Chapter 47 Third Brother is Omnipotent, One is Worth Three! "Cloud Cake..."

Grandmother Jia didn't get enough rest, and in the entire Rongguo Mansion, apart from Baoyu who was still obedient, the rest of them all started to rebel.

Those above her were two-faced and dared to deceive her to her face, while the younger generation dared to argue with her in front of her, completely disregarding her.

"...They still accuse me of favoring Baoyu!"

Lin Daiyu didn't sleep well either.

The epiphyllum blooms at midnight, and when the maid called her to get up, she was not very willing.

“…I think Miss Song did it on purpose.” Lin Daiyu yawned. “I’ll have to tell her next time we meet.”

But when she actually saw the flowers, she suddenly felt that it was all worth it.

"Miss Song is a good person; others have misunderstood. It's not easy being the Empress's niece."

Xichun was engrossed in watching, without saying a word.

The epiphyllum blooms at midnight and fades at dawn, as if the flower is different every time it blinks. After the flower falls, I sleep for another hour in a daze, and then it's dawn.

Lin Daiyu was awakened by Jia Baoyu's voice outside before she even opened her eyes.

"It smells so good, did the flower bloom last night?"

Lin Daiyu opened her eyes with a frown, and then saw Xichun's sympathetic yet worried gaze, and something else in it.

"Zijuan." Lin Daiyu called out, but before Zijuan could enter, Jia Baoyu's voice came from outside: "Is my sister awake?"

"Zijuan!"

"Miss," Zijuan hurried in, "Are you getting up, Miss? I'll help you get dressed."

"Please ask Master Bao to leave," Lin Daiyu said coldly. She had been living in a daze, and she knew the rules and how to avoid suspicion, but Baoyu didn't care even after she told him several times. The whole Rongguo Mansion had gotten used to him holding a maid and licking rouge, treating him like a child.

But he is not a child, and I am no longer a child myself.

When I go out with my third brother, he always speaks and acts in a proper and respectful manner, never making anyone feel offended.

On the contrary, it was myself...

He was still the boorish man Baoyu described.

Besides, there are only three rooms. Baoyu is standing in the main hall, and the inner room is his bedroom. Although there is a door, there is only a thick curtain in the middle to block the wind, and there is only a screen further in.

Zijuan went outside and said to Jia Baoyu with a smile, "Miss has just gotten up. Would you like to sit in the study for a while, Second Master?"

Jia Baoyu muttered to himself, "Why are we getting so distant?" and moved into the study.

Ruhua and Zijuan came in with their maids to help her get dressed and wash up. While they were combing her hair, Xichun praised, "The things in the palace are really good. This hand cream is more delicate than the one I usually use, and the fragrance is more natural."

After saying that, she laughed again: "If this continues, I won't be able to bear becoming a nun."

“If you like, take two boxes. My third brother gave me a lot, and I can’t use them all by myself. The mother who brought the things also said that they are all made to be used immediately, and they won’t be good if they are left for too long.”

"I'll just take one box," Xichun said with a smile, neither too polite nor tactless. "The box is nice too, and it's sealed tightly. I can put other things in it after I'm done with this one."

After washing up, Xichun said goodbye and left.

Seeing that the girl was dressed up, Zijuan led Jia Baoyu in.

As soon as Jia Baoyu arrived, he went straight to the pot of epiphyllum: "What a pity, I didn't get to see the beautiful sight of the epiphyllum blooming for a fleeting moment. Would you like me to admire this flower? Its fragrance is wonderful, perfect for adding to face powder, or making some lip rouge to make my mouth smell sweet."

Jia Baoyu immediately thought of three or four uses, and then said regretfully, "It's a pity there are only three flowers. I'll have someone go outside and ask how to care for these flowers, and next time I'll make sure they bloom more."

“Take it if you like. Zijuan, bring some oil paper and wrap the flowers for Master Bao.”

Jia Baoyu immediately beamed with joy: "Good sister, I'll bring it to you when it's ready."

Originally, she had no relatives or friends, no one to help her, and dared not think about it too much, just enduring each day. But ever since she talked to her third brother about the marriage, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but think about it.

She had told her father before that although Baoyu was easily influenced, he rarely got angry; although he had never achieved anything significant, he was obedient, but...

"Young lady, Mother Zhou has come to pay her respects."

—Third Brother's word is the final word.

Lin Daiyu's smile held a hint of sharpness, and even her tone changed: "Let her in."

Her obvious change in expression naturally did not escape Jia Baoyu's notice. Jia Baoyu glanced at her and thought that since he was here, he could help to smooth things over.

He also knew that Lin Daiyu and Zhou Mama didn't get along very well, but Zhou Mama was, after all, a respectable nanny in the mansion and a maidservant of the mistress, so as the younger generation, they naturally had to be filial to their elders.

However, if Zhou's mother said anything offensive, he would try to stop her, lest Lin Daiyu take offense.

"Master Bao, Miss Lin." Zhou Rui's wife stepped forward and bowed.

In the rush yesterday, there wasn't enough time to think things through. After a night, Zhou Rui's wife finally understood.

What did Miss Lin mean by that?

...Mother Zhou should still go and see... She's probably only here to ask questions...

Isn't this just targeting her?

Besides, the original idea was to flatter her.

“With the New Year approaching,” Zhou Rui’s wife said with a smile. “If you need to travel, just let us know in advance. The carriages are all ready. Recently, two new mares were delivered to the estate. They are gentle and pull the carriages quickly and steadily. They are prepared for you.”

Lin Daiyu smiled and asked, "Do other girls have them? Are they prepared just for me?"

"Here they come!" Zhou Rui's wife was about to speak when Jia Baoyu interrupted her.

"Mother Zhou, you've worked hard. Zijuan, pour some tea for Mother Zhou. It's almost New Year's, so it wouldn't be good to let you make a wasted trip. Xueyan, bring out the new silver ingots you've acquired, and let Mother Zhou pick out a couple of nice ones."

Lin Daiyu and Zhou Rui's wife both looked at him with somewhat unfriendly eyes.

If we take it out of context, this does sound nice, but... we can't really ignore the facts.

"...You only have a superficial understanding of officialdom and economics, which is worse than someone who knows nothing at all."

Lin Daiyu muttered to herself, thinking that Baoyu was just there to cause trouble, so she wouldn't hold back.

“Mother Zhou came to pay her respects, but before she could even say two words, you started interrupting. Master Bao, please sit somewhere else. My place is too small to accommodate someone as big as you.”

Jia Baoyu wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "I'll wait for you to eat together. It's frozen outside again, be careful of the slippery roads."

Zhou Rui's wife then chimed in, "What kind of carriage does the young lady prefer? Would you like a soft couch or two long benches opposite her inside? Also, what are the designated places for the brazier and food boxes? Which one would you like, young lady?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "No need for Mama Zhou to trouble herself. I have a carriage from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion when I go out. I don't know why, but everything they arranged for the carriage is exactly to my liking."

“Look at what you’re saying, young lady.” Zhou Rui’s wife laughed again. “No matter how good the things of the Marquis of Zhongyong are, they are still outsiders. We are more comfortable and convenient to ride in our own carriages.”

Jia Baoyu looked at Zhou Mama and then at Lin Daiyu. Although both of them had smiles on their faces, he felt that something was wrong, but what exactly was wrong?

"Mother Zhou should smile more; a smile makes you look more cheerful." After all, all that's left for hardship is to come.

Lin Daiyu glanced at Xueyan and said, "Give Zhou Mama a couple more silver ingots. You can't take them with you anyway."

As Zhou Rui's wife took her leave, Jia Baoyu hesitated and said, "Zhou's wife is Madam's personal maid."

"Do you need to say that?" Lin Daiyu retorted. If it weren't for her second aunt's maidservant, how could she be so respectable, and how could she give her attitude every now and then?

As soon as she said this, Lin Daiyu remembered what her third brother had said that day: "Your wicked mother-in-law will drive you crazy."

She couldn't help but smile and said, "Shall we go eat? Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

She was happy that Zhou Rui's wife came to pay her respects. She was even happier that her third brother was so capable and could satisfy her every need.

Being carefree isn't a bad thing at this point. Jia Baoyu stood up and said, "Let's do it together."

After breakfast, Lin Daiyu went out to bask in the sun for a while before returning home. Qingwen was already waiting inside, splitting thread with her hands.

I don't know how she moved, but with a twist, her fingernail pushed upwards, and the thread came undone.

Lin Daiyu stood there watching for a while before speaking, "I didn't know before, but seeing it with my own eyes today, I realize how good your skills are."

Qingwen busied herself with bowing.

Lin Daiyu said, "No need to be so polite." She looked around and instructed, "From now on, put the table under the window, clear this space so the embroidery will have better lighting."

Zijuan went to arrange for people to pack up the belongings, and also called the old woman to move the larger items.

Lin Daiyu took out her completed poem "Man Jiang Hong" from the bookshelf: "I want to embroider this, two pieces, one on top and one on the bottom."

Qingwen knew a few characters when she was young, but she still doesn't remember many of them now. However, judging from the impressive style of this calligraphy, she knew it wasn't intended for Bao Er Ye.

Qingwen said earnestly, "Generally speaking, the center of the embroidery should ideally be slightly higher than eye level."

“Then…” Lin Daiyu thought of her third brother’s figure and couldn’t help but smile, “Then you’ll have to embroider an extra foot.”

“If it were a typical room, this piece could be hung in the hall. It would be about four to five feet long and two feet wide,” Qingwen added. “Moreover, with such grandeur, it’s not suitable to embroider something too small.”

Lin Daiyu thought about it and agreed, complaining with a smile: "Sigh, I should have known better than to embroider this."

She spread the two pieces of calligraphy on the desk: "Writing requires strokes and brushstrokes. For example, this stroke goes from left to right, and it's best to show that on the embroidery as well. And here, this is a pause in the stroke, it should have a rounded feel. How should this hook be embroidered? It would be even better if it could have the moist feel of full ink. It also needs to have a glossy feel."

Lin Daiyu also knew some basic concepts of embroidery. She was from Suzhou, and the Jiangning Imperial Textile Bureau was also in Jiangnan. Not to mention the Great Wei Dynasty, but going back to any dynasty with a name, the embroidery here was the most exquisite craft.

Therefore, her basic knowledge was actually much more advanced than that of many people in the Rongguo Mansion.

However, just by looking at Qingwen's skill in splitting thread, one could tell how good her craftsmanship was, so Lin Daiyu stopped claiming to know anything and simply listened to her talk.

Qingwen thought for a moment and said, "If you want to see the direction of the strokes, the embroidery thread must be split to the finest and follow the direction of the strokes. If you want a smooth and lustrous finish... you can mix in some extremely fine silver thread, or simply not use silver thread and only use undyed silk. Although it is not as lustrous as silver thread, it is more understated and natural."

Lin Daiyu listened and took notes, preparing to send someone to find the items.

“If it’s full…” Qingwen touched Lin Daiyu’s handwriting, noting that the strokes, especially the hooks or pauses, were indeed slightly thicker. “It could be embroidered in two layers.”

Qingwen showed Lin Daiyu the butterfly wings from her embroidery frame: "There are two layers of embroidery in the middle."

"It is indeed thicker, but it doesn't feel bulky." I was finally relieved. "Xueyan, have someone bring my big embroidery frame over."

Qingwen smiled shyly and said, "Miss, I want to see how you write, how you move the brush, so I can know how to embroider properly."

While Lin Daiyu was cutting fabric and preparing things, Zhou Rui's wife went to Madam Wang's room.

She was somewhat unwilling to give up. Although she had bowed her head to Miss Lin, she always felt that this was only a temporary measure. So she took the opportunity to go to Madam Wang to file another complaint, as well as to lay the groundwork for the future.

Madam Wang is angry right now.

This morning at breakfast, her sickly daughter, left behind by her short-lived sister-in-law, was talking to her son about this and that, and he was all smiles. She was so angry that she barely ate anything, and her chest still feels tight.

"Madam..." Zhou Rui's wife bowed, feigning hesitation, "Logically speaking, this shouldn't be said, after all, I'm just a servant. But Miss Lin is being a bit presumptuous. She said she's going to visit guests during the New Year and asked me to prepare the best horses and carriages. When I asked her where she was going, she said that the Earl of Zhongyong would be there anyway. Doesn't this make our hereditary Duke's mansion seem inferior to a mere Earl?"

Madam Wang chuckled twice: "Not surprising!"

“I’m just a servant, so it’s fine. But Master Bao was there too…sigh.” Zhou Rui’s wife sighed. “Master Bao, like his wife, is very kind-hearted. He couldn’t stand it and said a few words to her, and she retorted. I can tolerate being wronged, but Master Bao can’t be wronged. I—”

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Wang interrupted her: "Since she came, has Baoyu ever been wronged? On the very first day, she provoked Baoyu to smash his jade. I have never forgotten that!"

Zhou Rui's wife was satisfied and said, "After all, she can speak up for the Marquis of Zhongyong. It's nothing for a servant like me to suffer a little grievance."

Madam Wang was almost driven to the brink of madness by Zhou Rui's wife. Besides, if she wanted to lower her guard so that she could find a good opportunity to send her out as a concubine, she would have to endure it!

Madam Wang said with a forced smile, "She's just like her short-lived mother; she's an unlucky person and won't live long!"

In the afternoon, Lin Daiyu was learning how to split threads from Qingwen.

"How did your nails grow like this?" Lin Daiyu pulled her hand over and examined her thumb nail closely. "You haven't filed them down, they're just like mine. How can they split so easily? And when I split my nails, I always split them in half, how come you can split them in a 90/100 split?"

Qingwen comforted her, "Actually, it's all the same. Since it's going to be split into individual strands, whether it's 1/9 or 5/6, the strands still need to be split."

Lin Daiyu sighed, "I thought my embroidery was pretty good. When you were in Baoyu's room, I only knew you were a good maid, but I didn't know you were so skilled. It's such a waste of your talent."

Qingwen smiled politely and said, "I don't deserve your praise, Miss. I just need to practice more."

"Let's continue. You're not that much older than me."

"The girl's handwriting is unique, and her talent is unmatched by others."

Just as they were praising each other, the voice of the maid who was lifting the curtain came from outside: "Miss Bao is here."

What is she doing here? Baoyu is not here. Lin Daiyu stood up, and Qingwen was about to get up, but Lin Daiyu pressed her down: "Just do your work. If you stop now, you'll have to start all over again later. I'll go and send her away."

In the main hall, Zijuan invited Xue Baochai to sit down, and a maid brought up tea and snacks.

Xue Baochai nodded to Zijuan and said with a smile, "Among all the young ladies in your room, you are the most clever."

Zijuan was a little unsure of her young lady's intentions and didn't dare to say much, so she just stood by and stayed with her.

Xue Baochai looked around and could tell that although she was sitting in the main hall, things were different from before.

Leaving aside the furnishings that are terrifying to look at, the charcoal she burns in her room is one in a million in the capital.

...all of this is related to the Earl of Zhongyong.

"What are you girls doing?"

Zijuan smiled and said, "It's embroidery."

"This is indeed a lesson that a young lady should work hard to learn," Xue Baochai commented with a warm smile.

As they were talking, Lin Daiyu came out.

"What brings Sister Bao here?"

"I had nothing to do, so I came to see you." Xue Baochai said with a smile, "How are you feeling? This morning, the shop assistant from my family's shop said that a batch of top-quality bird's nest just arrived, and I came to bring you some."

It wasn't that Lin Daiyu couldn't afford this before, but she was just afraid of the trouble. Now, her disdain is written all over her face.

"Thank you for your kindness, Sister Bao. I'll accept it this time, but please don't send any more in the future; it's too much trouble. Rock sugar stewed bird's nest isn't that delicious. I eat bird's nest outside these days. There's a dish called 'Hibiscus Bird's Nest' in Shandong cuisine and 'Chicken and Salted Bird's Nest' in Cantonese cuisine; both taste pretty good. Have you tried them, Sister Bao?"

Xue Baochai laughed and said, "You've eaten out a few times, and now you're laughing at me? I'll call Baoqin over sometime, and you can have a good comparison with her. She's traveled all over the country and eaten a lot of delicious food from different places."

Her attitude of pretending not to understand made Lin Daiyu quite uncomfortable, but who cares?

Just as my third brother said, I was upset before he came and I was still upset after he came, so wasn't his trip in vain?

"Who has time for this?" Lin Daiyu said disdainfully. "There are so many guild halls in the capital, I haven't even tried them all. Speaking of which, Baochai's brother is back too, why don't you ask him to go out with her? You said you were going to write invitations for two months, how come you haven't attended a single banquet? Where are your Xue family's relatives and friends?"

Lin Daiyu used to avoid the words "relatives and friends," but now that she has her third brother, one family is better than ten.

With his physique, he could easily take on two or three people.

Thinking about it this way, Lin Daiyu laughed out loud first.

Xue Baochai was a little upset. How dare they laugh at her to her face?

"Ahem." Xue Baochai looked away. "It's almost New Year's, and everywhere will be crowded. Why bother going out at this time?"

Lin Daiyu tilted her head and said in a cute and innocent manner, "Where would there be so many people? Each family in the Great Buddha Hall has its own room, and everything is arranged. When we go to offer incense, we go to each family one by one. We will definitely not run into other families."

Lin Daiyu counted the houses one by one: "The Wu-Yue Guild Hall that I often go to is also a small courtyard, and you can only tell that there are people here from the signs outside. On the streets... the inner city streets are wide, but there aren't that many people. Last time I went to the Dingnan Marquis's house for a banquet, his house was quite spacious and lively. Sister Bao really doesn't like to go out."

Lin Daiyu realized that pretending to be stupid was actually quite enjoyable. It was the kind of happiness that came from two people focusing all their joy on one person.

This is double the happiness!

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Since you love excitement so much, you can have a good time during the New Year in a couple of days."

After saying this, Xue Baochai got up to take her leave.

After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Xue Baochai sighed softly, realizing that she had truly misjudged the situation this time.

But you can't blame her. Who would have thought that a loyal and brave Earl would suddenly appear out of nowhere?

Although some people in the Rongguo Mansion have said that Xue Baochai is not as considerate as before, and even the three sisters are not as close to her as before, but... this is not actually Xue Baochai's problem.

Her idea has always been firm.

Who is in charge in the Rongguo Mansion?

When she first arrived, the old lady still held considerable power and her word was law; the concubine appeared to be indifferent to household affairs, but she made the decisions on important matters.

As for Wang Xifeng, she was just a servant who ran errands.

Otherwise, why would she use her own new clothes as a makeover for Jin Chuan, who jumped into the well and died?

Isn't it all just to make her aunt remember her well?

Now, several years have passed, and the old lady can't manage anything anymore; she doesn't even leave the courtyard.

Wang Xifeng is universally disliked and will surely meet a bad end.

The Rongguo Mansion fell completely into the hands of the concubine.

Although she didn't know the inside story, she knew that if they could force the eldest master to move out and let the second branch of the family occupy the main hall back then, they might do it again in the future. Besides, the old lady also loved Baoyu, and the Rongguo Mansion would definitely belong to the second branch of the family in the future.

Tan Chun is even more ridiculous. If she wants to be of one mind with her aunt, then she should stick to it to the end. Why does she act like this, being nice to Miss Lin today and then saying a few words for her tomorrow to make up for it?

My aunt only looks kind and gentle; who could tolerate someone with a divided heart?

Sigh... Only Lin girl.

How can she be so lucky?

If it weren't for her aunt's warning to everyone in the household not to gossip, she might not have known that the Earl of Zhongyong had feelings for Miss Lin.

This is a bit difficult. She doesn't want Lin Yatou to be Bao Er's wife, but she also doesn't want her to be the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong.

That's not all; we also need to get closer to her—

"Sister Bao, Sister Bao?"

Xue Baochai looked up and saw Shi Xiangyun reclining on the couch, reading a storybook in her hand, with some snacks on a small table beside her.

Here it is!

Good and bad are always relative.

It just so happens that she lives with Shi Xiangyun, who is quick to anger and has the kindest heart.

"Ah? Sister Yun." Xue Baochai pretended to be embarrassed and a little absent-minded. She slowly walked over and sat down, standing there blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

Shi Xiangyun's eyes darted around: "Did Sister Bao go to see Sister Lin? What did she say?"

"Well, I didn't say anything. She's young, and I'm the older sister."

"Hmph!" Shi Xiangyun retorted indignantly, "I'm younger than her, so I should call her Sister Lin too. Why doesn't she ever give in to me?"

Xue Baochai patted her with heartache, not daring to say anything about the Marquis of Zhongyong: "She is all alone and helpless, the whole family is left with only her, why are you arguing with her about this?"

Alone and helpless? All by herself? Shi Xiangyun remembered.

Inside the residence of the Marquis of Zhongyong.

Mu Chuan laughed and said, "You've finally come back. I thought we couldn't possibly wait until the eve of the Lunar New Year. It's almost New Year's Eve, and if you hadn't come back soon, I would have sent someone to look for you."

The subordinates weren't nervous, after all, they weren't in a military camp, and being a couple of days late wouldn't mean they'd be beheaded. Besides, the general had said that when they were away from home, they were in control of everything.

"This time it was really a lucky coincidence. When we went to Deng Dechun's shop to buy pastries, we overheard them saying that they were going to open a branch in Beijing after the New Year. After a few of us discussed it, we decided that there was no better time than now, so we brought them back and they are waiting outside."

"Oh?" Mu Chuan also became curious. "Call him over so I can take a look."

The subordinate brought in an old man with a white beard, who looked to be around fifty years old and slightly hunched over, but he was dressed very smartly and was very clean.

This made people feel at ease eating what he made, and when he thought about how he had teased his daughter Daiyu last time, a smile appeared on Mu Chuan's face.

"So you are Deng Dechun?"

"No, no," the old man hurriedly bowed. "I am Deng Fayuan, and Deng Dechun is the name of my ancestor."

Mu Chuan then asked, "What kind of desserts are you good at making?"

Deng Fayuan stroked his beard: "I know all the ancestral recipes of the Deng family. If I had to say what I'm best at... cloud cake. The cloud cakes I make are soft and fluffy, and their fragrance can be smelled for miles."

ah?

Mu Chuan subconsciously glared at his subordinate, thinking, "This one won't do, find another one."

It's soft and fluffy, and its fragrance travels for miles? The two people involved—one of whom was the emperor—both said it was dry and hard, and only one piece could be swallowed with a cup of water.

Wait a minute, one of them is eating Yunpian cake that has traveled thousands of miles, while the other is eating a Yunpian cake that is not quite authentic from the capital.

Mu Chuan also became curious and said with a smile, "Make some for me to try."

Deng Fayuan hesitated for a moment: "Sir, just take the glutinous rice flour as an example. To counteract the dryness, it needs to be prepared six months in advance."

“Take him to the Wu-Yue Guild Hall; they should have the ingredients ready there.” Another instruction was given to Deng Fayuan: “Make whatever you think is suitable, and do it carefully. I’ll find two people who have tried it to test your skills.”