Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 36 Xiangling is leaving
Lin Daiyu suppressed the awkwardness in her heart and imagined the most frivolous and dissolute appearance.

His gaze lingered on Xiangling for a moment, then he smiled and said to Xue Pan, "Brother Xue, my roommate is in need of a caring and considerate person. I think this lady is pretty, clever and thoughtful, and seems to have a gentle temperament. I wonder if you would be willing to part with her and give her to me?"

Upon hearing this, even Lin Daiyu herself felt a wave of nausea in her throat. She quickly picked up her teacup to cover her dry heaving, while secretly observing the expressions of Aunt Xue and Xue Pan in between.

Seeing that Xue Pan was indeed stunned and looked bewildered, Lin Daiyu felt relieved.

"It's done! Brother Xue must be furious! Put yourself in his shoes, if anyone dared to ask for my Xueyan, I would definitely turn against them! Let alone someone with Brother Xue's temperament!"

Lin Daiyu's startling question truly stunned both the Xue family mother and son.

Aunt Xue and Xue Pan exchanged a glance, their gazes then turning to Xiangling, who was standing to the side, with a look of disbelief on their faces.

"what!"

Xiangling then seemed to wake from a dream, and gasped in surprise as the silver wine pot she was holding clattered to the ground.

She was like a frightened bird, her delicate body trembling slightly as she shrank back repeatedly, her eyes instantly filled with fear and helplessness.

Lin Daiyu instinctively wanted to get up to comfort him, but as soon as she raised her hand, she forcibly restrained herself and forced herself to remain as still as a mountain.

Acting requires a complete performance; at this point, we can't afford to fail.

Seeing this scene, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but feel guilty.

She was a woman who pitied the poor and weak, and couldn't help but think, "Sister Xiangling, I'm sorry... If anyone is to blame, it's that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) who was too hateful. When I return to Rongguo Mansion, I will definitely find a way to make it up to you."

"You insolent brat!" Upon seeing this, Xue Pan slammed his hand on the table and scolded Xiangling, "Brother Chen just praised you for being clever, and you've already lost your composure like this! What kind of behavior is this! Get out of here right now!"

Xiangling trembled at his shout and dared not linger any longer. With tears in her eyes, she staggered back.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu felt a great weight lifted from her heart. "It seems like we've got it all figured out! Brother Xue was indeed angry and even chased everyone away!"

Aunt Xue frowned slightly, about to speak up and smooth things over, reminding her son not to let a maidservant ruin the harmony with the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

Unexpectedly, Xue Pan preemptively raised his hand to stop her from speaking.

He was just thinking about how to improve the relationship between the two families before Xue Baochai married into the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, and now this ladder has been handed to him.
Xue Pan's face instantly brightened, showing no anger whatsoever, but instead filled with a warm smile. He personally poured Lin Daiyu a full glass of wine, his tone heartfelt: "Good brother, what's that saying again, graceful, graceful..."

"A fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affections," Lin Daiyu replied confidently, but a sense of unease inexplicably arose in her heart.

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!" Xue Pan slapped his thigh forcefully. "To be honest, brother, I also got into that lawsuit because of her looks, which is why I got into that lawsuit. Great minds think alike!"

"When you went to Zuixianlou, you looked down on all the singers, but now you've taken a liking to her. It's clear you have a sharp eye, brother. You're just like me!"

With a deliberately long sigh, Xue Pan feigned extreme reluctance yet also a sense of loyalty, "Alas! But... since you, my good brother, have spoken, how can I, as the elder brother, be stingy with a maid? No problem! When you return to the manor later, just take her with you!"

Why not just give away a maidservant to ensure the Xue family's wealth and status?

This deal was absolutely worth it!
The Xue family are merchants; they can always distinguish between profit and loss.

Once he rises to the top, how many beautiful maids will he have to choose from?
"?"

The smile on Lin Daiyu's face vanished, replaced by stunned silence, and she could hardly believe her ears.

"How could this be? Isn't Brother Xue's most precious possession Xiangling? How could he give her away so easily?!"

"Auntie, please try to persuade him!"

Lin Daiyu hurriedly turned to Aunt Xue for help, hoping that this elder could speak up and stop it. But in Aunt Xue's eyes, Xiangling had already caused the family to get into trouble before even getting married. Any housewife would see her as a jinx. If Xue Pan's marriage were to happen in the future, wouldn't the bride be bothered by her?
In this way, they felt that Xiangling was a hot potato that they couldn't get rid of.

Keeping her in Xue Baochai's room as a maid is not a long-term solution.

Now that I can do you a favor, why not?
Relieved, Aunt Xue's face showed a look of satisfaction. She nodded approvingly at Xue Pan, "Pan'er, you've finally become sensible today. You know what's important and what's urgent. Your mother feels much better now. From now on, you should associate more with decent people like Chen'er. That way, you can curb your mischievous nature and learn some good things."

Lin Daiyu's heart was filled with screams, "Wait! This isn't right! How come my dissolute behavior has made me a respectable person, and he's even been reformed?!"

"How could things have turned out like this? Not only did I not ruin that纨绔's plans, but I actually... I actually managed to get Sister Xiangling back to the manor for him?!"

Xue Pan, feeling a little embarrassed by his mother's rare praise, scratched his head and said, "Mother, this is the first time I've ever heard you praise me..."

"You little monkey, stop talking nonsense." Aunt Xue said with a laugh, then turned to Lin Daiyu and said gently, "Since Brother Chen likes her, it's good fortune for that girl. I'll have the servants prepare her indenture and send it to your residence later."

Lin Daiyu sat blankly in the chair, looking at the scene of motherly love and filial piety in front of her, and felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

"No! This is not the result I wanted!!!"

……

"Jade that is not carved cannot become a useful object; a person who does not learn cannot know. Therefore, the ancient kings, when establishing their states and governing their people, prioritized education..."

The murmuring recitation drifted out from the window, weak and listless, as if each word had exhausted all the energy.

Jia Baoyu leaned against the desk, one hand supporting his chin, the other hand idly tracing the edge of the book pages with his fingers, crumpling the fine Xuan paper into wrinkles.

"What a load of rubbish! I'm not memorizing that anymore! It's all nonsense!"

Baoyu slammed the Book of Rites on the table, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed, "What 'ruler and subjects' and 'education'? It's so noisy it gives me a headache! I'm not reading it anymore!"

After saying that, he pulled open the pear wood armchair and was about to walk out.

Xi Ren, who had been keeping watch outside the door, immediately lifted the curtain and came in upon hearing the noise.

She had seen this scene too many times, so she wasn't flustered. She simply stepped forward gently, smoothing out the crumpled book as she softly advised, "My lord, why bother getting angry at these inanimate objects? Didn't you just say the other day that you were determined to study hard and impress Miss Lin?"

"Furthermore, I've heard that the master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion was recently promoted, so that Second Young Master Li will probably have to hire an even more powerful tutor..."

Baoyu's steps indeed stopped.

Frowning, Jia Baoyu turned around, a hint of resentment in his voice, and eagerly asked, "Oh? How does the tutor he hired compare to the one from the Imperial Academy that my sister-in-law's father recommended for me?"

Upon hearing this, Xiren chuckled awkwardly. She had only made up a lie to provoke him earlier, so she said vaguely, "I suppose he is not quite as good as you. After all, you are a graduate of the Imperial Academy and your knowledge is very solid."

Upon hearing that he could outmaneuver Li Chen, Bao Yu's irritation dissipated considerably, and his expression relaxed.

"That's right! I'm determined to study hard and, once the county exam results are posted, I'll let those spoiled brats see what they're made of and see if they still dare to be so arrogant!"

As soon as Fang sat down, the sound of a maid reporting came from outside.

"My lord! The second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion has arrived!"

"what?!"

As if pricked by a needle, Jia Baoyu sprang up from his seat, shouting, "What is he doing in the mansion? Where is he?!"

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(End of this chapter)