Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Although Baochai was more worldly-wise than her peers, she was still a young girl in her boudoir.

She had only turned her back and walked a short distance when her face turned red.

She could never have imagined that Jia Baoyu would hide in the room and do such a thing.

He's so young...

At this age, girls grow much faster than boys, so in Baochai's eyes, Jia Baoyu, who was two years younger than her, could only be considered a half-grown child!

Moreover, based on my observations of Jia Baoyu's character and conduct, he is indeed quite refined and unconventional, and doesn't seem like a dissolute young man. How could he have done such a thing?

Baochai had no need to doubt that Jia Baoyu had been hiding in the room just now, doing shameless things with the maid!

His panicked voice, his expression, his unnaturally flushed face, and his disheveled clothes...

With these flaws, let alone her, any teenager who isn't too stupid would probably be able to see something fishy.

No wonder, if she was supposed to be changing clothes, why didn't Xiren go inside, but instead stayed outside?

I don't know if Xiren, like me, accidentally stumbled upon this and hid, or if they had planned it all along and it was Xiren's turn to come out and watch the door...

If that's the case, it's really too absurd for Brother Bao to be so young. Baochai didn't even dare to think about it any further!

Even her brother, who was so eccentric, only started indulging in such behavior a couple of years ago. In fact, he started doing so two years later than Jia Baoyu.

It's still unknown how long Brother Bao has been acting this way...

Forcibly banishing these wicked thoughts, Baochai took a deep breath, turned around and saw that Ying'er behind her also looked thoughtful, so she stopped and sternly instructed, "Just pretend you didn't see anything just now, understand?"

Ying'er was initially just suspicious, but after hearing Baochai's instructions, she realized that things might not be so simple, so she quickly nodded.

Baochai turned around, glanced in the direction of Jia Baoyu's room, and sighed inwardly.

Brother Bao has never had much interest in studying or making progress. Now, at such a young age, he has indulged in a life of pleasure and debauchery. If he damages his health, he will likely find it even more difficult to live up to the high expectations his aunt and uncle have placed on him.

Given his family's situation, if there is no one to carry on the family line after his uncle, this vast family fortune will likely be lost sooner or later...

Although Baochai had only been there for half a year, she had already figured out the situation of the Rongguo Mansion. Once Jia Baoyu could not inherit Jia Zheng's ambition, this family business would eventually be returned to their eldest son's family.

There is also Jia Lan, but unfortunately he is too young. Given Lian Er Gege's current growth rate, he poses no threat whatsoever.

Baochai was secretly pondering these inner workings of the Jia family when she heard Ying'er call out, "Miss, Second Master Lian..."

Baochai looked up and realized that Jia Lian was standing by the roadside ahead, perhaps having seen her coming, and was smiling at her.

Baochai dared not be negligent, and quickly took a few steps to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Second Brother Lian."

"Greetings, Sister Baochai! Where do you come from?"

"I went to check on Brother Bao."

"Baoyu, what's wrong with him?"

"he……"

Baochai was speechless for a moment. Recalling Jia Baoyu's panicked appearance earlier, and then looking at Jia Lian, who was elegant and composed in front of her, she shook her head and thought to herself, "These two are not even in the same league. How can they be compared? I was just worrying about them for the sake of it."

"He's fine, he'll probably be here soon. Is Second Brother Lian also here to accompany the old lady to the opera?"

Baochai decisively changed the subject and asked a question in return.

Jia Lian didn't mind and nodded. "I just went to see my father. Let's go together."

Baochai agreed, intending for Jia Lian to go first, but Jia Lian seemed very polite, standing there with a smile, indicating that she should go first.

Baochai couldn't argue with Jia Lian, so she had no choice but to follow his instructions.

Then, she kept feeling that Jia Lian was watching her from behind, but a quick glance out of the corner of her eye showed that Jia Lian was clearly walking to her side and slightly behind, about four or five steps away. This was already within the proper range, but for some reason, even with her composure and self-control, she still felt somewhat uneasy, and several times she wanted to stop and let Jia Lian go first.

Having finally reached the corridor on the side of the flower hall, Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and gave Jia Lian a slight bow, then called to Ying'er, who seemed a little dazed, who was behind Jia Lian, and they went inside.

Only after watching Baochai and her maid disappear through the door did Jia Lian turn his gaze away.

Unlike the little girl Daiyu, Baochai had already grown into a graceful and poised young woman.

Unfortunately, as her cousin-in-law, he didn't seem to have many opportunities to get close to her, which inevitably left him with a sense of regret.

……

Grandmother Jia's main hall had already been newly decorated.

It was originally a large open room supported by seven or eight huge beams and pillars, with open windows on all sides. It was usually divided by screens, lattice shelves and other partitions, and could hold at least hundreds of pots of flowers of various sizes.

At this point, if the various flowers, screens, and other items are temporarily removed, and all the doors in the front of the room are opened, it becomes an excellent place to watch a play.

As night fell, the old women had taken down all the windows that were blocking the view and replaced them with large red lanterns, illuminating the inside and outside of the main hall as if it were daytime.

Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and other female relatives then sat down in the flower hall.

Jia Zhen led the male members of his family who had come, and seven or eight seats were set up separately in the spacious corridor in front.

Although there were many people inside and outside the household, thanks to the proper arrangements made by Wang Xifeng and others, and the proper etiquette of the Jia family members, everything was well-organized and there was no sense of chaos at all.

As Jia Lian walked into the main corridor, a group of Jia clan members hurriedly stood up to greet him and made room for Jia Zhen at the next seat.

Jia Lian didn't stand on ceremony and sat down immediately, then asked Jia Zhen, "Where is Master?"

"The master sat here for a while, then felt unwell and instructed me to take good care of the place before leaving."

Jia Lian glanced around and saw that, apart from himself and Jia Zhen, there was only one fourth-generation member of the Jia family, Jia Huan. The others, such as Jia Rong, Jia Qin, Jia Yun, and Jia Chang, were all fifth-generation members of the Jia family.

No wonder Jia Zheng couldn't sit here alone.

"Nephew toasts Uncle, wishing you a high official position. When I heard of this great news a few days ago, my mother told me to go to Uncle's place to kowtow and congratulate you. However, Uncle has been busy with many things, and I have not been able to find an opportunity to get close. Today, I am honored to see Uncle's illustrious face. I will drink this cup of wine first as a sign of respect..."

Jia Lian turned around and saw a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a handsome appearance, holding a cup of wine and babbling out a string of words with a fawning expression.

Seeing Jia Lian looking at him, the young man seemed afraid that Jia Lian would find him presumptuous, so he quickly raised his hand and drank the wine in one gulp, then looked at Jia Lian awkwardly.

Jia Lian smiled slightly, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then said with a smile, "Yun'er, is that right?"

"It is indeed my nephew! It's rare that Uncle still remembers his nephew. The other day..."

Jia Lian waved his hand to interrupt the sycophant and asked with a smile, "How has your mother been lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. My mother is also doing well; her health is better than before."

Jia Yun realized that Jia Lian didn't want to listen to his nonsense, so he wisely changed his strategy.

Jia Lian knew this Jia Yun. Speaking of which, although the Jia family had many sons, very few were truly capable... Anyone who was capable, given the Jia family's influence in the court, would have already secured an official position outside the capital.

Therefore, most of the descendants of the Eighth Prince who remained in the capital were people who were waiting to be supported by the Ning and Rong families.

This Jia Yun was certainly not a good person. He didn't study much from a young age, didn't have any special skills, and was extremely slick.

Considering his early loss of his father and his poor family background, it's understandable. Moreover, the original text describes how he became very ambitious after growing up and started to understand things, seeking jobs everywhere to supplement the family income. He was also quite grateful and righteous. Such a person was considered promising among the useless members of the Jia family.

So when Jia Lian saw his appearance, he knew why he wanted to see him. He said, "Your mother raised you all by herself, which was not easy. Now that you are grown up, you should find a proper job to help ease your mother's burden."

If you are so inclined, wait for me outside the horse shed in Nanyuan early tomorrow morning. I have a task for you to complete.

Jia Lian's words directly interrupted Jia Yun's train of thought. He never dreamed that Jia Lian could see through his scheme at a glance.

Without a second thought, he quickly put the wine cup away, knelt down, and bowed to Jia Lian, saying, "Nephew thanks Uncle for your kindness in nurturing me. I will do my utmost, even unto death, to repay your kindness..."

Jia Lian didn't bother to say anything more to him and simply told him to go back and sit down.

Seeing how easily Jia Yun had received Jia Lian's favor, the other members of the Cao generation began to have their own ideas, and two of them even followed suit. Unfortunately, Jia Lian pretended not to understand their intentions.

Although the military commander could arrange meals anywhere, he didn't want to bring in all sorts of shady characters and ruin his reputation.