Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 749 Changes in Social Atmosphere

Jia Lian remained silent, simply standing quietly in the crowd watching as the man and woman argued. Behind the middle-aged man were two burly men.

Fearing the woman's fierce spirit, the three dared not approach. The middle-aged man then knelt down, clutching his head, and wailed, "You unfilial daughter! I sent you to learn to read so that after you married, you could manage the household and keep accounts, and people wouldn't look down on you. Now you want to attend this so-called girls' school! Your in-laws said that if you continue to show your face in public like this, they will break off the engagement. Then our whole family will lose face, and we'll have no choice but to die!"

The woman knelt down with a thud, still gripping the scissors tightly, and wept, "Father, I know you have loved me dearly since I was little and taught me to read. Now, after studying, my horizons have broadened, and I understand the ways of the world. I want to continue my studies, and when the time comes for my wedding, I will return home to marry. I only beg you, Father, to allow me to study for as long as I can, please?"

Upon hearing the woman's words, the onlookers all looked at her with sympathy. A burly man stepped forward and said, "Uncle, please stand up. I think your daughter is a filial child. She just wants to study for a few more days. How can you not allow that? Besides, your in-laws are old-fashioned. Nowadays, many women go to school, learn skills, and manage accounts and do housework at home. They don't miss out on anything. There are plenty of women working outside these days. Where is there any talk of showing one's face in public? Unless your family is a noble family, which I don't think is the case."

The crowd burst into laughter, and then another woman suddenly shouted from outside the crowd: "This brother is being rude. What's wrong with women from wealthy families? They go to school, go to university, and work in laboratories. The only problem is that they can't become officials. If they can become officials, why can't women govern the country?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, each offering their own reasoning. Some clung to old sayings, insisting that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. What respectable lady from a respectable family would ever go out in public? She would always avoid any man.

The next woman got off the carriage, walked to the kneeling woman, helped her up and said, "Don't be afraid. Your husband's family thinks it's shameful for a woman to go out to study. That's because they don't know what's good for her."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man became agitated: "Miss, you mustn't talk nonsense. My in-laws are a kind and honest family. My son-in-law is also a good student and will become an official in the future."

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Seeing that there was no way to resolve the matter anytime soon, Jia Lian quietly withdrew. Before he knew it, the yamen runners came in noisily.

"What's the matter that's blocking the road? Everyone, move out! Whose carriage is this? Please, stop in a spacious area ahead, don't block the road."

The constable's face changed drastically; the moment he saw the carriage's luxuriousness, his expression changed completely. In the capital, the most important thing is to have sharp eyes and avoid accidentally offending anyone.

When the officials arrived, everyone naturally went to the officials. After listening to both sides, the head constable looked helpless and could only advise the girl, "Young lady, your father raised you with great difficulty and supported you through primary school. Now that you are older, you are not the same as when you were a child. As a woman of marriageable age, it is not appropriate for you to show your face in public. It will not be honorable for you to do so."

The woman put away the scissors and said to the constable, "Uncle of the yamen, you are right. I never said I wouldn't get married. I just wanted to study for a few more days. This is a girls' school. I have not had any contact with men outside the school. There are many young ladies from well-to-do families in the school, and I have never seen their families gossip about me."

The woman in the carriage was about to speak when her sharp eyes suddenly darted around. She wanted to speak but didn't dare, only glancing in Jia Lian's direction, and quietly moved to hide behind the woman with scissors.

Jia Lian smiled slightly at her, winked, and made a playful face. Only then did the woman in the carriage move over and whisper, "Why are you watching the fun too?"

Jia Lian chuckled and said, "How could I not see it? This matter cannot be explained in a few words; it relates to the entire society's understanding of women's education."

The woman in the carriage said, "Grandpa, do you also support women studying and working? This world is too unfriendly to women. They have to cover their faces when they go out, which is not comfortable at all. No matter how well they study, they can only teach in schools at most. In the end, they still have to get married."

Jia Lian said calmly, "If you can find something to do in the future and become financially independent, you can support yourself. It's not impossible for you not to get married."

The woman in the carriage said, "That won't do, my mother will definitely break my legs later."

As the two were talking, the woman with the scissors eventually went back with her father, meaning her studies were likely over. According to the constable, they should consult her husband's family; if they agreed, she could continue her studies; if not, they could buy books and study at home. Stalling here would only make them a laughingstock—were they trying to force her father to his death? Only then did the woman relent.

It's not a big deal; it's just a matter of social atmosphere.

Jia Lian couldn't offer any grand theories on this. A woman's social status is determined by her economic status. In this era of near-zero industrialization, many female workers in private textile factories could decide their own marriages.

Historically, there was a group of self-combing women in the south who preferred not to marry rather than return to their own family life.

This group is very special; the reasons they choose to become self-combing women are often very complex. But one thing is certain: they are economically independent.

Without economic independence, talking about a woman's social status is really meaningless in this era.

Of course, there are always some women who want to take shortcuts. During Japan's economic boom in the last century, there were women with four boyfriends: their love interest, their wallet, and their chauffeur.

The current Central Empire has not yet developed to that stage, but it is no longer uncommon for women to go out and study or work in ordinary households.

Only wealthy families, who were not short of money, would keep their daughters at home, confined to the inner quarters. Not every wealthy family did this; at least the daughters of the Jia family were able to go out and study.

When I was little, I went to primary school, and after graduating, I had to go to a girls' school. Nowadays, girls' schools are unaffordable for most families; the tuition is quite expensive, after all, female teachers are hard to find.

In Jia Lian's eyes, that father was a complete doting father and a relatively enlightened father. He only resorted to this desperate measure because of his daughter's marriage.

After the crowd dispersed, Jia Lian turned and left, with the woman in the carriage following beside him, but Jia Lian didn't touch her.

Jia Yuxiu was Jia Quan's youngest daughter. Her mother was Jia Quan's concubine. Although the world is changing rapidly, the rules of wealthy families have not changed much.

Jia Lian didn't intend to change these things. Some things will naturally fall into place when the time is right. Forcing changes will only be counterproductive and won't bring any good results.

A woman's future must be fought for by herself. The old folks say that women hold up half the sky, and back then, women truly did hold up half the sky.

Of course, sophisticated egoists exist at all times, regardless of gender.

Jia Lian continued to wander around, followed by a little tail. He stopped going to school.

It's often said that grandparents are closer to their grandchildren, but in the Jia family, Jia Lian is closer to the next generation and has very little contact with his grandchildren.

There are still many things to do. Even after retirement, there are still many books I want to read and many things I want to do.

Despite being eighty years old, Jia Lian is still incredibly energetic, eats and sleeps well, and is in top-notch health. "Grandpa, last month, one of my classmates was forced to bind her feet by her family. You have to do something about this," Jia Yuxiu suddenly decided to complain.

Jia Lian nodded and said, "This is wrong. Foot binding is a perverse aesthetic, created to satisfy the perverse psychology of some literati. The late emperor had already issued an edict to abolish foot binding."

Jia Yuxiu was thrilled to receive approval and said excitedly, "Grandpa, I'll tell them this, and say it's your idea."

Jia Lian naturally wouldn't argue about such a trivial matter. He nodded and continued walking forward, feeling a bit thirsty, and went to get a cup of tea.

The grandfather and grandson entered the teahouse and asked for seats at random in the lobby. The master of the house was speaking when he slammed his gavel down: "Gentlemen, it is said that Wu Song, the second son of Wu Song, passed through Shizipo. This place is not a good place for good people. There is a couple who run a shop here, specializing in doing business that requires no capital, selling meat buns..."

Jia Lian ordered a pot of tea and listened to the conversation with great interest while drinking it.

Jia Yuxiu, holding her teacup, resumed her demeanor as a well-bred young lady. After a while, she quietly took out a book and handed it to Jia Lian, saying, "Grandpa, take a look at this. I got it from the bookstore."

Jia Lian wasn't angry that he was interrupted from listening to the book. He glanced at the cover, opened it, and saw that it was the same old story about the Dragon Slaying Technique, and this time it was a deluxe edition.

"Your family bookstore sells this too?" Jia Lian was taken aback. Wasn't this a banned book?

"This book is profitable. The shopkeeper told us to sell it quietly. The old man from the East Mansion also told us not to make a fuss and to sell it quietly. Anyway, it's not just us selling it."

Jia Lian fell silent. Jia Rong had been gone for almost three years, and Qin Keqing had passed away last year. Because of Jia Lian, the title of Duke of Ningguo had been restored. The Jia family remained a family with two dukes.

Qin Keqing's son was named Jia Cang by Jia Lian. People of this generation preferred names containing the water radical, either three or two.

This fellow inherited Jia Rong's love of business, and he took over all the Jia family's businesses. Although the Jia family's businesses weren't numerous now, the foundation laid in the past remained. The Jia family's trading companies owned over a dozen shops, and the Jia family's bookstores had seven or eight locations. The most profitable business was still the cigarette factory. Today, the cigarette factory was practically a conglomerate. It not only dominated the Zhili market but also held a significant share of the markets in Henan, Shandong, the Yangtze River Delta, and Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Clearly, Jia Cang was a shrewd businessman, fully utilizing the limited number of bureaucrats within the Jia family.

Well, there's another important client, the Navy.

The Jia family earns six to seven million yuan annually from their cigarette factory, and with other businesses, their annual profit reaches tens of millions. And that doesn't even include the share from the Xue family.

Jia Lian, in charge of the profits from the Western Mansion, used most of it to subsidize Jia Zhi. Even when Jia Lian bought weapons, he paid for them at market price.

Therefore, Jia Zhiren, living on the other side of the ocean, receives more than ten million yuan in support from the Jia family every year.

The rest of the Jia family didn't gossip, or if they did, they didn't dare to say it. As long as Jia Lian was alive, no one dared to utter a single word of gossip.

You can't even say it in private.

As for Jia Lian's personal income, he wasn't sure, but the annual salary from the imperial court was about 120,000, roughly 10,000 a month. There were also various miscellaneous subsidies, bringing the total to about 200,000 a year. Even after Jia Lian retired, the Ministry of Revenue would still deposit money into his account on time every month.

Jia Lian definitely doesn't manage the money; it's Jia Quan's wife who does it now. His in-law is a mid-level military officer; he'll only be a major general when he retires.

That's why the emperors trusted Jia Lian so much; the eldest son's in-law only managed to become a major general after retirement. Jia Quan, on the other hand, rose to the rank of lieutenant general and is now the commander of the navy.

It's estimated that he can be promoted to general upon retirement. There are only a handful of generals in the entire army, one of whom is in the cabinet and is a member of the imperial family. This is obtained through status, and he doesn't have much prestige in the military.

Lacking prestige does not equate to lacking power; being in the cabinet and a member of the royal family, he wielded significant financial power over the military.

This is also one of the ways the emperor maintains control over the military. However, it's not a big problem. Most of the current officers are graduates of the Royal Military Academy, have high loyalty, and serve in each unit for a maximum of five years.

"Don't sell this book anymore! It'll only cause trouble, and the family doesn't need that little bit of income," Jia Lian instructed. He knew this kind of book couldn't be banned.

In today's empire, the social atmosphere is quite open, and there is a lot of movement of people, making it very difficult to prohibit such things.

Jia Lian's thoughts returned to the previous matter, and he felt it was necessary to write something about it and publish it in the newspaper to guide social trends.

“I think this book makes a lot of sense. In the past, women stayed at home simply because they couldn’t survive without their families. This book says that with the development of productivity, women also have the opportunity to participate in the workforce. Once they have a source of income, they naturally want more, which is only human nature.” Jia Yuxiu is really clever; after reading this book, she can even apply it to reality.

Jia Lian glanced at her indifferently and said, "Wait until you're capable of earning money to support yourself before saying this. You're spending the family's money now, and you're talking without thinking. Be careful your mother cuts your allowance later."

Jia Yuxiu stuck out her tongue and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, will the two concubines His Majesty bestowed upon us be able to have children? If they really do have children, I'll still have to call them uncles and aunts."

This thought has jumped a bit too far. Jia Lian had quite a few women and children, including Xiangling, Xiren, Yuanyang, and Qingwen, and all of them were daughters, who all got married.

Many people wanted to marry into the Jia family, but the most basic requirement for the daughters of the Jia family was that they find their own husbands.

This is quite bizarre in our country.

Jia Lian only intervened once, and that was because of Yingchun. Yingchun has also left; her husband rose to the rank of Minister and retired two years ago.

Jia Yin is still serving as an official, currently the Governor of Shandong. It's estimated that he will come to the capital after the new emperor ascends the throne. Jia Yin has been serving as an official in other regions, only returning to the capital once, when Daiyu left.

(End of this chapter)