The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 829 The Innocent Tan Chun

Tan Chun couldn't sleep tonight, and without telling the maids, she left Qiu Shuang Zhai.

The original intention was simply to stroll around the neighborhood, listen to the chirping of insects, and feel the night breeze.

Just as she was about to leave, she vaguely saw a tall and swift figure speeding past on the main road.

Tan Chun was initially taken aback, but then realized that it was a man.

Thinking about it, the only man who could be in the Grand View Garden so late at night is Jia Lian.

She immediately wanted to call out to them, but the other person was walking too fast. In the short time she was thinking, they had already almost crossed the ravine.

Thinking that it wouldn't be appropriate to shout loudly in the middle of the night, she came out from a side path to chase after Jia Lian.

Unfortunately, her walking speed was vastly different from Jia Lian's, not to mention it was the dead of night.

She almost lost her footing and fell several times.

So when she climbed up the mountain pass and saw the lights of Daoxiang Village below, there was no trace of Jia Lian left.

Fortunately, she was clever and guessed that Jia Lian was rushing here at this hour because he was probably going to Hengwu Garden.

So he stopped rushing and, relying on his familiarity with the path, climbed up Hengwu Garden in the dark.

Sure enough, outside the courtyard, I heard the voices of many people talking inside, and I vaguely heard the words "Second Master".

Tan Chun was about to step forward and knock on the door.

Suddenly, I became alert.

She followed Jia Lian there late at night, and there was no one with her. If people found out, it would be inappropriate.

Then I realized I was being a bit foolish, having gone through all that trouble only to end up in a dilemma!

She stood there blankly in front of the gate of Hengwu Garden until the mosquitoes from the mountains swarmed in, which brought her back to her senses.

So he quickly stepped back a few paces, found a rock in the mountains, leaned against it, and used a palm-leaf fan to drive away the mosquitoes.

Fortunately, Jia Lian didn't keep her waiting too long.

As the garden gate opened, the sounds of many people talking could be heard again inside the garden.

This time she heard it clearly; it was Jia Lian's voice.

She was secretly delighted, thinking that she could spend some time alone with Jia Lian, even if it was just to talk on the way back, it would be worth enduring the mosquito bites.

But she quickly lost heart.

Under the dim light at the entrance of the garden, Jia Lian did indeed emerge very quickly.

Following closely behind was a maid.

The maid was very lively; she shouted as she ran:
"Second Master, please slow down. I'll light the way for you..."

"Second Master, please wait for me..."

"Second Master..."

"Second Master~"

Tan Chun did not acknowledge Jia Lian. Instead, she hid behind a rock, letting Jia Lian's heavy footsteps and the maid's sweet voice fade away as he descended the mountain, getting further and further away from her.

Tan Chun was very disappointed.

She never imagined that even within the same garden, it would be so difficult for her to meet Jia Lian alone.

Realizing she couldn't possibly keep up with Jia Lian, she listlessly followed him down the mountain.

A moment later, she suddenly froze.

She noticed that ahead, just outside Daoxiang Village, on the other side of the stone arch bridge over Huaxu, a lone lantern stood motionless.

Judging from the situation, it should be the lantern that the maid Ying'er used to send Jia Lian down the mountain.

Soon after, the lanterns went out, and the wilderness became pitch black.

Tan Chun was puzzled.

If it were Lian Er Gege and Ying Er, why would they stand there motionless and even extinguish the lanterns?
Could it be that the lantern was accidentally blown out by the night wind?

Why hasn't it been lit yet? Did you forget to bring a tinderbox?

Well, Brother Lian didn't bring a lantern when he came, and he still walked briskly, so he must be fine.

It's tough on Ying'er, though, because she'll have to walk back in the dark.

Tan Chun hid by the roadside, thinking that Ying'er would probably turn around soon, and she didn't want to run into her.

The main concern was that I might scare the other person badly late at night.

But she soon became confused again.

Why hasn't Ying'er returned yet? Could it be that they're planning to go to Daoxiang Village to borrow fire?

And so, hesitatingly, he walked toward the bridge.

Finally, as we approached the stone arch bridge, we could vaguely see a person sitting on the stone pier at the bridgehead, thanks to the reflection of the bridge's color, which was different from the surrounding area.

"Is that Brother Lian Er?"

Tan Chun's thoughts.

Having been in darkness for so long, her eyes had long since adjusted to the night. So after looking around several times, Tan Chun confirmed that the person leaning against the bridgehead must be Jia Lian.

Lian Er Gege didn't move, but Ying'er was nowhere to be seen?
Could it be that Ying'er went to Daoxiang Village to borrow a tinderbox, and Brother Lian is waiting here?
Tan Chun was overjoyed after figuring out the situation; she hadn't expected to have such an opportunity.

She walked toward the bridge almost without thinking.

She thought that she could at least say a few words to Jia Lian during this break.

Just leave before Ying'er leaves Daoxiang Village.

With this in mind, she walked quickly and no longer tried to lower her footsteps.

The people on the bridgehead immediately heard the noise and shouted towards the direction from which it was coming: "Who's there?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian's voice, Tan Chun was overjoyed and immediately replied, "Second Brother, it's me, Tan Chun..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a lot of background noise in addition to her own voice.

The rustling sounds were like the frantic scurrying of mice caught stealing food by humans.

"Second brother...?"

Tan Chun was puzzled about the source of the voice until a familiar voice rang out: "Second Master, I'm going back now~"

Before Tan Chun's dazed brain could react, she saw a petite black figure rushing towards her from directly in front of her, and she instinctively dodged it.

The dark figure ignored her, transforming into a fragrant breeze and drifting towards the Great Mountain.

A long silence fell over the bridge.

Jia Lian flicked his robe and walked towards Tan Chun, asking, "What are you doing here so late at night?"

Tan Chun, still not quite understanding what had happened, felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, but thankfully it was late at night and no one could tell anything was amiss. "I, I... I was just out for a stroll and accidentally wandered over here."

Seeing Brother Lian, you thought of going up to say hello?

Tan Chun's voice was very stuttering.

Jia Lian looked up at the night sky again, then glanced down at the girl in front of him: "It's so dark, want to go for a walk? And all by yourself?"

Tan Chun knew her explanation was untenable, and not wanting Jia Lian to press her for details, she changed the subject, asking, "And what about you, Second Brother? What are you doing here?"

Tan Chun deliberately avoided mentioning Ying'er.

Although she didn't know what Jia Lian and Ying'er were doing just now, or why she hadn't seen Ying'er, she vaguely felt that she should think in that direction.

But, Brother Lian didn't move at all just now...

Confused, she deliberately left some room for interpretation, hoping to find the answer in Jia Lian's response.

Jia Lian coughed lightly and explained, "I just went to Hengwu Garden to see your sister Bao, and then Ying'er escorted me. Um... well, it's like this, when we got here, she accidentally twisted her ankle."

"You twisted your ankle?"

Tan Chun recalled the whirlwind little potato beside her just now, but it didn't look like someone who had sprained their ankle at all.

"Since she sprained her ankle, Brother Lian should have taken her home quickly. Why is he sitting here instead? Brother Lian is so inconsiderate."

Tan Chun smiled.

Jia Lian subconsciously touched the bridge of his nose and continued, "Well, when I was in the army, I learned some acupuncture and techniques for relaxing muscles and tendons and promoting blood circulation, so I thought I'd sit down and try it on her. I didn't expect it to be so effective."

"That's pretty good, that girl will be able to walk like the wind soon!"

When Tan Chun was playing the straight man, she was already circling around Jia Lian, trying to find some evidence.

Jia Lian didn't argue back when he was rebuked, since Tan Chun couldn't see his expression in the dark anyway.

The key issue is that he doesn't know how much this girl has seen before, so he can only react to her moves as they come.

His only remaining hope was that the girl was young and naive, and probably didn't know many things.

It was dark tonight, and judging from the distance Tan Chun had been at when she spoke, he felt that the girl shouldn't be able to see anything she shouldn't be able to see.

"Tell me about yourself, how did you end up here..."

"Why did the lantern go out again?"

Jia Lian and Tan Chun asked the question almost simultaneously.

After a brief silence, Jia Lian said, "When I was massaging her feet, the lantern accidentally fell to the ground and went out."

Tan Chun listened to Jia Lian's seemingly reasonable but flawed explanations. Although she didn't believe them at all, she still couldn't refuse to answer Jia Lian's second question.

After hesitating for a long time, she decided to confess honestly.

"I was enjoying the cool air at Qiushuangzhai when I suddenly saw you coming this way, Brother Lian. I wanted to call out to you and talk to you, but you ran so fast that I couldn't catch up at all."

So I followed them here..."

Jia Lian nodded knowingly, then suddenly said, "That's not right. Since you came so early, why didn't you go in? Don't you know I'm at Hengwu Garden?"

Tan Chun said weakly, "I know... but..."

"But she came here alone, alone so late at night, one after the other, what if people misunderstand..."

During a pause, Tan Chun rolled her eyes at Jia Lian with a charming look. Unfortunately, it was late at night, and Jia Lian couldn't see it clearly.

Her expression was unclear, but the coquettish tone in the little girl's voice was quite obvious.

So Jia Lian took Tan Chun's small hand and led her back to the original bridge pier to sit down. Then he patted Tan Chun's head and scolded her:
"What could possibly cause a misunderstanding between us siblings? You silly girl, did you perhaps spend a few hours outside chasing mosquitoes?"

"Mmm~ My neck got bitten..."

Tan Chun said with a hint of grievance.

Little did she know how powerful her sweet, coquettish manner was in bewitching Jia Lian, a man, especially one who had just been interrupted from doing something naughty.

Looking at the slender, bright-eyed maid so close to him, Jia Lian struggled to shake off the lewd thoughts from his mind. He then playfully flicked her nose and chuckled:

"Who told you to be so stupid? Come here and let me take a look at you."

Jia Lian regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth... "Take another look? Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

Fortunately, although Tan Chun was innocent, she also sensed the romantic atmosphere between them.

She felt a mix of joy and excitement, worry and fear, and utter confusion and helplessness.

Therefore, she did not obediently go over and lift her collar to let Jia Lian see her neck.

Jia Lian's request went unanswered, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Tan Chun noticed it too, which made her less nervous, and she chuckled:
"Second brother, you're such a grown man, yet you keep lying! It wasn't Ying'er who twisted her ankle just now; it was you eating the rouge off her lips, wasn't it?"

Tan Chun was certain that Jia Lian was lying, but she couldn't figure out what kind of lie he was telling.

The clever girl immediately thought of romantic affairs between men and women.

Normally, she would never dare to ask such a question in front of Jia Lian.

However, she and Jia Lian could clearly sense each other's feelings, so she was quite decisive and immediately put her guess to the test.

Her thought was that since she was certain that her second brother Lian was not doing that kind of thing... because they were so quiet.

That definitely means they kissed...

Kissing? That's such an embarrassing thing, she was too embarrassed to say it directly.

So they borrowed Jia Baoyu's idea and described it as "eating rouge".

After saying that, he thought to himself: "As expected, Brother Bao is clever. He puts such a shameful thing in a different way, which is not so embarrassing to talk about."

Tan Chun's question startled Jia Lian, who then laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to have figured that out. Third Sister is truly intelligent."

Tan Chun had not experienced the harmful influence of the internet in later generations, so she would not have any negative associations with words as highly positive as "ice and snow intelligent".

Then she smiled and said coquettishly, "You really are something. Ying'er is Bao-jie's personal maid, and you bully her like this. What if she tells Bao-jie and Bao-jie gets angry?"

Tan Chun appeared to be considering things from Jia Lian's perspective.

His words were full of fear that Baochai would be angry with him, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with his behavior.

Jia Lian believed that the attitude one displays towards an event when detached from it is the best reflection of a person's character.

He thought that if he took this girl into his inner circle, she would surely be a virtuous helper no less capable than Baochai.

Even in terms of not being jealous, she might surpass Baochai!
Jia Lian had always known that Tan Chun was the most outstanding of the three Chun sisters.

Originally, because she was too embarrassed to peek at the scenery of spring, her biggest regret was this girl.

Now that he had discovered such wonderful qualities in her, his restless heart was stirred up again.

(End of this chapter)