The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 34 Who will Qiao Pinger get?
As soon as Jia's mother left, everyone dispersed, but Jia Zheng beckoned Jia Baoyu, Jia Huan and Jia Lan to him.

Looking at the two sons and a grandson in front of him, Jia Zheng was inexplicably relieved. After all, his house was stronger than the others. Now even the naughty concubine Jia Huan had "reformed." The grandson Jia Lan was still young, but he looked like his father.

Jia Baoyu had always been afraid of Jia Zheng like a tiger, so now he lowered his head and said nothing, while Jia Huan and Jia Lan were also a little nervous, the difference was that Jia Huan was pretending.

"Nie Zhan, have you read a page recently?" Jia Zheng stared at Jia Baoyu and asked.

Jia Baoyu hurriedly said, "My child reads and writes every day."

Jia Zheng snorted coldly and said, "Really?"

Jia Baoyu's face turned pale, and he nodded his head. Jia Zheng sneered and said, "Don't think I don't know. If you really want to check it, I'm afraid the old lady will not be able to use it when she is a Chinese New Year."

Jia Baoyu lowered his head and didn't dare to make a sound. During this time, he was always around Sister Lin, trying to make her happy. He only wrote two articles in a month and rarely read books.

"You're not young anymore. You'll be ten years old after the Chinese New Year. Your elder brother has finished reading the Four Books at your age and started to study the Five Classics. You should be more motivated. I don't expect you to enter the school at the age of 14 (Zhong Xiucai), and you will eventually enroll. After the Chinese New Year, I plan to hire a well-learned gentleman to sit in the house for you. You should study hard, understand?"

Jia Baoyu groaned secretly when he heard the words, he hated reading and writing articles the most, if he invited a teacher to sit in the library at home, wouldn't he have to be supervised to study every day, and he would never be happy in the future.

Little Jialan was very happy, because even if there was no teacher, his mother would still urge him to study every day, and now he was studying with Uncle Bao and Uncle Huan, and instead had a companion.

As for Jia Huan, he was a top student in his previous life, and it was not difficult for him to study, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Listen clearly!" The three of them agreed respectfully at this moment, regardless of whether they were happy or not.

Jia Zheng stroked his beard, turned his eyes to Jia Huan, and reprimanded him sharply: "Huan'er, although your poems are well written, but your handwriting is really not flattering. I will practice handwriting more in the future. I will check it from time to time. If you still haven't improved, be careful with your skin!"

Jia Huan sweated secretly, although he deliberately made his writing ugly, but it's not that bad, right?Moreover, you can't speak well, do you have to speak harshly to show your majesty?
Jia Huan was very upset in his heart, but on the surface he said sincerely: "Yes!"

Seeing Jia Huan being reprimanded, Mrs. Wang felt a little better, but she didn't know that Jia Huan deliberately wrote ugly words just to hide his clumsiness, and if it wasn't for the prize of 100 taels of silver, Jia Huan would even write a bad poem to fool him tonight.

Next, Jia Zheng encouraged little Jia Lan with a few more words and let the three of them leave.Little Jia Lan ran back to her mother, Li Wan, and said excitedly: "Mother, the master said that after the next year, the master will invite you to sit in the house and let the boy study with Uncle Bao and Huan."

Li Wan said: "Then you have to learn from Uncle Bao and Uncle Huan."

If it was before, Li Wan would definitely not be willing to let her son get close to Jia Huan, but recently the latter seems to have changed, especially tonight's poem about plums is so amazing that even she admires it, so now she hopes that her son can study with Jia Huan and learn from each other's strengths.

"Well, I will!" Jia Lan nodded and waved his small fist.

Seeing that his son was so eager to learn, Li Wan couldn't help but smiled with relief. He was instantly beautiful. After all, he was listed in the Jinling Twelve Register, and his appearance was quite high, but it was a pity that he was widowed at a young age.

Besides, when Jia Huan returned to his residence, a group of maids and maids gathered around happily to ask for a reward. Obviously they all knew that he had won the lottery, and Jia Huan also generously rewarded each of them with a tael of silver.
Hong Ling smiled wryly: "Third Master, you will spoil them like this."

Jia Huan smiled and said: "It's better to be alone than to be happy together. It's rare for everyone to be happy during the New Year's Eve. By the way, the mansion should send people to set up the stove in the past few days. Sister Hongling, please pay attention."

Hong Ling nodded happily. Unexpectedly, the third master solved the problem of food and stove in a short period of time, and he didn't need to look at the face of Second Mistress Lian. From now on, whoever dares to underestimate the third master.

"It's the end of the hour, third master wash up and go to bed." Hongling Sheng brought hot water and said softly.

Jia Huan nodded, washed his hands and face, changed into pajamas and went to sleep on the kang. It was almost one o'clock in the morning, and he was indeed very sleepy.Hong Ling tucked up the curtain for Jia Huan, then went outside lightly, and sat down on the embroidery pier to do her needlework.

Xiao Que'er came in from the outside, stamped her numb feet, yawned, and said in a low voice: "Sister Hongling, if you don't sleep, it will be dawn."

"Go to bed first, I'm almost done with the soles of my shoes!" Hong Ling said softly.

Xiao Que'er let out a cry, but didn't move, Hong Ling raised her head and said in surprise, "Go to sleep?"

Xiao Que'er said reluctantly: "Sister Hongling is leaving the mansion soon, I can't bear you to leave."

Hong Ling was also disappointed when she heard the words, and sighed: "There is no banquet in the world that lasts forever. When I leave, there will naturally be better ones."

Xiao Que'er moved a stool and sat down beside Hong Ling, and said with a sad face, "What if a powerful one comes?"

Hong Ling said with a smile: "Then you can only ask for blessings."

Xiao Que'er pouted and said, "People think you are a confidant, so they talk to you personally, but you gloated and carefully married a powerful man to treat you, and then I caught my eye." After finishing speaking, she covered her mouth and snickered.

Hong Ling blushed, and said angrily: "I'm just kidding, you little hoof will take it seriously, let's be honest, the old lady doesn't have any strong ones in the house, even if there are, they are sent here again, with the third master here, what are you worried about?"

Xiao Que'er laughed and said: "That's right, who does my sister think the old lady will send to serve the third master?"

Hong Ling shook her head and said: "How can I guess, anyway, it can't be Yuanyang and Huber, the old lady can't do without them."

…………

Li Wan watched his son Jia Lan fall asleep, and then quietly left the room. Seeing that Ping'er was still doing needlework outside, he whispered: "Come to the bedroom, I have something to tell you."

Ping'er put down more than half of the sweat towels she had made, got up and silently followed Li Wan into the bedroom.

Li Wan brightened the oil lamp a little, turned around and found Ping'er was still standing at the door blowing in despair, he couldn't help but sighed secretly, it's only been five or six days, such a smart girl, why is she so depressed, she couldn't bear to blame for a moment, and softly ordered: "Close the door, don't stand stupidly in the wind, carefully catch a cold."

Only then did Ping'er come back to his senses, and hastily closed the door, Li Wan patted the head of the kang and said, "Sit here, it's warmer!"

Ping'er thanked her, and sat down opposite Li Wan. The candlelight shone on her, her originally pretty face was visibly haggard, and her face was full of exhaustion.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Li Wan asked with concern.

Ping'er shook his head: "I can't sleep."

Li Wan sighed: "Silly girl, you will die if you go on like this."

Ping'er had a sore nose and said, "This is my life, and I'll be clean even if I die."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Those who celebrate the Chinese New Year will live or die!" Li Wan said angrily.

Ping'er said with red eyes: "Grandma, I'm sorry, it's Ping'er who said what he said, but it's really hopeless."

Li Wan hesitated for a moment, then sighed: "Your master has left you alone. It seems that the relationship between master and servant is exhausted. I have an idea, but I don't know if you like it or not?"

Ping'er looked at Li Wan suspiciously, who smiled and said, "At the carnival tonight, the master paid attention to the knowledge of my brother and the girls, and Third Master Huan won the prize. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, it would be unbelievable."

Ping'er said with a complicated expression: "Third Master Huan is indeed not what he used to be. Ping'er has long felt that he is a different person."

Li Wan's mood was also a bit complicated. Jia Huan, a concubine who had no sense of existence in the past, suddenly appeared. To his own Lan'er, he didn't know whether it was a bad thing or a good thing. He smiled and said, "Hong Ling in the house of Third Master Huan will be redeemed in the next year. The old lady plans to pick someone to serve Third Master Huan instead of her!"

Ping'er was stunned for a moment, then stammered: "Grandma means to let me... let me go?"

Li Wan nodded and said: "You can't go back there, and you have no one to rely on when you go out of the house. I'm afraid you won't like it even more with a servant. Why don't you go and serve Third Master Huan? There's always something for you, right?"

Ping'er blushed and said, "This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate."

Li Wan said: "It was indeed not suitable before, but now it should be fine. If you are willing, I will come forward and tell the wife and the old lady that you don't have to worry about Feng girl. She probably wants it too. The rest of you, as long as the old lady speaks, he must have nothing to say."

Ping'er bowed her head in silence, and after several days of suffering, her last little hope for Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian was also wiped out, and she was naturally happy to let her serve Jia Huan now, and a few years counted as a few years, fortunately, Jia Huan was still young, so he didn't have to worry about this or that.

Seeing Ping'er's silence, Li Wan understood the other party's intentions, and said with a smile: "In that case, I will convince the wife tomorrow, and then ask the wife to mention it to the old lady. There should be no problem, you can go to sleep peacefully."

Ping'er left Li Wan's bedroom, perhaps because she felt that she was settled, so her nerves that had been tense for the past few days relaxed, and she fell asleep after getting into bed. It was rare for five or six days to sleep peacefully.

(End of this chapter)