Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the afternoon, the fragrance of flowers permeated the autumn breeze at Longcui Nunnery, touching the heart of a beautiful woman and creating ripples.

Miaoyu looked up at Jia Lian across the stone table, handed him a newly brewed cup of tea, and suddenly two rosy clouds appeared on her cheeks. She couldn't help but ask softly, "What are you looking at...?"

Jia Lian took the teacup, and casually lifted the beautiful woman's hand. Seeing her shyly flinch, he chuckled, took a sip of the fine tea, and then recited aloud: "There is a beautiful woman, with hands like tender shoots, skin like congealed cream, neck like a cicada's, teeth like melon seeds, a beautiful forehead and arched eyebrows, a charming smile, and beautiful, bright eyes."

Looking at the beauty before him, Jia Lian recalled the wonderful night he had spent with her, and felt extremely pleased and delighted.

Miaoyu naturally understood that Jia Lian was praising her, and she couldn't help but smile, playfully scolding him, "You're such a chatterbox."

The coquettish words she uttered surprised even herself, as they were quite different from her usual behavior. She couldn't help but recall the matter of entrusting her life to him the night before, and felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding like a thousand deer.

This frivolous playboy had clearly deceived her, yet she felt no resentment or hatred towards him whatsoever. On the contrary, she was overjoyed by his sudden visit and felt utterly pathetic. Therefore, she quickly suppressed her girlish coquettishness and adopted a calm and indifferent expression.

Little did she know that the more aloof and cold she appeared, the more Jia Lian was tempted. If he didn't know that Miaoyu would definitely refuse, Jia Lian would have loved to hold her in his arms and enjoy the beauty with fine tea.

"You should go back now."

Although Miaoyu was unaware of Jia Lian's inner thoughts, she could see the increasingly audacious look in his eyes. Because of her lingering concerns, she had no choice but to speak out.

"No rush," Jia Lian said, continuing to sip his tea.

Seeing this, Miaoyu frowned slightly but said nothing more. She poured herself half a cup of tea and began to taste it, enjoying this wonderful afternoon tea time with her beloved.

"Hehehe, see, I was right! They really are brewing tea and discussing philosophy. What an elegant scene!"

A girl's cheerful voice broke the tranquility under the rose trellis. Jia Lian and Miao Yu turned their heads and looked through the window of the courtyard wall. They saw Tan Chun happily walking towards them with Shi Xiangyun, who was half a head shorter than her.

Jia Lian merely smiled, but Miaoyu was suddenly relieved that she and Jia Lian hadn't done anything out of line. The two sat facing each other, with only her treasured tea set on the table. She figured that to outsiders, she and Jia Lian were truly just enjoying tea and chatting.

Thinking of this, Miaoyu adopted an even more aloof and reserved demeanor.

"Brother Lian, Sister Lin has been looking everywhere for you, but who knew you'd hide here? Have you forgotten what you promised her last night?"

The moment Tan Chun met her, she started spreading rumors.

Jia Lian saw through the flaw in Tan Chun's words at a glance. Given Dai Yu's personality, even if she wanted to find him, she would do so secretly, without revealing a trace to anyone else.

However, Jia Lian had no intention of arguing with Tan Chun, because as Tan Chun finished speaking, Miao Yu, who had been as elegant and serene as an autumn breeze, suddenly turned cold.

She glanced at Jia Lian, "Since someone is looking for you, Your Excellency, you should go down the mountain. Excuse me."

After saying this, he nodded to Tan Chun and Xiang Yun, and went straight into the meditation room.

This certainly surprised Tan Chun and the other two girls, but because Miao Yu was always aloof, she didn't pay much attention to it. She then took Jia Lian down the mountain and told him about their idea of ​​going boating.

Jia Lian had no reason to refuse, so he immediately sent Xiangyun back to report the news, while he personally led Tanchun to the dock and released the pear wood boat and the awning boat.

Soon, Yingchun, Baochai, and others arrived, and everyone boarded the boat.

"My sister-in-law said she had something to do and couldn't come."

Jia Lian didn't say anything, but had some chessboards and fishing gear brought over to prepare for the pleasure of the boat trip.

So, Jia Lian, Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu, the three sisters of the Spring Festival, and Shi Xiangyun, the masters, rode in the larger awning boat, while their respective maids and two boatwomen who were good at swimming followed behind in several other awning boats.

The autumn waters flowed gently, clear and cold, yet carrying a chill that seemed to penetrate to the bone.

As Daiyu, gazing at the autumn scenery, tightened her clothes, she felt a warm, heavy weight draped over her. Turning around, she saw that it was Jia Lian who had draped his cloak over her shoulders. She blushed immediately and quickly said, "I don't need it, you can wear it yourself."

As she spoke, she began to take off her clothes. One reason was that she was embarrassed to accept Jia Lian's affections in front of her sisters, and another was that she saw that after Jia Lian took off his cloak, he was only wearing a thin, fitted undergarment, and she was afraid that Jia Lian would get cold.

"Don't move."

Jia Lian gave Daiyu no chance to refuse. He pulled the front of the cloak towards Daiyu's chest, tightened it around her waist, and then squatted down in front of her to tie the cloak securely.

Their actions were naturally witnessed by everyone else, and the young ladies displayed various expressions, with most secretly laughing. This made Daiyu feel even more embarrassed, and she glared at Jia Lian a few times, but ultimately did not move.

His clothes were really warm...

After Jia Lian wrapped Daiyu completely inside his cloak, he stepped back and examined her closely, quite pleased with himself. It felt as if he had personally wrapped a cute little rice dumpling.

After standing up, facing the teasing looks from the crowd, Jia Lian said frankly, "She is in poor health, and Zijuan is not here, so naturally I have to take good care of her."

According to etiquette, Daiyu was already betrothed to Jia Lian, so the two should not meet. However, Daiyu's situation was special; she needed to be fostered in the Jia family, so avoiding meeting was not an option.

The reason Jia Lian openly and unreservedly expressed his affection and tenderness towards Daiyu was to make it a natural habit for everyone and to alleviate Daiyu's shyness. Otherwise, whenever there were outsiders around, this girl would be shy and hesitant in front of him, barely daring to speak, a stark contrast to her previous sharp tongue.

The crowd clearly didn't take Jia Lian's explanation seriously. Tan Chun, who was fishing with a rod in hand, nudged Ying Chun, who was playing chess with Bao Chai, and asked with a smile, "Second Sister, aren't you cold?"

Yingchun reacted a little slower, asking suspiciously, "I'm not cold, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just saying, Siqi and Xiuju aren't on the boat. What should you do if you're cold too?"

I noticed that Brother Lian didn't have any other clothes to wear. It turns out the old sayings in the plays were true; most brothers dote on their sisters, but once they marry their wives, they immediately abandon them.

These words were bold and humorous, causing everyone to laugh.

Even Yingchun shook her head, but couldn't help glancing at Jia Lian. It was a pity she really wasn't cold; it was all because she'd worn too many layers when she came out.

Faced with everyone's ridicule, Daiyu felt extremely embarrassed. However, since the clothes were already properly covering her body, taking them off now would only make her look bad. Therefore, she simply adopted her usual approach, pretending not to see them, and turned around to continue looking at the scenery on the lake.

Jia Lian, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, even walking over to watch Yingchun and the other two play chess.

Since the two main characters were like this, the others gradually overlooked this aspect.

Sitting next to Baochai, Xiangyun would occasionally watch the chess game, chime in, or mimic Daiyu's gaze at the scenery outside, never still for a moment.

As the wooden boat sailed into Lotus Lane in Qinfang Creek, it was seen that the lotus leaves on the creek were broken and the withered lotus stems stood scattered about, creating a desolate and decadent atmosphere.

Shi Xiangyun sighed and said, "When I came here in the spring, I saw them planting lotus flowers in the pond. They planted such a large patch of them. I even said that I must come back in the summer to see the lotus flowers in full bloom. Who knew I wouldn't be able to come..."

His words conveyed an unspeakable regret and disappointment.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's mind stirred. He vaguely remembered that this girl had not had a good time in the Shi family. He figured that her aunt and the others were not kind people, which was why she often wanted to come to the Jia family to play.

Unfortunately, I overlooked the fact that, upon closer inspection, this girl hadn't visited the Rongguo Mansion in quite some time, except for the day of Grandmother Jia's birthday. I wonder how many worries and grievances she harbors; it's remarkable that she can still appear so lively and cheerful.

The others, unaware of Xiangyun's family situation, assumed she was simply disappointed at not seeing the lotus flowers.

Tan Chun laughed and said, "It's alright if you didn't see them. All lotus flowers in the world look the same, there's nothing to see. If you really like them, I had a lot of lotus pods picked in the summer, dried them, and prepared to make porridge. How about I give you a bag, as if you've seen lotus flowers too?"

Xiangyun was annoyed. "Why don't you just say you'd pluck a few broken branches for me? That would have been even better."

"If you like it, you can certainly have it."

Yingchun also saw the pond full of withered lotus leaves and said, "It really is desolate. Why don't people pull these dead branches and leaves out? They look bad here, and they'll easily pollute the stream after they rot."

Baochai made a move and laughed, "People visit this garden every day; there's no time to have anyone tidy it up."

Everyone looked at him, but Jia Lian glanced at Daiyu, who stood alone with her back to him, and then said, "That's simple. I'll send people tomorrow to pull up all these withered lotus leaves and take them away by boat."

When Jia Lian said this, he deliberately spoke a little louder to make sure Daiyu could hear him.

Sure enough, Daiyu moved, and after a long while, her soft voice came: "I dislike Li Yishan's poems the most, but there is one line I like."

Hearing Daiyu mention Li Shangyin and talk about poetry, Xiangyun immediately became interested and ran over to sit next to her, asking, "Why don't you like Li Yishan's poems? I think many of his poems are beautifully written. Which line of his do you like?"

Daiyu was clearly in no mood to argue with Xiangyun at this moment, and simply replied slowly, "The withered lotus leaves remain to listen to the sound of rain."

After saying that, he did not say another word.

The others exchanged bewildered glances. Yingchun was in the most awkward position. Should her brother listen to her and remove the withered lotus leaves, or should he listen to Lin Daiyu and leave the remaining lotus leaves to listen to the sound of rain?

Xiangyun paused for a moment, then sighed, "Indeed, it's a beautiful line. How come I've never heard it before? Looking at it now, even these withered lotus leaves seem much more respectable."

Now, Jia Lian had deliberately wanted to elicit these words from Daiyu.

He was quite curious as to why Daiyu disliked Li Shangyin's poems. Logically speaking, Li Shangyin's poems, in terms of rhythmic beauty and the hazy, lingering, and poignant feeling, were almost identical to Daiyu's.

Li You wrote, "It's hard to meet and hard to part, the east wind is powerless and the flowers are withered," while Daiyu wrote, "Autumn flowers are bleak and autumn grass is yellow, the autumn lamp burns brightly and the autumn night is long."

Li You wrote, "The red pavilion stands coldly in the rain, the beaded curtain flutters as the lamp returns alone," while Daiyu wrote, "The green lamp illuminates the wall as the person falls asleep, the cold rain taps on the window as the quilt is not yet warm."

Li You wrote, "This love can only be cherished in memory, for at the time it was already a regret," while Daiyu wrote, "When spring ends, beauty fades, flowers fall, and people die, and neither knows the other's fate."

Li You wrote, "Already too high to be satisfied, I futilely waste my voice in resentment. At dawn, the sparse leaves are about to fall silent, and the green trees are heartless." Daiyu wrote, "I am married to the east wind, and spring cares not. Let it go as it pleases, I can bear to linger."

There were so many, Jia Lian even vaguely felt that Daiyu was a character created based on Li Shangyin's poems.

Therefore, Jia Lian didn't think it was a problem for Daiyu to say she disliked Li Bai's unrestrained style, Du Fu's concern for the country and its people, or Su Dongpo's boldness. But when she said she didn't like Li Shangyin's poetry, Jia Lian thought she was probably lying.

Then Jia Lian laughed and said, "This is difficult. Your second sister wants to remove the withered lotus leaves, but you want to leave them to listen to the rain..."

Before Jia Lian could finish speaking, Yingchun quickly said, "No need to pull it out. I think what Lin Daiyu said makes sense."

Yingchun's stance was too weak, so Jia Lian chose to ignore it and continued to say to Daiyu, "Unless you can tell us why you don't like Li Yishan's poems, I will listen to you and leave these withered lotus leaves."

Daiyu glanced at Jia Lian and shrugged indifferently: "If you want to pull it out, then pull it out. What does it have to do with me?"

"Well……"

Jia Lian was taken aback by Daiyu's lack of respect and, with others present, felt it inappropriate to launch a personal attack against her, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Seeing this, the others found it amusing, but also remarked: "Only Daiyu dared to let Jia Lian suffer in front of everyone like that."

Under everyone's gaze, Jia Lian wished he could grab Daiyu and give her a good spanking to vent his anger.

Seeing that Jia Lian's questioning was unsuccessful, she sat down in displeasure. The others laughed and pressed her for an answer: "That's right, Sister Lin (Lin Yatou), why don't you like Li Yishan's poems?"

"Ugh, aren't you all annoying? One person asks, and then everyone else asks too. I said I don't like Li Yishan's poems, and you're all so curious? I also said I don't like people asking me all sorts of questions, and you all want to find out too?"

Faced with Lin Daiyu's group criticism, everyone felt helpless, but it wasn't unacceptable.

Xichun, however, said, "Yes, Sister Lin, why don't you like us asking you questions?"

Daiyu looked at her and said, "Have you thought about the task that Grandmother gave you? Landscapes, figures, palaces, pavilions, every blade of grass, every brick and tile—have you figured out how to paint them? Also, Grandmother said that you must paint the scene of our garden tour today in the painting. Do you know how to do that?"

Xi Chun was speechless after being asked so many questions. She finally understood why Daiyu didn't like being asked so many questions; it was indeed a bit annoying.

Seeing Xichun's speechless expression, Daiyu suddenly laughed. Wrapped in Jia Lian's cloak, she leaned against the boat railing and continued to laugh, "You don't have to draw anything else today, but don't forget the insects!"

Everyone was puzzled, and Xichun asked, "What kind of insect?"

"Everything else is fine, but if we don't include the mother locust today, wouldn't it be incomplete?"

Upon hearing this, Baochai and the others burst into laughter. They all knew that Daiyu was referring to what happened that morning when Grandmother Jia took Granny Liu and her granddaughters to the garden, especially the midday banquet at Qiushuangzhai, where Granny Liu, having eaten and drunk her fill, sang and danced in front of everyone with such fanfare that it resembled a swarm of locusts.

Therefore, this mother locust undoubtedly refers to Granny Liu.

Daiyu, always ready to laugh herself silly, saw that everyone was enjoying it, and sat up even higher, laughing as she said to Xichun, "Hurry up and finish the painting. I've even thought of a title for you. How about 'The Locust Feast'?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nearly fell over. Shi Xiangyun, who was closest to Daiyu, watched as Daiyu uttered these words. Laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up, she lost her balance and almost tumbled out of the cabin, startling everyone who rushed to help her.

Jia Lian watched quietly as the maids laughed and joked, especially Daiyu, who hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time, and felt very gratified.

Looking around, she found that Jia Baoyu wasn't there, and she felt even more relieved. "My girl wasn't spoiled for nothing; she really doesn't like that boy at all. That's good."