The twentieth chapter: Evening in the Lin Family Ancestral Hall

  The Lin family, from top to bottom, is fully prepared, the mansion has changed its door gods, couplets, plaques, and newly oiled peach symbols, everything looks brand new.

  The ancestral hall of the Lin family is located on the east side of the mansion, and after entering the gate with a star-shaped door, there are two pavilions built on either side. When Daiyu followed her brother through the ceremonial gate, she saw five large doors inside the black lacquered fence, with a sign hanging above that read "Lin Family Ancestral Hall" in four characters. On the side was written "Written by former Hanlin Academician Tong Junhuo", and on either side was a pair of couplets also written by Tong Taifu, which read:

  Loyal and honest in serving one's lord, foolishly loyal but ultimately passing down the family estate.

  Frugality is similar to hardship, but one must know that striving comes from this.

  Inside the main hall, also known as "Shan Hall", ancestral tablets are worshipped, and it is also the essence of the entire ancestral temple. The wooden components such as the beam head, camel hump, ridgepole, flat plate and bucket arch in the hall are composed of various cloud patterns and flower patterns, carved exquisitely and transparently, and all painted with exquisite and unparalleled colors, mainly in cyan and ochre, with orange, sienna and rose red as contrasting colors. The pattern is clear and gorgeous, which is rare to see. There are stairs at both ends of the main hall, which can be climbed to the second floor, where the imperial edicts and royal robes bestowed by emperors of past dynasties are treasured.

  Daiyu followed Zhiyuan into the grand hall, where musicians in green robes were playing music. At the front was a portrait of Lin's ancestors, with several other ancestral portraits on either side, including that of Zhiyuan's father and Lin Ruhai.

  The brother and sister stood in front of the offering table, and Zhiyuan signaled to the housekeeper to start the sacrifice. The small servants stood at the door, passing dishes, and when they reached the entrance, they handed over the wine and food to the maids inside, one by one, and passed them on to their masters, kneeling down and holding up the tray, respectfully handing it over to Zhiyuan.

  Zhiyuan placed the offerings on the offering table, Daiyu stood to the west of the offering table, facing east, and made offerings with her brother. Before long, the table was filled with four meat dishes, four vegetarian dishes, and four fruit dishes. Daiyu and Zhiyuan each held a pair of incense sticks and knelt reverently in front of the ancestral tablet to pay their respects to their ancestors.

  The ceremony finished, Daiyu stood aside and saw her brother take out the genealogy from the tray, on which were listed their ancestors of this branch.

  Zhiyuan used a red vermilion brush to lightly cross out the name "Lin Ruhai" in the family tree, indicating that the elder had passed away. Daiyu felt a heart full of sorrow and bitterness, but she told herself that she absolutely could not cry in front of the ancestral tablets. Only then did her father truly leave her, becoming one of the deceased ancestors of the Lin family.

  With great respect, they put the family tree back in the golden tray, and the two of them turned around to leave the ancestral hall, heading towards the Lianyuan Pavilion. These past few days, the weather has gradually warmed up, and the plum trees have started to bloom, with pink, white, and pale red flowers, each one delicate and lovely. Today, they didn't set off firecrackers at home, nor did they invite a troupe of actors, so Zhiyuan and Daiyu discussed it and decided that this New Year's celebration couldn't be too dull, as it wouldn't be auspicious. So they ordered the servants to hang more lanterns, suspending them from the trees, and when night fell, the small paths in the courtyard were like a golden dragon's tail. Yesterday, Daiyu had gone up to the Lookout Pavilion to take a look, and half of the garden was visible at a glance, with flower lanterns lit up on the lotus pond as well.

  Luo Guan's family had been waiting outside the Linglong Pavilion, and when they saw the two masters approaching, they hurriedly said: "Young Master, Young Lady, the New Year's Eve dinner is already set."

  Daiyu and Zhen followed into the main hall, which was not often used. Even on ordinary days when Baoyu and his sister had their meals in the Flower Hall, today was different, being New Year's Eve dinner, it should be properly set up in the main room.

  Daiyu saw the table full of vegetarian dishes, which were delicious in color, fragrance and taste. She couldn't help but praise: "Brother, the master chef of Biyun Temple really makes good vegetarian dishes."

  "You haven't even tried it, yet you know it's good?"

  Zhiyuan smiled and joked with Daiyu. In his previous life, he was a true northerner who loved to eat meat and drink wine in large quantities. However, due to some twist of fate, he ended up in the body of a young scholar from Jiangnan. As a Suzhou native, his diet was always light and delicate, and the alcohol content was not high enough to spark Zhiyuan's interest. Even when socializing with friends, he didn't drink much, leading everyone to think that he wasn't good at holding his liquor, but in reality, it was quite the opposite.

  Daiyu listened to her brother's teasing and didn't get angry, instead feeling that their relationship had deepened a bit. As Xiangling brought over water for washing hands, Daiyu glanced around the room and saw there were still seven or eight servants waiting on them, so she said: "You all can go too, I know they're having a banquet at Shuihuxuan, hurry up!"

  The people below didn't dare to move, although Daiyu had spoken up, they all glanced at Zhiyuan with their eyes. Daiyu knew that these people were afraid of her brother and couldn't help but feel a little amused. She hadn't spent much time with Zhiyuan, but she also knew that he was the most approachable person, kind to others, considerate, and would take care of people's feelings. So Daiyu didn't understand why most people in this mansion were like mice seeing a cat when they saw her brother?

  Actually, Daiyu didn't know that Zhiyuan was good to her because they were siblings by blood. Everyone in the mansion knew that Young Master's character was exceptional, but if he got angry, it wouldn't be a small matter. So after hearing Daiyu's words, no one dared to move.

  It was quite amusing to see his sister making eyes at him, and he couldn't help but think that Daiyu had been so reserved when they first met, but now she could be playful with him. He had to admit that he was impressed by his own charm! It seemed that spending time with Daiyu every day, chatting idly, did indeed help promote their sibling bond.

  "All right, listen to the young lady's orders, all of you go, just come back quickly, no dawdling allowed."

  The little girls heard Zhiyuan's words and giggled as they left.

  Zhiyuan and Daiyu saw that Luo Guan was still waiting on one side, so they said: "Luo Guan has also worked hard for a year, let's have dinner together with us siblings."

  Lu Guanjia repeatedly declined and refused to drink, only drinking a cup of water instead of wine. Zhiyuan didn't insist on keeping him either, "I know that the people in the garden must want to give you New Year's greetings, go quickly! Tomorrow if there's nothing important, you don't have to come over, just rest well at home."

  Lu Guanjia knew that the young master and the girl had something to say, so he took advantage of the situation and retreated, leaving only two old women guarding outside.

  Daiyu saw the full table of fine dishes, but her brother only picked at the dish of cherry blossoms and didn't touch anything else. "Brother, don't you like these dishes?"

  Zhiyuan was asked by Daiyu and became very embarrassed, not expecting that his unconscious picky eating had been discovered by Daiyu. "Haha, I, this, no, this cherry blossom meat is really delicious! Although it's made of tofu, it really tastes like meat, don't believe me, sister? Try some?"

  Daiyu smiled slightly and said, "Brother, since you don't like it, they should make what you like to eat."

  "I've already eaten, actually, I'm used to it. When I was mourning for your great aunt, I ate a whole year's worth of vegetarian noodles with sauce. Let them bring some over for you to try in a bit. I just don't like bland things, the vegetarian dishes at Biyun Temple are well-made, but they're not what I want to eat. Next time take your sister to Lianhua An's vegetarian hall, their sauce-cooked chicken and garlic eggplant are unbeatable, it's just a pity we can't get the chef to come cook at home."

  Daiyu understood, these two dishes are extremely heavy in flavor, both are vegetarian dishes that resemble meat, only fearing that brother is a meat lover. So she smiled and said: "Okay, as long as brother doesn't forget this matter, it's fine. I haven't been to such a place in the capital either, before when I was at home, my mother did take me to Lingyan Temple, actually I wanted to go to Hanshan Temple to experience it, but just never had the chance."

  Daiyu knew that Zhiyuan was not a stereotypical person, and she recalled that her brother had also said that he often went on outings with scholars from the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas, which made her feel a sense of longing.

  Zhiyuan indeed understood Daiyu's intention, and as soon as he heard his sister's words, he understood the meaning: "What's difficult about this? Wait for the weather to warm up a bit more, and I'll take my sister there. It's just that if it's just us going, it won't be fun; let's also invite a few sisters from the Xiu Jie household, so you'll have some company!"

  "I'm afraid it's because brother is bored with me and found a few sisters to keep an eye on me, but you actually went out to have fun with Shen Gege alone!"

  "This is not the case, Hanshan Temple has a big reputation, and many people go there to visit in spring every year. It's really a pity that my sister only went to Lingyan Temple but not Hanshan Temple, where countless literary treasures were left behind by generations of scholars and writers."

  Daiyu interrupted before Zhiyan could finish speaking, saying: "I like Zhang Ji's line the most: Outside Gusu City, Cold Mountain Temple, midnight bell tolls reach the guest boat. It's really well-written!"

  Zhiyuan nodded, "However, my sister hasn't seen the stele written by Wen Hengshan, it's really beautifully written. I have a copy of the inscription in my room, I'll take it out for my sister to see tomorrow. Actually, going to Hanshan Temple on a winter day has an even more wonderful atmosphere, but since my sister's health isn't good, let's wait a bit. Actually, Suzhou has many beautiful sights, as long as my sister recovers from her illness, we can go out and explore more."

  "Brother is indeed talking nonsense, I'm a girl from a good family, it's already great to have one or two chances to go out and take a look, I don't dare to hope for more." Daiyu was delighted in her heart, but didn't dare to admit it with her mouth.

  Zhiyuan had no sister, neither in the past nor in this life. Having such a talented and spirited younger sister was truly delightful. He couldn't bear women who were confined to their homes, never leaving the inner chambers, and turning into ignorant and foolish girls. Zhiyuan thought that if he ever had a daughter, he wouldn't want her to grow up as an ignorant and pampered young lady, lest she would be looked down upon by others when she got married. Now that Daiyu had become his younger sister, Zhiyuan couldn't help but think of ways to plan for her future.

  Daiyu's talent and writing skills are exceptional, but unfortunately, her works are only confined to the boudoir, and cannot help but convey a sense of melancholy and sorrow, which is also detrimental to her health. If one has seen more of the world and realizes its vastness, their mind will naturally broaden, and this illness will gradually improve. Zhiyuan had also consulted famous doctors in Suzhou, who said that Daiyu's illness was mainly a heart problem, and if her heart problem is cured, everything else will be resolved.

  Zhiyuan said to Daiyu, "Brother is not a pedantic person. Although our family may not be like those of merchants who let their daughters go out and make a name for themselves, brother still hopes that sister can go out more often. Our Suzhou has beautiful mountains and rivers, and in different seasons, hundreds of flowers bloom together. If sister doesn't go, wouldn't it be a waste of the beautiful scenery? We won't make a big show of our trip, just inviting three or five close friends. Even if others ask, brother will only tell them that he's taking sister out for a stroll to clear her mind."

  Zhiyuan suddenly thought of the plum blossoms in his own garden that had already formed buds, and it seemed that the plum blossoms would bloom in two days. He smiled and said: "I think we'll go to Guangfu Town to admire the plum blossoms in a few days. The ancients called it 'Fragrant Snow Sea', when all the plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom, you can smell the fragrance from half a mile away."

  Lin Daiyu felt an itch in her heart, wishing she could start spring immediately. In all these years in the capital, she had never stepped out of the Jia Mansion, and Lady Wang wouldn't even see her. Whenever there was a birthday celebration at the Wangs', Second Aunt would only take Xingyun, Tanchun, Xichun, and Baoyu along. Lin Daiyu wasn't envious that they got to visit relatives; she just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to appreciate the scenic views in the capital. Unfortunately, she had never had the chance. To think about it, Lin Daiyu probably only stepped out of her grandmother's house when she entered and left the capital. Now, she felt that Zhiyang Gege brought her a new world, full of rich colors and hope.

  The meal was just being served when Rong Guan's family hastily walked in, with several people standing outside. Daiyu felt a sense of wonder, had something happened? Just now everything was fine, but looking at Rong Guan's face again, it couldn't be described as good.

  Luo Guan stood beside Zhiyuan and whispered something, Daiyu saw that her brother's expression did not change, but the hand holding the chopsticks had obvious blue veins bulging out, so she hurriedly asked: "Brother, is something wrong?"

  "It doesn't matter, it's just a small servant who secretly drank wine and caused trouble. My sister will use it first, and my brother will go and come back." Zhiyuan also sent someone to invite Mrs. Xue to accompany Daiyu for dinner.

  After Zhiyan left, Daiyu felt increasingly uneasy. A small servant got drunk and was sent away by Luo's steward, what's the need for brother to go? It's probably just an excuse. But on this festive day, what other trouble might arise? At this time, Daiyu also couldn't eat anymore, so she got up with Yuanyang and Xiaoyu to visit Meigui's room.

  Jinghe: Yesterday's click rate was around 800, Jinghe still needs to continue working hard and let everyone pay more attention to me! Thank you Ai Yu Wei for the reward, o(∩_∩)o, this is the first gift Jinghe received!! It's so surprising! Thanks again! Jinghe will continue to work hard, writing every day, never giving up!!!