I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 107 Coveting
Seeing Jia Cong eating with relish, Xue Baochai couldn't help but smile and said, "As long as Third Brother Cong likes it, I'll have someone send more over when I get back. When Third Brother Cong has finished eating, just come to my house and ask for more."

Jia Cong couldn't help but say, "Your family is originally a guest, but I want your things. How can I feel comfortable with this?"

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "I just gave you some food. What's the point of that? Brother Cong, you are exaggerating."

"If Third Brother Cong really feels bad, how about drawing a portrait for me?"

After hearing this, Jia Cong immediately said, "Okay, it's just one portrait. As long as Sister Bao likes it, we can have several."

"Sister Bao, please go stand under that bunch of flowers. I will draw a picture for you now."

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai hurried to stand under the cluster of flowers and trees that Jia Cong mentioned.

Jia Cong picked up the paintbrush and began to paint carefully.

His sketches have long reached perfection.

When I start painting again, I can do it with ease.

It didn't take much effort to complete the portrait.

After finishing the painting, Jia Cong put down his brush and couldn't help but look at the painting carefully.

Under the flower trees, Xue Baochai saw Jia Cong put down his brush and knew that he had finished painting, so she also walked towards him.

Xue Baochai was already plump, and when she stood under the flower tree, she looked even more beautiful than the flowers.

Jia Cong looked at the portrait carefully, and for a moment, he couldn't take his eyes away.

It’s not that the portrait is more beautiful and moving than the real person, but Jia Cong can’t keep staring at the real Xue Baochai.

There are not so many concerns about portraits.

He just didn't notice Xue Baochai walking over quietly.

It is said that when Xue Baochai saw the portrait at first sight, she liked it very much.

Brother Cong's painting skills have indeed improved a lot compared to the first time he painted for himself.

Then, she saw that Brother Cong was staring at his own portrait in a trance, as if he was attracted by his own portrait.

Xue Baochai's cheeks flushed immediately and her heart began to beat violently.

After a while, she coughed softly and said, "Third Brother Cong, is the portrait finished?"

Jia Cong was startled and realized that Xue Baochai had actually walked up to him.

But there was no sign of it on his face.

He said calmly: "It's already been drawn. I hope Baomei likes it."

Xue Baochai said, "This is a very good painting. I naturally like it."

After putting away the portrait, Xue Baochai did not stay long and left in a hurry.

……

In the afternoon, Qingwen walked up to Jia Cong and said with a smile, "Third Master, you don't know, I just heard that the Second Master beat Baoyu again!"

Baoyu was beaten again?

This is something that we welcome to see.

Jia Cong couldn't help but ask, "Have you heard about it? Why was he beaten this time?"

Qingwen laughed and said, "I heard that he was caught by the master because he was fooling around with the maids. The master had him arrested, tied up and beaten."

"Later, the old ancestor was brought in, and the matter was finally stopped."

Jia Cong couldn't help but say, "This time, could it be because I passed the exam and became a scholar?"

"Will the old ancestor call me over again and scold me for this reason?"

Qingwen couldn't help but say, "Third Master, how could it be? How could the old ancestor be so unreasonable?"

Jia Cong could not help but say, "Of course I can't. I got the first place in the county examination. When the second master heard the news, he asked Baoyu to take the examination. When Baoyu gave a bad answer, he was beaten."

"As a result, the old ancestor heard about it, called me over, and scolded me severely. It may happen again this time." Jia Baoyu is the apple of Jia's eye. Whenever it comes to things related to Jia Baoyu, she is always unreasonable.

Don't say that he is just a bastard.

In the book "Dream of Red Mansions", when Jia's mother heard that Jia Baoyu was beaten because of Jia Zhen from the East Palace, she called Jia Zhen and scolded him.

Jia Zhen is the head of Ningguo Mansion and the patriarch of the Jia family, but he was not spared, let alone him?
After hearing this, Qingwen couldn't help but say, "The old ancestor is so unreasonable, but this is indeed something the old ancestor would do."

"Third Master, Baoyu got beaten this time. Will the old lady call you over and scold you again?"

Jia Cong said, "Who knows? Anyway, being scolded won't hurt anything, so let him be."

As a result, for some unknown reason, Grandmother Jia did not call Jia Cong over.

Jia Cong felt that it might be because he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar.

It was naturally good not to be scolded, and he had no tendency to be masochistic.

……

The business of Jiangzhu Rouge and Powder is getting better and better, and now its scale has expanded several times.

Even so, demand still outstrips supply.

There have even been scalpers who have lined up to buy the Rouge and Powder, and then resell them at a high price.

Currently, Jiangzhu is still expanding by adding workshops.

Although Feng Ziying was very busy, even Xue Pan, who was an idle person, could not rest in peace.

However, he is not the material to do great things after all, and the more he helps, the more trouble he makes.

As a last resort, Xue Baochai had to come forward to help Xue Pan control the situation.

With the help of Xue Baochai, the situation at the Xue family shop was quickly stabilized.

This also greatly reduced Feng Ziying's pressure.

This forced Feng Ziying to look at Xue Baochai with a new respect.

The profits from rouge and powder are very lucrative, which has attracted the covetousness of many people.

At Prince Yi Zhong's residence, Prince Yi Zhong couldn't help but ask, "The boy from the Feng family is quite talented. I underestimated him before."

"The Chamber of Commerce he established is not just about making money."

The person who had a conversation with Prince Yizhong was Manager Zhou from the palace.

Manager Zhou smiled and asked, "I am so stupid that I didn't know that the Chamber of Commerce has other uses. I hope the old man can help me solve this puzzle."

Prince Yizhong said: "This Chamber of Commerce actually controls the resources of our eight families."

"Once we open up foreign and even overseas channels in the future, this will be a huge resource."

"When the time comes, we can purchase other supplies through this channel."

"If I can completely control the Chamber of Commerce, it will be even more powerful. Therefore, this Chamber of Commerce must be controlled in our hands!"

Hearing Prince Yizhong's words, Manager Zhou couldn't help but frown and said, "My Lord, behind Feng Ziying stands the Emperor."

"If we take action against him, it will inevitably displease the emperor. If we alert the enemy, it will be bad."

Prince Yizhong couldn't help but say, "It's not like they only have the Feng family. If the Feng family kid can't be touched, can't the others be touched?"

"I heard that the Feng family kid is in partnership with another family called Xue. They are just a family of businessmen. Do you think they are qualified to control the Chamber of Commerce?"

"Tell someone to bring tens of thousands of taels of silver and buy out the Xue family's shares."

"With the Xue family's shares, I can slowly take control of the Chamber of Commerce."

Manager Zhou couldn't help but say, "Yes, old man, I'll find someone to do it right away."

(End of this chapter)