Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Jiaojiao thought to herself, "I'm not afraid! It just happened suddenly and I wasn't able to react for a moment. When Old Lady Shi introduced the elder ladies to my mother and me, Mrs. Jiang wasn't even among them."

This shows that the Jiang family's status and position are far inferior to that of the Rongguo Mansion. To be able to enter the mansion to offer congratulations must have taken some effort to curry favor with them.

If that's the case, then they're even more out of reach for our family. My father, Lin Ruhai, is a high-ranking official, a close minister to the Emperor! Even Lord Jia She would have to lower his dignity upon seeing him. If it weren't for my incompetent older sister, our family wouldn't have even bothered to give them this small favor by coming all the way here.

As her thoughts turned, Jiaojiao couldn't help but sigh for Jiang Huai. In front of outsiders, he certainly behaved properly, his behavior dignified, generous, and measured, and he also had his own unique style. Whether in the eyes of ordinary people or some minor officials, this child was bound to achieve great things in the future and had a bright future.

Oh, what a shame! Such an unreliable mother exists. Her behavior is truly appalling, as if she wants to expose the entire family's secrets to the world! This mother is not only clueless, but also extremely fond of associating with the rich and powerful. Even outside, she has no way of controlling her temper.

This can't help but make people suspect that Jiang's father is either unable to control his wife, or he is actually the same as his wife in his bones! In either case, as a son, Jiang Huai will definitely be implicated by the mistakes made by his mother. After all, children who grow up in such a family environment will more or less take on some of the elders' personality traits.

They say "good shoots grow from bad bamboos," but that depends on luck and opportunity! There were quite a few guests today, and even Jia Baoyu, always keen to join in the fun in the inner chambers, was a surprise absence. His father, Jia Zheng, must have known all too well that allowing his son to meddle in the inner chambers under such circumstances would be truly humiliating.

However, Jia Zheng did not understand his son's true feelings. Whenever Jia Baoyu saw those grown men, he would feel upset and anxious, and he would wish he could grow a pair of wings and fly straight into the inner house.

After a long and agonizing time, the banquet finally ended and most of the guests dispersed. At this time, Jia Zheng saw that most of the guests had left, so he finally relented and allowed Jia Baoyu to arrange the next activities on his own.

Jia Baoyu had always behaved like a timid quail at the banquet, well-behaved and obedient. However, the moment he was freed, he seemed to be freed from his restraints, and his legs and feet seemed to be equipped with wind wheels, rushing towards the inner house at lightning speed.

As soon as he entered the inner house, Jia Baoyu couldn't wait to shout: "Sister Lin! That's great, I was worried that you had already gone home!" His words were full of joy and excitement.

"You haven't come home for such a long time, and I miss you all the time!" Jia Baoyu said as he approached Lin Daiyu, with deep longing in his eyes.

At this moment, Wang Xifeng's smiling face suddenly frowned, and she slowly raised her head, and the smile on her face instantly disappeared. She said to Jia Baoyu with a stern face, "Master Jia, please don't say such things again in the future! You are both adults now, and according to common sense, you should avoid seeing each other."

Then, Wang Xifeng added earnestly: "And now that your marriage is settled, you need to be even more cautious and prudent in your actions! Fortunately, the elders of your family were present today, so you didn't make any jokes. But this is only the first time, and it won't happen again! There must not be a second or third time!" After saying that, Wang Xifeng stared at Jia Baoyu's figure, which had begun to grow taller, and his voice, which was obviously hoarse because he was in the voice change period when he spoke just now. She couldn't help but feel an indescribable irritation in her heart.

During this period, he continued to indulge in the inner chambers, playing and frolicking with numerous women, reciting poems and painting, with no ambition to make progress. With this attitude, how could Jia Baoyu change in the future? He would probably only sink further into his own depravity.

To be honest, Old Lady Shi was in a rather awkward position. After all, it was she, this elderly woman, who had been the culprit behind Jia Baoyu's imprisonment within the inner chambers. Despite Jia Zheng's repeated requests for his son to step out of the inner chambers and become more manly, and even Lady Wang's desire for her son to interact more with her husband and broaden his horizons, Old Lady Shi had ultimately been foolish in her dealings with her grandson, a doted-on child, and this foolishness was directed solely at Jia Baoyu.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu suddenly said to the person in front of him, "Shouldn't it be so? Sister, we should have been the closest of friends! Since you are Daiyu's sister, you are naturally my sister as well." Then he continued, "I miss you all the time. How could I have the heart to say such hurtful words to hurt you?"

As the words continued to flow from his mouth, his words became increasingly inappropriate. Wang Xifeng frowned, unable to endure it any longer. She interrupted Jia Baoyu's endless speech and shouted angrily, "Enough! Where did you learn this nonsense? It's simply unbearable to listen to!"

"You are usually careless and do things in a careless manner. I can tolerate all these and not care about them. But our Lin family is a family that cares about reputation! We are usually very cautious and careful with you!" Wang Xifeng put her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows, and stared at Jia Baoyu with wide eyes, as if her eyes could spit out fire.

"Today, I have been humiliated for no reason. Do you think that since my master is not by my side, no one will support me? Or do you think that my master is not a high-ranking official and cannot control a big Buddha like you? Or do you think that Master Bao is still young and his mind is not mature yet, so he still speaks without restraint and says nonsense like a child?" Wang Xifeng became more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice unconsciously rose by octaves, making the ears of everyone present buzz.

Who could have imagined that Wang Xifeng, who was always good at dealing with people and was good at dancing with her sleeves, would lose her temper so much in Rongguo Mansion? Even more surprising was that she even scolded Jia Baoyu mercilessly in front of the old lady of the Jia family.

For a moment, the whole room fell silent. Even the experienced Mrs. Jia was stunned, clearly not expecting this scene. At this moment, Mrs. Wang, the mother, was the first to recover and quickly spoke up to defend her, "Feng girl, how could you speak to Baoyu like that?"

Mrs. Wang quickly walked up to Jia Baoyu, blocking him behind her. She looked at Wang Xifeng with a look of reproach and said, "He cares about his own sister in his heart. This is human nature. Even if you are a little angry, you shouldn't take it all out on Baoyu!"

Hearing this, Wang Xifeng was almost laughing with anger. She sneered and asked, "Oh? So, if you put it that way, then it's my fault? Could it be that I'm committing a crime by reminding Baoyu to be more careful about his words and actions and to have as little contact and conversation with my daughter as possible?"

Mrs. Wang looked at Jiang Huai's mother with a gloomy face, thinking secretly about her attitude just now. She felt a sense of suffocation in her chest, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

For the sake of her son, this woman actually disregarded even the most basic bottom line and dignity! Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but snorted coldly and said unhappily: "Huh! For the sake of your son, you, as a mother, really have no bottom line at all!"

When Jiang Huai's mother heard this, she panicked and hurriedly explained: "Aunt, you misunderstood me! These are two completely different things. How dare I take my anger out on the men of the Jia family?" As she spoke, she gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

Then she hastened to add, "My daughter is now grown up, and Master Bao is getting married soon. It would be fine if our two families didn't visit each other on weekdays, but since we're here today, there have to be some rules and regulations! Otherwise, if we continue to be so confused, and something goes wrong one day, I really don't know what to do! If the situation doesn't improve and no change can be made, then I'm afraid our two families will have to cut off contact in the future! Otherwise, when disaster really comes, a woman like me will be so flustered that I won't be able to deal with it at all!"

Mrs. Wang was already upset by Jiang Huai's mother's words, and now, hearing her say she was going to cut off all ties, she was furious, her face turning blue. Just then, Wang Xifeng suddenly interrupted, "Oh, Aunt, please don't be angry! I think what Mrs. Jiang said is not without reason. After all, our Jia family is a well-known and prestigious family, and everything should have its own rules. However, the so-called disaster is indeed a bit serious."

Mrs. Wang was choked by Wang Xifeng's words. She glared at her in uncontrollable anger and said sternly, "Listen to me, what are you talking about? What disaster is this? What do you mean by 'no way to deal with it'? Girl Feng, as a junior, how can you speak to me like this?"

Wang Xifeng, however, was not the least bit afraid of Mrs. Wang's wrath. Instead, she said with a smile, "Don't be angry, Aunt! I'm just telling you the truth. Think about it, Baoyu has always had this spontaneous personality since he was a child. Although he may seem a little reckless at times, it's precisely because of this that he's truly kind to the sisters in the mansion! So, perhaps Mrs. Jiang was too worried about her daughter being wronged, and that's why she said those harsh words in a moment of haste. We're all family, so why ruin the relationship over this?"

"It would be fine if you don't feel grateful, but why do you have to be so picky and say such hurtful words?" Mrs. Wang asked angrily.

"As a woman, you should adhere to the virtues of chastity, purity and virtue. This is the duty of a wife and a mother!" Mrs. Wang said righteously.

At this time, the old lady Shi, who had been silent all the time, finally came to her senses. Her face darkened and she stepped forward to stop the emotional Madam Wang.

"Second brother! What on earth do you want to do?!" Old Lady Shi widened her eyes and shouted sternly.

"This is your own niece, not someone who has a deep hatred with you!" Old Lady Shi said in a heavier tone, staring at Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang has always been fearless, but she can only restrain her arrogance in front of Old Lady Shi.

In fact, ever since Wang Xifeng had relentlessly criticized her son, Mrs. Wang had been simmering with anger, a rage she couldn't shake. She was especially furious when she thought about how her daughter had always been unkind to her son, and now that her niece was treating her child in the same way, she was infuriated.

If she hadn't been concerned about the presence of Old Lady Shi, given her current level of rage, she would have seized this opportunity to completely destroy the reputation of this little bitch, Wang Xifeng. However, if she dared to openly refute the old lady's words, she would inevitably be branded as unfilial. Thinking of this, despite her reluctance, Lady Wang finally turned her head away, never daring to meet Wang Xifeng's gaze again.

Jia Baoyu stood there, glancing left and right, his face etched with embarrassment and distress. He secretly felt remorseful, feeling that he had truly lost face and, moreover, had caused the Lin family's sister to suffer greatly. At this moment, he was at a loss, completely unsure how to clean up this mess.

"Humph! What kind of rubbish is this? What good is it for me to wear it all day?" Jia Baoyu roared in anger. Before he finished speaking, there was a crisp "clang" sound, and the jade that had been hanging on his chest was thrown to the ground by him.

When Wang Xifeng saw this scene, she cursed in her heart: "You ungrateful guy! I helped you out of kindness, but you are so tactless! Do you really need to thank my ancestors for eight generations? You are such a bastard!" However, she remained calm on the surface, but the sarcasm in her eyes became more and more intense.

Since Xiren, Musk Moon and the others were not around to chime in, one might have thought that no one would say anything. But unexpectedly, the maids accompanying Mrs. Shi and Mrs. Wang all appeared one after another and surrounded Jia Baoyu, chattering non-stop.

"Oh my! My Second Master! What on earth are you angry about?" a little maid said in a delicate voice.

"Second Master! How can you be so impulsive? Don't throw this treasure away!" another maid advised anxiously.

"Second Master, please pick it up quickly! This is your lifeblood. No matter who you are angry with, you should never take it out on it!" Another maid tried to persuade him earnestly.