Last time on Grafting Life: Lin Yu Tong enumerates the major ways the Jia Family disrespected her sister.
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Chapter 12 – Red Chamber (12)
Lin Yu Tong did not have to argue this with Sister Lin, but, in future interactions with the Jia Family, conflicts could not be avoided. She did not want to cause her sister to cry every time, and then have to endlessly comfort her.
She had not had anyone to teach her properly, and now that people wanted to teach her, her world view had basically been formed. If one wanted to reform her, they had to break her original view of the world. The process may be painful and hard to tolerate, but it was necessary.
Lin Yu Tong was determined, so on the first meeting, she dealt her sister a heavy blow. She still believed in this Sister Lin. The other was a smart person after all.
Lin Ru Hai calmed his emotions and said, “Yu Tong, you speak the truth?”
Lin Yu Tong said with a serious expression, “The mouths of the Jia servants are like sieves. You can learn anything. Also, they have no misgivings.” She glanced at Lin Dai Yu. “It seems from how Sister looks that it is true!”
Lin Ru Hai’s gaze turned to Lin Dai Yu. He reacted, “Yu’er, tell the truth. Are your sister’s words true?”
Lin Dai Yu’s lips moved. What should she say? Everything her sister said was true, but she never knew that, when examined from a different view, it was completely different. She could not refute it, but if she had to admit it, she’d feel great pain and conflict.
Lin Ru Hai knew that it was likely true from how Lin Dai Yu looked. He closed his eyes and said, “It is this father’s fault. I should not have sent you! It was for your good, but I did not think that this caused my child to be so slighted.”
Lin Dai Yu swayed and did not know how to explain.
Lin Yu Tong stood up at this time and said, “Father, let Sister go to wash up now, then we will eat. There will be time to talk.”
Lin Ru Hai saw his youngest like this, and nodded, allowing Lin Yu Tong to make arrangements.
Having the grannies take Lin Dai Yu to wash up and change, Lin Yu Tong went to the kitchen. Lin Dai Yu looked like she was going to make herself sick, and she had to be on guard. She would use water from the spring to make food. She could not bear the blame for the other getting ill just after entering the door.
It would also give Lin Ru Hai time to ask Granny Wang and Xue Yan. The senior one was as soft as dough, and the junior one was so naive. How much did Lin Ru Hai trust the Jia Family back then that he dared to let his daughter go to the capital like this?
Lin Yu Tong was right. Lin Ru Hai had called over Granny Wang and Xue Yan to ask in detail about Lin Dai Yu in the Jia Family.
These two had followed the entire way. While they had not been valued in the Jia Family, their eyes were not blind.
As Granny Wang talked, Lin Ru Hai’s face could not get any darker. He was not just angry at the Jia Family, he was also slightly disappointed towards his youngest daughter.
His youngest daughter was not like how his eldest daughter had described. She accepted everything of the Jia Family as a matter-of-fact. She was even very close to Bao Yu of the Jia Family.
This daughter had been educated as a child and raised like a son. Did she not know the basic principles from the books? She had been a good student, but how come she was not as wise and polite as his eldest daughter?
It appeared that even if one was widely-read, they may not understand many truths.
He felt more anger towards Jia Min! If she had not boasted of the Jia Family in front of his daughter like they were peerless, would his daughter have been so ignorant when she arrived?
Yes! Ignorant!
She was narrow-minded in all aspects. Because in the child’s subconscious, she felt that her maternal family was so outstanding, other families could not compare to them. And what they thought was right was naturally right.
This was what Jia Min had instilled from childhood!
Lin Ru Hai had not felt that this was anything wrong in the past, but now, it had harmed the child.
He understood why his eldest daughter had spoken like that now. She did not speak one word of blame. But with Dai Yu’s smarts, she likely understood. He could understand his eldest daughter’s effort. Use a heavy hammer in the hopes of waking up his youngest.
He tiredly closed his eyes and waved a hand for Granny Wang and Xue Yan to leave. He had no desire to blame these two servants who could not be said to be responsible because the first people to be responsible should be him and Jia Min. Jia Min gave the child a wrong impression, and he had not supervised her well. Who could he blame now?
The Jia Family! He was full of hate.
Especially the old mistress Shi-shi. He was full of unspeakable hate. It was her promise to teach his daughter for him! She almost ruined his daughter!
He thought of how the letters each time mentioned how extraordinary Jia Bao Yu was! Didn’t she fear boasting too much? Such a thing dared to desire the daughter of him, Lin Ru Hai! How dare he!
Lin Dai Yu was helped back to her courtyard by the grannies before her emotions settled.
Soaking in a hot bath, she relaxed and the tears streamed down her face. She scooped up water to splash on her face.
The voice of her sister sounded by her ear. “What are you crying about?!
Yes! What did she have to cry about?
She had shamed the Lin Family in the outside world. When others degraded her and the Lin Family, she did not protect and resist, and did not even know she had been slighted.
Was she stupid? She had always thought herself smart.
And Bao Yu! Was he really the type of person that Sister spoke of? There was a voice in her mind that argued and refuted it. But were Sister’s words wrong? No!
She felt that she was even more confused.
Zi Juan observed Lin Dai Yu’s expression and whispered, “Miss, what is it? You should be happy at seeing Uncle-in-law Lin. How come you are crying like this?”
Lin Dai Yu suddenly did not feel well! They had come to the Lin Family but Zi Juan still called her father “Uncle-in-law Lin.” Was this a servant girl who only thought for her?
If the other really was on her side, then she should know who she served.
She did not know if she was thinking too much. She could not help but think of the words that Zi Juan had spoken before, telling her to be distant to her elder siblings and be close to the Jia Family.
Why had she listened back then without refuting at all? Was it right to let a servant girl speak of her family like that?
Before, she looked down on Sister Bao, but such a person was very protective of her domineering brother. While Sister Bao complained, if something happened, she would be the first to help her brother out.
What did her actions count as?
She did not answer Zi Juan and said in a low voice, “I am done, help me out. Clean up quickly, Father is still waiting to have a meal.”
Zi Juan did not dare to ask more, and was much quicker.
When Lin Dai Yu came with Zi Juan into the main hall, the table had been plated.
Lin Yu Tong greeted Lin Dai Yu like nothing had happened. “Come, sit, I made it all. See if it suits your appetite.”
Surprise flashed over Lin Dai Yu’s face. She did not dare to think of cooking herself. “Sister, why do so yourself? There are enough servants in the family.”
Lin Yu Tong chuckled. “From young, I cooked for Lin Yu Yang. I managed to raise him from a thin boy to being strong and healthy now. Father, he is still very weak and he needs care. And there is you. I see that you are not very healthy. Medicine is not as good as food for nourishment. Let’s put more effort into the food, it will be good.”
Lin Ru Hai nodded in agreement. “Drinking the medicine ruins the appetite. This father has become more healthy after stopping medicine these days.”
“It is the truth.” Lin Yu Tong served a bowl of soup to Lin Ru Hai. She said, “Look at the boys and girls of the country, they are much easier to raise than the young masters and misses of the noble households. It is because they are more active, and so they eat more. People are more able to resist illnesses. Suitable exercise, paying more attention to food, this is it.”
Lin Dai Yu looked at the dishes in front of her. While they were not very refined, they were delicious. After she finished, she had eaten a bowl of rice, drank a bowl of soup, and ate a lot of the dishes. She rarely ate meat, but she ate a lot of the meat this time. Even more precious was that she did not feel uncomfortable after eating, but felt energetic all over. She could not help but praise, “Sister has such good skill.”
“As long as you are used to it. Tell me beforehand what you want to eat, and I will make it for you,” Lin Yu Tong said. If one goat, she had to herd it, if two, it was the same. This was just a matter of a pair of chopsticks.
“How can I accept this?” Lin Dai Yu was given a fright.
Lin Yu Tong laughed. “If you fear troubling me, then hurry and get healthy soon. If you are healthy, I will not worry.” Then she looked at Zi Juan. “Bring the pills that your miss usually eats. I will call a physician to take a look, making sure they do not conflict with any foods.”
This was correct. Lin Ru Hai nodded in satisfaction. His eldest daughter was very reliable in her ways.
It was the first time Zi Juan saw the eldest miss of the Lin Family. She was not like the girl from the rural countryside that she had imagined. This person was very strong, slightly like Second Mistress Lian.
She did not dare to slack seeing Lin Yu Tong ask this. She immediately went to get the pills. “The old mistress heard that Miss always used ginseng nourishing pills at home and had the palace physicians make them.”
Zi Juan originally wanted to gain favor with the Lin Family but the eldest miss frowned. “She always ate this? Did the palace physician routinely come to visit? Was the physician asked whether the dose should be changed, or the prescription modified?”
Zi Juan was stunned. The nourishing pills were created to be eaten to nourish the body. There was nothing so complicated and involved.
Seeing Zi Juan like this, Lin Yu Tong’s expression darkened. She turned to look at Lin Ru Hai and saw Lin Ru Hai’s tendons bulge on his face.
Was it all right to take medicine without any reason? You could not even do this with tonics!
If the medicine and the body were not suitable, this was poison! The Jia Family was a noble one. Could they not know this?
Lin Dai Yu finally realized this. She was dumbfounded. How come the Jia Family had never thought of this? Why had she found nothing wrong back when she was in the Jia Family? Had her head been eaten by a dog?
Translator Ramblings: Jia Min may not have been consciously biased, but it probably is human nature to favour your family if you are close to them.
- Grafting Life Chapter 11 – Red Chamber (11)
- Grafting Life Chapter 13 – Red Chamber (13)
- Grafting Life Chapter 14 – Red Chamber (14)
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