Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Back at Sister Feng's courtyard, Wang Xifeng was indeed busy sorting and packing the ginseng into boxes and chests.

Upon seeing Jia Lian return, Wang Xifeng immediately greeted him with a smile, and together with Ping'er, they helped Jia Lian slowly remove the armor that seemed heavy to them.

"Does this need to be washed?"

Wang Xifeng had served all sorts of expensive clothes, but she knew nothing about armor.

Jia Lian shook his head.

Wang Xifeng then instructed Ping'er to put the things in the outer room, and then ordered Qingwen and Xiangling to go to the kitchen to see if the water was ready, so as to prepare to serve Jia Lian a bath.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she smiled and said to Jia Lian, "Thank you so much for helping me out of that awkward situation in the old lady's room earlier..."

It was rare for Sister Feng to actually take the initiative to accept his kindness. Jia Lian smiled as well, then asked, "What happened with Jia Rui?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng pursed her lips and said, "How would I know what's going on with him?"

Jia Lian pulled her into his arms, gave her a rewarding kiss on the forehead, and then looked at her, saying softly, "That was a good-for-nothing, but he was still the only grandson of the great master. Now he has received the punishment he deserved. If he survives this time, don't make things difficult for him anymore."

If he dares to bother you again, just tell me and I will deal with him.

Doing something like that would damage your reputation, you know?

The reason Jia Lian was willing to send ginseng to Jia Dairu was twofold: firstly, to help Wang Xifeng out of a predicament, since it would be detrimental for her to bear the reputation of humiliating her uncle.

Secondly, he pitied Jia Dairu, an old man of such advanced age, who had to disregard his reputation and go around begging for help for his grandson's sake.

Thirdly, Jia Rui's crime did not warrant the death penalty. If harboring even the slightest disrespect towards his sister-in-law were a capital offense, then Jia Lian would probably have been executed ten times over.

The Jia family were relatives, not enemies. Jia Lian didn't have such a strong sense of malice; he didn't think that just because Jia Lian had verbally flirted with Jia Lian's wife, he would necessarily make him die a horrible death.

Judging from the fact that Jia Dairu and his wife sought medicine everywhere, it was clear that the boy was not far from death.

Fourth, people at the time were superstitious about the efficacy of ginseng; was he also superstitious? If Jia Rui was going to die, two ginseng roots wouldn't save him; if he were to live, he wouldn't die even without ginseng. In front of Aunt Xue and so many others, how could he not be happy to cultivate a reputation for respecting the elderly and honoring the virtuous?

He was destined to inherit the title and become a pivotal figure in the family. Cultivating prestige was also important to him, unless he wanted to become someone like Jia She.

Of course, if Jia Rui, that kid, manages to escape with his life but doesn't repent, then that's a different story.

Even if Jia Rui were to die, it should have been the man who did it, not Wang Xifeng.

When Wang Xifeng heard that Jia Lian knew about this matter from his words, she was somewhat surprised and reflexively asked, "You sent someone to spy on me?"

"Did Ping'er tell you?"

Wang Xifeng's hair stood on end. If it were the latter, she would simply teach Ping'er a lesson later. But if it were the former, she felt that Jia Lian was somewhat terrifying.

This was the same tactic she used to use against him; now Jia Lian is turning the tables on her?

"Hmph, I haven't done anything to wrong you!"

Jia Lian smiled. He didn't intend to explain to Feng Jie, but then he thought that she might suspect Ping'er if he did, so he said, "I just got back. How could Ping'er tell me such a thing? You think you've kept your actions secret, but do you really think no one else knows?"

Since outsiders know about it, it's not surprising that I know about it too.

In other words, even I know, aren't you worried that the old lady and the great-grandfather will find out that Jia Rui died because of you?

You can't let Wang Xifeng see all your cards, otherwise she'll dare to ride roughshod over you.

This makes her unsure of what to do, which has some advantages.

Seeing that Wang Xifeng's expression indeed changed, he changed the subject and asked, "Where is my daughter?"

"The wet nurse is looking after them; she's in the east wing..."

Wang Xifeng answered subconsciously, but only realized with surprise when she saw Jia Lian leave: How did he know it was a girl?

This must be what Ping'er told me! (Gu)

Just then, Ping'er entered, and Wang Xifeng asked suspiciously, "Eldest Miss, did you speak to your Second Master about this?"

"No, Second Master didn't ask me that."

"That's strange, how did he know it was his daughter's...?"

Wang Xifeng vaguely remembered that Jia Lian had mentioned before he left that she would have a daughter. At the time, she didn't pay much attention, thinking that Jia Lian knew she wanted a son and was just teasing her.

Seeing that Wang Xifeng was suspicious, Ping'er immediately comforted her, saying, "Perhaps it was a young man outside who told Second Master."

Wang Xifeng could only nod reluctantly, believing Ping'er's statement.

Jia Lian must have asked others about all of this beforehand; otherwise, he wouldn't be human!

After tidying up the ginseng, I thought for a moment and decided to take out two of the best ones to send to Grandmother Jia, and two more to send to Lady Wang. I kept the rest.

She had originally planned to wait for Jia Lian to return after his bath, but suddenly realized that he would definitely do what he did last year when he returned from Yangzhou—trying to make love to her. He was a man who never had enough of pleasure; he might go on and on day and night again. If she were to be ridiculed by the people in the manor again, ah, then she would truly be unable to live a decent life!

So after getting ready, I prepared to hide away first.

She originally intended to take Ping'er with her, because she was worried that Ping'er would steal food if she left.

But then I thought, if I take Ping'er away, wouldn't it be very likely that Qingwen and Xiangling, those two little maids, will benefit from this?

Therefore, he kept Ping'er behind and instructed her to keep an eye on Qingwen and Xiangling, forbidding them from seducing Jia Lian. Finally, he gave Ping'er a look that only the two of them could understand.

Ping'er blushed; she could clearly tell that Wang Xifeng meant for her to protect the plates and wait for her return...

It was getting dark!

……

In the bathroom, the long-awaited hot water bath in the wooden tub made Jia Lian feel comfortable and relaxed, stretching out his entire body.

"You two, come over here and give me a shoulder massage. What are you standing there for?"

Upon receiving the order, Qingwen and Xiangling exchanged a glance and obediently stepped forward, standing on either side of Jia Lian. With their soft, slender fingers, they gently massaged Jia Lian's shoulders and arms.

Jia Lian lay half-reclined, his arm resting on the edge of the bathtub so they could easily hold him, while he squinted his eyes and quietly enjoyed the moment.

No wonder people say that the land of gentle pleasures is the graveyard of heroes. With such heavenly enjoyment at home, who would be willing to endure the hardships of that desolate, cold place?

Qingwen massaged him for a while, then, worried that Jia Lian might fall asleep in the tub, she took a handkerchief and said with a smile, "Let me wipe Second Master's back."

Jia Lian nodded and sat up a little.

Qingwen then carefully served Jia Lian, blushing as she did so. The Second Master's shoulders and back were so long and fair, so beautiful; she really wanted to secretly touch them…

"It's all wiped clean."

Qingwen was eager to go around to the front and continue massaging Jia Lian's chest.

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, then took the things from Qingwen's hands and said, "Alright, step back a bit, I'll handle the front myself."

Honestly, if he didn't have other things to do, and if it weren't the dead of winter and he wasn't so likely to catch a cold, he wouldn't be afraid of Qingwen stirring up trouble.

Calculating the time precisely, it was almost half an hour before the agreed-upon time with Zhao Sheng. Jia Lian got up and, with the help of two pretty maids, put his clothes back on.

When she returned to the main house and put on her outer robe, she found that Wang Xifeng was not there, only Ping'er, so she asked a question.

"Second Grandma went to the old lady's room."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew that Wang Xifeng had probably learned from her mistakes and was therefore afraid to wait for him inside.

Very good, they know to be afraid of him now.

With a smile, Jia Lian put on his robes and went out to his study.

Please remember the original domain name of this book: _wap.