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

"Decent appearances are secondary," Jia Cong said slowly, waving his hand. "Some things are far more precious than these gold, silver, and silks."

Jinping was very clever. Upon hearing this, she simply lowered her head and replied "Yes," without asking any further questions. She then stepped forward and carefully arranged the loose silver coins and small ornaments.

Chu Lan, who was standing nearby, came in with a basin of water. Seeing Jia Cong so happy and noticing how meticulous Jinping was in her work, she felt even more resentful. However, she could only serve him with her head bowed and dare not show it in the slightest.

Jia Cong tallied up his expenses. For his birthday celebration, the opera troupe had cost 130 taels, the banquet 200 taels, and the maids and servants had given him a total of 100 taels in tips. With other miscellaneous expenses added in, he had about 400 taels left of his original 800 taels in savings.

This also includes the money that elders like Madam Wang occasionally added when people gave gifts.

"Money really goes by in a flash..."

The next day, when he practiced martial arts with Sun Tai, he hadn't slept well the night before, and his energy was somewhat off-target.

"Third Master!" Sun Tai's booming voice startled Jia Cong. "The worst thing in martial arts is to be distracted and lose focus, causing your moves to falter. If it were a matter of life and death, you would be subdued in one fell swoop!"

Jia Cong composed himself before stopping his attack. A thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. He had tossed and turned all night, thinking about Qin Keqing's arrival at the mansion and pondering the ins and outs of the perfume workshop. He hadn't slept soundly all night.

Having been exposed by Sun Tai, he felt a little embarrassed and could only cup his hands and say, "Master is right, I have been negligent."

Seeing that he knew his mistake, Sun Tai's expression softened, and he lowered his tone: "Practicing martial arts is like being a person; you have to take it one step at a time and calm your mind to lay a solid foundation."

After finally getting through the ordeal until Sun Tai left, before even having a post-practice meal, they heard Jinping's voice coming from the courtyard gate.

"Third Master, Master Rong from the Ning family has arrived."

Jia Cong frowned slightly. What did Jia Rong want with him? He had already accepted Jia Rong's invitation to drink once before. Today, he was probably bringing Qin Keqing to the mansion. It had nothing to do with him. Could it be that Wang Xifeng had let this lover know?

Thinking this, he quickly crawled into the house.

"Please have a seat, Uncle Rong. I'll change my clothes and come right away."

Jinping acknowledged and withdrew, then turned to serve tea to Jia Rong. Jia Rong sat on a chair in the guest room, his fingers nervously rubbing the edge of the teacup, a somewhat uneasy smile on his face, but his eyes kept glancing at the furnishings in the courtyard, revealing a hint of absent-mindedness.

Before long, Jia Cong came out wearing a moon-white padded jacket, a fake smile already on his face. He bowed first and said, "Rong-ge'er, you've come. I suppose you're here to bring your wife to the old lady's place. Why are you here instead?"

Jia Rong quickly stood up and bowed in return, saying, "Third Uncle." He then chuckled twice, avoiding the topic of conversation.

"That's right, Keqing went to the workshop with Aunt Feng early this morning. I thought I'd stop by to pay my respects to Third Uncle." He picked up his teacup, took a sip, hesitated for a while, then rubbed his hands together, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"Third Uncle, I've come today because I need your help with something."

Jia Cong cursed inwardly, thinking that the kid was up to no good and probably wanted to borrow money after seeing that he was hosting a banquet and putting on a show.

But he didn't show it on his face, and still picked up his teacup with a smile.

"Rong-ge, feel free to speak your mind. We're all family..."

"That's how it is," Jia Rong lowered his voice, his tone becoming increasingly respectful yet tinged with greed.

"The other day, the ancestral hall in the mansion was having its plaques renovated and sacrificial vessels repaired. Master Zhen entrusted me with the entire management, but the accounting department has been slow to disburse the funds. I secretly lent some money to cover the shortfall, and now I'm short of cash. I still need to prepare the offerings and arrange the cleaning, and I'm short one hundred taels of silver to make ends meet..."

Jia Cong's eyelids twitched upon hearing this. This Jia Rong really dared to ask for money! One hundred taels of silver was something an ordinary family might not be able to save up in ten years. This bastard probably owed some gambling debt and didn't dare to ask Jia Zhen, so he came to him instead.

He paused, holding the teacup, gently stroking the rim. He deliberately lowered his face and pondered for a moment, not responding immediately.

Seeing this, Jia Rong panicked and quickly added:

"Third Uncle, I know this is a lot of money, but this matter concerns the reputation of the clan. If it is not handled properly, not only will I be scolded by Master Zhen, but I will also be talked about by the clan members. Don't worry, your nephew will never dare to delay payment. As soon as I have the money in a few days, I will send it to you immediately!"

Jia Cong looked up at him and saw the obsequious smile on his face. He thought to himself:

Fine, for Qin Keqing's sake, consider this money as feeding a dog. If we reject him, who knows if he won't gossip about us to Jia Zhen, not to mention that he won't be able to contact Qin Keqing under the pretext of the workshop in the future. Consider this hundred taels as buying convenience.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong slowly relaxed and sighed:

"Repairing the ancestral hall is a major undertaking and cannot be neglected. Well, we're all family, how could I bear to see you in a difficult situation? But to be honest, my birthday banquet cost quite a bit, and I'm not exactly flush with cash. I can manage to scrape together a hundred taels, thanks in large part to the help of our elders..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Rong was overjoyed and immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you so much, Third Uncle! Thank you so much, Third Uncle! I will never forget your kindness!"

Jia Cong waved his hand and called Chu Lan over: "Go to the chest in my room and take out one hundred taels of silver to give to Master Rong."

Upon hearing this, Chu Lan showed some reluctance on her face, but dared not disobey. She could only reply "Yes" and quickly went into the house to get the silver.

Before long, Chu Lan came out carrying a wrapped bundle of silver. Jia Cong took it and handed it to Jia Rong, who quickly took it and held it tightly. The heavy weight made him smile broadly, and he bowed respectfully. He then pocketed the silver and slipped away with light steps.

Watching Jia Rong's departing figure, Jia Cong's smile vanished instantly. He slammed his teacup down on the table and muttered under his breath, "That bastard, he knows how to pick his moments to speak!"

At this moment, Jinping also brought in two bowls of "post-workout meal". Jia Cong, having lived two lifetimes, knew that it was necessary to replenish fast carbohydrates and protein in time after high-intensity strength training, so he had this extra meal every day.

He ate half a bowl of rice and two chicken legs in a daze, and then went to the perfume workshop with a full burp.

According to Jia Rong, Qin Keqing arrived at the workshop today and was taught how to manage the business by Wang Xifeng. It will take a few days before she can get the hang of it.

From afar, he could smell the complex aroma emanating from the workshop. Jia Cong slowed his pace, strolling casually. Keen-eyed maids and servants, upon seeing him, hurriedly greeted him.

"Greetings, Third Master..." "Wishing you good health, Third Master..."

Jia Cong nodded slowly and deliberately. Logically speaking, he also held a share of the workshop, so it was normal for him to come and inspect occasionally. The head of the workshop, Granny Zhu, hurried out to greet him, wiping her hands.

"What brings you here, Third Master? The workshop is filthy, full of dust from grinding materials. I'm afraid it will soil your clothes." As she spoke, she hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way, then called out to the inside, "Quickly bring Third Master a clean chair and brew him a fresh bowl of tea!"