Chapter 25: Madam Wang's Methods
After two or three days of panic, Jia Cong went to Mengpo Zhai every day, but was always politely rejected by the maids and old women around Mrs. Wang. Jia Cong immediately understood that this was obviously an excuse, and its purpose was obvious.
Moreover, she had caused Baoyu to be reprimanded many times by Jia Zheng for no reason. Given Mrs. Wang's personality, it would be strange if she did not hold a grudge against her.
Look at the maids in this courtyard, Qingwen, Zhuan'er and Zhuier, it is obvious that they are all the work of Mrs. Wang.
Sitting in his own study, Jia Cong sneered, "This Madam Wang does have some means, but she seems a bit mean, and if she keeps silent, people will see through her."
After thinking for a moment, Jia Cong called out, "Qingwen!"
"The maid is here!"
During these two or three days, Qingwen finally understood Jia Cong a lot. This Third Master was really kind to his servants. He never beat or scolded them, and he never treated them harshly in terms of food and clothing. Therefore, Qingwen was relieved and served Jia Cong wholeheartedly.
However , generally speaking, Xiao Que'er would take care of the affairs in the bedroom, while Qingwen would look after the study. Moreover, as long as Jia Cong was in the study, Qingwen would wait in the small hall outside, ready to be called by Jia Cong at any time.
"Master, what do you want me to do?" Qingwen was a bit hot-tempered, but also very loyal. As she gradually came to accept Jia Cong as her master, she spoke with respect and intimacy.
"Did you and Xiao Que'er go to the brothers and sisters' rooms to ask again today?"
"Don't worry, Third Master. Second Master Lian has been out for the past two days and hasn't come back yet, but Second Madam has promised to come. The rest of the masters have all promised to come, and they will be here around 3 p.m."
"Well, then you should go find Xiao Que'er and get five taels of silver. Ask the kitchen staff to help prepare a table for dinner. Don't delay the dinner in the evening! In addition, prepare the fruits, snacks, tea, etc. that you bought yesterday!"
Qingwen agreed to all of them!
Jia Cong waved at Qingwen, and Qingwen blushed, but still lowered her head and moved closer to Jia Cong!
"Qingwen?"
Qingwen only felt a warmth beside her ear while Jia Cong was speaking, which made her cheeks red. As for what Jia Cong said, how could she have the heart to listen?
It wasn't until Jia Cong raised his voice that she came back to her senses!
"Third Master..."
Jia Cong smiled helplessly. The little girl at this time was really thoughtful, but it was not surprising. Fifteen or sixteen was the age for marriage, and most girls matured early. Just like Baochai, she was not very old, but her mind was extremely clear.
Jia Cong lowered his voice and explained something to Qingwen. Qingwen took note of it, then turned around and hurried out of the study.
Arriving in the courtyard, Qingwen held her burning cheeks, feeling as if her heart was about to jump out, "How could the Third Master be so..."
Qingwen murmured in a low voice, but for some reason she felt a little happy in her heart! After a long while, she suppressed her throbbing thoughts, thinking about what the Third Master had just told her, and with a turn of her eyes, she left the yard.
In the afternoon, just after the Shen time, chattering sounds were heard outside the yard!
Jia Cong hurriedly took Xiao Que'er and Qingwen out to greet them, and sure enough, they saw a group of beautiful girls surrounding them!
"Hello, second sister, third sister, fourth sister, and Sister Lin!" Jia Cong stepped forward and after greeting them, he looked at a strange girl next to Tanchun.
But this person's attire was different from that of the other women. She wore a round white fox fur hat on her head, an open snow-white cloak, and a pair of deerskin boots on her feet, making her look heroic.
"Brother Cong, do you know who this is?" Daiyu asked with a smile.
"I 've heard that the old lady has a niece, the daughter of the Shi family! I guess only Sister Xiangyun can have such a straightforward temperament and such a bright and beautiful appearance!"
Xiangyun stepped forward happily, and Fuli said, "Xiangyun greets Third Brother Cong! Third Brother Cong is so rude, why did he send invitations to all the sisters but miss mine!"
Seeing Xiangyun's lively look, Jia Cong smiled and said, "This is Third Brother's fault. I just randomly picked a day to invite all the sisters to have some fun, but I never thought that Sister Xiangyun would come to the mansion. Later, Third Brother will make up the invitation first, and then find a time to invite Sister Xiangyun to a banquet to apologize, and invite all the sisters to accompany you. How about this?"
Jia Cong's words made Xiangyun feel embarrassed. She was just trying to please him, and she hadn't lived in his house recently, and she was not close to Jia Cong, so how could she argue? But she never thought that Jia Cong would take her words so seriously and even ask her again, which made her happy and at the same time she felt a little closer to Jia Cong.
Just as she was about to lead everyone in, she heard someone behind her say, "I heard the hustle and bustle outside, but I never thought that all the sisters were here."
Everyone turned around and saw Baochai and her maid coming out from a small corner door.
"Oh, I didn't notice it just now, but now I see that Bao girl and Third Brother Cong have become neighbors. Bao girl must have someone guard the door every day. Otherwise, what if Third Brother Cong becomes a thief and steals the treasures in our house!" Daiyu raised her eyebrows and smiled.
Baochai glanced at , but said with a smile, "If Brother Cong comes to be the gentleman on the beam, it will be a blessing for our Xue family. I'm just afraid that the treasures of our Xue family will not be worthy of Brother Cong's eyes."
Watching this group of little girls interacting with each other in a joking and somewhat confrontational manner, Jia Cong did not know whether to laugh or cry. In his previous life, these girls would have been only in junior high school at most, but in this world, they had already opened up their minds.
Fearing that everyone would say more, Jia Cong hurriedly led everyone into the courtyard and entertained them in the main hall.
After all, the main hall is not small, and enough tables and chairs have been moved in advance, otherwise there would probably not be enough space when everyone arrives.
Xiao Que'er and Qingwen went in and out happily, pouring tea and placing fruits for everyone. The girls were not polite either, and played with each other while drinking tea.
"Brother Cong, I haven't congratulated you on your first place in the last exam, but I think these miscellaneous books are interesting, so I'll give them to you!"
As Yingchun said this, she asked Siqi to hand over a package!
Jia Cong let Qingwen take it and thanked her, "To be honest, second sister, I get bored after studying hard all day, so I was just looking for some random things to read. I really want to thank you for this time."
Yingchun was naturally happy to see this.
Afterwards, Daiyu gave a collection of works from the early Tang Dynasty. Although Baochai had already given one, she also brought a precious inkstone today.
Jia Cong saw that Tanchun, Xichun, and Xiangyun looked uneasy, and immediately guessed that they might have forgotten the gifts. He immediately said, "Speaking of which, I still have two trivial matters to ask of you three sisters!"
"My third and fourth sisters gave me a painting and calligraphy before, which I loved very much. After moving here, I framed the painting and calligraphy and hung it in the small hall next to the study. The rest is complete, but there is still a painting and calligraphy missing in the study!"
