The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 578 The remaining lotus leaves are left to listen to the sound of rain

There is no need to elaborate on how Jia Yingchun and her relatives met each other after she returned home. Yingchun moved back to Zhuijin Pavilion, Li Wan also moved back to Daoxiang Village, and even Jia Rong's wife Qin Keqing moved to the garden. The Grand View Garden returned to its former bustle, except for Ouxiangxie and Aojing Pavilion, which were still deserted.

Since discovering that Shi Xiangyun was not in the Jiaofangsi, Jia Huan had sent people to look for her everywhere, and even personally asked the person in charge of the search and seizure of Shi's house, but there was no news of Shi Xiangyun. The only thing that was certain was that Shi Xiangyun was still at home on the night the city was broken. When the soldiers came to search the house the next day, Shi Xiangyun and her personal maid Cuilu both disappeared, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth. Although the capital was large, it was really strange that two weak women could run away to where in the chaos outside!
In addition, Jia Xichun, who was practicing Buddhism in Shuiyue Temple outside the city, also disappeared. However, all signs indicate that Jia Xichun left on her own. Perhaps she was afraid of being implicated by her brother Jia Zhen, or perhaps she had really seen through the world and was determined to become a monk, so she deliberately hid herself and completely cut off contact with the Jia family.

In the blink of an eye, it was October of the eighth year of Qiansheng's reign. The purge after Emperor Qiansheng suppressed the rebellion was basically over. Those who should be killed were killed, and those who should be demoted were demoted. The entire court structure was completely renewed. There were only a few old noble families who founded the Jin Dynasty left. The bigwigs of the cabinet and the six ministries were almost all replaced by new faces, and the new scholars quickly took over.

However, although the people of the capital had ended their days of fear, their hard times were far from over. The losses caused by this brutal coup were incalculable, and its destructive power was still lingering.

First of all, the elite troops of the Beijing Army suffered heavy losses, both in terms of personnel and equipment, and it was inevitable that the national defense strength would be severely weakened.

Secondly, too many people died and the economic losses were incalculable, and it would take several years to recover.

Secondly, the Tongzhou warehouse was burned, and there was a serious food shortage. Although grain was urgently transferred from various places, it was difficult to have any effect in the short term. The grain price in the capital city was high, the people were unable to get enough food, and public security was still very chaotic.

Of course, there is also good news. The Tongzhou warehouse is being rebuilt at an accelerated pace, the Tianjin Wei City Port Tizhu Office has been officially established, and the first foreign merchant ship loaded with grain for trade has arrived at the port a few days ago. I believe that the food shortage in the capital area will soon be alleviated.

This day was a day off, and it was a rare occasion that Jia Huan slept until he woke up naturally. It must be said that attending the morning court every day was too tiring. He had to get up at three or four in the morning and only have three days off a month, which was no less blessed than the 996 work schedule. The only advantage was that the court was closed early, and if there was no special task, he could leave before four in the afternoon.

Jia Huan got up and washed and dressed himself with the help of Qingwen. This maid had made great progress. She used to be unwilling to get involved in such personal service work, but now, if Ping'er and Mandalin were not available, Qingwen would take on the task of helping someone take a bath.

At this time, Qingwen was helping Jia Huan comb his hair and put it into a bun. She seemed to be in a good mood and hummed a little tune. Jia Huan smiled and asked, "Where is Sister Ping'er?"

"He was here just now, so he should go out now."

"Oh, why isn't Mandarin here?"

Qingwen immediately put down the comb and said, "I'll go find it for you, Third Master."

Jia Huan quickly grabbed Qingwen's hand and said with a smile, "What are you busy about? I was just asking in vain, and you got mad again."

Qingwen burst out laughing when she heard this, then immediately put on a straight face and sneered, "Who's mad? The Third Master asked about Ping'er one moment, and then asked where Mandarin was the next. It turns out that if they can't serve you well, they will naturally go find someone who can serve you better."

Jia Huan said with a smile: "I don't complain that you don't serve me well. When will you change your firecracker-like temper?"

Qingwen's charming eyes turned, and she leaned close to Jia Huan's ear and sneered, "My temper is innate and cannot be changed. If you can bear it, then bear it. If you can't bear it, then drive me away as soon as possible, otherwise you will have to bear it."

It’s a provocation, a naked provocation, I can’t tolerate it!

Jia Huan reached back and grabbed Qingwen's soft waist. The latter cried out softly and was pushed down on her knees by Jia Huan. Then she was hit hard on the buttocks twice, making two crisp slapping sounds.

"If you don't beat him for three days, he will climb up to the roof and tear off the tiles. I'll give him a warning and serve as a warning to others." Jia Huan said with a smile as he let go of his hand.

Qingwen blushed with shame, but surprisingly she did not retaliate. She just tidied her messy hair and continued to comb Jia Huan's hair in silence.

Jia Huan was secretly wondering, has this maid changed her nature? The next moment he felt a pain in his ear. It turned out that the maid bent over and bit his earlobe.

Jia Huan screamed and begged for mercy, "Good sister, please spare me."

Qingwen loosened the force on her mouth but did not let go. She just looked at Jia Huan in the mirror with a smug look. Her pearly teeth showing and her beautiful smile made her look both cunning and charming. She even deliberately ground her teeth.

Hiss...

Jia Huan sucked in a breath of cold air and almost cried out in comfort. This maid was as fiery as a flamingo and as seductive as a vixen when she was coquettish.

"Sister Qingwen, what are you doing?"

At this moment, a childish voice sounded behind them, startling both Jia Huan and Qingwen.

Qingwen quickly opened her mouth and turned around, only to see Qiaojie's little head poking out from behind the door curtain, blinking her big black and white eyes, her little face full of curiosity.

Qingwen's face instantly turned red, and she wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in. But Jia was thick-skinned. He coughed lightly and said nonchalantly, "Just now, the sand narrowed my eyes, and Qingwen blew it away for me." Qiaojie scratched her little face with her fingers and said shyly, "Uncle Huan is so old and still lies. Sister Qingwen was clearly biting your ear just now. Sister Ping'er, come quickly, Uncle Huan was lying just now!"

Oh my god! Jia Huan almost fell down. What a little brat!

At this time, Ping'er came in from outside, picked up Qiaojie and said, "Qiao girl, let's go out and play."

"No, no, no, Uncle Huan is telling you a story." Qiaojie shook her head like a wave drum.

Ping'er and Qingwen were extremely embarrassed, but Jia was the one who remained calm and coaxed them, "Qiaojie, wait outside for a while. Uncle Huan will come out and tell you a story after he finishes combing your hair."

Only then did Qiaojie nod and was carried out of the inner room by Ping'er. Qingwen quickly combed Jia Huan's hair into a bun, put a square scarf on him, and then fled like the wind.

As soon as Jia Huan walked out of the room, Qiaojie immediately pestered him to tell her a story.

Since Jia Lian was exiled, Jia Huan has taken extra care of Qiaojie, who is less than four years old. Sometimes when he returns home from work, he will bring her some snacks or toys from the street. So the little girl is especially close to him now. As long as she knows he is at home, she will clamor to find her uncle Huan, and Wang Xifeng can do nothing about it.

Wang Xifeng was now also consigned to the status of a slave, and Jia Lian divorced her. Although she still lived in the Jia family, she was no longer the master, and her family was exterminated. Jia's mother probably thought that Wang Ziteng was the culprit of this great disaster, so she also disliked Wang Xifeng.

Therefore, Wang Xifeng's current position in the Jia family is quite awkward. She is neither a wife nor a concubine. In addition, she is vicious and forced You Erjie to death. No one wants to get close to her. Wang Xifeng seems to have been banished to the cold palace and has become a transparent existence. It's quite pitiful!

Of course, as the saying goes, there must be something hateful about pitiful people. Wang Xifeng had brought such a fate upon herself. Ping'er was kind-hearted. After all, she had served Wang Xifeng for many years. Out of gratitude for the old friendship, she would remember to leave some food and daily necessities for Wang Xifeng, and would help take care of Qiaojie when she was free.

Today, Jia Huan was on leave at home, so Ping'er took the initiative to bring Qiaojie to Yueweiju to play. As a result, the little girl ran fast and happened to see Qingwen biting Jia Huan's ear. Fortunately, the girl, who was only three or four years old, did not understand adult games and only wanted Uncle Huan to tell her stories.

Let's get back to the point. Jia Huan was talking to Qiao Jie about the girl when Jia Tanchun's maid Cui Mo came in and said with a smile, "The osmanthus flowers in Guiyuan are in full bloom. They will all be picked and sold in the next few days. Our girl said that while the Third Master is taking a day off today, please go to Guiyuan to enjoy the osmanthus."

Jia Huan immediately became interested when he heard this, and said with a smile, "Third sister is quite in a good mood, have you informed Sister Lin, Sister Bao, and Sister Qin?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin and Jia Yingchun walked in. Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Brother Huan, you are the last one to know."

Xue Baochai glanced at Jia Huan with a smile, then took Qiaojie in her arms to play with her.

Jia Huan smiled and said, "There is no time to lose. Let's go and enjoy the osmanthus."

Everyone left Yueweiju and headed towards Guiyuan. When they passed Qinfang Pond, Qiaojie clamored to take a boat ride, so Jia Huan ordered the servants to paddle the boat over so that everyone could get on board for the trip.

There were originally many lotus flowers planted in the Qinfang Pond. But in late autumn, the lotus leaves had already withered, leaving only some lonely stems standing in the water, blocking the boats' progress.

"Uncle Huan, these things are so disgusting, just pull them all out!" Qiaojie said angrily.

Jia Huan glanced at Jia Tanchun and said with a smile, "In a couple of days your third aunt will ask someone to pick the lotus roots and sell them for money. She will naturally pull them out then."

Lin Daiyu sighed softly, "My favorite line from Li Yishan's poem is: I wanted to leave the withered lotus leaves to listen to the sound of rain, but you didn't stay."

Jia Huan immediately said, "Then keep it."

Xue Baoqin said with a smile: "Why don't we all just not go to Guiyuan to appreciate the osmanthus."

Jia Tanchun asked curiously, "Why?"

Xue Baoqin joked, "Sister Lin said one thing, and you, Third Sister, have lost a large sum of money. If Sister Lin likes the osmanthus flowers and doesn't allow us to pick them, won't we lose another sum?"

All the girls burst out laughing. Lin Daiyu's cheeks immediately turned red. Xue Baochai tried to smooth things over by saying, "You can still pick the lotus roots. The remaining dead leaves and stems can be put back into the pond without affecting the withered lotus leaves listening to the rain."

Everyone said that this method was wonderful, and they rowed a boat in the pond and went ashore to admire the osmanthus flowers.

It’s time to start a new volume, so let’s make a transition.

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(End of this chapter)