The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 377 Autumn Scenery in Xue Garden
The next day, Jia Huan got up early as usual, did morning exercises for half an hour as usual, and after breakfast, he washed and dressed with the help of the foreign maid, changed into the jade-colored scholar's robe, wore a square scarf on his head, mounted his horse and went to Xue's house.

Xue Ke had obviously been waiting in the front hall for a long time. After hearing the news, he immediately came out to greet them and ordered the servants to take the mounts of Jia Huan and others to the stable and take good care of them. As for the entourage such as Xing Wei and Mu Ye, a steward took them away to entertain them warmly and did not dare to neglect them at all.

"Second brother Ke, is my aunt doing well these days?" Jia Huan asked as he followed Xue Ke to the back house of the Xue Mansion.

Xue Ke replied, "It's fine. Brother Huan sent a wild deer yesterday. Auntie was so happy that she ordered someone to kill and pickle it overnight. The kitchen was busy this morning."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "It seems like I'm in for a treat today. By the way, has Cousin Pan's injury healed?"

Xue Ke hesitated and said, "Brother's...injury is no longer serious."

Jia Huan saw Xue Ke's strange expression, so he asked in a low voice: "What's wrong? Sister Bao came to see me yesterday, but is cousin Pan in trouble again?"

Xue Ke said hurriedly, "No, it's just... that's all. Brother Huan is not an outsider, so it's okay for me to tell you. Although my brother's injury has healed, his temper is worse than before. He gets angry easily and behaves very strangely. Several maids who served him were scared by his beatings and scoldings. Auntie just thought that my brother didn't like them, so she bought a maid with outstanding appearance to serve him. I think my brother was quite satisfied at first, but unexpectedly, that night, the new maid was beaten by him again, and the injury was not light. She spoke nonsense and was crazy. I guess she was scared. Auntie had to return her to the boy and compensated her with ten taels of silver for medicine."

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he asked thoughtfully, "Have you ever asked the doctor to come for a follow-up visit?"

Xue Ke said awkwardly, "I did, but my eldest brother insisted that he was not sick and refused to let the doctor see him. Brother Huan also knows my eldest brother's temper. His nickname is the Dumb King. No one can beat him. He left early this morning."

Jia Huan frowned secretly. This guy Xue Pan must have known that he was coming today, so he was hiding on purpose. It seemed that after he had given him a good beating last time, this "stupid bully" was indeed a little afraid of him.

Xue Ke sighed and said, "Let's not talk about this. My aunt, elder sister and younger sister are still waiting. Let's go in."

Jia Huan nodded and followed Xue Ke to Aunt Xue's room. As they walked, the latter asked tentatively, "A few days ago, Lei Zhengfa suddenly returned the 80,000 taels of silver, and even Jia Yucun returned the 300 taels of gold intact. Brother Huan, do you know the reason?"

"This is a good thing. Maybe these two have a change of heart." Jia Huan said casually.

Xue Ke shook his head repeatedly: "I would rather believe that the rooster lays eggs than believe that they will have a change of heart."

Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh.

Xue Ke bowed deeply to Jia Huan and said gratefully: "Although Brother Huan does not admit it, we all know that it must be Brother Huan who helped behind the scenes. To be honest, Brother Huan has helped my Xue family so much during this period of time. I really don't know how to thank you."

Jia Huan hurriedly supported him and said, "Brother Ke, you are being polite. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go in and don't keep my aunt and the others waiting for too long."

So the two of them went straight to Aunt Xue's room, where a maid had already announced, "Mr. Huan San is here."

Aunt Xue, Baochai and Baoqin came out to greet them upon hearing the sound, and Jia Huan hurried forward to greet them.

"Don't be so polite, Brother Huan." Aunt Xue held Jia Huan's hand and asked about his well-being. Her friendliness made Jia Huan feel a little embarrassed, as this kind of treatment had only been enjoyed by Jia Baoyu in the past.

Xue Baochai was considerate and noticed that Jia Huan was a little uncomfortable, so she said, "Mother, let's go inside and talk." After saying that, she smiled gently at Jia Huan.

Everyone went into the house and sat down to chat for a while, then Aunt Xue ordered, "Go and call the master to accompany the guests."

Xue Ke said hurriedly: "Brother left home not long ago, and is not in the mansion now."

Aunt Xue couldn't help but said angrily, "This bastard, he knew that we had guests today, but he went out at this time. Moreover, his injury had just healed, and you didn't stop him, Tad."

Xue Ke lowered his head in embarrassment, and Xue Baochai hurried to help him out, saying, "Brother has been staying in the house all day long. Now that he is fine, it would be good for him to go out and relax. Besides, given Brother Ke's temper, there is no way Brother Ke can stop him. Mother, you don't have to be angry, just let him be."

Aunt Xue sighed inwardly and didn't mention it anymore. She continued to chat with Jia Huan about family matters. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime.

After the meal, Aunt Xue began to feel sleepy. She had the habit of taking a nap, so she asked Baochai and others to entertain the guests, and she went back to her room to take a nap.

Xue Baoqin was clever and yawned with her hands covering her mouth, saying, "I feel a little sleepy today. I'm going to go back and take a nap. Brother Huan, elder sister, I'm sorry to leave you." After that, she got up and left.

Xue Baochai wanted to say something but stopped herself, while Baoqin had already left the room with her maid without looking back. As for Xue Ke, he had left long ago after lunch as he had other things to do, so only Jia Huan and Baochai were left in the room, along with their two personal maids, Ying'er and Wenxing.

Jia Huan and Baochai looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little warm.

"Sister Bao (Brother Huan)" The two of them were silent for two seconds, and then spoke again almost at the same time. Ying'er and Wenxing couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. Xue Baochai's face was slightly hot and she said, "Brother Huan, it's boring to sit here like this, why don't you go out to the yard for a walk?"

Jia Huan had just wanted to say goodbye, but when he heard this, his heart warmed and he blurted out, "Okay!"

So, Xue Baochai stood up and led the way, and Jia Huan followed her out of the house. Wen Xing was about to follow, but Ying'er quietly pulled her back and gave her a wink, so the former hesitated for a moment and finally did not follow.

Baochai led Jia Huan for a while and then she realized that Ying'er and Wenxing did not follow them. She felt flustered and wanted to call for help but was too embarrassed, so she just kept going.

Soon, the two passed through a hanging flower gate and came to the back garden of Xue Mansion. It was late autumn at this time, with yellow leaves rustling and only colorful chrysanthemums blooming in the wind. Cotton-like white clouds floated in the blue sky, making people feel relaxed and happy.

Jia Huan took a deep breath and chanted: "The pine trees in the deep valley are old and forget about their glory and death; the clouds in the vast sky are free to roll and unroll."

Xue Baochai stopped, turned around and smiled, "Lu Fangweng's words are about tranquility and seclusion, and transcendence. Such a state of mind is certainly fascinating. But Brother Huan is in the prime of his life, full of vigor and vitality, why does he say such a negative and worldly tone?"

Today, Xue Baochai wore a light red gauze shirt that was neither new nor old, and a pink jacket, which made her look even more slender and graceful. Her gentle and dignified appearance also added a bit of girlish charm. At this moment, the way she looked back and smiled was even more pleasing to the eye and heart-beating, so much so that Jia Huan couldn't help but blurt out, "It's for no other reason than to win a glance from Sister Bao!"

Xue Baochai's face suddenly flushed with red, as if she was annoyed but not quite happy. Jia Huan then realized that Meng Lang was wrong and was about to think of ways to remedy the situation, but she had already turned around and walked away, soon disappearing behind a rockery.

Jia Huan secretly regretted his quick words, which made Baochai, who was usually good-tempered, so angry that she "left in anger".

For a moment, Jia didn't know whether to follow him, apologize like Big Face Bao, or turn around and run away.

Jia Huan hesitated for a moment, but finally followed her. However, after turning around the rockery, he could not see Xue Baochai anymore, and she had disappeared too.

"It's over! Could it be that Sister Bao is really angry this time?" Jia Huan was wondering secretly when he suddenly caught a glimpse of an octagonal pavilion built facing the pond in the distance. A tuft of pink clothes was visible from behind the red pillars.

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he hurried over. Sure enough, he saw Baochai leaning against the railing in the pavilion to watch the fish. So he walked up to her shamelessly and asked, "Sister Bao, what are you looking at here? You didn't even wait for me. I almost got lost."

Xue Baochai's expression had returned to normal at this moment, as if nothing had happened just now. She just glanced at Jia Huan unhappily.

Jia Huan was feeling embarrassed, but Xue Baochai asked softly, "Brother Huan, tell me honestly, how did you convince Yi Hong?"

"What do you want to convince Yi Hong of?" Jia Huan asked in confusion.

Xue Baochai said angrily, "Mr. Huan has not only learned the glib tongue of that frivolous playboy, but he also pretends to be stupid. When you see your uncle one day, I will tell on you."

Jia Huan smiled awkwardly and said, "Please don't do that. It was my fault. Sister Bao is a very tolerant person. Please forgive me."

Xue Baochai couldn't help laughing out loud: "What prime minister? I am just a woman, I can't stand it."

Jia Huan said with a smile: "Who cares if he is a prime minister, a minister or a junior minister? As long as Sister Bao smiles, that's all that matters."

Xue Baochai felt somewhat helpless, yet also somewhat secretly delighted, and asked in a gentle voice, "Did Brother Huan reach any deal with Yi Hong?"

"Hey, why does Sister Bao ask this?"

"People like Yi Hong are eager for quick success and instant benefits. If there is no considerable benefit, why would he give up the benefits he has already obtained? Although 80,000 taels of silver is not much, it is not too little either." Xue Baochai looked at Jia Huan with her beautiful eyes and continued, "Since ancient times, cruel officials have all had bad endings. I don't want Brother Huan to have too many interests tied to people like Yi Hong for... me... our Xue family."

Jia Huan felt warm in his heart and smiled, "Don't worry, Sister Bao, I know what to do and won't let Yi Hong get involved."

Xue Baochai breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this and nodded, "Since Brother Huan says so, I feel relieved." After she finished speaking, she felt her face getting slightly hot. She turned around, held the railing, and pretended to look at the scenery in the pond.

The affection that Baochai inadvertently revealed made Jia Huan's heart surge with eagerness, and he almost couldn't help but hug the beauty's slender waist from behind, but he didn't dare to act rashly. Although he didn't care, Baochai certainly did. After all, it was a society with strong feudal ethics. If his impulsive behavior was seen by the servants, wouldn't it ruin Baochai's reputation?
Jia Huan forced himself to suppress the impulse in his heart, put his hands on the railing, and leaned against it with Baochai to look out.

In late autumn, the water chestnuts in the pond have long withered, as if covered with a yellow and green blanket.

(End of this chapter)