Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian returned to the front hall with a smile on his face.

Originally, I just wanted to see Miaoyu in person and see what this woman, one of the Twelve Beauties, looked like.

On a whim, he teased her a bit, which surprised Jia Lian.

I don't regret it.

Anyway, Miaoyu didn't really want to become a nun, so what she did wasn't considered blasphemy against Buddha.

Anyway, Miaoyu is still not pure of the six senses, so letting her experience the pleasures of love between men and women in advance will prevent her from being tempted and losing control of her heart when she sees a fake man, Jia Baoyu, after arriving at the Jia Mansion.

In any case, Jia Lian admitted that he could not emulate Jia Baoyu's "refined and unconventional" manner, which required him to demean himself and men as a whole to please all women and win their favor.

As for Miaoyu, an abnormal woman, it is estimated that only someone like Jia Baoyu could get along with her. Therefore, Jia Lian never intended to befriend her like an ordinary woman in the first place, hoping to win her heart.

Therefore, Jia Lian felt that dealing with such a proud and aloof woman who disregarded all worldly people and considered herself pure and virtuous, today's events would likely leave a deep impression on her.

As for whether this impression was good or bad, Jia Lian didn't care.

Seeing that Daiyu was still receiving the master's baptism, Jia Lian disregarded his pity for her, gave some instructions to Wang Mama and the others, and then set off from Panxiang Temple.

They found Zhao'er and the others, who were gathered under the roots of a large tree playing dice. When they saw Jia Lian, they quickly put the dice away.

"Did you find out what I asked you to inquire about?"

"Hehe, I found out. Second Master was right. There really is a family surnamed Xing living outside Panxiang Temple. They live in the area to the left of the temple. Although they are separated by a wall, they are all houses belonging to Panxiang Temple. They are rented out to people from outside year-round. There are about seven or eight families living there."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's question, Zhao'er stepped forward like a dog on a leash, and replied with a grin.

Jia Lian then asked them to lead the way to the Xing family's residence.

Xing Xiuyan is also a rare woman in Dream of the Red Chamber. Although she is not included in the main register, it is certain that she should at least be among the top in the supplementary register.

Moreover, Xing Xiuyan, as Madam Xing's niece, is also his legal cousin. Now that he, as her cousin, is here, it would be one thing if he didn't know, but since he does know, there's no reason not to go and see her.

Panxiang Temple was originally a small temple. Later, land was enclosed and a wall was built, which separated some of the original temple buildings. Later, the temple no longer needed them, so they were rented out cheaply to poor people who had no place to live.

The Xing family is a family that rented this place, taking advantage of this convenience, and they have been doing so for seven or eight years now.

On this day, Xing Zhong, the head of the Xing family, went out to work, leaving only his wife, Shao, and their youngest daughter, Xiuyan, at home.

After helping her mother with her usual needlework, Xing Xiuyan packed up the books and textbooks she had borrowed from Panxiang Temple the day before, wrapped them in a bundle, and went to say goodbye to her mother.

Mother Xing asked, "You went to see Miaoyu again? Won't she get annoyed if you go to see her so often?"

"No, Sister Miaoyu is a very kind person."

Mother Xing smiled and said, "Then remember to come back for dinner early."

Xing Xiuyan agreed to her mother's words, picked up her bundle and went out. As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she looked up and saw several men walking towards her.

Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be heading towards their house. Xiao Xiuyan thought for a moment, gestured to them, and then turned to her mother inside, calling out, "Mom, do we have guests coming today?"

"What guest?" Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Xing's mother dropped the stove and came out.

Seeing several strangers already at the door, she quickly shielded her daughter behind her and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Seeing Shao's obviously wary look, Jia Lian, who had just led Zhao'er and Zhang Yong to find her, couldn't help but think to himself, "Ordinary people in this era really have no sense of security. They are so afraid of strangers. Miaoyu was like that before, and now this woman in front of me is too."

In contrast, the little girl seemed much more normal.

"May I ask if this is Uncle Xing's house?"

Jia Lian cupped his hands in greeting to Shao and asked.

"Who are you?"

Not wanting to frighten Shao and the others further, Jia Lian immediately revealed his identity: "I am Jia Lian. When I was at home, my wife mentioned that my maternal uncle's family lived at Panxiang Temple in Suzhou. I happened to be in Suzhou recently, so I came here to visit my maternal uncle and aunt."

Madam Shao carefully examined Jia Lian and his companions, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital?"

It's no wonder Mrs. Shao was cautious. Although she knew her husband had an extremely capable younger sister who had married into the Rongguo Mansion in Beijing and was now the mistress of the house, living a very wealthy life, she knew that her husband and her sister were not from the same mother, and their relationship was rather distant, to the point that they had barely communicated for more than ten years.

She was naturally quite surprised and taken aback to hear that the other party had sent someone to see them.

"Exactly."

Jia Lian smiled, glanced at the girl who peeked out, and said with a smile, "This must be my cousin Xiuyan, right?"

Seeing that Jia Lian even knew his daughter's name, if he wasn't a bad person, then there was probably no problem.

Mr. Shaw immediately broke into a delighted smile and hurriedly greeted her, "What a rare guest! I never expected that after all these years, my little sister would still remember us. Um, how is she doing these days?"

"Our wife has always been blessed with good health and longevity, which is wonderful."

"That's true, she's such a lucky person..."

Suddenly, Mrs. Shao looked around awkwardly and said, "We are poor. You see, we have such distinguished guests, and we don't have much to offer in terms of hospitality. This..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian looked into the courtyard. Although the courtyard was indeed small and there were only two rooms, it was very tidy and clean.

"Auntie, you are joking. I am a junior, and it is already inappropriate for me to disturb you. If you say anything more, you are blaming your nephew."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Shao's eyes narrowed with laughter.

Although Jia Lian was not wearing fancy clothes because of Jia Min's recent death, even in his ordinary, plain clothes, his noble bearing was still undeniable.

Moreover, seeing Jia Lian's fair skin, handsome appearance, and refined manners that were beyond the reach of ordinary people, she thought to herself that if such people were all bad, then there would be no good people in the world. Therefore, she cast aside her last shred of concern and hurriedly invited the group inside.

Jia Lian followed them inside, but Zhao'er and Zhang Yong remained respectful and stood outside the door, refusing to come in despite Shao's invitation.

The demeanor of such a prominent family earned the Shaw family's secret admiration.

So she personally took a new bowl and poured tea for Jia Lian. Seeing her daughter still standing there blankly, she quickly said, "What are you standing there for? Come over and greet your cousin!"

Xing Xiuyan had already put down her book. Upon hearing her mother's words, she very politely stepped forward to greet Jia Lian.

Despite her humble origins, Xing Xiuyan possessed a refined manners befitting a member of a prominent family; even members of large clans would likely find no fault with her.

Jia Lian also gave Xing Xiuyan a quick look.

The girl, around ten years old, was dressed in simple clothes, yet she was impeccably clean. Her bright, clear eyes seemed to sparkle, making her exceptionally lovely. In particular, the refined and elegant air she exuded was unlike anything Jia Lian had ever seen in any woman before.

It is clear that he is Miaoyu's disciple.

However, although Xiuyan inherited Miaoyu's otherworldly temperament, she did not have Miaoyu's obvious aloofness and coldness.

No wonder she will be able to compose lines like "Its color is no ordinary hue, its shades varying in the ice and snow." One can imagine that when she grows up, she will surely be an exceptionally beautiful woman, elegant and refined, possessing both talent and beauty.

"Come, please sit down and have some tea..."

Madam Shao pulled out a stool from beside the table, wiped it with her sleeve, and invited Jia Lian to sit down again.

Jia Lian understood her feelings; if he were to be overly polite, she would feel uneasy. So, after exchanging pleasantries, they sat down, and Jia Lian asked, "Why isn't Uncle home?"

"He went out to work with someone. I heard that the Zhang family in the south of the city is building a manor outside the city and they are short of laborers, so your uncle went there. He's been so busy these days that he's barely having time to breathe. I'm afraid he won't be back until very late."

This is the hardship of struggling to make a living. Although Madam Shao told the truth, she couldn't help but keep an eye on Jia Lian, afraid that he would show a look of disgust.

Jia Lian didn't stay any longer. He chatted casually with Shao Shi for a few more minutes, figuring that Daiyu's matter was probably almost over, so he didn't want to linger any longer.

He took out the twenty taels of silver that he had wrapped in silk beforehand, and said apologetically, "I came in a hurry and did not prepare any gifts before coming to your door, which is really impolite... There are a few taels of silver in here, so please give them to Sister Xiuyan to buy two clothes. It is just a small token of my appreciation."

"How can this be...?"

Mr. Shao quickly refused. Although they were poor, they still recognized the value of silver. How could such a heavy lump of silver only be a few taels?

Jia Lian smiled, and seeing that none of them would accept it, he bent down, took Xiuyan's hand, and placed the silver in her hand.

"Well, sigh... Xiuyan, hurry up and thank your cousin, you silly girl..."

Seeing that Jia Lian was so earnest, Madam Shao could not resist the temptation. She only made Xiuyan thank her out of politeness, while scolding Xiuyan for accepting the gift.

Jia Lian had only come to see Xiuyan in advance, and now that his purpose had been achieved, he got up to take his leave.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer, Aunt. Please give my regards to my uncle when he returns."

"Why are you leaving so soon? It's almost noon. You could have stayed for lunch before you go..."

Despite Shao's best efforts to persuade them to stay, she was powerless and could only watch helplessly as Jia Lian and the others arrived and left just as suddenly.

For a moment, I felt a sense of unreality.

She reached out and picked up the small bundle her daughter was still holding, carefully untying the fine blue silk.

With a clatter, inside was indeed a pile of gleaming silver, all small silver ingots, each about one or two taels in size. She took one out, bit it, and confirmed it was genuine. Shao's smile grew even brighter.