Ch. 90 - Recognize the Sense of Propriety, and Temporarily Avoid the Case of Lovesickness
The Famous Detective of the Red MansionThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
E/N: rejected already? T.T
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
E/N: rejected already? T.T
Having something hidden in his heart, he felt more and more slack during the practice.
However, Sun Shaozong was initially not very serious, and the room was full of half-grown children, so no one could see any flaws.
When the practice had finally come to an end, he called Jia Lan over as if nothing had happened. He said in a pun, "Lan’er, go back and tell your mother that I appreciate her kindness, but don't send ant snacks in the future, so as not to waste her effort and feelings."
Sun Shaozong was proud to learn that a beautiful widow of noble status had a secret love for him. But he was not lecherously reincarnated. How could he have lost his mind for the sake of mere beauty?
If she’s a pretty widow from a small family, it's all right. If both parties have grown feelings for each other, he can take her into his mansion as a concubine. It's just nice that his elder brother has been urging him to take concubines recently. Even Ruan Rong has mentioned it twice.
But what was Li Wan's identity?
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Rongguo Mansion!
If he wanted to take her home, she must be his legal wife!
If he had a secret affair with her, once the matter was found out by others, he would be an enemy of the Jia family, fighting to the death!
Sun Shaozong never thought of marrying a widow as his legal wife, nor did he think of fighting with the Jia family to the end for a woman with whom he didn't even have more than a few words!
So he did not hesitate to decline.
Jia Lan looked at the Ruyi cake left in the box and thought he understood Sun Shaozong's meaning. He said in a crisp voice, "So Master didn't like to eat this. I'll tell my mother when I go back and ask her not to send this kind of cake next time."
"That's not what I mean."
Sun Shaozong would like to say more in detail, but it's not easy for Sun Shaozong to say to a 17-year-old child, "Your mother wants to seduce me, but I don't want to."
"In short, you can copy what I said just now to your mother."
Jia Lan responded cleverly and then came out of the martial arts hall with the food box.
Three young men were waiting outside, both in coir raincoats and umbrellas.
One of them, Zhou Ren, a servant, took the food box and opened the lid. When he saw that the bottom of the plate was empty, he asked with a smile on his face, "Young Master Lan, I saw that you were called by Lord Sun alone just now. Is it because you behaved badly and were punished?"
"Nonsense!"
Jia Lan squinted at him and said angrily, "Master only said that he could not get used to this snack. Please don't send it to him again in the future. Why did you think I behaved badly?"
Not used to eating? Don't send him anymore?
Zhou Ren's eyes turned a few times, and suddenly he patted his thigh with an "Ouch!" He then paused and said, "No wonder Lord Sun is not used to eating. I'm afraid this is sent by our madam. At that time, I heard the woman shouting "Lan’er, Lan’er" and went to pick up her food box. Now I recall, that woman seems to be from Lan’er's house on the back porch!"
As he said this, he looked mournful, bowed, and begged Jia Lan and the other two servants to cover it up for him so as not to be punished when he returned.
Jia Lan heard that it wasn't the snacks sent by his family. Seeing that he was pitiful, he nodded his head in response. The two servants, looking at their Uncle Zhou Rui, naturally wouldn't refuse.
Zhou Ren said many thanks again, and then he said that he would send the food box to Jia Lan's house and ran away like a breeze.
However, he did not return to the back porch but quietly entered Wang Xifeng's yard.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw Ping'er playing with the birdcage in the corridor. He hurried up, bowed, and said, "Sister Ping'er, I have already finished the job assigned by Second Madam, look."
He then opened the food box to reveal half a plate of Ruyi cakes.
Seeing that the note she had written at the bottom of the tray had disappeared, Ping'er's hand moved slightly, and then he asked, "What is the response from Master Sun?"
"He didn't say anything else, he just said that this snack is not to his taste, so don’t send it anymore. "
Hearing this, Ping'er was relieved. Although she had to take part in this matter because of Wang Xifeng's arrogance, she did not want anything to happen.
"Wait, I'll go inside and report back."
He ordered Zhou Ren to wait in the corridor. Ping'er put on an oil paper umbrella and hurried into the hall to repeat what Zhou Ren said to Wang Xifeng.
On her arrival, she could not help but add, "It seems that this Second Master Sun is a righteous gentleman."
Wang Xifeng was leaning on the soft couch and pounding her back. Hearing this, she sat up straight. Her eyes were locked on Ping'er's face. She sneered, "How can it be? You wrote him some sour love poems, and you have sent your heart over too?!"
If it was another servant, she’s afraid that they would have been scared out of their wits.
But Ping'er had been with Wang Xifeng for so many years, and she could see at a glance that she was playing a trick on people. So she pursed her small mouth, twisted her waist, turned her back to Wang Xifeng, stomped her feet, and said, "Madam is joking with me again! If you really don't like Ping'er, you might as well send me to Shuiyue Nunnery to be a nun!"
"Even if I wanted it, I'm afraid our Second Master Lian won't allow it."
Wang Xifeng made another sour remark and then came back to the main point. He said with disdain, "What kind of gentleman? Spit! There isn’t anyone who doesn’t have affairs. He refused to come here just because he was afraid of getting into trouble. If it was a pretty widow from a small family, he would have enjoyed being in bed early!"
"Besides, I don't expect to get him in at once. The days ahead are long, and I'm not afraid he won't take the bait!"
She then explained, "Take twenty taels of silver to Zhou Ren and tell him that anyone who dares to gossip will be skinned alive!"
Not to mention how Zhou Ren took the silver and swore to heaven in front of Ping'er.
—Dividing Line—
Sun Shaozong waited for the other boys to leave, wrapped the paper in stone, and threw it into the well at the base of the west wall to destroy the evidence. Only then did he come out of the "martial arts hall.”
He originally wanted to go to Jia Lian's yard to talk to him. He asked Bao Er, who was in charge of the reception, and found out that Jia Lian had been invited by Xue Pan to listen to music in Yiran House.
When he arrived at Yiran House, he heard the 4-stringed Chinese lute clanking in the yard, mixed with the sound of rain. It didn't seem messy at all but added some lingering meaning.
This music professionalism…
Sun Shaozong looked in and found that the one playing the 4-stringed Chinese lute in the pavilion was indeed Yun'er from the Jinxiang Courtyard. Besides her, Jia Lian, Xue Pan, Feng Ziying, and another handsome young man he didn't know were sitting there.
Unwilling to stir the song, Sun Shaozong waited outside the courtyard for a while. After the song was finished, he laughed and went into the courtyard, "You guys are enjoying. It's a gloomy rainy day..."
But before he could finish, the Young Master's face suddenly changed color, and he slammed the wine cup in his hand on the table. He said agitatedly, "So you invited him too! If I had known this, I would never have come to ruin my mood. Farewell!"
As he said this, he got up and walked out. As he walked, he still clenched his teeth and glared at Sun Shaozong angrily.