Chapter 157 Jia Baoyu’s sudden realization of a new life
……

Shenjing.

It suddenly started snowing on the night of New Year’s Eve. Soon the sky was covered with flying snow. The bright red lanterns, festive spring couplets and door gods reflected the white snowflakes, looking exceptionally charming.

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie’s courtyard.

This year is definitely not a good year for Wang Xifeng.

Whether it was the split between the Jia and Wang families or Mrs. Xing’s taking charge of the household, her situation was somewhat awkward.

Of course, the most embarrassing thing is that after ten months of hard work, I gave birth to a daughter.

His status suddenly plummeted.

At this moment, her mother-in-law, Madam Xing, looked at her even more unfriendlyly, her eyes were not eyes and her nose was not a nose. If it weren’t for the pressure from Lady Jia, she would probably have been asked by her mother-in-law to behave herself before she was out of confinement.

If it were just that, it would be fine. After all, she is my mother-in-law, and Dafengjie can tolerate the rules.

What she couldn’t stand was that the servants who used to be submissive to her were actually taking advantage of her and not only withholding her monthly wages, but also cutting corners on food.

Today she asked for a bowl of pigeon soup, but was sent a bowl of chicken soup instead. They said that pigeons were rare this year and were particularly precious and unavailable on the market.

Who are you kidding!
The magnificent Rongguo Mansion can’t buy pigeons?

“A bunch of bastards who look down on others. Just wait for me. When I get the chance, I will skin you alive and kill you!”

While secretly swearing, Fengjie pushed the chicken soup on the table to the ground.

“Clap.”

The bowl broke into pieces.

Feng Er, who was serving beside her, was startled and hurried forward to say, “Grandma, why are you doing this? If some gossipy maid or old woman tells the Madam about this, she will be ridiculed for nothing again.”

Sister Feng was angry and didn’t like anyone. She sneered and said, “You don’t need anyone else. As long as you don’t spread the word, I’ll be very happy!”

Although Feng’er was promoted to a concubine, she was still Fengjie’s maid. She dared not say anything and could only squat down and clean up the broken bowls with grievance.

Sister Feng took a look and said, “Don’t look at me with such grievance. Let me ask you, what did Miss Xing say to you this afternoon?”

Feng’er said, “Miss Xing came to ask if grandma was okay, but she didn’t go in when she saw that grandma was resting. She just looked at my sister and left.”

Sister Feng nodded.

She had been observing Xing Xiuyan’s behavior from a distance these days and found it to be impeccable.

Mrs. Xing was famous for her sharp-tongued nature. Some matters in the mansion were all handled by Xing Xiuyan. Not only her, but everyone in the mansion, including Lady Jia, looked at Xing Xiuyan differently.

However, the more this happened, the more scared Fengjie became.

Mrs. Xing’s intention was too obvious. She definitely wanted to keep Xing Xiuyan in the mansion. She even suspected that Mrs. Xing would do something bad and kill her, so that Xing Xiuyan would become Jia Lian’s second wife.

She…must not just sit there and wait for death!
How can I make a comeback?
My mother’s family is obviously unreliable and they are almost killed by Master Jing.

At most, Grandmother Jia could protect her temporarily, but she could not help her make a comeback.

Jia Lian is a bastard. He wasn’t seen at all during the time when she was giving birth, and no one knows where he was fooling around.

After much thought, only Dongfu could help her.

Rong’er.

Auntie will be counting on you in the future.

……

If we talk about the most unlucky person this year, Jia Baoyu is definitely one of them.

The phoenix egg from the high and mighty Rongguo Mansion suddenly fell to the ground and became a stinky duck egg that everyone avoided.

Especially his sisters, they all avoided him.

Tanchun used to make shoes for him, but now, let alone shoes, she hasn’t spoken a word to him for months.

Yingchun did see him, but once when he went to visit Yingchun, he happened to run into Xing Furen’s maid Wang Shanbao. The dead-eyed old woman chased him out when she saw him going to visit Yingchun, cursing, “A girl’s room is not something you, a man, can just come in casually. Second Master, I’m not a servant, you’re so old now, it’s time for you to learn some manners.”

“You are not qualified to tell me the rules!”

Jia Baoyu was so angry that he almost dropped the jade on his neck.

Fortunately, Yingchun stopped him in time, saying that the eldest wife would be here soon, and asked him to leave quickly, and told him not to come again in the future, otherwise she would be scolded if the wife saw her.

Baoyu was stunned for a while, then walked away in a daze.

He didn’t understand why?
His sisters used to play with him, why can’t they do that now?

He couldn’t understand it at all!
Even the maids who used to like playing with him no longer play with him, and the last time he ate the maids’ rouge was half a year ago.

Jia Baoyu, who had lived in a gentle and comfortable environment since childhood, could not accept this change at all. The huge gap made him stupider. He would often talk to himself and cry in front of the flowers. Sometimes he would even mutter nonsense like “I eat and go without any worries”.

Everyone thought that he could not bear the huge blow and became stupid, and no one cared. What’s more, Mrs. Xing’s trusted maids deliberately bullied Baoyu in order to please her.

For example, she deliberately bumped into Baoyu with a plate of soup, making him dirty, and tripped him to make him fall.

Baoyu didn’t care about it, instead he just smiled foolishly. This scared everyone so much that they didn’t dare to provoke him easily. They just stayed far away, pointing and whispering.

Until one day when he went out, Baoyu met a man.

Finally changed his life!
“Brother Qin.”

“Brother Bao!”

“You and I hit it off right away. Why don’t you come to my house tonight and have a long chat?”

“I can’t ask for it!”

In this way, Baoyu made his first good friend in his life and gradually recovered from his previous grief.

Later, Baoyu asked Grandmother Jia to talk to him, and the two of them kept each other company, going to school happily every day and returning home happily.

Mrs. Wang was very pleased when she heard this in the small Buddhist temple.

She prayed to gods wholeheartedly, waiting for Baoyu to pass the imperial examination and earn her a title of consort.

“Second Master, what are you doing today?” Xiren asked with a look of disgust, holding the handkerchief in her hand.

Baoyu scratched his head and said awkwardly, “Today is New Year’s Eve. I went to Brother Qin’s house to play for a while and helped to put up the Spring Festival couplets. Don’t misunderstand me.”

Xiren angrily threw the handkerchief next to Baoyu and said, “I don’t want to misunderstand you either. Second Master said to put up Spring Festival couplets? Then what’s going on here? Could it be that the paste for putting up Spring Festival couplets got on it?”

Baoyu took a look and realized that he could not hide it from Xiren. He blushed and said, “My dear sister, please don’t tell anyone. I won’t dare to do it again next time.”

Xiren frowned and sighed, “Second Master, if you continue like this, it will be difficult for me to stay. If anything else, if even a little bit of this gets out, I will be beaten to death.”

Baoyu hurriedly grabbed Xiren’s hand and swore, “Don’t leave. If you leave again, I really can’t live anymore. I’d rather become a monk.”

Xiren sneered, “I don’t think so. If you become a monk, what about your brother Qin? Will he also become a monk with you? If so, the two of you will become a pair of monks, which will be a good story!”

Baoyu was almost ashamed of himself by Xiren’s ridicule, and begged for mercy: “Good sister, why do you mention him again? Let’s talk about our own business.”

As he said this, Baoyu went to hold Xiren’s hand.

Xiren pushed him away in disgust.

“Second Master, be more respectful.”

“I’m not the kind of girl who can be easily bullied!”

“If you’re like this, I’ll go straight back to the old lady.”

Baoyu made himself look bad, and said, “You were not like this before. Are you ignoring me now?”

Xiren curled her lips and thought: What was your status before? I am naturally willing to serve you well.

Now, I can only behave myself.

“What? You don’t want to talk anymore?” Baoyu sneered.

Xiren laughed and said, “Second Master, don’t blame me. Just look at the sweat towel on you. I really feel it’s very dirty.”

“Let me make it clear first. I’m not responsible for washing this. If you feel comfortable with it, you can let the maid outside wash it. If not, you can wash it yourself.”

Baoyu: “…”

So… on New Year’s Day, the noble Phoenix man Jia Baoyu enjoyed the pleasure of washing clothes.

And he actually liked this feeling…

……

If we say that Jia Baoyu is one of the most unlucky people this year, it is because there is someone who is even more unlucky than him.

Not bad.

This person is Jia Baoyu’s mother.

Mrs. Wang.

Looking back to the past, there were five spacious main rooms, with a dozen maids serving her, and wives and old women surrounding her. There were also the wives of the four kings and eight dukes who chatted with her.

This year, the ancient Buddha statues and green lamps are deserted.

but!

Mrs. Wang was not depressed, but became more and more energetic.

She must live!
She wanted to see with her own eyes her brother being made a marquis and a prime minister, and overwhelm the East Palace and the Jia Palace!
She wants to see Baoyu pass the imperial examination and earn her an imperial edict!

She also had a dream last night. She dreamed that her eldest daughter Yuanchun in the palace was favored by the emperor and became a royal concubine!

Everyone prostrated themselves at her feet!

Including Jia Jing and Jia Mu!
“Hahaha……”

Thinking of her pride, Mrs. Wang suddenly laughed.

Jinchuan’er and Yuchuan’er standing next to them were already used to this.

Their wives often stare in front of the Buddha statue and laugh out loud from time to time.

“Sister, did you ask mom the last time you went home? When will you redeem us? I’ve had enough of staying here!” Yuchuan’er ate a melon seed and said helplessly.

Jin Chuan’er also ate a melon seed and said, “Mom told us to stay here with peace of mind. The main reason is that there would be no food for us if we go back home. Here at least we have food to eat, and at least some monthly salary to help with the household expenses.”

Yuchuaner: “But…”

Jin Chuan’er: “Don’t say buts, I think this is a good thing. Madam has been very kind to us in the past few years. We can’t leave just because she is in trouble. How will people outside see us?”

Yuchuan’er curled her lips and said, “Caiyun Cloud and Xia walk very skillfully!”

Jin Chuan’er sneered, “He left in a neat and timid way, but his imagination was a little far-fetched. What kind of person is Third Master Huan? He is just as wretched and filthy as Aunt Zhao. He has become more and more powerful recently. He thinks that the Duke’s Mansion is like his family and doesn’t take people seriously at all.”

“Do you think Mr. Huan San can look down upon them now? They will know what’s good if they are made to feel miserable!”

Yuchuaner nodded.

Huan Lao San is indeed not a good person worthy of trust.

“Well, after all, the four of us are pitiful people.”

Jin Chuan’er smiled and said, “If you want to talk about pity, it’s not our turn. The girls around Baoyu, such as Sheyue, Qiuwen, and Bihen, were thrown into the kitchen by Wang Shanbao. It’s ok for them to chop wood and boil water all day long. I heard that they were given boys after the New Year.”

Yuchuaner: “…”

Jin Chuan’er: “So now you know, we are still doing well. Just stay here and serve the Madam.”

……

When talking about bad luck, Jia Zheng is of course indispensable.

He was a good Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Works. Although he might not have held a high position of power, at least he was a Beijing official. It was a position that his father asked the retired emperor for before his death.

It is the source of his pride!
But he clearly did nothing, yet he was accused of not managing his family well and was impeached.

Of course he didn’t want to be depressed like this.

He is still young.

He also wanted to serve his country.

Jia Jing told him to stay at home and teach, but he didn’t take it to heart and didn’t go to school.

In the past six months, he has been working on his old connections, hoping that they can make a profit and submit a petition to the emperor, asking him to give him another chance.

However, the messages submitted fell on deaf ears, without any ripples.

It seems that I will have to ask Brother Jing for help after the New Year.

Jia Zheng thought so in his heart.

Aunt Zhao, looking radiant, walked over, twisting her slender waist, and called out in a delicate voice, “Master, it’s getting late. Let me wait for you to rest.”

Jia Zheng looked up at the Western clock and saw that it was already past midnight.

The new year has arrived.

Can he make a comeback this year?

……

Jia’s mother’s courtyard.

This year, Grandmother Jia lived a relatively comfortable life.

When Jia Jing was not at home, she immediately became the real ancestor of the Jia family. She invited Xichun and Baochai, who had gone to the East Palace, to come over. Together with Yingchun and Xichun, the four girls had a reunion dinner together and were very happy.

Early the next morning, Lady Jia and Madam Xing, two high-ranking lawyers with imperial edicts, entered the palace in court robes to meet the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

There were three in previous years, but this year there are only two. Mrs. Wang is no longer worthy to go to court with them.

If we bring Madam Wang along, it would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and the Queen!
Mrs. Xing was of course very proud of this.

You bitch named Wang, now you have come to this day!
Grandmother Jia didn’t care either. Although there were fewer people, their status was higher.

Because Jia Jing became a cabinet minister!
Although they are separated by several generations, the surname is still Jia.

I can’t write two characters in one stroke!

To outsiders, they are a family.

All the noble families met on the road were polite to Lady Jia. Even the Concubine Nan’an and the Princess Beijing of the Four Princes did not dare to be arrogant at all. Instead, they let Lady Jia take the lead in everything.

Grandmother Jia felt very proud because of this.

“Old sister, how about the thing I talked about last time?” Concubine Nan’an said quietly while pulling down Lady Jia’s clothes.

Jia Mu knew what the Nan’an Concubine was asking about, and said with a smile, “We have to wait a little longer. Jing’er hasn’t come back yet. I’ll ask him when he comes back.”

Grandmother Jia was absolutely against this marriage.

So it kept dragging on.

She is now the ancestor with the highest imperial title in the Jia family, a position she had obtained after many years of hard work.

You sent a sixteen-year-old girl to help you rise to the top overnight, and get a first-rank imperial edict for nothing, making you equal to me.

How can there be such a good thing in the world?

The Nan’an Concubine seemed to have seen what Lady Jia was thinking, and quietly took out a gift list and said with a smile, “It’s just a few small things. I’ll have someone send them to your house later, and the old sisters will help appreciate them.”

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, “I am old now and can’t understand these things. Old sister, why don’t you let Princess Beijing take a look.”

Princess Beijing had been paying attention to the two of them. She came over and said with a smile, “What’s so interesting? Do you have to tell me behind my back?”

Concubine Nan’an smiled and said, “They are just a few small items with Huiwen patterns. The princess’s family doesn’t need them, right?”

“oops.”

Princess Beijing exclaimed: “It turned out to be Huiwen’s item. I must take a good look at it.”

Concubine Nan’an smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll take it to Rongguo Mansion later and we can appreciate it together.”

Grandmother Jia was helpless and smiled, “Well, I will prepare to host and entertain the two concubines and princesses when I get back.”

……

(End of this chapter)