The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 65 Gossip
The sun has set.

Li Hu stood in front of the mansion gate and watched the Rongguo Mansion's convoy disappear around the corner before turning around and entering.

After he had taken three or five steps, Li San came towards him and said, "Second Master, this is the New Year gift from Rongguo Mansion." Then he handed the gift list to Li Hu.

Li Hu took the gift list and looked at it, then said with a smile: "Tell the accountant to put it away after Miss Lin has looked at it tomorrow." After that, he took the gift list and walked to the backyard.

When he reached the hanging flower gate, Li Hu stopped, thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards Lin Daiyu's yard.

Coincidentally, Xueyan came over from the moon gate and said with a smile: "Second Master, the young lady invites you to come over for some porridge."

Li Hu: "Oh? Didn't you finish the eight-treasure porridge this morning?"

"Not at all."

Xueyan pouted and said, "Miss, seeing that the Second Master drank a lot of wine with the old lady and the others, she specially asked the kitchen to cook millet porridge."

Li Hu waved his hand and said, "Let's go and have some porridge!" and strode into the Moon Gate.

Xueyan chased after him with a smile.

In the dining room, Lin Daiyu was watching the maid setting the table when she suddenly heard Li Hu's voice coming from outside the main hall door, so she went to greet him with a smile.

The door curtain was lifted and Li Hu strode in.

"Second brother is here."

Lin Daiyu smiled and turned to Zijuan who was following behind her, "Zijuan, serve the porridge."

"Yes." Zijuan bowed to Li Hu first before walking out.

"This is a New Year gift from Rongguo Mansion."

Li Hu shook the gift list in his hand and took Lin Daiyu's hand with his other hand: "I'll put the things in the accounting office first. You can put them away tomorrow after you have looked at them."

After the first time, Lin Daiyu was used to Li Hu holding her hand, and she naturally let him lead her towards the dining room.

The dining room table was changed to a square table. Li Hu sat at the main seat and asked Lin Daiyu, who was looking through the gift list, "What do you think?"

"What do you think?" Lin Daiyu raised her head and looked at him in confusion.

Li Hu: "Before she left, the old lady said again that she hoped you would go and talk to her when you are free."

Lin Daiyu was silent for a moment, then replied, "Let's talk about it later."

Li Hu shook his head. This girl had a very twisted personality. She would definitely not want to go to Rongguo Mansion or see Mrs. Wang for a while.

It’s better not to go, so he won’t be lonely at home.

Zijuan called a few maids in, bringing four dishes of home-cooked dishes and a pot of millet porridge.

Zijuan picked up the empty bowl in front of Li Hu and tried to fill it with porridge.

Lin Daiyu stood up and said, "Let me do it." Then she took the bowl from Zijuan's hand.

"Be careful, don't burn your hands." Li Hu reminded hurriedly.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I'm not a three-year-old child!" Then she walked to the pot of porridge, picked up the spoon and stirred it, scooped two spoonfuls of porridge into the bowl, and then walked to Li Hu with the bowl of porridge.

Li Hu took the bowl with both hands and asked with a smile, "Why are you so virtuous all of a sudden?"

Lin Daiyu's face turned red: "You are so rude! I served you porridge with good intentions, but you made fun of me. Next time, no matter how much you drink, I won't care!" After saying that, she turned around and left.

Li Hu quickly stood up to stop her: "Okay, okay, it's my fault. I shouldn't make fun of you." Then he pulled her to sit down.

Zijuan smiled and served Lin Daiyu a bowl of porridge.

Li Hu: "You have been accompanying the old ladies for half a day and must be tired. After dinner, take a good rest." As he said that, he picked up the chopsticks and handed them to Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu glanced at Li Hu who had just sat down and whispered, "You've been busy all day and drank so much. I just wanted to serve you a bowl of porridge. I have no other intentions."

Li Hu was stunned for a moment. Did this girl think that he suspected her of being "attentive for no reason"? Sure enough, she was still the sensitive and delicate Lin Daiyu!
Li Hu said seriously, "I am just praising you for being virtuous. I don't mean anything else." Then he took her hand and said, "This is your home. You don't have to be cautious about every step and every matter. You are the hostess. Remember?" Lin Daiyu blushed, but nodded.

Li Hu continued, "You and I are one as husband and wife. Well, this is a matter of time. Anyway, your business is my business. Do you understand?"

Lin Daiyu hummed, pulled her hand away, and said softly, "Let's eat."

Li Hu put half a spoonful of porridge into his mouth and said, "What kind of person do you think Baoyu is?"

"Today is the first time I met him, how would I know?"

Lin Daiyu picked up the spoon in the bowl, stirred it, and said, "I often heard my mother say at home that this cousin was born with a jade in his mouth, but he is the most naughty, doesn't like to study, and likes to hang out at home. My grandmother dotes on him the most, and my uncles and others can't control him. He is a devil in the world."

Li Hu smiled and said, "Our mother is really good at judging people."

"How shameless! Who are you?"

Lin Daiyu suddenly paused, as if this was the case. She glared at Li Hu and scooped half a spoonful of porridge to her mouth.

Li Hu smiled, perhaps as an affirmation of his character. During dinner, Grandmother Jia had the screen removed, and he met the three sisters of the Jia family, Wang Xifeng and Xue Baochai.

Lin Daiyu seemed to remember something, blinked her eyes a few times, and asked, "What kind of person do you think Bao-Miss is?"

"Uh"

Li Hu was embarrassed, so he glanced at Xue Baochai more when he was toasting. Unexpectedly, he was seen by the girl. However, he couldn't ask her this question, so he put down the spoon, took out the letter from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Lin Daiyu took the letter and read it, then looked at Li Hu: "Did she write it?"

Li Hu smiled: "Like Miss Wang, Xue Pan also can't read or write."

Lin Daiyu also nodded with a smile.

Li Hu changed the subject: "The farms in Daxing will come to pay the rent and harvest for the year in two days, and will also send some grain, vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish and meat. Several farms in the suburbs of Beijing will not have rent this year, but they will also send New Year's goods.

If I am at home, you can look at the account; if I am not at home, leave some for the ancestors, take some of everything and send it to Zhang Cheng, Wang Daniu and others, and also send some to Ning and Rong mansions. "

Lin Daiyu: “Yeah.”

Li Hu suddenly remembered: "Oh, right, the farmland outside the capital originally belonged to the emperor. There is a large area of ​​land dedicated to growing rouge rice. The yield is not high, and only a dozen dan can be harvested in a season. Third uncle also just found out that there are still two dan of rouge rice in the farm storehouse, enough for you to eat until the summer harvest."

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded. When she was at home, she heard her mother Jia Min say that rouge rice was a royal product that could replenish qi and blood. Later, noble families also planted it privately for consumption. The Jia family's farmland grew rouge rice. That day, she had eaten a bowl of rouge rice porridge at Jia's mother's house. It was fragrant and rich in flavor, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.

She didn't expect to find this on her own farm, which was really a surprise.

Li Hu went on to say, "I don't think there will be anything to do before the New Year. I have arranged everything for the first month of the year. We will stay at home before the fifth day of the New Year and not go anywhere. We will spend a peaceful and comfortable Spring Festival. On the sixth day, we will go to Ningguo Mansion for a banquet, and on the seventh day, we will go to Rongguo Mansion's main room. You can go to the old lady's place and play Go and cards with her sisters."

"Didn't our second uncle invite us?" Lin Daiyu suddenly asked.

Li Hu paused and said, "It's still early."

Lin Daiyu said nothing and drank her porridge in silence.

Li Hu: "I will host a banquet for all the officers of the Vanguard Camp at home on the seventh day of the first lunar month."

Lin Daiyu: "Will their families come too?"

Li Hu looked at her with a smile and said, "We won't host a banquet for the family this year."

Lin Daiyu felt relieved when she heard this, but at the same time she felt a little disappointed. Then she became nervous again. She meant that she would host a banquet for her family next year. Could she handle it? No one had ever taught her this!!!
Li Hu continued, "I will be going out for a banquet until the 11th. You can decide whether to invite the sisters to our house or go to the old lady's house to chat and relieve boredom. It's up to you."

Lin Daiyu nodded.

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then said, "This year, we won't put up Spring Festival couplets or set off firecrackers."

Lin Daiyu looked at him for a long time before she said "hmm".

(End of this chapter)