Chapter 174: Lin Meimei Composes Poetry, Young Master Luo Collects the Money

In the lake, it is like spring; no autumn colors are to be seen.

One only sees the lake surface rippling with emerald waves, wreathed in immortal mist, thick with warmth, lotus greens and flower reds, a beauty too vast to take in.

Amidst those lotus clusters, there are flashes of red and green, the sounds of warbling orioles and swallows.

On a small boat, several young, beautiful maidens are stretching out their snow-white wrists, speaking and laughing with charm, picking lotus seed pods with faces full of innocence and artlessness.

At this age, how could these maidens hold themselves back for too long?

The state mourning restrictions of the past few months, the daily silence and solemnity, had long since stifled them.

Today, in this secluded lotus cluster, they were finally able to let loose.

At this moment, all other troubles were temporarily forgotten.

"Daiyu, in such a scene and setting, won't you compose a poem? You are usually the best at lamenting the spring and grieving the autumn, at chanting poems and writing lyrics."

"Tanchun sister first."

"How could that be? We are the guests; we should let Qingtong go first."

Bai Qingtong laughed: "With Lin Meimei here, I dare not make a fool of myself. If she weren't here, I could perhaps come up with something to muddle through."

Several of them began to laugh.

Lin Daiyu was teased and immediately struck back: "Qingtong sister has hidden the number one talent of Lin'an in her home. Being exposed to it daily and learning in secret, you must be much better than us."

Hearing this, the group laughed again.

Bai Qingtong said: "Listening to Lin Meimei, it seems she is quite concerned about that Young Master Luo in my mansion. We were all thinking about the beautiful scenery and poetry, but she, on the other hand, mentions Young Master Luo the moment she opens her mouth. If I remember correctly, Lin Meimei previously said that men were all foul; how did he suddenly become fragrant?"

Lin Daiyu's face flushed red, and she said: "Whether Young Master Luo is fragrant or not, I wouldn't know. Qingtong sister spends every day with him, so you must know; why don't you tell us?"

Bai Qingtong smiled and said no more.

Shi Xiangyun said crisply: "Qingtong sister has provoked the wrong person. Don't look at Pinpin as soft and weak, unable to withstand a gust of wind; this little mouth of hers is something no one can best."

Lin Daiyu said: "Xiangyun, you are not allowed to call me Pinpin!"

Shi Xiangyun said: "Alright, Pinpin."

The group laughed for a while longer, then egged Lin Daiyu on to compose a poem.

Lin Daiyu was all smiles and did not decline again; after a moment of contemplation, she recited softly.

"Lightly drifting into the deep green waves, lotus shadows reflect the person as before. Fragrance and warmth wrap around the sunny boat, drunkenly watching countless emerald screens. Wanting to stay, wanting to stay, a Yiye leaf rocks open the path of flowers."

Upon hearing this, they all clapped and cheered.

Bai Qingtong laughed again: "Lin Meimei is so impressive, why not compose another? Compose one more, and I will take you to see that fragrant Young Master Luo."

"Giggle, giggle, giggle..."

Shi Xiangyun was the first to laugh, and the others followed suit.

Lin Daiyu blushed and said: "It's not me who wants to see him; it should be Qingtong sister's turn to compose."

Bai Qingtong said: "After hearing this one from Lin Meimei, how could I dare to make a fool of myself? Lin Meimei, please compose another; once this one is done, we shall leave immediately."

Shi Xiangyun clapped and said: "Pinpin, compose another 'Ru Meng Ling'; I love this tune pattern so much."

Lin Daiyu said: "I won't; if you want one, you compose it."

Beside her, Jia Tanchun laughed: "Good sister, just compose one more. We don't care to listen to what others compose; we only love listening to yours."

Shi Xiangyun laughed: "Exactly, Pinpin is also at her most beautiful when she is reciting poetry."

Jia Yingchun, who had been silent all along, also spoke softly: "Daiyu, compose one more; I love to listen as well."

The others all joined in the clamor.

Lin Daiyu's face was flushed, and after glancing at Jia Yingchun, she had no choice but to say: "Fine, then I will compose one more, the last one."

Everyone quieted down.

After a moment of contemplation, she recited in a delicate voice.

"Mist, water, and green lotuses lightly ripple, dew washes emerald pearls into waves. Swaying past the flower clusters, laughter enters the wind with a faint echo. Do not forget, do not forget, a pillow of clear fragrance enters the dream."

Upon hearing this, everyone clapped and cheered, praising her endlessly.

"Pinpin is truly amazing!"

Shi Xiangyun was full of admiration and hugged her to give her a kiss.

Jia Yingchun watched silently from the side, her face full of envy.

Bai Qingtong smiled slightly and said: "Let's go, to the pavilion, and take our number one talented woman of Lin'an to see our number one talented man of Lin'an!"

The group burst into laughter.

Lin Daiyu immediately blushed with shame but did not utter a word.

If she were to argue, she would be admitting that she was the number one talented woman of Lin'an.

Fearing the joke had gone too far, Bai Qingtong laughed again: "Daiyu, I heard Baoyu wants to become sworn brothers with Young Master Luo?"

Mentioning this, everyone found it amusing.

Lin Daiyu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh for a while before saying: "Qingtong sister doesn't know, but ever since Young Master Luo left that day, Baoyu has been dejected every day, saying he wants to come to the Bai Mansion to visit Young Master Luo, but unfortunately, the Second Uncle won't let him out. During this time, he hasn't been eating or sleeping well, reading the books and poems Young Master Luo wrote every day, and even calling out Young Master Luo's name in his dreams." When she said this, her intentions were pure and innocent, with no other thoughts.

Bai Qingtong, however, frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Jia Tanchun also knew this could easily lead to misunderstandings and hurriedly said: "That fellow is just like that; when he meets someone talented and like-minded, he likes to pester them. Perhaps he is just tired of staying at home, surrounded only by sisters and maidservants, and upon seeing Young Master Luo, he just wants to talk and get close; there is no other meaning."

Bai Qingtong laughed: "Old Master Zheng is indeed too strict."

Jia Tanchun sighed: "It is mainly because the Old Ancestor dotes on him too much, and now that it is the period of state mourning, she is afraid he will cause trouble outside. The eldest sister also said he should stay home and study properly, and not go out to associate with some bad company."

She then added: "Of course, Young Master Luo is not bad company. If he could befriend a talent like Young Master Luo, the eldest sister and Father would also be very happy."

Bai Qingtong suddenly asked: "When will the Noble Imperial Concubine return to the mansion to visit her family?"

Jia Tanchun was silent for a moment and said: "The Daguanyuan is estimated to be finished by the end of the year; if she is to return, it will likely be until next spring."

Bai Qingtong said: "Does the Daguanyuan need to be built for so long?"

Jia Tanchun sighed and said: "It is being built very large, and inside... to be honest, I don't think it's necessary to build so many things, and the eldest sister doesn't like us to be too extravagant and wasteful. However, everyone in the mansion is busy preparing for this, so it is not my place to speak."

!

As the group chatted, they soon arrived before the pavilion.

The maidservants hurriedly jumped onto the bank, stood on both sides, tied up the small boat, and carefully helped the young ladies ashore.

Hua'er came out from the pavilion and said, "Young Ladies, Young Master Luo has already arrived and is waiting in the Pear Blossom Hall on the first floor."

Bai Qingtong nodded, led the group into the pavilion, stopped at the entrance of the Pear Blossom Hall, and said, "Yingchun, Young Master Luo is waiting for you inside; you can just go in yourselves. I still need to go upstairs to see my sister, so I won't accompany you."

She knew that since these young ladies from the Jia Mansion had come today, they likely had important matters to discuss, and if she were present, she reckoned it would be difficult for them to speak.

"Qingtong, thank you."

Jia Tanchun expressed her thanks and stepped forward to knock gently on the door.

The door opened quickly.

Ziyuan glanced at the young ladies from the Jia Mansion at the door and said respectfully, "Please come in, young ladies."

Luo Zijun was writing something at the table and had just finished.

Jia Tanchun led her sisters into the room and asked curiously, "What is Young Master Luo writing? Poetry? Or a book?"

Luo Zijun blew the ink dry on the paper, stood up, and said, "An IOU."

As he spoke, he picked up another piece of paper already written from the table, handed it to her, and said, "Miss Tanchun, this is an IOU for fifteen thousand taels; please sign your name."

Jia Tanchun was stunned upon hearing this, but immediately understood. Without any hesitation, she hurriedly took the IOU, walked to the table, picked up a brush, signed her name, returned the IOU to him, and said, "Young Master Luo, rest assured, I will definitely find a way to repay you these fifteen thousand taels of silver."

Luo Zijun put away the IOU and said, "No need to repay me; I don't have that much silver either. I borrowed fourteen thousand taels from Miss Qingtong, and I have seven hundred taels of my own here. There is still a shortage of three hundred taels; can you all scrape it together?"

The group was stunned for a moment.

Jia Tanchun hurriedly called in the maidservants from outside the door and began to pool their money.

As it turned out, everyone combined only managed to scrape together fifty taels of silver.

Jia Tanchun said with an embarrassed face, "I didn't bring any today; I will personally deliver it tonight."

Jia Yingchun kept her head lowered, her face filled with shame.

Lin Daiyu also blushed on the side and asked the maidservant behind her in a low voice how much silver was left at home.

Luo Zijun took the fifty taels of silver and said, "Then deliver it tonight; I will go find Master Jia tomorrow."

Jia Tanchun hurriedly said, "Young Master Luo, rest assured. Once we return, we will go scrape together the silver. If we can gather more, we will deliver it all to Young Master Luo together."

Luo Zijun nodded, put away the silver, and asked, "Did you all come to find me today because of Miss Yingchun's matter?"

Jia Tanchun said, "We were afraid that delays would lead to complications, so since Young Master Luo said you would handle this matter tomorrow, that is naturally for the best. Once the silver is given to him, we will also be at ease. However, we came today for another matter as well, and we hope Young Master Luo can help."

"Oh?"

Luo Zijun asked, "Please speak, Miss Tanchun."

Jia Tanchun seemed somewhat shy; she turned to look at Lin Meimei beside her and said, "Daiyu, you say it."

Lin Daiyu blushed, lowered her head, and said, "You say it."

Shi Xiangyun couldn't help but laugh on the side: "What is there to be shy about? If you are too shy to say it, then let me say it. Young Master Luo, you are so capable that you could even calculate the fortune of Miss Yingchun's marriage; could you help us calculate ours as well?"

Lin Daiyu also raised her head; she was not crying, yet her eyes were glistening with tears, looking pitiful and moving, evoking sympathy.

Luo Zijun looked at the three of them and said, "That I was able to calculate for Miss Yingchun was a matter of fate and coincidence; I cannot calculate for just anyone. If that were truly the case, wouldn't I be an immortal?"

Upon hearing this, the group felt somewhat disappointed.

Jia Tanchun sighed and said, "That is true. We also know that such things depend on fate and luck, Young Master Luo..."

"Miss Tanchun."

Luo Zijun suddenly picked up another IOU from the table, handed it to her, and said, "Although I cannot clearly calculate your fates for the time being, I... can calculate a little if I look carefully. I have already written a poem for each of you young ladies in advance, which can be considered some guidance. So... I must charge money, three thousand taels of silver per person."

Jia Tanchun: "..."

The others: "..."

(End of chapter)