The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 38 Viewing
As he helped his uncle escape, Jia Zhu stood in the bustling crowd, watching his father's servant ride his horse to chase after the departing carriage, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Even Father himself couldn't do anything about Uncle, so what use would it be to send a few servants?

Last night, when he returned home from his holiday, although the father and son did not have a proper conversation, Jia Zhu knew why his father was so angry.
The father couldn't bear the labels of being blind and unable to judge people, so he wanted his uncle to take the blame!

Jia Zhu found it both funny and sad. His father had been spoiled by his grandmother. Things in officialdom were never that simple. In fact, it would have been better to stay in the Ministry of Works and be an inconspicuous official.

But my grandmother lives in the glory of the past.

She seemed to have forgotten everything her grandfather, her great-uncle Dongfu, and her great-uncle Jing had done.

However, perhaps it's not that they forgot.

She spent her whole life in the inner quarters, enjoying the flattery of others; how could she know the hardships of officialdom?
Jia Zhu sighed softly and slowly walked forward.

He should go read a book!
Books can help him answer everything and help him forget his troubles.

The servant boy, Laifu, obediently followed along.

All the overly lively ones were chased away by the old man, while he, the honest and unassuming one, was the one who stayed.

So, the best way to stay by the old man's side is to do whatever he says; he doesn't need to think for himself.

The master and servant entered the Shan Hai Bookstore, and Jia Zhu picked up a copy of Zuo Zhuan directly.

Confucius would say that a person of upright character, a true gentleman, is "a person." If he wanted to say that a person of extremely poor character, a complete scoundrel, he would say he is "a 'only' person."

These insults, these unspoken jargon of officialdom, were beyond my father's comprehension.

But he... must understand.

Before long, Jia Zhu became engrossed in the Zuo Zhuan, which he had read countless times, and forgot everything around him.

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning, having just woken up from her afternoon nap, strolled slowly through Huifang Garden accompanied by Madam You.

"Mother!"

Madam You supported her and said softly, "Uncle She has fled the city and is very likely to go to Father's Taoist temple."

"Oh?"

Shen Ning didn't seem to care much. "He did show some intelligence this time."

If we can just hide for another two days, everything will be settled.

The old lady can't possibly do anything to her own son because of a servant.

"Don't worry, your father won't do anything."

Jia Jing, already trapped in another kind of delusion, will not do anything.

After seeking immortality and enlightenment, he no longer wished to be involved in any worldly affairs.

His wife, daughters, and grandchildren were not in his eyes, so what was Jia She?
He already considered himself an immortal, standing on the clouds, looking down upon all living beings.

What can he see?

Shen Ning sighed inwardly, "Send two people over to check if he's washing his own clothes now."

Having too much free time makes it easy to overthink.

To be trapped in the obsession with one's thoughts.

"I remember when the Taoist priests there first started, they grew their own vegetables and ate whatever they grew. In the future... let them go back to how they were before!"

After Jia Jing left, although they still grew vegetables, they seemed to become much more profit-driven.

For example, Jia Jing liked to eat tender young vegetable sprouts, so they never ran out of young vegetable sprouts.

In the past, they would wait until the animals were fully grown before eating them.

"……Yes!"

Madam You hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't dare to say that her father-in-law might be hiding something.

Anyway, the people she sent out had investigated from afar and found that although her father-in-law's food and drink were not as good as before, his clothes, shoes, and socks were always washed by young Taoist boys.

Of course, this might have been arranged by the old man, Jia Zhen.

After all, he is also his father-in-law's son.

"Clothes, shoes, socks, and the like..."

Shen Ning thought for a moment, "Let Zhen'er continue to be taken care of as before, with supplies provided by the manor."

Public opinion is a fearsome thing! It's one thing for her to be a shrew, but Jia Zhen should at least act like a filial son!

"There's no need to do any more. Your father... won't want it."

"Yes!"

This time, Madam You immediately agreed, "Mother, tea has been prepared at Tianxiang Tower. Would you like to come and sit down?"

Tianxiang Tower offers a high vantage point and a wide view.

After discovering that her mother-in-law liked going there, she would always have tea and snacks prepared in advance.

"Then let's go sit down."

Shen Ning's interest was even higher than before.

She's been here for over a month now. Although she's gone crazy three times, running away from the school, the Lai family, and even the famous Rongguo Mansion, she hasn't visited any of those three places.

Her current physical condition and environment don't allow her to roam around freely, but it's always good to see her from afar.

Just as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were about to go upstairs, Jia Zhen's voice could be heard from afar.

Shen Ning stopped.

"Mother!"

The vigorous Jia Zhen, with a short beard, strode over, his light gray floral robe billowing in the air. Seeing her smiling face, his joy seemed genuine. "I've already seen the estate. The estate managers are all honest and hardworking men."

Most importantly, both of these estates are not far from the capital.

It was clear that the best things in the house were with the father.

At this moment, Jia Zhen finally stopped feeling sorry for his three thousand six hundred taels of silver.

"There are also many medicinal herbs planted in the mountains of Xixiaozhuang."

Jia Zhen felt that the other estates in his family could follow suit.

After all, the mountainous area is just sitting empty anyway.

Moreover, growing medicinal herbs does not require much care.

"Hmm~"

Shen Ning nodded. "Did you find the person I asked you to find?"

"We actually found two."

Jia Zhen laughed, “Li Daikui, a tenant farmer in Xixiaozhuang, has two daughters, one seven years old and the other five. They both inherited their mother’s great strength, but they also eat a lot. Li Daikui has recently married and no longer wants them, so his son brought them with him.”

"What about people?"

"Give them to Granny Li and Jiao Da," Jia Zhen said. "They can learn etiquette while practicing martial arts with Jiao Da. They'll be able to come over around the time my sister is born."

His mother kept saying it was a younger sister, and Jia Zhen gradually began to hope that it was a younger sister too.

There are too few girls in their family.

If the second child were really a sister, they probably wouldn't fight like the two uncles from the West Mansion whenever they meet.

Jia Zhen felt he could also hug his soft little sister.

"That's good!"

Shen Ning nodded, "Are you tired? Have you had lunch? If not, Madam You..."

"My son has already eaten at the estate."

Jia Zhen returned on horseback at breakneck speed. "The food on the estate has a unique flavor," he said with a smile. "There's one dish that my son thinks is particularly good, so I had someone buy it. I'll have Aunt Chen cook it for you tonight."

"What dish?"

Shen Ning couldn't help but laugh.

Jia Zhen was very extravagant when it came to food, and he was extremely picky about food.

If even he approves of a dish, Shen Ning can't help but have high expectations.

"Haha, you'll find out tonight."

Jia Zhen was reluctant to say it immediately, "Mother, are you going to Tianxiang Tower to enjoy the view? Come on, come on, your son and daughter-in-law will accompany you."

He didn't actually know that Shen Ning came here not only to enjoy the scenery, but also because she often came here, and if something really happened during childbirth, he wouldn't be able to have an affair here in the future.

(End of this chapter)