Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Brother Lian, come on, another one! Hehe, how's it? This wine is pretty good, isn't it? Much stronger than what we usually drink!"

After finishing their business, Xue Pan felt he had gotten closer to Jia Lian. Plus, it was a rare opportunity to drink freely in front of his mother and sister, so he naturally kept toasting Jia Lian, cup after cup.

Finding the simple act of drinking boring, he then challenged Jia Lian to a drinking game.

Jia Lian did not refuse.

Jia Lian was usually mindful of his manners and conduct, so he naturally handled Xue Pan with composure even after drinking a cup of wine.

But Xue Pan didn't care about that. He was a free spirit by nature, and after a few more drinks of strong liquor, his face turned red and his neck became thick, his voice so loud that even the outer courtyard could hear it.

Aunt Xue and her daughter were just there to keep him company, and they were happy to see Xue Pan and Jia Lian drinking and talking about their friendship. Aunt Xue would often advise Xue Pan not to drink too much, and then they would just sit quietly, occasionally eating some food and watching the two cousins ​​drink.

But as she watched, Aunt Xue felt even more uneasy.

Without comparison, Xue Pan was alright; he was just a typical spoiled brat from a prominent family.

However, compared to Jia Lian, especially when they were sitting right in front of each other drinking, the stark sensory experience was far too obvious.

Jia Lian, dressed in a well-fitting long robe, with a face as handsome as jade, even when drinking, he would gently lift his cup and sip it slowly, his expression clear and his demeanor measured from beginning to end. He was truly a model of demeanor for a noble young master.

Then look at his son, Xue Pan. He was still a boy, chubby with a lot of flesh on his face. When he drank heavily, his whole face turned red, which was even more exaggerated than the red-faced actors on the stage.

Not to mention, after drinking, he would spout nonsense about everything under the sun, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, or whether it was vulgar or not...

If it weren't for the fact that it was her own son and Jia Lian was present, Aunt Xue would have wanted to get up and leave this wretched child.

Honestly, it's hard to swallow.

As a result, Aunt Xue simply stopped looking at her own foolish son and only turned her head to look at Jia Lian. When Jia Lian happened to look over, she would smile and urge him to eat more vegetables and so on.

Seeing that Jia Lian was preoccupied with dealing with Xue Pan, Aunt Xue summoned her maid, a pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen named Tongxi, to help Jia Lian peel shrimp and other meats. Even when Jia Lian said he had eaten enough, she did not dismiss the maid. Instead, she had the maid stand between her and Jia Lian, allowing her to serve Jia Lian his meal.

"Mom, you're so biased..."

Aunt Xue showered Jia Lian with concern, as if he were her own son. This made Xue Pan, who was drunk and witnessed this scene, feel a little jealous and mutter to himself.

He didn't really care. He didn't particularly appreciate Aunt Xue's concern for him; he found her nagging rather tedious, making Jia Lian uncomfortable without him even realizing it!

Perhaps the wine that Xue Pan treasured was indeed of unusual strength, because after the two of them shared a small jar, Xue Pan was completely drunk as soon as it was emptied.

"What happened? Waiter, get your master some wine!"

Xue Pan stood up, carrying the wine jar, but before he could finish speaking, he fell to the ground, and the wine jar also crashed to the ground with a bang, but it did not wake Xue Pan up.

The maids and servants rushed forward to check on Xue Pan's condition, and Aunt Xue and her daughter were also startled and stood up. They were relieved to find that Xue Pan was merely drunk and instructed the servants to take him to rest.

Seeing this, Jia Lian also prepared to get up and take his leave.

"If that's the case, then I will..."

Who knew that after Aunt Xue watched Xue Pan leave, she turned around and saw Jia Lian wanting to leave his seat. She quickly stepped forward and pressed him down to sit down, saying with a smile, "Don't laugh at me. Your brother Pan is a drunkard. He'll go to sleep when he's drunk. You don't need to pay attention to him."

I noticed you haven't eaten much. These dishes were all prepared especially for you today; please try some more.

As he spoke, he called out to the maid, "Tongxi, hurry up and pick out a plump crab for the Marquis and peel it."

Seeing the situation, Jia Lian was indeed in no hurry to leave.

After Xue Pan left, the whole world seemed to quiet down. Moreover, with Aunt Xue and her daughter keeping them company, one on each side, this scene was truly rare.

Of these two women, Baochai needs no further mention. If one possesses the beauty of a peony, it is undoubtedly Baochai.

Even Aunt Xue was a gentle, plump, and approachable mature woman.

Speaking of which, although Aunt Xue is Madam Wang's sister, she is much better preserved than Madam Wang.

If we say that Madam Wang was merely seducing a young woman, then the young and strong men probably only felt a sense of accomplishment from conquering a noblewoman, and had little desire for further romance.

Aunt Xue, on the other hand, was completely different. She was basically like Madam You. Regardless of her status, she still maintained an excellent figure and appearance. I don't know how she took care of herself.

Well, perhaps it can't really be called maintenance; maybe Aunt Xue and Madam Wang are simply of different ages.

After all, Lady Wang's daughter, Yuan Chun, is at least twenty-three or twenty-four this year. Not to mention, Lady Wang's grandson, Jia Lan, is already in the second or third grade of elementary school.

Therefore, Madam Wang must be at least forty years old.

But Aunt Xue is different. Her eldest son, Xue Pan, is only sixteen or seventeen years old this year. So, Aunt Xue must be only thirty-three or thirty-four or thirty-five.

Unfortunately, he couldn't ask her exactly how old she was, so he had no way of knowing.

In short, if his guess is true, at this age, in later generations, he might not even be married for the first time.

Not particularly old herself, and being a pampered, super-rich woman who controls millions in assets, her demeanor naturally possesses an extraordinary charm.

"My lord, please have your meal."

Qiaobi dismembered the crabs one by one, separating the crab meat and crab roe, and presented them to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian stammered, then glanced at the maid and nodded slightly.

That admiring look immediately made the pretty maid, who had been serving Jia Lian for a while and whose heart was already stirred by Jia Lian's passionate masculine aura, blush and feel hot. Even the hand that was holding the wine cup for Jia Lian trembled slightly.

Seeing her like this, Jia Lian didn't want her to lose her composure and be punished, so he took the initiative to pick up the wine cup. He didn't know if it was because he had drunk a little wine and his reaction was a little slow, but when he took the wine cup, he touched the other person's fair hand.

This made Qiao Bi's cheeks turn even redder. In order to avoid being seen by Aunt Xue, she could only pretend to be drunk and lower her head.

Jia Lian took the opportunity to glance at the girl.

Speaking of which, he had visited the Xue family several times, and of all the maids he had seen, he felt that Ying'er, who was by Baochai's side, was the one who could make his mouth water.

He never paid much attention to the other maids.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this one called Tongxi also possessed a rather charming color.

Seventeen or eighteen years old is the most beautiful age for a girl, with a youthful body and innocent purity.

Perhaps it was because the servant resembled his master, but Jia Lian suddenly felt that Tongxi bore a resemblance to Aunt Xue. Her speech and mannerisms were one thing, but her figure was truly remarkable; at such a young age, her curves were striking, giving her the confidence to rival Aunt Xue!

This is truly rare.

Although Tongxi hid it well, Aunt Xue, who had been watching Jia Lian closely, still noticed her unbearable embarrassment.

In fact, even setting aside an inexperienced young maid, if it weren't for her years of cultivated refinement and composure, as well as the reserve of an elder, she would probably be moved by Jia Lian's heroic bearing and charm.

This is the kind of man who, just by sitting next to you, can make young girls daydream!

So she smiled and dismissed Tongxi, then personally scooped a bowl of cool rice wine and handed it to Jia Lian.

"Strong liquor shouldn't be drunk in excess, it'll harm your health. How about this? Hehehe, this was brewed by your sister Baochai herself. I think it's very good, you should try some too."

Jia Lian had smelled a fragrance different from ordinary yellow wine and rice wine as early as after Baochai left the banquet once.

The taste was sweet and fragrant. He also saw that Aunt Xue and her daughter were drinking that, and he had long wanted to try it, but he didn't want to leave Xue Pan alone, so he didn't say anything.

Upon hearing that it was brewed by Baochai herself, one felt it was even more imperative to try it.

Therefore, after taking the jade bowl from Aunt Xue's hand and tasting it with the spoon, he took the bowl and drank a large mouthful directly.

Looking down, Jia Lian saw that both Aunt Xue and her daughter were looking at her. One looked calm and composed, while the other had a warm smile on her face. Jia Lian naturally knew how to flatter them.

"Very good! It's incredibly mellow and has a refreshing aroma when it goes down your throat. Once it's down your stomach, a lingering, pleasant aftertaste remains."

Speaking of which, in previous years, during festivals, Feng'er would have people brew some sweet wine for the old ladies and others in the family to drink. I've tasted it before, but none of their wines were as good as this.

It is evident that Baochai is truly skillful, intelligent, and kind-hearted; whatever she does, she does it better than anyone else.

"Hmm, would Sister Baochai be so kind as to offer me another bowl?"

Sweet rice wine, also known as fermented glutinous rice, is a beverage with a very low alcohol content.

Since it was only a beverage, even people like Grandmother Jia did not drink it as wine, but instead drank yellow wine, which had a stronger flavor.

As for the wine she had just drunk with Xue Pan, its alcohol content was almost that of distilled spirits. Women generally cannot drink this kind of wine.

Jia Lian didn't actually like drinking strong liquor because it made him feel unwell. He preferred this kind of beverage, which he found enjoyable and could be called fine wine.

Moreover, it wasn't just flattery towards Baochai; he genuinely felt that the Xue family's sweet wine was exceptionally mellow and incomparable to any other family's.

Could it be that the wine brewed by the fairy really does have a buff effect?

Seeing Jia Lian turn to look at her, Baochai smiled, a rare occurrence for her. She beckoned to a maid and personally served Jia Lian another bowl.

Everyone likes to be praised, especially extraordinary people, for such praise is particularly pleasing.

If Jia Lian were just being polite and giving her a casual compliment, that would be one thing. But he had already drunk so much wine and still went out of his way to ask her for more, which shows that he really liked her.