The filial son of the Red Mansion

Seeing so many beauties together is really pleasing to the eye and makes me feel much more relaxed.

He said slowly, "I just heard that you guys are upstairs, and I thought it's too hot to stay upstairs for long. I've told the servants to put out cakes, fruits, tea, and osmanthus dew, rose dew, iced sour plum soup, etc. in Doufengxuan. The study next door is fully stocked with cultural relics, and the aunts can also write poems and paint."

Jia Rong paused, and then continued, "If the ladies and aunts want to play cards and leaf games, there are ready-made games in Doufeng Pavilion. My nephew especially remembers that Aunt Lin likes fishing, and there are fishing rods and bait in Linshui Pavilion."

Lin Daiyu didn't want to go to the bee pavilion at first, but when she heard that Jia Rong had arranged fishing gear, she smiled brightly. Seeing the strange faces of others, she couldn't help but pouting her red lips, but in her heart she enjoyed this favor very much, and her joy was revealed in her eyes.

She chuckled suspiciously and asked, "How did Rong Geer know that I like fishing?"

Jia Rong just had this memory in his head because there was a plot in the original novel where Daiyu went fishing.

Seeing that Daiyu's clothes were thicker than others, he said, "I forgot. As long as you like it, it's good. The pavilion of Doufengxuan is a good place for fishing. You must try it. The pavilion is also warm, not too cold or too hot, which is perfect for you to have fun."

These words were extremely thoughtful.

Not only was Daiyu stunned for a moment, but even Wang Xifeng, Youshi and others couldn't help but look at her sideways.

They didn't think much about it because Daiyu was so young.

Everyone felt that Jia Rong was extremely considerate and filial.

Lin Daiyu came back to her senses, and her frowning brows relaxed. Her eyes were bright and clear as if there was a spring in them. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she couldn't help but tighten her hand around Qin Keqing's. She whispered softly, "Has he always been like this to coax people?"

Qin Keqing felt the strength on Daiyu's cold little hand, and thinking of Daiyu's frail condition, there was a bit more pity in her bright eyes.

You Erjie and You Sanjie also looked at him suspiciously, secretly thinking that Rong Ge'er was different from others. Although this kindness was not for them, they also felt that Rong Ge'er was not only affectionate, but also very considerate.

Tanchun's sword-like eyebrows moved slightly, and she looked heroic. She laughed and joked, "All the aunts in our family are not as good as Sister Lin. I have never seen you as thoughtful as you."

After hearing this, Lin Daiyu leaned in Qin Keqing's arms and watched with a smile how Rong Ge'er would answer.

Wang Xifeng saw this and guessed that Jia Rong felt sorry for Daiyu's weakness. She smiled and brought Tanchun and Yingchun to change the subject, saying, "You two are still competing? If you want him to take care of you, just come and visit more often. We are all family members, so there is no distinction between close and distant relatives. Just ask him to do whatever you want."

Yu Shi, who was almost deaf and dumb, also spoke up at this time: "Rong'er has already prepared everything. Let's all go downstairs. Why are you still roasting here?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Qin Keqing was the most active. She took Daiyu and Baochai with her and said, "Let's go down too."

The second and third sisters of the You family naturally followed the crowd.

Only Li Wan, who was holding Xichun's hand, was filled with envy. For so many years, it seemed that the bustle of the two mansions had never concerned her, but it was not true that she was calm. At least at this moment, she envied Daiyu for not only being favored by the old lady, but also receiving caring attention in the East Mansion.

If Jia Lan had been treated like this in the two governments, she wouldn't have been numb all day long like a body without a soul.

People are most afraid of comparison.

After all, Jia Lan is the eldest grandson of the second branch of the Rong family. It would be fine if he is not as good as Baoyu, the second son of the second branch, but is he not even as good as the old lady’s granddaughter?

When Li Wan saw Qin Keqing leading a few girls downstairs first, she didn't know what to feel. She was still thinking about her son Jia Lan who was practicing archery at the archery range downstairs.

Jia Rong had not yet gone downstairs. He first met Wang Xifeng and then went to the side to talk quietly with Ping'er. Then he came to the front of Zhuda Madam Li Wan and the fourth girl Xichun.

Rong Ge'er called out, "Aunt, please stay a moment. I haven't explained to you when Lan Ge'er was practicing archery."

Li Wan stopped in shock and looked back in confusion.

Jia Rong saw that all the girls had gone downstairs, and Youshi was also leading You Erjie and You Sanjie down the stairs. Only Wang Xifeng and Ping'er were upstairs.

He said, "I have already given instructions to my aunt and Madam last time. My master will stay in the mansion for two hours every afternoon. Archery equipment, servants, and attendants are also being calculated. My aunt and Brother Lang will just come over. If there is anything missing or inconvenient, please let Sisters Suyun and Biyue talk to me."

Li Wan had indeed mentioned this to Youshi before, and now that she heard that Jia Rong had already made arrangements, her heart was filled with ups and downs. Her dull eyes seemed to suddenly have a little light, and her dead heart also had a little more vitality.

However, I still feel a little embarrassed.

"I guess all this will cost a lot of money, right?" Although Li Wan was the person with the highest monthly salary in the two mansions and her personal income was much higher than that of Lady Jia every month, all that money was calculated to be used for Jia Lan to start a family and a career in the future.

It was the first time that Jia Rong saw a genuine expression on her face. A gleam of light flashed in her eyes, but fortunately Wang Xifeng did not see it.

"It won't cost much. The equipment, servants, and attendants are all from the mansion, and the archery master is also paid for by the east. I also want to open an archery pavilion near the charity school in the future, hire this master for a long time, and ask him to teach all the children in the family to practice archery after school."

Jia Rong responded with a smile.

He has always believed in one principle: things must be done completely and for everyone to see.

Hiring a master archer only makes a few bucks a year. If he gets two or three taels of silver a month, that’s only about thirty taels a year. Thirty taels of silver can’t even hold two small banquets in the two prefectures.

Li Wan stared at Jia Rong for a long while, then turned her head slightly away when she felt that she was being rude. She suppressed a little joy and said, "I'm sorry to have made Rong worry."

"It's something that I should consider, not something I should worry about. If there's anything I haven't thought of in the future, I'll ask you to remind me more."

As Jia Rong was speaking, he felt a strange gaze staring at him. He looked down and saw Xichun's eyes were strange, as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Seeing this look, Rong Ge'er felt very complicated.

To be honest, he didn't know whether Xichun was his aunt or his half-sister. Unfortunately, Jia Zhen was already dead, and the only people who knew the inside story were probably Jia Mu, Jia She, and Jia Zheng.

It doesn't matter what the relationship is.

Now, the only one in the two mansions who has a real blood relationship with Jia Rong is Xichun.

He seemed to remember something and said, "Fourth aunt did not come with Aunt Lin that day. Madam and daughter-in-law also prepared a large yard for aunt near Ning Yi Hall."

Xichun slowly withdrew her gaze and said "oh" softly.

Wang Xifeng gave Jia Rong a deep look, then took Xichun and Li Wan, who were both in silence with complicated emotions, downstairs.

The people in Ping'er Tower had all left, so he asked, "What do you want me to stay for?"

Jia Rong had been pretending for a long time, but now he finally showed his ugly side. He took her hand and said with a chuckle, "My dear Ping'er, what do you think I want you to stay for?"

Ping'er had some guesses in her mind, but she thought that she had spent the whole afternoon in Conglutang yesterday, and Master Rong should not be looking for her for that kind of thing today. Seeing Jia Rong's playful face, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said, "I will sweat again after playing tricks, how can I go to Doufengxuan?"

Jia Rong had already made plans in his mind. He put his arm around Ping'er's waist and kissed her red lips. Blinking his eyes, he whispered, "I asked someone to store some ice cubes downstairs! Good Ping'er, just..."

Chapter 116: My Mouth Is a Little Thirsty (10,000 Words Completed)

Ping'er touched her lips, totally not understanding what Jia Rong meant.

Jia Rong's eyes were full of evil and he asked Ping'er to wait upstairs for a while. He turned around and went downstairs to get some ice cubes, took some warm water from upstairs, and pulled Ping'er into the room.

"My dear wife, I have a very important matter here, and I need your help."

Ping'er was extremely confused when she saw him pouring out warm water and then taking out ice cubes.

Jia Rong poured out a cup of hot water, tasted it first, and said hurriedly, "My dear wife, try it, but don't swallow it. It may be too hot."

Ping Er was confused for a moment, and took a sip of hot water without knowing what was going on. It wasn't hot, but it was warm. In this hot weather, it felt like she would sweat. When she was wondering, Master Xiao Rong whispered something in her ear.

The pretty white face suddenly turned red.

She looked at the ice cubes and then at the hot water on the table. Ping'er's face changed drastically and she said anxiously, "How can this be done? The alternation of cold and heat will make people sick. I am really guilty of a heinous crime. Even I cannot forgive myself."

When Rong Ge'er heard this, he knew there was hope.

He is now skilled in knowing what to say to different people.

Jia Rong pursed his lips, frowned slightly, and said with embarrassment: "I have always known that Ping'er is the best wife, and I shouldn't take advantage of Ping'er's favor to make such a request. But I feel bad, if my good wife doesn't help me, I will make a fool of myself in Doufengxuan later. Dear Ping'er, you don't want to see me make a fool of myself in front of those girls, right?"

After hearing this, Ping'er indeed sensed something strange. She could not bear to see Jia Rong suffer.

It’s not that she was unwilling to help, but she was afraid that her inconsistency would hurt Jia Rong’s foundation.

Jia Rong saw her hesitation and whispered, "My dear wife, have you forgotten that I have two wonderful books? One is Chen Xiyi's Secret of Sex Techniques, which is a serious Taoist classic. This method of sword forging is recorded in this book. There is also a book called Yin Yang Can Tong Qi, which Ping'er has also read. This book also says that this method can strengthen the body. If I didn't rely on these two books, how could I be so powerful now?"

Ping'er saw him blinking, and her heart trembled as she remembered the tragic past. She said faintly, "It could be much worse. It almost took my life and grandma's life yesterday."

Jia Rong just smiled apologetically, took the hot water and asked Ping'er to have some.

Ping'er glanced at him with resentment, yet shyness and charm, which made people's blood boil.

After a while, Ping'er got used to the hot water and took some ice cubes to cool off.

Ping'er felt her cheeks go numb from the alternation of hot and cold. Even when she heard Jia Rong's voice, she was unwilling to say a word. When her mouth became extremely cold, she quickly spat out the ice. At this time, she spat out a mouthful of cold water from her clear lips.

"Don't let the ice cubes numb your mouth, quickly gargle with a mouthful of warm water!" Jia Rong was nervous and concerned, he took a long breath, took the hot water and handed it over again. He secretly thought that the ice cubes should be smaller.

I don’t know how long it took.

There was no trace of Ping'er or Jia Rong in Tianxiang Tower.

After rinsing her mouth, Ping'er returned to Doufengxuan. However, the detail that there was no rouge on her lips made Wang Xifeng and Youshi raise their eyebrows at the same time.

But what they were thinking were completely different.

At this time, Jia Rong was downstairs of Tianxiang Tower, taking deep breaths.

"So that's it!"

"So this is what it feels like! It's so wonderful and exciting, no wonder!"

“Now I truly understand what it means to feel refreshed and energetic.”

As Jia Rong recalled the memory, his teeth could not help but chatter and his legs trembled slightly.

"Hao Ping'er is really..."

He took a deep breath and walked down the archery path to take a look. From a distance, he saw Jia Lan training in an orderly manner, while Baoyu and Jia Huan were playing the game of throwing arrows into a pot, one holding an arrow, and the other lying on a chair in the archery pavilion dreaming.

Jia Rong pursed his lips, showing no interest in Baoyu and Jia Huan. After looking around for a few times, he turned back and headed towards the Xingdou Fengxuan.

I had only taken a few steps when someone called me.

How did Youshi come here?

Rong Ge'er looked behind You Shi suspiciously. You Erjie and You Sanjie did not follow, nor did the maids Yindie, Wan'er, Chaodou'er, etc.

"She came to see me alone?"

Jia Rong's face suddenly lit up, and his eyes were full of stars. He secretly guessed the purpose of Youshi's coming.

"Could it be...could it be that you want to be with me?"

"Impossible! Youshi is definitely not that kind of person. She didn't even have time to escape. She came here now, and she must have something to say that even the maids can't know."

"What could it be?"

Jia Rong walked over suspiciously, and saw that the surroundings were connected in all directions. Whether it was Tianxiang Tower and the corridor in the north or Doufeng Pavilion and the corridor in the west, they could see what was going on here.

This is really not a good place.

Jia Rong secretly gritted his teeth and thought about how to coax Youshi to a secluded place. It would be best if no one could see her, so that she would not be discovered no matter where she moved in and out, such as a room upstairs in Tianxiang Tower.

You Shi knew what he was thinking, so she glared at him and called out, "Rong Er, come here. I have something to say."

Jia Rong stood there, watching Youshi, dressed in plain green, walk slowly from the corridor into the garden under the setting sun, strolling among the red, purple, and yellow flowers. The scorching sun shone on Youshi's body, penetrating her thin gauze dress, and vaguely revealing her graceful curves.