Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

Zijuan went out to take a look and quickly returned to report.

"Miss, it's the Second Miss, the Third Miss, and the Fourth Miss from the East Mansion who have arrived."

Daiyu rose to greet them. She was very familiar with the three sisters of the Spring sisters, and she recognized Tanchun's voice from the call just now.

A short while later, three girls walked in.

The woman at the head of the group had slender shoulders and a narrow waist, a tall and graceful figure, and a shrewd look in her eyes. She was none other than Jia Tanchun, the daughter of Jia Zheng.

As for the other two, one was gentle and approachable, and the other was young and beautiful. They were Jia Yingchun, daughter of Jia She of the Rongguo Mansion, and Jia Xichun, the youngest daughter of Jia Jing of the Ningguo Mansion and sister of Jia Zhen, the current heir to the title.

The three greeted Daiyu in unison.

"Greetings, Sister Lin."

"Hello, Lin Daiyu."

Daiyu returned the greetings one by one and had Xueyan bring over tea.

Tan Chun was the most cheerful of the three sisters. After taking her seat, she smiled and said, "We had heard that Sister Lin was coming, and we sisters have been looking forward to it every day. Now we can finally meet her."

At this time, Xichun was still very clever and lively. Her big eyes were fixed on Daiyu: "Sister Lin, you are so beautiful, just like a fairy who walked out of a painting!"

Tan Chun reached out and gently tapped Xi Chun's forehead: "You have such a sweet tongue."

Xi Chun covered her forehead and pouted, "I didn't say anything wrong."

Yingchun watched their bickering quietly with a smile, not joining in. She looked around and said, "This place is indeed a bit remote. Just going to pay our respects to the old lady would probably take quite a while. Will Lin Daiyu be comfortable here?"

Daiyu smiled faintly and said, "I have always preferred quiet, so living here is just right for me. Second Sister, don't worry, this courtyard suits my taste perfectly."

Tan Chun smiled and said, "This courtyard is very spacious. We'll be coming to bother you often from now on. If you don't mind us bothering you, we sisters can chat and do needlework together."

"Third sister, what are you saying? I couldn't be happier. I'll make sure to serve you some tea."

Although Daiyu said this, she knew in her heart that the three sisters had only come to pay their respects out of courtesy. Once Tanchun returned and received a cold shoulder from Lady Wang, she probably wouldn't be so warm towards them anymore.

As the group was talking, Wang Xifeng, leading Ping'er, lifted the curtain and walked in with a smile. Two old women carrying chests followed behind them.

As soon as she came in and saw Sanchun there, she immediately laughed and said, "I was wondering why you weren't here. You guys ran off so fast, without even telling me to come along. I've been so nice to you all this time."

"It's clearly because you, Feng girl, didn't pay enough attention, how can you blame it on us?"

Wang Xifeng looked at Daiyu, wanting her to judge: "Sister Lin, look at that mouth of yours, she really can't stand to be wronged. It's not that I was careless, I was clearly preparing things." She gestured for the two old women to open the box.

"Sister Lin, take a look at these things and see if they are suitable. If you need anything, just let me know."

Daiyu glanced at it and saw a complete tea set and several bolts of fashionable silk, all of the finest quality.

Daiyu was slightly surprised. Wang Xifeng was usually very frugal, trying to stretch every penny in half. Why was she being so generous this time? But despite her surprise, she still thanked her.

"Thank you very much, Sister-in-law Lian."

"We're all family, no need to thank me," Wang Xifeng waved her hand, indicating that it was nothing.

Tan Chun gave Wang Xifeng a meaningful look, knowing that Wang Xifeng had never been so generous to them.

After chatting and laughing for a while, seeing that there were still many places to tidy up for Daiyu, they wisely left without disturbing her any longer.

On the way back, Ping'er couldn't help but say, "Grandma really went to a lot of trouble this time. That tea set is a treasured possession, and those bolts of satin were bestowed by the palace during the New Year. The old lady only gave us that much, and you usually don't even use it."

Wang Xifeng gave a light "humph": "What do you know? This is called 'you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.' This Miss Lin's status is different now."

In the past, she would never have taken Lin Daiyu seriously. Even though Lin's son-in-law was of noble birth, he was still far from the emperor's reach. Even when Lin Daiyu was later favored by the Princess, she only thought it was because the Princess was temporarily fond of her friend's daughter. Once she came to this mansion, could the Princess really take care of her all the time?

Things are different now. With that marriage contract, Lin Daiyu is Princess Anning's chosen daughter-in-law. With this backing, who would dare to bully her? Didn't you see how Grandmother Jia's attitude changed after she learned about the marriage?

Of course, these factors alone were not enough to justify her spending so much. Most importantly, she had assumed that Madam Wang, as her aunt, would look after her more closely, but the woman only had eyes for her precious son and treated her like a mere servant.

If things are done well, that's expected, and there's no guarantee of a reward. But if they're done poorly, there will definitely be punishment. How could she not resent that?

And then there's her husband, Jia Lian. Despite being the eldest son of the main branch, Jia Lian's status in the household is lower than that of Jia Baoyu, who spends his time loitering in the inner quarters. Even if she is strong-willed, in this era where the husband is paramount, everything a woman has is given by her husband. If her husband is incompetent, no matter how capable she is, she cannot stand on her own two feet.

Lady Wang is now unreliable, so he can only rely on Jia Lian. Although Jia Lian isn't exactly a good person either, he has no other choice.

Wang Xifeng now only hopes to get along well with Lin Daiyu, hoping that in the future the other party will speak well of her to that Second Young Master Gu. You should know that although Gu Jinhong currently has no official rank or title, he is someone who can enter the palace to meet the emperor at any time by virtue of the emperor's favor. Even his father-in-law Jia She does not have such face.

She'll have Jia Lian show his face in front of Gu Jinhong more often later. If Gu Jinhong can casually mention it to the emperor, his future might be bright.

Walking on the cobblestone path, Wang Xifeng's mind was filled with joy, as if she were already wearing the imperial robes and a bright future lay before her. She didn't even notice the loose pebbles under her feet.

"Grandma, be careful!" Ping'er sensed something was wrong and tried to reach out to help her, but it was too late.

"Ouch!" Wang Xifeng slipped and fell forward. If she fell, she would surely be disfigured.

Seeing that she couldn't hold him back, Ping'er, in desperation, didn't care about anything else. She made a snap decision, bent over and rushed forward, bumping into Wang Xifeng's side.

Fearing that she wouldn't have enough strength, Ping'er used all her might this time.

With a muffled thud, the master and servant barely avoided the deadly gravel path and fell together onto the grass beside them, rolling around in a heap.

Hearing the commotion, the old women who were cleaning nearby rushed over. When they saw who it was, they were all terrified and swarmed forward to help him up.

"My God, what's going on?"