The Splendor of the Red Chamber

"Second Brother Lian, Brother Bao!"

Just then, Tan Chun suddenly arrived with Shi Shu.

She originally wanted to inquire about Baoyu's situation to see if she needed to ask the old lady for help.

Unexpectedly, they ran into Jia Lian and Baoyu as soon as they arrived at the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing Tan Chun, Jia Lian first praised her, saying, "Sister's poems and calligraphy are excellent. I have already ordered them to be framed and hung in the inner study."

Upon hearing this, Tan Chun covered her mouth and giggled, "Luckily it's not hanging in the outer study, otherwise I would have made a fool of myself in front of everyone."

Then, she said to Jia Lian, "Second Brother Lian, we've been thinking about how to spend the ten taels of silver in the public account, but we still don't have a clear idea. It seems that the one who tied the knot must untie it. We would appreciate it if Second Brother Lian could give us some advice."

Jia Lian didn't refuse: "Then I have to listen first and see what you girls think."

Upon hearing Jia Lian say that he wanted to gather everyone's opinions, Tan Chun led her two older brothers back home.

On the way, she couldn't help but ask about polo.

Jia Lian said, "You should learn the basic movements at home first, and I will take you outside the city to try them out next spring. But this is not something that can be mastered overnight. Even if you want to play the embroidered ball game, you will need to learn it for half a year first."

The so-called "embroidered ball game" is a low-end game that has recently become popular. It reduces the intensity of the game in all aspects and is mostly played by girls or young people who are just starting out, so it is jokingly called the "embroidered ball game".

Tan Chun shook her head vigorously, resolutely stating, "I'm not trying to follow the crowd; if we're going to play, let's play real polo!"

Most people simply follow the trend when it comes to polo, but Tan Chun clearly doesn't think that way.

As they spoke, they arrived at Lin Daiyu's courtyard.

Seeing that Jia Lian had also arrived, the younger sisters hurried over to greet him.

Lin Daiyu was the most at ease with him, and asked in surprise, "Why is Brother here too?"

"Second Brother Lian introduced me to a private school!" Jia Baoyu blurted out, "He also said that one of the female students there is a good friend of yours!"

"Minglan? The Sheng family?"

Lin Daiyu spent a lot of time with Minglan in Yangzhou and knew more about the Sheng family than Jia Lian did, so she immediately guessed the truth.

"Yes, it's the Sheng family's private school!"

As Jia Baoyu spoke, he tugged at Lin Daiyu's sleeve with one hand and grabbed Jia Tanchun's wrist with the other, saying, "Lin Daiyu, Third Sister, since they teach female disciples, why don't you come with me? Otherwise, I'll be all alone over there and get so bored!"

Lin Daiyu was taken aback upon hearing this, and then a conflicted look appeared on her face. She was clearly somewhat tempted by the suggestion—not entirely for Baoyu, but mainly because she wanted to see her good friend Minglan.

Unaware of the situation, Tan Chun was both amused and exasperated: "My dear brother, this is someone else's private school. It's natural for siblings to be discreet. What would it look like if we went?"

"No!"

Baoyu said anxiously, "Brother Qi Heng from the Duke of Qi's mansion, and the eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Yu are also studying at the Sheng family. No matter how strict our family rules are, they can't be stricter than those of the Yu family, who have been farming and studying for generations, right?"

As he spoke, he was about to pull Lin Daiyu and Tan Chun to beg the old lady.

In any other household, this would most likely not have been possible, but in the Rongguo Mansion…

Anything is possible as long as Grandmother Jia gives the word.

"What are you doing?"

Jia Lian reached out and lifted him up, gently placing him aside. He scolded, "Your second uncle sent you to the Sheng family to study and improve yourself. This matter hasn't even been settled yet, and you're already making a fuss about bringing your sisters along. Are you afraid your second uncle won't skin you alive?"

Upon hearing his second brother Lian mention their father, Baoyu immediately wilted, but judging from his expression, he clearly hadn't given up; he had simply put the plan on hold for the time being.

Jia Lian ignored him and said to his sisters, "I heard you've been undecided about how to spend those ten taels of silver—tell me what you each think."

As he spoke, he immediately pointed to his younger sister Yingchun's name.

Yingchun panicked and looked hesitantly at her other sisters, hoping someone could help her out of this predicament.

"No one will laugh at you if you say something wrong."

Seeing this, Jia Lian encouraged him, "But you must have your own opinions and speak your mind. Otherwise, who will take a quiet person seriously when you go out into the world?"

Yingchun blushed and finally managed to utter, "I think since we can't come up with a solution, we might as well divide it up or give one to Baoyu, so that we won't have to argue anymore."

This approach of smoothing things over and avoiding trouble is indeed in line with her personality.

Although not satisfied with the answer, Jia Lian still clapped his hands in praise: "Isn't this showing you have your own ideas? Speak more in the future, and don't be afraid of making mistakes, as your family will support you."

Following that, Lin Daiyu, Jia Tanchun, and Jia Xichun also expressed their opinions.

Xichun's idea was the most "selfless." She suggested donating the money to the temple so that it could provide free porridge to the poor on the first and fifteenth of each month. This way, they could both pay homage to Buddha and accumulate merit for the sisters.

She's only eleven years old, and I don't know why she's so obsessed with Buddhism.

After listening to everyone's ideas, Jia Lian thought for a moment and then said, "Your ideas all have merit, but they are too long-term. It is good that you sisters have a long-term vision, but I have specified that these ten taels of silver be used for common purposes, mainly to train your ability to manage a household and finances."

In my opinion, it would be better to take turns using the money, but we should explain to everyone how it is used, what the purpose is, what its use is, and what the results are.

Once the money is spent, whether it was used correctly or incorrectly, we should sit down together and discuss why it was right or wrong.

"As long as you learn from your mistakes, this money would be worth it even if you threw it into a puddle."

These words captivated all the girls.

Even as an outsider, Xue Baochai couldn't help but exclaim, "Second Brother Lian's method is truly for the good of his sisters. For families like ours, spending money isn't the problem; the most crucial thing is how to spend it and whether it's used effectively."

Lin Daiyu was just about to express her admiration for Jia Lian's deep affection when Xue Baochai beat her to it.

She almost instinctively retorted sarcastically, "No wonder everyone in this mansion praises Sister Bao after she arrived; it turns out she knows the key to spending money wisely."

Xue Baochai wasn't annoyed at all, and smiled, "So it turns out that you care so much about the reputation of the household—if you want to learn from me, I certainly won't hold back."

Those two girls are really good at being sarcastic and sarcastic.

Jia Lian couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, then waved his hand and said, "I've said what I needed to say. You guys keep doing what you're doing. I have something to discuss with your sister-in-law, so I won't stay here any longer."

With that, he strode away.

The sisters, along with Baoyu, hurriedly saw him off at the courtyard gate.

Watching Jia Lian stride away into the distance, Tan Chun couldn't help but sigh, "Second Brother Lian has really changed a lot."

All the women nodded in agreement.

Once back inside, Tan Chun asked, "So, who's coming first this month?"

If ordered by age, Yingchun would definitely come first, but Tanchun is afraid that her second sister might start something bad in a muddle.

So without waiting for a response from others, she looked at Lin Daiyu again: "This contract is in Sister Lin's hands, otherwise..."

"Third sister."

At this moment, Xue Baochai suddenly interrupted her and said with a smile, "Logically speaking, this has nothing to do with me, but since we are all sisters, I will take the liberty of giving a reminder."

"You can spend this money however you like from now on, but for this first time, I think we should use it to give the old lady a surprise. That way, we can also fulfill our filial duty on behalf of Brother Lian. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

These words immediately set the tone.

No one objected, and no one dared to object. They all began to discuss how to give the old lady a surprise and how to show Jia Lian's good intentions in the process.

Soon, everyone settled on a preliminary plan: to host a private banquet for the old lady, and for the sisters and brothers to each put on a performance to entertain their relative in colorful costumes.

Xue Baochai played the most significant role in this, as she was not only older but also the only one among them with experience in managing a household.

Tan Chun secretly observed this, and hesitated several times before speaking.

Lin Daiyu realized that she wanted to bring Xue Baochai into the conversation, so she immediately said, "Sister Bao has her own brother and she is in charge of managing the household affairs. How can our little fuss be of any use to her? In the future, when we discuss things, we should keep it a secret from her, so that she won't laugh at us."

Tan Chun had no choice but to give up after hearing this.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Lin Jiejie was fine in other aspects, but she was too jealous and always had to compete with Bao Jiejie.