Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 2 Breaking out of Jia’s small circle
  Chapter 2: Breaking out of Jia's small circle

Fifteen-year-old Jia Zhu has been married for half a year, and sixteen-year-old Yuan Chun is waiting at home to be elected to the palace. (nominal age)

She is fifteen years old, still in the developmental stage, and her health is a little weak. How can her life be short-lived if she meets such a daughter-in-law?
  I must not get married early! It will be postponed until the age of eighteen.

Thinking of Jia Zhu's fate, Jia Lian made a plan in his heart. Without people, everything is empty.

Aunt Zhao and Li Wan both came to say hello early. Jia Lian took his time. They stopped and stood on the side of the road consciously, not daring to walk in front of him. As for Guixiang, the woman guarding the gate stopped her. Not everyone can enter this place if they want to.

There are many rules in the deep compound. To survive in this environment, even the master must be cautious in his words and deeds.

Jia Mu is just fifty, so she is in the modern society and needs to be well maintained to be in her prime.

In this world, Jia Mu talks about "old body" and "old immortality".

When he reached the door, Jia Lian went in directly. Li Wan and Aunt Zhao did not follow him, but waited outside the door.

When Jia Mu met Jia Lian, she naturally had a kind face and kind eyes, and the harmonious scene between grandparents and grandchildren. After some greetings and greetings, and the ladies around her praising Mother Jia repeatedly, they finally said something practical.

"My dear grandson, your father is a loser. Once you are well, I will take you to live in Rongxi Hall, and all expenses will be paid out of the public account." Jia Mu's words sounded fine, but in fact Rongxi Hall The current situation of the second house in the government house being the actual head of the house is difficult to accept in the homes of ordinary people.

As Jia She who inherited the title, legally he should sit in the Hall of Rongxi, honoring his mother and caring for his brothers. As the principal wife, Mrs. Xing, should be in charge of the financial power of the back house. The actual situation is just the opposite. Jia Mu is partial and the second wife is in charge.

Is the reason for this partiality really due to a preference for Jia Zheng? Jia Lian was very dissatisfied in his heart, feeling that he was listening to politics behind the curtain.

The ancients were very strict about honor and truth. When Jia Mu came here, in order to continue to be the actual controller of the back house of her Rongguo Mansion, she overturned the normal rules of elders, younger children, and concubines. Any excuse Mrs. With her authority in Jia's house, it was easy to stop Jia She from helping Mrs. Xing.

Then he made the second house the head of the house, which angered Jia She's rebellious temperament, and he moved directly to Dongkuayuan to form his own unified family.

Jia Lian thought in his mind that this logic made sense, regardless of the actual situation, he just thought so.

"Thank you grandma for your care. When my grandson was sleeping, I heard a woman's respectful teachings, telling my grandson to study hard and bring honor to our ancestors." Jia Lian came up with the pre-prepared words. Unexpectedly, Jia Mu's face suddenly turned slightly after hearing this. For a moment, sharpness flashed in his eyes, and his smile returned in an instant.

There was very little content about his mother in the retrieved memory. There was only the memory of when he was a child and asked for his mother many times, but Jia She beat him severely several times and refused to let him eat. Later, Jia Lian never asked for his mother again. This memory is very profound.

In view of this, when Jia Lian was preparing his speech, he adjusted it and did not mention mother, but said she was a woman.

Jia Lian, who had been observing Jia Mu carefully, noticed the changes on her face and was slightly surprised.

Jia's mother was indeed in a bad mood, because the woman Jia Lian was talking about must be Jia Lian's biological mother.

This involves many bad memories from the Emperor's period, many of which were bloody and cruel.

"It's a good thing that your good grandson wants to study. In the future, let's find a good gentleman to teach him at home." Mother Jia's trance was short-lived. After all, this is her own grandson, and children can say whatever they want.

"Back to grandma, my grandson wants to find an academy to study outside." This is Jia Lian's ultimate goal.

The situation of the Jia Mansion is here, and it is a foregone conclusion that it will gradually decline. A group of insects in the Rongguo Mansion, none of them are willing to give up their luxurious life. Just look at the things they did, none of them were what smart people should do.

Jia's mother was probably the one who saw the hidden dangers in the Jia family, so she took the action of sending Yuan Chun to the palace. A woman living in a deep house, with no son or grandson to support her, could only respond correctly.

Jia's mother still wants to maintain the prosperity of Jia's family, but there are a bunch of pig teammates in her family.

If the Jia family can continue to prosper, Jia Lian really doesn't mind eating and waiting to die. Knowing the ruined ending in advance, Jia Lian must save himself. The prerequisite for this self-rescue is to have the right to speak. If we continue to lie flat, there will be no talk of the right to speak or self-rescue.

If you want to gain the right to speak, studying and becoming an official is the only way. The choice of joining the army is negative. From Jia Jing and Jia Zheng, Jia Lian saw the choice of Jia Daishan's generation, which was to give up military power and give up military power in order to achieve a decent result.

The only thing that worries me is the Supreme Emperor. At that time, Jia Zheng was half a scholar, but he was directly taken care of by the Supreme Emperor, and he became a fifth-rank official, wasting decades. But having said that, Jia Zheng has been like that for decades, not because of his official status, but because he himself is not suitable for officialdom.

"Going out to study?" Mother Jia was naturally very surprised. After all, isn't it comfortable to stay at home?

"Exactly!" Jia Lian answered clearly. The biggest disadvantage of staying at home and studying is that the social circle is too narrow. If you want to be an official in the future, you must have a sufficient network of contacts. Helping each other as officials is the proper way in this era.

The official path of the imperial examination is the way to become an official in this era. This path can be said to be the path of the king. If you stay at home and have maids waiting on you to study, how can you put much thought into books? The environment is very important, so you have to roll with the rolling kings to roll out a king of kings.

Even if you fail to roll, you will definitely benefit a lot from that environment.

"You have to talk to your father about this first, and you can do whatever you want." Jia Mu's tone became lighter. Jia Lian knew it was time to leave, so he said goodbye, took three steps back, then turned around and went out. He saw a man in clothes at the door. A luxurious woman, Jia Lian stepped forward to salute.

"Jia Lian has met my aunt." The proper etiquette is absolutely necessary, even though deep down in his heart he is highly wary of Mrs. Wang.

Speaking of Mrs. Wang, Jia Lian came to the conclusion from the records in the novel that this woman was probably not satisfied with controlling the back house, so she asked Wang Xifeng to marry her and used Wang Xifeng as a spearman while Mrs. Wang sat firmly in the background. Even if Jia Lian succeeds in seizing the title in the future, Mrs. Wang will still be able to sit firmly in the Hall of Fame, and even squeeze the couple into the East Cross Courtyard. Mrs. Wang is only as smart as Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng is illiterate, but Mrs. Wang is very smart.

Now that Jia Lian is here, it's hard to say what will happen in the future. Anyway, after taking mine and returning it, I vomited it out after eating it.

Mrs. Wang's appearance is above average, and she meets the standards of a wealthy family in marrying a virtuous wife. It's just that this "virtuous" is still open to discussion. Judging from the description in the novel, Mrs. Wang definitely cannot be regarded as a virtuous person, at least not by the standards of this era.

"Brother Lian, this is great, I'm very happy to congratulate you." Mrs. Wang had no problem with her words.

"Thank you aunt for your care, Lian will leave." Having done enough etiquette, Jia Lian did not stay long.

Mrs. Wang, who was standing there, looked at Jia Lian's back, feeling resentful in her heart. How could she come back to life?

When I returned to my residence and had nothing to do, I found a copy of "The Analects of Confucius" in the study, asked Guixiang to make some tea, and started reading it leisurely.

Something clicked at this glance. After reading it aloud, I remembered the content. Is this a golden finger?
  Also, you have to learn traditional Chinese characters, otherwise you won’t be able to read them when you encounter them, and you won’t know what they mean, and it will look ugly.

Fortunately, there are two dictionary books in the retrieved memory, both of which are in the study room. Jia Lian found "Zihui" and "Zhengzitong" respectively. Well, you can look up the words you don't understand at any time. He read the Analects first and then copied them.

Another one is calligraphy. The calligraphy in the imperial examination is Guange style. This must be practiced well. Only when the written words are the same as the printed ones can it be considered qualified.

Jia Lian's muscle memory was still there, and when he picked up the pen to copy the book, he was able to write fairly neat characters very quickly. This made Jia Lian breathe a sigh of relief. His handwriting was average, and he had learned the basic skills but practiced little. Jia Dairu in Ethnology is not good at teaching, but his ability to teach children to write is still passable. Those who can be selected as scholars will not have bad handwriting.

As for practicing calligraphy, it felt really good once I got into it, stroke by stroke. After Jia Lian found the rhythm, he practiced non-stop all morning, and his wrists were sore. He only stopped when Guixiang came in and asked for lunch.

There was a faint fragrance in the air, Jia Lian sniffed: "Where does the fragrance come from?"

"Second Master was so focused on practicing calligraphy that he didn't even notice when the slave came in and touched some sandalwood. Isn't this an incense burner?" Guixiang covered her mouth and laughed, raising her finger to point to a copper incense burner on the desk. There was no smoke now.

"I see, I don't want to get too involved in practicing calligraphy." Jia Lian also laughed, which was a good thing.

"This sandalwood has the effect of refreshing the mind. The second master has a monthly payment of half a catty here. When the seasons change, there is still the fragrance of two taels of smoked clothes." Guixiang came with her mouth open, and she has always taken care of her in life. . Jia Lian couldn't help but think about it. He turned around and Wang Xifeng came in. It seemed that he had driven away two concubines. He didn't know if there was Guixiang.

Jia Lian has a special courtyard. After expelling a few followers, he also has his personal maid Guixiang and three little girls to serve him. The life of this top nobleman is luxurious. If people are used to it, it is really difficult to throw it away. Although this is an evil old society, people are so mean. It is okay to scold others. It is their turn to give up their luxurious life. That is absolutely unacceptable. .

When I was lying on the bed, wasn't I thinking about how to maintain the glory and wealth of the Jia family?
  When Jia Lian arrived at the house, the three maids began to prepare the dishes. They took out the warm boxes and placed a small table on the kang. Guixiang handed over a soup lady and said, "Second Master, warm your hands first."

There is also a leather cover on the outside of this soup lady, and the workmanship looks exquisite and tight.

After warming for a while, the dishes were served. It was not unusual to eat eight dishes for one person. Chicken, duck, and fish were not uncommon. You could even see the prawns on the plate, which was rare. In order not to show his timidity, Jia Lian did not ask where the shrimp came from. He thought it was a sea shrimp. The nearest seaside is hundreds of kilometers away, and the price of sending it to the capital is not cheap. Ordinary people cannot afford this.

The stewed prawns tasted good. Jia Lian ate two of them and didn't eat more. He ate four steamed buns with this dish and his appetite was very good. These four steamed buns weigh a pound no matter what. It’s not surprising to have Chinese cabbage in this season. It’s a common dish in winter in the north. Other dried vegetables and tofu are not particularly rare.

"How was the food at father's place?" Jia Lian thought of Jia She's place and asked specifically.

Next, it is necessary to please Jia She and Jia Mu. Breaking out of the small circle of Rongguo Mansion as soon as possible is a top priority.

"The great master usually has twenty dishes in each meal, and scallops and abalone are a must. In the last few days of the year, bear paws are also eaten. Our ancestors had at least thirty-six dishes in one meal, and one of them was all Made of chicken tongue, one hundred chickens are killed every day."

It is unknown how much money this meal cost, but it must have been indispensable. All meals are paid out of the public account, otherwise the way Jia Mu eats, twenty-two months of money is really not enough for her to waste a few meals.

After eating, Jia Lian got up and walked into the backyard, asking to see Jia She again. This time, he met Jia She successfully. The cheap man was yawning and sitting on a chair, looking like he was too drunk.

Jia Lian came forward to meet him according to the etiquette and told him about going out to study. After hearing this, Jia She suddenly sat upright in a lazy posture, and his casual eyes became sharp. He stared at Jia Lian for a while and then said calmly: "Are you going to study? The little beast is very ambitious, but Remember, don’t tell anyone in the future that the woman in your dream asked you to study.”

These words matched Jia's mother's reaction when greeting her in the morning. Jia Lian did not dare to ask any more questions and could only continue: "I have to worry about my father about this matter." Jia She nodded: "This is easy, there are three scholars in the capital. Among the good places, the first choice for distinguished students is the Imperial College, where you can get in with just one sentence. Then there is Yuxian Academy in the East City, which you can study if you have money, and Qingyun Academy in the West City, which requires admission."

Jia Lian understood, and secretly peeked at the expression on Jia She's face, and found that this cheap man had a mocking look on his face.

Is this because he looks down upon his determination to study? Or do you feel like you don’t have the ability to read?
  "My son wants to go to Qingyun Academy in Xicheng to try first. It would be best if he can get in and try his own abilities." Of course, Jia Lian's first choice was Qingyun Academy. The reason is very simple. This is a place where you need to take an exam to get in.

After hearing this, Jia She showed a mocking smile again and said lightly: "Then go and try. After the new year, I will arrange for a few followers to accompany you, a little beast, so that you don't know how high the sky is. Go down!"

You have to rely on everyone to support you. You can only rely on yourself for everything!

Jia Lian resigned and went back to his yard to continue studying and practicing calligraphy. On the New Year's Eve, he woke up early and was torn apart. He took a shower and changed clothes, and the scent of cinnamon kept whispering in his ears that the New Year's Eve dinner in Rongxi Hall would be given to him. The old lady kowtows to the eldest man, etc. After the banquet here, she will go to the East Mansion...

(End of this chapter)