The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 115: Kidney Problems
Xue Pan was in a hurry to go out as he didn't have enough fun every day. When he passed by the study and was about to leave the yard, he was stopped by someone. Xue Ke looked serious, which scared Xue Pan. He thought that a servant in the Jia family had offended Xue Ke.

The servants in the Jia family are the most snobbish, but I am usually generous, so who would be so blind as to offend my cousin?

"Brother, my father will be arriving in Beijing soon."

Xue Ke carefully observed Xue Pan's expression, as if he was worried about something.

"Second uncle is coming to the capital?" Xue Pan exclaimed in surprise, then said happily, "Why is Second uncle coming to the capital?"

Xue Ke breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "My father had originally agreed to purchase arms for General Wang Xin. When the fleet that purchased the arms returned from Guangdong and Guangxi, they heard that the Japanese threat had been quelled. My father didn't know if General Wang Xin had changed his mind, so he returned first."

"The goods have already been purchased, there's no reason to change your mind." Xue Pan frowned and turned to talk about Xue Yan, "Second Uncle has always been cautious, how could he not even take Wang Xin's deposit?"

Xue Ke didn't care. Business depends on different situations. Some business is for immediate profit, some for personal relationships, but ultimately it's all for long-term benefit. "The situation is unpredictable, so I can't blame him. At worst, I can just sell it to someone else and avoid losing money."

Xue Pan shook his head, thinking of something, and couldn't help but laugh and scold: "This Wang Xin is really rude to order our Xue family around."

What my cousin said is correct.

Xue Ke agreed, "Father only learned of the army's return when he returned to Nanjing. The army marches slowly, and with so many people and eyes, it was difficult for father to inquire about it, so he simply went straight to Beijing to wait."

"Where are we?" Xue Pan asked.

"When we got to Tongzhou, the eldest wife had business with General Wang Xin there, so I went to see it for myself." After answering, Xue Ke mentioned another matter. "When passing through Yangzhou, my father was entrusted by Uncle Lin to carry a letter to Uncle Zheng. Because he was delayed in Tongzhou, he sent someone to deliver the letter to the mansion first, and also told me that he would visit the Jia Mansion when he arrived in Beijing."

"Second uncle is still as cautious as before." Xue Pan sighed.
Xue Ke didn't object.

My cousin loves to play, has an unstable temper, appears dull, but actually has no patience to think.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Xue Pan didn't bother to think too much and just focused on playing. He hurriedly said, "Second uncle is back, remember to call me. I have something to do outside, so I'll leave first."

Xue Ke agreed.

Watching my cousin leave, I felt relieved.

My sister and I are the younger generation and live under someone else's roof. So, whether in terms of elders or peers, my father's message should be delivered to my aunt first, and then my aunt will tell my brothers and sisters. The aunt will arrange household affairs, and then my cousin will take care of it.

It’s just that my father likes me to take the lead and keep up appearances, so he specifically assigns many things to me to do, even if they are against the rules. These rules can be big or small, depending on whether others care or not.

Fortunately, my cousin was a naive person and didn't delve into it.

If my uncle were still alive, my father would definitely deliver the message to him first.

When there are no more problems with the cousin, he goes to his aunt and tells her that he has already told his cousin. His cousin says he knows. With this order, his aunt shouldn't mind.

But my sister should be so happy that she should jump up.

When their father comes back, they can leave, and his sister won't have to complain when she sees him anymore.

Jia Zheng was unhappy.

When they came to Aunt Zhao's room to drink tea, Aunt Zhao saw the master coming and smiled as brightly as spring. She sent Jia Huan away to go play with her sister in the Grand View Garden and asked the maid to put all the delicious snacks she had saved on the table.

Jia Zheng was lying on the kang, which was covered with a foreign-woven blanket, with a pair of small lacquered tables on either side. Aunt Zhao knelt beside Jia Zheng, sometimes massaging his legs, sometimes feeding him food, and sometimes feeding him tea, until Jia Zheng closed his eyes while serving her.

It's strange to say, Aunt Zhao usually complains about this and scolds that, but when she meets the master, she keeps silent and focuses all her attention on him, for fear of upsetting him.

People say she is scheming, but it is rare for her to remain like this for all these years after she has two children.

Jia Zheng closed his eyes, his brows still furrowed. Aunt Zhao leaned over and deliberately wrapped Jia Zheng's arm with her tenderness, then raised her hand to stroke Jia Zheng's brows, as if trying to smooth them out.

"Ugh."

Jia Zheng sighed.

"What's wrong."

Only after hearing Jia Zheng sigh did Aunt Zhao ask.

Jia Zheng shook his head.

Aunt Zhao was not angry either.

Jia Zheng was upset.

The chaotic situation in the capital has lasted for many years, and he can no longer hold on or deal with it. In these years, the Jia family has been getting worse day by day. Their reputation has been growing, but their foundation has been running out.

He had originally hoped that his daughter would be made a noble concubine, and that he could use the opportunity of the visit to his parents to make some money. However, the Luo Ming incident happened, and Zhou Daofeng took action and suppressed the Japanese threat in just half a year.

Okay.

It's another complete loss.

That is to say, their Jia family is rich and powerful, and they have lost everything several times, but now they have nothing to sustain themselves. The Xue family's businesses are facing difficulties everywhere, and so is their Jia family.

The Xue family is about business, and the Jia family is about relationships.

The benefits sent by old friends from all over the country are getting less and less. Fortunately, Lin Ruhai sends a lot to the mansion every year, and Jia Yucun is also sensible, and now he has cultivated Wang Xin.

But this boy was different from others. When Jia Zheng thought of Lin Ruhai's letter, he felt annoyed and heartbroken.

There was no one who could help share the burden, and as for his own wife, Jia Zheng felt even more annoyed when he thought about it.

"Your family is better off than yours. A daughter married off is like spilled water."

Jia Zheng said something inexplicable, but Aunt Zhao didn't understand. She said happily, "Of course a daughter from our humble family is good. Even if it's not good, she can give birth to a son or a daughter for you." Jia Zheng couldn't help laughing at Aunt Zhao's words.

When she heard the master laugh, Aunt Zhao became even more energetic. She leaned against the master, reached her hands down, and rubbed his thighs up and down.

Jia Zheng nestled comfortably into Aunt Zhao's arms.

He wanted to be sent away, and Lin Ruhai returned to Beijing to be in charge of the affairs of the capital. He was the only person the Jia family could truly rely on, and he was the only one who could sincerely plan for the Jia family, and it was all because of his deceased sister.

Love the house and the bird.

It’s a pity for my sister. Her husband loved her so much, but she passed away at a young age. My sister is so unlucky.

Now Wang Ziteng is the head of the four major families. The Jia family seems to rely on Wang Ziteng, but they can count on Wang Ziteng. Wang Ziteng will not abandon the Jia family, but he wants to suck the Jia family dry and make it his own family in the end. The Jia family will completely become a vassal of the Wang family.

The historians saw it clearly and looked down on the incompetence of the Jia family's children, but they could only hate them for not fighting for it, so they became more distant from other families.

Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue.

Am I going to become Wang Shi Jia Xue?
He had originally counted on Lin Ruhai, but Lin Ruhai lost his position as the Imperial Censor of Salt and could not return to Beijing. He suffered a huge loss. What should he do? Thinking of Lin Ruhai's letter, Jia Zheng could not help but frowning.

Aunt Zhao didn't know what was wrong with the master today. Why was he so upset by the things outside? She could only help the master share the burden with all her strength, rubbing his thighs attentively, hoping to make him feel more comfortable.

Jia Zheng leaned into Aunt Zhao's arms again.

There was no other way around it with Lady Wang. Not only did he have to marry her, but he also had to give birth to a child to inherit the family business. The child had to be a legitimate son and a legitimate mother. He didn't hate his sons and daughters, and he educated them carefully.

As for the others, Jia Zheng likes Aunt Zhao the most.

It’s a pity that I can’t give more, a son and a daughter. It’s not that I don’t want to give more, but I just can’t help it.

"Master, the eldest master is back and is waiting in the living room."

Outside.

someone shouted.

Jia Zheng opened his eyes and received Lin Ruhai's letter. He sent someone to look for his eldest brother, but his eldest brother was not at home. He was upset and didn't know when his eldest brother would come back, so he came to Aunt Zhao to recuperate.

"Stay a little longer."

Aunt Zhao was unwilling to accept this.

Jia Zheng did not stop. At his age, he had become indifferent to many things. The family business was the most important thing, otherwise the whole family would be left starving.

Aunt Zhao rubbed her sore wrist and had no choice but to stand up and see the master off.

After leaving the aunt's courtyard, the spring breeze blew and Jia Zheng became more sober. After a while, he walked into the living room and saw Jia She.

Jia She was drinking tea.

Seeing his brother come in, he did not stand up. He waited for Jia Zheng to sit down. Then he smelled his brother's scent. Most people would find it difficult to smell it, but Jia She was an old hand at flowers, so how could he not smell it? He pretended not to know and asked, "What do you want from me?"

Jia Zheng mentioned Lin Ruhai's letters, some situations, and finally talked about Wang Xin.

It turned out that Lin Ruhai told Jia Zheng that Wang Xin was different from ordinary people and that he had to be more humble with some rules, such as the filial tribute of silver, or Jia She's temper.

Jia She's face darkened when he heard this, and he said angrily, "That's strange. It turns out that they invited an ancestor back."

Jia Zheng knew his elder brother's temper well, so he could only cautiously advise him, "Lin Ruhai has also said that money isn't important these days; what matters is people. The more talented a person is, the more likely they are to have a temper. We should be more tolerant."

"You don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are until you run the household." Jia She interrupted Jia Zheng and sneered, "I cover all the expenses of the mansion. You say money is unimportant, but you're going to take out the money."

Jia Zheng knew that his elder brother was angry and tried his best to endure it.

At least half of the Jia family's income is supported by Lin Ruhai every year. Lin Ruhai is not only his brother-in-law, but also Jia She's brother-in-law, so it cannot be counted as his own, but the eldest brother does not want to take all the credit on him.

Jia She knew his words were not pleasant to the ears, so he restrained himself a little. "A few days ago, everyone knew that Jia Lian, that bastard, was scolded away by his wife. Did I say a word? It's all because I can't stand up straight because of the money."

Jia Zheng knew his elder brother was telling the truth. Now that Lin Ruhai was no longer the Imperial Inspector of Salt, he would no longer be receiving the generous tribute he had received in previous years. He had no other choice but to ask gloomily, "So, what do you think we should do, elder brother?"

What other ideas can Jia She come up with?

After thinking for a long time, he said angrily: "They are all a bunch of ungrateful wolves. None of the people with the surname Wang are good people. I don't even bother to pay attention to him." After that, he flicked his sleeves and left Jia Zheng alone.

Jia Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Just be angry, but just do what Lin Ruhai asked you to do.

At the beginning, it was because of the madam and other women of the Wang family. Because Wang Xin's surname was Wang, they looked up to him. Now that Lin Ruhai has specifically instructed her, she can't slack off.

After all, it was the Jia family itself that was not upright, Jia Zheng thought to himself.

Shout loudly.

"Where is Baoyu? Let him come over. I'm afraid he doesn't even know how to read since we haven't kept him under control for these days."

When the servants outside heard this, two of them ran to look for Baoyu.

Baoyu was playing in the garden when he suddenly heard his master calling for him. He was so scared that his face turned pale. However, he was very smart and quickly urged people to go find his ancestor.

(End of this chapter)