Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Back on the main ship, Jia Lian found Daiyu taking a nap. He didn't disturb her and turned back to his own cabin.

There were no other people in his room except Xiangling, who was washing teaware in the tea room.

The young girl, in the prime of her youth, had a very slender figure. She wore a pale yellow round-necked jacket made of fine material, which cinched her waist tightly and subtly accentuated her small, pert buttocks, showcasing the graceful curves of her figure.

Jia Lian couldn't help but walk over and wrap his arms around her from behind.

Xiangling tensed slightly, but fortunately she was very familiar with Jia Lian's aura and did not panic. She glanced back and saw that it was indeed Jia Lian, and a look of shy joy appeared on her face.

"Second Master, be careful the cup doesn't break..."

Xiangling originally had a childlike, sweet voice, but Jia Lian always felt that after she transformed from a girl into a woman, she naturally gained a more charming and lively aura.

For example, the way she spoke at that moment sounded shy yet joyful.

Jia Lian, having been teased by Shen Pan'er and the others, had already planned to return to Xiang Ling and be intimate with her. Now, with the beauty in his arms and recalling Xiang Ling's delicate, soft, fair, and pure body, he couldn't help but feel a little more eager.

So he lifted Xiangling's clothes, dried her hands slightly, and then gently carried her in a princess carry, placing her on the small wooden couch next to him.

Xiangling, of course, would not refuse Jia Lian, so she shyly reminded him twice that it was broad daylight. Seeing that Jia Lian was unmoved, she tactfully accepted her master's favor.

Jiaoxing spent half a day chatting with her former mistress in Fengshi's room, and before leaving, she decided to go and see Daiyu's room.

Compared to Feng Shi and Xiang Ling, she could certainly see that Daiyu held a higher position in Jia Lian's heart. And as Daiyu's teacher's wife, it was perfectly legitimate for her to care about Daiyu.

As she passed the main house, she instinctively glanced inside a few more times, because she knew it was Jia Lian's room.

Jia Lian was such an extraordinary man, standing out from the crowd, and so young and handsome. Any normal woman would inevitably pay more attention to him.

Along the way, although she occasionally had the opportunity to meet Jia Lian, they were only nodding acquaintances due to their respective statuses, and she dared not be impolite in any way, nor did Jia Lian act presumptuously.

So she could only glance at it a few times before walking over.

Despite her naturally sharp hearing, she faintly heard a mournful sound, and Jiao Xing's heart skipped a beat.

Because Daiyu and Jia Lian lived on the second floor of the Lin family's boat, ordinary people were not allowed to come up. Although she was not an ordinary person, in order to show respect to Jia Lian and his wife, she would not bring her maids and servants to wander around on the second floor.

Therefore, her attendants all stayed on the lower deck, and at most she would only bring one maid up.

Now that she was all alone, she grew bolder and slipped quietly into the house.

Then, very quickly, she saw a scene she would never forget, which shocked her so much that she opened her mouth wide and quickly covered it with her hand, but her eyes did not look away for a moment.

She didn't know how much time had passed, until she felt her mind was wandering and that continuing to look would inevitably lead to unpredictable consequences. Only then did she shakily and cautiously slip out, her legs trembling.

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As I walked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

I originally thought that Jia Lian was able to become an official and be granted a title at such a young age because of his ancestors' glory. Jia Lian looked so handsome and refined, not at all like a crude military officer, much less a general who fought on the battlefield.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian's body was so... robust after he took off his clothes!

His bulging shoulder and arm muscles, and his well-defined waist and abdomen, made him look so strong and powerful that he didn't need any support at all. Just by standing there, Xiangling was like a little toy in his hands, easily tossed up and down.

Such effortless physical strength and power are truly captivating.

But upon closer reflection, the Marquis of Zhenyuan's physique, though strong, did not appear barbaric at all; instead, it possessed an endless elegance and beauty. This was completely different from the savage muscles of the water carriers she had once seen.

Then she thought back to the little girl she had held and raised as an infant, who was now capable of understanding human affairs. Not only was she capable of understanding human affairs, but she was also completely filled with happiness, which filled her with both endless emotion and a touch of envy…

"What is Madam Jia doing here?"

Lost in thought, Jiao Xing didn't notice the person standing on the deck. When she heard the voice, she was nearly scared out of her wits.

After calming down a bit, she quickly composed herself and replied, "I was on my way to check on Lin Yatou when I vaguely saw someone here, but it turned out I was just seeing things."

Her face flushed red from seeing something she shouldn't have, then turned pale with fright, and finally became flustered. This series of reactions caught Aqin's eye, and Aqin couldn't help but feel a sense of enlightenment.

So she temporarily put aside her suspicions and quietly instructed, "Miss Lin's room is over there, the second to last one at the stern. Madam Jia can go there."

"Yes... thank you very much, young lady..."

Watching Jiao Xing flee as if running away, A Qin chuckled to herself, then went inside and listened intently, her face revealing an expression of certainty.

So he gently closed the door, tidied his appearance, and went inside.

……

Although the days spent traveling north by boat were monotonous, they were by no means boring.

Wherever they went, if Daiyu was in the mood, Jia Lian would take her and a few maids ashore to stroll around. Sometimes they would also bring along Jia Yuchai, the little boy of seven or eight, which made the place even more lively and fun.

During their time on the boat, Jia Lian would spend most of his time with Daiyu, indulging in romantic conversations that quickly deepened the emotional bond between them.

The only regret is that although Daiyu's feelings for him grew day by day, and she became more tolerant of his intimate behavior, she would firmly oppose his attempts to take things further whenever he tried.

Over time, Jia Lian stopped pressuring her. Instead, he became adept at understanding Daiyu's bottom line, testing her limits back and forth, often making Daiyu feel both ashamed and resentful, yet helpless against him, which was quite amusing.

As they drew ever closer to the capital, on this day, in Daiyu's room...

"Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight..."

Zijuan sat on the edge of the long couch, counting aloud, but her eyes were smiling as she looked at the two people on the couch.

Especially when she saw her own daughter kneeling at the foot of the bed, her forehead sweating with anxiety, still refusing to give in and holding onto Jia Lian's feet tightly, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Ninety-nine, one hundred! Alright, young lady, you can relax now. Second Master has finished one hundred as well..."

Zijuan smiled and first went forward to wipe the forehead of Daiyu, who was panting slightly. Then she pretended to kneel on the footstool, picked up the dry towel next to her, and wiped the sweat off Jia Lian, who had sat up.

As I wiped it, I couldn't help but tremble inside.

Second Master's body is already so fit, yet he still exercises every day. I really don't know how much he wants to train before he'll stop!

During their time on the ship, besides serving Daiyu, the greatest pleasure for these maids was to secretly admire Jia Lian's good looks.

Because there wasn't enough space on the ship for Jia Lian to practice his martial arts, he would always train inside the house whenever he wasn't on the ship.

At first, he only had Xiangling assist him in training in his own room.

After being caught by his daughter so many times, he started to extend the occasions to his daughter's room, and even encouraged his daughter to exercise with him.

Her own daughter naturally refused, but she couldn't resist Jia Lian's shamelessness and her desire to spend more time with him, so she gradually let Jia Lian do those "strange" things in front of her.

Yes, at first they all found it strange, but gradually they got used to it.

For example, things like "push-ups," "sit-ups," and "leg jumps"—things they had never heard of before—were introduced by Jia Lian, and even the maids learned quite a bit of them, and sure enough, they felt that they were somewhat beneficial to their health.

As for Daiyu, although she occasionally couldn't resist Jia Lian's coaxing, she would only do a few relatively elegant movements at most. She would definitely not do things like jumping around or doing push-ups, as they would be too awkward.

Like today, Jia Lian, in front of Daiyu, worked up a sweat while practicing, and then made a bet with Daiyu that he could do a hundred sit-ups.

Daiyu didn't believe it, because she had tried it herself and couldn't even do ten.

Therefore, Jia Lian asked Daiyu to hold down his feet, which led to the scene described earlier.