Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's Courtyard.

On the kang by the south window of the main room was a soft red brocade felt. Wang Xifeng was sitting on the kang with her back resting on a brocade backrest.

The sunlight slanted in from the window sill, shining on people's bodies, making them feel warm and lazy. Wang Xifeng was chatting with Ping'er, and her right hand subconsciously stroked her bulging belly.

She has been pregnant for several months and her pregnancy is now obvious. Her body is starting to get a little bloated, but she still looks healthy.

Ever since Jia Cong inherited the title of Rong, he handed over the property of the West Mansion to Wang Xifeng to manage, in addition to warning Wang Xifeng to stop lending money at high interest and the previous practice of monopolizing the profits.

All other affairs of the West Mansion were delegated to her. Perhaps it was Jia Cong's method of combining kindness and severity, or perhaps it was because the woman's mind changed after she became pregnant and she wanted to do good deeds.

From then on, Wang Xifeng concentrated on taking care of household chores and ignored the evil things outside. With the two capable helpers Ping'er and Wu'er, all affairs in the mansion went smoothly and peacefully.

In that year, Jia Lian wrote a letter home, saying that after arriving in Liaodong, he was taken care of by Jia Cong, an old friend in the army, and although he was a soldier, he was not discriminated against or abused.

He was also assigned a job as an assistant in purchasing for the army, doing errands on weekdays. He lived a stable life, and Wang Xifeng felt relieved to hear this.

Although Wang Xifeng felt sad when she thought that the couple would not see each other again until fifteen years later.

But fortunately, God has a good heart. Now that I am pregnant, no matter whether it is a boy or a girl in the future, the mother and son can live together. It is always interesting.

In addition, she found Jia Cong as her backer and sent her trusted maid to his room, so she would have a foothold in the mansion in the future and would not be afraid of having a bad life in the future.

Therefore, although Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian are separated now, except for this incident, everything else is the smoothest since she married into the Jia family. It is really a strange thing.

That morning, Wang Xifeng was talking with Ping'er about miscellaneous matters at home. Wu'er was not in the courtyard because he had other things to do.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard at the gate of the courtyard. The person who came opened the door curtain and it was Baoyu.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Brother Bao is really thoughtful. Can you come over often?"

Baoyu smiled and said, "Yesterday the old lady mentioned that Sister Feng is now noble and is taking care of her health. She also said that she must not let you suffer from overwork. I have some free time today, so I came to see Sister."

Wang Xifeng said with a smile, "Brother Xie Bao, please remember this and sit on the kang quickly."

Wang Xifeng asked Feng Er to serve Bao Yu hot tea. Bao Yu sat and chatted for a while, then asked, "Why don't I see Miss Wu Er today?"

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er couldn't help but look at each other. Ping'er shook her head slightly, looking somewhat helpless.

Wang Xifeng smiled slightly, her eyes were charming, and there was an imperceptible sarcasm in her eyes.

She said: "Now Brother Cong is studying at home, waiting for the Spring Examination. Wu'er feels sorry for her master's hard work and is always worried about him.

At this time every day, she would go back to the East Palace to take care of chores, help Brother Cong prepare a nourishing lunch, and only come back here after having lunch with Brother Cong in the East Palace.

She is also destined to be a hard worker. She can’t even eat without seeing Brother Cong. It’s funny to say.”

Wang Xifeng is a good talker and can talk a lot in casual conversation, but it sounds like she is just chatting about family matters in a relaxed manner.

But when Baoyu, who was standing by, heard this, his face stiffened, and his expression revealed embarrassment and disgust, as well as a sense of loss that he was trying hard to hide...

……

In fact, Baoyu's visit to Wang Xifeng was similar to his visit to Aunt Xue the day before.

There is always a reason to visit people. I just go wherever there are pretty girls.

Ever since Jia Zheng moved to the East Courtyard, Baoyu was left in the West Mansion by Jia's grandmother. Without his father's supervision, he was more like a horse without a bridle.

I only go to the clan school every now and then to show my face.

He had already attended the clan school for seven years, but he still had a hard time memorizing the Four Books. No wonder Jia Zheng was often annoyed by this.

However, he was quite clever and gifted in word games such as rhymed poems and couplets, but these were only minor talents and were of no use at all in taking imperial examinations.

Because I have become more and more free now, I spend the whole day chatting nonsense and have nothing important to do, so my love for red and sex has naturally become more and more serious.

When Jia Cong still lived in Qingzhizhai in Xifu, Baoyu took notice of Jia Cong's maid Wu'er.

Because Wu'er was considerate, gentle, pretty and delicate, compared to Qingwen's beauty and fiery nature, and had more of Daiyu's charm, Baoyu was unforgettable at first sight.

However, in recent years, Wu'er has been Jia Cong's trusted maid, and Baoyu has little chance to get close to her on a daily basis.

Now Wu'er has been assigned by Jia Cong to be the housekeeper of the West Mansion, and he often walks around the inner courtyard of the West Mansion.

In the past few years, she has grown up gradually and become more and more graceful. Baoyu would feel overwhelmed whenever he saw her occasionally.

Although he was used to laughing and hanging out with the maids every day, he had not completely lost his mind and still had some concerns in his heart.

Baoyu knew that Jia Cong was no longer the same person he used to be, and he was not close to him. He even established a rule in the East Palace that men from other places were not allowed to enter the inner courtyard. Of course, Baoyu looked down on people like him who were just parasites.

He knew that Wu'er was Jia Cong's close maid, and usually he didn't dare to provoke her. But now that Wu'er was the housekeeper in Fengjie's courtyard, it was different from when she served Jia Cong.

These days he often found an excuse to come to Fengjie's yard to visit Wang Xifeng who was recuperating, and chat with Wu'er, so that he could also appreciate her pretty face from close range.

But Wu'er has followed Jia Cong since she was a child, and she is used to seeing men being ambitious and outstanding. She feels very resistant and disgusted by Baoyu's boredom and idleness.

Moreover, she was a smart person. Seeing Baoyu's deliberate approach to her, she knew what he was thinking, so she ignored him even more. As soon as she saw him enter the yard, she found an excuse to leave.

Soon even Wang Xifeng and Ping'er realized that something was wrong, but because of their past reputation, they did not dare to say it out loud.

Baoyu has loved hanging out with maids since he was a child, and he is flattered and indulged by the maids around him. He thinks that any beautiful woman should be happy with him.

He did not notice Wu'er's dislike for him. He just thought that it was because Wu'er was not familiar with him and it was due to the girl's natural shyness and timidity. He felt that Wu'er was even more precious and lovely.

Therefore, he has played this trick of visiting Wang Xifeng many times recently, and finally even Sister Feng couldn't stand it anymore, so she told her about Wu'er's considerate and affectionate words towards Jia Cong.

When she saw Baoyu's face showing a look of loss and sadness after hearing what she said, she didn't know whether she was suffering from morning sickness or was disgusted by Baoyu's expression, but she suddenly felt very sick.

……

Wang Xifeng was just about to lose control and wanted to dry heave into the spittoon when suddenly footsteps were heard in the yard.

Someone asked, "Is Master Bao here?"

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er recognized that it was Xiren's voice, and Ping'er said, "I'm right here, Sister Xiren, please come in."

Xiren went into the room and greeted Wang Xifeng, then said to Baoyu, "I have been looking for Second Master everywhere, and it turns out you are here with Second Madam."

Baoyu asked, "What's the matter so early in the morning that you'd have to look for me everywhere?"

Xiren said, "Caiyun came from the East Courtyard and told me that Madam asked you to go over to meet the guests?"

Baoyu was surprised and said, "The master is in the government office now. Who would come to visit at this time? I have never known how to deal with the master's guests. Just say that I am not feeling well and reply. The lady will not blame you."

Jia Zheng's guests were either his colleagues in the officialdom or Confucian scholars. Baoyu had always disliked such people, who were always boasting about official careers and economics.

When Jia Zheng was at home, Baoyu would have to deal with such a reception with a pinch of his nose. When Jia Zheng was not at home, Baoyu was naturally too lazy to go and perform.

Xiren said, "They are not the master's guests. It is the mistress who has invited the ladies of the Guihua and Xia families to the East Courtyard as guests. They mentioned Master Bao in their conversation, so we invite you to meet the guests.

Since the Second Master doesn't want to go, I'll find a reason to talk to Caiyun and let her go back."

When Baoyu heard the words "Osmanthus" and "Xia family", his heart started to stir. He recalled the day when he went to visit Aunt Xue and learned that Xue Pan's marriage had not taken place and the beautiful Miss Xia had escaped.

Baoyu felt sincerely relieved that such a beautiful girl from the boudoir had escaped the humiliation of falling into the mud. Now that he had such an opportunity, how could he miss it?

He said, "Why didn't you make it clear earlier? Since he is Madam's guest, he is not an official figure, but a relative or friend of the family. We should go and meet him. It would be bad to violate the daily etiquette."

Xiren was a little confused when she saw Baoyu's sudden change of attitude.

She knew that Baoyu only loved to play with the maids, and did not like to meet any outsiders, regardless of whether they were guests of the master or the mistress. Today was a little strange.

……

Seeing Baoyu hurriedly leaving with Xiren, Wang Xifeng sneered at Ping'er beside her, "Baoyu is quite interesting. It seems that everything good-looking in this mansion is related to him."

Ping'er also looked a little annoyed, and said, "Although Second Master Bao likes to quarrel with maids, he used to be more or less sensible. Wu'er is Third Master's roommate, why would he be like this?"

Wang Xifeng said: "This matter has its roots a long time ago, it is not something that has just happened. Back then, when Brother Cong was still living in Qingzhizhai, Baoyu fell in love with Wu'er, who was by his side.

He even wanted to ask the old lady to help him get it, and I gave him some advice at that time, but luckily it didn't work out, otherwise my third brother and I would have been at odds with each other."

Wang Xifeng recalled what happened in the past. Jia Cong was bullied by the eldest master and the eldest mistress in the East Courtyard. The old lady was worried that he would not grow up, so she moved him to the West Mansion to raise him.

At that time, whether it was Wang Xifeng, or Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, all they wanted was to feed the bloodline of the Jia family to prevent it from being tortured to death in the East Courtyard, which would have a bad reputation if the news got out.

No one would have thought that the bastard who was unpopular back then would end up like this today...

Wang Xifeng sighed and said, “Wu’er has served Brother Cong since she was a child. She is his most trusted maid and he has always loved her like the apple of his eye.

Baoyu also wanted to get in on the action, without any sense of vision. I was surprised that the lady was so eager to fight for the title and wealth.

Even if she really gets it, who can she pass it on to? Baoyu is not one of these guys. If the ancestral things are passed on to him, how long can he keep them?"

Ping Er smiled faintly and said, "In Madam's eyes, Baoyu is a precious son born with jade in his mouth. Most mothers cannot see this clearly, but don't they all think their sons are the best?"

Wang Xifeng suddenly asked, "I have never heard that Madam has any friendship with the Guihua Xia family before, so how come the mother and daughter came to visit us?"

Ping'er thought for a moment and said, "Grandma is now staying in the courtyard to take care of her pregnancy and rarely goes out. It's possible that she doesn't know what's going on outside.

Some time ago, the young lady of the Guihua Xia family was looking for a marriage partner with Miss Bao’s brother, and it was said that the lady was the guest accompanying her. "

Wang Xifeng said, "I know about this. Aunt Xue borrowed the Grand Hall to hold a birthday banquet that day and invited us over for a drink. Didn't she mention this during the banquet?"

Ping Erh said, "Grandma has been in the courtyard these days, so she didn't hear any rumors. The Xia family has rejected this marriage proposal. It is said that a senior monk predicted that these two people are not compatible.

Mrs. Xia was too embarrassed to refuse in person, so she asked Madam to convey the message to Auntie. It must be that these two people have a good conversation. I guess the friendship between Madam and the Xia family comes from this."

After hearing what Ping'er said, Wang Xifeng's eyes turned and she suddenly realized something.

Suddenly he smiled mysteriously and said, "Xiren just said that the mother and daughter of the Xia family are here to visit. Baoyu usually hates to meet guests and entertain guests, but today after hearing what Xiren said, he went over so excitedly.

Ping'er, that Miss Xia is a beautiful girl. "

Ping'er couldn't help laughing and said, "Madam's fortune-telling is very accurate. I heard from the third young lady that Miss Xia is indeed a woman with a good appearance."

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Tanchun was accompanying Miss Xia to visit the garden. Originally, the east courtyard had limited space, and the back garden was not very large.
However, in this reconstruction, in order to make Jia Zheng live more comfortably, Jia Cong enclosed some space around the original Mengpo Zhai study, making the east courtyard much larger.

The back garden of the East Courtyard is also more spacious than before. Expert craftsmen were hired to build it. It is carefully constructed and is exquisite and unique, with winding paths leading to secluded places. It is quite interesting to stroll around it carefully.

On the stone bridge in the garden, two girls, equally beautiful as flowers, were walking one after the other. The green waves under the bridge reflected their graceful figures, making them look even more graceful and elegant.

Tanchun and Miss Xia had only met once and were not very familiar with each other. In addition, her third brother had warned her twice, which made Tanchun even more cautious.

Today she came here to entertain guests seriously. She only said some polite words and was very careful in her words. She did not have any intimate and heartfelt conversation with Miss Xia.

Even the maid who followed closely behind him was also busy serving his lady, and did not talk to Baochan who was traveling with him.

On the contrary, Miss Xia was quite warm to Tanchun. She was clever in words and fluent in conversation, and indeed she was quite clever and shrewd.

Miss Xia said, "Miss San, this garden is really well maintained, exquisite and unique, with beautiful scenery. Although my garden is bigger, it is not as beautiful as this one."

Tanchun smiled and said, "Because he was worried that the master at home would not be used to living here, Third Brother spent a lot of time and effort on this garden. He asked the famous Mr. Shanziye in the capital to build it. The scenery is naturally good."

When Miss Xia heard the word "Third Brother", her heart skipped a beat. She had only casually said flattering words, but she had not expected that it would lead to what she loved to hear the most.

When she heard Tanchun calling "Third Brother" her words seemed to be filled with intimacy and tenderness. Although she knew that Tanchun and Jia Cong were cousins, she still couldn't help feeling a little jealous...

Miss Xia was moved and said, "Your third brother is so attentive to your master. He is really a good man."

It was just an ordinary polite remark from the other party, but it sounded a little off-key to Tanchun's ears.

Especially the last sentence, "What a good man," the voice seemed to carry a hint of natural charm, which made Tanchun's hair stand on end.

Tanchun herself didn't know why she had such a strange illusion, which made her forget to respond to what Miss Xia was saying.

Miss Xia added, "This side courtyard garden is already so beautiful, wouldn't your third brother's East Palace garden be even more beautiful?"

Tanchun glanced at the beautiful and dignified Miss Xia beside her. Her behavior was all that of a lady from a noble family and there was nothing wrong with her. She thought she must have been distracted and had started to think about random things.

She smiled and replied, "The East Palace is much bigger. It used to be Ningguo Palace. When my third brother was conferred the title, he renovated the East Palace garden. Naturally, it is better than this place."

Miss Xia was moved when she heard this and said, "The Earl's Mansion must be very beautiful. I don't know how beautiful the scenery is. Miss San must take me for a walk so that I can see it for myself."

After hearing this, Tanchun's face froze slightly. Thinking of Jia Cong's two reminders, she said, "It's a bit inconvenient during this period. Third brother is studying in seclusion, so we can't disturb him.

When I have time later, I will take Miss Xia there for a walk. It’s not a big deal.”

Miss Xia was disappointed after hearing this. She felt that everyone in the Jia family was a little unhappy. Except for Mrs. Jia, it seemed that everyone else was not easy to fool.

She was just about to turn the topic back to Jia Cong when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her and someone calling out "Third Miss". Miss Xia recognized it was Mrs. Jia's personal maid...

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Main Hall of the Inner Courtyard.

Baoyu followed Caiyun out of Rongguo Mansion, got on the carriage and headed straight for the east courtyard.

He had wanted to go to Lixiang Courtyard to talk to Baochai yesterday, but because of Aunt Xue, his sister Bao had a dull look on her face and seemed not to like talking, which made Baoyu unhappy.

Today, he went to Sister Feng's courtyard, hoping to see the pretty and lovely Wu'er, but he didn't meet her. Moreover, he listened to Sister Feng's words, which described Wu'er as being so affectionate and intimate with Jia Cong, which greatly ruined Baoyu's mood.

Most of the day would have been spent in sadness, but unexpectedly, his wife asked him to go meet the guests, and he had the opportunity to see the beautiful face of the Xia family's boudoir.

Baoyu felt intoxicated, thinking that God would favor his feelings and would always give him some opportunities to experience the beauty of the world. It was always hard for him to give up this romantic love...

When Baoyu hurried to the main hall of the inner courtyard, before entering the hall, he solemnly asked Caiyun to help him straighten his purple gold crown and smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes, and then he walked in with full energy.

……

Mrs. Xia was chatting with Mrs. Wang when suddenly a young man came in at the door. He was wearing a purple gold crown with golden treasures on his head, a golden headband with a double dragon grabbing a pearl, golden and red arrow sleeves, and small court boots with a green satin and pink base.

He has handsome features and a round face. Although he looks a little bit feminine, he still has a good-looking appearance.

When Mrs. Wang saw Baoyu coming in, looking energetic and dressed in bright clothes, she smiled and said, "Mrs. Xia is visiting us today. Why don't you come and meet the elders?"

When Baoyu saw that the girl Qiongyu, whom he was going to meet, was not in the hall, he could not help feeling a little disappointed. However, since Mrs. Xia was Miss Xia's mother, he did not dare to neglect her for fear of offending the beauty.

He then greeted Mrs. Xia politely and generously. He saw Mrs. Xia looking him up and down with a look of approval and appreciation. He knew that his demeanor was well-liked and felt very proud.

Mrs. Xia had just seen Baoyu, and she found that he was even better than the eldest son Xue, who was handsome but had vulgar manners, not to mention that the Jia family was more respectable than the Xue family.

She thought of her maid Baochan, who looked obsessed whenever Baoyu was mentioned. There was indeed a reason for that.

Unexpectedly, the Jia family has a good bloodline, and the brothers they raised are all good-looking.

Mrs. Xia smiled and said, "It's true that hearing about someone is worse than meeting him in person. Bao Ge'er is indeed as handsome as the rumors say. Mrs. Jia is so lucky."

Ever since Jia Cong inherited the title of Rong, Mrs. Wang has suffered a lot because of Baoyu. Except for the old lady who still loves Baoyu, most of the others don't say it, but in their hearts they no longer like Baoyu.

Only when he met Mrs. Xia, she really said good things about Baoyu. At least there was someone who knew Baoyu's good points. Even if Yuanchun's incident had not happened, Mrs. Wang felt that Mrs. Xia was a person worth making friends with.

Mrs. Wang now has something to ask of the Xia family, so naturally she wants to bring the two families closer together and make good use of the current opportunity to be polite and close, so that it will be easier to ask for favors in the future.

He smiled and said, “The Xia family and the Xue family are old friends from the previous life, and the Xue family and the Jia family are even more related by marriage. Our families are all connected by the world, so we are not outsiders in any way.

Since we are old friends, and your daughter is two years older than my Baoyu, there is no need to be too polite. Why not let the siblings meet and get to know each other today, which can also be considered as friendship between the two families. "

When Mrs. Xia heard this, she was very pleased and said yes repeatedly.

Mrs. Wang asked Caiyun to go to the back garden to pass on the message, asking the third girl to accompany Miss Xia back to the main hall of the inner courtyard.

When Baoyu heard that Miss Xia was invited to meet him, he was extremely happy. He felt that there was really no need for this trip and that his wife loved him very much.

The relationship between myself and Miss Xia is not as alienated as that between Miss Lin and Miss Bao, nor as plain as that between Miss Bao and Miss Bao. It is actually quite smooth, which makes me feel somewhat comforted.

……

In the back garden of the east courtyard, Miss Xia frowned secretly after hearing Caiyun's message. She came to the Jia family as a guest, not to see some Baoyu, so why was he everywhere?

But she was a guest after all, and the third daughter of the Jia family was right beside her, so she couldn't show her dissatisfaction. She smiled and pretended to be happy, and followed Tanchun to meet the people.

When they entered the main hall of the inner courtyard, Mrs. Wang introduced Baoyu and Miss Xia with a smile.

Miss Xia was just very graceful and greeted Baoyu with a smile. Her manners were elegant and her smile was reserved. She had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. Even Mrs. Wang looked at her and nodded.

Baoyu saw that Miss Xia had a beautiful and charming face, a graceful figure, and gentle and generous actions. If her reputation was true, she would be as outstanding as her sisters at home. He stared at her for a while.

Baochan, who was standing behind Miss Xia, saw Baoyu at such a close distance that she had a smile on her face and a slightly dazed look, just like Baoyu.

When Miss Xia saw Baoyu looking at her, she could not hide her infatuation and admiration, and couldn't help feeling a little proud.

Moreover, although Baoyu was also staring at her blankly, he found her much more pleasing to the eye than the big fool from the Xue family who had a lecherous look on his face. No one knew why.

She couldn't help but think in her heart, this precious jade, although not as handsome and romantic as him, but he was also born with a good appearance, but I don't know if it is useful... (End of this chapter)