Chapter 149 A Small Gathering of Sisters
"This adorable Yu'er, she's going to break my heart!" Grandmother Jia was stunned for a while after hearing this before she spoke.
Grandmother Jia had not forgotten Jia Min, but a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. Now that the end of the year was approaching and the family was joyfully preparing for the New Year, she couldn't spoil everyone's mood by bringing up the topic of missing her daughter at this time.
Daiyu was different; Min'er was her mother.
Now that Daiyu is in the Lin family, there's nothing for her to hide.
Jia Min was the matriarch of the Lin family before her death. It would be perfectly legitimate for her daughter to go to the Taoist temple to perform rituals for her mother before the Lunar New Year, or even to pay respects on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Grandmother Jia, who had initially harbored resentment towards Daiyu, was now filled with heartache and longed to immediately embrace Daiyu and weep bitterly.
Because the New Year was approaching, the Lin family came to deliver holiday gifts, but they deliberately didn't mention Daiyu's whereabouts, probably because they were afraid that mentioning it would make them sad.
Grandmother Jia felt remorseful. She had sent people to the Lin family several times today to invite Daiyu over. Would the child overthink things? Would she feel that she wouldn't love her anymore if she didn't come?
In addition, speaking of which, Daiyu will be out of mourning in less than half a year, and Lin Ruhai has been keeping vigil for Min'er for three years. Will Lin Ruhai discuss remarrying next year?
Grandmother Jia had a long-standing suspicion: Although Yuan Hongqu was serving as Daiyu's governess, she actually made the final decisions on all matters concerning the Lin family in the capital. Could it be that once Daiyu's mourning period was over, Yuan Hongqu would become Lin Ruhai's second wife?
However, Yuan Hongqu came from a humble family and didn't even have a maternal family. It's said that she got into trouble with the law and was imprisoned in Yangzhou. How could someone with such a background be worthy of Lin Ruhai?
If it weren't for Yuan Hongqu, and Lin Ruhai had remarried, Daiyu's life would probably have been much harder.
There is a ready example right in front of us: after Lian'er's birth mother, Zhang, passed away, the eldest son remarried Xing, and ignored Lian'er, only caring about making money for himself.
If it weren't for me looking after Lian'er, I'm afraid Lian'er wouldn't even have reached adulthood.
When Grandmother Jia thought of this, her heart ached even more. She worried about what would happen if Daiyu suffered mistreatment from her stepmother in the future, and decided that she should bring Daiyu into the mansion.
Moreover, if Lin Ruhai remarries, the Lin family will become even more distant from our own family, and they will likely drift further and further apart... If Daiyu could stay in our family, Lin Ruhai would inevitably be more considerate and wouldn't be too far away from our family.
Grandmother Jia tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until almost dawn when she finally managed to get some rest.
The Rongguo Mansion is a large and powerful family with many connections and social interactions. Before the New Year, everyone from top to bottom has been busy.
The next day, however, Grandmother Jia still took some time to send Amber and Yingluo with a cartload of gifts to the Lin family, saying they were little trinkets for Daiyu.
With New Year's Eve just around the corner, lanterns and decorations are everywhere, and the occasional sound of mischievous children setting off firecrackers can be heard.
The Lin family didn't decorate extensively; they only made some simple decorations and placed some fresh potted plants in various places, which was enough to give it a fresh feel.
Zijuan went to the Shi family mansion to deliver an invitation early in the morning, but unexpectedly, she returned with Shi Xiangyun and her maid Cuilu.
"Look, young lady, who's here?" Zijuan lifted the curtain and peeked inside.
Daiyu was playing with the parrot when it suddenly heard Zijuan's voice. The parrot jumped up, flapping its wings and squawking wildly.
"The bright moonlight shines before my window, I wonder if it is frost on the ground. The wind and rain last night, I wonder how many flowers have fallen." He recited the poem fluently.
Daiyu didn't notice what the parrot was carrying, but she heard a hearty laugh coming from the doorway.
"Sister Lin's parrot is so interesting. It can perfectly combine the poems of Li Bai and Meng Shanren."
"Xiangyun is here! It's so kind of you to tell me sooner! I was going to greet you at the door!" Daiyu exclaimed happily, quickly walking over, taking Xiangyun's hand, and leading her to sit down by the warm stove.
"I never imagined that I would actually be able to invite you. I had given up hope of seeing you before the New Year. I was thinking that if you were busy at home, we would have to wait until after the New Year to continue our conversation."
"I don't need to lift a finger to handle the tedious things at home. My aunt just lets me watch quietly from the sidelines, and she'll get me involved in decorating when I'm a little older. I find it incredibly boring. Luckily, you sent me an invitation, or I would have been bored to death."
"I haven't invited you over even once since I came back, I really shouldn't have," Daiyu said apologetically with a smile.
"I was wondering if you'd gotten so carried away at home that you'd completely forgotten you have a younger sister," Xiangyun said, feigning anger.
Xiangyun was delighted to receive the invitation. Her aunt, seeing that it was from the Lin family, did not restrain her too much and let her go out in the Lin family's carriage.
Shi Xiangyun and Daiyu hit it off immediately. Back in the Rongguo Mansion, their similar backgrounds made it even easier for them to connect. They always talked about everything and got along very well.
"Sister Lin, I heard from the Old Madam that you haven't been to that mansion for a while. Did Baoyu offend you last time? Let's play a trick on him again next time to get revenge for you."
After laughing and joking for a while, Xiangyun recalled how, back in the Rongguo Mansion, the old lady had come to invite Daiyu several times, but had failed to do so. Baoyu was even more unhappy. She heard that Baoyu was later punished by the second master to write large characters and was not allowed to go out during the New Year. It was truly pitiful.
"Yesterday I went to Kongyun Temple outside the city with Granny, so I didn't go to my maternal grandmother's place. I'll go to pay my respects to my maternal grandmother during the New Year." Daiyu's expression was indifferent, and she didn't want to say more.
Back in the Rongguo Mansion, whenever the seasons came around, she wanted to pay respects to her mother, but the thought of not being her own home made things inconvenient, leaving her with a sense of regret. Now that she was back home, she could do whatever she wanted. However, she couldn't mention this to Xiangyun anymore, as both her parents had passed away, and she was currently living with her uncle. But at least her uncle's house was a step closer than her maternal grandmother's.
"Since you've been here all day, I won't let you go back until tonight. If there's anything you want to eat or do, just tell me, don't be shy."
"Of course! I miss the delicious food you cook in your kitchen so much that I've lost weight!" Xiangyun exclaimed dramatically. "Look at my cheeks, haven't they gotten thinner?"
Daiyu really did look at her carefully for a while, and then said seriously,
"Little Yun, you've grown so much! Your baby fat has gone down a bit. Oh dear, Little Yun is growing into a young lady!"
Xiangyun was stunned for a moment, then smiled after realizing what she meant.
"Sister Lin, you're making fun of me again."
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