The Second Master of the Red Chamber

It was already very late when Jia Lian returned home. After discussing the financial expenses of the new house with Feng Jieer, he went to bed.

The next day at noon, after Jia Lian returned from the ancestral temple, he gathered people to go into the mansion to survey the terrain.

"No need to touch other places. We just need to build an inner study here. The size and layout can be similar to the Mengpozhai at the Second Master's place. Yun'er, take note of this."

Outside the main gate of the Grand View Garden, in the open space behind the east wing, Jia Yun, Lin Zhixiao and several gentlemen who were well versed in gardening gathered around Jia Lian, listening carefully and recording what Jia Lian said.

Jia Lian had originally planned to set off for Tianjin after Jia Jing's funeral, so the matter of renovating the new house could only be entrusted to Feng Jieer and others.

But Feng Jieer is a woman in the inner house after all, so she should just be in charge of the finances. The purchase of materials and specific supervision outside still need a capable person to be responsible.

Jia Lian gave this task to Jia Yun.

Firstly, because Jia Yun is a member of the Jia family, he can take charge of both internal and external affairs. Secondly, after so many years of experience, Jia Yun has become more capable and mature, and has almost become Jia Lian's spokesperson. Naturally, no one is more suitable than him.

"After the outside is connected to this place, we need to open a corner door on each side of the main gate to connect the two sides of the palace."

Jia Lian pointed at the main gate of the Grand View Garden and said.

After the East Courtyard was connected to the Grand View Garden, the entire garden became his back garden.

The area outside the garden, including the current East Courtyard, will become his private territory, and no outsiders will be allowed to disturb him.

Therefore, it is necessary to open separate doors on both sides of the main entrance of the Grand View Garden for Yingchun and others to enter and exit.

After settling the basic situation outside, Jia Lian led everyone into the garden.

There is nothing in the garden that needs renovation. All the pavilions and terraces were built just last year and are already perfect. Even if some modifications are needed, they will be a matter for the future and there is no need to rush.

The only part that needs some fine-tuning is the main building.

That was the imperial palace originally built by the Jia family for Yuanchun.

Although Jia Lian was not afraid, in order to reduce trouble, some of the "violations" needed to be slightly modified.

For example, the name of the main hall, "Gu En Si Yi", sounds like glorification, which Jia Lian doesn't like very much.

After taking Jia Yun and the others for a stroll around the main building and conveying all his ideas to them, Jia Lian said goodbye to them and went alone to Hengwu Garden on the west hillside.

In summer, the Hengwu Garden is full of lush grass and green vines climbing all over the rockery, creating a lush and cool scene full of vitality.

But there was a lot of chatter in the garden.

In addition to the sounds of insects and birds coming from the surrounding mountains and forests, there are also the sounds of Shi Xiangyun and the maids laughing and playing.

Jia Lian did not go to Shi Xiangyun's room. He glanced at the sleepy owl on the shelf in the corridor and went straight into Baochai's room.

I didn't see Baochai, but I did meet a maid who looked somewhat unfamiliar.

He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, and had a handsome face.

"Second Master, please have some tea..."

The little maid seemed a little afraid, and her hands were shaking when she brought the tea to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian glanced at her, then glanced at the tea, and asked calmly, "Is there poison in the tea?"

"what?"

The little maid had never expected Jia Lian to ask this. When she realized what was happening, she turned pale with fear, knelt down with a plop, and said tremblingly, "No, it's not poisonous, it's..."

He couldn't utter a coherent sentence and tears of anxiety welled up in his eyes.

"Why are you shaking if it's not poisonous?" Jia Lian picked up the teacup, sniffed it gently, and took a sip calmly.

The little girl stared at Jia Lian's actions blankly, and finally realized that Jia Lian was joking with her, and hurriedly explained: "Yes, it was because I saw the Second Master that I was a little nervous, so, so..."

Her little face turned red, but she couldn't explain anything.

Just at this moment, Ying'er came in with clothes in her arms. After understanding the situation, she smiled at Jia Lian and said, "Her name is Zhen'er. She is the maid chosen by our wife for our daughter. She has just entered the garden and doesn't know the rules yet. Second Master, please don't scare her."

Jia Lian understood.

He said that the Xue family was such a wealthy family, but they were reluctant to give their eldest daughter two more maids.

For example, in Daiyu's Xiaoxiang Pavilion, there were at least sixteen or seventeen maids, including those arranged by Lady Jia and him.

As for Hengwu Garden, apart from the few people who were arranged at the beginning, there was only Ying'er beside Baochai, and the even more ignorant Wenxing.

Now there is finally one more.

He did have some impression of this Zhen'er. From what he remembered, she seemed to be the maid assigned to Xiangling by the Xue family.

Unexpectedly, in this life, she did not follow Xiangling and still entered the Grand View Garden. It was also fate.

but……

Looking up at the maid Zhen'er who was still shrinking timidly after standing up, Jia Lian shook his head and sighed.

Of these three maids, except Ying'er who is somewhat clever and obedient, none of them is useful.

All we can say is that Baochai is too independent. She doesn't need anyone to take care of household affairs for her. She just needs to be obedient.

You see, she just likes useless people like Daiyu...

Jia Lian didn't say anything else, just sipped his tea.

Ying'er came out after finding some clothes and saw Zhen'er looking like a tiger serving its servant, and she giggled.

It's interesting that Mr. Lian, such a big shot, actually scares the little maid for fun.

"Here, take this to the girl, I'll serve here."

"Yes, Sister Ying'er."

The little maidservant felt as if she had been pardoned. She took the clothes handed to her by Ying'er and ran towards the bathroom without looking back.

Ying'er went to the outer room, took out a plate of fruits and a plate of snacks, brought them in, and placed them next to Jia Lian.

Although Jia Lian had guessed that Baochai was bathing, he still asked where she was.

Ying'er smiled and replied, "Before noon, the housekeepers came in and said that some gentlemen would come to the garden today, so they told the young lady and us not to walk around and to stay inside.

Miss Yun and the others also asked the girl to play cards for a while. She felt a little stuffy and is taking a bath now. "

Jia Lian smiled. Shi Xiangyun was the most active in the whole garden, and Baoqin was also young and playful. With these two little sisters around, Jia Lian could almost imagine the scene where Baochai would make an excuse to get away.

"Doesn't your Second Madam Lian send you ice cubes every day? Why is it still so hot?"

"That little bit of ice is not enough..."

Ying'er said this subconsciously, but fearing that Jia Lian might misunderstand her, she hurriedly said, "No, it was our young lady who said that the weather was too hot and it was not good to use too much ice, so she gave most of it to Miss Yun and Miss Qin."

Jia Lian frowned slightly when he heard this.

If it was simply out of love for his sister, it would be fine, but if it was the former - it was not a good habit to start taking care of one's health at such a young age!
"Okay, I got it. I'll have someone send some more ice cubes for you to use later."

Ying'er smiled happily upon hearing this, and said, "That's great, I knew that the Second Master loves our girl the most..."

A dry flattery,
Jia Lian tilted his head, and sure enough, the girl was looking at him with a smile in her eyes, her small body standing beside him, only a few millimeters away.

Jia Lian was not polite and naturally put his arms around her waist and held her in his arms.

Apart from feeling that the little girl, who had just reached puberty, was nimble and had a faint fragrance, he also felt that she was too light.

It seems to be only about 60 or 70 kilograms in later generations.

Although Ying'er wanted to get close to Jia Lian very much, she was still quite nervous and said shyly, "Don't be like this. It will be bad if the girl comes out and sees us later..."

"What are you afraid of? I'll hug you like this in front of her."

Seeing the little girl curled her lips in disbelief, Jia Lian lifted her chin and said with a smile: "Your young lady doesn't have many close friends around her, and she loves you so much. When she gets married in the future, she will definitely take you with her. When the time comes, I will definitely treat you and your servant well."

Because Jia Lian deliberately spoke frivolously, Ying'er was extremely embarrassed.

She hesitated for a long time and snorted, "Second Master, just enjoy our girl. I am unlucky and have no qualifications for Second Master to enjoy me..."

"Oh, how could that be? It's more exciting when we're together."

"Second Master, you rascal..."

She buried her head in Jia Lian's chest, thinking about something. Suddenly, she looked up and said shyly, "I will tell you a few good things about our girl. You are not allowed to tell others, and you are not allowed to tell the girl that I said it..." "Oh, what good things?"

Jia Lian straightened his spirits slightly.

Although he had also discovered many secrets of the mountain hermit Xue Baochai, his confidence was definitely not as good as Ying'er who served him day and night.

Thinking that she might tell him some physical secrets about Baochai, Jia Lian understood why young ladies took their personal maids with them when they got married.

Otherwise, if these maids married other people and told their secrets to others, it would be a serious matter.

Ying'er sat up slightly, looked at Jia Lian and smiled proudly, "Our girl has some advantages that no one else in the world has, and her looks are second to none!"

"Oh? Tell me."

"Hehe, Second Master, do you know 'Lengxiang Pills'?"

"Have heard a little bit."

"Then Second Master should know that the Lengxiang Pills that our girl eats are made from the pistils of the four seasons, water from the four seasons, honey, and sugar..."

"I know all the formulas, just tell me the point."

"The point? Hehe, I don't know if it's because our girl often eats that food, but our girl has a lingering fragrance all year round, and the fragrance is different in each season..."

"Oh? What's the explanation?" Wanting to know what happened next, Jia Lian concentrated on playing the supporting role.

"For example, in spring, our girls have the fragrance of peony flowers. In summer, there is the fragrance of lotus flowers..."

"Haha, I see. If that's the case, wouldn't there be the fragrance of white hibiscus in autumn and the cold fragrance of winter plum blossoms in winter?"

"Second Master is really smart, that's it. Our girl is a natural treasure. Any man in the world who gets our girl will be blessed."

It can be seen that Ying'er admires her own girl very much.

Jia Lian turned his eyes away, and also looked forward to the day when he would pick Baochai, the fairy who brought with her the fragrance of flowers of all seasons.

Suddenly he realized something was wrong.

“No! Last time in the carriage, when I kissed your girl, I tasted the faint scent of peony flowers.

I wasn't sure at the time, but now after hearing what you said, I am sure that it is the scent of peony.

But it was no longer spring.”

Jia Lian looked at the person in his arms suspiciously, as if questioning why she lied to him.

"Ah, really?"

Ying'er was also a little confused, but she saw with her own eyes that Jia Lian attacked Baochai in the carriage that night, and she seemed to have heard Jia Lian say that there was the scent of peonies.

Mr. Lian would not lie...

Ying'er thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. She just said, "I don't know either. Anyway, our girl has the fragrance of flowers of all seasons. If you don't believe me, you can verify it yourself later. Uh..."

Ying'er began to realize that if her daughter heard her talking to Jia Lian like this, her good days would be over.

She glanced at the door guiltily, and guessed how long Baochai would take to take a bath. She lowered her voice and said, "Then let me tell you the second good thing about our girl..."

Jia Lian was extremely satisfied and felt that it was a good decision to get this girl in advance.

Although he knew that sooner or later he would know all the secrets of Baochai, it was particularly novel and exciting for him to hear them in advance from a maid.

So he sat upright and listened to the teachings.

Ying'er was very satisfied with Jia Lian's attitude and was willing to give him advice: "Second Master, do you know that our girl not only has skin whiter than snow, but her entire body is as transparent as snow, even..."

Just when we were about to get to the point, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Ying'er was quick-witted and she jumped off Jia Lian in an instant and tidied her clothes quickly.

Outside the door, Wen Xing came in holding some underwear and looked suspiciously at Ying'er, who was standing beside Jia Lian with a blushing face.

However, like Zhen'er, she did not dare to look Jia Lian in the eye. She bowed slightly and went into the inner room.

When Wen Xing walked back to the backyard, Jia Lian immediately called Ying'er: "Go on, what happened next?"

Ying'er was still in shock. Upon hearing this, she rolled her eyes at Jia Lian and said, "I won't talk to you anymore. I'm going to the back to see the girl!"

He said and left.

I'm so brave...

Jia Lian shouted softly, "Come here."

Ying'er did not dare to disobey and walked back slowly. Seeing Jia Lian's unfriendly eyes, she pleaded, "The young lady is coming back soon. If she hears me making up stories about her, I'll be finished. Second Master, please be kind and forgive me. You'll find out sooner or later anyway..."

In fact, Jia Lian was not that anxious. Just like he did with Daiyu, he was enjoying the whole process.

Seeing Ying'er begging for mercy, his gossipy thoughts faded.

Then he saw Ying'er standing in front of him pitifully. Although her face shape was similar to Daiyu's, in that she was smart and clever, her skin color was more like Baochai, as white as snow.

Especially today, perhaps because she knew she would not go out, this girl was dressed like the Third Sister You in the mansion, a thin dress covering her, with a hint of an inverted triangle bellyband showing at the neckline.

The bellyband is willow yellow in color, which matches the skin color of the master and servant very well.

Jia Lian suddenly had an idea, took her hand and asked, "Do you like willow yellow?"

Ying'er was stunned at first, then she hurriedly looked down and her face turned red.

But she still nodded obediently: "Yes. Besides this, I also like green onion..."

Well, it’s classic green again.

Jia Lian discovered that eight out of ten little girls of this age liked this color.

I especially like to use it to make bellybands.

While Jia Lian was thinking, his hand had already touched the willow yellow color.

Ying'er was shy: "Second Master, what are you doing~"

Jia Lian came back to his senses and found that he had An Lushan's hand, but he did not feel guilty. Instead, he said confidently: "It just so happens that I like this color too, give it to me."

"What."

"It's the one inside you."

"what……?"

"Hurry up, you don't want your girls to come out and see it, do you?"

Ying'er's face turned red as snow, and she stood there with her head down for a long time. No one knew what was going through her mind. She woodenly reached behind her neck.

Jia Lian was just teasing her casually, but when he saw that the girl was really willing to give it to him, he smiled.

"Come closer, I'll get it myself."

Jia Lian led the little maid who was like a puppet over, lifted her hair with both hands, reached behind her neck which could be broken with one hand, and untied the rope in a moment.

Seeing that the little girl's face was as red as blood, but she lowered her head firmly and looked like she was ready to be dealt with, Jia Lian followed the same method and untied the other rope behind her waist.

Although they are all slipknots, it is difficult to operate through clothes, so I have to lift up the clothes and put my hands close to the skin.

For a young girl who has not experienced much of the world, it is easy to imagine how shameful it would be to stand in front of a young man at such a close distance and let him reach inside her clothes and take off her bra.

She was in a daze and didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, Jia Lian did not let her suffer for too long. After the two knots were untied, Jia Lian grabbed the willow yellow silk from her collar and pulled it gently. A faint fragrance floated into his hands.

Two balls of white light could be seen vaguely, but unfortunately they were blocked by the yellow willow color, so Jia Lian couldn't see them clearly.

When he looked carefully, he found that Ying'er had crossed her arms, glared at him with shame and anger, and then ran away like a crab with its claws broken.

The speed stunned Jia Lian, but when he looked down at the willow yellow in his hand which was still warm, he didn't care anymore.

After thinking for a while, Jia Lian put it into his sleeve, then lay back on the chair, crossed his legs, and continued to drink tea leisurely. (End of this chapter)