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

As soon as she returned to her seat, Grandmother Jia smiled and beckoned, "Feng'er, where did you run off to? The performance of 'Picking the Slippery Cart' was so lively, and you just missed it."

Wang Xifeng hurriedly bowed and sat down next to Grandmother Jia. She picked up a silver spoon and scooped up a mouthful of Ice Marrow Jade Dew Soup, and said with a smile, "Grandmother, you don't know, I ate some cold food and got an upset stomach. Luckily, Feng'er supported me, otherwise I would have missed the show." As she spoke, her eyes swept over Jia Cong, and she saw that he was sitting upright at the table, seemingly staring at the stage, but his eyes were glued to her. She secretly curled the corners of her lips.

After the martial arts actor on stage finished a somersault, the gongs and drums temporarily ceased. Grandmother Jia stroked the red gold and pearl-inlaid headband at her temple and sighed, "This opera is so lively, it reminds me of things at home. The other day, I heard Granny Lai say that our perfume workshop is currently rushing to produce winter warming incense and clothes perfume, and the manpower is becoming increasingly tight. The old women and maids who are mixing perfumes and grinding materials are working so hard that their eyes are red, but the person in charge still says that they can't find any capable people."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng was delighted. She quickly put down the silver spoon and chimed in, "What you say, Grandmother, is absolutely right! I sent Ping'er to the workshop yesterday, and sure enough, there were over ten incense burners and jars running non-stop. Even with the maids and servants taking turns to rest, they still couldn't keep up with the schedule. The maids in the manor are either too clumsy to handle the delicate work of blending incense and preparing perfumes, or they're too busy with their own household chores to spare the time. It's really hard to find someone suitable to help out."

She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over Jia Rong and Qin Keqing sitting on the Ning Mansion side. Her voice softened, and she said with a smile, "Speaking of which, it is the eldest mistress of the Ning Mansion, Rong, who is the most meticulous and steady. If we could invite her to come and help out for a few days, overseeing the perfume blending, material identification, and storage in the workshop, she would definitely be able to manage everything in an orderly manner, much better than the impetuous people in our mansion."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "You've reminded me! Keqing is steady and peaceful, and she's skilled in these delicate tasks; isn't she the perfect candidate?"

As he spoke, he looked at Madam Xing and said with a smile, "What do you think of this idea? Let Keqing come and help out for a while, so that the people in our household won't get so anxious."

Madam Xing quickly smiled and said, "What the old lady said is absolutely right. Madam Rong is a capable woman. Blending perfumes and identifying ingredients is a delicate skill for young ladies and wives. With her around, the perfume workshop will definitely be run smoothly."

Madam Wang sat to the side, took a sip of tea, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, but she nodded and replied, "It is entirely up to you, Grandmother."

Seeing this, the guests at the banquet all echoed her sentiments, praising Qin Keqing for her meticulousness and competence, and saying that the Jia and Ning families were inseparable and that it was only right for them to help each other.

Jia Rong quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "I am grateful for the high regard of the Ancestor and all the elders. If you and my wife do not mind, my wife is naturally willing to come and do her part. However, I am afraid that she is not familiar with the proportions of perfume in the mansion and may be clumsy and delay the work."

Qin Keqing also stood up, leaning forward slightly, and said in a gentle tone, "Grandmother, rest assured, if I am assigned a task, I will do my best and dare not slack off in the slightest."

As she spoke, her peripheral vision inadvertently swept over Jia Cong, only to find him looking at her with a hint of intense, ambiguous passion in his eyes. She quickly lowered her eyelids, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Jia Cong sat upright at the table. Seeing that things had gone smoothly, a weight was lifted from his heart. However, he remained respectful on the surface, raised his wine cup to toast both Grandmother Jia and Wang Xifeng, and said with a smile...

"Our ancestor is considerate of his servants, Sister-in-law Feng is very thoughtful, and with the help of Madam Rong, the perfume workshop will surely go smoothly. I would like to first toast all the elders and wish you all good health and longevity."

Wang Xifeng raised her wine cup and clinked it against his from afar, a shrewd mockery in her eyes, a smile playing on her lips, before downing it in one gulp.

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the room, Grandmother Jia smiled broadly and said repeatedly, "Good, good, you've all been so thoughtful! Please sit down and watch the play. That martial arts actor sang very well, let's see another one!"

Baoyu, standing to the side, was confused and only stared at Daiyu in front of him.

"Just request whichever show you'd like to hear!"

Lin Daiyu sneered, "Since you say that, why don't you specially invite a troupe of actors to perform for me? There's no need for you to ask me this now."

Baoyu didn't take it seriously, saying, "What's so difficult about that? We'll do it this way tomorrow and let them benefit from our success."

As night deepened, the opera troupe, leading their performers, had already taken to the stage. Jia Cong rose as well, called over Li Rong, and presented a tray of large coins and silver. He then loudly announced to the stage...

"Today's performance was truly authentic; the ancestors have rewarded us!"

The head servant led everyone in kowtowing and expressing their gratitude, shouting loudly, "Thank you for the reward, Ancestor! Thank you for the reward, Third Master!"

Grandmother Jia was even more delighted to hear this.

"Look at me, my own birthday has made me do favors for others..."

After saying this, the old lady looked behind her and casually pointed to a maid.

"How come Cong'er's room only has one maid and servant? It's rather shabby. How do your parents manage the household? They've neglected my precious grandson!"

Jia She hunched over, his face wrinkled, and bowed repeatedly: "Grandma, please calm down. It was my negligence. Cong'er is so promising now, he should have a few more people to serve him."

Madam Xing quickly chimed in, "That's right. Just the other day I was thinking of getting some more fabric for Cong'er's clothes, but I got bogged down in the trivial matters of the household! It's all my fault, all my fault. I'll definitely pay more attention in the future and never dare to wrong Cong'er again."

The two of them took turns praising each other, only blaming themselves for the mistakes, and not daring to mention at all the trouble that Jia Cong had deliberately stirred up.

Grandmother Jia saw their expressions and knew exactly what was going on, but she didn't point it out. She just gave a light snort and said, "It's good that you know. You parents shouldn't just think about your own comfort."

After saying this, Grandmother Jia called over a second-class maidservant named Jinping and handed her to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was secretly pleased. A maid was nothing, but Jinping was someone close to Grandmother Jia. If Jia She or Madam Xing wanted to come and take advantage of him again, they would have to be careful whether Jinping would go to the old lady to complain.

Chu Lan was probably the only one who was unhappy. Originally, he was the only one serving this Third Master in the small courtyard. Now that Jinping had come, she was someone from the Old Madam's room. If they started vying for favor, he would be no match for her.

After the gathering ended, everyone went back to their rooms to rest, while Jia Cong enthusiastically tallied up the day's harvest.

"Tsk, these are all good stuff..."

Jinping stood to the side, deftly brewing him a cup of hot tea, and said softly, "It's Third Master's birthday today, so the gifts he received are naturally all respectable."

Jia Cong looked up at her and saw that she had lowered her eyes and was very obedient. He was even more satisfied. The people that the old lady had trained were indeed sensible.

He then recalled the promise Wang Xifeng had made when they performed that Qin Keqing would soon be coming to the mansion to manage the perfume workshop, which was today's greatest "harvest".