Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 436: There is still a chance to maintain the relationship

"You don't have to thank me. I didn't help you." Jia Lian finally spoke to Xue Pan. Anyone could feel his indifference and lack of appreciation.

"I know! No matter what, you were the one who saved me." Xue Pan's answer made the listeners a little confused. Why was the conversation between these two people so illogical?

Jia Lian said nothing more. He looked at Wang Xifeng and said, "You receive me. I have something to do and I'll leave first."

After saying this, Jia Lian walked away, leaving the room full of people. The Xue family members felt embarrassed, but they didn't want to just leave.

Xue Baochai looked at Jia Lian's back and said, "Farewell, Second Brother Lian!"

Jia Lian did not look back, paused slightly, and continued to walk out. Xue Baochai smiled slightly, as if she had gained something.

After Wang Xifeng and the others had gone far away, she stepped forward and said to Xue Pan, who was still kneeling, "Everyone has left, get up. I don't know what you did wrong to offend him."

This statement is somewhat to save face for the Xue family. I can only say one thing: everyone has different perspectives on understanding.

In Jia Lian's opinion, Xue Pan clinging to the Wang family is understandable, at most he is just trying to save face, they are relatives after all. But Xue Pan selling opium is unforgivable.

Xue Pan stood up and said, "Brother Lian is a very particular person! I must have done something wrong."

Wang Xifeng said, "It's getting late, I won't keep you any longer."

The three members of the Xue family said goodbye and went back to the north courtyard. Xue Pan said to the mother and daughter, "Do you know why I came here to kneel and thank you?"

Aunt Xue looked confused, but Baochai smiled and said, "Since it concerns the Second Prince, no one in Shuntian Mansion dares to be careless. The Wang family didn't even see my brother's people when they went there, but Jia Rong from the East Mansion could see people when he went there. It can be seen that in the capital, the face of the Jia Mansion is more useful. To put it bluntly, the face of the Jia Mansion is the face of Second Brother Lian. The Xue family is a relative of the Jia family, and the Second Prince is also a little afraid of it. Second Brother Lian should not have lied. He did nothing, but he was more effective than all those who were busy running around."

Xue Pan felt depressed after hearing this. Baochai had said all the right things, which was the root of his depression. But Jia Lian was acting as if they didn't owe each other anything, which made him feel uncomfortable.

Baochai saw Xue Pan's mood and comforted him, "Second Brother Lian still recognizes this relative. I will find a reason to meet him tomorrow."

Aunt Xue couldn't help but stop her when she heard this: "How can you, a young girl who has never left the boudoir, go to meet a man? You might even have to talk to him alone. How can you get married if the news gets out?"

Xue Pan was delighted when he heard this and said, "This is a good idea, sister!"

Aunt Xue's face suddenly changed when she heard this, and she scolded, "How can you treat your brother like this?"

Xue Pan was not afraid of Aunt Xue and sneered, "It's better than letting my sister enter the palace. The Xue family is just a merchant family, so being a concubine to Second Brother Lian is not bad."

The mother and son refused to give in to each other and were about to quarrel. Baochai quickly said, "Well, the two families are relatives after all. A few words between relatives is nothing."

Aunt Xue stopped arguing and said to Xue Pan, "Don't rush to go south when you come back this time. Get married first."

Xue Pan said: "My uncle's great event is about to begin, how can I stay in the capital? Now that I have no connection with my second brother Lian, and if I lose the Wang family, the Xue family will have no chance to rise again in the future."

In the original novel, Xue Pan appears to be fierce but is actually weak, and he can't even handle Xia Jingui. In this time and space, he has improved a little.

Xue Baochai also agreed with Xue Pan's words and advised her mother, "If your uncle can achieve great things, it will be a good thing for the Xue family to have an extra way out. As for the Jia family, we can't lose it no matter what."

When he returned to his own courtyard, he learned that someone from Youshi's side had brought a message saying that the deeds to the two houses in the south of the city had been obtained, and that everything had been packed and they would move in the next day.

Jia Lian had told his subordinates to take care of the matter of Youshi's mother and daughter, but he himself did not show up. They were moving tomorrow, and according to Youshi's words, he had to show up to take care of it tomorrow. Otherwise, the three of them, living in the south of the city with strangers all around, were afraid of being bullied.

It can be seen that Youshi still does not understand how high the prestige of Mr. Jia is in the south of the city.

He controls the Five Cities Army and Horses Department. When the Shuntian Prefecture sees Jia Lian, they all have to bow their heads and call him "Master". In the southern part of the city, both the black and white worlds are rampant.

In other words, Jia Lian has become more restrained and has not interfered much in the area in the east of the city, otherwise he would be a thorn in the eyes of many people.

The next day, Jia Lian got up early, did his daily exercise, changed his clothes and went out. Instead of going to the yamen, he went straight to the south of the city.

In the case of Li Ni, many officials were implicated. Jia Lian did not care about the west and east of the city, but the seven houses in the south of the city. Jia Lian was not polite and took them all in his pocket for free.

I can't work in vain, right?

Many people think that Jia Lian's way of building up power in the south of the city is a relatively subtle way. The most valuable land in the capital is in the east and west. The houses in the west are more expensive than each other. The east is close to Tongzhou and is a commercial area with many rich people. The south of the city is a gathering place for people with low economic status and relatively low social status.

Jia Lian went to the house arranged for the You family first to take a look at the situation. The old couple who were guarding the door were nice, very hardworking, and kept the house very clean.

Jia Lian had arranged the furniture and other things in advance, so they could live comfortably once they moved in. Of course, it couldn't compare to the life in the Jia Mansion.

After a round, there was no big problem. Jia Lian praised Ni Er who did the job. Ni Er was so happy that he kept being humble.

Nowadays, Ni Er dares to be addressed by the common people in the market as "Er Ye!"
How did he get all this? Because he was a good fighter? Or because he knew loan sharks?
None of them, it's all thanks to Mr. Lian's care. When you're in the underworld, you'll always have conflicts with others. Every time you enter the Wucheng Bingmasi, you won't suffer any loss.

In order to prolong his good days, Ni Erzhen worships Jia Lian as his ancestor. It's a pity that he is not a real ancestor.

"Find a human trafficker and buy three maids. The You family is our relative, and it would be embarrassing for three women to be without maids around them." Jia Lian instructed.

Ni Er rolled his eyes, leaned closer and asked in a low voice: "Second Master, do you want to serve according to the rules over there, and take half of the monthly salary?"

Ni Er paid tribute to Jia Lian every month. Although the money was not much, only about 500 taels, half of the time, it was given to the Ruyan sisters. This guy felt it was not good to offend either side, so he took precautions in advance.

Jia Lian glanced at him and said, "Family of Dongfu Zhen, please stop trying to be smart."

Seeing that he was not angry, Ni Er smiled and raised his hand to slap his mouth: "I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"

In terms of appearance, the sisters Ruyan and Ruyu are indeed just barely upper-class, but the fact that they have identical faces is a unique feeling, and Jia Lian still likes them very much.

As for the second and third sisters You, the former is of good color and looks weak and can be bullied, so naturally we have to find an opportunity to bully her. The latter, with a half exotic style, is heroic and not easy to get. It takes some time to polish it, but unfortunately, Jia Lian just lacks time. The third sister You has a strong temper, so if it really doesn't work, leave it to the You family to continue the incense. Just thinking about it, there was a commotion outside, and the pillar at the door came in to report: "Grandma Zhen and the mother and daughter of the You family have arrived."

Jia Lian came out from the back and heard Old Lady You talking to her three sisters in the yard.

"I have come to see this courtyard. It is indeed a good place. I have inquired about it. It can only be bought for 1,000 taels of silver."

"One thousand taels? Even if you buy half a yard, you're getting a bargain. In this part of the capital, there are no cheap houses of good quality. You know, many officials still rent houses to live in."

It was Youshi who spoke next. Although she seldom went out, she still had some channels to learn about the housing prices in the capital.

"Oh my God, how can this be paid back? It's all Third Sister's fault..." After Old Lady You exclaimed, she was interrupted in the middle of her words because Jia Lian appeared.

When Youshi saw Jia Lian, she smiled brightly. She had seen the house before and was very satisfied: "It's a nice place. Uncle is very thoughtful."

Jia Lian smiled and told the truth: "When I was in the east of the city, I was busy buying a few shops and didn't have time to build a house. Otherwise, I could live in the east of the city, it would be more lively there."

Old Lady You stepped forward and said, "No matter what, we have to thank Second Master for taking care of us. Otherwise, my mother and I would have no family in the capital."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Why thank me? You should thank your sister-in-law!"

After hearing this, Youshi's heart was immediately as sweet as honey. This man was handsome, generous, and good at physical work in the boudoir. It was a pity that he was not her husband, so she could only do it secretly.

After some politeness, they went inside and sat down. Ni Er left quickly and came back quickly. Not long after, he led three little girls in and bowed to Jia Lian who was sitting in the middle. "Second Master, these three sisters are all born to the same parents. My family couldn't afford to support them, so they asked me to find a place for them to eat. Since they are all neighbors, I took the initiative to bring them here."

Jia Lian took a quick look and saw three little girls. The oldest one was about fourteen or fifteen years old. There were many patches on their clothes, but they were all very clean, which showed that they were diligent people.

"Don't give me that. I spent a lot of money to buy these three people, and I won't give you a penny less." Jia Lian said as he stretched out his hand. Ni Er hesitated for a while and handed over the indenture.

Jia Lian handed it to Youshi, took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve, and handed two to Ni Er: "Give the extra ones to their parents. It's not easy to raise three children."

After Ni Er took it, Jia Lian noticed that Old Lady You's eyes were fixed on his hand. He smiled slightly, took out two bills and handed them to Old Lady You: "Keep these for your daily expenses."

Old Lady You took it hurriedly and thanked Lian Sheng, her eyes still fixed on the remaining half. But she saw Jia Lian divide it into two and handed it to the second and third sisters. The second sister took it instinctively with a confused look on her face. The third sister waved her hands hurriedly and refused to take it, but Jia Lian grabbed her hand and forced it into her hands.

"This is money for your powder. When you have time, go buy some clothes, jewelry, rouge and powder. This is my gift to you for your new home."

Third Sister You still refused to take it, and pushed it back: "No, I owed you a lot in the past."

Seeing this, Youshi said, "Just keep it if I give it to you. It doesn't look good if you pull it."

The third sister then accepted it. The second sister had a confused look on her face from beginning to end. She looked at this and that, and finally at Jia Lian, but she couldn't look away.

You Shi saw clearly what kind of background this sister had. She was born in a small family. What kind of knowledge could she have in that place in the northwest? She had never seen anyone give her cosmetics money in her life, at least five hundred taels. With this stack of banknotes, You Erjie was sold to Jia Lian.

In fact, Jia Lian didn't think much about it. He had already taken out all the money and it was difficult to take it back. In addition, the look in Old Lady You's eyes made Jia Lian more determined to throw the money at people.

"Well, I have something else to do, so I won't stay any longer." Jia Lian stood up and said goodbye. Youshi and You Lao Niang escorted him to the front yard. Jia Lian turned around and said, "Aunt, if you have something to do with Ni Er, just call someone on the street and tell him to tell him to do it properly. I promise he will do it for you. If he can't do it, ask someone to tell me at the Wucheng Bingmasi that you won't suffer any loss in the capital."

After settling Yu's mother and daughter, Jia Lian went back to work. He first went to a construction site outside the city to check out the road hardening project of the technical school. Several new furnaces had been opened there, and the cement produced was barely usable.

Thinking of the ball mill, Jia Lian talked about another concept that made Liu Chuan's eyes light up.

Jia Lian looked at the paved road of about five miles and found the effect quite good. He decided to start work here first and then go to Rongning Street for another one when it was finished. By then, he would not have to worry about not being able to sell the cement.

Now there is a fuel problem, that is, coal mines, there are government-run and private ones. Jia Lian decided that he must get his hands on two.

Speaking of coal mines, Kailuan Coal Mine is naturally the best, but it is a bit far away, and before the construction of railways, transportation was a problem.

If a simple track could be built and the coal could be transported by animals, it would be much more convenient than taking a dirt road.

After all, it’s still the steam engine.

Back at the R&D department, Jia Lian went to see the steam engine workshop. A group of masters, with amazing skills, used hand-made steam engines to produce parts with higher precision and assembled two more steam engines. The previous two steam engines had a horsepower of about 15, and the horsepower of these two was increased to about 20.

This is really the amazing craftsmanship of the fitter! The R&D department has brought together the best craftsmen in the country, which is why Jia Lian refused to give up.

In short, Jia Lian will not let this sheep go unless all the good craftsmen in the Ministry of Works are cleared out.

After another round of financial encouragement, Jia Lian instructed them to continue working hard to increase horsepower. At the same time, he drew a sketch to tell the craftsmen and officials what the train and railway would look like, which was a future development direction.

Jia Lian didn't know how to build railways. The North China Plain was flat and not difficult to build, so he let the craftsmen start working on it first.

As long as the first railway is built, everyone will see the benefits and naturally others will follow suit.

As for the shortcomings in basic science education, Jia Lian can only wait and see and slowly accumulate talents.

In the current stage of the Great Zhou Dynasty, doing science is really not the best choice for the Chinese people. They are all thinking about studying and becoming officials.

Of course, the poor are the majority. In the face of a huge population base, as long as we are willing to spend money on education, we can always cultivate a group of usable talents.

In order to get the first project done as soon as possible, Jia Lian invested a huge amount of money and energy in the R&D department. Despite this, it was still slow and full of difficulties.

There is no way around it. We can only slowly accumulate time and influence the entire country bit by bit.

(End of this chapter)