Chapter Seventy-Nine

  As for the second message, it's even easier to guess. This shows that Old Lady Jia is indeed missing Lin Daiyu; let's not discuss how much of this is genuine and how much is calculation.

  This also shows that even though Jia Min has been dead for many years, Jia Lao Tai Tai is not completely devoid of feelings towards Lin Daiyu, the only flesh and blood of Jia Min.

  Although the two messages revealed by Zhou Rui's family were of no great use to Lin Ruolan, she still accepted them with gratitude.

  "Thanks for your trouble, Auntie Zhou. You've had a hard time coming all this way." Lin Ruolan nodded at Zhou Ruijia and said indifferently; meanwhile, a gold leaf with intricate and beautiful flower patterns fell lightly and unnoticed into Zhou Ruijia's palm.

  Zhou Ru's foolish eyes stared at the golden leaf that suddenly appeared in her palm, and she felt a slight dryness in her throat; as the trusted assistant of Queen Wang, how many gold, silver, and jewels had passed through Zhou Ruijia's hands?

  But like the golden leaf given by Lin Ruo Lan, even Zhou Ru Jia's who has seen a lot and knows a lot; couldn't help but secretly lick her tongue, without mentioning the weight of this golden leaf; just looking at the exquisite and intricate floral patterns carved on it, one can tell that this thing is worth a lot of money.

  Lin Ruo Lan's actions once again perfectly confirmed Zhou Rui Jia's legend that the Lin family was extremely wealthy.

  "They say that Lin's family is a wealthy and noble family, and it's really true; tsk... they casually give away gold leaves as rewards, how extravagant!"

  It's obvious that Zhou Ruijia thinks it's a huge waste of money to reward Lin Ruolan so generously, and can't help but shake her head secretly in her heart, but on the surface she remains calm and composed.

  "Thank you for your reward, Lady Lin." Zhou Ruijia bowed and said to Lin Ruolan.

  Lin Daiyu then curiously asked, "Aunt Zhou, are there any sisters around my age at my maternal grandmother's house?" As Lin Daiyu said this, a hint of envy flashed across her face.

  Lin Ruo Lan's smile softened her expression a lot. The Lin family only had one child, Lin Dai Yu; normally without siblings, Lin Dai Yu always envied others for having many brothers and sisters.

  "Hmm... maybe I can talk to my parents about this. It's been three years since Jia Min passed away; my brother should find a new sister-in-law, have some beautiful kids for the Lin family, and that way Yu'er won't be too lonely."

  "Ah-choo!" Lin Ruhai, who was far away in Yangzhou, suddenly let out a series of sneezes: "Huh... could it be that I've caught a cold?" Lin Ruhai rubbed his nose with a puzzled expression and said: "In this kind of weather, I'd actually catch a cold too?"

  Lin Ruhai didn't know that he had already been remembered by his own precious little sister.

  "Return the girl's words."

  It was probably because Lin Ruo Lan was by his side that Zhou Rui Jia did not hold Lin Dai Yu in contempt due to her young age; instead, he spoke with a respectful face: "In the mansion, there are indeed three misses who are similar in age to you, one is the second daughter of the old master's house called Ying Chun; one is the third daughter of the second master's house called Tan Chun, and another is the fourth daughter of the neighboring Ning Guo Fu called Xi Chun."

  "Are the three sisters also here at their maternal grandmother's place?" Lin Daiyu asked with her small face raised: "Will Yuer be able to see the three sisters when she turns back?"

  "Lin, the old lady likes lively scenes; these three girls were all raised in front of her, today the old lady said that there are distant guests coming to the mansion; the girls don't need to go to school at home, they should be attending to the old lady right now; later Lin, you can take a look."

  As they spoke, a line of people finally arrived at the main house, with its beautifully carved and painted beams and magnificent halls; on both sides of the corridors were hung all kinds of parrots, as well as kingfishers, orioles, and other birds.

  "This should be Rong Xitang, right?" Lin Ruolan murmured thoughtfully.

  On the steps sat a dozen or so girls dressed in red and green, each one more beautiful than the last; as soon as they saw Zhou Rui's family approaching, they hurriedly welcomed them with bright smiles.

  "Zhou Shu has worked hard. This must be Lin Gu Niang and Lin Gu Niang Jie, right? I've seen Lin Gu Niang and Lin Gu Niang Jie before, greetings to both of you!"

  A sixteen or seventeen-year-old woman in red clothes, who looked like a senior maid, smiled and said, while signaling others to lift the curtain; at the same time, she also sent someone to go in first and respond.

  Lin Ruolan released her divine consciousness and heard someone inside the main house say, "Replying to Old Lady, Big Madam, and Madam, Lin Gu Niangzi and Lin Gu Niang have arrived."

  Lin Ruo-lan and Lin Dai-yu had just entered the Rongxi Hall when they saw two pretty maids supporting an old lady with silver hair to welcome them. At a glance, Lin Ruo-lan guessed that this old lady must be Lin Dai-yu's grandmother - the matriarch of the Jia family, standing at the highest position in the Rongguo Mansion.

  Lin Daiyu was just about to pay her respects under Lin Rulan's guidance when she was suddenly swept into Jia Lao Tai Tai's arms, who had arrived a step earlier; and after a good bout of endearments, she burst out crying loudly.

  Although Lin Daiyu had no impression of Jia Min, children are easily influenced after all. On this side, Mrs. Jia burst into tears; Lin Daiyu was also affected, and her two eyes cried red and pitiful; even the maids and old women serving in Rongxi Hall covered their faces and wept one by one.

  Uh…… Lin Ruolan felt a chill in her heart, it's really a pity that the people of Jia family didn't go to act; among all these people, there was one person who caught Lin Ruolan's attention, standing not far from Old Lady Jia was a middle-aged woman with a seemingly kind face.

  The other party's appearance is quite ordinary, there's nothing particularly outstanding about it; however, Lin Ruolan didn't miss the fact that when she had just brought Lin Daiyu in, a piercing and venomous gaze was fixed tightly on her, uh... to be more accurate, the person being stared at should be Lin Daiyu instead.

  Lin Ruolan easily found the source of this venomous gaze, and according to her understanding, in Rongguo Mansion, there was only one person who had a grudge against Jia Min, and that was Wang Shi, the wife of Second Master Jia Zheng.

  Alas... what a deep-seated grudge it must be, that even after several years have passed since Lady Wang's death, she still cannot forget, and has even transferred her hatred to the young girl.

  Little did she know that Wang Xifeng was gloating in her heart: "Haha... Jia Min, Jia Min! Even if you suppressed me everywhere when you were alive, what's the point? Even if the old lady favored you everywhere after death, what can you do about it? You still can't enjoy life, and in the end, you're just a short-lived ghost."

  "Hmph... You're already dead, what's the point of struggling and fighting with me? Don't worry, I'll take good care of this little brat you left behind; I'll make sure she joins you down there soon, so you won't be too lonely. Mrs. Wang's face twisted in a grimace, her eyes flashing with a hint of madness."

  Lin Ruo-lan looked at Wang Fu-ren with a mixture of pity and disdain, wondering what kind of hardships Jia Min had endured when she was alive that would make her turn into such an evil person. It's said that even the most despicable people have some pitiful aspects to them; but this Wang Fu-ren really didn't know how to express herself properly.

  After Mrs. Jia and Lin Daiyu had a good cry, Mrs. Jia warmly took Lin Daiyu's hand and walked to the front of Lin Rofan: "This must be the aunt that Yu'er just mentioned?"

  "Hello, Mrs. Jia!" Lin Ruolan greeted her indifferently.

  "Alright, alright!" Old Lady Jia took Lin Ruo Lan's hand with her other hand, and her expression showed that she didn't mind Lin Ruo Lan's coldness at all; on the contrary, she was especially affectionate, which made everyone around them feel puzzled.

  What kind of person is Mrs. Jia? She has been standing at the top of the Rongguo Mansion's pyramid for many years, especially with those eyes of hers; they are sharp beyond compare, and nothing can escape the notice of her eyes.

  As for Lin Ruo Lan being the disciple of Lao Shen Xian Qing Wei Zi, an old Daoist priest, almost everyone in the world knew about it. Putting aside Lin Ruo Lan's identity, when she led Lin Dai Yu into Rong Xi Tang, Old Lady Jia had already seen through her; this woman with a white veil covering her face was not ordinary.

  The woman in front of her was wearing a simple and elegant white trailing long skirt, with a faint fluorescent glow on the skirt; Mrs. Jia, who had seen much and knew well, surprisingly didn't notice what material it was made of; but there was one thing that Mrs. Jia could be sure of, this material must not be an ordinary product.

  Hehe... Of course it's not an ordinary piece! This is the Phoenix Feather Treasure Robe, one of a kind under the heavens; do you think it's precious or not?

  The woman in white clothes is as beautiful as snow, her slender waist and delicate steps reveal her fair wrists through the thin gauze; her silky smooth hair floats casually around her waist, her slim figure and weak waist make her more charming; her black hair is slightly curled into a bun, except for a white jade plum blossom hairpin on her head, there are no extra decorations on her body, but it makes her look even more noble, elegant, fresh and simple.

  Although the face under the veil can't be seen, just this dress and the whole momentum; in Old Lady Jia's heart, four words involuntarily flashed by - Immortal beauty with a jade-like face!

  Mrs. Jia was leading Lin Daiyu and Lin Ruhai, and didn't forget to introduce them one by one to Lin Daiyu: "Daiyu, this is your eldest maternal aunt; this one is your second maternal aunt, and this one is the wife of your elder brother-in-law, Zhuang Shifu's wife."

  Mrs. Jia's hand swept past Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang and Li Wan's faces one by one, making a detailed introduction to Lin Daiyu.

  Yu'er has met her aunt, and is now greeting her! Lin Daiyu understood the hint from Lin Rulan, gently freed herself from Grandmother Jia's hand, walked to Mrs. Xue's front and curtsied.

  "My son, don't be so polite; get up!" Mrs. Xing had always been a neglected member of the Rongguo Mansion, and Lin Daiyu's bow was enough to make her feel honored and surprised; she even personally stretched out her hand to help Lin Daiyu up.

  "This is your maternal grandmother's house, so you don't have to be too formal; just treat it like your own home." Mrs. Xing also reminded Lin Daiyu a few words, which made Old Lady Jia glance at her with disapproval.

  "Thank you, Aunt Xue!" A few words from Mrs. Xing made Lin Daiyu's little heart feel a lot of goodwill.

  "Hmm... Elder's words are indeed reasonable; turn back and let others take over, remember not to neglect my Yu'er; if any of you make Yu'er suffer even a bit, I won't forgive you."

  Mrs. Jia said this while casting a glance at Mrs. Wang, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of something; although she was advanced in years, her mind was still sharp and clear, not muddled at all, but rather extremely astute; she was well aware that her second daughter-in-law had never been easy to get along with.

  Mrs. Jia's words were not without the intention of reprimanding Lady Wang; it should be known that Erjie had always been at odds with Min, and Mrs. Jia was a shrewd person; she was worried that Lady Wang would vent her anger towards Min on Lin Daiyu instead, so she was taking precautions in advance.