Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 16: Book Fragrance
Seeing the embarrassed expressions of the two little girls, Yue Ling didn't want to ask any further questions.

Even if you are young, it is normal to have your own little secrets that you don't want to tell others.

"Everything is here. Just pack up and come out for dinner."

Only after Yue Ling left did Lin Daiyu and Xueyan breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why did you let him in so hastily? What if he is discovered?"

Xueyan knew she was in the wrong, so she quickly explained, "From the tone of his voice, I can tell that General Yue is in a hurry, and he is indeed moving things. Anyway, he hasn't been discovered, so you can relax, young lady."

Lin Daiyu took out the silk and needlework from under the quilt. Seeing the wrinkles and messy threads, she couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, it's still not very good. I wish someone could teach me."

Xueyan was not good at needlework, so she changed the subject and said, "Miss, General Yue said dinner is ready, let's eat first."

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and rubbed Xueyan's chubby face, "Eat, eat, eat. All you think about all day is eating."

……

In the hall, Yue Ling prepared all kinds of dishes.

In order to take care of Lin Daiyu, Yue Ling specially prepared some light dishes, and also some milk soup to nourish Lin Daiyu's body.

The door opened and Lin Daiyu and Xueyan came in. Yue Ling noticed that Xueyan's cheeks were red, so he asked, "Xueyan, what's wrong with your face? Is it burning?"

Xueyan smiled awkwardly at Lin Daiyu, "General Yue...I'm fine."

Looking at the table, Xueyan couldn't help smacking her lips again, "Today is such a rich feast, and it just happened to make up for the girl's birthday."

"Birthday?"

Xueyan helped Lin Daiyu sit on the round stool and nodded, "February 12th is the Flower Festival, which is the girl's birthday. We were still on the boat at that time. Now, the girl is seven years old."

Yue Ling smiled and said, "I neglected it. I will make up for it with Sister Lin in a few days."

Lin Daiyu was slightly surprised to hear Yue Ling call her sister for the first time, but she thought it was in line with their agreement and appropriate, "Brother Yue, you don't have to bother me anymore. Since we left Yangzhou, you have been the one who has been taking care of us and spending money. It's really embarrassing for us. I'm just worried that it will affect your business."

After thinking about the palace, Yue Ling shook his head and said, "There's nothing to do right now. I'll accompany you to study after dinner."

Lin Daiyu's eyes sparkled as she asked in surprise, "Brother Yue knows about books?"

Yue Ling paused while eating and thought, "I've also passed the college entrance examination, okay? Who should I look down on?"

Putting down the bowl and chopsticks, Yue Ling looked at Lin Daiyu and curled his lips, "Of course, you can go without food for a day, you can go without sleep for a day, but you can't go without reading for a day. How can you make progress without reading?"

"You are seven years old this year. If you were from an ordinary family, you would be old enough to go to a private school. However, there is no need to go far away. Although I have never taken the imperial examination to seek fame, it is enough for me to teach you."

Lin Daiyu was filled with joy, and her eyebrows curved into crescent shapes again.

Working with Yue Ling made her feel at peace and it was the most comfortable thing.

"Okay, I'll follow my brother's arrangements."

As a result, Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu had one more thing to do together every day, which was reading and calligraphy. Even though the books were a bit boring, the two never stopped.

……

One day at noon,
Under the windowsill, beside the desk, Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu sat side by side, watching her pick up the pen to copy the calligraphy.

The slender fingers wrapped around the pen, moving it bit by bit, and beautiful words slowly appeared on the rice paper.

A breeze blew by, and a faint fragrance went straight into Yue Ling's nostrils.

Different from the various pungent perfumes and shampoos in the previous life, it is more like a light and elegant fragrance that is refreshing.

Since traveling through time, I have been struggling to make a living. It is not easy to have some free time to enjoy life, and to be so comfortable.

Yue Ling thought that he had the comfort and happiness he had today because of Lin Daiyu. "Life is a little too poor. She should be given a better life. At least she should have a big garden so that she can walk around and plant some flowers."

Before, Yue Ling didn’t pay much attention to material life, but now, he really doesn’t want anyone to ruin this atmosphere.

Seeing Yue Ling distracted, Lin Daiyu secretly curled her lips, put the pen back on the pen holder, and waved her hand in front of Yue Ling, "Brother Yue, Brother Yue? How can a teacher be distracted first?"

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly, "No, I was just thinking about something."

Lin Daiyu blew the ink dry and showed her masterpiece to Yue Ling, "Brother Yue, how is my writing?"

Lin Daiyu looked up at Yue Ling and said, "Praise me!" as if the words were written on her face.

Yue Ling read it carefully and nodded deeply, "Hmm, not bad, what a good saying 'God rewards diligence'."

Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and smiled, "Brother Yue is just joking. This is not 'God rewards hard work' at all, it's clearly 'a yellow bird holding a ring'."

"It's gentle yet powerful, elegant and peaceful. You must be a talented woman to be able to write in such a style at your age."

Hearing this, a smile broke out on Lin Daiyu's face and she raised her eyebrows with great pride.

"Let Xueyan read a book with you, or take a rest. I'll go out and buy some study supplies."

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Yue, go early and come back early."

……

Going out and walking in the streets, the light is dazzling.

Looking at the streets around, there are shops lined up one after another, peddlers and hawkers come and go in an endless stream, and everywhere is busy.

However, in Yue Ling's eyes, it seemed that something was missing.

Walking past the tea stall, you will see merchants stopping here in groups of three or five.

When the men gathered together, after dinner, they naturally talked about the major events that had happened in the capital recently.

"Have you heard? Prince Kang won a great victory at the border, beheading more than 500 northern barbarians. He will be able to return to the capital to report his achievements soon."

"I didn't expect that King Kang is also a good commander, perhaps not worse than King Qin..."

"Isn't it? The last time the King of Qin went out to Hetao, he was unable to pacify the northern barbarians in one fell swoop. If this time the King of Kang accomplishes something that the King of Qin couldn't accomplish, then the court will be in for a big change."

The common people in the market all watched the excitement of the royal family's affairs and regarded them as topics of conversation.

Yue Ling, who actually had a vested interest in this, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

He had not gone out in the past few days and had always stayed at home with Lin Daiyu, so he really had no idea of ​​what was going on outside.

Unexpectedly, King Kang's progress was so smooth, it was really a bit weird.

The news has spread throughout the capital, and the court must have issued rewards for the border guards. I wonder what the King of Qin thinks about it now.

After walking a few steps, he heard someone behind him calling, "General Yue?"

Yue Ling looked back and saw a fat middle-aged man wearing loose and casual clothes.

The man was Ni Er, a well-known rogue in the neighborhood who made a living by lending money at high interest rates.

I have had some dealings with him, and was beaten badly by Yue Ling every time.

"Why, do you want to give me some money?"

(End of this chapter)