Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 701 Don't close the windows tightly

After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Jia Lian originally planned to go back and, while there was still time, go to the martial arts training ground to practice his fist and foot techniques for an hour.

As an imperial general with ambitions to conquer the world, he deeply understood the importance of a strong physique to him. Therefore, he was unwilling to easily interrupt or neglect his nightly training, which he had maintained for many years.

But then I realized that everyone probably already knew I was returning home today.

It's one thing if it's someone else, but if Baochai knew that she had returned to the capital so early and had even come to see Daiyu at night...

Perhaps Baochai, with her magnanimity, wouldn't be jealous of him, but as a young girl, she probably still harbored some resentment. Or rather, when she saw him tomorrow, she would inevitably feel a sense of guilt for having "let him down."

So she sent Xiangling, carrying a lantern, to the Great Mountain in the north.

Jia Lian wasn't unaware that his late-night visit to Baochai might alert the suspicious Daiyu to his anxieties.

He was not worried about it.

In any case, he never intended to keep this matter a secret from Daiyu forever. If he could let her guess some things beforehand, and then when the young lady confronted him, he could then appeal to her with "righteousness" and explain "reason and emotion," which would seem more open and natural than him having to explain the matter to her in person.

Hengwu Garden, as always, exudes the fragrance of plants and trees.

Jia Lian's arrival greatly pleased the current mistress of the house, Aunt Xue.

Aunt Xue was entrusted by Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang to enter the garden during the funeral procession to take care of and discipline the younger generation.

"Where are Bao'er and Yun'er?"

In Jia Lian's mind, wherever Xiangyun was, it was bound to be lively. Not to mention that Baoqin, who was just as lively, also lived here. Logically, Hengwu Garden should be bustling with activity.

Seeing that only Aunt Xue came out to greet him at the door, he couldn't help but ask her questions.

"Hehehe, those few of them have been wandering around outside all day, and they're all taking a bath in the back."

Aunt Xue smiled broadly. She knew Jia Lian had only returned to the manor today, and that he had come over as soon as he arrived, surely to see Bao'er!

So he smiled and replied, then led Jia Lian into the house.

Are they all taking a bath?

Could it be that Baochai and her sister, along with Xiangyun and her two maids, usually bathe together?

A faint doubt arose in Jia Lian's heart, and the image of the three maids with their hair loose and their shoulders bare, laughing and playing together in the bathtub involuntarily appeared in his mind.

But she dared not think too deeply, and followed Aunt Xue into the house like a puppet.

Aunt Xue originally lived in Baochai's room, but after Baoqin moved in, for convenience, she prepared a separate room outside for Baochai and Xiangyun to live in, while Aunt Xue lived there with Baoqin.

Jia Lian was naturally very familiar with Baochai's room.

The room, which was originally almost bare and as clean as a snow cave, became more lively after Aunt Xue and Baoqin moved in.

Not only were there some furnishings, but there were also some toys scattered around the room, which must have belonged to Baoqin.

However, just like before, the room was spotless, clearly showing that Aunt Xue was also a clean and tidy person.

On the table in the middle of the room, a beautiful tea set was laid out, with a fruit plate and teapot arranged beside it. A stove was burning next to the table.

One can imagine that before he arrived, Aunt Xue was probably brewing tea in the house.

"Come, sir, have some tea."

"Auntie, you're too kind."

After thanking Aunt Xue for the tea she had poured for him, Jia Lian's gaze fell on a plate of oranges on the table.

Seeing this, Aunt Xue, who had been watching Jia Lian, smiled and said, "These were just brought up by the servants. They're called 'fragrant oranges,' and it's quite rare to see them at this time of year. Would you like to try some, young master? If you like them, I'll have someone send some over to you."

As Aunt Xue spoke, she picked up an orange and personally handed it to Jia Lian. To make it easier for Jia Lian to eat, she used both hands to cut the orange in half.

It seems that if she weren't an elder, she would have stood up and personally served Jia Lian the fruit.

Jia Lian smiled and accepted it without any hesitation. He flicked his index finger and thumb, picked out a segment of orange, and put it in his mouth.

Sure enough, the juice was sweet and the texture was crunchy.

Aunt Xue watched Jia Lian eat the petals one after another and asked with a smile, "How does it taste?"

"Yes, it's really sweet."

"Hehehe, in that case, I'll have Ying'er pick out more and send them to you later."

This kind of out-of-season fruit is practically a special treat. If the Xue family hadn't had such a large business and many connections, they wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy it.

Such fruit, if taken outside, would be worth a high price from countless noble ladies.

However rare something may be, if it can be put into Jia Lian's mouth and please him, then it has served its purpose to the fullest.

Moreover, because Jia Lian was handsome and had long, slender fingers, and because she viewed him with the same appreciative gaze a mother-in-law might have towards her son-in-law, even as Jia Lian simply ate an orange, he exuded elegance, nobility, and grace in her eyes, causing her phoenix eyes, a trait inherited from the Wang family, to narrow slightly.

Suddenly, she saw Jia Lian pick up another segment of orange. Just when she thought he would put it between his well-defined, fresh, and clean lips and teeth, she saw him bring his hand to her face.

"Well, I... I've already eaten quite a bit, so please eat it yourself, sir."

"Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone. I'm eating this one, it's sweeter than the previous one, Auntie should try some too."

Seeing Jia Lian bring the orange closer to her lips, Aunt Xue blushed slightly.

Instinctively, she wanted to refuse, but when faced with Jia Lian's calm yet natural face, which carried a hint of unquestionable authority, she couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.

After hesitating for a moment, she lowered her head slightly, opened her mouth, and took the orange from Jia Lian's hand into her mouth.

There were no servants in the room at this time; otherwise, she really wouldn't have done something so disrespectful to an elder.

……

In the backyard of the main house of Hengwu Garden, inside a small bathhouse, the scene was not as Jia Lian had imagined.

Or rather, there are some discrepancies.

Inside the fragrant house, decorated simply with three or four screens, there were two large wooden tubs emitting steam.

The larger wooden tubs at the top were filled with water, and Baochai, with her fair skin, was submerged in them. Behind her, a young maidservant, holding a towel in one hand, was wiping Baochai's exposed shoulders and arms.

Her movements were very gentle, as if she were afraid of accidentally scratching her young mistress's fair skin.

Two steps below, there was a brand new, smaller bathtub, inside which were two still-young little fairies.

They were much more disruptive than the ones above.

They didn't need any maids to serve them. The two petite bodies were in the bathtub, rubbing each other with perfume and rinsing.

The two little mouths chattered away, causing the beautiful woman above to frown from time to time, seemingly unable to understand where they got so many topics to talk about, which hadn't stopped for a moment since they started bathing.

Suddenly, Ying'er came in from behind the screen. She was carrying stacks of neatly made underwear. She smiled and said, "Have the girls finished washing? If you're done, hurry up and get dressed and go out. Master Lian is here and is talking to Madam in the room."

"Oh, Brother Lian is here."

Xiangyun stood up from the tub in an instant, her body, though still young, already showing signs of slenderness, completely exposed to the air.

Fortunately, there was no one else around except her sisters and her close maid, so she felt no shyness whatsoever.

Ying'er put down the clothes, found Xiangyun's among them, and came forward to serve her. Realizing that it was too slow for one person to serve three young ladies, she went out again and called in Xiangyun and Baoqin's two personal maids who were guarding outside.

Thus, with the help of their respective maids, the three sisters quickly got dressed and headed to the main house.

Upon entering the room, they indeed saw Jia Lian sitting upright, dressed in a silver-gray brocade robe. Beside him sat the elegant and kind-hearted Aunt Xue.

After exchanging greetings, Baoqin and Xiangyun gathered around Jia Lian.

"Brother Lian, when did you return to the capital?"

"We knew you were back this afternoon, and we even went out to look for you, but Ping'er said you had to go out, so we made a wasted trip."

"That's right. Tomorrow is Sister Tanchun's birthday, and we also made a promise to start a poetry club. Brother Lian, don't forget, you must come!"

"Oh, Auntie, did you drink with Brother Lian? Your face is so rosy."

Two young maids were chattering away around Jia Lian. Xiangyun, who was squeezed between Jia Lian and Aunt Xue, turned around and was surprised to find that Aunt Xue's face was unusually red. She couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

Her voice also attracted several glances. Among them was Baochai, who sat opposite Jia Lian, and although she didn't say a word, she kept her eyes on Jia Lian.

Facing the attention of her daughter and nieces, Aunt Xue's face flushed even more, but she calmly smiled and said, "I haven't been drinking. I've probably been sitting by the stove for too long and I've gotten a little feverish."

Aunt Xue pretended to cover her face with her hands. Sure enough, the slightly cold hands did lower the temperature of her face, and her rosy skin became less noticeable.

The others were relieved, and Baochai and Ying'er even worked together to move the stove a little further away.

Throughout the entire process, Jia Lian paid little attention to Aunt Xue's reaction. In other words, after Baochai and her sister appeared, his gaze completely shifted from Aunt Xue to the three adorable girls.

Heaven have mercy, it is now late spring and the weather is no longer cold, so the clothes worn by Baochai and the others are naturally not as thick and complicated as before, but have become thin spring clothes.

Having just bathed, the three little girls or young women still exuded a misty aura. As they walked in one after another, their elegant dresses revealing glimpses of skin at the necklines and collars...

That ethereal, otherworldly feeling almost made Jia Lian's eyes pregnant.

Especially Baochai, who was at the very back.

Sixteen-year-old Bao Jie is absolutely perfect, both in terms of skin and appearance.

The thought that Baochai was now his was a dream come true, and that he could achieve his desires soon if he put his heart into it. He was filled with such pleasure that he no longer cared about how Aunt Xue would respond to the maid's questions.

Ultimately, there was no sufficiently reasonable reason to stay at Hengwu Garden, so after achieving his goal of visiting Baochai, Jia Lian went down the mountain.

As I passed by Daoxiang Village, I wondered what Li Wan was doing because it was dark and gloomy. Unexpectedly, before I even left the garden, I bumped right into Li Wan.

"Second Uncle."

Li Wan, accompanied by her maid, stood by the roadside, her hands hanging at her waist, and greeted Jia Lian with composure and tranquility.

Jia Lian returned the greeting and then asked, "It's so late, what brings you here, sister-in-law?"

"With Madam and Feng'er not home, there are fewer people to guard the mansion. I have just inspected all the gates and am about to go back."

In fact, with Grandmother Jia and Sister Feng not at home, Li Wan should have moved out of the garden and settled in the Rongguo Mansion to oversee the household affairs.

However, firstly, Grandmother Jia and others took away a large number of people from the mansion, and secondly, Sister Feng left behind Ping'er, such a powerful figure, in the mansion.

Indeed, with Ping'er, Feng Jie's chief steward, there's no problem even if the mansion is much less busy or has fewer people. Even if things were the same as before, nothing would go wrong.

Li Wan also admitted that she might not be as good as Ping'er in terms of management skills, so she simply took a break and entrusted all the affairs of the mansion to Ping'er, while she herself only went to the mansion to inspect it once or twice a day as usual.

"Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."

"..."

Faced with Jia Lian's casual conversation, Li Wan couldn't find anything to say in response.

After a long silence, she gave Jia Lian a slight bow, then lowered her head and prepared to leave with a pounding heart.

"Ouch~"

However, it was not Li Wan's voice that came out, but Su Yun, one of her personal maids.

Looking back, she saw Jia Lian holding Su Yun's arm and smiling at her, "Sister-in-law, go ahead, I'll say a few words to her."

Li Wan was alright, but Bi Yue beside her had her eyes wide open in disbelief.

Su Yun, what is this...?

Could it be that he has climbed the social ladder by marrying into the family of Master Lian and is about to rise to prominence?

But she's the eldest mistress's personal maid! How could Second Master Lian do this...?

Waaah, if only Second Master Lian had taken a liking to me.

Li Wan, of course, had no idea that so many thoughts were flashing through the mind of her other head maid. Knowing that Jia Lian wouldn't speak without reason, she naturally wouldn't have any objection to Jia Lian's harassment of her maid.

Nodding, she led Biyue away.

However, a ripple had already stirred within him. He wondered what Jia Lian's purpose was in capturing Su Yun, so he deliberately slowed his pace.

Sure enough, Su Yun caught up shortly afterward.

"What does Second Master Lian want with you?"

"this……"

Su Yun hesitated and glanced at Bi Yue.

Li Wan understood that she should pretend not to care at this point, and then ask Su Yun alone when they entered Daoxiang Village and were all alone.

However, she was very concerned at this moment. After all, Jia Lian had captured Su Yun, the only girl who knew their secret, and it was very likely that he was going to talk about their relationship. Therefore, she said to Bi Yue, "Go back first and have the maids boil water. I want to take a bath tonight."

"Yes……"

Biyue drawled out her words, glancing at Suyun with a hint of resentment.

Oh no, Grandma and Suyun have a secret, a secret they can't let me know. Now, she's definitely going to bypass me.

Biyue entered Daoxiang Village with suspicion and doubt in her heart.

Ultimately, Li Wan was not a seasoned strategist, lacking sufficient cunning and patience. A single immature action created unnecessary risks that would be noticed in a matter concerning her life, death, and reputation.

But Li Wan clearly hadn't considered this. After Biyue left, she couldn't wait to start questioning Suyun.

"Second Master didn't say much to me, he just asked about Grandma's recent situation, and told me to take good care of Grandma, and not... to keep the secret, not to talk nonsense, and that I would benefit from it in the future..."

"That's all?"

"Um……"

Li Wan frowned. Seeing that Su Yun didn't seem to be lying, she couldn't investigate further and finally said, "Good girl, as long as you can do these things, not only him, but I will also treat you as my own daughter..."

"This servant wouldn't dare. Please rest assured, Grandmother. This servant isn't stupid; I won't say anything out of line."

Li Wan was clearly more at ease after receiving Su Yun's promise again. She personally helped Su Yun up, said a few more words to her, and then walked gracefully into Daoxiang Village.

But she didn't see the look of shame on Su Yun's face as she looked at her back after she turned around.

How could Su Yun have the nerve to tell her that she had betrayed her?

The instructions given by Master Lian were: "In the main house on the north wall of Daoxiang Village, the second window from the top, do not close it tightly at night."

Sigh, closing the window for Grandma is something that usually involves both Biyue and me, and we don't divide the responsibility.

However, for the sake of Second Master, from now on, this important task will be mine.

Su Yun thought lightly.