The head of the Red Mansion

Xue Pan had no desire to go to the capital, Jinling.

He's so happy at home.

Do whatever you want.

But we've arrived in the capital...

Although that formidable eldest uncle went south, there are still the second uncle and the uncle-in-law living in the Duke's mansion there.

With them around, it's impossible for him to enjoy such a carefree life at home.

But his mother, who used to let him do whatever he wanted, is now particularly insistent on going to Beijing.

Helpless, Xue Pan pretended to be sick, hoping his mother would change her mind.

Anyway, his mother is most afraid of him getting sick.

He has become very experienced in this area since his father passed away.

Xue Pan was prepared for his mother to compromise again, but he didn't expect that the family's luggage would still be packed piece by piece under his sister's direction.

"Mom, haven't you noticed yet? The timing of my brother's illnesses always seems to coincide."

Her mother was just too concerned to think straight.

Xue Baochai, however, saw it clearly: "Whenever you make up your mind to tell your brother to do something properly, he gets sick."

Aunt Xue: "..."

How could she not know?

She didn't want to educate her son to cultivate himself, manage his family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world, so as to bring glory to his ancestors and add prestige to the family.

The problem is that he lost his father at a young age and is an only child. What if he is too strict and spoils the child?
The Xue family is so wealthy and powerful, and their child is like this... let's just let it go!
Aunt Xue had long since calmed down after making compromises time and time again.

"Since you know this, why go against him? Can't you let Mom persuade him gently?"

"..."

Hearing her mother say this again, Xue Baochai was both angry and heartbroken.

"If you could persuade him, my brother wouldn't have become like this."

Xue Baochai could only patiently explain to her mother again, "Didn't we agree last time that if we go to the capital sooner, my brother can enter the Jia family's clan school sooner, and then a teacher will take care of him for you and Father?"

Aunt Xue: "..."

"My aunt is also looking forward to our trip to Beijing."

Xue Baochai continued, "She can't come out of the small Buddhist hall, and her uncles and aunts can't go to the Jia family again. Sister Feng is the eldest son's wife, so she can't interfere in the second son's affairs. If you don't come to the capital, do you expect her to spend the New Year in the Buddhist hall?"

This?
Aunt Xue was stunned.

The Jia family is currently enjoying great success.

My sister really shouldn't waste her time in the Buddhist temple.

"Mom, we really can't wait any longer."

Xue Baochai said, "Since you are worried about your brother's illness, then we will ask a doctor to accompany him."

In Nanjing, her future was pretty much predictable.

But things were different when we got to the capital.

Xue Baochai's heart had already flown to the capital.

"Okay then!"

Looking at the room that her daughter had tidied up to resemble a snow cave, Aunt Xue finally gave in.

She was used to compromising in front of her son and daughter.

She wanted to give her son and daughter everything she hadn't received herself.

So, Xue Pan, who was still sniffling, was carried onto the carriage by the servants on the second day of the auspicious day for his trip.

He was completely dumbfounded.

"Mom, can't we celebrate the New Year?"

Xue Pan jumped off the carriage and started stomping around with his mother, full of energy.

"No, your uncle and aunt are looking forward to seeing us."

Thinking that her brother and sister had both written letters, Aunt Xue persisted, "My dear, you've never been to the capital before. You don't know how lively it is during the New Year there. People from all over the country come there, and there are lots of strange and wonderful things."

"Yeah, brother, you'll have to buy me something fun then."

Xue Baochai pleaded with her brother, "Mom also said that there are many acrobatic performers there. Go and see them, and then come back and tell me about it."

Xue Pan: "..."

He glanced at his mother, then at his sister, and finally the scales in his heart shifted slightly towards the capital. "Alright!"

There was no other way but to make a decision. The bodyguards, luggage, carriages, everything was all arranged.

"mom!"

He squeezed into his mother's and sister's carriage, saying, "Tell me about the fun things to do in the capital!"

While her brother was nagging their mother, Xue Baochai quickly waved to the steward, signaling the group to set off.

No one knows what the Xue family avoided because of Xue Pan's 'illness' and because the Xue family went to the capital ahead of time.

……

In the capital, snowflakes began to fall again.

After searching for several days, there was not a single clue about the man surnamed Liu. Now, the Prince of Jin could only pray that the man was smarter and would not be found by him or by the man surnamed Dong from Shuntian Prefecture.

"Your Highness, Chief Constable Lu from Shuntian Prefecture has just arrived."

what?
The Prince of Jin frowned so deeply he could kill a fly. "What's he doing here?"

Shuntian Prefecture is like a leech, it's absolutely disgusting.

"Didn't the two servants who served Mr. Liu catch a cold and die? After the report was submitted, Lord Dong said that the capital city has to carry out epidemic prevention every year, so Chief Constable Lu brought a doctor over to take a look."

The butler's head was sweating.

Those two servants were beaten to death by the prince.

The Shuntian Prefecture needs to investigate...

"What a load of bull!"

The Prince of Jin was furious. "He can just look whenever he wants? What do you think my Prince of Jin's mansion is? Where is your prestige? If you can't uphold the authority of my Prince of Jin's steward, then get out of here now."

They come to him with all sorts of trivial matters.

The Prince of Jin kicked him and said, "Tell that guy surnamed Dong that those two have been thrown into a mass grave. If you're so capable, go and check there."

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"

The steward took a kick and said, "This old servant has already dealt with them like this."

"...Since you've already gotten rid of them, why bother making a fuss?"

The Prince of Jin paused for a moment, then launched into another tirade.

"Your Highness, since Chief Constable Lu is in charge, they will definitely investigate the mass grave as well."

The butler sighed helplessly, "What if they can't find it..."

"If I have to come up with solutions for everything, what am I supposed to do with you?"

Prince Jin stared at the steward with a sinister look.

"Old slave..."

The steward wiped his sweat, "This old servant has already sent people to find a patient with a cold in the city..."

"Now that you've thought of it, let's do it!"

The Prince of Jin roared, "Don't bother me!"

It's such a trivial matter, do you expect him to praise you?

The butler fled in a panic.

As the weather gets colder, poor families are more likely to catch colds.

Finding a patient is easy, but if you kill someone and carry them to a mass grave, and their family reports them missing, the Shuntian Prefecture will still have to investigate!
How to do?
Paying silver to pave the way?
The Prince's Palace has already used up all the funds it could provide for this year's activities.

There's no way to get money.

The only option is to make the patient die from the illness, and then steal the corpse?
Yes, yes, this saves money and effort.

At least no one will report a missing person to the Shuntian Prefecture.

With this idea in mind, the housekeeper finally felt at ease.

……

Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning Courtyard.

Seeing Baoyu come over with Rong-ge'er to freeload a meal, Shen Ning was both speechless and amused.

"Did you tell the old lady?"

"said."

Baoyu has been both tired and happy these past few days. "Today, the old lady ate steamed lamb. She said that we can't eat things that haven't seen the light of day."

So he came over.

"Auntie, I eat very little."

"Pfft~"

Rong-ge'er was amused by his serious little face. "Uncle Bao, I ate a lot."

"Yes, he eats a lot."

Shen Ning smiled and pulled Bao Yu to sit next to her, "But since Bao Yu is here today, Rong-ge'er, you should eat less."

Baoyu: "..."

Rong-ge'er: "..."

The two exchanged a glance, and Baoyu thought for a moment before saying, "The teacher said that we should eat less at night."

"...Okay, okay, I'll eat less."

Rong-ge'er smiled and agreed. He was trying to appease the child and also his grandmother.

Rong-ge'er had already heard about Uncle Bao's situation.

If any other guest dared to say that, he would have kicked them out long ago.

Unfortunately, this Uncle Bao is truly pitiful.

Although his father was a scoundrel and used to beat him without restraint, he wouldn't be particularly cruel.

But those two heartless second uncles and aunts in the West Mansion…

Rong-ge'er was even planning to persuade his father to lock him up in the ancestral hall again once his second uncle's backside got a little better.

They don't bully children like that.

"And... you don't need to eat too little either."

Baoyu's appetite has increased in the past few days.

He looked at his kind-hearted nephew and said, "I still have some snacks in my room. I'll have Xiren bring them to you later."

Xi Ren?

Shen Ning glanced at the most virtuous woman in the Dream of the Red Chamber.

Grandmother Jia was obsessed with looks, and all the maids around her were incredibly beautiful.

Compared to Qingwen and others, Xiren was actually rather ordinary.

But her 'obsession'...

Xiren felt the First Madam's gaze and quickly lowered her head even further.

For some reason, she always felt that the eldest wife of the East Mansion didn't like her.

Therefore, she was very unhappy that Master Bao came here to learn martial arts.

But if he doesn't learn martial arts here, Second Master will have to make a living under Master's command again...

Therefore, Xi Ren swallowed her words of advice to the Second Master.

Shen Ning withdrew her gaze from the demure girl and said, "It's cold, so eat less snacks, especially at night."

"I know."

Most of the snacks in his room were taken home by his wet nurse.

As Baoyu spoke, he watched the maids serve the dishes.

Eight dishes and two soups.

There seem to be quite a lot!

Baoyu glanced around and saw that only the three of them were eating, so he felt relieved.

He had long heard that in the East Mansion, from his aunt to Rong-ge'er, every meal consisted of four dishes and a soup.

Because Brother Zhen couldn't get used to the food, he specially went to eat with Sister-in-law You.

Sister Feng was quite envious when she mentioned this to the old lady last time, as if she also wanted to do the same in the West Mansion.

"Auntie, there's so much, it's definitely enough for us to eat."

"..."

Shen Ning smiled and patted his little head. "You'll see in a bit."

She had witnessed firsthand how a half-grown boy could bankrupt his father.

Since having dinner with her, Rong-ge'er's appetite has increased from one and a half bowls to two bowls, and now to three bowls.

This is just the main dish; there are also side dishes.

The two of them together had eight dishes and two soups. Although the quantity was relatively small, the total amount was still quite considerable.

But every time she finished eating, this kid would clean up the mess, and sometimes he would even give her the soup.

Because of this, Aunt Li, who cooks, gives out more and more portions of food.

"Second Uncle, please don't be frightened."

Rong-ge laughed.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with his appetite.

His grandmother had told him about his great-grandfather's appetite, saying it was extremely large.

As Grandpa Jiao once said, being able to eat is a blessing.

At his age, the problem isn't whether he can eat, but whether he can eat.

Even at his advanced age, Grandpa Jiao can still eat two bowls of rice in one meal.

Those who practice martial arts together in the outer courtyard sometimes even compete to see who can eat the most that day.

"I'm growing taller right now. When you're as big as me, you'll definitely eat a lot too."

As he spoke, Rong-ge'er took the bowl, which was twice the size of his grandmother's.

It was filled with green glutinous rice.

To prevent herself from overeating, Shen Ning specifically requested that the smallest bowl be used for dinner.

That way, even if she eats a second bowl, she won't feel too much of a burden.

"Sweetie, let's not look at him, let's eat by ourselves."

With the maids serving the food, Shen Ning didn't have to worry about anything.

Qingzhu gave Baoyu a spoon.

Actually, when Shen Ning first transmigrated, Bao Yu was still being fed.

But the changes that have taken place over the past six months have indeed altered many things.

Although the old lady still loved him, Jia Zheng and Wang Shi both changed their attitudes towards him, which resulted in the child becoming more self-reliant.

Qingzhu deliberately served Baoyu smaller portions of food, making sure he could finish both the food and rice.

Xi Ren watched from the side, still finding it unbelievable.

In the West Mansion, when the old lady ate, not to mention the lady who went into the Buddhist hall, the eldest lady and the two grandmothers had to serve her.

But this Eastern Mansion...

Xiren couldn't help but glance at Rong-ge'er again.

Mrs. Qin, who will be marrying into the family next year, is truly blessed.

Since Madam You isn't serving here, then Madam Qin probably doesn't need to serve her either.

Hey~
Unfortunately, she didn't enter the East Mansion back then.

Xi Ren felt a slight regret in her heart, but soon she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.

The First Madam and Baoyu had barely eaten a few bites when Rong-ge'er had almost finished his bowl of rice.

That's not the key point. The most important thing is that he ate his food in big mouthfuls.

Before Qingzhu could react, he took the dish and, surprisingly, scooped away half of the food.

hiss~
Baoyu was also taken aback.

This nephew eats like a whirlwind.

"Eat slowly!"

Shen Ning said dismissively, "Nobody's going to take it from you."

"Hehe, Grandma, I'm so hungry today."

Rong-ge'er was always starving at mealtimes, and would say, "I'll have a bowl to fill my stomach first."

After you've eaten something to eat, you can take your time and enjoy your meal.

Sure enough, he didn't eat as fast for the second bowl, but he mainly ate the vegetables.

Xi Ren stood beside her, watching as the plate of braised mutton was quickly emptied.

The First Madam and Baoyu each ate a few bites.

After finishing the mutton, Rong-ge'er reached for the braised ham hock with his chopsticks.

hiss~
Xi Ren also hissed softly in her heart.

Her brother used to be able to eat a lot.

But that kind of business is devoid of profit.

Rong-ge'er...

During the meal, Shen Ning and Bao Yu ate a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, in an elegant and natural manner.

Ke Rong Ge'er...

"Has Second Uncle eaten enough?"

Rong-ge asked Bao-yu with a smile.

"I am full."

Baoyu ate a small bowl of rice and drank a bowl of soup, feeling full. "If you're not full, drink the soup too!"

"Haha, that's exactly what I was thinking."

Without any hesitation, Rong-ge grabbed the soup that Qingzhu had just served and gulped it down.

"You've eaten so much, would you like to have a hawthorn pill too?"

Baoyu was slightly worried.

He looked at Shen Ning for help, "Auntie, does he have a bottomless pit in his stomach?"

"Hahaha~"

Shen Ning laughed, "Go back and ask the old lady if your grandfather also had a bottomless pit in his belly when he was young."

The children in the Jia family all ended up being spoiled.

A good appetite should be a standard trait for men in the Jia family. (End of Chapter)