Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 10: Feeding the Pigs?
"Madam, this is..."

The maid Tongxi, who was carrying a brocade tray with her head bowed, hadn't finished speaking when she saw Lin Daiyu still inside, so she quickly swallowed the rest of her sentence.

This hesitant interlude made the already delicate atmosphere even more awkward.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Yu'er is a junior in our family, not an outsider. You can speak freely without any hesitation. There's no need to avoid suspicion."

Tongxi then bowed and said, "Madam, this is the list of students who are preparing for the charity donation. Please take a look and mark it."

"So that's what it was. Let's leave it for now."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu, who was about to get up and leave, suddenly brightened up.

"Yi Zhu" refers to wealthy merchants sponsoring promising but impoverished scholars. If such a person later passes the imperial examinations and enters officialdom, he/she will naturally become "one of the family's own" in the officialdom.

Both Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants had a tradition of "being merchants who also loved Confucianism." They invested heavily in establishing academies, supporting students, and providing for their retainers.

It can earn one a reputation for being charitable and generous, while also shedding the taint of money and cultivating an air of refinement.

Especially for the Xue family, former imperial merchants who had lost power in the court, the only male heir, Xue Pan, was a useless piece of wood and could not be brought to the forefront, so they were in even greater need of a political proxy.

Lin Daiyu was considering the situation of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion. The mansion was in financial straits. If she could persuade the Xue family to provide financial assistance, even if that纨绔 (playboy) caused trouble, he wouldn't actually be thrown into the military camp. She was confident that she could resolve these difficulties in just nine days.

But things must be done step by step. If we bring it up rashly, Xue Baochai will probably become even more suspicious, especially since she is also an extremely shrewd person.

"Alright, Mother, I'll take Lin Meimei back first."

"Aunt, I'm sorry to have troubled you so much."

"Ah, Yu'er is still so polite. It's getting windy outside. Tongxi, go and get the new sable coat for Yu'er to wear. It would be a real sin if she caught a cold."

Lin Daiyu instinctively wanted to decline, after all, she hadn't done anything good for her aunt, and it was only right that she shouldn't accept something for nothing.

But she couldn't resist Aunt Xue's stubbornness. She couldn't even avoid her, and Aunt Xue personally draped the mink coat over her body.

Made entirely of pure white sable fur, with a moon-white plain silk lining, it is neither too heavy nor too cold when draped over the shoulders, and its value must be considerable.

In the past, apart from Grandmother Jia showing concern for her and Jia Baoyu taking care of her, everyone else's interactions with her were superficial. Lin Daiyu had never received such care from others before.

"Oh right, why haven't we seen Brother Bao today?"

Lin Daiyu's thoughts drifted, and she suddenly realized that she had forgotten about Jia Baoyu, her closest friend, without even realizing it.

"Thank you, Auntie. I'll accept it for now... and later..."

Lin Daiyu wanted to say that she would definitely repay him in the future, but she stopped herself at the last minute. She was just an orphan girl, staying here as a guest. What could she possibly repay? It would only invite ridicule. In the end, she silently lowered her head, hiding her embarrassment.

Xue Baochai stepped forward at the right moment, affectionately took Lin Daiyu's arm, and said gently, "Sister, don't worry about it. Although this sable fur coat is rare, it suits you perfectly and looks beautiful on you. It's also a token of my mother's affection. Look at me, I'm naturally hot-tempered, and I can't stand wearing it even if I wanted to."

He then took Lin Daiyu's hand in his.

Lin Daiyu smiled, and Xue Baochai's palms were indeed as hot as small stoves, like a man's.

Seeing the deep sisterly affection between the two women, Aunt Xue breathed a deep sigh of relief and thought to herself, "Bao'er really knows how to handle things."

After leaving Pear Blossom Courtyard, we walked to the back garden.

As autumn and winter approach, the pond water has shrunk by a third, the jagged rocks on the shore revealing their whitish edges, and the lotus leaves in the pond have lost their green color, their withered branches swaying in the wind.

The grass was mottled and the surroundings were silent. As usual, Lin Daiyu would inevitably feel melancholy about spring and autumn, but now she couldn't care less.

"Should we speak up? How can we say it in a way that won't arouse Baochai's suspicion?"

"How about we find out what's going on outside first? It's too late to expect Xueyan to find out."

Seeing that they had just passed through another passageway, and knowing that she would miss her chance if she didn't speak up soon, Lin Daiyu gritted her teeth and said, "Sister Bao, may I speak to you in private?"

"?"

Xue Baochai had been observing Lin Daiyu's expression throughout the journey. She noticed the uncertain mood between Lin Daiyu's brows and was trying to figure it out when Lin Daiyu unexpectedly took the initiative to have some private conversation with her.

With her usual warm smile on her face, Xue Baochai nodded and said, "Alright, I'd also like to hear what's on my mind, sister."

The maids waited in the corridor, and Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai walked side by side to the central waterside pavilion, standing with their backs to the wind.

"Is there anything you want to say, little sister?"

Seeing Lin Daiyu's troubled expression, Xue Baochai gently asked her first.

Lin Daiyu pursed her lips, glanced slightly to the side, and asked in a voice barely audible, "Sister Bao, does Aunt often do this kind of work to sponsor students? I wonder... what kind of families does she usually choose?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai's expression paused almost imperceptibly, and a sense of unease stirred within her.

I thought Lin Daiyu would ask about the sisters in the mansion and the things Jia Baoyu was avoiding her about, or inquire about Lady Wang's recent situation to mend their relationship. At the very least, she would ask about her mother's intentions. I never expected Lin Daiyu to ask about economics. Is this still the Lin Daiyu I know who is so detached from worldly affairs?

"Sister Bao?"

Lin Daiyu repeated it several times before she finally woke Xue Baochai up.

This rare loss of composure caused Xue Baochai to show some embarrassment. She nodded and said, "Oh, Sister Lin, I heard you. The Xue family has always had an ancestral tradition of supporting scholars from poor families. As for the selection, it is generally based on their ranking in the imperial examinations and annual examinations, as well as their family background and character, and is decided on a case-by-case basis. The amount of support varies from person to person, so it is not easy to generalize." "The imperial examinations and annual examinations only provide support to those who have achieved the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), but that纨绔 (a spoiled brat) hasn't even passed the preliminary examinations yet."

Lin Daiyu thought about it secretly for a moment, then asked again, "Does the Xue family still have dealings with other noble families?"

Xue Baochai blinked and looked over, puzzled.

Lin Daiyu quickly tried to explain, "My aunt just gave me this sable coat, and I also heard that my aunt had the idea of ​​helping students. So I remembered the second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion that the nanny mentioned when she came back this morning."

Lin Daiyu gently stroked her mink coat while racking her brains to make up a lie, saying, "The nanny said that the second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion seemed to have received divine inspiration in a dream, and suddenly became enlightened. He is proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, and also has excellent calligraphy skills. He is called a child prodigy, and the Marquis's mansion has specially invited a student to be his tutor."

Xue Baochai frowned slightly. "Really? The rumors I've heard are so different from what you're saying, sister. They say the second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion is a good-for-nothing playboy who can't even write a single character at fifteen..."

Lin Daiyu thought to herself, "That playboy is a bit unruly. If he can't write, he can write simple characters with charcoal and he does have some talent. But he's just too unruly."

After muttering the criticism to herself again, Lin Daiyu said, "I don't need to explain the principle of looking at someone with new eyes to my sister. My aunt and sister have taken such good care of me, so I certainly won't tease my sister."

Xue Baochai nodded with difficulty, "It's not that I don't trust you, sister. Putting aside the old rumors, even if he really has talent, he is still from a noble family. Even if he is in dire need, he would not accept our family's help, after all, he still has to consider his reputation."

"My younger sister comes from a noble family. Although she has studied the saying 'scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants at the bottom,' she finds it difficult to understand its profound meaning. She doesn't realize that if we weren't blood relatives, the gap between us would be as wide as an insurmountable chasm."

Lin Daiyu twitched her lips.

"I can't very well tell you that I might be the second son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan in a few days, can I?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Daiyu looked up and said, "Even so, it's always good to establish a good relationship. We might be able to help each other out if anything happens."

Lin Daiyu did not make the stakes clearer, even though they were both young ladies from the inner chambers, their perspectives were not ordinary.

The Xue family mother and daughter stayed in the capital, intending to rely on the power of the Rongguo Mansion to make connections with various families. Having another Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion would naturally be a good thing.

"Sister, why don't you send someone to inquire about the current situation in his household first, and then discuss and decide with Aunt?"

Xue Baochai nodded slightly, "That's fine too."

"Then I would be grateful if you could send someone to inform me once you have found out the news, sister. I am afraid of disappointing my aunt and sister."

"okay."

"That's enough for now. I've eaten a bit too much and would like to take a walk around the garden, so there's no need to see me off."

After waving goodbye to the departing Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu finally felt relieved and let out a deep breath.

"That's good. Let's leave a passage for now and find out what's going on at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence. As long as that纨绔 (playboy) doesn't cause any major trouble, I still have a chance to turn the tide."

Indignantly, Lin Daiyu kicked a small pebble from the covered bridge into the water, muttering to herself, "What can that playboy do? All he does is eat and play, and he makes money by writing those disgusting plays! Bah, bah, bah!"

Just then, Zijuan and Xueyan came to her side and peeked out to ask, "Miss, shall we go back?"

Lin Daiyu rubbed her slightly protruding belly. "Let's take a walk around the mansion, and then go to the old lady's and second aunt's room to pay our respects."

"Oh? Are you sure you want to go to the Second Madam's place, young lady? We haven't been there in a long time."

Xueyan responded weakly.

Lin Daiyu's expression froze slightly. "Oh no, could this playboy have offended my aunt?"

"Then I won't go for now, I'll just take a walk outside." Lin Daiyu kept a straight face and walked away.

……

Wang Xifeng's Courtyard

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er sat facing each other on either side of the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), with accounts spread out on a small table on the kang.

Ping'er helped Wang Xifeng with the calculations and checks, but Wang Xifeng became more and more irritated as she listened.

"Just tell me, how much more silver has been spent in the manor this month?"

"Grandma, I've calculated it three times and there's an extra 473.6 taels."

"Oh my, there's an extra five hundred taels. Where did the bulk of the money come from?"

"In the past ten days or so, Miss Guanlin's room has had more than thirty taels of extra food expenses."

Wang Xifeng raised an eyebrow and said, "How can we afford to feed her at this rate? Even if we had mountains of gold and silver, we would be eaten out of house and home."

Ping'er smiled wryly, "Grandma, Miss Lin is not what she used to be. She's very domineering now. She was just invited to a guest by the concubine, and you've already cut back on her allowance. Won't this spark a fire that will spread to us?"

Wang Xifeng tapped her nails, hesitated for a long time, and said, "But we can't let her eat bird's nest porridge every morning, can we? Her body is too weak to take such a tonic. Let's find an excuse to gradually reduce the amount and continue to provide it for another ten days."

Lin Daiyu, who was strolling along the winding corridor to digest her food, happened to pass by.

He had intended to sound out Sister Feng, who was usually the housekeeper, but instead, he heard this remark.

In the past, Lin Daiyu would have felt heartbroken, feeling like a helpless and unwanted outsider.

Now, she not only didn't care, but also happily waved her little fist, "That's right, how can you eat like this, are you feeding pigs? When it's that纨绔's turn, let's starve him properly."

(End of this chapter)