First, he sent a maid to announce their arrival, and then Jia Lian led Lin Daiyu inside.
Accompanied by Wang Mama and Xue Yan, who had realized what was happening and rushed over to help her, Lin Daiyu stepped through the ornate gate and surveyed her grandmother's residence.
Beyond the decorative gate, the front courtyard featured covered walkways on both sides, with a central passageway leading through.
Entering the middle courtyard, they passed through a large marble screen supported by a purple sandalwood stand, traversed three rooms, and finally reached the back courtyard, where the main house resided.
The five main rooms facing the courtyard were all adorned with intricate carvings and paintings, while covered walkways extended from both sides, connecting to wing rooms decorated with various colorful parrots, warblers, and other birds.
Several girls dressed in red and green sat on the steps.
Upon seeing them, the girls immediately greeted them with smiles, "Grandmother was just mentioning you, and look, you've arrived!"
Three or four of them vied to lift the curtains of the carriage for Lin Daiyu and announce her arrival, "Lin Gu-niang has arrived!"
As soon as Daiyu entered the room, she saw two people supporting an elderly lady with silver hair, approaching her.
Knowing it was her grandmother, she hesitated for a moment before kneeling down to greet her, but her grandmother immediately embraced her.
The old lady cried out, "My darling, my precious child!"
With the old lady in tears, everyone else, regardless of whether they were truly moved or not, followed suit and began to weep.
Even Lin Daiyu was nearly swept away by the atmosphere.
She gave Wang Mama and Xue Yan a helpless look, then gently patted her grandmother's back, trying to calm her down.
Perhaps due to Lin Daiyu's comfort, the old lady quickly regained her composure.
Jia Lian, having completed his task, left the inner quarters without further mention.
The old lady pointed out each person in the hall to Daiyu.
"This is your elder aunt, this is your second aunt, and this is the wife of your elder brother, Zhu Da-saozi."
After everyone exchanged greetings, the old lady continued, "Please ask the girls to come. Our honored guest has just arrived today, so they can take the day off from their studies."
A maid responded and sent two others to fetch them.
Soon, three wet-nurses and five or six maids surrounded three young girls and escorted them in.
The first girl, with a slightly plump figure, had a youthful, rosy complexion, a delicate nose, and a gentle, silent demeanor that made her look approachable.
The second girl was slender and tall, with an oval face, bright eyes, and well-defined eyebrows. Her gaze darted about with a vivacity that revealed a lively intellect, her presence captivating and alluring.
The third girl was still young and petite.
The three were adorned in luxurious attire, each with similar embellishments of pearls and jewels, hairpins, and elegant robes.
Lin Daiyu once again greeted them and exchanged introductions.
After everyone had settled and the maids brought fresh tea, the old lady said with sadness, "Of all my children, I loved your mother the most. She is now far away in Yangzhou, and I can't even see her face. How can I not be heartbroken?"
She reached out and took Daiyu's hand, about to cry again, but everyone hurriedly tried to console her.
Lin Daiyu couldn't help but think, if they truly missed their family, why hadn't they come down to Yangzhou in over ten years? And why had they sent so few letters?
She shook her head gently, her petite figure exuding a natural charm.
Noticing Lin Daiyu's graceful manners and speech, and her delicate frame that didn't seem to belong to this mortal realm, Tan Chun expressed her curiosity, "Lin Jie-jie, you seem so timid and fragile. How is your health? What medicine do you take?"
"If there's anything bothering you, why not seek treatment sooner?"
"I'm fine," Lin Daiyu replied, lowering her head, "I was born this way."
"Initially, I took medicine to improve my condition, but it didn't have any effect."
"When I was three, a bald monk came and offered to take me to become a nun. My parents refused, of course."
"He then said, 'Since you're so unwilling to let her go, I fear her illness will never be cured. If you want her to recover, you must never let her hear any weeping from now on. Except for her parents, she must not see any relatives or friends, only then will she be able to live peacefully through this lifetime.'"
"My parents didn't believe him and sent him away, but from then on, I developed a strong will to persevere."
"Later, our family hired martial arts experts to protect us from any hidden dangers, and I began training with them to strengthen my body. From then on, my health improved significantly."
"My little jade, oh!"
Hearing this, the old lady once again embraced Lin Daiyu and cried out.
Everyone saw Lin Daiyu's frail appearance and naturally didn't believe she practiced martial arts. They all focused on comforting the old lady.
After a while, the old lady finally released Lin Daiyu and said, "My little jade, you've suffered so much!"
"Don't worry when you're here. Your grandmother will take care of everything."
"From now on, just stay with your grandmother and enjoy the good life!"
Lin Daiyu said nothing but closed her eyes and basked in her grandmother's embrace.
Actually, she had opened one eye slightly, watching Wang Fu-ren's expression.
The part about hiring martial arts experts to protect them from hidden dangers was meant for her ears.
Sure enough, Wang Fu-ren's face turned pale.
"My dear Jade, was your journey here smooth?"
"It was relatively uneventful," Lin Daiyu replied, patting her grandmother's hand, "There were a few hiccups, but fortunately, everything turned out alright thanks to the help of a kind stranger."
"What do you mean?"
"Grandmother, please forgive me. On our way to the capital, we encountered a group of bandits in the middle of the night.
They must have been ignorant, not recognizing the banner of my tutor, a recently restored scholar-official. They attacked our ship, but they soon realized their mistake. They had already killed some of the guards escorting my tutor to the capital, so they had no choice but to eliminate everyone to cover their tracks.
Luckily, a righteous warrior came to our aid. He shot thirteen arrows in a flash, killing thirteen bandits, and only then were we able to defeat them."
While saving her life was not a great favor in Lin Daiyu's eyes, it did indeed save her the trouble of getting her hands dirty.