Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

If there's any woman in the entire Grand View Garden that Jia Lian wouldn't dare to mess with, then Zhen Yuhuan is definitely one of them.

As the eldest daughter of the Zhen family and a candidate for the Crown Prince's concubine, her status was extremely sensitive.

Princess Zhaoyang alone had already put him in a difficult position. If he were to cuckold the Crown Prince as well, he might really consider raising an army in rebellion.

Zhen Yuhuan, a young maid, can be impulsive and ignorant, but Jia Lian cannot.

Therefore, it wasn't until he quickly left Xiaoxiang Pavilion that Jia Lian's trembling heart gradually calmed down.

"Whoosh!"

A wooden arrow shot out from a clump of bamboo by the roadside and stuck straight into the mud.

Soon, a boy of about eight or nine years old, dressed smartly, came running excitedly down the path on the slope.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, the boy seemed startled and quickly hid the wooden bow behind his back, instantly becoming shy.

"Lian...Hello, Uncle Lian..."

Looking at the boy who stepped forward and greeted him respectfully, Jia Lian bent down, pulled out the wooden arrow stuck in the ground, and examined it in his hand.

Although it is a simple wooden arrow, without a metal arrowhead or fletching, the shaft is straight and the arrowhead is sharpened to a very point. If it were to pierce a person, the injury would likely be considerable.

The boy was none other than Jia Lan, Li Wan's only son who had finished his homework and gone out to play.

Seeing Jia Lian examining his "arrow feathers," Jia Lan felt rather uneasy.

"I was on the slope trying to shoot a bird in a tree, but I missed. I disturbed Uncle Lian, and I feel very uneasy about it..."

Faced with Jia Lan's explanation, Jia Lian, holding the wooden arrows and gesturing to the wooden bow in his hand, asked, "Did you make all of these?"

"Yes. I've heard Uncle Lian say that our family's ancestors rose to prominence through military achievements. Seeing that Uncle Lian also served in the military, I thought that as a descendant of the Jia family, I shouldn't disgrace my ancestors' reputation, so I should also learn horseback riding and archery."

But my mother forced me to study every day, so I had no choice but to make this bow and arrow myself and practice when I had free time…”

Jia Lian smiled. If Jia Lan really made this bow and arrow himself, then putting everything else aside, his hands-on skills are quite impressive.

Returning the wooden arrow to him, Jia Lian laughed and said, "It's good that you have such ambitions. However, the world is different now. Studying for the imperial examinations and gaining fame and fortune is the most righteous path in the world. There's no need for my outstanding descendants of the Jia family to go to the battlefield and risk their lives to gain wealth and fame."

So there's absolutely nothing wrong with your mother making you study.

However, you are right. As a descendant of the Jia family, one should indeed know how to ride horses and shoot arrows.

Your wooden bow is fine, but it's just a toy. If you have the guts, go to my training ground and find my personal guards. Tell them it was me who said this, and let them choose a suitable war bow for you to practice with.

"real?"

Jia Lan had been listening attentively to the lecture, but when she heard the latter part, her eyes widened and she eagerly asked more questions.

Just as children in later generations love toy guns, little boys in this era all love bows and arrows.

Given Jia Lan's status as the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion, acquiring a real bow and arrow would not have been difficult. It was simply that Li Wan and others did not allow it.

If Jia Lian were to bestow upon him a real bow and arrow, Li Wan and the others would likely refrain from objecting out of respect for Jia Lian. Wouldn't he then be able to rightfully possess a genuine war bow?

Using that bird-shooting gun would definitely be more exciting than this one...

Seeing Jia Lan's happy expression, Jia Lian sighed deeply. Among all the children of the Jia family, Jia Lan was indeed the most talented and virtuous.

Unfortunately, such children do not receive enough attention and affection.

Take Jia Mu and the others' beloved children, for example. Even just asking them to pull the bowstring would be a great defilement to their precious hands.

So he patted Jia Lan's head and said, "Of course I won't lie to you."

But you have to promise me that after you get the bow and arrow, you can only practice in safe places like the training ground.

Just like before, even though it's just a wooden arrow, if it accidentally hits someone in the garden, wouldn't it be too late to regret it?

Jia Lan felt ashamed. "Second Uncle is right. Lan'er knows she was wrong. Don't worry, Second Uncle, I won't do it again next time."

His willingness to admit his mistakes and correct them pleased Jia Lian even more. Jia Lian patted his head and smiled, "Go on."

Jia Lan bowed deeply to Jia Lian, then happily went out of the garden.

Jia Lian stood there watching him leave, pondered for a moment, and then followed the path straight to Daoxiang Village.

He felt he had some opinions about Jia Lan's upbringing that he needed to discuss with Li Wan.

Daoxiang Village is not as quiet as Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Occasionally, you can still hear the noise of poultry and livestock such as chickens, ducks and geese in the fields.

Jia Lian originally thought that Daoxiang Village should be quite lively, because in his memory, Li Wan's young widowed aunt and two cousins ​​lived in Daoxiang Village.

Unexpectedly, when Jia Lian opened the wooden fence and entered Daoxiang Village, he didn't see any extra people.

It wasn't until they arrived at Li Wan's main room that they saw Su Yun carrying clothes, preparing to hang them out to dry in the side courtyard.

"Is your grandmother here?"

"The eldest mistress was in the room just now. Did the second master need to see her? I'll go and call her."

Seeing that Suyun was about to put down the wooden basin and go to the main room, Jia Lian waved his hand and said, "No need, you go about your business."

As they spoke, Jia Lian glanced at the colorful clothes in the wooden basin that Su Yun was holding. They were all small items, likely women's undergarments, and most likely Li Wan's, otherwise Su Yun, the chief maid of Daoxiang Village, wouldn't have been personally washing and drying them.

Not daring to look any longer, Jia Lian walked up the wooden walkway and entered the main room.

Li Wan's room probably wasn't incense-filled, only had a faint scent of bamboo and wood, reflecting the owner's refined and simple lifestyle.

There was no one outside, and Jia Lian and Su Yun had just been talking. If there were anyone inside, they should have known he was coming, instead of not reacting at all.

If he were in Lady Wang's or Lady Xing's room, Jia Lian would either sit quietly and wait or summon a servant; he would absolutely not make any sudden movements.

But this was Li Wan's room, and Jia Lian, without any sense of pedantry, went straight into the inner room out of curiosity and a desire to explore.

As soon as Jia Lian stepped into Li Wan's embroidery room, before he could even take in the decorations and furnishings, his gaze was completely drawn to the graceful figure in a sky-blue dress sitting in front of the dressing table in the northeast corner.

Upon closer inspection, he guessed that Li Wan was asleep there, which explained why he hadn't heard him coming.

Jia Lian felt more at ease and walked towards Li Wan while looking around her room.

In the mirror, Li Wan can be seen resting her face on her arms. It can be guessed that this pretty widow must have been sitting in front of her dressing table, too lazy to do her makeup, and was taking a nap.

Surprisingly, Li Wan was not shy at this moment, and Jia Lian sat openly to the side, enjoying the beauty of Li Wan's figure.

The only pity is that we can't see Li Wan's sleeping face.

I imagine she would be less cute and playful than Zhen Yuhuan when she's asleep, but more mature and elegant.

Time passed second by second. After Jia Lian's gaze swept back and forth countless times, he suddenly noticed that Li Wan's body shivered and then began to tremble slightly.

Jia Lian frowned, thinking it was because the weather was still cool.

He considered waking Li Wan to prevent her from catching a chill while sleeping. However, he also thought that given Li Wan's nature, she would surely be ashamed to be in the same room with him if she woke up.

It would be unwise to kick him out.

He also wanted to see what Li Wan looked like while she was sleeping soundly. With a sudden thought, Jia Lian stood up as if possessed, walked to Li Wan, stretched out his hands, but then hesitated.

He then gave a self-deprecating laugh. If it were before, it would have been fine, but last year, after Yuan Chun's visit to her family, he was in a secluded spot in Li Wan's courtyard, and he was just one step away from executing Li Wan on the spot.

Such hypocritical posturing at this moment is truly laughable.

Without further hesitation, he bent down, slipped one hand under Li Wan's legs, and wrapped the other around her back, carefully and slowly lifting her up.

Li Wan was very light; despite her tall stature, she probably weighed only about 100 pounds.

Although it's light, it has a slim waist, full hips, and long legs, making it feel very substantial.

To avoid waking Li Wan, Jia Lian dared not observe her too closely. He merely glanced at her and noticed that Li Wan's face was furrowed and her expression was dazed, which did not seem like she was sleeping peacefully.

Worried that Li Wan had caught a cold, Jia Lian could only walk quietly to the bedside.

Just as I was being careful, I suddenly felt a pair of soft, jade-like arms embrace my neck, and at the same time, I heard a barely audible voice, like a sob or a complaint:

"No, Uncle, you mustn't do that!"

Jia Lian was startled and suddenly looked down at Li Wan.

But they found that her eyes were still closed and her expression was still abnormally hurried. However, their senses detected that her body was shaking much more violently than before.

Jia Lian's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Although he had never seen a beauty murmur like this before, Jia Lian intuitively knew that Li Wan was probably still asleep, and that this dream was probably related to taboos and eroticism!

uncle?

In the entire Jia family, he is probably the only one who can be addressed in such a way by Li Wan.

Jia Lian, who was inexplicably excited, was having an internal struggle when the jade weight in his arms suddenly trembled and he slowly woke up.

Seeing the obvious bewilderment in Li Wan's open eyes, Jia Lian smiled and explained, "Sister-in-law, please don't misunderstand. I was worried you'd catch a cold from sleeping there, so I thought I'd move you to the bed."

The light in Li Wan's eyes gradually gathered.

As Jia Lian spoke, she turned her head to glance at her fragrant bed so close to hers, then subconsciously looked at Jia Lian. Her face quickly flushed, and she struggled, saying, "Put me down!"

Li Wan's anxious voice contained shame and unease, but it sounded more like panic and embarrassment at her utter helplessness.

Jia Lian did not go against her wishes.

After a slight smile, he placed Li Wan on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and then turned away without saying a word.

"wait……"

"Is there anything else, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan's cheeks flushed. Looking at the composed Jia Lian, she ultimately turned her back to him and said, "No, it's nothing... Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle..."

Jia Lian smiled slightly, and after leaving the room, he raised his right hand and found that several of his fingertips were indeed stained with water.

A faint, exciting scent wafted from above.

Jia Lian's face showed a hint of mockery. He walked to the front of the main room, stood inside the door, closed the double doors, and locked them with latches.

Inside, Li Wan, hearing Jia Lian's footsteps receding into the distance, sat up abruptly and stared blankly at the empty doorway.

Out of the corner of her eye, Li Wan noticed someone else coming in, but assuming it was a maid, she paid no attention. It wasn't until she realized the person was right in front of her, taking off their clothes, that Li Wan looked closer.

This sight caused Li Wan, who was still not able to distinguish between dream and reality, to feel her mind go blank. She stared blankly at the person in front of her who had taken off all his clothes and was walking towards her naked.

……

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