Meanwhile.
When the old lady sent for dinner, Lin Daiyu also saw the "孽根祸胎", the troublemaker, Jia Baoyu, whom her second aunt, Wang, had told her to ignore.
"I've seen this little sister before."
As soon as he spoke, Lin Daiyu frowned.
How could he be so flippant upon their first meeting?
Girls from noble families who grow up in the inner chambers, confined within their gates, how could you have seen her?
This statement was clearly meant to tarnish her reputation!
But it seemed as if the old lady, Madam Jia, hadn't heard it, and teased, "Nonsense! How could you have seen her?"
Baoyu smiled, "Though I haven't seen her, I find her face familiar. In my heart, I consider her an old acquaintance. Today, let us pretend to have a reunion after a long separation, and it wouldn't be amiss."
His words carried a stronger hint of flirtation.
Madam Jia, who had been hoping to bring the two together, followed with a smile, "Excellent, excellent! If that is the case, your relationship will be even more harmonious!"
With Madam Jia's blessing, Jia Baoyu felt like he had received a heavenly message.
He walked over to Lin Daiyu and sat beside her, asking, "Little sister, have you read any books?" when he saw her frown.
Lin Daiyu's temper flared.
Showing her clenched fist, she replied, "I have, I know a little, I also know a little about fighting."
But Jia Baoyu was as if his brain was on a different wavelength, completely oblivious.
Or perhaps he was deliberately oblivious.
He continued to inquire, "Little sister, what are your given names?"
Lin Daiyu: (-_-#)
I just want to beat him up!
The people I had recruited in Yangzhou to investigate had reported that the old lady, although a joy-loving soul, had allowed the two main branches of the Jia family, Rong and Ning, to become wayward and unruly, almost dropping out of the ranks of the top nobility.
Now I see, there is no smoke without fire.
On the outside, it appears to be flourishing with wealth and glory, like a prosperous and luxurious Rongguo Duke's mansion.
But along the way, from the servants to the masters, even Jia Lian, the legitimate heir, seemed incompetent.
Now, to top it off, I've encountered this arrogant, spoiled brat.
I wonder if his lack of decorum is due to stupidity or deliberate intent?
As for the initial sense of familiarity I felt upon meeting him, it must be due to our blood ties, not worth bothering with!
But this rage rising from the depths of my soul, this urge to throw Jia Baoyu into the water and drown him, is truly unbearable.
Lin Daiyu remained silent, and Madam Jia, intent on bringing them together, spoke with a cheerful smile.
"The names of our Little Jade are Daiyu, a combination of 'Dai' (indigo stone) and 'Yu' (jade), representing the meaning of 'indigo stone for eyebrows' and 'jade being the essence of stone'."
"Indeed, it matches the little sister's slightly curved, yet not fully curved, brows, like wisps of smoke," Jia Baoyu clapped his hands. "A good name, a good name!"
"Little sister, do you have a courtesy name?"
Lin Daiyu's face turned completely cold.
"Since the little sister isn't speaking, she must not have one. How about I give you one?"
Without waiting for Lin Daiyu's consent, Jia Baoyu began to chatter incessantly.
"I give the little sister the courtesy name of `Pinyin`, the two characters `Pinyin` are perfect."
"The `Gujin Renwu Tongkao` (Compendium of Historical Figures) says: `In the West, there is a stone called Dai, which can be used as ink for drawing eyebrows. Moreover, this Lin little sister has slightly furrowed eyebrows, so using these two characters would be a perfect match!`"
He kept clapping his hands to himself.
Not only Jia Baoyu, but even the few daughters of the Jia family hadn't received any instruction in this regard.
Seeing Lin Daiyu's displeasure, Tanchun changed the subject.
"I'm afraid that's another one of your fabricated names."
Whether or not she accepts, it can be discussed privately!
"Besides the `Four Books`, everything else is fabricated. Am I the only one not allowed to fabricate?"
Jia Baoyu responded with a smile.
Finally, Lin Daiyu spoke with a cold expression.
"I assumed you were careless, but you should avoid saying such things in the future."
"A woman's courtesy name is either given by her father before marriage or by her husband after marriage. For you, a cousin who has only met her once, to give her one, is somewhat inappropriate."
This Rongguo Duke's Mansion seems to have a less profound understanding of women's rules than I do.
Did Mother bring me here to learn or to teach them?
Could it be that Father really sent me here to avoid trouble? With those 江湖人 I recruited, safety shouldn't be an issue.
If all else fails, I'll just spear those so-called Eight Salt Merchants!
Although she didn't understand why those two people were the only ones allowed to give a courtesy name, seeing Lin Daiyu's appearance, which met his aesthetic standards, Jia Baoyu smiled awkwardly and followed Tanchun's lead in changing the subject.
"Never mind then, it was my fault. Little sister, do you also have a jade?"
Though this change of topic was quite abrupt.
But Lin Daiyu was still quite pleased.
Being able to admit one's mistakes makes one a good child!
So she answered him directly, "There's nothing to talk about with the jade that comes later. You're not asking about that, are you?"
"I don't have any jade that I was born with. Your jade is a rare treasure, how can everyone have one?"
I was hoping to return your courtesy, to be polite.
But it seems this sentence was misplaced and immediately gave Jia Baoyu an opportunity.
He took off his jade and slammed it to the ground, cursing in a frenzy, "What rare treasure! It even discriminates between people. You still claim it is `spiritual` or not! I don't want this junk anymore!"
This scared everyone, with some hugging others, while others scrambled to catch the jade.
Fortunately, it was early spring, with the remnants of winter still lingering. Madam Jia's room had thick carpets laid on the floor.
When the Spiritual Jade hit the ground, it didn't even leave a scratch, but instead, rolled along, almost escaping Rongqing Hall.
Madam Jia hugged Baoyu anxiously, "You rascal!"
"You're angry, you can easily hit or scold someone, why would you throw your `life root`?"
Baoyu was held in her arms, his face raised, revealing tears all over his face.