Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian, who was busy outside, rushed back after receiving the news.

After exchanging pleasantries with the people outside, Jia Lian quickly arrived at Madam You's room.

Inside the room, Old Lady You and her two daughters, along with Yin Die and others, were all gathered around the two children in the cradle.

Meanwhile, Lady You lay pale on the bed, exchanging a few words with Qin Keqing beside her. When she saw Jia Lian enter, Lady You's face immediately lit up with joy, and she seemed to want to get up, but Qin Keqing quickly pressed her down and shook her head. Lady You then realized that she shouldn't be so concerned about appearances, so she immediately restrained herself and lay back down.

Jia Lian glanced at the two of them, then walked to the cradle, and the others made way for him.

Both children were wrinkled and grimy, and one of them was noticeably stronger than the other.

Is this your own child?

Jia Lian felt a little dazed for a moment, realizing that he suddenly had two more children!

Taking a deep breath, Jia Lian asked the wet nurse about the condition of the two children and about Madam You. He learned that although there had been some setbacks, the mother and daughter were ultimately safe and healthy, which put Jia Lian at ease.

Logically speaking, Jia Lian should have just looked at the child and then left, perhaps offering a few words of comfort to You Shi.

However, Jia Lian did not leave. Since Lady You had made such a great contribution, he should say a few heartfelt words to her; that would be the behavior of a man with a conscience.

Qin Keqing saw through Jia Lian's thoughts and said with a smile to Granny You and the others, "Grandma, why don't you take the children outside and go see the world? Mother-in-law has just given birth and needs some peace and quiet."

Grandma You looked at her two adopted grandsons with such fondness that she couldn't wait to take them outside and pamper them, so naturally she wouldn't refuse.

Upon seeing this, Madam You hurriedly said, "Have more people follow her and take good care of her."

So Qin Keqing called out to all the female servants, and Yindie called out to all the maids, and they all went out into the inner palace.

Only Qin Keqing and Jia Lian did not go out.

Several people noticed Jia Lian, but firstly, no one dared to offend his authority; secondly, perhaps Jia Lian had something to say to Madam You, which was why he didn't go out; and thirdly, wasn't Madam Rong still inside...?

Therefore, even the most wicked person would not dare to speculate based on this scene alone.

Once everyone else was in the room, Qin Keqing walked over to Madam You and said in a sweet voice, "Mother-in-law, please don't blame me for being inconsiderate. I'm staying here not to bother you, but to avoid gossip...hehehe."

Lady You certainly understood Qin Keqing's meaning. Although the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not say it explicitly, they were both well aware of each other's relationship with Jia Lian.

That shameless brat! Once, she was passing by Tianxiang Tower and just happened to go up to relieve herself when she stumbled upon Jia Lian and Qin Keqing having an affair.

Logically speaking, Tianxianglou is so big, how could we possibly run into each other?

This is because this shameless girl, for reasons unknown, led Jia Lian into her mother-in-law's room to do good deeds!

If she hadn't seen Qin Keqing's personal maid, Ruizhu, standing on the corridor beforehand, realized something, and ordered her unrelated people to leave, let's see how she would have handled the situation!

Although she thought about this matter, she was also grateful to Qin Keqing for taking the initiative to create opportunities for her to spend time with Jia Lian, so she didn't say anything.

Although Jia Lian also felt that Qin Keqing was becoming more and more sensible, he didn't care much.

Given his current status, as long as no one finds any concrete evidence against him, who would dare to gossip about him? Unless they're courting death.

Look at Jia Zhen, even with his father still alive, he acts so arrogantly. Apart from Jiao Da, a "meritorious official of four generations," who else dares to expose his shameless behavior?

If Jia Zhen was like this, one can only imagine what happened to him.

The reason we were so careful before was mainly to protect Lady You.

Now that Lady You has the protection of the "Crown Prince," she has a solid foundation, so Jia Lian naturally has fewer concerns.

So he went over and sat down by You Shi's bedside in front of Qin Keqing. He tucked the blanket around You Shi, then brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and said softly, "You've had a hard day."

Jia Lian's gentle actions always deeply moved You Shi, making her easily feel the urge to die for Jia Lian.

Especially on such a special day, Madam You quickly went from feeling shy to being moved, grateful, and even shedding tears.

She shook her head, pressed her face close to Jia Lian's palm, and silently savored this rare affection.

It wasn't until she heard Qin Keqing's coquettish laughter that she suddenly realized what was happening, her face immediately turning bright red, and she shrank back.

Jia Lian glanced at Qin Keqing with some displeasure, but Qin Keqing was not afraid: "If Uncle doesn't like me, I'll just leave."

As she spoke, she gave Jia Lian a look that was both sour and coquettish, and with a twist of her waist, she was about to leave.

Jia Lian couldn't fathom how Qin Keqing could convey both jealousy and allure with a single glance, making his heart flutter.

As if possessed, he reached out and grabbed Qin Keqing's waist, making her spin around and sit steadily on his lap.

"Uncle, you..."

Now, not only Lady You, but Qin Keqing herself blushed.

Jia Lian felt embarrassed by his actions and subconsciously glanced at Madam You.

Seeing that Madam You was only looking up at him with tender affection, her eyes not focusing on Qin Keqing at all, he was too lazy to let go of the soft and fragrant body he had obtained. Instead, he took Madam You's hand and put it in his arms.

Only then did Lady You feel embarrassed and glance at Qin Keqing, who was already lying in Jia Lian's arms.

You shameless brat!

Although using Qin Keqing to seduce Jia Lian was something she had planned long ago, now that things have come to this, seeing Qin Keqing transform from a delicate and shy woman into someone bold and reckless, even more uninhibited than her, she still felt a sense of unease at being overtaken by the newcomer.

Not wanting to reveal his feelings in front of Jia Lian, he ignored Qin Keqing again, moved his head closer to the edge of the bed, gazed at Jia Lian tenderly, and whispered, "Was Uncle happy today?"

Jia Lian knew that what You Shi was referring to was whether she was satisfied with the fact that she had given birth to two children for him.

He wiped away the tear stains she had left behind and said with a smile, "Of course I'm happy."

Madam You smiled happily and said, "Then Second Uncle, please name the two children. It is, after all, your right..."

Jia Lian certainly wouldn't hesitate; he had considered this issue himself and had several backup options.

However, the fact that Lady You would give birth to twins disrupted his plans and made him fall into deep thought.

Suddenly, he felt a tickle in his heart. Looking down, he saw Qin Keqing, a girl who was becoming more and more charming and beautiful. She was bored in his arms and had put her hand inside his coat, teasing him through his undergarments.

Seeing him lower his head, she gave a playful smile before withdrawing her hand and saying with a smile, "Do Grandma and Uncle know that today is Aunt Xue's birthday? Otherwise, the old lady and Aunt Lian from the other mansion wouldn't have come over, and they would have gone back soon after."

"Mother-in-law, isn't this a coincidence? Come to think of it, Aunt Xue is Lian's second aunt's direct cousin, and she shares the same birthday as Uncle and Mother-in-law's two children. It's clear our family is bound by fate."

Qin Keqing became increasingly mischievous, and the more taboo the words, the more easily she could say them.

While Jia Lian didn't seem to care, Madam You felt quite embarrassed; she still knew what shame was.

Jia Lian saw through Qin Keqing's deliberate mischief and slapped her on the bottom. Amid Qin Keqing's displeased coquettish reproach, he pondered and said, "I've already thought of names for the children. The older sister will be named Jia Heng, and the younger brother will be named Jia Wu."

The naming of boys in the Jia family was based on generational distinctions. By the time it came to Jia Lian's son's generation, they were in the "grass" generation.

Girls aren't as demanding; parents can choose other names if they want. There's no rush to name a girl when she's young; a nickname can be chosen later as needed. A formal name is generally unnecessary, as it's probably never needed.

Since they were twins, Jia Lian decided to take their names as well.

As for why he named her Hengwu, it's quite simple. Qin Keqing was right; it was a rare coincidence that his two children shared the same birthday as Baochai, and this serendipitous event sparked his inspiration.

Because Baochai's nickname in the Begonia Poetry Club in the Grand View Garden was "Hengwu Jun," an elegant and aloof title.

"Jia Heng, Jia Wu..."

Lady You murmured a sentence, then asked Jia Lian which two characters it was, and thought it was alright.

She wasn't very well-educated, so she couldn't immediately guess Jia Lian's intention in taking those two items.

Qin Keqing, however, was somewhat surprised after hearing this and said, "The two characters Uncle chose, Heng'er, are quite good. They mean fragrant herbs and are suitable for a girl's name."

However, the character "芜" (wú) doesn't seem to have a very good meaning. Why did you choose this character, Uncle?

"It's alright. I think that boy is much thinner and weaker than his sister. It's good to give him a humble name; it might make him easier to raise."

The word "芜" (wú) does not have a good meaning; it roughly means desolate and overgrown with weeds. Jia Lian was not comfortable explaining his true intention, so he simply used a common saying of the time to evade the question.

Unexpectedly, Madam You quickly said, "Second Uncle is right. Wu'er does seem quite weak; she should be given a name that can tame her!"

Qin Keqing nodded and said that her uncle's consideration was indeed thorough.

"Sister, Mother sent me to ask..."

A lively maid suddenly darted in from behind the curtain, followed by Silver Butterfly, who looked somewhat frightened.

She certainly understood that Jia Lian and Madam You were talking and that no one else should disturb them.

So after chasing everyone else away, she personally guarded the door so that even if someone came in, she could alert Madam You and the others.

Who knew that in just a moment of distraction, Sister You San darted inside, and she didn't even have time to stop her.

At this moment, she was terrified of being punished by Jia Lian and You Shi, and in her heart she cursed You Sanjie to the core.

As expected of a wild girl from a humble family, she doesn't even have basic manners and runs around recklessly without waiting to be informed!

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