Red Chamber 10

When Jia Hu and Liu Zhong left Yangzhou, all the kidnapped children except for Zhen Yinglian had returned to their own homes.

The servants of the Lin Mansion had already located the Zhen family.

After all, there was a clue as significant as the Hulu Temple.

However, the Zhen residence had already burned down, and the Lin servants learned from the neighbors that Zhen Shiyin and Feng Shi had gone to Daru Prefecture to seek refuge with Feng Shi's maiden family.

The Lin servants first returned to Yangzhou to report the information they had gathered, then set off for Daru Prefecture with travel expenses provided by Jia Min to find the couple.

Jia Min beckoned Zhen Yinglian to her side and patted the little girl's head.

"The first time I saw you, I felt you weren't a girl from an ordinary family. It turns out that is indeed the case; you are the daughter of a gentry family and are even related to the Zhen family," Jia Min said. "Our Rongguo Mansion has long-standing ties with the Zhen family, so you can consider yourself my distant relative and my junior."

She instructed the servants in the mansion: "From now on, Yinglian is a cousin of the mansion. You must treat her with the same respect as you do the young ladies, do you understand?"

The servants quickly agreed.

Another month passed, and the servants brought Feng Shi to Yangzhou.

When Feng Shi saw Zhen Yinglian, she recognized her daughter at a glance and hugged her, weeping bitterly.

The bond between mother and daughter is deep; although Zhen Yinglian had forgotten her mother's appearance, she felt the woman was familiar and incredibly dear, and she could not help but shed tears.

By this time, Zhen Shiyin had already run off with the monk and the Taoist, Jiao Xing had been bought by Jia Yucun, and the Zhen family's property had been exploited by Feng Shi's father and brother. All she had left on her person was the ten taels of silver she had secretly hidden, which Jia Yucun had left behind when he bought Jiao Xing.

Jia Min felt great sympathy for Feng Shi and allowed her to stay in the Lin Mansion.

Although Feng Shi was poor, she was unwilling to eat and drink for free, so she helped Jia Min look after Lin Daiyu.

She was much more meticulous in her work than Lin Daiyu's wet nurse, Nanny Wang.

Jia Min subsequently dismissed Nanny Wang and entrusted Lin Daiyu entirely to Feng Shi, allowing her to focus on her pregnancy with peace of mind.

Several months passed, and Jia Min gave birth to a healthy baby boy. While she suffered some hardships during labor, she did not decline completely as she had in the original story.

The son was healthy and strong; with proper care, there would be no risk of him dying prematurely.

The daughter's health also gradually improved—Jia Min and Lin Ruhai assumed it was because of Feng Shi's excellent care and gave her a generous reward. The Lin family's life grew better and better, deviating from the trajectory of someone's schemes.

As for Liu Zhong, he and Jia Hu returned to the capital with smooth sailing.

Not to mention that after Jia Hu returned to the Rongguo Mansion, he was dragged around by his own father to show off, only to be stopped by his grandfather in the end.

Focusing on Liu Zhong, the Li Duke Mansion specifically sent a message, requesting Father Liu to bring Liu Zhong back for a visit.

Father Liu brought his son back, and Second Uncle Liu met them specifically in his study.

This was a treatment the two had never received before.

In the past, every year when Father Liu brought Liu Zhong back to the Li Duke Mansion, they were merely mixed in with the rest of the Liu clan members, and Liu Zhong had never had close contact with Second Uncle Liu.

Second Uncle Liu had never looked at Liu Zhong with any real regard.

Now, Second Uncle Liu had changed his attitude; he had clearly seen Liu Zhong's potential and wanted to win him over in advance.

Liu Zhong responded to Second Uncle Liu with composure, indicating that he understood the man's intentions.

Wasn't it just that he wanted him to be an asset for the Li Duke Mansion?

Heh, the Li Duke Mansion had never once helped their branch of the family, so why did they feel so entitled to demand that he serve as their asset?

Did they think that having a Duke Mansion plaque meant they could manipulate him?

Heh, if the Li Duke Mansion truly had that much power, they wouldn't have allowed Uncle Liu's official rank to be higher than Second Uncle Liu's.

Liu Zhong used a "tai chi" approach to handle Second Uncle Liu; he only expressed that he understood the meaning, but he never said he would act according to Second Uncle Liu's wishes.

The father and son ate a rather uncomfortable dinner at the Li Duke Mansion before returning to the Liu residence.

Mother Liu had someone bring them goat milk and said, "It's hard to digest food at night; drink some goat milk to settle your stomachs."

Liu Zhong: "Mother understands us best; the food at the Duke Mansion isn't so easy to eat."

Father Liu said: "Just listen to what your second uncle says; there is no need to follow through."

Liu Zhong: "I know."

A maidservant brought the goat milk and handed it to Liu Zhong, and he reached out to take it.

The maidservant's hand tilted slightly, and their hands brushed against each other.

Liu Zhong looked up and met the maidservant's amorous gaze.

The maidservant gave Liu Zhong a flirtatious look.

Liu Zhong frowned.

Liu Zhong was not a monk; in his previous life's transmigration, he had been with women.

In this life, for the sake of the Liu family's lineage, it was impossible for him not to marry.

But influenced by the thoughts of his previous life, what Liu Zhong wanted was monogamy; he hated "studs."

Even though he was a man himself, he could not accept the behavior of a man being promiscuous.

Liu Zhong would respect his wife in this life and despised those maidservants who crawled into beds to seduce their masters.

Liu Zhong spoke up: "Mother, aren't the older sisters by your side getting on in age? Have their marriages been arranged? It would be better to arrange them sooner rather than later, so as not to delay their youth."

As soon as these words were spoken, the maid's expression turned incredibly ugly, and two other maids also changed color.

Liu Zhong lowered his eyelids, wondering if he had actually become a hot commodity.

He had never considered that, being young and promising, not to mention handsome, and having already attained the status of a scholar in his teens with a bright future ahead, he was naturally a hot commodity in the eyes of the maids.

Upon hearing Liu Zhong's words, Mother Liu was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.

Very well, the girls by her side were actually coveting her own son.

Father Liu had only Mother Liu as his wife and no concubines or bed-warmers; while this had to do with Father Liu's status as an overlooked son of a concubine, it was also due to the deep affection between the two.

Mother Liu had no other women competing with her for her husband, and she did not want to cause trouble for her future daughter-in-law. Even if she were to arrange concubines or bed-warmers for her son in the future, it would have to be after the daughter-in-law had entered the household, to avoid a situation like that of the Li Duke Mansion, where the eldest son born of a concubine was born, and neither the legitimate son nor the legal wife could keep him in check.

Mother Liu had never thought about arranging bed-warmers for her son at this time.

The hearts of the maids around her had grown too big; just as her son said, it was time to let them go out and get married.

Mother Liu narrowed her eyes, a decision forming in her heart.

She looked at her eldest son; the child was already grown, and so outstanding—no wonder so many little sluts were eyeing him.

It was time to look for a match for her son.

Mother Liu spoke up: "Zhong'er, what kind of woman do you like?"

Liu Zhong was taken aback for a moment, then realized that Mother Liu had decided to arrange a marriage for him, so he replied: "It doesn't matter to me, Mother. You can choose someone you like and feel you can get along with."

Mother Liu said: "How could it be who I like? That is your wife."

Liu Zhong laughed: "I will often be working outside and will spend little time in the back courtyard. My wife will spend most of her time accompanying you, Mother, so naturally, I should choose someone you like and can talk to."