Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Madam You was a woman with strong self-control.

During this period, although I met with Jia Lian frequently, each meeting lasted no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

They did an excellent job of avoiding any appearance of impropriety.

Jia Lian naturally understood this, and not only did he understand, he appreciated it even more.

Regardless, a woman in a key position who is also clear-headed possesses a unique charm.

So much so that Jia Lian was too embarrassed to admire Qin Shi's beauty alone for a moment, fearing that You Shi might see him...

After leaving Ningxuan Hall, we headed west to inspect the construction project in the garden.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around and saw that it was Silver Butterfly, the little girl who had learned a couple of moves from him, running over.

Her small, round face was rosy, and combined with her petite figure, she was exceptionally cute.

Silver Butterfly had come on orders again, feeling both apprehensive and expectant.

Seeing that Jia Lian didn't speak but just stared at her, she felt even more embarrassed, her face turning bright red.

But she still tried to appear calm, and after bowing, she said, "Second Master, the eldest mistress said that you are very tired and overworked helping out in the mansion all day long. So she ordered the wives to prepare a guest room for you in the West Garden for you to rest in."

"I...this servant...this servant will take the second master there..."

Jia Lian discovered that each of his daughters' shyness presented a different kind of beauty.

She glanced at it a few more times, until two old women walked over from the opposite corridor. When the nervous Silver Butterfly quickly straightened her appearance, she nodded and said, "I understand. I'll go back and tell your mistress. Thank you for your trouble."

However, I need to go into the garden now, so I won't go over there yet.

Upon hearing this, a strange light appeared in the silver butterfly's eyes, and it fell at a visible speed.

"Oh, I understand."

Seeing her expression, Jia Lian chuckled and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

"No, this servant wouldn't dare. Then, this servant will tidy up the room for Second Master first, and then go over to see it when Second Master has time?"

"Um."

Jia Lian nodded, looking at her slightly round face, the tender flesh on her cheeks trembling as she spoke. Jia Lian finally couldn't resist reaching out and pinching it, then lifted her face and said with a smile, "Little girl, your skills in serving others are still far from perfect, you have a lot to learn."

I'm busy with other things right now and don't have time to teach you everything.

"But you have good potential. When this place truly grows to the size of your great-grandmother, perhaps I'll come looking for you."

Upon hearing this, Yindie suddenly recalled what had happened in Madam You's dressing room that day, and the girl's shyness could no longer be suppressed.

She yanked away Jia Lian's hand that was pointing and manipulating her, gave him a coquettish glare, and ran away.

Despite its small size, it can run as swiftly as the wind.

Jia Lian smiled upon seeing this, then bypassed the courtyard wall of the ancestral hall and took a shortcut into the garden.

Due to a series of major events in the family, the construction schedule for the garden was inevitably affected.

It took me several days to gradually recover.

"The terrain here is flat, so the buildings here must be magnificent and splendid, and they should be able to stand together with the bamboo pavilion to the west, facing each other across the stream."

Furthermore, the terrain here is conducive to digging a canal for water diversion, so it's entirely possible to add a separate stream from the back, with several ponds dug along the way. Once the garden is completed, raising fish and waterfowl there will surely create a beautiful scene.

The project is still in its early stages, with only foundations being dug everywhere. Apart from the buildings that were originally preserved in Huifang Garden, none of the buildings have been constructed yet.

Therefore, at this time, most of the people working in the garden were just servants and children of the family, and there were not many craftsmen.

When Jia Lian reached the southeast corner, Shan Ziye was explaining the construction techniques of the pavilion to Lin Zhixiao and others.

"Second Master..."

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Mr. Shan Ziye, there's no need for such formalities." Jia Lian gave Shan Ziye a slight boost, and then listened to Shan Ziye's architectural ideas.

After listening to Shan Ziye's proposal and looking at the terrain, Jia Lian judged that once completed, this place would become the famous Yihong Courtyard with its banana trees and crabapple trees.

Many of the most important scenes in Dream of the Red Chamber unfold during this period.

Xiren, Qingwen, Sheyue, Xiaohong, Si'er, Fangguan...

These vivid, endearing, or thought-provoking characters inexplicably began to swirl in Jia Lian's mind.

Then Jia Lian shook his head.

Things are different now.

With him around in this life, even this Grand View Garden, if he wanted, Jia Baoyu might not be able to live there, let alone those stories and characters that are destined to never happen again.

Qingwen and Xiaohong have already arrived at his courtyard. As for the others, we'll see how things go in the future.

Leave this place and walk along the stream that has not yet been filled with water.

Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard.

"Have you seen Master Bao?"

"I just asked the person at the door, and they said they saw Master Bao come in..."

Perhaps it was because the young master was young and playful that his dutiful maidservant followed the trail to find him.

Jia Lian saw this scene from afar, and the thoughts that had just dissipated returned to his mind.

He too had once been young, sitting in front of the television, watching timeless masterpieces. He would often see a beautiful young woman, graceful and charming, wandering through every corner of the Grand View Garden, asking everyone she met, "Have you seen Master Bao?"

He still remembers how envious he was at the time, and how he even fantasized about a girl who was so devoted to him.

Jia Lian, dressed in a robe, stood out. After only a short while, the maids and wives all spotted him and came up to greet him from afar.

Jia Lian ignored the two wives and said to Xiren, "I just came from over there and saw Baoyu playing with some little children."

"Come with me, I'll take you to him."

After saying that, Jia Lian turned and walked back.

When Xiren met Jia Lian, she felt somewhat nervous and conflicted, but because there were other people present, she dared not show any unusual feelings.

Hearing Jia Lian call her to follow, she didn't dare to refuse. She quickly lifted her skirt and followed Jia Lian about seven or eight steps behind.

She wondered to herself, "Even if Master Lian is such a busy person, he could just point out the direction to Master Bao. How could he have the time to personally take her to find him?"

Could it be...

Sure enough, the further she went, the more her guess was confirmed.

This area is now the former territory of Huifangyuan.

Because many of the buildings were already exquisite and did not need to be demolished and rebuilt, there has been almost no construction work here.

Hesitation made him slow down, and he gradually couldn't keep up with Jia Lian.

Jia Lian, who was ahead of her, seemed to have forgotten her existence and just kept walking forward.

Only when they reached the path did the other person turn around, glance at her from afar, and then stride down, quickly entering the area hidden by the boulders.

Xi Ren immediately stopped in her tracks.

Of course she wouldn't forget this place, and it was impossible for her to forget it.

A girl's first time is always so unforgettable.

Now that Master Lian has brought her here, what does he want to do? What if we get discovered?

If we don't go...

But as soon as she thought about it, Xiren immediately shook her head.

If you don't go, what you've already lost might be lost for nothing.

She's not that stupid.

So he looked around to make sure no one was around, then stepped down onto the grass in his embroidered shoes and strolled leisurely along the grassy bank of the stream, through the shade of the willow trees.

Sure enough, in that eerie place he often dreamed of, stood the tall and imposing Second Master Lian, his hands behind his back.

Hearing the sound, he turned around.

Perhaps because of her tact, the other person gave her a smile that she had never seen directly before.

That smile was so eerie that it made her instantly lose all worry and fear about the danger.

Then, she walked slowly but irresistibly towards the other person, waving to them, until she stood before them. Observing the complete disparity in their sizes, her frail body began to tremble slightly.

Jia Lian smiled. "Still scared?"

The powerful and heroic voice of Master Bao made Xiren completely give up on her self-redemption. She shook her head and resignedly lowered her head.

She thought to herself that she probably couldn't do anything else today. She remembered that after Master Lian left last time, she stood alone against the stone wall for a long time, and only with her strong willpower did she manage not to give herself away in front of outsiders.

I wonder if today will be as miserable as it was back then.