The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 121 Aunt Zhou

Prepare the boats, harvest the lotus?!

Baoyu was so envious. In the past, he would have definitely begged the old lady to skip school and go with her, but now he didn't dare.

He secretly glanced at his mother, but it would have been better if he hadn't looked at her. As soon as he did, her once clear and bright eyes dimmed.

Not far away, Daiyu noticed that her cousins ​​didn't want to leave and were moving closer to their mother. She couldn't help but tug at her mother's clothes.

Jia Min turned around and touched her daughter's face. "What's wrong?"

"Mother~"

She called out sweetly to her mother, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "Didn't you want to pick lotus flowers? Then leave your cousins ​​here too, and you can teach us how to pick lotus flowers and teach us lotus flower poems at the same time!"

Huh?
It's a good idea.

Jia Min smiled and tapped her daughter's little nose. "Mother, did you hear that?"

When her daughter acted coquettishly towards her, she turned around and acted coquettishly towards her mother as well, saying, "The Book of Poetry says that education should be combined with entertainment, learning should be combined with fun, and education should be combined with the heart. Your granddaughter wants to learn lotus poems with her older brothers and sisters."

"Hahaha, then let's go, all of us!"

Grandmother Jia smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared. "Any other requests? Please bring them up."

To Madam Wang's displeasure, her sister-in-law made another request: "Mother, find someone else to play the flute on the shore."

She wanted to have something fancy, so she said, "Bring us a few more fishing rods." Jia Min laughed, "If we catch any fish, we'll fry the small ones on the spot and eat them, and the cook will make the big ones."

"You, you, you!"

Grandmother Jia tapped her daughter's nose with her finger, unable to suppress her laughter, "How old are you? Your nephews and nieces are still around, how can you be so naughty?"

"Oh dear, no matter how old your aunt is, she's still a child in front of you."

Wang Xifeng was actually quite envious, because she didn't have it.

However, she was willing to protect the beautiful bond between the old lady and her aunt. "Old lady, please agree. It's good for us to learn a bit of literary talent from our aunt. Maybe we can even recite a lotus poem someday."

"Hahaha……"

The old lady laughed and said, "Then you'd better hurry up and prepare. Whether you have a good time today depends on how well you prepare."

"Alright, then please have some fun!"

Wang Xifeng smiled and was about to go out to instruct everyone to make preparations.

Since it's a family outing, tea, water, pastries, and the like are essential.

My aunt also wants to fry fish, so she can't do without oil and charcoal.

"Oh, we can play together now!"

Xiao Chang'an jumped up with joy, which made Jia Baoyu, Yingchun, and Tanchun overjoyed as well.

Jia Yuanchun was also happy. It was such a wonderful thing to be able to have a good time with her younger siblings and aunt before getting married!
However, she noticed the slight furrow in her mother's smiling face.

Fortunately, the mother didn't say anything in the end.

As Jia Yuanchun breathed a sigh of relief, she inadvertently noticed that her sister-in-law, Li Wan, was also looking at her mother with a sigh of relief. At that moment, her heart was filled with a myriad of complex emotions.

Such a sister-in-law... she can't just be bullied by her mother, can she?
Or she should talk to her brother when he comes back next time.

Otherwise, given his brother's personality, there's a high chance his sister-in-law would give in to their mother out of respect for him.

But some things can be given up, and some things really can't be given up, and there's no way to give them up.

Jia Yuanchun let out a soft breath.

"Grandmother, you are the best."

Little Chang'an was still immersed in joy. "Yesterday I was telling Brother Bao Er that I would use lotus leaves to dress him up as a fisherman."

"is it?"

Grandmother Jia laughed, "Then you should dress up your maternal grandmother too."

The daughter is still the same as before she got married, clearly having had a very happy life in Jiangnan these past years.

This was what pleased Grandmother Jia the most.

After his eldest daughter-in-law passed away, the eldest son did not live a good life. He spent his days drinking and playing, neglecting everything and only caring about himself.

The second son is even worse off, with a whole host of troubles.

Fortunately, the Duke found a good match for his daughter.

Now he's even helping out at home.

“Grandmother, my brother Chang’an and I will dress you up together.”

The whole family was overjoyed, and Baoyu finally regained his liveliness. "Oh, right, and Lin Daiyu too..."

"Baoyu~"

When the two children smiled at each other, Madam Wang spoke up, "Study lotus poems properly from your aunt, instead of just playing all day long."

"……Yes!"

Baoyu was startled and quickly and honestly agreed.

Jia Min patted her youngest daughter reassuringly, and was about to say something when Madam Wang spoke up again, "Grandma, since I'm free, I'll take care of asking the teacher for leave for the children!"

"...that's fine!"

Grandmother Jia gave her second daughter-in-law a deep look. “Yuanyang!” she said. “Go with the second mistress to apologize to Mr. Zhan and ask her to move to Ningguo Mansion to teach the children.”

"Yes!"

The mandarin ducks readily agreed.

Before long, instead of the students Zhan Xue was waiting for, the parents who had asked for leave for them arrived first.

"So, you're picking lotus flowers and teaching lotus-themed poems along the way?"

Zhan Xue smiled and said, "It really is a fun and educational way of teaching. Your great-aunt is very good at teaching children."

Surprisingly, she also had some expectations for Jia Min's daughter, Lin Daiyu.

It's rare for a matriarch to have such leisure and refined tastes after managing household affairs.

"It's not that I'm particularly good at teaching children, it's just that my younger sister has always loved to play since she was little."

Madam Wang gave a forced smile. "The main reason I'm here today isn't to ask for leave," she said. "I'm here to inform Mr. Zhan that my two daughters will be transferring to the East Mansion to study."

Zhan Xue: "..."

Her heart sank slightly.

The lady was informing her, but before doing so, she didn't say a single polite word, clearly indicating that she was unhappy that she was also going to teach at the East Mansion.

ho~
Unexpectedly, it turned out she was just being presumptuous; the other party never intended for her to teach anymore.

Zhan Xue tried her best to maintain her composure and nodded slightly, saying, "Oh~, I've already heard about it from Second Miss Yingchun. Speaking of which, I've been lingering in your residence for quite some time now, and I was just about to..."

"Mr. Zhan!"

Yuanyang quickly bowed and interrupted her, "My old lady sent me here to apologize to you and ask you to come to the East Mansion to teach the young ladies in the family to read."

"I'm sorry, I might not be available right now!"

Although he suspected that he had been tricked by the second wife, as a gentleman, he must have his own pride.

Just as Zhan Xue was about to refuse again, Qingzhu arrived with several maids carrying a pile of things.

"Sir, Madam Shen from Ningguo Mansion has sent an invitation."

The maid, Wei Dong, hurried over to greet her and quickly handed over the invitation written by Shen Ning herself.

Zhan Xue opened it and read it quickly.

"Mr. Zhan, this is a small token of my wife's appreciation."

Qingzhu was very respectful. "Our madam said that whatever day you think is auspicious, your student can help you move. You can just stroll over to our place as if you're just passing by." As she spoke, she also bowed to Madam Wang.

"..."

Zhan Xue didn't answer immediately. Instead, she put down the invitation and asked another question that she was very concerned about, "I heard from the Second Miss that Madam Shen intends for the Fourth Miss, Jia Yue, to also go to school?"

"Ha, how could that be?"

Qingzhu laughed, "Our girls are still young, how could they be studying? That was just our mistress teasing our second daughter. The reason we invited you over so early is because our mistress likes the girls, and our fourth daughter is a child who loves to listen to people read. Don't worry, even if she comes, she will definitely not disturb your teaching."

"in this way……"

Zhan Xue picked up the invitation again, glanced at Madam Wang, and said, "In three days, June 16th will be an auspicious day for moving. I wonder if it's a good day for you..." "That's fine."

Qingzhu said with a beaming smile, "Our great-grandmother has already tidied up Ningxi Pavilion. There's a house over there built by the water, with green tiles and flying eaves. It's a perfect place to escape the summer heat."

"By the water?"

There are so many mosquitoes near the water!

Zhan Xue is prone to attracting mosquitoes, so she hates places with lots of mosquitoes.

"Yes!"

Qingzhu, observing the situation, said, "Because it is near the water, our madam is worried about the mosquitoes there, so she specially had soft gauze made for the windows and doors. In the summer, you can live on the side facing the water, and in the winter, you can move to the other side where there is a heated wall. Even the girls can move between the two sides for studying, in winter and summer."

"In that case, I'll trouble you, young lady."

Zhan Xue smiled.

The other party really put their heart into it.

"I haven't asked for your name yet."

"I wouldn't dare. I am Qingzhu, your maidservant. You can come to me for anything in the future."

Having completed her task, Qingzhu was overjoyed. She then said to Madam Wang and Yuanyang, "I didn't know Second Madam and Sister Yuanyang were here. If I had known, I would have come sooner with you." She looked around and asked, "Don't the young ladies have to study today?"

"Didn't you send some lotus leaf and lotus seed soup this morning? My aunt suddenly decided to take the girls to pick lotus flowers and teach them lotus poems, so she asked me and the second wife to come and ask for leave from the master."

The mandarin ducks breathed a huge sigh of relief.

She almost botched the job.

Especially after seeing so many gifts from the East Mansion, she knew even more that the First Madam of the East Mansion valued this Mr. Zhan highly.

Yuanyang had no idea what was going on with the Second Madam, or why she seemed to have come specifically to chase people away.

"I see!"

Qingzhu smiled and said, “Mr. Zhan, my wife said that our garden is quite large, and we have boats and such. As long as you like, you can have the girls read however you want. Our study also has many books. If you see any you like, you can have your disciples copy them down.”

"In that case, please convey my thanks to Madam Shen for me, Miss Qingzhu."

Zhan Xue was surprised that Madam Shen would treat her with such courtesy.

Although she had always known that the other party was from a scholarly background, she never imagined that she would receive such treatment in the Jia family.

After a few more casual words, they saw the three off, and Wei Dong happily presented her with a gift.

She was quite angry when she heard what Madam Wang said before.

Even if the owner wants to change the person, they should normally give three months' notice.

But that Lady Wang actually spoke like that.

Hmph, serves her right for being the lowest-ranking lady in the Jia family.

“Sir, we have been with the Jia family for many years.”

Jia Yue, the fourth daughter of Ningguo Mansion, can't even crawl yet.

In other words, they would have to stay in the Jia family for at least twelve to fifteen years.

Wow, that's a long time! Sir could easily save up for retirement.

"Yes!"

Zhan Xue was also very happy.

For a female teacher like her, having a respectable and stable master of the house is the best thing.

At this moment, Shen Ning, who was carrying Jia Yue up to Tianxiang Tower, was unaware that someone was thanking her. She was holding her daughter, facing the gentle breeze, and letting Qingping lead everyone in reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

As she listened, she gazed at the bustling backstreet.

Honestly, she really wants to go out for a stroll!

Even just taking a ride in a carriage around the capital would be wonderful.

Unfortunately, although he was the head of the Ningguo Mansion, he couldn't just go out whenever he wanted.

No wonder the ladies of noble families in ancient times loved to hold banquets and pray to gods and Buddhas.

It's getting hotter and hotter, so a banquet is probably out of the question, but praying to the gods and Buddhas... that's something to think about.

Shen Ning's ears were listening to the audiobook, and her eyes were admiring the scenery, but...

As she looked around, she couldn't help but glance more at the area where everyone was gathered.

A caravan appeared out of nowhere in the back street, pulling several horses and shouting as they went.

It attracted the attention of passersby who all stopped to watch.

She really wanted to go and see it too!
"Mrs!"

Suddenly, a maidservant said, "Look quickly, the old lady and the aunt from the West Mansion have boarded the boat."

Ok?
Shen Ning turned to look this way again.

Sure enough, she saw many people from the West Mansion boarding the boat, and several children were even receiving freshly picked lotus leaves from the old woman.

She smiled slightly and was about to turn her head when she suddenly remembered something and quickly turned back.

Shen Ning saw Wang Shi standing quietly on the other side of the road, seemingly watching the children play.

Not far behind her, there seemed to be another woman watching Wang.

Shen Ning couldn't help but rub her eyes, but when she looked again, the woman was gone.

Call ~
Did I really see it wrong?

"Master, why are you here?"

Aunt Zhou rushed to greet Jia Zheng when she saw him approaching.

"Hmm~"

Jia Zheng nodded. "What are the old lady and the aunt doing?"

"Where is Caihe?"

Aunt Zhou smiled, "As you know, my aunt has always loved to play."

"..." Jia Zheng nodded, looked at his long-forgotten aunt, and said gently, "Are you feeling better?"

Since the loss of that child, Aunt Zhou's health has gradually deteriorated.

It's been a long time since I served him.

I've only seen him occasionally at the Wang family's place.

"I'm much better lately."

Aunt Zhou smiled gently, "But Master... he looks much thinner than before."

"Ah~"

Jia Zheng sighed, "There have been many things going on at home lately."

There are many things he can't say.

His mother became increasingly impatient with him.

The Wang family... let's not mention them.

Aunt Zhao... she's always making a racket, and all he does is nod when he says something.

Although the service was good, it always felt like something was missing.

"As you know, our second branch of the family was separated."

He looked at his former confidante and said, "My career is not going well again."

"It will eventually pass."

Aunt Zhou said, "I believe in you, sir." She looked at Jia Zheng with the same admiring gaze she once had. "Besides, your aunt is back. She has always had a better relationship with you, sir. You should rest more at home and talk to her more. Things will get better slowly."

The old lady has always doted on her aunt.

With the mistress speaking up for the master, things become different.

Jia Zheng understood what she meant and couldn't help but grab her hand, "Tonight... I'll come to your place."