A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 5 Jia Lian's Jealousy Leads to a Falling Out Between Husband and Wife

"Yes, yes, yes! Second Madam's orders are correct!"

Jia Lian knew he was being too eager, and after she said that, he didn't dare to insist anymore.

However, while he readily agreed, his eyes kept darting around and searching for Ping'er.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng felt a surge of jealousy. She lightly kicked Ping'er's leg and said irritably, "You were all so energetic just now, but now that you're in a good mood, you've forgotten what you were saying?"

Ping'er said aggrievedly, "How dare a servant interrupt when Grandma and Second Master are talking?"

"Spit it out!"

"Grandpa Qing is all settled in!"

Wang Xifeng asked doubtfully, "Is this really something that's making you so anxious? Could it be that he's starting to look down on us?"

Although Wang Qing's courtyard is right next to Lixiang Courtyard, Zhou Rui's courtyard is just across a back gate to the west.

Just like the row of servants' quarters along the private alley of the two mansions, these outer courtyards were mostly bestowed upon respectable servants, who also served to protect the safety of the mansion.

If it weren't for the fact that the Duke of Rongguo needed to recuperate in his later years and specially tidied up the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, it might not have been so easy to arrange for the Xue family to move in.

However, the jade pendant that Wang Qing gave her was treasured by Grandmother Jia, and Wang Xifeng was also somewhat unsure of his background, hence this question.

Ping'er quickly shook her head: "No...no! This servant was just worried that Grandmother was unhappy, that's why I was a little anxious..."

She paused, then added, "Also, because of the First Madam's interference, the Old Madam didn't have time to make arrangements. There are only a few rough servants in the courtyard. I wanted to ask you, Madam, if you would like to arrange two second-class maids to serve in the room, so as not to say that the mansion has neglected its relatives."

Ping'er rushed back because she was worried that Wang Xifeng would be upset, and she didn't even have time to give Wang Qing a few more words of advice.

On the way back, he felt increasingly guilty, which unfortunately aroused Wang Xifeng's suspicion that he disliked the courtyard's simplicity, and also, coincidentally, interfered with their good time.

Wang Xifeng was always suspicious, and Ping'er was worried that she would suspect that she did it on purpose, so she took this opportunity to find a pretext and make up for her guilt.

Wang Xifeng sneered, "You do care about Brother Qing! If Second Master is willing, he might as well send you over to serve him, so you won't have to worry about others looking down on him."

Ping'er was immediately startled: "Grandma, I..."

Jia Lian, who had been indifferent until now, suddenly sat up, interrupting the conversation with dissatisfaction, "Where did this Brother Qing come from? Why is Ping'er being sent to settle him?"

Wang Xifeng was only annoyed that Jia Lian was staring at Ping'er with such longing and hunger, so she deliberately provoked him. She didn't actually intend to give Ping'er away.

It was clear that Jia Lian was getting anxious, and he immediately became defiant again. He raised his chin and retorted, "That's the old lady's great-aunt's grandson. She specifically instructed me to make sure he was settled in! If Ping'er isn't allowed to go, am I supposed to make his bed, fold his blankets, and tidy up his room?"

"How could that be?" Jia Lian immediately admitted defeat. "But, how come I've never heard of this before?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? The old lady herself confirmed it, she's as close as family, how could it be fake?"

Although Wang Xifeng could tell that Grandmother Jia wasn't particularly close to Wang Qing, it didn't stop her from trying to shut Jia Lian up.

Jia Lian didn't dare to question it, so he could only ask, "What's your name?"

"His surname is Wang."

After thinking for a long time, Jia Lian suddenly realized and said, "I remember now."

Then, with a hint of disdain, he added, "They're not even related! That old concubine isn't from a proper noble family. She was originally a illegitimate child from a collateral branch of the Shi family. Years ago, the old Marquis had a capable subordinate who was highly regarded by him, so he adopted this old concubine into the Marquis's household and married her off."

"I see, no wonder I've never heard of it before." Wang Xifeng suddenly realized.

Jia Lian couldn't help but complain, "The old lady is really something. We haven't been in touch for so many years, why are she still keeping them here?"

"I'll do whatever the old lady says. Do you expect me to keep asking her questions?"

Seeing that Jia Lian had exposed Wang Qing's true nature, Wang Xifeng didn't want to dwell on it and changed the subject, saying, "Stop talking about those irrelevant things. What are you going to say when you go to Yingtian Prefecture today?"

"Oh! Don't even mention it!" Jia Lian sighed. "I went to Yingtian Prefecture today to inquire and found out that this hot potato has now been handed over to the Five Cities Military Command."

Five Cities Military Command?

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er were both taken aback.

Jia Lian, however, did not notice the expressions of the two men and said to himself, "The Five Cities Military Command is a place that supports idlers. Most of them are people who live off salaries but do not do their jobs. How can they have the ability to catch thieves? Just now, Qiu Liang complained to me that he wanted to change his office."

What's worse, the commander surnamed Wang in our western city military command hasn't even taken office yet...

He paused abruptly, blinked, and said, "Could it be that unlucky guy?"

"Pah!~"

Wang Xifeng scoffed, "What do you mean by 'unlucky'? We're family, after all. How can you talk like that? Aren't you afraid someone will hear you?"

Jia Lian scoffed, "Am I wrong? Everyone knows this is a hot potato these days."

"That's not necessarily true!"

Wang Xifeng seemed quite confident in Wang Qing, shaking her head and saying, "You haven't seen Brother Qing. He's broad-shouldered and burly, with that spirit and energy—he's clearly a trained fighter. Unlike those fools in Yingtian Prefecture, they can't even catch a wisp of ashes before they're even warm. As the saying goes, a cowardly soldier is one, but a cowardly general makes a whole army cowardly. Who knows, this gang of thieves might actually fall into his hands!"

The more Wang Xifeng praised Wang Qing, the more disdainful Jia Lian became, sneering, "So what if he's a martial arts expert? Aren't there plenty in the capital? If we actually run into him, we'll be lucky if we don't run away with our tails between our legs!"

Wang Xifeng smiled slightly: "We'll only know for sure when we meet!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian looked indignant and retorted sarcastically, "What do you mean? Why are you contradicting me for the sake of an outsider?"

Seeing that he was jealous, Wang Xifeng was not surprised but happy. She said aggrievedly, "If those thieves come twice more, I don't know what the master and mistress will do. Will the old lady continue to protect me?"

"I'm just a woman, how would I know how to catch a thief? And yet, you all stand there talking without any sense of responsibility, not only offering no help but also stabbing me in the back and trying to frame me..."

She considered herself to be hardworking and conscientious, but Madam Wang did not take into account Madam Xing's difficult behavior at all. Instead, she stabbed her in the back, leaving her speechless with bitterness and almost causing her internal injuries.

Unfortunately, Lady Wang was her aunt, so she couldn't openly complain and could only vent her frustrations indirectly.

Jia Lian, however, thought these words were directed at him. Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone someone who was already jealous. He immediately turned his face away and said, "I already agreed to let you get the headdress, and now you're acting innocent after getting the benefit?"

"Pah! Do you think I care about your appearance?"

Originally, Wang Xifeng just wanted to vent her frustrations, but Jia Lian not only failed to understand, but also brought up her jewelry, so how could she possibly control her temper?

Once an argument gets heated, people tend to rub salt in each other's wounds, and Wang Xifeng was no exception.

Pointing his finger at Jia Lian's nose, he sneered, "You still have the nerve to get angry with me? If you had any guts, you wouldn't have abandoned me and crawled into the bed last night just because you heard a thief had broken in!"

Still feeling indignant, she sneered and continued, "Even if Brother Qing is faking it, he should at least put on some toughness in front of me. I don't expect him to catch the thief, so why would I expect you to?"

"You...you..." Jia Lian trembled with anger.

In front of Ping'er, Wang Xifeng exposed his shameful behavior, making him blush with embarrassment.

Wang Xifeng's words left him speechless and utterly ashamed.

Pointing at Wang Xifeng for a long time but unable to find a way to save face, he simply got out of bed, stomped his foot, grabbed his outer robe from the clothes rack, and ran away.

……