I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 20: Who wants to step on it?
Jia Cong couldn't help but ask, "Cai'er, tell me, who bullied you?"

Cai Er said angrily, "Isn't it that housekeeper Shan? We have run out of charcoal because we are boiling medicine for Auntie."

"I went to ask for charcoal from the housekeeper, but he said there was no charcoal left this month and we could only get it next month. He told us to go out and buy it ourselves."

"But in Auntie's room and Third Master's room, since they don't usually cook for themselves and the weather isn't too cold now, they rarely boil water."

"Now each room in the mansion has a quota of 100 kilograms of charcoal per month. Except in winter, we have never received the full amount."

"It's what my aunt said. We don't need so much. We have no place to store it after we collect it. So we might as well collect less."

"This way, if that month's money isn't enough, it will be easier to get more."

"I didn't expect to use so much this month, so I only received 50 kilograms. But the housekeeper refused to give me anything. Unless the old ancestor or the lady asks, I will definitely not give it to you."

"He also said that we don't need so much charcoal. He will tell his wife to reduce our expenses starting from next month."

After hearing Cai'er's words, Jia Cong's face turned unhappy. He couldn't help but ask, "The housekeeper Shan you are talking about, is it Shan Daliang?"

Cai'er nodded and said, "It is him, the single butler, who is in charge of distributing supplies to each room."

Shan Daliang appears many times in Dream of the Red Chamber, but he is just a marginal character and there is no specific description of what position he holds.

It turned out that he was in charge of the distribution of supplies to each room.

I just beat Qin Xian's wife yesterday. I thought it would serve as a warning to the others, so that those maids and old women would be in awe of them and would not dare to insult them again.

Jia Cong himself was not afraid, but he wanted to improve Aunt Mei's living environment.

These maids and old women were disrespectful in their words, lazy in their actions, and even sarcastic and indirect in their behavior.

This might make Aunt Mei angry, and this anger, which was pent up in her heart, might be one of the reasons for Aunt Mei's illness.

I didn't expect that this single housekeeper would jump out today.

It seems that Qin Xian’s family still doesn’t have enough.

If he cannot put down the arrogance of this housekeeper, I am afraid that these villains will continue to do as they please, or even become more aggressive.

After all, he is now disliked by Lady Jia and Lady Wang. Suppressing them mother and son is a way to please Lady Jia and Lady Wang in disguise.

Naturally, they would rush to do such a good thing.

If they cannot retaliate for this matter, they will probably be in trouble in the future.

However, the status and position of this butler is not comparable to that of Qin Xian's family.

Moreover, this single butler is very likely to have Lady Wang or Wang Xifeng as his backer.

As a bastard, he couldn't do anything to the single steward.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong could not help but say to Cai'er, "Cai'er, go get twenty taels of silver from Hongxiu."

"First, find a servant to go outside and buy some charcoal. Also, my aunt is getting better these days, so you need to keep up with her diet and order one more dish for each meal."

"Don't be afraid to spend money. If you don't have money, just come and ask me for it."

"Also, I will take care of Butler Shan's affairs myself, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Yes, Third Master."

After sending Cai'er away and having dinner with Aunt Mei, Jia Cong returned to his study.

But this time, he was not in a hurry to improve his attributes.

Although liver properties are important, solving Dan Daliang’s problem is equally important.

For a moment, Jia Cong fell into deep thought.

He couldn't deal with Shan Daliang by his own strength.

But he doesn't necessarily have to do it himself.

If you just want to kill someone with a borrowed knife, you must first find evidence that Shan Daliang has embezzled money.

But unfortunately, he was a nobody in the Jia family.

He simply doesn't have the manpower or the channels to do this.

After thinking for a while, Jia Cong finally thought of a suitable candidate.

Next, Jia Cong called Hong Xiu and asked her to take 1,500 coins to Jia Huan. Jia Huan lent him 1,236 coins, and the extra money was considered interest.

Hongxiu nodded, counted out fifteen hundred coins, and walked forward with them.

After a while, Hongxiu came back with two hundred and sixty-four coins.

He said that Master Huan San didn't want any interest and also said a lot of strange things.

Hearing this, Jia Cong couldn't help but laugh.

Huan Lao San is indeed interesting. When he lent the money, he clearly said that interest would be charged.

Now that I've given him interest, he doesn't want it anymore.

Next, Jia Cong began to concentrate on improving his attributes.

It was almost the second watch again. Jia Cong practiced Eight-Section Brocade several times, washed up, and then prepared to go to sleep.

Although he goes to bed very late every day now, he is in very good spirits and does not feel tired or sleepy.

From this we can see that Ba Duan Jin is really effective.

Before going to bed, Jia Cong opened the proficiency panel.

【Name: Jia Cong】

【Four Books and Five Classics (proficient): 115/200】

【Ba Duan Jin (Dacheng): 126/1000】

【Calligraphy (Dacheng) 356/1000】

【Sketch (Complete): 16/1000】

【Medical Skills (Entry): 37/100】

[Physique: 7]

That's right, his sketching finally reached the highest level.

In other words, in his previous life, his sketching skills were very close to perfection.

And in this life, with the bonus of the proficiency panel, he quickly reached the state of great success.

After reaching the highest level, Jia Cong gained many more insights into sketching.

As I write, I feel more and more comfortable and able to write as I please.

The realm of great success is already enough, Jia Cong is no longer prepared to continue working hard.

After all, sketching was just a means for him to make money.

Now that I feel that I don’t have enough time, I can put sketching aside for the time being.

The next day, after getting up, washing and eating, Jia Cong went out with his book box and waited for Jia Huan at the intersection of Ningrong Street.

Soon, Zhao Guoji drove over in a carriage.

Seeing Jia Cong from afar, Zhao Guoji couldn't help but stop the carriage.

When Jia Huan saw Jia Cong, he couldn't help but stare at him and asked, "Cong, what do you mean? You paid me back yesterday, are you going to break up with me?"

Jia Cong asked in confusion: "Where did you get this from? When did I ever say I wanted to break up with you?"

Jia Huan sneered, "If not, why didn't you want to go after school yesterday when I invited you?"

Jia Cong said helplessly: "Didn't I tell you? I have to go home to study. I won't have time to go out in the future."

"You also know that my situation is different from yours. After you come of age, you can still get a share of the family property."

"And I have no hope. The only one I can rely on is myself."

Hearing Jia Cong say this, Jia Huan could not help but nod and said, "That's true. If that's the case, you are quite pitiful! Come on, get in the car and talk."

After Jia Cong got in the car, Jia Huan rubbed his hands and said with a chuckle, "Third Brother Cong, you got away with it yesterday. Tell me about what happened between you and your maid."

Ho!
This guy, it turns out he is still thinking about this little thing!
Jia Cong said speechlessly: "Stop making trouble, I have something serious to tell you."

(End of this chapter)