20demayo Chapter 10 Gift Giving
Chapter 10 Gift Giving
Hearing this, Jia Zheng felt even more distressed. He had loved reading since childhood and valued education and striving for advancement, hoping to follow the right path. He also hoped that his two sons would study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and achieve success in their official careers.
Unfortunately, Baoyu had no interest in studying and spent all his time loitering in the inner quarters. Now that he saw Jia Huan reading, he was naturally delighted. He immediately packed out two boxes of books and had them sent to Jia Huan, but worried about Jia Huan's health, so he gave him a few more instructions.
"Take all these books to Huan'er. He's staying in his room recovering from his illness. These books will help him pass the time and keep him entertained. Tell him to take care of his health, as reading is mentally taxing and he shouldn't overdo it."
Jia Huan, who had just seen off Physician Wang, was resting. His weakened state after overusing the Golden Finger technique could deceive the doctors who came to take his pulse, but he would need to rest properly to recover.
I slept straight through until noon, and when I woke up, I happened to run into the person who came to deliver the books.
Jia Huan was delighted to receive the books. He carefully flipped through them and found they were all serious books, including the Four Books and Five Classics, historical texts, philosophical works, and military strategies—not a single casual book. He randomly opened one and discovered it contained annotations and commentaries by famous scholars, making it invaluable to a book lover.
The original owner didn't have many books, and they were all basic books, which were quite boring to read. Jia Huan was just about to send someone out to find some more to read when Jia Zheng sent them over.
This is a real lifesaver!
Jia Huan was very happy and rewarded each of the people who delivered the book with a gold melon seed. The men were also very pleased to receive the reward and went back to praise him to Jia Zheng.
Jia Zheng felt slightly comforted upon hearing this.
In the afternoon, Aunt Zhao learned that Jia Zheng had sent something to Jia Huan, so she rushed over. When she saw that it was two boxes of books, she immediately lost interest and curled her lips: "I thought it was something good. Two boxes of books are neither food nor drink. It would be better to just give some money that is more practical."
Jia Huan ignored her and had his men tidy up the study, carefully placing the books there. He then prepared to come here to read every day from now on.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Aunt Zhao felt bored and wanted to leave, but then seemed to remember something and said awkwardly, "Tomorrow is the second day of the third month."
Without waiting for his reply, she left.
"?"
This seemingly random statement left Jia Huan somewhat bewildered.
Zizai Feihua was the first to react. She stepped forward and said softly, "The second day of the third month is the Third Miss's birthday."
"Oh!"
Jia Huan suddenly realized, but he didn't pay much attention to it and said directly, "Just send over a set of writing materials as a birthday gift, as is the old custom."
Tan Chun and the original owner of this body were not close siblings, so there was no need to worry about maintaining a relationship. As usual, she sent a gift to keep up appearances.
The original owner of this body was disliked by everyone, and he was depressed and resentful because no one wanted to talk to him. However, Jia Huan felt that the original owner's estrangement from everyone made things easier for him.
There aren't many interpersonal relationships to maintain, no need to worry about having your identity discovered, and no need to worry about taking care of other people's feelings. Even if they are blood relatives, the relationship isn't close. As long as it's just to save face, that's enough.
Zizai Feihua received Jia Huan's instructions, took out a set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, put them in a box, and showed them to him.
Jia Huan glanced at it and nodded: "Okay, have Qingyun and Nuanxue deliver it tomorrow. Just say that I am still ill and cannot go to celebrate Third Sister's birthday in person."
Zizai Feihua bowed and withdrew to deliver a message to Qingyun Nuanxue.
Qingyun Nuanxue has a kind personality, a friendly face, and speaks softly, making it easy for people to like her. She is the perfect person to run errands and socialize with others.
The next day was Tan Chun's birthday. Bao Yu and a group of sisters came early to celebrate her birthday. While everyone was chatting and laughing, Qing Yun and Nuan Xue arrived at Tan Chun's residence, Qiu Shuang Zhai, in the Grand View Garden. Everyone's eyes fell on the two who entered.
The two girls appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in ordinary attire. They wore thin silver-red jackets and white silk pleated skirts, with blue satin vests over them. They had bright eyes and white teeth, pretty faces, and their black hair was adorned with several pearl flowers and a bright silver hibiscus hairpin.
The hairpins were adorned with bell tassels, which would have jingled loudly if the two moved too much. However, as the two approached gracefully with light steps, the bells only made a slight sound. This showed that the two were dignified in their demeanor, but their gentle temperament made them appear less rigid and serious.
Jia Huan avoids contact with outsiders when he has nothing to do, keeping his courtyard gates tightly closed all day. The maids and servants under his command also rarely interact with others, usually staying quietly in the courtyard. This is the first time that the people from Qingfeng Courtyard have officially come out and made their first appearance, and it is also the first time that Qingyun and Nuanxue have come out on official business, representing Jia Huan's image.
The two women were determined to break away from their previous arrogant and mean-spirited image. They strictly followed the standards set by Jia Huan in their demeanor and every move, fearing that any mistake would reach Jia Huan's ears and cause them serious trouble.
As Qingyun and Nuanxue entered the room, their eyes and brows were filled with joy because they had come to offer birthday greetings. The corners of their mouths curved slightly, outlining a bright smile. They gracefully bowed and greeted everyone: "Greetings to Master Bao, and greetings to all the young ladies."
There were no ugly maids in Qingfeng Courtyard, and the six head maids were the best among them. It's just that people in the mansion looked down on Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao before, and the people around them were also disliked. After Jia Huan transmigrated and stayed at home, it became even harder to see the people in Qingfeng Courtyard.
No one recognized Qingyun Nuanxue, and they were all wondering where these two strikingly beautiful people came from.
Baoyu's eyes lit up. He looked the two women up and down and asked with a smile, "Where did you two come from, sisters? I've never seen you in the garden before."
"Replying to Second Master Bao, this servant is Qingyun. This is Nuanxue. They are both from Qingfeng Courtyard," Qingyun said with a smile.
"Are you from Huan'er's courtyard?"
Baoyu was somewhat incredulous. He had only heard that the people in Jia Huan's courtyard were notoriously arrogant and mean. So even though he had always liked girls, he kept his distance from the people in Jia Huan's courtyard, for fear of getting into trouble. If Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao found out, he would be the one to suffer.
I just didn't expect the rumors to be so untrue. There are actually two such outstanding people in Qingfeng Academy. Rumors really can't be trusted!
Tan Chun's eyebrows twitched slightly when she heard the words "Qingfeng Courtyard".
Although Tan Chun and Jia Huan are siblings born of the same mother, her relationship with Jia Huan is not as close as her relationship with Bao Yu.
Furthermore, after Tan Chun and her sisters entered the Grand View Garden with Bao Yu, they spent their days together composing poems, playing the zither, playing chess, playing games, and guessing riddles and riddles, enjoying themselves immensely and their relationships grew even closer. Meanwhile, Jia Huan, who had been "recovering from illness" for the past few months, was practically invisible to her; how could she possibly have any memory of her "still ill" younger brother?