The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 396: My Long-term Plan for You

Most of the books in Lin Ruhai's original study have been packed and will be shipped back to the Lin family's old house in Suzhou for preservation. Things like the four treasures of the study, poetry manuscripts, etc. used by Lin Ruhai have also been sealed up as souvenirs. As for those valuable ornaments and large items, they will have to be sold. It is estimated that it will take ten days to half a month to deal with these things.

At this moment, Jia Huan was sitting beside the empty coffee table, staring at the deserted study in a daze. He recalled the past times when he had drank tea and played chess with Lin Ruhai, and had long conversations with him late at night, and he couldn't help feeling sad.

Butler Xiao Lei stood outside the study door, silently watching Jia Huan's back and nodded secretly. As the saying goes, you can't judge a person's heart by his appearance. Most things in this world can be faked, but emotions cannot be faked. When a person's emotions are revealed inadvertently, that is the person's truest side. It seems that the master did not misjudge him. Master Huan San is indeed loyal and righteous.

"Third Master!" Xiao Lei knocked on the door lightly.

Jia Huan came back to his senses and waved, "Butler Xiao, please come in."

Xiao Lei walked up to Jia Huan and bowed respectfully, "What do you want, Third Master?"

Jia Huan pointed to the stool next to him and said, "Sit down and talk."

Xiao Lei hurriedly said he didn't dare, and continued to stand. Seeing this, Jia Huan didn't force him, and said straight to the point: "Have you settled all the accounts for the master's funeral in the past few days? Bring me the account book so I can take a look."

"My Lord, the accounts have been settled," Xiao Lei replied respectfully, then he took out two thick account books from his bosom and handed them to Jia Huan, explaining, "The old one is the old account book that my father managed in previous years, and the new one is the new account book that I wrote after taking over the position of housekeeper this year. The income and expenditure of the mansion are recorded in it every month."

Xiao Lei took out the third account book and said, "This is the account of the balance in the warehouse. There is also a detailed list of all the antiques and artifacts in the mansion. Please have a look, Third Master."

"You did a great job!" Jia Huan nodded approvingly, and only picked up the new account book and the warehouse ledger to look through them. As for the old account book of housekeeper Old Xiao, he left it untouched to show respect.

Jia Huan took a rough look and found that there were still more than 20,000 taels of cash remaining in the Lin family's warehouse. This was undoubtedly a huge sum of money for ordinary people, but compared with the lucrative position of Salt Inspector, Lin Ruhai could be considered to be incorruptible.

It is said that a clean magistrate can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years. Lin Ruhai held the lucrative position of Salt Inspector for seven or eight years, but only made a surplus of more than 20,000 taels. Who dares to say that he is not honest? As the saying goes, greed blinds the heart. Those who can control their desires in the face of readily available wealth are undoubtedly people with extremely firm wills.

Of course, in addition to cash, the Lin family also has a large amount of valuable furniture, fields, houses, etc. A rough estimate is that there are still two or three hundred thousand taels, but a considerable part of it is passed down from their ancestors. After all, the Lin family is also a family of poetry and literature, and the foundation accumulated by their ancestors is not thin.

After Jia Huan finished reading the account book, he closed it and asked, "What are your plans, ladies?"

After Jia Min's death, although Lin Ruhai did not remarry, he took three concubines. The two concubines mentioned by Jia Huan were two of them. The other one was Concubine Zheng. She colluded with the housekeeper Diao Sheng to poison Lin Ruhai, and was stabbed to death by Diao Sheng after the plot failed.

Xiao Lei replied, "I have consulted Aunt Dong and Aunt Zhang, and they both said they want to go back to their parents' home."

Jia Huan felt relieved after hearing this and nodded, saying, "Then give them five thousand taels of silver each and send them home. The servants who served them can go with them if they are willing, but don't force them if they are not willing."

Jia Huan had met both Aunt Dong and Aunt Zhang. They were only in their early thirties, perhaps even younger, and they had no children. It was unlikely that they would be willing to remain a widow for Lin Ruhai. Naturally, they would be more willing to divide the money and remarry. Even if they did not remarry, wouldn't it be nice to return to their mother with a generous severance pay and become a free and wealthy woman?

"Well... isn't five thousand taels of silver a bit too much?" Xiao Lei said cautiously, "The master usually treats them very well. Over the years, they probably have saved several thousand taels of silver, not to mention the jewelry and other valuables that the master bought for them."

Jia Huan waved his hands and said, "Since the master treated them well when he was alive, we can't treat them badly now. After all, they have served the master for many years. Let's do this. I believe Sister Lin won't mind. What's more, if we don't give them enough, they will make a fuss, which will not look good. Let's part ways in peace."

Xiao Lei said sternly: "Third Master, you are absolutely right. It is my fault for not considering it carefully."

"Also, all the items in the mansion, except for those that Sister Lin needs, should be sold. Only a few loyal and smart servants should be kept in the mansion, and the rest should be paid and dismissed. As for how much severance pay to give, it is up to you to decide, as long as it is reasonable."

"I understand. What should we do with the house and the land?" Xiao Lei asked. These are the most valuable.

Jia Huan had already made a plan in mind, and ordered: "Only two of the six houses in Yangzhou should be kept as reserves, and the rest should be sold. All the land should also be sold, and the money earned should be used to buy farms in Suzhou. From now on, you, the housekeeper Xiao, will manage them all. The rent collected every year should be enough for Sister Lin to use."

Xiao Lei was overjoyed. He thought Jia Huan would sell off all the Lin family's properties and return to the capital with the money. The girl would live in the Jia family from then on. Even if he, as a housekeeper, did not lose his job, he would at most return to the Lin family's old house in Suzhou to look after the house. He did not expect Jia Huan to buy a lot of farms and give them to him to manage. This was really great. This was a true long-term plan for the Lin family. Fortunately, the master entrusted the girl to the third master. If it was Jia Lian, he would have wanted to sell the Lin family's ancestral house in Suzhou and then take all the money back to Beijing. By then, the girl would be an orphan and live in the Jia family. I am afraid that the master's huge inheritance would most likely be eaten up by the people in the Jia family.

Thinking of this, Xiao Lei was even more respectful to Jia Huan and said excitedly: "Okay, Master Huan, this arrangement is very good. I will contact the buyer later."

Jia Huan looked at the excited Xiao Lei and smiled, "Lin Zhixiao is steady and experienced. Butler Xiao might as well ask him for help and try to sell it at a high price."

Xiao Lei quickly agreed.

"Xiao Xiao, work hard. Sister Lin's food, clothing, shelter and transportation will all depend on these farms in the future." Jia Huan said earnestly.

Xiao Lei immediately said solemnly, "Don't worry, Third Master. If I can't manage it well, you can hold me responsible."

Jia Huan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and get busy. I'll give you the land and house deeds later, and then send Master Lin's coffin back to Gusu. You have to use this time to get things done."

Xiao Lei said sternly: "Don't worry, Third Master, with the help of Steward Lin, I guarantee that everything will be done properly."

Jia Huan nodded and sent Xiao Lei out.

…………

Lin Daiyu loves reading and has collected quite a few books. As written in the original version of A Dream of Red Mansions, after burying her father, Lin Daiyu returned to the Jia Mansion from Gusu and brought back all the books. It took her several days just to sort them out. This is written from Jia Baoyu's perspective.

In addition, when Liu Laolao entered the Grand View Garden, she also visited the Xiaoxiang Pavilion where Lin Daiyu lived. She was very surprised to see the dazzling bookshelves and thought it was the room of that "young man". From this we can see that Lin Daiyu really loves reading, and it is no surprise that she has such high talent.

At this time, Lin Daiyu was packing her books. She would not allow anyone to help except Xueyan, because she was worried that the maids would damage them by their rough hands. It can be seen how much she cherishes her books.

In a few days my father's remains will be sent back to his hometown in Gusu for burial, and the Salt Inspectorate's Mansion where he lives now belongs to the government, so it must be vacated before the new official takes over. So these books need to be cleared out, and other items should be packed up or sold.

To be honest, Lin Daiyu was very reluctant to leave this place. She didn't want to throw away any of her books or her father's collection of books. However, there were too many of them and it was impossible for her to take them all away. She could only give up some of them with tears in her eyes.

Just as the master and servant were busy packing up, a little maid came in and reported: "Miss, Master Lian is here and said he has something to discuss with you in person."

Lin Daiyu thought for a moment and vaguely guessed the other party's intention. She said softly, "Just tell him that I am ill and am recovering now. Please forgive me for not being able to see you. If you have anything, please consult Brother Huan. Now all the affairs of the family are handled by Brother Huan."

The little maid was about to turn around and go out to pass on the message, but Lin Daiyu stopped her and said, "Wait a moment."

The little maid stopped and looked over, only to see Lin Daiyu take out a small wooden box from the drawer and said, "Give this to Second Master Lian and tell him that I have been taken care of by Second Brother Lian for many years, and this is a small token of my gratitude. I hope Second Brother Lian will accept it."

The little maid took the wooden box and went to the second gate. Jia Lian was waiting there. When he saw her bring back a wooden basin, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss Lin, are you free to see me?"

The little maid shook her head and said, "The young lady is ill, so it is not convenient for her to see Master Lian, but the young lady asked me to give this to Master Lian, saying that Master Lian has taken care of her over the years and she is grateful for your care. Please accept it. Also, the young lady said that Master Huan is in charge of all the affairs of the mansion now, so if Master Lian has any problem, he can consult with him."

When Jia Lian saw the box, he was secretly delighted, but after hearing what was said afterwards, he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He forced out a smile and said, "Sister Lin, you are too polite. Since you are ill, you should take good care of yourself. Goodbye!"

Jia Lian took the wooden box and turned to leave. His expression instantly turned gloomy. After walking some distance, he opened the box and found that there was a house deed inside. The house was located on the bank of the Sishui River, with three courtyards in front, middle and back. It was estimated to be worth a lot of silver. His expression brightened up a little, and he thought to himself, what a great Lin sister! I underestimated her before. Her skills are not inferior to those of my aunt's daughter Bao.

(End of this chapter)