Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, there was activity at Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

Granny Zhou and Granny Sun had very regular daily routines. They would get up before dawn and sweep the courtyard until it was spotless.

Daiyu changed her clothes and washed up with Zijuan's help.

Xueyan brought in breakfast: a bowl of rice porridge, two small dishes of side dishes, and a steamer of hot crab roe soup dumplings. "Miss, breakfast is ready. It was prepared by Granny Zhou herself."

The aroma of the soup dumplings whetted Daiyu's appetite. She picked one up, took a bite, and exclaimed sincerely, "The soup is delicious, not fishy or greasy at all. Granny's cooking is truly excellent."

Just then, Granny Zhou came in from the courtyard. Hearing Daiyu's praise, she smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it, Miss. I don't have many other skills, but this is the only thing I can be proud of. If you want anything to eat in the future, just tell me."

After breakfast, Granny Sun and Xueyan stayed in Pear Fragrance Courtyard to keep watch, while Daiyu, accompanied by Zijuan and Granny Zhou, went to Rongqing Hall to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Daiyu realized she had only covered half the distance and couldn't help but feel worried. Living in Pear Fragrance Courtyard was nice, but the matter of paying respects was truly exhausting.

Pear Fragrance Courtyard was located in the northeast corner of the Rongguo Mansion, while Grandmother Jia's Rongqing Hall was on the far west side of the mansion. To get there, one had to walk almost across the entire Duke's Mansion. She was already frail, and after walking for just a short while, sweat was already beading on her forehead.

Upon arriving outside Rongqing Hall, Daiyu calmed her disordered breathing before lifting the curtain and entering.

Inside the hall, Grandmother Jia sat on the couch, with Madam Xing and Madam Wang chatting beside her, and Li Wan and the three sisters of the Spring and Autumn period also present. The only thing that puzzled Daiyu was the absence of Wang Xifeng, who should have been the most attentive.

When Grandmother Jia saw her come in, she beckoned with a kind expression, "Yu'er is here."

"Greetings to my maternal grandmother."

"You must be exhausted from the journey. Come and sit down. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Grandmother, I slept very well; I went to bed early last night."

"That's good. Just let me know if you need anything."

At this moment, Madam Wang, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up: "Old Madam, last night Baoyu went to Pear Fragrance Courtyard to deliver food to Miss Lin, but it seems that something unpleasant happened and he was kicked out."

Then, she looked at Daiyu and said calmly, "Miss Lin, my wicked son is always causing trouble. If he has offended you somewhere, I will apologize to you on his behalf."

These words are meant to be an apology, but no matter how you look at them, they seem to carry an air of accusation.

When Grandmother Jia heard that Baoyu had been wronged, her brows furrowed immediately. Even if Daiyu now had a powerful backer, she couldn't treat her precious darling like this.

"Yu'er, is this about it?"

Daiyu lowered her eyes, remaining completely calm: "I went to bed early last night, so I didn't know that Brother Bao had come." She turned to look at Granny Zhou, "Granny, did someone come last night? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Granny Zhou sneered inwardly. She had seen everything in the palace, and Madam Wang's tricks were really beneath her.

"Yes, Miss, a man did come last night. I heard a noise and rushed to check, only to find that he had broken through the side door and barged in. I wanted to throw him out, but he identified himself as Master Bao from the manor. Since you were already asleep and it was late, I mustered my courage and advised Master Bao to go back. He was quite understanding and knew it was inappropriate to disturb you so late at night, so he left."

Granny Zhou's words were impeccable, especially emphasizing the details of "prying open the door" and "late at night".

After she finished speaking, Daiyu said, "So that's how it is. I know you were thinking of my reputation. Since you are Brother Bao, you should have informed me."

"It's all my fault. If I encounter something like this again, I will definitely inform you, Miss."

Grandmother Jia's face darkened; the word "reputation" sounded incredibly grating. She did love Jia Baoyu, but she also knew the gravity of the situation. Daiyu was now engaged; if the Gu family found out about Jia Baoyu's nighttime intrusion into her courtyard, how could they easily let it go?

Lady Wang, however, did not think Baoyu had done anything wrong. Her Baoyu had always been like this, and no one had ever said anything against him. As for Daiyu's reputation, so be it. It would be best if the Gu family broke off the engagement. Then let's see what kind of trouble a little maid like her could cause.

"Baoyu was just worried that Miss Lin might not be used to the new environment, and he meant well. As for the claim that she broke in, it's not that serious..."

"Enough!" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table and angrily rebuked Lady Wang, "This is how you've corrupted my Baoyu!"

When Lady Wang saw that Grandmother Jia was angry, she immediately fell silent and dared not say another word.

Grandmother Jia turned to Daiyu, her voice softening: "Granny Zhou did the right thing in this matter. As for Baoyu, I'll talk to him about it later. If he acts so recklessly again in the future, just arrange for someone to stop him."

Madam Wang's face was ashen, and her teeth seemed about to shatter. Madam Xing, meanwhile, sipped her tea slowly, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

After this incident, Grandmother Jia lost interest in the festivities and quickly dismissed the crowd.

As Daiyu left Rongqing Hall, she had only gone a short distance when Xichun called her to stop.

"Sister Lin," Xichun quickly approached Daiyu, "Sister Feng is ill, and we are on our way to visit her. Would you like to come along?"

"Is he sick?" Daiyu was taken aback. No wonder he didn't show up to pay his respects today.

Tan Chun and Ying Chun followed at this time. Tan Chun's attitude was no longer as warm as yesterday. Now, Lady Wang's hostility towards Daiyu was almost open. She still had to live under Lady Wang's control. If she got too close to Daiyu, she was afraid she would be punished later.

Yingchun explained softly, "Actually, she fell and sprained her ankle yesterday, so it's inconvenient for her to go out."

After a moment's thought, Daiyu agreed, "In that case, let's go together."

Wang Xifeng's courtyard was located on the northwest side of the Rongguo Mansion, not far from Grandmother Jia's courtyard, separated only by two gates.

Before the group even entered the door, they could hear Wang Xifeng's cursing from a great distance.

"The tea's gone cold, and they haven't even changed it. Are they all dead?"

Daiyu laughed: "Judging from that voice, it's full of energy, so it doesn't seem like there's anything seriously wrong."

Hearing the noise, Ping'er lifted the curtain and came out to greet them: "The young ladies have arrived, please come in quickly."

Daiyu and the others followed Ping'er into the room and saw Wang Xifeng lying on the couch with her right ankle wrapped in white cloth and a large purplish-blue bump on her forehead, looking quite comical.

When Wang Xifeng saw them come in, she struggled to get up and greeted them, "I was wondering why I heard magpies chirping so early in the morning. It turns out my sisters have all come to see me make a fool of myself."

"You're good at accusing people. How did we become the ones watching the spectacle?" Tan Chun laughed as she looked at the large bump on her head. "How did you get that bump? How did it get so badly bruised?"

When Wang Xifeng heard her ask, her face immediately fell: "Don't even mention it. It's all because the servants in the manor are so negligent. They didn't even bother to clear the loose pebbles on the road. If it weren't for Ping'er's quick thinking and the way she bumped into me, my face would be ruined."

As she spoke, she glared at Ping'er again: "If you're going to bump into me, at least be gentle. My back still hurts."

Ping'er felt wronged: "In the heat of the moment, I didn't care about the strength I used. I was just afraid that if I didn't use enough force, I wouldn't be able to push you away, Madam."

Xichun blinked: "So, Ping'er is actually Feng's savior."