Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the backyard, in Daiyu's room, Daiyu finally drank the medicine after being persuaded by Zijuan.

Suddenly, Xueyan entered and said with a smile, "Miss, the Marquis has arrived."

"Why is he here again...?"

Daiyu, looking anxious, suddenly shrank back down from what she was about to do, having been about to get off the kang (heated brick bed) and wander around.

She wanted to crawl back into bed to hide from Jia Lian, but she was also very concerned about how Jia Lian's discussion with her father had gone. Had her father agreed to her second brother Lian's request...?

That moment of hesitation meant the end of the chance; Jia Lian's tall figure was already in her sight.

"Judging from Lin Daiyu's tone, it seems she's not very welcoming of me."

Now that Jia Lian had seen her, Daiyu was too embarrassed to hide under the covers anymore. She simply sat further inside, turned her head away, and shyly ignored Jia Lian.

Jia Lian knew, of course, that Daiyu was just shy. If she really didn't want to see him or talk to him, she could have simply sent two people to guard the door or closed it altogether.

Therefore, he walked over to Daiyu's side, and instead of sitting on the stool that Zijuan had brought over, he plopped down on Daiyu's kang (heated brick bed), looking at Daiyu with a smile: "Uncle has agreed to betroth you to me. From now on, I can rightfully take care of my sister."

Before Jia Lian could finish speaking, Daiyu let out a soft "Ah!" and rolled over onto the kang (heated brick bed), covering her face and lying face down, leaving only the beautiful outline of her back visible to Jia Lian.

Beside her, Xueyan looked utterly astonished, while Zijuan smiled broadly, appearing very pleased.

Jia Lian glanced at the two maids and still smiled, "Sister, are you really ignoring me?"

From today onwards, our two families can begin discussing marriage. If we miss today, I'm afraid my sister won't see me for quite some time.

"Ugh~ Who, who cares about looking at you..."

A soft, sweet moan escaped from between the blanket and the little beauty's cheek, making Jia Lian laugh.

He thought Daiyu would be too shy to speak to him.

It seems he underestimated Daiyu; she's the most talkative girl around.

She dares to challenge anyone who disagrees.

So he laughed and said, "If you really don't care, then I'm really leaving?"

Humph……

There was no specific response, only the back view of a pretty young woman lying motionless on the kang (a heated brick bed), as if to say: If you want to leave, then leave; if you leave, don't come back!

Jia Lian certainly wouldn't really leave, but since Daiyu wasn't responding to him, he couldn't just keep trying to liven things up by talking to thin air, could he?

So, he reached over to the other side of Daiyu, picked up a cushion, and lay down against the headboard. Then, he casually beckoned to Zijuan, "I'm tired after fighting with your master for so long. Zijuan, come over and give me a shoulder massage, you clueless girl."

Having already roughly grasped the subtle relationship between her young lady and the second master, Zijuan naturally wouldn't be ignorant. Upon hearing this, she responded with a "yes" and went behind Jia Lian's blanket, obediently massaging his shoulders.

Jia Lian then propped one leg up on the kang (a heated brick bed), saying, "Xueyan, you silly girl, come over here and massage my leg."

Xueyan responded blankly and obediently stepped forward, kneeling down to massage Jia Lian's legs.

Perhaps it was because both maids were quite skilled, but Jia Lian couldn't help but praise them, saying, "Hmm, not bad. Lin Daiyu really knows how to take care of people. You two have a bright future."

Jia Lian was completely oblivious to the fact that his actions had infuriated Daiyu.

When she felt Jia Lian get onto the bed and roll over onto her, she was quite startled, and for a moment she thought Jia Lian was going to do something to her...

Later, when she noticed that the pillow next to her had been pulled away, she realized that Jia Lian had gone to get the pillow.

Before she could even catch her breath, she heard Jia Lian's next words.

That despicable Second Brother Lian! He's so presumptuous! He's ordering her maid around right in her room, right under her nose, as if it's his right.

Not only do they have to command one person, they also have to command two at the same time!

You should know that the personal maids of young ladies often know some of their secrets, so they are essentially one with their mistresses.

This is why the maids who served young ladies had a higher status than other maids.

Indeed, this is one of the reasons why a young lady's maidservant is required to accompany her on her marriage.

It can be said that Jia Lian's decision to have his maidservant serve him was a deliberate attempt to harass her.

This made Daiyu feel embarrassed and angry.

She only managed seven or eight breaths before realizing Jia Lian was still enjoying himself, and she couldn't hold back any longer. She rolled over, pushed Zijuan away, and scolded Xueyan, "You never listen to what I say, but you obey him so readily? You're not his maids!"

Zijuan smiled and tactfully stepped aside.

Xueyan gave Daiyu an awkward smile, stood up and stood next to Zijuan. She wanted to ask Zijuan what had happened between the young lady and the second master, but she was afraid that Daiyu would hear her, so she could only suppress her curiosity.

Meanwhile, Daiyu also turned her anger towards Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Lian's nonchalant and shameless attitude, he finally couldn't help but scold, "You call yourself the older brother? How dare you order my maid around!"

Jia Lian paid no heed to Daiyu's questioning; his gaze was fixed entirely on Daiyu.

The little girl knelt before me, her body so slender and frail, yet so captivating and pitiful. Perhaps from being covered by the blankets for so long, her beautiful face was flushed and glowing with warmth, a few strands of her dark hair slightly disheveled.

Perhaps Daiyu herself sensed something, because under Jia Lian's gaze, she subconsciously reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

This small gesture easily stirred Jia Lian's heartstrings.

If he hadn't known that this was the celestial maiden Daiyu, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist making a rash move.

"What are you looking at!"

Daiyu could not withstand Jia Lian's intense gaze, and in her shame and anxiety, she could only hide her arrogance.

Jia Lian simply smiled and said, "Of course I'm looking at my future wife."

"Pah! Shameless! Who is...?"

In the end, Jia Lian was too thick-skinned and Daiyu was too thin-skinned. After a contest, Jia Lian was unharmed, but Daiyu seemed to have been injured by a fierce tiger. She was so frightened that she immediately tried to spare Jia Lian's legs and escape from the other side of the bed.

"Hehehehe."

Jia Lian laughed heartily, then stood up under Daiyu's resentful glare.

"Zijuan and Xueyan, you two take good care of Lin Daiyu. If you serve her well, I will reward you handsomely in the future. If Lin Daiyu falls ill again, I will hold you two accountable."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Alright, I'll be going now. You all help Lin Daiyu put on her shoes."

Jia Lian knew that, given Daiyu's personality, she would definitely not be able to accept the change in their status in a short time.

We need to give her time to adjust properly; we can't rush things.

Therefore, Jia Lian did not insist on developing feelings for Daiyu right now.

If Lin Ruhai's plan goes smoothly, it won't be long before he and Daiyu can escort Lin Ruhai to Jiangnan. At that time, the two of them can have a legitimate reason to communicate, so there is no need to rush.

Therefore, after glancing at Daiyu twice, he left while she turned her head away, seemingly oblivious to his shy demeanor.

Sword Comes

"Hehe, since you're so reluctant to part with Second Master, why did you ignore me when he was here earlier?"

After Jia Lian left, Zijuan noticed that Daiyu's shyness had faded, and she stared blankly at the doorway, unable to resist teasing her.

"Pah, who can't bear to part with him?" Daiyu spat lightly, glared at Zijuan to stop her from talking nonsense, then turned over and went back into bed.

She needed to be alone to sort out her thoughts and think carefully about how to face Lian Er Gege in the future. Otherwise, she would always be so at a loss in front of him, which was really lame.