Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

After Wang Xifeng arranged for the two children to rest, the two of them went to Mrs. Lin's courtyard. Seeing the old lady sleeping soundly on the couch, they tiptoed away and hurried back to their own courtyard. Wang Xifeng was exhausted after a busy day.

With Lin Ruhai's service, Wang Xifeng took off the hairpins and jewelry on her head, took off her outer clothes, and lay lazily on the chaise longue, ready to take a nap.

At this moment, Jia Lian and Lin Ruhai suddenly said, "Feng'er, Jia She came to talk to me today about something." Wang Xifeng thought of Jia He in her previous life. Although he was nominally the heir to the Duke's Mansion, he actually only inherited the title of a first-class general. Moreover, Jia She never liked to be an official seriously. He hid in his own courtyard all day, eating, drinking and having fun with a group of concubines. In addition, spies recently reported that Jia Lian was studying at the Zhang family. So, she responded to Lin Ruhai, "It must be because of Jia Lian!" Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement and said with emotion, "Yes! It's hard for him to be so kind-hearted."

Wang Xifeng sneered, "He doesn't feel sorry for Lian'er at all. He just sees that Jia Lian is highly regarded in the Zhang family and has a chance to rise to prominence in the future, so he wants to get a piece of the pie."

Lin Ruhai gazed into the distance, recalling the past, and slowly spoke, "When Jia She was young, he wasn't the scoundrel he is today. Back then, he was highly regarded by his father and had the full support of his wife's family. His eldest son, Jia Hu, had shown remarkable talent since childhood and was the future hope of the Jia family. Jia She was also full of ambition and confidence, full of expectations and confidence for the future. However, things happen unexpectedly, and misfortunes can happen at any time. A sudden tragedy completely changed the fate of Jia She's family. When Jia Hu was eight or nine years old, he unfortunately fell into the water and died. To make matters worse, Zhang was pregnant at the time and about to give birth. However, she suffered a difficult labor and eventually passed away. You should have heard about this incident, right?"

Wang Xifeng nodded and said softly, "I once heard mother mention that Jia Lian's grandmother was mother's cousin." Lin Ruhai continued, "At that time, after the Zhang family received the news of the death from the Jia Mansion, they immediately rushed to the Jia Mansion to express their condolences. Faced with such a sudden change, the Zhang family was grief-stricken and full of doubts. After all, all of this was too strange to be accepted. Why did Jia Hu drown for no reason? In response to the Zhang family's doubts, Jia's mother gave the following explanation: After Jia Hu woke up from his nap, he wanted to go to the pavilion in the garden to read. So he took his nanny and two maids with him. However, what is puzzling is that after this incident, Jia Hu's nanny suddenly disappeared without a trace.

As time passed, traces of Zhang's life in the Jia Mansion gradually faded, as if she had never existed. In the end, no one remembered even a single detail of her life there. Despite this, the Zhang family never gave up on investigating the events of that time. They relentlessly searched for Jia Hu's missing wet nurse, hoping to unravel the mystery.

Wang Xifeng thought for a moment and said, "In that case, why not let him first explain his specific ideas, and then we can make a decision. If his conditions are reasonable, it's not a bad idea to give him some benefits; but if his demands are too unreasonable, we can also refuse them with confidence."

Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement and said, "Jia She wants to find a real post for Jia Lian outside the capital? It doesn't matter how big or small the position is, as long as he can be promoted smoothly in the future." Wang Xifeng said reluctantly, "Jia Lian currently holds a fifth-rank official position, but since he is a relative of my mother's, please help me find a job."

Lin Ruhai smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, Feng'er, I know what I'm doing and I won't make things difficult for you. You've been tired all day, so go lie down and rest." As he spoke, he gently patted Wang Xifeng's hand.

After Wang Xifeng left, Lin Ruhai got up and went to his study. After entering the study, he sat at the desk, picked up the brush, and began to write a letter.

He briefly described what he had seen and heard at the Jia residence that day, and told him that he had already made an agreement with Jia Lian. He could come to the residence to chat next time he had a day off. After the servant left, Lin Ruhai relaxed in his chair, gently closed his eyes, and his thoughts drifted away with the letter.

Lin Ruhai and Zhang's elder brother, Zhang Ying, were cousins who had studied together at the Imperial Academy. Zhang Ying, who had enrolled two years before Lin Ruhai and served as his senior, showed him immense care and concern. The two shared a common ideal and developed a close relationship. Later, Zhang Ying withdrew from the court due to the incident of the deposed crown prince, and Lin Ruhai became a prominent official. Despite this change in status, his friendship with Lin Ruhai remained unchanged, and they frequently exchanged letters, offering Lin Ruhai advice and assistance. Lin Ruhai was filled with gratitude and treasured this friendship.

Lin Ruhai sat in the study for more than an hour. When he came back to his senses from his memories, the servant who delivered the letter happened to come back from Zhang's house.

Lin Ruhai opened the letter and saw six large characters written in a flamboyant style: Got it, let’s talk in detail when we meet!

A few days later, Jia Lian followed the servant to Lin Ruhai's study and respectfully greeted Lin Ruhai.

Before I had time to look around the study, I looked up and saw a face that looked 80% like my own, staring at me expressionlessly, and I was startled.

The visitor was none other than Jia Lian's uncle, Zhang Ying. Jia Lian hurriedly said, "My uncle is well."