The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 384 Time Cycle
It was late at night, the autumn moon was hanging low in the sky, and the guests who had come to congratulate had left one after another, leaving only the mess of cups and chopsticks in the yard. Several restaurant workers were silently cleaning up the leftovers, as well as the pots, pans, and bowls.

After seeing off the last group of relatives and friends, Jia Huan couldn't help but let out a long sigh and returned to the house still a little drunk.

To be honest, twenty tables of wine were set up today to entertain nearly two hundred people, a considerable number of whom were relatives from various branches of the Jia family. Some so-called distant relatives who were not related at all also showed up. Jia Huan didn't know any of them, but he still had to greet them with a smile. After all, he still had to do the superficial work.

In addition, there were some local gentry officials who came uninvited, such as Jia Yucun. Although Jinyiwei commander Yi Hong did not come in person, he also sent people to deliver gifts, which was very impressive. Although Jia Huan was not very interested in this, he still had to entertain them enthusiastically. This is the world of fame and fortune in life, and it is inevitable that there will be people carrying fancy sedan chairs, and people have to help each other to save face and money.

When Jia Huan entered the house, the chef of the restaurant had just settled his wages with Lin Zhixiao. He bowed to Jia Huan with the heavy bag of money in his hand, and then left with a very satisfied look on his face.

"How much silver did it cost?" Jia Huan asked casually.

Lin Zhixiao immediately picked up the account book and said, "It's not much, twenty taels per table, including all the drinks, plus the wages of a few helpers, and various miscellaneous expenses, it's less than five hundred taels, all recorded in the public account, please take a look, Third Master."

Jia Huan waved his hand and said, "No need. Once the outside is cleaned up, you can go to bed early. Everyone has worked hard today."

Lin Zhixiao said it was not hard, this was what a servant should do. Seeing Jia Huan was about to go back to the backyard, he hurriedly said, "Third Master, all the gifts we received today are recorded on the list. You need to tell me how to deal with them."

Jia Huan took the gift list from Lin Zhixiao and glanced at it casually. He was shocked to find that he had received more than five thousand taels of silver alone, not to mention other valuable items such as jade, gold, and medicinal herbs. If he really calculated the amount, it would probably be over ten thousand taels.

Wow, spending several hundred taels of silver on a dinner party and getting a twenty-fold return, it's too easy to make money. However, the gifts from the Xue family undoubtedly accounted for the lion's share, including three hundred taels of gold, three thousand taels of silver, a pair of jade ruyi, a pair of agate bracelets, two ancient inkstones, as well as lacquerware, porcelain, celebrity paintings and calligraphy, etc. If all of these are converted into silver, the estimated value would be seven or eight thousand taels, the richness of which is staggering.

Of course, Jia Huan also knew that Aunt Xue and Sister Bao sent such a generous gift just to express their gratitude to him. In addition, Yi Hong actually sent a painting of Song Huizong, which was definitely worth a lot of money. Lei Zhengfa also sent 500 taels of congratulatory gifts, and Jia Yucun sent 300 taels.

Jia Huan hesitated for a moment, then ordered, "Anyone who holds an official position should withdraw their gifts."

"Okay!" Lin Zhixiao agreed respectfully, secretly praising Jia Huan for his clear mind and good conduct. Little did he know that Jia Huan just didn't want to be involved in too many interests in officialdom, that's all.

"Then do you want to return the gift from the Xue family?" Lin Zhixiao asked again.

"No need, keep them all!" Jia Huan casually handed the gift list back to Lin Zhixiao.

Lin Zhixiao smiled and said, "That's right. If the Third Master doesn't accept it, I'm afraid that will make the concubine feel uneasy."

Jia Huan said no more. He found a pair of Buyu shoes, a very distinctive Dunhuang jade statue of a flying fairy, and two agate bracelets among the gifts sent by the Xue family and put them in his arms. He asked Lin Zhixiao to put away the rest, and then, still a little drunk, he leisurely returned to the backyard.

It has been cloudy and rainy since September. It is a rare sunny day today. There is a moon in the evening, and the cold moonlight is pouring all over the ground.

Although Jia Huan's house is not big, it has two entrances, front and back. The second courtyard is actually just a small patio. There is a master bedroom in the front and a room on each side. Usually, little Xing Yuan lives in the room on the right.

As soon as Jia Huan stepped into the back house, he saw a small figure sitting in a corner of the patio with her knees hugged, staring at the stars and the moon in the sky in a daze, not knowing what she was thinking. The cold moonlight fell on her, as if she was covered with a layer of autumn frost. Her delicate and weak shadow seemed particularly deserted and lonely, which made people feel pity for her.

Jia Huan pondered for a moment, then walked over. At this moment, Xiao Yuanyuan was finally startled by the sound of Jia Huan's footsteps, and hurriedly stood up and saluted, saying, "Third Master!"

Jia Huan gestured for her to sit down, then he sat down on the eaves next to him and asked, "What is Mandalin doing in the room?"

"Sister Mandarin drank a few more glasses of wine and felt a little tired, so she went to bed." Xiao Yuanyuan said softly.

"Why don't you go to bed? The weather is cold, and the dew is heavy at night. If you sit here in a daze alone, you might catch a cold." Jia Huan said with a hint of reproach.

Xiao Yuanyuan was in a warm mood and whispered, "Third Master hasn't gone to bed yet. Someone has to keep the candlelight here. Oh, by the way, there's some hot sobering tea inside. I'll go pour Third Master a cup to sober him up." After saying that, she was about to stand up.

Jia Huan hurriedly stopped her and said, "Don't worry, I've only drunk three-tenths of a cup, there's no need to sober up. Didn't I tell you not to treat yourself as a servant? Besides, I don't need anyone to serve me, so you don't have to watch over me like this in the future. If you feel sleepy, just blow out the lights and go to bed. Children are growing up, so they need to get enough sleep." Xiao Yuanyuan smiled sweetly, her eyes curved into beautiful little crescents, and she shook her head and said, "But I'm not sleepy at all."

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible little girl in front of him, Jia Huan couldn't help but pinch her delicate little face. The latter blushed and closed her eyes, obviously enjoying Jia Huan's kiss, and her attachment was beyond words.

Thinking that this little girl was most likely the famous prostitute Chen Yuanyuan, Jia Huan felt strange. He retracted his hand, coughed lightly and said, "Yuanyuan, what's wrong with you today? You don't seem very happy. Are you sick?"

Listening to Jia Huan's gentle and caring words, Xiao Yuanyuan felt even warmer in her heart, but her nose felt slightly sour, and her bright eyes were covered with a layer of mist. She shook her head and said hurriedly: "I'm not unhappy... Yuanyuan is not sick!"

Jia Huan frowned and said, "It's not a good thing to lie."

Little Yuanyuan lowered her head and asked hesitantly, "Didn't Third Master say that he would send Yuanyuan back to her aunt's home in Gusu after the provincial examination?"

Jia Huan suddenly realized, "So you miss home, why didn't you tell me earlier? Let's go to Suzhou the day after tomorrow after the Luming Banquet."

"No, no, no... That's not what I meant." Xiao Yuanyuan waved her hands repeatedly and said with a chuckle, "I'm not in a hurry. It won't be too late to leave when Third Master is done with his work."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "It seems that you can't bear to leave us?"

Xiao Yuanyuan's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head as a sign of agreement.

Seeing this, Jia Huan couldn't help but feel pity. The poor little girl, her family suffered a tragedy when she was five or six years old. Both her parents died. She was taken by her wet nurse to live with her aunt in a faraway place. She had to live under the care of others since she was a child. In this respect, she is somewhat similar to Lin Daiyu, but obviously worse off than Lin Daiyu. Lin Daiyu at least had the love of Grandmother Jia, and lived a comfortable life with no worries about food and clothing for seven or eight years, while Xiao Yuanyuan's aunt's family was obviously very poor. After her wet nurse died, they had no money to bury her, so she could only sell herself to get money to bury the wet nurse.

Alas, if she hadn't met me by chance, she might have been a maid beside the female pirate Qin Hongyu all her life, and eventually become a female pirate herself, or become the concubine of some sloppy and dirty pirate leader.

Speaking of which, I really have a connection with this little girl. I met her twice and she was saved by me both times. No wonder this girl is so attached to me. Otherwise... I might as well keep her by my side and raise her. I can afford it anyway!
But on second thought, historical figures have their own opportunities, so it is better to let nature take its course, so as to avoid a small action of mine that would kill a touching legend and bury the wonderful life that originally belonged to Chen Yuanyuan. Without these legendary experiences, would Chen Yuanyuan still be Chen Yuanyuan?

Thinking of this, Jia Huan gave up the idea of ​​keeping Xiao Yuanyuan by his side. He took out a string of agate beads from his arms, put them on Xiao Yuanyuan's hand, and said with a smile: "I'll give them to you for self-defense. If you need them in the future, you can sell them for money. Don't do something stupid like selling yourself again. If you have any difficulties, you can come to the capital to find me."

Xiao Yuanyuan's eyes were suddenly blurred with tears. She rubbed her eyes and cried, "The road to the capital is too far. I'm afraid I can't make it. Third Master, can you come to Taohuawu to see me when you have time in the future?"

Jia Huan nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes."

"Pink pinky!" Xiao Yuanyuan stretched out the little finger of her left hand.

Jia Huan was stunned for a moment, and he seemed to be back to the moment when they parted at the Yangzhou dock. Time had gone back three years and returned to the starting point. The little girl who still had a little baby fat on her face back then had grown into a young girl. She looked so graceful at first sight. If they meet again in another five or six years, she would probably be stunningly beautiful, right?

"Uh... OK, pinky promise!" Jia Huan stretched out his right pinky finger and pinky promise with Xiao Yuanyuan, and then said, "If you break your promise, you're a puppy, right?"

Xiao Yuanyuan nodded and immediately burst into laughter.

Jia Huan patted the bun on his round head and said with a smile, "Okay, go to bed quickly, it's late."

Xiao Yuanyuan agreed, looking back every few steps, as if they were about to part ways. She had Jia Huan's appearance deeply imprinted in her mind.

Seeing this scene, Jia Huan couldn't help but feel moved and reluctant. Of course, he didn't think of it as love between a man and a woman. After all, the girl was so young. The reason why she was so attached to him was just because he was good to her, so she had a kind of dependence on him. After a few years, when her memory faded, the girl might not even recognize him.

Xiao Yuanyuan reluctantly returned to her room, lay on the bed and played with the agate beads for a while. Finally, she took them off, carefully hid them under her pillow, and fell asleep quietly.

(End of this chapter)