Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Lin Ruhai returned, but he had no interest in Liu Feng's affairs.

Jia Min suddenly fell ill, and quite seriously, causing chaos in the household.

Officials have a set time limit for taking office, and since it had been delayed for several days, Liu Feng had no choice but to go to the inner quarters to find Lin Ruhai.

In the living room, Lin Ruhai sat in the main seat, his eyes were dark and he looked exhausted, clearly having not slept well for several days.

Lin Ruhai put down his teacup and looked at Liu Feng: "I won't say anything more; you're a smart man. I'll just give you one piece of advice: if something really falls from the sky, it's more likely to kill someone, you understand?"

"Yes," Liu Feng replied, bowing.

"Rice is expensive in Chang'an, and it's not easy to live there, let alone own a house."

Lin Ruhai sighed softly, "With your meager salary, after deducting your daily food and clothing expenses, you can barely afford to share a simple courtyard house with someone and settle down."

Shared accommodation? Shared accommodation existed in ancient times? Liu Feng was a little confused.

Lin Ruhai: "I have a house in the capital that has been sitting empty and abandoned for a long time. You can move in there and take care of it for me. If I am transferred back to the capital in the future, you can move in directly, saving me a lot of trouble."

After saying that, he called out towards the bedroom, "Granny Wang."

Granny Wang came out in response, carrying a wooden box in her hands.

At Lin Ruhai's signal, Liu Feng stepped forward and opened the box, which contained a set of keys, as well as house deeds and land deeds.

Liu Feng unfolded it and was immediately stunned. It was a three-courtyard house in the east of the city. It belonged to a wealthy person!

Hey, I didn't hear about this courtyard in the original story.

Lin Ruhai added, "This courtyard used to be taken care of by several old servants, but they got old and wanted to return to Suzhou to retire, so it has been neglected for more than a year. When you go there, you will probably have to take the time to repair and clean it."

Liu Feng nodded.

Lin Ruhai: "I won't see you off any further. I wish you a safe journey, good fortune in times of trouble, and a successful official career."

"Thank you, sir!" Liu Feng bowed deeply, then whispered, "Sir, regarding the lady's health... perhaps we should go to the capital to find some renowned doctors for treatment?"

Lin Ruhai was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Forget it. In her current condition, she really can't withstand the bumpy journey."

Liu Feng didn't know what else to say. He glanced at the property deed in his hand and suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. Such a large house, just for him and Xiangling to live in—even if they weren't scared to death, just cleaning it would be exhausting!

As for buying servants, even if you could afford to buy them, you couldn't afford to keep them!

Lin Ruhai seemed to see through Liu Feng's thoughts and looked at Granny Wang.

Wang Mama understood, took out a bank draft from under the land deed, and handed it to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng took a closer look and exclaimed, "Holy crap, a thousand taels! That's way too much. Should I kowtow to him?"

At this moment, Jia Min started coughing in the bedroom. At first, the sound wasn't loud, but then it became severe, accompanied by a sound of gasping for breath.

Lin Ruhai immediately stood up.

"Sir, please go and take a look," Liu Feng urged.

Lin Ruhai hurriedly ran towards the bedroom, and Granny Wang followed him in.

Liu Feng couldn't go in, so he could only look at the bedroom and sigh softly.

Initially, it was thought that someone had poisoned her, but it was later learned that when Jia Min was pregnant with Lin Daiyu, she suddenly received news of Jia Daishan's death, which caused her to have a miscarriage and go into premature labor. Not only was Lin Daiyu born with a weak constitution and frail health from childhood, but Jia Min also developed chronic illnesses.

Later, her son died young under mysterious circumstances. Jia Min was heartbroken and depressed day and night, and her health deteriorated day by day...

Could it be that Jia Min is ultimately doomed to die, and Lin Daiyu will embark on a journey to the capital as in the original story?

Liu Feng's eyes flashed. Lin Ruhai was giving away houses and money. Could it be that he was planning ahead?

From the bedroom came the soft sobs of Lin Daiyu.

Liu Feng sighed. If something really happened to Jia Min, who knows how much she would cry.

After a while, Granny Wang came out and handed over a bank draft: "This is for Xiangling from the Madam. This girl has a pitiful background and still doesn't know the whereabouts of her parents. Let her keep this money for herself and consider it a dowry."

Liu Feng took the money and saw it was two hundred taels! He was truly generous, which was worth Xiangling's sincere prayers and secret tears.

Wang Mama added, "Madam also said that if you want to bring Liu Ma and Liu Quan to the capital, you should go to Uncle Lin and go to the yamen to transfer their indentures."

"Is this for real?" Liu Feng was stunned for a moment and didn't reply.

Granny Wang assumed he was looking down on the Lin family because of his promotion, and her face immediately darkened: "If you look down on them, then..."

Liu Feng then came to his senses and hurriedly said, "No, no, Granny, you misunderstood. Well, I was thinking... could you also give me those maids and servants under Granny Liu's command? I don't really trust the ones bought from outside..."

Now it was Granny Wang's turn to fall silent.

Liu Feng coughed lightly: "If it's inconvenient, then forget it. I'll take my time looking around in the capital."

"Wait a moment." Granny Wang turned and went back to her bedroom, then came out again a moment later, swaying her hips. "Alright, go find Uncle Lin."

"Oh! By the way, did the girl have any message for me... to pass on to Xiangling?" Liu Feng wiped his sweat; thank goodness, he almost slipped up.

Fortunately, Granny Wang didn't think much of it. She sighed softly, "The young lady is heartbroken."

Liu Feng nodded.

Granny Wang: "The master and mistress appreciate your kindness, but please go back and prepare quickly, or you will miss the court's deadline."

Liu Feng bowed deeply towards the bedroom, picked up the box, and strode out...

Even before we reached the courtyard, we saw a figure hiding behind a large tree, peeking furtively into the gate.

Holy crap, they dare to spy on me in broad daylight, and even spy on my yard! They've got some nerve!

Liu Feng swiftly kicked out, and the man screamed as he crashed heavily to the ground.

Liu Feng took a closer look and burst out laughing: Jia Yucun!

"Oh, Mr. Jia! I'm so sorry, I thought you were some lecherous scoundrel!" Liu Feng reached out to help Jia Yucun up.

Jia Yucun's face turned bright red. Without waiting for Liu Feng's help, he got up on his own, looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was there.

Liu Feng smiled inwardly: "What are you doing...?"

Jia Yucun patted the dirt off his clothes and stammered, "I...I was just passing by when I heard birds chirping in the trees, so I came to check it out."

Passing by? You're kidding me! You live in the front yard, and I live in the back west yard. We're completely unrelated places.

Liu Feng was slightly taken aback. Could this guy have come to see Xiang Ling?

Sure enough, Jia Yucun cleared his throat, his eyes darting around: "Um... I heard you're going to the capital soon?"

Liu Feng nodded: "Not bad."

"You're going by yourself?"

"Own."

"What about Xiangling?" Jia Yucun pressed.

Liu Feng teased him deliberately, "I'm going to the capital to enjoy wealth and luxury, why would I bring such a burden like her along?"

"you......"

"Why are you in such a hurry? You don't know her, do you?"

Jia Yucun's face stiffened: "I... how could I possibly know her!"

Liu Feng stared at him: "That's a pity. I thought Mr. Jia knew where her parents were and was thinking of bringing them to Beijing together."

Jia Yucun opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he didn't utter a sound, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Liu Feng watched his retreating figure and shook his head slightly.

Jia Yucun still has a conscience, but not much. He refuses to admit that he knows Xiangling, just like when he later exiled the gatekeeper, afraid that others will know about his past misfortunes and that his unbearable past will be brought up again.

The most righteous are often the lowly butchers, while the most ungrateful are often the scholars!

Liu Feng turned and strode into the courtyard, calling out, "Xiangling, pack your things, we're going to the capital!"