Chapter 147 Protecting One's Own
"It's been quite a while since I've seen Xiangyun," Daiyu sighed.
“Granny, why don’t we send out invitations tomorrow and invite Xiangyun to come over for a day? She unfortunately caught typhoid fever when we moved last time and couldn’t come with us.”
"Did Miss Shi go home today, or is she still at the Rongguo Mansion?" Yuan Hongqu asked Zijuan. As a former maid of the Rongguo Mansion, she was naturally going to accompany the group that was delivering gifts to the Rongguo Mansion.
“When we were almost back, the Marquis’s residence sent someone to pick up Miss Shi. I saw that she had left with us, so she must have gone back to the Marquis’s residence,” Zijuan replied.
"The New Year is just two days away, and I'm afraid the Shi family won't easily let Miss Shi go out. Tomorrow, Zijuan should take someone with an invitation to see if the Shi family will allow her. If they are willing to let her go, we'll bring Miss Shi to our house tomorrow to have a get-together with our young lady." Yuan Hongqu pondered for a moment. The Lin family had few affairs, but other families must be very busy before the New Year. Daiyu hadn't removed her mourning clothes yet, and it wasn't appropriate for her to visit other people's homes during the New Year, so Yuan Hongqu didn't mention that Daiyu should go to the Shi family to see Xiangyun.
Zijuan agreed, and Yuan Hongqu thought for a moment and then said,
"If Miss Shi can't come, we can invite her again after the New Year."
"Granny, how about I write a letter to Sister Shi? Even if she can't come tomorrow, a letter will be enough to show that we've met." Daiyu said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, I should have thought of this sooner, and I should have written a letter to Sister Shi much earlier. Since returning home, I haven't paid any attention to her at all. Alas, I really shouldn't have done that. We used to play together and were such good friends!"
"It's not your fault. We came back just a few days before the snow disaster hit, and you didn't have much free time." Yuan Hongqu was very protective of her own. Even if Daiyu blamed herself, she would find a reason to exonerate her. Her main point was: you can blame heaven and earth or others, but you can't blame Lin Daiyu, even if she wallows in self-pity.
Daiyu smiled shyly, "Granny, I'm afraid Sister Shi will blame me. What should I do if she resents me for being cold-hearted and not thinking of her?"
“How could that be? You wrote to her explaining the reason. We didn’t mean to neglect her. If she still harbors resentment towards you after knowing the reason, then she really doesn’t understand you and doesn’t deserve your self-reproach.”
Daiyu felt that what the nanny said seemed a bit far-fetched, but since she was saying it was all for her own good, it didn't seem to make no mistake.
So, Daiyu happily went to write a letter to Shi Xiangyun.
The Lin family was harmonious and peaceful, but some members of the Jia family were secretly criticizing Lin Daiyu for being so cold-hearted...
When Jia Baoyu heard that the Lin family was coming to deliver New Year's gifts today, after paying his respects to the old lady in the morning, he very dutifully massaged her legs and shoulders, lingering there and unwilling to leave.
Grandmother Jia could tell at a glance what he was up to, but in the past two weeks, she had heard that Baoyu had been performing exceptionally well in the outer study, and even the tutor had praised him several times.
Grandmother Jia was very happy to hear this, so she didn't chase him away while he lingered here waiting for the Lin family to arrive.
Lady Wang was displeased with Jia Baoyu's behavior: "The Lin family's young lady has already left, yet she still has such a great influence on Baoyu. I really shouldn't have let them live so comfortably in our house! Look at Baochai now, quiet and virtuous, that's the quality a proper young lady should have. Unlike that Lin Daiyu, who always tries to stand out and show off her abilities!"
Madam Wang harbored deep resentment in her heart.
Lady Wang had only recently heard about what Grandmother Jia said about wanting Yuan Hongqu to become the master's second wife. If she had known earlier, she certainly wouldn't have allowed Yuan Hongqu to live peacefully in Rongyue Courtyard for so long.
Although Yuan Hongqu only heard Wang Xifeng mention this matter once, and the old lady herself had given up the idea and never mentioned it again, after hearing that the old lady had such thoughts, Madam Wang still regarded Yuan Hongqu as a thorn in her side.
In her eyes, Yuan Hongqu was different from Aunt Zhao. Apart from her lower social status, she was better than her in every other way. Yuan Hongqu was literate and could manage the household, even Feng Yatou had to consult her. In addition, the money she earned from a small shop was more than the income from several estates that Jia Lian worked so hard to build.
Even more so, since most of the students she taught were either rich or powerful, and those were Yuan Hongqu's connections, if her students were to exert their influence, what would Yuan Hongqu's status matter!
Madam Wang felt a deep sense of crisis.
Seeing Jia Baoyu scratching his head anxiously, looking outside and hoping the Lin family would arrive soon, she became furious and found an excuse to send Baoyu away.
“Baoyu, go run an errand for me. Your aunt said this morning that her nose is a little stuffy and she has a terrible headache. I happen to have some good incense to clear her mind. Go to my courtyard and have Jinchuan get it for you, then you can take it to your aunt.”
“Mother, Master forbids me from going that way. Otherwise, I’ll go tell Jin Chuan and have her take it and deliver it herself.” Bao Yu didn’t think too much about it, but Jia Zheng had drawn a line for him. Because Xue Pan was there, Pear Fragrance Courtyard was one of the places Jia Bao Yu was not allowed to set foot in.
“It’s alright, I’ll talk to Master. You haven’t paid your respects to your aunt in a long time, why don’t you go and visit her for me?” Madam Wang’s expression remained unchanged as she listened to Baoyu’s words, and she still told Baoyu to go and see her off.
Just as Baoyu was about to agree, he heard Grandmother Jia snort.
"In this freezing weather, you really do care about the child by sending Baoyu to visit the sick."
"Grandma, Baoyu is young and healthy, so the weather is nothing to worry about."
"Hmph, let whoever wants to go can go. Baoyu is here with me today. He finally came in, and I haven't even had a chance to kiss him enough. You want to order him to run errands for you? If you don't have anyone to run errands in your room, then go by yourself!" Grandmother Jia was a little angry. This Wang Shi was being too strict and guarded.
Seeing that Grandmother Jia seemed to be angry, Lady Wang dared not say anything more.
Now that Wang Xifeng is in such a situation, she doesn't often step forward anymore.
If she were to step forward, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law might turn their guns on her, which would be a real loss!
When Wang Xifeng has less to do, she likes to hold her eldest daughter and play with the child.
Seeing that she wasn't managing the household affairs very diligently, Madam Wang subtly reminded her several times, and she agreed to it in person, but continued to do the same thing afterwards.
In short, nothing went wrong, so why worry about so much?
Right now, she's sitting below Grandmother Jia with her eldest daughter in her arms, showing no intention of stepping forward to smooth things over.
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