Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 23 The old residence of the Hou Mansion

As expected of her delicate nature, Daiyu fell ill not long after leaving Yangzhou. As a result, the funeral procession had to accommodate her and slow down even further.

Although Daiyu didn't say it aloud, she actually felt quite ashamed and resentful.

But it was a last resort because of her illness.

That day, they stopped at a farmhouse. Daiyu was served half a bowl of medicine by Wang Mama and others. The bitterness in her mouth and heart continued to assault her, making her feel even more depressed.

Suddenly, Xueyan came skipping and hopping over to the outside of the simple window.

"Young lady, are you feeling better?"

After Xueyan entered the room, she saw Daiyu's expression and immediately lost her cheerful demeanor, asking with some concern.

Daiyu didn't look at her, but stared at the bamboo cage she was carrying.

Xueyan slapped her forehead: "You like this too, Miss? Hehe, here it is for you! I heard that Second Master Lian just bought it from a farmer by the roadside for one tael of silver each!"

Wang Mama, Daiyu's wet nurse, who had just turned around, saw it and exclaimed, "What an adorable stone mouse!"

"Stone rat" is a colloquial term for squirrel. The little squirrel in Xueyan's hand was originally taken from a tree in the field by a farmer. It was still very young, and when he saw the coffin procession passing by, he tried to sell it by the roadside to earn some money. Jia Lian happened to see it and bought it.

Daiyu frowned slightly and asked Xueyan, "Why did he give it to me?"

"Why are you asking, young lady? It must be that Second Master Lian saw that you were feeling down during your illness and specially bought it to cheer you up. It's so kind of Second Master Lian to be so thoughtful, unlike those ungrateful people in the clan who have been complaining these past few days just because we've been walking a little slower!"

It's clear the old saying was true: Of all the things in the world, the maternal uncle's family is the most important. And yet, all those uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings combined don't compare to the kindness of a single maternal uncle.

The steward said that because the young lady was ill, Master Lian was worried that the country doctors wouldn't be any good, so he specially sent someone to the prefectural city to find a good doctor. He said he gave the doctor a packet of silver in exchange for the doctor agreeing to go to Suzhou with him.

Granny Wang said earnestly.

Daiyu remained silent until Xueyan placed the cage beside the kang (a heated brick bed). She then tried to reach out and tease the two adorable baby mice, but seeing that they were frightened, she withdrew her hand. She instructed Xueyan, "When you see Brother Lian again, please thank him for me. Thank you for your trouble."

Having already received instructions from Lin Ruhai, Granny Wang saw that the opportunity was perfect and continued, "Speaking of the young lady's maternal uncle's family, it is truly no ordinary mansion."

The dignified Duke's mansion, and the young lady's maternal grandmother is their old lady, who is said to be extremely fond of her younger generation.

Since she personally wrote to the master to invite you to stay in the capital temporarily, it's clear that she genuinely wants to see the young lady.

Now that I see how much their young master dotes on the young lady, he must be the best person imaginable. So even if the young lady has no other reason than to show her appreciation for the old lady's good intentions, she should go to the capital to meet her.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Knowing she couldn't persuade her any further, Wang Mama could only sigh softly and take the medicine bowl out.

Xueyan looked left and right, wanting to stay and keep the little squirrels company, but afraid of bothering the girl even more, she hesitated for a long time before leaving with her head down.

Daiyu was left alone, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), silently weeping as she looked out the window.

Recalling the words of his father and wet nurse, he couldn't help but ponder them silently.

Lian's second brother was born into a Duke's family and naturally enjoyed wealth and honor in the capital. It was rare that he would willingly travel thousands of miles to mourn his mother. Not only did he travel a long distance to mourn, but judging from his words and actions, he also showed great care for her. It is likely that he was instructed by his maternal grandmother and also considered the bond of blood ties.

It seems that kinship and true principles in the world indeed vary from person to person. Although my uncles and aunts may have expressed concern for me, it was mostly empty talk and perfunctory, and they would put on a show for my father in order to gain personal benefits. Thus, the kinship among my own clan was not as pure as that with someone from another clan.

Then I thought, once I go to the capital alone, my father will be left alone in Yangzhou, separated by thousands of miles, and we will be two lonely people. I couldn't help but feel sad and overwhelmed.

……

The group traveled at a leisurely pace, taking more than ten days to finally arrive in Suzhou.

After entering the city, we arrived at the Lin family's old residence.

The entire family, including men, women, and children, had already gathered at the door. When the coffin appeared, they burst into tears and wailed.

Jia Lian originally thought the Lin family was small, but now he realized that no family that has lasted for hundreds of years should be underestimated!

There were at least one or two hundred members of the Lin family kneeling on the ground, their faces covered in white!

It is clear that this is the entire Lin family, and only about two or three out of ten of them went to Yangzhou for the funeral.

With so many people mixed together, it was inevitable that things would get chaotic. Jia Lian had to work with the old steward and others to arrange and disperse them one by one.

After Daiyu placed her mother's memorial tablet in the ancestral hall, she cried again before preparing to go back to rest, supported by her wet nurse and two or three maids.

"Miss, we have prepared a room in the main house and cleaned it thoroughly. Please feel free to move in."

The housekeeper's wife greeted them with a smile.

Daiyu frowned, and after a while said, "I still want to stay in my old room."

The housekeeper's wife was rather embarrassed upon hearing this. She turned around and glanced behind her, saying, "The young lady is quite sentimental. However, we are only thinking of her. She has always been frail, and staying here will make it easier for her to get up and sit down, as it is closer to the mourning hall."

"Yes, my dear niece Daiyu, please don't refuse. Just stay in the main room here. Anyway, your mother is gone and your father hasn't come back this time. This main room is right for you to stay in."

As soon as the housekeeper's wife finished speaking, a young woman came up from behind and offered the same advice.

Daiyu never liked arguing with idle people, so she didn't say anything more.

However, Granny Wang was not so easily fooled. Upon hearing the words of the daughter-in-law and the steward's wife, she had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth. Therefore, she scolded the steward's wife, saying, "The young lady is the mistress. She can stay wherever she wants. How can you arrange things for her according to your own wishes?"

"Girl, ignore them, let's go back to the old house."

The housekeeper's wife dared not retaliate when scolded, and could only smile helplessly.

However, a girl who had been with the woman earlier couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed her arm and said anxiously, "Mom, I like living there too. I don't want to move out, Mom~~"

"Shut up!"

The woman slapped the girl, and seeing everyone staring at them, she was initially a little embarrassed, but then she seemed relieved and said, "To tell you the truth, little nephew, don't blame us. When we came in to help your mother set up the mourning hall and entertain relatives and friends, we were worried about leaving your sister Jiaojiao alone at home, so we brought her to our mansion to settle her in. We didn't expect it to be the place where you used to live."

We heard you were coming back, and we originally wanted her to move out, but firstly, there are many things going on and things are chaotic outside, and secondly, your sister Jiaojiao has been frail since childhood, just like you, so it was delayed. Therefore, your sister Jiaojiao is living in that room now.

Daiyu had initially thought the servants were just being lazy, but she was stunned by the unexpected turn of events. She weakly said, "Auntie, but that's my room..."

"We know it's your room, but moving and tidying up now would be too much trouble. Anyway, there are so many rooms in this mansion, it doesn't matter where you stay. If you don't want to live in the main house, other places are fine too. I'll have them prepare a place for you right away!"

Granny Wang, usually a law-abiding person, was now enraged. She said angrily, "Madam Hong is too much trouble! Your daughter is precious, but does that mean our young lady should be bullied by you? If the master were here, would you dare treat our young lady like this?"

This Grandma Hong's original surname was Chen, and she was Lin Lang's mother. Because Lin Lang's father had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level), their family was considered a prosperous family in the clan, so they were naturally a bit flamboyant in their actions.

How could she possibly respect someone of such low status?

"Wang Mama's words are too harsh. Who dares to bully the young lady? Who has bullied your young lady? With the eldest sister-in-law gone, the whole family is extremely busy. They are doing whatever they can to ensure that things are done properly. There is no time to worry about anything else."

Even if her uncle were here, he wouldn't mistreat us, considering how hard we've worked to help take care of these things. Why would we make things difficult for our relatives over a room?

Even your young lady hasn't said anything, and you're already stirring up trouble. I think the young lady is clearly a good girl; it's all because of you lackeys who love to cause trouble.

Chen's words made Granny Wang so angry that her lips trembled, and she was about to have a good talk with Chen.

Daiyu was really disgusted, so she pulled her aside and said, "Forget it, Mother, I'll just stay in the main room here."

Granny Wang, mindful of Jia Min's mourning period, managed to suppress her anger, though she couldn't help but mutter a few words in response.

"What happened?"

A strange young man's voice rang out, silencing Chen, who was about to mock Granny Wang.

She turned to look back where she came from, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: What a handsome young man!

After staring at them for a while, I still couldn't recognize them; my intuition told me they weren't from the Lin family.

After settling things at the mourning hall, Jia Lian originally intended to visit Daiyu, but upon hearing the commotion here, he came over to investigate.

When Wang Mama saw Jia Lian coming over, she immediately felt more confident and told him the whole story without hesitation.

Several stewards and members of the Lin clan accompanied Jia Lian. Among them, Lin Lang seemed somewhat anxious after hearing what Granny Wang said.

He tugged at his mother's arm and complained, "Mom, before Dad and I left, didn't we tell you to move my sister out? How could you forget?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Chen refused to admit it in front of her son, and retorted, "How could I forget? Your sister didn't want to move out, what could I do!"

As more and more clansmen gathered around, many pointing and whispering about them, Chen felt a pang of regret. She shouldn't have indulged her daughter for a moment and caused such trouble.

But I'm not afraid.

If his uncle had returned, things would have been much easier. But now that Lin Ruhai hadn't returned to Suzhou, who else could bully them?

Lin Lang's father, Lin Hong, was a middle-aged scholar who couldn't stand being criticized. He cursed his wife in his heart, shook his head and sighed, "It's an insult to scholarship," "It's an insult to scholarship," and then pretended not to see her and left.

Jia Lian knew that Lin Ruhai had been serving as an official away from home for many years and had taken all his family members with him. Therefore, some of his relatives would definitely be unable to resist moving into this huge old mansion, ostensibly to "borrow" a place to stay.

This situation is common among large families across the country. In some cases, houses without a master are even rented out to outsiders for profit by the servants who are in charge!

Therefore, in Jia Lian's view, the Lin family's situation was not unique.

The only thing he couldn't understand was that now that the mistress of the house had passed away and the coffin had been returned, he still dared to occupy the master's house and not leave.

Where did they get the courage?

Seeing Daiyu's clearly aggrieved expression yet her head turned away and she remained silent, Jia Lian felt a surge of anger rising within him for no reason. He glared at the steward who remained at the old house with a dark expression.

Knowing that the matter was beyond repair, and having learned of Jia Lian's background from the old steward, the steward dared not act rashly. He hurriedly knelt down and explained, "Second Master Lian, please calm down. We servants did try to persuade them, but Madam Hong and the others insisted on not listening and refused to move out. We had no choice..."

In fact, the Lin clan members were able to move in because they had given the steward and his servants benefits, which is why no trouble had occurred for several years.

That hateful Madam Hong! Everyone else packed their things and moved out beforehand when they knew the master was coming back, but she refused to move out because of her power. Now she's caused trouble, hasn't she?

If this leads to revelations about the events of the past few years and causes so many people to suffer, then let this stupid woman die!

"What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear your daughter is going to stay in her old room? Why don't you tell your wife to take some people and clean the room thoroughly!"

The butler, who had been hesitant, saw the old butler's sullen face and, giving him a stern look, immediately stood up and yelled at his wife, "Go now! What are you standing there for?!"

"Throw everything that is irrelevant outside the mansion."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the previously frightened "delicate girl" suddenly found courage and ran to the housekeeper's wife, stopping her with her hand: "You're not allowed to go in! Don't touch my things!"

After a long moment of stunned silence, Mrs. Chen rushed over to protect her daughter, yelling, "Have you all gone mad? Or are you all blinded by greed? Who does he think he is? Why are you all so obedient to him? You dare to throw my daughter's things away? I'll never forgive you!"

Lin Lang's expression was also unpleasant. Looking at Jia Lian, she said, "Cousin Lian, there's no need for this. Let's not say it's a family matter of our Lin family, and you shouldn't interfere. Besides, even if Sister Daiyu really wants to live in her old room, we can move out ourselves. Why are you putting on such a show of power here and even throwing away my sister's things? Isn't that just too much of a bully!"

As soon as Lin Lang said this, many people showed expressions of shared indignation.

Clearly, the fact that they had to follow the instructions of an outsider regarding the affairs of the Lin family caused some dissatisfaction among the members.

"Brother Lian, forget it, I don't want that house anymore. Right now, let's just let Mother rest in peace and not cause any more trouble."

Daiyu hadn't cried before, but now that Jia Lian had come to her aid, she started crying instead.

Not wanting Jia Lian to clash with his family, she tugged at his sleeve and tried to dissuade him.

Jia Lian, however, understood Daiyu's feelings to some extent. Hearing her say "I don't want that room anymore" instead of "I don't want to live in that room anymore," he guessed that even if he really vacated the room for her now, Daiyu would not move in again.

What kind of mentality is this?

She no longer cares about things that others have touched.

Or like Miaoyu, she would rather smash a teacup that a dirty old woman had drunk from than take it back. However, Daiyu's fastidiousness lacked some of Miaoyu's aloofness, but gained more of her carefree and genuine nature.

Perhaps, she will never look back at that boudoir that has been with her for so many years.

Respecting Daiyu's wishes, and without wasting time arguing with the village women, he had Granny Wang escort Daiyu back to her main room to rest. Only then did he say to Lin Lang, "You have one day to restore Lin's room to its original state, or don't blame me for disregarding our relationship."

Even things that Lin Daiyu doesn't want are not something that others can take away at will.

After saying this, Jia Lian glanced at Madam Chen and the others, then turned and left.

The old steward admired Jia Lian's composure and never uttered a single word to the shrewish Chen.

Seeing that Jia Lian had already left, but Chen was still cursing and swearing, trying to gain sympathy from others, he finally said coldly, "If it weren't for Second Master Lian's magnanimity in not holding it against you, you wouldn't even know how you died because of the things you just said to him."

If you don't believe me, Madam Hong, just ask Young Master Lang what Second Master Lian's true identity is!

"I will explain everything that happened in the manor today to our master after we return to Yangzhou. As for how he will handle it, you can just wait and see."

The old steward had served two generations of the Lin family patriarchs and was highly respected within the family, so his words carried some weight.

Madam Chen wanted to retort, but seeing that her usually unruly son had only gritted his teeth and endured Jia Lian's threats, she realized that there might be something wrong.

Seeing this, the old steward glared at the uneasy housekeeper beside him, snorted coldly, and followed Jia Lian's footsteps.