Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 39 Comforting Xiangling

Most of the people looking at houses in the old mansion were married servants.

The men watched over the outside, while the wives were responsible for looking after the inner courtyard.

Therefore, there are no maids here.

After Jia Lian arrived, he did not act arrogantly or domineeringly, and kept all aspects of life simple.

However, he still asked the kitchen to prepare a few extra dishes for dinner tonight and set them out in the dining room.

"Second Master, please try this Osmanthus Duck and this Squirrel Fish. These are famous dishes from old Nanjing."

Jin Cai knew that Jia Lian was about to leave, so even though Jia Lian hadn't specifically instructed him to, he still specially arranged for several famous Nanjing dishes to be served for Jia Lian to enjoy.

Jia Lian took a bite of each food, nodded, then put down his chopsticks and looked at Jin Cai, who was carefully serving him, and said, "How long has it been since Steward Jin saw Yuanyang?"

How could Jin Cai not care about his precious daughter? He knew all too well that his position as head steward was largely due to her influence with Grandmother Jia. Therefore, upon hearing Jia Lian's words, he immediately showed a nostalgic expression: "The last time I saw her was three years ago when I returned to the capital… May I ask, Second Master, how is she now? Is she still serving the Old Madam diligently? Has she displeased her…?"

Jia Lian: "There's no need to worry about these stewards. Yuanyang serves the old lady very well. Of all the maids in the house, she is the one the old lady dotes on the most. Even the master and madam rely on her a lot. Steward Jin has given birth to a good daughter."

"Not at all, Second Master, you flatter me. It is her good fortune to be able to serve the old lady..."

Jin Cai was modest, but she couldn't stop smiling.

Jia Lian did not expose him, and continued, "If you miss your daughter, you can write a letter home and I will take it back to her for you."

Jin Cai was taken aback by Jia Lian's words. The letter was a minor matter, but Jia Lian, as their master, was willing to deliver a message to them, which was a great favor. Therefore, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.

Jia Lian told him to get up.

Yuanyang is undoubtedly a rare and wonderful girl, and now that we look at her parents, they are not bad either.

Although he made a mistake, he still took good care of the old house and prevented unauthorized people from renting it out.

Jia Lian was naturally happy to grant them this favor.

After Jin Cai and the other male servants left, Jin Cai's wife arrived shortly afterward with Xiang Ling.

As soon as Xiangling appeared in the dining room, Jia Lian was immediately drawn to her.

Xiangling looked completely different from before. Not only was she wearing the new clothes he had bought for her, but her hairstyle had also been redone, obviously arranged by the housekeepers after she had taken a bath.

As a result, she has completely shed her tomboyish air, and indeed, she bears a resemblance to Daiyu. Being a few years older than Daiyu, her figure is naturally more graceful, and her beauty is truly impeccable.

She was still a little shy. When she saw Jia Lian, she subconsciously wanted to walk towards him, but when she saw a table full of delicious dishes, she didn't dare to go closer.

Seeing Jia Lian's reaction, Jin Cai's wife became even more certain that Xiang Ling's future was limitless. So she helped her forward and said with a smile, "Second Master, look at this girl. After we dressed her up, she looks like a completely different person! She looks just like a rich young lady from a wealthy family."

Jia Lian laughed. Xiangling was originally a true young lady from a prominent family, but she fell into misfortune because of a servant's negligence.

He beckoned Xiangling over and then invited her to sit down and eat.

Xiangling glanced at the table, then at the maids around her, and shook her head.

Despite Jia Lian's repeated attempts to persuade her, Xiangling still refused to sit at the table.

Jin Cai's wife sighed, "Second Master, please don't make things difficult for her. This poor girl was kidnapped when she was so young. She has suffered so much over the years. She has never seen anything like this before. Although you love her, you insist on doing this. I'm afraid it will frighten her."

"Perhaps I should take her down to eat."

Jia Lian was still pondering whether Jin Cai's wife was right when he saw Xiang Ling suddenly take two steps back, kneel down and kowtow to him, crying and pleading, "Please, Second Master, don't send me away. I'm willing to serve you like a cow or a horse for the rest of my life. Please, Second Master, don't send me away..."

Hearing her say this, Jia Lian finally understood.

It turned out she thought he was going to see her off.

Although she is introverted and reluctant to speak, she is quite perceptive in her heart.

In such a household, only the master was entitled to eat at the main table. If she wanted to stay by Jia Lian's side, she could only do so as a maid or servant. And clearly, maids and servants could never eat at the same table as their masters, which is why she refused.

Jia Lian hesitated slightly. Although he wanted Xiangling to stay with him, she needed a formal title to stay with him.

Given Xiangling's current situation, taking her as a concubine would probably not be a good thing for her. She wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure, especially from Wang Xifeng.

If he only made her a maid, Jia Lian felt it would be unfair to her and couldn't bear to do it.

As for taking her home...

If the Zhen family is still alive, that wouldn't be bad either; we could simply do a good deed and reunite Xiangling's family.

But he knew that the Zhen family had long been destroyed. Xiangling's father, Zhen Shiyin, had become a Taoist priest, and he didn't know if his elderly mother was still alive. If she was, perhaps only Jia Yucun knew where she was.

This wasn't difficult; he could simply ask Jia Yucun. However, Jia Lian felt that even if Xiangling's mother were still alive, she, being a frail woman, might not be able to shoulder the responsibility of raising Xiangling alone. Therefore, Jia Lian's primary concern was finding out where Xiangling's mother was so he could bring her over to reunite with Xiangling.

In other words, whether it was for his own selfish reasons or for Xiangling's own good, it was best for her to stay by his side and be protected by him.

It's just a matter of her status... Otherwise, why not just take her in as a god-sister?

Jia Lian's hesitation made Xiangling feel even more that he wanted to send her away. She didn't know where he wanted to take her, and she didn't dare to think about it. She was just afraid.

She cried even harder, pleading incessantly.

Jin Cai's wife became sad and advised, "Second Master, why don't you just agree to her request? She's so pitiful."

In Jin Cai's wife's eyes, it would be fine if a girl who had been abducted and left her hometown remembered her parents, but the problem was that she had asked Xiang Ling before and she could hardly remember any of them.

In this situation, finding a good family to take them in is their only option.

Jia Lian was only stunned for a moment before he saw that Xiangling was already crying her eyes out. He then bent down to help her up and said, "Are you really willing to stay with me forever, even if you're just a maid?"

Xiangling nodded repeatedly and said, "As long as Second Master doesn't mind, I'm willing to serve you for the rest of my life."

By the time Xiangling reached that age, she knew most things. She also knew that the kidnapper was planning to sell her to a wealthy family. He had already started inquiring about potential buyers, and would sell her as long as the price was right.

Whether she becomes a maid or a concubine... she'll probably become a concubine. Xiangling overheard the kidnapper cursing her saying that with her looks, it wouldn't be a loss for her to become someone else's concubine; she might even be able to sell her for several hundred taels of silver!

Many people will never earn this much money in their entire lives.

This is why traffickers abduct and sell young girls. As long as they abduct a good-looking girl and raise her for seven or eight years, it's a sure-fire way to make money.

Although Xiangling didn't think Jia Lian would sell her, she was unfamiliar with and afraid of the outside world, so she only wanted to stay by Jia Lian's side.

Jia Lian laughed, picked her up and sat her on the stool, then said, "Even if you want to be a maid, that's something for tomorrow or later. This meal today was specially prepared for you. If you don't eat it, wouldn't you be letting me down?"

Seeing Xiangling looking a little dazed, Jin Cai's wife stepped forward to set out the bowls and chopsticks for her, and said with a smile, "Miss, are you still silly? Second Master has agreed to your request. Now that you're a maid in our household, you have to listen to Second Master. If he tells you to eat, just eat. Don't be afraid."

Jin Cai's wife had already figured it out. With Xiang Ling's looks, she was destined to be a concubine. If she were to have another child, her status would be even more different. This girl seemed very naive. It might be beneficial to befriend her now in the future.

Hearing Jin Cai's wife say the same thing, Xiang Ling finally sat down quietly, but she didn't touch her chopsticks.

Jin Cai's wife then served her food.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian instructed, "Alright, leave two people here to serve, everyone else may leave."

So, Jin Cai's wife left only two people to serve her in the hall, and took her leave with the others.

Seeing that Xiangling was holding chopsticks and seemed unsure how to eat, Jia Lian took the initiative to pick up a small piece of fish and held it to Xiangling's mouth, asking her to open her mouth.

Xiangling was a little uneasy, but under Jia Lian's gaze, she could only obediently open her thin lips and take the fish that Jia Lian handed her.

Jia Lian then served her another dish to try, and then said, "If you're comfortable with me feeding you, you can just not lift a finger."

Xiangling thought Jia Lian was scolding her and immediately tried to leave, but fortunately Jia Lian stopped her in time and sighed helplessly, "Silly girl, I'm just letting you eat by yourself, otherwise, we might not be able to eat until tomorrow morning."

Xiangling blushed, finally mustering her courage to pick up the bowl in front of her. She secretly glanced at Jia Lian and saw his encouraging expression before lowering her head, picking up the duck meat that Jin Cai's wife had put on her plate, and taking a bite.

The aroma of sizzling oil and the rich scent of meat unconsciously eased her furrowed brow.

Jia Lian then smiled with satisfaction.

……

It took Jia Lian half an hour to finish his meal. He then led Xiangling down from the table and asked the maid beside him, "Where is the room Jin Cai's wife arranged for her?"

"Reporting back to Second Master, it's in your room. Aunt Jin asked us to tidy up the small cubicle next door, saying it would be more convenient for her to serve you."

When Jia Lian first moved in, his servants arranged for two young wives to serve him.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Jia Lian understood the meaning.

However, Jia Lian was someone who had been intimate with Wang Xifeng under Ping'er's watchful eye, so how could he possibly take these servants' wives seriously? Naturally, he ruthlessly chased them all out.

So there was no one to serve him in his room, which was exactly what Jin Cai's wife had expected.

He had someone take Xiangling back first, and then Jia Lian went to the outer courtyard to practice his martial arts with Zhang Yong for another hour before returning.

This old house is much more convenient than the Lin residence; it not only provides a place to practice long-distance running, but also has a dedicated martial arts training ground.

This shows that the old mansion had a stronger martial arts atmosphere than the Duke's Mansion built by imperial decree in the capital. It is unknown whether the emperor at the time deliberately did not build a martial arts training ground, or whether the Jia family no longer needed it...

After taking a bath, Xiangling returned to her room. The housekeepers' wives had already made up the beds and left, leaving Xiangling alone in the room.

Xiangling had already learned many rules from the housekeepers, so when she saw Jia Lian come in, she quickly poured him a cup of tea.

Jia Lian took a sip and, seeing that Xiang Ling was still a bit reserved, pulled her to sit at the tea table and said gently, "From now on, you can stay with me without worry. You can tell me anything. With me here, no one will dare to bully you."

Also, talk to me more often; I enjoy listening to you talk.

Xiangling nodded shyly.

Jia Lian then said, "By the way, let me give you another name. From now on, you'll be called Xiangling. Xiang means fragrant flower, and Ling means lotus leaf and water chestnut flower. What do you think?"

Xiangling's former name, Yinglian, sounded like "should be pitied," which Jia Lian didn't think was good. He preferred the name "Xiangling," which Baochai chose, as it was both elegant and pleasant to hear.

Xiangling immediately bowed down, saying, "Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Second Master. From now on, I will be called Xiangling."

Jia Lian lifted her up with one hand. "Don't kneel before me so easily in the future. I'm not some rich landlord, why would I need a little girl like you to kneel before me?"

Xiangling smiled shyly at what she said.

Jia Lian drank some more tea, then stood up. "It's getting late, you should go back to sleep too."

Xiangling blushed and said, "I...I'll help Second Master settle down for the night..."

Seeing her expression, Jia Lian smiled, picked her up, and carried her to the small bed in the outer room. He covered her with a blanket, flicked her head, and said with a smile, "Come and help me rest when you've truly learned how to serve others. For now, just go to sleep."

After saying that, he turned around, blew out the candle on the cabinet, and went back to the inner room.

What kind of service and lulling was this? It was clearly an attempt to tempt him into committing a crime, and he wasn't going to fall for it.