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

After two days of haggling, on the morning of the third day, Li Rong, carrying Jia Cong's official seal and other items, went to the government office and bought the three-courtyard house with a total of forty-five rooms.

The east courtyard houses an elegant room, the west courtyard is used for receiving guests, and the backyard features a small garden with a Taihu stone, a small pond, pavilions, flowers, and trees.

Through the broker's mediation, the price was negotiated at six hundred taels of silver, which was paid in full with the broker's private funds. The broker and the government office only registered the transaction in his name, and no one in the Rong family knew about it.

When Li Rong brought back the house deed, Jia Cong sighed with emotion. This was the first property he had ever owned, and even if something unexpected happened in the future, he would still have a place to stay.

He then took out another four hundred taels of silver and gave it to Li Rong, instructing him to have the new house thoroughly cleaned and to purchase a batch of brand-new furniture, using only nanmu and elm wood and avoiding extravagance.

The curtains and bedding were made of the finest silks and satins, and the furnishings were nothing more than ordinary porcelain and calligraphy and paintings, aiming only for elegance and practicality, suitable for officials' appearance, and not ostentatious or eye-catching.

The money left over from buying the furnishings will be used to hire a group of maids and servants. Although the house is not usually occupied, it still needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly.

This series of actions before the New Year directly reduced Jia Cong's personal savings by half. Fortunately, he is now quite wealthy, and the houses he bought are somewhat useful, so he forgot about the heartache for a while.

Jia Cong went to the training ground as usual that day. Today was the last training session before the New Year, and Sun Tai should also go home for the New Year.

After a series of drills, Sun Tai squinted and stroked his beard, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

"Third Master truly possesses the appearance of a celestial being; it seems to me he's about to break through?"

Jia Cong smiled sheepishly.

"Master Sun is joking. Breaking through is not that easy. I just felt that my three martial realms were slightly loose when I was injured last time."

Upon hearing this, Sun Tai quickly extended his right palm, placed it on Jia Cong's dantian, examined it closely, then nodded in satisfaction and released his hand.

"Third Master was born to learn martial arts. Ordinary people would be afraid to become lazy and stop progressing after being injured, but Third Master is not only not retreating but advancing. In my opinion, Third Master's martial arts level is at the third level, and he should be able to break through smoothly in another year or two."

In addition to external martial arts such as the Feather Forest Spear Technique and the Flowing Cloud Bone-Breaking Capturing Hand, the martial arts passed down by Sun Tai also included a set of internal breathing techniques. Jia Cong practiced these techniques daily and supplemented them with the Cypress Dew, which was uniquely passed down by Sun Tai. As long as he worked hard, he could eventually reach the fifth level, although the number of years it took each person to achieve it varied.

Sun Tai gave him two more bottles of cypress seed dew, saying he would see him again after the New Year, before mounting his horse and leaving.

After leaving the drill ground, Jia Cong asked Ni Er and others about the situation. He also went to the prison of the Thousand Households Office to ask Jia Ping about Wang Mancang's current situation. Only after learning that everything was normal did he feel relieved and return to the Rong Mansion.

After he took office, he often used the side gate to easily lead his horse. But today, he saw a middle-aged couple squatting there in tattered clothes. Their eyes revealed greed and ruthlessness, unlike those of an ordinary respectable family.

Before Jia Cong could speak, Li Rong stepped forward and reprimanded him.

"You blind fool, didn't you see Third Master return to the manor? Get out of the way!"

The couple nodded repeatedly, and seeing that Jia Cong was riding a tall horse and wearing a silver fox fur cloak, clearly a member of the household, they hurriedly bowed and stepped back.

"I have offended Third Master, I deserve to die!"

Jia Cong glanced at her suspiciously a few more times, thinking it was some maid or servant's family member who had arrived. He had just dismounted and was about to enter when he saw Siqi, looking impatient, emerge from the side gate, bundled up in thick clothing. Upon seeing him, she quickly curtsied.

"This servant greets Third Master." Jia Cong had previously helped Yingchun punish Wang Zhuer's wife and rewarded her again, so this maid remembered Jia Cong's kindness.

Jia Cong also offered a token gesture of support.

"Get up and speak. Are you going out, young lady?"

A look of disgust flashed across Siqi's face as she pointed at the couple.

"Reporting to Third Master, this servant is here on Miss Xing's orders to deliver the monthly allowance to Mr. and Mrs. Xing Zhong."

Jia Cong suddenly realized that the couple were actually Xing Zhong's family. Madam Xing disliked these poor relatives and even made Xing Xiuyan use her own monthly allowance to support them.

He couldn't be too rude, after all, he was Madam Xing's nominal son, so he could only force a smile and turn around.

"We don't see each other often, so I didn't recognize you. It turns out it's my uncle and aunt who came."

Upon hearing this, Xing Zhong and his wife were first taken aback, then their eyes widened like copper bells, and the greed on their faces instantly overshadowed their previous cowardice.

Xing Zhong hurriedly tugged at his wife beside him, and the two of them knelt down on the cold bluestone slab with a thud.

"Ouch! Third Master! It was my fault for being so blind!" Xing Zhong's voice was rough and hoarse, with a hint of deliberate respect. He kowtowed twice, "I was blind and didn't recognize you, Third Master. I deserve a beating! I deserve a beating!" As he spoke, he raised his hand and lightly slapped his face, the force was weak, it was just for show.

His wife also kowtowed, her hair disheveled and sticking to her frostbitten, bluish-purple face, as she echoed in a shrill voice.

"Yes, yes, Third Master! We are just a simple country bumpkin, how could we have ever seen such a distinguished person as Third Master? We offended you just now, please forgive us!"

Siqi, frowning and speaking with disdain, interjected coldly,

"Stop your noise here! Third Master is a military officer, a magistrate appointed by the imperial court. How can you country bumpkins like him casually try to curry favor with him?"

"Master of Martial Arts!" Upon hearing this, Xing Zhong's previously cloudy eyes instantly lit up with a frightening brightness, his body straightened slightly, and he stopped kowtowing. Instead, he rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and put on a fawning smile. He took two steps forward, his tone becoming increasingly humble.

"My dear Third Master! You're truly remarkable! No wonder you were raised by Madam, you're extraordinary! Look at your bearing, your official rank, our Xiuyan is so lucky to have a brother like you!"

"That's right, Third Master!" Xing Zhong's wife quickly chimed in, the fierceness on her face vanishing, replaced only by an ugly, sycophantic demeanor.

"Xiuyan has been sensible since she was little. Now that she has such a capable brother like you, Third Master, looking after her, she's sure to have a good future! We old folks can also benefit from your good fortune and suffer less from hunger and cold!"

As Xing Zhong spoke, he deliberately straightened his tattered cotton-padded coat, which was covered in patches, and sighed deeply. His triangular eyes were full of calculation. "To be honest, Third Master, we old folks have had a hard life. We don't have a proper business, and we've been starving for a long time. That's why we shamelessly came to the manor for help. That girl is kind-hearted and saves every penny, using her own monthly allowance to help us out. But that little bit of money is really not enough for us old folks to live on, let alone cover some odds and ends..."

His words and actions were full of demands, and his greed was undisguised.

Jia Cong stood there, his brows slightly furrowed, a fleeting hint of disgust flashing in his eyes, but he maintained a semblance of civility on his face, his attitude neither warm nor cold.

"Uncle and Aunt, you flatter me. Xiuyan is my elder sister, and it is only right that I take care of you."

Without making a sound, he gave a wink to Li Rong, who then quickly took out three or four taels of silver from his purse and handed it to Xing Zhong.

Jia Cong looked at their greedy faces with disdain.

"Take this money and live on it. Don't bother Xiuyan anymore. She's new to the household and things are inconvenient for her. If you behave yourselves, I will take care of you in the future. If you cause trouble and keep bothering her, don't blame me for not showing you any kinship."

Upon seeing the silver, Xing Zhong's eyes widened. He hurriedly reached out and snatched it, clutching it tightly in his hand, repeatedly bowing and expressing his gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Third Master! Thank you so much, Third Master! We will definitely behave ourselves and never dare to bother you again! Third Master is truly benevolent and kind-hearted!"

His wife also bowed repeatedly, babbling incessantly with compliments, nothing more than vulgar words praising Jia Cong for his youthful promise and kind heart.