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

Since it was a gift from the palace, it couldn't be cheap. Jia Cong happily accepted it, kowtowed, and then left the hall with Baoyu.

At this time, Jia Lan was very young and unaware of many things; he merely followed his mother and uncle in performing rituals, so there is no separate biography of him. Jia Huan had been ill since the beginning of the year and had his own time to recuperate, so there is also no biography of him.

After that, there was nothing more to do with Jia Cong. After Jia Qiang led the twelve female actors onto the stage, everyone escorted Consort Yuan to the stage.

After watching the play and receiving a grand reward, which Cao Xueqin described in detail in his original text, I will not go into it here. Jia Cong also received a new book, a precious inkstone, and two pairs of gold and silver ingots of the new design, which can be considered as a reward for him.

At the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), under the urging of the eunuchs, Consort Yuan had no choice but to set off to return to the palace. Grandmother Jia and the others wept bitterly, but due to the strict rules of the royal court, they could only offer some words of comfort and advice before boarding the palanquin.

Standing behind Jia Lian, Jia Cong could see clearly that the Rong Mansion was still at its peak at this time, but it was from this moment on that troubles would likely increase.

The Imperial Concubine's visit to her family home has come to an end, but the entire Rong family has been busy for three or four days to tidy up all the furnishings and utensils, leaving everyone exhausted.

Fortunately, this matter had nothing to do with Jia Cong and the other younger generation. The school had not yet started, and Sun Tai had not come to teach, so they were quite uncomfortable.

On this day, the Imperial Concubine bestowed upon him steamed sweet cheese, which was not originally intended for him. However, he had made an appearance during his visit home and thus received the reward as well.

After Jia Cong expressed his gratitude, he guessed that according to the book, Baoyu should have been invited by Jia Zhen to Ning Mansion to watch a play, and then there was the incident of Granny Li forcibly eating the cheese that was left for Xiren.

Fortunately, this matter had nothing to do with him. He ordered the courtyard gate to be closed, then called Jinping and Chulan over, pointing to the cheese on the table.

"This stuff is too greasy, so I'll give it to you as a reward."

The two maids exchanged a glance, and both slightly curtsied.

"Thank you for the gift, Third Master." This cheese is a rare delicacy; even Jinping may not have tasted it before.

Braving the cold wind of the first month of the lunar calendar, Jia Cong practiced two sets of boxing in the courtyard and drank half a mouthful of cypress seed dew. Just as he was about to have his post-practice meal, Li Rong hurriedly pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Third Master, Third Master..."

"Such a flustered display, what kind of behavior is this!" Jia Cong said unhappily, stopping his attack.

Li Rong patted his chest twice to catch his breath before carefully taking two steps forward.

"Third Master, someone is requesting an audience at the side gate."

Jia Cong turned his head away suspiciously.

"Looking for me? Who is it? Inside or outside the manor?"

"It was Ni Er who specifically sent the servant from the side gate to find me, saying he wanted to see Third Master."

I had met Ni Er once before the New Year, but I was too busy with things at the Rong Mansion to pay attention to him. I never expected that he would come to my door.

Jia Cong reasoned that Ni Er was unlikely to come to him, the young master of the Rong family, unless absolutely necessary; he must have encountered some difficulties. He immediately nodded.

"It wouldn't hurt to see him, let's go." With that, he put on the silver fox fur cloak that Grandmother Jia had given him before the New Year, with the help of Jinping.

The silver fox's fur was pure and lustrous, with soft guard hairs. The collar was trimmed with a band of black brocade and gold, and the lapel was tied with two red gold ribbons inlaid with beads, from which hung small cloisonné silver bells that jingled softly with the slightest movement. It was truly a noble and luxurious creature.

Chu Lan carefully straightened the hem of his cloak and handed him a hand warmer. Jia Cong took it and tucked it into his sleeve, then nodded to Li Rong.

"Lead the way and meet him in the side room of the gate. Don't let him stand at the gate and attract attention."

The servant at the side gate saw him and quickly stepped forward with a smile.

"Greetings, Third Master. The messenger is already waiting."

Li Rong led Jia Cong to the door, then lifted the curtain to go in and announce their arrival. Immediately, a series of hurried footsteps came from inside, as if someone was getting up in a panic, accompanied by the soft clattering of tables and chairs.

Jia Cong nodded and slowly stepped inside. He saw Ni Er standing alone, wearing a faded blue cotton robe with frayed edges at the collar and cuffs. Ni Er was nervously rubbing his hands together, and a fawning smile was on his face.

"Greetings, Third Master. Wishing you a Happy New Year..."

Jia Cong glanced at Li Rong, and with Li Rong's help, took off his silver fox fur cloak. He then sent Li Rong to guard the door before smilingly gesturing for Ni Er to sit down.

"Tong Le, what brings you to my residence today? Is something the matter?"

Today, Ni Er was clearly not his usual fierce self. He awkwardly shuffled down onto a stool, probably because he had been freezing when he arrived. He drank two cups of hot tea before he felt better.

"Third Master, I... I have no choice but to come here today. I hope you will forgive me."

Jia Cong raised an eyebrow with a half-smile.

"I know you wouldn't have come to my mansion if it weren't for something difficult. Just say what you have to say, there's no need to beat around the bush." ​​He had already guessed that Ni Er had come to ask for help, and judging from his flustered appearance, he must be facing a lot of difficulties.

Ni Er, upon hearing this, could not hide his embarrassment.

"A few days ago, my mother suddenly caught a cold. At first, I thought it was just a common illness, but it got worse and worse and she was bedridden. We called a doctor to take a look and he prescribed medicine, but the medicine cost several coins, and I... I really couldn't afford it."

Although Ni Er was a usurer, there were times when he couldn't recover his principal. For example, last time on West Street, if Jia Cong hadn't stepped in to settle the debt, even if you beat that gambler to death, he wouldn't have been able to come up with the money.

In addition, Ni Er usually had to support a group of hooligans and thugs. When things were good, they could eat meat, but when they had a headache or fever, they could only tough it out.

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong immediately smiled and put on his hand warmer, saying, "It's just a little bit of silver, why make such a fuss? Filial piety has always been a duty, and you have this intention, so there's nothing wrong with that."

"I dare not ask for more, I only hope that Third Master can lend me two taels of silver to buy medicine for my old mother. When I have saved enough money in the future, I will definitely repay you double and I will never dare to delay! If it is inconvenient for Third Master, I... I dare not force you, just pretend that I did not come today." After saying this, Ni Er was about to get up, as if he was afraid of being rejected by Jia Cong, and his face was full of embarrassment.

Jia Cong smiled, turned to Li Rong at the door and loudly ordered, "Go back to my courtyard and get ten taels of silver, and also bring the box of ginseng roots that the manor gave us before."

Upon hearing "ten taels of silver," Ni Er was so startled that he jumped up and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Third Master, this is too much, too much! I only need two or three taels of silver for the medicine!"

Jia Cong gestured for the other person to sit down.

"It's alright. Ten taels of silver. First, it's for your mother to get medicine and treat her illness. Second, as a son, I should also buy some clothes and food for the family to settle things properly. Although the ginseng rootlets aren't considered top-grade medicinal materials, they can still help your mother recover."

Ni Er stared blankly at Jia Cong for a long while, then suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times to him.

"I will never forget your great kindness, Third Master! If you ever need my help in the future, I will answer to you without hesitation, even if it means going through fire and water!"