Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

In the blink of an eye, Daiyu arrived in the capital. She had so much to share with her mother and grandmother. Because she had traveled on a merchant ship, arriving several days earlier than the Jia family had calculated, no one came to greet her after she disembarked.

Daiyu, a young girl, and Xueyan, a little girl, stood at the dock, watching the people coming and going, feeling helpless. Xueyan, after all, was a servant and knew some common sense. She said to Daiyu, "Miss, we arrived a few days early, and the Duke's Mansion didn't know, so no one sent anyone to pick us up. So, how about we rent a carriage and go to the Duke's Mansion ourselves?" Daiyu heard this and said with a smile, "This is the only way."

Daiyu and Xueyan waited at the dock for a while, but no one came to pick them up. They felt a little anxious. Xueyan thought for a moment and said to Daiyu, "Miss, we arrived a few days early. The Duke's Mansion may not know, so they didn't send anyone to pick us up. How about we rent a carriage and go to the Duke's Mansion ourselves?" Daiyu smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go."

So the master and servant went to look for a carriage near the dock. Because the two were young, someone had evil intentions and wanted to kidnap them.

Xueyan was a little scared and held Daiyu's hand tightly. Daiyu, however, looked calm, smiled and patted Xueyan's hand, telling her not to be afraid.

"Why are the two girls alone at the dock? When?" asked an elderly man.

"Uncle, our girl is the granddaughter of Old Lady Jia from the Duke of Rong's Mansion. Because of conflicts with her family, she came to the capital to visit her grandmother. Unexpectedly, the ship arrived a few days earlier than the scheduled time, so she wanted to rent a carriage to go there by herself." Xueyan said.

The uncle's eyes lit up when he heard Xueyan's words, and he quickly said, "Oh, so you're Mrs. Jia's granddaughter. How rude! I'm going to the Rongguo Mansion, too. Why don't you let me give you a ride?" Daiyu and Xueyan hesitated, worried that the man was a scammer. But the man saw their concerns and took out his ID. "Don't worry, ladies," he said, "I'm Lin Zhixiao, the housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion. I'm here on business." Reassured, Daiyu and Xueyan boarded the carriage.

On the way, Lin Zhixiao chatted with Daiyu enthusiastically and introduced the situation of Rongguo Mansion to them along the way.

"Girl, you are going to Rongguo Mansion. It's a big place. You must take a good look around when you get there." Lin Zhixiao said with a smile.

"Rongguo Mansion...I've only heard of it, but I don't know what it looks like." Daiyu asked curiously.

"Miss, Rongguo Mansion is very big and there are many interesting places inside. When you get there, you must take a good look around and don't miss it." Lin Zhixiao introduced enthusiastically.

"Well, thank you, Uncle Lin." Daiyu said gratefully.

"Miss, you are so polite. If you need any help in the future, just tell me." Lin Zhixiao said with a smile.

Along the way, Lin Zhixiao chatted with Daiyu enthusiastically, which made Daiyu feel very warm. She felt that this housekeeper of Rongguo Mansion seemed to be a very good person.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the gate of Rongguo Mansion. Daiyu and Xueyan disembarked, feeling a little nervous as they gazed at the magnificent mansion. Lin Zhixiao, a servant who could only enter through the back door, said to Daiyu, "Miss Lin, please wait in the gatehouse. I'll go tell the old lady you're here." Then he trotted off to Old Lady Jia's courtyard.

Finally, Lin Zhixiao trotted all the way to Jia's mother's residence and said with a smile: "Old lady, Miss Lin is here and is waiting outside the gate!" Old Lady Jia was stunned for a moment, slapped her thigh and said excitedly: "Didn't you say she would arrive in a few days? Go and greet her. The second wife, go and greet Daiyu. Where is Min'er? Go and tell Min'er the news to make her happy. If she is not feeling well, don't let her come to avoid tiring herself out."

When Mrs. Wang heard that Lin Daiyu was coming, her face turned ashen with rage. She clutched the cup tightly in her hands, as if she were going to crush it. She glared at the maid standing nearby and said, "Madam Zhou Rui, get out of here right now! That little loser is about to arrive, why don't you go and get ready?" Then she threw the cup heavily on the table, making a resounding sound.

Mrs. Zhou Rui hurried to the door and saw a carriage parked there. The curtains were drawn, revealing a delicate figure. She hurried over to greet her, beaming, "Oh, is this Miss Lin? You're so pretty! The old ladies and the ladies at home are so eager to see you." As she spoke, she led Daiyu in through the corner gate. Along the way, she kept explaining the situation at the Jia mansion, explaining that she was a member of the Second Mistress's household and that everyone called her Mrs. Zhou Rui. If she needed any help, she could come to her.

Daiyu felt a warm feeling in her heart as she listened to Mrs. Zhou's words. She felt that although Mrs. Zhou was a bit materialistic, she didn't seem to have a bad heart.

Upon entering the Jia Mansion, Daiyu was stunned by the sight. The buildings were magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, a scene of exquisite beauty. Sitting in her sedan chair, she surveyed her surroundings with curiosity, secretly marveling at the Jia Mansion's opulence.

The sedan chair moved along a winding path lined with exotic flowers and herbs, each with a fragrant aroma. Daiyu looked at these beautiful flowers and gradually became happy.

Finally, the sedan chair arrived at the main hall where Grandmother Jia lived. Daiyu got off the sedan chair and walked into the main hall cautiously. She saw Grandmother Jia sitting in the hall at a glance, and tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She walked forward quickly, threw herself into Grandmother Jia's arms, and said with a choked voice, "Grandmother..."

Grandmother Jia stroked Daiyu's hair lovingly and comforted her softly, "Good girl, don't cry, don't cry. This will be your home from now on."

Daiyu nodded, wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked around. The hall was beautifully decorated, with famous paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, a gorgeous carpet on the floor, and exquisite porcelain and fruits on the table. She marveled inwardly: the Jia family was truly a wealthy family; even this small main hall was so luxurious.

Seeing Grandmother Jia so sad, Daiyu couldn't help but feel sad too. She knelt down quickly, kowtowed to Grandmother Jia, and said, "Grandmother, I am unfilial and have caused you so much worry."

Grandmother Jia helped Daiyu up, took her hand and looked at her carefully. The more she looked, the more she liked her. "My dear granddaughter, you must have missed me so much. Come, let me have a good look at you."

Seeing how much Grandmother Jia loved Daiyu, everyone came up to her to flatter her, saying, "This little sister is truly a beauty. Look at her whole demeanor. She doesn't look like a granddaughter, but more like a legitimate granddaughter."

"If I were a man, my soul would be seduced away by a fairy like my sister."

Grandmother Jia smiled and let Daiyu meet everyone one by one. She then ordered the servants to go to Daiyu's residence and arrange for her to be next to Jia Min. Daiyu was grateful and thanked Grandmother Jia again. Then she followed the maid to her own room.