I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 209: Envy
Jia Cong left the Jia Mansion and went to pay a visit to his teacher.

Over thousands of years of imperial examinations, teachers and students have formed a unique network of interests.

The chief examiner of the provincial examination and subsequent examinations will automatically become the teacher of the admitted candidates of that year.

They will naturally become an alliance in governance interests.

Candidates admitted in the same year are also called classmates.

The relationship between classmates is much closer than that between classmates in later generations.

But for Jia Cong, he really couldn't fit into this circle.

Because he was Kou Xiang's apprentice, he was naturally an official of Kou Xiang's faction.

The chief examiner this time is from the conservative faction.

In addition, the Jia family is a noble family, so naturally they cannot get along with the civil officials.

Therefore, Jia Cong knew that this visit to the master was just a formality.

But after Jia Cong left, in Ninglu Hall, Madam Mei hurriedly asked all the ladies to sit down.

Lin Daiyu bowed and said, "Madam, I didn't want to come here, but was pulled here by the sisters. Now that I have congratulated you, I will not disturb you anymore and will go back first."

After hearing what Lin Daiyu said, the other girls finally reacted.

It is said that an ugly daughter-in-law must meet her parents-in-law.

But meeting before getting married is bound to be awkward for both parties.

Even the mother-in-law can complain and say that her daughter-in-law is not decent and does not know etiquette.

Thinking of this, Xue Baochai stood up and said, "Madam, Sister Lin didn't want to come here, but was pulled here by our sisters. We will leave now."

Sanchun and other girls were also busy testifying for Lin Daiyu.

Madam Mei stepped forward, took Lin Daiyu's hand and said with a smile, "Yu'er, even if you came here by yourself, so what?"

"We are a noble family, and we don't care about these red tape. When you are free in the future, just come over and we women can talk together."

"Come, sit down. No one is allowed to leave today. Stay and have the banquet before leaving."

As she spoke, Aunt Mei pulled Lin Daiyu and sat next to her.

The girls were all very smart and could naturally sense Mrs. Mei's sincerity from her attitude.

This made all the girls envious.

They will all get married in the future.

The mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law are naturally in opposition.

They don’t know yet what kind of mother-in-law they will encounter, how she will reason with them, and how she will set the rules.

Aunt Mei treated Lin Daiyu (her elder sister) just like her own daughter.

How could they not be envious of such a good mother-in-law?
Lin Daiyu is extremely sensitive and can easily tell whether others are kind or malicious towards her.

Lin Daiyu could naturally feel how good Mrs. Mei was to her.

In Mrs. May, she even felt the long-lost maternal love.

This made Lin Daiyu feel a bit of admiration for Mrs. Mei.

Half an hour later, Jia Cong rushed back.

Just as he expected, he sat with his master for a while and then said goodbye and left.

The master's attitude was cold and he did not try to keep him.

When Jia Cong came back, the banquet was almost ready to begin.

Jia Cong also ordered someone to call Jia Huan over.

Although Jia Huan is a bit unreliable, he is really nice to him.

Today's banquet was originally intended for the sisters, so we invited him as well.

Not long after, Jia Huan came in triumphantly, with a gait that showed he didn't care about his relatives.

When he entered the courtyard and saw Jia Cong, Jia Huan couldn't help but say, "Third Brother Cong, you still think of me. I think you still have some conscience."

"Now that you have passed the provincial examination and become a juren, your status has become even more extraordinary. Even though you have become rich, you must not forget who was kind to you in the past."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Okay, come in now, the banquet will be ready soon."

Jia Huan followed Jia Cong into the house. When he saw Madam Mei and the other girls, he immediately shrugged his shoulders, lowered his head, and became a wretched person. He saluted shyly and said, "Hello, Madam. Hello, sisters."

Seeing Jia Huan's death, Tanchun said angrily: "Brother Huan, you are a real man, are you afraid of giving birth?"

"Look at you, you don't stand properly, you don't sit properly, what do you look like? Can't you just hold your head up and stand properly?"

After being scolded by Tanchun, Jia Huan became more and more at a loss.

He hurriedly said, "Yes, Third Sister."

Then he raised his head for a moment, and immediately lowered it again, still with that crooked brow and squinting eyes.

When Tanchun saw this, she became even more angry and was about to scold him again.

Jia Cong said first: "Third sister, calm down, calm down. Today is a happy day, don't be angry."

"According to me, you are also responsible for Brother Huan becoming like this."

"Education cannot just be about reprimanding and suppressing, it also needs encouragement and guidance. Brother Huan became like this because he was reprimanded too much by you and lost his confidence."

Hearing Jia Cong's words, Jia Huan nodded vigorously and said, "That's right, that's right!"

Tanchun glared and asked, "What did you say?"

Jia Huan was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head again.

Seeing this scene, all the girls couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Even Tanchun started laughing.

Mrs. Mei asked everyone to sit down and the banquet officially began.

After a while, the wine and food were served.

Everyone poured wine and started drinking.

Seeing that Lin Daiyu looked a little thin, Mrs. Mei kept picking food for her and took even better care of her.

And Lin Daiyu also reciprocated the favor.

For a moment, the two of them really got along like a mother and daughter.

For a moment, the girls couldn't help but become more envious.

Seeing how harmoniously they got along, Jia Cong felt even more warm.

Mrs. Mei didn't let them drink too much. They were all girls, and if they got drunk, it would not look good in the eyes of outsiders.

An hour later, everyone dispersed with great pleasure.

On the second day, Jia Cong went to Kou's house first and told Prime Minister Kou the good news.

Prime Minister Kou actually knew this a long time ago, but this process had to be followed.

Prime Minister Kou first encouraged him with a few words, then asked him to be humble and calm, and start preparing for the imperial examination with all his strength.

The imperial examination will be held in February of next year, which means it’s less than half a year away.

Jia Cong naturally agreed.

Then I went to Master Zhao to report the good news.

We also invited two senior brothers to be our host, so there is no need to remember too much.

After that, more members of the Jia family and old relatives and friends came to congratulate him, which kept Jia Cong busy for several days.

Half a month later, things gradually returned to calm.

In fact, after passing the imperial examination, if you don’t want to take the next exam, you can just apply and wait in line to become an official.

Of course, those who choose this are generally very old candidates who have given up on the imperial examination and have no intention of taking it again.

Any ambitious candidate will naturally continue to strive for higher grades.

Jia Cong was naturally no exception.

Gradually, the golden autumn passed and the weather became colder day by day.

Mrs. Mei was afraid that Lin Daiyu would feel cold, so she made a cotton coat for her and sent it to her.

When Lin Daiyu received the cotton-padded jacket, she couldn't help shedding tears.

Even Lin Ruhai was greatly relieved when he learned about this.

(End of this chapter)