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

As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw Jia Rong leaning against a pillar, with a servant beside him. Seeing him arrive, the servant hurriedly greeted him with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Third Uncle, what a coincidence! I heard that you are now learning martial arts from a famous master, and you seem to be much stronger than before."

Jia Cong returned the greeting calmly, his tone indifferent:

"Rong-ge'er is joking. I'm just practicing in my spare time to improve my health. May I ask what brings you here?"

Jia Rong smiled, pulled him a few steps to a quieter spot, and lowered her voice to say:

"It's nothing major. I just heard from Master Zhen the other day that the old lady often praises your recent progress, and even my second uncle mentioned you a few times. In a few days, I'll be hosting a banquet and inviting a few of my brothers to have some drinks. I'd like to invite you to come and join in the fun."

Jia Cong knew perfectly well that he had never been invited to any of the Ning Mansion's banquets in the past. Jia Rong's personal invitation this time was simply because he had recently gained the favor of the Old Madam and Wang Xifeng, and with his martial arts training and perfume workshop as leverage, the Ning Mansion wanted to curry favor. However, he was always tactful and didn't expose him, only smiling and saying:

"Since Rong-ge'er has invited me, I will naturally go. I will definitely be there."

When Jia Rong saw that he had agreed, he was even more delighted. He exchanged a few more pleasantries, praising his perseverance in martial arts and suggesting that the two of them should visit each other more often in the future, before finally bowing and taking his leave.

As Jia Cong watched Jia Rong's departing figure, he sighed inwardly—the Rong and Ning mansions were the most pragmatic of all. In the past, they were like dust, ignored by everyone, but now that they have made some progress, everyone is trying to curry favor with them.

He composed himself, turned around and walked back. He felt that the coldness and indifference of the people in this mansion were more sobering than the physical pain of practicing martial arts.

Just before leaving, Jia Rong slapped his forehead and came to his senses.

"Look at my memory, I've forgotten that important matter. I borrowed that glass screen from Second Madam a few days ago and haven't returned it yet. Third Uncle, why don't you come back to the mansion with me? It would be a favor for your nephew..."

The glass screen on the kang (heated brick bed) was borrowed by Jia Rong from Wang Xifeng when Granny Liu first visited the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Cong couldn't refuse, so he could only nod.

"Rong-ge'er, please sit for a while, I'll change my clothes and come right away..." With sweat dripping from his martial arts practice, it wasn't convenient for him to enter the Ning residence like this.

A quarter of an hour later, he followed Jia Rong out of the Rongguo Mansion. The Rong and Ning Mansions were "less than an arrow's throw apart". This was also the first time Jia Cong had stepped into the Ning Mansion since he transmigrated.

"It does look more dilapidated than the Rong Mansion, but even a starved camel is bigger than a horse," Jia Cong thought to himself.

Upon entering the main gate, one sees that although the screen wall inside is also carved from blue and white stone, it is covered with some dust, and the vermilion paint under the eaves has faded a bit, unlike the bright and brand-new Rong Mansion.

The pines and cypresses along the path were neat and tidy, but some fine grass grew in the cracks between the stones in front of the steps, showing that although it was swept and cleaned, it was not as meticulous as the Rong Mansion.

Upon reaching the flower hall, a servant lifted the curtain. The hall was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, yet it couldn't mask the subtle smell of alcohol.

Jia Rong led him inside: "Third Uncle, please have a seat. I'll have the servants bring the screen over the kang. And someone, bring tea quickly!"

Before the words were finished, two servants in blue robes entered and stood at their feet below the steps. Then a maid with a velvet flower in her hair carried in a red lacquered tea tray with two white-glazed blue-and-white covered teacups on it. The tea smoke curled up and carried a faint jasmine fragrance.

The young maidservant curtsied and presented the tea to Jia Cong, saying softly, "Third Master, please have some tea."

After saying this, she curtsied and stepped aside, bowing her head and standing respectfully. Her expression was respectful, but she lacked the refined manners of the Rong family's maids.

Jia Cong, who was never favored, had no idea how to tell the quality of tea. He just gulped down a few mouthfuls and put the tea down, then looked around Jia Rong's residence.

Although not as exquisite as Baoyu's residence, this place still exudes the grandeur of a noble young master, bright and spacious. Soft felt carpets are laid on the floor, and a large rosewood table by the window displays Duan inkstones and Jun kiln brush washers, with poetry scrolls scattered on the table, creating an air of refined elegance.

The inner room had a canopy bed with embroidered lotus gauze curtains hanging from it, and pearl tassels dangling from the gold curtain hooks. The kang table was piled with brocade mattresses, and every item was valuable.

Jia Cong couldn't look at it for long, only glancing at it briefly, while Jia Rong was probably held up by something and hadn't returned after a quarter of an hour, which made him a little irritable.

He strolled out of the main room and was staring blankly at the bird's nest in the treetops in the courtyard when he heard a maid whispering at the courtyard gate.

"Grandma, Master Rong has a distinguished guest... it's Third Master Cong from the Rong family."

"I understand..."

The voice that answered was a woman's, soft and melodious, with a hint of timid gentleness.

Jia Cong turned around and saw Qin Keqing standing at the corner of the covered corridor, supported by her maid. She wore a plain silk jacket over a lychee-colored soft satin skirt, with only a fresh pearl orchid in her hair. Her natural beauty was unadorned, yet she was graceful and slender, with eyes as clear as water and a hint of elegance in her brows.

Upon seeing him, she quickly turned slightly to the side and curtsied, her waist bending gently, showing a hint of shyness as if she couldn't bear the weight of her clothes.

Qin Keqing's voice was soft and gentle, her manners impeccable, yet tinged with a subtle unease:

"Uncle, please be patient..."

So this is Qin Keqing. No wonder even Grandmother Jia praised her, saying, "She is graceful and delicate, and gentle and peaceful in her conduct. She is the most outstanding among her great-granddaughters-in-law."

However, the fate of this leading lady among the Twelve Beauties was not good. According to the original story, she died in the Mid-Autumn Festival of this year, and the cause of death is unknown.

The Cheng-Gao edition and the Zhi edition of Dream of the Red Chamber offer different perspectives on Qin Keqing's fate. One version states that she died of illness, while the other concludes that she hanged herself in the "Fragrant Pavilion of Debauchery."

In any case, the woman in question is still alive and well, though her complexion is a little pale, which makes her appear even more delicate and frail.

Jia Cong stood there, his gaze fixed on her graceful figure in her simple white dress. Although they should have observed proper etiquette as uncle and nephew, he couldn't help but feel a few strange thoughts rising in his heart.

Perhaps she had just come from the inner room, for Qin Keqing raised her hand to tidy her hair. Her fingertips were slender and long, her nails neatly trimmed and rounded, with a faint pinkish hue. Her skin was so radiant it seemed to reflect light. The collar of her jacket was slightly loose, inadvertently revealing a small patch of fair skin, smooth as jade, with a touch of pale porcelain whiteness due to illness.

When Qin Keqing straightened her robes to lead him back to the house, he instead stepped forward slowly, his tone gentle, half-casual conversation, half-flirting. His gaze fell on the pearl orchid at her temple, and he said softly:

"My niece-in-law looks just like that woman, 'I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her sake.' She looks so frail; has she been exhausted from the household chores?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes drooped, and her fingertips gripped the hem of her skirt, adding a touch of helpless timidity.

She knew that this third uncle belonged to the Rong family's Yu generation. Although he was usually inconspicuous, his words at this moment had overstepped the bounds of uncle and niece. However, his tone was calm, as if it were just casual conversation, which made her not know how to refuse. She could only reply softly, "Thank you for your concern, Third Uncle. I am fine."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and her gentle and charming manner, tinged with shyness, made her even more captivating than her usual sensible demeanor.