The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 95: Middle-class Family
On a hot summer day, there was a figure standing by the pavilion in the back garden of Ningguo Mansion.

boom!
Jia Rong jumped into the water!
Bang bang bang!
Jia Rong began to swim and tread water in the water, freely and comfortably.

Shi Xiangyun, Li Wan and others came out from Four Seasons Garden for play and saw something moving in the lake.

Xue Baochai was also here. When she saw it, she quickly asked in surprise, "Someone fell into the water?"

When Lin Daiyu came to the capital by boat, she saw many fishermen going into the water on the riverside.

"It doesn't look like he fell into the water. He can walk in the water by himself. Is he catching fish?"

Xue Baoqin, who had more experience, said, "It could be a servant who was fishing out something from the pond."

Li Wan said, "There are no boats passing nearby. We are so careless."

Yinglian smiled when she heard this. Shi Xiangyun, who was standing next to her, asked, "Yinglian, what are you laughing at?"

Yinglian replied: "He didn't fall into the water, nor was he trying to salvage anything or catch any fish. My master was swimming in the water. It must be because it was so hot that he came out to swim to cool off."

Shi Xiangyun walked over quickly.

"Hurry up and call big brother up. I often hear that people fell into the water and drowned. What if something happens?"

Yinglian quickly followed suit, not daring to refute such a thing.

Xue Baochai hurried after them and complained, "Why don't you try to persuade them to do something like this? Go and tell the grandmother."

As Jia Rong's concubine, Xue Baochai could not stand such a torture. If Jia Rong drowned, her family would definitely be driven out.

The girls chased after Jia Rong, and when they saw him swimming to the water's edge, they hurriedly followed him to the corridor that extended into the water.

Shi Xiangyun shouted, "Big brother! Come up quickly!"

Jia Rong swam over quickly and saw a group of young girls and wives on the shore. He quickly said, "What are you doing up there? I just came down. You guys come down and play for a while!"

Shi Xiangyun scolded, "You are still thinking about such things at this time. Come up quickly. It would be better for you to go to the bathhouse and play in the water. What if something happens here?"

Xue Baochai said, "Master, please come up quickly. The eldest lady is coming soon!"

Jia Rong swam to the shore quickly, and Xue Baochai, Shi Xiangyun and others hurriedly reached out to pull him up.

Jia Rong, wearing shorts, quickly got ashore. "I do this every year. Yuanchun also knows that it's not a bad thing to know how to swim. If you really fall into the water, you will have a way to get ashore."

Lin Daiyu and others looked at Jia Rong's strong muscles, and quickly turned their heads away with red faces.

Li Wan looked at it a few more times, then quickly looked away, but she seemed unable to forget it.

Yinglian took a handkerchief to help wipe her body, but the small handkerchief was obviously not enough.

At this time, Ping'er and Wang Xifeng came over from a distance, Ping'er holding a towel in her hand, and Wang Xifeng holding Jia Rong's clothes in her hand.

When the girls saw this, they knew that Jia Rong often played with water at home, and those who had known Jia Rong for many years all knew it.

Shi Xiangyun looked up and down, "Are all men's bodies the same as yours? They look just like the stones outside."

Li Wan didn't know what to say and just thought it was none of her business.

Jia Rong said casually, "Of course not. Normal people are thinner than children. When they are older, they are much thinner. There is only one person like me who is so sharp and clean."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Look how beautiful you are!"

Jia Xichun and Jia Tanchun both looked at Jia Rong. Jia Yingchun was older and knew how to be shy.

Ping'er quickly came over to help wipe her body and hair, and also wrapped her lower body with a large towel.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "There are a bunch of young girls and wives here. I advised you to go back and enjoy the cool air, but you still went in the water casually as before."

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "Did you go into the water like this last year?"

Jia Rong said, "I have been in charge of the household since I was ten years old. It has been like this every year. It is hot in the summer, and I have nothing to do at home these few months."

Jia Xichun said quickly: "How come you are okay? Didn't the emperor ask you to make the elixir? He also gave you a lot of things. The ginseng alone is enough for Sister Lin to eat for several years!"

Jia Rong didn't want to talk about this with her. "It's hot and you let me stay in the stove room. You have no filial piety at all. Tanchun, please don't give Xichun ice cubes and ice water for three days. Let her not appreciate the blessings she has."

Jia Tanchun smiled and nodded.

Seeing this, Jia Xichun hurriedly said, "I am older than you, you can't punish me like this."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "I am the head of the Ning Mansion. Tanchun, do you listen to Xichun or me?"

Jia Tanchun was not embarrassed at all and said with a smile, "I will listen to my brother-in-law!"

Jia Rong provided her with food, clothing, housing and transportation. In addition, given her parents, sister and grandmother's attitude towards Jia Rong, and the fact that Jia Rong was also good to her, they naturally listened to him.

Because of the cautiousness between men and women, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian and others treated Jia Tanchun, a concubine's daughter, indifferently.

It's not that I don't care, it's that I can't care about it out of courtesy.

Jia Baoyu often goes to these people, but he cares about Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, and he also cares about them, but there is a big difference. Jia Rong's care is more like the care of an outsider, and it is easier to remember than the care of family members.

When Xichun was about to make trouble, Jia Rong reached out to wipe his head and said, "I'm going to change my clothes. You guys can play, but don't go into the water. If you want to play in the water, you can go to the bathhouse."

Shi Xiangyun was annoyed, "You are teaching us a lesson?"

Despite being angry, Jia Xichun quickly asked, "Is there water in the pool in summer? Hot or cold?"

"It's warm." Jia Rong explained, "It's too troublesome to change the water. Madam has only a few people using the courtyard. Yuanchun also took the children to bathe and play in the water. Seeing that you were far away, I didn't call you."

Shi Xiangyun got angry and said anxiously, "It's just this short distance! It's not that far if we walk a little further! Bathing in a wooden tub is no match for the comfort of taking a bath in a large pond!"

Wang Xifeng has a deep understanding of this.

"Young lady, you have come at a good time. The Xia family, who sell osmanthus flowers in the capital, sent us a lot of flower petals, including fresh rose, jasmine, chrysanthemum and other fresh flower petals. They also have spice potions. I have tried them and they make me smell fragrant."

Jia Rong then thought of the Xia family. He remembered that the Xia family also had a tigress, Xia Jingui or Xia Guihua?

Forget it, Jia Rong felt that such an unimportant little role was not worthy of him.

The Xia family is just a flower-selling prostitute, and their daughter is not even worthy of being his concubine.

Jia Rong quickly went back to change his clothes. Shi Xiangyun and others also made an appointment to take a bath together and try the petal bath.

When the girls were walking towards the inner house holding umbrellas, they saw Jia Yuanchun coming with seven or eight maids.

"Where's the master?"

Jia Yuanchun didn't see Jia Rong.

Shi Xiangyun replied, "She went back to change her clothes. She said she didn't want to come down after coming up. Maybe we disturbed her brother's mood."

Jia Yuanchun nodded, "That's a good thing. I can't persuade him. What are you sisters going to do?"

The girls were all holding clothes for bathing and towels for their own use.

Jia Xichun replied, "Go to my wife's place to take a bath."

Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "I'll take you there. It's a good opportunity to pay my respects to the Madam."

It turned out that since Wang Xifeng left, Jia Yuanchun rarely went to Youshi's courtyard.

After all, they are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so Jia Yuanchun cannot but take care of Youshi's face.

Jia Yuanchun and Wang Xifeng originally had a good relationship and called each other sisters.

Even though she knew that Wang Xifeng and her husband had a child, Jia Yuanchun still treated her with courtesy.

The main problem at present is that people think Wang Xifeng is too troublesome and are afraid that she will bring trouble to the family, so they are unwilling to treat her well.

Now Jia Rong’s attitude is very clear, he wants to take him in.

Whether Jia Yuanchun is willing or not, the relationship must be improved.

All of Jia Yuanchun’s troubles were caused by the Jia family.

In the past, he was worried that he could not hold his head up because of his surname Jia. Later, Jia Baoyu and the Jia family were found out. Later, he felt that there might be a relationship between Jia Rong and his sister, and there was also the matter between Jia Rong and Jia's daughter-in-law Wang Xifeng.

Jia Yuanchun herself felt that everyone in Rongguo Mansion was a bunch of trouble. The years when they were not getting along well with this side were the most peaceful years in Ningguo Mansion.

The master at that time devoted himself to studying, and his two wives and concubines were as close as sisters to him. Even his son was not as naughty and foolish as he is now, and he didn't understand anything.

Li Wan followed Jia Yuanchun and felt that Jia Yuanchun was in a bad mood as they walked.

"Grandma, is there something on your mind?" Grandma Zhu asked Grandma Rong.

Of course, Jia Yuanchun couldn't say that she was worried about her husband's affairs. After all, family disgrace should not be made public.

"Alas, I heard from you that the Queen said a few days ago when she summoned you to see a doctor that our family is a bit shabby, not to mention that the food is bad, and we don't have the pomp and ceremony of an aristocrat. I was thinking whether I should visit a few palaces with whom I have good relations and learn from them."

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "Isn't the food good enough now? Isn't it grand enough?"

Jia Xichun laughed and said, "What do you know about pomp and circumstance? How can a poor family understand the good life of a rich family?"

It was acknowledged that Shi Xiangyun's family was indeed poor.

The Shi family did not have much income, and had to maintain the status of two marquises, and they had no property, so they naturally looked very poor.

The historians of the two marquises are not good enough, and the lower-class families like the Xue, Li and Lin families are naturally even worse.

The You family, a minor official of the fifth or sixth rank, is called a poor family in the capital, and is a small family.

Officials below the third rank were not qualified to attend court. Officials of the third rank listened outside the hall, and only officials of the first rank and princes could stand inside the hall to attend court.

Among the group of women present, there was not a single rich woman; they were all women and girls from middle and lower class families!
(End of this chapter)