Chapter 67 Madam Wang's Thoughts
Because Lady Wang was entertaining guests today, Grandmother Jia did not allow her to serve in Rongqing Hall.
After being introduced to Grandmother Jia, she took Aunt Xue and Baochai back to the three small main rooms in the east corridor. Only then did the group begin to have a private conversation.
Aunt Xue lamented her bitter life; her husband had died young, leaving behind a troublesome son, and only her daughter could offer her some comfort.
Lady Wang was initially somewhat resentful about Baochai's trip to the capital to be selected for the imperial examinations, but seeing Aunt Xue's reaction, her heart softened.
When Xue Pan came to pay his respects today, she saw him. That scoundrel was not even as good as the mud under Bao Yu's feet. No wonder her sister had the idea of letting Baochai enter the palace. If Baochai could earn a status, she would be a million times better than her brother.
If they had Baochai as a support, the Xue family wouldn't have gone on to have no one to carry on the family line.
In the long run, Aunt Xue's move was indeed the right one.
"Sister, Lin Jie'er is so favored in your household. Our Baochai has only just arrived and she's already made her lose face. I'm afraid she won't be easy to get along with in the future?" Aunt Xue asked tentatively.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang smiled slightly. She had also received many benefits from Rongyue Courtyard in the past few months. Even Yuan Chun had been rewarded for Yuan Hongqu's paintings, making quite a splash.
She couldn't go against her conscience and say bad things about Daiyu.
"Lin Jie'er is a mischievous child. She's still a little kid and has been spoiled by her family. She doesn't know how to speak properly, but she's a very kind person. Baochai, please don't take it to heart."
“Aunt, of course I won’t hold a grudge against a child,” Baochai said magnanimously. In her heart, she thought that she had heard today that Daiyu was not even eight years old yet, while she was four years older than her. Compared to her, Daiyu really was just a child. How could she, an adult, hold a grudge against a child?
"Baochai is a good girl," Lady Wang praised. Seeing Xue Baochai's magnanimity and the lack of displeasure on her face, it was truly rare to see such a well-mannered young girl.
Back when Yuan-chun was this age, she wasn't as good at keeping her emotions hidden as Bao-chai.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Wang said:
“As my sister knows, our old lady has always doted on my aunt the most. After my aunt got married, she went to work in another place with her husband. For many years, the mother and daughter had not been able to see each other. My aunt was in poor health and even fell ill in Yangzhou. At that time, the old lady really wished she could go with her. Later, the family spent many days coaxing her until she got a little better, but she was always depressed until this spring when Miss Lin came to visit. Only then did the old lady cheer up.”
"Don't let Miss Lin's young age fool you, she's a lovely girl, sensible and clever. Because of her, Baoyu has actually become more motivated and has received far fewer beatings from his father..."
Before Lin Daiyu arrived, Baoyu's scoundrelliness was well-known throughout the Rongguo Mansion.
However, after Lin Daiyu arrived, he was not so outrageous anymore, and even vaguely reminded Lady Wang of her eldest son, Jia Zhu.
Madam Wang had her own selfish motives, but she wasn't stupid.
Since Lin Daiyu's arrival can guide Baoyu to learn the right things and not go astray, she would definitely welcome her.
Moreover, the Lin family had been marquises for four generations. Although Lin Ruhai had not been granted a marquisate or become a prime minister, he was still a trusted confidant of the current emperor. The Lin family's status was no less than that of princes and nobles!
When Lin Daiyu first came to the Jia family mansion, she brought in boxes and baskets of things, and more than twenty maids and servants followed her... What kind of girl would bring a whole courtyard of people when she visits relatives? For ordinary wealthy families, this would be considered a high-profile wedding, but this was just a visit to relatives.
Lin Ruhai only has this one daughter left, and it's no exaggeration to say that she is the apple of everyone's eye in the Lin family.
Ever since Lin Daiyu arrived in the capital, boatloads of goods have been sent to the city every month, as everyone is afraid that their young lady will suffer the slightest grievance.
Moreover, the servants of the Lin family who came with them to deliver the goods are still in the old Lin family residence in the capital, ready to be summoned by the young lady at any time.
Now that they've lived here for half a year, there are always four servants from the Lin family outside the second gate who are dedicated to running errands.
These four people were not allowed to be ordered around by the Jia family; they only obeyed the orders of their young mistress and Yuan Hongqu.
The girl read a line of poetry, something like "In April, all the flowers in the human world have faded, but the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom." They wanted to see if the peach blossoms in the mountain temple were still blooming in April. These men traveled all day to Wanye Temple, ran up the mountain behind the temple, and picked a peach blossom for their girl.
Last month, I heard that Miss Lin was reading Li Bai's poem, which included the line "With lofty aspirations and soaring thoughts, I wish to ascend to the heavens and grasp the bright moon." Every night, she would sigh and lament while looking at the moon. Later, Granny Yuan sent them out to search for craftsmen. They used a lot of crystal to grind into lenses and managed to make a stargazing mirror as thick as a soup bowl and three feet long, which they said could be used to see the moon.
Now, whenever the night is clear, Miss Lin stays by the star-gazing mirror, looking at the stars and the moon.
Lady Wang prided herself on being well-traveled and knowledgeable, having seen many princesses and empresses in the palace, but she had never seen a daughter like the Lin family's daughter, who was raised to have everything she wanted.
I've seen people spoil their children, but I've never seen anyone spoil them like this.
The old lady spoiled Baoyu enough, but when Baoyu deserved to be beaten, he was beaten quite often.
To be honest, Madam Wang felt that if she had been raised like this, she would probably have become spoiled and arrogant long ago.
But a child like Lin Daiyu, who was spoiled like this, was still well-mannered, kind to others, and showed the demeanor of a great lady.
That's truly rare.
Sometimes, when Lady Wang watched Baoyu and Daiyu playing together, she would even think that it would be nice if the two of them could become a couple.
However, seeing how the Lin family doted on Lin Daiyu, they felt that their own family might not be able to keep this beautiful flower of wealth and honor.
Let nature take its course. After all, the Lin family has such a large fortune, and now it seems that only Lin Daiyu is left to inherit it. It's impossible not to be envious.
Therefore, Lady Wang's attitude towards Daiyu was somewhat contradictory.
Lady Wang was reluctant to treat Daiyu too well, even though she and Jia Min had a strained relationship back then. Although Jia Min was dead, Lady Wang was not a generous person.
To treat Daiyu badly would be incredibly heartless.
Madam Wang is quite conflicted right now.
After hearing Madam Wang's words, Aunt Xue's displeasure vanished completely.
After all, a child who has lost her mother is often pampered by her family, probably out of pity.
Xue Baochai didn't show it on her face, but she was actually listening carefully to what Madam Wang was saying.
So this is what Lin Daiyu is like. No wonder even the housekeeper, Wang Xifeng, was so satisfied with Daiyu, despite always putting her first.
It seems that from now on, I will have to be careful and attentive in every aspect of my life while living in this mansion.
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