Fortunately, Lin Daiyu, Wang Xifeng, Xue Baochai, and Tanchun paid no mind to what that troublesome little girl immortal was thinking. They already knew her well, so they simply gathered around the stone table and chatted about the amusing little happenings of the past dozen or so days of the New Year.
For instance, which relatives had come to pay their respects on which day, what novel New Year's gifts each household had sent, how lovely some newly arranged feature of the newly built garden looked, how rare a certain spirit beast was, and even what sort of foolish antics their little brother Baoyu, the devil incarnate, had gotten up to lately.
In any case, the atmosphere was fairly harmonious.
But as they chatted, Wang Xifeng, who had been speaking animatedly, seemed to have some strange thought. Her phoenix eyes shifted, and then she brought up the very subject she ought to have avoided: a recent matter in the residence that had greatly displeased Daiyu.
"Oh, right!"
She took a sip of tea, set down her cup, dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and arranged her face into a half-smile. Then she turned to Daiyu, who still seemed a little bewildered, and spoke with exaggerated teasing in both her voice and expression.
"Little Sister Lin, you have no idea. Since the New Year began, there've been at least eight or ten people coming to ask about you or sending someone to propose!"
"I heard that just yesterday, even Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Works sent a matchmaker over to inquire!"
"They say he has a son who's just come of age, handsome and accomplished, and already holding a nominal post as a department director in the Ministry of Revenue. He wants to ask for the