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

After thinking it over, he calmly replied,

"I am naturally willing. My second sister-in-law has the original blueprints, materials, and manufacturing methods. I will copy them down clearly and give them to my second uncle along with the specifications for the same machine. This matter is entirely up to you, my second uncle!"

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly.

"Excellent! Excellent! Jinghuan (the old man only now remembered that he should address her by her courtesy name after her coming of age) has such a magnanimous heart, worthy of the Rong family's generations of loyal and virtuous reputation! If this matter succeeds, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed, which will be a wonderful thing for you, for the family, and for all the people of the world!"

After saying that, he hurriedly gave further instructions.

"Go quickly and compile the blueprints and manufacturing methods, ensuring they are detailed and comprehensive, without the slightest oversight! I will go to the Ministry of Works now to discuss it with the officials there, and then submit a report to His Majesty!"

Jia Cong bowed and agreed: "Nephew will obey your command and will certainly not delay your important business, Second Uncle."

After Jia Zheng left, he also went to Wang Xifeng's room to ask for the previous drawings, copied them again, and then sent them to Jia Zheng.

After leaving Rongxi Hall, Jia Cong intended to get intimate with Qin Keqing, but halfway there, Jia Huan dragged him away, grinning and tugging at his sleeve as if they were best buddies.

"Cong-ge'er finally gets a day off, he should have some fun with us poor brothers."

Jia Cong chuckled, pulled his sleeve back, and took a half-step back.

"What are you saying, Huan-ge? I just came out of the master's room too. Come on, I'll take you to practice martial arts today."

Unexpectedly, Jia Huan, who was usually very diligent, became persistent and pestered him.

"What harm is there in slacking off for a day? No one cares about me anyway. Let's go, let's go play Go with Sister Bao!"

Jia Cong initially wanted to refuse, but upon hearing that it was to see Baochai, his mind started to wander. Although this Lady Hengwu was not as charming as Qin Keqing, she was easier to get along with than the temperamental Daiyu. Moreover, the two had already been intimate. So he simply nodded in agreement.

"Fine, I'll take a day off and then go."

With a beaming smile, Jia Huan grabbed Jia Cong's hand and led him away. It wasn't that they were particularly close brothers, but rather that he knew his third brother was known for his generosity and that there would be some stakes involved in the Go game, so he could win a few taels of silver from his opponent.

Jia Huan needed an invitation to enter the Grand View Garden, so Ying'er stood at the garden gate early in the morning, looking around. When she saw the two of them arrive together, she quickly curtsied.

"Greetings, Third Master Cong, Third Master Huan. My young lady has been waiting for a long time."

On their way to Hengwu Garden, Jia Cong learned from Ying'er that Baoyu was not in Yihong Courtyard today. He had probably gone out with Xue Pan and others. Coincidentally, Daiyu was in poor health and might have caught a cold from Grandmother Jia, so she was resting in Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Baochai was bored, so she asked Xiangling and Jia Huan to come over.

Upon entering Hengwu Garden, Baochai greeted them with a smile.

"I had no idea we had distinguished guests. How did someone as busy as Brother Cong find the time?"

Jia Cong was also smiling.

"I haven't seen Sister Bao for several days, and she's gotten even thinner. Could it be that she's not enjoying her food?"

Upon hearing this, Baochai gave him a sidelong glance, seemingly both angry and not angry.

"Brother Cong is getting more and more sarcastic. It's just that I've been indulging in quiet lately and have been eating less tea and rice every day. How could I have lost weight?" But Baochai said this, but her eyes still glanced at her waist. From ancient times to the present, which young girl is not afraid of gaining weight?

As she spoke, she stepped aside to lead the two into the house, her voice lowered so that only the two of them could hear her.

"As for you, practicing shooting at the drill ground every day and handling affairs at the government office, you seem even more upright and energetic than before. I suppose you're doing well in your work and have no worries?"

Jia Cong smiled slyly, paused for a moment, and waited until Jia Huan had turned the corner of the corridor before teasingly speaking.

Whether a task goes smoothly or not depends entirely on what you're thinking about...

Baochai's pretty face flushed slightly, but she remained composed, only flicking her handkerchief with a mixture of reproach and shyness.

"You shameless person! I'm trying to talk to you about serious matters, but you insist on making fun of me..."

Jia Cong leaned forward slightly, and taking advantage of his height, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a snow-white figure. His throat tightened slightly, but he quickly composed himself.

"Since my sister understands my thoughts, why does she blame me for teasing her?"

Baochai's pearl hairpin trembled slightly, her eyes timidly turned away, but her voice was soft and sweet.

"You're getting more and more unserious; be careful someone doesn't overhear you."

Jia Cong smiled alluringly, "With my sister by my side, even if others see or hear us, I'm willing."

Although Baochai was a year or two older, she was so embarrassed that she covered her face with her handkerchief, ran a few steps to create some distance, and then reluctantly raised her hand to point at Ying'er.

"Go make some tea. I'll go back to my room for a bit and be right back!"

Seeing the beauty flee in panic, Jia Cong smiled with satisfaction. He swaggered into the room and sat down. He greeted Xiangling, Xichun, and his wooden-headed second sister before leisurely drinking his tea.

However, Jia Huan's older sister, Tan Chun, was not very willing to associate with her unambitious younger brother, so she did not come today.

Hengwu Garden was crowded with people, even Siqi from Yingchun's room, Ruhua, Xichun's maid, and Xiao Jixiang brought by Jia Huan all came over, chanting "one, two, three, four, five" and throwing dice.

Jia Cong absentmindedly tossed a few coins of silver onto the table as a wager, but his luck was good; he won quite a few copper coins in no time.

A short while later, when Baochai came out of the inner room, she had already lost her earlier shyness. She had changed the silver hairpin with a cloisonné peony pattern in her hair, and the jade earrings inlaid with pearls swayed lightly with her steps, making her fair and plump face even more delicate, like mutton fat jade.

The crowd continued to roll the dice and argue about the winners and losers, making a lot of noise. Jia Cong, however, had no interest in looking at the prizes on the table. He simply pushed all the money he had won away, which made Jia Huan and the others laugh and rush to grab it.

When no one was looking, Baochai gently touched Jia Cong's arm with her handkerchief and glanced down into the corridor. Jia Cong understood immediately and slipped out under the pretext of relieving himself.

A gentle breeze blew under the eaves. Baochai looked around to make sure no one was watching before taking out a piece of soft, autumn-colored satin handkerchief from her sleeve. It was embroidered with two swallows chasing willows, and it was very exquisite.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly pressed the handkerchief into Jia Cong's palm.

"You practice martial arts at the training ground every day, and you also have official duties, so it must be hard work. This handkerchief is something I embroidered in my spare time. If you don't mind its roughness, you can use it to wipe your sweat."

Jia Cong deliberately spoke in a flippant tone.

"My sister embroidered this herself. I cherish such an elegant and delicate item more than I can bear to think it's crude. I will definitely carry it with me every day."

Baochai's ears instantly turned red, and she quickly gave him a gentle push.

"Hurry up and put it away, lest people see it and gossip." Though her voice carried a hint of reproach, her eyes were full of shyness.

The two stood under the veranda chatting and laughing for a while. Just as they were about to return to their room, Qin Keqing's maid, Ruizhu, hurriedly entered the courtyard, saying that she had some questions about the perfume workshop's proportions and wanted to consult Jia Cong.

Although Baochai was somewhat reluctant, she had no choice but to let him go. It turned out that Qin Keqing couldn't bear the pain of unrequited love, and coincidentally, Wang Xifeng was busy with the autumn harvest on the estate these days, so she boldly came to find Jia Cong.