I'm in the Red Mansion

After autumn, the weather became colder day by day.

The grass is green for a few times, and the maple leaves are red again.

After the wind and frost, winter comes unknowingly.

Jia Cong submitted a memorial to Emperor Yonglong, asking for leave and preparing to go back home for the New Year.

This time he plans to go back earlier so that he can stay at home for a few more days.

Among the border guards, it has to be said that Jia Cong is an outlier.

Other generals seldom went home, and even if they did, they would usually return to the border within ten days or half a month.

Only Jia Cong wished he could go back eight times a year.

However, Emperor Yonglong was quite satisfied with Jia Cong's homesickness.

Jia Cong lacks the vicious qualities of a powerful hero, so it is unlikely that he would rebel.

Therefore, Emperor Yonglong readily approved Jia Cong's vacation.

He even said that as long as proper arrangements were made and the five states were not lost, he could stay at home for a while longer.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, Jia Cong made all the arrangements.

Then he took the two maids, Jia Huan, Mei Shiming and Liu Xianglian, and prepared to return to Beijing.

If the two great generals Jia Huan and Liu Xianglian return, the defense of the five states will be left unprotected.

However, winter is cold and not suitable for military operations.

The Manchus were also afraid of being beaten by Jia Cong. If Jia Cong didn't beat them, they would chant Amitabha.

One dare not stroke a tiger's whiskers easily.

Now Qingwen is seven months pregnant and her belly is bulging.

This time, he was sent back to the Jia Mansion and raised well.

When you give birth to a child in the future, it will be easier to take care of him/her at home.

On the way back, the speed was a bit slower.

It was more than ten days later that he returned to the capital.

After returning to the mansion, Jia Huan did not go home immediately. Instead, he planned to follow Jia Cong to Ningguo Mansion first, pay his respects to Madam Mei, and then return to Rongguo Mansion.

Well, there is no Rongguo Mansion now, only the second branch of the Jia family.

The ladies were serving outside the mansion as usual. After Jia Cong got off the car, he saw a little guy wearing open-crotch pants and a tiger-head hat, walking back and forth unsteadily beside Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu hurriedly pulled him back and pointed at Jia Cong and said, "Ping An, look, the master is back, call him quickly."

This little guy was not afraid of strangers. He stumbled forward, opened his big eyes, and looked at Jia Cong in a daze.

After a while, he called out, "Master!"

This little guy can actually walk and call for help?

Jia Cong bent down and picked up the little guy, and couldn't help laughing and said, "From now on, you don't have to call me master, just call me dad."

Lin Daiyu also came forward and asked with pursed lips: "What is your father's name?"

Jia Cong couldn't help but say, "Er Ya and Shi Qin say that 'ba' means father."

In fact, the words "baba" and "mama" already existed among the pre-Qin philosophers, representing father and mother respectively.

But it never became popular.

The title of "mother" had already become popular in the book "Dream of Red Mansions". Xue Pan and Xue Baochai both called Aunt Xue "mother".

Jia Cong, after all, has lived two lives, and he is not used to his son calling him master. He still feels that calling him father is more intimate.

The little guy also followed suit, staring at Jia Cong and shouting, "Dad, Dad."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Little guy, you are so good!"

As he spoke, Jia Cong couldn't help but throw the little guy high up and then grab it.

Jia Cong was so strong that he threw the ball six or seven feet high, and it didn't take much effort.

The little guy had never played this before and laughed out loud with joy.

While waving his little arms, he was excited to do it again.

Jia Cong doted on the baby and really lost it again, which made the little guy very happy.

Lin Daiyu and other girls were really frightened and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Husband, don't do that. This is too dangerous. If you can't catch it, it will fall and get hurt."

Jia Cong curled his lips and said, "I am the best archer in the world, the invincible champion, how can I hurt my son?"

Although Lin Daiyu loved Jia Cong very much, she didn't look at him well at this moment. She gave him a sidelong glance and snatched the little one from his arms.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he took the baby, the little guy started twisting his body and crying loudly, struggling to be held by Jia Cong.

Lin Daiyu had no choice but to put the little guy back into Jia Cong's arms.

At the same time, he warned Jia Cong not to lose the child again so as not to scare the old lady.

Jia Cong agreed with a smile, and at the same time asked where the two little guys, Jia Wei and Jia Xiao, were and why they didn't come out.

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and said, "How many months old are they? It's freezing cold, what are you doing with them? As a father, you don't love your children at all."

Jia Cong couldn't help but say, "I really love these two little guys. I haven't even looked at them since they were born!"

After hearing this, Xiangling and Xue Baoqin asked someone to report it.

Jia Cong kept saying there was no hurry, they were already home and it wouldn't be too late to go inside and take a look.

Let’s talk about Jia Huan, who followed Jia Cong to meet Madam Mei.

After kowtowed to Mrs. Mei, Mrs. Mei invited Jia Huan to have dinner at her home.

Jia Huan could not help but say, "I shouldn't have refused the meal given by the Madam, but I just came back and haven't paid my respects to the old lady yet. If I take the meal, I'm afraid it would be disrespectful."

Mrs. Mei heard this and said, "You are such a filial child, and you know how to be polite. I will not keep you here in vain."

"When you have time, come and visit me. I haven't seen you for two years, but you have become even more outstanding."

Jia Huan responded, then stood up and left.

After Jia Huan left Ningguo Mansion, he took a carriage to Jia Mansion.

That is the three-story courtyard that Jia Cong gave to the second branch of the Jia family.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the place, they found that the people living in the yard were not from the second branch of the Jia family.

After some inquiries, I found out that they had actually sold their house and moved to a new place.

Jia Huan hadn't been home for two years. When he came back, he couldn't find his home.

In desperation, Jia Huan had to return to Ningguo Mansion. He did not need to disturb Jia Cong and only asked the housekeeper Xue Da.

Xue Da then sent someone to send Jia Huan to the new home of the second branch of the Jia family.

After returning to his new home, Jia Huan discovered that this new home was really shabby, located in a narrow and dilapidated alley on South Street where sewage was flowing.

This new house is just a small courtyard. It doesn’t need to be divided into several entrances. It can’t even be considered one entrance.

Jia Huan was speechless for a while and knocked on the door a few times outside the yard.

Soon, the door opened and a middle-aged man walked out.

For a moment, Jia Huan didn't recognize this person.

Jia Huan was frowning, wondering if he had come to the wrong place again.

The man opposite, after taking a few glances at Jia Huan, could not help but ask, "Is it Brother Huan?"

Huh? Who is this? You actually recognized me?

Jia Huan looked carefully and actually saw some of Baoyu's appearance in him.

Jia Huan was shocked and couldn't help asking, "Are you, Second Brother Bao?"

Baoyu smiled and said, "It's me. Brother Huan is back. The old lady, the wife, and the aunt will definitely like him."

"Come inside quickly. I'll take you to see the old lady! She's in high spirits right now!"

Jia Huan clearly saw that Baoyu's face had wrinkles, his skin was dark, and he looked weathered.

I'm afraid I've suffered a lot in the past two years.

Is this still the playboy Baoyu with a face as bright as the full moon?

Jia Huan couldn't help but sigh.

He also thought that if he stayed at home, he would probably be even more miserable than Baoyu.

He followed Baoyu into the main room.

Because it was the twelfth lunar month, the weather was very cold, and only Lady Jia's room had a stove lit.

In other people's rooms, they don't light the stove during the day, and only light it at night to keep out the cold.

Therefore, during the day, the whole family gathered in Grandmother Jia's room to avoid the cold.

Grandmother Jia's hair is gray and she is not as energetic as before.

After Jia She's death, Mrs. Xing lost her support and became frightened and her spirit became weaker day by day.

Looking at him now, he seems to have aged ten or twenty years compared to before.

Even Mrs. Wang's hair was half white, and she looked old.

As for Aunt Zhao, although the Jia family was in decline, she lived a pretty good life.

She had the private money given to her by Tanchun, so she could cook for herself secretly, and she was happy and plump, with not much change.

There was a young woman in the room, surrounded by a child.

Seeing Jia Huan coming in, he quickly lowered his head.

Jia Huan guessed, maybe it must be Baoyu's family?

I didn't expect that she actually had a child.

Jia Huan kowtowed to Grandmother Jia and said, "I, the unfilial grandson, pay my respects to the old ancestor. I have met the first and second wives, and my aunt. This must be my second sister-in-law, right?"

Hearing Jia Huan's voice, Grandmother Jia hurriedly called him to her side.

She held Jia Huan's hand and said, "Brother Huan, it's good to be back. You've suffered a lot at the border these years!"

"Come back and have a rest. I will prepare a feast for you in the evening."

Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang were also very friendly to Jia Huan.

Baoyu's wife also stood up shyly to meet her uncle Jia Huan.

The little guy is a boy, and his nickname is Maomao.

(It is rumored that Cao Xueqin's two sons were named Damao and Ermao, so Jia Baoyu should be written in the image of Cao Xueqin.)

Grandmother Jia could not help but greet Baoyu's family and said, "Baoyu's family, Huan'er has just returned and must be hungry. Go and make a few meals for Huan'er to fill his stomach."

Now, among the entire second branch of the Jia family, Jia Huan is the most promising one.

Not only did he have a title, but he was also a military officer.

If the second branch wants to rise in the future, it must rely on Jia Huan, the illegitimate son.

It can be said that Jia Huan is the hope of the entire family of the second house.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia was so friendly to Jia Huan that even Lady Xing and Lady Wang did not dare to be rude in front of Jia Huan.

Their family is no longer the same as it used to be. Even if a woman of theirs dies at home without anyone knowing, it won't cause any trouble.

Baoyu's family, after hearing what Grandmother Jia said, did not get up for a long while, but said helplessly: "Grandma, there are only a few pounds of brown rice at home, and there is no meat or vegetables. Even if the daughter-in-law wants to cook, she can't do it."

After hearing this, Jia Huan was shocked.

Has the second branch of the family fallen to such a state?
There are only a few kilograms of brown rice at home, and no other food?
After the second house sold the three-story house and bought the small courtyard here, they still had several hundred silver coins. But the family, from Grandmother Jia to Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and even Jia Baoyu and Maomao, all fell ill one after another.

Their health had never been good to begin with. When the Rongguo Mansion was still in existence, their family would often prescribe pills for them to take.

Life is so bad nowadays, it would be strange if they didn't get sick.

Fortunately, Baoyu's wife and Aunt Zhao were still strong and not sick.

Otherwise, the situation at home would become even worse.

However, family members kept falling ill, and the little money they earned from selling the house was long gone.

He even went to the Lin family and Ningguo Mansion to ask for money twice.

But nowadays, it is not easy for them to come to the door to ask for money often.

As a result, we are now in a situation where there are only a few kilograms of brown rice left at home.

They eat porridge every day.

As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. It was really difficult for Grandmother Jia to ask Baoyu's family to prepare a table of food.

After hearing this, Jia's mother could not help but sigh, "Alas, my Rongguo Mansion was so rich, but I never thought that today we have fallen to the point where the whole family has to eat porridge."

At this point, Grandmother Jia couldn't help choking up.

Jia Huan said hurriedly: "Grandfather, there is no need to be sad. Now that my grandson has returned home, he has brought back military pay, which is enough for the family to live on."

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia’s sadness turned into joy.

Their family did not split up, so no matter how much silver Jia Huan had, it would all be considered public property of the government.

This time, Jia Huan also brought back more than thirty taels of silver.

With this money, it is enough for the family's food and clothing expenses for several months.

After the family had finished their meal, Jia Huan followed Aunt Zhao into her room.

As soon as she entered the room, Aunt Zhao complained, "Brother Huan, you really have become stupid because of being a soldier."

"Your home is a bottomless pit. How long can your money fill it? Even if you give them your heart, it will not end well."

"Now it's time for you to start a family and establish a career. When you want to marry a wife, do you think they will give you money?"

"I winked at you and you didn't even notice. I'm so pissed off. I never thought I'd give birth to such a stupid son!"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Mother, I have made contributions several times, and the silver I have been rewarded with alone is several hundred taels."

"After all, I am also a member of this family. We have not divided up the family yet, so how can I not spend a penny? If this gets out, I will lose my reputation."

"I am a bastard in the family. After I get married, I will have to separate from the family."

"When the time comes, mother will live with me, so she won't have to suffer this kind of pain."

After hearing this, Aunt Zhao said, "You are a smart boy. Now the whole family has to rely on Baoyu for support."

"Has Baoyu been spoiled by them? How can he be of any use? Humph, it won't be long before several members of this family will starve to death."

"What I say can't be wrong. If you don't believe me, just watch."

Jia Huan shook his head, took out a banknote from his pocket and handed it to Aunt Zhao, saying, "Mother, this is a banknote of one hundred taels. Keep it and spend it sparingly."

"If you don't have enough money, go borrow from my third sister first, and I'll pay her back when the time comes."

Aunt Zhao said, "Isn't she the flesh and blood of my belly? Why would I need you to exchange her for money?"

"But speaking of it, your third sister is a good person. She has been giving me a lot of money these days."

"If not, I would have starved to death a long time ago."

The mother and son talked for a while, and Aunt Zhao suddenly said, "By the way, there is no place for you to live in this house."

It turns out that they bought the house with the mentality that it was cheap and could accommodate the whole family.

But he ignored Jia Huan, the illegitimate son.

Now that Jia Huan has returned, he has no house to live in.

Aunt Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I move in with the maids and you can stay in my room."

Jia Huan waved his hands and said, "Mother, please stop busying yourself. I'll go to Ningguo Mansion and ask Third Brother Cong to stay for a few nights."

When Lady Jia, Lady Xing, Lady Wang and others learned about this, they were also filled with ashamed.

When Huan Ge'er just came back, they thought that Huan Ge'er would be the hope of the whole family in the future.

In the blink of an eye, there was no place for Lian Huan Ge'er to live in this house.

Huan Ge'er is old enough to get married.

He is a bastard's son, so after he gets married, he should live separately from the family.

But where did this house come from? Given the current situation of the family, where would they get the money to prepare a wedding for him?
And if he doesn't contribute anything, can we still expect him to be filial after he separates from the family?
For a moment, Lady Jia, Lady Xing and Lady Wang also felt helpless.

It is said that Jia Huan was happy not to live at home.

Otherwise, I would have to follow them and eat porridge every day, which is far inferior to the food in the army. I would really become a nobody.

It would be better for him to stay in Ningguo Mansion. That way, he could come to pay his respects every now and then, and he wouldn't have to endure this torture.

At that moment, Jia Huan came to Ningguo Mansion, and Jia Cong naturally agreed.

At the same time, when he heard that the second branch of the Jia family had really fallen to the point where the whole family had to eat porridge, he couldn't help but sigh.

He didn't expect that Jia Baoyu was actually a responsible person.

It is said that the Feng family plans to marry Tanchun at the end of the year.

The second branch of the Jia family is certainly willing, but the embarrassing thing now is that their family has fallen to the point where everyone has to eat porridge, so how can they afford a dowry for the third girl?

And if they didn't even have any dowry, they would become the laughing stock of the entire capital.

I was afraid that after Tanchun married into the Feng family, she would not be able to hold her head up.

Fortunately, Jia Cong returned home and after learning about this, he said that he had given the dowry.

And it was a dowry of sixty-four units.

Sixty-four sets, although not as much as Yingchun’s dowry.

Yingchun had a dowry of 128 sets.

However, Yingchun is Jia Cong's half-sister.

Tanchun is the sister of Jia Cong's uncle.

In terms of blood relationship, there is a level of difference.

The reason why Jia Cong gave Tanchun a dowry of sixty-four sets.

The reason was simply that when they were in Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Mei was ill and Tanchun sent her ten taels of silver.

At that time, Jia Cong had actually borrowed two hundred taels of silver from Lin Daiyu and had resolved the crisis.

Tanchun's original ten taels of silver were exchanged for a dowry of sixty-four villas.

And the sixty-four sets of dowry would not in any way be unfair to Tanchun.

Even if she marries into the Feng family, they will never look down on her because of her dowry.

Therefore, when Tanchun learned about this, her gratitude towards Jia Cong was naturally obvious.

It is said that when Lady Jia, Lady Xing, and Lady Wang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, heard the news, they had complicated expressions and mixed feelings.

They could also guess some of the reasons why Jia Cong gave the dowry.

From this we can see that Congge is indeed a sentimental person.

If they had not expelled Cong'er from the family tree and clan, how could Cong'er have watched them die without helping them and turned a blind eye?
How could they have ended up like this?
Although Congge is a person who remembers favors, he also holds grudges.

A meal must be repaid, and a grudge must be avenged.

If we talk about the evil things they did to Congge'er, let alone repaying them, it would be a blessing for Congge'er not to seek revenge on them.

Let’s talk about the eldest brother Feng Ziying. Before his wedding, he also came to Ningguo Mansion to pay a visit in person.

After paying his respects to Mrs. Mei, Jia Cong invited Feng Ziying to his study.

Jia Cong asked Feng Ziying about the movements of the three southern divisions.

Feng Ziying couldn't help but say, "Sanfan was ready to make a move, but after Junior Brother showed his prowess and recovered several states in Yanyun, Sanfan suddenly became much more obedient."

The three of them are actually opportunists.

If the imperial court suffered a major defeat in the war with the Qing Dynasty, they would certainly not miss this great opportunity.

They will definitely take the opportunity to rebel and then divide the country with the Qing Dynasty.

One occupied the land north of the Yangtze River in Daxia, and the other occupied the land south of the Yangtze River in Daxia.

Now that the Qing Dynasty was at a disadvantage, the Sanfan dared not act rashly.

Because of one careless mistake, they will fall into an irretrievable situation.

Although Sanfan has been lurking, he is still making small moves.

Therefore, we must pay attention to it.

Next, Feng Ziying asked about the affairs of Yanyun.

When Feng Ziying heard this, he couldn't help but marvel at it.

Then, he began to ask Jia Cong for a rifle.

Jia Cong thought about it and decided to give Feng Ziying a batch of flintlock rifles first and then make some arrangements.

There is absolutely no way I could give him the rifle, at least not now, even if he is my close fellow disciple.

Now he is in Yanyun and doesn’t have enough bullets. How can he possibly share them with others?

What's more, the rifle is his most powerful firearm, and it is impossible for him to give it to others before it is updated.

The two brothers haven't seen each other for many years.

Jia Cong hosted a banquet for Feng Ziying, and the two of them got drunk before leaving.

A few days later, Tanchun got married, and Jia Cong personally sent her to the Feng family.

After Tanchun got married, the Niu family came to propose marriage.

However, Niu Jizon had a young illegitimate daughter who was only 28 years old and was going to marry Jia Huan.

Jia Cong was a little curious.

Ever since the Rongguo Mansion was stripped of its title, it has now been considered a poor family.

How can I be worthy of the Niu family?
The reason why Niu Jizong wanted to marry Jia Huan was probably because he was optimistic about Jia Huan's future, right?
It makes sense. Although Jia Huan is a concubine's son, if he follows me, he will definitely be able to make great achievements in the recovery of Yanyun.

By then, it would not be a bad idea to be conferred the title of baron or even viscount.

And once you obtain this title, you will be worthy of the Niu family.

What's more, the Niu family came to propose marriage before Jia Huan became successful, which made it even more precious.

And through this marriage, the relationship with Jia Cong can be strengthened, which may be the most important link.

What's more, they don't have to pay anything. Even if Jia Huan cannot make progress, all their Niu family has to pay is the happiness of a concubine's daughter.

For a family like theirs, it's nothing.

Jia Cong had thought of this, but he didn't mind it.

Instead, he called Jia Huan and asked for his opinion.

Logically speaking, it’s the parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words that matter.

Now Jia Zheng is still in exile, but it is up to Lady Wang to make the decision. (End of this chapter)