Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 14 Spreading Grace

"Grandpa, how many melons do you have in your field in total?"

Looking at the young man who brought out the teapot and poured tea for them, and then at the old man who picked fresh melons from the field and was busy cutting them up for them to eat, Jia Lian suddenly asked.

Although the old man didn't understand why Jia Lian asked that, he still replied, "It's probably around 12,000 to 13,000 catties."

Hardworking farmers have a very accurate understanding of the harvest from the fields.

Jia Lian then said, "How about this, if the old man is willing, I'd like to offer four coins per pound and buy ten thousand pounds from him."

Before the old man could react, Laiwang exploded: "Second Master, why are you buying so much?"

Jia Lian ignored him.

This is actually the reason why Jia Lian was willing to come to the countryside under the scorching sun, not just for a bowl of cold tea.

However, he hadn't originally intended to buy so many; he just thought the melons here tasted good and wanted to buy a truckload or two to take back so his family could try them.

After listening to the old man's words, Jia Lian made the decision on the spur of the moment.

He was just trying to improve his reputation, so why not take this opportunity to do some favors and win over everyone inside and outside the mansion?

As for whether 10,000 jin of watermelon can be eaten, that's impossible.

The Jia family, just the Ning and Rong mansions alone, has nearly a thousand members. Although the other eight branches have fewer servants, they have many sons and grandsons. If each branch were to send some, ten thousand catties would definitely be enough to consume.

Zhao'er quickly asked, "Second Master, we're still going to Yangzhou, why are we buying these melons? Should we buy them when we get back?"

Zhao'er thought that the melons here were delicious and so cheap; if the few of them brought some back to the capital, they might be able to make some money. But Second Master didn't seem to be short of money.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "It's so hot today, let's buy some to give to the old lady and the madam, and let you outsiders benefit from it too."

The old man opposite him realized that Jia Lian was not joking, and quickly asked, "Young master, are you serious?"

Jia Lian smiled and nodded, then asked Zhao'er to take out ten taels of silver and put it on the table. He then said, "Our home is more than a hundred miles away from here, so it may not be possible to transport it back in a short time. Later, I will have my family bring it over by horse-drawn cart, whether it's once or several times, until all 10,000 catties are transported."

This ten taels of silver is a deposit; the remaining twenty taels can be paid when they come to pick up the goods. Is that acceptable, sir?

At that time, the purchasing power of one tael of silver was much greater than that of one string of cash (one thousand coins), which could be exchanged for about one thousand three hundred coins. Therefore, thirty taels of silver was roughly equivalent to forty thousand coins.

Seeing the silver ingot placed on the table, the old man finally couldn't contain his excitement and began to tremble. The young man beside him also stared wide-eyed at the ten-tael silver ingot.

"I know that you mean well, young master, but you're buying so much at once and you're not letting us escort it. The price of four coins is too high. How about... we just calculate it as two coins?"

The old man overheard Jia Lian and his servants' conversation, and the implication wasn't that they were going to sell the animals, but rather that they wanted to eat them themselves...

He couldn't imagine what kind of family could finish 10,000 jin of watermelon, so he became even more cautious.

After much deliberation, this is the final conclusion.

Although he sold it for two coins, he still didn't make much money this year, but at least he didn't have to worry about the rent, right? Besides, it was someone who was intentionally helping him out, so why would he want to make money off them?

Jia Lian shook his head and smiled, "This price is already very fair, old man, there's no need to say anything more."

Alright, thank you for your kind hospitality, but I have other matters to attend to and will not disturb you any longer.

After the elderly person returns home, they can make preparations with their family. Our family's convoy will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow, at which time we can exchange money for goods.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Jia Lian and his group only took half a day to get here from the capital; that's because they traveled light and rode at full speed.

If a horse-drawn carriage or mule cart comes to pick up the goods, it will take at least one or two days. Once the goods are loaded, it will be even slower.

This is why these melon farmers, despite being clearly forced into a corner, did not transport their melons to the capital to sell.

The journey is too far!

Moreover, the markets in the capital are not something these rootless, powerless farmers can conquer...

Jia Lian got up to leave, and although Lai Wang and the others did not approve of Jia Lian's "show-off" behavior, they dared not object and could only follow him.

The old man hadn't quite figured out the whole situation yet, and dared not stop Jia Lian and the others, so he hurriedly went to keep an eye on the two dogs, not daring to let them disturb the distinguished guests.

Suddenly remembering something, she called out to Jia Lian and the others, "By the way, young master, you must be careful when your family sends people. That Master Li is a local tyrant in the surrounding area, and he has already forbidden anyone from buying melons from us. If he finds out, he might send people to cause trouble..."

The old man sounded worried.

Zhao'er sneered, "What kind of Li Yuanwai, what kind of bastard Yuanwai? He's nothing but dog in front of our family! If he angers my Second Master, he'll have his house torn down!"

Jia Lian waved his hand to stop Zhao'er's wild words and smiled at the old man, "Old man, don't worry. If that Master Li causes you trouble, just say that the melons were sold to the Rongguo Mansion in the capital."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in farewell and led Laiwang and the others back the way they came.

"Grandpa, what kind of place is Rongguo Mansion? It sounds very impressive."

After Jia Lian and the others had gone far away, the shy grandson finally couldn't help but tug at his grandfather's sleeve and ask.

The old man lowered his head and chuckled, "Grandpa doesn't know what that place is either, but it's definitely something extraordinary. We've really met a benefactor today!"

Looking up at the few villagers peeking out to watch the commotion in the fields, the old man said nothing, grabbed his grandson, and happily returned to his thatched hut.

……

Once on the official road, Laiwang and the others looked at each other, still not quite understanding why their second master would suddenly do something so troublesome, expensive, and seemingly meaningless.

Thirty taels of silver is neither a lot nor a little.

Most importantly, how much effort will it take to transport those watermelons back to Beijing!

With that time, you could just buy it in Beijing and still show your respect to the old ladies.

Could it be that Second Master was simply acting out of kindness and wanted to help that old man?

Jia Lian didn't explain further. He glanced at everyone and called out, "Wang'er."

Laiwang hurriedly rode forward.

"Unload the things from the horse and give them to them, then go back and handle this matter personally. After the things are brought back, tell your second mistress to consider it herself and send some to the elders of our mansion, the East Mansion, and the Eighth Branch."

And give some to the servants in the house as well, do you understand?

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Laiwang immediately said, "It's the same to leave this matter to them. This servant will go to Yangzhou with you, Master..."

Jia Lian suddenly laughed: "Come with me to Yangzhou, so you can help your second mistress keep an eye on me?"

Laiwang was so frightened that he trembled and opened his mouth to explain.

"Alright, you two came from the Wang family, so it's only right that you be loyal to your second grandmother. I didn't mean to blame you."

"It's just that you're used to being with me, and you understand my thoughts better than others, so I'm having you handle this for me to avoid any mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Laiwang was unwilling but dared not refute it further.

Having confirmed that Jia Lian's mind was made irrevocably clear, the only recourse was to untie the items prepared for the trip, hand them over to others, and then ride back to the capital.

The others watched Laiwang leave, all seemingly lost in thought. It seemed that Master Lian was planning a carefree and pleasure-seeking trip, so he took the opportunity to send Laiwang away to prevent him from reporting to Madam Lian upon his return.

Some people secretly thought that Laiwang would definitely fall out of favor in the future, and thus the Second Master would be short of people by his side. If he could win the Second Master's favor during this trip to Jiangnan, he might be able to stay with the Second Master for a long time in the future, and the benefits would be obvious...

In fact, Jia Lian sent Lai Wang away not for any ulterior motives, but simply because he disliked being monitored by others.

Moreover, the reason why his predecessor was always controlled by Wang Xifeng was largely because most of the people around him were under her control. Therefore, from now on, he must intentionally cultivate some confidants who are only loyal to him, so that he can move freely whether at home or outside.

Turn the horse around and look at the end of the official road.

The sun was still shining brightly, but Jia Lian had no intention of resting there any longer.

"Let's set off. We'll find a place to eat up ahead, then continue our journey. We'll try to reach Yangzhou within five days!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces immediately turned bitter, even the five guards.

Jia Lian then encouraged them, saying, "You've all worked hard these past few days. If you arrive in Yangzhou on time, I'll give each of you an extra ten taels of silver as a bonus. We might even take turns giving you days off once we get there. What do you all say?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately changed from worry to joy.

With such a generous reward and a holiday, what could be better?

Therefore, they all expressed their gratitude repeatedly, and all of them became energetic, with no trace of their previous bitterness remaining.

Jia Lian smiled, tightened the reins, and spurred his horse: "Giddy up!"

The group of seven riders sped off southwards.

……

That evening, after Laiwang rushed back to the mansion, Wang Xifeng immediately found out and summoned him to report.

"Didn't you go south with your grandfather? Why are you back all of a sudden?"

Seeing Laiwang enter through the curtain, Wang Xifeng asked him a question.

Laiwang was very cautious and only stood at the door. After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell the truth.

"This servant was originally going with them, but before we reached the border of Ping'an Prefecture, Second Master called me back."

Wang Xifeng frowned: "Why did I call you back?"

"Reporting to Second Madam, Second Master asked me to return to do something for him, it's like this..."

Laiwang then recounted to Wang Xifeng everything that had happened along the way.

Hearing that Jia Lian and his men had run over a hundred li in one go, Wang Xifeng was still somewhat surprised. But when she heard that Jia Lian had spent thirty taels of silver to buy ten thousand catties of watermelon, her phoenix eyes widened in disbelief, and she exclaimed, "Ten thousand catties? Has he gone mad?"

"Second Master said that it's not just to show respect to the Old Madam and Madam, but also to send some to the elders in the East Mansion and the Eighth Branch, and even..."

"Speak up if you have anything else, stop beating around the bush like a mute!"

"Also, the Second Master said that we servants outside should also benefit from this and get a share as well."

Wang Xifeng then scoffed, "He's certainly generous, even considering you all. But, bah! He's just a pretentious show-off using other people's money!"

Wang Xifeng felt extremely unhappy when she thought about how she worked hard to earn money and benefit her family, while Jia Lian spent money extravagantly outside.

Thirty taels of silver, just to buy a few rotten melons?

Doesn't he know how much effort his mother puts into earning such a small amount of money? The old lady and madam seem to see through everything; do they really think her money is so easy to come by?

If I had known, I shouldn't have been fooled by his sweet talk and given him so much money all at once...