Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

On the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, as expected, Lady Jia brought the women from the Rong and Ning mansions, and a large group of people came.

Lin Daiyu not only prepared a sumptuous banquet, she even hired a troupe of actors and set up a stage in her own garden, singing to the people drinking upstairs across the pond.

At this moment, not only Lady Jia, but also Mrs. Wang, who came to watch the fun, were surprised that Lin Daiyu had tidied up the house so quickly.

He also bought a lot of new servants. Although they did not seem to be well-trained, they seemed to be extremely loyal. They were nimble and quick-witted, and you could not see any lazy ones.

Tanchun, who was recently the housekeeper, couldn't help but pull Lin Daiyu aside and ask, "Sister Lin, what tricks did you use to make them so diligent? Sister Bao and I shared the benefits of the garden with those people at home, so that they could work more carefully. Even so, they still quarrel every day."

Lin Daiyu glanced at Jia's mother, Wang Fu-ren, and Bao-chai, all turning their heads towards her, and she couldn't help but smile softly:

"If it weren't for grandma and you coming here, I would have less work and more people. Before, there was a sense of mutual shirking, but Aunt Meng was more powerful. Come out and say to them:

"You girls are not short of money, nor are you stingy. Now that this family has bought more people, it is for the purpose of selection. Those who do a good job will naturally stay and be rewarded; those who are sneaky and cunning will be sent back without any hesitation!

"I guess these people are working hard because they are afraid of this."

Lin Daiyu paused, smiled and shook Tanchun's hand, feeling slightly cold, "This is different from home. Those people at home are all elderly people who have lived for three or four generations. You are a young girl, how can you control them?

"The current situation is a result of your ability and their respect for the wife. Don't think too much about it."

Grandmother Jia's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she smiled and turned to ask, "Come to think of it, I see you are feeling much better. How come Aunt Meng will follow you as your housekeeper from now on? That would be a waste of her medical skills!"

"Grandmother is right." Daiyu sighed deliberately, "Aunt Meng is the only one who is impatient to manage the household for me. She just studies her medical books every day. When she feels happy, she calls one or two maids to check their pulses and prescribe medicine. Now, most people in the family obey her and few recognize me."

Grandmother Jia's eyes lit up, and she looked at Tanchun, then at Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang understood and smiled as she slowly said, "No matter how well-behaved the servants are, they should obey the rules of their masters, not the rules of others. Miss Lin is still young after all. It's my fault that I neglected to teach her during those years of mourning.

"Your third sister has only been in charge of household chores for a few months. Look at her now. The servants are very respectful to her. I told the queen the other day that the third girl has been well-trained and can work for any family!"

"How can I compare with my third sister!" Lin Daiyu pulled Tanchun's hand affectionately, and winked at Grandmother Jia deliberately, pretending to be sad, and smiled, "She has the love of her grandmother, the guidance of her uncle and aunt, and the support of her brothers. What do I have, right?"

"Bah! You are such a heartless girl! You came to me when you were seven or eight years old, and now you are thirteen or fourteen. Weren't you raised by your uncle and aunt? Didn't your second brother Lian accompany you on your trips to the south?"

Grandmother Jia also knew that she was joking, so she pretended to be angry and scolded her, but her eyes were full of smiles.

Tanchun, who was standing beside her, had already blushed and didn't know what to say, so she could only gently pull Mrs. Wang's sleeve and say, "Madam..."

"Your sister Lin is just joking with you!" Mrs. Wang looked kind and patted her hands, as if this legitimate mother and her concubine's daughter were very harmonious.

Yu Shi looked at the happy family and felt a little dazed.

Are these still the same people who fell apart more than half a month ago? How awkward was the thank-you banquet that day? She was the one who was sitting on pins and needles!

Looking around, she remembered that Wang Xifeng said she was ill again in the winter, so she didn't come. Only Li Wan was present, but she was a fool. However, she remembered that Wang Xifeng had mentioned this matter to her.

Youshi smiled and took over the conversation: "I am so moved by what you said. In fact, I am very busy now. Otherwise, I am afraid that the old lady will feel so sorry for you that she will force the mistress to lend the third sister to you as a housekeeper!"

"But I was just about to say it, but I'm afraid that your second aunt will be reluctant to let her daughter work so hard. Otherwise, after the Lantern Festival, let Tan girl come over to help her sister for a while?" Jia's mother asked with a smile to Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang hesitated deliberately: "Feng girl is ill, and I originally asked Zhuge's daughter-in-law, Tan girl and Bao girl to help me manage the household so that they can all learn something.

"It's just that the New Year has passed. I think Bao girl has some news, so she should go back to prepare for the selection. If we let Tan girl come again, I'm afraid Zhuge's daughter-in-law won't be able to handle it alone."

"What's the matter? Don't we still have you? Besides, Feng girl will be almost done by then!" Grandmother Jia made the final decision, and then asked Daiyu, "Is it settled then?"

Daiyu smiled meekly: "Yes, thank you grandmother and aunt for your consideration. I'll have to trouble you, third sister."

Tanchun's eyes turned red. She first said she didn't dare to do that to Lin Daiyu, then stood up and knelt deeply to Lady Wang and Lady Jia, saying, "Thank you, old ancestor and madam, for trusting me!"

Everyone chuckled and congratulated him.

Only Xue Baochai looked on indifferently, then looked away indifferently, just admiring the performances on the stage.

At one point, Lady Jia wanted to go for a walk, so Daiyu personally helped her down the stairs.

Grandmother Jia pointed out, "Your mother had picked flowers here, your father had fished over there, the princess had been entertained in this flower hall, the powerful and meritorious had been entertained in that study, and so on."

Daiyu lowered her eyes and agreed one by one.

When Grandmother Jia looked back, she saw that all the maids and wives had stopped in their tracks.

The two walked forward hand in hand. Before Grandmother Jia could say anything, Daiyu said softly, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Since Grandmother is willing to let Third Sister out of the house, why not let her take Huan'er with her?"

Grandmother Jia was stunned: "Huan'er?"

"The Zhao family has always had evil intentions. Aunt Zhou is a soft-hearted person. Huan'er was taught superficially by Aunt Zhao before, and my uncle has a quick temper and may not have the patience to correct him.

"Since my third sister has come to my place, I might as well let Huan Ge'er come out with me. Since there is no man in my family, I will let him live in the outer courtyard.

"I'll hire him a similar teacher, at least he can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, so that he can help the family in the future and have something to say about it."

Daiyu made a big promise to Lady Jia in a gentle voice.

Grandmother Jia frowned and said unhappily, "Why are you controlling him?"

"Haven't I advised Brother Baoyu before? He has to listen to me.

"As for Huan'er, I never considered him as a legitimate or illegitimate child. I only considered him as my uncle's biological son and your blood-related grandson."

Daiyu's voice was soft, but every word struck Grandmother Jia's heart!