Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle Huan..."

He led Jia Cong out of the room, only to find Qin Shi waiting outside.

Jia Lian then asked her, "What are you doing here? Where are your second aunt and the others?"

"Replying to Second Uncle, it was Second Aunt who asked me to come and invite you. My mother-in-law and Second Aunt are in the front hall, inviting you to come and discuss some matters."

Hearing Qin Shi's words, Jia Lian nodded, then handed Jia Cong over to the housekeeper who had been waiting there, instructing her to take Jia Cong away and settle him in. He then warned, "Tell everyone else, especially those in Cong'er's courtyard. No matter what, Cong'er is still my own brother. From today onwards, if I hear of anyone in the family daring to slight or mistreat him, they will be severely punished according to the family rules."

The housekeeper's wife readily agreed, and then left with Jia Cong, her eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

Qin watched silently from the side, a hint of surprise in her beautiful, captivating eyes.

She knew about the matter concerning Jia Cong's birth mother, and originally thought that even if Jia Lian didn't hold a grudge against his younger brother because of it, he would probably treat him coldly.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian would stand up for him and treat him so well.

It seems that among the entire Jia clan, only Uncle Lian has this kind of magnanimity.

As Qin thought about it, a few glimmers of light appeared in her eyes.

In fact, not long after Qin married into the Jia family, Jia Lian underwent a dramatic change. Therefore, by the time Qin heard of Jia Lian's name, she only knew about his later glorious deeds.

Furthermore, as Qin Shi and Wang Xifeng's relationship grew increasingly close, and they came to regard each other as confidantes, Qin Shi, out of affection for Wang Xifeng, began to pay even more attention to Jia Lian's affairs...

Leading Jia Lian to the hall, Feng Jie and You Shi were called out by the stewardesses, who said they would be back soon. So Jia Lian and Qin Shi went into the hall and sat down to wait.

With Jia She recently deceased, everything was in a flurry of activity. Tonight, almost everyone had been assigned tasks by Sister Feng and Madam You, so even the servants in the hall were few and far between.

There was no conversation between them, and Qin Shi was too embarrassed to look at Jia Lian, so she just sat properly in the hall.

Jia Lian sat at the head of the table, and seeing that the man dared not meet his gaze, he began to scrutinize him more openly.

Qin's beauty needs no further description; to call her unparalleled in her elegance would be no exaggeration.

Sitting shyly to the side, Jia Lian looked closely and indeed saw in her some of Daiyu's graceful and delicate beauty, and Baochai's bright and charming charm.

Most importantly, the beauty is already eighteen years old. Although she has the beauty of Baochai and Daiyu, she lacks Baochai's naivety and Daiyu's immaturity. She is a fully blooming and delicate flower, making people want to pick her.

Although Qin was sitting, she was still sensitive enough to notice that Jia Lian was looking at her. She turned around and glanced back, and sure enough, two blushes appeared on her beautiful face. She dared not meet Jia Lian's gaze any longer.

Seeing that the maids had prepared hot water and tea sets on a high table in the corner, she stood up and said, "Let me make a cup of tea for my second uncle."

"good……"

With something to do, Qin felt much more at ease. She casually glanced back at Jia Lian and found that his attention was indeed still on her. Qin felt shy, happy, and her heart was pounding.

To appear more natural, Madam Qin began to chat in a soft, coquettish tone: "Second Uncle and Second Aunt are already so busy, and now that the Master has passed away, with so many things to do inside and outside the home, they're probably going to be even busier."

"We're definitely busy, but with you and your mother-in-law coming to help us, things are much easier for us. We just feel really bad for troubling you."

"It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to be able to help my uncle and aunt with some things."

Qin Shi didn't simply brew tea; instead, she demonstrated a newly learned tea ceremony, steeping the precious tea leaves several times before finally ladling out a cup and presenting it to Jia Lian, bowing and saying, "Uncle, please have some tea."

Hearing Qin's voice and seeing the small cup of clear tea held by her slender fingers, even Jia Lian's heart was stirred.

He hurriedly reached out to take it, but because the teacup was too small to accommodate two or three hands, Jia Lian inevitably had to hold Qin Shi's hands as he took the tea.

It is smooth and delicate, like touching celestial cream.

He expected Qin Shi to hurriedly avoid him, but when he looked up, Qin Shi, though her face was flushed, only glanced at Jia Lian with her watery eyes. That glance seemed to hold both anger and resentment.

Jia Lian then slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled, "The strength is just right. Although it was only a few simple steps, you brought out the fragrance and mellowness of this Yiling tribute tea. Not bad. I didn't expect my nephew's wife to have such skills. I'm really enjoying it today."

Qin's smile grew even wider. She knew that Jia Lian was praising her on purpose. She had only learned a few tricks, and even if she was exceptionally talented, her skills were limited. How could she deserve such praise from Jia Lian?

However, being praised is always a pleasant experience.

Therefore, he didn't rush to sit down, but stood beside Jia Lian and replied with a smile, "Since Uncle says so, I will serve you tea more often from now on. I'm just afraid that Uncle is just saying that to put people at ease, and that you'll lose interest after only a couple of times..."

Jia Lian had just raised his glass for the second sip when he heard this and paused slightly. He felt there was something intriguing about those words. Lost interest after two tries? Nonsense, he clearly hadn't even tried it once.

With just this thought, Jia Lian became wary.

He also realized that his nephew's wife was a dangerous person. Her every word and action could easily break down a man's defenses and influence his mind. She was truly terrifying.

To avoid doing anything inappropriate, Jia Lian changed the subject: "I heard from your second aunt that you were seriously ill last winter, and she worried about you for a long time. I wonder how your wife is doing now?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian mention Feng Jie, the seductive look in Qin Shi's eyes seemed to become somewhat disordered, and her gaze cleared. She nodded and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Fortunately, my second aunt often comes to visit me, keeps me company, and helps me relieve my boredom, which is why I'm doing well now."

As they were talking, seeing that Jia Lian was focused on sipping his tea, Qin Shi turned around and sat down below.

"Well, it's good that you're alright. But I see you're still a bit weak. Later, I'll have your aunt send you some blood ginseng, which is excellent for nourishing yin. Take it and follow the prescription; it might do you some good."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Qin Shi smiled again, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you with your care, Uncle."

Jia Lian smiled casually and said nothing more. Knowing Feng Jie'er's temperament, she knew that he was with Qin Shi and would return soon, giving him no time whatsoever.