Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 58 The Rabbit Dispute

Early in the morning, seeing Jia Lian getting ready to leave, Wang Xifeng asked him, "Where are you going today?"

Jia Lian didn't intend to hide it from her and told her the truth.

Wang Xifeng asked in surprise, "Our maternal uncle's family and our family haven't had any contact for so many years, how did you really manage to subdue them? How did you do it?"

Wang Xifeng knew that Jia Lian had secretly gone to offer birthday greetings the day before and had not been turned away, but she scoffed at his claim of receiving "extremely high courtesy."

Unexpectedly, it might actually be true; otherwise, how could they have visited for two consecutive days?

"How did you do that? Of course, it's because of your man's charm, inside and out. What else could it be?" Jia Lian had no intention of explaining in detail to Wang Xifeng. Maintaining a bit of mystery in front of her was very beneficial.

Wang Xifeng let out a sneer, paused for a moment, and said, "Aren't you afraid that the master will find out and cause you trouble if you go to that mansion so often?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's expression turned cold. He knew that Wang Xifeng's concerns were reasonable, but so what?

He was no longer as helpless as he had been at the beginning when facing Jia She. Now, he had thought of a series of ways to deal with Jia She.

Wang Xifeng saw Jia Lian's determination, walked over and dusted off his collar, then asked, "I've been wanting to ask you, why are you suddenly working so hard and diligently on these external affairs? Could it be that what you said the other day was all true?"

Wang Xifeng was referring to what Jia Lian had told her before he went to Yangzhou—his desire to reclaim the family business…

Could it be that he wasn't just talking? Otherwise, it's really hard to understand why someone's personality and behavior could undergo such a dramatic change in such a short period of time.

The gentle and kind Wang Xifeng was very charming. Jia Lian put one arm around her, looked down at her and smiled, "Those are just one aspect. More importantly, I want to have great power so that you will obey me. That's the most important thing."

Jia Lian was holding her so tightly that her chest was pushed up, making Wang Xifeng very embarrassed. She pretended to hit him twice before spitting out, "You've only said a few words, and you're already being indecent again."

You want me to obey? I'm already obedient enough to you. Ever since you came back, you've done whatever you say. I've never disagreed with anything you said. Even that day in the old lady's room, when you yelled at me in front of everyone, I didn't argue with you. And you still say this? What do you want from me to be satisfied?"

Jia Lian thought about it and realized that although Wang Xifeng's words were still somewhat embellished, she had indeed been behaving well recently.

So he bent down and kissed her, then smiled and said, "Good, keep it up, and you'll always be my good Feng'er."

"Pah! You're getting more and more indecent." Wang Xifeng blushed and pushed Jia Lian away forcefully.

Without further delay, Jia Lian pinched Wang Xifeng's beautiful, rosy cheeks twice, then lifted the curtain and went out.

They arrived at the Linzi Earl's Mansion with only two people, but the gatekeeper told them that Zhang Su had gone out.

"Second Master was waiting at home for Young Master Cousin when suddenly the Fourth Prince sent someone to summon our Second Master."

Before leaving, Second Master specifically told us to wait here for Young Master Biao, and also to apologize on his behalf.

Helpless, Jia Lian asked his second uncle again and learned that he had also gone to court and had not returned. With no other options, he prepared to head back home first.

Suddenly, several people on horseback rushed out from a side gate.

The elderly man at the head of the group was somewhat thin and bony, with a full head of snow-white hair, but he was in good spirits and looked quite vigorous for his age.

He stopped his horse in front of Jia Lian, glanced down at Jia Lian, and then looked at the tall white horse beside him.

"Kid, if you've got the guts, come along. Otherwise, don't bother coming back."

After the old man finished speaking, he didn't give Jia Lian a chance to respond. He simply flicked his whip and rode away.

Following closely behind him, the arrogant young man Zhang Tao snorted coldly at Jia Lian, revealing a disdainful expression, and then hurriedly followed his grandfather.

Without a word, Jia Lian tore off his large velvet robe and threw it to Zhao'er, then mounted his horse and ordered, "You wait here. Zhang Yong, come with me!"

After saying that, he chased after the group that had disappeared at the end of the street.

More than twenty li north of the capital, there is a hillside that is a horse farm belonging exclusively to the Linzi Earl's Mansion.

When the caravan stopped, Zhang Tao looked at his grandfather sitting quietly on his horse, panting heavily, and asked with some concern, "Grandpa, are you alright?"

"Shut up, you brat!"

The Earl of Linzi suppressed the surging anger in his heart before turning around and speaking in a relaxed tone to the young man who was slowly approaching on horseback: "You're not bad, kid. You can keep up, so you're not too disgracing your ancestors' reputation."

Jia Lian quickly replied, "Thank you for your praise, Grandfather. I am unworthy of such praise."

Jia Lian could tell that the old man was holding back, after all, he was seventy years old! On the way, he didn't dare to chase too hard, for fear that if he wasn't careful, the old man might not catch his breath and do something bad, so he kept falling behind by a mile or two.

Hearing Jia Lian call him "Grandpa" so familiarly and refer to himself as "Grandson," the Earl of Linzi snorted and then pointed ahead with his riding whip: "See that grove over there? Your grandfather, Lord Daishan, was a master of riding and archery. As his grandson, don't tell me you can't even draw a bow!"

"You can rest for about half an hour first, then we'll meet over there. Lunch today is entirely up to you. If you can't cook, you'll go hungry, don't blame me for not warning you!"

After speaking, the Earl of Linzi did not give Jia Lian time to refuse and rode off to the other side.

Jia Lian smiled. Hunting? He said he had only ever hunted animals that were caged.

He hasn't tried wild ones yet.

But it doesn't matter. The old man is obviously a very competitive person. Even if he could, let alone not know how, he would have to take it easy.

Just consider it keeping the old man company.

He asked Zhang Yong, "How's your archery skill?"

Zhang Yong scratched his head. "I'm not very good at this either. It's mainly because my family is poor. We only have a wooden bow. My grandfather cherished it so much that he never allowed us to take it out."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian thought to himself, "This is probably one of the reasons why the Jia family was destined to decline. The servants, who were originally personal guards, have fallen to the point where they can't even afford a bow."

"When we get back, I'll give each of you a bow and arrow. Find a place to practice, it will definitely be useful in the future."

"Thank you, Second Master!"

……

An hour later, Jia Lian returned empty-handed, which earned him a good laugh from Zhang Tao.

This kid, I don't know if he's really good or if he's cheating, he's holding a very fat rabbit and keeps waving it in front of Jia Lian.

The old man, needless to say, although he was old and his physical strength was not good, his decades of experience were still impressive. He rode a horse with five or six large and small prey hanging on its back and walked leisurely in front of Jia Lian.

He glanced at his clean horse, snorted, and said, "The Jia family is indeed getting worse with each generation."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "No, the worst generation was your father's."

"Grandpa's words are right. I am ashamed to say that I have not done much in the art of horsemanship and archery, which is why I returned empty-handed and embarrassed you."

Although the old man kept a straight face, he was very proud of the joy of the harvest and his complete victory over his two grandsons.

He casually cut off two pieces of prey and handed them to his guards to handle before continuing, "But you can't be blamed for that. How old were you when your grandfather died? With those good-for-nothings from your family's previous generation, did you really think they could teach you any real skills?"

Jia Lian was at a loss for words and could only smile.

Only then did the old man take a serious look at Jia Lian. Clearly, regardless of age or gender, he had a natural appreciation for people who were kind to others, and the old man was no exception. He nodded secretly and then instructed, "Come here!"

Jia Lian then spurred his horse forward.

The old man reached out and pounded Jia Lian's chest, then pinched his arm, and said, "Not bad, although you're still a bit thin, at least you're not like a useless piece of trash whose body has been drained by women."

"I heard you're not good at studying either. What, haven't you ever thought about learning martial arts and joining the army? You might have a chance to make something of yourself someday. Are you just going to stay a good-for-nothing forever?"

Even his maternal grandfather felt extremely awkward being called "good-for-nothing" so often.

He could still tolerate it, and said with a smile, "I am willing to learn martial arts, but I lack a systematic training method. The few fancy moves I have learned on the spot were taught by my personal attendants."

The Earl of Linzi turned his gaze to Zhang Yong behind him. Upon seeing such a burly man, he seemed to recall his own youth, when he was probably just like him. So he snorted, "He's just a lackey. What could he possibly know? Even if he teaches you, you'll only ever be like this."

The old man had a loud voice, which Zhang Yong could hear from a great distance, but he could only manage a wry smile and dared not utter a sound.

Jia Lian had already figured out what the old man meant. He had said so much because he wanted him to take the path of martial arts, and he probably intended to promote him. How could he not agree?

"I think Grandpa is incredibly brave and invincible. I wonder if you have the time to teach your grandson a few moves, so that I can learn some real skills?"

The old man's brows immediately relaxed, but he said, "Why are you in such a panic? Let's talk after we eat! I already told you, I don't provide meals here, so you'll have to figure it out yourself."

After saying that, the old man dismounted and headed toward the fire pit that his attendants had set up.

Zhang Tao once again "unintentionally" passed in front of Jia Lian, waving the big, fat rabbit in his hand.

Jia Lian smiled slightly, quickly reached out and snatched it away, then said, "Zhang Yong, gather firewood and start a fire, we'll have something to eat too."

"What are you doing? Give it back to me! It's mine!!"

Zhang Tao was in a panic and was about to rush up to take back his spoils.

Jia Lian might not be as good as Zhang Tao in archery, but when it comes to physique, he could easily handle Zhang Tao, who was a head shorter than him.

After being thrown to the ground for the third time by Jia Lian, Zhang Tao, whose buttocks ached so much he was almost in tears, finally realized he was no match for Jia Lian. So he got up and ran to the Earl of Linzi: "Grandpa, look, he stole my rabbit!"

The old man had naturally seen it long ago, and now he waved his hand impatiently: "Get lost! If you can't defeat the enemy on the battlefield, you won't even be able to save your life, let alone keep the spoils of war. If you're so capable, go and take them back yourself."

Undeterred by the scolding, Zhang Tao's fighting spirit was ignited. He walked to his warhorse, took down his bow and arrows, and shouted at Jia Lian, "If you're so capable, let's have an archery contest!"

"Okay, let me eat first."

"Ah, you shameless villain...!"

Zhang Tao immediately dropped his bow and arrows and rushed over.