The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 757 Bet
Before they knew it, it was already the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. During this time, the Jia family was either hosting banquets or on their way to banquets. As the adult male head of the household and the pillar of the family, Jia Huan naturally couldn't avoid attending these social events. This is what they mean by "being caught in the web of human relationships, one is not in control of one's own destiny." Since ancient times, interpersonal relationships have been an indispensable part of Chinese life.

During this time, the entire Jia family was busy preparing for the marriage of Jia Huan and Daiyu, with proper betrothal and the six rites and three letters required. Because of the tight wedding schedule, complicated ceremonies, and numerous preparations, everyone from masters to servants was extremely busy.

It is worth mentioning that when Jia Huan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dingyuan, Emperor Qiansheng also bestowed upon him a mansion, which was the Ningguo Mansion next door. Back then, Jia Zhen and Jia She participated in the restoration of the Emperor, and after the failure, they were beheaded and their property confiscated. The Ningguo Mansion was naturally turned over to the national treasury, and now it has been returned to the Jia family.

Now they have a wedding house, and it's a mansion of the level of a duke's mansion. The key is that it's also close by, located right next to the Grand View Garden, which is convenient for weddings and such. They can knock down the wall and open another gate, so that Baochai and Daiyu can directly visit the garden. It couldn't be better.

The next day, Jia Zheng hired a construction team. Well, Old Man Zheng was originally an official in the Ministry of Works, and he had been doing this for more than ten years. He was quite familiar with this field and had a lot of connections. Even though it was the New Year, he easily found an experienced construction team to work overtime to renovate Ningguo Mansion.

The Ningguo Mansion was originally built according to the specifications of a Duke's Mansion. Jia Huan is now only a Marquis. Some things that exceed his status should be demolished or changed as appropriate. Otherwise, he will be impeached by someone with ulterior motives, which will cause a lot of trouble.

Because there were too many places that needed to be demolished and renovated, Jia Zheng was worried that there wouldn't be enough time. The leader of the construction team was also in a difficult position, since the construction period was too tight. Just then, Emperor Qiansheng issued a very considerate decree, allowing the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion to retain its original scale. Later, Jia Huan learned that it was Jia Yuanchun who had secretly helped him.

With the emperor's approval, the problem was solved instantly. The construction team only needed to renovate the Ningguo Mansion inside and out, replace the facade, and open a side gate connecting the mansion to the Grand View Garden. There was plenty of time available.

Now, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, having finished entertaining all the guests and visiting all the relatives, friends, and teachers, Jia Huan could finally relax for a day.

After days of feasting and drinking, with plenty of meat and fish, Jia Huan is now a bit "sensitive" to meat. So this morning he only had a bowl of millet porridge and took a walk in the garden while the sun was shining.

Since they couldn't meet before the wedding, Jia Huan couldn't go to Hengwu Garden to talk to Sister Bao, nor could he go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to whisper sweet nothings to Sister Lin. So he could only wander aimlessly in the garden, and ended up bumping into Jia Baoyu. Quite boring, the big-faced Baoyu didn't even greet him, turned around and walked away down a side path, pretending not to see him.

Jia Huan was speechless, but he could understand Da Lian Bao's feelings. He, the illegitimate son who had transmigrated, had stolen away both Baochai and Lin Daiyu.

Originally, Jia Huan thought that Da Lian Bao and Miao Yu could get together, since they shared similar interests. Unexpectedly, Miao Yu suddenly moved away. It was unknown whether it was because of Jin Chuan'er's suicide attempt that affected her opinion of Da Lian Bao.

As Jia Huan pondered this, he unknowingly arrived at the front of the Longcui Nunnery. At this time, the red plum blossoms in the nunnery were still in full bloom, and the nunnery gate was open and unattended.

Jia Huan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not go in. Miaoyu was aloof and had a high degree of mysophobia. Even though she had moved away, Jia Huan still kept his distance from the places she used to live and continued walking towards the Tubi Villa on the mountain.

Tubi Villa is the highest point in the entire Grand View Garden. Standing on it, you can even see the Imperial City, offering a very wide view.

Although the weather was still cold, the sun was shining brightly today and the sky was a clear blue. Jia Huan suddenly became interested and sat on a stone bench to bask in the sun, taking out a jade flute and playing it gently.

The piece Jia Huan was playing at this moment was called "Three Variations on Plum Blossom," a very classic piece. The first half was melodious and lonely, while the second half was like a plum blossom braving the snow and cold. The soaring sound of the flute carried on the morning breeze and could be heard from a great distance.

At this moment, in the Aojing Pavilion at the foot of the mountain, Xue Baoqin was playing with Qiao Jie'er when she heard the sound of the flute and couldn't help but listen intently. After listening for a while, a sly glint flashed in Xue Baoqin's bright eyes, and she smiled and said, "Qiao Jie'er, how about I make a bet with you?"

Qiao Jie'er is the daughter of Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng. Her full name is Jia Qiao Jie. She is only six or seven years old this year, but she is born with red lips and white teeth, and her eyes are as black as lacquer. She is like a carved jade, and she has completely inherited the handsome genes of her parents.

Qiao Jie'er is also a pitiful person. Her father, Jia Lian, was exiled, and her mother, Wang Xifeng, died a few years ago. Now she is being raised by Lady Wang. She often runs to the Grand View Garden to play with her aunts.

In the past two years, Yingchun got married, Baochai and Daiyu went to Hami, Tanchun had to take charge of things, and Xichun was rather aloof and cold, so she usually played with Qiaojie the most with Baoqin.

Xue Baoqin was lively and clever, and Qiaojie gradually learned to be quirky and mischievous from her, becoming much more lively and cheerful than before. She tilted her little head and asked, "What kind of bet does Aunt Qin want to make?"

Baoqin laughed and said, "I bet the person playing the flute right now is your Uncle Huan. If I'm right, you have to do something for me."

Qiao Jie nodded and said, "Okay, but what if Aunt Qin guesses wrong?"

"Aunt Qin also promised to do something for you."

"Okay, pinky promise!" Qiao Jie'er innocently stretched out her little finger.

Xue Baoqin also extended her little finger and made a pinky promise with Qiao Jie'er, saying with a smile, "You little hussy, you're definitely going to lose this time. You can't go back on your word later, or you'll be a mangy dog."

Qiao Jie pouted: "I don't know who always likes to renege on their promise. The kaleidoscope I promised to buy for them last time is still nowhere to be seen!"

The two maids following behind her covered their mouths and chuckled. Xue Baose's pretty face flushed slightly, and she huffed, "Aunt Qin isn't being unreasonable, she'll just buy it for you later. She'll buy it as soon as she gets her monthly salary. You little hussy, you're such a stingy person, still thinking about something that happened two months ago."

Qiao Jie'er blushed and said shyly, "Aunt Qin is so shameless. She still has the nerve to say it happened two months ago. It's been two months. She's clearly being a liar."

Xue Baoqin couldn't help but laugh, and said with a smile, "Why bring up that sore subject? Are you going to gamble or not? If you don't gamble, then the peep show and the kaleidoscope will be gone."

"Let's go then!" Qiao Jie skipped and hopped up the stone steps toward the mountain.

(End of this chapter)