The head of the Red Mansion

If Jiao Da, who had always been raised with great care by the Ningguo Mansion, had any regrets in his life, it was not that he had no children, but that the two generations of masters he served had both passed away.

The third generation is now getting old, but this old man is still as spry as ever...

The lady herself was plagued by misfortunes, but whether it was the family physician or the imperial physician, whenever she took her pulse, she would insist that someone examine the old man.

He even worried that if she passed away, Grandpa Zhen would treat him badly, so he bought him other properties.

To say I wasn't moved would be a lie.

With the master and mistress not home, Grandpa Zhen was indeed quite a scoundrel, and he trusted Lai Sheng, who had been with him since childhood, even more, and looked down on this old man.

That's why he was worried about the palace guards being disbanded.

Fortunately, the madam returned and swiftly disposed of the parasitic Lai family in Shuntian Prefecture, and also gave the eldest son a thorough dressing down.

In recent years, Grandpa Zhen has actually gotten much better.

Even so, the old man still hoped that Jia Jing and his wife, Madam Shen, would be the ones to see him off in his final days.

If they don't live long enough, he would rather give them all of his own.

His life was worthwhile.

When he celebrated his 90th birthday, even the emperor bestowed gifts upon him.

“Over the years, Shen has supported the Jia family with great difficulty; you should thank her properly.”

"Don't worry, Uncle Jiao!"

Jia Jing's gaze softened. "I know everything."

He owed her this lifetime.

I want to pay it back... but I probably can't.

Being able to come back alive and see my daughter is already a blessing from heaven.

Jia Jing knew he didn't have long to live.

But for him, life was without regrets.

He didn't confine himself to one place, nor did he go mad in silence to seek death.

He went to Japan, where he slaughtered a group of Japanese people to quell his wife's nightmare. Now, Japan is occupied by the Zhao state and has become a province of the Zhao state overseas, so that nightmare will remain just a nightmare and will never become a reality.

He also went to the far north, to another, even more expansive land.

Jia Jing returned this time for two reasons: first, to see his daughter, to return to his roots; and second... to accompany his friend in offering advice to the imperial court.

Da Zhao should go there and get a share of the profits.

The land there is fertile, and you can get a good harvest no matter what you plant.

With more places like this, the Great Zhao would have more options for dealing with natural disasters and man-made calamities.

"Little Yue'er is very well-behaved."

Jiao Da continued nagging, "At such a young age, you already know how to share your wife's burdens, you..."

As they were talking, the old man saw a mother and daughter coming this way.

His old face immediately broke into a wide smile.

Jia Jing also turned around quickly.

"Grandpa Jiao, you're here too?"

Jia Yue's eyes lit up. "Then I'll catch a couple more fish today and have them with your drinks."

"Hahaha~~~"

Jiao laughed loudly, "Alright, Grandpa Jiao is waiting for your fish."

"Madam, young lady~"

Jia Jingqiang suppressed his excitement and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Jiao Da chuckled, seemingly unintentionally tugging at him, “Madam, this is Jiao Wen, the nephew from our hometown whom I told you about last time.”

"..."

Shen Ning and Jia Jing exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. "Since he is Uncle Jiao's nephew, then we are family."

If I hadn't known it was him beforehand, I wouldn't have really recognized him.

The first time they were at Grandmother Jia's place, she extorted all of his private savings.

At that time, in addition to his refined and scholarly air, he also possessed a detached and worldly-wise demeanor.

But now… he's old and frail. Shen Ning already knew about Jin Muchuan's actions in Japan from him, and it would be a lie to say she didn't admire and appreciate him.

"Perfect timing, I brought the family physician with me to take Uncle Jiao's pulse..."

"That's great!" Jiao Da said promptly. "It'll be a good opportunity for my nephew to see as well."

"...Thank you!"

Jia Jing knew they were worried about him.

He was powerless to refuse.

After so many years, he returned, but he could not be with them, leaving them only with regret and eternal separation.

But... he really wanted to come back.

"Uncle Jiao isn't feeling well, so let's all sit down and talk!"

Jia Yue felt sorry for her grandfather, Jiao. He was getting old, and it was so rare for him to have a nephew, but the nephew looked even worse off than him.

She sighed inwardly as she helped Shen Ning sit down on the chair that the maid had just brought.

"Yes, yes, yes, sit down and talk, sit down and talk."

Jiao Da patted Jia Jing's hand, telling him not to get too excited. "Madam, didn't you want to know about the north? Jiao Wen has not only been to the north, but also to another continent."

what?
Jia Yue's eyes suddenly lit up.

My second sister lives with her husband in Northeast China. In the letters she writes back, she always includes her paintings. The scenery there is different from what they see here, and she is always captivated by it.

Jia Yue always had a dream: to go out into the world.

I not only want to see the scenery of the Great Zhao, but also want to see the world.

The reason she recognized so many older sisters in school was mainly because they all lived with their parents in different places when she was young, and through them, she seemed to see different scenery.

"Another continent?" Jia Yue couldn't help but ask, "Like Japan, is it extremely far away from our Great Zhao?"

"Yes!"

Seeing that Shen was also concerned about this matter, Jia Jing smiled and nodded, "Compared to that continent, Japan is actually quite close to our Great Zhao. There are not only natives there, but also white people from the western countries, as well as black people who were captured by white people and enslaved."

The Americas?

The smile in Shen Ning's eyes deepened slightly.

Unexpectedly, Jia Jing also went there.

Judging by the timeline, they probably hadn't established a country yet.

"White people? Like missionaries?"

Jia Yue, acting like a curious child, asked him a question.

"Yes, most of the missionaries came from countries like England and France, and they also had people on the mainland there."

Jia Jingdao said, "The places where black people live are relatively close to them, but because they are relatively backward, they are often captured by the strongmen there and sold to others as slaves."

Are Black people...very dark-skinned?

Jia Yue still can't imagine what a Black person is like.

"It's very dark!"

Jia Jing smiled and replied to his daughter, "It's dark now. If they don't show their teeth and hold their breath, we probably won't be able to find them in the dark."

His daughter was even better than he had imagined.

She always greeted people with a smile, bright and generous, much like Shen in her youth.

"So dark?"

Jia Yue was surprised. "Then they should be very good at hiding, right?" She was puzzled. "How could they have been captured and enslaved?"

"Because...they don't know how to use firearms yet."

Jia Jing couldn't help but glance at his wife, "She doesn't understand what unity is. Strongmen from countries like England and France can take down a tribe with just a cannon and a few guns, and a dozen or so people can do it."

If you fall behind, you will be vulnerable to attack.

"Men and women were all arrested and transported to various places for sale."

Jia Yue couldn't help but show a hint of sympathy on her face. Just as she was about to ask something else, the family physician came over with his medicine box.

"Uncle Jiao, please take my pulse first, then we can talk later." (End of Chapter)