The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 846 Qiguan
When the servants brought the lychee tree to Grandmother Jia's courtyard, Grandmother Jia was alarmed.

Although people had presented her with fresh lychees in previous years, it was only a dish or a box. How could they bring the lychee tree into the mansion like this?
So they went to the back porch and saw the lychee tree, which was more than a person tall and laden with fruit. Grandmother Jia couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Where did such a big tree come from?"

Ping'er stood under the corridor and replied, "Reporting to the old lady, this was sent to our second master by a friend of his who lives outside."

After Second Master returned, he instructed us to bring one over to the old lady.

Grandmother Jia said, "Although it is Lian'er's filial piety, I am just an old woman, how can I eat all of these? Just pick some and send them over for me to try."

In that case, I'll have Yuanyang cut some off, and you can take the rest back with you.

Your grandparents are young; they might like to eat this.

Ping'er smiled and said, "Grandma, this is a gift from our grandparents. Don't worry, they have more."

"Oh?"

Grandmother Jia asked curiously, "How much did you actually receive?"

When Grandmother Jia asked this question, Ping'er didn't even need to answer; the old women and wives around her immediately chimed in with their own opinions.

"When I was outside, I saw Zhao'er directing the servants to carry the lychees in one by one. Tsk tsk, if you hadn't looked closely, who would have believed they were lychees?"
There look like there are at least a dozen of them!

"That's right! I even went to Second Uncle and Second Aunt's courtyard to check, and they said there were a total of eighteen trees!"

Hearing the servants' discussion, Grandmother Jia was once again surprised, wondering who it was that would send Jia Lian so many lychees at once.

This isn't in Lingnan!
It was dusk, and the sisters in the garden all came out to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

They were already very happy to see such a big lychee tree, thinking they would definitely be able to taste some fresh fruit.

Hearing that this was only one in eighteen, they were overjoyed.

Lian Er-gege has so many lychees, doesn't that mean they can eat as many as they want and enjoy them to their heart's content?
This is something you wouldn't even dare to dream of in the capital.

Seeing her grandchildren's happy faces, Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Since you have so many, why did you only give them to me and not to the others?"

Ping'er replied, "Yes, they are. Second Madam is at home now, arranging for people to sort them and send them to various places."

The old lady had the whole plant, so she asked me to bring it over first.

As Ping'er spoke, she worried that everyone would know there were so many lychees, but only the whole batch was given to Grandmother Jia, and that someone might gossip about it to Lady Wang and the others. Therefore, she spoke up in advance:
"Our second master said that what we're giving away today is just for everyone to try something new."

Tomorrow at noon, our Second Master will be hosting a lychee banquet in the main building of the garden. We cordially invite the ladies and young women of both households to grace us with their presence and join us for this celebration.”

Hearing Ping'er say that, Tan Chun and Xiang Yun held hands and laughed, "Great! There's a lychee feast!"

So the sisters each pulled their friends aside and started a lively discussion, such as whether they should add another "Lychee Club" event the next day.

Jia Baoyu, on the other hand, went to the lychee tree where everyone was too embarrassed to get too close, touching the fruit here and the leaves there.

They seemed so eager to pick a few and taste them right then and there.

Grandmother Jia was originally thinking about how to properly distribute the lychee tree, but when she heard that Jia Lian still had seventeen trees and that he was going to hold a lychee banquet the next day, she realized that he didn't need her to share them.

So he smiled at his grandchildren, who were starving and full, and said, "Pick as many as you want. But these things are easy to cause internal heat, so don't eat too many at once."

The sisters cheered and rushed forward.

Only Daiyu and Baochai remained unmoved.

Tan Chun picked a lychee and turned around to see Grandmother Jia coming over. She quickly opened the lychee and offered it to Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia glanced at the sensible third daughter, smiled, took the food, and said, "You eat too, don't worry about me."

After eating one, Grandmother Jia had no intention of eating any more. She turned to Daiyu and the other girl and said, "What are you two standing there for? Try some too. It tastes quite good."

Baochai didn't move, firstly because she was a guest and shouldn't be too casual, and secondly because seeing lychees reminded her of Jia Lian's comment that she resembled Yang Guifei, making it even more inappropriate for her to take the initiative to eat them.

Daiyu, being reserved by nature, thought that since Jia Lian had plenty, it was impossible for her to be shortchanged, so she wasn't in a hurry at all.

Seeing that Baochai was not moving, she was even less likely to move.

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's invitation, Baochai bowed and responded, then walked over to Yingchun and the others.

Seeing this, Daiyu followed slowly as well.

Grandmother Jia smiled, turned around to look at the people around her, and said to Yuanyang, "You should try it too."

"Yes……"

After everyone had tasted a few, Grandmother Jia stopped Jia Baoyu, who was secretly stuffing them into his bosom: "Baoyu, don't be greedy!"

When Jia Baoyu realized he had been discovered, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Grandmother, I'm not eating it myself. I'm taking it back for Xiren and the others to eat."

Grandmother Jia then gave up.

Ping'er hadn't left yet, and now she smiled and said, "Second Master Bao doesn't need to give some to Xiren. Our Second Mistress will definitely send some to Second Master's room."

Jia Baoyu blinked at the pretty Ping'er without saying a word.

Ping'er was slightly taken aback, then ignored it and smiled at Yingchun and the others, saying, "Our Second Master also got a lot of agarwood, musk and borneol. Second Madam said that she doesn't need that much, so she told the girls to go and see which ones they like and pick a little to take back with them."

Yingchun and the others would never refuse.

Those spices are a small matter; wouldn't it be wonderful to take the opportunity to visit Brother Lian Er?

So everyone wiped their mouths, said goodbye to Grandmother Jia, and followed Jia Lian to Sister Feng's courtyard.

After her grandchildren left, Grandmother Jia looked at the fruit trees that hadn't lost much of their load after all the "mischief," and instructed the old women around her:
"Let's move it into the flower hall. This lychee tree has one advantage: if we water it every day, it should stay fresh for several days."

Grandmother Jia was knowledgeable and experienced, and she knew that even if a lychee tree was still in its native soil, it would wither and die if it was away from its homeland for a long time, and the fruit would naturally become stale and even fall off.

……

Meanwhile, Jia Baoyu followed a group of sisters to Jia Lian's house.

If there was nothing else to do, he would naturally be happy to stay with his sisters, as he could also get some high-quality incense from Sister Feng.

However, he was focused on something, so he deliberately lagged behind and slipped away quietly when no one else noticed.

Clutching his chest, he ran to the outer courtyard, found his servant Mingyan, and took out all the lychees he had secretly hidden from his bosom.

There weren't many, only about seven or eight. Mingyan was overjoyed and asked incredulously, "Master, are these all for me?"

Jia Baoyu scolded, "You fool! I asked you to deliver these lychees for me! Go and find a plate, preferably a glass one, and put these lychees in it. You'll deliver them tomorrow..."

Jia Baoyu hesitated halfway through his sentence.

He intended to send these lychees to a famous actor in the capital named Jiang Yuhan.

However, he suddenly realized that Jiang Yuhan's new house was twenty miles away from the capital, and there was definitely no time to send it there today.

If we wait until tomorrow, the lychees may not be fresh enough.

So he changed his mind and said, "Take these things to Lord Jing and tell him they are from me."

Although Mingyan was disappointed, she still readily agreed and went down to make the preparations.

Jia Baoyu called out to him, "Good boy, don't steal any. If you want some, when Brother Lian holds a lychee banquet tomorrow, I'll sneak a few for you."

Mingyan's resentment turned to joy. After expressing her gratitude, she hurried off to complete Jia Baoyu's task.

Jia Baoyu stood there for a moment, then made up his mind that he would pick some more from Grandmother Jia's tree the next day and send them to Qi Guan (Jiang Yuhan's nickname).

Anyway, there are still many fruits on Grandmother Jia's tree.

As for what Ping'er said about the lychees that Sister Feng sent to his room, he certainly hadn't forgotten them.

However, he had already decided to use those things to please the maids in the house, so they couldn't be used for anything else.

Meanwhile, after Ping'er led a large group of people back to the courtyard, she discovered that Jia Baoyu was missing.

Has anyone seen Baoyu?

Everyone looked around and, seeing that no one knew, laughed and said, "Perhaps he ran back to Yihong Courtyard to see if Sister-in-law Lian's lychees had been delivered. We don't need to pay him any mind."

Another maid said, "I saw that as soon as he left the old lady's backyard, Second Master Bao sneaked back."

Everyone understood and stopped paying attention to that, instead turning their gaze to the remaining lychee trees in the courtyard.

Wow, so many lychees!

All the sisters were amazed, as it was the first time they had ever seen such a "miracle" in the capital.

Hearing the noise, Sister Feng came out of the house. Seeing everyone gathered around the lychee tree, she said very generously:

"Although I sent maids to deliver them to your rooms, if you like, feel free to pick them directly from the tree and eat them. Don't be shy with me."

Upon hearing this, the women quietly stepped back a little.

Putting aside the fact that they had already tasted the lychees at Grandmother Jia's place, it's clear that Sister Feng has already sent the lychees to their respective rooms. If they were still here causing trouble for others and keeping the ones for themselves, they would feel a little embarrassed.

However, Shi Xiangyun didn't have so many concerns.

Seeing that Sister Feng was so generous, she laughed and said, "You said it yourself, so we won't stand on ceremony with you."

So I turned around and picked two off, peeled them open and was about to eat them.

Seeing that no one was eating, she asked in confusion, "Hey, why aren't you eating? Is it not good? I think it tastes pretty good."

As she spoke, she placed the one in her hand into the hand of the most polite Xing Xiuyan: "Sister Xing, you eat it."

It's no wonder Xiangyun is greedy.

She didn't think much of it because she felt that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng weren't stingy people, and there did look like there were a lot of lychees here.

In fact, Sister Feng really didn't care.

To reiterate, she was strict with her servants, but very loving towards her siblings.

Seeing that everyone was "isolending" Xiangyun, she even came down and picked a bunch of skewers, stuffing them into Xiangyun's hand, and said with a smile, "Since you think it tastes good, eat more. Don't be so polite like them. I have plenty here. Do you think you'll eat it all?"

Fresh lychees are indeed quite valuable, but Jia Lian forbade her to sell them.

Since it can't be converted into cash, it will definitely end up in the stomachs of the family.

Therefore, she was naturally happy to be a good person.

Sure enough, the other sisters all looked at Feng Jie with new respect, feeling that Feng Jie had indeed been taught by Jia Lian. Her previous attitude of being outwardly generous but inwardly stingy was nowhere to be found now.

However, Tan Chun and the others still remembered Grandmother Jia's words that lychees should not be eaten in excess.

Since there were still fruits inside, there was no rush to pick them. Instead, she asked, "Sister Feng, isn't Brother Lian Er at home?"

"He's sleeping in the inner room."

After returning in the afternoon, I was called away by the old lady and then received some visitors outside. When I came back, I fell asleep without saying a word.

Seeing that he was sleeping so soundly, I didn't even have the heart to wake him up for dinner.

What, is there something you can't say to him?

While talking to Tan Chun, Feng Jie'er's eyes kept glancing at Bao Chai and Dai Yu.

Clearly, what she meant was, "What's the rush, you little brat? If you want to see someone, it should be your two older sisters."

Both Baochai and Daiyu pretended not to see it.

Daiyu developed her character over the course of a year or so, while Baochai's strength stemmed purely from her calm personality and inner strength.

Tan Chun, on the other hand, suddenly felt a little guilty and secretly stuck out her tongue.

Sister Feng didn't push her too far. She turned back to Tan Chun and said, "If it's not too important, then let's see him again tomorrow."

He must have been traveling all day and was exhausted.

You'll all see him at the lychee banquet tomorrow.

"Come on, I'll take you inside to choose incense."

The women all nodded in agreement and followed Wang Xifeng into the room, keeping their voices down so as not to disturb Jia Lian's sleep.

(End of this chapter)