The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 12 Roster
"You're going to Yangzhou?"

Wang Xifeng was shocked. "Then what should I do?"

How long have they been married?

“Auntie said I’ll go check first. If it works, you can go too.”

Jia Lian grinned, "What about Jiangnan? Don't you want to go see Jiangnan?"

Wang Xifeng: "..."

She was somewhat tempted.

But she doesn't know what the future holds, yet right now she and her husband are about to be separated.

"I don't want you to leave."

When she leaned over Jia Lian, her voice was slightly nasal, clearly indicating that she was about to cry.

Jia Lian quickly hugged her tightly, "I can't bear to part with you either. Why don't we go find the old lady and tell her you're coming with me, and we can also pay our respects to our aunt?"

The old lady dotes on her aunt, and he's not going there for fun, so maybe she'll agree?
"...But what about the family?"

Wang Xifeng hesitated.

With her husband away, the power to manage the household has fallen into her hands!

"Is family...more important than me?"

Jia Lian looked at his wife with a pitiful expression.

"Of course not as important as you."

Wang Xifeng wasn't incapable of coaxing people, "But if we all leave, will our eldest son's family still have any business in the Rongguo Mansion?"

The main reason she was able to gain control of the household so quickly, besides the fact that her aunt was the second wife of the Rong family, was that she was the wife of the first wife.

If she and Jia Lian both leave home, then Zhu Da's sister-in-law, Li Wan, will definitely be promoted by the old lady and her aunt to manage the household.

By then, will there still be anything for the couple in the Rongguo Mansion?

"..."

Jia Lian didn't speak, but slowly hugged his wife tighter.

"Forget it, you should go to Yangzhou first and buy the sacrificial land for the future school!"

Wang Xifeng sighed, "We'll talk about the future later."

"Ok!"

Jia Lian's voice was muffled.

"Besides telling you about the sacrificial fields, what else did your aunt say?"

Wang Xifeng changed the subject, "How is her health now?"

"Auntie seems to be doing well."

Remembering how Brother Zhen had been refused an audience, Jia Lian quickly added, "While I'm not home, you should visit your aunt often. If there's anything you don't understand or anything difficult to handle, you can ask her."

"……it is good!"

Wang Xifeng, of course, wouldn't ask.

As for the housekeeper, just follow the usual procedures.

Given her status, even the servants dared not deceive her.

"By the way, Auntie and Brother Zhen both got so angry today, did they stop arguing when they got home?"

"It must have caused a scene."

Jia Lian said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Brother Zhen asked to see Aunt, but Aunt wouldn't even let him into the courtyard."

Wang Xifeng: "..."

She couldn't help but blink.

"I originally wanted to plead for him, but then I thought about it, and he didn't say a word for me to the master today, so I didn't say anything."

Jia Lian's mood improved a bit. "Hmph, he was so smug when he beat up others today, but when Uncle Jing comes back, he'll be in for a world of hurt."

"...Uncle Jing really knows how to use the paddle?"

"Most likely," Jia Lian said. "Unless he manages to appease his aunt before Uncle Jing finds out."

Wang Xifeng: "..."

Why do I feel a little envious?

“Tomorrow he’ll probably have to carry a bundle of thorns to his aunt’s courtyard to beg for forgiveness.” Jia Lian was preparing to go and see the joke. “Hmph, I bet his aunt won’t let him in unless he makes three trips.” The aunt of today is not the same as before. “The old ladies and wives in the mansion may not want to deal with the affairs of the East Mansion for the time being because of Baoyu’s schooling and donations.”

He'll be leaving in two days at the latest.

Jia Lian was worried about his family. "Your aunt has always liked you. Go to the East Mansion more often. When Brother Zhen apologizes for the second time, try to persuade him to do the same."

The pain of a child's beating is felt in a mother's heart.

He knew how much his aunt used to dote on his older brother Zhen.

"Give your aunt a way out, and she'll be less upset."

"understood."

A hint of a smile flashed in Wang Xifeng's eyes, "Brother Zhen is a bit clumsy!"

She's not as smart as her husband.

"Haha, you mustn't tell anyone that."

Jia Lian was in a good mood. "Just tell me about it."

"I'm not stupid!"

Wang Xifeng hugged him tighter. "Second Master, please don't talk about others." There's still no news from the East Mansion. Perhaps it's a test from Auntie for Brother Zhen and Sister-in-law You. If that's the case, she has ways to help them. "You're leaving soon, we... um~"

Before she could finish speaking, Jia Lian silenced her with a kiss.

Leaving aside the spring scenery here, Jia Zhen, who had been standing outside his mother's courtyard for half a day without receiving any pity, had no choice but to return to his room.

This time, he didn't go to the outer courtyard; he actually went back to his own courtyard.

"uncle!"

In the past, Lady You would always rush to greet him upon hearing of his return. However, having already heard the maids' reports, this time she was even holding a booklet, making notes. "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Jia Zhen: "..."

He kicked a stool over and sat down opposite her, as if to yell at her, "Do you think I'm being disrespectful?"
But thinking of his mother, Jia Zhen swallowed his words deeply.

His mother was already angry with him, and if she heard him arguing with Madam You, she would probably be even angrier.

Manager Chen said that Mother shouldn't be angry anymore and should be coaxed more.

"What are you doing?"

"Sir, look."

After writing down the last name, Lady You pushed it to Jia Zhen, saying, "These are all the gossipy old women, maids, and their families in the mansion."

what?
Jia Zhen's face darkened.

He knew, of course, that the almost cursed rumor did not originate from the school.

He had heard about it before, so he had no expectations for the baby in his mother's belly.

“The clan has dealt with almost everything that needed to be dealt with, but we also need to give our mother an explanation at home.”

Madam You said, "I've been checking the names on this list since I got back." She said sincerely, "Sir, you should deal with them first tomorrow and then report to Mother. I'm sure Mother will be kind to you."

That's right!
How could he not have thought of that?

Jia Zhen flipped through the pages of names, looking at the duties these people performed in the mansion, but his brows slowly furrowed. "This Lai family..."

The Lai family, whom he trusted most, were actually inside.

Moreover, the people here, from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard, involve all aspects of life. If all of them were dealt with, the mansion would immediately lose half its population.

"uncle!"

This is also why the Yu family hasn't dealt with it yet.

The Lai family is deeply rooted in the Jia family.

Not only were the stewards of their East Mansion members from the Lai family, but the stewards of their West Mansion members were also from the Lai family.

The two ancestors who became dukes were brothers, as were the ancestors of the Lai family.

Generation after generation, the Lai family's descendants grew up alongside the Jia family's masters, becoming the most trusted people by their masters' side, and naturally, they became their right-hand men.

"Lai Sheng and his wife, one is the steward of the outer courtyard and the other is the steward of the inner courtyard. Apart from those who haven't said it to us openly, who in the manor doesn't know the rumors?"

She couldn't control Lai Sheng's wife.

Everything that needs to be done in the mansion must be discussed with others.

Madam You had long wanted to suppress the Lai family. "Moreover, these rumors have spread so widely, and the people spreading them... I checked today, and it all started with a few complaints from Lai Sheng's wife."

(End of this chapter)