Chapter 2: Daiyu Arrives at the Jia Mansion
Lin Daiyu was a young girl from the city of Yangzhou. Her father was a scholar and an official, and her mother had been the youngest daughter of the Jia family. When Daiyu was very young, her mother passed away, leaving her in deep sorrow. Her father, busy with his duties, decided to send her to live with her grandmother in Jinling.
The journey was long and tiring. Daiyu traveled by boat and by carriage, watching the countryside pass by through the window. She was a quiet and thoughtful child, with pale skin and dark eyes that seemed to hold a sadness beyond her years. She carried few belongings, but her mind was full of poetry and books.
When she finally arrived at the Jia mansion, she was amazed by its size and beauty. Servants in fine clothes led her through many gates and courtyards. The walls were painted in bright colors, and the gardens were filled with flowers and tall trees. "This place is like a palace," she whispered to herself.
Grandmother Jia wept when she saw her granddaughter for the first time. She held Daiyu close and cried for the daughter she had lost. "You look just like your mother," she said softly. The other members of the family gathered around to welcome the new arrival, each one curious about the quiet girl from Yangzhou.
That evening, Daiyu was given a room next to Baoyu's. She lay in bed, listening to the unfamiliar sounds of the great house. She missed her father and her old home, but she knew that this would be her life now. Little did she know that this mansion would become the center of all her joys and sorrows.