Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

The official acted decisively, first ruthlessly stripping Feng Bao of his official title, depriving him of his status as a scholar and the honor he deserved. Then, he ordered a severe punishment—one hundred lashes with the cane! Poor Feng Bao, though fortunately spared death in the yamen, was severely damaged by the ordeal, and full recovery was nearly impossible.

"Oh my, my dear! Such a serious thing has happened. Why didn't you tell your family earlier?"

"Grandma, I may not have any special abilities, but our family is so wealthy and powerful. Can't we handle a little stinky scholar?"

"You're such a good-tempered kid! If I'd known about this beforehand, I'd have skinned that guy myself!"

Mrs. Wang Zisheng had originally planned to visit her daughter and niece during her free time, taking advantage of the warmer weather to go out for some fun. But on her way, she'd overhear the shocking news that her beloved niece had been murdered by a nasty man.

Jiaojiao sat quietly by the side, observing the scene in silence. She saw her mother earnestly trying to persuade her grandmother, who was pacing anxiously in the main hall.

Mrs. Wang Zisheng's facial expressions at this moment were extremely varied and changing! Sometimes her eyes were wide open, as if she was so angry that she wanted to roll up her sleeves and hit someone; sometimes she had a sad face and sighed continuously, as if she was full of resentment towards herself and felt that she was really useless.

"Mother, why do you torture yourself like this? Although Jiaojiao did suffer some setbacks, weren't those evil people brought to justice in the end?" The mother comforted softly.

Then, she continued, "Next time our Lin family hosts a banquet to entertain guests, my daughter will be extra cautious. Not only that, she will also arrange for guards to firmly guard the gates between the front and back courtyards, and will never allow any accidents to happen again."

At this point, Xifeng paused briefly, then turned her gaze to Jiaojiao, eyes filled with tenderness and love. Then she continued, "Furthermore, after this incident, Jingyu has become more mature and stable. So, in a way, these experiences may be a good thing for him."

Finally, Xifeng walked over to Mrs. Wang Zisheng, gently took her hand, and said in a firm yet gentle tone, "Mother, if I ever encounter any difficult problem in the future, I will not hesitate to seek your help if I know my own limitations are insufficient."

"But Feng Bao, not only has he lost his title as a scholar, but he is now bedridden, half of his body paralyzed and unable to move."

"If a person suffers all kinds of hardships throughout his life and lives on in this way, it is much more difficult to endure than to die suddenly with a bang!" Xifeng's beautiful yet cold face was calm without any ripples, but the words that came out of her thin lips seemed to carry a biting chill, which made people feel afraid.

These words calmed down Wang Jia, the anxious wife of Wang Zisheng, a little, and her restless mood was also slightly relieved.

"Oh my, Feng'er, we are biological mother and daughter! After you said that, I feel much better!" Wang Jia said as she nodded repeatedly, indicating that what Xifeng said was absolutely right.

"Hmph, after a few days, I will send someone to find trouble with that shameless guy and vent my anger!" Wang Jia said gritting her teeth.

"How can it be enough to just let him lie paralyzed in bed like this? In my opinion, we must pull out his rotten tongue that stirs up trouble everywhere, so as to completely put an end to future troubles once and for all!" Wang Jia became more and more angry as she spoke, and she wished she could immediately send someone to carry out this cruel idea.

However, in reality, the government, out of concern for the Lin family's reputation and power, had already severely punished Feng Bao. Regardless, Feng Bao had already received the punishment he deserved, and no longer had the capital to stir up trouble and incur dislike again.

However, if he were to secretly send someone to retaliate at this point, the nature of the situation would change radically. After all, lynching or even using violence against an ordinary civilian would have disastrous consequences if others learned of it. Not to mention the political enemies who disagreed with Lin Ruhai and were eyeing the Wang family with covetous eyes, the pressure of public opinion alone would likely be enough to plunge the family into irreparable ruin.

"Mother, this is absolutely not possible! You must not cause trouble for Feng Bao again!" Xifeng looked at her mother anxiously, only to see her mother's face full of confusion and anger. She couldn't help but feel a headache and quickly stretched out her right hand to press against her forehead.

"Mother, think about it. Our family is doing very well right now. Everyone in the world says that it is a good thing to have more joy than joy, but why should we continue to cause trouble again and again?" Xifeng persuaded her mother earnestly, hoping to dispel the idea.

"Mother, although people's luck is not completely determined by heaven, God will make some arrangements in the dark. We should still act cautiously and not be too arrogant." Xifeng sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"Mother, I have said so much to you before, but I don't know if you have listened to it?" Xifeng looked at her mother and prayed silently in her heart that her mother could understand her painstaking efforts.

Baozhu was staring intently at Granny Liu's brown face. After a long while, as if she had suddenly guessed something, she asked, "Could this be Granny Liu who came to our house earlier? Oh my, look who this is! It's Ban'er! He's grown so big!"

Granny Liu had never before been invited to such a wealthy family, let alone such a rare opportunity as a banquet or garden tour. The first time she had entered the Rongguo Mansion, she had simply been asking for money to support her livelihood; the second time, she had come specifically to express her gratitude and present some local products. Yet, even these two rare encounters were enough to make her the center of attention of her neighbors every time she returned home, enjoying endless views.

Wang Xifeng had generously gifted her several dozen taels of silver and a full string of coins. This was undoubtedly a huge sum for her, who was living in poverty at the time. Overjoyed, she returned home and did not squander the money recklessly. Instead, she carefully considered it. After careful consideration, she resolutely decided to use all the money to purchase land.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed. Since acquiring the land, her family's life had become increasingly prosperous. Not only were they no longer as hard-pressed and short of food as before, but they even had a substantial surplus by the end of the year. This dramatic change filled her with joy, secretly lamenting that finally, after all the hardship, she had escaped poverty and could now live a stable life with no worries about food and clothing.

Although farm work is very hard on weekdays, compared with the embarrassing situation in the past when we woke up every morning to be hungry and ragged, the hardships today are simply not worth mentioning. It is at least a hundred or a thousand times better.

On her second visit to the Rongguo Mansion, she had hoped to once again pay a visit to the generous Wang Xifeng to express her gratitude. However, contrary to her wishes, she was unable to meet Xifeng in person. Just when she was feeling a little disappointed, fate seemed to have a favor on her side—she happened to meet the charming and lovely Jiaojiao.

This chance encounter not only didn't leave her empty-handed, but rather fruitful. Besides the monetary rewards, she also received many precious gifts: enlightenment books to help her grandson develop his wisdom; exquisite fabrics and soft, comfortable quilts, the kind only the rich and powerful could afford. Faced with such generous gifts, her heart was filled with endless gratitude, so much so that when she brought her grandson to the door to express her gratitude today, a hint of shyness crept across her face.

"To answer the young lady, it's me, a rustic old woman!" she said quickly. Then she hurriedly urged her grandson beside her: "Quick, Ban'er, come and greet the young lady!"

It turned out that Granny Liu had been to the Lin residence twice before, and during that time she had secretly observed and learned the manners and etiquette of the many maids and servants. To avoid making a fool of herself in front of everyone, she immediately used the skill she had learned to bow and greet.

Ban'er, who had spent two years studying Chinese characters with a village teacher, had transformed significantly from the naive, mischievous child he once was. No longer capricious and rude, he had become sensible and well-behaved. When he saw someone visiting, he would take the initiative to approach them, cup his hands, bow respectfully, and sweetly say, "Hello, sister!" He was incredibly adorable.

He said enthusiastically, "Come, come, the old lady has been looking forward to your arrival and has been waiting for a long time! Since you are here now, there is no need to be so polite!" As he said that, he gently raised one hand, signaling the servants and maids guarding the door to come over and help.

Seeing this, the servants and maids did not dare to neglect and hurried over. They swiftly unloaded piles of heavy local specialties from the carriage that Granny Liu was riding in. One of the maids exclaimed in surprise: "Hey Granny Liu, you are so kind to come here! Why did you bring so many things with you?"

Before long, several maids and servants worked together and quickly moved all the things on the carriage to the ground. Looking closely, wow, the ground was filled with all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, including purple eggplants, green cucumbers, and huge pumpkins, which was simply dazzling.

At this moment, Granny Liu suddenly saw Jiaojiao in the crowd and couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Miss Lin, you're here too? It's been several years since we last met, right? Look at you, you're still as beautiful as ever, like a fairy from a painting! And, you've grown quite a bit taller in these years!"

As Granny Liu spoke, she looked Jiaojiao up and down with a smile on her face. Jiaojiao blushed slightly when she heard Granny Liu's praise and replied softly, "Thank you Granny Liu for your concern. Everything is fine with me. Everything is fine at home too. Thank you for your concern."

Granny Liu went on to say, "Hey, this time I've brought you a lot of local produce from our countryside! They're all grown right here, so they're absolutely green, environmentally friendly, and pollution-free! I just heard they said they've already sent it to the kitchen. You'll have to remember to try some later!"

Jiaojiao, standing nearby, hadn't initially expected to be mentioned by Granny Liu, but since she was so kind, she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard. With a sweet, graceful smile, she replied, "Thank you, Granny Liu! You're so thoughtful! This gift must have taken a lot of thought."

Then, she turned her gaze to Granny Liu, a hint of concern in her eyes, and asked softly, "Granny Liu, are you still so strong? Look at your spirits, you are even better than the last time I saw you!"

When Granny Liu heard this, the wrinkles on her face turned into a smile, and she quickly responded, "Thank goodness, I'm in good health and can help with some housework on weekdays." As she spoke, she turned her head to look at the well-behaved little boy standing beside her, and said lovingly, "Look, everything is fine at home, but this child is very naughty, which makes me, an old woman, worry about him. But thankfully, I haven't seen you for a while. Seeing you today, I found that you have become more beautiful. I believe your life will be smooth and harmonious, right?"

As Granny Liu spoke, she reached out and grabbed Ban'er, who was standing obediently beside her, then gently pushed him forward and winked at him, indicating that he should kowtow to Jiaojiao quickly.

Ban'er was quite clever. After receiving his grandmother's hint, he respectfully walked up to Jiaojiao, knelt on both knees, and kowtowed politely. Meanwhile, Granny Liu smiled and thanked her, "Thanks to the blessing of our family and Miss Lin's generous gift, our family can live such a peaceful life today!"

After a brief pause, Granny Liu continued, "Besides, our family is indeed getting better and better. Our boy, although he is young, has begun to learn to recognize words! A few days ago, the teacher praised him for his intelligence and said that he knows many more words than other children of the same age!" At this point, Granny Liu couldn't help but puffed out her chest with pride.