The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 488 Shameless Uncle and Nephew

Last time, Lin Daiyu only ranked third in her crabapple poem. This time, she wrote three chrysanthemum poems in one go, taking the top three places. She was very proud of herself. Shi Xiangyun also wrote three poems this time, and they were all of very high quality. However, compared with Lin Daiyu's three poems, they were slightly inferior and could only be ranked second. Although Jia Huan also only wrote one poem, he continued to write it on the spot, which was more of a test of his quick thinking, so he naturally got extra points. Therefore, Li Wan ruled that he and Xiangyun tied for second place.

This time Jia Baoyu came in second to last. Although he did not come last, Xiangling had just learned how to compose poetry, so it was understandable that she came last. So if you count carefully, it is still Jia Baoyu who comes last.

Jia Tanchun is third, Baoqin is fourth, and Baochai is fifth. Although Baochai's ranking this time is low, it does not rule out that she has some reservations. She is a low-key person. She has already won the first place in the Begonia Poetry last time. In addition, she came up with the topic of the poem this time. It is normal that she has some spare energy and does not compete for the limelight.

After everyone finished writing poems, they were ranked. Li Wan said with a smile, "Although Xiangling came last this time, she is a novice after all, so she will not be punished. However, Jiangdong Flower Master came last last and this time she is second to last, so she must be punished. I will punish you to go to Longcui Temple and pick a few red plums for everyone to enjoy."

Jia Baoyu heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. He and Miaoyu got along well, so it should not be difficult to ask for a few red plum blossoms. So he went happily. After about half an hour, he really came back with a few red plum blossoms. His maid brought a vase and placed it on the table for everyone to enjoy.

Everyone admired the plum blossoms for a while, and then dispersed after drinking fruit wine. It was already afternoon, and although it was still very cold, the sky was clearing up, and the long-lost sunshine made people feel brighter.

After coming out of the Luxuean, Jia Huan saw that Lin Daiyu seemed to be in a bad mood, so he offered to take her home. Lin Daiyu was naturally happy and nodded, saying, "Okay, I have something to say to you, Brother Huan."

Seeing Sister Lin and Jia Huan walking away chatting and laughing, Jia Baoyu felt very disappointed, so he said to Xue Baochai beside him: "Sister Bao, how about I take you home?"

Xue Baochai felt uncomfortable because hers was the only New Year gift given by the imperial concubine the same as Jia Baoyu's. She declined politely, saying, "No need. We're all tired after a day of fun. Brother Bao, go back and rest." After saying that, she walked away.

Jia Baoyu hit a snag and had to return to Yihong Courtyard listlessly with Xiren and others.

Seeing this, Xiren felt both distressed and helpless. As long as Jia Huan was around, her master could only be a supporting role. So, sometimes Xiren really hoped that Jia Huan would pass the imperial examination and become an official as soon as possible, so that he wouldn't have to stay at home and be a hindrance. However, once Jia Huan passed the imperial examination, Master Bao's position in the mansion would become even more embarrassing, so she felt extremely conflicted.

Jia Huan sent Lin Daiyu back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. She took off her boots and went to bed to rest, looking exhausted. Jia Huan knew that she had spent a lot of energy writing three poems, so he told her, "Sister Lin, please take a nap. I'm going back now."

Lin Daiyu opened her eyes and smiled, "Brother Huan, don't go yet. Let me ask you, how did you continue to write Sister Bao's poem?"

Jia Huan knew that this jealous little girl would ask questions, so he pretended to be puzzled and said, "Of course I thought of it. Why did Sister Lin ask this?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Brother Huan has the talent to compose a poem in seven steps. It's not surprising that he can continue writing in a short time. What's strange is that this poem seems to have been written by the same person. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was written by Sister Bao herself. The style of the poem is exactly the same."

Jia Huan was sweating inwardly. Lin Daiyu's attainments in poetry were indeed impressive. He could tell her accurately based on her style. Of course, Jia Huan couldn't confess to Lin Daiyu that he was a dimensional traveler. He was afraid that she wouldn't believe him. So he joked, "Sister Lin, you won't think that Sister Bao and I colluded in advance, right?"

Lin Daiyu's cheeks were slightly flushed. She didn't suspect that Jia Huan and Xue Baochai had colluded beforehand, but the fact that Jia Huan could imitate Xue Baochai's writing style so accurately showed that Jia Huan had already figured out Xue Baochai's writing style. This was what really made her jealous.

"Sister Lin, stop thinking too much and take a nap. I'll stay here to watch over you." Jia Huan whispered.

Lin Daiyu's heart trembled, and her pretty face was burning with embarrassment. She spat softly, "Who cares about you staying here? I wish you would leave me as soon as possible."

Jia Huan just smiled and said nothing, sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning against the bed rails and pretending to close his eyes. Lin Daiyu bit her lips and moved inside. Jia immediately saw the opportunity and got into the bed, and even said, "Good sister, give me some pillows, it's more comfortable to lie down."

Lin Daiyu said angrily, "You are really the evil star of my life. Please use this as a pillow!"

Lin Daiyu took a pillow from the other side and threw it to Jia Huan, while she continued to use the original pillow.

Jia Huan smelled the pillow and confirmed that it was Lin Daiyu's unique fragrance. Then he slept on it with satisfaction, and said shamelessly: "I don't want other people's pillows."

Lin Daiyu was both angry and amused. She wanted to kick the overreaching person off the bed, but she couldn't bear to do so. Perhaps it was because writing poetry was too exhausting, or maybe it was because Jia Huan lying next to her made her feel safe. After a while, Lin Daiyu actually fell asleep soundly.

Jia Huan quietly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and gently covered Lin Daiyu with a tight blanket. Zijuan happened to come in and saw this scene, and her face was red and her heart was beating fast. She remembered that Xueyan said that when Mr. Lin was dying, although he didn't say it explicitly, he meant to entrust Miss Lin to Mr. Huan. Now it seems that he has found the right person. It can be seen that Mr. Huan really cares about Miss Lin.

Jia Huan covered Lin Daiyu with a quilt, and then gestured to Zijuan, asking her to go to the outer room to talk.

Zijuan nodded, followed Jia Huan to the outer room, and asked in a low voice: "What instructions does the Third Master have?" "Sister Lin is weak. She ate some greasy barbecue today and was overworked. She should have a light dinner. Also, prepare a bowl of calming soup. Also, don't catch a cold." Jia Huan ordered.

Zijuan smiled and said, "I don't need to worry about that. The Third Master is really good at taking care of people."

Jia Huan asked about Lin Daiyu's diet during this period, and then he left with peace of mind and returned to Juweiju to rest.

On the second day, which was the third day of the New Year, Jia She again sent someone to call Jia Huan, and said that if Jia Huan did not go, he would come to the garden in person to "visit" Jia Huan's condition, with a strong threat in his voice.

Jia Huan sneered to himself, changed his clothes immediately, and even put on the long robe of a juren. Then he walked out of the garden leisurely and headed towards the east road of Rongguo Mansion.

It was still the same living room as last time. Jia She and Jia Zhen were both there, and both had sneers on their faces and unfriendly expressions. It was obvious that it was the Hongmen Banquet. No, when Xiang Yu held the Hongmen Banquet, there was at least a wine banquet, but Jia She didn't even prepare a cup of tea, let alone a wine banquet. It was obvious that he wanted to get it for free.

"Jia Huan greets the master and Brother Zhen!" Jia Huan walked into the living room and bowed to the two scumbags in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

Jia She sneered, "I can't bear it. I heard Huan'er was ill, but now he looks very energetic."

Jia Zhen sneered, "It turns out that this is not a disease, but that he simply doesn't take the master seriously at all."

Jia She slammed the table and shouted, "You daring bastard, if you continue to disrespect your elders, do you really think that I dare not punish you?"

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Jia She and Jia Zhen sang the same tune, just wanting to find an excuse to intimidate Jia Huan. They would give him a good beating first and then force him to hand over the secret recipe of honeycomb coal.

In fact, Jia She and Jia Zhen had planned to do so yesterday, but the four princes came to visit suddenly, and then they ran to the West Garden to "pay New Year's greetings" to the Queen Mother, so they had no time to take care of Jia Huan for a while. Today they finally had time to do it.

As the saying goes, money can move the heart. Jia She has already interrogated his son Jia Lian and confirmed that the honeycomb coal business can make a profit of forty taels of silver a day. If a few more workshops are opened, the profit may be multiplied several times. Naturally, he is anxious. If they had not known that the secret recipe for making honeycomb coal was in Jia Huan's hands, they would not even bother to look for Jia Huan and would have taken over the workshops and finances directly.

Jia Huan just watched the performance of this pair of scum uncle and nephew with cold eyes, until Jia She was about to use violence, then he said coldly: "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. The eldest master just wants the honeycomb coal business, why do you want to put the blame on me?"

Jia She had already rolled up his sleeves, ready to slap Jia Huan twice, but Jia Huan saw through his plan. A look of embarrassment flashed across his old face, and the momentum he had just built up was interrupted. For a moment, he felt too embarrassed to attack again.

Jia Zhen was naturally unhappy when he saw this, and immediately teased him again: "Look, I said that Huan Lao San was so confident, thinking that he was a juren, and he didn't take you, the master, seriously at all."

Jia She suddenly became angry again. He rushed forward in two steps and stretched out his hand to slap Jia Huan, but the latter dodged to the side and he missed. Moreover, because he used too much force, he almost fell down. His arm was almost dislocated and his old face trembled with pain.

Hehe, Jia She is almost sixty years old, with old arms and legs. In the past, he beat Jia Lian so hard that he screamed in pain. That was because Jia Lian didn't dare to hide. Jia Huan would not stand there and let him beat him.

"Rebellion!" Jia She was so angry that he shouted, "Zhen'er, hold this brat down and beat him."

Jia Zhen was hating Jia Huan for interfering and causing his daughter-in-law, who was about to be married to him, to run away. He wished he could beat Jia Huan up with his own hands, so he immediately pounced forward with a grim smile.

Jia Zhen was about thirty years old, in the prime of his life. He had practiced martial arts, riding and archery, and was stronger than most people. It was more than enough for him to beat a young man like Jia Huan, after all, he had the upper hand in terms of strength.

But Jia Huan shouted, "Jia Zhen, if you dare to touch me, the dirty things you did in secret will soon be known to the world."

Jia Zhen was startled and was stared at by Jia Huan's sharp eyes. He couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart and didn't dare to take another step forward.

Jia Huan shocked Jia Zhen and said coldly: "You want the secret recipe of honeycomb briquettes, you'd better be polite and offer me conditions that will make me excited, otherwise, forget about it."

(End of this chapter)