Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"How does my place compare to your old lady's?"

After sitting on the high couch in the inner hall, Old Madam Zhen looked at Jia Lian, who had followed her in, and asked him this question.

"It's better than what my old lady eats."

Jia Lian's simple and clear words made all the ladies and maids in the hall, including Old Madam Zhen, laugh.

However, Jia Lian's words were not mere flattery. It was because although the layout and size of the inner hall where Old Madam Zhen lived were similar to Rongqing Hall, upon closer inspection, the style was clearly more elegant and refined, and many aspects were more sophisticated.

Jia Lian then recalled what his wet nurse, Zhao Mama, had said: when Emperor Taizu made his southern tours in imitation of Shun, the Zhen family hosted him on all four occasions.

While this may be partly due to the fact that the Zhen family had lived in the south for generations and had never moved to the capital, it also shows how favored the Zhen family was by the emperor and how profound their heritage was at the time.

In this respect, even the Jia family is probably slightly inferior.

Everyone loves to hear compliments, especially from Jia Lian. These words filled the women, young and old, with a sense of pride. Already somewhat impressed by Jia Lian's handsome appearance, they found him even more pleasing to the eye, and even felt it was only natural that the old lady had summoned him to the main hall for a talk.

After all, he is the prized son of a family with a century-long friendship; in a way, he is no different from one's own nephew or niece.

Grandma Zhen then beckoned Jia Lian to sit closer and began questioning him.

They were simply asking about the Jia family in the capital and what Jia Lian was doing in the south.

Having experience dealing with Grandmother Jia and his own stubborn maternal grandfather, Jia Lian handled such situations with ease. He described the affairs of the Jia family in the capital, especially those of Grandmother Jia, in detail, even adding subtle and euphemistic touches, while only briefly mentioning his own external affairs and major events in a few sentences.

This made Old Madam Zhen and the others feel even more that Jia Lian was meticulous and had great abilities but never flaunted them.

Suddenly, Zhen Baoyu appeared out of nowhere and was spotted by Old Madam Zhen. She smiled and said, "Baoyu, didn't you say yesterday that you saw a girl who looked exactly like your fourth sister? What happened? Why don't you tell us more about it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Baoyu's eyebrows danced with excitement. "It's true, Grandma, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, ask Second Brother Lian. His cousin really looks exactly like Fourth Sister. Yesterday, she was strolling around Jinling City with Second Brother Lian, and it just so happened that Brother Tang and I saw her."

Originally, I asked my second brother Lian to bring her to our house so that you could all see her together with the old lady, but he said she wasn't feeling well and therefore couldn't come.

Old Madam Zhen and the others were no more naive than Zhen Baoyu; their claim of being unwell was merely an excuse.

Since she was his cousin, she wasn't a member of the Jia family. And the Jia and Zhen families weren't even relatives, but rather long-time friends. Therefore, she had no connection to the Zhen family and had no reason to accompany Jia Lian to visit them.

"Lian-ge'er, is it really as he said?" Old Mrs. Zhen asked with a smile.

Jia Lian's expression shifted, but he only said, "I have never had the chance to see the face of your esteemed fourth young lady, so it is not appropriate for this junior to make a judgment."

"What's so difficult about that?"

Grandma Zhen smiled slightly and immediately called out to the silk screen that was connected to form a wall, "Tang's daughter-in-law, call out his sisters and cousins ​​to recognize them."

As Old Madam Zhen spoke, everyone's gaze turned to the screen. Immediately from behind the screen, the tinkling of hairpins and the soft whispers of birds could be heard.

In fact, Jia Lian had heard similar noises when he followed Old Madam Zhen into the inner hall. When he entered the inner hall and saw the empty benches on the floor, he knew that the hall must have been full of beautiful women before.

Jia Lian was indeed curious, but he also knew that such things couldn't be forced. It would be nice to catch a glimpse and satisfy his curiosity, but it was perfectly reasonable for them not to let him see.

He hadn't expected the old lady to be so straightforward. As a result, Jia Lian unconsciously straightened his posture.

"Alright, stop being so coy. They're all your brothers, what's there to be shy about? Come out here."

As everyone waited in silence, the first to step out from behind the screen was a beautiful, radiant, and slender young woman of about eighteen or nineteen.

She first glanced around the hall, then focused on Jia Lian before turning back to the screen and urging him with a smile.

As she spoke, a series of slender and beautiful figures finally emerged. Dressed in pink and brocade skirts, they looked shy and demure. Under the teasing of the young woman, they gracefully walked to the center and bowed to Old Madam Zhen and the others.

Then, the bolder ones would inevitably look up and quickly glance at Jia Lian, while the timid or shy ones would simply lower their heads and stand still with their faces flushed.

Grandma Zhen first took in the postures of her granddaughters, nodded, and then looked at Jia Lian, who had already stood up.

As expected, Jia Lian's gaze immediately fell on his fourth granddaughter, and she nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

He beckoned to Zhen Baoyu and said with a smile, "What are you still standing there for? Why don't you introduce some people to your sisters?"

Zhen Baoyu nodded happily, then walked to the four Zhen sisters and said with a smile, "This is Brother Lian from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital. His given name is Lian, and like us, he belongs to the Yu generation."

Jia Lian bowed in response, saying, "Jia Lian greets all my sisters."

After the four returned the greeting, Zhen Baoyu immediately grabbed the arm of the first girl, who was also the tallest, and said with a smile, "This is my second sister."

The girl was a little shy, but she still glanced at Jia Lian and bowed, saying, "Yu'e greets Second Brother Lian."

Then came the second one, "This is my third sister."

"Yu Rao greets Second Brother Lian."

After introducing the first two, Zhen Baoyu deliberately bypassed the third and walked to the smallest, shortest maid at the end, saying, "This is my fifth sister."

"Yu, Yu Ting, greets Second Brother Lian..."

When the three young maids greeted him, Jia Lian returned their greetings one by one.

To be honest, the Zhen family truly lives up to its reputation as a century-old prestigious family. These young girls are indeed all exquisitely beautiful, with fair skin and radiant features. They are probably no less stunning than the three sisters of the Zhen family.

However, what caught Jia Lian's attention the most was the little maid who was ranked third and whom Zhen Baoyu had deliberately skipped.

Even though Jia Lian had been somewhat prepared because of Zhen Baoyu and Zhen Yucheng's prior words, he still couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise when he actually saw the girl in person.

Snow forms her icy skin and jade her soul; delicate and graceful, she seems ill; a spring breeze brings tears to her eyes, which are filled with dew; she is like a second Xiaoxiang beauty.

In both appearance and temperament, this woman bore an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to Daiyu. Especially given her current shyness in facing him, in any other setting, Jia Lian would have assumed that Daiyu was being difficult and deliberately turning her head away from him.

Ever since he learned about the Zhen family, Jia Lian had always had the misconception that the Zhen and Jia families were like mirror reflections of each other in many ways.

An inexplicable coincidence and a strange occurrence.

It's as if every important figure in the Jia family could be found in the Zhen family.

Grandmother Jia, Grandmother Zhen; Jia Zheng, Zhen Yingjia; Jia Baoyu, Zhen Baoyu...

Take Zhen Yucheng for example; Jia Lian seemed to see a resemblance to the Jia Lian of before his transmigration…

Zhen Baoyu seemed quite satisfied with Jia Lian's reaction. He strolled back to the third girl, intending to tug at her sleeve, but she glared at him and shook him off. She then bowed to Jia Lian and said, "Yu Huan greets Second Brother Lian."

Her voice was also sweet and crisp, but upon closer listening, it was still somewhat different from Daiyu's.

Jia Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned the greeting.

"Hehehe, she is my fourth sister. See? I didn't lie to you, did I? Doesn't she really look exactly like the Lin family's sister? Alas, it's a pity that the Lin family's sister was ill and couldn't come. If only they could see each other in person, that would be wonderful."

Zhen Baoyu speaks with the distinct accent of a little kid.

The others, however, became genuinely curious and pressed for details about how it was done.

Zhen Baoyu tried various methods to describe it, but still couldn't quite capture the full picture, which led everyone to ask...

Did Jia Lian lie? So everyone turned their attention to Jia Lian.

Even Zhen Yuhuan herself looked over with her delicate eyes wide open, seemingly very interested in someone who had been born just like her.

Jia Lian was very polite and said frankly, "The Fourth Miss does indeed look very similar to my uncle's daughter. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

Jia Lian's words were essentially just echoing his opinion, and in fact, he accepted them quite quickly. After all, no matter how similar they were, they couldn't compare to Jia Baoyu and Zhen Baoyu; those two little ones were truly like they were cut from the same mold.

They were so alike that it was beyond description. The two people were exactly the same in terms of height, eyebrows, and eye shape. It was as if they were looking in a mirror.

However, Jia Lian did not mention this point here, otherwise the Zhen family members would probably have continued to find it strange.

As expected, after Jia Lian finished speaking, the Zhen family members immediately began to discuss among themselves, marveling at the situation.

After the noise subsided a bit, Old Madam Zhen looked at Jia Lian and smiled, "Since even you have said so, it's clear that Baoyu really wasn't lying."

I never imagined such a coincidence could actually happen... Huh...

Grandma Zhen suddenly stood up, leaning on her cane, and walked to the center of the room. She looked at her granddaughter, then at Jia Lian, and suddenly smiled, "Judging from your age, you must already be married, right?"

"I am indeed already married."

"What a pity."

Grandma Zhen sighed with regret.

As soon as she said that, not only did the others in the hall cover their mouths and chuckle, but the fourth young lady of the Zhen family, named Zhen Yuhuan, covered her face and blushed. She stepped forward and grabbed the old lady's arm and sleeve, twisting it in protest, while also secretly glancing at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian was not caught off guard by Old Madam Zhen's sudden move.

He simply couldn't believe that the Zhen family, with such a close relationship, wouldn't even know whether he was married or not. After all, he wasn't exactly nobody in the Jia family. "Hahaha..."

Sure enough, Old Madam Zhen chuckled a few times while holding her granddaughter's hand, and then looked at Jia Lian with admiration in her eyes, "It's been many years since I've seen such a promising young man."

"If you weren't married, I would do everything in my power to make you my son-in-law."

"Thank you for your kind words, madam. I am unworthy of such kindness."

"Hehehe, what do you think of my little granddaughter?" Grandma Zhen said with a smile, disregarding her granddaughter's shyness and forcefully pulling her out from behind her.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Fourth Miss is exceptionally beautiful and has the appearance of a fairy."

She bears an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to Daiyu, so her beauty goes without saying.

At least among the four Zhen sisters, she was definitely the most beautiful.

Ok……

Jia Lian suddenly remembered something. In the original story, Jia Baoyu dreamed of entering the Zhen family in the Grand View Garden, where he saw many sisters and also a Baoyu.

The other Baoyu must be Zhen Baoyu, and the other sisters are probably the four Zhen sisters... Perhaps, like the Rongguo Mansion, there are also some daughters from relatives who have come to rely on them.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but glance at the screen. He knew that even if there really was a relative's daughter, no matter how generous Old Madam Zhen was, she wouldn't call her out for him to see.

Jia Lian was thinking that Jia Baoyu, when mingling with his sisters, at least had cousins ​​to choose from. But were all of Zhen Baoyu's sisters his biological sisters or cousins?

Recalling Zhen Baoyu's excited and reckless behavior when he saw Daiyu on the street yesterday, Jia Lian suddenly glanced at Zhen Baoyu:

Young man, something's not right with you.

Grandma Zhen was unaware of Jia Lian's thoughts. She chuckled and said, "Since that's the case, I'll take it upon myself today to have my little granddaughter recognize you as her godfather. From now on, you two can address each other as true brother and sister, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, not only was Zhen Yuhuan stunned, but everyone else in the hall also widened their eyes.

I initially thought the old lady was just happy to see a relative's outstanding younger relative and was just teasing them, but who knew she would suddenly suggest this...

?

And it doesn't seem like he was joking at all.

Only Mrs. Zhen glanced at Old Mrs. Zhen, seemingly lost in thought, and remained silent.

"This... I wonder why the old lady made this suggestion?"

Jia Lian was also completely taken aback by this turn of events and asked somewhat warily.

Grandma Zhen smiled and said, "I only know this because you two are destined to meet. I heard from Baoyu that you personally took your uncle's daughter to play in the city yesterday, which shows how much you love her. And my little granddaughter looks so much like her, isn't this a wonderful coincidence?"

That's why I wanted you two to be cousins, so that when you have time in the future, you can let them meet and get to know each other better.

What, you don't want to?"

As she spoke, Old Madam Zhen squinted at Jia Lian.

Although Jia Lian was unsure of Old Madam Zhen's intentions, he had no real reason to object.

In that era, the only interaction between powerful families, besides marriage, was probably the mutual recognition of godparents.

Recognizing each other as godparents is actually a way of expressing mutual respect and closeness.

For example, just as Grandmother Jia had Lady Wang recognize Xue Baoqin as her goddaughter, Daiyu recognized Aunt Xue as her godmother.

Moreover, Jia Lian truly had no reason to refuse. Not only was this fourth young lady of the Zhen family beautiful, but it was also clear she was very much loved within the Zhen family…

So Jia Lian thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Since the old lady has given her order, this junior has no reason not to obey."

I wonder if the Fourth Miss will acknowledge me as her brother.

Grandma Zhen quickly pulled Zhen Yuhuan, who was standing beside her, and said with a smile, "Girl, quickly call him brother."

While giving the instructions, Old Madam Zhen deliberately said with a smile, "Don't underestimate your brother. He's a very influential figure in the capital, and he's very capable. With a brother like him, no one will dare to bully you in the future."

Zhen Yuhuan was still too young to understand her grandmother's and others' intentions; she simply felt instinctively shy about recognizing a strange man as her brother.

However, guided by Old Madam Zhen, she quickly walked up to Jia Lian, blushed, and bowed deeply, saying, "Little sister Yu Huan greets her godfather."

Her reserved and shy demeanor made Jia Lian feel dazed, as if another Daiyu had been placed in front of him, prompting him to move forward.

She quickly offered a helping hand and replied with a smile, "Fourth Sister, there's no need for such formalities."

Old Madam Zhen was clearly a busybody; she had already instructed her maids to bring a cup of tea for Zhen Yuhuan to serve to Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Lian take a sip, she burst into laughter, pulling her granddaughter towards the couch while turning back to beckon Jia Lian to sit down again. She said with a smile, "Alright, alright, from now on, our two families are even closer than one. Lian-ge, your sister has been delicate and frail since childhood, so as her older brother, you must take care of her from now on, understand?"

Facing the smiling crowd and Zhen Yuhuan sitting beside the matriarch, who couldn't help but steal glances at him with a hint of shyness, Jia Lian smiled and replied, "Of course."

Just as they were enjoying themselves, a servant came to deliver a message, saying that Zhen Yingjia had ordered a banquet to be prepared and that Old Madam Zhen must invite Jia Lian to stay for lunch.

Grandma Zhen smiled and agreed, then looked at Jia Lian with even more kindness in her eyes.

She knew her eldest son was a proud and aloof person, yet she still valued Jia Lian so highly, which showed Jia Lian's extraordinary nature.

Thus, she felt increasingly satisfied with her decision.

With this relationship with Jia Lian, the granddaughter will naturally have a strong support system when she arrives in the capital.

This move was clearly profitable.

wap.