Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 533 Ping'er's Charm

When Jia Lian returned to the mansion, he first went to see Daiyu.

"Where have you been drinking again? You reek of alcohol."

Daiyu personally brought Jia Lian a cup of hot tea to help him sober up, while gently scolding him.

"Today is the birthday of the eldest son of the Xue family. My aunt invited your sister Feng and me to go over and have a couple of drinks."

"oh."

Daiyu understood and stopped caring. Although she had never met this Master Xue, she had heard of him quite a few times and knew he was an extremely awful person.

Suddenly realizing that Jia Lian had taken advantage of the moment to serve her tea to hold her delicate hands, Daiyu's face flushed slightly. She forcefully pulled her hands away and glared at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian chuckled, picked up the tea that seemed to still carry the fragrance of Daiyu's delicate hands, and sipped it slowly.

He looked relaxed and content, casually reclining in the chair; anyone could tell he was in a good mood.

Daiyu suddenly felt a warm feeling in the scene. Although her second brother Lian could not be with her all day long, every time he came to see her, he was in his best mood and most relaxed state of mind, as if her place was his paradise, which made her very happy.

Walking up to Jia Lian, he smiled and said, "Now that you've had some wine, don't linger outside. Go back and rest early."

Jia Lian ignored her and continued sipping his tea. After a while, he put down his teacup, turned around, looked at Daiyu who was frowning slightly, and smiled.

"You've been back for so many days now, why doesn't Lin Daiyu come to my courtyard?"

Even if you don't want to see me, your sister Feng misses you terribly. She told me that you're probably at odds with her. Before, when you had nothing to do, you would occasionally come to our room to sit for a while. But this time since you came back, you haven't gone even once. Every time, she comes to the old lady's place and stops by to see you."

These words made Daiyu feel somewhat guilty and sentimental.

What Jia Lian said was true. In the days since she returned, the person who visited her the most was not Jia Lian, but Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng would come to Grandmother Jia's place every day. Apart from the occasional time when Grandmother Jia was by her side, Wang Xifeng would also occasionally take the time to come to her room.

Every time they come, they always express their care and concern.

Although she knew that Sister Feng meant well, because Sister Feng was always very kind to her whenever she came to her room, showing concern and care, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable after a while, and occasionally even felt annoyed.

That's just the kind of person she is; she's particularly sensitive to excessive concern from others.

The main reason was that she knew there was no reason for Sister Feng to be so kind to her. Therefore, she couldn't help but wonder how much of Sister Feng's concern for her was genuine, how much was feigned, and how much was just an act.

Of course, even so, she was still grateful to Sister Feng in her heart, which is not contradictory.

Because, at least Feng Jie'er's attitude wouldn't embarrass her, and would even make her feel that she owed Feng Jie'er something.

So, she occasionally wanted to visit Jia Lian at Feng Jie's courtyard, but she always refrained from doing so.

She didn't want Sister Feng to think she was trying to compete for favor with her; she wouldn't stoop to such a thing. Anyway, Brother Lian had promised her that no matter how busy he was, he would visit her at least once every two days.

Although Daiyu did not answer his question, Jia Lian could guess her little thoughts just from the change in her expression.

He stood up, gently embraced Daiyu, and said softly, "Silly girl, you're just overthinking things. Actually, your Sister Feng is a very good person. If you don't believe me, you might as well listen to me and spend more time with her."

It's not that I'm forcing you, but think about it: as her older sister, she's going to such lengths to please you. If you avoid her, wouldn't it make you seem less magnanimous than her? Of course, if she bullies you, just tell me, and I'll help you deal with her.

Daiyu punched Jia Lian in the chest twice. Seeing that Jia Lian wouldn't let go of her, she forced herself to calm down and hurriedly said, "Who said I was avoiding Sister Feng? I just didn't want to see you..."

Daiyu blurted out. Indeed, her reason for going to Fengjie's courtyard, besides not wanting to see Fengjie, was also to avoid giving the impression that she was always going to see Jia Lian.

She knew that although Grandmother Jia and others forbade her to talk about her and Jia Lian, quite a few people in the mansion still knew.

She was only engaged and hadn't officially married into the family yet, so she didn't want people to think that she, Lin Daiyu, lacked self-respect.

So, she said that to refute Jia Lian's words. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Jia Lian cared for her so much; would what she said hurt him?

But she was clearly overthinking it. Jia Lian wasn't angry at all; instead, he coaxed her, saying, "Alright, alright, I know you don't want to see me. How about next time you go to see your Sister Feng, Xiangling, and Little Eldest Sister, I'll run to the backyard and hide?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian's reply, Daiyu remained silent for a long while. However, Jia Lian noticed that Daiyu's arms, which had been resting on either side of his body, suddenly rose up, wrapped around his waist, and then tightened.

Jia Lian was quite pleased with himself, feeling that his ability to coax Daiyu had improved again. Judging from her reaction, she was clearly very satisfied with his answer, and perhaps even moved.

Before Jia Lian could savor Daiyu's tenderness for even a moment longer, he saw Daiyu forcefully break free from him, her charming and clever face carrying a melancholy expression.

"You should go back now. Let Zijuan see you off."

Daiyu turned to the side and spoke thus.

Jia Lian knew Daiyu's concerns and felt that the purpose of his visit that night had been achieved, so he also planned to leave, but refused Daiyu's suggestion to arrange for someone to see him off.

Before midnight, or before the masters of Rongguo Mansion had rested, the "streetlights" (lanterns on the corner towers) in various places were always lit, so Jia Lian had no need to worry about getting lost in the dark.

"I'll come to your yard tomorrow or the day after. You can just sit here in the house and relax. You don't need to hide in the backyard."

Daiyu's sudden words carried a hint of lightness and a touch of mockery. But by the time Jia Lian turned around, Daiyu had already turned and walked to the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up a book that had been tossed on it earlier, and started reading it by herself.

So Jia Lian smiled and replied with a "okay," then turned and left without bothering her any longer.

As he stepped outside, he ran into Zijuan. Jia Lian was about to say or do something as usual when he saw Zijuan bow to him, then with remarkable flexibility, she bent over and skillfully avoided him as she went back inside.

Jia Lian was taken aback. Didn't this girl used to like teasing him, saying that he was their young lady's holy medicine for healing or something?

Turning back, Jia Lian glanced at Zijuan's quick little steps and couldn't help but purse his lips before walking towards Grandmother Jia's room.

Normally, it could be explained that he was too busy to visit the old lady, and the old lady had also instructed that there was no need to come and pay his respects unless necessary. However, now that they had arrived at Rongqing Hall, it would seem inappropriate to only see Daiyu and not the old lady.

Grandmother Jia was already planning to rest, but when she saw Jia Lian come to pay his respects, she still asked him a few questions.

"Did you just go to see your Lin sister?"

"Yes... I just felt that I hadn't paid my respects to the old lady for two days, so I went to see her while I was there."

"lie."

Grandmother Jia chuckled and didn't hold it against Jia Lian.

She was quite reasonable. Moreover, she was happy to see Jia Lian treat Daiyu well, as it was worth entrusting her precious daughter to him.

Emotionally speaking, Sister Feng was just a granddaughter-in-law whom she thought was nice and could make her happy, but Daiyu was different; she was her own granddaughter, with whom she shared blood ties.

If she really had to choose between Sister Feng and Daiyu, she would definitely side with Daiyu.

In fact, this was also what Fengjie was most worried about when she learned that Daiyu and Jia Lian were engaged. Later, she gradually came to understand that, firstly, Grandmother Jia was getting old and it was questionable how many more years she could live; secondly, she was now the wife of a marquis and had her own confidence, so she was no longer as afraid of or respectful of Grandmother Jia as before.

She could tell that Jia Lian was a little drunk, so she didn't let him stay any longer. After glancing around a couple of times, she saw Yuanyang come in and instructed, "It's late. Call two people to see him off."

Yuanyang accepted the order without showing any emotion on her face. She immediately went to make preparations and then, accompanied by two maids, escorted Jia Lian back with lanterns.

They walked in silence. Yuanyang simply stood respectfully by his side, lighting the way for him. Jia Lian glanced back at her a few times and, besides thinking that this young woman was the kind of girl who grew more beautiful the more he looked at her, he also clearly sensed that she had something on her mind.

Think about it, I held hands with that young girl, hugged her, and even almost kissed her.

But in the few days since I came back, I haven't had a chance to talk to her at all. So it's normal for her to feel resentful.

Just as they were about to reach the courtyard gate, Jia Lian suddenly stopped. Seeing Yuanyang's wary expression, he walked over, reached out and patted her head, saying with a smile, "No need to see me off. Go back. Take good care of the old lady. One day, I'll have someone carry you from her room to mine."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Yuanyang blushed deeply, looking like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She quickly stepped back, her face red, and dared not reply.

Behind them, the two maids who had seen the situation clearly were already grinning from ear to ear.

It wasn't too surprising, as they were all from Grandmother Jia's courtyard and naturally knew Yuanyang's status in Grandmother Jia's eyes.

The fact that Grandmother Jia was willing to let Yuanyang personally escort Jia Lian home reveals some of her thoughts.

Jia Lian glanced back at the two old women, giving them a rather authoritative look, then turned back, reaching out to pinch Yuanyang's cheek again. He didn't mind missing the pinch, and with a smile, he turned and strode into the courtyard.

As soon as he left, the two maids hurriedly congratulated Yuanyang.

"Judging from Second Master's demeanor, he's taken a fancy to Yuanyang. If Yuanyang becomes Second Master's concubine in the future, don't forget to help us out."

"It's not just that he's taken a fancy to her. I think Second Master really likes Yuanyang. When Yuanyang comes to Second Master's room, she will definitely be favored and have a higher status than she does in the old lady's room."

"That's right, that's right. I knew from the beginning that Miss Yuanyang was a very fortunate person, and sure enough, she was right."

The words of the two maids made Yuanyang blush even more. Composing herself, she said seriously, "Sisters-in-law, please don't talk nonsense. Second Master was just saying it casually; how can you take it seriously?"

Yuanyang casually retorted, knowing Fengjie's shrewishness, and felt that if Jia Lian's words reached her ears tonight, it might not be a good thing. Therefore, she half-instructed and half-coerced the two old women, saying, "As the master, Second Master sometimes acts impulsively, but I am the Old Madam's person, so I hope you two sisters-in-law will not spread what just happened. You know Second Master's temper; he dislikes gossipy servants the most..."

"Don't worry, young lady, we wouldn't dare gossip about Master Er. Just now, Master Er glared at us and almost scared the soul out of us."

So please rest assured, Aunt Yuanyang, we will keep quiet about what happened just now.

Seeing that the two maids were sensible, Yuanyang felt a little relieved. She glanced back at Fengjie's courtyard, and her heart started pounding again.

Earlier, when Jia Lian suddenly stopped and looked at her, she thought that Jia Lian was going to take liberties with her again.

To her surprise, Jia Lian simply patted her head and gave her a definite promise, which made her both shy and touched.

Second Master is a man busy with important matters, yet he has such a delicate mind... He must have noticed her worries, which is why he specially comforted her like this.

It feels so good to be valued.

……

When Jia Lian returned home, Ping'er and the wet nurse were playing with the young lady in the room.

The little girl is almost two years old. Not only can she walk on her own, but her speech is also becoming clearer. Seeing Jia Lian enter, her eyes lit up, and she toddled towards him, excitedly tugging at his trouser leg and calling, "Daddy, Daddy~!"

Jia Lian was overjoyed. He bent down and picked her up. Looking at his daughter's increasingly delicate and beautiful face, he smiled and said "Hey" several times, which made the little one giggle. This made Jia Lian even happier.

The intimate scene between the father and daughter deeply moved Ping'er and her wet nurse, who both smiled knowingly.

After being held and teased by Jia Lian for a while, the little girl suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands, saying, "Daddy, let's go out, let's go play with the windmill."

Although the little girl's speech was not complete, she expressed her meaning very clearly. She pointed to a paper windmill on the table, and then pointed outside the door, making it easy to understand that she wanted Jia Lian to take her outside to play with the windmill.

Ping'er knew that Jia Lian had just returned from drinking at the Xue family's house, and seeing this, she quickly said to the eldest young lady, "My dear eldest lady, Father has been drinking and can't go out to play with you. How about letting Xiao Hong keep you company?"

The young lady frowned, immediately tilted her head up to Jia Lian, and gently sniffed.

Even the slight smell of alcohol was quite pungent to the young lady, so she quickly turned away and replied to Ping'er, "Okay, I'll listen to Auntie. Daddy smells bad, let him take a bath before he plays with me!"

Ping'er then took the young lady out of Jia Lian's arms, and called Xiao Hong over, asking Xiao Hong and the wet nurse to accompany the young lady to play in the courtyard.

Seeing that Ping'er had arranged everything so quickly and that the young lady was so obedient and cooperative, Jia Lian couldn't help but laugh and say, "I didn't realize that the little girl was so obedient to you."

Ping'er, who was helping Jia Lian to his feet and undressing him, smiled upon hearing this. The little maid was indeed quite obedient to her, thanks to Sister Feng. Perhaps it was to elevate her, or perhaps it was to make her take better care of the young lady, in any case, Sister Feng personally instructed the young lady to call her "Aunt Ping." However, the little maid didn't find it convenient to distinguish between them and preferred to address her directly as "Auntie."

Even children have their own sense of propriety. Ping'er's words carried weight in the courtyard; even the wet nurse who spent the most time with the young lady and the two maids who took care of her obeyed her every word. Over time, the young lady naturally came to know that Aunt Ping was an important person, and everyone was afraid of her.

As a result, apart from being afraid of Sister Feng, the little maid listened to Ping'er the most, a quality that even her wet nurse couldn't match.

"Why hasn't Grandma come back yet?" Ping'er asked.

"She went to talk to Madam Qin; she probably won't be back for a while."

"oh."

Ping'er removed Jia Lian's outer garment, her eyes darting around, and suddenly leaned close to Jia Lian's ear, teasingly saying, "Second Master, you're really something today. With a lady like Xiao Rong and Madam, Second Master must be very proud of yourself right now."

Ok?

Jia Lian glanced at Ping'er, who had suddenly become alluring, with some surprise.

Ping'er is usually very dignified and self-restrained, so this is quite rare; she's teasing him outside of bedtime.

Jia Lian, who wanted to see what she was planning to do, simply replied without making a move, "It's alright."

This Versailles-like scene naturally made Ping'er smile leisurely. She put her hand on Jia Lian's shoulder and turned to the other side of his ear to ask, "Ping'er is just curious, how did Second Master persuade Second Madam?"

I noticed that Second Grandmother didn't seem angry at all at noon.

Jia Lian chuckled, not intending to hide anything from this reliable concubine, and said bluntly, "What else can I say? Just say she mistook Little Qin for you. Your Second Mistress shouldn't have kept her sleeping in the room in the first place; in the end, I benefited. Who can she blame?"

Ping'er blushed slightly. Although she had guessed it was true, she still couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jia Lian when she actually heard him say that he was using her as an excuse.

She knelt down and continued to untie Jia Lian's pants, muttering to herself, "Does Second Master know that after you went out at noon, Second Mistress interrogated me?"

"Oh?"

"Second Grandmother asked me if Second Master saw me when he came back."

It seems Second Madam suspects Second Master is lying. If Second Master sees me when he returns, he certainly won't mistake Little Rong, the eldest mistress inside, for me again.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian felt a slight tightness in his chest.

I'd almost forgotten about that. Sure enough, Sister Feng isn't someone to be easily fooled. She pretended to completely trust me on the surface, but then she turned around and interrogated Ping'er—how cunning!

However, since he didn't cause him any more trouble afterward, and it was always Ping'er who covered for him, she asked, "What did you say?"

Ping'er looked up, raised her eyebrows with a charming air, and smiled, "Second Master, don't worry. I said I accidentally fell asleep and didn't see you at all, nor did I speak to you. I also have no idea what you did when you quietly entered the room..."

Jia Lian smiled. Sure enough, this girl was very clever. Even without having spoken to him, she could still manage to fool Feng Jie. She was a good girl.

Ping'er stripped Jia Lian down to just a pair of shorts and a robe, then stood up and stared at Jia Lian with a smile.

"My lord, you have no idea how nervous I was at the time. I was afraid that if I replied with the wrong word, it would arouse the suspicion of the second mistress and ruin your important plans."

"I've done you such a great favor, Second Master, how can you possibly thank me?"

Jia Lian chuckled, pulled Ping'er into his arms, and said with a smile, "You've helped me a lot, and I really should thank you properly."

However, your master has nothing of value; how about offering himself in marriage?

As he spoke, he scooped Ping'er up in his arms and threw her onto the bed, intending to repay her properly.

Who knew that Ping'er, who had been flaunting her charms, would back down when things got serious.

In a panic, she scrambled to her feet, straightened her clothes, and saw Jia Lian half-lying on the bed, smiling at her. She laughed again: "This won't do. It's clearly Master enjoying himself, how can you say you're thanking me?"

"Oh, so what does Miss Ping wish to do?"

"I haven't decided yet. How about I remember this for now, and when I've made up my mind, I'll ask you to deliver the benefits?"

Looking at his concubine, who had a clean and beautiful face, fair skin, and a full figure, Jia Lian suddenly felt that she had become more vivid and interesting.

Therefore, he had no reason to disagree and replied with a smile, "Alright, as long as you don't intend to rebel and seize your second mistress's position, I will agree to whatever you say."

"Then you'd better remember this, sir, don't try to deny it later."

After saying that, Ping'er rolled her eyes at Jia Lian and went out to fetch water with graceful steps.