Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In Rongqing Hall, although Jia Dairu was anxious about his grandson's illness, at least the "single ginseng soup" was secured, so he patiently sat down and chatted with Grandmother Jia.

Jia Lian sat nearby, talking to Yingchun and the others about his experiences and anecdotes from the past year or so.

He only talked about the scenery and interesting stories of the frontier, without mentioning the hardships of fighting and the tragic scene when he first saw large numbers of people dying in front of him.

A moment later, Qingwen came running up, panting, and everyone immediately looked at her.

Just like Qingwen before, they all frowned when they saw the bulging cloth bundle in Qingwen's arms.

It's just two ginseng roots, why make such a fuss?

Qingwen didn't care what others thought. She quickly went to Jia Lian, handed him the package, and said, "Second Master, the ginseng has arrived..."

Jia Lian silently accepted it, then thought to himself, "This is bad. These two stupid girls don't even understand the principle of not flaunting wealth?"

In this era before ginseng cultivation, although ginseng was a top-quality food and medicine, Jia Lian, being from a later era, naturally wouldn't be superstitious about its medicinal properties.

But people at the time firmly believed that this thing was a panacea!

It can be said that this ingredient is essential for treating any illness or preparing high-grade pills. As a result, even small or inferior ginseng can cost several taels of silver per tael, while the best ones are more expensive than gold, with no upper limit...

The price has basically been inflated by speculation.

Therefore, Jia Lian didn't particularly care for this thing, but he knew it was valuable and that the women in his household especially loved it, so he specially collected and brought it back.

Although she felt that Qingwen was not very clever, since she had already taken it, she couldn't very well hide it back, so she ordered the maids to bring up a tray.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but ask, "Lian'er, is your package full of ginseng?"

Grandmother Jia was arguably the person in the Rongguo Mansion who had no shortage of ginseng. Every year, the servants would offer it as a tribute, and the palace would also bestow some upon her as a reward.

However, she cherished these things, keeping each one carefully and only taking them out when preparing medicine or when needed. She primarily used them herself; apart from Jia Baoyu and Daiyu, who could benefit from them, others, even Yingchun and others, would never see them unless they were ill.

Even she, an elderly woman, could hardly imagine what kind of extravagant act it was to wrap ginseng in coarse cloth.

Jia Lian didn't explain. He waited for the maid to bring over the tray, then placed the package on the tray and unfolded it...

Seeing it with their own eyes is far more effective than telling them; it's a powerful sensory experience.

"this……"

This time, not only others, but even Grandmother Jia couldn't help but stand up and come over to take a look.

Even though Grandmother Jia was used to seeing all kinds of precious ginseng, she was still shocked by the sight before her.

There was a huge pile of them, and not only were there many, but they were also all quite large. At a glance, there wasn't a single defective product weighing less than an ounce...

Moreover, they are all fresh, with no old or stale ginseng.

Although ginseng can be stored for a long time, after a few years it is difficult to guarantee its medicinal efficacy, so fresh ginseng is more precious.

Everyone crowded around. Those of higher status stood at the front, while those of lower status automatically moved to the side, making Jia Lian feel as if he were surrounded by a sea of ​​rouge and powder.

Jia Lian even thought he should take a shower before coming over. Although he had washed up at an inn on the way yesterday, he was still sweaty after traveling all day, and if someone smelled him, it would damage his image as a handsome man.

In particular, the playboy sister-in-law was pushed to stand next to him...

But he was overthinking it. At that moment, everyone's eyes were only on the precious ginseng on the tray, and they had nothing else to do.

In the end, Grandmother Jia was only briefly shocked. When she looked up, she saw that the maids and servants had all crowded around, which was quite improper.

The old lady glanced at them, and the servants quickly and tactfully retreated. A few who lacked tact were even pulled away by their companions...

Then Grandmother Jia said, "You really don't know how to cherish things! How can you preserve such a fine item like this? Won't you feel bad if you damage it?"

Jia Lian replied with a smile, "I heard that the master was ill, so I rushed back. I only had a few fast horses, so I had to bring them along like this for convenience."

Everyone understood; it was for portability. They thought to themselves, "I knew it! If Jia Lian didn't care, he could have given it to us..."

Wang Xifeng had already asserted her dominance, taking the tray from the maid and holding it herself.

The old scholar Jia Dairu was naturally embarrassed to squeeze in with a group of young girls, so he waited for others to move aside before he saw the mountain of ginseng and was overjoyed!

The grandson is saved...

Out of consideration for his status, he was too embarrassed to come forward and ask for it, and just waited for Jia Lian to take the initiative to fulfill his promise.

Jia Lian knew that the old man had a strong sense of self-respect. To be honest, such an old man was much better than someone who shamelessly relied on his age. Therefore, he smiled and said, "The ginseng is all here. Take as much as you need, Master Dairu."

Jia Dairu's face immediately lit up with joy. He thanked Jia Lian as he came forward.

He had intended to shamelessly take a couple more, but seeing Wang Xifeng's phoenix eyes staring straight at him, his face flushed red with embarrassment. He only managed to take three smaller ones before awkwardly stopping...

Although the larger one would be better, the smaller one is more practical for him because the doctor said he should take ginseng soup. Besides, it will prevent others from thinking he is greedy, since it doesn't cost any money anyway.

Seeing this, Jia Lian found the old man, though seemingly pedantic, quite endearing. Thinking of his tragic life—losing his father early, his son in middle age, and now, seemingly destined to lose his grandson in his old age—he casually picked up two larger ginseng roots and handed them to him, saying with a smile, "Brother Rui is seriously ill, and I should have gone to see him, but the master is also seriously ill, so I'm afraid I can't go. Consider these ginseng roots a small token of my appreciation as his elder brother."

"Please feel free to take it and use it. If you need anything else in the future, just come to me."

Jia Dairu was overjoyed. He had brought twenty or thirty taels of silver with him before he came, intending to buy ginseng. If Jia Lian agreed, he would be willing to spend money to buy some... although he knew that his silver wouldn't buy much.

Looking at the nearly half-pound (eight ounces) ginseng in his arms, the joy and emotion in his heart caused his hands to tremble slightly.

He looked at Jia Lian, his old eyes filled with tears, wanting to bow to Jia Lian but afraid of dropping the ginseng in his arms. When Jia Lian saw this and helped him up, he choked up and said, "Thank you, young master. If Rui'er can survive because of this, I will definitely have him come to you personally to kowtow to you and thank you for saving his life..."

Jia Lian held Jia Dairu up to stop him from being too polite, but in his heart he thought, "If I call Jia Rui to kowtow, I'm afraid that kid will be too scared to come!"

The elderly couple, Jia Dairu and his wife, had been relying entirely on their grandson in their later years, so it goes without saying how they felt now that Jia Rui was nearing the end of his life.

Those inside the hall, seeing Jia Dairu's behavior, couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed.

Then they felt that Jia Lian had truly grown up and become accomplished, acting with generosity and respecting the elderly and virtuous. Thus, they completely forgot about the absurd things Jia Lian had done in the past, and only felt that with a successor like Jia Lian, the Jia family would surely prosper and the household would be harmonious in the future.

Grandmother Jia repeatedly offered words of comfort to Jia Dairu. Because Jia Dairu was anxious, he didn't linger and left, expressing his deepest gratitude.

Meanwhile, Jia Lian saw that Wang Xifeng's lips were pouting because of his "spendthrift behavior," so he couldn't help but slap her lips and scrape them off.

Unbeknownst to them, this was happening in full view of many people, who, in their astonishment, began to chuckle. This made Wang Xifeng extremely embarrassed. She glared at Jia Lian, then, trying to cover her embarrassment, said, "Leaving it like this is simply improper. I'll take it home and get some proper storage..."

She wanted to leave, but then thought that doing so would make Grandmother Jia and the others think she was stingy, so she added, "Now that you've made your fortune, there's no reason for you not to be filial to Grandmother and Madam. Once you've packed everything up, you'll naturally pick the best to send to Grandmother and Madam."

This is Wang Xifeng's cunning. She was clearly afraid that Jia Lian, who wasn't in charge of the household, wouldn't know the cost of living and would give away all the money he was owed. So she took it away in advance.

Grandmother Jia sighed, "There's no need to send any more. I still have ginseng to use. He brought this back for your master's medical treatment, so you should keep it safe and prepare it for him. If he really benefits from it, it will be a testament to his filial piety."

Wang Xifeng then remembered Jia She's presence, nodded quickly, and left with Qingwen.

Wang Xifeng was incredibly generous when using public funds, but when it came to her own private property, she became extremely frugal – truly remarkable.

Although he felt his wife was a little embarrassed, since she had already taken it, he couldn't very well try to take it back.

Therefore, Jia Lian, seeing the somewhat disappointed Yingchun and the others, said in a low voice, "Come to my place later, I have even better things for you, just for you..."

Although Grandmother Jia hadn't heard the whole story, she could tell from the delight on Yingchun and the others' faces. So she said to them, "Don't keep pestering them for it. That stuff is very nourishing. You children are already prone to getting too much internal heat, and eating too much of it won't be good for you!"

Yingchun and the others immediately agreed.

Originally, they didn't intend to eat it, but seeing such good food slipping past them, especially since it belonged to their own brother, they felt uneasy not grabbing a piece.

Grandmother Jia then said to Jia Lian, "You've come all this way, you must be tired. There's nothing else to do here, so you should go back and rest."

"Yes."

Jia Lian then stood up, bid farewell to Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Aunt Xue, and left.

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