Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

As the sun rises higher in the east, its golden rays illuminate the mountains and rivers, creating a vibrant and lively scene everywhere.

Daiyu slowly turned her gaze away from the window, only to find that another person in the carriage was staring at her. She couldn't help but question, "Why are you looking at me instead of the scenery?"

Baochai had just been looking at the scenery outside the window, just like Daiyu. But when she turned around, she noticed that Daiyu, who was quietly admiring the scenery, indeed had the ethereal beauty of Xi Shi. Baochai couldn't help but scrutinize her closely.

After all, even among the sisters in the garden, there are rarely opportunities to observe each other's facial features and expressions so closely.

Seeing that she had been discovered, Baochai was not embarrassed at all, and said frankly, "I find your face more beautiful than the scenery outside the window, and I couldn't help but stare at you. I hope you won't be offended."

Daiyu was taken aback, and subconsciously pouted, saying, "You've only been with him for a short time, and you've already picked up his glib tongue!"

Baochai was taken aback and asked, "The 'him' you're referring to, is it Lian Er Gege?"

Daiyu realized that her words had revealed something, but she was not about to back down, so she continued with her aloof reply: "Who else could it be but him? Could it be that Sister Bao has someone else in her heart besides him?"

As expected of Lin, who has a sharp tongue; just two sentences were enough to make her want to hit someone.

After a pause, Baochai suddenly asked, "Sister, do you know why Tan'er insisted on arranging for us to ride in the same carriage?"

"What else could it be? She's mischievous by nature, loves to play tricks, and wants to see us make a fool of ourselves."

Daiyu tilted her head and looked at Baochai, seemingly wondering why the usually intelligent Baochai would ask such a foolish question.

Those people were trying every means to bring the two of them together, clearly wanting to wait for them to "fight" so they could enjoy the show.

But they don't even consider who I am, how could I possibly do such a stupid thing?

However, if the other party wants to test their skills against her, she doesn't mind giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Daiyu looked at the plump and beautiful Baochai opposite her with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, secretly wondering how she would control this person if she were Fengjie.

Baochai wasn't used to Daiyu's discriminatory gaze, so she changed her approach and asked, "Then why do you think Second Brother Lian took us out of town for a trip today?"

"What else could it be but to send off Zhen girl..."

Daiyu said it as a matter of course, but then suddenly realized something.

After all, Jia Lian had wanted to take her and Baochai out of the city for a spring outing yesterday, and he had even gone to great lengths to trick her into going out!

"Are you saying that Tan Yatou and the others were instructed by him to deliberately arrange for us to be together?"

Baochai nodded and said, "Perhaps it was at his behest, or perhaps Tan'er saw what Lian Er-gege was thinking. But in any case, Lian Er-gege certainly wants the two of us to be harmonious, and he has done a lot for this, which you should be able to see, sister."

Daiyu immediately pouted and frowned; how could she not see it?

To make it easier for her to accept Baochai, that guy devised a plan to take the two of them out of the city for a trip.

What's most infuriating is that he clearly went to see her the night before, but he didn't say anything until the very next morning when he told her he was going to take her out of town for fun.

Why? It's because he's afraid she'll throw a tantrum and not do what he wants if she finds out Baochai is there.

Sure enough, he and Sister Feng are a match made in heaven; they both love to scheme against people!

"What do you mean by this? What harmony? Do we have any discord?"

Faced with Daiyu, who seemed as prickly as a hedgehog and impossible to approach, Baochai wasn't angry. She knew that arguing with Daiyu at this moment would only play into her hands, so she simply ignored Daiyu's question and continued to ask gently, "What kind of person does Lin sister think Lian Er brother is?"

Baochai's silence made Daiyu inexplicably uncomfortable, so she didn't bother to guess what Baochai meant and just replied haphazardly, "Who else could it be? Of course, a lecherous scoundrel who's greedy for women and scheming to the end."

Even though she knew that Daiyu was the one who cared least about Jia Lian's dignity, Baochai couldn't help but smile when she heard Daiyu call Jia Lian a lecher.

"It is not wrong for a man to be fond of women."

Upon hearing this statement, which was clearly intended to cover up the man's wrongdoing, Daiyu immediately gave Baochai a sidelong glance, thinking that Baochai had probably become foolish from studying the Book of Women.

Seeing Daiyu's expression, Baochai didn't elaborate further and continued the previous topic:

"In my eyes, Brother Lian is an extraordinary man, a person who stands tall and upright."

A person like him is destined to achieve great things, perhaps even to create an era.

We should be grateful that we lived in the same era as him and that we knew and got to know him.

This world is so big that it can hold millions of people.

This world is also very small, too small to accommodate a family or a clan.

An individual, or even a family, is insignificant in the face of overwhelming forces.

Consider the families destroyed in this upheaval in the capital region; how many were not prominent or glorious?

If these families are in such a state, what about people like you and me, who have already fallen on hard times?

Unfortunately, we are both women and cannot change the decline of our family through our own abilities.

Ordinary people and families like ours can only withstand the crushing influence of the times and gain a foothold in this world by closely following a visionary, responsible, and capable person.

Clearly, Lian Er is that kind of person.

"Sister Lin may not know what kind of vortex Brother Lian has been caught up in this time, and what kind of danger he has experienced."

For an ordinary person, being placed in such an environment would almost certainly result in death. But in the end, Lian Er Gege escaped unscathed.

Not only did he escape unscathed, but those around him were also protected.

Heroes of our time, like the young Marquis of the Shi family and my uncle, were spared from being beheaded and their families wiped out because of him!

I don't know how to describe it, but when my dignified and insightful uncle spoke with admiration about my second brother Lian's decision in the face of this important matter, I felt nothing but respect.

As a woman, I am willing to stand by such a man's side, to witness the ebb and flow of the world with him, to see the rise and fall of eras together, and to watch him step by step towards glory.

As Baochai spoke, her eyes gradually became serious and her tone became more and more passionate.

Daiyu was stunned by what she heard.

When she heard Baochai say that she and her family had declined, she was a little unhappy, but since Baochai included her own family in the conversation, she didn't say much.

When she heard Baochai say that Jia Lian had experienced cruel danger, her heart tightened again, recalling her own worries and fears in the past few days.

But all these feelings were dispelled by Baochai's final, vow-like words.

There was no other reason than that Baochai felt very unfamiliar to her at this moment, much like those court politicians who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Shaking her head, Daiyu retorted, "What's so great about his success? Aren't you afraid that his success will bring you even more sisters?"

Daiyu's original intention was to wake Baochai up and stop her from saying these irrelevant things.

Unexpectedly, Baochai seemed completely unconcerned upon hearing this. She calmly looked at her and after a long while, she said softly, "In a small fishpond, two fish compete for food, but under a towering tree, there is enough room for grass and trees to grow."

Daiyu was startled and greatly surprised by Baochai's words.

She didn't know what stance Baochai was on when she said that, but at that moment she understood that there was really nothing for her and Baochai to fight over, because their thoughts were on completely different levels.

She did not agree with Baochai's statement.

……

Just as Bao and Dai were "sitting and discussing philosophy" inside the carriage, a head suddenly popped out of the window of another carriage following them and said to the man riding a tall horse next to him, "Brother Lian, the sun is getting stronger, why don't you come and ride in the carriage with us?"

Jia Lian turned around and saw it was Xiangyun. He nodded and said, "Okay, but your carriage already has three people in it. Wouldn't it be too crowded if I got in?"

"Ah, I mean, for you and Bao..."

Xiangyun was completely bewildered by Jia Lian, but amidst the mocking laughter of Tanchun and Baoqin inside the carriage, she naturally realized that she was being teased by Jia Lian.

Her face flushed red, and she huffed, "Hmph, what I meant was that you should sit in the front carriage. The front carriage is spacious, and there are only Sister Bao and Sister Lin there. It's the most suitable place for you to sit."

Although it was said in anger, he felt it was inappropriate afterward, so he stuck out his tongue and shrank back.

Looking at the carriage window with the curtains drawn, Jia Lian smiled and said to the carriages, "You should all have eaten breakfast, right? If anyone is lazy and hasn't eaten breakfast, then you're in big trouble."

I'm warning you in advance, there's no cook prepared for you today.

Since we're here to have fun, let's stick to the old rules: once we get there, we'll do everything ourselves and be self-sufficient.

There are rivers and streams near my horse farm. Your sister Ping'er has prepared fishing rods and tackle for you. If you want to eat fish later, you can go and fish for yourselves.

If you want to eat fruits and vegetables, the farmers in the horse farm also grow them, and you can pick them yourself, but remember to pay.

Of course, if any of you are clever enough to prepare snacks or ingredients in advance, I won't object to you using them. However, you will definitely have to prepare the ingredients yourselves. Do you all understand?

As Jia Lian spoke, almost all the carriages lifted their curtains, revealing many bright and beautiful young faces.

Some people are happy, some are sad, but most people feel it's new and exciting.

Doing it yourself is the true essence of having fun!

So everyone agreed, and they all began to look forward to showing off their skills and impressing their girlfriends.

Unexpectedly, after Jia Lian finished giving his instructions, he rode his horse to the carriage of Baochai and Daiyu and asked, "Lin girl, what would you like to eat later? I'll get it for you."

A moment later, the carriage curtain was half lifted, revealing Daiyu's small face.

"What I want to eat isn't important... Why don't you ask Sister Bao?"

Daiyu's voice was always delicate and sweet.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "If I asked her first, you would definitely be unhappy, but if I asked you first, she definitely wouldn't care."

Jia Lian didn't mutter a word, so the young ladies who had peeked out earlier burst into laughter, thinking that Jia Lian was indeed bold to tease Daiyu like that.

Daiyu never expected Jia Lian to be so audacious. When she noticed that the guards in the distance seemed to be suppressing their laughter, she finally glared at Jia Lian fiercely, said nothing, and directly pulled down the curtain.

Jia Lian wasn't worried, and instead asked, "Bao'er, what about you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft voice rang out from inside the carriage: "I'm fine, Brother Lian, you don't need to worry."

In the carriage at the very front, Jia Baoyu sat alone, listening to the cheerful chatter outside. He began to regret coming along.