Red Chamber 5

Liu Zhong occasionally used spiritual energy to nourish Father Liu and Mother Liu, keeping them in excellent health.

Father Liu had more energy to discipline his mischievous younger son.

Liu Xianglian didn't like studying?

Father Liu made him study.

But when he learned that his younger son enjoyed martial arts, Father Liu still hired him a martial arts instructor to teach Liu Xianglian.

Liu Xianglian was exceptionally talented in martial arts.

In the original story, he had no formal martial arts instructor. He simply picked up a move here and stole a few there, yet became one of the Red Chamber's few top experts.

Now that he had a proper instructor, Liu Xianglian would only become stronger.

Seeing that his younger son was more suited to martial arts, Father Liu made plans for him: he would take the martial arts imperial examination in the future.

As for the civil-service examination, that was up to his elder son.

Father Liu was very pleased with himself.

Though he was mediocre and had achieved nothing, he had raised two exceptionally gifted sons.

His elder son was brilliant at studying, while his younger son excelled at martial arts. Their futures looked bright as day.

His elder son was already planning to take the examinations early next year. He had something to look forward to.

Liu Zhong and Jia Hu talked about the imperial examinations.

Jia Hu was going to take the county examination next year as well.

They agreed to travel south together after the New Year.

Jia Hu's native place was Jinling, while Liu Zhong's was Jiaxing. Both needed to return to their respective hometowns to take the county, prefectural, and provincial examinations.

They could travel together for much of the journey.

Jia Daishan thought highly of his eldest grandson's upcoming examination. He not only arranged for several capable people to protect and look after Jia Hu on the way, but also set aside a boat specifically to take him south.

Although Jia Daishan was not in good health, he was still alive.

Without the shock of losing his eldest grandson and eldest daughter-in-law, Jia Daishan had not been angered to death.

Over the years, he had followed the medicinal-diet recipes Jia Hu got from Liu Zhong, and his health had improved compared with the first couple of years.

With Jia Daishan keeping them in check, neither Lady Jia Shi nor Wang Shi dared to cause trouble.

Zhang managed Rongguo Mansion's affairs. Unlike Lady Jia Shi and Wang Shi, she would never let the servants get away with things for her own selfish reasons, allowing them to grow so bold that they gossiped about their masters and stole from the mansion.

Rongguo Mansion was far better off now than it had been in the book.

The Lai Family had been frightened by Jia Daishan's handling of Wang Shi's dowry servants. They only dared to skim a little here and there, not to brazenly cart off the imperial gifts.

Though Nanny Lai was Lady Jia Shi's trusted aide, with Jia Daishan still around, she didn't dare arrogantly demand that the young masters and young ladies of the mansion bow to her.

The younger generation, including Yingchun, Tanchun, and Jia Baoyu, had been born one after another.

Yingchun and Jia Cong were born to concubines in the main branch.

Their mother was the same woman, one of Zhang's maids who had come with her as part of her dowry.

The maid had originally been promised in marriage. When she came of age, she was supposed to leave the mansion and marry, with Zhang giving her a dowry.

But before she could leave, she heard that her fiancé had gotten together with his cousin and had a child with her.

The maid, Yanhong, was furious and forcefully broke off the engagement.

Then, to build a new house for her elder brother, her parents tried to sell her as a concubine to a fat old man in his fifties.

With no other choice, Yanhong asked Zhang for help.

As it happened, Lady Jia Shi had been making trouble, complaining that Jia She had too few sons and wanting to offer one of her own maids to him as a concubine.

Zhang turned Lady Jia Shi down, using Jia She's existing concubine as an excuse, then arranged for Yanhong to become Jia She's concubine instead.

Yanhong was an honest woman, and she was grateful to Zhang for giving her a way out. After all, Jia She was young and handsome, and the heir to a dukedom—far better than that fat, greedy old country bumpkin. So she followed Zhang's lead in everything.

Zhang treated her kindly, letting her give birth to a son and a daughter.

Yingchun was cared for and raised by her own mother from childhood. She was no longer the dull, wooden girl from the original story, though she retained her gentle, compliant nature.

And with his own mother, Jia Cong was no longer a scrawny, frozen kitten.

He had a much better life than Jia Huan of the second branch.

When Jia Baoyu was born, the Tongling Baoyu came with him.

But with Jia Daishan around, only a few members of the Jia family knew that Jia Baoyu had been born with a jade in his mouth.

The servants in Wang Shi's courtyard were replaced once again. The midwives were among those Jia Daishan sent to a manor more than a thousand li from the capital.

Wang Shi had barely begun to gloat when Jia Daishan's words frightened her into silence.

In his eyes, Jia Baoyu had become a troublemaker who would bring disaster upon her, so naturally, he couldn't bring himself to like the child.

Besides, he had an eldest son and could rely on him in the future.

Lady Jia Shi had also lost interest in raising Jia Baoyu. She simply provided him with enough wet nurses and maids and told them to take good care of him.

Zhang felt sorry for Jia Baoyu and often checked in on him.

In Jia Baoyu's heart, Zhang was closer to him than his own mother, Wang Shi.

He was no longer Rongguo Mansion's pampered darling, so he couldn't be as willful as he had been in the original story.

Though he disliked the Four Books and Five Classics, he was still forced to study and couldn't skip class like he had in the original story.

Shi Xiangyun was often brought to Rongguo Mansion. She and Jia Baoyu grew up together, and the two were very close.

Xichun was still brought to Rongguo Mansion to be raised, and Jia Jing still became a monk.

Jia Daishan hadn't opposed Jia Jing's decision to become a monk, which suggested he knew there was more to it.

Jia Jing had probably been drawn into the Former Crown Prince's rebellion and had no choice but to become a monk to protect the entire Ningguo Mansion.

After agreeing with Jia Hu on when they would set off, Liu Zhong chatted with him about other things.

They talked most about their younger brothers.

Both of their younger brothers were a handful, but fortunately, they knew how to deal with troublesome children.

Jia Hu didn't, but Liu Zhong could teach him.

Jia Lian feared neither his parents, but he did fear his grandfather and elder brother.

Liu Xianglian was only afraid of his own elder brother.

The two boys thought they were "in the same boat," and became friends as soon as they met.

After that, whenever they got up to mischief, they did it together, often turning Rongguo Mansion upside down.

Jia Daishan watched the commotion from the sidelines. He liked the lively scene.

He was much more indulgent toward his grandson Jia Lian than toward Jia Hu, the heir, or Jia Zhu, the legitimate eldest son of the second branch.

As they were chatting, Jia Lian came running over with Liu Xianglian and pulled Jia Hu and Liu Zhong along to judge a contest.

Liu Zhong asked, "What are you two competing at this time?"

Liu Xianglian said, "It's not me and the Second Brother Lian. He's competing with the eldest daughter of the Wang family. They're going to have an archery contest."

Jia Hu glared at Jia Lian. "You're competing in archery with a girl?"

Jia Lian pouted. "How is Wang Xifeng like a girl? She's a tomboy."

Jia Hu rapped Jia Lian on the head. "It's impolite to talk about a girl like that."

Jia Lian grumbled. Though he submitted to Jia Hu's "tyranny," he didn't agree with him; he just didn't dare argue back.

Liu Zhong smiled. "I've heard the eldest Wang daughter is every bit as capable as a man and was raised like a boy from childhood. Her archery must be pretty good. Let's go see for ourselves."

Jia Hu gave him a look that said, "You just want to watch the show," but let Liu Zhong lead him to the training grounds.