Chapter 82 Buying a Pig by Looking at the Pen "Your words are too crude."...
“I think what you said makes a lot of sense,” Mu Chuan replied. Actually, it didn’t matter whether it was just wild thoughts or whimsical ideas; even if he just wanted to talk, it was fine. If he didn’t respond once, what if he didn’t talk to him next time?
If we go together a few times, won't the relationship fade away?
You can't interact with girls like that.
"It's strange enough that none of the Jia family's daughters are engaged, regardless of whether they're of marriageable age or not. Although it's a peaceful and prosperous time and women marry late, other families only postpone the engagement and the wedding later, not the engagement itself."
Mu Chuan's serious and earnest face, coupled with his earnest tone, made his words exceptionally convincing.
“If they hadn’t learned housekeeping and accounting, it would probably make sense. But how could it be reasonable for the girls of the Duke’s mansion not to learn this? To cover this up, we can only delay for now and act when the time is right.”
"How long can this be delayed?" Lin Daiyu asked subconsciously. "Oh, until I die before you teach them?"
Then she saw her third brother glare at her and say, "Don't say things like that."
Lin Daiyu was very pleased with this concern, and she smiled and said, "Good Third Brother, don't be angry. I didn't really mean it—it's precisely because I knew it wouldn't happen that I could say it so recklessly. Third Brother, it's actually your fault. You always push all the blame onto me."
Well, I'm happy, but I'm also helpless. And looking at her provocative eyes and eager expression, she's all about not daring to do it again.
Mu Chuan chose to indulge her. After all, once they got married, he could find another way to make her remember... or not make her remember at all.
He chuckled twice, feigning nonchalance, and changed the subject: "Let's eat first. We need to make the Rongguo Mansion cough up two million taels of silver, or I'll search it myself."
Lin Daiyu glanced at him, thinking to herself that he really could go.
As the two ate, Lin Daiyu couldn't hold back anymore. After all, there were some things she could only keep to herself before, and it was painful to think about them. Now, not only could she say them, but someone else was also "surprised" with her.
"I don't know how the Rongguo Mansion's garden was built, or how it could cost so much money. I'm from Suzhou, so I know the approximate cost of building a garden. Even if the Grand View Garden were built for the Imperial Concubine, 300,000 taels would have been enough. Who knew they spent 30,000 taels just on the opera troupe?"
Mu Chuan listened and nodded, "Even Prince Zhongshun didn't have that kind of power. A proper opera troupe, even if they performed until they died, wouldn't earn that much."
Lin Daiyu, with a "I've caught you" look on her face, laughed and said, "What did Third Brother say? You wouldn't let me say it?"
Mu Chuan looked completely innocent: "What did I say?"
"I won't fall for it, and I won't tell you." Lin Daiyu glanced at him. Her eyes were bright, and her dimples were faintly visible.
Mu Chuan felt he would have to urge His Majesty soon. He was already twenty-seven, and would be twenty-eight in May. His Majesty kept calling him "Qiao Yue" every day. Was he supposed to keep calling him "Qiao Yue, the Single Man"?
"Don't interrupt," Lin Daiyu continued. "I haven't finished yet. Although I haven't seen the total bill for the Grand View Garden, I've heard them say how much this cost and how much that cost. It cost a million in less than a year to build this garden. I heard that the Emperor Emeritus built the Qingyi Garden, which took fifteen years to complete, and it only cost five million."
"So it seems I'm going to marry a rich girl. Five million? Only?"
Lin Daiyu chuckled, and Mu Chuan added, "The servants of the Rongguo Mansion are wealthy; this can be considered as wealth being distributed among the people."
Lin Daiyu smiled again. She understood. Although her third brother said he wanted her to teach him how to use idioms, judging from how he usually used them, she knew he had read a lot of books. Using idioms correctly was not difficult, but her third brother always made the exact wrong choice, which was very difficult.
After dinner, Lin Daiyu boarded the carriage and swayed slowly along with it. Feeling a little sleepy, she lifted the curtain slightly.
Mu Chuan rode his horse and led the way in front of the carriage.
Although I was used to being with my third brother, compared to other people on the street, his shoulders were exceptionally broad, and—
Oh no! He turned around!
Lin Daiyu suddenly let go of her hand, pulled her head back, and slammed into the sideboard with such force that she bumped into it.
But after a short while, she lifted the curtain again.
Mu Chuan possesses keen senses, a fundamental skill that allows him to stand out on the battlefield.
He could clearly sense the commotion behind him and the unobstructed gaze.
Mu Chuan slowly turned his head and saw the curtains swaying gently; there was hardly any wind today.
He chuckled twice, then turned around and sat up straight.
Lin Daiyu was also laughing inside the car, muttering to herself as she laughed, "I don't believe you can catch me."
Mu Chuan waited a moment, then slowly and deliberately rocked back before turning his head again. Sure enough, all he could see was the curtain swaying.
This way of exercising the cervical spine is quite interesting.
When the carriage stopped, Lin Daiyu lifted the curtain to get off, but when she looked up, she realized that this place was not right.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's Mansion was built by imperial decree.
And it wasn't the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion that she was familiar with.
"Third Brother," Lin Daiyu said, a sudden panic rising in her throat, "where did you bring me?"
As soon as Mu Chuan dismounted, he noticed her nervous, shifty gaze. He didn't mean to scare her, so he pretended not to see it and said, "We're repairing the house. I called you over to see if there's anything you'd like to change. We can do it together."
Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief; her third brother was as usual.
"How can I be called to come and see?" She regained her lively and clever demeanor.
"We can't exactly ask your maternal grandmother to come and see, can we?" Mu Chuan feigned doubt. "And I can't really go down and ask my father-in-law either, what if he can't come back up?"
Lin Daiyu was amused by him: "Well, there's really nothing to see. Didn't you say last time that this house was a gift from His Majesty? How could it have any flaws?"
“We have a saying where I’m from,” Mu Chuan said, leading Lin Daiyu inside, “When buying pigs, look at the pen first. See if the pen is satisfactory.”
Lin Daiyu was stunned for a moment, almost bumping her head on the threshold: "That's too crude... So what do I become?"
"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound; it's best not to overthink it." Mu Chuan laughed. "My father-in-law just didn't look at the circle properly back then."
Lin Daiyu glared at him: "You're even making fun of your father-in-law."
The two walked around the screen wall, and Mu Chuan said, "This residence was originally owned by three families, but later merged into one. It's even larger than the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion you visited. Daiyu—"
Mu Chuan called out, his tone suddenly becoming heavier: "You'll have to take care of the marriage yourself; the Rongguo Mansion can't interfere."
Lin Daiyu knew he was serious and that he was doing it on purpose, so she glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, I have my third brother."
Mu Chuan led her inside: "It's probably divided into three sections: central, west, and east. We'll live in the middle, my parents and sister will live in the west, and I also have a younger brother who works at the county government and comes over occasionally. The guest rooms are in the east, and the stage is also in the east. Are we going to support an opera troupe?"
Lin Daiyu asked, "What do you think?"
"No." Mu Chuan said without hesitation, "You said you like new things. If you raise your own opera troupe, the style will inevitably become fixed. There are so many opera singers in the capital, big and small. There are at least eighty or a hundred who have made a name for themselves. We can listen to them one by one."
Lin Daiyu's dimples reappeared on her face: "I'll do whatever Third Brother says."
The two passed through the main hall and continued walking inside. Along the way, stewards would come up to greet them from time to time, and Mu Chuan introduced them to Lin Daiyu one by one.
After passing through the main hall, there was a small ancestral hall in the middle of the path. Mu Chuan said, "My father loved to burn incense. Whenever he had free time, he would light two sticks of incense for the ancestors of the family and say something."
Lin Daiyu was startled. She realized that what she subconsciously wanted to ask was, "Should I call him 'Dad' or 'Father' in the future?" She quickly turned her head away, pretending to examine the situation carefully, and offered her opinion.
Or rather, it was just empty talk: "Actually, all the houses at this size are pretty much the same, there's not much to choose from. Third Brother's house is very nice."
Further on, there is a large garden with artificial hills and flowing water, running through the central, western and eastern roads, but there are also archways in the middle.
"The tree... looks like it was recently transplanted?" Lin Daiyu asked. Although it was an ancient tree, it had always grown there, and it was different from a newly moved one.
Mu Chuan nodded: "It's three houses put together, especially the two houses on the left and right. The owners of those houses are not very good at managing money; they even sold a lot of the big trees in the yard."
The two continued along the stream, and Lin Daiyu found the style increasingly familiar. Aside from the artificial hills and flowing water, pavilions and towers were all present, and they weren't arranged in a north-south orientation, but rather hidden within the garden. Although many of the flowers, plants, and trees had just been transplanted and the scenery wasn't yet fully developed, it was clear that this was the style of Suzhou gardens.
Lin Daiyu glanced at Mu Chuan subconsciously and saw him smiling gently at her.
Lin Daiyu was both shy and touched, but she wasn't as bold as Mu Chuan. Her eyes darted around, and she deliberately found fault, saying, "Is the main house so far in? It takes quite a bit of effort to get out."
“Why should we follow any rules at home? We can stay wherever we want.” Mu Chuan said deliberately, “Look at the study in front, that’s the owner’s too. In the future, you and I—”
Seeing that his fairy was about to explode, Mu Chuan quickly said, "I took you on a detour just now. We came in first going east, and then west. It took us at least three times longer than going directly to the main house."
Seeing Lin Daiyu's expression, Mu Chuan said, "Are you tired? Shall I carry you?"
Lin Daiyu spat at him, and Mu Chuan remembered the emperor's mention of "Journey to the West," and a new idea came to him.
"That glass cup was a gift from His Majesty, do you still remember it?"
This was finally a more normal topic, and Lin Daiyu nodded: "How could I not remember? I enshrined it on your parents-in-law's memorial tablet—"
Lin Daiyu's face flushed red instantly. It was all her third brother's fault! She had just said she wanted to be serious, but he had led her astray.
"Your Majesty really likes Journey to the West."
Lin Daiyu immediately understood: "The Curtain-Raising General? Sha Wujing?"
Mu Chuan nodded: "His Majesty's favorite part is the scene of Pigsy carrying his wife. Don't let it slip."
Inside the palace, the emperor suddenly sneezed, and the empress hurriedly said, "Is it too spicy? This is their newly arrived pepper, which they say is the best. I was thinking of having mutton soup today, so I specially asked them to add some."
"It's alright, this flavor is indeed strong enough." The Emperor put down his soup bowl and said to the Empress, "I've been thinking about it, and I still need to send someone to the Rongguo Mansion to talk to them. The Jia family is no good. If they refuse to give it to us, we can't let Qiao Yue's wedding go wrong, can we?"
The Empress smiled and said, "I understand. I will immediately send someone to have the Jia family prepare their things properly. The dowry that they kept for the Lin family back then should be properly organized and registered. In any case, the Jia family is not allowed to interfere with the Three Letters and Six Rites." She even emphasized the word "keeping".
The emperor sighed, "I really didn't expect Qiao Yue to be so thoughtful."
"It's a bit too embarrassing for the young lady to accept three letters on her own," the Empress said, recalling Lin Daiyu's blushing face. She couldn't help but sigh, "The Marquis of Zhongyong is too lucky." It must have been intentional.
Although they took a long detour, Mu Chuan and Lin Daiyu still arrived at the main courtyard gate.
Lin Daiyu suddenly panicked again. Could she go into this place?
Mu Chuan stepped forward and pushed open the circular archway, and Lin Daiyu immediately heard the babbling of flowing water.
She glanced inside instinctively and was immediately captivated.
As far as she knew, there were flowers blooming all year round. Right now, there were peach blossoms with extremely vibrant colors, as well as yellow forsythia, all standing out against the green background, their colors distinct and very bright.
In a while, it will be the time for magnolias. According to the style of this courtyard, most of the magnolias should be purple.
Looking further away, the main house is a two-story building, with about half of it obscured by trees.
Mu Chuan turned around: "Shall we go in and take a look?"
Lin Daiyu suddenly became hesitant: "It's fine, there's nothing to see."
Mu Chuan chuckled twice, then walked over to her and asked, "So, do you want a canopy bed, or a proper four-poster bed? Four-poster? Six-poster? Or one with a canopy?"
Mu Chuan's voice was quite serious, but Lin Daiyu couldn't calm down: "It's time to go back." Lin Daiyu turned to leave, but after taking two steps, she said, "I don't want a canopy bed. It's dark and stuffy inside. With such a beautiful view, I want a room where I can see the view anytime, anywhere."
After she finished speaking, she laughed. She felt great being able to pick and choose and do things entirely according to her own preferences.
"Third Brother, what kind of person do you like?"
Mu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I prefer a more spacious one."
“That’s true.” Lin Daiyu looked him up and down with an exaggerated expression and laughed, “I think that spaciousness is secondary, sturdiness is the most important thing.”
As Lin Daiyu spoke, she quickened her pace and took two steps forward, as if afraid that Mu Chuan would catch her. After walking for a while, she saw the stone-paved road hidden in the garden.
But for some reason, her legs seemed to disobey her, and without hesitation, she turned onto the path that would take three times longer.
When Lin Daiyu returned to the Rongguo Mansion, it was almost late afternoon. Mu Chuan helped her down from the carriage and said, "There will be a garden party in the West Garden in a couple of days. Shall we go together?"
"Couldn't you just ask 'Aunt Liu' to take me?"
Mu Chuan chuckled: "That works too. Aunt Liu arrived early this morning."
Lin Daiyu rode back in a sedan chair, and after washing up, she saw Yuanyang and the old women bringing her an extremely lavish meal.
Yuanyang smiled and said, "Miss, the old lady is thinking that you are getting married soon and there won't be many meals left at home, so she specially asked the cook to pick out her best dishes to cook for you to taste."
Lin Daiyu thanked her, and Yuanyang said with a smile, "Miss, don't make a fuss. Wait until they've all left before you go and thank the old lady."
Lin Daiyu was relieved; this was the grandmother she knew.
After the meal, Lin Daiyu went to Grandmother Jia's courtyard.
The courtyard was quiet; not only were the three sisters absent, but even Jia Baoyu was not there.
Ever since he moved to the front yard, he's only been able to procrastinate every evening, especially after dinner. Under the guise of having dinner with the old lady, he always dawdles until dark before going home.
As soon as Lin Daiyu entered the room, she heard her grandmother laugh and say, "Oh, we're all family, what's there to thank me for? Come and sit down. Yuanyang, go and prepare some tea to help with your digestion. What did you do today? A girl should broaden her horizons more, otherwise she'll always seem so petty when she goes out."
She went to see the circle, and Lin Daiyu laughed when she thought of it: "I didn't do anything, I went to the Great Buddha Hall to offer incense to my father and mother." She also complained half-jokingly, "We had to go out of the city, and there were quite a few carriages on the road, so they traveled very slowly."
That was indeed the case when I went during the Chinese New Year period. Today there was no traffic jam, and the journey was very smooth.
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia felt relieved again. She feigned concern and said, "Why is it that even the title of Marquis Zhongyong is useless? We should make way for him. Last time when we went to Qingxu Temple for the Taoist ritual, did you see anyone dare to block our way?"
Lin Daiyu recalled what her third brother had said last time, "What if it's blocked? I can't exactly fly you over there, can I?" So she smiled and complained, "Even the Marquis of Zhongyong can't do anything about it." After all, he couldn't fly either.
Grandmother Jia was even happier, and the gloom brought on by the arrival of the palace people in the afternoon was greatly reduced.
What do you mean by "keeping the dowry for the Lin family"? She is Yu'er's maternal grandmother, and Yu'er has her blood in her veins, so why are you acting so distant?
Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "The Marquis of Zhongyong is still young, and he probably doesn't know many of the rules yet, so don't worry about it too much."
After rambling on for a couple more minutes, Grandmother Jia finally revealed her true intentions: "Since you're getting married, there are some things I need to teach you. Your mother... sigh, if I don't tell you, who else will? You're frail, so it's not good for you to get married too early; I'm afraid there will be hardships during childbirth. But don't worry, since I'm your maternal grandmother, I can keep you here for a couple more years."
She took Lin Daiyu's hand, patting it gently to comfort her, and said earnestly, "Look at all the girls in our family, which one is engaged? It's not that I'm reluctant to part with them, but they all have to get married eventually. But if we let them stay a couple more years, their bodies will be stronger, and they'll be a little older, making childbirth much easier. The same goes for you, don't rush. The girls of the Rongguo Mansion, and your sister is a Noble Consort, why would she have trouble getting married?"
After the palace officials arrived in the afternoon, Grandmother Jia hurriedly summoned Madam Xing and Madam Wang. She was stunned when she asked them what they had prepared; they hadn't even received half of what she had asked them to prepare.
This infuriated Grandmother Jia, but she herself had only prepared less than 30% of the treasures. After all, who could bring themselves to pawn the treasures she had accumulated over the years?
So, in a moment of inspiration, Lady Wang gave her a few more hints, and Lady Jia had a new idea.
Yu'er's health was never good; she was sick for most of the year. Childbirth is a life-or-death situation for women, that's a fact. Besides, her mother had a hard time having children, which she had witnessed firsthand.
After giving her hints a few times, you can tell her that you are worried that Uncle Zhongyong is here for the Lin family's property. If she dies in childbirth, the Lin family's property will all go to Uncle Zhongyong.
This way, they can persuade her not to take so much dowry with her. If the Earl of Zhongyong truly wants to marry her, and isn't after the Lin family's money, he naturally won't care about these things.
This was a plan that a foreign grandmother had to resort to in order to save her life.
Most importantly, it could incite mutual suspicion between the two, making their future married life anything but pleasant; it would be a miracle if they didn't even glare at each other. Perhaps, if things drag on, the dowry issue will simply pass.
Lin Daiyu had no idea what Grandmother Jia was thinking, nor did she care.
"Why is Grandma cursing me for no reason?" she said, dissatisfied. "I haven't been sick once since last winter, so I should be healthy. Grandma used to say that I would be healthy when I grew up, and now that I'm really healthy, shouldn't Grandma be happy?"
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Author's note: Tomorrow's update should be in the afternoon. It will take a few days to adjust before morning updates resume.
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