Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 101 Gift Giving is an Art

"Second Master, try this, it's delicious! And this too..."

"Liu Feng smiled and patted Xueyan's head. Under his sweet talk, the little girl finally gave in and obediently called him "Second Master".

"When are your girls coming?"

"The girl didn't say she was coming!"

"Not coming?"

Xueyan nodded earnestly, her mouth full of snacks.

Liu Feng paused, then asked, "So you're here to deliver some snacks?"

Xueyan nodded, then quickly shook her head.

Liu Feng reached out and pressed her head down: "You're nodding and shaking your head, is it true or not?"

Xueyan's face was full of struggle. After holding it in for a long time, she finally blurted out in a soft voice, "The young lady told me not to say it."

Liu Feng seemed to understand something and asked again, "Are you going back in a little while?"

Xueyan, an honest child, shook her head.

Liu Feng laughed. This guy was sent by Lin Daiyu to keep an eye on him and Xue Baochai.

However, it wasn't that Lin Daiyu was petty. Just like in the original novel, before she and Jia Baoyu confessed their feelings to each other, she made all sorts of troubles because she was insecure and anxious. That's how she got sick.

It seems that my hooliganism a while ago wasn't for nothing.

Just then, footsteps came from the back room, and there was more than one person.

Liu Feng understood that Xue Baochai had arrived.

Before long, Xue Baochai, dressed in slightly worn winter clothes, hurriedly walked in. Although she wore light makeup, Liu Feng could tell at a glance that the girl had just been crying, with dark circles around her eyes, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well for the past few days.

Liu Feng pointed to the seat where Xueyan had just been sitting.

Xueyan had already wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, and obediently stood beside Liu Feng, bowing slightly to Xue Baochai and saying, "Miss Bao."

Xue Baochai paused for a moment, but wasn't too surprised. She nodded and sat down, then looked at Liu Feng with an anxious expression.

Liu Feng gestured towards the two plates of pastries: "These pastries are good, have a taste."

Xue Baochai was very shrewd; she immediately turned to Ying'er and said, "You two can go down now."

"Yes." Ying'er glanced at Xueyan and then left with her maids and servants.

Xueyan raised her little face, her proud little expression just like Lin Daiyu's.

Liu Feng leaned back in his chair and asked, "What's the situation now?"

Xue Baochai took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, touched the corner of her eye, and her voice revealed a hint of unease:

...Those old relatives from the Wang and Jia families said nice things and were willing to help, but they didn't accept a single gift...

'

Liu Feng sniffed the air, and a cool, sweet fragrance wafted from Xue Baochai's sleeve. Could this be the Cold Fragrance Pill?

After thinking for a moment, he looked at Xue Baochai and asked, "Did you take your medicine?"

Xue Baochai was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said, "My old ailment has flared up these past few days, and I just took a pill."

Xueyan tilted her head, staring at Liu Feng with a look that said, "How did you know?"

Xue Baochai poured out her grievances while wiping away tears, and Liu Feng shook his head as he listened. He quickly grasped the crux of the matter and raised his hand to interrupt her: "At this time, everyone is afraid of being caught red-handed..."

""

Xue Baochai was taken aback: "Can't we give gifts?"

Liu Feng shook his head: "It's not that we can't send it, it's that we're sending it the wrong way."

"Then, how should we deliver it?"

Liu Feng leaned closer to her.

Xue Baochai instinctively backed away, but seeing Liu Feng roll his eyes, she gritted her teeth and leaned back again.

Liu Feng really didn't intend to take advantage this time. As soon as Xue Baochai's big face got closer, a fragrance wafted over.

Liu Feng glanced at her and said softly, "There's a lot to learn about gift-giving. If you just shove gifts into someone's hands like that, unless you're out of your mind, who would dare accept it?"

He glanced at the pale face so close to his own, and said, "Listen to me, sell those valuables to them."

"Sell?" Xue Baochai asked in astonishment.

Liu Feng continued, "However, the price is another matter. A single old ginseng root costs three hundred taels, or three taels. A courtyard costs ten thousand taels, or one hundred taels... It's all about getting what you need."

He chuckled as he spoke, "Only when the deal is done will the other party feel at ease accepting the payment..."

'

Xue Baochai's eyes lit up immediately, and her tone was somewhat excited: "If they accept the gift, will they just turn a blind eye?"

Liu Feng imitated Xueyan, first nodding slightly, then shaking his head.

Xue Baochai was anxious and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Feng tapped the coffee table with his fingertips: "We need to find someone influential in the court and among the civil officials to step forward... Don't worry, I've already found someone for you, Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong."

"Prince Bei Jing?" Xue Baochai was slightly taken aback. "He's a renowned wise prince, why would he get involved in this mess?"

Liu Feng scoffed, "There are no deals that can't be made in this world, only prices that can't be agreed upon. The Jia and Wang families each owe him a favor, and if your Xue family blew a little more money, that would be about right."

Xue Baochai naturally sensed his disdain for Shui Rong, but she didn't have time to think about it. She quickly stood up and gave a deep bow, saying, "Thank you, Prison Warden Liu! I will definitely repay you handsomely after I'm done with this."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Our Xue family owes you a favor."

Liu Feng looked at her with a smile: "You misspoke, you owe me a favor."

Xue Baochai was stunned for a moment. Suddenly remembering her aunt Lady Wang's evaluation of Liu Feng, and then meeting his scrutinizing gaze, her heart tightened. She hurriedly said, "I...I'll go first." After saying that, she left in a flustered manner.

Liu Feng pursed his lips, thinking how rude he was. He turned to Xueyan, "Are you going to eat the pastries or not? If not, I'll take them back to Xiangling."

"Let's give this to Xiangling." Xueyan came up to help tidy up.

"From now on, you have to call her Sister Xiangling." Liu Feng raised his hand and gave her a light flick on the forehead.

"Why should I?" Xueyan covered her forehead, puffing out her cheeks in anger.

Liu Feng chuckled and pinched her chubby cheeks: "She's older than you."

"Second Master is so biased!" Xueyan turned and stormed off, but at the door of the back hall, she suddenly turned back. "Does Second Master have any message for Miss?"

talk?

Liu Feng thought for a moment, then his gaze inadvertently swept across the west wing of the hall. He saw a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, so he went over and picked up the brush to dip it in ink.

Soon, two Q-version figures with big heads and small bodies appeared on the paper. The boy stretched out a finger and tapped the girl's forehead.

Xueyan tilted her head, examining the painting, and frowned slightly. "Second Master, what does this painting mean?"

Liu Feng picked up the painting, gently blew on the ink, pressed it down with a piece of paper, then folded it and handed it to Xueyan: "Your young lady will understand at a glance."

"Second Master, I'm leaving!" Xueyan tucked the painting into her bosom and skipped away.

"This girl."

Liu Feng smiled and shook his head, picked up the food box and went home, waiting for the evidence of the civil official's corruption to come to him.

Lin Daiyu was initially confused, but when Xueyan said, "It seems that Prisoner Liu has guessed it," she looked at the painting more closely and blushed. In a daze, it was as if Liu Feng was really standing in front of her, extending a finger and gently touching her forehead.

"You bad guy!" Lin Daiyu pouted and slapped the boy in the painting twice. Suddenly, she couldn't help but laugh, picked up the painting and examined it carefully again. She laid out the paper, picked up her brush, and with a few swift strokes, an identical boy leaped onto the paper—

>