Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 273: Tanchun Knows the Secret Love

Jia Cong left Daiyu's room and was about to return to Qingzhizhai. Just as he reached his door, he met Tanchun and Yingchun.

"Where are you going, Third Sister and Second Sister?"

Tanchun said, "Let's go see Sister Bao. She has been ill these past few days and has been recuperating at home for many days, but she is still not getting better."

Jia Cong was stunned when he heard this. He was about to go north in the next few days and needed to escort such a large number of firearms, and the journey was long.

This was the first time Jia Cong had done something like this and he had no experience, so he was still a little nervous.

Therefore, I will repeatedly consider the details that need to be prepared, strive to leave nothing out, and put all my thoughts on this.

Lixiangyuan, where Baochai lived, was right next to Qingzhizhai, but he didn't know that she was sick.

All along, because he had some resistance to Xue Pan and the matter of Yinglian was involved, he was reluctant to get too close to the Xue family.

They usually lived in the same garden, and he would go with his sisters on their inevitable daily visits, and had never been to Lixiangyuan alone.

He also knew that Baochai had always been good to him, and whenever there was something new at home, she would always remember to send a copy to Qingzhizhai.

There were also several gifts she gave him when he was in Jinling, each of which was very much to his liking and he still uses them every day.

Because she was going north, she specially gave her a bear fur coat. She was a very considerate and caring daughter.

Now that he has been sick for several days, it seems a bit rude of me to turn a blind eye to his care.

Tanchun is smart and clever, and has always gotten along best with Jia Cong. Naturally, she can guess what he is thinking as soon as she sees his expression.

Tanchun smiled and said, "Brother San is going north soon. I see you are busy going out early and coming back late every day. Your mind is not at home at all. You must not know that Sister Bao is sick."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Third sister, you still know me. I will go with you to see Sister Bao."

……

Baoyu came to see Baochai, and they had a pleasant chat at first. After all, Baochai was a few years older than Lin Daiyu and was not as petty as Lin Daiyu.

But after just a few words, somehow Baochai became bored and didn't want to talk much anymore.

In the past two years, he seems to have been talking to death like this.

When he went to play with Lin Daiyu, he would always do this, and then he would run out of things to say. Now even Baochai was like this, which made Baoyu very depressed.

He sighed in his heart, thinking that he was just a man after all, how could he be favored by these beautiful girls? He left Lixiangyuan with a sad mood.

Little did he know that it was the appearance of Jia Cong that changed the views and cognition of many people around him, but he was still the same Baoyu.

……

Aunt Xue had been doing needlework with the maids in the outer room, leaving Baoyu and her daughter alone to talk in the inner room.

But before they had talked for long, Baoyu came out to say goodbye to him. He seemed a little unhappy, and he felt a little strange.

Aunt Xue knew that her daughter was well-mannered and rarely ignored others intentionally.

Aunt Xue had just overheard a few words from behind the soft curtain. The two people were discussing poetry and calligraphy, and they were talking just fine. How could it suddenly change like this in just a short while?

Aunt Xue was just wondering when she saw a group of people coming in at the door, including Yingchun, Tanchun, and... Jia Cong.

She naturally knew what her daughter was thinking. Her daughter's illness this time was strange. She had been looking bad since she came back from going to Qingzhizhai next door that day.

Later, Aunt Xue asked Ying'er, and she said that she was not alone in Qingzhizhai that day, and other girls from the Jia family were also there. Only then did she feel relieved.

Later, she talked to her daughter about some things like family background and official titles. Her daughter just listened silently, with no expression showing any emotion.

But he soon fell ill, which really made Aunt Xue nervous.

Now that she saw Jia Cong came with his sisters, she didn't worry about it.

Besides, she could see that Jia Cong had no special feelings for her daughter and he never came to Lixiangyuan alone.

Aunt Xue was a worldly-wise person, so she could see that Cong was deliberately staying away from her family, probably because her son had offended Yinglian.

In fact, this is better, it just stops my daughter from thinking about it. …

Aunt Xue took a special look at Jia Cong. He was handsome and indeed more attractive than Baoyu. No wonder her daughter was attracted to him. It was just that the child was unlucky.

"You sisters are so considerate. You always keep Baoya in mind. It's very cold outside. Come into the inner room. There's a heated kang inside to keep you warm."

Just now Baoyu came to the inner room and talked for a while, but they didn't get along, and Baochai was feeling a little sleepy.

Suddenly, she saw Tanchun and Yingchun coming in, and a smile appeared on her face. Then she saw Jia Cong behind Yingchun...

She knew that Jia Cong was about to go on a mission to the emperor, and she heard that he had been busy outside these days. It must be an important matter before he went north, so how could he have time to look after her.

But he came to see her, and a feeling of joy filled Baochai's heart. The corners of her mouth slightly curled up, and her bright eyes like apricots shone with a bright look.

There was a sick look on his face just now, but almost in an instant, it seemed to be brightened up.

Yingchun looked at Baochai's expression and wondered why she was so happy when we came to see her. If she had come more often, she would have recovered faster.

Tanchun saw that Baochai suddenly became radiant. She glanced at Jia Cong beside her with her bright and pretty eyes, then turned her gaze to Baochai, her eyes moving back and forth.

She had always been smart and shrewd, so she could tell what was going on. She was so surprised that she almost laughed out loud subconsciously, but she managed to hold it back, and only the corners of her mouth twitched a few times.

I felt amused in my heart that my third brother was the one who loved to cause trouble. I also sighed a little, thinking that fortunately I was just a spectator, as there would always be others who would cause trouble in the future.

But it’s not surprising. Third brother is so capable and looks so handsome. I’m afraid this kind of thing will happen to him frequently in the future.

The story of the golden and jade match was spreading throughout the garden. Not only did the third brother wear someone else's sachet, but he also dared to mess with Bao girl.

If he gets into trouble, huh, let me see what he will do. Tanchun suddenly felt a little gloating.

……

Baochai said with a smile, "Sister Yingchun and sister Tanchun, please come and sit down. I heard that Brother Cong is going north soon. I think he must be very busy recently. It's a pity that you still come to see me."

Tanchun saw that although Baochai was ill and her voice was a little weak, her dealings with people and every word she spoke were still smart, careful, thoughtful and appropriate.

Well, she mentioned me and my second sister first, and then my third brother. It seemed unobtrusive, but in fact, she really wanted to talk to my third brother.

Jia Cong hadn't seen Baochai for a few days and found that she had lost some weight, but her bright eyes were still bright and warm, and her charm was still the same.

"I have been busy these past few days and am waiting to leave the day after tomorrow. I live next door and didn't know that Sister Bao was sick. I am really too slow to treat her. Please don't be offended, Sister."

Baochai smiled and said, "Brother Cong is too eccentric. You are a capable person, so you should naturally be busy with important matters outside. My illness is not serious. It is an old illness from the past, not worth anything..."

The two of them talked for a while, leaving Yingchun and Tanchun aside.

Even Yingchun, who was always a step behind, felt something was wrong. Why were Baoyatou and Congdi acting weird today?

Tanchun, who was standing by, said with a smile, "Brother San, Sister Bao, what's wrong with you today? You are being so polite. I feel a little uncomfortable listening to you."

Baochai saw the bright smile on Tanchun's face and naturally heard the joke in her words. Her face turned slightly red and she said, "You are the only one who said something weird. How can you be polite? Isn't that how we all talk?"

Aunt Xue in the outer room pricked up her ears to listen to the noise inside. She heard a few people chattering and laughing from time to time.

But in her heart she thought, there are not only this boy and her daughter here, so there would be nothing much to say no matter how much she talked. So she went about her own business, ignoring the people chatting in the inner room.

……

Almost at the same time, at the Yaowu Gate in the eastern city of Shendong, hundreds of imperial cavalrymen poured into the city through the gate.

The sound of horse hooves roared like thunder, carrying with it a majestic aura!

These imperial cavalrymen were all in neat military posture, wearing bright clothes and armor, with long-handled goose-feather swords on their waists and riding tall and mighty horses.

Among these cavalrymen there was a guard, who was about twenty years old, with a handsome appearance, and was very heroic. He wore a Yishan crown on his head and a red robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves and a golden dragon pattern. His demeanor was so majestic that it was difficult to look at him directly.

The group of people and horses headed towards the Meridian Gate of the Great Zhou Palace like a surging wave.

(End of this chapter)