!"

"Yes, I'm not very good at that..."

Seeing that Wang Xifeng and the others didn't quite understand, Baochai smiled and explained, "The game of guessing riddles has existed since ancient times, but it has long been lost. This game was invented by later generations, and it is more difficult to compose than any other game."

I imagine most of you here aren't very good at it, so let's skip that and choose another one.

When Daiyu heard Baochai speak so calmly, she knew that Baochai must know how to have fun. She also mentioned that most people present did not know how to have fun, so she deliberately wanted to provoke her.

"Since you've already taken it out, why throw it away?"

What if someone else is drawn and doesn't know the answer? In that case, why bother drawing lots in the first place?

In my opinion, this order should be issued.

When Wang Xifeng, Aunt Xue, Xichun, and the others saw that even Li Wan and Tanchun said it was difficult, they knew they definitely wouldn't be able to play, so they all said that everyone else should play and they wouldn't participate.

Little did they know that Daiyu had already planned ahead. Before they could finish speaking, she smiled and said, "Aunt and Second Sister-in-law, don't worry. What I mean is, with so many of us here, there will always be people who know how to play something and people who don't."

How about this, we divide ourselves into two groups, and instead of each going our own way, those in the same group can help each other. Wouldn't that work? This is called "dividing into groups to guess the answer," and it's an ancient game. Sister Bao must know about it.

Baochai and Daiyu were seated in the second seat to Jia Lian, facing each other across the table. They glanced at each other at that moment.

Baochai knew that Daiyu was deliberately trying to compete with her, and Daiyu also knew that Baochai had seen through her intention to compete with her.

They smiled at each other and didn't say anything more.

"Dividing into teams to solve riddles? That's a good name, but there are eleven of us in total, how should we divide them?"

Tan Chun was persuaded by Daiyu's words and asked with a smile.

Seeing that Daiyu was also frowning, Jia Lian smiled and beckoned to Xiangling beside him, "Come here."

Xiangling's eyes widened immediately. She pointed to herself, then hurriedly waved her hands, indicating that she couldn't come...

"Come here quickly! You've been studying with your master for two years now. Today is the day to test your progress and see if you've embarrassed your master."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, everyone laughed, knowing that the teacher Jia Lian was referring to was Lin Daiyu.

Daiyu blushed slightly at what was said and glared at Jia Lian, but seeing that everyone was laughing but not mocking her, she smiled back.

Seeing that her masters were calling her, Xiangling didn't dare to insist and could only slowly walk over under the envious gazes of Qingwen and the others.

A clever little maid immediately brought over a chair and placed it to the left of Xichun.

After apologizing, Xiangling was about to sit down when she saw Fengjie smiling at her from the last seat next to her. She quickly stood up and said, "Grandma, please sit here. I'll switch with you..."

"Go away, go away, sit wherever I tell you to sit."

Wang Xifeng cursed inwardly, "You little hussy, you haven't even grown your hair yet and you already want to take my place?"

Although the last seat might seem to be for the lowest-ranking person, in reality, she sat alone in a corner and could even look across at Jia Lian, the head of the table. She was sitting there perfectly well, so how could she possibly give it up to Xiang Ling?

They knew that Xiangling simply didn't understand the rules, so they weren't too harsh on her.

谷晜

After Xiangling sat down, Jia Baoyu couldn't wait to laugh and said, "That's fine then. No need for trouble. Let's just divide the seats according to our seating order. There will be five people on each side."

On our side, there's me, Lin Daiyu, Third Sister, Eldest Sister-in-law, and Lan'er. On my aunt's side, there's my aunt, Baochai, Second Sister, Fourth Sister, and Xiangling.

As for Brother Lian and Sister-in-law Lian, you can choose either one to join.

Jia Baoyu offered this solution.

It seems reasonable, but in reality, it's a calculated scheme.

He knew that Baochai was learned and knowledgeable, and thought that only by working together with Daiyu could he fight against Baochai.

Moreover, with him and Daiyu on their side, plus Tanchun and Li Wan, their fighting strength is not bad, while the other side seems to only have Baochai as the dominant force. For the sake of balance, Jia Lian will also choose to join the other side.

Therefore, Jia Lian could no longer be paired with Lin Daiyu.

Daiyu was unaware of Jia Baoyu's ulterior motives, and she didn't care. As long as she could compete with Baochai, she was satisfied with the grouping.

However, upon hearing that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng could choose freely, she immediately looked at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng, you could choose whoever you wanted with your eyes closed!

Moreover, she didn't want Jia Lian to help Baochai.

Jia Lian did indeed intend to go to Baochai's side, because he thought that among Baochai's people, only Baochai herself seemed capable, while the others, such as Aunt Xue, Yingchun, Xichun, and Xiangling, were relatively ordinary.

Given his relatively low skill level, he could easily stand out in that environment.

But when he saw the look in Daiyu's eyes, he hesitated for a moment.

"Hehe, since that's the case, I'll join my aunt and Baochai's camp."

I'm making this clear: I'm not capable at all. If they make things difficult for me, Baochai, you'd better help me out.

Wang Xifeng was very shrewd. Although Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were fighting fiercely, she could tell at a glance that Baochai was probably the best at playing games.

Moreover, unlike Jia Lian, she had the opposite mindset. Even if she didn't stand out, she wouldn't attract much attention by associating with Baochai.

Unlike Daiyu, who would probably be inferior to even a little Jia Lan by then, which would be too embarrassing.

"It seems I have no choice but to join Lin Daiyu's side."

Wang Xifeng chose a side, and Jia Lian had no choice but to reluctantly join the other side.

In this way, Lin Daiyu's side is full of strong generals, and even the only one, Jia Lan, looks quite fearless, so he might also be a formidable general.

On the other side, Xue Baochai's side, apart from herself, seemed to have no one of noteworthy abilities.

Perhaps this is why they can remain calm; after all, they're not the only ones who can't get ahead, and they'll just have to wait and see what happens to Baochai (Sister Bao).

Baochai didn't seem to care about this situation at all.

It's just a game during the meal anyway, so winning or losing isn't important, let alone who you're paired with.

Yingchun then said, "Since it's a game of guessing riddles in groups, and everyone is already divided up, I'm not even entirely clear on the rules. Could someone explain them to us in detail?"

Daiyu immediately smiled and said, "Sister Bao is the most learned, so let her speak."

Baochai also declined, saying frankly, "The so-called 'guessing the hidden object' has existed since ancient times and is the most common game at banquets. In the beginning, it was simply to randomly draw an object, cover it under a basin or bowl, and let others guess what it was. The one who guesses correctly wins."

Later generations deduced different ways to play based on this, making the game of Shefu (射覆) famous.

However, the ancient ways of playing are no longer verifiable. All I know is what I heard from others back then.

The person giving the order can choose any item at the table, which is called the "order point". This order point cannot be spoken aloud, but only a word or phrase related to it can be said. This is called "covering the face".

The guesser, based on the masked face of the person giving the answer, tries to guess the answer. Even if they guess correctly, they are not allowed to say it aloud. Instead, they must say a word or phrase that is also related to the answer. This is called "guessing".

The person who gives the signal determines whether the guesser has hit the target based on the shot. If the guesser does, the two drink a cup together.

Furthermore, those who miss the target are penalized with a cup of wine; those who hit the target but are later found to have made a mistake are also penalized with a cup of wine.

Baochai had tried to simplify the rules, but most of the people present still found them daunting.

This is too difficult. It involves going around so many bends. How can anyone have fun like this?

Tan Chun pressed further, "How are the so-called related words or phrases calculated?"

"Anything is acceptable, whether it's poetry, allusions, idioms, or proverbs."

Baochai, seemingly also finding the game too difficult, offered, "Shooting riddles is an extremely difficult game; if it's too broad, it's naturally very difficult to guess correctly."

How about this: we remove idioms and proverbs, allowing only poems and allusions. This will narrow the scope considerably, making it much easier to hit the mark.

"Uh, what Sister Bao says is right, let's do as Sister Bao says."

Jia Baoyu secretly wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. What Baochai said was somewhat different from what he thought of the riddle-guessing game, and it was even more difficult!

He was so unsure of himself that he breathed a sigh of relief when Baochai took the initiative to reduce the difficulty.

Since it's something that's available at the banquet, and it's limited to a few poems and allusions, as long as you're knowledgeable and have a sharp mind, it shouldn't be difficult to guess.

Daiyu had played this game with her mother in her early years and knew it very well. Fearing that everyone would be frightened, she quickly said, "The rules may sound difficult, but they are actually quite simple to do."

The difficulty in hitting the target actually lies more in whether the command given by the shooter is accurate or not.

Let's play around with it first, and everyone will understand.

Then, Daiyu asked Jia Lian to preside over the game and explain the specific rules and punishments.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Since there are six of us on each side, why don't we roll the dice? That would be perfect."

Since Aunt is the elder, she should roll the first die. Whoever rolls the dice will be the one to give the order for the first round.

Then we take turns throwing the dice, starting with me. Whoever throws the dice the dice on is the one who has to guess the result.

To be fair, we'll follow what Lin Daiyu said before: you can ask someone from the same group for advice, and if you fail three times, you'll be penalized with a cup of wine.

Tell a joke or a story, or something, it doesn't matter.

"Okay, Brother Lian's idea is good, it makes it even more interesting."

So he sent the maids to fetch dice, paper, and pen.

Seeing that everyone's head maids were standing expectantly to the side, Jia Lian beckoned to Ping'er and instructed her, "You make the arrangements. Those who are supposed to take their seats should take their seats, and those who are supposed to go down to eat should go down and eat. You don't need to wait here all the time."

According to the old custom of the Jia family, when the masters gathered for a celebration, a "lower seat" was sometimes set up on the side for the head maid or a respectable servant woman to sit on.

This is both a favor and an attempt to create a festive atmosphere.

Today was no exception; small tables and low stools were already set up on both sides of the corridor, along with relatively simple dishes.

Those who were able to sit down and dine with their masters at this time were all symbols of status and position.