The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 712: Night at Rice Fragrance

That night, all the brothers and sisters in the Grand View Garden came to celebrate Jia Lian's birthday.

Daiyu didn't come.

No one knows the real reason except Jia Lian.

The birthday party was simple, with no drama or music.

But even so, when a group of people get together, without the constraints of elders, they just laugh and joke with each other, and occasionally play games like drinking games, which is enough to have a good time and not disperse until late at night.

Although Jia Lian drank a lot of wine with his sisters, it was all yellow wine with little strength, which was just so-so to Jia Lian.

So after taking a bath, I no longer felt too sleepy.

So Jia Lian changed into clean clothes, took Xiangling with him, and went to the garden to see Daiyu.

Daiyu had already fallen asleep, but Zhen Yuhuan had just finished bathing. She was wearing a white shirt and trousers, looking unusually cute and sweet.

Jia Lian sat and talked with Zhen Yuhuan for a while. He saw that Daiyu lay quietly in bed the whole time, not moving at all. He didn't know whether she was really sleeping soundly or was too embarrassed to see him.

But he did not force it, and immediately left Xiaoxiang Pavilion and headed north to Hengwu Garden.

Turning the corner of the mountain, I caught a glimpse of a few scattered spots of light in Daoxiang Village below, accompanied by the chirping of insects, and the atmosphere was full of tranquility and peace.

Jia Lian suddenly stopped.

Baochai is a cold beauty, not as easy to fool as Daiyu. In other words, treating Baochai the same way as Daiyu may not have a very good effect.

For example, Daiyu is a person who wants to move when she is very still, and wants to be still when she is very still. As long as you remember to visit her from time to time, your feelings for each other will naturally increase.

Baochai is obviously a person who can endure loneliness. I'm afraid she won't be affected by "showing concern and asking about her well-being".

What's more, at this time in Hengwu Garden, there was not only Aunt Xue, but also Xiuyan, Xiangyun and Baoqin.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult to improve the relationship with Baochai without preparation.

So Jia Lian turned his head and said to Xiangling beside him: "You don't have to follow me, go back first."

Although Xiangling was confused, she did not ask any more questions. She nodded and was about to hand the lantern to Jia Lian.

"You hold it yourself. It's so dark now, I'd be sad if you fell." Jia Lian touched Xiangling's little head.

In the dim light, a hint of shyness flashed across Xiangling's little face.

"Then... what should I do, Master?"

"It's okay. Your Second Master has been practicing martial arts for many years and has developed the ability to see at night. It's no problem."

Xiangling was skeptical. She looked up at the night sky, thinking that this place was not far from Hengwu Garden, and that when Jia Lian came back, Aunt Xue and others would arrange for someone to see him off, so she obediently went back with the lantern.

Watching Xiangling turn into a ball of light and disappear into the distance, Jia Lian turned around and, as if he could really see at night, he walked down the hillside at a rapid pace.

But he did not go directly to Hengwu Garden as Xiangling had imagined. Instead, he suddenly turned off the main road, walked around two fences in a secluded place, and arrived in front of a low wall made of yellow mud.

With his hands on the straw on the wall, he easily climbed into the yard with almost no effort.

The sound of it landing startled the livestock and animals living in the nearby fence, causing them to make some noises.

Jia Lian stood still, feeling amused.

Fortunately, Daoxiangcun has always only raised docile poultry and livestock such as chickens, ducks, and geese, and no dogs.

After taking a look at the situation in Daoxiang Village, I found that it was indeed late at night and everything was quiet and dark.

So Jia Lian did not hesitate any longer and came to the largest thatched cottage under the north wall. He counted from left to right to the second window and gently pushed it.

……

Aunt Li is only three or four years older than Li Wan.

The two had been together for two years before Li Wan got married, and they had similar personalities.

So this time when Aunt Li brought her two young daughters to Beijing, she came to the Jia Mansion to visit Li Wan first.

Of course, this also means representing the Li family to visit and comfort their married daughter.

They were close relatives and had similar fates, both of them becoming widows at a young age.

When we met again after so many years, naturally many emotions and thoughts came to our mind, and we shed tears as we looked at each other.

So even though Aunt Li originally had other arrangements, she still settled down in the Jia Mansion under the enthusiasm of Lady Jia and others.

After more than a month of getting along, the relationship between the aunt and niece became closer. In addition, Aunt Li's affairs in Beijing were almost settled, and she was already planning her trip back south, so she naturally cherished the time she spent with Li Wan.

These past few days, the aunt and niece almost always slept with their feet touching each other and talked to each other at night.

"Wen'er and Qi'er are still young, so you don't have to worry too much about their marriages.

Marriage is a lifelong event for a girl, so naturally it should be carefully considered and not rushed.

Don't worry, Auntie. I will keep an eye out for you in the future. If there is a suitable boy, I will let you know as soon as possible."

Under the dim light, Li Wan lay within the embroidered bed curtains and spoke with her eyes closed.

"Oh. How can I not worry?"

"They say that marriage is decided by parents. Unfortunately, your uncle passed away early, so I have to worry about this important matter.

I am a weak person, and I could use your sisters' young age to delay things before. But now I see them getting older day by day, and if I don't decide on my lifelong affairs soon, I'm afraid I will miss out on them in the future.

Besides, if anything happens to me, then…"

Li Wan felt both emotional and sad at her aunt's words.

She could empathize with her aunt's situation and thoughts.

When Jia Zhu died of illness, her status in the mansion plummeted. Even though her situation improved after she gave birth to a posthumous child, it was still limited.

So from then on, she began to worry about her son's future.

This includes being frugal to the point of not wanting to waste even a penny, and also urging his son to study hard since he was young, as only in this way could he have a good future.

Although these worries have become less serious after the appearance of a man.

But when I think back on it, I still can’t help feeling sad: life without a man to rely on is really too difficult.

Especially since her aunt was in a worse situation than her.

The Li family had already fallen on hard times, and she had to take care of two children all by herself!

Fortunately, Wen'er and Qi'er are both sensible.

Of course she knew that her aunt was bringing her daughter to Beijing this time, and she was just accompanying them.

The main reason was that the Li family had fallen into poverty and it was difficult to find a satisfactory marriage in the south, so my aunt asked her father and brothers from her natal family to help inquire about it.

The reason she came to Beijing this time was because her father and brothers from her natal family helped her contact several families, so she was able to bring her daughter to Beijing to visit him.

After comforting my aunt, the two of them gradually lost interest in the topic and I felt sleepy.

Li Wan wanted to get up and blow out the only candle in the room.

"Squeak~"

A slight sound reached her ears, and Li Wan initially thought it was just the sound of branches being blown by the wind in the backyard.

Many trees are planted inside and outside Daoxiang Village, especially apricot trees.

"Squeak~~"

Although the sound was slight, it continued to sound somewhat out of place in the quiet house.

Li Wan frowned slightly as she looked at Aunt Li who seemed to have heard the noise and sat up.

The sound came from outside.

  Could it be that the maids were careless and forgot to close the window tightly, and the wind blew the window and made the noise? I wanted to ignore it because the sound was gone. But I was also worried that it was not what I had guessed. Should I take a lantern and go over to take a look?

Before I could make up my mind, I saw that my aunt's face, which was originally a little confused, froze and she stared blankly at the door.

Li Wan slowly turned around, and her expression became the same as her aunt's.

……

There is always a little noise when the tightly closed wooden window is pushed open.

Therefore, Jia Lian used very little strength, and he was sure that as long as the people in the room were asleep, the noise would not wake them up.

But after he climbed into the house, he was surprised.

Although the room was dark, one could still see the fluttering gauze curtains and the dim candlelight in the inner room through the wooden screen.

  Could it be that Li Wan hasn’t slept yet?

Jia Lian didn't care. It didn't matter whether Li Wan fell asleep without blowing out the candles or was getting ready to sleep.

  She should be given a peaceful life and then have another surprise!

So he walked past the wooden screen and came to the main house - this ancient wooden house was not unfamiliar to him and had brought him beauty and excitement.

But then he was stunned.

With the help of candlelight, he could clearly see two thinly dressed women sitting opposite each other inside the incense tent.

One of them can be recognized, that is Li Wan.

The other one is neither Suyun nor Biyue.

For a moment, six eyes met.

Jia Lian suddenly felt that this scene seemed familiar.

Silence is momentary.

Jia Lian could clearly see that inside the hanging bed curtain, Li Wan's expression changed from shock to panic, and she subconsciously lowered her head. She didn't dare to look at the person opposite her.

The expression of the woman opposite her changed from surprise to thoughtfulness to panic.

She glanced at Li Wan, then quickly glanced at Jia Lian. As if she had thought of something, she immediately raised her hand to cover her chest and turned her head to the other side.

The body language of the two finally allowed Jia Lian to figure out that the person sitting opposite Li Wan was Aunt Li.

After a short pause, Jia Lian came to his senses. After all, considering the relationship between Li Wan and Aunt Li, it was not surprising that they slept together.

It’s just that he was so lustful that he didn’t anticipate this situation at all.

The most he did was to plan what to do if Li Wan's maid saw him on this trip.

The current situation made Jia Lian, who was always calm, feel a little unsure about how to deal with it.

Although there was a similar situation when he was in the Xue family in Jinling, that time it was completely the Second Madam who deliberately plotted against him and the First Madam, Zhuang.

As for Zhuang himself, he lost his innocence in his sleep without knowing it and was forced to accept the reality.

Jia Lian himself accomplished the feat of killing two birds with one stone without any effort or words.

The relationship between these two people is much more complicated than that between the first and second wives of the Xue family. The key is that they are both sober!

Therefore, let alone killing two birds with one stone, even escaping seems to be difficult.

After all, Jia Lian was used to being confident when facing women, so even though he was quickly thinking about the best strategy in his mind, his expression remained unchanged.

Even when Li Wan's aunt and niece were obviously at a loss, she took two steps forward, sat on the stool, and said with a pretentious smile: "Aunt is here too... I came to see my eldest sister-in-law, but I didn't expect Aunt to be here too. I'm sorry."

Li Wan lowered her head even more.

Aunt Li turned around and glanced at Jia Lian in surprise, as if she wanted to confirm the truthfulness of Jia Lian's words.

  Then she spat inwardly, scolding herself for being naive…How could she have ever heard of a decent person climbing through the window in the middle of the night to see her elder sister-in-law?

Aunt Li felt something collapse in her heart. Originally, the impression she had of Jia Lian was that of a young man with a modest character, noble status, and great abilities. He was a very positive and even majestic image.

Looking at Wan'er's appearance, I'm afraid they...

After secretly figuring out some truth, Aunt Li didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore.

She quietly pulled the quilt to cover her innocence that might be exposed, and whispered: "I came here to talk to Wan'er, and I didn't want the Marquis to come... Since the Marquis is here to see Wan'er, then I will leave first..."

As Aunt Li spoke, her face turned red unconsciously.

She had never encountered such an embarrassing situation in her life. Even in her imagination, it was impossible for such a scene to happen.

He hurriedly tightened his clothes and was about to get out of bed, put on his clothes and leave.

Suddenly, her arm was clamped by something. She felt as if she was attacked by a snake or scorpion, and immediately looked at Jia Lian.

"I'm afraid you can't leave yet." Jia Lian grabbed Aunt Li's arm and said calmly.

Aunt Li was panicked and didn't know what Jia Lian meant.

"I think Auntie has guessed it. As Auntie can see, I have a lot in common with Sister Wan, and she is a woman with a miserable life, so I will never allow anyone else to threaten Wan'er's safety.

If my aunt goes out and starts making a scene now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to end it."

Aunt Li hurriedly said, "Don't worry, my Lord. I will never say anything nonsense, nor will I shout..."

"Of course I believe what you said, Auntie. But this is a serious matter. For the sake of safety, Auntie should stay here for now."

Jia Lian's voice carried a hint of unquestionableness.

This made Aunt Li a little worried, and she couldn't help but think:

Yes, even in a middle-to-lower-class family like the Li family, the etiquette is so strict that I am usually very cautious and dare not take a wrong step.

Not to mention the Jia family, a family of nobles?

  He must be afraid that he would reveal what was going on between him and Wan'er!

Aunt Li shuddered suddenly. She was a little worried that if Jia Lian didn't trust her, he would do something to her to keep the secret!

Inside the bed curtains, Li Wan felt very embarrassed and somewhat touched when she heard what Jia Lian said.

However, seeing that her aunt seemed a little scared under Jia Lian's power, she couldn't help but say to Jia Lian: "Second uncle, don't bully my aunt, she won't hurt me..."

Jia Lian smiled, stood up and took off his outer robe.

This action immediately shocked Li Wan and Aunt Li.

Especially Aunt Li, she originally thought that Jia Lian didn't let her leave the house because he was worried that she would go out and make a noise.

In this way, as long as she stayed in the room and waited for Jia Lian to leave safely, she would be safe. Because by then, even if she cried out, without "catching the adulterer in pairs", her one-sided words might not hurt him, a great marquis, and naturally she would no longer be a threat.

  Unexpectedly, it seemed that Jia Lian was not in a hurry to leave... Could it be that he still wanted to bully Wan'er in front of him?

Li Wan was also a little at a loss.

But she knew very well that Jia Lian's behavior was very methodical, and seeing this she subconsciously began to think about Jia Lian's intentions.

  Could it be that my second uncle wanted to completely shut my aunt up in this way?

Yes, since what happened today has been seen by my aunt, my chastity and even my life and death are in her hands.

Second uncle must be considering her, so he wants to trap her aunt in the trap as well, so that her aunt will have no reason to betray her.

I just don't know if my second uncle just wanted my aunt to witness it with her own eyes, or if he wanted to ruin her body...

Li Wan was in a state of confusion. She was already indecisive, so she instinctively chose to let Jia Lian make the decision. She then buried her head in the bed like a quail, not daring to look anyone in the face.

"I am used to being served. There is no one else in this room to serve me. Could you please help me undress?"

After Jia Lian took off his outer robe, he seemed impatient to take off his inner garment, so he spread his arms. His tone sounded polite at first, but upon closer inspection, it sounded more like an order that could not be questioned.

Aunt Li was confused for a moment and had no idea what Jia Lian meant.

After hesitating for three seconds, she stepped forward and helped Jia Lian undress with a blushing face.

Anyway, she didn't know what to do now. Jia Lian was of noble status, and as a widow from a small family, it didn't seem cheap for her to serve him.

Run? Let’s not talk about whether she could outrun Jia Lian. Even if she could, she wouldn’t dare to.

  Although Jia Lian was usually very polite to her, she knew that if she really offended Jia Lian, with his power, he would have many ways to deal with her, a widow and helpless woman!

Therefore, she just wanted to go along with Jia Lian and skip this part. Anyway, she had never thought of revealing this secret from the beginning to the end.

Although this was the first time she had seen this, she knew that similar things should be very common in wealthy families' mansions.