The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 364: Chai Dai Reunites

When the setting sun falls on the Qinhuai River, the cruise ships and pleasure boats also become active. The Ten-Li Qinhuai River is the most lively after nightfall. However, at this time, the periphery of the Jiangnan Examination Hall is bustling with people, because today is the day when the second session of the provincial examination ends. The candidates' servants and servants all gathered outside the examination hall waiting for the release of their cards. The surging crowd extended for hundreds of meters along the right bank of the Qinhuai River.

In contrast, the left bank of the Qinhuai River seemed deserted, with only an inconspicuous oil-painted carriage slowly moving forward along the embankment. The willow trees planted by the water had long lost their lingering look, with old branches and yellow leaves, creating a bleak scene.

At this time, the carriage stopped at an open area. There were no buildings blocking the waterside, so the magnificent Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall on the other side of the river could be seen directly. The curtain of the carriage was quietly lifted, revealing a pretty face. Even though the veil covered half of her face, it still gave people a sense of surprise at a glance. Her bright eyes, dignified and elegant, and gentle and generous temperament were impressive.

At this time, the crowd waiting on the other side of the river suddenly became agitated. It turned out that the cards had been released. The first batch of candidates who had handed in their papers walked out of the dragon gate, and the crowds around them immediately rushed forward. The scene was no different from the current college entrance examination, except that there was no segment where reporters interviewed the first candidate who came out.

"Miss, the cards have been released. Unfortunately, it's a bit far away, so I can't see clearly whether Master Huan San has come out." Ying'er lifted the curtain of the carriage, leaned half of her body out of the car, stretched her neck and tried to look around.

Xiangling also curiously moved closer to the window, opened her beautiful and pure eyes and looked across the river. The bright red rouge mole between her eyebrows was simply a stroke of genius, making her appearance even more lively and charming.

So it was obvious that the woman with the veil covering half of her face was Baochai. She looked at him silently for a moment, then lowered the curtain and whispered to the old servant driving the carriage, "Go to the dock."

The old servant was surprised and said, "It will be dark and the city gates will be closed in about an hour. Why are you going to the dock at this time, young lady?"

"No need to ask more questions. I have my own reasons." Baochai said calmly.

The old servant had no choice but to drive the carriage away, out of the city gate, and to the canal dock. Everyone got off the carriage. The sun had already set and the dusk was gradually darkening. Ying'er asked curiously, "Miss, didn't you want to ask Master Huan San for help? Why did you come to the dock?"

Xue Baochai did not answer, but said to the old servant who was driving the carriage, "Go back to the city quickly while the city gate is still open. Come back here to pick us up in three days."

"Young lady, please don't blame me for being nosy. If Madam asks, I should have an explanation, right?" said the old servant.

Xue Baochai said lightly, "If mother asks, I will tell her that I have gone to Yangzhou and will be back in three to five days. Don't let her worry."

After hearing this, the old servant drove the carriage back to the city in a hurry, while Baochai and her two servants rented a passenger boat and rushed to Yangzhou overnight.

The next afternoon, the passenger ship arrived at the pier south of Yangzhou City. Baochai and her servant abandoned the boat and went ashore, heading straight for the Salt Inspectorate's Yamen.

That's right, Xue Baochai hurried to Yangzhou this time, intending to ask Lin Ruhai for help. As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. Her uncle Wang Ziteng and the Jia family are far away in the capital, and she can't rely on them for the time being. She doesn't want to affect Jia Huan's provincial examination, so her only hope is to ask Lin Ruhai for help.

Yangzhou is not far from Jinling, and Lin Ruhai, as the Yangzhou Salt Inspector, also holds the imperial rank of Governor of Yingtian, specifically in charge of the smuggling of salt. The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Yi Hong, is only the deputy imperial envoy, so he can only ask Lin Ruhai to come forward to rescue his brother Xue Pan.

Although the Xue family and the Lin family did not have close contacts, they were still relatives after all. Moreover, Baochai was familiar with Daiyu and had lived together in the Jia family for several years. If she came forward to ask for help at this time, I believe Lin Ruhai would be unlikely to refuse.

There is no doubt that Xue Baochai's idea was correct, but she overlooked one point, that is, she came at the wrong time.

When Baochai arrived at the Salt Inspectorate's office, she did not ask to see Lin Ruhai directly, but asked Ying'er to hand over a visiting card and visit Lin Daiyu.

The Lin family's doorman was very surprised. Although he felt it was against the rules, when he learned that the other party was Miss Xue's family, a relative of theirs, and that they had both lived in the Jia family for several years and were very familiar with each other, he delivered Baochai's business card.

At this time, in the backyard of the Lin family, Lin Daiyu, Ping'er, Xueyan and others were bored, so they got some colored paper to make lanterns for fun. As the Mid-Autumn Festival was in two days, making some lanterns and hanging them up would be appropriate for the occasion.

"The provincial examination should be over now. I wonder how Third Master did?" Xueyan said to herself as she handed the cooked paste to Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu said, "You are so confused. Today we just started the third exam. We still have to take two more days to finish it."

Xueyan smiled and said, "Oh, isn't it the Mid-Autumn Festival? Sister Ping'er, why don't you hurry up and go to Jinling? I'm afraid you may still make it in time." Ping'er was surprised and said, "What do you mean by make it in time?"

Xueyan covered her mouth and smiled, "Of course I can pick up Third Master in time to take him out of the examination room. We can be reunited, and Sister Ping'er won't be distracted and worried all day long."

Qiao Ping'er blushed immediately and said, "The hoof can't spit out ivory. Who is distracted? Who is worried? I won't slap you in the face."

As the saying goes, the speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Lin Daiyu couldn't help but blush when she heard the words. It is true that one day without seeing each other feels like three years. Now Sister Lin's heart is completely tied to Jia Huan. Since the latter went to Jinling for the exam, the days of missing him every day are simply a torment for her. She finally understands what "morning and night" means.

At this time, an old maid came in and reported: "Young lady, the young lady of the Xue family in Jinling is here. She left a name card outside the door asking to see you. It's really a rare thing."

Lin Daiyu was stunned for a moment before she reacted and asked doubtfully, "The Xue family in Jinling, could it be Sister Bao?" She took the name card and looked at it.

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai had lived together in the Jia family for several years and were very familiar with each other's handwriting. So when she saw the name card, she knew it was written by Xue Baochai without even looking at the signature. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's really Sister Bao."

Then he asked the old woman, "How many people came from the Xue family?"

The old woman laughed and said, "There is only Miss Xue and two maids serving her. There is no carriage and no servants accompanying her. Otherwise, how can it be said to be strange?"

Ping'er and Xueyan were both surprised when they heard this. Although the Xue family is now in decline and no one is serving as an official in the court, they are still a wealthy family. The young lady was accompanied by only two maids on her trip. It would have been fine if she didn't have a carriage, but she didn't even send a few servants to follow her. How careless! Isn't she afraid of something going to happen on the road?
Lin Daiyu was puzzled and said hurriedly, "Please invite Sister Bao in quickly."

In the original version of "Red Mansions", the relationship between Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai was not very harmonious. Daiyu would mock Baochai whenever she got the chance. The most classic scene was when Jia Baoyu said that Baochai was like Yang Fei, "fat and afraid of heat". As a result, Baochai cleverly fought back with the play of "carrying a thorny branch to ask for forgiveness", which made both Daiyu and Jia Baoyu very embarrassed.

However, the occasional "struggle" between Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai is all because of Jia Baoyu. Today's Lin Daiyu is no longer the Lin sister in the original work who only has eyes for Jia Baoyu. Naturally, she will not be jealous of Jia Baoyu, so the two girls have lived in the Jia family for several years in harmony. In addition, Baochai is experienced in human relationships and goes with the flow. She takes special care of Lin Daiyu, who lives alone in the Jia family, and cares about her like a sister. Therefore, the relationship between the two girls is extremely close, just like real sisters.

Let's get back to the topic. Xue Baochai and her two servants were brought in. Chai and Dai had not seen each other for more than half a year since they separated at the beginning of the year. They were naturally happy to meet each other again. After a brief greeting, they sat down holding hands.

Xueyan served tea, and Ping'er also invited Ying'er and Xiangling to sit down and rest. She was secretly puzzled. Ying'er was originally Bao's personal maid, but Xiangling was Xue Pan's maid. Why did she follow Bao at this time? Did something happen to the Xue family?
At this time, Lin Daiyu asked, "Is Auntie all right?"

"I'm fine, but something happened at home recently, which has caused a huge mess. The whole family has been affected, and my mother has been unable to sleep or eat. I have no choice but to come to Yangzhou this time. I have no shame in asking Lord Lin for help." Xue Baochai sighed as she spoke, and her eyes turned slightly red with emotion.

Lin Daiyu was secretly surprised, because in her impression, Sister Bao was always calm and peaceful, and she had never seen her like this before. It was obvious that the Xue family must have encountered a great change. She hurriedly asked, "What happened in Sister Bao's family?"

"It is truly a misfortune for our family..." Xue Baochai felt as if something was stuck in her throat, and she hesitated to speak. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. Only then did she calm herself down and recount what had happened recently.

Lin Daiyu was deeply touched after hearing this and sighed, "I have always envied Sister Bao for having a loving mother above her and a supportive brother below her, and I lament that I am alone and helpless, living under someone else's roof. Now it seems that if my brother is not handsome, it would be better not to have him at all!"

Xue Baochai said bitterly, "Now my Xue family is desperate and has nowhere to turn to. I can only shamelessly come to Lord Lin for help. If Xian'er can introduce me to you, I will be very grateful!"

Lin Daiyu said hurriedly, "Sister Bao, you are too polite. Let's not talk about the relationship between us. Just based on the friendship between us, how can I not help you? But my father happened to lead the army to the sea to encircle and suppress Dulong Island recently. He is not in the mansion now. If everything goes well, I am afraid it will take ten days or half a month for him to return."

Xue Baochai was greatly disappointed when she heard this. Ying'er could not help but said anxiously, "We can't wait. The Jinyiwei have already seized all the properties under the Xue family's name. I'm afraid they will find an excuse to confiscate our entire house. Then we will all become prisoners."

Lin Daiyu was also a little frightened when she heard this, and said in a lost voice: "What should we do? Father is not here, and no one can speak in front of Yi Hong. Oh, by the way, Brother Huan, Sister Bao can try to ask Brother Huan, he still has a lot of weight in front of Yi Hong."

(End of this chapter)