Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

"Hmph! This child just managed to escape danger with great difficulty, and you, as a father, not only don't feel any heartache, but instead you are sighing here. It's a pity that you couldn't try your hand at it yourself. You really are a heartless person!" Jia She stared at Jia Zheng with his eyes wide open, his face full of resentment. Finally, he couldn't hold back his anger, and scolded Jia Zheng harshly.

Jia Zheng blushed slightly at his brother's rebuke, but he still defended himself, "Brother, you are wrong. It's not that I have no sympathy for Baoyu. I just feel that this experience is a kind of training for him. If he can personally participate in it, perhaps he will be able to handle similar difficulties with ease in the future."

"Enough!" Seeing the two brothers arguing endlessly, Jia's mother's face grew increasingly gloomy. She slammed the table and shouted, "Shut up, both of you! Baoyu has endured such hardships and is exhausted both physically and mentally. What he needs most right now is peace and recuperation. He is still young and has many years ahead of him. There are plenty of opportunities for him to gain experience and grow. Why rush?"

After hearing what Grandmother Jia said, Jia She and Jia Zheng dared not say anything more and could only nod in agreement. For a moment, the room fell into silence, with only the soft breathing of the crowd being audible.

"What the old lady said is absolutely right. Baoyu is still young after all. Besides, the child is very talented. Even if he fails to catch up this time, he will definitely have great opportunities in two or three years! Uncle, there is really no need to be so anxious now. The most important thing is to let Baoyu take care of his health first!" Wang Xifeng echoed with a smile on her face.

About half an hour passed like this. Wang Xifeng, with her sharp eyes, noticed that a hint of weariness was visible on Lady Jia's face, as well as on the faces of everyone present. She quickly stood up, bowed respectfully to Lady Jia, and then said with a smile, "Old Lady, elders, I see that everyone is a little tired. I will take my leave now. I will come back to greet you another day."

Jia Mu and the others naturally did not force Wang Xifeng to stay, but simply smiled and nodded to indicate their agreement. Afterwards, Jia Mu specifically instructed Li Wan and the other female relatives to personally escort Wang Xifeng to the door before returning.

Baoyu had been carefully nursed back to health for a full thirty-three days. To his delight, not only was he growing stronger, but even the annoying scars on his face had gradually subsided, leaving virtually no trace of the injuries.

Grandmother Jia had always loved her precious grandson dearly, and seeing him suffer so much, she couldn't bear it. So, she asked the private school for another month's sick leave for Baoyu, and told him to just go back to the Grand View Garden and rest and recuperate.

Let's talk about Jia Baoyu. He originally had no interest in studying, but now with the permission from his grandmother, he is like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins, running wild in the garden, living a free and unrestrained life.

At this moment, a piece of good news spread like wildfire throughout the Jia Mansion. It turned out that thanks to the Eighth Prince's intercessory interventions and the Emperor's intention to flatter the Jia family, Jia Zheng's career had been successfully promoted to the position of Doctor of the Ministry of Works! This was truly a great success!

After Jia Zheng returned from thanking his father, he joyfully headed straight for the ancestral hall. He knelt respectfully before the ancestral tablets and kowtowed several times to express his gratitude for their protection. Then, without stopping, Jia Zheng went to where Grandmother Jia was, kowtowed to this venerable elder and paid his respects.

Jia Zheng stood respectfully before Lady Jia, smiling and speaking earnestly to her for a few words. After the brief greeting, Jia Zheng did not dare to linger any longer and hurried out to visit the guests with whom he had frequented the palace.

After the news of Jia Zheng's promotion spread, the Rongguo Mansion was immediately bustling with activity. Relatives and family members flocked to offer their congratulations. For a time, the Rongguo Mansion was a bustling scene, with cars and horses galloping in front of the gate. The endless stream of visitors clogged the roads.

In this way, because of the joy of Jia Zheng's promotion, people came to congratulate him like a tide, and the stream of people kept coming. The excitement lasted for two days. On the third day, the Jia family decided to hold a big banquet to celebrate.

That morning, before daybreak, the elder relatives sent over a splendid opera troupe. The troupe deftly erected a magnificent stage in front of the main hall where Jia's mother lived.

At this time, the gentlemen outside were all dressed in solemn official uniforms, standing in uniform, accompanying and serving the guests. The relatives who came to congratulate were even more crowded. A rough count showed that there were about ten tables of sumptuous banquets.

Seeing such a lively and festive scene, Grandmother Jia was filled with joy and immediately ordered the servants to carefully arrange several tables for the banquet. At the top was Aunt Xue's table, attended by Lady Wang and Baoqin. Opposite was the table for the old lady, with Lady Xing and Xiuyan at her side. And at the bottom, two more tables were occupied by Li Wan and other female relatives.

Just as everyone was excitedly and intently watching the brilliant opera performance on stage, a member of the Xue family suddenly burst into the courtyard, panting and sweating. He ran straight to where Xue Ke was, looking panicked and anxiously saying, "Second Master! Please go home quickly! And also quickly tell Madam Ming to come back quickly. There's something urgent going on at home!"

Xue Ke's heart tightened when he heard this, and he quickly asked, "What happened? Why are you so anxious and impatient?"

The Xue family member said, "In my opinion, it's best to wait until we get home to discuss this matter. Second Master, please be quick!"

When Xue Ke heard what the servant said, he became extremely anxious and had no time to say goodbye to others. He turned around and left in a hurry.

On the other side, Aunt Xue was sitting in the house when she suddenly heard her maid coming in from outside. After hearing it, she felt as if struck by lightning. Her face instantly turned as pale as paper, without any blood.

She suddenly stood up, stumbling and nearly falling. Baoqin, standing by, was quick to reach out and support her. Without time to pack anything else, or even to say goodbye to Grandmother Jia, they hurriedly boarded the carriage and headed home.

Their sudden series of actions stunned everyone present, and there was an uproar inside and outside the house for a while.

Seeing this, Jia's mother said quickly, "Let's send a few people over to see what happened so that everyone can have an idea. After all, we are all relatives and we care about each other."

Everyone responded with a "yes" and quickly arranged for people to follow closely.

Aunt Xue and Xue Ke were so anxious the entire way home, they wished they could grow wings and fly back home. When they finally arrived, they were breathless and sweating. As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, barely gaining a foothold, they heard the servants chattering away. It turned out that the incompetent Xue Pan had gotten into trouble again, accidentally killing someone!

Aunt Xue was horrified when she heard this. Her legs went weak, and she could barely stand. She forced herself to stand and stumbled towards the back of the hall. Halfway there, she saw her daughter Baochai running towards her, her face covered in tears...

Aunt Xue hurried into the room with Baochai, her face stern and her brows furrowed, her heart filled with worry and uneasiness. Without even a moment to sit down and rest, they began to discuss what to do.

After a heated discussion, they finally made a decision to send Xue Ke with enough silver and reliable servants to the scene of the incident quickly, carefully find out the ins and outs of the matter, and then make further rescue plans based on the specific situation.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Xue Ke stood up without hesitation, ready to leave. He knew the matter was of grave importance, time was of the essence, and he needed to find out the truth as quickly as possible. Just as the atmosphere in the house was tense, a sudden noise erupted outside. It turned out that Madam Wang was worried about the Xue family's situation and had sent her maid to inquire about it.

Baochai was extremely anxious and hurried forward. Her pretty face was now filled with sorrow, and even the corners of her mouth, which were usually slightly raised, were tightly pursed. When she reached the eldest girl, Baochai took a deep breath, and after calming herself down, she slowly said, "Sister, you have come at just the right time. It's just that the whole story of this matter is still not fully understood. All we know now is that we heard that my brother had a fierce dispute with someone outside, and in a moment of impulse he accidentally beat the other person to death. Now he has been taken away and detained by the county officials. However, as to how he will be convicted and sentenced in the end, we really have no way of knowing at the moment. Just now, my second brother was also extremely anxious and hurried to the county government office to inquire about the latest news. As soon as he got any confirmed information, he would immediately rush to the wife who lives over there and report all the details one by one. In the meantime, I would like to trouble you to return and express our sincere gratitude to the wife on behalf of my brothers and sisters. I am afraid that in the coming days, we will have to rely on the help of the gentlemen in your family in many areas.

The maid, witnessing this scene, understood the seriousness of the situation. Without a moment's delay, she hastily nodded her agreement and hurriedly left. Meanwhile, Aunt Xue and Baochai remained at home, anxiously hoping Xue Ke would return with news.

Time slipped away, day after day, and for this mother and daughter, every breath and moment seemed infinitely stretched, ever more tedious. They waited, each day like years, anxiously anticipating the arrival of their next fate. Finally, after two days of agonizing anxiety, one morning, at the first light of dawn, a young servant appeared, hurriedly approaching, dusty and exhausted. From afar, his slightly exhausted figure conveyed a sense of haste. It turned out that the servant had been sent by Xue Ke to report the latest developments to Aunt Xue and Baochai.

Upon hearing this news, Aunt Xue's face lit up with ecstasy, her heart finally settling a little. She hastily waved to the servant beside her and shouted, "Quick, quick, quick! Ask that young man to come in and answer!" The servant then swiftly entered the house, taking two steps at a time. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead. He couldn't wait to report the details to Aunt Xue and Baochai: "To answer Madam and Miss, our master originally planned to go south to purchase some goods. He set off early for this purpose and stayed at a friend's house over two hundred miles south of our city. But what no one could have imagined was that it was precisely there that he encountered such an unexpected disaster..."

What a surprise! He actually ran into Jiang Yuhan, the woman he'd been dating before. He was enjoying a meal and a drink with her in the same shop, a very pleasant experience. But then something went wrong. The waiter in the shop kept stealing glances at Jiang Yuhan, and this really pissed him off!

The next day, the old man invited his friend to drink. After a few drinks, he suddenly recalled the events of the previous day. Growing increasingly angry, he immediately called out to the bartender to change his drink. However, the bartender was incredibly slow, taking a long time to arrive. The already simmering anger was unbearable, and he unleashed a torrent of curses.

But the waiter wasn't a pushover either. He showed no fear at all after being scolded by the old man. Instead, he stiffened his neck and refused to give in. Seeing this, the old man was furious. He grabbed the wine bowl on the table and smashed it hard on the waiter's head. With a dull thud, the man's forehead instantly split open, blood gushing out, and then he collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud. At first, the man was still swearing, but after a while, his voice gradually faded, and finally he was completely silent.

After hearing the servant's vivid description, Aunt Xue felt a wave of fear in her heart. She quickly waved her hand and asked the servant to go down and rest. Then she sat there alone, frowning, thinking anxiously about how to deal with this difficult matter next.