Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 17 Seeing the sea

Jia Lian threw Jia Zheng's extremely long eulogy into the brazier in front of him, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after watching it burn out.

Jia Zheng truly lives up to his reputation as a seasoned official of twenty years; his skill in writing "nonsense literature" is truly remarkable.

His eulogy may not be particularly well-written, but the wording is carefully chosen and it is quite long!

If Jia Lian hadn't consulted the chief scholar in the outer courtyard before his departure, and hadn't recognized some of the characters, he might have made a fool of himself in front of the mourning hall!

If that's the case, perhaps he'll just have to kowtow and have someone else recite the prayers for him...

"Second Master Lian, my master invites you."

Seeing that Jia Lian had finally finished, the servant who had been waiting nearby immediately came forward to invite him.

Jia Lian nodded, then glanced one last time at the inner hall.

Unfortunately, although some women were "sobbing" inside, they were all dressed in mourning clothes, and apart from their size, they were indistinguishable at a glance. Therefore, it was impossible to tell which one was Lin Daiyu, or even whether the real Lin Daiyu was inside at that moment...

The Lin residence was, after all, an official residence, not the Lin family's private home, so the renovations were not very good; at least compared to the Rongguo Mansion and others, it was quite simple.

However, its tranquil and elegant atmosphere is unmatched by the Rongguo Mansion.

This also shows that the Lin family really doesn't have many members left, otherwise they wouldn't appear so deserted in the face of such a major event.

After walking through two or three long corridors, they arrived at a small side hall. The servant who had led the way withdrew, and two other doormen announced, "Master, Second Master Lian has arrived."

"Come in."

Hearing the upright and refined voice coming from inside, Jia Lian straightened his collar and stepped inside.

Lin Ruhai's study wasn't very big, but the bookshelves were packed full of books, leaving almost no space, which gave Jia Lian the most direct sensory experience.

This was the study he had ever seen, filled with the most books and arranged the most neatly!

In comparison, Jia Zheng's Mengpo Studio seemed somewhat like a mere formality...

Without giving Lin Ruhai a long look, Jia Lian bowed deeply and said, "Nephew Jia Lian greets Uncle."

Get up.

Jia Lian stood up in response and then looked at Lin Ruhai.

Although he was in his forties, he still had a dashing demeanor, and apart from the tuft of beard he had grown on his chin, he did not look old at all.

He must have been a very handsome man in his youth!

That's true. It's said that the third-ranked scholar in each dynasty wasn't necessarily the most learned, but he was definitely the most handsome. The rumor is indeed true.

Lin Ruhai was also sizing up Jia Lian.

Unlike the steward, Lin Ruhai had seen Jia Lian when he was a boy. Although Jia Lian had grown a few years older, his appearance had not changed much.

He's definitely becoming more and more dignified!

Seeing that Jia Lian was dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, neatly and without any sign of perfunctoriness, he was even more satisfied and asked directly, "Since I sent someone to deliver a message to the capital, it has only been twelve or thirteen days. How did you get to Yangzhou?"

Jia Lian bowed and replied, "In response to your question, Uncle, since receiving the news of my aunt's passing, the old lady of the family has been heartbroken and has ordered us to set off south immediately."

Because the eldest master of the family had been unwell for several days, and the second master had official duties to attend to, he sent his nephew in his place.

Fearing he would miss the day for his aunt's body to be laid to rest, the nephew abandoned the boat and, with several others, rode south ahead of him.

We finally arrived in Yangzhou in the early hours of last night.

After arriving in town this morning and resting briefly at the inn, my nephew rushed over immediately. Due to the suddenness of the situation, I was unable to prepare a note to inform my uncle beforehand; please forgive my rudeness.

"Not at all, it's a blessing for your aunt and me that you're like this, so how could we be surprised?"

Lin Ruhai sighed. Although Jia Lian made it sound easy, just considering the time it would take, he knew how difficult Jia Lian's journey had been. He also noticed that although Jia Lian was trying to appear energetic, a closer look revealed a hint of weariness in his eyes and brows, which touched him deeply.

I have heard that my elder brother’s eldest son is a complete wastrel, good for nothing except for his skills in household affairs.

Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, it's quite different from the rumors.

Such a young man, with his demeanor, speech, manners, and filial piety, is rare even to him. If such a person is considered useless, then the world is probably full of useless people.

It seems that all things in this world are like this; what others say may not be true. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you know the truth.

He then invited Jia Lian to sit down and asked, "How is the old lady at home?"

"Aside from feeling very sad whenever she thinks of her aunt, the old lady is otherwise in good health."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai's face showed a hint of sorrow. He shook his head and changed the subject: "I just heard that you were resting at an inn? My place may not be big, but it has enough rooms. I'll have the steward arrange rooms for you later. Please come in."

Jia Lian had no reason to refuse, and after agreeing, he cupped his hands and said, "Besides paying respects to my aunt, I have another important matter to discuss with my uncle."

"you say."

Jia Lian remained silent, but took out the letter from Grandmother Jia to Lin Ruhai from his sleeve, stood up and handed it to Lin Ruhai.

"This was given to me by my grandmother, who told me to give it to my uncle personally."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Lin Ruhai could no longer remain seated. He hurriedly stood up from his chair, respectfully accepted the letter, and then opened it to read.

It's not surprising to see the delicate and graceful handwriting; it's clear that the old lady is too old to write herself, so she asked her grandchildren to write it for her.

As the Lady of Rongguo, Grandmother Jia had lived a life of wealth and honor, and was extremely adept at interpersonal relationships.

Therefore, the letter's statement about bringing Daiyu to the capital was perfectly reasonable, leaving Lin Ruhai with no reason to object.

Moreover, after his wife's death, he knew that with his busy official duties, he would not have enough energy to take care of his sick daughter. Therefore, sending his daughter to his maternal grandmother's house for upbringing was a good thing for both him and his daughter.

"I understand what Lord Yue means. I feel deeply indebted to her for her deep affection for us."

Since she was willing to bring Yu'er to the capital and raise her personally, that was certainly the best thing that could happen.

only……"

Jia Lian hurriedly asked, "Uncle, is there anything troubling you?"

Lin Ruhai said, "You don't know, your younger sister has been sickly since childhood, and she also has a somewhat withdrawn personality. I'm afraid that after she comes to the capital, she will cause you a lot of trouble."

Seeing that Lin Ruhai was just being polite, Jia Lian laughed and said, "Uncle, you are overthinking it."

Firstly, as the old lady grew older, she didn't concern herself with other household affairs much, but she enjoyed raising her granddaughters and maids; she liked having a lively and bustling atmosphere around her. Secondly, she had many sisters in the family, all of whom were raised by her, and all were about the same age as Lin Daiyu.

After Lin Daiyu arrived in the capital, she naturally ate and lived with her sisters in the family, so how could there be any trouble?

Finally, if Lin Daiyu could come to the capital, perhaps it would alleviate the old lady's longing for her aunt. This was something my eldest and second masters repeatedly instructed me to do before they left. I urge my uncle to fulfill the old lady's loving wish.

Lin Ruhai had no more concerns after hearing this and nodded, saying, "If that's the case, then so be it. I'll talk to your sister about it later."

Jia Lian then said, "Uncle, there's no need to rush this matter. In any case, I will wait until Aunt is buried before returning to the capital. It won't be too late to decide then."

I think that since Lin Daiyu has grown up with her aunt and uncle and has never been to the capital, it would be difficult for her to leave her uncle and go to a strange place. If that's the case, her uncle will definitely try to persuade her patiently.

"My aunt has passed away, and my sister must be extremely heartbroken. If this adds to her grief, not only will the old lady be distressed, but even we, the ones who came to fetch her, will feel uneasy."

Jia Lian's words deeply moved Lin Ruhai.

It is said that one can know the family tradition by observing one person. As for the Jia family, he was only familiar with Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng was a studious gentleman with an excellent reputation in the court and among the people. Now, seeing Jia Lian's polite and considerate manners, he was even more certain that the Jia family was a family of scholars and etiquette. In that case, he would have no more worries about sending his daughter to his home.

Smiling and nodding, Lin Ruhai scrutinized Jia Lian from head to toe, and unconsciously sat up straighter.

In fact, given his current state of mind, if it were any other nephews or nieces, he would at most exchange a few casual words before asking them to retire.

But today, having finally met a prominent figure from his wife's family and enjoying a pleasant conversation, he couldn't help but fall into the trap of being a scholar and want to test Jia Lian's learning once more...

When Jia Lian met Lin Ruhai's gaze, his heart skipped a beat, knowing that his worst fears were about to come true.

Just as he was trying to find a way to get around this, he heard some noise outside and immediately looked towards Lin Ruhai.

Sure enough, Lin Ruhai, who had been quite interested, frowned.

"May I ask, uncle, what is this...?"

Lin Ruhai sighed: "It's those salt merchants... because they are dissatisfied with the imperial court's donation policy, they keep bothering me. I was really annoyed by them, so I made an excuse to leave."

Jia Lian's eyes lit up. He had a general understanding of the court's new policies, and the salt administration concerning Lin Ruhai was exactly what he was most concerned about.

To avoid being tested by Lin Ruhai, Jia Lian stood up without hesitation and said, "Since that's the case, if you trust me, Uncle, why don't you let me take care of them for you?"

……