The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 450: White Begonia (Two chapters in one)

That night, Jia Huan and Lu Xiangsheng stayed in the dormitory of the academy. The next morning, before dawn, they were awakened by the sound of reading aloud. Jia's college entrance examination blood was instantly awakened, so he quickly got up, washed, and joined the morning reading. After that, he went to the cafeteria to have breakfast, and then said goodbye to everyone and returned to the city.

Yesterday, they hired a carriage to leave the city, but since they stayed overnight at the academy, Jia Huan sent the coachman away in advance and asked Mu Ye to go back to the city with the coachman to give Ping Er a message, so they had to walk back to the city today. Fortunately, Diecui Academy was just a few miles away from the city, so the distance was not too far. They took the walk as a morning exercise and enjoyed the winter scenery along the way. As a result, they almost froze to death.

In the cold winter, the north wind is as sharp as a knife, especially in the suburbs where there is no shelter, it is really sour and refreshing.

Finally, everyone entered the city from the nearest West Gate. Jia Huan and Lu Xiangsheng agreed to report to Diecui Academy together on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and then they parted ways. Lu Xiangsheng returned to the Jinling Guild Hall where he was staying, and Jia Huan naturally returned to the Jia Mansion.

Jia Huan brought Shitou and Jinbao back to Rongguo Mansion, only to see the central gate open, guests coming in one after another, and the sound of opera singing coming from inside. In order to celebrate the birth of a prince by Concubine Yuan, the Jia family had invested a lot of money, setting up a three-day buffet, and the opera was also going to be performed for three days, and today was only the second day.

Jia Huan originally wanted to enter the mansion from the west corner gate, but thinking that he would have to pass by the residence of Jia Mu and Wang Xifeng to return to the garden, he simply walked a few steps further and entered the garden from the south gate of the Grand View Garden.

At this time, the Grand View Garden was quiet, and there were not many servants coming and going. It was estimated that most of them went to Rongguo Mansion to watch a play. The ancients had few entertainment programs, and watching a play was one of them. It was like going to the cinema to watch a movie now, which was considered a relatively "high-end" entertainment consumption. Especially like the Jia Mansion, which directly invited the troupe to perform at home, it was even more high-end. Ordinary people could not afford it, so the servants in the family flocked to it.

Without further ado, let's talk about Jia Huan returning to Yueweiju. He deliberately asked the gatekeeper not to make any noise, and then he tiptoed into the house and found Ping'er and Mandalin were there. The former was doing needlework seriously with a sweet and calm face, while the latter was lying on the couch reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". I don't know if she could understand it, but she looked very comfortable. She took off her boots and stood her feet up, kicking them back and forth non-stop, her heels hitting the roundness of her ripe peaches again and again, which made her look both girlish and hot.

Jia Huan coughed lightly, startling the two girls. When they found out it was Jia Huan, they were delighted. Mandalin closed her book, put on her shoes, and ran over. She wrapped her arms around Jia Huan's neck affectionately, almost hanging on him, and complained, "Why did you come back so late?"

This foreign maid was bold to begin with, and she became even clingier since they had physical contact. When she got aroused, she would often crawl into bed in the middle of the night.

At this moment, with the beauty in his arms, her breath as sweet as orchid, Jia's heart was immediately aroused. He could not help but pinch her roundness twice, and secretly sighed in his heart, no wonder people say that the land of pleasure is the tomb of heroes, it is really a waste of wits. It seems that his decision to move to the academy before the imperial examination was extremely correct. Otherwise, with two pretty maids around him, whispering to him every day, especially the clingy Mandarin, how could he concentrate on studying?

At this time, Ping'er put down her needlework and came over, slapped Mandarin on the buttocks, and said with a slightly red face, "Come down, Third Master hasn't changed his clothes yet, you little bitch, you forgot again. Yesterday, Madam asked me to teach you the rules. Although you are in your own room now, you still have to be careful. If outsiders see it and it gets to Madam's ears, what will happen?"

Upon hearing this, Mandalin had to reluctantly get off Jia Huan and lowered her head to tidy up her dress and hair.

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he asked, "Did Madam come here yesterday?"

Ping Erh shook her head and said gently while changing Jia Huan's outer clothes, "Madam didn't come. It's just that when we went to the Grand Hall of the mansion to watch a play yesterday, Sister Man was caught doing something wrong by Zhou Rui's wife, and they were about to use her to set rules. Fortunately, the Princess of Beijing and the Princess of Nan'an summoned her, so she got away with it."

Jia Huan hurriedly asked what was going on, and Ping'er told him the whole story in detail, including how Wang Xifeng instigated the two princesses to take Mandarin away.

After hearing this, Jia Huan was shocked and angry, but he was also secretly alert. Now that he had the title of a juren, it would be difficult for Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng to control him as easily as before. They might turn to people close to him, like this time. Fortunately, they did not succeed!
The more Jia Huan thought about it, the more scared he became, and the angrier he became. This was outrageous. This bitch Wang Xifeng really deserved to be punished. Fine, you were the one who provoked me first this time, and it’s rude not to reciprocate. So get ready to face the storm!
Originally, Jia Huan was already feeling sad because of what happened to his senior brother Liu Yi. Now Wang Xifeng even dared to instigate the princess and try to get rid of Mandarin to attack him. This undoubtedly touched his sore spot.

Ping'er was secretly frightened when she saw Jia Huan's stern expression and a layer of invisible coldness covering his whole body. She felt worried and regretful. She regretted that she should not have told Jia Huan about this matter, which intensified the conflict between the two sides.

Ping'er was kindhearted by nature, so she naturally hoped that her Third Master could live in peace with Second Madam Lian. Moreover, the Third Master had only been home for half a month. If he made a scene, it might upset the old lady and even affect the imperial examination next year. So she hurriedly advised, "Third Master, don't be impulsive. Maybe Second Madam was just joking at the time, and I might have misunderstood her."

Jia Huan looked at her coldly and said, "Sister Ping'er, do you think she's joking? A woman with a heart as vicious as a snake must be thinking about how to hurt others even if she's joking."

When Ping'er met Jia Huan's cold eyes, her body trembled slightly, her pretty face turned a little pale, and she lowered her head silently.

Jia Huan quickly relaxed his expression, and the chill that enveloped him instantly disappeared. He opened his arms and embraced the pretty maid, saying softly, "Sister Ping'er, I know what you are worried about. Don't worry, I have my own plan. It will definitely not affect the examination next February. Besides, if Wang Xifeng can target Mandalin this time, she can target you next time. This is something I cannot tolerate. This time, I must deal with this vicious woman completely."

Ping'er was held in Jia Huan's arms. Listening to his gentle yet domineering words, she felt warm in her heart. The grievance she had just felt disappeared. She couldn't help but press her pretty face against Jia Huan's chest and hummed softly.

Mandalin slapped Ping'er on the buttocks with a smile and said, "You were just teaching me the rules, but now you have forgotten them!"

Ping'er left Jia Huan's embrace with a blushing face and asked softly, "Did Third Master drink last night? Your clothes smell of alcohol!"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "We are good friends, and we drank a few more bowls of wine out of joy."

When Mandarin heard about the wine, her eyes lit up immediately and she pouted, “You guys drank wine without calling me.”

Ping Erh tapped the foreign maid's forehead and scolded her, "I know you love wine, so you are so greedy. The Third Master is drinking with his friends, and it's not proper for a girl like you to get involved."

Mandalin shrugged disapprovingly and said, "What's the big deal? Before in Yangzhou, when the Third Master led the army to suppress bandits, she disguised herself as a man and lived and ate with the brothers."

Ping'er said solemnly, "The past is the past. The mansion is not the army. You can't just do what you want now, like you did yesterday. If you are caught doing something wrong, the rules will be the least of your worries. You might even be beaten with a stick or even kicked out of the mansion. Wouldn't that make things difficult for our master?"

Mandalin hung her head and said, "Okay, I'll listen to Sister Ping'er."

Jia Huan couldn't help laughing. It was true that there was something to conquer something else. This foreign girl was so willful that she didn't even fear him. But Ping'er could control her. She coughed lightly and said, "I stayed in the academy last night and didn't have a bath. I guess the bed wasn't cleaned. I just felt itchy when I woke up this morning. Mandalin, go get some hot water. I want to take a bath."

The foreign maid's eyes suddenly brightened up, and she left happily. Ping'er rolled her eyes at Jia Huan helplessly and said, "Third Master, just spoil her. I just said a few words to her, and you thought of a way to get her out of here."

Jia Huan laughed and said, "That's itchy. I really am itchy. How about you, Sister Ping'er, come and wash with me?"

Ping'er blushed and said, "Let Mandalin serve the Third Master!"

"It's okay if we serve together. Well, it will be faster if two people serve!" Mr. Jia said with a calm face, while hugging the pretty maid in his arms, and his hand skillfully reached in through the sleeve.

The pretty maid was immediately teased and blushed, and spat softly, "Good ancestor, please forgive me, I am inconvenienced for a few days."

Jia was immediately as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. Ping'er chuckled and said, "Sister Man seems to be inconvenient these days!"

Jia was immediately poured with a second bucket of cold water, and said with a bitter face: "Did you discuss this?"

Seeing someone's depressed look, Ping'er felt amused but also reluctant. She made up her mind and whispered something in Jia Huan's ear. The latter immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "That's good!"

After about two cups of tea, Mandarin got the hot water, filled the tub, and then pulled open the screen. Two maids came in to serve, and I don't know how they served, but it took more than half an hour to finish. There was a large stain on the floor, which was finally cleaned up with great difficulty.

Jia Huan had changed his clothes and was sitting in front of the dressing table, looking refreshed. Ping'er was helping him with his dressing. A maid came in and reported, "Third Master, Master Rong from the East Palace just sent three pots of very beautiful flowers. Do you want to accept them?"

As the old woman spoke, she handed over a piece of note.

Ping Erh took the note and passed it to Jia Huan, asking, "What flower is it? Plum blossom?"

The old woman shook her head and said, "If it were plum blossoms, they wouldn't be rare at all. The strange thing is that there are three pots of white begonias. Wow, I have lived for decades and was reborn into a wealthy family like ours. What kind of flowers have I not seen? But this white begonia blooming in winter is the first time I've seen it. The world is really so big that there are all kinds of wonders!" White begonias usually bloom between summer and autumn, and it is indeed rare to bloom in winter. Of course, if it is modern times with greenhouses, that is not a big deal.

Jia Huan took the note and read it. It read:

Dear Uncle Huan,

My nephew was recently ordered to collect flowers for the New Year's decoration. He accidentally found three pots of white begonias. I thought that thing only blooms in summer and autumn, and it is rare to see it in the cold winter. My nephew has received a lot of kindness from Uncle Huan recently, and I have been thinking about repaying him day and night but have no way. Seeing that this rare thing is hard to get, I spent a lot of money to buy it and gave it to Uncle Huan for his enjoyment. I hope Uncle Huan will accept it, and my nephew will also express his gratitude.

Your ugly nephew Jia Rong pays his respects to you.

Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh after reading it. Jia Rong was a very ignorant boy. The grammar of this post was a bit weird, but the meaning was understandable. What's more, he knew how to repay a favor. In this respect, he was better than his father Jia Zhen. It was worth it for him to help him.

Jia Huan closed the invitation and ordered, "Bring the flowers in, and tell them that I accepted the gifts and thank Rong for her kindness, but I won't do it again."

Then he turned to Ping'er and said, "Sister Ping'er, take out some money to reward me!"

Ping Erh hurriedly took out a hundred coins and gave them to the old woman, saying, "This hundred coins is a reward for you, and the other three hundred coins are a reward for the boys who brought the flowers in."

The old woman received the reward and left happily. After a while, three pots of white begonias were carried in. As expected, in the middle of winter, the pots were full of white flowers, like pots of ice and snow, which was very beautiful.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Mandalin covered her mouth in surprise. Ping'er was also dazzled and said happily: "This white crabapple is even more beautiful than the ones for the festival. It's really rare!"

Jia Huan was moved and said, "Sister Ping'er, later you can send a basin of water to the old lady and tell her that it is my filial piety to her."

Ping Er said happily, "It's only right. I'll deliver it myself later!"

After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously suggested, "Third Master, why don't you give one to the Madam as well?"

"Give it to her!" Jia Huan waved his hand. Although his relationship with Lady Wang was very tense, he still had to put on a show as she was his stepmother. If he had only one pot of white begonia, it would be fine to give it only to Lady Jia. But now he had three pots, and it would be unreasonable to give them only to his grandmother and not to his stepmother.

Ping'er was relieved to see Jia Huan agreed so readily, and said softly, "Oh, I have one more thing to tell Third Master. Didn't Third Master send Mu Ye back yesterday to inform me that I would stay overnight at the academy? I thought I should report this to the old lady and the madam, so I took the initiative to report it to them in the name of Third Master."

Jia Huan nodded and said, "I was negligent. Sister Ping'er, you did a great job. What do the old lady and the mistress say?"

"The madam didn't say anything, but the old lady didn't seem very happy. She even asked the maid to tell the Third Master that if he needs to leave the house in the future, he should report back to the madam first and not act on his own accord."

Jia Huan frowned and nodded, "I understand."

Ping Erh said as she combed Jia Huan's hair and tied it into a bun, "Isn't Third Master planning to leave for Diecui Academy on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month to study? It would be best to get Madam's consent first, to avoid giving rise to gossip."

"I got it!" Jia Huan said calmly. He was not too worried. He went to the academy for tutoring in order to prepare for next year's spring examination. Even if Mrs. Wang wanted to stop him, she had no proper reason, and Grandmother Jia and Old Man Zheng would definitely agree.

Mrs. Wang did not have much say in the issue of studying, and asking her for advice was just a formality and a waste of time anyway.

"Is there anything else?" Jia Huan asked.

Ping'er smiled sweetly and said, "I forgot one more thing. Yesterday evening, the concubine and Miss Bao arrived at the mansion, and Miss Qin also came. They are now living in Hengwu Garden. I heard that the Xue family moved to the capital to settle down this time, so they brought a lot of luggage. I went to take a look this morning. Miss Bao and the others are busy packing. I guess they may not be able to finish in a day or two, so it's better not to disturb them for the time being."

Sister Bao finally arrived, and Jia Huan couldn't help feeling warm in his heart. However, when he recalled that day in Yangzhou, Sister Bao clearly intended to distance herself from him, he couldn't help feeling a little confused. Although Ying'er didn't finish what she said that day, the reason seemed to be caused by Xue Pan. He had to find out the specific reason why Sister Bao distanced herself from him if he had a chance.

Thinking of this, Jia Huan nodded and said, "I understand. Let's send the remaining pot of white begonia to my aunt."

Ping Erh said with some regret, "Well, it's just that the Third Master just got hold of such beautiful flowers, and he didn't have time to enjoy them before they were all given away."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "This is easy. These three pots of white crabapples are all very lush. Cutting off a few branches will be enough to put in a vase. We will keep one vase for ourselves and give another one to Third Sister and Sister Lin."

Ping'er's eyes lit up and she said, "That's a good idea!"

She and Mandarin immediately cut some branches from three pots of white begonias and placed them in vases with clean water. The three pots of white begonias were growing vigorously, and the branches Ping'er and the others chose were not conspicuous, so there was basically no impact after cutting, and it would not be noticed unless you looked carefully.

…………

Yesterday, Lady Jia watched plays all day long and received Aunt Xue's family in the evening. She was tired today, so she did not go to the play. She just chatted with Yuanyang, Amber and others in the house. Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng were also there, but the eldest wife, Lady Xing, was not there. She was probably gone to the front to watch the play with the guests.

At this time, a maid came in and said with a smile: "Madam, Ping'er has brought you flowers."

Grandmother Jia asked curiously, "Send me flowers? Let her in."

Soon, Ping'er came in with two maids, carrying a pot of white begonia.

"Wow, what a beautiful flower. Is this a hibiscus?"

"You are blind, this is Bai Haitang!"

"You are blind. Where can you find white crabapples in the middle of winter?"

The maids and wives were amazed and talked about it.

Grandmother Jia narrowed her eyes and asked, "Ping'er, what kind of flower is this? It looks like a white crabapple, but where can I find a white crabapple at this time of year?"

Ping'er smiled and said, "Madam, you have a good eye. It is indeed a white crabapple. It is rare in winter. This is what the Third Master found by chance yesterday. There are only three pots in total. Our Third Master did not dare to keep them all to himself, so he asked the maid to bring one pot to honor the old lady. The Madam also sent one pot to her room."

Grandmother Jia was very pleased to hear this, and smiled, "Huan'er is really filial. He even thinks of an old woman like me with a pot of flowers. Well, Ping'er, you are also very kind!"

(End of this chapter)