Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

He gathered the remaining members of the Lin family to hear their report on the funeral arrangements for Lin Ruhai and made new arrangements. It was nearly noon when Jia Lian prepared to return to his room to rest.

Before even entering the courtyard, a woman and a girl came to greet us.

Jia Lian had a vague recollection of these two people; they were Daiyu's aunt and cousin.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency..."

Seeing the woman's fawning smile, Jia Lian couldn't help but frown, then nodded slightly and asked, "What is it, Madam?"

"It's nothing important. I just heard that the Marquis has just returned from his business trip to Yangzhou and is now busy with matters concerning our Lin family. I wanted to express my gratitude for his hard work."

"Yes, thank you."

Seeing that Jia Lian had no intention of talking to her any longer, and was about to leave, the woman hurriedly chased after him and said, "There is something I need to say. The Marquis has come back from a long journey, and I'm sure he must be tired from the journey."

"I heard that Your Excellency has no servants in your quarters, so I sent my daughter here so that she can take care of your daily needs during this time."

As she spoke, the woman pulled her somewhat shy daughter to the front and instructed her, "Jiaojiao, why don't you greet the Marquis?"

"Jiaojiao greets Your Highness..."

Seeing Jia Lian finally turn around and seriously examine his daughter, the woman immediately said proudly, "My lord, don't let her delicate appearance fool you. She's actually quite nimble and quick, and very obedient and gentle. I believe she can take good care of your daily life in place of our Lin family."

"Jiaojiao, why aren't you following the Marquis inside? Don't forget what I told you, the Marquis is a great benefactor of our Lin family, you must serve him well, if you dare to act spoiled or cause trouble, see if I can let you off the hook..."

The woman acted as if Jia Lian had already agreed and began to instruct her daughter in person.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian shook his head and smiled.

If he remembers correctly, when he escorted his aunt Jia Min's coffin to Suzhou, it was this Lin Jiaojiao who occupied Daiyu's room and refused to give it up.

Can a girl like that be called docile and obedient?

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but there is a difference between men and women. Having Jiaojiao come to take care of me might damage her reputation, so please decline."

Jia Lian was too lazy to bother with these people's schemes, so he simply refused and stepped into the courtyard.

The woman wanted to chase after him to say something, but was stopped by Aqi and Aqin. Still unwilling to give up, she shouted a few words at Jia Lian's back.

Seeing that Jia Lian ignored her and walked away, the woman's expression changed. She cursed at the two maids who were blocking her way and refusing to let her in, "Let me go! You two lowly maids, how dare you stop me? Do you know who I am? I am the aunt of Lady Lin, you blind fools..."

The woman assumed that Aqin and Aqi were merely Jia Lian's maids, servants. She dared not say anything in front of Jia Lian, but once she was sure he couldn't hear her, she could freely hurl insults at him.

But Aqi and Aqin are both good-tempered, aren't they? Especially Aqi, since following Jia Lian, killing people has been commonplace for her, whether on the battlefield or in ordinary affairs.

They could still maintain respect for the elders of the Jia family or for people like Daiyu who were clearly cared for by Jia Lian, but they would not tolerate such a rude and foolish woman.

Upon seeing this, Aqi immediately drew his sword halfway out and stared at her with icy eyes.

Ah Qin coldly replied, "Try swearing again!"

The woman had never seen anyone resort to knives and swords at the slightest disagreement. She was so frightened that she took several steps back, and was only saved from falling by her daughter's support.

"This is outrageous! You...!"

The woman wanted to hurl insults, but feared the other woman might actually rush up and attack her. Just as she was figuring out how to save face, she noticed Daiyu walking over from the side corridor with two maids, her expression rather unpleasant.

Feeling guilty, she immediately wanted to pull her daughter away and run away.

"Auntie!"

"Haha, it's Daiyu's little niece! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

When the woman saw that she had been called, she pretended that she had just noticed Daiyu and went forward with a smile.

"I asked the kitchen to make chicken soup for my second brother Lian, and I'm going to bring it over to him. But what are my aunt and cousin doing here?"

Seeing Daiyu's furrowed brows and somber face, the woman knew perfectly well that Daiyu had witnessed what had just happened, and she looked somewhat embarrassed. But then she thought, isn't it normal for someone like Jia Lian to have many women? Besides, Daiyu wasn't Jia Lian's principal wife; in the end, she was just a concubine.

As long as her daughter Jiaojiao can also be favored by Jia Lian, she can become the third wife of the Duke's mansion. At that time, she will be on equal footing with Daiyu. What is there to be afraid of?

Therefore, he replied without any attempt to hide his true feelings: "Hehe, I was just worried that there would be no one to take care of the Marquis when he came to our house because we were so busy with things at home. So I wanted to arrange for your sister Jiaojiao to go in and serve the Marquis. Who knew that these two maids would dare to stop me from going in? It's outrageous!"

They don't respect me, which means they don't respect you, their lord. Since you're here, quickly teach these two disrespectful girls a lesson!

When the woman saw that the two fierce-looking maids not only immediately sheathed their swords after Daiyu appeared, but also bowed respectfully to Daiyu, she assumed that the two maids were treating Daiyu differently based on her status, and therefore instigated Daiyu to stand up for them.

Daiyu took a deep breath, glanced at the elder one last time, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"You... Ugh, you're getting more and more rude!"

Zijuan didn't want to bother with such a fool, feeling it was a waste for her young lady to have such an elder. Seeing that she still dared to express dissatisfaction with Daiyu, she finally couldn't help but turn around and say, "I advise you, Aunt, to give up those little schemes as soon as possible. What kind of person is the Marquis? How could he fall for your tricks?"

Furthermore, you just asked these two ladies if they knew your identity. Do you know theirs? Let me tell you, they are not only the Marquis's personal guards, but also third-rank imperial guards, holding the fifth rank. Auntie, you are quite audacious, daring to publicly insult these two officials. Just for the fact that you, a commoner, have offended an official, that's enough for them to throw you in jail. Don't blame us for not warning you then!

"Don't try to fool me, how could that be?!"

The lady was shocked. She simply couldn't believe that her two maids were officials, and even fifth-rank officials at that.

Zijuan was only arguing because she was angry, and she didn't care whether the other woman believed her or not. After she finished speaking, she and Xueyan followed in Daiyu's footsteps.

After careful consideration, the woman who thought that Zijuan might not have lied to her finally dared not act rashly again, snorted, and left with her daughter.

……

"girl."

Upon entering the courtyard, Zijuan noticed that Daiyu was in a bad mood, a stark contrast to when she had just left the house, and she went up to call out to her with some concern.

She understood why Daiyu was sad; anyone would feel the same way if betrayed or hurt by someone close to them.

They had indeed witnessed what had happened, so Chen's purpose in wanting to send her daughter to Jia Lian's room was obvious.

During Jia Lian's absence, these distant relatives took great care of Daiyu, showing concern and warmth upon meeting her, which initially changed Daiyu's opinion of them. However, it turned out that their kindness towards Daiyu stemmed from a desire to use her to get closer to Jia Lian, a fact that inevitably chilled the heart of the inherently noble and sensitive Daiyu.

Zijuan wanted to comfort Daiyu, but to her surprise, Daiyu turned around and her expression was unusually calm.

"Zijuan, do you think Lian Er-gege often encounters things like this when he's working outside?"

Daiyu's voice was exceptionally earnest, filled with the composure that came from deep thought.

Zijuan was slightly taken aback, then quickly nodded, "What you said is right, Miss. Everyone can see the abilities, conditions, and character of Master Lian. Otherwise, how could Master have wronged you and betrothed you to Master Lian?"

We can see Master Lian's good qualities, and others can see them too. Master Lian is often away on business, so it's hard for any young woman of marriageable age not to be attracted to him. Therefore, it's inevitable that similar situations will occur.

Therefore, the young lady has absolutely no reason to be angry about this. Just as men throughout history have pursued and vied for the most beautiful women in the world, it is not surprising that someone like Master Lian would be so popular with women.

The young lady should be happy, firstly because a man as exceptionally good as Master Lian is so devoted to her, which shows how precious she is. Secondly, Master Lian is a man of high moral character, as the young lady has seen; he just directly rejected Madam Hong's suggestion.

Zijuan, being the kind of person who couldn't hold back her thoughts, blurted out everything on her mind in an attempt to soothe Daiyu's fragile heart.

"Damn it, let me ask you something, why did you say so much?"

Daiyu was furious, firstly because of Zijuan's words, and secondly because Zijuan's voice was not quiet and could easily wake the people in the room.

Sure enough, before the two could finish speaking, Jia Lian's voice came from inside the house: "Since you two are here, come in. What are you whispering about outside?"

Seeing this, Zijuan stuck out her tongue slightly, while Xueyan next to her chuckled as if watching a show.

Daiyu glared at the two of them, then glanced at the food box in Xueyan's hand before stepping into the house.

This room was personally decorated by Daiyu, so she was very familiar with it.

Walking into the inner room, they saw that Jia Lian had already taken off his outer garments and was lying on the soft couch, having Xiangling massage his shoulders and back.

Such scenes were nothing new to Daiyu on the boats traveling south of the Yangtze River. She had even seen Jia Lian take off his shirt and let Xiangling step on his back with her bare feet!

Xiangling was sensible. When she saw Daiyu come in, she only gave a few final taps to complete the whole set of actions before rolling off the couch, bowing to Daiyu, and standing aside.

After Jia Lian sat up, he shrugged his shoulders and noticed Daiyu fiddling with the food box. He asked her, "It doesn't seem to be mealtime yet. Why did you bring me food, Lin-meimei?"

Daiyu blushed slightly and remained silent.

Zijuan laughed and said, "What we're sending isn't food... Second Master, you must try it. Our young lady spent a long time in the kitchen making it for you herself."

Hehe, to be honest, this is the first time my daughter has ever cooked since I've known her.

Jia Lian's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Really? Then I'll have to give it a good try!"

The way the two of them chatted back and forth eased Daiyu's shyness. She slowly and gracefully ladled half a bowl for Jia Lian and was about to hand it to him.

Jia Lian, fearing she might get burned, jumped off the bed and went over to her first.

Glancing at the exquisite food jar inside the food box, Jia Lian blurted out, "Chicken stew with mushrooms?"

Daiyu and the others were all taken aback. Then Daiyu said with a hint of annoyance, "What chicken stew with mushrooms? This is Suzhou cuisine, fresh black chicken soup. If you don't like it, I won't let you eat it."

As Daiyu spoke, she made a gesture as if to collect the bowls.

Jia Lian chuckled, picked up the spoon, and took a bite. He immediately praised, "Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. The flavor is delicious. Try this meat too, hmm, it's tender and juicy. The combination is truly a delicacy. I never expected my Lin sister to have such culinary skills. Good, good, good. If I ever lose my title as Marquis, with Lin sister's skills, we could open a restaurant, and the business would be guaranteed to be booming."

"loquacious."

Daiyu couldn't help but laugh too.

Although she had already tasted it and found it quite delicious—after all, Lin Daiyu was certainly good at everything, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to offer it to Jia Lian—it didn't stop there.

Jia Lian's return today truly made her very happy. Therefore, personally cooking a bowl of soup for Jia Lian was her way of repaying him.

Although she inevitably needed help from the cook and Zijuan, since she dared not kill the chicken or chop it into pieces, she at least personally cut the fresh chicken and put all the seasonings into the jar. That was enough to show that she did it herself!

"How can I eat such delicious food by myself? Zijuan, bring another bowl and spoon."

When Daiyu saw Jia Lian inviting her to eat with him, she initially declined. However, seeing Jia Lian enjoying the food spoonful by spoonful, she was pleased and her appetite returned. So, she reluctantly ate half a bowl with Jia Lian. She even ate several pieces of chicken, which was quite a rare treat for her.

"Hiccup~ There wasn't enough for just the two of us. I felt bad for Zijuan and the others, they were just watching longingly for so long. So, next time you cook something delicious, Lin, remember to make more so they can enjoy some of my goodness too."

Seeing Jia Lian deliberately burp, Daiyu was about to say that he didn't care about his image, but when she saw Jia Lian even lift up the jar and pour the last half bowl of soup into it and drink it, she couldn't help but laugh happily.

Nothing is more joyful than having your lover acknowledge your hard work.

Hearing something amiss in Jia Lian's words, he couldn't help but ask, "Since you said you wanted me to do more, how come it's like I'm benefiting from your help?"

"Isn't it obvious? If it weren't for me, would you even know how to cook, Lin Daiyu? So, aren't they just benefiting from my fame?"

Daiyu was speechless, feeling both shy and happy inside, but she scolded him playfully, "Shameless!"

Meanwhile, Zijuan and the others nearby saw that Daiyu's cheeks were rosy and her skin was radiant, completely different from the days before, and they were all very happy for her.

Sure enough, the girl was only so happy and joyful when she was with Master Lian.

After cleaning up the dishes, they all wanted to make an excuse to leave, giving Daiyu and Jia Lian some space alone. But then someone came to announce that a group of officials from Suzhou had come to pay their respects upon hearing that Jia Lian had returned to Suzhou.

"Second brother, go quickly, don't worry about me."

"By the way, I asked the kitchen to prepare extra food. If you don't have any other plans, Second Brother, come to my courtyard at noon and we can have lunch together."

As Jia Lian reached the doorway, he couldn't help but turn back to glance at Daiyu again, then smiled and said, "Alright."

That's wonderful! Not only is Lin Daiyu becoming more and more sensible, but she's also showing some qualities of a virtuous wife, which is truly rare.

Only I, the great Master Jia, am fortunate enough to have such a Lin Daiyu. Hehe, how wonderful!