Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 79 The Informer

Seeing that Daiyu came to teach Xiangling to read and write every day, Jia Baoyu would also follow along whenever he had nothing else to do.

However, Xiangling was only a beginner in learning to read, and Daiyu was more than capable of teaching her to read on her own. Why would she need Jia Baoyu to help her?

With him standing there, he must have felt bored.

Seeing Qingwen sewing gloves inside, he ran up to her and suggested, "How about I teach you to read too?"

"unnecessary."

The simple and direct refusal left Jia Baoyu stunned on the spot.

He never expected that, given his status as a master, he would condescend to teach Qingwen to read; it should have been an honor for Qingwen.

Even if she didn't like studying, she should have declined in a more tactful way.

This is so embarrassing... Luckily, there's no one else in the room.

Looking up, he saw Qingwen turned away, engrossed in her needlework, ignoring him completely. He could only walk out dejectedly. Seeing Daiyu still diligently teaching Xiangling at the table, he had no desire to approach her and instead sat down on a stool, lost in thought.

"Alright, copy all these sets of characters ten times."

After teaching Xiangling to read and write more than ten new characters, Daiyu turned around, glanced at Jia Baoyu who had been given the cold shoulder, said nothing, and picked up a book to read.

Suddenly, a shadow swept past. Looking up, I saw that it was the tall and slender Jia Lian who had walked in, blocking the light from the doorway.

Daiyu then stood up and gave a slight curtsy: "Second Brother Lian."

Jia Lian nodded, walked to the table, put a hand on Xiangling's shoulder, and pressed her down as she was about to get up. He then glanced at her homework and smiled, "Not bad, your handwriting is getting better and better, even better than mine. Indeed, a good teacher produces excellent students. It seems that it won't be long before you graduate."

Daiyu pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "Is it really that hard to write better than you? Just find a few not-too-stupid kids, teach them properly for a few days, and they'll probably all be able to write better than you."

Fortunately, she respected Jia Lian and was too embarrassed to criticize him.

Jia Baoyu was about to come over and greet them when suddenly a figure rushed out of the inner room.

"Second Master, you're back..."

Qingwen ran up to Jia Lian, threw herself on the table, looked up, and greeted him with a smile.

Jia Lian flicked her forehead and said, "Move aside, you're smudged all the words Xiangling worked so hard to write."

Qingwen quickly stood up, covered her head, and pouted, but soon came forward with a smile to read the few pieces of writing Xiangling had written with Jia Lian.

After exchanging a few words with Jia Lian, he took his leave and went out. She immediately chased after him, and her voice could still be heard in the corridor, "Second Master, wait for me, I have something to say to you..."

Inside the room, Jia Baoyu stood there blankly, feeling as if he had suffered the most ruthless blow the world had ever dealt him.

……

Qingwen followed Jia Lian to the main house.

Since there was no one else in the room, Jia Lian beckoned Qingwen to come closer and sit on his lap, then asked, "Where is your second mistress?"

Qingwen casually replied, then glared at Jia Lian with a resentful look.

"What's wrong?"

"Second Master is a liar."

Jia Lian chuckled and pinched her rosy cheeks.

Qingwen shifted her position, straightened her seat, and faced Jia Lian, saying unhappily, "Don't try to hide it from me, you definitely took Ping'er as your concubine last night!"

"How did you know...?"

"Hmph, how would I know? Xiangling was kicked out so late by you guys, and you even called Ping'er in. I know all of that."

This morning I saw Ping'er secretly washing clothes and bedding in the back..."

Qingwen had an air of "You can't hide anything from me, I've seen through everything all along."

Jia Lian found it amusing and flicked her again, saying seriously, "You have no manners. Even disregarding seniority, Ping'er is several years older than you, yet you don't even call her 'elder sister,' you just call her Ping'er."

Qingwen gave a soft snort.

In the past, she would naturally call her "Sister Ping'er," but now that Ping'er has taken the place that should have been hers, she is naturally resentful.

Who will be the second oldest in this courtyard from now on?

"Second Master is so hateful. If he doesn't like me, he should just say so. Let me be a maid in peace and that would be enough."

It's so annoying to say you like someone one minute and then criticize them the next.

Qingwen had reason to be unhappy.

She was a concubine bestowed upon her by Grandmother Jia, yet Jia Lian refused to take her in, instead taking in Ping'er first.

This will destabilize her position!

Those maids and servants wouldn't say that the Second Master was being kind to her because she was still young; they would only say that she wasn't pleasing enough to Jia Lian.

But she knew that Jia Lian liked her very much; it was just that as long as Jia Lian didn't accept her as a concubine, those people would keep gossiping behind her back. She couldn't possibly argue with every single person she met.

To dispel Qingwen's repeated wild thoughts, Jia Lian decided to scare her, so he said, "You're so beautiful, do you think I don't want to take you in? But there's another reason behind it, would you like to hear it?"

"What?"

"You've been in this household for almost a year now. You should know that in families like ours, the masters and young masters have many concubines and maids, but very few of them are ultimately made concubines. Do you know why?"

Qingwen had never really thought about this question before, but when she heard Jia Lian say it, she immediately realized, "Yes, if we're serious, there really aren't many concubines in the mansion!"

Just like the master, I've heard he's only had two concubines over the years...

Everyone says that the wife is virtuous and not as jealous as the second wife of Lian, so how come the master only has two concubines?

Before Qingwen could think it through, Jia Lian said, "Let me tell you, it's because most of those concubines and maids are dead."

"what?"

Qingwen was startled and hurriedly asked, "How did you die?"

This news is terrible! I'm now part of that group!

"Why? There are many reasons, but the most important one is that they died in childbirth... Do you know why they had difficult births?"

Qingwen shook her head, completely believing Jia Lian's words.

She seemed to have heard that childbirth was a life-or-death ordeal for women, and even the Second Master said so, so it must be true.

She was a woman too, and she would definitely have children. She didn't want to die, so she looked at Jia Lian expectantly, hoping he could answer her questions so she could avoid it in the future.

"One reason is that they are thin. Most women who want to look good are thin, and since they are thin, they are naturally weak."

The second reason is that they were too young. Pretty girls were often chosen by men very early on, and were taken into their homes before their bodies had fully developed.

Think about it, don't you meet both of these criteria?

So it's not impossible for me to take you in right now, but I'm afraid you'll most likely end up like them...

Upon hearing this, Qingwen's face turned pale.

Although she didn't think she was thin, with her graceful figure, slender waist and narrow shoulders, she certainly couldn't be considered a strong woman.

Jia Lian could lift her up with one hand.

As for her age, she was just over twelve years old, so she was certainly considered old enough.

Jia Lian just didn't want Qingwen to keep thinking about the matter of sacrificing herself, but seeing her face turn pale with fright, he felt a little sorry for her.

Therefore, he hurriedly comforted him, saying, "Alright, your second master isn't the kind of person who doesn't care about others, so naturally he won't let you be in danger."

Your sister Ping'er will be seventeen soon, and she's in good health, which is why I took her in first.

Instead of expressing gratitude for my tenderness, you come here complaining about me. Don't you think that's inappropriate?

Qingwen nodded immediately, she had never been so serious before.

She was deeply moved. "Thank you... thank you, sir. I'll never bother you with this again. You're so good to me!"

Qingwen immediately gave Jia Lian a sweet kiss as a way of repaying him.

Jia Lian accepted it without ceremony, then patted her on the bottom and told her to pour herself a cup of tea.

Qingwen immediately jumped down and quickly poured a cup of warm tea. While Jia Lian was drinking the tea, she thoughtfully stood behind him and massaged his shoulders.

Thinking of how good Jia Lian was to her, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Jia Lian the information she had found out.

"Second Master, I have something to tell you. This morning, I saw Sister Ping'er acting suspiciously, so I paid special attention to her."

It turned out that Sister Ping'er had asked Aunt Liu to buy a packet of medicine from outside, and she brewed it and ate it all by herself in that room.

Second Master, you certainly don't understand, but I do!

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian frowned, but seeing Qingwen's boastful attitude, he still gave her face: "What do you know?"

"Hmph, Sister Ping'er must have taken some contraceptive soup!"

Hearing Qingwen's certainty, Jia Lian was somewhat surprised. "How do you know it's definitely a contraceptive potion?"

Qingwen pouted.

Has Second Master forgotten that she was sent here by Grandmother Jia as a concubine?

During those months in Grandmother Jia's room, the governesses taught her all the rules of how to be a proper concubine, so she knew all about these things.

But she didn't explain. "I just know."

Jia Lian put down his teacup, stood up, asked if Ping'er was still in the room, and then went to Ping'er's room.