Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

That evening at dinner, Sister Feng said that Daiyu's cough had flared up again, and that Grandmother Jia had already called a doctor for her.

Jia Lian didn't say anything after hearing this. Every year around the spring and autumn equinoxes, Daiyu was prone to coughing up a cough, a pattern that Jia Lian, who had been paying attention to this young girl since childhood, had long known.

Perhaps the day and night of welcoming her home yesterday was too exhausting for Daiyu, thus triggering her illness earlier than expected, which is not surprising.

However, after dinner, Jia Lian still went to visit Daiyu in her room.

Just then, they discovered that Zijuan was feeding Daiyu her medicine. Although the young girl's brows were furrowed, her complexion was not bad.

"I was a little worried when your sister Feng told me you were sick, but it seems you're fine at all."

Jia Lian walked over to Daiyu, looked her over, then plopped down on a low stool next to her, casually laughing. Judging from his expression, it seemed Daiyu was alright, and he appeared quite disappointed.

Zijuan shook her head. She now knew a thing or two about Jia Lian's methods of coaxing Daiyu. His biggest characteristic was that he was different from others, which was why he was able to win her young lady's heart the most.

Daiyu gave Jia Lian a cold look. She hadn't thought she was fine; she'd just had a sore throat that morning. But when Grandmother Jia and the others found out, they took it seriously. Not only did they call a doctor to examine her, but all the respectable people in the household, masters and servants alike, came to check on her.

It was dealing with wave after wave of people that truly exhausted her.

She had finally waited for Jia Lian to come over, and she had already thought about how to respond to Jia Lian's concern, but who knew that the first thing he said was like this?

Still a little nervous? He's clearly not nervous at all!

She deliberately feigned anger for a moment, then chuckled to herself. His way of speaking was indeed in line with his nature; like herself, he disliked false politeness. If something were truly wrong with her, he would surely be more anxious than anyone else.

But on the surface, you still have to pretend to be unhappy.

Jia Lian seemed oblivious to her displeasure. Instead, he glanced at her and leaned down to slip his hand under her blanket.

"What are you doing?" Daiyu suddenly became alert, only to find that Jia Lian simply took her hand out, rolled up his sleeve, and looked at it.

"I heard that the Imperial Concubine gave you a very fine jade bracelet yesterday. Where is it?"

Taking this opportunity, Jia Lian observed Daiyu's small wrists and arms, which were indeed extremely fair and slender, as if they could be broken with a single touch.

Realizing that Jia Lian had no intention of harming her, Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Since it's a valuable item, of course it should be left unattended; how could I wear it on my hand all the time?"

As she spoke, she realized that Jia Lian's gaze was impure, so she subtly withdrew her hand and hid it back under the covers.

"Oh, it's rare to hear you use the word 'precious.' In that case, why don't you show it to me?" Jia Lian said with a smile.

Daiyu was a little embarrassed. "Sister Feng also got one. If you want to see it, you can just ask her to show it to you."

Jia Lian was only trying to make small talk and didn't necessarily want to see her. Seeing Daiyu's shyness, he laughed even harder, saying, "Indeed, the Imperial Concubine is of noble character. I've never seen you so fond of the things I give you. Why do you cherish the things she gives you so much, hiding them from everyone?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu frowned, thinking to herself, "When did she stop liking the things he gave me? And when did she start hiding them from everyone?"

It's just that the jade bracelet Yuan Chun gave her had a special meaning, and she was too embarrassed to take it out.

Does Jia Lian not even understand this basic principle? He's definitely deliberately trying to provoke her, so she glared at him with displeasure. "I don't know if you came here to genuinely see someone or to annoy them. If you came here solely to annoy them, then please leave. I'm going to sleep; I don't have time to argue with you."

"Hahaha."

"I'm not trying to annoy you, I'm just envious. Our Imperial Concubine only comes home once every ten years, but she treats you differently from everyone else, even surpassing Baoyu in your beauty."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, it's rare for the Empress to come home, so all the rewards are prepared in advance and distributed according to how close or distant the relationship is."

Almost all of us only received one portion. Unlike you, who received three! You know how beautiful and charming Lin Daiyu is, so lovable that even the Imperial Concubine, whom you met for the first time, felt the same way. She truly is the envy of everyone.

Daiyu blushed; she understood what Jia Lian meant.

Last night, Yuan Chun met her for the first time at Rongqing Hall and presented her with a string of fragrant beads as a gift. At the end of the visit home, she, like the three sisters, received a book and a simple set of writing brush and inkstone as a gift.

Finally, Yuan Chun bestowed a bracelet upon her and Feng Jie separately. Thus, she did indeed receive three gifts from Yuan Chun, making her the only one among the Jia family to receive such a gift.

However, anyone who isn't stupid should know that Yuan Chun's unique care for her must have mostly come from Jia Lian!

Although she wasn't entirely sure why the high and mighty Yuan Chun cared so much about Jia Lian, even going so far as to show him such affection, she understood the connection.

Of course, she also felt that her appearance and demeanor were definitely important reasons why Yuan Chun treated her differently...

Thinking this to herself, Daiyu said aloud, "That's nonsense again. Who said that giving more gifts means Her Majesty cares most about... She still cares most about Baoyu. You saw it yourself; the way Her Majesty treats Baoyu is just like how his aunt treats him!"

As Daiyu spoke, she was genuinely envious.

She had no brothers or sisters. Unlike Jia Baoyu, who not only had all his brothers and sisters, but also his elder sister, who had lived in seclusion in the palace for many years, cared for and loved him like a mother.

Baoyu is the one who is showered with love and affection, and is the envy of all.

As soon as Jia Lian saw Daiyu's expression, he knew what she was probably thinking, so he deliberately mocked her: "Really? You're even jealous of this? Baoyu is your own brother, it's normal for her to care for and love him."

Daiyu got angry and said, "Go away! Who's jealous? I just feel that Baoyu has parents and sisters who love him, unlike me, who has neither parents nor brothers or sisters, so I can only let you bully me. Go away."

Daiyu angrily wrapped herself in the quilt and rolled herself up, clearly not wanting to talk to Jia Lian anymore.

Seeing that he had truly angered her, Jia Lian leaned forward to coax her again. However, Daiyu was not easily appeased; she would tremble at the slightest touch. So Jia Lian whispered in her ear with a smile, "Since you envy Baoyu for having older brothers and sisters who dote on him, I have a way to help you turn the tables."

Daiyu ignored her.

"I can't conjure up a new one for you, sister. If you don't mind, from now on, just treat me as your own brother."

Really, as long as you call me "brother" or "dear brother" or "good brother" with your own voice, I will love you like my own little sister. What do you say?

When Jia Lian's voice became increasingly inappropriate, Daiyu raised her hand to cover her ears, but it was to no avail; she still heard every single word clearly.

She sat up, both ashamed and angry, staring at Jia Lian speechless.

The thought of calling Jia Lian "dear brother" or "good brother" made her heart pound with shame!

Jia Lian, seemingly oblivious to Daiyu's embarrassment, continued to tempt her, "Think about it, if you just change how you address me, you'll not only get rid of someone who always bullies you, but you'll also immediately gain a loving and caring older brother. It's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it. With your intelligence, surely you can see through this?"

Daiyu once thought she had a good grasp of Jia Lian's thick skin, but she still couldn't believe that Jia Lian would say such a thing.

"You still dare to talk! You foul-mouthed, big bad guy, I'll beat you to death..."

Daiyu was almost furious and no longer cared about maintaining a ladylike image. She started punching and kicking Jia Lian.

Fortunately, she was weak to begin with and wrapped in a quilt, posing no threat to Jia Lian. Instead, it made Jia Lian laugh even harder.

"Zijuan! Zijuan, come in quickly..."

Daiyu couldn't take it anymore and summoned her generals, who together they chased Jia Lian out the door. "Second Master, what did you say this time? Look how embarrassed our young lady is..."

Zijuan suppressed a laugh as she led Jia Lian out of the room, but finally couldn't help asking a question.

She had never seen Daiyu so unladylike; she was practically ready to jump off the kang (heated brick bed) and fight Jia Lian. Her energetic and lively demeanor was a far cry from her previous sickly appearance.

Daiyu dared to glare at him coldly and even beat him, but how dare a mere maid mock him? Jia Lian straightened his posture and glanced sideways at the maid.

Zijuan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head, beginning to regret her provocation.

But it was too late. Her body spun around in a way that was both strange and familiar. When she came to her senses, her mouth had indeed been sealed shut, and she herself, just as she had imagined, fell into someone's arms.

She didn't dare make a sound, just like before, afraid that the people inside would notice something was wrong.

"what……"

A crisp exclamation suddenly rang in her ears, startling Zijuan awake.

She pushed Jia Lian away and looked up, only to find it was Xueyan. She breathed a slight sigh of relief, but also became nervous again.

Admittedly, being seen by Xueyan was much better than being seen by other unrelated people, but her behavior was too outrageous. After all, Daiyu herself was not yet married, and this maid was being intimate with the young master. If word got out, she could atone with her death.

Jia Lian noticed her worry, so after his initial surprise, he quickly lowered his head and, as Xueyan, carrying a tea tray, passed by and was about to go around into the house, he reached out and hooked his arm around her small neck, pulling her closer.

"Second, Second Master..."

Xueyan was extremely nervous. Was she going to be "silenced"?

"Don't be afraid."

Jia Lian found it somewhat amusing to see Xueyan stuttering.

Daiyu's two maids were both quite good; one was intelligent and clever, and the other was adorable and charming, and both were at least seven or eight points good-looking.

A gentle smile dispelled Xueyan's worries and fears, then she bent down, gently kissed her forehead, and drifted away.

Although Zijuan felt that Jia Lian's approach was too simplistic and direct, it was still effective. Seeing Xueyan standing there, her face flushed, she went over and whispered, "Silly girl, Second Master is just a bit impulsive, don't take it too seriously. It's just that Miss is overthinking things. Don't tell her about this. If she asks, just say you accidentally bumped into me. Let's go inside."

"Oh……"

Xueyan had always thought that Zijuan was intelligent and understood Daiyu's thoughts, so she listened to her in everything. Upon hearing this, she quickly raised her arm to wipe her forehead and went into the house.

……

I spent an hour in the study in the east courtyard, and then practiced for another hour. It was already late at night.

It wasn't that Jia Lian liked to hang lanterns high and practice at night; it was just that he was usually busy during the day, but he had plenty of time at night. He didn't like to study by lamplight, so he used the lanterns for night practice. When he got tired, he would go back and have his pretty maidservant help him take a bath, and then he would sleep until the next morning.

Over time, you get used to it.

Perhaps because the moonlight was so beautiful tonight, Jia Lian didn't take the main road, but instead went back via a side path.

As I passed by Li Wan's side courtyard, I glanced inside instinctively and, sure enough, saw Li Wan sitting alone on the platform.

His solitary figure appeared even more lonely under the moonlight.

Jia Lian stopped and stood still.