Red Chamber 2

Jia Hu was a good-tempered and talkative child, and Liu Zhong learned quite a bit of information about the Jia family from him.

The current Jia Daishan was the Regional Commander of the capital, in charge of the entire city's military defense.

The Emperor trusted Jia Daishan deeply.

Jia Hu's mother was the daughter of the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor; she was of noble status, well-read and sensible, and shared a very good relationship with Jia She.

Aside from his wife, Jia She had only one concubine, with no other distractions in his inner courtyard.

Wang had married Jia Zheng last year and was now four months pregnant.

Therefore, Wang did not attend this banquet.

Liu Zhong raised his hand to pat Jia Hu's little head.

The child was growing up under the care of his grandfather and parents, raised to be very innocent; it was no wonder he would be easily schemed against and lose his life in the future.

Liu Zhong: "I'll look after you as your older brother from now on."

Jia Hu: "Brother Zhong, you are younger than me. You are the younger brother, not the older brother."

Liu Zhong: "..."

The banquet ended, and the second uncle, the Baron, had no intention of keeping his younger half-brothers, so the other branches left grumbling and cursing, very displeased.

Father Liu and Mother Liu truly wanted to hurry home, especially Mother Liu.

Serving in front of the Old Lady all day was truly exhausting.

She just wanted to return to her own home and rest.

The family of three rode in a carriage, with Liu Zhong sandwiched between the couple.

Mother Liu asked about Liu Zhong's experience that day: "Did anyone bully you?"

Liu Zhong shook his head: "No. Mother, I made a little friend, Jia Hu from the Rongguo Mansion. May I invite him to our home to play often?"

Hearing that her child had made a friend, Mother Liu was very happy and agreed immediately: "Of course you can."

Father Liu knew Jia Hu's status and said: "He is the legitimate eldest grandson of the Duke of Rong. His status is noble; I fear he won't be able to come to our home as he pleases, right?"

Liu Zhong said nothing, as he could not be sure if the Jia family would agree to Jia Hu associating with him, a collateral branch of the Duke of Li.

The truth was, Jia Hu's grandfather and parents doted on him, and they would agree to his requests as long as they were not unreasonable.

Moreover, Jia Hu simply wanted to play with a companion of similar age; how could the elders possibly disagree?

Not long after, the Jia family sent someone over to pick up Liu Zhong to play at the Rongguo Mansion.

Liu Zhong followed the servants of the Rongguo Mansion into the estate and arrived at the East Courtyard.

At this time, there were no stables next to the East Courtyard; it was the residence of the heir to the Duke's mansion.

Jia Hu stood at the entrance of the courtyard waiting, and upon seeing Liu Zhong, he immediately ran over and hugged him.

"Brother Zhong, you finally came!"

Liu Zhong patted Jia Hu's back and said: "Hu Ge'er, let me go."

"Oh, oh." Jia Hu released Liu Zhong, switched to holding one of Liu Zhong's hands with one of his own, and pulled him into the courtyard: "Come, I'll take you to see my mother."

Jia Hu's mother, Zhang, was a beautiful and gentle woman.

Her attitude toward Liu Zhong was excellent, and Liu Zhong could tell she genuinely liked him.

After all, he was the only friend her son had acknowledged.

Of course, this also had to do with his own good looks.

Who wouldn't like a beautiful and cute child?

Liu Zhong also met Jia She, who was very concerned about his son and wanted to see his son's friend with his own eyes.

Likewise, Jia She was very satisfied with Liu Zhong.

Afterward, Jia She and Zhang took Liu Zhong and Jia Hu to the Lixiang Courtyard to pay their respects to Jia Daishan.

When visiting someone else's home, how could one not pay respects to the head of the household?

Mother Liu had even prepared gifts for everyone in the Jia family.

Jia Daishan's attitude was kind.

He was about fifty years old, with a refined appearance; he looked less like a general who led troops into battle and more like an elegant scholar.

Jia She and Jia Hu's physical advantages were both inherited from Jia Daishan, which showed just how handsome he was.

Jia Daishan only spoke a few words to Liu Zhong before dismissing them.

He was very busy; even at home, he had to handle many affairs.

Jia She and Zhang then took the two children to the Rongqing Hall to see Lady Jia Shi.

Although Lady Jia Shi did not favor her eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law, she was quite fond of her legitimate eldest grandson.

Moreover, she must have been a person who valued appearances, as she liked those who were good-looking.

Liu Zhong was fair and adorable, like a little rice dumpling, and he caught Lady Jia Shi's eye the moment she saw him.

Lady Jia Shi held Liu Zhong in one arm and Jia Hu in the other, ordering her maidservants to quickly bring out some small snacks.

The food at the Jia Mansion was indeed delicious; Liu Zhong felt it was no worse than some modern desserts.

It was just a bit too oily, which wasn't very friendly for a young child's digestion.

Liu Zhong thought of cakes and egg tarts.

He wanted to eat them.

They stayed in Rongqing Hall for quite a while, mainly because Lady Jia Shi wouldn't let them leave.

Lady Jia Shi sent Zhang and Jia She away, keeping the two children to keep her company.

Jia Hu was a filial child; although he wanted to play alone with his friends, he still obediently stayed to keep his grandmother company.

Liu Zhong, an old soul in a young body, naturally wouldn't act up like a normal child and cause trouble for his friend.

With his sweet little mouth, he said exactly what Lady Jia Shi loved to hear, coaxing her until she was beaming with joy, wishing that Liu Zhong were her own biological grandson.

The two little ones had lunch with Lady Jia Shi, and only after she went for her afternoon nap did they leave Rongqing Hall.

They first returned to the East Courtyard to report to Zhang, then Jia Hu pulled Liu Zhong along to play in the garden.

Liu Zhong looked at the large pond in the garden, then glanced at the child beside him and asked, "Do you know how to swim?"

Jia Hu shook his head.

Liu Zhong: "Summer is almost here. When it arrives, I'll invite you to my family's estate. There's a river nearby; we can go swimming. It's very refreshing."

Jia Hu: "But I don't know how to swim."

Liu Zhong: "I do. I'll teach you."

Jia Hu's eyes sparkled, and he nodded vigorously.

Jia Hu liked his friend Liu Zhong so much that when it was time for Liu Zhong to leave, he was reluctant to part, wishing he could keep Liu Zhong at the Rongguo Mansion forever.

Zhang comforted her son and said softly, "Does Hu'er want to be separated from Mother?"

Jia Hu shook his head violently.

Zhang: "By the same token, Zhong'er doesn't want to be separated from his own mother either. We mustn't stop him from going home to see his own mother."

Jia Hu: "Then can we invite Brother Zhong over to play often in the future?"

Zhang: "Of course you can. However, it must be after you finish your lessons."

Jia Hu: "I will definitely study hard and finish my lessons on time."

Zhang smiled with satisfaction.

After this, Jia Hu and Liu Zhong visited each other frequently.

Sometimes Liu Zhong went to the Rongguo Mansion, and sometimes Jia Hu came to the Liu Family home.

When summer arrived, Liu Zhong begged Father Liu and Mother Liu to take him to their estate to escape the heat, and he invited Jia Hu along.

Jia Hu obtained Zhang's permission, packed his bags, and happily followed the Liu family to the estate outside the city.

Liu Zhong kept his promise, taking Jia Hu to the small river near the estate to teach him how to swim.

Jia Hu was followed by a group of servants from the Rongguo Mansion. These were the people Zhang had assigned to Jia Hu, and they had not yet been infiltrated or bought off by Wang. With them protecting Jia Hu, he was very safe.