Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 678 The Daughter of the Meng Family Arrives
In Rongqing Hall,

As the voice of an old woman was heard outside the screen.

Everyone in the hall looked extremely surprised. The eldest wife, Mrs. Xing, was still sitting there, staring at Shi Xiangyun intently. When she heard the voice, she immediately turned to look at the person outside the screen. When did a girl from the Meng family come to visit? Why didn't she recognize her?

I thought about the old relatives of the Jia family and those clansmen, and it seemed that there was no one with the surname Meng. I wondered which family's daughter-in-law had arrived.

The second wife, who was sitting at the lower table, also heard the message and her eyelids suddenly twitched. She felt a little uneasy. Why had she never heard the old lady mention it? Could it be that today's banquet was not for Xiangyun, but for the girl from the Meng family? Who was the Meng family?

The others also had different thoughts and discovered the problem, but since the old lady didn't say anything, the others didn't dare to ask, so they all endured it with great difficulty, not knowing what the person who came was like.

Wang Xifeng hesitated to speak, and looked around again and again. She felt that something was a little strange about what happened today, and that the old lady seemed to be hiding something. Subconsciously, she looked at her eldest sister-in-law Li Wan.

As if they had a telepathic connection, the eldest sister-in-law Li Wan, who was sitting there, inadvertently looked in the same direction as Wang Xifeng. The two looked at each other, both wanting to ask questions. Li Wan gently shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.

Wang Xifeng nodded secretly, then smiled, sat down quietly, and said nothing, as if it was none of her business.

Only Jia's mother, who had just sat down, was delighted when she heard the words.
He sat up again and shouted urgently;

"Quick, quick, call the maid from the Meng family in. Also, ask Baoyu to change his clothes and come over. Wear something brighter. We will have lunch here at noon. Come over to see me together."

"Yes, old lady,"

The servant outside responded and ran back quickly.

In Lin Daiyu's small courtyard of Rongguo Mansion, someone cleared a piece of land at the foot of the west wall and built a long platform at some point, and then planted bamboo on it. The bamboo grew fast and is now as tall as a person. When the wind blows, it sways from side to side, which is very pleasing to the eye.

inside the hospital,

But Lin Daiyu listened to the Marquis's words and walked many laps in the yard every day. She had just finished three laps today. She felt hot, a little breathless, and sweating slightly. Then she returned to her own room, wiped the sweat off her face with the help of Xueyan and Zijuan, and half-lying on the Xiangfei bamboo couch to rest.

Daiyu took off her shoes and socks and lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing a pair of smooth, flawless, small and lovely feet as tender as lotus roots. She soaked her feet in the warm medicinal water that Qingwen brought her. Her toes were like newly sprouted jade shoots, tender and white, and her nails were painted with balsam juice, looking a bit playful.

As soon as she put her feet down, Qingwen took the brocade cloth, moved a stool and sat beside her. She took out her hand and put it in the basin, gently massaging Miss Lin's feet to relieve her fatigue.
"Miss Lin, I've put more medicine in your foot bath today. After you're done, we'll go to the old lady at Rongqing Hall. She said that a banquet will be set up today, and it's Sister Liu who will cook the meal herself. She said that the girls should have a good gathering."

Looking at Miss Lin who was still panting, Qingwen snorted and continued to complain to Xueyan.

"Xueyan is such a jerk. She is so weak, God has pity on her. How could she be so tired? Miss, you have just recovered, you can't be tired. It won't be too late to leave after you have recovered for a few days."

Lin Daiyu lay there for a long time, her body not as tired as before, she played with a sachet in her hand, chuckled, and said softly:
"I know you are doing this for my own good. It's not Xueyan's fault. I want to walk more. I am in good health now. I am not as weak as before. I am stronger too. I walk more comfortably. In the past, I lay there listless and always felt tired. It's better to walk out to feel better."

Xueyan, who was standing behind her, was about to talk to Qingwen about the reason, but when she heard the young lady's words of defense, she twisted her body proudly, with her little face tilted up, like a hen that had laid eggs, out of pride. Zijuan saw this, smiled, looked up at Daiyu, and said softly:

"I didn't blame her, but the young lady still protected her. When you see her like this, I feel like complaining in my heart that the young lady is biased."

When Lin Daiyu turned around, she saw Xueyan making faces and her face turned red with shame.
"Alright! No big deal,"

She glared at Xueyan and told her to behave herself. Then she turned around and looked at the two of them. Seeing that they both wanted to bully Xueyan, Lin Daiyu said coquettishly,
Zijuan smiled, and then sat closer, massaging Lin Daiyu's shoulders, and whispered:

"Miss, the Marquis has not been here much these days. I don't know what he is busy with. And there is some happy event going on at the old lady's place today. He wants you to come over. I haven't heard any news from outside. It seems that he has also called the master of the Xue family over."

Lin Daiyu felt a little disappointed. She sighed softly, her bright eyes twinkled, and she said:
"My dear, you are naturally busy. You have a lot of official duties at court, and you have so many wives and concubines at home. You are so kind to everyone. How can you come here often to indulge in romance?"

Sometimes, people are just like this. Even if they don't have any other thoughts, they always hope to be special. But when they really face it, it turns out not to be the case.

Qingwen, who was sitting at the bottom, could not bear to watch any longer. She sat there with the brocade cloth she was using to wipe her feet, muttering:
"Young lady missed the Marquis, so I went to look for him and came to see him. Why are you just feeling sorry for yourself? Young lady, who else can you blame if you don't fight for it?"

Qingwen raised her eyebrows and spoke in a very firm tone, but when she met Qin Keqing, the wife of the Marquis, she was not so bold and followed many rules.

Only Xueyan opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She didn't understand what this meant, so she asked;
"Is the Marquis not good to the young lady? I feel very good about him. He sends me a lot of delicious food every day. I like the cloud cake the most."

"You, what do you know? He is a little too sentimental. Although I didn't see it, I can feel it in my heart."

Daiyu explained, clearly feeling that there was some ambiguity just now, but that feeling was not wrong. She lowered her bright eyes slightly, and played with a strand of hair that fell on her front with her slender hands. Her calm heart was now also rippling.

Then he said softly:

"Although he is affectionate, he is also sincere. In fact, you are a person who knows how to be warm and how to be cold."

Zijuan couldn't help laughing after hearing this:
"The Marquis has always been a broad-minded person, and he is also reserved and warm to the girl. Why think so much! There must be a place for the girl in the Marquis' Mansion."

Daiyu said in a delicate voice:

"Ah."

Only Qingwen beside her turned pale. Could it be that Miss Lin discovered something about the matter in the west yard? After thinking about it, Qingwen calmed down. After all, the Marquis had done everything perfectly, so how could he discover it?
"Miss Lin, the water is getting cold. Wipe your feet and change into bright clothes. We'll go there now. Don't wait for the old lady."

"Well, I won't change my clothes. I don't like them."

After wiping her feet, Lin Daiyu stood up. Zijuan stayed in the yard to pack her things. Only Qingwen and Xueyan followed her.

In the Pear Fragrance Garden,

Aunt Xue rushed over in a hurry, opened the door and shouted,

"My dear daughter, hurry up. It's already so late."

inside the house,

Xue Baochai had already changed her clothes. Her apricot-yellow silk skirt with some green embroidery set off her fair skin. She put down the account book in her hand, looked at her mother who had barged in, and said;
"Mom, don't worry. We are going to have a family dinner. Noon is still early."

Xue Baochai has been much more relaxed these days. The bank has its own manager and his team in charge, and she only needs to check the account books.

When Aunt Xue saw her daughter like this, her face changed and she scolded;

"You just don't know what's good for you. After all, we are just renting a house together, how can we be so impolite? Besides, the so-called family dinner is just an excuse. There must be something going on. Why didn't you go over and talk about it earlier? Or did you say it during the meal? You have no manners at all."

"That's right, Mom. Let's go now."

Xue Baochai immediately realized that a lot of things had happened in Rongguo Mansion these days, and the old lady's sudden decision to hold a family banquet must have a deep meaning. Since their family lived here, they needed to ask about it.
Therefore, the Xue family mother and daughter simply packed up and headed for Rongqing Hall. I don't know how long it took, but before the Meng family's daughter came over, there was another sound of footsteps.

The screen,
Lin Daiyu, dressed in blue, walked slowly towards them with Xueyan and Qingwen. Before Daiyu could say anything,

Coincidentally, Aunt Xue and her daughter followed behind him. The three of them came in one after another, causing the people in the room to look at them sideways.
Entered the house,

Wang Xifeng reacted first, stood up and said with a smile;
"Oh, today is a happy day. Sister Lin and Sister Xue finally have some free time, and Aunt Xue finally got to meet me."

After saying this, she walked over to Aunt Xue, supported her arm, and shook it like a spoiled child. Aunt Xue smiled, touched Wang Xifeng's hand, and sighed;
"You are a little late, old lady, for your eloquence."

"It's not too late, it's not too late, come in and have a rest, Yu'er, your second sister-in-law specially sent someone to buy you some cloud cakes, try them."

"Thank you, ancestor."

Daiyu nodded, looked at the people around her, and kept her eyes on Shi Xiangyun for a while. After all, she was conspicuous in her red dress. She did not sit in the front, but found a seat at the bottom of the west side and sat down.

But Wang Xifeng would never let her sit there, and wanted to go over to persuade her. Xue Baochai saw clearly that the old lady was busy, so she walked towards Lin Daiyu and sat down at the back.
Wang Xifeng had no choice but to sit down again after having just stood up.
"Okay, they can sit wherever they want. Today is a family dinner. Yu'er, Baochai, let me introduce you. The one next to you is the daughter of Baolinghou Mansion, Shi Xiangyun. She is also the granddaughter of the old woman's niece. She has had a rough life and is staying in the mansion for the time being."

Shi Xiangyun had long since come back to her senses. She stood up and bowed to the two beauties.
"Meet the two sisters,"

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai also stood up and returned the greeting.

"Meet Sister Xiangyun."

The few of them were polite to each other again.
At this moment, Miss Meng Yueyun of the Meng family, wearing a light red dress, looked pretty and gentle, with her hair combed into a bun with air bangs. On her foxy oval face, there was a bit of bright rosy red, and a pair of crystal clear eyes. Her shy expression made everyone in the hall's eyes light up. Even Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai raised their eyes and looked over, but suddenly moved away and looked at each other, as if asking, who is this person?

Seeing that everyone had questions, Jia's mother stood up and introduced with a smile;

"So it's the young lady who has arrived. Come over and have a seat. It's a coincidence that today, the legitimate daughter of the Inspector General Meng, the Right Censor, has been invited by the old woman to come over and have a seat. And the maid Xiangyun has also come, so I'll just prepare a family dinner for everyone to have some fun."

The old lady didn't elaborate much, just saying that she invited the person, and didn't say anything specific. The three sisters were curious, but after all, they didn't know each other, so they didn't dare to go over. Only Li Wan, Madam You, and Wang Xifeng were puzzled, and they looked at each other secretly, not knowing what the old lady was up to.

As for the second wife's eyes, she was always staring at this girl. She was tall and good-looking, and she was the legitimate daughter of Lord Meng. It couldn't be that she was... Obviously, she felt something, and Grandmother Jia's eyes seemed to be looking over here too.

Only Mrs. Xing looked uncomfortable. Who was she talking about as a daughter-in-law? The whole room was full of women. Except for the maid Sanchun, the others were all taken. It could only be the second wife's darling, Jia Baoyu. The Right Censor-in-Chief was a third-rank official, and the old lady actually had such a relationship with him.
I was a little surprised. She was worthy of being the old lady of Rongguo Mansion. It seemed that Jia Baoyu was lucky.

"Meet the ladies and young ladies. I, Meng Yueyun, am here to greet you."

How could Meng Yueyun lose her manners? She brought Xiaotao and Granny Meng to the hall and bowed to the people around them. Wang Xifeng was the first to react.
"Oh, it's Sister Yueyun. You are a guest, why are you so polite? Please sit down."

She stood up and pulled Meng Yueyun to sit next to the old lady. Meng Yueyun thanked her slightly and looked at the beautiful and smart woman in front of her. She thought she was the second wife rumored outside. She was really a fairy-like figure. She could not compare with her.
In terms of appearance, I am about the same as the three girls on the west side, and I am even less able to compare with the two women sitting below. They are so beautiful that they can overwhelm the country. How can there be so many gorgeous women in Rongguo Mansion?

Through the time of chatting,
Wang Xifeng briefly introduced the people in the room and exchanged polite words with each other. Meng Yueyun then realized that those sitting at the very bottom were Miss Lin and Miss Xue. It seemed that she had heard from her father that the two of them were the concubines of Marquis Luo Yun, but it was not in the proper position for them to sit there.

"Come, Yueyun, try some of the cakes from Yaoji Chamber of Commerce. They're still hot."

"Okay, thank you, Second Grandma,"

Everyone chatted and enjoyed tea together.

Jia Baoyu in the green gauze cabinet,
After sleeping in early in the morning, he finally had some free time. He stopped reviewing his lessons and ate early. He put down his books and went to Rongqing Hall with a few maids.

As soon as he entered the room, he sat down in a seat at the lower east side, not knowing whether he was still asleep or not. He did not look at anyone in the room, but just sat on a chair beside him without saying a word until Xiren pulled Master Bao's clothes from behind.
"Master Bao, wake up. Miss Lin is still here at the family dinner today."

When Jia Baoyu heard the three words "Miss Lin", he woke up immediately. When he looked up, he saw Lin Daiyu sitting opposite him. He was obsessed with this sight. Jia Baoyu stared at the woman opposite him who was wearing a light blue skirt and had an elegant temperament.

He had always known that Lin Daiyu was a beautiful lady, but he had never had the chance to meet her and had no chance to become close to her. Today he saw her clearly and she was indeed her beauty. Her clothes were as white as green plum, as elegant as chrysanthemum, and her plain clothes made her look like an immortal.

This obviously made Lin Daiyu on the opposite side extremely uncomfortable. Qingwen was even more angry when she saw it. She walked directly in front of Lin Daiyu and blocked Jia Baoyu's sight. Only then did Jia Baoyu come back to his senses.

Xiren took the opportunity to pull Master Bao.

"Second Master, come back to your senses. Today, the old lady invited Meng Yueyun, the daughter of the Meng family, to come to our house. Look over there, she is so tall."

Xiren was also a little surprised that Miss Meng was so tall, as ordinary women were not that tall. Jia Baoyu was obviously curious and turned around to look. She was wearing an luxurious red and green dress made of the finest Shu brocade. She was tall and quiet, with a calm expression. She was also an excellent woman.

"Girl, look, the person sitting below is Jia Baoyu. Please forgive me for my lack of courtesy."

While Grandmother Jia was still saying nice things, Meng Yueyun had already moved her eyes away. She wondered why the nobleman from Rongguo Mansion liked to sit at the last seat. This man really looked wealthy.

Mrs. Meng behind Meng Yueyun was also looking at Baoyu calmly. She was instructed by her mistress to come and take a look at Baoyu's character. She saw that although Baoyu was still young, he had a face like a silver basin, eyes like bright stars, and a dignified appearance. She was secretly satisfied in her heart.

Grandmother Jia was also observing the reaction of the maid from the Meng family. Seeing that she was not disgusted, but rather had a much more submissive look, she was delighted. This first meeting was over.
Looking at Baoyu's appearance in the hall, Jia's mother chuckled and said to Fengjie:

"I've never heard Mr. Meng say that before, but I didn't expect that Miss Meng is such a great person."

Fengjie now knew what was going on. This was a blind date for Baoyu. When she heard the old lady talking, she immediately smiled and said:

"Grandfather, isn't it? As soon as Sister Yueyun came in, I liked her very much, especially her figure, which was very graceful."

However, a strange feeling arose in his heart. He had heard for a long time that the Meng family of the Censorate was a family with high ambitions. I guess they were thinking of climbing up the social ladder.

After all, the matter of Shuntian Mansion was related to Marquis Luo Yun, and she knew about it. The key point was that no matter what happened before, it seemed that it was a blind date for Jia Rong, and now he came to Rongguo Mansion again. It felt so awkward that the uncle and nephew could fight for a woman.
However, the girl from the Meng family is really good, and I think the girl from the Feng family is even better than her. After all, Brother Zhen has a picky vision, so the Meng family is so anxious and will not delay any further. It is inevitable that some people will become suspicious. Is there some unspeakable secret? This family is too picky and they chose the Meng family just to climb up the social ladder.

Meng Yueyun felt somewhat shy after what Sister Feng said, and said softly:
"Mrs. Lian, you are overpraising me. I am just a little taller than the average person, and so are the other things."

At this time, Daiyu and Tanchun also looked at Meng Yueyun secretly. After looking at each other, Daiyu said softly:
"How come this sister is so tall? I've never seen anyone this tall."

Tanchun smiled and said:

"Sister Lin, how should I know this? I haven't seen it either."

Xue Baochai, whether intentionally or unintentionally, interjected:

"It's gone!"

(End of this chapter)