Chapter 11: Jia Lian

Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong’s courtyard.

Having been carried back and treated with medicine again, he was still fretting over his grandmother’s health. Just as he was about to order someone to carry him over to check on her, a group of maidservants and matrons filed in.

“Grandmother~”

Seeing his grandmother arrive in person, Jia Rong hurriedly tried to scramble up.

“Stay lying down.”

Shen Ning quickly stopped him. “Not letting Grandmother worry about your health is also a form of filial piety.”

She hurried over and pressed the young boy’s body down. “Only when you are well can Grandmother be well.”

“Grandmother……”

Tears fell from Jia Rong’s eyes.

He had been terrified today. “I will definitely be well, and Grandmother will be well too, won’t you?”

If he lost his grandmother, who else would he have in this world?

“Naturally!”

The young boy’s tears dripped onto her hand, hot and scalding, making Shen Ning’s heart ache as well. “Grandmother still has to watch my Rong-ge’er marry and have children of his own.” She possessed the original owner’s memories, so speaking of these things came quite naturally. “Be good, stop crying. See what delicious things Grandmother brought you.”

Jia Rong: “……”

He was already grown up, yet Grandmother still used the same old tricks to coax him.

Looking at the food boxes in everyone’s hands, he sniffed. “Is there sugar-steamed cream?”

“There is!”

Shen Ning’s tone was gentle as she wiped away his tears. “It’s all your favorites. Besides the sugar-steamed cream, there’s also Three-Beauty Tofu, sesame fish balls, shredded apple, fried quail, mutton soup, and stir-fried artemisia.”

“Then… will Grandmother eat with me?”

There was a special kind of anticipation in Jia Rong’s eyes.

“It’s exactly time for a meal. If I don’t eat here with you, do you expect me to walk all the way back to my room to eat?”

Shen Ning rubbed his head. “Bring two kang tables over; we’ll eat on the kang.”

“Mm!”

Jia Rong was overjoyed.

He hadn’t eaten with his grandmother for over half a year.

“Grandmother, shall we each have half of the fried quail again?”

“Why? Do you want to eat it all yourself?”

Shen Ning asked with a smile.

“How would your grandson dare!”

Jia Rong laughed as he knelt on the kang. “Your grandson wants to find the biggest one for you.”

True to his word, he placed the largest fried quail into her bowl.

Shen Ning smiled and picked it up.

The crispy, fragrant fried quail was impossible to stop eating once you started.

Even the bones were crunchy; chewing them allowed the marrow to enter one’s mouth, adding several layers of flavor to the dish.

Oh my!

It was truly delicious.

Shen Ning felt she could order this dish often in the future.

“Grandmother, today’s Three-Beauty Tofu is also very fresh and delicious. You should try it.”

Whenever Jia Rong ate something good, he was quick to recommend it.

“Mm!”

The milky broth, the soft and smooth tofu, the fresh and tender cabbage—the light and refreshing taste of the Three-Beauty Tofu was another delight entirely.

Shen Ning and Jia Rong served each other food, and the meal was exceptionally harmonious.

It was only after she had eaten her fill and was taking a stroll back to her own courtyard that Jia Lian came to seek her advice.

“Sit!”

Her feelings toward Jia Lian were complex.

At a time when Jia She was squeezed out of the center of power, Jia Zheng claimed to be above worldly affairs, and Jia Zhu was solely focused on his studies, it was Jia Lian who managed the entire Rongguo Mansion. Whether at home or abroad, he was one of the few people in the Jia clan capable of handling major matters.

Though he was lecherous and indulgent, he was also, rarely, a man of upright character.

“It’s so late; do you have something to discuss with your aunt?”

“Yes!”

Jia Lian looked a bit embarrassed. “Aunt, Father wants me to go to the academy to study as well.”

What?

Shen Ning couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “And you… don’t want to?”

“You know how it is,” Jia Lian said, emboldened. “I have no talent for studying.”

“So, you intend to remain the chief steward of the Rong Mansion’s external affairs forever?”

“……”

Jia Lian blinked.

Why call it the chief steward of external affairs?

That was his home; he was just managing his own house…

“Lian’er,” Shen Ning waved her hand at the maids, and only after watching them bow and exit did she say, “What do you think of your father?”

His father?

His father was fine!

“Don’t you think your father has been wronged?”

“……”

Jia Lian’s face gradually turned pale.

“Zhu’er is studying at the Imperial Academy. If nothing goes wrong, his future will certainly be better than your second uncle’s.”

Shen Ning sighed inwardly. “And then there’s Baoyu. Even your Great Uncle Jing says he is a good seed for studying. The Old Matriarch favors him the most. Although you have your father’s title, are you certain you want to remain the heir of Rongguo Mansion just to serve as their steward?”

“……”

Jia Lian wanted to cover his face. Besides looking after the small plot of land that was the Rongguo Mansion, what else could he do?

He wasn’t good at literature, and he wasn’t suited for the military.

“Aunt, I have no ability,” Jia Lian said in a low voice. “Brother Zhu and Baoyu will both be able to pass the exams and become officials in the future. Isn’t it good if I look after the home so they don’t have to worry about anything?”

Someone had to look after the home.

His mother had passed away early, and he had practically grown up by his second aunt’s side.

As long as it wasn’t too excessive, Jia Lian felt he could handle it.

He had been mischievous in his youth, and Brother Zhu had often suffered because of him. Baoyu was as cute as jade and snow; as long as he acted as a good younger and older brother, he imagined the three of them would all be fine.

Jia Lian didn’t want to be like his father—lacking ability, blindly jealous of his second uncle, and still fighting for favor in front of the Old Matriarch at his age.

“Your nephew is decent at managing affairs. I came here actually wanting to ask you for the position of manager of the academy.”

Jia Lian said, “Aunt, please rest assured, I will definitely eat the ‘remembering bitterness and thinking of sweetness’ meals properly.”

Shen Ning: “……”

A nineteen-year-old boy with clear, naive, and determined eyes.

She sighed softly.

If Jia Zhu hadn’t died young, if Baoyu didn’t have that kind of personality, and if they could all hold things up, Jia Lian guarding the home would indeed be the best arrangement.

But unfortunately, Jia Zhu died young, and while Baoyu was innocent and kind, he lacked any sense of responsibility.

“Handing it over to you is no problem, but Lian’er, since your father thinks you should study, if you go to the academy and don’t want to study, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

Shen Ning said, “Actually, you don’t need to belittle yourself so much. As the saying goes, ‘Worldly wisdom is true knowledge; understanding human affairs is the real learning.’ As for the affairs of the mansion, your wife can handle them for the time being, and your father and second uncle are both in good health. Have you ever thought about going out to make your own way?”

Him?

Going out to make his own way?

Where to?

Jia Lian opened his eyes, full of curiosity. “Aunt, what do you think I can do?”

Brother Zhu had been the object of praise from the elders since he was a child. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to keep up with him, but it was truly too difficult. “Someone like me… where could I go?”

The military was absolutely out of the question.

Not to mention he didn’t know martial arts, the one above was also wary of them.

“Yangzhou.”

Yangzhou?

“Are you talking about Aunt’s place?”

That was too far from home.

The Old Matriarch couldn’t see her daughter for years at a time, and she would cry every time she thought of her.

And if he left, what would happen to Feng’er?

“Aren’t you going to be the manager of the academy?”

Shen Ning looked at him and smiled slightly. “The clan allocates 1,200 taels to the school every year, and the two mansions provide 600 taels, totaling 1,800 taels a year. I originally thought the extra money would reward clansmen who passed the Xiucai or Jinshi exams, but as you have seen, the money has been wasted over the years, only feeding a group of clansmen who play and indulge themselves.

So, my idea is for the clan to take the next three years of funding to buy sacrificial land in Yangzhou to support the academy.”

Land could no longer be bought in the capital.

The available land in their ancestral home had long been divided up by the four great families.

Shen Ning had thought it over and over; Yangzhou was the best place.

The Jia family needed Lin Ruhai.

If he could survive, Lin Daiyu would likely not die of a broken heart.

“Once you are there, with your aunt and uncle looking after you, buying land should be very convenient. Of course, you can also take this opportunity to learn about officialdom and economics from your uncle. If he can make use of you, he will surely be able to help you secure a career.”

Shen Ning said, “If he can’t use you, or if you can’t adapt, at worst you can just come back. You will still be a meritorious official who did a great service for the clan school.”

Remember history, do not forget national humiliation!!

(End of chapter)