Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Faced with Qin's subtle flirting, most people would have lost all sense of sincerity or pretense and would have been completely captivated and out of their minds.

Jia Lian, however, was alright. He turned his head away and shook his head, saying, "You're overthinking it. I didn't mean it that way. Both you and Sister-in-law You are invaluable people. I'm extremely grateful for your help."

Qin frowned slightly, giving Jia Lian a reproachful look. She thought to herself, "Who uses the word 'talent' to praise a woman? I wonder if my second uncle is really clueless about romance, or if he's just teasing me."

Hmph, they must be deliberately making fun of him. Judging from the gossip of my second aunt and others, my second uncle must be a very sophisticated and interesting person, not a blockhead!

"Is that so? But I feel like my second uncle and my mother-in-law are closer than other people."

Qin had long intended to probe Jia Lian and You Shi's intentions, and now that the words were out, the trembling in her heart made it impossible for her to stop.

She glanced to the side and saw only a silly little girl who everyone said resembled her, which made her even more unrestrained.

She leaned down, seeking Jia Lian's gaze, and continued to reveal her secrets: "My mother-in-law is a very opinionated person, so why does she seem so clumsy in front of you, Uncle? Every word and action is arranged by you, as if she doesn't dare to say a single extra word..."

Also, several times when I tried to talk to her, she was always nowhere to be found. And when I finally did find her, her uncle was usually there too; it was all quite a coincidence.

Every word Qin Shi said made Jia Lian reflect.

It seems that Lady You's worries were not unfounded; as the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet."

At least, his nephew's wife was clearly suspicious of them. Although he couldn't understand why Qin was so sensitive, they had already been very careful and restrained in their actions.

Over the course of a month, they only offered each other comfort through eye contact and checked each other's body temperature when no one was around. They only actually engaged in close combat once or twice.

It seems that this sequence needs to converge.

Once again, Qin Shi's aggressive body loomed before him. Her bright and clean hairpin dress could not conceal her graceful figure, revealing her beautiful buttocks that clearly protruded from her waist.

Jia Lian hardened his heart, raised his hand and slapped her plump buttocks, scolding her: "I said I would treat you and your mother-in-law equally, and I meant it. If you dare to chatter and talk nonsense in front of me again, this is what will happen to you."

Qin Shi never expected that Jia Lian, who had been cornered by her, would suddenly "lash out," giving her no chance to react.

Her bright red face suddenly flushed crimson, and her red lips parted into an "o" shape, as if she were trying to say something but couldn't.

Suddenly, she propped herself up, kicked Jia Lian's shin to show her displeasure, then glanced at Xiang Ling behind her, who was also shocked, spat, covered her face, and ran away.

"Grandma, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, let's go out first~~"

As Qin Shi's voice faded into the distance, Jia Lian secretly rubbed his left hand. Hmph, a little brat trying to manipulate her elders?

Turning around and seeing that Xiangling's expression had returned to normal, Jia Lian coughed lightly and called out, "My dear Xiangling, come here."

Xiangling walked over, her clear and pure eyes looking at Jia Lian, as if she had something to say.

Jia Lian then took her hand and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Do you think your master did something wrong? Do you want to complain to me or go tell your second mistress?"

Xiangling shook her head.

Jia Lian became happy and pulled Xiangling onto his lap, laughing as he said, "You're such a good Xiangling. You should always be like this, always thinking that your master is right. Don't be like Madam Qin. She tried to disobey her master, which is why I taught her a lesson."

You're such a good girl, so I'll never scold you; I'll only always love and pamper you.

Unexpectedly, Xiangling shook her head again, pushed away from Jia Lian's embrace, looked at Jia Lian seriously, and said solemnly, "No, I think what Second Master did was wrong..."

As she spoke, Xiangling paused, perhaps fearing Jia Lian's anger or something else, and thought for a long while before continuing, "However, no matter what Second Master does, I will not tell anyone, much less inform Second Madam. If I dare to harm Second Master or betray him, may Xiangling suffer a terrible death and be sent to the Hell of Tongue-Pulling..."

Jia Lian wanted to laugh when he heard this, thinking to himself, "It's not that serious."

But seeing Xiangling's serious expression, like that of a devout believer, Jia Lian couldn't bring himself to smile.

Perhaps in Xiangling's heart, he had long become her everything, her everything. So even if his actions went against her thoughts and beliefs, or even confused her sense of right and wrong, she would unconditionally forgive him and even find reasons to forgive him.

He gently embraced Xiangling, patted her back, and then placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling as he responded to her declaration of loyalty: "Yes, I know my Xiangling is the most obedient and well-behaved, so I'm here to reward her."

In the midst of their banter, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Xiangling couldn't avoid it, so she hurriedly lowered her head, leaving only a small, smooth forehead and delicate nose for Jia Lian to see, thus leaving a mark of his affection.

……

Spring is approaching, and all things are reviving.

Outside the capital city, the grass sprouts new green leaves, and the willows bud new shoots. The fragrance of the grass is accompanied by the babbling of the stream, and occasionally the cheerful cries of wild geese in the sky. All of this seems to tell the world that it is time for spring outings.

Unfortunately, even if Jia Lian had such thoughts at this point, there was absolutely no way he could put them into practice.

Led by a dozen or so members of the clan, along with dozens of servants and attendants, and riding in more than ten carriages and on several horses, they arrived in a grand procession at the Jia family's ancestral temple—the Iron Threshold Temple.

In a way, being born into the Jia family did have one advantage: at least you didn't have to worry about finding a place to be buried after you died.

Behind the ancestral temple lies a vast hill, the site of the Jia family's ancestral tombs, with ample space.

Therefore, there's no need to worry about their children or descendants selling themselves to bury their father or mother after their death.

After consulting with the abbot of the family temple, Sekong, everyone went about their own business, setting up and cleaning the temple in an orderly manner.

Even though the ancestral temple was well-prepared and Jia Lian had brought enough people, it was still late into the night before they were able to sort things out.

Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, and Jia Yun, all eager to impress Jia Lian, worked incredibly hard, taking over much of his work. As a result, Jia Lian was primarily responsible for coordinating things and didn't seem particularly busy.

Qin and her housekeepers came and went, saying that all the monks and Taoist priests who were to perform the ritual were ready, but they were still short about twenty nuns and twenty Taoist nuns.

The nuns and Taoist priestesses hired during the previous funeral procession were mostly from temples and monasteries within the city. Many of them were unwilling to leave the city, so alternatives needed to be selected.

Jia Lian then asked, "Are there any nunneries or Taoist temples nearby? We can invite them by presenting our visiting cards and money."

Qin had already done her homework, and upon hearing this, she smiled and replied, "Uncle, there are many nunneries and Taoist temples within a ten-mile radius. I have already had them written down, so please take a look."

As she spoke, Madam Qin took out a slightly fragrant piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Jia Lian. In front of everyone, Jia Lian showed no change in expression, only glancing at it briefly.

I didn't want to get involved in such a trivial matter and just let them decide for themselves.

Unexpectedly, after glancing at it twice, I saw the three characters "Muni-in" on the note.

Muni Temple, a famous temple located outside the western city of Shenjing, was not particularly strange in itself. However, upon seeing these three characters, Jia Lian suddenly thought of a certain person.

So he put the note in his pocket and said, "Alright, you don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it myself. You just need to take care of the other things."

Although the housekeepers were slightly surprised, they didn't say anything, each gave a few instructions, and then left.

Only Qin thought to herself, "Could it be that my second uncle wants to take away someone else's handwritten note in a perfectly legitimate way? Oh dear, I should have known better than to put it in my arms before. Now that my second uncle has put it in his arms, I feel a little ashamed."