Chapter 14 Draw Your Sword, Rival! (Called out "Third Brother" many times)
Third brother?
Lin Daiyu glanced at Mu Chuan again subconsciously.
That look hurt Mu Chuan a little. This was the hardship of protecting his country, okay? The ultraviolet rays on the plateau are strong, and the dry wind mixed with sand and gravel blows all day long. In addition, he had to travel through wind and rain to get back to the capital. It was inevitable that he would be a little rough.
He'll recover after a winter's rest in the capital; the emperor even bestowed upon him some kind of imperial frost, he'll be back soon—
Although he's fair-skinned and not quite a pretty boy, at least he's a normal person now.
Lin Daiyu quickly lowered her eyes again.
Although her maternal grandmother didn't say it explicitly, she was subtly implying that Lin Daiyu should agree with the Earl of Zhongyong when she spoke. So, before Mu Chuan could explain that he was several years younger than Jia Lian, Lin Daiyu blurted it out.
"Third Brother."
Although he sounded somewhat unwilling, Mu Chuan was satisfied: "I'm a few years older than you, so I deserve to be called Third Brother."
Lin Daiyu didn't show it on her face, but she couldn't help thinking to herself, "She doesn't look her age at all."
"How did my third brother meet my father? I've never heard my father say that."
Her maternal grandmother had asked this question several times before, and Lin Daiyu naturally understood what she meant. So, she asked it openly in front of her second brother Lian, just to be on the safe side.
When they first met, Mu Chuan thought Miss Lin was exceptionally beautiful, unparalleled in the world. Now, listening to her speak, he felt he could listen for a lifetime without getting tired of it. However, he also worried that she might make him uncomfortable if she talked too much.
"Lord Lin might not remember," Mu Chuan sighed. "When I met him, I was only—"
Mu Chuan gestured his height, revealing that he was three inches shorter than the tea table.
"Four years old? Three or four years old, I guess. I got lost, and Lord Lin stayed with me while I waited for my parents. He even bought me a candied hawthorn. When we left, I heard Lord Lin's colleagues call him 'Brother Ruhai,' and I still remember it to this day."
Mu Chuan, holding the two small wooden boxes he had prepared, stood up and sat down next to Lin Daiyu: "Look what I brought you."
Before even looking at the wooden box, Lin Daiyu felt that much of the light was being blocked.
"What is this?" Feeling that her thoughts after meeting the Earl of Zhongyong had been somewhat disrespectful, Lin Daiyu felt inexplicably guilty, and her voice involuntarily became slightly hoarse.
Mu Chuan opened the box, and inside was—
"Candied hawthorn?"
The candied hawthorn skewers were still colorful, with about eight or nine skewers stacked together at first glance. The hawthorn balls were made of pearls, agate, and various other jades such as ruby and jadeite.
Although the color is not quite right, I don't know where they found such good jade material, and even the outer sugar shell is made to be crystal clear.
"When I saw this, I was reminded of Lord Lin, so I brought it here specially."
Actually, after searching the entire treasure trove, this was the only one that could be used to create a story, so it was the one.
Mu Chuan took out the baseboard and inserted the candied hawthorns one by one.
“You can take them all off.” He took the hawthorn balls off: “You can also play like this: you can only take the top one at a time, and there’s an empty skewer. Then you can adjust all the candied hawthorns to be the same color.”
Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up; she had never played with this before. Just as she reached out her hand, Mu Chuan opened the second box.
"This is simple. This is called... I think it's called the Tower of Hanoi. It comes from the area south of the western coast."
These are round pieces of different sizes, with holes punched in the middle, stacked on ivory sticks.
"Move them onto the third stick in order of size." Mu Chuan first took three pieces and demonstrated to Lin Daiyu.
Lin Daiyu understood how to play with it after seeing it once.
"In other words, if the largest piece at the bottom is to be moved to the third skewer, then the second to last piece must first be moved to the second skewer—this logic applies even to four, five, or six pieces."
She paused slightly: "That is indeed simple."
"It's for children to play with," Mu Chuan said with a smile. "I've only heard that Lord Lin has a daughter, but I don't know how old you are. Even if it's not fun, it's good as a decoration."
Jia Lian sat opposite them, thinking to himself that the wooden box was almost more valuable than the jade inside.
The golden nanmu wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl butterflies fluttering among the flowers, shimmered in the sunlight. The hinges and clasps were made of ivory. Even his second madam Lian didn't have many of these things.
Not to mention the jade inside. Although it was made into small round cakes with no patterns on them, each one was crystal clear and extremely moist, clearly the finest jade.
Jia Lian felt that the jade had been wasted.
“I have never seen these things before. Thank you, Third Brother, for finding them for me.”
This time, calling him "Third Brother" sounded much more natural than before, and Mu Chuan was satisfied once again.
"I'm glad you like it. After I've packed everything, I'll see if there's anything else suitable and send it to you. If there's anything you like, just let me know. There's nothing in this world that I can't find."
Lin Daiyu's smile was quite reserved, yet it had a sly quality to it, as if she were about to say, "I want the sun and the moon."
"I didn't lack anything. My maternal grandmother treated me very well, and the house had everything I needed."
Both Yuanyang, who was standing by, and Jia Lian, who was sitting opposite, thought the words were very well said, but Mu Chuan had a different opinion.
What does it mean to lack nothing?
Her life must be overflowing, she just doesn't lack anything?
She should have new clothes every day of the year, new food at every meal, and so many things in her house that she can't fit them all.
Rather than simply having enough and not lacking.
"You're still too sensible," Mu Chuan sighed. "I'll come to see you often. Young girls should live more freely."
Lin Daiyu's hand was still on the jade toy that Mu Chuan had given her, the warm touch seeping into her heart: "It's just a child's toy, but I like it too."
Mu Chuan laughed and said, "If you say that, I'll get you a rattle drum next time."
“It’s not that small,” Lin Daiyu said.
Mu Chuan then asked, "Have you reached the age of marriage?"
Asking a girl's age is about the limit. Lin Daiyu nodded but did not answer.
"When I first came back, I heard the girls from the Marquis of Dingnan’s family say that being thin is fashionable in the capital now. It looks good, but being too thin is not good for your health. You shouldn’t starve yourself all the time."
Although Mu Chuan said that he was only three or four years old when he met Lin Ruhai, and that he was less than ten years older than Lin Daiyu, his current face really doesn't look like that of a peer.
Moreover, he also has the title of First-Class Earl, which makes him the head of the household, giving him maximum influence from his elders.
Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu nodded in agreement, seemingly a little embarrassed: "I didn't intend to be too thin."
After she finished speaking, Lin Daiyu was surprised to find that she had no resistance at all. In the past, whether it was her maternal grandmother, her second aunt, or even Jia Baoyu or Zijuan, if they said that she was not in good health, that she should eat more, or that she should not stop taking her medicine, she would feel uncomfortable and subconsciously not want to listen.
But this third brother, who appeared out of nowhere, was actually quite pleasant to talk about.
"I'm not picky about food," Lin Daiyu added.
Mu Chuan chuckled twice: "Alright, alright, you're not picky about food. You're still growing, so just eat normally for two months and you'll be fine."
It's more like she's being stubborn.
Lin Daiyu was not very happy, but she was also somewhat pleased.
Although Mu Chuan wanted to stay longer, this was about enough for his first visit. He didn't mention the Rongguo Mansion, as he never considered them, mainly because he was afraid that if he talked too much, Miss Lin would develop a sense of resistance.
"I'll have someone bring you some barley and taro from Lipu in a little while. Ask them to cook it into a milk porridge for you. Barley is different from the rice here; it's still chewy after cooking. Add half a cup of black tea and two spoonfuls of taro paste, and it'll be good for your stomach and sweet."
This combination is essentially milk tea, and Mu Chuan thinks that no one would dislike drinking it, and no one could resist adding an extra portion of taro paste.
Barley is a good thing, Yuanyang knows that, and so does Jia Lian. And Lipu taro goes without saying; it's been a tribute item for many years.
In earlier years, the Jia family was able to receive a share of the tribute barley. Yuanyang had eaten it twice with Grandmother Jia and found it to be very delicious. Before she knew it, she had finished a whole bowl.
Jia Lian once drank a jar of barley wine, which was very mellow. Unfortunately, the Jia family no longer has access to such good things.
"You can add or subtract anything you like," Mu Chuan added. Although he felt that Miss Lin was not so dogmatic, the servants of the Jia family might not be.
Sometimes it's not even dogma, they just like to use rules to pressure people.
"I understand. I also want to thank Third Brother for the charcoal; it burned very well." Lin Daiyu's heart was racing as she said this.
She did it on purpose.
Yuanyang and Lian Erge probably wouldn't be able to tell, and besides, expressing gratitude is a must.
This third brother was the only one to visit her all these years. Her former teacher, Jia Yucun, had also visited the Jia family, but he only visited her second uncle and met with Jia Baoyu, never asking her a single question.
Moreover, he also gave many gifts, not the kind that are obviously precious and would make everyone jealous, but things that are actually useful.
She really wanted to say: I burned three pieces of charcoal over the course of an afternoon.
Lin Daiyu felt a little wronged, but she told herself that it was because she had only known this Marquis Zhongyong for a short time, and he had done nothing but be kind to her.
If this goes on for too long, perhaps he will be won over by the Jia family, or perhaps he's just being polite this once... Lin Daiyu suddenly felt downcast.
Mu Chuan smiled knowingly: "Almost finished burning? I remember there were two baskets of charcoal. I'll bring you another one. Hmm, I'll also bring you some Tianzi Jia San charcoal. Try it out and see which one is better, the Tianzi Jia Yi or the other one. We'll use that one from now on."
Yuanyang's heart skipped a beat, and Jia Lian's face twitched.
Is it the first-class Heavenly Rank 1? Or the third-class Heavenly Rank 3?
Is he the illegitimate son of the retired emperor and the emperor? Could he really have chosen his own child?
Oh no, it's about letting Lin Daiyu choose.
"Thank you, Third Brother," Lin Daiyu said with a smile.
Mu Chuan said, "I'll have someone bring it to you in a bit, but I won't be able to come see you for a few days. I have to go back to my hometown, Xiangshan Township, have you heard of it?"
"Red leaves of Fragrant Hills?" Lin Daiyu asked in return.
Mu Chuan nodded and smiled, "Exactly. It's a bit late this year, the colors aren't as vibrant anymore. Let's go see them next year."
Lin Daiyu wanted to say that she didn't care about how bright or colorful it was; she just wanted to leave the Jia family mansion to catch her breath, even if it was just for half a day.
"That's wonderful, I haven't seen it yet." Lin Daiyu perfectly masked her disappointment with a tone of longing, and no one noticed.
"Then I'll take my leave." Mu Chuan stood up and added, "Don't agree to it in person, or you'll become too polite later."
“I certainly won’t stand on ceremony with Third Brother,” Lin Daiyu replied. “I’ll see Third Brother off.”
Lin Daiyu stood up with him, took two steps forward, then turned back and saw that Yuanyang had already helped her pack up the two toys. Their eyes met, and she nodded to Yuanyang before following Mu Chuan out of the main hall with peace of mind.
This time, Mu Chuan walked very slowly. Not to mention Jia Lian, even Lin Daiyu could easily keep up.
The three of them walked towards the front gate of the courtyard.
Behind the side gate of the front yard, everyone was hiding, including Jia Baoyu.
Although his excuse for coming out was to see the fine horses, Jia Baoyu was really worried about his Lin Daiyu.
However, he didn't dare to rush directly into the main hall.
Now that he actually saw what Mu Chuan looked like, his tall and muscular build, and the armor he was wearing, he still seemed hesitant to rush out.
Shi Xiangyun laughed and said, "It's not eight feet long, nor does it have a blue face and fangs, it's just a bit dark-skinned." She turned to look at her Baochai sister and said, "I told you it couldn't be."
Both Xue sisters thought this person was probably an idiot, and Tan Chun subconsciously took half a step closer to her sister.
Xue Baochai was caught in a dilemma, holding Shi Xiangyun's hand with one hand and Xue Baoqin's hand with the other.
She couldn't just rush out, and even if Baoyu rushed out, she couldn't stop him, since he was a man.
But which girl would rush over there?
Shi Xiangyun clearly had no intention of doing that, and it was even more impossible for her to push Baoqin out.
Baoqin is bright and beautiful, and her physique is obviously more robust than Lin Daiyu's. It's quite possible that the Earl of Zhongyong will take a liking to her.
Her marriage was already difficult, and even if she were to become a concubine, the Xue family would definitely agree.
But if her cousin was doing better than her... she couldn't do that. There were already rumors in the Jia family, and Baochai always liked to talk about her cousin.
"Well..." Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Now that we've seen everything, let's go back." As she spoke, she turned around.
There were steps at the side door, and Xue Baochai seemed not to notice them. She lost her footing, tilted to the side, and bumped into Yingchun, sending her flying.
Yingchun was a pushover; the maids and nannies in the house all bullied her, and the people in the small kitchen didn't even respect her.
Yingchun is like a gourd without a mouth; she won't say anything even if she's bullied, and she won't dare ask anyone for her lost jewelry.
"Ah—" Yingchun exclaimed in surprise, staggering two steps. Although she didn't fall, the sudden appearance of a girl attracted the attention of the other side.
Before the first "迎" (yíng, meaning "welcome") could even be pronounced, the second "迎" was changed.
Lin Daiyu called out "Second Sister" and was about to come over to help her.
Xue Baochai, who reacted the fastest, had already helped Yingchun up. Without saying anything about how she lost her balance, she asked gently and with concern, "Did you twist your ankle?"
Yingchun had only ever been to the Wang family once in her life, and had never met a single male relative. Her face turned bright red, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Jia Lian's expression darkened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
He felt that a little trickery was fine; that's how Qiu Tong got involved with the master back when she was still there.
She also hooked up with the two women from Bao Er's family, as well as Sister You, and some others who were so uninteresting that she couldn't even remember their names.
This younger sister doesn't seem to be completely clueless.
Since that's the case, Jia Lian smiled and said, "My younger sister is naughty. Come over and greet the Earl of Zhongyong."
After all, there was Lin Daiyu, Mu Chuan said with a smile: "That's how it was when we went to the Marquis of Dingnan's house."
Shi Xiangyun came over and bowed gracefully, while Xue Baochai held onto Yingchun tightly, gently pulling her along to bow as well.
Mu Chuan also saw Jia Baoyu.
Fair-skinned and delicate, a creamy young man, with incredibly baby-like skin.
Draw your sword, rival!
He laughed and said, "The most mischievous thing is a woman dressing up as a man."
Now Jia Baoyu's face turned as red as Yingchun's.
A note from the author:
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