The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 17 Do You Want to Live?
Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong's Courtyard.

When he heard that his father was going to raid Lai Sheng's house, he was so shocked that he almost jumped up.

"What are you so excited about?"

Shen Ning pressed him down, "Practice your calligraphy properly."

"grandmother!"

Jia Rong's eyes shone brightly, brimming with joy. "Let's send a few more people to watch over Father as he confiscates the property!"

It's a pity his butt still hurts, otherwise he really wanted to go by himself.

“Lai Sheng is very good at crying.” What if his father has a soft heart? “Some antiques and paintings are also hard to value.”

“…Hmm!” Shen Ning smiled and pinched his hopeful little face. “You’ve thought of everything.”

She was also a little worried, so she turned to Madam You and said, "Have someone tell Jiao Da and the guards to confiscate the extra silver and set aside one-tenth of it for the training and resettlement of these people."

"Yes!"

Madam You hurried out.

To be honest, she was even more worried about Jia Zhen's house being raided. Although she had secretly arranged for a maid to send people, those people could only observe from afar and make surveillances. Now that Madam had sent Jiao Da and the guards, Lai Sheng would have no chance of escaping.

After managing the household for four years, Madam You knew all too well how greedy Lai Sheng and his wife were.

The same clothes and jewelry are 10% to 50% more expensive when purchased by others than in the market.

It would have been better if she hadn't asked. But once she did, people said that the Jia family only used the best, and since she was the mistress of the Ningguo Mansion, she couldn't be too stingy.

The medicinal herbs must be the best, the tonics must be the best; in short, "good" is always associated with "expensive".

She couldn't object; to object would be seen as petty.

When she spoke to Jia Zhen, he would at first listen to her inquiries, but every time he inquired, he had to go through Lai Sheng first, and then the items would indeed become better.

She had no way to defend herself.

She seems to be a truly ignorant and petty woman.

Time and again, Madam You finally understood that the Lai family had long since gained immense influence and influence within the Ningguo Mansion.

Her only support was her husband, the heir to the Ningguo Mansion, who was also their biggest backer.

Not wanting to fall out with her husband, and not wanting Jia Zhen to even enter her room, she could only slowly cooperate, acting as an obedient, seemingly commanding matriarch.

Madam You had given up hope, but to her surprise, her mother-in-law took drastic measures and uprooted the problem completely.

She was even more concerned about this matter than Jia Rong.

If possible, she would like to be there in person.

However, Madam You felt she should stay here to prevent some people from becoming desperate and causing trouble for her mother-in-law.

Before long, the six burly old women who had performed meritorious service at the school the day before were hired by their mistress at a high salary to guard Jia Rong's courtyard with feather dusters.

Shen Ning and Jia Rong both saw it, and their expressions were somewhat complicated. "You're still young, you don't need to worry about us so much in the future."

"Grandson is happy!"

Jia Rong suddenly realized that writing large characters on the kang (a heated brick bed) was a particularly enjoyable experience.

"Okay, okay, you're happy!"

Shen Ning was amused by his adorable antics and flipped through the three large characters he had written today. "Why are all the characters you practiced for 'longevity' today?" she asked. "And they're even different styles of the character 'longevity'. Are you preparing for someone's birthday?"

“Grandma, your birthday is in six months,” Jia Rong said, her face flushed. “I want to improve my handwriting.”

He wanted to finish writing it as soon as possible and send it to Chongfu Temple outside the city, asking the high monks there to read it a few more times for his grandmother.

"...You're thinking too soon."

Shen Ning was actually quite happy.

She had never received such a gift before.

Although each character for "longevity" on the several large characters looks a bit immature, with varying lengths, shapes, sizes, and even some awkward strokes, they are really cute when put together!
"However, Grandmother likes it very much."

Shen Ning decided to keep it. "How many characters are you missing from your 'hundred years' mark?" She looked at the half-written "longevity" character on the kang table. "Write it quickly."

"...There are three left."

Jia Rong quickly picked up his brush and first wrote a larger "longevity" character to fill the rest of the paper. Then, on either side, he wrote a reclining "longevity" character on one side and a plump "longevity" character on the other. "Does Grandmother prefer a fan or a screen?"

He had seen other people's designs of the "Hundred Longevity Characters," which, within a limited space, depicted characters of various shapes and sizes, and he envied them greatly whether viewed from afar or up close.

Now that it was his turn to design it, and it was for his grandmother, Jia Rong wanted to give her the best.

What kind of fans or screens do you want?

Shen Ning carefully put away the last "longevity" character, saying, "These few large characters are exceptionally good."

"Grandmother..." Jia Rong was shocked; this was his practice piece!

He was prepared to practice for two months, and this was only the beginning. If he gave it to his grandmother, what if someone else saw it...?

Jia Rong simply couldn't believe it.

"Isn't it just that you want to be filial to your grandmother?"

Shen Ning smiled and said, "Grandmother loves these calligraphy pieces. Isn't this a way of showing filial piety?"

Jia Rong: "..."

Although he genuinely sensed his grandmother's affection, for some inexplicable reason, Jia Rong always felt that these few large characters were like a huge pit that would one day bury him.

"good!"

Shen Ning gestured to Qingzhu to help her put it away. "I have received the Hundred Longevity Gift, but Grandmother hopes to receive an even better one."

what?
Jia Rong was stunned for a moment, "What does Grandmother want?"

Your great-grandfather came from a poor family.

Shen Ning smiled and said, "When he was young, he often said that he mostly borrowed books from others and copied them at home. Borrowing books was so difficult back then. So, Grandma wants to donate a few books to the school outside the city. How about you help Grandma copy the books you've read three times each and give them to poor students who need them?"

how is it?

Jia Rong, kneeling on the kang (a heated brick bed), straightened her back and said, "Of course."

"Once you agree, you can't go back on your word!"

Shen Ning held out her hand, "Let's pinky swear, the kind that will never change, even for a hundred years."

"Hehe, Grandma~"

Jia Rong never expected that his grandmother could play games like children. He laughed and actually made a pinky promise with Shen Ning, completely unaware of the huge pitfall this would lead to.

He will read many, many more books in the future.

Copy each book three times...

Shen Ning hooked her hand around Jia Rong's still very delicate hand, "Say the same thing as me, and it will never change for a hundred years."

"No changes allowed for a hundred years!"

Jia Rong excitedly echoed loudly.

Outside the door, after arranging everything and waiting for good news, Madam You glanced inside and suddenly felt that her mother-in-law was a bit of a jerk.

First he tricked Jia Zhen, then he tricked Rong Ge'er, and who knows if he'll trick her in the future.

After thinking about it, Madam You stopped caring. The traps her mother-in-law had set for her husband and Rong-ge were all for their own benefit.

With the Lai family taken down, there will be no more thieves or power-hungry individuals, and the skies over Ningguo Prefecture will be a bit bluer.

If Rong-ge'er can really copy every book he reads three times, it will be of great benefit to his reading and calligraphy practice.

Forget it, she'll just hope her mother-in-law will trick her!

Mrs. You is in a good mood right now; everything she sees is pleasing to the eye.

But while they were having a good time, Jia Zhen, who had been confiscating the property, stood before three small jade horses of different shapes and colors, his eyes reddening.

This was a gift from his maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather to him when he turned ten.

The jade for the three little jade horses all belonged to my grandfather. My maternal grandfather designed and carved two of them, while the ugliest black jade horse was made by my grandfather.

At the time, his grandfather said that if he had more time, he would definitely be able to carve the black jade pony even better, but he couldn't wait and cried, made a fuss, and rolled around to get it.

He loves them and sleeps with them every night.

But one day, when he returned from school, all that remained of his three ponies were fragments.

Thinking of the four maids and servants he had lashed out at because of this, Jia Zhen trembled with rage.

Back then, Lai Sheng didn't have the skill to switch the beams and pillars; he could only be the head steward.

So, they were raiding homes so early in the morning?
Jia Zhen was not unaware that the Lai family was prone to burglary.

But the Jia family has declined somewhat. If they want others to respect them as before, they need to start with their powerful servants.

As the saying goes, "Even a seventh-rank official is no match for a prime minister." If the Lai family wanted to uphold the prestige of a seventh-rank official, how could they be so arrogant without stealing from the family?
But you can steal other things, how could you steal the feelings your grandfather and maternal grandfather had for him?

Wait, why did they start stealing so early?
His grandfather was still alive then.

“Lai Sheng…”

Jia Zhen turned to look at Lai Sheng, who was trembling like a leaf, and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to live?"

(End of this chapter)