Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the depths of winter, as the year draws to a close, most people enjoy a relatively leisurely time.

Ordinary people and merchants would save up for the New Year. As for the scholar-officials, they would also start to postpone their work until after the New Year, counting down the days until the longest holiday of the year.

However, for Wang Xifeng, the manager of a wealthy and powerful family, the situation was quite the opposite. She was responsible for registering and storing rent and land revenue from various places, preparing for the New Year's Eve grand ceremony, and preparing New Year's gifts, among other things.

Having finally made it through the year-end, the even more lively New Year was about to begin. While Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others were simply enjoying themselves, she took care of all the arrangements for welcoming and seeing off guests. The amount of mental and physical strain she endured during this time is too numerous to mention.

It wasn't until after the New Year, around the eighteenth or nineteenth day of the first lunar month, that we finally started to have some free time.

Early that morning, after paying her respects to Grandmother Jia and the others, Wang Xifeng secretly considered all matters to ensure she hadn't forgotten or neglected anything before returning home to rest.

Leaning back on the soft couch in the west wing, he held his large cat, which he had raised for many years, stroking its soft, thick fur, while having a maid massage him.

To be honest, Wang Xifeng was actually a person with a rather limited capacity for compassion, and she didn't particularly like cats, dogs, or other small animals. She only adopted this tabby cat on a whim, and over the years, it has become, in a way, one of her cherished possessions.

Seeing her like this, Ping'er said, "It's rare for Second Madam to have such a leisurely time. No wonder Second Master often says that Second Madam can't stay idle. Thinking about it carefully these days, there are many things that Second Madam doesn't need to handle personally; she can just leave them to the servants. How can she be happy not to take a break?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng didn't even open her eyes, only letting out a barely perceptible hum.

Ping'er didn't seem to mind and turned to continue wiping the tea set on the table. Before she could even finish wiping one of the tea sets, she heard Wang Xifeng say, "Your Marquis is someone who doesn't manage the household and doesn't know anything about money and household affairs. He's the head of the family and a Marquis, so he naturally has an air of authority. Even if someone is in the right, they'll still feel inferior to him. Whatever he says, his servants will eagerly scramble to do it. I don't have his kind of life."

You know how troublesome those people are. If I'm even slightly careless, someone will find a loophole and seize on it. Those with malicious intentions will naturally tell the old lady and the madam, and even the timid ones will gossip about it behind their backs!

Ping'er sighed slightly upon hearing this, agreeing with her second mistress's assessment. As a woman, her second mistress's high standing and powerful position within the Duke's mansion were indeed inseparable from her diligent work ethic.

"And you still have the nerve to mention your Marquis? I've been managing the household affairs so diligently, and who am I doing it for? It's all because I don't want him to worry while he's away, and I don't want the little things at home to distract him. But what's wrong with him? He only came back once for the ancestral worship, and left again after less than two days. And it's been so long, and he hasn't even sent a single letter home. He's a heartless, despicable man."

Hearing Wang Xifeng's resentful words, Ping'er smiled inwardly but held back her expression, saying only, "Second Master is a man of great importance; he must be too busy to remember. If Second Mistress misses Second Master, why not write a letter and have the servants deliver it to him? If Second Master sees Second Mistress's letter, he will surely understand Second Mistress's feelings and will reply to her."

"Who cares about him? I'm not writing about him..."

As the mistress and servant were chatting, a trusted maidservant ran up and said with a smile, "Second Mistress, Xing'er is back..."

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Xifeng sat up abruptly. The cat in her arms, startled, meowed and jumped off the bed and ran away, but she didn't care. She opened her eyes wide and ordered, "Quickly, let him in and report!"

After a series of actions and words, she finally realized she had revealed her true colors, but she had no time to care. She waved for the massage girl to leave, then put her cotton-padded coat back on and personally came out to the outer living room to greet Xing'er.

Jia Lian now has thirty or forty servants and attendants around him, but he doesn't like to make a show of himself when he goes out unless necessary, and he also has personal guards. Therefore, this time when he went to Tianjin to handle some business, apart from that group of old boatmen, he didn't bring many servants with him.

Like Zhao'er, Xing'er was Jia Lian's servant boy since he was a child. However, because he was not as clever as Zhao'er, he was not as favored as Zhao'er.

"Your servant Xing'er greets Second Madam. May Second Madam enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"How is your second master doing out there? Why did he send you back?"

"Reporting to Second Madam, Second Master is doing well. He sent me back for two reasons: first, to bring back a message, and second, because spring is approaching and he wanted us to come back and fetch some light clothing."

Xing'er knelt on the bright ground, grinning as she reached into her bosom. She glanced at it sideways, then took out a letter, which a maidservant took and presented to Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng took the letter but didn't rush to open it. Instead, she glanced at Xing'er and said coldly, "What else do you have in your bosom? Take it out."

With her sharp eyes, Xing'er's sneaky movements naturally couldn't escape her notice.

"Hehe, it's nothing, I just brought some things for someone else..."

"Stop trying to bluff your way out of this. Confess now. If I find out, the wardens will break your legs."

Wang Xifeng merely raised her phoenix eyes slightly, which frightened Xing'er so much that he dared not harbor any illusions. "Yes, yes, yes, Second Madam, Second Master gave me two letters. He specifically instructed that one be given to Second Madam and the other to Miss Lin. I dare not deceive Second Madam."

As they were talking, the boy obsequiously took out another letter from his pocket, bowed his head, and presented it with both hands.

Looking at the other letter presented by the maid, Wang Xifeng narrowed her eyes. Although she had a strong desire to open it and take a look, reason told her it was best not to cause trouble. Therefore, she snorted coldly and said, "I thought it was something shameful. Why would you hide a letter like this? What, did your second master instruct me not to see this?"

"No, no, the Second Master didn't say that. It was me who was meddling, I deserve to be beaten, I deserve to be beaten."

Watching Xing'er pretend to slap himself with both hands, Wang Xifeng sneered and said to the maid beside her, "Since it was your Second Master who specifically instructed you to give this to Miss Lin, Xiao Hong, you go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Remember, make sure you personally deliver it to Miss Lin, and don't let anyone else see it, otherwise... hmph."

Hearing his mistress's clearly displeased and sarcastic words, Xing'er was extremely uneasy.

Jia Lian certainly didn't say anything that Wang Xifeng couldn't see, but he had heard that women were all petty and jealous. If the Second Mistress knew that the Second Master had even written a letter to Miss Lin, she would inevitably be unhappy. That's why he thought it best not to let the Second Mistress see it. Who knew that his cleverness would backfire?

Although Wang Xifeng was displeased, she was ultimately pleased to receive Jia Lian's letter and did not want to get angry with the servant. After asking a couple of questions about Jia Lian's recent situation, she said, "You can go now. I will pack some of your second master's clothes later, and you can take them back with you."

After saying that, he waved his hand and dismissed Xing'er.

After Xing'er left, Wang Xifeng immediately opened Jia Lian's letter. When she saw the familiar and elegant handwriting, a smile appeared on her bright face. She then put aside her distractions and focused on reading the contents of the letter.

To be honest, Wang Xifeng's level of education was quite low. This isn't entirely her fault; it's just that the Wang family didn't have the same atmosphere as the Jia family, where daughters were encouraged to learn to read and write from a young age. Naturally, she didn't read many books growing up, only skimming through classics like "Rules for Women" and "Inner Instructions." But judging from her actions, it's clear she didn't really absorb much of what she learned.

However, she is literate. At least she knows most commonly used characters, which is a basic requirement for all daughters of respectable families. Otherwise, if she can't even understand a roster after marrying into her husband's family, how will she manage the household business?

In recent years, because her husband's sisters and even her husband are all educated people, she, with her extremely low level of education, has been constantly put down by them. Some even mocked her, saying she "can't read a single word," which is clearly excessive.

Shame spurred her to action, and she secretly made up for some missed lessons. At least she didn't have to have others read anything long to her like she did when she first entered the school. She didn't want anyone to see that again.

Jia Lian's letter was quite long. Although it seemed to be written with good intentions and used very simple language throughout, there were still a few parts that she found difficult to read. She considered asking Ping'er, who was standing nearby, but then thought that Ping'er was even less capable than her, so she gave up the idea.

Ping'er noticed that Wang Xifeng hadn't spoken since reading the letter, only smiling and occasionally chuckling. Clearly, the Second Master had written something in the letter to amuse the Second Mistress. So when Fengjie read to the end, she asked with a smile, "What did the Second Master say to the Second Mistress? She seems so happy."

"What could it be? They just asked about your family situation, and..."

Wang Xifeng put the letter away, intending to read it carefully when she had some free time.

"And your second master said that today is Bao'er's birthday. His family has traveled a long way to the capital, and they only let Bao'er stay in our mansion because they trust and value us. He told me not to mistreat her, and that I should celebrate Lin'er's birthday the same way every year. Humph, does he really need to tell me these things?"

He also asked me to give his regards to Bao Yatou...

As Wang Xifeng spoke, her voice lowered. From this incident, she deduced that Jia Lian was unlikely to return to the capital anytime soon; otherwise, given his personality, he would probably have rushed back today to celebrate Baochai's birthday.

He always doted on his younger sisters.

Ping'er clearly understood the implication and didn't know how to respond. Wang Xifeng, however, wasn't one to dwell on things, and quickly smiled and said, "Since we've come this far, why don't you go to the kitchen and check if they're prepared properly today? The old lady said she wants to personally celebrate Bao'er's birthday."

After sending Ping'er away, Wang Xifeng thought for a moment and then sent someone to the west wing to call Xiangling over, asking her to write a letter to Jia Lian that, while seemingly about everyday family matters, was actually full of affection.

……

Xue family.

Baochai returned home early in the morning; she was an extremely filial person. It is said that a child's birthday is a mother's day of suffering, so although today was her birthday, the first thing she did was go home to visit Aunt Xue.

The mother and daughter had been talking inside for a short while when they heard a commotion in the courtyard outside—Xue Pan was about to go out.

"Today is your sister's birthday. Instead of staying home and behaving yourself, what are you up to?"

Before leaving, Xue Pan came to greet his aunt, but as soon as he entered, he was scolded by her, which displeased him greatly.

"Is Mom even reasonable? It's my sister's birthday, and you're all going to that mansion for a banquet and a play, while I'm left stuck at home all alone?"

Aunt Xue was speechless for a moment. Regardless of whether the Jia family was doing it out of face or out of affection for Baochai, since they had offered to celebrate Baochai's birthday, they had no reason to refuse.

As for Xue Pan, he was known to be uncouth and had a bad reputation, so the Jia family always disliked him and naturally would not bring him to the Jia family.

Therefore, Xue Pan's words were not entirely without merit.

Seeing that Aunt Xue knew she was in the wrong, Xue Pan became even more aggressive: "It's my sister's birthday, and I, as her older brother, am already very unhappy that I can't personally toast her. Am I not allowed to have some fun outside? I've already invited Feng Ziying, Sun Shaozu, and a few others to have a banquet at Jinxiang Courtyard today. If Mother doesn't stop me, that's fine, but if she does, I'll definitely have to give you a piece of my mind!"

Aunt Xue had already given in, but hearing this made her even angrier. "You scoundrel! How can you casually reveal your sister's birthday to others? And in such a place, you wretched child... And who is this Sun Shaozu?"

Xue Pan was always out partying, which worried his aunt, who feared he might associate with scoundrels and cause trouble. She knew about people like Feng Ziying, so when her son suddenly started talking about an unfamiliar name, she naturally paid attention.

Xue Pan didn't care about Aunt Xue's scolding at all: "Oh, don't worry, I've only invited my good brothers today, there are no outsiders."

After saying that, Xue Pan didn't bother to explain to Aunt Xue. He gave a perfunctory bow, turned around, and ran away.

Aunt Xue called out to him in vain, and could only beat her chest and stamp her feet in frustration.