Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the main courtyard of Tianxiang Tower, Jia Zhen and You Shi put on a grand opera, inviting Grandmother Jia and others, as well as the young men from both mansions, to drink and watch the play.

Grandmother Jia led the female relatives to sit on the third floor. Jia Zhen led Jia Rong up to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, and then instructed You Shi, Qin Shi, and others to serve them well. They then came down to the second floor to accompany Jia Zheng.

After noon, Grandmother Jia was not in good spirits. Usually, she would take a nap around this time.

However, considering that Madam You and the others had gone to so much trouble to prepare the wine and theatrical performance, if she went to sleep, firstly, it would inevitably spoil everyone's mood, and secondly, there were so many people here today, if one of them went to sleep and another went to sleep, Madam You and the others would be busy making arrangements, so she kept quiet.

Although she was considerate of her family's situation, Madam Wang and others were also constantly concerned about her condition, so they took the initiative to inquire about her.

Grandmother Jia was indeed not in the mood to watch the play. She thought of the scenery in their garden. Because of Jia She, she had repeatedly refused the invitations of You Shi and others. Now that she was here, she might as well go in and take a look.

They asked what other flowers were blooming beautifully inside.

Knowing what Grandmother Jia meant, Madam You smiled and said, "It just so happens that there are a few late-blooming plum trees, which are now in full bloom. If Grandmother is interested, we will accompany you to take a look."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said it would be good to go for a walk to cool off from the wine. She then told those who wanted to watch the play to stay, while she, escorted by Madam You and others, entered Huifang Garden.

Enjoying the flowers was just an excuse. Grandmother Jia was old and couldn't go too far. Most of the time, she just sat down and chatted.

When they arrived at Huifang Pavilion, Lady You ordered someone to bring fishing gear, and Yingchun and the other sisters sat together to fish. Lady Wang noticed that Jia Baoyu was bored and hadn't spoken for a while, so she asked him.

Madam Qin smiled and said, "Uncle Bao must be tired. Why don't I take him downstairs to rest for a while before coming back?"

Even though Jia Baoyu was bored, he didn't want to leave this place full of women. But when he heard that Qin Shi wanted to see him off, he immediately perked up and nodded.

Grandmother Jia could resist her own drowsiness, but she didn't want to make Jia Baoyu feel uncomfortable. Seeing this, she said to Qin Shi, "In that case, send him down to rest. Xi Ren, you and the others take good care of him. Come and report to me when he wakes up."

So Jia Baoyu got his wish and had his nephew's wife escort him. Although it was only a short distance, he felt very comfortable being able to walk with Qin Shi in a legitimate way. He felt it was the most wonderful thing in life, and he was no longer sleepy.

In order to spend more time with Madam Qin, he made full use of his childish and shameless ways, always complaining that this was not good enough or that was not to his liking when Madam Qin escorted him to the side room.

Helpless, Qin finally smiled and said, "Why don't you go to my room? If you don't like my room, then I can't help you."

The old women all laughed, "What kind of logic is it for an uncle to sleep in his nephew's wife's room?"

Qin Shi simply smiled and said that Jia Baoyu was still young and there was no need to be shy, and then she really led Jia Baoyu into her room.

When Jia Baoyu entered Qin Shi's secluded boudoir with its many gates and doors, he felt as if he had entered a fairyland.

The furnishings here were all extraordinary, arranged like a fairy palace. Even the air was filled with an intoxicating fragrance, which instantly captivated Jia Baoyu. He grabbed Qin Shi's sleeve and nodded repeatedly, unwilling to leave.

Qin Shi had long anticipated Jia Baoyu's reaction, thanks to Jia Zhen's endless flattery. The extravagance of her room was unparalleled in the entire Jia family, and naturally, a child like Jia Baoyu would be pleased to see it.

So, after making some arrangements with everyone, they helped Jia Baoyu to bed...

……

Jia Lian did not stay at the military headquarters for the entire time. After making proper arrangements and leaving a few people behind to relay important matters, he returned home.

Being the boss means more worries, but the advantages are obvious. For example, he can decide for himself when to leave work...

After entering through the west gate and harnessing his horse, Jia Lian was approached by Jia Zhen's servant, who said that Jia Zhen had instructed him to come and watch the play.

Jia Lian did not refuse, but told his servant to go and tell Jia Zhen that he should go inside first to change his clothes before going over.

When they got home, it was indeed quiet, and Sister Feng was not there.

With the help of two maids, he changed into casual clothes and then went to the east wing to see Qiao Jie'er.

The little girl was sleeping, and her wet nurse was watching over her.

The wet nurse, who had been dozing off, immediately woke up when she saw Jia Lian enter and quickly stood up.

Jia Lian gestured for her to be quiet, walked to the cradle made of cypress wood, and looked at his daughter who was wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes, with only her face showing.

The little girl is now over six months old, and her face has opened up a bit, so she doesn't look as wrinkled and "ugly" as before.

Finding her somewhat adorable, Jia Lian prepared to hug her, but despite being very gentle, he still woke her up.

"My dear daughter, quickly call me Daddy..."

Jia Lian smiled gently, thinking he could make his daughter happy and satisfy his heart as a father.

To his surprise, the little girl didn't give this handsome guy any face at all, wouldn't even look at him properly, and would cry whenever she saw him.

Upon hearing the news, the wet nurse of the young maid who had just gone to the outer room came in. Seeing that Jia Lian was unable to coax her and looked quite embarrassed, she smiled and said, "Second Master, give her to me. Perhaps the young lady is hungry..."

Jia Lian had no choice but to hand her the hot potato.

The wet nurse sat down with Qiao Jie in her arms, glanced at Jia Lian, and seeing that Jia Lian had no intention of leaving, she immediately gave him a charming look. Then, without any shame, she started unbuttoning her clothes in front of Jia Lian.

What's there to be ashamed of? She's eaten with everyone, young and old alike…

The wet nurse was a professional at feeding; she could put the pacifier in the baby's mouth in just a breath or two and stop the crying.

Jia Lian was somewhat stunned.

He had only subconsciously wanted to learn how the wet nurse soothed the little girl, and how he came up with the idea, but he didn't keep it in mind for a moment, which led to the wet nurse misunderstanding.

He wasn't angry, because he knew that it wasn't that Qiao Jie'er's wet nurse was shamelessly seducing him; rather, she had originally been his woman...

She was a young woman he had slept with before Wang Xifeng even entered the household.

Therefore, Sister Feng had no idea about this history. She chose Sister Feng to be her daughter's wet nurse because she heard that Sister Feng had good breastfeeding tools and that Sister Feng was a house-born child who could be completely trusted.

These were all decided when Jia Lian left that year, and when Jia Lian returned, he didn't make any special changes.

Anyway, a married woman who already has a son wouldn't possibly cling to him.

Sure enough, the wet nurse had tried to seduce Jia Lian twice while he was looking after the child, but seeing that Jia Lian was unmoved, she gradually stopped.

At this moment, Jia Lian looked at the wet nurse who was only three or four years older than Feng Jie, but whose impressive figure was more than twice the size, and who made no attempt to hide anything from him. Jia Lian thought to himself that if he were to run away now, it would be too disgraceful for an official like himself.

So he sat down and calmly watched the little girl drink her milk.

The wet nurse was secretly pleased with herself. She thought to herself, "I knew it! Old habits die hard. How did Master Lian suddenly become a vegetarian?"

So she puffed out her chest slightly and smiled, "The young lady only needs one, but I have another one. Wouldn't you like to try it, Second Master?"

Women, indeed, will climb up any ladder given to them.

Seeing that this woman seemed to want to subdue him, Jia Lian smiled disdainfully, reached out to examine her proud member, and then released it, giving his assessment: "It's just big, not as pretty as your second mistress's."

The wet nurse nearly fainted from anger, retorting, "Why was the Second Master so enamored with you all those years?"

Jia Lian stood up and said mercilessly, "Back then, before I married your second mistress, I treated everything like a treasure. Now that you're a mother, be careful. Take good care of your son and be a good wet nurse for your eldest daughter. Don't give yourself away. If your second mistress finds out, I might not be able to protect you. Think carefully about the consequences before you act in the future."

After saying that, Jia Lian left.

This is why he was so determined not to have any of his predecessor's other women. There was no other way; there were just too many! If you walked around the two mansions, you were guaranteed to run into one who had reached second base within the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, and within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you were sure to bump into one who was completely in love with him.

A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, after being exposed to the ways of a naive young woman named You, and then deprived of food, gradually embarked on a path of revenge against the woman as his wealth grew...

That's really scary.