Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Second Master..."

Yuanyang carried a gauze lantern and quietly followed beside Jia Lian.

She had assumed that if she escorted Jia Lian out of Rongqing Hall alone, he would flirt with her as he had done before.

She was initially nervous and shy, but then she noticed that Jia Lian kept his head down, deep in thought, as if he hadn't seen her at all.

After waiting for a long time, and seeing that they were almost at Sister Feng's courtyard, she finally couldn't help but call out softly.

"Um."

Seeing that Jia Lian reacted, Yuanyang took a deep breath and then said with feigned cheerfulness, "Congratulations on your promotion, Second Master. Although we are your servants, we are happy for you."

Jia Lian stopped and glanced back at Yuanyang.

As Jia Mu's most trusted maid, Yuanyang was not mistreated by Jia Mu.

A gorgeous, form-fitting pale yellow dress accentuated her tall figure and slender waist.

Her neck was covered by a white and gray fur collar, which, combined with her gentle oval face and exquisite features, made her look nothing like a maid, but rather like a graceful young lady from a prominent family.

Jia Lian enjoys appreciating beautiful women, especially now that it's late at night and the light is dim. Even though Jia Lian is looking at Yuanyang up close, he can't see the slight freckles that should be on her face.

This further enhanced Yuanyang's already high level of attractiveness, raising it to over 9 out of 10.

There aren't many beauties who could earn Jia Lian's nine points. Each one would be someone even Jia Lian wouldn't take lightly.

So Jia Lian instinctively glanced at her a few more times, until Yuanyang showed signs of defeat, then he laughed and said, "Servant? You're not a servant..."

"I am a maid in this mansion, what else am I but a servant?"

"hehe."

Jia Lian chuckled softly, having already taken a step closer without making a sound. He reached out and easily wrapped his arm around Yuanyang's waist, then whispered in her ear with a smile, "Have you forgotten? You promised me you would come to my room and become sisters with Ping'er."

Ping'er is not a servant, and you, as her sister, are naturally not a servant either.

Disturbed by this, the mandarin duck immediately gripped the lantern pole tightly in its hand, then looked around and, finding the place secluded and deserted, relaxed.

Looking up, she saw Jia Lian smiling at her, and she felt an overwhelming sense of shame, her face turning red.

After all, it wasn't the first time Jia Lian had hugged her, and although she was still flustered and embarrassed, she was somewhat prepared.

"Second Master, loosen your grip quickly, it's improper if someone sees you like this."

Jia Lian, however, had already savored the beauty's slender waist and soft body. Hearing this, he laughed and replied, "Why are you telling me to let go? Last time, didn't you manage to push me away yourself?"

Yuanyang was both ashamed and angry. Of course, she remembered the time when Wang Xifeng had an accident. She was ordered by Grandmother Jia to invite Jia Lian, and it was almost the same situation. Jia Lian took the opportunity to take liberties with her.

But Jia Lian wanted to kiss her, so she naturally resisted fiercely.

Originally, because Jia Lian's arms were particularly strong, his embrace was particularly warm, and his scent was very intoxicating, Yuanyang originally wanted to pretend to be confused. However, since Jia Lian had already spoken, wouldn't it seem too unreserved of her not to struggle?

So they pretended to push and shove.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a full embrace, causing her feet to leave the ground.

This sudden tension startled the mandarin ducks, causing them to cry out in surprise and immediately stop moving.

When she came to her senses, she realized that Jia Lian had not only led her to a corner of an alley, but she herself was also nestled intimately against Jia Lian's chest.

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On his forehead, he could clearly feel Jia Lian's breathing.

Yuanyang's body went limp, and she lay on Jia Lian's chest with her fists raised, not daring to make any other movements.

Only when she sensed Jia Lian's rising fighting spirit did she realize, as if touched by a venomous snake, that she had uttered a soft, slow murmur: "Second Master, you...!"

Jia Lian blushed; the allure of an eighteen-year-old virgin was simply too irresistible.

Now that things have come to this, he could only pretend not to know. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "What's there to be shy about? You'll be mine sooner or later anyway. You'll have to say hello eventually, won't you?"

"Nonsense! Who says I'm going to be yours sooner or later? Let me go!"

Yuanyang was truly ashamed. She not only raised her hips to keep her distance from Jia Lian, but also tried to break free from him with her upper body.

Seeing that she was resolute and had already gained enough advantage, Jia Lian decided to let her go.

As soon as Yuanyang was free, she wanted to escape. After running a few steps, she turned back and stuffed the lantern into Jia Lian's hand.

It was the New Year's festival, and lanterns were hung everywhere in the Rongguo Mansion. Logically speaking, even without a lantern, Jia Lian could easily walk back. However, she remembered the distinction between master and servant, and it was unreasonable for her to carry the lantern back herself while Jia Lian walked in the dark.

Taking advantage of this moment, Jia Lian saw the blood-red face of Yuanyang and found it very amusing. He laughed and said, "When you get back, think about it. Why does the old lady always ask you to escort me when she has so many maids and servants?"

The mandarin ducks seemed not to hear, and ran back as fast as they could, as if avoiding a tiger.

"I wonder if this girl will be able to sleep peacefully tonight..."

Muttering a phrase to himself, Jia Lian, knowing he had once again stirred the heart of an innocent young girl, emerged from the shadows with a joyful expression, carrying a lantern, and soon returned to Feng Jie's courtyard.

Stepping through the courtyard gate, Jia Lian saw the main house brightly lit and could be faintly heard whispering sweet nothings; he knew then that there were guests in the house.

Jia Lian handed the lantern to Xiao Hong, who had come forward, straightened his clothes, and then stepped into the house.

"Brother Lian Er is here..."

Accompanied by a burst of giggles, several young girls, as if by prior arrangement, stepped forward in unison and bowed deeply:

"Younger sister Yingchun greets Your Excellency."

"Younger sister Tan Chun greets Your Excellency."

"Your younger sister, Xichun, greets Your Excellency."

Jia Lian paused slightly, then nodded casually, still walking with his head held high, and sat down in front of the grand master's chair, flicking his robe.

After giving the three maids a serious look, Jia Lian seemed somewhat satisfied and raised his hand, saying, "You may all rise."

Although it was their own idea to hold such a grand ceremony, the three of them, Tan Chun and Jia Lian, were still somewhat dissatisfied when Jia Lian actually left them waiting for a long time before calling them to get up. After getting up, they all complained coquettishly.

"Good for you, Brother Lian, you actually took the money."

"That's right, that's right! Third Sister even said before that Second Brother Lian is an approachable person!"

Hearing Tan Chun and Xi Chun both denouncing Jia Lian, all the maids in the room burst into laughter.

Yingchun laughed and said, "Alright, Second Brother was just playing along with us, joking with us."

Jia Lian, however, seemed not to have heard them. He turned around, glanced at his maids, and ordered, "Ping'er, Xiangling, serve tea."

After giving his instructions, he turned to Yingchun and the other two: "What brings you here so late at night?"

This bureaucratic tone really displeased Yingchun and the other two.

"Brother Lian, really... look at me..." Tan Chun went straight for Jia Lian, grabbing his arm and rubbing it a few times as a threat.

But then she laughed too.

Originally, Jia Lian, as the eldest brother (after Jia Zhu's death), was not as close to his sisters as Jia Baoyu.

Later, when they finally became closer, Jia Lian would often go out, sometimes for a year or two at a time.

It's inevitable that the siblings would become estranged.

Not to mention, now that Jia Lian's status is becoming increasingly prestigious, they are also worried and don't know how to get along with him.

That's why she suggested earlier that when Lian Ergege returned, she should give him a grand salute and see how he would react.

What appears to be a sibling act is actually a way to bridge the gap and avoid not knowing what to say when they meet.

Who knew that Jia Lian would react so quickly, not only taking over their role instantly, but also taking the play to a deeper level.

But the intention was so obvious.

However, the effect was equally obvious. They seemed to have immediately found Lian Er-gege, who had played "guess the answer" with them before. As for the awkwardness of not knowing what to say when they met, they did not see it at all.

Seeing that even Tan Chun dared to scratch him, Jia Lian abandoned his stiff posture, stretched out his legs, and laughed easily, "Alright, you little maids, what are you doing here so late at night?"

"Second Sister-in-law Lian said she wanted to make new clothes for us, so she asked us to come and take our measurements..." Yingchun replied casually, but then felt that she shouldn't have said this directly to Jia Lian.

Tan Chun immediately chimed in, "We were all about to leave, but then we remembered that you, Brother Lian, have become a Marquis, and we, your younger sisters, haven't had a chance to pay our respects in person. That's why we stayed to greet you before we dared to go."

"That's right, who knew we'd be waiting for you in your room, Second Brother, but you went to Grandma's instead. If we'd known, we would have waited for you in Grandma's room instead," Xichun chimed in, not wanting to be outdone.

Jia Lian chuckled, "I think your greeting to me is just a pretense; you probably just want to ask me in person if I brought back any gifts from your trip to the borderlands."

"Um?"

Heaven can bear witness that Tan Chun and the others had absolutely no such intention.

But hearing Jia Lian say that, they all understood that Jia Lian must have prepared gifts for them, so their three big eyes immediately lit up.

Jia Lian, not wanting to keep her in suspense, glanced at Xiangling.

Xiangling nodded knowingly and then went out. A little while later, she and Qingwen came in with two maids, carrying four light wooden boxes wrapped in red silk.

Wow, there really is a gift!

Xichun and the other two all went to greet them without prior arrangement.

Qingwen smiled and said, "This one belongs to the second young lady, this one to the third young lady, and this one to the fourth young lady..."

The three women were all overjoyed. Although it wasn't the first time they had received a gift from Jia Lian, they hadn't expected it before. So, they were naturally pleasantly surprised to receive it suddenly.

"Hey, what are you all so happy about? You all received gifts from him? Open them up and let us all see what good stuff you've been hiding."

At this moment, Wang Xifeng led Feng'er in through the back door, carrying several bolts of satin. She saw Yingchun and the other two carrying a wooden box and smiled, so she said with a smile.

Yingchun and the others nodded, and Tanchun even asked Jia Lian directly, "Second Brother Lian, can we open it now?"

"certainly."

The gift Jia Lian chose for his sister was naturally carefully considered and contained nothing shameful.

Most of them were bought when I accompanied Princess Zhaoyang to Utopia.

So Yingchun and the other two placed the gifts on the table and began to unpack them in front of everyone.

The first thing to open is the Spring Festival decoration.

Inside the wooden box, there are two open spaces, one on the left and one on the right. On the left is a small wooden box, while on the right stands a lifelike clay sculpture of a general holding a sword.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "The little trinket on the right was bought at the border market in Anxi Prefecture. I thought it looked interesting at the time, so I thought I'd buy it for you to play with."

Yingchun was indeed very happy and immediately took out the mud general from inside.

Several maids beside her also came forward to ask to see it, and Yingchun, exhausted, hurriedly told them not to break it.

At the same time, the wooden boxes belonging to Tan Chun and Xi Chun were also opened.

They all have the same design: a small wooden box on the left and some unusual items on the right.

Tan Chun's doll is a small fragrant pig carved from boxwood, which is very cute, while Xi Chun's doll is a ceramic doll that looks like a Western princess.

"So cute..."

Xichun was a young girl, and it was her first time seeing Western-style dolls, so she was naturally very excited.

Only Tan Chun, holding her own pig, looked at Jia Lian with some dissatisfaction: "Why is mine the only pig!"

As soon as Tan Chun finished speaking, her maid Cui Mo said with a smile, "Miss, I think this pig is quite cute. Look, it's really adorable."

Even her own people were undermining her, so Tan Chun could only give Cui Mo a disgruntled look before ignoring it, picking up the small wooden box and asking as she opened it, "What's inside?"

"The box on the left contains sweet candies, which were given to you by your cousin Baoqin. I'm just passing them on."

"Sister Baoqin?"

"I've heard that Sister Bao has a cousin. My aunt said she's very intelligent, beautiful, and sensible. I wonder if it's true."

"Of course it's true. My aunt also said that Baoqin is even better off than Baochai, but that's debatable."

However, as the two older sisters, we received her gifts before even meeting her in person, which made us quite embarrassed.

Upon hearing Tan Chun's words, Jia Lian smiled and explained, "Originally, when she heard me mention you, she also wanted to come to the capital to see you."

"But her father is ill, and she has to stay by his side to take care of him. So she packed these snacks, which she bought all the way from Qianxiang Kingdom, into several boxes and asked me to bring them back for you."

"Wow, it's from the Kingdom of Qianxiang! What am I going to do? Now I don't even want to eat it."

Tan Chun smiled playfully, then walked to Jia Lian's side and said, "From what you've said, Second Brother, you've met Baoqin. Is what Auntie said true? Is there really someone in the world who is even more beautiful than Baoqin?"

I am genuinely curious.

Jia Lian glanced at Tan Chun and thought that if Dai Yu were here, she would probably be indignant if she heard Tan Chun say that.

They knew that Baochai's character had won over Tanchun and others in just one or two years, which was why they praised her so highly.

"I can't say whether what Auntie said is true or not, but Baoqin is indeed very beautiful and a very nice person."

As a grown man, Jia Lian didn't feel comfortable commenting too much on other people's girls, so he simply said one thing and then asked Xi Chun with a smile, "Fourth Sister, why aren't you saying anything?"

Xi Chun blushed slightly. "I don't know whether to call Bao Qin 'Sister Bao Qin' or 'Little Sister Bao Qin'..."

Everyone laughed, understanding the situation.

Although Aunt Xue and Baochai mentioned Xue Baoqin a few times that time, they naturally did not mention the specific birth year of her birth. However, it was easy to judge that she should be a little younger than Tanchun.

Jia Lian thought for a moment and said, "I guess you should call Baoqin 'Sister'."

Xichun immediately said happily, "Great! Although I've never met this Sister Baoqin before, she's such a nice person, and she even gave us gifts..."

Yingchun and the others echoed this sentiment, and from there began to press Jia Lian and Xue Baoqin about their affair.

At this moment, Wang Xifeng came out from the inner room. Seeing Jia Lian and Yingchun chatting happily, she smiled, but still clapped her hands to interrupt and said, "Alright, I have sorted out the fabrics that you like. I estimate that the clothes will be made in less than ten days. I will send the maids to deliver them to you then."

Your second brother Lian just got home today. There will be plenty of time to talk to him later. It's getting late, so you should all go home and rest.

Yingchun and the other two were not ignorant people. When they heard Wang Xifeng's order to leave, they all got up and said goodbye with smiles.

"Second Girl".

Jia Lian called out to Yingchun, pointed to another wooden box that Qingwen had brought in, and said, "This one is for Baochai, but it's getting late and I have something to do tomorrow, so you can keep it for now and give it to her when you see her next time."

Jia Lian wanted to train Yingchun in interpersonal skills, so he entrusted this matter to her.

Sure enough, upon receiving Jia Lian's instructions, Yingchun became somewhat serious and went to retrieve the box.

"Xiangling, come with me and deliver the things to Second Sister's room."

Xiangling obediently responded.

At this moment, Tan Chun curiously peeked out and asked, "Second Brother, what have you prepared for Sister Bao?"

Tan Chun is too perceptive; after all, Bao Chai is quite different from them...

They were surnamed Jia and were Jia Lian's younger sisters. However, although Jia Lian also called her "younger sister," Baochai's surname was Xue.

When Lian Er Gege (Second Brother Lian) gives gifts to the three of them, he can be casual, but when it comes to Bao Jie Jie (Sister Bao), well…

Jia Lian glanced at Tan Chun with a smile and shook his head, saying, "She's different from yours. There's nothing new or interesting. It's just a gift from her sister—a box of candy and a box of fruit."

"Oh." Tan Chun was a little disappointed.

"Alright, let's go. I'll prepare tea and invite you over again tomorrow."

Wang Xifeng practically shouted as she saw Yingchun and her maids off.

The room immediately became empty and quiet.

Qingwen walked to Jia Lian's side and called softly, "Second Master..."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "I don't think you like those little trinkets. As for candy, I bought quite a lot. You know where it is, right? Just bring the box if you want some."

"Hehe, thank you, sir. You're so kind."

Qingwen smiled and began massaging Jia Lian's shoulders.

Jia Lian slapped her little hand away, pulled her to the front, and teased, "Now you know how to talk about me? This afternoon, I don't know who it was, but they were crying."

Qingwen was initially a little afraid of being intimate with Jia Lian and being displeased if Wang Xifeng saw it. Upon hearing this, she immediately questioned him angrily, "How dare you say that, Master? Who told you to bully me?"

"That's bullying! Look how happily Xiangling accepts it!"

"Pooh……"

Qingwen's cheeks turned as red as apples as she angrily retorted, "She's a shameless little hussy! Besides, how could Second Master bear to bully her? He only bullies me! My throat is still sore!"

"Cough cough..."

Jia Lian glanced around and, thankfully, there was no one else in the room, so he could only coax Qingwen gently.