activa-t Chapter 6 Qingfeng Courtyard
Chapter 6 Qingfeng Courtyard
Jia Huan was the youngest, so he was naturally the last to leave. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Jia Baoyu, who had been so timid and hesitant inside the house, suddenly change his demeanor and was chatting and laughing with a maid named Jin Chuan'er in the corridor.
While Jia Huan was waiting for Xiu Yun to tie his cloak, he heard the maid point to her bright red lips with her slender white fingers and tease, "Second Master, are you still going to eat the rouge on my lips now?"
The three sisters in the previous story also had maids and nannies serving them. They were all used to seeing Baoyu act this way, and even looked on with amusement. Clearly, this was not the first time Baoyu had acted this way.
Ah this!
Jia Huan closed his eyes...
In public!
The parents are still sitting peacefully inside!
Jia Baoyu dared to openly flirt with his mother and maids like that!
Is this how the world works?
Jia Huan was speechless for a moment. What kind of world was this?!
Unwilling to watch Jia Baoyu act in such a manner, Jia Huan hastily bowed to the group before Xiuyun finished fastening her cloak, and then strode away.
They were afraid that if they stayed even a moment longer, Baoyu would actually 'eat' the rouge off the maid's lips, and if he saw it, he would definitely get a sty.
Tan Chun was still debating whether or not to greet her younger brother when he unexpectedly left so readily.
Although Tan Chun was Zhao Yiniang's biological daughter and Jia Huan's sibling from the same mother, she was closer to Jia Baoyu, who liked to play with his sisters.
Tan Chun was raised and educated by Lady Wang from a young age, and was not very close to Aunt Zhao. Tan Chun was well-versed in poetry and literature, but Aunt Zhao was illiterate, lacked self-respect, and was vulgar and rude. The two could not even have a conversation.
Moreover, whenever she received something nice, Aunt Zhao would bring Jia Huan to ask for it. Aunt Zhao, being her mother, would often throw tantrums and cause trouble in public, embarrassing others. Over time, the relationship between the two families deteriorated further.
Just like this time when Jia Huan was "sick" for a month or two, Tan Chun didn't even visit him in his courtyard. It's really ironic that the relationship between siblings has deteriorated to this extent.
Tan Chun hadn't spoken to Jia Huan when she saw him earlier because she was still conflicted. She was afraid that if she went up to him, he would cling to her and ask for things as usual. But he left decisively without saying another word, leaving her no chance to speak.
Huan'er is different from before!
Tan Chun suddenly realized this.
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Jia Huan only slowed down after leaving Rongxi Hall, and then he realized what had happened.
This isn't my home, why am I so angry!
Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better.
It is now nearly March, the weather is gradually warming up, and the winter snow has begun to melt, leaving only mud on the ground.
To be honest, no matter how Madam Wang treated her illegitimate son in secret, she was indeed impeccable in public.
Qingfeng Courtyard is indeed a nice courtyard, spacious and grand, a two-courtyard house facing south, with five main rooms, one side room on each side, three wing rooms on each side, and another side room on each side. There is a front building and a rear building, with deep courtyards. The front courtyard has artificial hills and flowing water, and the back courtyard has a variety of bright flowers and plants. Not far from the back courtyard, there is a gate that leads directly to the street, making it very convenient to come and go. Now, Jia Huan's servants and attendants wait at the gatehouse here every day for his summons.
Not to mention that, in order to prevent outsiders from saying that she mistreats her illegitimate son, Madam Wang renovated Qingfeng Courtyard before he moved in.
In conclusion, Jia Huan is fairly satisfied with his current residence.
The main house has five rooms. The central hall is where guests are received and meals are served. The east end room and the east side room are connected to form a large room, which is separated by a screen. This is Jia Huan's bedroom where he sleeps at night. There is a daybed outside, where the person on night duty is located. However, since Jia Huan arrived, no one has been required to keep watch at night.
There was a large kang (heated brick bed) by the south window in the west side room, where Jia Huan stayed during the day. The west end room was originally a small study, but when Jia Huan experienced the time travel, he was determined to go back home but could not find a way. So he set up a shrine and Buddhist altar in the west end room, prayed to all the gods and Buddhas, and burned incense and chanted scriptures every day in the hope of returning home. Unfortunately, after a month of praying, it was of no use, so he converted it into a tea room.
As for the small study in the main house, Jia Huan was moved to the east wing. Anyway, now that Jia Huan was the only one living in Qingfeng Courtyard, he had a master and whatever he said went.
There is also a small kitchen in the backyard, which was built after Jia Huan arrived.
The Jia family had their own allowances for food, clothing, and daily necessities, so Jia Huan didn't need to worry about it.
However, Jia Huan is currently recuperating from an illness, and the food sent from the mansion's kitchen is all bland.
This "light" is different from the elegant, light, fragrant, and fresh dishes that people usually imagine. What the kitchen sent over was just white porridge, with at most a plate of pickled vegetables.
Because the Jia family, or rather the general public of that era, believed that if one was sick, one should fast for a few meals to cleanse the stomach and intestines, which would be beneficial for recovery.
Neuropathy!
Jia Huan prefers light and delicious food, not bland and tasteless porridge!
If you're sick and don't eat more to nourish your body, but instead go hungry, it's no wonder you can't get better. No wonder so many children die young here.
Even a normal person will develop health problems if they skip a few meals!
Moreover, the rules within the mansion are strict, and what he eats every day is predetermined, so naturally, not everything will go his way.
Now Jia Huan no longer cares about material things like clothing and daily necessities, but if he still can't eat well, he really can't live like this. With the small kitchen, if the food in the main kitchen doesn't meet his expectations, he can cook whatever he wants himself, which is really convenient.
Jia Huan remained seated on the kang in the west side room, counting the people in his courtyard. He currently had six head maids, eight junior maids, one wet nurse, and four maids who did menial tasks. Now, he had added two more maids, four maids, and six cleaners, making a total of thirty people. Moreover, these were only the maids and servants serving him in the inner courtyard. In the outer courtyard, he also had ten servants who followed him. In total, there were forty people revolving around him.
Moreover, when he first arrived, he made an example of one of the maids, and he hasn't replaced her yet, otherwise he would have seven maids by his side.
Jia Huan couldn't help but click his tongue, secretly sighing at how extravagant this noble family truly was.
However, with so many people, without rules to restrain them, there will inevitably be a lot of trouble. It's a good opportunity to establish rules so that things will be easier in the future.
Moreover, the most pressing issue isn't that, but rather the original owner's birth mother, Aunt Zhao, who is currently the person causing Jia Huan the most headache. Although she has many faults, she is still the original owner's birth mother, and she wholeheartedly wants what's best for him, even if her methods are wrong.
Aunt Zhao was crude, rude, ignorant, and competitive, always stirring up trouble and earning the contempt and disdain of the entire household. Even her own daughter, Tan Chun, had many complaints about her, but because she was her mother, she couldn't speak out against her. She was truly disliked by everyone.