The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 188 Summer Vacation
The few days before Dragon Boat Festival were still very hot.

After returning home, Jia Rong ran straight to the front yard.

As soon as he reached the door, he immediately took off his sweaty clothes and threw them on the ground.

Bai Jinchuan quickly ran over to pick up the clothes and shouted, "My Lord, what happened?"

"It's too hot!" Jia Rong took off half of his shoes, then kicked them away with force.

Jia Rong shouted to the inside of the house, "Quick, take out my sandals! I want to go play in the water!"

"Here I come!" Lin Hongyu quickly ran out with a pair of cowhide sandals and placed them in front of Jia Rong.

Jia Rong had taken off his pants and was left with only shorts.

Wearing sandals and shorts, Jia Rong ran to the garden behind with his upper body naked.

The front yard is about one or two hundred meters away from the water's edge of the garden.

As Jia Rong ran over, he met many wives, old women and maids.

"Your Majesty!"

Many wives in their twenties and thirties looked at Jia Rong's abdominal muscles and pants and did not dare to look at his face.

Jia Rong ignored them and went straight to the pavilion to swim.

After his body entered the warm lake water, he felt a little more relaxed and Jia Rong soon began to swim freely.

It’s so hot, it’s still comfortable at home.

Jia Rong swam for half an hour, and Qingwen and Xiaohong rowed over to watch over him. Soon, Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu also rowed over.

Shi Xiangyun was in charge of rowing the boat, while Lin Daiyu put her fan near her mouth and called out, "Big brother, I'm here to play with you."

Shi Xiangyun, who was rowing, quickly said, "Don't imitate my way of speaking! It's annoying!"

Seeing that Shi Xiangyun was angry, Lin Daiyu smiled and stopped learning, and quickly shouted, "Brother Rong, are you slacking off down there?"

Jia Rong quickly showed his head and threw a carp towards Lin Daiyu.

"Ah!" Lin Daiyu was caught off guard and didn't dare to catch it. She saw the carp jumping around in the boat and then jumped back into the water.

Shi Xiangyun quickly complained, "Why didn't you catch it?"

Lin Daiyu didn't dare to, and looked at Shi Xiangyun aggrievedly, "You didn't catch it either."

Shi Xiangyun reasoned, "I'm rowing, you should be the one holding on! You don't have anything wrong with your hands!"

"Yes." Lin Daiyu quickly played dumb, fanned herself, and reached out to Jia Rong who was swimming over, "I'll grab this."

Lin Daiyu tapped Jia Rong's arm with her finger.

When Jia Rong put one hand on the boat and hugged his arm on the hull, the sunlight shone on his tense arms, illuminating the strong muscles in his arms.

"Come on, I'll push you to the shore."

Jia Rong had had enough fun and was not so hot anymore.

At this time, there were a lot of dark clouds in the sky, and it looked like it was going to rain.

Xiaohong, Qingwen and Yinglian came over, and a maid came over with clean buckets of water.

After Jia Rong got ashore, they quickly helped him wash his body. Another maid lifted the yellow cloth curtain to block out a square area and gave Jia Rong a bath directly on the shore.

Jia Rong changed into new knee-length pants and a short-sleeved shirt, and his hair was washed and dried.

Lin Daiyu and others waited in the pavilion for Jia Rong to come.

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Brother, what reward did you get after returning from the palace?"

Jia Rong was speechless and said, "We have everything we need, why should we ask for a reward? Our annual salary and property income is already quite a lot."

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "Master, the eldest lady's money has been spent again. Today she treated the children to ice milk, and a few days ago she spent money on the funeral of the mother of one of her servants."

"Master, please take her in quickly. Otherwise, she will ask other grandmas to borrow money from us every day. We are afraid that she will sell herself and still not be able to pay it back~"

Xiaohong and several maids teased Shi Xiangyun.

Shi Xiangyun lowered her head shyly and sat there, "I won't buy food for you guys anymore. If I give you food, you still don't appreciate my kindness and just bully me!"

Lin Daiyu smiled and leaned against her. "You see, these things were bought by your maid, and we borrowed the money. You enjoyed the food, so you should be grateful to us."

Jia Rong looked at Shi Xiangyun, who had grown up from a child.

"I remember when I toasted Xiangyun at Rong Mansion seven years ago, Xiangyun was already a pretty and lovely girl. Now her figure is even more graceful and rounder. I think we can get married whenever you want."

Jia Rong directly gave the date to Shi Xiangyun to decide.

He also said: "No matter what time it is, I will never let you down."

Shi Xiangyun shyly raised her head and looked at Jia Rong with joy in her eyes.

"I listen to big brother!"

Jia Rong stood up.

Shi Xiangyun immediately became worried. Could it be today?

When Shi Xiangyun, Lin Daiyu and others were nervous, Jia Rong said, "The princess is here. I will go to Tianxiang Tower. You can do whatever you want. Sister Xiangyun, just tell me when you have made up your mind. I will be in seclusion for a while this month."

Jia Rong said something that dampened people's mood like a roller coaster.

Xiao Hong stood up and said, "It's time for us to go and pay our respects to the old lady."

At this time, Jia Yuanchun came over with a group of maids and servants.

The maids held umbrellas to shield Jia Yuanchun from the sun. Jia Yuanchun, wearing the clothes and attire of a princess, made Jia Rong feel very hot.

The weather is hot...

Jia Yuanchun quickly walked up to him and bowed to Jia Rong with a smile.

"My Lord, I heard from the maid that you are back, so I came to see if I disturbed you and the girls."

Jia Rong had a dull expression on his face because he didn't feel like talking.

Xiaohong, Qingwen and others didn't dare to laugh or joke in front of Jia Yuanchun and they behaved very well.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Big sister, we were just talking about Sister Yun's hair. Sister Yun asked me for Hundred Flowers and Hundred Fruits Honey to wash her hair, but I was reluctant to give it to her, so she got angry."

Shi Xiangyun quickly said, "No! It's been so many days, why are you still bringing it up?"

Lin Daiyu didn't look at Shi Xiangyun. She tilted her head and smiled as if she was thinking.

"Why does Sister Yun want her hair to grow so fast? It's almost reaching her waist~"

Jia Yuanchun smiled, "So that's what happened. However, Sister Feng's hair cream has been used up by the ladies, and the prince has been busy lately. If Sister Daiyu still has some, give some to Sister Yun first, and return it when you have more."

Shi Xiangyun lowered her head shyly and looked at Lin Daiyu embarrassedly.

Lin Daiyu sighed, "I can't help it. I'll give you the last bit. It's almost Dragon Boat Festival. You should think about how to eat the rice dumplings."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Don't scold me, I didn't provoke you. Let's go back to the house. It's very hot outside."

Jia Yuanchun knew that the rice dumplings Lin Daiyu was talking about might not be rice dumplings, but seeing that Shi Xiangyun didn't pay attention to it, she didn't say anything.

Everyone walked towards Tianxiang Tower. When they arrived at the courtyard, they saw several bamboo beds with square mosquito nets on them. Jia Yuanchun explained, "I asked them to dismantle them and move them back to the house."

Jia Rong said, "No, it's hot in the house. You can sleep in the yard at night. When it gets cold, you can go back to the house. You don't need to wear so many clothes at home. Relax like the girls. Isn't it hot?"

Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "It's not hot."

Jia Rong said directly: "Change into a dress or something lighter, otherwise I feel hot."

Jia Yuanchun had no choice but to agree.

Everyone went into the house together, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went their separate ways.

The old lady and Mrs. Wang were enjoying the cool air on the bed covered with bamboo mats, and they were sitting and chatting with Aunt Xue and Mrs. Xing.

There was a maid fanning nearby, and a maidservant and his wife were kneeling on the ground mopping the floor nearby.

Everyone had changed their shoes when they came in. There was no need to change shoes in winter, but in summer, in order to mop the floor frequently to make the house cooler, they changed into indoor shoes.

For this purpose, a maid was specially arranged to take care of shoes.

Yuanchun went upstairs to change her clothes, and Jia Rong took the girls to look after the children.

Yuanyang and Ping'er, who were both pregnant, stood up and said with a smile, "Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong walked to sit between the two of them, "You don't need to perform formalities in the future. You got pregnant last September, so it's already been nine months. It will be about time for me to leave the confinement."

"There is nothing going on at home these days, so leave your matters to Xiaohong and Qingwen. There are many people who can take care of things in the front yard, such as the eldest grandmother of the Zhen family, who is also capable of handling matters."

"If it doesn't work, let Li Wan come over to help you."

Li Wan was taking care of children nearby. When she heard the news, she came over with Jia Rong and Baoqin's daughter.

"Your Highness." Li Wan was followed by Li Wen and Li Qi.

Jia Rong said to Li Wan, "If you have nothing to do, go to the front yard and help out. If you don't know anything, just ask Xiaohong to teach you. Please help Yuanyang and Ping'er for the time being."

Li Wan smiled and said, "Of course I followed the prince's orders, but there are many capable people on the Second Madam's side, so it's not appropriate for me to handle this."

Jia Rong said, "It doesn't matter. If I say yes, it's fine."

When Li Wan heard Jia Rong say this, she naturally gave up.

At this time, Lin Daiyu looked at Ping'er and Yuanyang who were pregnant.

"After the two elder sisters give birth in June and July, it will be Bao-jie. Bao-jie's child will be in September and October, and Ying-chun's will be in February next year. There are also Bao-qin, Xiu-yan, Li-wen and Li-qi. Four Seasons Garden will be very lively next year!"

Li Wan walked up to Lin Daiyu holding the child and said, "Give birth to a child too, look how cute it is~"

Lin Daiyu quickly amused the child, and Shi Xiangyun, who was standing beside her, also made faces at the little girl.

Soon everyone started to eat. After the meal, Jia Rong had to go back because of something. The others knew he was busy and did not disturb him.

Jia Rong was indeed very busy. Not only did he have a five-square-meter bathing pool built for bathing, but most importantly, he hired three young women to help with scrubbing his back.

"Master, please check the water temperature. Is it okay? Do you want to add some cold water?"

Jia Rong, who had taken off all his clothes, walked to the edge of the pool, touched the hot water, then quickly waded in and sat on the trapezoidal sloping surface of the pool, taking a bath while looking across.

"Okay, you guys wash first, and then help me wash when you're clean."

"Yes."

The three maids quickly took off their clothes and sat by the pool to take a bath.

Use a ladle to scoop water from the bucket on the side, sprinkle it on your body and start taking a bath.

袭人
麝月
碧痕
Jia Rong took in three young women who were unwanted by others, but he naturally did not treat them as treasures, nor would he give them any status.

The three of them were not brought here to be assistant ladies or housekeepers, but to be used as maids, and were paid the wages of maids who did menial work.

The reason for taking them in was very simple. It was not because he liked young married women, but because he thought they should have good bath scrubbing skills. This strange idea made Jia Rong decide to give the three of them a job opportunity.

Jia Rong would rather not wash his body than let the old woman do it.

The girl is not serious, and it is not good to ask someone else's wife to do such a thing. She must be paid more money before she is willing to do so.

Moreover, this kind of work involving private parts must be done by someone who is trustworthy, and it is best if the person has a lower position and is capable of doing the job for a long time.

Taking all factors into consideration, the trio from Yihong Courtyard is naturally the most suitable, and together with Qingwen they form the four giants of Yihong Courtyard.

There was also a girl named Qiu, but she looked average and had been driven away by Jia Baoyu a long time ago.

Soon the three of them began to help Jia Rong take a bath. They came into the pool together to help Jia Rong wash his arms, legs and feet after he had finished bathing.

Soon the door was pushed open, and Qingwen, who was dressed pretty and beautiful in an orange dress, pushed the door open and sneered when she saw a few people.

"Well, I have invited the three of you bitches to come in and seduce men!"

Xiren and the other two were ashamed, but Jia Rong smiled and said, "Come and serve me together."

Qingwen was very unhappy and did not even look at Jia Rong. "Having the three of them is not enough. What do you want me to do?"

Jia Rong didn't care. "Then go back to sleep. I see you're not in a good mood today. You can come and serve me when you're in a good mood and there's no one around me."

Qingwen's tears welled up and she cried, "I just said a few words and you're sending me away, Master."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Why are you crying? Who drove you away? You are in a bad mood. Can't I wait until you feel better and then find you?"

Qingwen wiped her tears and quickly came over.

Jia Rong sat up and said with a smile, "Hurry up and apologize to Xiren, Sheyue and Bihen. Calling them bitches is too rude. You used to be a maid like them and worked with them. Why do you look down on others now that you are rich?"

"It's fine if you get angry and willful with me normally, I just like you like this, but as a girl, you also need to save face, so apologize quickly. If I hadn't asked the three of them to come in and help me take a bath, would they have been able to pull off all my clothes?"

Xiren covered her body with her hands, blushing and saying, "No need to apologize, we don't blame Qingwen, it's just our bad luck."

Bihen said: "Don't worry, Auntie, the three of us are just here to help the prince take a bath, nothing else."

Musk Moon also said, "We are fine. The prince took in the three of us homeless people. We are grateful to him and to my aunt."

Seeing this, Qingwen knew that this was Jia Rong's own decision and she could not blame the three of them.

Jia Rong looked at Qingwen and said with a smile, "Come in quickly. I know you are jealous. Come in quickly so that I can coax you and let you take maternity leave as soon as possible. If you miss today, you will have to wait for one or two months."

Qingwen rolled her eyes at Jia Rong and spat, "Shameless!"

Jia Rong said with a smile: "If you don't like it, forget it. I won't force you. Xiren, Sheyue and Bihen, you two can come!"

"Don't!" Qingwen shouted quickly, "I'll do it!"

Qingwen didn't care about being angry anymore. She quickly took off her clothes and went into the pool to serve.

Jia Rong took a comfortable bath, rewarded Xiren, Sheyue and Bihen with a hundred coins and let them divide it among themselves, and asked Yuanyang and Ping'er, who came to take a bath later, to take good care of the three of them so that they would not be driven away by Qingwen or Jia Yuanchun and others. Then he went back to study comfortably.

The temperature only starts to rise during the Dragon Boat Festival, followed by sweltering June and July.

Jia Rong did not come out of the house until the seventh month when the babies were about to be born, and helped deliver a boy and a girl.

Yuanyang gave birth to a son named Peng'er, and Ping'er gave birth to a daughter named Yue'er.

Because they were no longer following the Jia family tree, the names they gave became more casual. In addition, they were all children of concubines and had just been born, so the names did not need to be so formal.

(End of this chapter)