2.18 Lin Daiyu: Xueyan, see my brother out for me!

Lin Daiyu: Xueyan, see your elder brother out!

Moving to a new home is a genuinely "fascinating" experience.

Usually, you feel nothing is amiss until you actually pack up, only to find that everything is missing—this is gone, that cannot be found, yet it is impossible to explain how things disappeared. After sorting and organizing endlessly, you end up feeling that the new place is far less convenient than the old one.

"A family's belongings cannot withstand three moves" is certainly no empty phrase.

Clearly, summer days are long and nights are short, and the sky refuses to darken even after the first watch (7:00 PM). Yet after bustling about until now, everything still feels out of place—as if something is missing, or conversely, as if the space is already overwhelmingly cluttered.

And this is only because the people arrived first, bringing only a small portion of their luggage, while the vast majority of their belongings are still being gradually shipped over under Xue Baoqin's arrangements. It is estimated that everything won't be fully in place before the end of the month—what a hassle.

Even meals have to be thrown together somehow; lacking a cook, they can only send someone to order takeout from a nearby restaurant.

That same night, in the back garden.

The temperature in the capital is noticeably much cooler than in Jiangnan.

Now that night has fallen, there is hardly any residual heat in the pavilion shaded by lush greenery.

"Brother Rui!" Lin Daiyu wept, her beautiful eyes red and swollen.

"You, you really need to let it go!" Lin Rui pulled her tightly into his arms, his face full of heartache.

It turned out that Lin Ruhai's coffin had been transported to the new home along with the golden funerary urns of past ancestors of the Lin family lineage. He had them placed together in the villa at the corner of the back garden, preparing for them to be buried at an appropriate time, while also planning to build a new ancestral hall for the "Northern Branch of the Suzhou Lins."

As a result, when Sister Lin saw this upon entering the garden, she started weeping all over again.

"Master, our young lady is simply soft-hearted," Xueyan whispered from the side.

"It is late, you should go back inside first!" Lin Rui sighed helplessly, scooping Sister Lin up horizontally in his arms and walking towards her embroidered building. "As the saying goes, 'the dead cannot be brought back to life,' and we living souls must still carry on."

"Will Brother Rui be busy with official duties next?" Lin Daiyu asked, leaning into his embrace.

"Where on earth do I have any 'official duties' left now?" Lin Rui replied with a bitter, helpless smile. Once inside the room, he held her close as they sat on the long couch. "The most important thing is to first report to the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel, and then find a way to navigate the old paths to secure a foothold for myself."

At this mention, he thought of the thick stack of various letters Lin Ruhai had entrusted to him on his deathbed.

Unfortunately, how many of those things could still serve any purpose?

Only Heaven knows.

Right now, he could only hope that the most important letter among them would not go to waste.

"When does the master plan to go?" Xueyan asked hurriedly.

Gazing at the maid's resentful gaze, Lin Rui could only offer a comforting look.

There was no help for it. Along the entire journey, she had to stay with the two women of the Lin family. Jia Min hadn't even arranged for a personal maid in advance, and all the serving women and subordinate servants had perished in the assassination attempt; the only maid she truly had at her disposal was Xueyan herself.

Under these circumstances, no matter how much he might want to "feed," there was simply no way to carry it out.

Yet he hadn't been "idle" along the way; the You sisters and Xing Xiuyan had enjoyed every bit of tenderness, and even Miaoyu hadn't entirely escaped—whenever he took action, "serving" him was inevitable. The only one left completely "wasted" was the maid who had followed him from the very beginning.

"As soon as possible. Tomorrow I'll arrange for someone to send the letters out, and after waiting a few days, I'll pay some visits," he thought, but didn't forget the matters at hand. "The most important part is something I must handle personally; no matter what, I must find a way to secure a substantive official post."

Otherwise, with the Lin family's notorious wealth, they would instantly transform into a "fragrant, ten-li-wide piece of fatty pork."

Now that Lin Ruhai had just been murdered, perhaps no one would dare defy the current climate to commit crimes. But once a year or half a year passed and the limelight died down, who would still remember the former "favorite confidant of the Son of Heaven"? By then, all sorts of opportunistic scroungers and schemers would swarm in all at once.

For instance, the Xue family in *The Dream of the Red Chamber*, who went to the capital and saw their family fortunes ruined within just a few short years.

A family fortune of millions of silver taels—how on earth could one spend it to have it wiped out in such a short time?

The Jia and Wang families were naturally restless, but no matter what, they could never afford to make things look too unsightly; they always had to leave some foundation behind. Outsiders, however, would not care. When Xue Pan's case of "beating someone to death" was eventually dug up at the end, was it really because someone harbored a sense of justice?

One must remember that the victim, Feng Yuan, had no living relatives, and his distant branch relatives were just waiting to divide up the family property. The only old steward willing to step forward had already taken the "cremation and burial silver" and fled. Who would possibly "seek justice and handle a case" for such a family?

It was nothing more than someone eyeing their silver and stripping the Xue family down to the bone.

"Brother Rui, why do we still need to wait a few days before paying visits?" Lin Daiyu asked, puzzled.

"Because the true utility of these letters depends entirely on the conscience of the recipients," Lin Rui said with a helpless, bitter smile. "Yet those people in the imperial court have all sorts of distinctive traits, except that they have never shown anything resembling a 'conscience.' I have to wait for their responses."

Lin Daiyu: ......

"Is it really like that?" Xueyan asked, her face turning pale with fright.

"This is already considered mild; at least they aren't turning around to plot against us," Lin Rui could only nod. "Don't worry, Uncle Lin spent many years in the court, and there are still some people we can make use of. As long as we have a little assistance, coupled with the merit of the silver confiscated from the He and Cheng households, I shouldn't end up with a completely empty title."

"As long as Brother Rui understands, that is good," Lin Daiyu nodded gently. "Is there any way little sister can be of use?"

"Next, you will probably have to suffer through some hardship alongside Madam," Lin Rui sighed, pulling the sister in his arms closer. "I know you've never liked these things, but fortunately, we cannot make any big moves right now anyway."

Observing filial mourning.

"Brother Hua—no, Brother Rui, rest assured!" Lin Daiyu's expression turned resolute. "Little sister naturally understands!"

"Master, now that we've returned, shouldn't we also pay a visit to the Rongguo Mansion?" Xueyan gently reminded him. "After all, that is Madam's ancestral home, and they helped renovate our estate. It wouldn't do to never go over there, right?"

"We'll leave that to Madam's arrangements!" Lin Rui naturally understood.

Deep down, however, he actually didn't want to visit the Jia family too early.

Generally speaking, normal people tend to fawn over the rich and scorn the poor—this is human nature. But the Jia family's open, comprehensive fawning and scorning, directed specifically inward at their own kin, truly went far beyond the limits of normal human comprehension.

For instance, as of now, his only status was that of a purchased official, making him essentially a commoner in essence.

If he went to the Jia family at this moment, people condescendingly acknowledging him would already be out of sheer politeness; he shouldn't expect anything more.

Therefore, his expression was extremely cold.

"Little sister heard you mention that you've already sent a calling card over there?" Lin Daiyu hadn't noticed.

"A formal notice had to be sent," Lin Rui nodded. "Don't worry, I had Miaoyu write it. Her literary talent is beyond question; anyway, I think it looks quite fine, and her calligraphy is even prettier."

"Brother Rui has some nerve!" Lin Daiyu shot him a sideways glance of mock annoyance.

"Aren't you here as well?" Lin Rui smiled, lowering his head to whisper in her ear until the sister's cheeks turned completely crimson. "In the future, whenever I have any written matters to attend to, little sister surely wouldn't want to watch me make a fool of myself, would she?"

"You deserve to make a fool of yourself!" Lin Daiyu, blushing with embarrassment, struck him a few times. "That'll teach you to be lazy!"

Lin Ruhai had certainly driven him to practice in the past, but as for the results... well, right up to the present day...

"Good sister, surely not?" Lin Rui couldn't help lowering his head to gently kiss the sister's forehead.

"Brother Rui, stop!" Just a moment later, Lin Daiyu began pushing him away with all her might.

"All right, it's late, I must get back quickly!" Realizing he couldn't linger, Lin Rui hurriedly set her down and stood up. "I'm afraid I won't have time to visit often over the next few days. Little sister has also had a hard journey, so you can just rest for a few days."

"Who asked you to come?" Lin Daiyu spun around, turning her back to him in embarrassment. "Hurry up and leave!"

"Rest well, little sister!" Lin Rui nodded and headed toward the door.

Yet unexpectedly, right at that moment, Lin Daiyu suddenly turned back around.

"Xueyan, see your elder brother out!"

"Ah?" The maid was clearly stunned for a moment before nodding hastily. "Young lady, rest assured!"

Gazing after them as they left, Lin Daiyu wore a complex expression.

After a long while, she sighed softly and silently returned to her bedroom.

Outside, the two of them walked quickly after stepping out, halting as soon as they rounded a rockery.

"Master—" Xueyan's voice even carried a tremble.

Without a word, Lin Rui pushed her gently against the garden stones, and very soon, nothing remained except sweetness and tenderness.

How much time passed, no one knew, before Xueyan knelt limply on the ground, laboring to tie his sash back up for him.

"Good girl, are you satisfied now?" Once tidied up a moment later, Lin Rui teased with a smile.

"Bah! Bah!" Xueyan spat with an expression of utter disgust. "You only know how to bully this maid."

"You struck the match, of course you have to clean up the mess," Lin Rui said righteously.

Blushing, the maid struck him a few times, yet she allowed him to support her as she slowly stood up.

"Master, judging by your attitude, you seem reluctant to go to the Rongguo Mansion?" she asked, somewhat puzzled. "Logically speaking, that is Madam's maiden home, and our greatest backing."

"The only thing we can rely on is ourselves," Lin Rui sighed softly. "You'll understand soon enough."

"Ah?" Xueyan was completely baffled.

"All right, hurry back inside; Sister Lin is probably waiting anxiously." Lin Rui offered no further explanation.

"Oh!" The maid finally snapped back to reality, hastily offering a messy bow before stumbling back in a run.

Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

The lamps in the five main rooms were still brightly lit.

Grandmother Jia slowly lowered the red calling card in her hand, gazing with a complex expression in the direction of Hanlin Street.

"Yuanyang, when do you think I should have Min'er come over?" she asked suddenly.

"Replying to the Old Ancestor, these next few days might not be appropriate," the chief maid replied softly. "Judging from what Second Master Lian said after coming over this afternoon, the Lin estate has just been cleaned up, and the esteemed aunt arrived only this evening; everything must surely be put in order first."

This was only human nature.

Yet unexpectedly, the old matriarch gently shook her head.

"You, you think too superficially," she spoke after a moment. "With Ruhai gone, it leaves behind a pitiful lone widow and orphan guarding a family estate—who can they rely on? If we, her family on her mother's side, do not reach out at a time like this, aren't we afraid of chilling people's hearts?"

"The Old Ancestor is entirely right!" Yuanyang lowered her head hurriedly. "The esteemed aunt must indeed be well cared for."

Yet what came to mind in her heart was another "Madam" within the Duke's mansion.

"Tomorrow morning, write a reply in my name," Grandmother Jia said, not truly minding the maid's attitude. "Have someone—no, you had better make the trip yourself, and ask Min'er to come over as soon as possible to see her own family.

"Isn't there also a young girl? She mentioned in her letter before that she is only two years younger than my Baoyu. As close cousins, shouldn't they meet properly? Once the time is settled, report back to me promptly, and then we family members can enjoy ourselves to the fullest!"

"Rest assured, Old Ancestor!" Yuanyang nodded gently.

"It is late, let us rest!"