I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 13: A Visit from Ryoharu
He asked to borrow 100 taels of silver, and Lin Daiyu directly lent him 200 taels.

With these two hundred taels of silver, I can solve my urgent problem.

But this money has to be repaid sooner or later, so I still have to find a way to make money.

The reason why Aunt Mei fell ill this time was certainly because she was weak and had contracted typhoid fever.

But it also has a lot to do with her staying up late every day doing needlework.

I had urged her several times before, and Aunt Mei agreed verbally but never changed her mind.

If she recovers this time, she must not be allowed to work so hard again.

With insights that were hundreds of years ahead of his time, Jia Cong could think of many ways to make money.

I just borrowed two hundred taels of silver. I won't need that much to buy medicine, and I have the start-up capital.

However, Jia Cong thought about it carefully and overturned all the methods he had thought of.

Firstly, there was no one around him who could help, and he himself did not have much energy to put into this.

At present, the most important thing for him is his liver properties, passing the imperial examinations as soon as possible and changing his embarrassing situation.

Although money is the hero's courage and is equally important, its priority is far lower than liver attribute.

Moreover, if he wants to do business, he needs to be away from home for a long time, which is currently impossible.

Secondly, he is now the illegitimate son of the eldest son of the Rongguo Mansion. He has not yet reached adulthood and has not yet separated from the family. Since there is no separation of the family, he is not allowed to accumulate private wealth.

No matter how much money he earned from business, once discovered, it would all be confiscated, and he would also be severely punished according to clan rules.

There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world. How could he possibly hide his business activities from the people in the mansion?
Therefore, this path is temporarily blocked.

As Jia Cong walked towards Tong Ren Tang, the largest pharmacy on East Street, he was thinking about feasible ways to earn money.

Inadvertently, Jia Cong suddenly looked up and saw a painter painting for someone on the roadside, and his heart was moved.

If you dress up and work as a part-time painter every now and then, it can be a way to make money.

If you charge one tael of silver per person, you can earn more than ten taels of silver a day.

This amount of silver is enough for the mother and son to live on.

His own sketching technique is unique in this world, so he doesn't have to worry about no one wanting to paint his portrait.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong felt relieved and walked quickly into Tongrentang.

He took the prescription and bought seven prescriptions from Tong Ren Tang, which cost him thirty-six taels of silver.

However, it does not mean that Aunt Mei will be completely cured after taking these seven doses of medicine.

Instead, after taking these seven doses of medicine, you still have to ask a doctor to take a look and then consider a new prescription.

If he wants to fully recover, there won't be much left of the one hundred taels of silver.

After getting the medicine, Jia Cong walked back quickly.

When they returned to Aunt Mei's courtyard, Cai'er came out and asked, "Third Master, you're back? Is your injury okay?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's just a superficial wound, it's nothing serious. Cai'er, I got the medicine back, go and make some for Auntie."

Cai'er took the medicine from Jia Cong and suddenly saw the processed ginseng segments. She was overjoyed.

She hurriedly asked, "Third Master, did you buy ginseng? How much did it cost?"

Inside the room, Aunt Mei heard Cai'er's words and asked weakly, "Cong'er, ginseng is very expensive. Tell me quickly, where did you get the money to buy it?"

Dedicated to be a son, pity the hearts of parents all over the world!

Jia Cong said hurriedly, "Mother, Sister Lin heard about this and lent me two hundred taels of silver. It won't be too late to pay her back slowly later."

Hearing this, Aunt Mei couldn't help but say: "Miss Lin is kind-hearted and helped us when we were in the most difficult time. You should remember this kindness in your heart." "But I borrowed so much money at once, and I don't know how long it will take to pay it back. Brother Cong, you should have listened to me. Why would you spend so much money if you didn't buy that damn ginseng?"

Jia Cong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Mother, when I pass the imperial examination next year, two hundred taels of silver won't be worth much. I will remember this kindness in my heart."

"Mom, you should take a rest first. Cai'er and Hongxiu have gone to boil the medicine. I will call you when they are done."

Aunt Mei nodded slightly, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Half an hour later, Cai'er came in with a bowl of cool medicine, gently woke up Aunt Mei, and helped her take it.

After taking the medicine, Jia Cong discovered that Aunt Mei's complexion seemed to have improved a lot.

Jia Cong couldn't help but shook his head. He knew that this was just a psychological effect.

This medicine is not an elixir, so how can it work so quickly?

Seeing that Aunt Mei had fallen into a deep sleep again, Jia Cong quietly got up and returned to his own yard.

Arriving at the study, Jia Cong continued to study the Four Books and Five Classics.

As the sky darkened, Hongxiu walked in quietly and lit the candle.

He also brewed some tea and placed it next to Jia Cong.

After an unknown period of time, the sisters Yingchun and Tanchun came together.

These two people are rare guests. Yingchun and he are half-siblings, and they have only been to his yard a few times.

As for Tanchun, this was her first time here.

Jia Cong hurriedly stood up and greeted them, "You two sisters are rare guests. Please sit down and talk. Hongxiu, serve the tea."

Tanchun laughed and said, "Brother Cong, why do we have to be like this between siblings?"

"My second sister and I heard that my aunt was ill, so we came to visit her, but unexpectedly, she was already asleep."

"Oh, this is a little gift from my second sister and I, ten taels of silver each. Brother Cong, take it and buy some nourishing products to nourish Aunt."

Jia Cong never expected that the sisters Yingchun and Tanchun would actually send him silver.

I guess they heard the news about Aunt Mei's illness from Lin Daiyu.

His two sisters were both born out of wedlock.

Although they were both raised by Grandmother Jia since childhood, their status was actually higher than his.

However, these two people are also penniless.

There is no need to talk about the second sister Yingchun. She is a cowardly and afraid person. Most of her monthly allowance was embezzled by her wet nurse and a few old women.

Although the third sister Tanchun was smart and ambitious, she could not stand Aunt Zhao's constant harassment, so she had to give Aunt Zhao a part of it.

It was fine for the third sister Tanchun, but it was really not easy for the second sister Yingchun to take out ten taels of silver.

It turns out that in this cold mansion, there are still a few kind people and some human touch.

Jia Cong did not refuse. He thanked them, "Thank you, my two sisters. I accept the money and your kindness."

"If you two sisters encounter any problems in the future, just come to me."

Seeing that Jia Cong accepted it without hesitation, Yingchun was delighted.

Tanchun originally thought that she would have to refuse several times before Third Brother Cong would accept it, but she didn't expect that he would accept it so readily. This made her look up to Jia Cong even more.

The two sisters talked for a while and then stood up to say goodbye.

(End of this chapter)