Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian sat by the bed, looking at his sleeping wife, feeling a pang of tenderness, and reached out to stroke her soft hair.

Suddenly, he felt a fragrant aroma wafting around him, and a pair of familiar, slender hands rested on his shoulders. "Second Madam is really tired today, and she's also had some wine. Second Master, let her get some rest."

Jia Lian nodded, then casually pulled Ping'er into his arms, embracing her tightly with his head and hands, feeling the beautiful concubine's graceful body.

Ping'er appeared dignified, but was actually a woman with a keen sense of humor. Knowing that Jia Lian intended to seek her tenderness, she nestled softly in his arms, cooperating with his movements and letting out soft moans.

Her reaction was so striking that Jia Lian could not ignore it. He turned her beautiful face around, admired it briefly, and then lowered his head to taste her fresh lips and pearly teeth.

After a while, Jia Lian released her and lowered his head to recite: "'I remember when I first met Xiao Ping, she wore a double-layered robe embroidered with the character for 'heart.' She spoke of longing on the pipa strings. The bright moon was there then, once shining on the returning colorful clouds'... Have you heard this poem before?"

Ping'er's bright eyes drew Jia Lian's gaze, a hint of doubt in them, but she quickly shook her head slightly: "Although Ping'er has never heard this poem before and doesn't know its meaning, Ping'er does know that Second Master's recitation of poetry is truly beautiful, and I would like to hear it again..."

Jia Lian was speechless, thinking to himself that these women were very clever, and that he was sometimes completely charmed by them.

To be honest, Jia Lian always felt indebted to Ping'er because, compared to other women, he had devoted far too little of his heart to her. Conversely, he received so much tenderness from Ping'er.

This woman was exceptionally beautiful, of impeccable character, and incredibly understanding. She was never jealous or quarrelsome; she was truly a treasure. Jia Lian was fortunate to have her.

Ping'er, as docile as a cat, looked up at Jia Lian's expression. She didn't know what Jia Lian was thinking, but from the finger that Jia Lian was playing with between her lips, she could "understand his meaning from the sound of his words." She cooperated by opening her lips and holding them in, and when she noticed that Jia Lian was indeed probing deeper, she completely understood.

She tilted her head slightly to make sure that Feng Jie on the couch was fast asleep. Then she spat out Jia Lian's mischievous fingers, lifted her delicate buttocks, and knelt nimbly and familiarly on the footstool. She bowed her head in front of Jia Lian's knees and gently loosened his collar.

Suddenly sensing something amiss, she sniffed the air, then looked up and glared at Jia Lian, her eyes conveying a clear meaning: "Master, you've been sneaking around again without cleaning up your mess. Luckily, you were caught. If Second Mistress had found out, things would have been much worse."

In response, Jia Lian raised his eyebrows but did not express any opinion, and Ping'er did not say anything, nor did she show any disdain. Instead, she gently and personally took care of Jia Lian's cleanup work.

……

Outside Feng Jie's courtyard, Xi Ren led her cousin slowly in.

"You've seen Second Master before; he's tolerant and rarely scolds his servants. Although Second Madam is strict with her servants, as long as you remember what I told you—make fewer mistakes and be observant—she won't hold it against you."

"Um……"

Upon entering the courtyard, he explained his purpose to the maidservant standing at the entrance of the main house, who then went inside to inform her.

But after a long while, the maidservant came out and led them into the house.

The west side room was where Sister Feng usually received guests, so it was naturally decorated in a very luxurious manner. This made her cousin Xiren, who was entering such a prestigious place for the first time, very reserved. She could only follow Xiren step by step and kneel down to pay her respects.

Get up.

On the soft kang (heated brick bed), Jia Lian looked at the two young ladies in front of her with a smile on her face.

These two cousins ​​were both beautiful in their own way, and standing together, they resembled a pair of delicate twin flowers, quite pleasing to the eye. Most importantly, today Xiren's cousin was wearing red, and she was indeed suited to wearing red; even with a bundle on her back, her beautiful appearance was undeniable.

Instead of staring at the shy young girl, Jia Lian turned to Xiren and asked, "Why did you bring her into the mansion so quickly? Did your aunt and uncle agree?"

"We are all from poor families, and it is our good fortune to be chosen by the mansion. Yesterday, my mother discussed it with my uncle and aunt, and they were all willing to send her in to serve the second mistress. Since it has been agreed, it is better to come in sooner rather than later. With me leading the way, it will be easier for her to get to know the place. So my uncle and aunt got her ready early this morning and let her come into the mansion with me."

Jia Lian nodded, then looked at his cousin in red and asked, "What's your name?"

The cousin in red glanced quickly at Jia Lian. Perhaps it was Jia Lian's deceptive appearance or his gentle, pleasant voice, or perhaps it was because they had met yesterday, but she felt less reserved in his presence. She replied somewhat shyly, "This servant is Liu Xinqing..."

"Do you believe in Liu?"

"Um."

Her surname is Liu, and Xiren's surname is Hua; these two sisters have rather auspicious names.

"Now that you're in this courtyard, you're one of us. As long as you follow the rules, you don't need to worry about anything else. If you have any questions, ask others. You can also ask your cousin; she's the most reliable. You can't go wrong by learning from her."

Yes~

"By the way, from now on, you'll be called Qing'er, it'll be easier to remember."

Most of the maids who entered the mansion would be given simple and easy-to-call names by their masters. Liu Xinqing had already heard Xiren say this before, so she had no objection.

After giving a few casual instructions, Jia Lian said to Ping'er, "Take her downstairs and settle her in."

Ping'er glanced at Liu Xinqing upon hearing this. Although Jia Lian had spoken with Feng Jie in the morning and Feng Jie had instructed her on how to settle the girl, looking at the girl's pretty and delicate appearance, she couldn't help but have some doubts about Jia Lian's intentions.

So he said, "We don't have any extra rooms in our courtyard, so how about Qing'er shares a room with me? Otherwise, we'll have to put her in the east courtyard with the maids."

Feng Jie's courtyard didn't have many rooms to begin with, and in the last year or two, so many maids and servants had been added. If these people needed to live in the mansion, they were basically arranged to live in a small courtyard on the east side, which was closer to the mansion.

"Your room isn't very big either, so let her stay in the east courtyard like the others."

Jia Lian rejected Ping'er's suggestion almost without thinking. It wasn't really because Ping'er's room was small; on the contrary, Ping'er lived in a side room, which was only slightly smaller than the main room.

But side rooms are usually where concubines or maids stay. If he really adopts Ping'er's opinion, Feng Jie will definitely have something to say about it later.

Thinking about it this way, Jia Lian had good reason to suspect that Ping'er was deliberately setting a trap for him. But because Ping'er didn't show any signs of it and there were other people present, Jia Lian couldn't do anything to her.

Ping'er accepted the order and took Liu Xinqing down to settle her in. Xiren wanted to go with her, but then Jia Lian suddenly waved her over.

There were only three maids in the room, so she didn't dare pretend not to see them and could only stand there obediently.

Ping'er, perhaps sensing something amiss, reached out and lowered the curtain between the living room and the west side room before leading the obedient Liu Xinqing to the east courtyard.

As Feng Jie's right-hand woman, it was easy for Ping'er to find a maid, so she returned with Liu Xinqing in no time.

Just then, they bumped into Jia Lian, who was about to leave, at the door. Xi Ren was following behind him, her hands hanging down and her head bowed. If one didn't know better, they would definitely think she was Jia Lian's personal maid.

Ping'er asked, "It's so late, is Second Master still going out?"

"I can't delay tomorrow's important business; I need to go outside and see how their preparations are going."

Ping'er nodded hurriedly, after all, she was attending the Emperor Emeritus's birthday celebration, and such things could not be done wrong.

"Have her affairs been settled?"

"The accommodations are all ready, but Second Madam is already asleep tonight, so we'll have to deal with her signing the contract tomorrow."

"Um."

Jia Lian asked one question and then left, and Xi Ren stayed behind as well. It was her cousin's first day in the mansion, and as her older cousin, she naturally had to guide her properly to prevent her from making mistakes due to her unfamiliarity with the place.

Suddenly, she noticed Ping'er staring down at her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was about to make up an explanation when Ping'er had already looked away and said softly to Liu Xinqing, "It's your first day in the manor, so you don't need to be on duty tonight. Go back and rest. Remember to come to the courtyard before dawn tomorrow, and I'll arrange some specific tasks for you then."

Watching Ping'er enter the courtyard, Liu Xinqing finally relaxed and stuck out her tongue at Xiren, saying, "Cousin, this Ping'er is indeed as you said, a very kind person. She just told me a lot of things, and I've remembered them all. I've decided that if there's anything I don't understand in the future, and you're not here, I'll go ask her."

Xiren was pleased that her cousin had come to this realization so quickly. She had known Ping'er since childhood and naturally understood Ping'er's character. Just as she was about to teach her some survival skills as a maid in the Rongguo Mansion, she saw her cousin suddenly move closer to her, even bringing her head close and staring straight at her.

Xiren, unaccustomed to such close proximity, was about to reprimand her when she saw her cousin raise her hand, beckoning her lips with her ring finger, and then begin to whine, "Cousin, you ate some cheese earlier, didn't you? Did you leave some for me? I'm hungry too. Did they prepare any midnight snacks for us at their residence?"

As she spoke, she put her fingers in her mouth and licked them, but it was too little, and she couldn't taste anything.

Xi Ren stared blankly at her innocent and bewildered cousin, who was looking at her expectantly, and suddenly her face flushed crimson. She nodded and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to get some snacks..."