Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

The Lin family has many shops in Beijing, covering all walks of life. Currently, only a small number of them are closed for the New Year holidays. For the rest, the New Year holidays are the peak season.

Especially restaurants.

Ever since Lin Daiyu moved out of Rongguo Mansion, the three restaurants under her name in Beijing were immediately renamed: Lin's General Store, Lin's Auspicious Restaurant, and Lin's Ruyi Restaurant.

The place Jiang Yong came to inspect today was Lin’s head office.

First of all, he was really angry and didn't know how to vent it, and he didn't even understand why he was angry. So he had to find a place to vent his anger in a logical way, and even smash things, in order to relieve his depression.

Secondly, Lin Ji General Store is the largest store in Beijing that has a well-known name among the Lin family businesses. If this store can do a good business and have a good reputation, he can slowly put the Lin Ji sign on all the Lin family businesses. This is the most important first card.

Third, if you carefully check a place like a restaurant, you will definitely find something wrong. He wanted to lose his temper, but he also had to be on guard against others finding fault with him, so naturally the restaurant was the focus of his inspection.

After coming out of Tao's house, Jiang Yong jumped on his horse and went straight to Gulou Street, the busiest street in the capital.

The crowd was getting more and more crowded, Jiang Yong got off the horse, and slowly led the way. When he was still a few steps away from Lin's main store, he found that he could no longer squeeze through.

……………………(I am the black-hearted dividing line)……………………

Just as Lin Daiyu was in a trance, Shan Po suddenly came in and said, "We have sent many gifts over the years. Please tell me what to do with them, young lady."

"At this time? New Year gift?" Zijuan was stunned.

Lin Daiyu also frowned.

Normally, who doesn't give New Year gifts before the Lunar New Year? This was the first time she had heard of giving New Year gifts on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and not returning the gifts.

Of course, Tao Jian did come late for the New Year gift. But that was because he was in the palace, so he passed on the message late, prepared late, and naturally sent it late, so he was not an "ordinary" example.

"Who sent it?" Lin Daiyu asked.

"Many of them were transferred from the West Mansion. They were said to have been sent there before the New Year. Butler Lai thought they were sent to his family, so he put them all into the warehouse.

"Today, someone went to the mansion to pay respect to the old ancestor. When he heard that the girl had moved out, he talked about the New Year's gift. He said that he thought the girl was too young to understand the etiquette, but it turned out that he was wrong.

"That's why Butler Lai rushed to send all the gifts over." Mrs. Shan curled her lips.

What do you mean you thought it was for your family?! Who wouldn't write a list of all the gifts for the New Year? Didn't the list specify which ones were for the Jia family as a rule and which ones were specifically for Miss Lin?

This Lai guy was either too lazy to read the gift list, or he wanted to secretly give it to himself! Old man, he is the greediest person in the whole mansion! Why is there no master willing to deal with him! ?

Lin Daiyu heard this and waved her hands expressionlessly: "Let Lin Zhixiao check the list and accept it for now, and make a copy and bring it in for me to see."

Mrs. Shan was stunned for a moment, wanting to ask a lot of questions. As she opened her mouth, she subconsciously glanced at her daughter; but she saw her daughter glaring at her fiercely. She quickly swallowed her questions, lowered her head, agreed, and went out to pass on the message.

"Miss...is trouble coming?" Zijuan looked at Lin Daiyu worriedly.

Daiyu nodded slowly and sneered, "I have lived in the Jia Mansion for seven or eight years, and there has never been a thing that was not given to me by others.

"Now those guys are trying to curry favor with the powerful. Seeing that my uncle loves me so much and that His Majesty has given me a house, they come to make friends with him. They are just trying to gain advantage and avoid harm, that's all.

"But these people were afraid that if they bypassed the Jia family, they would offend them. So they simply put the gifts for me and the gifts for the Jia family together and sent them to one family, letting the Jia family decide what to do. This was to test the current relationship between the Jia family and me.

"Now the whole capital knows that the Jia family withheld my New Year gifts. They sent them to me because they were laughed at. Humph, if Lai Da doesn't get a few beatings this time, I'm afraid my grandmother will be too embarrassed to show her face!"

Zijuan was shocked when she heard this. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "It's New Year's Day, and you're causing trouble for others like this! Aren't you afraid of falling into a pit while walking at night?"

Lin Daiyu chuckled: "I'm really not afraid!"

Zijuan didn't believe it.

But when Lin Zhixiao's wife came in personally wiping the sweat off her face and presented the copied gift list, Zijuan believed it.

There were a total of six families who sent New Year gifts to Daiyu: the Yue family of Shanyin Marquis, the Yang family of Zuo Shuzi, the Xie family of Dingcheng Marquis, the Chen family of Qiguogong, the Shui family of Beijing Prince's Mansion, and the Wan family of Cheng'en Marquis!

Aunt Meng couldn't wait any longer and came back to wait for Jiang Yong's news. Seeing this, she took the list and looked at it. She couldn't help but frowned:

"Marquis Shanyin wants to return to the capital and is looking for ways to do so. This is like a desperate attempt to find a cure, but that's fine.

"Zuo Shuzi is an official of the Eastern Palace, and Cheng En Hou is the empress's family. It is understandable that these two are here to slap Concubine Jia in the face.

"But aren't the Marquis of Dingcheng, the Duke of Qi, and the Prince of Beijing's Mansion said to be old friends of the Rong and Ning Mansions? What kind of fun is this?"

Lin Daiyu held the stack of lists and read through them one by one. The more she read, the more frost appeared between her brows. At the end, she took a deep breath, tilted her head and asked Aunt Meng:

"Aunt, if I return all these things, will you be reprimanded by the palace for not teaching me etiquette and rules?"

Aunt Meng looked at the six families and thought carefully, then shook her head: "None of these families has anything to do with me. It's you. However, if you send a letter of apology to each family and show all the courtesy, then even if those people are angry, they can't do anything to you on the surface."

"Apologize!" Lin Daiyu sneered and threw the gift list into the charcoal basin. "They want to control me and laugh at me, but they want me to apologize to them? There are not so many beautiful things in this world! Don't judge who is a fool!"

There was a stern look between his eyebrows, and he raised his head and ordered Lin Zhixiao's family: "Thank you two for your hard work.

“Everything is returned.

"Tell Butler Lai that I should say what I said: I don't know these people. How can I, a girl, accept things from strangers?

"Let him report this to the elders of the two houses and dispose of those things according to the rules."

When Lin Zhixiao heard this, he relaxed and agreed with a smile: "That's the right thing to do! I'll take the things over right away!"

Lin Daiyu hummed lightly and turned to talk to Aunt Meng.

Seeing Lin Zhixiao's family walking out in big strides, Zijuan hurriedly chased after them and whispered, "Madam, please speak softly. Although the young lady did a good job, she didn't have to offend everyone!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife smiled wryly: "Young lady, do you think I don't even know this? Then wouldn't it be a waste for me to be the housekeeper for more than ten years?" Then he left.

Zijuan bit her lip, lowered her head and went back to her room.

Lin Zhixiao's wife had been gone for quite a while before Daiyu's anger had finally subsided. It was noon, and just as she was about to serve the meal, she suddenly saw Xiaohong running in breathlessly:

"Girl! Something happened! Our restaurant was smashed and Jiang Yong was beaten up. He was bleeding and unconscious. He was just carried in!"

Aunt Meng frowned and muttered, "It's only the second day of the Chinese New Year! Are we still allowed to celebrate the New Year?!"

Daiyu's face had already darkened, and she was obviously annoyed: "Who did it!?"