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

Seeing her like this, Jia Cong's lips curled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing more, only saying lightly, "It's good that you're alright, don't make yourself suffer."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing's eyes welled up with tears, and her eyes even reddened slightly.

Jia Cong watched, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

This understanding flower, blooming in the mud of the Ning Mansion, has been encountered by him today. It is so gentle and graceful, yet it also hides a bit of inexplicable charm. For a moment, his heart itches, and he thinks it wouldn't hurt to pluck it.

Before he could continue his flirting, Jia Rong hadn't returned yet, but a young maidservant arrived, standing outside the main room and calling out in a clear, cheerful voice.

"Grandma, Master Zhen requests your presence..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing's delicate body trembled, a barely perceptible fear flashing in her eyes, but she could only force herself to turn her head away.

"Okay, I'll be right there..."

Jia Cong understood perfectly, and immediately raised an eyebrow, looking directly at the other person.

"That's perfect, I'll go with you. I should also pay my respects to my elder brother..."

Qin Keqing opened her mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, she bent her knees slightly, lowered her head, and stepped aside half a step.

"In that case, Third Uncle, please..."

Following the servants and maids through half of the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Zhen was sitting in the main room having some snacks. Hearing the maid's voice, he was about to get up when a stranger rushed in first and bowed to him.

"I have met you, elder brother... I apologize for disturbing you today."

Jia Zhen was slightly taken aback, squinted his eyes and pondered for a few seconds before realizing what was happening. He quickly put on a smile and stood up.

"Who do we have here? It's Brother Cong! I've heard you've been practicing martial arts lately. You're truly a pillar of society. Please, have a seat..." As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Qin Keqing behind him.

Jia Cong sat down properly, drank some tea with the help of a maid, and then slowly began to speak.

"Brother, please don't blame me for coming uninvited. I came with Rong-ge to your residence to retrieve the glass kang screen."

"No wonder you didn't tell me you were coming, brother! In that case, prepare a feast! Tonight, Brother Cong and I will drink to our hearts' content!"

Jia Cong wasn't sure if the other person was sincere or not, so he quickly waved his hands in refusal.

"I appreciate your kindness, brother, but Master Sun has said that it's best to drink less alcohol before mastering martial arts. I hope you will understand..."

Jia Zhen was probably just being polite, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look at my memory! For years, neither of our families has produced a son who has mastered martial arts and entered officialdom. If he ever rises to the throne, he must not forget our brotherhood..."

Jia Cong almost rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "What brotherhood do you have with me?" But he didn't show it on his face, and continued to joke and banter politely, without forgetting to bring up the serious matter.

"I sat at Rong-ge'er's place for quite a while, but I didn't see him return. Could something have held him up?"

Jia Zhen feigned concern as he poured him more tea.

"It's my fault. I just sent Rong-ge out to run errands and didn't even know you were here. Please forgive my rudeness. I'll have someone fetch it for you right away!" With that, he called over two servants and ordered them to hurry up and get the things.

After exchanging a few more perfunctory words with Jia Zhen, several servants carefully carried the glass screen to the outside.

"Master, we've obtained the goods..."

Seeing this, Jia Cong didn't want to linger, so he quickly stood up and bowed.

"Brother, please wait! I'll be right there, lest my sister-in-law wait anxiously..."

Wealthy families would never allow Jia Cong to take things back on his own. Seeing that Jia Rong was not there, Jia Zhen could only look sullenly at Qin Keqing, who dared not utter a word to him.

"In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Let's have a proper get-together another day. Keqing, please see Brother Cong off..."

Qin Keqing visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly curtsied.

"Yes……"

The servants carried the glass screen to the kang (heated brick bed), and Jia Cong and Qin Keqing followed them out of the Ning Mansion. The short walk of just over a hundred steps seemed especially long.

Upon entering the Rong Mansion, the two went straight to Wang Xifeng's residence. The fiery Wang Xifeng was leisurely tidying her nails, her eyes filled with arrogance. She was speaking veiledly to two maids with their heads bowed and shoulders hunched, her voice sharp yet exuding the authority of the matriarch. No one in the room dared to breathe loudly.

"This mansion is not a place where filth and corruption reside! How dare you touch the masters' things, how dare you linger near them?"

The two scolded maids were so frightened that their knees went weak, tears welling in their eyes. They kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Grandma, please spare us! We wouldn't dare! We'd never dare again!"

Wang Xifeng sneered and gently poked one of the maids' foreheads with her nail clipper:

"Dare not? I see you're quite bold! Don't think I don't know your seductive nature behind the scenes, always trying to climb the social ladder. You think you can act so shamelessly in front of Master Lian just because he's kind-hearted?"

These words were ostensibly an insult to the maid, but in reality, every word was aimed at accusing her of "seducing Jia Lian." The old women and servants in the room all lowered their heads, and none of them dared to respond.

These words startled Jia Cong and Qin Keqing, and they couldn't just barge in. A clever servant pretended to call out from outside the flower gate.

"Grandma, Third Master Cong has arrived, as has Madam Rong from the Ning family..."

Wang Xifeng quickly composed herself, turned around, put on a smile, stood up, and clapped her hands, saying:

"A rare guest indeed! What brings you here, Ke Qing? Come in quickly, the sun is scorching outside, it's terribly hot, be careful not to get too hot!"

As he spoke, he personally greeted her on the veranda, took Qin Keqing's hand, and led her into the house. His familiarity with her was even more warm than that of a close sister-in-law.

Jia Cong then had the servant remove the glass screen from the kang (heated brick bed), and stood under the eaves, smiling, "Sister-in-law, Rong-ge'er was held up by something today, so he asked me to come and retrieve the kang screen he borrowed from you last time. Thank you for remembering it."

"No wonder!"

Wang Xifeng's eyes swept over the gleaming glass screen of the kang (heated brick bed), and she said with a smile, "Rong-ge'er, it's troublesome for you to make a trip to return these things."

Then he turned to Ping'er and instructed her:

"Ping'er, quick, bring two bowls of chilled almond milk to Third Master and Madam Rong to cool them down, and add some fine fruits as well."

Ping'er responded and sent the few maids who were still trembling to bring in a tea tray to serve tea. She then quickly went to the back corridor to give instructions. Her movements were swift and efficient, without the slightest delay.

Qin Keqing was helped to sit on the edge of the kang by Wang Xifeng, and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble. We were the ones who came to bother you, how could we possibly trouble you?"

Wang Xifeng pressed her hand down and laughed, "We're family, why bother with these formalities! The other day, the old lady was talking about you, saying she hadn't seen you in the mansion for a long time, and asked if you were feeling better. I noticed your complexion is still rather pale; you must be exhausted from the household chores."

Then he changed the subject again, "Now that you're here, don't go back. Stay in my courtyard for the night, and we'll have dinner together at Madam's place. Grandmother will surely be delighted to see you."

Qin Keqing was taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly waved her hand to decline, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, Aunt. However, I still have some matters to attend to at home, and I am waiting for your reply from Master Zhen, so it is not convenient for me to stay overnight."

Her tone was gentle, yet it carried a hint of unspoken difficulty, and a trace of hesitation flashed in her eyes.