Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Qin Keqing's favorability rating: 71/100

Deng Zechen came out of the room and spruced his clothes with satisfaction.

It was still early, but Deng Zechen had already left the house looking refreshed.

Many entertainment activities were banned during the national mourning period, but some large restaurants continued to serve guests as usual.

As long as you don't throw a big banquet and invite a bunch of beautiful women to have fun, no one will hold you accountable.

You can't just throw someone in jail because they had a nice meal.

Arriving at Liuquan Residence with practiced ease, Deng Zechen entered a private room that had been reserved in advance.

One of the people had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Deng Zechen push open the door and enter, he was overjoyed and hurriedly got up to greet him.

The man was handsome and had a dashing demeanor. If it weren't for the frivolous air of a spoiled brat, he would probably have been even more outstanding.

It was Jia Lian, the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion's eldest branch.

Jia Lian poured Deng Zechen a glass of wine and got straight to the point:

"I know my uncle values ​​you highly. I will be leaving the capital tomorrow, so please convey my gratitude to my uncle for me."

"I will forever remember my uncle's great kindness. If he ever needs anything in the future, I will go through fire and water to do it for him."

Deng Zechen took the drinks but didn't drink them. He set them aside and asked curiously:

Why don't you go and say it yourself?

Jia Lian gave a wry smile and drank half a cup of wine:

"Xianyun is unaware that because of what the second wife did, his uncle harbors resentment towards the Rongguo Mansion."

We secretly informed Miss Lin. My uncle thought highly of me and was a kind man, so he found me a job so I wouldn't have to be an idle person and spend my days in a daze.

We absolutely dare not let the manor know the details of this matter, so this is the only way I can proceed.

"You mean the matter of Madam Wang hiring someone to kill me?"

The shameful affair, which had been kept secret, was bluntly exposed by Deng Zechen, leaving Jia Lian embarrassed but with no choice but to respond.

"I don't know what possessed the second wife, she acted so absurdly and ruined the relationship between the two families."

As a junior, I shouldn't speak ill of my elders behind their backs, but this was something I really shouldn't have done...

Fortunately, Xianyun was blessed by Heaven and averted this calamity.

Deng Zechen then picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Deng Zechen drink the wine he had poured.

Although they did not side with the Rongguo Mansion in this matter, they were still somewhat weak in the face of the aggrieved party.

After understanding Jia Lian's purpose, Deng Zechen said:

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. I know who wronged me, so naturally I won't hold a grudge against Brother Lian."

Moreover, I was fortunate to have been warned in advance by Brother Lian and Sister Feng, which allowed me to prepare in time and save my life.

"Second Brother Lian, you're too kind. I should thank you for this!"

Deng Zechen knew that Wang Xifeng made this choice most likely because of Lin Ruhai, but he genuinely benefited from it.

He didn't hesitate to exchange pleasantries, and while talking, he poured wine into his and Jia Lian's cups.

Jia Lian realized that Deng Zechen truly didn't intend to condemn everyone in the Rongguo Mansion, and only then did he feel completely relieved.

"Xianyun, you're too kind. I'm truly ashamed."

He then downed his drink in one gulp, smiled, and finished his own glass of wine.

After a few drinks and having resolved a major matter on his mind, Jia Lian relaxed and his eyes gradually became hazy.

He seemed unhappy, drinking one glass of wine after another.

Deng Zechen ate a few bites of food and noticed that Jia Lian hadn't touched a single dish, only focusing on drinking. Clearly, he was preoccupied with something, so he asked curiously:

"Brother Lian, what happened? If you don't mind, you can tell me."

Although I am not very talented, I can still be a listener and offer some words of comfort to my second brother, Lian.

Upon hearing Deng Zechen's words, Jia Lian stopped pouring the wine, forced a smile but failed, and had to give up, saying nonsensically:

"How can there be a father in this world who only cares about his own hedonistic lifestyle and doesn't care about his son at all?"

Deng Zechen guessed that Jia Lian was referring to Jia She, but he didn't understand why.

"Brother Lian probably doesn't know, but I have very few family ties. I've never met my parents since I was born, so I'm afraid I can't give you any advice on this."

These words brought Jia Lian to his senses, and an apologetic look appeared on his face:

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring up your sad things, I was just feeling down and couldn't help but grumble a bit."

"Ignorance is no excuse, and besides, I've already let it go, so Brother Lian doesn't need to take it to heart."

Jia Lian nodded, and continued sullenly:

"He's always been like this, and I've gradually gotten used to it, but then it's like he suddenly remembered that he has a son like me."

I accepted the job my uncle had found for me and was about to leave. This matter could not be kept from the household, although they did not know that my uncle had found this job for me.

I told them that I couldn't stay idle and wanted to find something serious to do, so I went through a lot of networking to get this job.

When the old lady found out, she said that since I had connections, I should prioritize my own brothers.

Baoyu is getting old and can't stay idle all the time. Either let Baoyu do something, or take Baoyu with you.

"How could that be? It's clear I won't agree. With the old lady's insistence on 'filial piety,' I really have no way to change her mind."

Deng Zechen: "..." What a domineering and unreasonable old hag!

Seeing that Deng Zechen didn't speak but his expression was very vulgar, Jia Lian was amused and continued:

"Just when I was at my wit's end, guess what?"

"Could it be your father...?"

Jia Lian slapped his thigh hard, a sound that made Deng Zechen wince, but Jia Lian seemed oblivious.

"That's right! That day, when he saw us arguing so fiercely, for some reason, he didn't drink and came out to speak up for me!"

My wife was driven to tears by the old lady. Her attempts to be docile and throw a tantrum were useless. The commotion was so loud that even he found out.

After he arrived, he asked my wife and me to go outside, saying he was going to talk to the old lady.

After we went out, we didn't know what they said behind closed doors. We only knew that the old lady looked very unhappy, but in the end she relented and let me go.

Isn't that strange? He's never hugged me, let alone done anything like that, from the time I was a baby until now.

Deng Zechen fell into deep thought. All he remembered about Jia She was that he was a lecherous old man who had taken a fancy to his mother's head maid and went to ask for her, only to be rebuffed.

Now, hearing Jia Lian's description of Jia She, Deng Zechen was even more unsure of what kind of person he was.

Seeing Deng Zechen remain silent, Jia Lian didn't mind at all, and instead seemed to have opened a floodgate of words:

"You don't know, but I actually used to have an older brother."

"Huh? Then what...?"

Jia Lian lowered his eyes to look at the wine cup in front of him and murmured:

"I heard it from the old lady; I heard my brother's name is Jia Hu."

He was my father's eldest son, and my father loved him very much, always holding him in his arms and never letting anyone else do anything for him.

My mother was there at that time. My brother was different from me; he was born and raised with the hopes of our parents.

But later... I heard that when I was about to be born, my brother drowned in the lotus pond.

When my father arrived, he only saw my brother face down in the pool. My mother was devastated when she heard the news, and I was born prematurely because of it.

Later, my mother also died from postpartum hemorrhage.

This passage was packed with information, and Deng Zechen processed it in his mind while asking:

"But none of this has anything to do with you, and your father is taking his anger out on you because of it?"

Jia Lian seemed unwilling to face the matter, but still answered with his eyes closed.

"On the day I was born, my father first lost his eldest son, on whom he had placed great hopes, and then he lost his beloved wife."

So he hates me, so he never hugs me, so he never looks at me directly.