The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 97 Separation
In the garden, Baoyu, who had just finished school, discovered that his older sister was choosing dowry maids, and they were all the kind of old women who looked big and burly.

That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the second sister, the third sister, and even Sister Feng all looked on with envy.

Was it the way he came in that he did something wrong, or what?
Baoyu was extremely puzzled.

Wouldn't it be better to have a maidservant as part of the dowry?
Sister Baoqin is wonderful. The older sister even told him last time that she and Sister Baoqin are like sisters.

But now...

He secretly huddled to one side, watching the eldest sister choose people, and seeing how reluctant Sister Feng and the second sister were to part with that fat old woman named Granny Liu.

Huh?
Baoyu felt that the old woman looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, he realized that she was the one who watered the flowers in the garden.

Because of her strength, she was favored by her second and third sisters, and then she caught the eye of Sister Feng. Half a month ago, she was transferred to Sister Feng's side. Why is the eldest sister trying to steal her from Sister Feng again?
Baoyu was puzzled; there were too many things about his family that had been puzzling him lately.

It seems like everyone is different now.

First his grandmother, then his father, mother, and sometimes his sister-in-law and second sister-in-law looked at him with complicated expressions.

Especially when they saw his jade.

Thinking of his jade...

Baoyu quickly touched it.

He didn't want to wear it before, but everyone forced him to.

But now, it seems like nobody wants him to wear it anymore.

but……

The more people forbade him to do something, the more Baoyu wanted to do it.

He wanted to see what was wrong.

But even now, he still doesn't know what's wrong.

Moreover, his parents are currently trapped in the ancestral hall of the East Mansion, so perhaps he could go there to take a look.

Thinking that his older brother was there with their parents, Baoyu quietly slipped out and went directly to the East Mansion.

"Baoyu?"

Watching the child properly bow to her, Shen Ning smiled and waved, "Why did you come alone? Where are your maids and servants?"

"I finished my studies with my teacher and asked them to take my books back first."

Baoyu's little face was chubby and still had some baby fat. "Auntie, I want to go to the ancestral hall to keep Uncle, Father, Mother, and Big Brother company."

Shen Ning: "..."

The smile on her face slowly faded, and she took his small hand. "Did you want to go yourself, or did someone tell you something?"

"I want to go myself."

The child's voice was clear and pleasant, but he looked rather worried. "The older brothers are all there."

"You have to kneel when you go there."

"I can."

Baoyu's face was resolute. "I can kneel down."

If his parents can kneel, he certainly can too.

Shen Ning touched his little face. "They made a mistake, so they have to go there to apologize and repent to their ancestors. You did nothing wrong. What if the ancestors misunderstand if I let you go too?"

“I told my ancestors that I just wanted to stay there with my parents and brother.”

"..." Shen Ning smiled, "Do you have homework today?"

There is a large character.

"Have you finished writing?"

"……without!"

Baoyu lowered his head.

"How about this, you go back and finish writing the large characters, then have dinner, wash up, and then go to the ancestral hall to keep your parents and brother company tonight, okay?"

"...Thank you, Auntie!"

Baoyu smiled and said, "I'll go back and practice calligraphy right away."

"good!"

Regardless, the little guy is still very cute at this age.

At this point, Shen Ning already knew that on the day the Emperor Emeritus bestowed the marriage, even Yingchun and Tanchun from the Rongguo Mansion attended, but Baoyu was deliberately forgotten.

It's rare for this child to be willing to take the initiative, so let's go for it!

"Qingping, take Baoyu back."

"Yes!" Qingping bowed slightly. "Second Master Bao, let's go!"

"Aunt, I'll take my leave!" Baoyu quickly bowed as well, "I'll come to pay my respects to you again tonight."

"Go!"

Shen Ning watched the child happily leave with Qing Ping, and couldn't help but frown.

For some reason, she always felt that Jia Zheng and Wang Shi might not welcome Baoyu into the ancestral hall.

It's not that they love their child; it's simply that they don't want to see him.

Especially Jia Zheng.

Even without Baoyu, he still has Jia Zhu and Jia Huan.

She couldn't help but sigh softly.

That piece of jade...

When the old lady sees Qingping return Baoyu, she will surely ask why, right?

Shen Ningzhen really hoped that the old lady could keep Baoyu and not let him enter the ancestral hall.

Otherwise, even if you let him in, you should still take that magical jade away.

That's what she thought, but the old lady didn't seem to want to interfere too much with Baoyu. They had just finished dinner when Baoyu came over, all dressed neatly. "Auntie!" When he saw Jia Yue in her arms, his eyes seemed to light up instantly. "Is this Yue-meimei?"

"Yes!"

Shen Ning glanced at the jade pendant still hanging around the child's neck, then squatted down. "Come on, let's say hello to our brother."

Baoyu hurried over.

With a flick of her small hand, Jia Yue suddenly grabbed his jade.

"Oh? My little sister likes jade too!"

Baoyu tilted his head forward, trying to make Jia Yue's grip more comfortable, "Auntie, my sister's hands are strong."

I've heard that children this young don't have much strength.

Baoyu actually wanted to hug Jia Yue, but he knew he wasn't strong enough and it wouldn't be good if he dropped his little sister.

"Be good, let go quickly."

Shen Ning hadn't expected her daughter to be so quick.

She carefully pried it open.

"Auntie, you can let my little sister play for a while."

Baoyu was very generous.

“That won’t do,” Shen Ning laughed. “She’s still young. It’s okay for her to grab it for a little while, but if she holds it for too long, her arm will get tired.” She handed her daughter to the wet nurse. “Aren’t you going into the ancestral hall? Come on, your aunt will take you in.”

She wanted to see whether Jia Zheng was moved or disgusted by Baoyu's entry into the ancestral hall.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Baoyu's eyes never left Jia Yue. "Auntie, aren't you taking my sister with you?"

"Your sister is still young."

Shen Ning refused, "Let's go. Your aunt will make it clear to you first. If your parents don't want you to stay in the ancestral hall, and you can't go against their wishes, you'll have to go back."

"……Um!"

My grandmother said the same thing when we came over.

Baoyu was mentally prepared.

However, he also felt that his mother must miss him very much, and perhaps he could stay with her for one night.

Shen Ning patted his little head. "If your parents agree, follow behind your older brother. He brought a lot of books with him. If he asks you about your studies, answer them properly."

Baoyu: "..."

Do we have to attend classes if we kneel in the ancestral hall?

He was simply stunned.

Seeing the little guy's face change color, Shen Ning laughed unkindly, "If you change your mind now, your aunt can still have someone send you back."

"...I haven't gone back on my word."

Baoyu hesitated for only a moment before insisting, "As long as you ask me what I've learned, I'm sure I can answer."

"That's fine then, your brother definitely won't make things difficult for you."

Even if Jia Zhu is not good, he is definitely better than Jia Zheng.

Shen Ning pulled him along and pushed open the door of the ancestral hall.

"Mother, what brings you here?" Jia Zhen thought something had happened at home, but when she saw Bao Yu beside her, she couldn't help but turn around and look at Jia Zheng.

“Brother Zhen, I’m here to keep Uncle, Father, Mother and Brother company.”

As Baoyu stepped over the threshold, he called out, "Father..."

"go back!"

Jia Zheng shouted sharply.

Baoyu was startled, but Shen Ning reacted quickly and reached out to lift the child, preventing him from falling.

"Sister-in-law, this is not a place for Baoyu."

Madam Wang hurriedly said, "Baoyu, be good, hurry back."

"No, I want to stay with you."

Baoyu burst into tears, "Mother, I..."

"You beast, you don't even listen to your father?"

Jia Zheng is particularly annoyed with this child now, especially since he also has that jade piece with him.

Without this jade, would my sister-in-law have dared to bring Yuan Chun back like this?
"Go quickly!"

He was speaking to his son, and he was showing off his power to his son, but Shen Ning, who was standing with Baoyu, felt that part of his words were directed at her.

"The old lady agreed to let him come."

Shen Ning's voice was calm and unhurried, "It's been quite a few days, the child misses you."

Jia Zheng: "..."

Wang: "..."

The two harbored deep resentment.

Why are they being held here?
Why don't you dare bring it up again?
What, one plan failed, so you come up with another?
They wanted to lure Baoyu here and make him suffer in front of them so that they would be reluctant to let him go and would then agree to separate the family.
That's a dream!

In an instant, Wang's eyes were filled with fire as she looked at Shen Ning. "Sister-in-law, you should know better than us where this is. You brought a little boy like Baoyu here. It's cold at night. What if he gets sick? Can you take his place?"

"I'm wearing thick clothes!"

Baoyu then waved to the maid behind him, "I also brought a small blanket, Mother, I'm sure I won't get cold."

Wang: "..."

She was furious.

The eldest son is disobedient, and the youngest son is also disobedient.

"Mother~"

Taking the small blanket handed to him by the maid, Baoyu looked at his parents and suddenly felt a little scared. "I...I missed you."

Wang: "..."

The son was still standing in the bright spot, his expression timid yet filled with deep longing.

Her tears welled up again. "Sister-in-law, can Baoyu go out tomorrow?"

"nature!"

Shen Ning said, "He came over as soon as school was over today. I told him to go home and do his homework and have dinner first. He has to go to school early tomorrow morning."

It turns out it wasn't always here.

Jia Zheng's anger dipped slightly, but quickly rose again.

Kneeling in the ancestral hall was already infuriating enough, but the sister-in-law made the child come and upset him even more.

Jia Zheng turned his head away, preferring to ignore it.

“Baoyu, come here to your brother.”

Jia Zhu waved to his younger brother, "Thank you, Auntie, for bringing Baoyu over. He'll be with me tonight."

"Go!"

Shen Ning patted the little guy, gesturing for him to come over. "Zhen'er, Baoyu is still young. When he falls asleep tonight, you can carry him to the bed with you."

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen agreed.

Shen Ning was about to leave when, unexpectedly, Grandmother Jia arrived at that moment. "Aunt? Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

The one supporting Grandmother Jia was Xing Shi, and behind the two women, Li Shi and Wang Xifeng, followed.

"Light a few more candles."

The old lady naturally extended her left hand to Shen Ning for support, saying, "Today, I have something to tell you."

Shen Ning: "..."

She couldn't help but glance at Xing Shi and Wang Xifeng.

The two men shook their heads slightly at her, indicating that they knew nothing.

"Someone, go and call your great-grandmother over, and tell her to bring two more sets of paper and pens."

Grandmother Jia had made her decision and originally planned to discuss dividing the family property in a couple of days, but then Baoyu pitifully begged to come over...

Fortunately, Yuan Chun's visit to her today had already been covered up by the matter of choosing a dowry maid.

“These past few days, I’ve thought about it again and again, and I’ve decided to let She’er and Zheng’er separate their households first.” As she spoke, she bowed to the place full of memorial tablets.

what?
Jia Zheng was struck dumb.

Wang also looked incredulous.

Even Jia She was stunned.

"She'er, after the family division, is it alright for your younger brother not to leave the manor for the time being?"

"...Listen to your mother."

Jia She was still somewhat dazed and couldn't help but give Shen Ning a pleading look.

Shen Ning pretended not to see it.

At this moment, any exchange of glances would likely cause Wang Shi, who was about to explode, to jump up and fight her to the death.

"Dividing the family property is just about dividing up the things in the house, not about causing discord among you brothers."

Grandmother Jia sat down in the chair that Jia Zhen had brought over, saying, "Niece-in-law, please sit down too."

"Yes!"

Shen Ning also bowed to the ancestors before sitting down in the chair that Li Wan and Wang Xifeng had brought together.

“I haven’t taken care of the family for years.”

The old lady carefully examined Jia Daishan's memorial tablet, then glanced at the burning incense burner, and sighed inwardly, "But last year he only married two wives, and the public funds ran out, to the point that Wang had to use the Duke's money to repay the national treasury."

It's time to separate the family. If we don't, and they keep making money like this, the two brothers will probably start fighting after she dies.

The old lady continued, "Although they paid it back later, what will happen to the children if things continue like this?"

"Mother~"

Weeping bitterly, Jia Zheng forced himself to crawl over on his knees, saying, "Sons don't separate from the family as long as their parents are alive. You're trying to tear my heart apart!"

"It's not really a division of the family property. I'm getting old, and I might join the Duke one day. Giving you what's due sooner will put my mind at ease."

Grandmother Jia is not incapable of speaking.

She has loved her second son for so many years, how could she just let go of him all at once?
However, the more she thought about her eldest granddaughter's words, the sadder she became.

She had originally planned to stay up for two more days, but she also knew that she probably wouldn't be sleeping well during those two days either.

Fortunately, the grandson insisted on coming to see them.

The old lady was thinking that she should get this done as soon as possible.

After all, this division of the family, on the surface, meant that She'er was letting Zheng'er off the leash, but in reality, with her around, Zheng'er still benefited.

"She'er, Zheng'er, Yuan Chun's dowry was paid for with 3,000 taels of silver from the public treasury. As she is the eldest daughter in the family, the public treasury also provided additional subsidies of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, totaling about 5,000 taels. My idea is that future weddings and marriages of the children should be based on 3,000 taels."

The old lady clapped her hands, and two old women carried in a box. After putting it down, they carefully withdrew. "She'er, you have many nephews and nieces. Maybe they'll take advantage of you?"

"Mother!"

Jia She crawled over on his knees, saying, "What's the difference between my nephews and nieces and my own children? I'm willing to give them to them, and I'm happy to give them to them."

He would rather give it to his nephews and nieces than let his second brother and sister-in-law benefit from it.

"There isn't much cash in the family, but we can allocate some assets to them. The family will help look after them, and they can manage them on their own. As for their future prospects, that's up to them. Consider it my way of showing affection to my uncle and... my second brother."

He refused to believe that the couple could get anything out of the children.

"Good good!"

Grandmother Jia was very pleased.

Compared to the magnanimous eldest son, the second son, who only knows how to cry and is afraid of being taken advantage of, is far inferior.

But the second daughter-in-law...

She glanced at her second daughter-in-law, who was outwardly crying but inwardly observing the box, and was quite annoyed. "Those marked with red ink are shops, estates, and courtyards. Go and look through them yourself, and select the ones for Yingchun, Tanchun, Baoyu, Huan'er, and Cong'er."

Lai Jia and Zhou Rui had indeed owned quite a few shops, small estates, and courtyards.

It would be perfect to distribute them among the children.

“Zhen’er’s wife, you’ve come at the right time. You and Zhu’er’s wife, write down the choices.”