Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Earl's Mansion, Tanchun Courtyard.

Jia Cong's cold words made the atmosphere in the embroidery room a little stiff, and everyone was silent for a moment.

The sisters were all smart people. They all knew that since the second branch had moved to the East Courtyard, Baoyu would still stay in the West Mansion, and it seemed very respectable.

Although some of this was due to the old lady's doting on him, it was still somewhat against family etiquette.

But Jia Cong, as the head of the family, turned a blind eye to the matter and never said a word about it, which made some people think it was natural.

But Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters knew in their hearts that Jia Cong was not ignorant of the etiquette of both inside and outside.

However, he and his sisters settled in the East Palace, and only Lady Jia and Wang Xifeng were left in the huge West Palace. Baoyu could live wherever he wanted, and he was too lazy to pay attention to such trivial matters.

Every time he went to the West Palace, he would mostly go to Rongqing Hall to talk and pay his respects according to etiquette, or go to Wang Xifeng's courtyard to discuss things.

I seldom meet Baoyu, as the two of them have different personalities. They seldom see each other and talk much in daily life, so I just keep my ears clean.

Even though Baoyu always considered himself noble, he spoke nonsense in Rongqing Hall on the happy day when Jia Cong passed the imperial examination.

Or they might secretly say that Jia Cong was a parasite who only cared about official career and economics and was fond of defiling innocent daughters.

He often wanted to provoke Daiyu, and would rush into her when drunk...

Jia Cong even witnessed him having an ugly affair with Xia's maid in Jia Zheng's study.

Although these made Jia Cong increasingly disgusted with him, he did not bother to pay much attention to it, because he felt that Baoyu was a pervert and not worth wasting time on him.

But it was not until Mrs. Wang tried to get her hands on the silver hidden in the Zhen family of Jinling and severely beat Tanchun who tried to dissuade her that Jia Cong finally got really angry.

Although his words to Xiren just now seemed indifferent, the meaning behind them was already very impolite.

The implication is that Baoyu has not yet married and is temporarily living in Rongguo Mansion, which can be considered as showing some filial piety to Lady Jia.

After getting married, one must follow family etiquette, move out of Rongguo Mansion, return to the East Courtyard, and be filial to one's parents.

As for what happens to the sisters in the family in the future, it is not something he, an outsider, should worry about.

Tanchun is Baoyu's biological sister, so he can take care of her. But since what happened in the East Courtyard, would Tanchun go back easily?

So he doesn't need to worry about it, I will take good care of it...

Although he spoke in a cold tone, his voice was quite unpleasant to the ear.

But the meaning of the words was very high-sounding. Even if Xiren went back to tell the story, Jia's mother and Wang Fu-ren would be angry, but they would not be able to find any fault with it.

Even if word of this were to get out, outsiders would only say that Jia Cong, as the head of the family, was sensible, polite, and devoted to teaching the young man in the clan, Xiang Zheng.

Now he is the second place in the imperial examination and the youngest Hanlin scholar in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No one will say a word when he teaches Baoyu, a playboy who has never been to school.

All the sisters present could hear that his attitude towards the second wife, which had been tolerant because of Jia Zheng, had changed.

……

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Xiren's face turned red and she looked embarrassed.

Although Shi Xiangyun had a close relationship with Xiren, she was speechless for a moment. Although she was a little careless, she was not a silly girl who knew nothing.

Knowing that the Second Wife had beaten the girl, the Third Brother felt sorry for her and didn't even give Baoyu face...

Among the sisters, only Yingchun came out to smooth things over, saying, "Xiren, what brother Cong said is reasonable. We are all brothers from the same family, and we all hope that Baoyu will get better.

Brother Bao is about to get married and start a family, and the second master is looking forward to his going to school, which is also a serious matter for the second house.

You have been with Baoyu for a long time, so he may be able to listen to you. When you have time, try to persuade him more often, and maybe he will listen to you.

In the future, if Brother Bao can set up his own household, you can enjoy the happiness with him, what a wonderful thing."

……

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Xiren felt very uneasy, but she didn't dare to get up and leave immediately, for fear of appearing to be resentful and angering Jia Cong again.

Although in the hearts of Baoyu and Mrs. Wang, Jia Cong is always regarded as an equal.

But maids and servants like Xiren knew that although the master of the house was young, he usually looked kind.

But if you know how he climbed to his current position, you will know that he is a very difficult person to deal with, and you dare not show any strength in front of him.

Xiren only waited for Yingchun to agree to a few more words to ease the atmosphere a little, then she hurriedly said goodbye and left.

After Xiren left, Shi Xiangyun, who was straightforward, teased Tanchun, "Sister Three suffered a little, and Brother Three applied medicine and bandaged her.

Even so, I still feel unhappy and help you everywhere. Now you are so proud of yourself. I envy you so much."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "If you suffer any loss in the future, I will help you out."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and waved her hands, saying, "Third brother, you should hope for my good. I would rather not have you take the lead than suffer a loss."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Ever since Baoyu went to Lixiangyuan last time, Aunt Xue's lively talk about having children frightened him so much that he dared not go there again easily.

I also heard that as long as Sister Bao was at home, Aunt would most likely stay by her side. Only when Sister Bao went to the East Palace would Aunt go to Rongqing Hall to chat.

In short, Lixiangyuan has become strange now, making Baoyu even more depressed and feeling a little sad.

Whenever he thought of Aunt Xue in the past, he would call her my son as soon as he saw him, and always praised him for his good character and good looks.

At that time, when he went to Lixiangyuan, his aunt also liked to talk to Bao-jie by herself, and sometimes she would ask him to stay for dinner.

Now, she has completely changed her attitude. Every time they meet, it's either a marriage or a promise. In front of Sister Bao, she even praises Miss Xia for her ability to have children.

It would be fine if she was vulgar herself, but she had to defile her own innocence in front of a pretty girl.

I used to say that women are like pearls and treasures before they get married, but after they get married they become inhuman and become like dead fish eyes.

Others said that what I said was unreasonable, but now it seems that I am indeed right.

Baoyu didn't dare go to Lixiangyuan again, although he was in a very bad mood.

But as long as you have a little pity for yourself, you can carefully analyze the absurdity and vulgarity of others.

It would allow him to remain calm again, and make him feel even more exceptional, so he would just muddle through the day...

……

A few days ago I heard that Tanchun was beaten by the lady, and both of her hands were swollen and ugly. She suffered a lot.

Baoyu felt sorry for his sister, and when he heard that she was trying to stop the Zhen family from hiding the silver, he had an argument with the lady and was severely punished by the family.

I not only feel sorry for Tanchun, but also think that she is a good girl who can't just live a quiet life, but she cares whether other people hide their silver or not.

Not only did he fall into mediocrity, but he also got beaten by his wife for nothing. It was really not worth it.

As for saying that his wife did something wrong, Baoyu would never dare to say anything. He just felt that it was not good for the master and mistress in the family to like to enforce family rules.

Later, she heard about the Zhen family's hidden silver. Jia Cong also knew about it and strongly opposed it. Tanchun came here to stop the lady from doing so.

Baoyu knew the reason, and he couldn't help beating his chest and stamping his feet, sighing at the injustice of heaven and the corruption of the world.

Such a good sister of his had her innocent feelings tarnished by Jia Cong's money-related affairs. It was really hateful and lamentable.

……

Although he blamed Tanchun for not living up to his expectations, he still felt sorry for his sister.

But the entrance to the East Mansion was too high, so Xiren could only visit a few times, so that the sisters in the East Mansion would know how much she felt sorry for her daughter...

Xiren had been gone for quite some time and had not come back yet, and Baoyu was feeling a little anxious.

Just then, seeing Xiren entering the yard with a depressed look on her face, he hurriedly asked, "How is Third Sister's injury recovering? Did the sisters say how they would like to celebrate Girls' Day?"

Baoyu often hated himself for being born a man, so his favorite festival was the Qixi Festival, which is also known as the Girls' Day.

He privately felt that this should also be his own holiday, so as to live up to his usual respect for his daughter.

Playing and laughing with my sisters on Girls' Day, smelling the fragrance of flowers and jade, is the greatest joy in life. I am willing to die for them...

……

When Xiren saw Baoyu's warm, attentive and hopeful expression, she thought of the unusually cold atmosphere in Tanchun's room just now and smiled bitterly to herself.

The second master didn't even think about the current situation at home and was still having unreasonable dreams.

The girls in the family now live in the East Palace. When they celebrate the Girls' Day, they will only think of Third Master Cong and never think of Second Master.

Although Xiren seduced Baoyu early on and secretly competed for his favor and a position in his room, she also did so out of the desire to establish herself as a girl from a poor family.

In other matters, she was quite restrained, not as treacherous and domineering as Qiu Wen.

Besides, Jia Cong's words today were too harsh. If they were passed on to his second master, it would only cause anger and noise, and would not have any other benefit.

So it is better not to say anything, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Just pretend that the Second Master does not know, and stay in the West Mansion for a few more days. Seeing Xiren's hesitation, Baoyu frowned and said, "Sister, you have been walking under the scorching sun for a long time, you are confused and don't speak."

Xiren said, "The third young lady's injury has healed. When I went over, the third master was helping her apply medicine and bandage. He is taking good care of her. Second master, don't worry."

Xiren thought of how Jia Cong took care of Tanchun's injuries and felt so sweet. The two of them looked more like siblings than Second Master.

Originally, the third girl was the second master's biological sister, and she was somewhat partial to him in her heart. But now that she has been scolded by the mistress, she can now legitimately favor the third master.

Xiren only said it casually, but Baoyu felt very sad when he heard it.

He said, "Third sister, both hands are injured. There are doctors to treat the wounds. Why does Jia Cong have to do it himself? What a shame!"

After hearing this, Xiren felt strange. The other person was in her East Palace and she could do whatever he wanted.

Even if the old lady doesn't care, how can the second master take care of it? It's boring to say this.

……

Seeing that Xiren didn't respond, Baoyu knew that there was nothing he could do about it. It was really unreasonable for his own sister to be taken care of by Jia Cong.

He then asked, "Have you asked the sisters how they plan to celebrate the Girls' Day? As long as it requires me to work hard and worry about it, it's fine."

Xiren looked a little bitter and replied, "I did ask, but the girls didn't say how to spend it. I guess they still think about it."

Baoyu frowned again, looking unwilling, and stamped his feet and said, "How can this be? Now the sisters are all living in the East Palace, and Jia Cong doesn't know how to take care of them.

The Daughter's Day is such a big thing, but he didn't care at all and just let the sisters have a carefree time. This is really a blasphemy to his daughters."

Xiren felt a little dizzy after hearing this, and said casually: "Maybe the Third Master is usually busy with his duties at the government office and has no time to take care of it."

When Baoyu heard the words "going to the government office to do something", he felt as if someone had stepped on his tail.

She was filled with grief and anger and said, "You are still saying such nonsense now. How can these dirty things about official career and economy be more important than celebrating the festival with my sisters at home?

This mansion is really getting more and more absurd, it's totally out of control, everyone is disgusted by Jia Cong's corrupt affairs. "

Xiren thought about Jia Cong's cold words today. Her second master said such cruel words. What if the words got to the ears of the third master?

If he really did something embarrassing to the Second Master, how would the Second Master live at home in the future...

Xiren was worried that she would provoke Baoyu to talk again, so even though he scolded her a few times, she did not make a single statement in defense and quickly found an excuse to leave the room.

……

She had just walked to the middle of the yard when she met Musk Moon who was carrying water. Her face looked a little ugly when she saw Xiren.

He asked, "Sister Xiren, what's wrong with you? You look so sad. I just heard the Second Master yelling. Are you angry?"

Xiren didn't dare to say some things to Baoyu, and was often retorted by Baoyu, which made her feel very depressed.

She and Musk Moon had always been good friends, and when she asked the reason, she pulled her out of the yard and sat on a nearby rock.

He said, "From now on, if the Second Master sends people to visit the East Palace, I will not go there again. Not to mention that we lost face in the past, but the Second Master will still have something to say when we come back."

Xiren told Sheyue about what happened to her in the East Mansion and the cold words that Jia Cong had said, and they both sighed.

Musk Moon said, "Sister Xiren, although Third Master's words are cold and not very pleasant to the ear, every word he says makes sense.

The Second Master has been doted on by the old lady since he was young, and everyone has given him some respect, but the situation at home is very different now, and everyone has seen it.

But our master is a carefree person. With the old lady's protection, he doesn't think about these trivial matters at all and just thinks of living in the West Mansion for the rest of his life.

But the Xi Mansion is clearly the property of the eldest wife, so there is no reason for me to live in my cousin's house all my life.

But now the old lady is still in the hall, and the third master himself doesn't care too much about it, so it's not easy for others to point it out.

When the third master heard that the third young lady was trying to stop the mistress, he also said that she should not get involved, but the mistress just went ahead and beat the third young lady.

Madam, this is embarrassing Mr. Cong. After all, he is still the head of the family. Who will listen to him in the future?

Even though he didn't care about many things before, he might have gotten really angry this time and changed his mind.

Besides, he and the third girl have been good friends since childhood, so it is reasonable for him not to protect the other. He said such things to his sister because he wanted her to tell him when she came back.

As soon as this word spread, everyone would discuss the matter. As the saying goes, "many mouths can melt metal" and people's gossip is to be feared.

Besides, the Third Master is right. If that happens, everyone around us will give us the cold shoulder. How can the Second Master continue to live in the West Mansion?"

……

After hearing what Musk Moon said, Xiren seemed to understand something and said, "Now that you put it, it really makes sense.

I said that Third Master Cong used to be quite kind, but today he said something unpleasant and harsh. Fortunately, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say it to Second Master.”

Musk Moon said: "I advise sister not to get involved in this mess. Just pretend that you didn't hear these words, so that if they get out, we will be the ones who will be embarrassed.

Anyway, the Second Master will be married in less than half a year, and when the time comes, he can just move back to the West Mansion, and the Second Master will have nothing to say about it.

Even if the old lady is reluctant to part with the Second Master, she can't stop him because of family etiquette. This way, we can just let it go and everyone will be proud. Isn't that good?"

Xiren found what Musk Moon said very logical and reasonable.

Although she wanted to win Baoyu's favor in his room, she had no other ambitions. As long as she could secure her position as a concubine, she would be content.

As for whether Baoyu lives in the West Mansion or the East Courtyard, it makes little difference to Xiren.

Although the old lady is old now, the master is still in his prime. No matter where the second wife lives, they will never have to worry about food and clothing.

The two were whispering and were thinking they were getting along well when suddenly someone spoke next to them in a clear, sharp voice with a hint of sarcasm.

"The two of you are talking about good things here. Now let's go downhill and each of you will get good things for your reputation. Tell me about it."

Xiren and Sheyue were both startled and turned around quickly, and saw Qiu Wen in Baoyu's room.

They couldn't help but worry, because they all knew that Qiu Wen had always wanted to stand out, and she had a big mouth, so she often gossiped to Lady Wang.

Musk Moon's face darkened slightly, and she said, "Why don't we have a private conversation? You're sneaking around like that. How long have you been here?"

Qiu Wen said with some disdain: "Didn't I just get here? Otherwise, I would have heard all your good things."

……

Earl's Palace.

After Xiren left, the sisters chatted in Tanchun's room for a long time before leaving.

Just as the sisters reached the gate of the courtyard, Xiangyun suddenly thought of what she had just said.

She smiled and said, "Third brother, although I often came to stay in the mansion before, I never celebrated the Girls' Day at home.

How did your family celebrate in previous years? Do you have any good ideas? Let us hear them. "

After hearing this, Daiyu seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Said: "Third brother has a good idea for celebrating Girls' Day. He is very good at washing the girls' hair on that day. He washes several girls at a time. It's fun to watch."

After hearing this, Yingchun and Baochai could not help laughing, and their pretty faces turned slightly red.

Since Xing Xiuyun came later, she didn't know the story of the East Palace Girls' Festival like Yingchun and Baochai.

But she felt a little shy after hearing this, because she knew the story of Suyang. It turned out that her cousin had this hobby. She would ask him to wash my hair one day...

When Shi Xiangyun heard the interesting words, her eyes suddenly lit up. She grew up in the capital, so how could she know the customs of the south?

He said to Jia Cong excitedly: "This sounds interesting, but I have never tried it. Good Third Brother, please wash my hair one day so that I can try it too."

Daiyu's smile became more and more mischievous, and she said, "It's easy to let Third Brother wash your hair, but it can't be washed for nothing, there are some rules to follow."

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "What else is there to pay attention to when washing your hair? Tell me about it."

Daiyu chuckled: "What's there to say? Didn't you teach Tan'er that as long as she gets married in the future, she will know everything."

Shi Xiangyun suddenly remembered the time when she teased Tanchun. She knew that what Daiyu said was not good, but she was afraid that it was too ambiguous to ask her third brother to wash her hair on Girls' Day.

She couldn't help but glance at Jia Cong and saw that he was also laughing, with a pair of bright eyes, like a deep pool, looking over here.

She couldn't help but feel shaken in her heart and her face turned red.

He immediately felt something was wrong, so he ran over to tickle Daiyu's itch. Daiyu smiled and hid behind Jia Cong, and the two of them circled around Jia Cong.

Daiyu held onto Jia Cong's shoulders, panting slightly.
Suddenly he pointed behind her and said with a smile: "You are just messing with me. Look, the one who washed Third Brother's hair is coming this way."

Shi Xiangyun turned around curiously and saw a slender and graceful figure walking towards her on the garden path ahead.

It was Jia Cong's maid Wu'er, who was wearing a pine green embroidered thin silk jacket with a collar, an ivory gauze lining, and a snow-white pleated palace skirt.

With her shiny black hair and beautiful, soft face, under the summer glow, she looks as delicate as a willow and as graceful as an orchid.

In the evening breeze, her skirt fluttered, her black hair flew, and her beautiful clothes wrapped around her body, making her look even more graceful and beautiful... (End of this chapter)