The Rebirth of Daiyu in the Red Chamber

There is a folk song in Kyoto that says: Children, children, don’t be greedy, after Laba, it will be a new year.

Since entering Jia's mansion, the brothers and sisters of the Lin family never went out. Except for seeing Jia's mother during the day, Lin Daiyu took care of the tree slaves in the house. Lin Qu and Lin Qiong studied and practiced calligraphy.After all, Lixiangyuan is not as good as their own home, but in special times, they have to endure it.

On the day of Laba, every family in Beijing will drink Laba porridge and offer sacrifices to their ancestors.When Lin Daiyu got up early to eat, she would bring Laba porridge and Laba garlic from Jia Mu's maid. Laba porridge was made of red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, grapes, ginkgo and many other things boiled together with rice. There are also meaty things like minced meat.Lin Daiyu also asked the maids to soak rice and fruit in the small kitchen last night, and cook porridge all night. There are sweet and salty rice porridge. Lin Qiong and Lin usually like salty porridge, while Shu Nu likes slightly sweet and soft porridge.

Lin Daiyu thanked the little girl in Jiamu's house, asked Dongjing to bring a food box, and said, "Yesterday I also asked Dongjing to make some Laba porridge from my hometown, and I was just about to send some to the old lady and aunt. I miss you." It’s here, please take it with you.”

The maid got the reward and left with the Laba porridge given by Lin Daiyu.

Zijuan served a bowl of porridge for everyone, Lin Xiang tasted it, and said dissatisfiedly: "It's too sweet." He just drank his own boiled porridge.Lin Qiong didn't like it either, but the tree slaves liked to drink it, but he was teething, and Lin Daiyu didn't give it to him, so in the end all the porridge was given to the maids in the house.

After eating, the brothers and sisters went to Jiamu's room and sat together to say a few words. Someone came to report from outside and someone from the palace.Everyone in Jia's family set up incense tables and opened the middle door to greet them. A large eunuch, Liang Jiugong, came riding on horseback, followed by many small internal eunuchs.

Liang Jiugong walked to the whole place, stood on the south side, and said: "I have a special decree: Laba porridge for Mrs. Jia, and Laba porridge for Lin's brothers and sisters." Everyone hurriedly thanked them.

Liang Jiugong asked with a smile: "Which one is the son and daughter of Master Lin's family?"

The four brothers and sisters of the Lin family came out, and Lin Xiang said, "It's us."

Liang Jiugong said: "Master Lin has always been an upright official, His Majesty knows it, and Miss Lin, our Young Master Lin, is also smart and handsome, it's really the blessing of the Lin family."

Lin Xiang and the others hurriedly thanked them, but Liang Jiugong said he was busy, so he went out without staying long, and took the purses of Jia's and Lin's before leaving.

The three brothers and sister Lin Xiang looked at each other, and they all saw happiness in each other's eyes.I heard that Liang Jiugong is the chief eunuch who is the most favored by the Holy Majesty. There are so many honorable ministers in Beijing, but the Holy Majesty asked Liang Jiugong to deliver porridge to the Jia family. This means that Lin Hai still has the sacred heart, and the matter in Yangzhou has passed.

Mother Jia was very happy on the face, and hurriedly asked people to provide the porridge sent by the Holy Majesty to the ancestors to enjoy. Finally, the big stone in her heart was put down, and she kept saying that she would invite the daughters-in-law of Ning Mansion to hold the banquet.

A few days after Laba, Lin Xiang received a letter saying that Yangzhou would come to a ship today, and it was sent by Lin Hai, and he was very happy.

Lin Xiang asked Lin Qiong: "I want to go to the pier, will you go?"

Lin Qiong said: "I'll go to the old house to see what needs to be repaired, and I won't go to the pier."

Lin Xiang asked Lin Daiyu again if she would go, and Lin Daiyu said, "The pier is so messy, I'm a girl, and I won't go."

Lin Xiang smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll be bored staying at home all day, so I want to take you for a stroll in Beijing. This place is different from Yangzhou, and has a different taste."

Lin Daiyu recalled that when she came that day, she saw the prosperity of the capital, which she had never seen in her previous life. She was really regretful, and said, "I want to play, what about tree slaves?" In this life, the world has never restrained women too much. When she went to the street, her brother was not restrained, and Lin Daiyu's heart became active.

The ancients said: Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. Although you can't "travel thousands of miles" in this life, it is good to have a look in the city.

Lin Xiangdao: "Let Qionger take the tree slave."

Lin Daiyu agreed.

It just happened that the wet nurse carried the tree slave into the house, and the tree slave heard it, looked at Lin Qiong with wide eyes, and yelled at Lin, "Big brother is bad! Don't want the second brother to hug you."

Lin Qiong picked out her ears: "Stinky boy, I won't hug you, okay? Walk by yourself." He was only five years old, Lin Xiaoxuan was over a year old, and only Lin Daiyu spoiled him.

The tree slave rolled his eyes, and covered his face with two fat hands: "Wow... Second brother bullied me! Uh..."

The three brothers and sisters were all speechless.

The tree slave howled for a long time, seeing no one was paying attention, he put down his hand and pouted his mouth and said, "Second brother pay back the money! You took away all the lucky money that father, brother and sister gave tree slave..."

Lin Qiong's face was flushed red, and she said with fury, "Didn't I give you candy?"

The tree slave said: "Big brother gave Tangtang, but he didn't ask the tree slave for money."

Lin Xiang and Lin Daiyu caressed their foreheads.

Lin Qiong gritted her teeth, brat, you forced me!Said to Lin Daiyu: "Sister, the child can walk when he is only one year old. You see, the tree slave is almost two years old and still stumbles when walking. You can't spoil him. This is doting."

Lin Daiyu pretended to think for a while, and sighed: "Qiong'er is right, the tree slaves will not be able to be hugged by brothers and sisters, nor can they be hugged by nurses, they should all walk by themselves."

The tree slave got anxious when he heard it, and was about to distinguish, so he hiccupped loudly, and then couldn't stop, the nurse patted him on the back for a while.

When Lin Xiang and Lin Daiyu went out, the tree slave stared at the door frame pitifully, and Lin Qiong crossed Erlang's legs and held tea and smiled: "It's useless for you to cry now, I won't do what you do."

The tree slave said angrily: "I will never lend money to my second brother again."

Lin Qiong said bitterly: "You think I want to borrow it, and I will return it to you when the master's shop makes money, and smash it on your big head!"

Lin Daiyu and Lin Qu arrived at the pier first in a carriage. Lin Guangyuan, the steward of the old house, took the servants into the carriage and waited. After waiting for about two minutes, a big boat arrived at the pier.The butler Lin Fu got out of the car and said a few words to Lin Guangyuan. Lin Guangyuan led people onto the boat to unload things, and Lin Fu led dozens of men and women to Lin Daiyu's carriage to salute.

Lin Xiangdao: "Did father ask you to bring anything? How many things did you bring this time?"

Lin Fu said: "Go back to the lord, the lord asked the younger one to bring the letter." He presented the letter to Lin Xiang, and said: "There are things for the young master and the girl in the boat, and there are also annual gifts for Jia's mansion, for previous years. A gift from the elders of the aristocratic families you have made friends with." He presented the list of gifts again.

Lin Xiang and Lin Daiyu first read Lin Hai's letter, which said that the fourth prince had avenged his grievances, and reassured Lin Daiyu that he is still working in the salt class and may be transferred to Beijing next year.

After reading the letter, Lin Daiyu looked at the gift list again. The gifts for each family were cut by [-]% compared with last year. This is normal, and his family is not too extravagant.

Lin Daiyu said: "There are so many things, I'm afraid Lixiangyuan can't let them go, so let's put them in the old house first." Lin Fu agreed.

Lin Fu said again: "The master is afraid that the young master and the girls will have no one at hand, so he asked the younger one to bring the people who are often used at home."

Lin Daiyu opened the curtains and saw that Chunhan, Chunliu, Yilan, Zelan, Jianlan, and Peilan in her room had all come. She smiled and said, "That's good, you're all together again." She asked Lin Fu: "All of them have been brought to the capital. How about every one of my father's personal servants?"

Lin Fu said: "Master has Aunt Wei to take care of him, it's not bad."

Lin Daiyu was silent.

Except for a few big girls from Yangzhou, the others were still settled in the old house first. Lin Fu watched people transporting things, and Lin Xiang took Lin Daiyu away.