The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Some things don't need to be explained too clearly. Just look at how Jia Huan and Jia Baoyu are treated outside, and you'll understand. Lin Ruhai should be able to see that, right?

Whether you have ability and can earn the respect of others is not something you can boast about, but something you can demonstrate through action.

Chapter 158 Disdain (Please Subscribe)

Jia Huan actually knew that someone was listening to him while he was talking to Lin Ruhai.

Judging from the faint fragrance wafting through the air, it must be Lin Daiyu, who has come looking for her father.

Presumably, seeing that Lin Ruhai and Jia Huan were having a pleasant conversation, they didn't directly interrupt, but they did overhear most of their conversation.

Jia Huan didn't care; it wasn't anything shameful.

It's perfectly fine to have your own thoughts and talk to an elder like Lin Ruhai, who has impeccable character.

Lin Daiyu listened, but the two rarely had any contact or interaction anyway.

He didn't expect that after the birthday banquet, Lin Daiyu and her father would talk about Jia Huan.

"Huan-ge'er is really something! Father clearly wants to take him as a disciple, yet he refuses!"

Lin Daiyu said coquettishly, "There are countless scholars in the capital who want to become Father's disciples, but they can't find a way or an opportunity!"

"Haha, what you said makes your father very proud!"

Lin Ruhai laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone has their own ambitions. It's already quite good that Huan-ge'er has his own considerations. There are some things that I, as his father, have not thought through!"

Lin Daiyu did not refute these words.

"What, do you know about Huan-ge'er's situation in the Rong Mansion's inner courtyard?"

Lin Ruhai saw through Lin Daiyu's thoughts at a glance and asked curiously, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

How could it be that Jia Huan rejected his kindness without hesitation and felt no unease at all?

Lin Ruhai might have felt inferior to the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet in terms of official conduct, but he was far more confident in his academic abilities.

Back then, he shouldered the great responsibility of revitalizing his family. He was able to pass the imperial examination as a third-place scholar in his twenties, which shows his exceptional talent for studying. A photographic memory was just the beginning.

In other words, Lin Ruhai is an absolute academic genius!

With his talent, he was more than qualified to be the top scholar in that imperial examination!

But he was young and handsome, so the retired emperor appointed him as the third-ranked scholar, which was no secret.

Even after serving as an official all these years, he never forgot the knowledge he learned from books; on the contrary, his understanding of it became even more profound.

If one focuses wholeheartedly on studying the classics of sages, one might just achieve the reputation of a great Confucian scholar.

He thought to himself that if he were to guide Jia Huan in his studies, he would at least be able to obtain the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) by the time Jia Huan came of age.

If the news were to spread that Lin Ruhai wanted to take on students, it would definitely be a sensational event in Shilin.

Lin Daiyu was naturally unaware that her father had thought about many things in a short period of time, and that he still harbored some displeasure.

She said sweetly, "Grandmother and Second Aunt really dote on Brother Bao too much!"

At this point, she subconsciously lowered her voice: "From my daughter's observation, as long as Bao Erge doesn't stand out, Huan Ge'er won't be able to stand out too much!"

Then she shared some rumors that she knew or had heard.

If Huan-ge'er performs well, he will be reprimanded by his second aunt, Madam Wang.

This happened more than once or twice; sometimes even Tan Chun was implicated.

Of course, these rumors were circulating within the manor, and she couldn't guarantee they were all true.

Lin Ruhai shook his head repeatedly, disapproving of his mother-in-law and Madam Wang's behavior.

Given Jia Baoyu's current situation, and with Lin Ruhai's foresight, it's uncertain how long it will take for him to rise to prominence, unless he is exceptionally lucky enough to encounter a benefactor who can help him soar to great heights.

But how could one possibly hope for such a thing?

For a family to prosper, it's not enough to rely solely on the direct descendants, especially when the direct descendants are few and far between. In such cases, it's necessary to make good use of the abilities of the illegitimate children.

Clearly, the Yue family still lacks experience in family business management!

It's no wonder that families of military merit often have a much shorter lifespan compared to truly aristocratic families; it's because those in charge are too emotional.

Putting aside other things, a family business can't be entirely managed and controlled by the sons of the family, can it?

If something unexpected happens, there'll be nowhere to turn to cry.

In most aristocratic families, the family business is usually managed by the most capable illegitimate sons, which at least greatly increases the cost for outsiders to buy off or divide the family.

The fact that Master Zheng Er forcibly handed over the management of the eight major estates outside the city to Huan Ge'er was quite interesting; it was just a lucky coincidence.

"Father, I don't think Huan-ge'er has anything particularly outstanding about him, does he?"

Lin Daiyu finally couldn't hold back and voiced her thoughts: "Why do I feel that Father values ​​him so much?"

"It's not that I paid special attention to it, it just happened to happen!"

Lin Ruhai briefly recounted what Jia Huan had done to the Second Master Zheng, and said directly, "Father is repaying his kindness in helping me!"

Lin Daiyu suddenly realized why she always felt that her father treated Jia Huan differently.

In fact, apart from disliking the Four Books and Five Classics and economic career, Jia Baoyu was exceptionally talented in composing poetry and lyrics, which perfectly matched the image of a talented man in Lin Daiyu's eyes.

Of course, it would be better to let one's father take Jia Baoyu as his apprentice; that would probably cause him great distress.

As for Jia Huan, he had almost no talent in poetry, and Lin Daiyu, who was in a somewhat aloof state at the time, naturally looked down on him.

Lin Ruhai saw this but didn't immediately try to correct it.

Anyway, Lin Daiyu was still young at this time. When she got older and started managing some affairs of the mansion, she could be taught that life is not just about poetry and distant places, but also about the trivial troubles of life.

As for the life-saving grace, we can repay it later when we have the chance. Jia Huan isn't that old.

After the Flower Festival, the weather in the capital gradually warmed up.

While diligently studying medicine, Jia Huan devoted more of his attention to the eight large estates outside the city.

As the saying goes: A long drought is sure to bring locusts!

Regardless of whether such proverbs make sense or not, he couldn't possibly ignore them.

Deep plowing and irrigation are the most common methods of locust control. Under his command, the tenant farmers of the eight major farms spent more energy and labor than ever before.

At the same time, all the irrigation ditches in the farm that had been repaired before but were now abandoned were renovated.

They also used all sorts of methods, such as cleaning up ponds and planting fruit trees and vegetables.

In my previous life, I had access to advanced information. Even though I had never eaten pork, I had seen pigs walk. Naturally, I had some understanding of scientific farming and three-dimensional agriculture, but I lacked practical experience.

Jia Huan didn't hold a grand celebration; he simply encouraged the tenants to develop sideline businesses on the existing foundation of the estate—things their ancestors had long been familiar with.

Sure enough, by early April, a few locusts did appear.

Now even a fool would know that a locust plague is about to break out.

Ahem, the first thing to react was naturally the price of grain in the capital!

Regardless of the circumstances, prices rose by 30%. Fortunately, the canal transport was still running smoothly; otherwise, grain prices might have been as high as they were during the military campaign last year.

Since Jia Huan had predicted the locust plague early on, he naturally took precautions.

Through the Xue family's business channels, a considerable amount of grain was transported from the south to the capital. Taking advantage of the current market conditions, they sold it off and easily made tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Originally, March and April are the lean months when food is scarce, and even without the locust plague, grain prices would fluctuate. What Jia Huan did was not outrageous at all.

It wasn't just him who profited alone; the Xue family and the Ning family followed suit and made a lot of money as well.

Xue Pan was in a good mood, and when he returned to Pear Fragrance Courtyard, he proudly told her about what had happened.

Of course, he knew what was good for him and didn't reveal everything about Jia Huan. He only said that Huan-ge'er predicted a possible locust plague, and without saying a word, he transferred grain from the south and made a fortune.

Xue Baochai could naturally see this from the accounts of the Xue family's grain shop.

At first, I was puzzled as to why the grain store's business was suddenly so good.

Now that I know, so that's how it is. I can't help but look at Xue Pan with new respect.

Even if Xue Pan listened to Jia Huan's advice, he still needed to have the guts to act. That was a business involving tens of thousands of bushels of grain, no joke.

Xue Pan was quite smug, shaking his head and saying, "If I had to say, Huan-ge'er is still the best!"

Xue Baochai said with a smile, "Recently, Baoyu has been much more popular than Huan-ge'er!"

"Oh, what has Baoyu done this time that has earned praise from everyone in the mansion?"

Xue Pan pursed his lips and chuckled, "Tell me about it, it'll give us a good laugh!"

He has been staying in Tongzhou recently, and occasionally returns to the capital to visit his mother and sister. Naturally, he is not very aware of what is happening in the Rong Mansion.

Having witnessed the wonders of the martial world and now tending to the bustling Tongzhou Wharf, he no longer had much interest in the trivial matters within the Rong Mansion, and his demeanor had become more composed.

"Baoyu has been quite diligent in his studies lately, and the teachers are very pleased!"

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Grandma and Aunt were very happy about this. They even called Uncle to Rongqing Hall to talk to him, so that Uncle could take a good look at Baoyu's changes!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan's face immediately showed a look of disapproval, and he chuckled, "Come on, I know the reason for this. Sister, you should open your eyes wide and not be fooled by Baoyu's behavior!"

With that, he waved his hand and got up to leave.

"Brother, what exactly happened? Tell me!"