Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 299: The Healthy Sister Lin

Xueyan shuddered slightly, recalling the past that she couldn't bear to look back on.

This Nanny Wang was both Lin Daiyu's wet nurse and her foster nanny.

Lin Daiyu has always been intelligent, and has been quiet and dignified since childhood. Even when learning some complicated etiquette, she can do it just right after just reading it once.

Whether she walked, sat or lay down, her posture was graceful, she had the demeanor of a daughter of a marquis.

Jia Min was usually a kind lady to others and never treated her servants harshly.

Just like that, the nanny who was in charge of playing the villain in the room had no place to use her martial arts skills, and the consequence was that Xueyan had to bear all the consequences.

It was said that as the number one maidservant beside the master, she had to behave in a manner that was in line with the master's style, so Xueyan was also strictly disciplined in etiquette.

But when she entered the Jia Mansion, she was still singled out by Grandmother Jia as being childish. It was obvious that she did not study hard and had been beaten many times.

Hearing that Nanny Wang was actually coming here, Xueyan couldn't help but panic for a moment.

"You, go stop her first. I'll go ask Sister Zijuan what to do."

Xueyan hurriedly gave instructions, then went back to the room and dragged Zijuan, who was sleeping with her, out of bed.

"Sister Zijuan, something bad has happened. An old maid from the Lin residence has arrived."

Zijuan had her hair draped over her shoulders, a little disheveled. She pulled a piece of cloth over and slowly tied it up. She frowned and looked at Xueyan in confusion, "A nanny from the Lin residence? So what? Maybe she was sent by Master Lin to deliver a message?"

Xueyan gestured with her hands and feet, "She, she is different. She is very fierce. If she knew that the young lady did not sleep in our room, but was with General Yue, wouldn't it be a disaster?"

Zijuan suddenly came to her senses and thought that what Xueyan said made some sense.

After all, Lin Daiyu is still a young lady in the boudoir. It is definitely not tolerated by the Lin family for her to stay in the same room with a man.

Not to mention that the two are not engaged, even if they are engaged, they have to avoid meeting each other before the wedding. This is the custom.

Zijuan put on her dress and got out of bed without even having time to tie it up, saying, "You take care of it first, I'll go get the girl."

But at this moment, in the corridor outside, an old woman's voice was heard, "Why is it Xueyan who asked me to wait outside? I want to see Marquis Anjing and the young lady. Don't stop me. I have something to say to the young lady."

Before leaving, Lin Ruhai gave Nanny Wang a subtle reminder, asking her to keep an eye on Lin Daiyu and make sure she didn't do anything out of line.

If any impolite behavior was done before the marriage, Lin Ruhai would be too embarrassed to save his reputation.

How will his colleagues in the court view him?

Nanny Wang was entrusted with an important task, so she was naturally concerned and confused. When she heard the little maid coming to tell her that Xueyan had stopped her outside, she could no longer bear it and walked inside immediately.

Hearing the sound, Xueyan and Zijuan also panicked.

Xueyan hurriedly pushed Zijuan inside and said, "Sister Zijuan, lie down inside quickly."

"what?"

Xueyan said anxiously, "You are from the Jia family, and Nanny Wang won't recognize you. Go inside and sleep with your back turned. I will just say that the girl has fallen asleep and fool around for now. I will find a chance to go find the girl and bring her back."

Zijuan nodded repeatedly, "That's a solution."

Then he hid in the bed.

After calming down, Xueyan dressed neatly and came to the door. When she opened it, she saw an old lady with silver hair. The years of wind and rain had left wrinkles on her face, but she looked kinder than before.

Xueyan moved her throat and whispered, "Mother Wang, why are you here?"

Nanny Wang frowned and looked Xueyan up and down. "Are you Xueyan?"

Xueyan smiled awkwardly and said, "Could it be that Mom has forgotten me?"

"It's only been a few years, I can hardly recognize you. You looked a bit fatter the last time I saw you. And now with those two white bags on your chest, I thought you were the wet nurse in the room."

The snow goose lowered its head shyly.

In this world, slim and graceful women are considered beautiful. As she grew older, Xueyan also discovered that she was different from others. Her figure was a little too conspicuous, so she had to use more fabric when making clothes.

This kind of talent seemed to be only used by wet nurses in each family, and Nanny Wang had hit the nail on the head.

Xueyan carefully hugged her arms, tucked in her chest and abdomen to hide her body, and moaned, "Mom, the girl has already fallen asleep. If there is anything, please tell me. The girl and I will know tomorrow."

Xueyan dressed in a hurry, with her skirt still tucked inside. Nanny Wang casually turned it out and sighed, "I'll go take a look to see if the young lady is really asleep in the room."

Seeing that Nanny Wang insisted on confirming whether the person in the room was Lin Daiyu, Xueyan became even more panicked. If she saw her face after walking into the inner room, she would definitely not be able to hide it. Then, not only Lin Daiyu would be in trouble, but she would also be in trouble.

Just when he was in a dilemma, the door of the west wing opposite opened.

Ying'er, who had the habit of getting up at night, staggered out and saw two people standing under the lantern in the east wing. One of them looked unfamiliar, so she walked closer with a puzzled look on her face.

The security at Fengqiao Posthouse is stricter than that at the government office. No stranger can walk straight into the inner room, let alone at night.

"This madam looks unfamiliar to me. Where is she from?"

Ying'er came over to ask questions, thinking that the naive Xueyan was being bullied by the evil servant, so she came over to support and help.

Xueyan introduced: "Mom is from our Lin Mansion, and she is here to meet the young lady and General Yue."

Ying'er was startled. Everyone in the room knew that Lin Daiyu would stay in the room with Yue Ling for a while at night. As for whether she would go home or not, that was another matter. Right now, they must be still in the main room, being affectionate with each other.

No wonder Xueyan blocked the door and wouldn't let the nanny in. She was afraid that the secret would be exposed.

Ying'er's eyes turned and she said, "So it's the mother from the Lin Mansion. I was rude just now. You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll go and help tell the Marquis."

Ying'er and Xueyan blinked and signaled her to wait a little longer.

Xueyan didn't understand what it meant, but she firmly believed that as long as Ying'er went to knock on the door and called Yue Ling, the matter would be resolved.

"Mom, don't worry. You've been on this bumpy journey. Have some tea first. I'll go wake up the girl."

……

In the main room,
Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu were unaware of what was happening outside. They were still lying quietly on the couch, their big hands holding each other's small hands, both feeling dizzy and about to fall asleep.

At that moment, there was a hurried knock on the door.

Yue Ling frowned slightly and slowly woke up.

"My Lord, it's me. I have something to say."

Ying'er's voice is very easy to recognize. Her tone is higher than that of ordinary girls, like the chirping of an oriole.

Lin Daiyu withdrew her hand shyly, lifted the quilt and sat up.

Thinking that maybe something happened to Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu said again: "Shall I open the door and let her in?"

Yue Ling nodded and sat up.

Lin Daiyu got up and removed the bolt. Ying'er came in cautiously. Seeing Lin Daiyu's rosy face and only wearing underwear, she felt a little embarrassed.

He spat secretly, "The Marquis really doesn't let anyone go. It seems that the girl is also a matter of time."

After closing the door, Ying'er approached Lin Daiyu and said, "Miss Lin, this is not the Marquis's business, it's yours. A maid from your Lin family has come from Yangzhou Prefecture. She looks like a very powerful maid. Xueyan is very respectful and is looking for you in the east wing."

As soon as Ying'er described it, Lin Daiyu immediately thought of who had come and her face froze.

Yue Ling walked out from behind the bed curtains. Seeing this scene, he asked in confusion, "What was said just now?"

Thinking that it was late at night and she was still alone in Yue Ling's room, if Nanny Wang knew about this, who knows what she would think.

When the news was reported back to Yangzhou Prefecture, the servants would spread rumors about it, and even a clear case would be turned into a false one.

By then, not only would she not be able to give an explanation to her father, she would also be too ashamed to go back to Yangzhou.

The little girl was the most sensitive and wanted to open the door immediately. "No, no, I have to go back quickly. I can't let Mother Wang know that I'm here."

Ying'er hurriedly held the front door shut again and said, "No, Miss Lin, if you go back through the front door, you will definitely be seen. The nanny is already in the east wing, and Xueyan is stalling over there."

Lin Daiyu was stunned and asked, "What should we do then?"

Ying Er pointed at the window and said, "How about jumping out of the window? The window in the wing room is not high, so it won't be difficult to get in through the window."

Lin Daiyu nodded and made up her mind in a moment, "Okay, let's go!"

Yue Ling finally understood what was going on, but before he could express his opinion, the two girls ran off in a hurry.

Yue Ling held his forehead with his hand, feeling quite helpless.

Wouldn't it be fine if he just asked someone to call Nanny Wang over and ask her what Lin Ruhai had said? Then they could take this opportunity to go back.
You have to go to such extremes.

But now the two little girls had run away, and it was too late for him to call them back. He had no choice but to go back to the room, put on his clothes, and then check to make sure the two little girls were not bumped into or hurt.

Ying'er held Lin Daiyu's hand and walked all the way to the back of the wing room.

He knocked on the window frame repeatedly before finally calling Zijuan over.

Zijuan opened the gap, thinking that there was a cat making trouble outside, but it was actually the faces of two little girls reflected in.

"Sister Zijuan, open the door quickly and pull Miss Lin up so that we can get up in no time."

"Ahhh? Why are you here?"

Zijuan was also panicked, but she did as Ying'er said, propped up the wooden window, and pulled Lin Daiyu's hand inside.

Xueyan walked in. She was about to discuss countermeasures with Zijuan, but was dumbfounded when she saw this scene.

"What are you doing?"

Ying'er called out, "What are you standing there for? Xueyan, come and help me."

Xueyan also hurried forward and held Lin Daiyu's other arm. The three girls worked together to slowly pull Lin Daiyu into the room. Fortunately, Lin Daiyu was very light, so the maids who never did rough work were able to carry her and successfully let Lin Daiyu step onto the windowsill with one foot.

Xueyan walked into the room for a long time, but there was still no movement. Nanny Wang, who was drinking tea, felt something was wrong, so she got up and walked into the room.

"Xueyan? What are you hesitating about? It's been a while, and you haven't woken up the girl yet?"

Nanny Wang approached step by step, making the women's hearts hang in the air.

"Push harder, push harder!"

Ying'er said anxiously from below: "It's only a little bit left."

As she was speaking, she felt something light on her hand. Yue Ling gave her a gentle push from behind, and Lin Daiyu jumped over the windowsill.

But the two little girls forgot to let go, and Lin Daiyu fell onto the bed with her.

Lin Daiyu fell on Xueyan, and her head was cushioned just right. She felt it was soft and there was no bump on her.

This scene was seen clearly by Nanny Wang who had just entered the room.

In this situation, Nanny Wang, who thought she had seen all kinds of big scenes, could not help but be stunned on the spot, like a stone statue.

"You, what are you doing?"

Nanny Wang originally thought that Lin Daiyu was fast asleep and Xueyan didn't wake up.

But the moment he looked, he saw that Lin Daiyu was lying on Xueyan with her head on her chest, making her body a mess. There was another maid lying on the bed with Xueyan, with her hair disheveled on her shoulders, looking very unfamiliar.

The window opposite was open and wind was blowing in.

Nanny Wang couldn't help but walk forward a few steps, closed the window, and looked outside, but didn't see anyone.

It was just that it was dark and I didn't have time to look carefully, otherwise I would have definitely seen the footprints under the window.

After closing the window, Wang Ma didn't know how to teach Lin Daiyu, whose temperament had changed drastically.

"girl?"

Nanny Wang first touched Lin Daiyu's forehead to confirm whether she was sick or had encountered a stranger.

There was a little sweat, but nothing unusual, so Nanny Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's going on with you guys?"

Three little maids sat in a row on the bed, Zijuan and Xueyan sat on both sides of Lin Daiyu, all of them lowered their heads like timid quails, and only glanced at Lin Daiyu secretly.

Lin Daiyu's face was even more flushed.

All the etiquette and manners of a daughter of a marquis seemed to have vanished in front of Nanny Wang just now.

It's like a student who has always been good in both conduct and academic performance, but is discovered by the dean of studies to be a frequent visitor to the Internet cafe, constantly scolding his teammates while playing games. It can be said that his image is completely ruined.

Lin Daiyu said nothing. Even though Nanny Wang was both a nurse and a wet nurse, she was still just a servant. It was not easy for her to reprimand Lin Daiyu. She found an excuse for her and said, "You have been away from home for six years since you came to Yangzhou. When I saw you again today, I saw that you have become so... so erratic. I don't know whether it is good or bad. Maybe you have been with the Marquis for so long that you have been influenced by the military tradition?"

"However, the young lady is still a member of the Lin Mansion. If you return to the Salt Inspectorate's Mansion in the future, please do not cause such trouble again, otherwise the master will really not be able to bear it."

Lin Daiyu nodded shyly. Even though she was very smart, she didn't know what to say to get out of the question.

After saying this, Nanny Wang turned the page on what had happened before. As an old nanny who had been in the inner room for a long time, she could naturally guess something. She was probably afraid that Lin Daiyu was not in the room at all, but just came in through the window.

Although this idea was reasonable, Nanny Wang still found it difficult to connect the little girl who was "as quiet as a flower reflecting in the water, and as swift as a willow swaying in the wind" with what had just happened.

How can this be called a weak willow supporting the wind? Isn't this called moving like a mad rabbit?
But on the bright side, Lin Daiyu's health had indeed recovered and she was much better than before. She could even jump out of the window, which made Nanny Wang feel relieved.

This can be attributed to Marquis Anjing.

"I am here today for no other reason than the anniversary of my wife's death in a few months. I will prepare some things with you, and then we will go to the tomb together to clean and pay respects."

Lin Daiyu nodded again and asked in a low voice: "Then mother, please stay here. There is a back hall in the yard. If Mammy doesn't mind..."

The back hall is quite far from the main courtyard. Apart from this superficial task, Nanny Wang also has the equally important task of supervising Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling to prevent them from getting too close. They live so far away, what if they secretly get together at night?
Nanny Wang shook her head and said, "I see there is a storehouse to the right of this room. Just clean it up. I am an old woman now. Why should I choose where to live? It is enough for me to be able to serve the young lady from time to time."

Hearing Nanny Wang say that she would keep an eye on her at all times, Lin Daiyu understood a little and realized why her father sent her here.

I’m afraid I won’t be able to get close to Yue Ling’s room in the future. Lin Daiyu couldn’t help but sigh when she thought of this.

It was obvious that her relationship with Brother Yue had made some progress. The two of them expressed their feelings to each other implicitly and gradually became closer.

There was no excessive physical intimacy, which was of course due to Lin Daiyu's self-control.

After all, Nanny Wang belonged to Mother and was also her wet nurse. She had aged a lot since Mother left. Lin Daiyu could not bear to refute her, so she agreed and said, "Okay, then Mother, you will stay out tonight. I will have them clean up tomorrow."

Nanny Wang smiled and nodded, and helped Lin Daiyu lie back down in the quilt. She sat on the edge of the bed, and gently patted Lin Daiyu's body as she did when she was a child.

"Miss, just now a little maid came into the opposite wing and called Marquis Anjing "Marquis". I guess she is not the Marquis's maid. Where did she come from?"

Lin Daiyu replied, "That's Ying'er, Baojie's maid. They live in the west wing."

"Sister Bao?"

"Oh, Sister Bao is the eldest daughter of the Xue family, the Jinling Xue family, and we are also distant relatives."

"She is the young lady who is now in charge of the Xuejiafeng brand. She is quite powerful and well-known among the ladies in Jiangnan. It is a young woman who is in charge of a family to this extent. It turns out that she is working for Marquis Anjing?"

Lin Daiyu nodded slightly, "Sister Bao also has her own difficulties. Now she is indeed working for Brother Yue."

When Wang Ma heard Lin Daiyu casually call him Brother Yue instead of more distant names like Marquis or uncle, she knew something was wrong. The closeness between these two people might be far beyond her imagination.

But now there is also a young and beautiful girl living in this courtyard, and Nanny Wang also understood why Lin Daiyu refused to go back no matter what.

The tower near the water gets the moon first.

Although Nanny Wang thought that being too close to Yue Ling before getting married was against etiquette, she also supported the marriage.

After all, Marquis Anjing's reputation spread far and wide, and his battle in the capital shook the world. He is a character that is often sung in opera scripts today and is a household name.

There are countless people who would try to marry such a young talent. If he were to find a marriage partner, I'm afraid his door would be trampled down by others. This means that the royal family does not have a suitable princess.

Otherwise, considering the high regard Yue Ling holds in front of His Majesty, it would be impossible for the Lin family to take advantage of this.

Right now, the friendship between the two is strong and justified. But if it is too strong and the essence is condensed first, it will be a bit embarrassing for the Lin family.

Most likely, Mr. Lin wanted to avoid being criticized by his colleagues for selling his daughter for fame and fortune and relying on his son-in-law to rise in officialdom.

Otherwise, wouldn't his contributions in guarding the Lianghuai Salt Administration over the years be diluted?
"So that's how it is. The girl has a good relationship with Miss Xue?"

"Sister Bao is a very nice person, just like a real sister. We all have a good relationship in the room."

"Anyone else?"

"Of course there are. There are several maids in Brother Yue's room, but one of them is..."

"What's up with her?"

"Forget it, nothing happened...let's not mention her."

……

Yue Ling ran ahead with Ying'er and turned into the corridor. Ying'er immediately broke free from his hand and kept a certain distance from him.

Although Yue Ling was not as narcissistic as Baoyu, who thought all the girls in the room should like him, her unreasonable distant attitude still confused Yue Ling.

Especially during meals, Ying'er would sit at the table below and always look at him with hostility, making Yue Ling wonder how he had offended her.

There was no need to pay too much attention to the thoughts of a little maid, but Yue Ling wanted to find out whether he had ever done anything unintentionally.

"Even if you are annoyed with me, you shouldn't show it so obviously. Did I do something?"

In fact, Ying'er was just afraid and subconsciously wanted to stay away from Yue Ling.

In her eyes, Yue Ling's place was like a whirlpool. Any girl who came close to him would become his forbidden food and he could play with her at will.

Ying'er waved her hands quickly, "No, no, it's just that I don't have much experience and can't get along with the Marquis."

Yue Ling was startled when he heard this. He could not follow the little maid's train of thought. Where did this unconventional statement come from? What did she mean by inexperienced?

Has she never had much contact with men before?

No matter how Yue Ling thought about it, it was impossible. As Xue Baochai's maid, she should have to deliver messages outside frequently.

Could it be that she was not actually good at interacting with men and was unwilling to do the job of delivering messages?
"What experience do you have? Do you need my help?"

Yue Ling asked tentatively.

Ying'er's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her hands rapidly at Yue Ling, "No, no, I dare not. If there is no one in the Marquis' room, I will go and get Xiangling over here."

As she spoke, Ying'er really ran away like an oriole.

Yue Ling rubbed the back of his head in astonishment and sighed helplessly, "What the hell is going on? This girl, how come she is not as smart as Xue Baochai at all."

She returned to the room and got into bed directly. Ying'er's movements were too loud and woke up Xiangling who was sleeping soundly.

"What took you so long?"

Ying'er rubbed her blushing face. She didn't expect that the Marquis would actually take the opportunity to invite her to serve him. Even if she had thought about this day, she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Hearing Xiangling's question, Ying'er coughed lightly, perked up her expression, and said, "I ran into the Marquis when I was leaving the house. He was just asking you to sleep with him."

Xiangling was stunned when she heard this, her face gradually turned red, and she asked hesitantly, "Really?"

Ying'er rolled her eyes disdainfully and said, "How could it be false? What good would it be for me to lie to you? If I were you, I would have been happy not to go there a long time ago. How could I let them take the cake?"

(End of this chapter)