Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 77 Obtaining Ping'er

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Wang Xifeng said somewhat irritably, "What you said is all right. I am a person of little virtue and do not deserve to be granted an official title. I advise you not to worry about me. I will just live a peaceful life as a commoner. I only ask that when you, Lord Jia, become a high-ranking official, you can provide me with a thatched hut to live in."

She had a strange, ambiguous demeanor, both beautiful and infuriating.

Jia Lian reached out and grabbed her chin, turning her face towards him. He had intended to teach her a lesson, but looking at her bright eyes and radiant face, he couldn't help but feel affection for her. So he said, "Do you remember what I told you? As long as you don't do anything to betray me, I will never abandon you or neglect you. If you live in the thatched hut, I'll probably be inside too."

Wang Xifeng was so confused by Jia Lian's words that she didn't have time to think about what he meant by "sorrying" Jia Lian, because Jia Lian had already kissed her.

Wang Xifeng had no choice but to cooperate with her best efforts. The reason she said "with her best efforts" was because she felt that Jia Lian's affection for her was growing stronger and stronger, to the point that she felt increasingly unable to cope.

Finally, just as Jia Lian was about to make his move on his lower body, Wang Xifeng blushed, grabbed his hand, and shook her head, saying, "No, be careful of the child."

Wang Xifeng was very clear about serious matters. She had finally become pregnant, and she dared not make any mistakes due to momentary negligence.

Seeing Wang Xifeng's serious expression, Jia Lian didn't force her. He simply teased her lips with his thumb and whispered in her ear with a smile, "Why don't you agree to it once and give it a try?"

Wang Xifeng blushed deeply and immediately pushed away Jia Lian's arm, creating some distance between them.

That jerk, he's getting more and more demanding.

Wang Xifeng felt her heart pounding. This wasn't the first time Jia Lian had made such an inappropriate request of her; otherwise, she wouldn't have understood immediately.

However, she would never do something so degrading!

Seeing that Jia Lian was still unrepentant, she spat and said, "If you really can't stand it, then you can bring your concubines to serve you. I'm not going to serve you."

Jia Lian sighed regretfully, pulled Wang Xifeng into his arms, and hugged her, saying, "Let's go to sleep."

Wang Xifeng waited warily for a while, and when she found that Jia Lian had indeed closed his eyes and was preparing to sleep, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

In truth, she never expected that Jia Lian could tolerate it for so long, leaving that little girl Qingwen by his side without taking her away.

She had tried to test him many times, but Jia Lian remained unmoved and kept his promise in a way that shocked her.

Lying on Jia Lian's chest, she thought for a long time before raising her head, leaning close to Jia Lian, and saying, "Why don't you take Ping'er as your wife?"

Wang Xifeng's decision wasn't impulsive; she had been planning this for a while.

Ping'er had been loyal to her for so many years, and she valued Ping'er highly, regarding her as her right-hand woman. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Ping'er was taken into Jia Lian's household.

Her initial hesitation stemmed from two main concerns. First, she was concerned that her own pregnancy hadn't yet begun, and she certainly didn't want Jia Lian to have another woman. Second, Jia Lian already had Qingwen, given to him by the old lady; adding another would only diminish his affections.

Now that Jia Lian can insist on not taking Qingwen in, and she herself is pregnant, all these concerns are gone.

She trusted Ping'er's character. Giving Ping'er to Jia Lian would make it easier to control her future, which was better than letting someone else take over.

It was only after considering this that the decision was made to bring Ping'er out.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Jia Lian's beautiful eyes suddenly opened, and he stared at her, asking, "Is this true?"

Wang Xifeng immediately became annoyed: She knew he had been lusting after Ping'er for a long time!

"If you don't believe me, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

Jia Lian chuckled, "Tonight is fine too?"

"Since I've agreed to give it to you, you can keep it for as long as you want. If you want it now, I'll call her in right now."

Wang Xifeng was a straightforward person. Since she had already decided to give him the person, she didn't hesitate and directly called out, "Ping'er, Ping'er~~!"

"They're here..."

Hearing someone respond, a moment later, it was Xiangling who entered.

Looking at Xiangling, who had only been raised in the manor for a little over a month and had grown increasingly beautiful, Wang Xifeng asked, "Where is your sister Ping'er?"

"Sister Ping'er has gone back to her room. It's my turn to keep watch tonight."

Wang Xifeng then turned to Jia Lian and said, "In that case, how about this girl?"

When Jia Lian saw Wang Xifeng's raised eyebrows, he knew she was testing him, so he said unhappily, "If you don't want to give it, just say so. I'm not forcing you."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're really putting on airs? I think this girl isn't bad at all, so why are you the only one who's interested in my Ping'er?"

Wang Xifeng smiled broadly, noticing the slight unease on Xiangling's face as she overheard their conversation. She couldn't help but think the girl was far too delicate and naive. She wondered what kind of good fortune she'd received in her past life to be picked up by such a heartless person and cherished like a treasure.

"I'd like to trouble you to go and call your sister Ping'er back. Tonight, you can go back to your own room to sleep."

Xiangling glanced at Wang Xifeng, then at Jia Lian, and blushed as if she had thought of something. She responded with a sound and turned to leave.

"Grandma, you wanted to see me?" When Ping'er came in, dressed and looking suspicious, Wang Xifeng had already switched places with Jia Lian and had hidden herself inside the couch.

Upon seeing Ping'er, he smiled maliciously: "It's not me looking for you, it's your second master who needs to see you. It's good news."

Ping'er knew Wang Xifeng very well. As soon as she heard her say that, she immediately realized something, and her heart suddenly started pounding. She lowered her head and stopped talking.

She had already prepared for bed, so she had removed all her jewelry and simply tied her hair back. Her small face was clean and fair, and she was quite pretty. She was wearing only two layers of clothing close to her skin, with a half-new fitted cloak wrapped around her, which fully revealed her figure, which was more voluptuous than Wang Xifeng's.

At this moment, with her head slightly lowered and her shy demeanor, Jia Lian was even more delighted.

He sat on the edge of the bed and asked her softly, "Would you like to be with me?"

Ping'er just lowered her head and refused to answer.

Wang Xifeng kicked Jia Lian in the buttocks and said, "Alright, you two stop pretending to be reserved in front of me. I know exactly what you're thinking."

"Why aren't you carrying her to that room? If you don't do it soon, I'm telling her to go back."

Jia Lian didn't care at all about being kicked; he simply stood up and walked over to Ping'er.

Seeing that she took a step back, but still looked up at him with a hint of shame and nervousness in her eyes, but no sign of being forced, he no longer hesitated and bent down to pick her up in his arms.

Ping'er did not struggle. In order to reduce her weight, she put her hand on Jia Lian's shoulder and buried her head in his chest, refusing to show her face.

Jia Lian turned around, smiled at the somewhat displeased Wang Xifeng, and then, by the light of the half-burnt candle in the room, carried Ping'er out.

Only after the two men had disappeared from sight did the smile on Wang Xifeng's face slowly fade away.

He touched the still-warm but empty blankets, snorted, and flopped onto his pillow, pretending to sleep.

After a while, he propped himself up again, strained his ears to listen for a long time, but he couldn't hear anything. Yet he still felt like a cat was scratching at his heart!

"Sigh~!" She sighed, lay down again, and saw that only a small part of the candle on the candlestick was left. Too lazy to blow it out, she closed her eyes and didn't know how long it took before she finally fell asleep.

On the other side, Ping'er nestled in Jia Lian's arms, noticing that the surroundings were gradually darkening, and her heart sank to an unknown depth.

Suddenly, she felt Jia Lian put her down. She naturally placed her hands down, but what she touched was not the cotton quilt she had imagined.

As Wang Xifeng's most trusted maid, and arguably the head of the household, she knew every detail of the layout and furnishings in the rooms. What she touched was clearly the large tiger fur coat that the Second Mistress had specially laid out on the kang (heated brick bed) in the outer room of the bedroom to make a show of it.

She quickly opened her eyes and looked around. Sure enough, even in the dark, she could still see that this was the kang (heated brick bed) in the west side room, where her grandmother received guests.

Ping'er immediately became anxious: "No, it's too close, Grandma will hear us..."

This was the second time she had spoken since entering the room and greeted Wang Xifeng.

Jia Lian sat beside her, and in the dim light coming from the master bedroom, he looked at the beautiful woman's face in the darkness and found her exceptionally captivating.

Hearing her speak, he laughed: "What, you think you can scream really loudly?"

Ping'er was speechless.

She understood Jia Lian's meaning; after all, she had heard her own grandmother's self-suppressed, seemingly reluctant yet welcoming voice.

But she's never experienced anything like that, so how would she know... or not...?

The beauty fell silent, so Jia Lian took the initiative to cup her face in his hands. Looking at the pretty face he had finally won over, he couldn't resist lowering his head and kissing her smooth forehead. Then, amidst Ping'er's tense reaction, he pulled her into his arms and asked, "Have you felt wronged following me?"

Ping'er was initially too shy to answer, but then she thought it wouldn't be good not to reply to her master, so after a while, she shook her head on Jia Lian's shoulder in response.

There was really nothing to feel wronged about; she was born to be a maid, and she had been prepared for it from the day Wang Xifeng got married.

Anyway, once you become a maid, besides following the young master, the only other option is to go out and be with a servant, neither of which is a good outcome.

In comparison, following her son-in-law and becoming sisters with the young lady who had served her since childhood, she could at least be considered half a mistress, which was better than marrying a vulgar and filthy servant who could only be a slave for life.

She would have had some reservations about her previous son-in-law. Because of his unruly behavior and constant conflicts with her grandmother, which made things increasingly disharmonious, she was unwilling to get involved and suffer from both sides.

But now, Second Master's temperament has changed drastically, and his relationship with Grandma has become increasingly harmonious. Under such circumstances, what more could she possibly want?

Jia Lian was overjoyed to receive the beauty's response, so he kissed her lips again before letting go. Their eyes met, and he said, "If you come with me, I dare not make any big promises, but as long as I am alive, I will be your home and your support. I will not let you regret your decision today."

Ping'er felt shy yet sweet upon hearing this, which made her face even more radiant, though no one could tell in the darkness.

Jia Lian no longer stood on ceremony. He reached out and untied the belt around her waist, stripped off the heavy coat, and then gently laid her down on the soft, furry kang (heated brick bed)...

Tonight, I am destined to be sleepless.