Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Like Wang Xifeng, Qingwen was very eloquent.

There was no one in the room at the moment. She sat naturally in Jia Lian's lap, wrapped her arms around Jia Lian's neck, and kept telling Jia Lian about the things that had happened in the family over the past six months.

There were things Jia Lian knew, things he didn't know, and of course, a lot of nonsense.

Fortunately, Qingwen was naturally beautiful, with a charming figure, and was in the prime of her youth. Her body was soft and supple, and her voice was delicate and melodious, making it a pleasure to listen to her talk.

He glanced down casually and saw her little mouth babbling away, her white teeth and fragrant tongue faintly visible between the opening and closing of her mouth. This reminded Jia Lian that he hadn't checked Qingwen's teeth in a long time, so he smiled and said, "You said your throat was uncomfortable earlier. Now that I have some free time, I'll take a look at it for you."

Since he acquired Qingwen from Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian has cherished her greatly. He not only couldn't bear to let her do rough work, but also personally taught her how to groom and take care of herself to look more refined.

For example, I teach her how to brush her teeth properly and take care of her oral health. When I have time, I also personally check on her teeth to prevent her from getting cavities.

Qingwen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "No need, I'm not feeling very well, there's nothing to see..."

Unfortunately, Jia Lian wouldn't give her any room to bargain and simply reached out and turned her face towards him.

Left with no other choice, Qingwen could only obediently open her mouth so Jia Lian could examine her. She secretly thought to herself, "Luckily, I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth after dinner tonight, and I didn't eat much afterwards..."

Qingwen had the most typical cherry lips. Her two small lips were very thin, and her two rows of small teeth were arranged quite neatly and without any flaws. At first glance, her lips were as moist as grease and her teeth were as white as ivory, which made Jia Lian happy.

"Second Master, are you done yet?" Qingwen smacked her lips and asked with a frown.

"I can't see the throat, open your mouth wider..."

Qingwen had no choice but to comply.

Jia Lian then laughed and said, "You were lying to me before. Your voice is very good, bright red and clear, perfect."

Qingwen gave a soft hum, trying to break free from Jia Lian's control; keeping her mouth open like this was quite tiring for her.

"Wait a minute, you usually like to eat sweets, let me check if you have any cavities."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen fell silent and stopped struggling. She was also concerned about this. Although she often looked in the mirror and even checked each other's reflections with Xiangling, neither the mirror nor that simple-minded girl Xiangling was as trustworthy as Jia Lian.

When Jia Lian stretched out his fingers and examined each of her upper and lower teeth one by one, she hurriedly asked, "How is it, Second Master?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "That's right, every tooth is as white and lustrous as jade, without a single cavity. It seems you usually take good care of your teeth as I ask."

"uh-huh."

Qingwen gave a haughty snort and was about to get up.

But she noticed that her second master was still staring intently at her little mouth, his index finger never leaving her, and she began to have a bad feeling.

Sure enough, in less than two breaths, Jia Lian lowered his head and smiled at her, saying, "Otherwise..."

"No!"

Qingwen's already slightly tipsy face suddenly lit up with determination.

She flipped off Jia Lian's embrace, ran two steps forward before turning back, glaring at him with annoyance, and muttered under her breath, "You big pervert..."

After saying that, she lifted her skirt and ran away quickly.

The next moment, Jia Lian heard a startled cry from the doorway, followed by Wang Xifeng's angry curses.

"I'm sorry, Second Madam Lian, I didn't see it..."

"You little hussy, have you been possessed? Go away, go away!"

'

Wang Xifeng impatiently chased Qingwen away and led Ping'er and Lin Zhixiao's wife into the house.

However, Lin Zhixiao's wife knew that Jia Lian was at home, so she simply stayed at the door to wait for instructions.

"What are you laughing at?"

After Wang Xifeng entered the room, she saw Jia Lian sitting alone in a chair, grinning foolishly, and was somewhat speechless.

Seeing that Jia Lian ignored her, she didn't care. Together with Ping'er, she counted and sorted out the satin and other items that had been taken into the inner room earlier, and instructed Lin Zhixiao's wife to send them to which embroidery shop on which street, and specifically to which embroiderers.

"By the way, Ping'er, didn't you measure the Third Miss and the others' heights again? Why don't you bring them over?"

Perhaps because there were too many things in the room, Ping'er forgot where she had put them and hurriedly searched for them.

Jia Lian had noticed a list on the table earlier, and upon hearing their conversation, he picked it up to look at it and asked, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Wang Xifeng rushed over, and after seeing it clearly, she immediately snatched it away, scolding, "These are your sisters' secrets, how dare you peek at them?"

Jia Lian remained silent; he was clearly watching openly and honestly.

Besides, he could only roughly distinguish which of the three piles of numbers and symbols belonged to welcoming spring and which belonged to cherishing spring; he couldn't understand what they specifically represented.

However, given some time to study it, he felt he could definitely figure it out.

Wang Xifeng gave the "height and measurements" formula for Sanchun to Lin Zhixiao's wife, instructing her not to divulge it. Lin Zhixiao's wife laughed and said that the embroidery shop was a well-established brand in the capital, knew the rules, and would never leak the information. She then left with the other two old women, carrying all the items.

After everything was finished, Wang Xifeng tidied up the room briefly and then instructed Ping'er to fetch water to help her wash up. As for herself, seeing Jia Lian get on the kang (heated brick bed), she snuggled up to him and inquired about what was happening in the front yard.

She hadn't personally witnessed how Jia Lian displayed his domineering presence and won people's hearts.

Jia Lian said a few words to her briefly, then asked about something, "I forgot to ask you this afternoon, but I noticed there are a few unfamiliar maids in this courtyard?"

Wang Xifeng raised an eyebrow and laughed, "As expected, your attention has been focused on those maids all along. You noticed so quickly... Oh~!"

Jia Lian pinched Wang Xifeng's cheek lightly. Is this woman the type who would die if she didn't spit out something?

The courtyard is so small, and suddenly there are several unfamiliar faces. How could he not see them?

"Alright, they are all the new little maids I added to the courtyard."

Although I have many maids and servants at my beck and call, most of them are not from our courtyard.

To be honest, there are far fewer people in our courtyard than in the master and mistress's courtyard!

It was fine before, but now that your official position is getting higher and higher, it's not right that you still only have a few people serving you in your courtyard.

So in the past six months, I've selected four new young maids to put in our courtyard.

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she stared at Jia Lian and smiled, "Don't underestimate my four maids; they're all quite beautiful."

Jia Lian, however, was not swayed by Wang Xifeng's approach. No matter how good he was, could he surpass Qingwen and Xiangling?

As long as he can't, we won't let him reveal any flaws.

Besides, he had only glanced at it around noon, so such an accident was impossible.

However, he was quite surprised that Wang Xifeng would actually allow more maids to be added to the courtyard.

It's important to understand that there are many reasons why they have so few maids serving them, including historical ones.

For example, the courtyard itself is not big; for example, they used to come to this mansion to help Jia Zheng and his wife manage the household; and for example, Wang Xifeng was not happy about it!

How possessive or jealous was Wang Xifeng back then?

Here are two examples.

All the maids who used to serve Jia Lian and had any connection with him were driven away.

Of the four maids who accompanied her as part of her dowry, only Ping'er remained in less than two years!

Of course, regarding Wang Xifeng's dowry maids, it's true that Jia Lian was too short-sighted back then. During the honeymoon period, he wanted to make a move on those maids, which angered Wang Xifeng. As a result, some of them were sent off to their new homes, and others were sent back home...

This is the Wang Xifeng of the past. She would rather have fewer maids serving her than give Jia Lian a chance.

Now, two or three years have passed, and he's actually changed his ways?

Wang Xifeng was also a clever woman. Judging from Jia Lian's expression, she could guess some of his thoughts. She snorted and said, "Don't try to hide anything. We both know what happened back then. Who was right and who was wrong is still uncertain!"

If you can turn over a new leaf, why can't I be virtuous and kind?

Anyway, we'll put plenty of food in the yard for you, so you won't be so envious and greedy outside that you bring back all sorts of shady women.

Ping'er, bring them all over. They're all in our courtyard now; we can't let your Second Master not take a look.

"Yes."

When Ping'er led the four maids into the room as ordered, Jia Lian finally understood why Wang Xifeng was so magnanimous and so fearless.

Of these four maids, the eldest was probably not even of marriageable age yet, and the youngest was about the same age as Xichun!

Noticing Jia Lian's speechless expression, Wang Xifeng raised an eyebrow at him triumphantly, then cheerfully said to the four maids, "You girls, why don't you step forward and greet the Marquis, and state your names and ages?"

"Yes."

After the four maids responded in unison, they stepped forward one by one to pay their respects.

"This servant is Hongling, fourteen years old, and greets Your Excellency."

"This servant is Huixiang, thirteen years old, and greets Your Excellency."

"This servant, Tan Yun, is eleven years old. I pay my respects to Your Excellency."

"This servant, Caihua, is ten years old and greets Your Excellency."

After the four maids finished their greetings, Wang Xifeng looked at Jia Lian and asked with a smile, "How was it? I wasn't lying, they're all quite beautiful, aren't they?"

Jia Lian neither confirmed nor denied Wang Xifeng's words.

In fact, his state of mind was indeed almost completely calm.

These four girls, though young and indeed all pretty and well-behaved, did not particularly catch Jia Lian's eye.

According to Jia Lian's classification of women he admires, these girls, even the two most outstanding ones, are only seven or eight points in terms of looks, far from the nine points that would make Jia Lian's heart flutter.

However, they are all considered pretty girls.

The only thing that caught his attention was...

"Your name is Huixiang?"

The maid named Huixiang, seeing Jia Lian personally inquire about her, her face, which had just been somewhat embarrassed by Wang Xifeng's praise, immediately showed a hint of excitement, and she quickly nodded: "This servant is indeed Huixiang."

"The fourth child in the family?"

"Hmm, how did Second Master know?" Huixiang's eyes widened in surprise and doubt. How could the high and mighty Marquis know her birth order in the family?

Not to mention her, even Wang Xifeng and Ping'er were quite curious and kept asking questions.

Jia Lian casually mentioned that he had heard others talk about it before...

The fact that her story had reached Jia Lian's ears ahead of time certainly made Hui Xiang happy and excited, and it also made others pay more attention to her.

Jia Lian didn't care. The only reason he knew about this girl was because he remembered that after Jia Baoyu moved into the Grand View Garden, there was a girl named Huixiang in his courtyard who Jia Baoyu valued highly and personally renamed "Si'er." Later, Si'er was expelled from the Grand View Garden by Lady Wang on charges of bewitching people. "Have you considered changing your name?"

"Second Master, are you going to give me a name?" Huixiang asked with a hint of joy.

"Never mind, you can still call yourself Huixiang."

Jia Lian thought that because of him, the fates of many women in the Dream of the Red Chamber had changed.

For example, Huixiang was not registered under Jia Baoyu's name, but was summoned here by Wang Xifeng. It seems that the name "Si'er" will not be used again in the future, so she wants to make up for it.

Then it dawned on him: why was he renaming the girl according to Jia Baoyu's preferences? Although he admitted that Jia Baoyu was indeed quite talented, he didn't actually admire him!

Since this Huixiang has come to this courtyard, she might become his woman in the future. Although the probability is very low, it is not impossible, so it is better to be on the safe side.

It's best for your own people to have as few entanglements as possible with other men, even if those entanglements are only vague and unfounded!

Seeing that Huixiang struck up a conversation with Jia Lian as soon as they met, the other three girls all stared intently at Jia Lian.

However, Jia Lian didn't have much of an impression of the three of them. He only glanced at the one named Tan Yun, and then said a few words such as, "Once you get to the courtyard, you should learn to serve well. I will not mistreat you in the future," before letting them go.

"So, which one have you chosen? Is it that little girl named Huixiang, or that one named Tanyun?"

After the four maids left, Wang Xifeng jokingly asked Jia Lian a question.

Wang Xifeng naturally had reason to laugh.

She put a lot of thought into finding these maids and was very satisfied with them.

Firstly, with Jia Lian's promotion, the courtyard does indeed need more people to serve him, in order to maintain proper decorum.

Secondly, Jia Lian's reputation is growing stronger, which might attract unwanted attention. It would be better to keep a few more attractive women in the house.

That way, even if the meat spoils in the pot, she can easily control it.

But she didn't want to bring in a real vixen to seduce Jia Lian.

That's why these girls were chosen.

In her opinion, the looks of these maids, along with Ping'er, Qingwen, and a few others, were enough to make Jia Lian settle down.

Moreover, he doesn't have to worry about these young girls threatening his position.

After all, given Jia Lian's habits, he would raise such a young girl for at least a few years.

Even if Jia Lian doesn't raise her, it doesn't matter, because this kind of little girl can't lay eggs anyway!

Given a few more years to recover, she really doesn't believe that Wang Xifeng is incapable of having a son!

Therefore, everything was within her calculations.

Jia Lian didn't bother with Wang Xifeng's shallow tricks. When the maids brought in the foot-washing water, Ping'er knelt down to wash his feet. Jia Lian then instructed, "Let Xiangling do it. Ping'er, you've been working hard all day with your mistress. Go wash up first, and come back to serve me later."

"Since your master cares about you, then go ahead and do what I'm going to do."

After Ping'er responded to Jia Lian, Wang Xifeng looked up at her and said with some dissatisfaction.

Is this girl deliberately trying to make things difficult for her?

"By the way, husband, I think our yard is a little too small these days?"

I've thought about it. Either we move back to the east wing, or I'm planning to discuss with my wife about leveling this storage yard on the west side and enclosing it in our yard, maybe even building a small garden or something. What do you think?

Wang Xifeng was a person who knew how to enjoy life.

This small courtyard is no longer befitting of her status as the wife of a marquis.

Now that Jia She is dead, she can squander and renovate the large area of ​​the east wing as she pleases. The only annoying thing is that there is Madam Xing there, and being next to her makes her feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, she prefers the latter, expanding her current territory.

After expanding the yard, you can create your own little garden. In your spare time, you can learn from the old lady, grow flowers and plants, and live a very happy life.

"There's no need to move back to the east wing."

Now that my status is different, I inevitably have distinguished guests visiting from time to time.

Those familiar with my Rongguo Mansion will naturally know to look for me in the east wing. Those who are not familiar with it, do you mean to invite someone else to the east wing every time?

Let's level the houses on the west side. It shouldn't be too difficult; you can handle it yourself.

In fact, Jia Lian also wanted to separate from Jia Zheng a little, but unfortunately the main hall was here, and when others came to visit, they had to deliver their invitations through the main gate.

Does he really invite people to the east courtyard every time?

Inevitably, they had no choice but to share the front hall and main hall of Rongxi Hall with Jia Zheng.

Furthermore, the main gate of the Grand View Garden is not far to the left rear of this courtyard. Living here will make it convenient to enter the garden in the future, and he himself does not really want to move back to the east wing.

Since the couple agreed, there wasn't much more to say. After washing up, they looked at each other and understood each other's meaning.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and although we made love once in the afternoon, it was clearly not intense enough.

"Ping'er, you can stay in the room tonight to serve us. Let Xiangling and the other two keep watch."

In the past, when Jia Lian and his wife went to bed, barring any unforeseen circumstances, either Ping'er would keep watch at night, or Qingwen and Xiangling would do so. Although they didn't have many rights, they still had to take turns so they could get some rest.

The reason Wang Xifeng let Ping'er stay tonight was simply because she had already discerned Jia Lian's intentions from a subtle detail!

If Jia Lian hadn't been so greedy for Ping'er, and had felt sorry for her exhaustion, he should have let her go back to her room to rest instead of specifically instructing her to wash up before serving him!

His tyrannical intentions are blatantly obvious.

Since it was a joyous occasion, Wang Xifeng naturally wouldn't want to upset Jia Lian, so she took the initiative to ask Ping'er to serve her at her bedside.

With such an understanding and considerate wife, Jia Lian naturally favored her several times...