Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Li Rong hurriedly agreed and followed Liu Ergou out of the garrison. Jia Cong straightened his clothes and went to Zhou Haiyong's office with a smile.

After he explained the matter, Zhou Haiyong also had some doubts.

"Brother, are you saying that Liu Ergou didn't intend to escape, but that there's another reason?"

Jia Cong was talking nonsense with a straight face.

"Indeed, I have investigated the matter and found that Liu Ergou's father was seriously ill and he had no money to treat him, so he took the risk of deserting his post to raise money. Filial piety has always been the most important thing. Although military law is strict, it should be taken into consideration. Therefore, I have come to ask for your opinion, sir."

Zhou Haiyong was puzzled. Liu Ergou and Jia Cong were not related, so why should he personally protect such a person? But then he thought that this down-on-his-luck soldier had nothing to do with him, so he decided to do him a favor. He chuckled and stroked his short beard.

"My dear brother, you are in charge of criminal cases here, so you should be able to distinguish right from wrong. Since that's the case, let him go home and take good care of his parents. Just remove him from the military."

"This humble official thanks you for your kindness, sir..." Jia Cong smiled and bowed before leaving.

Before the end of the workday, he rode his motorcycle to Ba Hongchen and went to find Li Rong, only to learn that Liu Ergou had already taken the money and gone to find Ni Er.

Jia Cong then summoned Ni Er, saying that one of his servants would also come to help deliver the vegetables. Ni Er, completely unaware of the scheme, simply patted his chest confidently.

"Third Master, please rest assured, I will do my best to assist you. These days, my brothers have been earning a great deal by delivering vegetables to your residence, and they have long since given up their old habits of drinking and fighting! Since he is Third Master's man, I will have him come with me tomorrow."

Ni Er and the others have been delivering vegetables for several months now, and each of them can squeeze more than ten taels of silver from the Ning Mansion every month. In a year, that's more than Jia Cong's salary as a sixth-rank official. How could they not be grateful!

Jia Cong immediately had lunch with Ni Er and the others before going to a pharmacy on the street, where he specifically asked to buy arsenic trioxide, which is refined arsenic.

Although arsenic is a poison, it is also effective in treating malignant sores and stubborn skin diseases, and has insecticidal and decontaminating effects. It is widely used in the army. When the pharmacy owner saw that Jia Cong was dressed in military officer's uniform, he assumed that there were termites or other insects in the garrison and hurriedly took out a small packet.

Having obtained the refined arsenic, he had Li Rong buy some pineapple and drunken peaches elsewhere. After returning to Qingyan Hall, he dismissed everyone, found an earthenware jar, soaked it in liquor, filtered it, and concentrated it over a low flame, finally obtaining a small tube of dark, thick paste.

The next day, he found Liu Ergou again, handed him the white arsenic and the thick ointment, and gave him instructions, both threatening and intimidating.

"Listen carefully, dissolve just a tiny bit of this white liquid in water and pour it over tender vegetables, fresh mushrooms, or winter bamboo shoots. Mix the dark liquid into sesame oil, adding only this much each time. If you make even the slightest mistake or if anyone notices, your entire family's lives will be in danger!"

Having saved his life and received the money to settle the family, Liu Ergou dared not disobey, and repeatedly bowed and scraped.

"I understand, sir, please rest assured!"

"Very good. Work diligently for a year or two, and I will arrange a place for you!"

That wasn't all. To be on the safe side, Jia Cong instructed Ni Er and the others to keep a close eye on where Liu Ergou went after delivering the vegetables, in case he leaked the information.

Although Ni Er didn't know what Jia Cong was planning, he agreed without hesitation.

"Third Master, rest assured, I will thoroughly investigate Liu Ergou's background!"

Watching Ni Er's departing figure, Jia Cong's face twisted into a ferocious expression.

"The refining of white arsenic is an ancient practice, not a secret. It must be done gradually and in small amounts, in small doses, and only when the patient is weak and depleted. Silver needles will not be effective in this process, which is why it kills people invisibly!"

After settling everything, he went to the training ground to find Sun Tai as usual. The palace examination would be held next spring, and although he didn't expect to reach the fourth level of martial arts, he couldn't afford to be lazy.

Recently, there has been continuous rain. After practicing for a short while, another autumn rain came. Jia Cong had no choice but to bid farewell to Sun Tai and hurriedly rode Ba Hongchen back to Rong Mansion without even taking a raincoat.

Just as I turned the corner of the covered walkway, I heard Wang Xifeng yelling and cursing.

"Useless trash! A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Wang Xifeng's voice rose eight octaves, tinged with a furious rage. Her gold hairpin swayed wildly with the movement as she pointed at several mud-covered servants below the steps, spitting as she cursed.

"Is the head farmer dead or blind? The rice harvest is just around the corner, and half an acre of land is flooded. Those waterwheels are crawling at a snail's pace; they can't pump out a single puddle in a whole day!"

A village head knelt down and answered tremblingly.

"Second Madam, please calm down. I have already sent more people, even the old women have gone to operate the waterwheel, but the rain keeps falling, and the water is rising faster than we can pump it out. It's really..."

"That's utter nonsense!" Wang Xifeng's voice trembled with anxiety.

"The household's expenses for the year, the masters and mistresses' allowances, and the appearances we maintain—all of these depend on the harvest from the estate! If the rice rots, not only will we be unable to pay the land tax, but our household will starve! You bunch of good-for-nothings, if you ruin the harvest, I'll skin you alive!"

Jia Cong stood under the eaves, waiting for her to stop scolding for a while before stepping forward and bowing respectfully. "Greetings, sister-in-law."

When Wang Xifeng turned around and saw it was him, the fierceness on her face lessened slightly, but her brows remained furrowed.

"Brother, you're back from your shift? Look at this bunch of useless fools! The village is flooded like this, and the waterwheels are useless. If this continues, the whole year's harvest will be ruined. The manor's finances were already tight, this is just making things worse!"

Just moments before, Wang Xifeng and Jia Cong were lamenting their misfortunes, but when it rains, it pours. If this year's harvest is ruined, the Rong family's life next year will surely be difficult.

Most of the Rong family's property was located in Heishan Village outside the pass, but some of the fertile lands in the capital region were also nearby, which can be considered as the favor bestowed upon the two dukes of Ning and Rong by the Taizu Emperor.

Jia Cong immediately frowned, glanced at the gloomy, rainy weather, his mind racing, and after a short while, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Sister-in-law, don't get upset and harm your health. I have a solution..."

At this moment, Wang Xifeng disregarded the traditional separation of men and women, grabbed his sleeve, and started spitting as she spoke.

"Good brother, your wife knows you're capable. If you can solve this flood drainage problem, you'll be my friend from now on!"

Jia Cong chuckled awkwardly, pulled back his sleeve, and pointed at the group of peasants.

"Even if you curse them to death, it won't do any good. Please come over, sister-in-law. I'll draw up a blueprint for you to take to a workshop to make it. Two skilled craftsmen can make it in half a day."

Wang Xifeng was truly anxious; without saying a word, she grabbed Jia Cong and left.

"Then what are we waiting for? We'll have lunch at my place. Ping'er, tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes..." She then quickly pulled him to her room.

After entering the house, she quickly greeted everyone.

"Quickly prepare dry clothes and hot tea. Take Third Master to the outer study. Pens, ink, paper, and inkstones are all ready. Anyone who dares to neglect this will be severely punished!"

Once Jia Cong sat down at his desk, he, with his deep knowledge of the machine's structure, drew each stroke precisely and nimbly. He first sketched the entire pump cylinder, then detailed the bottom valve, piston, leather strap, and crank handle, clearly marking the dimensions of each part.

"The pump cylinder is three feet long and four inches in diameter. The leather lining is two-tenths of an inch larger than the cylinder diameter. The bottom valve is made of thin iron sheet, and the crank handle is five feet long." Even the number of coats of tung oil and the number of iron hoops wrapped around it are noted.