Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 438 North Sea
From the perspective of modern people's aesthetics, the mixed-race looks of the You sisters are a plus in terms of beauty.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, this kind of appearance was considered a curiosity, which was a plus, but not much.

Daiyu is a woman with both temperament and appearance, like an orchid in a valley, quiet and elegant, while Baochai is dignified, generous and bright. In today's aesthetics, the only ones who can challenge these two are the fairy Wang Xifeng and the junior sister of Jinghuan Qin Keqing. There are many elements of mysticism in the original work, but Jia Lian does not have too much awe. I have been in ancient times, why should I pretend to be a gentleman?

The temperature in the capital city in April was just right, and the thick coats were replaced with spring shirts, which allowed the second and third sisters to make good use of their figure advantages.

This is the good thing about mixed-race people. If they are mixed well, they are like sisters. They have no body odor, not much hair, and have fair skin.

The two of them accompanied Jia Lian in drinking. You Erjie served dishes shyly and timidly, and did not toast much. However, You Sanjie was more straightforward and raised her glass frequently.

People get drunk even if it's not the wine. Jia Lian's nose was filled with a strong fragrance that made him feel dizzy. He didn't drink much, but he felt a little drunk.

When you look away, all you see are white and tender arms and long necks. I wonder if these two sisters can dance by twisting their necks?

While Jia Lian was thinking wildly, he leaned back. The second sister beside him was not slow at this time, and she held out her hand to support him: "Second Master, have you drunk too much? Take a rest."

Jia Lian closed his eyes and savored the fragrance flowing around him. He didn't know whether it was powder or body odor, but he didn't want to move.

Old Lady You brought bedding for Jia Lian to lean on and rest, while the third sister tidied the small table on the kang. Jia Lian was in a daze, and the fatigue accumulated recently came over him, and his vision gradually darkened.

The place for drinking was the second sister's boudoir. Looking at the sleeping Jia Lian, she came down carefully, put on her embroidered shoes and said, "Let's go to the next room and let the second master have a good rest."

The third sister looked at her and thought: Is she pretending to be stupid or is she really stupid?
Old Lady You did not hide her purpose at all. She pulled the second sister to the side and whispered, "Are you stupid? What a great opportunity!"

You Erjie blushed immediately. How could she explain this matter openly? This old lady was too anxious. In broad daylight, she had to have an explanation first.

It is obvious that Old Lady You, who has some Hu blood, does not care much about the etiquette and laws of the Central Plains, otherwise she would not have held a banquet in her boudoir.

This kind of operation is simply unimaginable and outrageous in a wealthy family.

But how can I put it? It is understandable that a widow with two beautiful daughters is anxious to find a backer.

After all, this society is all about eating people. If you don't want to be eaten by others, you need someone to protect you.

"Come on, or let me take over." The third sister came over and whispered something provocative. The second sister lowered her head, her chin almost touching her chest, and shouted, "Got it!"

When Old Lady You took the third sister away and the second sister was left alone, she didn't have so many concerns.

Sitting next to Jia Lian, listening to his breathing and looking at that pretty face, the second sister loves pretty girls. Especially when one is sixteen or seventeen years old, it is the time to look at the face. In addition, Jia Lian is generous, so the second sister is very fond of her.

There were so many halos around Jia Lian that the second sister was unconsciously infatuated with him.

Suddenly Jia Lian moved, and the second sister jumped up in surprise. Jia Lian opened his eyes and saw that the second sister was the only one around him, so he asked, "How long have you slept?"

"I don't know, maybe half an hour."

"Is there any tea?" Jia Lian was very thirsty, so his second sister quickly brought him the prepared tea. Jia Lian drank it in one gulp, and his burning throat felt much better, and he gradually felt more comfortable.

How to describe this state? After a moderate nap or waking up from a deep sleep, the whole person is very energetic.

Seeing that it was still early, Jia Lian got up to wash and dress. When his second sister came out to fetch water to serve him, Old Lady You came over and raised her hand to touch her forehead: "Useless thing!"

Old Lady You didn't hear any noise outside, and she was so anxious that she wanted to go in and stack the two of them together.

The second sister did not argue, she just thought in her heart that it would be better not to be looked down upon.

Jia Lian finished washing up and stood up to say goodbye. Recently, the workers' skills have become more and more skilled, and the road outside the city has been repaired. He wants to go and take a look. As for the two sisters, there is no need to rush, they can't run away.

Old Lady You sent her to the door and kept saying, "Come again!"

After Jia Lian left, You Lao Niang came back from closing the door and complained: "If you miss this time, you don't know when the next time will be."

The second sister whispered, "The third sister is about to give birth."

Third Sister You sneered, "You are you, I am me, how about you find a live-in son-in-law?"

Jia Lian went to take a look at the newly repaired section of cement road outside the city and felt that the quality was only average. It didn't even meet the basic grade of cement. But in this era, it was considered cheating.

A straight road leads to the technical school. There are red walls and black tiles between the trees. Students are leaving the school gate with their schoolbags on their backs. They all stop and bow when they pass by. It makes me feel comfortable. This is the future!
Under various obstacles, Jia Lian's technical school can only recruit children of craftsmen and farmers. The disadvantage is that their starting point is low, but the advantage is that their overall loyalty is high.

These people will become successful in the future and will serve as Jia Lian's career team.

In terms of courses, there are only math and Chinese for the time being. You need to study for at least three years, master several thousand common characters, and understand arithmetic before you can teach other things. For the time being, we are training them to be qualified workers, and we will take our time.

The speed at which a person learns things is very obvious, whether he is educated or not. For example, when operating a machine, an illiterate person cannot even read the manual, let alone the blueprint.

When the students walked on the cement road, they walked much more lightly, as if they were afraid of damaging it.

Watching them walk away lightly, Jia Lian smiled.

Bi Daoxing, one of the teachers, appeared in front of Jia Lian and said with a sad face, "I said it was okay, why do you have to make me wait for a few days and come up with a safety plan?"

Jia Lian had no intention of arguing with him, and attacked him directly: "I am afraid of collecting your body! How can you bear to see your wife and son left alone?"

"What experiment is not dangerous? Look at the burn scar on my hand!"

"Since you know the danger, you should take precautions. Anyway, do as I say."

It was late, and Jia Lian was returning home. When he entered the city gate, he looked at the grooves made by the wheels on the bluestone. After passing the city gate, he looked back at the towering city wall and recalled some controversies about the city wall.

There are always people who find some so-called alternative opinions based on the actual situation at the time to prove their own uniqueness.

On the way home, I saw people from the Honglu Temple from afar, accompanying the Annan envoy Li Jinrong back from the east.

Jia Lian asked someone to ask, and soon a minor official from the Honglu Temple came and greeted him. Jia Lian then asked him, "How are you doing?"

The clerk twisted his mouth and said, "He is very stingy. He went to the East Market to buy antiques and paintings, but he was cheated without knowing it. I guess he doesn't have much money left in his pocket."

Jia Lian was naturally not stingy, so he gave the clerk a silver dollar as a reward and sent him away. It seemed that Li Jinrong had not yet seen the emperor.

That's right. Your Majesty is busy with all kinds of affairs. How can he have time to see him? Just keep dragging it out.

After returning home, Jia Lian deliberately went to Guixiang's place first to see the newborn daughter, and then went to Ping'er's place to see the other daughter. These two were the third and fourth children.

Guixiang and Ping'er were naturally very happy to see Jia Lian. They were actually worried about having a daughter. In this era, the importance of a daughter cannot be compared with that of a son. Fortunately, Jia Lian behaved well and they all liked him.

Wang Xifeng knew that Jia Lian went somewhere else after returning home. She felt uncomfortable but did not show it on her face.

She even smiled and said, "Aunt Xue sent me a lot of good stuff from the south. I was thinking of inviting her and Baochai to have a drink at home."

Jia Lian didn't care and nodded: "You decide. We are relatives after all, so we can't be so ruthless."

After that, Jia Lian didn't say anything else and went out for a walk with Qiaojie in his arms.

Wang Xifeng called from behind: "Come back soon, it's almost time for dinner."

Jia Lian said nothing and continued walking. Wang Xifeng muttered, "She is biased and never hugs her son."

Qiaojie insisted on getting down and walking by herself, so Jia Lian let her down, held her hand, and let Qiaojie stumble and run on the road.

Jia Lian was not worried, but the maids and servants beside her were extremely anxious. They wanted to persuade her but did not dare to, for fear that she would fall.

Looking back, Wang Xifeng learned that Qiaojie had fallen. She did not have as good a temper as Jia Lian. She did not know why, but after giving birth to the little master, the second wife's temper became much worse.

The master and the second mistress of the east wing were not very polite in their words.

After walking with Qiaojie for a while, Jia Lian was about to turn back when the sky darkened. Jia She flashed out from behind the archway and saw Jia Lian. He strode forward with no granddaughter in his eyes and spoke directly to Jia Lian: "You'd better talk to your wife about not letting me hold my grandson, saying that I don't know how to handle him lightly."

The tone was a bit aggressive, Qiaojie was a little scared, and her face was resting on Jia Lian's shoulder.

Jia Lian was very unhappy: "Father, please speak softly. You scared Qiaojie."

Jia She said, "She is just a money-loser like Yingchun, but you are the only one who treats her as a treasure."

Jia Lian frowned slightly and looked at him coldly. Jia She knew he had said something wrong and smiled bitterly: "Yingchun is not young anymore, it's time to talk about her. It just so happens that someone has taken a fancy to Yingchun, and he is a Hanlin."

Jia Lian said calmly: "Father, just take care of your own affairs. You don't need to worry about Yingchun's affairs."

Jia She's face fell to the ground and he couldn't pick it up. He immediately became angry. Jia Lian glared at him fiercely, and the threat was obvious.

Jia She shrank his neck. He was a cowardly person. He also knew that Jia Lian was a ruthless person. If he was pushed into a corner, who knows what ruthless tricks he would use. Apart from other things, he couldn't stand the loss of spending.

"Yesterday I saw a treasure in East City, which cost five hundred taels of silver." Jia She's map of Yan State was really not long.

Jia Lian knew that he was up to no good, but what could he do? As long as he didn't cause any trouble for him, he would just keep him around.

"The court no longer allows transactions with silver. What do you want silver for?" Jia Lian softened his tone and teased him.

Jia She was anxious: "Give me the money quickly, I'm waiting to use it."

Jia Lian deliberately made things difficult for him: "I don't have it with me. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Jia She rolled his eyes and asked, "The second son has been sent out. When will you move back to Rong Xi Tang?"

This guy didn't make trouble with the old lady at first and moved to the east wing. Now he is instigating Jia Lian to make trouble. He is really a piece of shit.

"I live well now and don't want to move. If you want to move, go and tell the old lady yourself." Jia Lian directly blocked all his topics.

"Do you think I don't dare?" Jia She said harshly, turned away angrily, and said before leaving: "Remember my silver tomorrow."

Jia Lian shook his head helplessly and turned back. Qiaojie said in a childish voice, "Grandfather is fierce!"

Jia Lian smiled, and did not teach the child to be rude to Jia She. He comforted him softly, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, Daddy is here."

People who want to relax often cannot do so. Jia Lian is destined to a hard life.

Just the next day, as soon as he sat down in the government office, the eunuch at the door came in and said, "Master Jia, the emperor has summoned you!"

Jia Lian, who had just sat down, had no choice but to get up and follow the eunuch into the palace. On the way, he asked what was going on.
The eunuch whispered, "It has not rained for a month and a half since the beginning of spring. Governor Li in Chang'an has submitted a petition to the court requesting that Shaanxi and Gansu be exempted from taxes and that grain be released for relief. There is also no news from Liaodong, but I don't know the details."

Jia Lian handed over the banknote skillfully, and the eunuch gathered his sleeves and took it skillfully.

When I got to the palace, I went straight to the cabinet meeting. There was already an argument going on there. I only heard Pan Jixun shouting, "The Ministry of Revenue has no money, so they stopped paying for the project. What kind of logic is this? There is little rain this year, which is a good time to repair the river. We can't wait until there is more rain to repair the river. Do you still want me to call Ning Xiang?"

"I'm not saying we won't repair the river, I'm just saying it's on hold. When has the Yellow River not been repaired? What's wrong with stopping for a year?"

"Minister Ning, what you said is absurd. If the Yellow River bursts its banks, who will be held responsible?"

"It's hard to say. The Yellow River is repaired every year, and huge amounts of money are invested. Who knows how much of the money is actually used?"

Hearing the fierce argument between the two, Jia Lian stood at the door and hesitated. Should he go in now or wait until they finished arguing?
Just as he was hesitating, he was patted on the shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was the emperor, so he quickly greeted him. Emperor Chenghui waved his hand and whispered, "Go out for a walk."

After coming out, the emperor and his ministers walked slowly, and Emperor Chenghui said calmly: "Did you hear everything?"

Jia Lian replied: "I heard it."

Emperor Chenghui said, "Yue Qi submitted a memorial saying that the Xishan camp is fully equipped and wants to move it to Shanhaiguan to deter Liaodong. What do you think?"

After thinking for a while, Jia Lian whispered, "The area outside the Great Wall is vast. How can a mere town of soldiers deter the enemy? I think we should delay this matter."

Emperor Chenghui sighed: "Yue Qi is a talented general! Wang Ziteng is a talented commander."

In one sentence, the emperor's inner conflict was clearly stated.

Jia Lian quickly distanced himself from the matter: "I am a civil servant!"

"You are still young, and you don't need to worry about slander and criticism." Emperor Chenghui waved his hand in a seemingly generous manner, but in his heart, he was still thinking that the traditional noble family has a deep foundation. Generals like Yue Qi, who came from a wild background, are not up to the task. When doing things, they always fail to see the long term.

Jia Lian did not speak, and Emperor Chenghui continued, "I followed the army to the east and fought against Luosha Kingdom and the snowy land of Liaodong. Although we won the battle, we could not pursue the victory. The territory is too large, and tens of thousands of troops could not make any waves. We could only hold a few key points by the river. At that time, the emperor followed the instructions of Taizu. The barren land of Mobei is the homeland of China. We can stop the war, but we cannot sign a contract."

"The teachings of Emperor Taizu should be kept in mind by future generations." Jia Lian did not know the emperor's true intentions, so he was very cautious.

Emperor Chenghui revealed something: "The spies reported that Li Ni has seized Beihai. I am considering pardoning Li Ni! What do you think?"

Jia Lian knew that this North Sea was the North Sea where Su Wu grazed sheep, which was Lake Baikal.

(End of this chapter)