The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 709: Rest at Xiaoxiang Pavilion

Jia Lian dismounted in front of the Ningguo Mansion, and two servants immediately came forward to take off his armor and put on a casual dress that had been prepared long ago.

Picking up a mourning scarf and tying it around his head, Jia Lian walked into the mansion and came to Jia Jing's mourning hall. He lit a stick of incense for Jia Jing and learned the news of Youshi's return from Xiao Xichun, who was keeping vigil nearby.

When he arrived at Ningxuan Hall, he did not see Youshi, but only saw Qin Keqing hugging Jia Heng and playing with her.

"Where's my sister-in-law?"

"I don't know. He said he was going to visit the old lady, but I don't know why he hasn't come back yet."

Qin Keqing looked at Jia Lian with a smile. She had just arrived in the front yard and saw Jia Lian and Xichun talking from a distance. It seemed difficult to communicate with Jia Lian in front of so many people, so she thought that Jia Lian would come to Ningguo Mansion to see the two children, so she came here in advance.

Jia Lian took Jia Heng from Qin Keqing and was about to give him a kiss, but he dodged away in disgust. Jia Heng frowned and said proudly: "Second uncle stinks..."

Qin Keqing saw Jia Lian was stunned, and seemed to think of something. She took a step closer and sniffed, then said with a smile: "How come Second Uncle drank so much? He smells so bad that he even made the children drunk."

Having said that, he carried Jia Heng back.

Jia Lian had no choice but to sit on a chair alone and said casually, "I had a few drinks with the soldiers in the army."

The recent training of the Firearms Battalion was successfully completed, and they should have been rewarded generously. However, in the national mourning period, nothing should be publicized. And because today was Jia Lian's birthday, under the strong urging of the generals, Jia Lian prepared simple wine and drinks to reward the soldiers in the army, and he also drank a few more cups.

After teasing Jia Heng for a while, she didn't hear Jia Lian speak for a long time. When she looked back, she saw that Jia Lian looked gloomy. Qin Keqing guessed that he might be tired, so she put the child in the crib and walked to Jia Lian. While rubbing Jia Lian's shoulders to loosen his bones, she said softly: "Uncle's outside work is important, but you can't work too hard. Uncle is still young and has enough time to do those things in the future. If he tires himself out now, not only will Aunt Feng be distressed, but it will also be an unbearable loss to the country and the family. I hope Uncle will understand."

Qin Keqing was never a superficial woman, and Jia Lian felt comforted by her words.

He took her hand and patted it gently to show that he was listening, and then let the beautiful woman's soft and boneless body sit in his arms.

The beauty has a face as white as jade, eyes full of life, and is dressed in white mourning clothes. She is so charming and pure that one can't wait to peel off her outer shell and enjoy the white flesh inside.

After all, he knew that this kind of temptation was just normal, so he barely suppressed the impulse. He just lowered his head, ignoring the smell of alcohol on his body, and sealed the beautiful woman's fragrant mouth.

After a few deep kisses, he let go.

The beautiful lady Qin was already in a delicate state, with misty eyes. She looked up at Jia Lian and suddenly said, "When my mother-in-law came back today, she asked about the family affairs and learned that everything was taken care of by my uncle. My mother-in-law was very grateful.

She also said that today is her uncle's birthday, and although it is not convenient to publicize it due to internal and external reasons, we should still take this opportunity to prepare some wine to thank her uncle, which would be our intention.

If uncle is free, I will go downstairs to prepare now. In the evening, my mother-in-law and I will definitely toast uncle a few glasses of wine to thank him..."

Qin Keqing said slowly.

Jia Lian had no doubt about her sincerity, and it was not difficult for him to understand the other meaning hidden in her words.

It was an erotic invitation between them that they both understood each other without needing to say it out loud.

However, Jia Lian still shook his head and refused: "No need. Things are in a mess here, and my sister-in-law is tired from the journey, so it's not appropriate to trouble her. Let's talk about thanking her later."

In addition, I have already told Ping'er to prepare some wine and food, and invite the sisters to come over to play in my courtyard in the evening. If you and your eldest sister-in-law are free, come over and have a drink."

After hearing what Jia Lian said, Qin Keqing had no reason to force it, so she could only nod and say "Okay", then watched Jia Lian get up and walk out of the room.

……

From Ningguo Mansion Huifang Garden to Grand View Garden,

Perhaps he was really a little drunk, Jia Lian did not stop and went straight from the path at the foot of Longcui Mountain to Yihongyuan Avenue, ready to go home and rest.

But when he was about to reach Qinfang Bridge, he saw Zhen Yuhuan and her maid Manxue walking towards him.

Jia Lian stood where he was, waiting for the two of them to come forward.

"Where are you going?"

When Zhen Yuhuan saw Jia Lian, she was obviously delighted. She walked forward quickly, and when she heard Jia Lian's question, she smiled and said, "Sister Xiangyun sent someone to tell me where the flowers were in full bloom, and asked me and Sister Lin to go there to appreciate the flowers. Sister Lin was too lazy to move, so I went alone..."

Zhen Yuhuan said, taking a step forward and jokingly said, "Brother, are you here to see Sister Lin? It happens that I'm not here, so I won't disturb you and Sister Lin from talking privately, hehe..."

Seeing her bright smile, Jia Lian also smiled. This girl's personality is quite different from Daiyu's. She is more lively than Daiyu... No, Daiyu is also very lively, but her liveliness has a long cooling time and the triggering conditions are random...

Thinking of Daiyu, Jia Lian actually wanted to go and see her first.

  Although Zhen Yuhuan was joking, her words were not wrong at all. Zhen Yuhuan lived in Xiaoxiang Pavilion and ate and lived with Daiyu. Although the two got along well, it somewhat affected his emotional communication with Daiyu!

It was fine at the beginning. When Jia Lian went to see Daiyu, this girl knew to take the initiative to avoid him.

Ever since they got to know each other, and especially after the last misunderstanding and making things clear, Jia Lian could clearly feel that this girl was taking him, her "brother", more seriously.

The result was that when he went to see Daiyu again, it would be fine if he didn't meet her, but if he did, she would not avoid him. Instead, she would act as a cheerful light bulb beside him, making it even more difficult for Daiyu, who was already very shy, to express her true feelings in front of him.

I originally thought that this girl was unintentional and just wanted to be close to him, so I couldn't blame her. But now that I heard her say this, I realized that she was not ignorant, but was doing it on purpose.

He shook his head and told her to be careful when playing with the crazy girl Xiangyun, and not to go too crazy and get bumped into things, then he walked towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

"and many more."

When they were about to pass each other, Zhen Yuhuan stopped him.

Zhen Yuhuan was seen facing Jia Lian, staring at him for a long while, then suddenly she took out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve, took a step forward, raised her head and gently wiped the corner of Jia Lian's mouth.

"Brother, you are too careless. You didn't even notice that there was rouge on your lips. If Sister Lin saw it, you would have no way to explain it..."

She spoke so seriously, and her movements were so natural. She was clearly a young girl who had not yet reached puberty, but her behavior had a certain virtuous manner.

Jia Lian himself was a little dazed. For a moment, it was as if he really had such a sister who cared about him.

But he knew that she was not. And looking down at her beautiful face that was 90% similar to Daiyu, smelling the fragrance of the girl so close, he could still clearly remember the touch of her tender lips and the soft and fragrant petite body under her fresh clothes...

Zhen Yuhuan didn't know why she made such a bold move, and in front of the maid. Her words seemed more like an explanation for her behavior.

But facing Jia Lian's somewhat stunned and profound expression, she couldn't stand still after all. She lowered her eyebrows, her pretty face flushed, and she withdrew her hand and was about to retreat.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm around her back, and then her body, which looked particularly petite in front of Jia Lian, was pressed against Jia Lian's chest.

Before she could react, a big hand patted her on the back, and then Jia Lian's voice came to her ears: "Thank you, sister."

Before she could react, she felt her whole body being released.

She was dizzy and looked up at Jia Lian, but he just smiled and said, "Go."

So she felt ashamed and embarrassed, nodded stupidly, and walked away quickly. Not long after she walked, she couldn't help but look back, and saw Jia Lian still looking at her. She couldn't help but walk faster, and soon disappeared at the end of the road.

Jia Lian kept smiling as he thought: this girl is really rare, no wonder she is so favored at home, but unfortunately...

Stopping his delusions, Jia Lian turned around and asked Aqi and Aqin behind him to go back and rest first, while he walked towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion alone.

When I arrived at Daiyu's boudoir, I didn't see anyone, but the maid Zijuan came over quickly.

"Where are your girls?"

"The girl said she felt a little tired, and she just had someone boil some hot water and is taking a bath..."

Bathing? Jia Lian muttered something, not knowing what scene came to his mind. He swayed and sat down on the soft couch where Daiyu usually read.

"Second Master, please have some tea."

Zijuan poured a cup of tea and held it in Jia Lian's hands. Seeing that Jia Lian took it but didn't drink it, and just stared at her, she could not help but quietly take a step back.

After all, this was not the first or second time that Jia Lian bullied her, and the girl was not there at the moment, so no one could protect her. If Jia Lian wanted to do something to her, how could she resist?

Fortunately, although Jia Lian looked at him unkindly, he did not attack anyone in the end. He just took a sip of tea and then lay down on the couch, saying in an imperative tone, "I've been walking for half a day and my legs are a little sore. Come and give them a massage."

"Yes."

Zijuan walked over and saw that Jia Lian had indeed closed his eyes. She then obediently knelt beside the couch, raised her delicate fists, and gently massaged Jia Lian's legs.

Daiyu rarely let her serve like this, but Zijuan had learned these basic skills when she was in Jia's mother's room. Therefore, her movements were very light, her techniques were very professional, and she was a little cautious.

She was afraid that Jia Lian's request for her to pat her legs was fake, but he was really taking the opportunity to flirt with her. It wasn't that she didn't want to be flirted with by Jia Lian. After all, she served Daiyu with loyalty, and had already made up her mind to follow Daiyu for the rest of her life. According to Daiyu's loyalty to Jia Lian, she was determined to do so in this life, so she was destined to serve them in the future.

But because of this, she could not have an affair with Jia Lian before Daiyu officially married him and before Daiyu agreed.

This is disloyalty to Daiyu. This is the truth that Jia Lian came to after he pulled her hand and kissed her lips several times, making her heart flutter.

Therefore, she made up her mind to avoid Jia Lian and must not be suspected of seducing her master.

With a firm mind, Zijuan would naturally look at Jia Lian's face from time to time. Then she soon realized that she might have been being sentimental.

Jia Lian not only had no intention of taking the opportunity to flirt with her, but seemed to have fallen asleep. This was finally confirmed when Jia Lian suddenly pulled his legs away from her hands and turned over to lie on his side.

Zijuan was a little stunned, and finally could only sigh helplessly: "Second Master must be too tired."

So he stood up, brought over the small quilt that Daiyu often used, and put it on Jia Lian.

"What's up with him?"

Daiyu's voice suddenly came from behind. After making the quilt, Zijuan, who couldn't help but take the opportunity to take a few more glances at Jia Lian's appearance, was startled.

Turning back, she saw that it was indeed Daiyu and Xueyan who came in. She lowered her voice and said, "Second Master must be tired. He just lay here and fell asleep in a short while."

"Fell asleep?"

Daiyu came over with some suspicion. It was common for Jia Lian to visit her Xiaoxiang Pavilion, but this was the first time that he fell asleep while waiting for her.

After turning her head to check and confirming that Zijuan was not lying, Daiyu seemed to be somewhat annoyed, but finally said, "Since he is asleep, don't disturb him."

After saying that, he took Zijuan and Xueyan into the inner room to change clothes.

After a while, Zijuan and Xueyan took Daiyu's clothes to wash, while Daiyu came out alone and sat next to Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Lian wrapped in her quilt, sleeping soundly, even the fatigue between her brows quietly dissipated. She watched silently for a while, then reached out to tuck the quilt in again, and found that Jia Lian was not awakened by this, and her heart could not help but feel a little pain.

She knew that the eldest master of the East Mansion had passed away, and there must be a lot of things to take care of. Moreover, Jia Lian always remembered the promise he made to her, and no matter how busy he was, he would come to see her every two days and talk.

Therefore, although she didn't care much, she knew that Jia Lian had a lot of work to do outside. He had to take care of so many things, both inside and outside.

To be honest, Daiyu also didn't understand why Jia Lian worked so hard for the emperor and tried so hard to be the "parasite" in Jia Baoyu's words.

She thought about persuading Jia Lian many times, but she held back.

After all, she didn't want to use Jia Lian's love for her to interfere with him, and she didn't want to be an ignorant woman in the eyes of others. Even if she understood, Jia Lian might not blame her.

She couldn't do what Feng Ji did, always considering Jia Lian and trying every means to safeguard Jia Lian's future. She didn't know how to do that and didn't like to do that.

She knew in her heart that Jia Lian was a man of his own ideas, and he didn't need her to be a "good wife" to help him with his plans. He just needed her to support him silently.

Thinking of this, Daiyu couldn't help but put her hand on Jia Lian's cheek, wanting to wipe away all his sorrows. But she was afraid of disturbing Jia Lian's sweet dream, so she only touched him lightly, then withdrew her hand, stood up and walked away.

I fed Gillian (the fat squirrel) and then looked at the parrot from the window...

Suddenly she looked back at the soft couch, and Daiyu began to feel increasingly irritated.

Why isn't he awake yet?

Although Jia Lian often went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, he would not stay there alone for too long in order to take care of Daiyu's mood and avoid gossip, unless Zhen Yuhuan or Sanchun and others were present, and everyone would recite poems and write couplets.

Therefore, Daiyu was used to Jia Lian coming to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to talk to her and at most play a game or two of chess with her before leaving.

Who would have expected this situation today... Could he sleep until dark?

If that were the case, not to mention what the servants in the courtyard would guess, even Ping'er and others in Jia Lian's own courtyard would probably follow the sound and come looking for him.

If she knew that Jia Lian had "slept" in her room, how could she put her face? It would be so embarrassing. She hadn't married yet, and she was just a cousin. How could a cousin sleep in his room?

She wanted to wake Jia Lian up, but couldn't bear to do so. So, after waiting for several "half a quarter of an hour" in her heart, she saw that Jia Lian still refused to wake up, so she finally made up her mind.

She walked to the guqin that she had placed under the west window and gently plucked the strings. With a "ding" sound, the melodious sound spread.

Daiyu finally smiled. She angrily glared at Jia Lian's back, who was still occupying her study, and thought to herself, "I didn't call you. I was just playing the piano in my room. If you woke up by the sound of the piano, you can't blame others."

  Who told you to sleep as deeply as a lazy pig!

Thus, the melodious sound of the piano soon spread throughout the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

The maids and servants who heard the music of the piano in the courtyard thought that Master Lian was appreciating Miss Lin's music again. They were indeed a match made in heaven with their talent and beauty, and their mood was elegant.

Little did they know that today this melodious piano music was just used by Miss Lin to wake up the sleepy Master Lian.

……