The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Xiangyun had no idea that Grandmother Jia was considering this issue. She continued to plead with Grandmother Jia to make the decision for her and punish Jia Lian for his lack of brotherly virtue.

Whether Grandmother Jia stood up for Xiangyun or not, Jia Lian didn't know, because he hadn't been paying attention.

Taking advantage of Xiangyun running away, he turned around and looked at the last table, where Li Wan, You Shi, and the others were also smiling, and said, "Both of you sisters-in-law are here. There is something I would like to trouble you with."

Li Wan and You Shi, who were happily eating melon seeds and secretly admiring Jia Lian's male beauty, were both taken aback.

Just like when a group of men get together, if there is a beautiful woman in the middle, everyone's eyes will be drawn to her.

At this moment, there were a lot of women in the hall, and only one and a half men. Naturally, everyone's eyes were fixed on Jia Lian.

When Jia Lian suddenly called out their names, both of the sisters-in-law felt a little embarrassed.

It was Madam You who spoke first: "I wonder what you need, Second Uncle? We will do our best to do what we can."

Jia Lian glanced at Baochai and Daiyu, and this glance made the two perceptive women realize what Jia Lian was about to say, and a hint of embarrassment involuntarily appeared on their faces.

As expected, Jia Lian immediately ignored them and said to You Shi, "I have already discussed it with Master and Aunt. After the first month, on the eleventh day of the second month, we will marry Lin Daiyu and Baochai."

As for matters outside, my husband and I will discuss and arrange them ourselves.

However, I need one or two capable people to handle these internal matters.

This should have been Feng Yatou's responsibility.

However, she is currently pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to handle these tedious matters.

Therefore, I thought of asking my two sisters-in-law to help me take care of and settle things inside.

I am extremely grateful.

As soon as Jia Lian said this, the hall erupted in chaos.

Although I had vaguely heard rumors that the mansion was preparing for a marriage, it was just hearsay.

Now, Jia Lian has directly put the matter of marrying Baochai and Daiyu on the table for discussion!
Not to mention that Baochai and Daiyu were so ashamed that they lowered their heads and dared not face the gazes of others, even the expressions of the others were quite interesting.

Jia Baoyu's reaction was the most obvious; his initial excitement at having guessed the riddle ahead of Jia Lian vanished instantly.

Looking at Baochai and Daiyu, whose faces were flushed with shyness, he turned around dejectedly and walked back to Grandmother Jia's side.

A hint of envy flashed in Tan Chun's eyes, but she quickly hid it and put on a very happy expression.

Others, such as Yingchun, Xiuyan, and Baoqin, all stared wide-eyed, making the expressions of onlookers.

In comparison, the adults' expressions were much more uniform.

Each of them wore a warm, aunt-like smile.

Looking at the beautiful and shy young girls in front of them, they vaguely remembered what they looked like when they were young.

Finally, there were the two older sisters-in-law.

Suppressing a pang of bitterness in their hearts, knowing they were no match for Baochai and Daiyu, they all tried their best to maintain their best smiles.

"This is a joyous occasion, and I am naturally willing to help my second uncle with this."

However, I am not like Feng Yatou. I feel powerless to manage even the smallest matters in my own household.

If I were to rashly interfere in such an important matter, I fear I would fail my second uncle's trust.

When Li Wan heard what You Shi said, she also said, "Sister-in-law Zhen is right."

I'm only taking care of things at home right now, and even that's not enough.

Luckily, San Yatou helped me.

If I were to interfere in such an important matter as yours, I fear I would be overwhelmed.

Faced with Li Wan and You Shi's modest refusals, Jia Lian naturally said it was no problem.

Unexpectedly, Qin Keqing, who had been sitting next to Madam You, suddenly smiled and said, "I happen to have some free time. If you trust Second Uncle, why not entrust this matter to me?"

For a long time, Qin Keqing didn't dare to speak in front of elders like Grandmother Jia.

After all, she only showed her charm in front of Jia Lian and others; she was still quite shy around outsiders.

However, it was later discovered that Grandmother Jia's attitude towards her did not seem to change much after the deaths of Jia Zhen and his son.

At least he never scolded or berated her to her face.

Perhaps Jia Mu's attitude influenced others, because Wang Furen and the others did not deliberately target her.

Over time, she gradually regained some of the confidence she once had as the "first great-granddaughter-in-law".

Faced with Qin Keqing's self-recommendation, Jia Lian hesitated slightly.

It wasn't that I was worried about Qin Keqing's abilities, but rather that I was afraid she would cause trouble.

This woman is incredibly charming and beautiful. In bed, she can not only grant him all his reasonable and unreasonable requests, but she will also actively seek out new and exciting things to provoke him.

She was afraid that Qin Keqing might do something inappropriate in Baochai and Daiyu's bridal chamber, scaring her precious darling.

Others naturally couldn't understand Jia Lian's concerns.

Grandmother Jia gave Qin Keqing a deep look and said with emotion, "This matter of yours is indeed a big deal."

However, what your two sisters-in-law said is also true. They each have their own trivial matters to attend to in the household, and I'm afraid they may not have the energy to help you.

Since she says she's free, why not let her help you?

Even if she overlooks some things, you and I, her two wives, will keep an eye on things for you, so nothing will go wrong.

Since Grandmother Jia had spoken, what could Jia Lian say? After responding, he stood up and bowed to Qin Keqing, saying:

"In that case, I'll leave this matter to my nephew's wife."

Qin Keqing quickly stood up to return the greeting: "Please rest assured, Uncle, I will do my best to handle this matter properly."

Jia Lian nodded and then asked, "When will my nephew's wife be free to come over?"

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "I'll be available whenever Second Uncle needs me."

Jia Lian nodded: "I trust you to handle things. I only have one thing to say."

All expenses and decorations should be festive and lively; don't try to save me money.

Many knowledgeable people laughed upon hearing this.

Jia Lian specifically mentioned this sentence to tell people, "I am rich, very rich."

Make everything as big and expensive as possible, don't worry about the cost.

Not to mention the women who were envious and looking forward to it, even Qin Keqing nodded happily upon hearing this.

Spending money is something she's an expert at and loves to do.

Grandmother Jia was all smiles.

She glanced at Baochai and Daiyu, whose heads were bowed so low that their faces were almost invisible.

Daiyu, in particular, clearly wanted to run away, but was deliberately held back by Tanchun.

So he asked the mandarin ducks beside him, "What time is it?"

"Reporting to the old lady, it will be midnight soon."

Grandmother Jia nodded, fearing that her precious granddaughter might be embarrassed, so she said to Jia Lian, "I heard that you and your husband prepared a lot of fireworks. It's getting late, so let's set them off."

"Let's finish this early so everyone can get some rest; we have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning."

Jia Lian nodded, bowed, and left.

Jia Zheng had already made all the preparations outside.

The courtyard was filled with fireworks and cannons, all ready to be lit at midnight.

Tonight, Beijing is destined to be a city that never sleeps.

……

Women, regardless of time or place, have always loved things that are dazzling and eye-catching.

As fireworks rise and explode in the sky, bursting into different sparks.

The women in the flower hall, both in front of and behind the house, all looked up with joy in their eyes.

The bold and active Shi Xiangyun even ran up to Jia Lian and insisted on setting off fireworks.

Jia Lian was initially a little worried, but seeing her jump and dance with joy after lighting a bouquet, not afraid of the deafening explosion at all, he finally felt relieved.

Seeing that Tan Chun had also come over, with a hint of eagerness in her eyes, he took another incense stick from the servants and handed it to her, saying, "Want to try it?"

Tan Chun hesitated at first, after all, she had never done it before.

However, seeing that Xiangyun was having a lot of fun, he took it and followed Jia Lian's guidance to a box of fireworks.

"Just click here."

"Ah."

Following Jia Lian's instructions, Tan Chun used the burning incense stick to touch the fuse.

However, due to her fear, she failed to light the fire despite several attempts. Seeing this, Jia Lian grabbed her hand from behind and taught her how to do it step by step.

As expected, it was easily set ablaze. Tan Chun was so startled that she immediately turned around and hid in Jia Lian's arms.

Jia Lian took two steps back while holding Tan Chun, and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, no one will get hurt. Look up quickly."

Tan Chun then removed her hands from her ears and looked up at the sky.

By this time, the sky was already lit up with plumes of fireworks. Some of these visible fireworks were set off by other households in the city, some by the Jia family, and most importantly, some were set off by her and Jia Lian together.

The emotion and happiness in my heart are beyond words.

At this moment, she was not afraid of being seen by Daiyu and the others. She quietly leaned against Jia Lian's chest and watched the fireworks in the sky.

Daiyu, of course, also witnessed this scene.

After all, she has excellent hearing and eyesight!

Although she felt a little jealous and envious, she was already incredibly embarrassed just from hearing Jia Lian ask others to help arrange the wedding ceremony in the hall earlier.

She simply didn't have the courage to get close to Jia Lian in front of everyone.

Therefore, she had no choice but to pretend not to see, cover her ears, and let Grandmother Jia protect her.

Jia Zheng also saw Jia Lian blatantly taking advantage of his daughter, but he obviously didn't care.

Seeing how well the two got along, he stroked his beard with great satisfaction.

Jia Zheng didn't care, and even if others felt that Jia Lian and his sister were too close, they wouldn't show it.

Therefore, the only one who was truly astonished throughout the entire area was Aunt Zhao, who had only recently been released from her confinement.

Because Aunt Zhao and her son caused Jia Baoyu to be bedridden for a month, they really offended Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

For the past six months, he and his mother have hardly ever left their small courtyard.

Only when the New Year was approaching and everyone in the mansion was in high spirits did she dare to sneak out to see the excitement.

Seeing her daughter nestled in Jia Lian's arms in public, she was extremely anxious.

Others may not know, but doesn't she know?

Jia Lian was not a member of the Jia family at all, and therefore not Tan Chun's brother; he was an outsider.

It's ridiculous for a young, unmarried woman to be throwing herself into the arms of a stranger.

So she quickly went to Jia Zheng's side, tugged at his sleeve, and made him look over there.

Jia Zheng glared at him fiercely, signaling her not to interfere.

It turns out that although Jia Zheng liked Aunt Zhao, he didn't spoil her to the point of doting.

She also knew that Zhao was a narrow-minded and naive person, so she did not tell her about betrothing her daughter to Jia Lian.

I'm afraid she won't be able to control her mouth and will gossip everywhere, or that she'll become even more lawless in the future because of this relationship.

However, she underestimated Aunt Zhao's abilities.

She might be confused about other things, but when it comes to matters of men and women, few could rival her in shrewdness.

Her earlier anxiety stemmed from her feeling that her daughter was shameless and feared that her actions would affect the situation and status of the three of them in the household.

Seeing that Jia Zheng clearly saw it but ignored it, I immediately realized the key information.

Her mouth gaped open, a mixture of surprise and disbelief appearing in her alluring eyes.

"Master, could it be that you intend to... take our girl away..."

"Foolish thing, let's talk about it in private."

Aunt Zhao didn't seem to mind being interrupted by Jia Zheng's questioning.

She smiled and stepped aside, her eyes fixed on the handsome man and beautiful woman in the room. The more she looked, the more she liked them, and the happier she became.

Her little mouth never closed.

……

A spectacular fireworks display lasted for almost half an hour.

During this time, Jia Zheng also had two baskets of copper coins brought out and scattered in the middle of the courtyard, which attracted countless maids and girls who were prepared in advance to scramble for them.

Their laughter and youthful smiles brought the New Year's Eve atmosphere to its peak.

However, all good things must come to an end.

Even the most spectacular show eventually comes to an end.

After the last firework exploded in the sky, Aunt Xue and her daughter, who had long intended to leave but had been forcibly persuaded to stay, finally said goodbye and went home.

Jia Lian personally saw them off before returning to Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia and the others have already returned to their respective homes.

On the contrary, the sisters were still radiant and seemed to want more.

After all, they won't need to get up early tomorrow.

Seeing that Jia Zheng had arranged everything properly, Jia Lian had no intention of lingering. He asked someone to inform Grandmother Jia, and then, with his sisters and maids who were waiting for him, he set off on the road back to the garden.

"Second brother, you haven't told me the joke about losing to me yet!"

Everyone found it quite amusing to see Xiangyun suddenly grab Jia Lian again.

Jia Lian was speechless; this girl still remembered this.

Seeing the expectant looks on the faces of the girls around him, Jia Lian, who had no intention of denying it, immediately decided to keep his promise.

However, upon seeing Xiangyun's auspicious and wealthy baby face, and her tightly gripping her sleeve with a charmingly naive expression that seemed to say "You dare to cheat, I will never allow it,"...

Suddenly, the urge to tease her arose in his mind again.

So he abandoned the joke he had prepared and asked with a laugh, "You really want to hear it?"

"Of course! Tell me, tell me quickly."

Jia Lian chuckled and said, "Alright, you're the one who insisted on hearing a joke, so listen carefully."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately surrounded Jia Lian in the middle of the main road with great anticipation.

Even Xiangyun subconsciously let go of Jia Lian's arm, tilting her head back to listen to what kind of joke Jia Lian was going to tell that would make everyone laugh.

Although there's no longer a chance to be forced to drink a penalty shot, if it's not funny, she can simply deny it and have Jia Lian tell another one at the next gathering.

"Once upon a time, there was a young lady from a wealthy family who was very beautiful and lovely."

His personality is very unconventional, which often gives his parents a headache.

One day, she went to the street with her maid to buy rouge, and was spotted by a wealthy young man who was immediately struck by her beauty.

The wealthy young man, his heart fluttering, stepped forward and politely said, "My name is Cai Fengsheng from Yingchuan. May I ask your honorable surname, young lady?"

The young lady glanced at the wealthy young man, then replied without looking up, "It's hard to say; I'm afraid you'll want to eat it if I tell you."

The young master was greatly surprised and asked with delight, "Could it be that you, young lady, also share the surname Cai, and are from the same clan as me?"

Seeing the young lady shake her head, the young master asked again, "Is her surname Fan?"

Annoyed by the questions, the young lady finally replied, "Neither. My surname is Shi."

When Xiangyun heard the names "Cai" and "Fan", she realized something was wrong.

As soon as Jia Lian finished speaking, her face immediately turned red with embarrassment.

However, everyone else was already laughing out loud.

Yingchun, seeing that Xiangyun looked like she was about to cry, quickly said coquettishly, "Brother, how can you tell jokes like that? It's too much..."

Yingchun originally meant to say that it was too indecent.

But I also feel that it's not very good to say it like that. Why is the surname Shi (史) considered inelegant?

Although Daiyu also felt that Jia Lian's words were uncivilized, she felt quite pleased to see her hateful younger sister Xiangyun's face turn red with anger.

Therefore, he added, "A joke doesn't have to be good or bad; as long as it's appropriate for the occasion, it will make people laugh."

"Right? A beautiful, lovely, and quirky young lady from a wealthy family?"

Daiyu deliberately circled around Xiangyun, scrutinizing her.

Xiangyun finally couldn't take it anymore. She glared fiercely at Jia Lian, then stomped her foot and cursed, "You wicked Second Brother Lian, I'm never talking to you again!"

After saying that, he abandoned even his personal maid and ran quickly into the garden.

Embarrassed, Xiangyun ran away. Seeing that Jia Lian seemed somewhat smug, Daiyu chuckled and said, "You have the nerve to laugh? If you have such a good joke, why didn't you tell it in front of the old lady just now?"

Clearly, Daiyu had only temporarily sided with Jia Lian to spite Xiangyun.

In fact, she was also very dissatisfied with Jia Lian's "joke".

Jia Lian was not afraid of Daiyu's gaze, and still said with a smile, "I'm just afraid that the old lady is too old, and it would be bad if she laughed too hard."

"Is it?"

Daiyu glanced at Jia Lian with a half-smile, then said nothing, called to her maid Zijuan, and left on her own.

The other sisters and maids, who were initially unable to suppress their laughter, realized from Daiyu's words that the joke might not be funny, and thus hurriedly held it in.

After Daiyu left, Tan Chun dared to approach Jia Lian and scolded him, "Second Brother, that joke was really inappropriate. If it gets to the old lady's ears, what will she think?"

Jia Lian didn't care and casually said, "It's just a joke, what could she possibly think?"

Seeing this, everyone had no intention of lingering on the matter and began asking Jia Lian about his plans for the New Year.

Yes, it's Chinese New Year again.

It would be even more fun if Brother Lian could stay home and celebrate the New Year with everyone this year. (End of Chapter)