Chapter 99 Baoyu's Reaction

"Yes, Ancestor, that's a great idea!"

Before Grandmother Jia could speak, Wang Xifeng clapped her hands in praise.

"You haven't been to the Lin family for many years. I heard that the Lin family mansion has been under renovation for almost a year. As Lin Daiyu's maternal grandmother, you are the closest person to her in the capital. You should go and take a look and give them some pointers!"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's eyes lit up, and as if afraid that Grandmother Jia would disagree, she quickly said,

“Grandmother, please come with me. Most of the craftsmen who built our courtyard came from Yangzhou, and many parts of the courtyard were built in the style of the south.”

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was very interested, Yuan Hongqu spoke up at the opportune moment.

“Grandfather, the weather has been unusually fine these past few days, so we should go out and explore. I’ve heard that the winter weather in the capital gets so cold in December that it’s impossible to go out. Why don’t we take advantage of these few days to go and have a trip?”

“Grandmother, in my opinion, you absolutely cannot feel at ease if you don’t go this way. You have to go and see for yourself whether they have fooled Lin Daiyu and whether the servants of the Lin family have done their best. Only then will you feel at ease, right?” Wang Xifeng also advised.

"You fiery Feng, you're trying to persuade me to go over there. Don't tell me you want to come along for a day too?" Grandmother Jia smiled, which was considered her agreement.

"No matter what I say, it can't be hidden from our ancestors. I just want to see what the courtyards in Yangzhou are like. These past few years, we've been living in the capital and have only seen the gardens of the north. I've heard that the courtyards of the salt merchants in Yangzhou are very exquisitely built, exuding elegance in every detail. I, a rough man, also want to get a taste of that elegance." Wang Xifeng said with a smile.

Wang Xifeng truly lived up to her reputation as the "Queen of Warming Up the Mood." With just a few words, she steered the conversation to the scenery of the Lin family's courtyard, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.

After agreeing on breakfast the day after tomorrow, they went to the Lin family's old house together.

Once the staff of Rongyueyuan received confirmation, they began packing their belongings.

Lin Daiyu already had a lot of luggage when she came from Yangzhou, and now she had even more.

Because Lin Ruhai had sent a lot of things from Yangzhou several times in the past few months, and with the private money that Grandmother Jia gave to Daiyu, a lot more trunks were packed up.

Even so, half of the items were left in Rongyue Courtyard; they didn't plan to bring them back to the Lin family.

As soon as the less frequently used items were packed up, Yuan Hongqu had them sent back to the Lin family. This took a whole day.

Daiyu also gave some calligraphy, paintings, and ornaments to the three sisters and Baoyu.

When Baoyu returned home, Xiren brought him the things that Daiyu had given him and showed them to him.

"I saw this painting, 'Night Banquet in the Tang Palace,' at Lin Daiyu's place and fell in love with it immediately. She liked it too, so I didn't ask for it. Now, how could Lin Daiyu possibly part with it?" He looked at the painting with great interest and said casually.

"So that's how it is! No wonder Miss Lin was so confident that Second Master would definitely like this gift. It turns out that Second Master had his eye on Miss Lin's gift all along!" Qingwen teased from the side.

"Lin Daiyu is the most thoughtful one." Baoyu was overjoyed. "I must go and thank Lin Daiyu properly."

"Yes, Second Master, hurry up. If you don't go until tomorrow, you might not be able to see Miss Lin," Qingwen said with a smile.

"How could that be?" Baoyu asked in confusion. "Won't my sister be home tomorrow?"

“Home? This isn’t Miss Lin’s home. Her home is in Yangzhou. She’s going home tomorrow,” Qingwen said, looking at her silly young master.

The whole family knew that Jia Baoyu was infatuated and always preferred gatherings to separations.

If he knew that Lin Daiyu was going to live at home, it would probably cause quite a stir, so she simply didn't mention it to him.

Just these past few days, Jia Zheng tested Jia Baoyu's studies and found that he had regressed quite a bit, so he confined him to the front study room to attend classes with the teacher, leaving early and returning late.

Therefore, he still does not know that Daiyu is going to live at home.

Upon hearing Qingwen's words, Jia Baoyu was struck dumb. No wonder Lin Daiyu gave him this painting; it was a farewell gift. Why was she leaving now?

Without confirming with Qingwen, he immediately ran to Rongyue Courtyard.

The entire Rongyue Courtyard was bustling with activity, everyone happily packing their things.

Only then did Jia Baoyu realize that Qingwen had not lied to him, and that Lin Daiyu was really leaving.

He saw Daiyu sitting in the main hall, sketching with a pen. When she saw him approach, Daiyu smiled and put down her pen.

"Second brother, why are you here so late? It's so cold outside, why aren't you wearing a thick sweater? Where are the people with you?"

He then gestured for him to sit down in front of the fireplace.

"Zijuan, pour a cup of that sweet ginger eight-treasure tea for Second Master Bao so he can warm up. Although the sun looks nice during the day, it's still quite cold in the morning and evening. Second Brother, don't catch a cold."

"Sister, are you going home?" Jia Baoyu felt a sense of satisfaction listening to Daiyu instructing people to do things, but the thought of her leaving made him feel a pang of sadness.

"Well, I was going to say goodbye to you today, but I didn't see you, so I gave the things to the ladies in your room and asked them to pass them on to you," Daiyu said with a smile.

"My sister is complaining that I haven't come to play with you as often lately. It's because Master punished me by making me write... that's why I haven't come over as much. Did I upset you, sister, and that's why you're going home?" Baoyu saw that Daiyu had no idea what he was thinking. He just wanted to play with Lin Daiyu and didn't want her to leave, but Lin Daiyu didn't seem to feel the same way.

“If I do anything wrong, just tell me, and I’ll correct it. You know, it’s so nice that we used to play together so happily and for so long. It would be so boring for you to go back alone.”

"Second brother, we are still young, so of course we can play together. But when we grow up in a few years, we will all have our own things to do and our own responsibilities, and we will eventually have to leave. Second brother, you have to get used to it." Daiyu said in a very mature tone.

If anyone else had said such a thing, Baoyu would have been immediately angry. But this delicate and lovely Lin Daiyu, acting like an adult, told him that when he grew up, he would do adult things and take on adult responsibilities, and he found her words to be absolutely right.

My sister is never wrong.

Jia Baoyu sighed.

"Little sister, even if we grow up, that's a long time from now. We don't need to worry about those things now. Little sister, can you not go?"

"Second Brother, even now, you go to school in the outer courtyard every day while we study in the inner courtyard. We only have a little time to play together after school or during our breaks," Daiyu said earnestly.

"When you have a day off, just come to my house to play with me, that's all."

"Ah, little sister, aren't you going back to Yangzhou?"