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

Jia Cong glanced at the silver, waved his hand, and said, "No need to count it. I trust you to handle things. Tomorrow, go to the capital again and invite those Kunqu and Ge opera troupes. Just tell them I'm putting on a show and ask them to come over in two days!"

Having said that, he counted out two taels of silver and handed them to Li Rong.

"Here's a fifty-tael deposit. Tell them that if they sing well, I'll reward them that day!"

Li Rong hurriedly took the silver with both hands, put it in his pocket, and then, afraid of it being uncomfortable, specially put a piece of soft silk on it: "Third Master, don't worry, I will go to find that troupe first thing tomorrow morning."

Having secured the opera troupe, a banquet was still needed. Jia Cong's birthday happened to be in the next few days, so after dinner, he took Chu Lan to Rongqing Hall.

"Greetings to the matriarch..." He respectfully bowed to Grandmother Jia on the couch.

"Alright, alright, Cong'er, what brings you here today? Is something the matter?" Grandmother Jia had also finished her dinner and was now sitting on the couch, letting Yuanyang and Amber massage her legs.

"Grandson has come to invite Grandmother to join in the fun..." Jia Cong straightened up with a smile, his tone earnest and respectful.

"My grandson's birthday is not something to celebrate, but it just so happens to fall in these days. I thought that since the old lady is so kind to me and has now given me the business of the perfume workshop, I have come here today to invite the old lady to grace us with her presence so that we can have a drink and watch a play in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's smile widened, and she patted the brocade stool beside the couch, gesturing for him to come closer:

"A birthday should be a time for celebration, but you are usually quite composed, unlike those boys who love excitement."

Jia Cong stepped forward and sat down sideways on the brocade stool.

"I don't usually like extravagance, but I thought that my great-grandmother was bored at home every day and rarely had any entertainment, so I took the liberty of making a decision and found a Kunqu and Yiyang opera troupe in Beijing and booked a performance for two days later."

Grandmother Jia was even more delighted to hear this, and gently patted Jia Cong's hand, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"Good, good! Your intention is more important than anything else. How could the Ancestor not grant you this honor? She should also call your parents over so they can see how much more successful their son is now!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Ancestor. I will certainly make the arrangements. I would like to invite all the elders and brothers and sisters to join in the fun. I just received some profits from the workshop, so I should use them to celebrate with everyone. I would never dare to use a single penny of the public funds."

Grandmother Jia was pleased to hear this, and then took the opportunity to instruct Yuanyang.

"Go and inform the master to tell them to clear out the day after tomorrow so we can have a good time."

Yuanyang quickly replied "Yes," and then teased with a smile, "The old lady is looking forward to some excitement. She was just complaining the other day that the mansion was too quiet. Third Master, this is exactly what the old lady wants."

After chatting and laughing with Grandmother Jia for a while, Jia Cong hurriedly went to the kitchen. It was already past dinner time, and several maids, servants, and young men were eating around the stove.

"Prepare some dishes, I'm going to have a birthday feast the day after tomorrow, and the rest can be used to buy wine for you!" As he spoke, he tossed out several silver ingots, each weighing a hefty two hundred taels. The silver ingots clattered as they landed on the chopping board.

Several maids and servants hurriedly got up, nearly dropping their chopsticks in their haste. The head maid, Liu, quickly stepped forward, beaming, and gathered the silver into her bosom. After weighing it in her hand, she replied with a wide smile:

"Don't worry, Third Master! We will do our utmost to prepare the banquet the day after tomorrow, ensuring it meets the expectations of the Ancestor and all the masters!"

Two hundred taels is enough to host a small to medium-sized banquet. For example, Wang Xifeng's birthday only cost one hundred and fifty taels. Since Jia Cong is not the eldest son of the legitimate wife, he naturally cannot be too extravagant to avoid gossip.

These are just the visible expenses. The opera troupe has only paid a deposit of fifty taels, and there is still at least another fifty taels to go. If they are happy with the performance, they will give tips, which will inevitably amount to twenty or thirty taels.

In addition, whenever a banquet is held, it is inevitable to give money to the maids and servants. Even if each of the many people in the mansion receives one string of cash or five hundred coins, it would still take a hundred or eighty taels of silver to stop.

"Anyway, it's Baoyu's stuff, so I won't feel bad about selling my son's land." Jia Cong was unwilling to suffer any loss, even if it was his true feelings.

The news spread quickly, and the next day after school, Jia Huan approached him with a grin.

"Cong-ge'er is really doing well now, throwing a birthday party with opera and wine, what a grand gesture! I heard from the old woman in the kitchen that you threw out two hundred taels of silver, tsk tsk, even more generous than my good second brother."

Jia Cong chuckled inwardly, realizing it was all Baoyu's money, but he didn't show it on his face, only waving his hand with a smile.

"Money is just an external thing. I was favored by my ancestors and was able to learn martial arts. I should be grateful and repay them."

But Jia Huan's mind was clearly not on that; he continued to press on with a sly grin.

"So perfume workshops make that much money? You spend hundreds of taels of silver without batting an eye. With such a good job, you should think of me more."

Jia Cong chuckled and took two steps back.

"Nonsense, how could that perfume workshop have such income? It's just that I've been saving every penny, and now I've gritted my teeth and taken it out."

Jia Huan probably realized he wasn't telling the truth, so he could only kick a pebble at his feet in frustration.

"Forget it, you wouldn't look down on me anyway, you're just a poor buddy from back then."

Jia Cong had no choice but to pat the other man on the shoulder, then took out half a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it over. It weighed about five taels.

"Stop saying such discouraging things. We're all upright men; who was born to be subservient to others? Take this money and buy some fruit. After some time, when I've mastered martial arts, I'll personally teach you!"

Jia Huan's lewd expression became somewhat distorted.

"Really? Is Cong-ge'er just teasing me?"

"We're brothers, and we've also been classmates. Why would I lie to you!"

Jia Huan clutched the silver, its heavy weight making his heart skip a beat. He looked down at the silver, then up at Jia Cong, and after a long while, he grinned, a smile that seemed more genuine than usual.

"Good brother! From now on, you're like an older brother to me! At the banquet the day after tomorrow, I'll definitely keep an eye on those servants and make sure they don't slack off!"

Seeing his expression, Jia Cong felt a little relieved and said with a smile, "That's more like it. Go on, just don't let the ladies see the money in your hand, or they'll start nagging again."

Jia Huan quickly stuffed the silver into his pocket, patted his clothes, and then ran off happily, his steps much lighter than usual.

Since it was a birthday celebration, it was natural to invite people from the Ning Mansion. For example, it was You Shi who arranged it for Wang Xifeng. When Jia Zhen received the invitation, he naturally had to bring Jia Rong, Qin Keqing, and others along.

Jia Cong's invitation to this meal wasn't for nothing. The Rong and Ning mansions were full of people of high status; who would dare to attend empty-handed?

Therefore, the operation of capital requires capital; just the birthday gifts alone will fill a whole house.

For two days in a row, the Rong family was busy preparing for Jia Cong's birthday. Madam Xing was somewhat resentful. She had only gotten twenty taels of silver from this stepson before, and now he was going to hold a banquet and put on a show.

Moreover, he couldn't very well tell everyone that Jia Cong was outwardly trying to please his mother and showing filial piety to his parents, making him appear to outsiders as a model son.