The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 874 Housewarming
After a busy day, Sister Feng finally got everything in order in the main building and then arranged the dinner.

Just then, Jia Lian, who had been out gallivanting, returned. She grabbed him, reported her plans, and asked for his instructions.

Jia Lian didn't actually give any instructions; he only replied that he would invite Jia Zheng when asked if they should.

Not only should we invite Jia Zheng, but it would be best to also bring Jia Cong, Jia Huan, Jia Lan, and Jia Yun along.

Otherwise, it would be too desolate for just him and Jia Zheng to sit at the same table.

Thinking about it this way, the Jia family really does have very few male members.

If we exclude his lineage, then it really is Jia Zheng – Jia Baoyu – Jia Lan, three generations of single-line descendants?

Okay, there's also Jia Huan, I think.

Feng Jie was unaware of Jia Lian's inner thoughts. After the banquet was mentioned, she suddenly laughed and said, "I heard you went to the palace this morning but didn't see the Emperor?"

Jia Lian glanced at her, then turned to inspect his new study to the east, leaving only one sentence in the air:

"As you wish."

Ignoring Jia Lian's sudden cold attitude, Sister Feng laughed foolishly.

This is also why she was able to resist contacting Jia Lian for a whole day.

Knowing that Jia Lian had been rejected by the emperor, what else did she have to worry about?

The time comes at night.

In the spacious square in front of the Three Lives Stone Residence (main building and main hall), the lanterns hanging high above the ground are illuminated by the family members working hard to make the whole space a hazy yellow.

Under the lamplight, countless maids, wives, and old women bustled about.

In addition to bringing various fine wines and delicacies from the kitchen, they were also ordered to place two wooden shelves next to each table.

On each wooden shelf, there was a copper basin, one above the other, filled with large blocks of ice to dispel the sweltering heat of the night.

Such extravagant behavior was so outrageous that not only did Madam Xing, who was attending the banquet, feel sorry for her, but even Madam Wang was secretly astonished.

Lady Wang had already heard from the servants that Jia Lian had ordered a huge ice cellar to be dug in the garden, which was filled with a large amount of ice.

With the weather so hot this year, these ice blocks could make a fortune if sold off now.

Unfortunately, Jia Lian personally handled both the digging of ice cellars and the harvesting and storage of ice, so she was too embarrassed to offer any suggestions.

Some time ago, Sister Feng told her that she wanted to provide some ice to some old families for a fee, and she was very happy about it.

Because Sister Feng not only wanted to buy ice, but also seemed to want to return the money from selling it to the government.

She didn't believe that Sister Feng herself was so righteous; she knew without guessing that she was just following Jia Lian's orders.

Madam Wang was a legitimate daughter of a prominent family and was quite knowledgeable.

To be honest, even now, although she still harbors some ulterior motives towards Jia Lian, she also admires Jia Lian's character from the bottom of her heart.

Since Jia Lian acts so uprightly, she certainly wouldn't do anything foolish or say anything foolish, lest she offend Jia Lian and suffer more losses than gains.

Furthermore, she had learned from Jia Zheng that Jia Lian had made a clear promise that he would move out of the Rongguo Mansion himself in the future and return all the family property intact.

In order to achieve this long-cherished dream, she was too busy currying favor with Jia Lian.

When Madam Xing complained that Sister Feng didn't know how to manage the household, she even spoke up for her.

Finally, Grandmother Jia, who had entered flanked by them on either side, could no longer tolerate Madam Xing's voice and turned around to say:

"Alright, all of you, stop talking. This is precisely where Feng'er's reasoning lies!"
No matter how good something is, it's only truly useful when used on family members.

"It's a waste that you always say she's stingy. In my opinion, she's much more generous than both of you."

“The old lady is absolutely right.”

Both daughters-in-law bowed and accepted Grandmother Jia's admonition.

Madam Wang was indifferent, but Madam Xing secretly thought:

It seems that the three thousand taels charged for the house repairs last time was too little. If it had been more, they might have been willing to pay more...

Grandmother Jia nodded in satisfaction.

This may be the root cause of why she watched the Jia family decline over the years without taking any emergency measures.

She has been wealthy for most of her life, so there's no reason for her to suffer in her old age.

In her view, children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

With the blessings of their ancestors, their descendants can easily become officials.

If they were capable, they wouldn't be so stingy as to not show her some filial piety.

If someone lacks ability, no matter how frugal they are inside, it will be of no use except for losing face in front of family friends and relatives. They will still be poor in the future.

Look at the Marquis of Baoling's mansion! Even the madam and her maids and young ladies are doing needlework to supplement the family income. It has long been the laughing stock of the capital!

……

Grandmother Jia was almost the last to arrive.

When she arrived, her children, grandchildren, and daughters-in-law filled the area to greet her.

Grandmother Jia looked at the screen embroidered with colorful phoenixes in gold thread placed in front of the main hall, which divided the banquet venue into east and west halves from north to south.

However, the left and right sides are not evenly spaced.

There were three formal tables set up on one side, but only one lonely table on the other.

As she sighed inwardly, Grandmother Jia asked Feng Jie, who had come to help her, with a smile, "Why is it placed outside?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "It's because the old lady agreed to come and have a drink with us today."

I figured I had to make sure the old lady and the other ladies were well taken care of.

Unfortunately, given the current national and family mourning periods, it's not appropriate to hire an opera troupe to perform for the old lady.

I'm in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Ping'er reminded me that although it wasn't a full moon, it was still mid-month, and the moon was still in the sky.

Why not invite the elderly ladies over, so they can eat, chat, and admire the moon together? Wouldn't that be more interesting?

That's why they had the banquet moved out of the hall.

Grandmother Jia then chuckled and tapped Feng Jie's forehead, saying, "As expected, you little monkey know how to make me happy."

Grandmother Jia was also used to this set of behaviors and ways of speaking.

Only at the last minute did I realize that Sister Feng was no longer the same person she used to be.

Not only does she share the same title of Duchess, but she is no longer her granddaughter-in-law at heart.

In other words, Sister Feng could have simply shown her respect out of appearance.

If she were to show even a hint of dissatisfaction at this moment, in front of so many people, especially the Xue family mother and daughter, wouldn't she, as the old matriarch, lose face?
Fortunately, when she looked at her, she saw that, apart from avoiding and flattering her as usual, Sister Feng's face was always beaming with smiles, and she showed no displeasure whatsoever.

The look of doting affection on Grandmother Jia's face became even more pronounced.

So he decisively abandoned Yuanyang's support, grabbed Aunt Xue with one hand and let Fengjie help him with the other, and walked towards the main seat on the left, chatting and laughing.

At this moment, all eyes were on Sister Feng, who had effortlessly outmaneuvered Grandmother Jia with her words and laughter.

Even Jia Zheng stroked his beard and praised, "As expected, it is Feng'er who pleases the old lady the most."

Jia Zheng clearly seemed to be in a good mood.

He no longer had a stern face, and the younger generation around him finally didn't have to be so nervous anymore.

Jia Yun even dared to approach Jia Lian and tease him, saying, "I've often heard people say that Auntie is very shrewd and can intimidate others with just a few words."

My nephew has witnessed this once again today.

"It's just that the nephew is speaking up for his uncle..."

Jia Lian, who had been smiling, turned around and looked at him.

Others, such as Jia Baoyu, also turned their gazes in that direction.

After his true identity was "revealed," Jia Cong found that everyone around him became more polite to him.

He gradually found some confidence in being Jia Lian's younger brother.

Facing Jia Yun, a junior member of the concubine's family, he was quite blunt: "Yun'er, what do you mean by that? My sister-in-law is powerful, so why are you speaking up for my brother?"

Jia Yun laughed and said, "Originally, everyone's attention was on Uncle Lian, but when Auntie showed her power, she overshadowed Uncle Lian's brilliance. As his nephew, how could I not speak up for my uncle?"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Jia Lian didn't laugh much, and he ignored the already cunning Jia Yun, instead giving Jia Cong a second look.

This younger brother, who was once saddened and resentful because his birth mother was hanged, has completely changed at some point.

With one saying "my sister-in-law" on the left and the other "my brother" on the right, anyone who didn't know better would think they were siblings from the same mother, brothers with an unbreakable bond.

He casually kicked Jia Yun, then bowed to Jia Zheng, who was watching the melon, and said, "Master, let's go back to our seats."

"Hmm," Jia Zheng nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)