Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 558 I Have Someone I Like

To welcome Yuan Chun's visit home, many of the Jia family's eight sons and daughters came to help.

Now that things have come to a successful conclusion, Jia Lian, as the acting clan head, naturally has to reward everyone on behalf of the family.

The venue was within the courtyard of the Ningguo Mansion, where wine and plays were held, inviting all the elders and young men of the clan to have some fun.

The reason why the location was not chosen in the east wing of Jia Lian's own territory was firstly because the east wing was not large enough. After Jia She's death, Jia Lian built the drill ground, the imperial horse road, and the Jia family's shrine of loyalty and righteousness, leaving little spare space.

Secondly, Ningguo Mansion is the eldest branch of the Jia family, and family affairs have always been conducted there. Jia Lian has no intention of moving it to Rongguo Mansion!

The advantages of this are obvious. The Ningguo Mansion is sparsely populated, and the front courtyards are just sitting empty. Keeping the family affairs there will reassure Jia Jing and the Ningguo Mansion's close relatives, showing that he has no intention of usurping the position of clan head to the Rongguo Mansion.

Therefore, the outer courtyard of the Ningguo Mansion has now basically become Jia Lian's territory. It's only used by Jia Lian to handle clan affairs. All the servants in the outer courtyard are at Jia Lian's beck and call.

Madam You had tacitly approved of this, and had even specifically instructed the housekeepers on it.

After the deaths of Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong, the Ningguo Mansion became a laughing stock in the capital. Lady You had no intention of interacting with other mansions anymore and planned to live her own life behind closed doors, focusing on raising her son.

Perhaps it will be when little Jia Wu turns one year old that we need to host a banquet for relatives and friends to witness it.

As for Jia Jing? Last year, Lady You even sent someone to ask Jia Jing if she wanted to hold a birthday banquet for him, but Jia Jing, who was single-mindedly seeking immortality, refused outright.

Lady You isn't Jia Zhen. Since her father-in-law has said not to hold the ceremony, then she should just not hold it. It will save her a lot of trouble.

This is understandable. The male head of the Ningguo Mansion (Jia Wu) was only a few months old, and there was no one to accompany the guests even if they came to the door. Therefore, it was reasonable to accept gifts but not hold a banquet.

Furthermore, regarding Jia Lian's banquet for all the members of his clan, all the preparations for the feast were handled by You Shi and Qin Keqing.

Therefore, Jia Lian was quite relaxed. He sat there for a while, then instructed Jia Yun, Jia, and others to take care of things before leaving the table.

Jia Yun and the others explained to those who inquired about his whereabouts that Uncle Lian was still in mourning and it was inconvenient for him to stay at the banquet for long. The other clansmen understood and said that Jia Lian had worked the hardest recently and must have been exhausted from the family visit, so there was no need to worry about them and that it was the right thing to go back and rest.

However, Jia Lian did not return to the mansion directly, but instead went to see Lady You and her two children as usual.

After leaving the house, he remembered that he had already made a promise to Sister You Er, and he didn't want to neglect her, so he went to the small courtyard next door.

The You family was now extinct, so Old Madam You, having returned to the Ningguo Mansion with her daughter, had no intention of going back. Madam You also needed relatives by her side for support, so the courtyard west of the main hall was given to Old Madam You and her two daughters to live in, and several maids and servants were assigned to serve them.

When Jia Lian walked over, he could hear the woman's delicate shouts from a distance. Over the crabapple and pear trees, he saw You Sanjie dancing with her sword in the hall.

She was dressed in a fitted blouse with a sky-blue sash around her waist. When she brandished her sword, she actually looked quite impressive, fully displaying her exquisite and agile figure. Jia Lian couldn't help but stand aside and watch.

Sister You San doesn't practice swordsmanship often; she only did it today because she was bored.

Suddenly, she saw Jia Lian walking over and even stopped to look at her. A smile appeared on her face, but she pretended not to see Jia Lian. Instead, she became even more focused on her dancing.

After demonstrating about ten movements, replaying all the ones Jia Lian had practiced before, she finished. She then gripped the sword in reverse, placing it behind her shoulder, and walked towards Jia Lian with a smile.

"You've been here for ages without saying a word. What do you think? I told you I've practiced martial arts, but you didn't believe me. You've been watching for ages, so tell me, how's my swordsmanship?"

Sister You, carrying her beautiful sword, circled around to Jia Lian's side, showing no hesitation, and asked with a smile.

"It's hard to say about the swordsmanship, but it was quite beautiful to watch."

Looking at You Sanjie's face, which was as beautiful as Qingwen's, Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, then nodded and smiled.

Seeing this, You Sanjie knew that Jia Lian must not have been impressed with her swordsmanship. She pouted, but then smiled again.

She originally learned swordsmanship not to fight on the battlefield, but frankly, just for show. It's not surprising that she wasn't valued by a great general like Jia Lian who had been on the battlefield.

At least he admitted it looked good, didn't he?

So she took Jia Lian's arm and led him to the main hall, saying with a smile, "I know you've come to see my sister. She's sleeping in her room. Have some tea here first, and I'll call her over right away."

After letting Jia Lian sit in the hall, You Sanjie instructed a maid to pour tea for Jia Lian, and then she indeed left.

After a while, Sister You Er walked over with shy steps.

After meeting, aside from bowing respectfully, he stood before me with his head down, like a child who had made a mistake, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Seeing this, Jia Lian shook his head and said softly, "My shoulders are quite sore from toasting the elders outside just now."

Sister You raised her beautiful eyes and glanced at it, and then she realized what was going on.

"In that case, let me give Second Master a shoulder massage."

As she spoke, Sister You walked to Jia Lian's side and stretched out her soft hands to massage Jia Lian's shoulders.

Jia Lian closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, and after a while, he asked, "Do you usually find it boring staying in this mansion?"

Second Sister You paused for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I'm doing fine here. Eldest Sister takes good care of us..."

No answer.

Jia Lian bluntly said, "If you feel bored, why don't you do what Xiao Qinshi does and go to Pear Fragrance Courtyard when you have nothing to do, play with the young actors, or have a few gentlemen teach you dance and music? That can also help pass the time."

"Oh... okay."

Sister You seemed to lack her own opinions; she simply agreed after hearing what Jia Lian said.

Suddenly, You Sanjie jumped out from behind the screen in the inner hall and walked up to him with a smile. "My lord is so biased. You care about my sister and are afraid that she will be bored at home, but you don't care about me at all."

I'm so bored staying in this mansion all day long.

Her sudden appearance startled Sister You, who then realized that her younger sister must have been hiding nearby, eavesdropping.

Fortunately, the two of them didn't do anything out of line, otherwise their younger sister would definitely have made fun of them again.

Jia Lian opened his eyes and glanced at You Sanjie. "If you'd like, you can come along too."

"No, no, no, I don't like dancing or music at all, and I don't like playing with those little actors..."

Jia Lian fell silent. In truth, he often didn't understand why You Sanjie was so familiar with him, as if she didn't know the meaning of the word "cold" at all.

It would be understandable if she had taken advantage of him like Sister You Er, but she didn't.

She dared to blatantly break the contract last time. What gives her the right? Is it because she betrayed her sister for personal gain?

So Jia Lian closed his eyes again, pretending not to care about her.

Upon seeing this, You Sanjie immediately stepped forward, naturally grabbing Jia Lian's arm and shaking it, saying, "You promised me last time that you would take me to see where you practice martial arts. As a Marquis, such a high-ranking person, you wouldn't go back on your word and deceive a young lady like me, would you?"

As she spoke, Sister You raised an eyebrow and glanced at her older sister, seemingly offering a hint while also expressing her disappointment.

She had seen how subservient You Erjie was in front of Jia Lian, which made her so anxious that she slapped her thigh and couldn't help but jump out.

It would have been better if You Sanjie hadn't said those words; they immediately ignited a fire in Jia Lian's heart.

"You still have the nerve to bring up last time??"

Last time, Jia Lian had promised You Sanjie that he would take her to see the martial arts training ground, but on the condition that he could see her famous, snow-white breasts.

But in the end, not only did he fail, the little girl took advantage of him, which made him extremely angry!

Jia Lian's face darkened, and You Sanjie also felt a little scared.

She shrank back, knowing that Jia Lian couldn't do anything to her, so she raised her head again and pretended to be calm, saying, "What happened last time isn't my fault. Who told you to be such a hooligan! If you dare to tell my sister what happened that day exactly as it happened, I'll admit I was in the wrong and let you do whatever you want with me. Do you dare?"

Uh……

Jia Lian was speechless again by this little girl. He turned around and glanced at Sister You, whose beautiful eyes were slightly open and who was clearly curious.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he probably wouldn't dare admit to Sister You Er that he had ulterior motives and wanted to see Sister You San's breasts. In the end, not only did he not get to see them, but he was also tricked.

So he shook his head and said, "Since you broke your promise first, don't blame me for being ruthless. You want to watch my soldiers practice martial arts? No way."

Jia Lian knew perfectly well that this girl's longing to go to his martial arts training ground was all for seeing handsome men, especially the incredibly handsome Liu Xianglian!

Jia Lian's refusal was exactly what You Sanjie had expected. She immediately used her best trick: coquetry. She pulled and begged Jia Lian, and when he was firm in his attitude, she even sat on his lap and tried to seduce him.

This scene, witnessed by You Erjie, evoked both sourness and envy. She thought to herself that if it were her younger sister who had been betrothed to Jia Lian, with her personality, she would probably have been able to pester Jia Lian so much that he would agree to anything she asked.

Before this thought had even faded, Sister You suddenly opened her eyes wide, looking incredulous.

It turned out that Jia Lian had been very unhappy ever since he suffered a loss at the hands of You Sanjie, so no matter how much You Sanjie begged him, he just wouldn't give in.

As for Sister You, she seemed to be a stubborn person who would not give up until she got what she wanted. When she saw that her gentle persuasion was useless, she suddenly stretched out her head and pressed it against Jia Lian's lips.

This was the first time in her life she had experienced such a strange feeling, which left her stunned on the spot.

But facing Jia Lian's handsome yet surprised gaze, she steeled herself, raised her hands and held Jia Lian's head, without any particular method, just forcefully keeping their lips and teeth tightly pressed together.

You Sanjie's inexplicable actions caught Jia Lian off guard at first. Fortunately, he was very experienced and quickly opened the door to meet her. In just a few moments, You Sanjie was captivated, her face flushed, and she began to pant.

No one knows how much turmoil she went through, but thankfully she had the willpower to release Jia Lian's head after seven or eight breaths.

Wiping her mouth, she deliberately avoided looking at her second sister and instead questioned Jia Lian, "How is it? Is it alright now?"

Jia Lian turned around and glanced at You Erjie. He saw that she was blushing and standing there with her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

She could only mimic Sister You's nonchalant attitude and casually ask, "What do you mean, 'what'? Did I promise you anything?"

He unconsciously clicked his tongue as he spoke, seemingly enjoying himself.

"Stop pretending you don't understand. I've already let you kiss me, what more do you want? You're so gentle with my sister, isn't it because she let you kiss her? I'm not asking you to do anything, just to take a look at your martial arts arena. You're not losing anything, so why are you being so stingy?"

You Sanjie didn't know why she had been so bold just now. She was just used to playing around with Jia Lian. Sitting in Jia Lian's lap, looking at Jia Lian's well-defined and very handsome lips, she felt both angry and resentful that he always uttered such heartless words.

Thinking that Jia Lian was so adamant about not letting him take advantage of him last time, she kissed him.

In reality, she was also very flustered. Her domineering and calm demeanor at this moment was just a cover for her inner feelings.

Jia Lian was completely unprepared for You Sanjie's scheme. If it were just the two of them, he wouldn't care. He would accept her without question, but he would make sure You Sanjie understood what it meant to invite a wolf into the house and suffer the consequences.

However, he still had to be more proper in front of Sister You. After all, he had only made the promise to Sister You not long ago, and to openly flirt with her younger sister now would inevitably be seen as treating the two sisters as objects of amusement.

He was unwilling to do anything that would hurt the heart of a beautiful woman.

So he lifted his leg and pushed You Sanjie off him, then stood up and said, "I'm a little tired, so I'll be going now. Please give my regards to your mother."

After saying that, he looked up and was about to leave.

Seeing Jia Lian's behavior, You Sanjie was humiliated and rushed forward to kick him. Jia Lian dodged her, grabbed her arms, and easily pinned her to the ground.

"Oh, my lord, no! My sister was just joking with you; she didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive her..."

When Sister You Er saw Jia Lian capture Sister You San, she was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to plead for her life.

However, in reality, Jia Lian couldn't possibly hold a grudge against You Sanjie. He merely restrained her without using force, which is why the little girl still dared to turn around and glare at him.

"If you really want to go, tomorrow at 3:45 PM, bring a horse and wait at the gate of the east courtyard. I will then take you to the Imperial Horse Ranch outside the city."

After saying that, he left her behind and turned to leave.

Second Sister You quickly helped Third Sister You up. Seeing her rubbing her shoulders and cursing at Jia Lian's departing figure, Second Sister You couldn't help but laugh.

Since no one was in the room, she chuckled softly, "If you ask me, why don't you also submit to the Marquis? I think you like him quite a bit, and you two get along well. Following him would be a good outcome for you."

This wasn't the first time Sister You had said this.

It wasn't that she was naturally so magnanimous; she simply knew that a man like Jia Lian was destined to be surrounded by countless beauties.

Putting everything else aside, she wasn't even married yet, and there were already two men above her in status and rank who far surpassed her. She deeply felt her own insignificance and isolation, and if her younger sister was truly interested in Jia Lian, she would naturally be happy to facilitate it.

To everyone's surprise, Sister You, as if her tail had been stepped on, immediately retorted, "Who likes him? He's so promiscuous, who knows how many women he has outside. He doesn't know how to cherish women at all, I don't like him at all!"

Seeing Sister You shake her head, her face full of disbelief, she became even more insistent, "Sister, don't worry, there are plenty of good men in the world besides him. To tell you the truth, I already have someone I like..."

"Oh?"

Sister You perked up, sensing there was some juicy gossip to be had, and immediately pressed for details.

Third Sister You remained silent, so Second Sister You laughed and said, "We're sisters, why would you lie like this? If you really had someone you liked, who would believe you when you were acting like that?"

Sister You immediately blushed, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and said, "Anyway, I didn't lie, believe it or not."

After saying that, she covered her face and ran away.