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

Zijuan saw him to the door, then turned around and saw Daiyu sitting on the couch, gazing at the scroll of poems beside her pillow, a faint smile on her lips. There was no trace of her earlier sullenness. Zijuan chuckled and teased her.

"Miss, Third Master truly understands you; he's far more insightful than that Second Master Bao."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu blushed and gently pinched Zijuan, but she wasn't angry. "You little vixen, don't talk nonsense, or I'll tear your mouth apart." Despite her words, the smile in her eyes deepened.

The next day was a day off, and Sun Tai told him to rest well and not to go to the training ground again. After school, Jia Cong was pestered by Jia Huan, who grinned and handed him a handful of fruit.

"Now that Cong-ge'er has entered that Grand View Garden, he's probably long forgotten about his poor brother."

Jia Cong was somewhat puzzled, thinking to himself that this kid must be short of money again. He simply smiled, accepted the fruit, and stopped in his tracks.

"Does Brother Huan need something from me?"

Jia Huan smiled slyly, his thoughts written all over his face.

"Has Cong-ge'er forgotten his promise to teach me martial arts?"

Jia Cong then remembered that he had indeed made up such a story casually before, but he hadn't expected it to be taken seriously. Now that he couldn't go back on his word, he could only chuckle awkwardly.

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, how could I go back on my word? Since we have nothing else to do, Huan-ge, come and sit with me for a while. Today I will teach you martial arts."

Jia Huan was so happy when he heard this that snot bubbles came out of his nose.

"Cong-ge'er is kind-hearted after all. Even after he becomes successful, he doesn't forget his poor brothers like us. Let's go, let's go..." Before she could finish speaking, she pulled Jia Cong towards the Grand View Garden.

Along the way, Jia Huan felt somewhat envious and disappointed. He was still living in Aunt Zhao's courtyard, which hindered him at every turn. Unfortunately, his mother had some mental issues, and few people in the entire Rong Mansion were willing to pay attention to this mother and son.

As they made their way to Qingyan Hall, Jia Huan's feet brushed against the vermilion railings of the Grand View Garden. His eyes darted back and forth with longing. He saw willow branches swaying gently by the pond, and maids carrying teacups walking lightly along the corridor. Even the breeze carried a faint fragrance of flowers. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"This garden is really nice, bright and exquisite everywhere, unlike my little courtyard, which is gloomy and dark, and you can't even find a bright place."

After saying that, he lowered his head again and kicked at the pebbles at his feet.

"My dear second brother, he spends his days in the garden composing poems and playing with his sisters, how happy he is! But even if I come in and stand here for a little while, people gossip behind my back."

Seeing his appearance, Jia Cong felt a pang of pity and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's just a garden, what's there to envy? If you're willing to hone your skills, you'll have your own place in the world in the future."

Jia Huan's eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly, "Cong-ge'er is right! I'll definitely practice hard and make something of myself in the future, so that no one will look down on me anymore!"

When the two arrived at the empty courtyard of Qingyan Hall, Jia Cong had a servant bring a stone bench to wait for them. He then pointed to Jia Huan and said, "To learn martial arts, you must first train your body. This is the foundation. Today I will teach you the horse stance. First, strengthen your body, and then you can learn other moves later."

Although Jia Huan was physically weak, he was also stubborn. He immediately lifted his clothes and assumed a horse stance as Jia Cong had taught him. However, his legs trembled and his body swayed from side to side, just like a blade of grass blown by the wind. He had only held the stance for half an incense stick's time when sweat appeared on his forehead and his face turned red. However, he gritted his teeth and refused to move.

As Jia Cong practiced his boxing, he was somewhat surprised. He had thought his opponent couldn't endure hardship, but he hadn't expected him to have such tenacity. Seeing that his opponent was unsteady on his feet, he stopped his stance and went forward to support his waist.

"Stand up straight, lower your center of gravity, and don't sway. This horse stance looks simple, but it's the key to building strength and stabilizing your lower body. Only if you can hold the stance can you move on to the next step."

Jia Huan gritted his teeth and agreed, his hands clenched into fists, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, yet he refused to loosen his grip, muttering under his breath.

"I can hold on... Look, Cong-ge, I'm not swaying..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body swayed slightly. He quickly steadied himself, looking rather comical. Qian Huai, who was waiting nearby, wanted to laugh but dared not, so he could only lower his head and suppress his laughter.

Jia Cong also found it amusing, but didn't point it out. He only gave a little advice from the side, "Keep your breathing even, don't hold your breath, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, follow your natural rhythm."

Jia Huan adjusted his breathing according to the method, and it was indeed more stable than before. However, the soreness and numbness in his legs surged up in waves, drilling straight into his bones. But he stubbornly endured it, holding back a strong will in his heart.

After holding on for a while, Jia Cong saw that he really couldn't hold on any longer and said, "That's enough, take a break. Don't be greedy when you're just starting out. Just proceed step by step."

Upon hearing this, Jia Huan's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and rubbing his sore and numb legs. His face, however, was full of joy. "Cong-ge'er, I held on for a long time! Much longer than I expected!"

Jia Cong instructed a maid to bring him a cup of tea.

"You do have some brute strength, stronger than I expected. From now on, practice horse stance for half an hour every morning to solidify this foundation. I'll teach you other things after a while."

Jia Huan quickly took the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and nodded emphatically.

"I will practice every day and never slack off!" As she spoke, she remembered something, looked up at Jia Cong, her eyes full of gratitude, "Cong-ge'er, thank you for teaching me. No one in the manor is willing to treat me like this except you."

Jia Cong thought to himself that although this good-for-nothing was an illegitimate son and was not well-liked, he might still amount to something in the future. Besides, Jia Huan, despite his bad character, was quite clever.

He and Jia Huan studied together every day, and he knew that the other was actually a smart person, at least he learned articles much faster than he did.

Jia Cong immediately smiled and asked Chu Lan to bring some snacks and fruits to place in the courtyard, and then brewed tea again.

"Have dinner here today, and let's have a good drink together, brother!"

"But what about my mother..." Jia Huan hesitated.

Jia Cong quickly waved his hand and summoned Jinping.

"It's alright, I'll handle things with Auntie. What's wrong with us brothers having a few drinks?"

Jia Huan was overjoyed and kept scratching his ears and cheeks.

"Alright, alright, it's rare for Cong-ge to be so happy, I'm going to risk my life to keep him company!" He and Aunt Zhao only received two taels of silver a month, plus eight taels a year for school snacks and paper and pen subsidies. Life was already difficult, and their two meals a day were not much better than Jia Cong's before.

Jia Cong immediately instructed Li Rong to add a few dishes to the small kitchen in the Grand View Garden. He then accompanied Jia Huan in a brief demonstration of his Dragon Gallant Silver Spear before they sat down. The two drank two jugs of wine and chatted about other things before Qian Huai helped the tipsy Jia Huan back home.

A day later, Jia Cong returned from paying his respects to Grandmother Jia and was just about to go to the drill ground to find Sun Tai when he heard Chu Lan and Jinping's voices ring out simultaneously at the courtyard gate.

"Greetings to Grandma... Third Master, it's Madam Rong who's here."

Jia Cong was overjoyed, but also somewhat suspicious. How did Qin Keqing end up in the Grand View Garden?

He immediately slipped on his shoes, tidied his temples, and hurriedly lifted the curtain.

"Please serve tea quickly!"