Chapter 43 Kind-hearted Lin Daiyu decides to smooth things over, "Today too..."

Lin Daiyu asked her maid to bring the silver ingots that Zhou Rui's wife had delivered that morning: "It's almost New Year's, and they were just delivered this morning. Madam, please pick two."

Granny Shen recalled the gifts she had brought last time—dozens of items, none of which were for the general—and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Besides, with the two of them dragging their feet like this, when would they ever get married?

“Miss, may I take two more? It’s not for any other reason than that our household…” Madam Shen continued against her conscience, “The general is a rough man, and his silver ingots are not very well made. I’ll take two nice ones back so he can see them.”

Lin Daiyu smiled, the things her third brother gave her were all quite nice.

"You can choose, cough, take one of each to go."

Granny Shen didn't stand on ceremony and actually picked one of each.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "You've come twice today already."

"It's time to go back and eat." Granny Shen got up to take her leave. "As for whether I can come a third time, that depends on the general."

At the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, Mu Chuan received an invitation from the Rongguo Mansion. Along with the invitation came a slightly worn small table screen that Lin Daiyu had sent out long ago, but which had not yet reached him, and a reply letter.

Mu Chuan read the letter first, and then laughed.

Now that he's gotten to know Daiyu better, when he reads this letter again, it's not only a bit polite, but also a bit pretentious. But since he likes it, it's not pretentious anymore; it's just endearing.

Mu Chuan put the letter away and then looked at the table screen.

The table screen is embroidered with a rosewood base. The theme is something like "springtime in the garden". It is embroidered with tender branches and yellow flowers, with a couple of pink accents. The colors should have been quite bright, but now they have become somewhat dark.

Mu Chuan placed it in a conspicuous spot on his desk, then, after thinking for a moment, put it in a different box and then put the letter inside as well.

I'll have Granny Shen make another trip in a bit, and let Daiyu check if this is the thing.

Anyway, she had asked more than once: "When will the general marry the fairy daughter so that we can see her more often?"

Isn't this the opportunity? Seeing him three times a day, more than him, you should be satisfied, right?

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to go empty-handed, so Mu Chuan took the key to the storeroom to see if there were any similar desktop ornaments that he could give her as well.

Granny Shen returned from Rongguo Mansion quickly, and the first thing she did upon her return was to take the pile of silver ingots to see Mu Chuan.

"General, this is a return gift from Miss Lin."

Mu Chuan hummed in agreement. Although these silver ingots were different from ordinary silver ingots because they bore the name of Miss Lin, he actually had far too many of these in his household.

He also owes four horseback riding lessons, three archery lessons, two military boxing lessons, one masterclass on how to effectively train your body from scratch, and one lesson on basic health exercises: Tai Chi, Five Animal Frolics, and Eight Pieces of Brocade.

It's not that Lin Daiyu is bad, it's just that my subordinates are too good at asking for rewards.

"Take them and distribute them," Mu Chuan said. This was considered an effective way to improve the quality of his subordinates.

Granny Shen emphasized again: "This is a return gift from Miss Lin."

"Alright, I'll put it away then." Mu Chuan took the box and put the silver ingots inside; it was already half full.

To be fair, these subordinates who returned from Pingnan Town single-handedly made the matter of collecting Miss Lin's gifts less appealing.

Granny Shen sighed, looking at the box with reluctance.

Mu Chuan said helplessly, "You can't possibly like this kind of silver ingot, can you? The craftsmen we rescued from the chieftains can engrave words on silver pieces the size of a grain of rice, polishing silver until it shines brighter than a mirror, and they can even make silver sundials displayed in the courtyard. This silver ingot—you can actually be interested in this kind of craftsmanship?"

Granny Shen said with exasperation, "General, you should give Miss Lin something back. It's a good exchange."

Mu Chuan smiled and said, "You eat first."

"There really is."

Mu Chuan handed her the prepared items: "Ask if this was given to you by Miss Lin that day. The amber ornament inside was a gift from me."

Granny Shen was finally relieved.

Lin Daiyu ate lunch alone at Xiaoxiang Pavilion, a quiet and peaceful meal. It was probably her favorite way to eat, besides eating with her third brother.

Speaking of Third Brother... Lin Daiyu now believes that he has truly found out the information.

She would stroll in the garden on weekdays, or visit her sisters at dawn and dusk, and she would overhear some messages deliberately told to her.

In short, the most superficial information about Lin Daiyu, who came to the Rongguo Mansion to inquire about her, was that she was prone to being petty, mean-spirited, and looked down on maids and servants.

But what did Third Brother find out?

He sent the Xue family's invitation, proving that he knew where these rumors came from.

"He truly deserves to be called a great general," Lin Daiyu said with a smile.

"What?" Hearing the noise, Zijuan came in and asked, then said, "Miss, would you like to rest? It's almost New Year's, and everyone is having dinner at the old lady's place, so we can talk about the New Year."

"It's still early." Lin Daiyu took out her pocket watch and checked it. "Let's go in half an hour." She could also take her time and walk there at a leisurely pace.

She also wanted to see if there were any people hiding behind trees, in flowerbeds, or behind artificial hills, waiting to "pass on messages" to her.

Her mood had changed. Thinking about these people again, Lin Daiyu no longer felt the usual reluctance to go out and her desire to be alone. She wanted to find out who they were, to see the expressions on their faces, so she could know which household they belonged to, or how much money they had received to specifically come out and ambush her.

Ultimately, the Rongguo Mansion had too many people and too little work, otherwise no one would be so idle.

"Girl, Madam Shen is here."

Upon hearing this name, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but smile again.

"This is the third time already, my third brother—" He looks noticeably younger these past two days, how can he be so forgetful?

But it's okay to say this in front of Third Brother, but it's inappropriate to say it in front of Mother Shen.

When Madam Shen saw Lin Daiyu's sly smile, she felt that the general was unlucky. She put the box on the table and said, "The general instructed me to deliver this to the young lady. First, to see if the young lady recognizes this, and second, there is a small ornament that the general said he found while cleaning the storeroom. I'm sure the young lady will like it."

Lin Daiyu hummed in agreement, opened the box, and smiled, "This is it. Please thank the general for me when you get back."

After looking at this, she took out the small ornament that Mu Chuan had mentioned.

"It's so heavy—" Although I knew that my third brother had all the good stuff in his hands, this was still too good to be true.

The crystal-clear amber pieces were all in the yellow hue, some a deep brownish-yellow, others a light yellowish-white. Some were perfectly clean, while others had insects inside. After being polished, they were pieced together and set in a gold frame. The base was made of Phoebe zhennan wood. The pieces weren't large, only slightly longer than her palm, but they felt quite heavy in her hand.

For ordinary families, obtaining even one piece of amber is already a rare privilege. This ornament... one, two, three, four, five, a total of thirteen pieces of amber.

It's so beautiful. Lin Daiyu could imagine how beautiful it would look if it were placed on a table by the window and the sunlight shone down on it.

She liked it very much.

She liked it very much.

"I'll embroider a new table screen for my third brother; this old one isn't suitable for him anymore."

That won't do.

Granny Shen smiled bitterly and said, "Good girl, please think of me too. I was delivering things for the general, but when I returned, one item was missing. I'll be sent to Pingnan Town to do hard labor."

Granny Shen rarely feigned pitifulness, and besides, her act wasn't convincing at all. Coupled with her strong and muscular physique, it only made her look even funnier. Lin Daiyu was amused by her: "Alright then. But I still need to send something else to Third Brother."

Lin Daiyu was engrossed in thinking about what style of table screen to give her third brother, and when Granny Shen said she was leaving, she responded somewhat absentmindedly.

"Should I embroider a poem called 'Man Jiang Hong' for him? In cursive script? I can write it... but such a powerful poem, written in cursive script, would make the table screen too small. How big should it be?"

She had all the calligraphy copybooks of the four great masters of cursive script. Lin Daiyu went to the study to find the copybooks and then took out Xuan paper to design a sketch.

"Miss, Miss?" Ziju reminded her, "It's time to go to the old lady's room."

"Sigh..." Looking at the half-finished sketch, Lin Daiyu felt a little disappointed. Then she glanced at her pocket watch and realized it was indeed getting late.

What did she bring with her?

I want to show off the amber I got today, and I also want to show off the moon necklace I got yesterday.

Moreover... the Xue family quietly sent twelve invitations to her third brother over three months. She was unhappy about this. Even though she burned the invitations, she still wanted to randomly pick one of Xue Baochai to chat with.

She'll still wear the collar then; she already knew what to say yesterday.

"Zijuan, go and get the silver necklace I just got so I can wear it."

Wang Xifeng arrived first in Grandmother Jia's room, mainly wanting to inquire about Grandmother Jia's New Year plans.

Wang Xifeng also attended the last Jia family meeting, and Grandmother Jia asked directly, "I heard that someone from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion has come, but why haven't we received a reply? We'll invite him to dinner the day after tomorrow; would he be willing?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and comforted her, "That person was delivering something to Lin Daiyu. And since she's an old woman, she should have arranged for someone in charge to deliver something as important as a reply."

Yes, Mu Chuan did intend to come, but he was so focused on his Daiyu that he forgot to reply to the post.

Granny Shen, being just a nanny, would be even less likely to care about such matters.

However, the Rongguo Mansion was worried. Grandmother Jia even took out the return gift that Lin Daiyu had kept hidden for a long time, hoping that the Earl of Zhongyong would definitely come.

"Don't worry, ma'am, it will be delivered soon."

As people gradually arrived for lunch, Grandmother Jia could no longer say much, but she was inevitably absent-minded and gave irrelevant answers.

With Grandmother Jia in such a state, no one else dared to speak, for fear of disturbing her train of thought. The room fell silent for a moment until Lin Daiyu entered.

"Oh dear, why is it so quiet?" Lin Daiyu laughed. "I don't even dare to take a step, for fear that someone might be hiding behind the screen and pounce on me."

Aunt Xue said, "You little devil, next time I'll have Yun girl pounce on you."

Seeing her enter, Grandmother Jia smiled and beckoned, "What are you holding in your hand?"

Lin Daiyu pouted, a smile on her face, feigning complaint but genuinely showing off: "Yesterday, Third Brother gave me a necklace. I saw that Sister Bao and Baoyu both had one, so I asked him for one too. Who knew it would be so heavy around my neck? Just a few steps and my neck feels like it's going to break. I specifically asked for a silver one, and it's still this heavy. Sister Bao wears her gold necklace and gold lock around all day long, it must be so tiring for her. Aunt doesn't even care about Sister Bao."

What Lin Daiyu could never forget was Xue Baochai throwing herself into Aunt Xue's arms and acting coquettishly in front of her.

Having lived in the Jia family for so many years, why have we never seen them act coquettishly in front of their maternal grandmother? Xue Baochai always acts like an elder in front of everyone. The only time she acted coquettishly was in front of her, when the two of them hugged each other and acted out a mother-daughter relationship.

Aunt Xue even claimed that she had always been the one who loved her the most. What a ridiculous joke!

At that time, all she could do was cry, feel resentful, and endure it. Now she wants to speak out.

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "Well, everyone in the Rongguo Mansion has a necklace, it's not just those two. Someone must have prepared one for you when you were little too."

“No wonder Auntie always says that Sister Bao is still a child.” Lin Daiyu smiled and said, “We all wear necklaces to match our clothes. When we grow up, we just change them to tassels or necklaces. Only Sister Bao and Baoyu wear necklaces no matter what they wear, and one of them is gold and the other is jade.”

Coincidentally, Wang Xifeng wore a long red coat today to appear to be in good spirits, and her red gold necklace made Lin Daiyu's words seem even more true.

The speaker meant well, and the listener took it to heart.

What Xue Baochai cared about most was the mockery of her for being old and wearing a necklace that only children wear to try to look young.

Aunt Xue felt that Lin Yatou had found someone who could help her, and that she dared to speak up and compete for the position of Bao Er's wife.

When Grandmother Jia heard about the marriage between the golden and jade, she thought to herself that the Wang family was going too far, since the news had reached Yu'er's ears.

Lady Wang wasn't in a hurry. Although neither of the two girls was the best choice, when it came to competing for her Baoyu, her son would be the one to prove her worth.

As for Jia Baoyu, who was left waiting, he also figured out something: Lin Daiyu was unhappy because he hadn't visited her these past two days.

“I haven’t gone to see Sister Bao these past two days,” Jia Baoyu explained.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were alright, but Xue Baochai's expression changed, and Tan Chun also sighed.

She had always followed Lady Wang's lead, and by extension, she also favored Xue Baochai, and sometimes even made sarcastic remarks about Lin Daiyu.

But ever since Xue Baochai's management of the household became increasingly chaotic, perhaps due to her incompetence, Tan Chun also lost the respect she once had for Lady Wang.

Once the filter is gone, perhaps there's some compensation. Now, when she looks at Aunt Xue, Xue Baochai, and Jia Baoyu, well... it's not that she finds everything about them displeasing, but it's quite common for her to find fault with them from time to time.

This statement, "I didn't go to see Sister Bao," offended someone and made him seem less intelligent... Tan Chun then recalled the servants in the mansion saying that Bao Yu didn't like to study, was crazy, said things that no one could understand, and was always making a fuss.

He's not young anymore. At his age, Lian Erge (Second Brother Lian) was already gradually representing the Rongguo Mansion in social interactions. And him?

Neither of the two brothers could be trusted.

Tan Chun frowned, sinking into deep anxiety.

The room was quiet, and Lin Daiyu looked around.

It wasn't like this before when she was ridiculed in public; it used to be quite lively, with people even pulling her along to laugh.

Why isn't it lively today?

Is it because no one stepped in to smooth things over?

It can't be because she spoke to too many people in one sentence, right?

Lin Daiyu gave a feigned sigh, then she would try to smooth things over.

"Aren't you all hungry? Let's go eat. It's cold, and we get hungry really fast. Amber, have a maid bring some hot water to wash our hands."

Wang Xifeng hurriedly went to help Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother, let's go together."

Everyone headed to the main hall for dinner. Lin Daiyu then said, "I really liked the plum blossom cake this morning. Will there be any more tomorrow? The small kitchen still has some of my Lipu taro and highland barley left. I'll try those tomorrow."

After walking through a covered walkway, Lin Daiyu thought about how her third brother had found so many good tonics for her to eat, and how she had finally recovered. Naturally, she couldn't be exposed to cold air, so she remained silent.

However, once they arrived at the flower hall and everyone sat down, Lin Daiyu spoke up again: "For the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, I want meat-filled glutinous rice balls, or even diced meat balls with three kinds of fillings, since diced meat fillings are commonly used in Jinling."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Our Wang family is also from Jinling, but we've been in the capital for so long that we don't know what meat-filled glutinous rice balls taste like."

Lin Daiyu then looked at Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai and asked, "Aunt and Sister, you just moved here from Jinling, don't you like the food?"

Aunt Xue's smile was a little stiff: "We're old, so we don't like to eat like you young girls."

"Then I must eat more while I'm still young." Lin Daiyu then looked at Xue Baochai.

Although she didn't say anything, Xue Baochai could clearly see a message in her eyes: "Sister Bao, aren't you quite old? Don't you like to eat?"

Xue Baochai forced a smile and said, "It's what I love to eat. It's what I've always loved to eat at home."

Lin Daiyu smiled, covering her mouth with her hand, and said, "I knew it. Sister Bao doesn't look like someone who doesn't like to eat."

Xue Baochai immediately had the urge to overturn the table: "You should eat more so you can stay healthy."

Yuanyang and her maids had already started serving the dishes. The head kitchen worker smiled and said, "This is what Miss Lin likes to eat, especially the meat filling. We have to learn how to make it."

Lin Daiyu didn't let her off the hook either.

"It's time to learn some new dishes. I've only been here for ten years, and there are so many new things to eat all year round. As a result, I eat the same things every day. Take this ginseng chicken soup on the table, for example. I remember eating this the day I first arrived. I don't know how my grandmother put up with it."

“We do need to learn some new dishes,” Yuanyang said with a smile, but before she could finish her sentence, Lin Daiyu interrupted her.

"I told him I love Suzhou cuisine, and my third brother immediately took me there. Oh, by the way, I should also learn how to cook fish. Don't just use it to make broth all the time. Fish and lamb are both delicious. You guys don't know how to cook even half of the good dishes. It's too easy for you to be a chef."

Grandmother Jia took a deep breath: "Let's eat."

Lin Daiyu smiled at her and said, "Okay."

After finishing a bowl of chicken soup, Lin Daiyu felt incredibly refreshed. So this is what it feels like to smooth things over. From then on, she would smooth things over every day.

As for why you need to smooth things over... don't worry about that, just tell me whether you smoothed things over or not.

Although Lin Daiyu said that, the Rongguo Mansion's chefs were quite skilled, and she enjoyed her meal very much.

After dinner, Grandmother Jia said, "It gets dark early in winter, and the New Year is almost here. Everyone has a lot to do in their rooms, so I won't keep you any longer. Go back now."

She was genuinely a little scared, especially since she couldn't afford to offend the Marquis of Zhongyong right now.

She had calculated that it would take a proper official about three months to take up their post in Qiongzhou. Even at top speed, like a horse running itself to death, they could definitely arrive within five days.

As for the emperor summoning her youngest son to the capital, it won't be too slow, but it won't be too troublesome either. It should take about a month. Even if we add the New Year period, when the emperor doesn't handle state affairs... there's not much time left for the Rongguo Mansion.

Lin Daiyu stood up first, went to get the moon necklace she had brought, gently weighed it in her hand, and smiled, "Only today do I realize how hard it is for Sister Bao."

Xue Baochai's lips curled up, and her expression suggested a smile, but her eyes only showed a forced one: "Everyone has their difficulties."

Tan Chun bowed and said with a smile, "Sister Lin, I'll go back with you. I have something to tell you."

Jia Baoyu was always one to love joining in the fun, and he was used to the large group of people chatting in Grandmother Jia's room after meals. So he immediately said, "What do you want to say? I'll give you some advice."

In front of Madam Wang, Tan Chun politely refused, saying, "Well, this is a girl's matter."

Jia Baoyu then looked at Grandmother Jia and asked, "Grandmother, may I go back when it gets dark?"

Grandmother Jia nodded subconsciously, then regretted it a little: "You play chess with Qin'er, and whoever wins, I'll give them something."

Xue Baochai stumbled, about to speak, when she saw Lin Daiyu looking at her with a half-smile. Xue Baochai then pulled Shi Xiangyun aside and said with a smile, "Let's go back early. We can take a look at how to decorate the courtyard and where to put up those posters."

People came out of Grandmother Jia's courtyard in twos and threes.

Outside, Aunt Xue spoke very tactfully. Walking with Madam Wang, she remarked, "Lin's necklace is quite beautiful. The silver isn't worth much, but the craftsmanship is exquisite, and the gemstones on it are also top-quality."

She knew that Lady Wang didn't like Lin Daiyu, so this was a starting point. They chatted like this for a while, and when they got to Lady Wang's courtyard, they were able to talk about more in-depth topics.

She waited for a moment, but there was no movement around her. She turned her head and saw that Madam Wang was gritting her teeth, seemingly lost in some memory.

Aunt Xue waved her hand in front of her and said with a smile, "Why are you lost in thought? Watch your step."

"Exactly the same!" Madam Wang said indignantly, "Exactly the same as her mother who died young!"

Aunt Xue quickly pulled the person aside: "Keep your voice down."

Madam Wang grabbed Aunt Xue's arm and said, "Let's go back and talk!"

On the other side, Tan Chun followed Lin Daiyu to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

As soon as she entered, she felt a great difference. The room was originally filled with the fragrance of books, but now it also had an air of prosperity and peace, which made people feel comfortable and that nothing seemed to matter.

The two sat down separately, and Lin Daiyu asked Zijuan to brew some fruit tea.

"This was sent by my third brother. The fruit slices are dried, perfect for making tea in winter. What do you like? Peaches, pears, oranges, and this is pineapple."

Although Tan Chun didn't come for this, she was still quite curious: "Soak them all."

Zijuan then fetched a transparent glass tea set, picked up some dried fruit with tweezers and put it in, placed it on the small stove, poured in hot water, lit a candle, and brought out a plate of dried fruit before going outside to serve.

The water quickly began to simmer, and the fruit bobbed and tumbled in the transparent teapot, emitting a pleasant aroma.

Tan Chun said, "I want to manage the small kitchen. The main kitchen hasn't changed its ingredients in a long time, let alone the small kitchen."

Especially considering the last time Yingchun's maid went to ask for something, she was actually refused by Aunt Liu, and after the commotion, Aunt Liu, who also had connections, eventually returned. Although the kitchen rarely neglected Tanchun, that wasn't what Tanchun wanted; she wanted the Jia family to prosper. She felt that the Jia family's servants were too unruly.

Last time, the stewardship was perhaps too large, and with Xue Baochai interfering, all the garden's profits were given to the various old women. Giving them away was easy, but getting them back was difficult, so it was all hastily resolved in the end.

She had just heard Lin Daiyu mention that there was not enough food in the kitchen, and she thought that this was a good starting point.

Take small things as examples, start with the details, and if all else fails, just say you're a glutton and don't care what others say.

Lin Daiyu understood perfectly well what she wanted to do. She immediately nodded and smiled, "Exactly, it's time to keep a close eye on things. Even though we're young ladies, we can't pretend to be deaf and blind. Besides, the small kitchen is just for us to eat, so it's normal for us to make some requests."

Tan Chun breathed a sigh of relief and felt that what she said, "It's normal to make some requests," was very good.

"With the Lunar New Year approaching, we've been eating at the old lady's house quite often, so the small kitchen isn't busy. It's a good time to teach them properly."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "After we worship the Kitchen God on the eve of the Lunar New Year, it will be a new year for the kitchen, a new beginning. I think Second Sister and Third Sister will agree. Baoyu doesn't need to worry about him. As for Sister Bao—"

Lin Daiyu scoffed, "I just said I like it and I won't object."

Tan Chun thought so too. In this way, once the small kitchen was properly managed, it would be easier to gradually take charge of the garden, especially those old women who drank and gambled. There was no reason for them to be so negligent after receiving so much money.

Lin Daiyu added, "This is not a big deal. In my opinion, we don't need to go back to the old lady or the madam. We can just go directly to Sister Feng. Besides, she was the one who ordered the small kitchen to be built. She's the one who makes the decisions."

Tan Chun smiled, and Lin Daiyu went to the table and brought over a few strings of candied hawthorns. "Let's play this. You can only move one at a time from top to bottom. You have to put the same colors together to win. One person takes one turn. Let's see who wins first. No cheating allowed."

"I'm a guest, shall I go first?"

"I'm the master, shouldn't I have been here first?"

The two played rock-paper-scissors again, and Tan Chun won in the end. She laughed and said, "I'll only tell you this: when you play rock-paper-scissors, you always choose scissors first."

Lin Daiyu hummed a few times, and Tan Chun had already started to move: "Was this also a gift from the Marquis of Zhongyong?"

Lin Daiyu can now call him "Third Brother" without any restraint, and she even enjoys seeing the strange expressions on other people's faces when they hear her call him that.

"Mm." She nodded. "He has a lot of good stuff. Once we get tired of this, we can ask him for something new."

Sure enough, Tan Chun's expression also became strange, while Lin Daiyu laughed even more happily: "When you drink tea, the aroma is strong at first, but then it becomes too sweet. You can add some honey, but my third brother said that if you add too much honey, it will actually mask the taste. I tried it twice and I think he was right, so I stopped adding honey."

Tan Chun couldn't help but compare herself to her brothers, which made her even more annoyed.

One spent all day making rouge and cream, while the other gambled away her free time at Xue Baochai's place. She could only dream of achieving great things later in life.

When Wang Xifeng returned home, she saw Jia Lian sitting in the room. She raised her eyebrows and laughed, "Why are you sitting so far away? Is Ping'er going to eat you?"

Her words weren't harsh; they carried a hint of amusement and even hinted at the sweet intimacy of their past. Jia Lian laughed, "I'd love for her to eat me. Ping'er, would you like to?"

Wang Xifeng spat and had just sat down when a maid came in to report: "Aunt Meng from the main kitchen is here. She wants to ask the Second Master what dishes to prepare for the day after tomorrow."

Jia Lian frowned: "You need to come to me for this kind of thing?"

"After all, she's in charge of the main kitchen." Wang Xifeng had someone bring her in.

Aunt Meng came in and bowed first, then asked again.

Jia Lian then said, "What dishes did you originally prepare? Tell me."

Aunt Meng explained everything, and Jia Lian said, "Isn't that good? Is there anything else to ask?"

"I just want to know if the Earl of Zhongyong has any dietary restrictions? Or what he likes to eat? And what kind of wine should we prepare? There's still a day and a half left, so we can prepare in time."

Not to mention, today when Aunt Meng went to serve dishes in Grandmother Jia's room, she was completely humiliated by Lin Daiyu. How many years has she been in charge of the kitchen? She has only ever received rewards and never been scolded.

Today I really wish I could crawl into a hole and bury myself.

Besides, when I served her before, I asked if the food suited her taste. When Miss Lin first came, she thought it was good, the year before last, and last year. Why is she suddenly finding fault?

But after being rebuked, she became less confident and even more afraid to talk back. What if Miss Lin said something that made the Earl of Zhongyong think she was bad?

If he could even enter the mansion and take Zhou Rui away, is she more respectable than Zhou Rui, or is she more favored by the emperor?

She's just a cook, and Miss Lin doesn't even like her cooking.

Shouldn't she come and ask? At least to protect herself from the two masters above her?

Speaking of this, Jia Lian glanced at Wang Xifeng and frowned: "Speaking of which... the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion has not yet sent a reply. Did Lin Daiyu say anything?"

She said a lot.

Wang Xifeng chuckled, then quickly put on a serious face and frowned, saying, "I've never heard her mention that. Don't worry, he'll definitely come."

Jia Lian hesitated, "The old lady said he would definitely come if he sent something. Why don't you go and ask Lin Daiyu?"

Wang Xifeng glanced at the clock in the room: "It's too late. It will be even later if we go over there. Lin Daiyu must be asleep."

Jia Lian hesitated: "He can't not come, can he?"

After a busy day, Mu Chuan lay in bed, feeling like he had forgotten something.

But that's not important; things that can be forgotten aren't important.

Mu Chuan turned over and quickly fell asleep.

Today was also a fulfilling and enjoyable day.