Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 306 Daddy, Give Me Some Gold Coins

Fengqiao Inn, in the west wing,

Ying'er and Xiangling were sent out by Xue Baochai again, so of course they couldn't help but complain in their hearts.

Xue Baochai didn't care and sat down stealthily with Qin Keqing.

Qin Keqing sat there shyly, like a newly married wife meeting her parents-in-law for the first time. The two sides looked at each other and immediately understood each other as if they were family members who knew each other well.

Of course Xue Baochai knew why Qin Keqing came, and she had even prepared Qin Keqing's favorite scented tea to help her calm down. Then she was very interested in reading the new chapter written by Qin Keqing.

Xue Baochai was in high spirits and could not help but exclaim, "Sister Keqing is really talented. She finished writing so quickly?"

The more she was praised, the more embarrassed Qin Keqing felt. This was not some famous poem or song that could not be shown to others. It was simply something of low quality. She was too embarrassed to show what she had written to others.

If people knew that these articles were written by a woman, it would seem to be even more serious than that booklet.

Qin Keqing's original plan was to drag Xue Baochai into the water, or catch Xue Baochai in trouble, but now it seems that she is getting deeper and deeper into trouble.

But it's too late to regret now.

Seeing that Qin Keqing did not respond to her words and was still somewhat indifferent, Xue Baochai urged her, "Sister Keqing, time is running out. Ying'er and the others will be back soon. You don't want them to see what you wrote and spread it to everyone, do you?"

Qin Keqing was helpless. She could not escape Xue Baochai's clutches this time. She had no choice but to pull out the stack of rice paper tightly grasped in her sleeves, and then covered her face and said, "Look, look, remember to give me the silver after you finish reading."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Of course, I always pay it in advance to Sister Keqing. How could I treat her unfairly?"

Xue Baochai spread the paper on the table and read it carefully. After a while, she felt her whole body getting hot and her face was a little hot.

Qin Keqing covered her cheeks, and from time to time she opened her scallion-white fingers to secretly observe Xue Baochai's expression.

Seeing that she seemed to be getting more and more into it, and then her body couldn't help but tremble, I really didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

Although it is a good thing that her writings are recognized by others, and she feels at ease with the money she earns, but the more people appreciate such things, doesn't it prove that her problems are bigger?

Qin Keqing really didn't know what to do.

"Sister Keqing, how could you come up with such an idea? If I didn't know you were a girl, I would have thought it was written by some poor scholar."

Xue Baochai pressed down the letter, still thinking about the plot inside.

The description of the protagonist's nervousness, depression, and helplessness is so vivid that it makes you feel as if you are there.

Keqing turned her head away, her shame had reached its peak, her cheeks were almost bleeding, and she said in a whimpering voice: "Didn't you say you wanted to retouch it? Just make some changes after you've read it. If there's nothing to change, I'll go back."

After reading the wonderful new chapter, Xue Baochai was very satisfied. She took out a silver ingot worth five taels of silver from the small wooden box in the drawer and handed it to Qin Keqing.

Qin Keqing weighed it and asked in surprise, "Why are there so many?"

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "I'll pay the money for the ten articles to Sister Keqing first. Sister Keqing, please keep working hard when you go back. If you can write one article a day, I'll publish it in the newspaper every day."

Touching the silver, Qin Keqing felt that her efforts had finally paid off. Although it was a bit embarrassing, it was still worth it.

After holding her breath, Qin Keqing turned around and said, "You can't give this article to Ying'er to publish, or it will be exposed."

Xue Baochai drank her tea, smiled and nodded, "Okay, I have my own plan, Sister Keqing, don't worry, I will definitely not let anyone know who you are. There are many people who write articles like this, all using pen names, and no one knows who is behind the scenes."

"After all, poor scholars have been rushing to take the exam, and it is common for them to have to ghostwrite for others if they have no money. If they sign their real names, how can they take the exams in the future?"

Hearing that this was the custom, Qin Keqing felt a little relieved.

Looking at the table again, Xue Baochai carefully put away her manuscript and couldn't help but sigh. Qin Keqing herself was not a money-grubber, but now she was helpless because of money.

Having exhausted all her energy, Qin Keqing just wanted to lie down on the bed and rest, to relax and recuperate so that she could write the second article.

It turns out that writing articles is such a painful thing.

"Sister, are you back?"

"The master came just now and said that Miss Lin was busy today and was not in the room, so he asked you to serve her. My sister's period has ended, so would you like to take this opportunity to go to the room and sit with the master?"

Ruizhu Zhuzhu looked at her own girl with a teasing look on her face, but found that Qin Keqing looked tired and seemed to have no interest in anything. She wondered what had happened to her.

The two looked at each other, both unsure of Qin Keqing's situation. Normally, upon hearing such good news, she would have rushed out the door. She wouldn't look as depressed as she does today.

Ruizhuzhu stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.

Qin Keqing felt a little worried when she thought about the nine articles she owed. She didn't want to look for Yue Ling at the moment, mainly because she had exhausted all her energy. "You two go."

After sending Ruizhu and Zhuzhu away, Qin Keqing had just enough time to think about a new article without having to worry about being discovered by the two of them.

Qin Keqing has already made her plan.

The cheeks of the two little maids, who had not yet opened their faces, suddenly turned as red as monkeys' buttocks.

"Ah? The two of us?"

……

Perhaps it was because Yue Ling had suggested to send a letter to the Empress a few days ago, and Lin Daiyu had been thinking in her room about what to say to the Empress and what gifts to give her.

Or maybe it was because they had spent the whole night holding hands and because of the sweat stains, Lin Daiyu was ashamed to see Yue Ling again. She didn't know how to get along with him or how to get close to him, so she started to avoid Yue Ling for a while.

The little girl's mind is hard to fathom.

But Yue Ling was already used to sleeping alone, and this time there was no one to accompany him, so he could only settle for the next best thing and let Qin Keqing come.

Qin Keqing is not really the best choice, and Yue Ling has been quite tired from the recent military training.

All the experience gained from past military training was used on the training ground, such as climbing over obstacles, wading, crawling, fighting in small formations, etc.

Yue Ling would first make a sample of each item before teaching it to the new recruits bit by bit.

Fortunately, the people recruited from Cangzhou were of high quality and relatively focused. Everyone had a common goal, knowing that today's drill was for the purpose of defending the country in the future, and being the personal soldiers under the command of Marquis Anjing, and they could not lose the face of Marquis Anjing.

Therefore, everyone was on high alert.

Yue Ling himself cannot fall behind.

Holding his waist, Yue Ling sat back on the bed. He felt a little overwhelmed when he thought about having to fight Qin Keqing for several rounds today.

Qin Keqing is indeed a worthy opponent. Even when her body can't bear it anymore, she still tries to be strong verbally. She doesn't have the same sense of conquest as Xiangling and Zijuan.

But after a while, it was not just one person coming, but two footsteps were heard, coming from far away and getting closer.
Yue Ling opened the bed curtain in surprise, only to see Ruizhu Zhuzhu walking towards the bed shyly.

Ruizhu was a little older, only slightly younger than Zijuan. She clutched the hem of her royal blue skirt with both hands and said shyly, "Sister said that we two should serve her tonight."

Yue Ling was stunned for a moment, feeling that he didn't hear the little maid's words clearly, "What did you say?"

Ruizhu had no choice but to stammer and say it again, "Sister, sister said, tonight the two of us..."

Yue Ling smiled calmly, "Okay, you two can do it too. To be honest, you two do the most work in this room. You have to take care of me and Keqing. It would be nice if you could lie down here tonight."

"Come up."

When the two little girls came, they seemed to have taken a special bath and changed into clean new clothes, especially the close-fitting diamond-shaped bellybands, which were all brand new.

The one on Ruizhu is a carp hidden in a lotus pond, and the one on Baozhu is a unicorn holding a pearl. It seems that they were both sewn by themselves and look more like cute Q-version pictures.

After stripping off his clothes, the two men changed Yue Ling's clothes and took off the extra clothes on his body.

In fact, the two of them often helped Yue Ling to dress, but it was rare for them to touch the angular muscles on Yue Ling's body after stripping off all his clothes. What's more, at this moment, they were kneeling in front of Yue Ling, one in front and one behind, in such an intimate posture inside the bed curtain?
Gradually, the two girls' cheeks turned red. They dared not say a word and became even more restrained.

After everything was taken care of, the two girls were different from the other girls and lay down together in the opposite direction of Yue Ling.

"This is what you are doing?"

Yue Ling couldn't help but laugh when he saw the two people's funny actions.

Hearing Yue Ling's question, the two of them simultaneously emerged from their quilts, poked their heads out, and said in unison, "To warm your feet."

It turned out that the two of them put their feet against their chests and used the temperature of their bodies to warm Yue Ling's feet in this late autumn season.

One of my feet was hugged by a little maid, and I felt the warmth from their bodies. It was indeed very comfortable.

Thanks to Ruizhu's kindness, Yue Ling lay back down peacefully. He couldn't help but ask himself in his heart if he had been corrupted by feudal dregs and actually felt comfortable.

But on second thought, the status of the two little maids in the room was a bit too low. They were his maid's maids. If Yue Ling really wanted them to sleep with him, he would definitely not agree. They were really too young.

If we ask them to come here to sleep with us, they probably won't agree. They will be so terrified that they won't know what to do.

We can only change their ideas slowly.

Ruizhu and Baozhu looked at each other and could see the embarrassment on each other's faces, but neither of them spoke. They turned their eyes away and pretended not to see.

Under the attack of the two maids, Yue Ling, who was already exhausted physically and mentally, quickly fell asleep. ...

The next day,

The city of Suzhou has gradually recovered its prosperity in recent days, but many major events have not happened like before. People have less topics to talk about after dinner, and many teahouses are deserted.

The disaster-stricken villages near Suzhou have been properly resettled by the government, and the dredging of rivers and the discharge of floodwaters from flooded fields are almost complete.

With the help of the ducks, the soaked fields have maintained a certain degree of air permeability and are no longer infested with insect pests, so we can try to plant some crops.

The new governor of Suzhou, Su Moyun, the top scholar in this year's imperial examination, is more like an indefatigable young man. He has been living and eating in the dormitory since he took office. He has also issued documents to approve many people-friendly matters that have not yet been implemented, and ordered all counties and towns to rectify them.

He even issued an edict to appease the people. He would strive to ask the emperor to exempt taxes in the disaster-stricken areas this year, so that the people can celebrate the New Year with peace of mind and resume production.

A new official has three things to do when he takes office. Right now, everyone is waiting to see how things turn out and it’s hard to make any judgments.

At this time, there were many more naughty children on the street, each of them had a linen bag around their waist, which was filled with thin paper. They were shouting to sell things, which was a scene in itself.

"Here are some fresh miscellaneous newspapers. Please take a look, my dear guests."

The basic education in Dachang was pretty good, and in a wealthy place like Suzhou, there were private schools, academies, and charity schools everywhere, and there were also graded private schools, academies, prefectural schools, and county schools for people to choose from for further studies. At least one out of ten people had received elementary education and was literate.

If the literacy rate is not high, there will be no market for newspapers at all.

In fact, official gazettes are not a new thing. There have been official gazettes in the capital for a long time, but there are not many privately-run ones. Since the official gazettes are distributed free of charge to officials at all levels, businessmen did not see how to make money from them.

But today is different. Xue Jiafeng has put up a new sign, "Suzhou Fengyun News".

"Brother, how much is this newspaper?"

The little kid looked up and saw a scholar wearing a turban. He wiped his hands on his clothes, took out a copy, shook it, and said, "One copper coin."

It was just a copper coin, not a big expense. The scholar nodded and said, "The court report is a rare thing. Let me have a taste of it. It's just a copper coin. Take it, little brother."

The scholar's companions gathered around him and asked with a smile: "There's nothing going on in Suzhou recently. What interesting stories can be told about the rich charm of Gusu? What a waste of money."

The scholar didn't think it was a big deal. It was just a new thing. Spending some money on it could satisfy his interest.

After all, only those above the seventh rank in the capital can receive the official bulletins, and ordinary people really can’t see them.

I casually unfolded it and took a look, and it was not much different from what my companion said.

It probably summarizes the major events that happened some time ago, as well as the brilliant resume of Suzhou's new prefect, the recent opening of the market, and where to buy cheap and good things.

Until the back of the newspaper, in the lower right corner, there is a specially framed page.

"Anecdotes and Elegant Events"

The scholar quickly glanced at the content on this page that was different from other places, and then his mouth became dry and his heart beat faster.

The scholar suddenly folded the paper and said to his companion, "Well, you go to the market to buy pens and ink, and bring me a copy. I just remembered that I have something to do at home. See you in the school tomorrow."

After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.

The companions around him were confused. They were just reading a newspaper, so why did they suddenly think something was wrong? He clearly said he was going out to buy groceries today, and it was he who arranged the plan, so how could something go wrong?

Is there something fishy about this newspaper?

Everyone's eyes could not help but focus on the little kid in linen clothes. He took out another copper coin and said, "Give me one too."

The little kid wiped his hands neatly, took out the newspaper, handed it over, and put away the copper coins.

Like the scholar, he was not interested in reading the first page because it was something everyone knew. But when he turned the page and saw the unusual corner, he couldn't help but concentrate.

This is actually a colorful little article?

It tells a strange little story.

The couple had been betrothed by their elders since childhood, but in fact their relationship was not very good. After a quarrel one morning, the husband came home in the evening and wanted to have some intimacy to make up for the previous quarrel.

After all, couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed, and there is no overnight grudge between them.

But the wife refused to agree and drove her husband out of bed. At this moment, a fox-turned-goddess entered the room.

She seduced her husband to the table and started serving him.

The husband had no idea of ​​the fairy's background or what magic powers she had, so in order to stay alive he had no choice but to let her do whatever she wanted. When his wife heard unusual noises in the room and her husband's strange movements, she couldn't help but ask him, and the husband could only cover up for her.

Until the wife looked over, she didn't see the goblin...

The scenes, the details, even the inner conflicts of the husband and the tension of committing immorality in front of his wife are all expressed vividly. In just a few hundred words, each word is concise and makes people imagine a lot. It is obvious that the author is a veteran.

Moreover, the whole article is written in vernacular, which makes it easier to understand. There is no threshold to reading it and it is very smooth. Readers can see the author's ingenuity at a glance.

Everyone was so thirsty that they said in unison: "Something happened at home, so I'm going back first."

"Hey, give me the newspaper. I paid for it. It's not even a penny expensive. Why did you take it away?"

In a blink of an eye, the group of scholars had snatched away all the newspapers in the naughty boy's sack.

At that time, a woman appeared. She was dressed in a maid's attire, with her hair in a bun and a basket on her arm. She seemed to have just finished shopping in the market and passed by.

"Little brother, are there any more court bulletins?"

Hearing the woman's clear and transparent voice, the little kid who had just been robbed and was dizzy looked up, and saw a beautiful woman talking to him in front of him, which made him nervous.

"Yes, there is also this one in my hand. They didn't take it away, but it got stained a bit."

The woman didn't care, instead she took out two copper coins and handed them over.

"Okay, this is it. Keep the money and don't lose it."

After saying that, the woman turned around and left, returning all the way to Fengqiao Posthouse.

After entering the room, Lin Daiyu, who was busy at her desk, asked, "Why did Sister Zijuan go out for so long? Have you bought what I want?"

Zijuan opened the hanging basket and said, "I bought it. Kesi is expensive and there are not many buyers. This sachet with a picture of flowers and birds costs a hundred taels."

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "One hundred taels is fine. The gift for the Empress cannot be too cheap. Just deduct the silver from my bankroll."

Zijuan reminded in a low voice: "Miss, your money has long been included in the accounts of the mansion, have you forgotten? You asked the master for it, and then it was all put into the treasury. You said at the time that since you were in charge of it, there would be no need to divide it so finely. If you need it, just take it from the treasury of the mansion."

Lin Daiyu thought about it. She had been away for a long time, and Qin Keqing was in charge of the accounts. She had not paid attention to these trivial matters for a long time. After hearing Zijuan's reminder, she knew that this was indeed the case, so she nodded and said, "Well, let's put it on the account first. I will write a letter to Dad this time and ask for some silver back, and then make up the account."

At this moment, Lin Daiyu looked into the hanging basket again and saw a piece of paper inside. She asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Zijuan replied, "This is a new newspaper published in Suzhou. It's selling like hot cakes in the city, so I just wanted to join in the fun and bought a copy to take a look."

Lin Daiyu blinked, feeling that Zijuan didn't seem to be very interested in the text before. Then she took out the newspaper curiously and browsed through it from the front. It was just about some things happening outside the city, so she lost interest.

"Well, Sister Zijuan doesn't like reading books, but she likes reading newspapers. It's good to read, knowing how to read is always good."

Lin Daiyu put down the newspaper. She couldn't see any reason why it was so popular. Maybe it was just the first time in the city and everyone was just joining in the fun and looking for something new.

Then she returned to the desk and went about her own business.

Zijuan also washed her hands and looked at the newspaper carefully.

In fact, the main reason why she wanted to buy it was that she heard Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing discussing the court gazette on the street corner that day. As a result, a few days later, the court gazette was indeed published in the city, and there was a word "Feng" on it, so it must be published with the Feng brand.

But what does this have to do with Qin Keqing that makes them discuss such things secretly?
Zijuan was unsure, so she didn't explain it to Lin Daiyu to avoid wrongly accusing a good person. She was not the kind of person who liked to gossip behind people's backs.

Zijuan looked at it carefully, then turned it to the back and saw an unusual corner. "Hmm? Weird, why is this place different from other places?"

I read it more carefully and only realized halfway through that this was that kind of article?
Zijuan's face turned red, and she looked down. When she saw the vixen's actions, she suddenly realized that this was the day when Lin Daiyu had her first menstruation and she went to the master's room to ask if he wanted to sleep with her.
Could it be that this vixen was Qin Keqing, who was under the table at the time...

The more Zijuan thought about it, the more she dared not to think about it. She seemed to have discovered a shocking secret, and quickly put the newspaper away.

Just then, I ran into Xueyan coming back from outside, panting.

"Sister Zijuan? Ying'er asked you to go. She said they want to discuss something and they want to take you with them."

Zijuan nodded and said hastily, "Okay, I got it, I'll be right there."

Seeing Zijuan's flustered look, Xueyan really didn't understand, but she didn't take it to heart. She skipped into the room and sat down next to Lin Daiyu.

Xueyan is either greedy or playful. Lin Daiyu said with a stern face: "You should learn from Sister Zijuan. Even if you don't like reading, you can read the newspaper now. You either run around or eat all day long. You don't act like a girl at all."

"What's the big deal? General Yue cares about it. Wouldn't it be better if he doesn't care?"

Lin Daiyu curled her lips helplessly. She always felt that it was Yue Ling's fault that the girls in the room were so willful, so she added another sentence in the letter, "Because Brother Yue dotes on these girls too much, the family is very difficult to manage. What should I do..."

(End of this chapter)