The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Neither Baochai nor Daiyu ever went into the kitchen.

However, with so many maids and servants assisting them, it wouldn't be difficult for them to prepare a few simple dishes.

Moreover, with no one else around today, watching the dishes come out of the oven through their hard work is both fun and something to be proud of.

After setting all the prepared dishes in the dining room, Baochai was about to ask Ying'er to call Jia Lian.

Daiyu said, "Sister Bao, let's go call...our husband together."

Baochai nodded, and the two sisters walked hand in hand toward their boudoir.

As soon as they reached the inner room, they heard Jia Lian moaning softly inside, sounding as if he were enjoying himself immensely.

After exchanging a glance with Baochai, Daiyu felt a sudden discomfort in her heart.

She thought to herself that she and Baochai had worked so hard, going to great lengths to cook for him. And yet, in such a short time, he was already bullying her with Zijuan again?

Are all men this lustful?

Just as she was about to shake off Baochai's hand and leave, Baochai shook her head and then pulled her into the house.

On the spacious bed, Jia Lian was lying face down, hugging a pillow.

On him, Zijuan, barefoot, was struggling to balance herself, huffing and puffing as she massaged his back.

It's unclear how long Jia Lian had been ordering Zijuan around, but Zijuan's forehead was starting to sweat.

She had somehow stripped down to just two thin pieces of clothing.

With her swaying movements, her chest bounced and jiggled, highlighting her ample figure.

Baochai smiled knowingly at Daiyu before reminding her, "Husband, the meal is ready, you can eat now."

"Oh, it's done so quickly?" Jia Lian turned around.

Jia Lian's surprise made both Baochai and Daiyu feel somewhat ashamed.

They were brought by Jia Lian early in the morning, and almost as soon as Jia Lian left, they decided to cook a meal for him themselves.

After all, Jia Lian had done so much for them, yet they rarely had the opportunity to repay him.

So, from selecting the recipe to confirming the ingredients in the kitchen, if anything was missing, the servants would immediately go to the market to buy it.

This whole process took nearly two hours to complete!
Of course, if Baochai were in charge, the efficiency wouldn't be so low.

The main reason is that today is Daiyu's day, and Daiyu is a new scholar, so Baochai naturally wouldn't steal the spotlight. She voluntarily assisted Daiyu, and very few dishes were prepared by her.

"Alright, you can get down now. Not bad, you've improved in both your hand and foot techniques. Next time you have time, give me a proper lesson."

Jia Lian rolled over, stretched his shoulders and arms, and said to the technician Zijuan with great satisfaction.

Zijuan was already feeling a bit sore from exhaustion, but upon hearing Jia Lian's praise, she suddenly felt energized again.

Daiyu and Baochai helped Jia Lian get up, put on his coat, and straightened his headdress. Then, they flanked Jia Lian on either side as they led him to the dining hall.

"Wow, not bad at all. I thought you'd just throw something together, but this is quite a feast!"

Jia Lian's exaggerated tone made Daiyu, who was still a little nervous about the exam, feel a bit embarrassed. She scolded him, "Baojie and I just made it casually. Let me make it clear beforehand, you're not allowed to complain if it's not delicious."

"Are you kidding me? Just by looking at it, I know it tastes pretty good. Don't try to fool me."

Without needing any maids to serve him, Jia Lian simply pulled out the chair in the main seat and plopped down in it.

Looking at the small table of colorful and exquisitely presented dishes, Jia Lian nodded secretly.

Three-delicacy soup, crab meat soup, Yangzhou fried rice, celery and eel shreds...

As expected of dishes made by two girls from Jiangnan, at first glance they are mostly Jiangnan cuisine.

Baochai personally ladled half a bowl of soup in front of Jia Lian and said with a smile, "Husband, please try this soup first. It was made by Lin Daiyu herself. Every ingredient and seasoning was personally selected, washed, chopped, and put into the pot by Lin Daiyu."

Daiyu blushed slightly upon hearing this.

Baochai's detailed explanation made it hard for her not to feel that Baochai was implying that she was slow and inefficient.

Jia Lian didn't understand, but his eyes lit up when he heard this. He took the porcelain bowl and began to taste the Jiangzhe-style three-delicacy soup with the spoon.

Hmm, it's not even prickly yet.

Jia Lian looked at Daiyu with a surprised and unexpected expression.

"It's good, very fresh and delicious."

As Jia Lian spoke, he threw down the spoon and drank the soup in one gulp.

Daiyu immediately smiled with satisfaction, and put some shredded eel into Jia Lian's bowl using the serving bowl and chopsticks. She then imitated Baochai's tone and said, "You should also try this dish. It was made by Sister Bao herself. She personally controlled every step of the process, and no one else interfered."

Jia Lian chuckled, picked it up and tasted it, nodding in agreement: "Mmm, not bad, very fragrant."

After saying that, seeing that Baochai and Daiyu still hadn't sat down, she immediately gestured, "You all sit down and eat. What are you standing for? Hurry up and sit down and eat with me."

"Okay, move the fried rice over here for me."

While Daiyu was serving fried rice to Jia Lian, Baochai turned to the maids and servants and said, "Two of you stay here, and the rest of you can take turns going down to eat. You don't all need to stand."

Although the inner kitchen was occupied by Daiyu and Baochai, there was still a kitchen in the outer courtyard.

Daiyu had already instructed that food be prepared for the maids and servants outside, because she knew that the inner kitchen would not be able to free up food in a short time.

"Yes."

The maids and servants all knew that today was the day for Lady Lin and Lady Xue to curry favor with Jia Lian, so they had no reason to exist.

Everyone consciously refrained from approaching the table.

After tasting the decent-looking fried rice, Daiyu served Jia Lian some more dishes.

Jia Lian glanced at it and actually shook his head: "I don't eat lotus root."

Daiyu was taken aback. It wasn't the first time she had known Jia Lian, so how could she not know that Jia Lian didn't eat lotus root?

"Eating lotus root makes you ugly," Jia Lian explained.

Daiyu's face immediately darkened slightly.

Although she had never learned pinyin, Daiyu could still understand the "fun" in the three characters simply by putting them together.

"Forget it if you don't eat!"

Daiyu angrily withdrew her hand, originally intending to eat it herself.

But looking at the lotus root slices I was holding with my chopsticks, I couldn't help but think of those three words, and I just couldn't bring myself to take a bite.

Baochai watched from the side and laughed.

She knew that Daiyu really liked lotus root, and this stir-fried lotus root was the only completely vegetarian dish on the table.

Yes, it was made by Daiyu.

"Okay, he's just teasing you, don't take it seriously. Lotus root... lotus root is a very healthy food, eating more of it is good for your health."

As Baochai spoke, she placed a slice of lotus root on Jia Lian's and Daiyu's plates, and then took one for herself, tasting it as a way to give them a way out.

Jia Lian smiled and ate the lotus root.

Daiyu's expression softened, and she decided not to argue with Jia Lian, but she also remembered the connection between lotus root and good looks.

A meal, enhanced by the beauty's affection and its alluring appearance.

Jia Lian devoured the five dishes and two soups almost in a flash!

To be fair, although these seven dishes are much simpler than those made by the chef of Rongguo Mansion, and the flavors are not particularly rich, they are still quite good overall.

The fact that Daiyu and Baochai cooked together to prepare dishes for him was a sentiment that no food could compare to.

Of course, the main reason was that it was Daiyu and Baochai who made the gift, focusing on exquisiteness and using relatively small quantities. Otherwise, even if he wanted to express his appreciation for the beauty's feelings, he wouldn't have dared to use such a method.

Baochai, Daiyu, and even the maids who had been rotated back were stunned.

Of the many dishes on the table, Baochai and Daiyu ate very little; the rest went into Jia Lian's stomach.

In other words, Master Lian's appetite is more than five times that of Lady Xiang and Lady Xue.
Master Lian, this is way too much! Is it really that delicious?

The maids swallowed hard, a little disappointed that they hadn't had the chance to taste the cooking of their two beautiful and talented mistresses.

Seeing Daiyu glance at his stomach unconsciously, Jia Lian took a step back in his chair, casually patted his slightly rounded belly, and laughed:

"I haven't eaten this much in a long time."

"Luckily you only made seven dishes. If you had made any more, my stomach would probably be as big as your Sister Feng's."

Upon hearing this, the two maids couldn't help but chuckle.

Daiyu said with a mixture of concern and disdain, "You... I didn't say you had to finish eating. Are you alright?"

If a dignified Duke were to die from overeating, it would be a huge joke if word got out.

"It's alright...no, I feel a bit uncomfortable, can you rub it for me?"

Because Daiyu and Baochai were sitting very close to each other, Jia Lian easily took Daiyu's small hands and placed them on his stomach.

Although Daiyu was somewhat reluctant, she was worried that Jia Lian would really be overwhelmed, so she reluctantly bent down and gently stroked Jia Lian's belly to relieve the pressure.

Jia Lian then turned around and took Baochai's hand.

Although Baochai could tell that Jia Lian was alright, she didn't want to expose him. She simply placed one of her jade-like hands on Jia Lian's stomach and gently rubbed it.

"A little lower."

Jia Lian's original intention was simply to tease Daiyu, seeing how attentive and concerned she was.

Unexpectedly, he moved too quickly and grabbed Daiyu's small hand too far, almost touching a sensitive area.

Although they didn't touch, Daiyu was clearly aware of her embarrassment. Her face flushed slightly, she glared at Jia Lian, and withdrew her arm.

By this time, most of the maids had returned.

Those who should leave should leave, and those who should serve their masters with washing and tea should serve them with washing and tea.

After a process that was much simpler than what was done in Grandmother Jia's dining room, Daiyu asked, "Would you like to rest for a while?"

Daiyu mainly asked Baochai.

Actually, she was very touched today.

To be fair, if she were Baochai, she would find it very difficult to accept visiting other women's homes on such a special day.

Moreover, Baochai not only came, but also showed no signs of unusualness or displeasure throughout the entire event.

You could even say he took good care of her, truly like an older sister.

He helped her cook for Jia Lian, giving this house, which originally had no relatives, a real sense of home.

Baochai treated her so well, so she should naturally reciprocate.

The implication of this question is that it's time to go to Baochai's family home.

Aunt Xue must be getting impatient waiting for her daughter.

Jia Lian could actually understand what Daiyu meant.

After all, Daiyu had previously said that she didn't have to go back to her parents' home, or that she could go back a day later.

Since there's no one left in the Lin family, it doesn't matter whether she goes back or not.

The main reason is that she doesn't want to accompany Baochai on her homecoming visit!

However, after Jia Lian's persuasion, she finally agreed to share half a day with Baochai.

We came to her place first, had lunch there, and then went to the Xue family for dinner.

"I'm a bit too full, I really need to rest."

Jia Lian stood up, looked at the two stunningly beautiful ladies who walked up to him, and smiled:

"I am deeply grateful for the kindness of the two ladies in preparing such a sumptuous lunch for me."

"As is customary, I should also properly reward my two ladies!"

Daiyu asked warily, "What do you want to do?"

Jia Lian chuckled, bent down and hugged Daiyu's legs, ignoring her resistance, and steadily lifted her into the crook of his left arm.

"Let's go, I'll give you two ladies a massage to help with your digestion."

Seeing Jia Lian carrying Daiyu and approaching her, Baochai quickly stepped back: "No, I can walk by myself..."

Jia Lian ignored them and, in front of all the maids, put his arm around Baochai in the same way, and sat on either side of Daiyu in her arms.

"What are you doing? Let go..."

Looking at the shy faces of the two beauties nestled in his arms, Jia Lian felt extremely pleased.

He had wanted to try this for a long time.

For this reason, he even used Ping'er and Qingwen as tools to train them several times.

He wouldn't stop until he was sure he could easily lift both of them.

Yes, it's easier, lighter, and more enjoyable than I imagined.

To avoid upsetting the beauty, Jia Lian didn't dare to be too swayed. With a light laugh, he stepped forward and carried Daiyu and Baochai back to their room through the back door.

Behind him, he could hear the maids' surprised and snickering voices.

Of course, there were also expressions of envy and admiration.

They envied the two mistresses, admired Jia Lian's carefree demeanor, strong physique, and powerful arms...

Both Daiyu and Baochai were extremely thin-skinned.

Without a good reason or excuse, it would be wishful thinking to try to bring them together.

Fortunately, the wedding day started off very well.

So when Jia Lian held Daiyu and Baochai this time, even though they were only inches apart, they only blushed and did not show any anger or resistance.

They seemed to genuinely believe that Jia Lian intended to take them back to give them massages and help them digest.

They wrapped their arms around Jia Lian's neck and shoulders, buried their heads in his chest, and pretended not to see each other.

It wasn't until Jia Lian stopped that they realized they had arrived at Daiyu's boudoir and were standing before her bed.

Looking at the familiar bed from their memories, Daiyu and Baochai had different thoughts.

For Daiyu, this bed was prepared for her by her father when he was still alive.

It truly represents her childhood and teenage years, and has special significance.

For Baochai, it was even simpler and more direct.

How could she forget that Jia Lian had tricked her into coming here and taken her virginity!

Now, revisiting this place, with Daiyu, the main character, beside her, Baochai couldn't help but feel guilty and ashamed.

So neither of them spoke.

Even after Jia Lian put them down, they just hung their heads, like quails waiting to be slaughtered.

Seeing this, Jia Lian was secretly delighted, but dared not show it, for fear of alerting the enemy.

"My two dear sisters, how can I give you a massage if you're standing like this?"

"Quick, lie down on the bed."

As Jia Lian spoke, he first helped the easily angered Daiyu sit on the bed, and then Baochai.

Before they could react, he knelt down and removed the four embroidered shoes from both pairs in one swift motion. As he helped them to bed, he stood beside the bed, using his strong body as a barrier to prevent anyone from escaping. (End of Chapter)