The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 212 Lin Daiyu Sheds Tears in the Street

Tu Chengyu doesn't know much about jewelry and can't tell the difference between good and bad.

However, these girls could easily distinguish between good and bad.

Especially since they all grew up in wealthy families and had seen all kinds of jewelry since childhood, they naturally had a broad perspective.

Even though they are young, they still have a good eye for things.

So when they gathered around and looked at the jewelry in front of Lin Daiyu, they started chattering and gossiping about it.

Whether it was because Lin Daiyu was there or because the jewelry was truly exceptional, several people gathered around, showering it with praise.

Even little Jia Xichun praised it in great detail.

After they finished praising the shopkeeper, Jia Tanchun asked him:

"Since you said this was drawn by your aunt and someone beat you up, why is it being sold here?"

The shopkeeper bowed and replied, "I don't know the reason, but I do know that when my aunt sent me the jewelry design, she had the goldsmith in the shop make two pieces of jewelry. One piece was taken back to her mansion as part of her dowry, and the other piece was sent back to the shop, supposedly for sale."

Since the shopkeeper said he didn't know, Jia Tanchun didn't press the matter. Instead, Lin Daiyu looked at the jewelry and asked:

"Since Mother had it placed here to sell, why hasn't it sold after all these years?"

After hearing Lin Daiyu's words, the shopkeeper probably realized that the person in front of him was the daughter of the Jia family's aunt.

However, since he had already exchanged greetings, he did not step forward to exchange greetings again.

He said very respectfully, "Because this piece of jewelry was designed and made by my aunt herself, and there is only one of its kind in the entire capital, it is very precious. Therefore, we usually hide it carefully so that outsiders can not see it, which is why it was sold."

"But upon hearing that the young lady of the manor had arrived today, I took it out and placed it outside."

The shopkeeper had a sincere expression, but he was very good at speaking, saying things that were pleasant to hear, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Even Lin Daiyu, who was heartbroken, showed a hint of joy upon hearing these words.

She became even more enamored with the jewelry. Jia Tanchun, being clever, noticed this and said to the shopkeeper:

“Since this piece of jewelry was made by your aunt, it must be a cherished memory for Sister Lin. Have it wrapped up now, and Miss Lin will take it with her later.”

The shopkeeper had already received instructions from the mansion, so he had nothing to say and simply instructed the shop assistant to carefully wrap up the jewelry.

However, Lin Daiyu had a different idea. She didn't stop the servant from wrapping the jewelry, but simply said to the shopkeeper:
"This piece of jewelry is special to me, so I'll buy it. Shopkeeper, please tell me honestly, what is the normal price of this piece of jewelry?"

The shopkeeper did not answer Lin Daiyu's question immediately, but turned to look at the two young ladies of the Jia family, as if he wanted to ask them something.

If it were any ordinary jewelry, Jia Tanchun would have already dissuaded Lin Daiyu, but this piece of jewelry was different, and she didn't know how to persuade her.

After thinking for a moment, he said to the shopkeeper, "Just do as Miss Lin said, you give me a price."

Having received instructions from the young lady of the manor, the shopkeeper had no more reservations and quoted a price directly:
"The price quoted outside is thirty taels of silver, but since the girl is family, twenty taels will suffice."

Lin Daiyu ignored his offer and directly instructed Xueyan, who was standing beside her, to take out a silver note and pay the price of thirty taels of silver.

The shopkeeper could tell that this young lady was a stubborn person, so he sighed and accepted the money.

After receiving this piece of jewelry, Lin Daiyu lost all interest in looking at anything else.

She sat down not far from Tu Chengyu, wearing the jewelry, her face filled with sorrow, staring blankly at the jewelry box.

With her like this, no one was in the mood to look at the jewelry anymore. They all gathered around her, whispering and trying to find ways to cheer her up.

Seeing everyone gathered around her, Lin Daiyu belatedly realized that she had unintentionally become the villain.

He quickly said, "Sisters, I'm just a little tired from standing for a while. I'm just sitting down to rest. You don't need to worry about me. Go look at the jewelry instead."

Everyone knows the reason for Lin Daiyu's sadness, but it's not something that can be said out loud.

Xue Baochai, being one of the older women among them, spoke indirectly:

"My sister and I came to the jewelry shop to see something new, and we've already seen it all,"

Jia Tanchun chimed in, "I've been to this shop before. They haven't added any new items, so it's not worth looking at again."

Lin Daiyu knew these were all excuses, and she didn't want to prevent others from doing their best because of her, so she still tried her best to persuade them.

Tu Chengyu sat not far from them, watching the group of girls trying to persuade each other. He knew that if this continued, not only would they not have a good time here, but they wouldn't even be able to continue shopping today.

So he stepped forward and said, "Since everyone has seen enough here, let's go somewhere else to play. There are plenty of places to visit today."

The group of girls who were talking all thought it was a good idea after hearing Tu Chengyu's suggestion.

Rather than leaving this place and causing Lin Daiyu to continue to grieve over the memories, it would be better for her to go somewhere else.

Lin Daiyu wasn't the type to let others accommodate her. She already felt guilty for disturbing her sisters' shopping trip, and she was more than willing to listen to Tu Chengyu's words.

She quickly said, "Then let's go to the next place."

Since everyone agreed, they all left the jewelry shop.

After they came out, instead of returning to the carriage, they gathered together and slowly strolled along the bustling street, taking in the sights.

At this moment, Lin Daiyu also put aside her feelings and happily looked around with everyone.

However, the jewelry box she was clutching tightly in her hand showed that her mood was definitely not as good as it seemed.

Tu Chengyu noticed her condition.

However, in front of everyone, Tu Chengyu had no good way to get her to put the jewelry box down temporarily.

Fortunately, Lin Daiyu was followed by a clever and quick-witted maid named Zijuan, who also saw what was happening.

Moreover, she knew that given her daughter's sentimental nature, if she were to go shopping with a jewelry box, she would probably be immersed in sadness all day.

So, during their walk, the maid secretly approached Lin Daiyu and whispered something in her ear. Lin Daiyu then gave the jewelry box to Zijuan.

Next, Zijuan hugged the jewelry box tightly to her chest as if it were a treasure.

With the jewelry box no longer on her person, Lin Daiyu strolled along the streets for a while, and under the deliberate care of Xue Baochai and the others, her mood visibly improved.

In that case, today's shopping trip can be considered to have truly begun.

After strolling around for a while, they arrived at the busiest section of the street, where a huge crowd had gathered and traffic was congested at the intersection.

Despite Tu Chengyu and the others' efforts to stay in one place, they were scattered in several different locations due to the crowd.

When Tu Chengyu led Lao Yao around to the other side and reached the corner of the intersection, they saw Lin Daiyu and the others already standing in front of them waiting.

As soon as Tu Chengyu arrived, wanting everyone to continue forward, he heard Lin Daiyu anxiously ask:

Have you seen Zijuan?

Zijuan was holding the jewelry Lin Daiyu had received that day, so it was understandable that Lin Daiyu was nervous. To ease his anxiety, Tu Chengyu immediately said:
“Zijuan is just behind us, around the corner. She’s with two other people, so there’s no need to rush.”

Tu Chengyu's original intention was to comfort Lin Daiyu, but before he could finish speaking, he was proven wrong.

All that could be heard was an urgent shout from around the bend behind:

"Guards! A thief has stolen something!"

Judging from that voice, it's clearly Zijuan's.

As her personal maid, Lin Daiyu recognized the voice immediately.

She also heard what Zijuan was shouting, and worried that what had been stolen was likely the bag of jewelry.

So he turned around and ran back the way he came with a anxious look on his face.

Unfortunately, there were just too many people here, and even if she, a young girl, tried her best, she couldn't squeeze out a very long distance.

Tu Chengyu knew that it was useless to persuade Lin Daiyu at this time, so he gave Lao Yao and the others a wink.

Upon receiving the order, Lao Yao and his men dispatched several men to rush ahead of Lin Daiyu and clear a path for her.

The place was already somewhat chaotic because of Zijuan's shouts.

Now that Lao Yao and the others are crowding around, things are even more chaotic.

However, since the two places were not far apart, with the guards clearing the way, everyone quickly squeezed to Zijuan's side.

Lin Daiyu asked anxiously, "What is missing?"

When Zijuan saw everyone coming, she could no longer keep a straight face, especially when she saw Lin Daiyu, she burst into tears.

However, this girl had a strong personality; although tears were streaming down her face, she didn't cry out loud.

Instead, she lowered her voice and said, "It's my aunt's jewelry box. It was stolen by thieves."

Upon hearing that it was indeed jewelry that had been lost, Lin Daiyu's expression changed instantly.

Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she tightly clutched the handkerchief in her hands, unsure of what to say.

Everyone knows the significance of this box of jewelry to Lin Daiyu, and she must be very saddened to lose it now.

But the item is already lost, so being sad won't help. It's best to find the jewelry.

If you want to get your jewelry back, no one here is more helpful than Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu himself was well aware of this, so he spoke up:
"Miss Lin, don't worry. It's quite easy to find things in the capital."

Lin Daiyu also knew that, given Tu Chengyu's status, if he wanted to put all his effort into finding something, there was basically nothing he wouldn't be able to find.

However, her concern clouded her judgment, and she looked anxiously at Tu Chengyu, wanting him to make arrangements immediately.

Tu Chengyu didn't mince words and directly said to Lao Yao beside him:

"Send someone to inquire and find out which jurisdiction this place belongs to. Then, have them bring their men here to receive my orders, carrying my token."

After instructing Lao Yao, Tu Chengyu turned to Zijuan and asked:

"Did you see clearly who was robbing you?"

Zijuan wiped away her tears and said, "It was two people dressed in short clothes, who looked like strongmen. One of them deliberately bumped into me to distract me, and the other snatched the jewelry from my arms from the other side."

I wanted to chase after them, but there were too many people and I couldn't catch up.

After hearing Zijuan's words, he knew that this was the work of an experienced criminal.

Such people are usually quick-witted and familiar with the terrain. If they weren't caught on the spot, it would be very difficult to find their whereabouts now.

It seems impossible to find the jewelry in the vicinity now.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Did you get a good look at their faces?"

Zijuan shook her head and said, "They deliberately hid, but I only saw the profile of one of them."

Come to think of it, how could such a seasoned expert easily reveal his face?

In that case, the information that Zijuan can get from her will not be very useful.

However, to reassure Lin Daiyu, Tu Chengyu continued to ask:
"Where did these two thieves escape from?"

Zijuan pointed to the alley behind her and said, "They went into this alley and disappeared."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu sent a guard into the alley to investigate.

A short while later, the guard rushed back and reported to Tu Chengyu:
"Fifth Master, this is a dead end. The thief must have escaped by climbing over the wall. There are marks left by the thief when he climbed over the wall at the end."

Even if someone had chased after him, it would have been very difficult to catch this old thief.

However, this is not a suitable topic to discuss in front of Lin Daiyu.

We must now find a way to appease Lin Daiyu and calm her down before arranging for someone to find the jewelry.

Tu Chengyu thought for a moment, then asked the guard from before, "Are you sure you left any traces?"

The guard replied earnestly, "This humble servant would not dare to lie; there are indeed traces left by thieves on the wall."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu clapped his hands lightly and said loudly:
"It's good to leave traces. With these traces, the thief will definitely not be able to escape."

Tu Chengyu said this intentionally, his purpose being to reassure Lin Daiyu.

Clearly, Tu Chengyu's performance was effective; after hearing it, Lin Daiyu's worry was no longer as pronounced as before.

Even Zijuan, the maid, wiped away her tears and looked at Tu Chengyu with hopeful eyes.

Lin Daiyu asked softly, "Can the jewelry really be found?"

Tu Chengyu said confidently, "Don't worry, with me here, no one can take the things away."

Just as Tu Chengyu was comforting Lin Daiyu, two people dressed as constables walked from the street corner.

Tu Chengyu assumed that this was the person the guards he had just sent had brought.

But only two constables arrived, and they seemed unsteady on their feet, and the constables sent to assist them did not come along.

Tu Chengyu guessed that this was not someone he had summoned, but most likely a constable patrolling the streets.

Sure enough, when the two constables walked up to everyone, they opened their mouths and said:
"Who are you and why are you blocking the road?"

Upon hearing the constable's words, Tu Chengyu turned around and realized that his group was indeed blocking the entire road. No wonder the two constables had come over to inquire.

(End of this chapter)