The Second Master Lian of the Red Chamber

Jia Lian is not what he used to be, and Zhou Mu's gestures are even more majestic. Not only Jia Rong, Jia Lan and other juniors can't let go of their hands and feet in front of him, after sitting down and talking for a while, even Jia She, Jia Zheng and others felt I feel uncomfortable.

Jia Lian treated them the same as before, with a little bit of respect that they should have, and inadvertently showing a little bit of generosity from childhood, and his words and expressions were all intimate.But for some reason, the few people who had their own thoughts were unanimously jealous, as if Jia Lian would turn his back on him if he didn't speculate on a word.

When Jia Lian was eating tea, some people worried that he was bored and bored. Jia Lian listened calmly. Some people thought he was condescending and perfunctory.However, these people guessed ten thousand times in their hearts, and none of them dared to provoke Jia Lian's displeasure. They could only smile on their faces and feel uneasy in their hearts. Only Jia's mother pulled Jia Lian lovingly to ask him about his food and daily life when he was away in the past few years.

There was an eyebrow-raising lawsuit among the crowd, and in the end it was Jia She who came forward, coughed softly, stroked his beard and smiled, "It's not easy for Lian'er to come back all the way, but I think he's a little thinner than before, why don't we let him go back first?" Take a rest and talk together again in a few days. Anyway, Lian'er will probably stay in Beijing when she comes back this time, so there is no rush for this moment."

What he said was very kind, as if the love of the eldest son was deeply rooted in his heart, everyone nodded their heads, and Jia Mu sat at the head with a look of relief, and only Jia She knew in his heart that he was proud of this son except for a little bit. Other than that, all the rest is fear.

Over the past few years, Jia Amnesty has not been able to stay at home peacefully and enjoy wealth and honor all the time, but every time he wants to reach out, Jia Lian has some flawless tricks waiting for him. He rectified obediently.After a few quarrels, Jia She really didn't have any temper left with this son.Jia Lian is very capable, Jia Amnesty is not to mention playing Lao Tzu's prestige when confronting him, even when negotiating things, he must weigh first or second.

The anxiety in Jia She's heart was unknown to others, and after seeing him finish speaking, Jia Lian got up respectfully, intending to retire and go back to rest. So filial, even Jia's mother gave him a high look because of this. The next day after finding out that Jia Lian had called breakfast in Rongxi Hall, she specially asked someone to go to the East Courtyard to call Jia Amnesty, and the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren sat down together. Drink tea and talk.

Jia Lian slept soundly all night, now his complexion is much better, and his mind is clearer than yesterday, so he naturally talked more, and after entering the door to greet Jia Mu and Jia Amnesty, he took the initiative to talk about some interesting anecdotes outside, It made Jia's mother smile openly, as if she was entertaining her relatives in colorful clothes.

He can be so filial, and most of the hidden worries in Jia's mother's heart have disappeared, and she also said some rural dialects that the old man had heard when he was leading the army abroad. There is a bit of interest, and the grandparents and grandchildren are happy and harmonious.

After talking for a long time, Mother Jia thought that it was almost time, and asked Yuanyang to exchange a round of new tea for Jia She and Jia Lian. After all the maids in the room quietly retreated, Mother Jia looked at Jia Lian with relief. Said: "Back then you were enlightened together with Zhu'er, he was precocious, and you should be more playful. I listened to your husband talking about your studies every day, and I was worried for many years. Thanks to the blessing of my ancestors, you will be better later when you become sensible. I can also explain to your grandfather that I have lived up to his dying heart."

The understatement of the words covered up the partiality for Jia Zhu back then, and turned the disregard for Jia Lian and the sneer at his studies into a heart of love that hates iron.

Jia Lian has seen the difficulties of people's livelihood and the viciousness of foreign insults, and his state of mind is no longer comparable to that of the past. He has long since put away the injustice and resentment in his heart. There are times, the tired old lady is worried, whether it is the grandson's fault or not. Fortunately, although I am not as early as brother Zhu, I have not lost the face of my ancestors, and I have not wasted years."

Back then, Jia's mother made sure to let the two grandchildren take turns together. Whenever Jia Zhu was mentioned in front of him, she would say "You Big Brother Zhu", as if she was afraid that he would forget his elder and younger. Now Jia Zhu is dead like a lamp going out. , the youngest son who was left behind could not enter the eyes of these people, so he became a "Pearl", which is really chilling.

Jia Lian's answers were quite satisfactory, and the expression between her eyebrows and eyes was considered respectful, but Jia's mother always felt a little flustered, as if she could see through Jia Lian's peaceful face the carelessness in his heart, and her heart was not at ease.But thinking that calling Jia Lian over this time had something serious to say, she let go of her doubts first, nodded and continued: "Now you are a butcher for an official. When you were young, I and your master and wife It's for your own good to teach you, but my knowledge is not as good as yours, so I can't tell you what to do, but it will ruin your business. Old lady, I boast that you are the pillar of our whole family, even the clan, Not too much."

Jia's mother said these words sincerely, and it was the first time that she was submissive in front of her children and grandchildren. Even Jia Lian couldn't help eating tea, not to mention Jia pardoned from being spat on as a child with long hair to over fifty years old. .

There was no need for Jia Lian to speak, Jia Amnesty hurriedly took over the words: "What is the old lady talking about! Ordinary people know that there is an old man in the family. If there is a treasure, the saints also say that filial piety is the first, and Lian'er is No matter how promising you are, you are also the backbone of our family, and I will be the first one who dares not be filial to any of our children and grandchildren!" Jia Amnesty did not say these words just to make face for Jia Mu.If Jia's mother also let Jia Lian do what she wants, then his father will be even more boring.

Jia Lian didn't even raise his eyelids, so he guessed what Jiamu and Jia She were thinking. While laughing in his heart, he didn't say anything to refute. He was acquiescing to Jia She's words, and only looked at Jia Mu calmly, waiting for her to say Later words.

Mother Jia was really relieved when she received Jia's amnesty, she wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and nodded again and again.She glanced at Jia Lian and saw that he was not dissatisfied, so she sighed and said helplessly: "What do I, an old woman, know about your men? It depends on you to make contributions and make achievements. Superficial, I can always manage the inner house for you, so that you don't have to worry about the trivial matters at home when you are outside. Another thing, you are busy with business outside, and the continuous and branching of descendants is also a major issue for our family, otherwise you After a hundred years, how can I have the face to meet my ancestors? Even my old woman has no face to meet your grandfather."

Knowing that Jia Lian was not something she could handle, Jia's mother didn't play with her old lord's prestige, but understood it with reason and emotion, hoping that Jia Lian would listen.As for why the two maids she had sent over didn't come back to Beijing with Jia Lian, she didn't even have a problem with it.The cats and dogs around her are nothing to Jia Lian.

The older Jia Lian was, the more suspicious Jia Mu felt.It's fine if you don't get married, he's been running around all these years, and sometimes it's really hard to get married, but it's too strange that he doesn't even keep a housemate around him.Among all the sons and daughters in the capital, Jia Lian doesn't want one or two girls to warm the quilt and make the bed before they get married.But Jia Lian is good at breaking his sleeves, and he doesn't have a boy who can do this, which really puzzles Jia's mother, and even privately speculates whether Jia Lian has some kind of illness.

But no matter what, Jia Lian had already seized the title of the family, and returned to the capital from the Haiwozi. Seeing that he was going to be promoted again, this mansion must not be without a decent mistress.At that time, if Jia Lian can give birth, it will be fine. If he can't, he can adopt a child for their husband and wife to extend the incense.

Seeing Jia Mu's meaningful eyes, Jia Lian couldn't help being a little dumbfounded.Thinking about it carefully, he has really been pure and ascetic all these years, and after being entangled in official duties, he even lost the restlessness of his youth, which inevitably arouses people's daydreams.Understanding what Jia's mother said made sense, Jia Lian Zheng nodded emphatically, and said with a smile: "It's the grandson's fault. Marrying a wife and having children is naturally a matter of human relations. The grandson will definitely marry a good woman. The old lady will only care about enjoying the blessings." That's it."

Just now when Jia's mother mentioned the matter of marrying a wife, Jia She took a good look at Jia Lian. Seeing that he didn't try to shirk at all, she just nodded in agreement, and Jia She's heart was finally settled.He himself couldn't live without a beautiful concubine. A few years ago, he guessed that Jia Lian was good at Longyang and refused to marry a wife, and even thought of killing Jia Lian's servant.

Today, Jia's mother persuaded Jia Lian to marry a wife and have children, and every word really touched Jia Amnesty's heart.And his thoughts are more straightforward, if Jia Lian is so talented, if he doesn't have a biological successor, wouldn't it be cheaper for others to have a great family business?When he thought of the possibility of adopting the heir of the second wife in the end, he couldn't close his eyes even after he died.

Since Jia Lian is willing to marry a wife, he can rest assured.As long as he can give him a good grandson to inherit the family business, he doesn't care whether Jia Lian likes women or men, or whether he makes his wife a widow.

Fearing that Jia Lian would change his mind, Jia Amnesty wanted to settle the matter on the spot.He stroked his well-maintained beard, and said earnestly to Mrs. Jia: "Mrs. Xing is stupid, and I don't understand these things. This delays Lian'er's marriage, and I have to ask Mrs. Lai to work hard for this bastard again." .”

At that time, Jia Amnesty did not want Jia's mother to interfere in Jia Lian's marriage, because he was afraid that Jia's mother would favor the second wife and marry Jia Lian with some low-class girls.Now that Jia Lian is so promising, Jia's mother has obviously changed her mind, so Jia Amnesty doesn't care.Besides, Jia Amnesty was suspicious, and felt that it would be good if someone came from a small family. Even if Jia Lian was inconsiderate, no one would dare to come to their house to make trouble.

As soon as she heard the tone of the father and son, Jia Mu knew it in her heart.Although Jia Lian said he was willing to marry a wife, he obviously didn't want her to intervene. Maybe he already had an idea in his heart, but Jia She had it.

If other children and grandchildren, even her most beloved Baoyu, can't say anything about marriage matters, they can only obey their parents' orders, but Jia Amnesty has no control over Jia Lian's affairs, and Jia's mother didn't take his words. Instead, she looked at Jia Lian with a kind smile and said: "Lian'er is a sensible and filial person, and she was delayed when she was focused on making progress earlier. I, an old woman, can help Lian'er to say that it is too late for a beautiful woman to come back to be happy. How can I be tired?"

As she said that, Mother Jia couldn't help showing a bit of complacency on her face: "Besides, our Lian'er is a first-class viscount at a young age. There is no other in the whole capital. What kind of girl is not worthy of her?" ? I’m afraid we’ll all be dazzled when the time comes.”

This is the truth.If it is said that Jia Lian's marriage before was a little too high and low, and the aristocratic family felt that he was old and unsuitable for a small family, now there are few people who are unwilling to marry their daughters. A 26-year-old first-class son, without a previous marriage, is considered a good son-in-law in the eyes of the royal princess and princess. Is there any family in Beijing that does not want their daughter to be a super-rank wife.

Ever since Jia Lian was promoted, even the old concubine of Nan'an Wang came to Jiamu's house to find out, as if she intended to betroth Jia Lian to the little princess born by the princess. Acting like a junior, staying low and being a small child, Jia Muhao gave out a bad breath that had been accumulated for many years.

However, no matter how attentive Nan'an Palace is, it is useless for Jia Mu to tolerate such an arrogant, willful and notorious girl as her granddaughter-in-law.The same family was arrogant and respectful, but she liked the other family more in her heart.

After thinking about it for a while, Mother Jia asked tentatively like a joke: "However, when it comes to marriage, family status is secondary. The most important thing is to know the roots and the background, and to know the temperament and appearance of each other, so that we can live more harmoniously in the future, right?" ?”

At the beginning, Shi Xiangyun, her niece and grandniece of her natal family, was only a little closer to Baoyu. The Shi family couple didn't even give her face as an aunt. With the intention of getting closer, he wanted to marry their direct daughter to Jia Lian as his wife.Mrs. Shi Ding's first few children were all boys, and the only direct daughter was only 14 years old this year. She was as delicate as soft jade, gentle and obedient.

Although Jia Mu looked down on their character, she wanted to give the historians a bad look like she did to the Nan'an Palace, but she softened her heart after she vented her anger.After all, it was her natal family, and the men of the Shi family's generation were very estranged from the Jia family, so they would not move around, and it would be a good thing for her to have an opportunity to get married again, so she let go.

When Jia's mother said this, Jia Lian understood what she meant, and couldn't help raising her eyebrows to look at Jia She, who was still smiling with her beard on the opposite side.Seeing that Jia She didn't understand Jia Mu's implication at all, Jia Lian didn't care too much, and turned to Jia Mu with a smile and agreed: "It's still the old lady who is thoughtful. A man is upright, he should be his wife and son, and he values ​​Yue's family too much. The second is to give up the basics and chase after the end. The grandson also thinks that it is quite rare to know the root and the bottom. For example, Baoyu and the younger sister of the Shi family have been jealous since they were young. If the old lady is willing, the grandson has some friendship with the two Shihous. Word of mouth on this matter."

Jia She, who was thinking about the candidate for his daughter-in-law, was taken aback for a moment, not understanding why Jia Lian had brought his words up to Jia Baoyu, but Jia's mother came back to her senses, nodded vaguely unable to hide her disappointment, and kept her mouth shut.Only Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu were unmarried descendants of the Rongguo Mansion, and they couldn't both marry girls from the same family.Jia Lian said that he wanted to match Shi Xiangyun and Baoyu, but he didn't mean the historian's daughter.

Although Jia's mother felt regretful in her heart, she didn't want to offend her most promising grandson because of her estranged nephew and daughter-in-law. She soon changed her face and began to care about Jia Lian's diet and daily life earnestly. Tang bought some things, jokingly said that he wanted to arrange something before the granddaughter-in-law came in, so that Jia Lian could straighten up in front of the bride.

They are all Jia Mu's cherished private houses, and Jia Lian smiled at them all with a smile on her lips, and said lazily that she would thank the old lady for her love for Lian's second grandma, and she still looks like a tired and lazy boy back then, only her eyes can't be hidden The vicissitudes of living are transparent to show the age.

When he smiled, Jia Mu and Jia She, no matter what they thought in their hearts, also smiled gratifiedly, seeing that they really had a kind appearance of doting on their children and grandchildren. At noon, the three of them had lunch together in the upper room, Jia Mu Baoyu, who was always in pain the most, was left in Mrs. Wang's yard and never came.

Just after lunch, Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch of Liugongdu, came here with imperial decree.Yang Yuan discussed with several ministers in the palace yesterday that it was time to hold the lantern, but finally suppressed the objection and ordered Jia Lian to be the left servant of the Ministry of Officials, who will take office ten days later.

Jia Lian received the imperial edict in high spirits, and Xia Shouzhong bent down almost immediately to help him up, chatted and laughed with Jia Lian affectionately, even pushed back his purse, and praised the other party's achievements in recent years without saying a word.Jia Lian reciprocated, and kindly invited Xia Shouzhong to Rongxi Hall for a cup of tea before politely sending him out.

Zuo Shilang is the No. 1 under the Ministry of Officials, and the Minister of Officials is Jia Lian's mentor and uncle Lin Hai. The emperor's preference is self-evident. Jia's mother was very happy, so she opened a storeroom to pick out some items for her daughter, son-in-law and a pair of grandchildren. Send it, but Jia Lian persuaded him with a smile.

When he disembarked at Tongzhou Wharf, he had already sent someone to post a post at Lin's house, promising to visit him on the third day after returning to Beijing. All kinds of gifts were already ready, and adding Jiamu's private house was too conspicuous.

But as long as he thinks that he will work in the same yamen with Uncle Lin Jian Tian'er this time, Jia Lian's smile will inevitably carry some bitterness.Such a superior, he really couldn't afford to offend.If he had known it would be the Ministry of Officials, when Yang Yuan asked about it yesterday, he should have rushed to the Ministry of War.