Chapter 70 Red Chamber (70)
She Yue’s lips moved. Then she said, “Half a month ago, she married.”
Then she pulled Jia Bao Yu to the room. The room only had simple furniture, and could not compare to the rooms of the Jia Family servants, much less the Red Harmony Courtyard. She Yue got water to clean Jia Bao Yu’s hand. He did not look at her but gripped her hand, saying, “Who did Xi Ren marry?”
She Yue looked in shock at Jia Bao Yu and said, “It’s…… It’s that Jiang Yu Han that Second Master knows.”
“So it is him, it is good,” Jia Bao Yu nodded and asked, “She left, why did you return?”
“I am Second Master’s, not hers. Where do I go if not here?” She Yue broke free of Jia Bao Yu’s hands and kept on washing him.
“Sister Lin brought you?” Jia Bao Yu asked.
She Yue shook her head. “It was Qing Wen.”
Jia Bao Yu’s expression finally changed. He said, “Qing Wen…… Is she well now? I thought her…… I thought I would never see her again.”
“Right now, she is working in the Lin Family’s shop. She did not return because…… because we have no income right now. Clothing and food require silver. We remember how good Second Master was to us before. She said that she will send silver regularly, and for me to take care of Second Master.” She Yue thought of the past days. Who treated silver like silver? The room full of servant girls did not recognize a silver scale. Thinking about it now, how much silver had Xi Ren took back home? She had not cared before, but thinking about it now, no matter how capable Xi Ren’s brother was, he could not have taken his family from the level of having to sell their children to gaining wealth. In the past, she thought the other was virtuous. Now that this occurred, she become a missus, but Qing Wen was working by lantern light to support this master.
“You are foolish, she is foolish, only Xi Ren and Sister Bao are clear minded. Do not stay with a useless person like me, live your days.” Jia Bao Yu laid on the bed, closed his eyes and did not speak.
She Yue was busy. She and Qing Wen were not the same. Qing Wen had her skills, and her virtue. She could find a good family in the future and live well. But if she married like Xi Ren had, she did not have a mind like Xi Ren and she did not think that her days would be good in the future.
Xi Ren’s days right now were better compared to the Jia Family right now. But that Jiang Yu Han was an actor, and himself a plaything for other people. Sometimes, he could not even protect himself. It was hard to predict the future. She would not say such things and not tell Bao Yu. Otherwise, he may have ideas.
They finally settled on the farm. The day for the men to leave arrived. Wang Xi Feng asked Jia Yun to buy some simple things to use on the road. It was her last bit of goodwill.
Jia Lian looked at Wang Xi Feng. Husband and wife had nothing to say.
“I failed you. With this separation, I fear we will never meet again. I can only give Qiao-jie and Gui-ge’er to you,” Jia Lian looked at Wang Xi Feng and bowed solemnly.
Wang Xi Feng handed him the bag and whispered, “There is some silver in there. Keep it safe. Do not worry about the children, I will make arrangements for them.”
Ping’er sobbed at the side. Jia Lian’s lips moved. He said, “Serve your missus well.”
Father and son, husband and wife, they separated. They all knew that this was likely forever.
Mother Jia sent away her two sons and collapsed. When her eyes closed, she did not ever wake up again and passed away in the middle of the night.
Just as she was dressed and prepared, Jia Yun sent news that Wang-shi could not endure the embarrassment of being a government slave and hung herself.
Madam Xing had been beaten, and had called for a physician to give her medicine. But Madam Xing did not trust Wang Xi Feng, and felt that Wang Xi Feng was in charge of both the inside and the outside, with no one to control her. The other would kill her sooner or later. So, she always poured away the medicine. Without any servant girls to keep watch, and the servant girls of Mother Jia busy with cleaning and cooking, no one had energy to care for her. Due to the funerals for Mother Jia and Madam Wang, they had even less attention to spare for her. When people discovered her, her wounds had worsened, and she had a high fever. Before the physician came from the city, she passed away.
Then, there was another funeral. She had no children in her life, she did not live well in the Jia Family, she did not benefit from usury, and the silver she had managed to save for a life had all been confiscated. In the end, she even got a crime. Even if she died, a respectful funeral could not be held for her. She was to be pitied.
Li Wan did not come back with Jia Lan for the funerals, but Xue Bao Chai came back in the end. Xue Pan was sentenced to wait for his execution, Xia Jin Gui made a ruckus for a divorce, and Aunt Xue could not stand it, and let her leave. Now, it was Xiang Ling keeping Aunt Xue company. Where could she go if not here?
Wang Xi Feng gathered everyone together and said that the Lin Family had given them a sum of silver for the sake of the old mistress. She had bought property for them, and asked for their opinion. Each of them was a moderately sized farm with a two-entry courtyard, enough to live on. However, it depended on whether people wanted to live together or separately.
The Ning Ducal Establishment only had You-shi and the wife that Jia Rong had married later, as well as Xi Chun. You-shi did not have anywhere to go, but Jia Rong’s wife was young. Her paternal family came for her. In a few years, she would marry. Xi Chun wanted to become a nun. Wang Xi Feng did not permit it. However, You-shi did not have children, and now her husband and stepson were gone. Her relationship with her only sister-in-law was not close. But Xi Chun showed her a path. She wanted to become a nun. Wang Xi Feng did not stop her.
Xue Bao Chai did not want to be together. She had her own mother to support. She took the deed, and left with Bao Yu and She Yue.
Concubine Zhao had Jia Huan and Tan Chun. She did not want to live with Wang Xi Feng. But because Jia Huan and Tan Chun were two people, she got two small farms. However, a month later, she heard that Concubine Zhao and Jia Huan had married Tan Chun to a merchant who came to the capital from the north. When Wang Xi Feng learned of this, she had Jia Yun ask about him. However, because it was her daughter, while Concubine Zhao demanded a lot of silver, the choice was not a bad one. Supposedly he was a rich merchant of good reputation from the north. Because he did business with the tribes in the north, noble misses would not want a savage like him. He was in his twenties, and a large figure. Because he was in contact with the nobility of the grass lands, the women in the family had to frequently visit them as well. Women who had low status and did not know anything could not work. So, he always wanted to marry a miss of high birth. The Jia Family had fallen, but had once been glorious. At this time, with both sides willing, during the hot mourning period, Tan Chun married.
Wang Xi Feng thought of Tan Chun’s methods, and did not worry. Breaking free of the restraints, she may live even better.
Xue Bao Chai left Jia Bao Yu and Qing Wen in the farm, and returned to the capital. The Xue Family only had two little shops left and the business was bad. She changed the shops to rouge shops, and only did women business. There was the recipes that Jia Bao Yu had made in the past, and business was not bad, able to support a family.
After all these matters were finished, Wang Xi Feng brought her children back and went to live in Grandmother Liu’s village. She adopted Xiao Hong and married her to Jia Yun, fulfilling their wish.
At this time, the estate that the Lin Family was building for Lin Dai Yu was finished. She moved there, and hearing of Xi Chun, brought her over so she had someone to keep her company.
When Jia Bao Yu learned that Lin Dai Yu was in the estate, he would go there every morning, but did not go close, just watching from a distance. When Lin Dai Yu learned of this, she did not call him, and did not go to meet him. She just sent tea and pastries, and a meal when the time came. When it was almost dark, Jia Bao Yu did not stay long and would go back on time.
After a long time, everyone learned that Second Master Bao’s head had went bad because of the family’s problems. This place had the courtyards of the Lin Family and of the Jinghai Count. Wang Xi Feng also lived in the village. With Grandmother Liu, the local leader here, no one worried about Jia Bao Yu here. She Yue would see him out the door everyday, and then welcome him back, without any resentment.
After a year, Lin Yu Tong and Wen Tian Fang married. Lin Ru Hai cried as he sent his daughter off, and the dowry he gave was enough for the capital to talk about for many years.
When Lin Yu Yang passed the imperial examinations, his wedding was being discussed. At the time, the battle near the south sea had finished. The leader of the army had been a commandery prince of the imperial family. They won the war, but this prince died in battle. The princess consort killed herself, and just left behind a daughter of fourteen. The emperor titled this girl a commandery princess, and decreed a marriage to Lin Yu Yang. The year that Lin Yu Yang ranked third in the imperial examinations, this commandery princess also finished her mourning period and the marriage was very loving.
At this time, Lin Yu Tong laid in the birthing room and gave birth to two sons. From how the two sons were not willing to nurse and needed to be fed with spoons, Lin Yu Tong knew that the two children were not quite normal.
She did not tell Wen Tian Fang. Of course, maybe Wen Tian Fang knew as well. She was relieved. During her pregnancy, she had thought more than once to cut off the connection to the modern world. She could abandon everything, but not children. She could not leave the children of her blood in this world. If she could choose, she was willing to stay here forever.
But the unusualness of the two children caused her to relax. At least, they had the souls of adults, and she did not have to worry too much for them. She and Wen Tian Fang gave them love. But over time, the children showed their abnormality. When the children were ten, Lin Yu Tong slowly let go and did not interfere with them. She spent more time with Wen Tian Fang in their auxiliary courtyard.
After Lin Yu Yang married, Lin Ru Hai quit his position, and started a school near Lin Dai Yu. When Lin Yu Yang’s children could run around, Lin Yu Tong felt that Lin Ru Hai grew younger and younger.
Lin Yu Tong thought, this life was pretty accomplished.
Her brother had grown up, married, ranked third in the imperial examinations, and then become a Prime Minister. When he got old, he had many sons and grandsons.
Lin Ru Hai lived to seventy-eight. He watched his great grandson be born before he died with a smile.
Lin Dai Yu became a true bodhisattva. The court titled her a county princess for her achievements. Countless families put up tablets to her. If she truly was a celestial, these merits were enough to equal any meaningless ordeal.
Jia Bao Yu and Xue Bao Chai lived together, but not in harmony. He just stayed not far from Lin Dai Yu and guarded her his entire life. Lin Yu Tong could not figure out how his feelings this life were distributed.
Xue Bao Chai did not have a child and wanted to adopt one. Jia Huan put up his own son, just for the wealth. It could not be said if she lived well or not.
Wang Xi Feng received a title in her old age. Jia Lian had a crime, and his next three generations could not be officials. He felt very guilty towards his children, and he risked his life for merit on the battlefield. While he died, his crime was pardoned. Jia Gui passed the imperial examinations. With Lin Yu Yang’s care and his own caution, he did well in politics. Qiao-jie married Ban’er who had passed the examinations as well, and lived in peace and wealth.
Li Wan fainted in joy after Jia Lan passed the examinations, and never woke up again.
Later, Lin Yu Tong heard her two sons say someone came to ask them for help. It was a merchant from the north who said he had some connection to the family. She suddenly realized that they were Tan Chun’s sons. Without needing to think, she knew the other must have lived well.
Lin Yu Tong made a lot of money in this life, and spent a lot of money. But true wealth could not be measured in silver. She only understood this truth later in her life.
She lived a lifetime with Wen Tian Fang. He never asked a thing. She did not dare to love this man who had protected her for a lifetime. She feared she would not bear to part from him. But when she laid there, white haired, and about to go, she felt her heart hurt like it was being cut. She pulled his hand, her sight slowly blurring. She saw her two sons kneeling in front of her bed, crying. Lin Yu Tong smiled.
Translator Ramblings: One world done. The Lin Family all got (semi-)happy endings which is a lot better than in the original story.
- Grafting Life Chapter 69 – Red Chamber (69)
- Grafting Life Chapter 71 – Heavenly Dragon (1)
- Grafting Life Chapter 72 – Heavenly Dragon (2)
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