The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 936 Gold Necklace

"Second brother~"

Dressed in colorful embroidery and radiant with spirit, Tan Chun drifted in like a gust of wind.

Upon seeing Jia Lian sitting behind his long desk, he immediately approached with a cheerful smile.

Jia Lian nodded and smiled at the approaching figure, then asked the calligraphy scrolls in his hand, "Did you write all of these?"

Tan Chun leaned against the table, smiling and saying, "I just wrote this when I was bored. My handwriting is ugly, so please don't laugh at me, Second Brother."

"No, my third sister's calligraphy is getting better and better."

"No way, she can't compare to Sister Bao."

"You don't need to compare yourself to her. She's a freak. She's good at everything and an expert at everything."

Seeing Jia Lian's undisguised admiration for Baochai, Tan Chun pouted slightly, but still smiled and said, "Sister Bao is excellent, not some kind of freak."

"Hmph, if Baochai knew you talked about her like that, she'd definitely be angry."

"She won't be angry, she's not your sister Lin."

"oops."

Tan Chun was overjoyed and burst into laughter, saying, "I must tell Sister Lin what you just said."

In the midst of their banter, Tan Chun's left arm was already resting on Jia Lian's shoulder, and the two siblings appeared unusually close.

Jia Lian smelled the fragrance on his right, glanced back, and suddenly took out a small box from his sleeve.

"This is?"

Tan Chun looked at the exquisite box in front of her and was somewhat tempted.

Sure enough, Jia Lian took her hand and said with a smile, "Squat down."

Tan Chun immediately did as she was told, obediently squatting down beside Jia Lian's legs.

Then she saw Jia Lian open the box, revealing a pure gold necklace inside.

"Wow, it's so beautiful..."

It was just gold-colored and somewhat exquisite, but not enough to make the ladies of the government exclaim in amazement.

Tan Chun had already guessed that it was a gift for her, and as a little fan, she naturally had to immediately show her joy.

Jia Lian smiled, took out the necklace, and reached his hands to Tan Chun's shoulders, passing them through her hair.

Although Tan Chun was only a teenager, she was very tall with slender shoulders and a slim waist, which made her body appear longer.

Even her neck is that classic swan neck.

It's delicate, white, very tender and clean.

So much so that Jia Lian paused for a moment before fastening the necklace behind her neck.

Because Tan Chun's clothes were very thick, although the necklace was fastened, it fell on the collar and did not fit Tan Chun's fair skin.

Jia Lian tried to straighten her clothes, but was stopped by her collar.

He then reached out to unbutton the first button on the right side of Tan Chun's dress, intending to slip the necklace into it for her.

"I...I can do it myself..."

Although she had secretly pledged her life to her second brother, Tan Chun was still extremely embarrassed to have her clothes undressed by Jia Lian in broad daylight.

Therefore, she subconsciously stood up, gave Jia Lian an apologetic look, turned her back, unbuttoned her clothes, and put the delicate necklace inside her clothes.

Instead of fastening her clothes back on, she took the pendant, shaped like a banana leaf, hanging from the end of the necklace and examined it.

Sure enough, a small character was also engraved on the inside:

"Explore"

As expected, her second brother was very thoughtful; this was a carefully crafted gift for her.

To be honest, last night when I saw Jia Lian give Daiyu, Baochai and the others such exquisite gold knives, each engraved with their own name, I knew it would be normal if they didn't include hers.

After all, she hadn't officially confirmed her relationship with Jia Lian yet. If she were to receive the same treatment as Daiyu and the others, she would probably be embarrassed.

But I still felt a little disappointed.

Unexpectedly, her second brother hadn't neglected her. He had also prepared a gift for himself, but he couldn't give it to her in front of everyone last night, so he specially brought it to her today.
He even put it on her himself.

Her heart was pounding with excitement as she thought about the tingling, numbing sensation of Jia Lian's warm hand touching her neck. Her face flushed uncontrollably.

As the saying goes, a young girl's blush is more beautiful than any sweet words.

Jia Lian stared at the girl holding the pendant for a long time, standing motionless with his face flushed.

Her clothes were not yet closed, and when the necklace was tied on her neck, some of the skin around her collarbone was exposed, making her look both innocent and alluring.

Jia Lian then beckoned her over, intending to get closer to her.

Tan Chun saw it and was hesitating when a maid with steady steps suddenly walked in through the door.

"Third Miss, the head of the manor in the northern village has also sent over the New Year's goods. The eldest mistress wants you to go over to discuss how to handle it."

"understood."

Seeing Xiren enter, Tanchun quickly turned to the side and straightened her collar.

Her appearance stunned Xiren, who had just entered the room.

Xiren glanced at Jia Lian, who was sitting upright at the table, and then lowered her head.

Tan Chun's initial panic was merely a subconscious reaction, but in reality, she was standing several steps away from Jia Lian.

Realizing that she might be misunderstood by Xiren, she calmly smiled at Jia Lian and said, "Thank you for the necklace, Second Brother. It fits me very well, and I like it very much."

Tan Chun's explanation is valid.

Only then did Xiren, who had lowered her head, understand.

She knew it; no matter how domineering Master Lian was, he shouldn't have laid a hand on the Third Miss.

It turns out that he gave a necklace to the Third Sister.

Speaking of which, Second Master Lian is really good to Third Miss...

Jia Lian didn't care about these details; his gaze fell on the girl as soon as Xiren rushed in.

When Tan Chun noticed Jia Lian staring at Xi Ren, she gave him a coquettish look from behind her back, then smiled and explained:

"Second brother, are you curious why Sister Xiren is here with me?"

Hehe, this is a favor I asked my wife and mother for.

Second brother, you have no idea how difficult it is to manage the affairs of such a large family. Although my sister-in-law is in charge, even when I'm helping out, I'm often overwhelmed and barely have time to breathe.

I really don't know how my second sister-in-law managed everything so well in the past.

I didn't have anyone I could use, and coincidentally, Bao Er Gege's health had almost recovered by then, so I asked Madam to have Bao Er Gege lend me Xi Ren for a job.

The lady reported back to the old lady, and the old lady, seeing that Sister Xiren was also willing, allowed her to stay with me for the time being.

In the end, Tan Chun still felt a little regretful.

She kept Jia Lian's instructions firmly in mind.

She originally wanted to take Xiren directly, but she underestimated Xiren's status in the hearts of Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia.

Even though the reason was justified and the timing was quite right, Madam Wang was still unwilling when she heard that she wanted to borrow Xiren.

Fortunately, since she started assisting Li Wan in managing the household, she has indeed been very dedicated and responsible, even doing a better job than Li Wan.

Madam Wang couldn't directly reject her request, so she simply said that Xiren was the old lady's person and that she needed to ask the old lady first.

Grandmother Jia had no idea that her most obedient third granddaughter was also there to poach her husband's attention. She thought that it was indeed not easy for her to manage such a large family at such a young age.

She then summoned Xiren to ask if she would be willing to serve Tanchun for a period of time.

To everyone's surprise, Xiren agreed without hesitation.

This is consistent with her obedient, sensible, and compliant nature.

Since things had come to this point, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang had no choice but to go along with it and let Xiren temporarily follow Tanchun and serve her.

Although she couldn't completely complete the task assigned by Jia Lian, Tan Chun thought that even if it was only temporary, as long as the person was with her, there was room for maneuver in the future to return them.

For example, two people who have been together for a long time may develop feelings for each other and find it difficult to separate.

Given the previous incident where Xiren suffered internal bleeding after being kicked by Jia Baoyu, it's likely that even if Xiren didn't want to go back, no one could say anything about it.

However, neither Grandmother Jia nor Lady Wang are the kind of domineering and unreasonable people. When the time comes and they see that the die is cast, they will probably be reluctant to let go and will not force the issue.

Although Jia Lian did not know Tan Chun's specific plans, he knew from her high efficiency that the girl had truly taken his words to heart.

In front of Xiren, he couldn't very well praise Tanchun, so he only said to Xiren, "Now that you're here, just stay here in peace."

Let's not think about going back for now.

"Yes."

Xiren, of course, would not object to Jia Lian's arrangement.

After all that has happened, Jia Baoyu's place in her heart has long faded.

Jia Lian had told her before that if Tan Chun wanted her to serve her, she should take the initiative.

Xiren was unaware of the true relationship between Jia Lian and Tanchun. She only thought that Jia Lian had persuaded Tanchun to help him transfer her away from Jia Baoyu's side first.

How to arrange her future is a matter between Jia Lian and Tan Chun.

They wouldn't be branded as thieves who steal their brothers' maids.

Now that Jia Lian has said this, her guess has been confirmed, which has put her at ease.

Given Jia Lian's current status and position, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble if he weren't concerned about saving face.

If we speak directly to Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia, would they really embarrass Jia Lian over a mere maid?
As for Jia Baoyu's thoughts.

In this family, although Jia Baoyu is a treasure, treasures only need to stay quietly in a high place.

What the treasure thinks of itself is never important, and nobody cares.

Tan Chun quickly tidied herself up and prepared to go out.

Before leaving, she smiled at Jia Lian and said, "Second brother, are you resting today? If you have nothing to do, you can stay here with me. I'll have a maid come in to serve you."

Or perhaps, my second brother would like to go out and take a look with us?

Jia Lian shook his head: "There's no need for me to go with you. I trust your and your sister-in-law's abilities. If I go, you'll be too restrained."

Don't worry about me, I can wander around on my own.

Tan Chun smiled slightly upon hearing this; she was merely being polite.

His second brother is so charming, how could he be so bored as to have nowhere to go like others?

I just don't know if he's planning to go play with Sister Lin or Sister Bao.

It's probably Sister Lin, because Sister Bao is not easy to get close to!

So they nodded and walked out of Qiushuangzhai together.

After parting ways with Tan Chun and the others, Jia Lian indeed went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

After playing several games of chess with Daiyu, they didn't go back for lunch until noon.

After resting for a while after the meal, Jia Lian went out again and headed straight for Longcui Nunnery.

It's not that he didn't want to go find Baochai.

On the contrary, right now, the person he wants to cherish the most is Baochai.

Sixteen-year-old Xue Baochai was truly captivating.

He knew, however, that given Baochai's personality, it was impossible for her to have any real relationship with him in an unsafe environment.

Moreover, unlike Daiyu and Miaoyu, Baochai is not sentimental; she is an extremely pragmatic girl.

She doesn't need you to constantly show concern for her; just showing her that you value her at crucial moments is enough.

In other words, visiting her ten or a hundred times with empty words of concern is not as effective as arranging a completely safe place and truly pampering her once to increase her favorability.

Coincidentally, Jia Lian thought the same thing.

In the Lin family's villa, Daiyu's boudoir was certainly not the best place for a date.

Although it is hidden, it requires going through a long, dark tunnel.

The first time, Baochai was unaware of his intentions, and out of curiosity, she was naturally unafraid of danger.

But right now, as long as Baochai isn't stupid, she'll guess what they want her to do by calling her over there.

Too purposeful.

Therefore, he had already figured out where to deal with Baochai next.

We just need a little more time to prepare.

(End of this chapter)