The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 847 Perfect
Jia Lian slept soundly, but when he woke up, he felt incredibly clear-headed.

Looking up, I saw that it was already dark.

"Someone is coming."

Jia Lian called out once, and a maidservant walked in through the door; it was Xiangling.

"Pour me a glass of water."

Xiangling immediately poured a cup of cool tea and fed it to Jia Lian.

"What time is it?"

"Reporting to Second Master, it's just past midnight."

Jia Lian nodded, it seemed he hadn't slept for long.

So he asked, "Where is your second grandmother?"

"Second Grandma went to the old lady's courtyard."

Jia Lian didn't ask any more questions and had Xiangling help him get dressed.

Just then, Qingwen heard the commotion and came in. She ran up to Jia Lian and asked in a coquettish tone, "Second Master, you haven't had dinner yet. Are you hungry? Should we serve you dinner right away?"

Not knowing when Jia Lian would wake up, Feng Jie didn't wait; she ate her meal and then cleared away the dishes.

Given Jia Lian's current status, it's impossible for him to be left with scraps.

So Sister Feng ordered the cooks to wait in the kitchen until Jia Lian woke up before serving the meal.

Seeing Jia Lian nod, Qingwen immediately ran off to serve the meal.

Once only Xiangling remained in the room, Jia Lian remembered the instructions he had given Fengjie before going to sleep and asked her about them.

Upon learning that Sister Feng had already cut a fruit tree and sent it to various places, Jia Lian thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Do you know who Second Mistress sent it to?"

Xiangling didn't understand why Jia Lian asked this, but she still honestly replied, "I know. Second Mistress always has me write down the list first, and then she has my sisters-in-law and aunts deliver it to each place, deciding how much to send and what kind of dishes to use."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian remembered that Xiang Ling was the most talented woman in their courtyard, and also the only one.

Ever since Xiangling's talent was recognized by the other women in the garden, if she was around, Sister Feng would usually have her write on her behalf.

That makes things much easier.

"Then do you remember who your second grandmother sent gifts to, or who she didn't send them to..."

Well, Jia Lian himself realized that he hadn't expressed himself clearly, so he simply asked directly, "Did your second mistress send lychees to Miaoyu at the Longcui Nunnery?"

Xiangling seemed to understand something now. She brushed her bangs aside and chuckled, "Don't worry, Second Master. Second Madam is very thorough in her work. Miaoyu is on the list."

Not only Miaoyu, but even Aunt Xue from the back street was specifically instructed to have a dish sent over.

Jia Lian was greatly pleased.

It seems he was indeed overthinking things.

There was nothing they could do; after all, Miaoyu was an even more unreasonable girl than Daiyu.

Often, I can't help but consider her feelings more.

After all, he tricked her into coming all the way from Suzhou, so he should try his best to put in as much effort as possible to minimize her feelings of grievance and contempt.

"What about Tianxianglou?"

Xiangling shook her head and said, "They didn't send any over there. In the East Mansion, Second Madam only sent some to Madam You and Madam Xiao Rong."

Jia Lian nodded, not finding it strange at all.

Perhaps in Sister Feng's eyes, Miaoyu was still a high-ranking nun whom she had invited to take charge of the Longcui Nunnery, and therefore deserved respect.

However, she would not waste her efforts on people like the three women of the You family and those famous courtesans.

So Jia Lian said, "Take the scissors and basket, go and cut some fruit, cut a lot."

Xiangling asked, "So how much should I cut?"

"Cut half of the plant."

Xiangling was stunned for a moment, glanced at Jia Lian, but didn't say anything more, and got up to do her errand.

……

After the meal, Qingwen helped Jia Lian wash up.

While cleaning Jia Lian's mouth with that special toothbrush, Qingwen, with a mischievous thought, poked inside with the back of the toothbrush.

Seeing Jia Lian startled and then frown at her, she wasn't afraid at all and even laughed, "Serves you right for always poking people. Now you'll know whether it feels good or not."

Jia Lian's expression immediately turned dangerous. Looking at the audacious maid in front of him, Jia Lian raised his hand...

Just as Qingwen thought she had misjudged the situation and was about to be beaten, and Xiangling was about to plead for her, Jia Lian simply snatched the toothbrush from her hand and pressed her to the ground with one hand.

Qingwen didn't resist; after all, she had already anticipated being bullied by Jia Lian before she deliberately provoked him.

At least this is better than getting beaten up.

However, after squatting down, she looked up at the main door of the house, which was just inches away, and begged for mercy.

At this distance, anyone who comes in can see you with just a turn of their head; it's too embarrassing.

So he begged to wait until he rinsed his mouth before going into the inner room to talk.

But then Jia Lian coaxed her, "Don't be afraid, I'll use the curtain to cover you." As he spoke, Jia Lian actually pulled up the curtain and covered her up.

Qingwen tried to get up twice but couldn't, so she gave in.

Oh well, I have sharp ears anyway, I can hide when I hear footsteps.

Xiangling, standing nearby, seemed unsurprised by the sight.

She had known all along that the Second Master loved seeking thrills.

So she went to fetch Jia Lian the robes he needed to change into, and asked him what to do with the lychees he had cut.

Jia Lian explained everything to Xiangling.

It was simply a matter of sending some over to Tianxianglou, the residences of the You sisters, and to Hu Yuanyao and the Aqin sisters.

Although not all of these women may like lychees, he, as a man, has to show them his affection.

The very purpose of lychees, such an excessively expensive fruit, is precisely this.

Xiangling noted everything down. After helping Jia Lian put on his robes, she looked at Qingwen, who was still diligently serving him, and said jokingly, "Alright, I've finished my task. The rest is up to you."

After saying that, without waiting for Qingwen's reaction, he picked up the washbasin and went out.

A little while later, Qingwen helped Jia Lian put on his trousers, robe, and boots, then carried his belongings to the east room for a while before running back.

Looking at the basket still full of lychees, she asked Jia Lian slyly, "Second Master, who are you planning to give these to?"

Qingwen was still proud.

Even though there were fruits in the garden, she picked some to eat, thinking that Jia Lian wouldn't blame her.

But she didn't.

Not only did they not eat it, but they also ordered strict guards to prevent anyone from stealing it.

Even if she really wanted to eat it, she would only ask Jia Lian for it.

So her previous provocation was intended to get close to Jia Lian and then take the opportunity to express her desire for him.

Following Qingwen's gaze, Jia Lian glanced at the basket of lychees that was still about half full and said with a smile, "Go and get that purple-gold glass cup that I gave you before."

Qingwen was immediately delighted, thinking that Jia Lian wanted her to bring her own tools to pack.

So he hugged Jia Lian's face and kissed him, then quickly ran back to the west wing.

A moment later, he brought over a glass cup.

Jia Lian took it, grabbed some lychees and put them inside, held it up to the lamp to examine it, and then laughed, "Indeed, lychees look best when they're packaged in this thing."

So he smiled at Qingwen and said, "I'll borrow your bowl for a bit, and I'll return it to you later."

Qingwen sensed something was wrong and asked suspiciously, "Second Master, are you still going to send them away? But you and Second Madam have already sent them everywhere, there's no one left out."

Jia Lian didn't answer, but filled the glass cup. After thinking for a moment, he said to Qingwen, "Here, take this bowl of lychees to Hengwu Garden. If anyone asks, just say that I think there are too many people in their room, and I'm afraid your Second Mistress won't give them enough to eat."

"Oh……"

Although Qingwen was a little disappointed, she still obediently picked up the glass lamp and prepared to do her mission.

Jia Lian had been teasing her on purpose, and seeing this, he finally couldn't help but tap her forehead and laugh:

Why are you pouting like that? There's still so much left!
This stuff doesn't keep well. Since we've already cut it off, isn't it for you to eat?
Go quickly, and when you come back, you and Xiangling can eat your fill.

Xiangling is a very honest person. When Jia Lian asked her to cut half a tree, she actually cut half of it.

Although those lychee trees weren't very big, each tree, which was taller than a person, had at least two or three hundred fruits.

Therefore, even though some were given away, there was still some left over.

Even if there's none left, we still have plenty at home.

Following Jia Lian's instructions, Feng Jie sent one plant to Grandmother Jia, cut off another and gave it away, and of the remaining sixteen plants, she had ten carried to the main building of the Grand View Garden for Jia Lian's use the next day.

The remaining six plants were all moved to my own garden.

In Sister Feng's opinion, since the fruit is still hanging on the tree, it won't spoil in a short time. She can eat it or give it away whenever she wants in the next few days, so she won't think she has too much.

After sitting in the room for a while, Jia Lian, seeing that Feng Jie wouldn't be back for a while, got up and went to the east courtyard to practice his martial arts so that he wouldn't become rusty.

As for why they didn't go to see Daiyu and the others...

He had wanted to go before, but he thought that since only Daiyu had confirmed their relationship before, it wouldn't be a problem if he went into the garden just to see Daiyu.

But it is different now.

Let alone Baochai and Daiyu, who are already out in the open, it's already bad to only look at one and ignore the other.

Not to mention that she secretly flirted with her own sister, Tan Chun.

How heartbroken she must be if she finds out that she went to see Baochai and Daiyu but not her.

Go see her too, it won't take much time.

But deep down, I felt that it wouldn't be right not to visit Miaoyu or even Li Wan...

While he sometimes enjoys being a master of time management, he also sometimes finds it mentally and physically exhausting.

Since Zhou Yanru had given him so many lychees, he thought to himself, why not not go and see anyone today, and then gather everyone together tomorrow in the form of a lychee banquet, so that everyone can see them?
perfect.

(End of this chapter)