The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

As time went on, he became familiar with Jia Huan and began to make his requests directly.

Jia Lan was no exception. In addition to studying, he also played Cuju (ancient Chinese football), and even went to a small martial arts school to witness a martial arts performance. He could also talk to Jia Huan and Cong Ge'er.

"You'll know when you get there, won't you?"

Cong-ge'er was in high spirits and said with a smile, "Aside from the New Year's ancestral worship, I haven't been to the Ning residence at any other time!"

"The layout of the Ning residence is similar to ours, nothing special!"

Jia Huan waved his hand and laughed, "The Ning family's chefs are quite skilled; you're in for a treat!"

He readily agreed; it wasn't some kind of trap!

When the appointed time arrived, he, along with Lan Ge'er and Cong Ge'er, went directly to the Ning residence.

At the side gate, the steward of the Ning family had been waiting for a long time and immediately greeted them warmly upon their arrival.

That's why people say Qin Keqing is such a capable and competent mistress of the Ning Mansion!

The steward who greeted her at the door was definitely someone she had arranged beforehand; he was incredibly considerate.

Even though it wasn't a matter for the Ning family, she still did her best, which made people sigh with admiration.

Inside the Ning residence, a leisurely scene unfolded. The maids and servants all wore contented expressions, and were full of energy and high spirits, clearly living a very comfortable life.

That's right! The Ning family has made a fortune in the past two years and has never been short of money!

The Ning family's businesses are not limited to farms and estates.

Shops in the city, as well as other businesses, also generate considerable annual revenue.

This is why, even though the Ning family has spent nearly two million taels of silver in the past two years, the family's life remains affluent and comfortable, without any anxiety or unease when a financial crisis arises.

Most importantly, the Ning family's noble rank has risen steadily, and they have already regained the rank they held during Master Jing's time.

This is a glorious thing no matter what era it is in!

Whether they were the master of the Ning family or the servants, everyone was affected and in excellent spirits.

Ahem, compared to the Rong family's sons, they lack this positive and ambitious spirit!

When we arrived at Xichun's courtyard, our eyes were dazzled as we entered.

It was full of beautiful women, each one as pretty as a flower, and the whole courtyard was filled with the fragrance of flowers, giving one a slightly intoxicating feeling of being surrounded by a hundred flowers.

Qin Keqing, Li Wan, the three sisters, Xue Baochai, and Lin Daiyu were all present, only Shi Xiangyun and Jia Baoyu were missing, otherwise they could have held another poetry gathering.

Recalling the poetry gathering at the Lin family's house last time, Jia Huan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, isn't Lan-ge'er only a year younger than Huan-ge'er?"

The women here also noticed today's guests, and Qin Keqing couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Why does Lan-ge'er look so much shorter?"

Upon hearing this, the women also realized the problem, and each of them showed a look of surprise.

At this moment, Jia Huan was a good half a head taller than Jia Lan. Cong Ge'er was even more exaggerated, almost a whole head taller, so the difference was quite obvious when they stood together.

Li Wan's smiling face froze, and she was so shocked by the height difference between her son and Jia Huan that she was speechless for a long time.

Tan Chun, however, reacted quickly and chuckled, "You may not know, but ever since Huan-ge'er and Cong-ge'er left the manor, they've been practicing martial arts with other people outside!"

The implication was quite clear: the two brothers were tall and strong because they practiced martial arts.

The women then realized what was happening, but whether they believed it or not was anyone's guess.

"I'm quite flattered that my sister-in-law suddenly invited me to dinner!"

Jia Huan, who was now quite sharp-witted, naturally overheard Tan Chun and the others' conversation. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself and stepped forward to greet Li Wan with a smile.

Then, he nodded to Qin Keqing and the other sisters.

Cong-ge'er followed along and greeted the women, standing beside Jia Huan and letting Jia Huan interact with the women while he remained a background figure.

"Look what you said!"

Not wanting to embarrass Li Wan, Tan Chun said irritably, "We're all relatives, what's wrong with treating you to a meal?"

"It's my fault, it's my fault!"

Jia Huan waved his hands repeatedly, begging for mercy. With the help of his maid, he sat down opposite the group of women. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the young girls were giving him a 'three-way interrogation'.

The women giggled, and as Cong-ge'er sat down, Li Wan said directly, "To be honest, Huan-ge'er, the reason I invited you to dinner this time is that I really have something to ask of you!"

The flower hall fell silent; the women hadn't expected Li Wan to be so direct.

Although they had a feeling from the beginning that Li Wan, their sister-in-law, must have something to ask Huan-ge'er, which was why she suddenly invited him to dinner.

Li Wan's current temperament does indeed show signs of not acting until she sees a clear benefit.

Of course, everyone was understanding of the elder sister-in-law's difficulties and didn't hold some things against her.

"What is it, sister-in-law? Just tell me!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "If it's something I can help with, I certainly won't refuse!"

The implication is that if he can't help, he shouldn't blame him for not doing his part.

Li Wan and the other women naturally understood the implication. She chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Huan-ge'er, you'll definitely be able to help!"

Then he said, "Lan Ge'er is studying at the clan school, but his progress is a bit slow!"

Jia Huan was startled and exclaimed in surprise, "No way! According to the clan school teacher, Lan'er's learning progress is already quite good. It's only been a short time and he's almost finished studying the elementary classics!"

Congge'er nodded in agreement. He also knew that Lange'er was one of the few students in the clan school who was willing to work hard and make progress, and the teachers all thought highly of him.

"Compared to true geniuses, this progress is very slow!"

Li Wan said in a calm and leisurely tone, "Back when I was still a young lady, I had already seen many talented students. Their learning progress was truly astonishing!"

Jia Huan was speechless and glanced at Jia Lan beside him.

Sure enough, the little student was pursing his lips, with a stubborn expression on his face, but his eyes were slightly red, clearly indicating that he was quite frustrated.

Jia Huan had witnessed firsthand how hard this kid worked when he was at the clan school.

It's no exaggeration to say that he was always reading. From the time he came to school in the morning until he left in the evening, apart from meals and a few short breaks, he spent all his time either reading or memorizing.

"Sister-in-law, Lan-ge'er is still young, is there any need to pressure him like this?"

Jia Huan couldn't help but grab the little boy next to him, stand up and gesture to show the height difference, then shook his head and said, "Lan-ge'er has already tried his best. Can you see the height difference between us, uncle and nephew?"

"Children are growing rapidly, and sitting and reading all day long is not only tiring, but also not good for their physical development!"

"Sister-in-law should know that there is a football field and other game equipment at the clan school. It is the students' favorite playground every afternoon!"

"To put it bluntly, any student who has played football for more than half a year and is about the same age as Lan Ge'er is stronger than him in both height and physique!"

"A healthy body is essential for better academic progress, isn't it?"

These words left the women present exchanging bewildered glances, but they secretly agreed with them.

Judging from the current height and size difference between the uncle and nephew, it is clear that there must be a huge gap in physical fitness between Lan Ge'er and Huan Ge'er.

Hearing how diligently Lan Ge'er was studying, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

“Sister-in-law Zhu, I think Huan-ge’er is right. Lan-ge’er has already tried his best, there’s no need to keep pushing him!”

"Yes, Aunt Zhu, Lan-ge'er is still young, it's not time for him to really study yet!"

"Sister-in-law, my father didn't forget to learn the Six Arts of a Gentleman when he was studying. I heard that he was quite healthy when he was young. He can improve his studies step by step!"

"Yes, sister-in-law, look how young Lan-ge is, there's no need for this!"

"..."

The group of sisters, including Qin Keqing, all spoke up to persuade her.

They all thought that Li Wan felt Lan Ge'er's efforts were not enough and that he was far behind those truly gifted students.

Since Lan Ge'er doesn't have the talent for studying, he has to make up for it with hard work!

Don't you see how old Lan-ge is? Forcing him like this could lead to trouble.

Li Wan was both amused and exasperated, and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "Stop, stop, stop! You've all misunderstood me!"

“My Li family is a scholarly family, how could we not understand the principle of balancing study and relaxation?”

The group of girls were immediately dumbfounded: if it wasn't what they thought, then what did it mean?

Jia Huan, however, seemed to be deep in thought, having already guessed Li Wan's idea.

One can only sigh inwardly; this person is truly perceptive, noticing the anomaly so quickly and even offering to invite me to dinner. I reckon this person won't be easy to deal with.

Sure enough, Li Wan continued, "What I mean is, Huan-ge'er has quite a say in the clan school. Could we ask the mansion or Ning mansion to invite those truly talented scholars, even those who have passed the imperial examinations, to give lectures at the clan school and, incidentally, give some guidance to Lan-ge'er's studies?"

Chapter 167 What Use Would I Have for This Jade? (Please Subscribe)

Li Wan's request came as a complete surprise to the young ladies present.

It wasn't to urge Lan Ge'er to continue his efforts, but rather to ask Jia Huan for help in inviting a more outstanding teacher to join the clan school, and incidentally, to provide Lan Ge'er with a better learning environment.

The girls were quite puzzled: Shouldn't this matter be addressed to the people in charge of the Ning and Rong mansions?

Qin Keqing and Xue Baochai's eyes flickered; they immediately realized what was happening and their gazes toward Jia Huan changed.

So, this is the real person in charge of the clan school!