Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Lian took her home, it was already completely dark. Baochai invited Jia Lian to come in for tea and a rest, but he refused and did not insist.

After bidding farewell to Jia Lian, Baochai turned and went inside. She noticed several servants and asked the approaching steward, "Has Madam returned?"

"Yes, madam returned home at dusk and is resting in the main hall now."

"Um"

Upon hearing this, Baochai thought to herself that since her brother's accident, her mother had been on edge, to the point that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was paranoid.

She must have known that she had gone to see her brother Lian Er, and that he had escorted her back with the sound of his horse's hooves—quite a commotion—she couldn't possibly have missed it. Knowing her mother's nature, she should have come out to check on him; perhaps he had fallen asleep from exhaustion on the journey?

Therefore, Baochai was not in a hurry to go back to her room to change her clothes. She went straight to Aunt Xue's bedroom, only to find that Aunt Xue had not rested at all. She was sitting alone by the tea table, resting her chin on her hand and frowning in deep thought.

He caught a glimpse of her entering the house and then became interested. "You're back? Your second brother Lian brought you back. Did you see your brother?"

Baochai nodded, went to her mother's side, and massaged Aunt Xue's shoulders. Aunt Xue closed her eyes comfortably.

"Mother, don't worry. My brother is in the Ministry of Justice prison and is doing fine for now. I think my second brother Lian has already taken care of things with the officials in the Ministry of Justice, so there shouldn't be any problems with him before the joint trial the day after tomorrow."

Although Baochai did not witness it firsthand, Jia Lian had her prepare several hundred taels of gold at the beginning, presumably for the purpose of bribing those officials in the Ministry of Justice.

Aunt Xue sighed, "As expected, your second brother Lian is the one who has the best ideas. It's difficult for the two of us, mother and son, to even see him. Alas..."

After sighing, Aunt Xue immediately asked, "I heard from the servants that you went out with Lian-ge after noon. You must have seen more than just your brother during that time, right?"

Knowing what Aunt Xue meant, Baochai quietly sat down next to Aunt Xue and told her everything that had happened that day when she went out with Jia Lian.

The main point is to show Aunt Xue that Jia Lian is meticulous and methodical in his actions, and that he is very confident in rescuing her brother, so that Aunt Xue doesn't need to worry too much.

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help but feel glad that her decision to go to Tianjin that very night to fetch Jia Lian had indeed been the right one. Who would have thought that Jia Lian, after only half a day back in the capital, had not only persuaded his enemies but also found and sent those who had taken the blame for his son to the Ministry of Justice.

As expected, the eldest son of the Feng family was right. Only Lian-ge could save Pan-er.

Therefore, he questioned Baochai more and more closely, and the more he asked, the more at ease he felt.

Baochai said, "Today, Second Brother Lian has been running around for Brother's sake, not to mention the trouble he has gone through. In order to persuade the enemy to stop pursuing Brother, he even promised the enemy a position as an officer in the Imperial Guard."

My mother had seen the ladies of those mansions pleading with our old lady before, and she knew how precious this spot was.

Although Brother Lian doesn't ask for anything in return, we can't just let him suffer losses. We should think of a suitable way to make up for his losses.

Aunt Xue was taken aback, looked at Baochai, and then shook her head.

There's no such kind person in the world, asking for nothing in return. But what your Second Brother Lian asks for is precisely...

Aunt Xue looked at Baochai again, her expression deep, which made Baochai feel uneasy.

Baochai was intelligent, and she was actually wondering why her mother had invited Jia Lian back to the capital as soon as she arrived in Tianjin. Not only had she invited him back, but today she had also observed that Jia Lian was very devoted to her brother's affairs, without any coercion or favoritism.

She hesitated to ask Jia Lian directly, but now that she was facing Aunt Xue, she didn't hold back and asked, "I haven't asked you yet if your trip went smoothly, if anything important happened, and how you persuaded Second Brother Lian to return to the capital?"

Aunt Xue smiled without saying a word, and looked at her daughter, saying, "You've been running around outside all day. Go downstairs and take a bath and change your clothes. I'll come to your room later; I have something important to tell you."

Baochai frowned, but still obeyed her mother's order and bid farewell for the time being.

……

After Jia Lian escorted Baochai home, he went straight into Xiaoxiang Pavilion through the back gate of Grand View Garden.

Accompanied by the cheerful announcement of a young maid, Jia Lian walked from the bamboo corridor into Daiyu's boudoir and saw Daiyu standing gracefully under the west window.

She wore a light blue dress, her makeup was exquisite, and her steps were almost motionless, like a fairy girl trying her best to restrain herself from flying towards her.

A smile suddenly bloomed on Jia Lian's face. Indeed, if seeing Baochai was like a restless heart hidden beneath a calm surface, then seeing Daiyu was like an uncontrollable undercurrent beneath a calm lake, a feeling that made his heart leap with joy.

He walked forward with a smile, opened his arms, and finally stood half a step in front of Daiyu.

Daiyu took a small step back, her face flushed, looking adorably bewildered.

Zijuan, standing nearby, shook her head and smiled, bowed slightly, and turned to leave, taking with her the maid who had stayed in the room wanting to watch the show after delivering the message.

With no one else around, Daiyu's shyness subsided slightly. She glanced at Jia Lian, who was still smiling and sizing her up, and immediately spat lightly before turning to leave.

As expected, it was all in vain. She immediately noticed the figure move slightly and then enveloped her entirely in that broad chest.

"Let go. You haven't seen me in so long, and the first thing you do is harass me..."

Daiyu was a person of strong emotions, and as she spoke, she actually felt a bit resentful. In addition, she couldn't break free from Jia Lian's restraints, so in desperation, she raised her little foot and stomped behind her.

After accurately stepping on Jia Lian's boots, she secretly regretted it, wondering if she had stepped too hard...

Then she discovered that nothing of the sort had happened, because Jia Lian showed no reaction whatsoever. Looking up slightly, all she could glimpse was Jia Lian's face resting on her shoulder, his expression one of blissful ecstasy.

Daiyu blushed even more.

After being reunited after so long, she couldn't bear to embarrass Jia Lian too much, so she gradually let go of her resistance and allowed Jia Lian to hold her soft body in his arms from behind, enjoying the purest intimacy between a man and a woman.

Daiyu was also somewhat captivated by this wonderful feeling, thinking to herself that it would be wonderful if Jia Lian didn't harbor any more improper thoughts towards her.

She struggled to break free from Jia Lian's embrace, then turned around and shoved him onto her desk, glaring at him angrily.

Jia Lian didn't seem to care at all. He leaned on the desk with one hand, casually used a leaf to cover the hem of his robe, and said with a smile, "Sister Lin smells so good, I can't get enough of her fragrance."

"Pah, you lecherous scoundrel."

Daiyu spat again, quickly walked to her fragrant couch and sat down, stubbornly turning her head away from Jia Lian.

She thought to herself: Where has the gentle, polite, and gentlemanly Second Brother Lian gone?

As she thought about it, Jia Lian's face, which was out of sight, turned even redder.

Jia Lian was very fond of Daiyu's shy and girlish demeanor; he found it precious. He got up and went over to sit beside Daiyu on the bed, but Daiyu was afraid that he would do something indecent to her again and be seen by others. Therefore, she not only kept her distance from Jia Lian warily, but also quickly stood up when he sat down on her bed, moved back to the desk, and watched Jia Lian vigilantly.

It seemed that if Jia Lian chased after her again, she would run away through the door.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Why are you so afraid of me, Lin Daiyu? I'm not going to eat you."

Daiyu pouted, as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Her expression shifted, and she leaned against the desk, softly asking, "Did you come back because of Baochai's brother?"

I guess so.

"Are you confident you can save her? I heard that the Xue family case is quite big, and it will be very difficult to save her. Baochai hasn't been back to the garden for many days, and Xiangyun and Tan'er are very worried about her." Daiyu said to herself.

Jia Lian asked with a smile, "And you, are you worried about your Baochai sister?"

Daiyu remained silent. As sisters living in the same garden and spending every day together, she, Xiangyun, and Tanchun should have been no different, and she herself did not feel that there should be any difference. However, Jia Lian asked this question, clearly placing her in a different position.

She didn't quite understand, and could only think that Jia Lian must have listened to those people who said that Baochai was better than her and that she was secretly jealous of them.

Although Daiyu admitted that she didn't quite like Baochai when she first came to the capital, this was because Baochai's appearance was indeed outstanding, and people in the Jia family often compared Baochai to her.

Baochai was tactful and cautious in her speech and manner, which made Baochai feel that the other party might be harboring malice.

In her view, someone who can be praised by everyone around them shouldn't exist at all! It goes against the natural order of things.

She felt that one day the other party's true colors would be revealed. Therefore, whenever others praised Baochai, she was always very displeased and even couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.

Now she understands that Baochai is simply a person with extremely strong self-control. And she also has to admit that being with someone like Baochai is more pleasant than being with others.

Despite her understanding, Daiyu was still displeased by Jia Lian's implied criticism of her narrow-mindedness, and thus her face fell. She wanted Jia Lian to know that she was unhappy.

Jia Lian never imagined that his casual remark would cause so many complex emotions to swirl in Daiyu's mind. It was also clear why Daiyu was displeased, since he had indeed meant to tease her.

So I changed the subject: "Did you read all the letters I wrote to you?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu couldn't hold back any longer. The witty remarks Jia Lian had written to her in his letters involuntarily came to mind. While she secretly cursed Jia Lian for being so shameless, she was also very glad that she had such a clever way of collecting books.

She knew that Xiangyun had searched her room more than once in the past few days, looking for the letter. Hmph, if Xiangyun saw it, she'd laugh herself to death.

Seeing that Daiyu remained silent, Jia Lian laughed and said, "You were just complaining that I hadn't come back to see you for so long. Look at this, I took the time out of my busy schedule to write you such a long letter, but you didn't even bother to reply! You know, even your sister Feng, that rough person, replied to me on the same day. You don't care about me at all."

Daiyu, of course, didn't understand that Jia Lian was using magic, and she seemed a little embarrassed.

She had actually considered replying, but she couldn't write a good one after several attempts. The main reason was that, given her current relationship with Jia Lian, she could accept Jia Lian's letters without feeling guilty, but she always felt embarrassed to write a letter to Jia Lian and deliver it to him.

So he cheekily said, "Why can't we say it to each other's faces? Why do we have to write it in a letter? It's so annoying..."

"Really? In that case, I'll sit right here now. What sweet nothings do you have to say? Tell me quickly."

Jia Lian joked. Daiyu was clearly being irresponsible with her words. If he were to be away for an extended period without writing to her, she would surely be furious with him!

Daiyu's face, which had just regained some of its normal color, flushed red again. She felt that she was now truly afraid to see Jia Lian.

She wasn't like this before, wanting to see him every day. Mainly, who could have known that after their engagement, her second brother Lian would change more and more each day, leaving her feeling quite lost and confused.

"You just got back. Have you had dinner yet? Sister Feng is definitely waiting for you at home. You should go back now; I need to get some rest too..."

Faced with Daiyu's order to leave, Jia Lian nodded, stood up and pretended to walk out, but as he passed by Daiyu, he seized her when she was not paying attention.

He lowered his head and kissed her slightly cool, thin lips. After her body went limp, he pulled away with great willpower and whispered harshly in her ear, "I'll be done with my mourning next spring. I'll marry you right then and there, let's see how you refuse me then!"

Daiyu leaned softly against her desk, her eyes unfocused, until she realized Jia Lian had left and her mind cleared. Confirming that Jia Lian wouldn't return, she slowly sat up and walked towards the bed where he had sat, her mind replaying his last words.

Yes, Ming Chunlian's three-year mourning period is over! Time flies. What I thought would be a long process has turned into just one year.

He wondered if the promise to marry him as soon as the mourning period was over was serious or just a way to scare him.

He's probably just bluffing. Even if he's finished his mourning period, she'll still be in mourning. But women are different from men; people don't place much importance on women observing mourning. So, if he's in a hurry and really wants to marry her next spring, no one will say anything, right?

What should we do? If that's the case, what if he...?

Shy and fearful, the young girl, lost in thought and unable to find a solution, collapsed heavily onto the couch, covering her head with the blanket to avoid being noticed by Zijuan and the others in her embarrassment.