Chapter 778

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Shadows swayed, with colorful garments and brocades, delicate fragrance, and hairpins and jewelry gleaming; everyone was talking about pleasant topics.

Lady Jia loved liveliness, and seeing so many people arrive at once, she felt pleased in her heart and hurriedly called the maids to serve new tea.

She also had people add charcoal to the incense burners to prevent the warmth from fading due to the large number of people, and pulled Xue Yima aside to chat about idle matters.

A matter beneficial to both families was settled in just a few words, and Xue Yima also felt very comfortable in her heart.

Seeing that Lady Wang happened to be present, she thought that since everyone had heard Wang Xifeng mediate this matter, even the Old Lady could bear witness.

Even if her sister was dissatisfied with the Xue family's closeness to Jia Cong, out of concern for the face of the Jia family, she would have many misgivings and would not dare to easily cause trouble.

Otherwise, she would offend everyone in this room, and how would her sister stand in the Jia family in the future?

Xue Yima's concerns about Baochai's reputation were also reduced by more than half...

Also, because this matter had been spoken of openly by Wang Xifeng, Xue Yima took advantage of Lady Jia's teasing to let her daughter handle the matter.

Although the mother and daughter had already discussed the details and plans regarding the renting of the shops.

But Xue Yima letting her daughter discuss and handle it with Jia Cong also had other intentions in her heart.

With fewer concerns about Lady Wang, Xue Yima also wanted to use this matter to let her daughter and Jia Cong have more contact and closeness, so that Jia Cong would owe her daughter a favor.

Because of the pretext of planning the family business, there was no need to worry about idle gossip; although she didn't know how it would end in the future, it was always beneficial and harmless.

Watching her daughter and Jia Cong talking congenially, she couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile.

Jia Cong had been to Jiangnan twice and lived in Jin Ling for more than half a year, so he was very familiar with all parts of the city.

Hearing the shops Baochai mentioned, they were all located in extremely prosperous streets in Jin Ling; storefronts in such places were worth their weight in gold.

That the Xue family could take out these storefronts for rent showed how sincere they were about this matter.

Baochai smiled, "Although I think these places are good, Miss Qu manages the Jin Ling Xinchun Firm, and she knows best which storefronts are suitable.

It would be better to ask Brother Cong to write a letter to Miss Qu to see which locations she prefers, so we can act with a clear target and make things go more smoothly."

Jia Cong smiled, "Sister Bao's thinking is still the most appropriate."

Baochai smiled, "I am usually in the boudoir, so what kind of experience can I have outside? It's just me guessing how to do things, and many places are not accurate.

I actually envy Miss Qu of the Xinchun Firm very much; she supports such a big business all by herself. I heard Sister Yingchun say that this Sister Qu is also skilled in martial arts.

Even Brother Cong's ability to kill enemies on the battlefield was taught by Sister Qu from a young age; she is truly a capable person who can do anything, which is truly admirable."

Jia Cong smiled, "Sister Xiu is my proper master, but she is only a few years older than me; if I called her that, she would turn hostile, complaining that it's too old-fashioned."

Baochai was amused by what he said and laughed out loud.

Baoyu, on the side, seeing Baochai and Baoyu talking intimately, felt a flood of jealousy, his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all twitching.

Feeling his righteous spirit soaring, clashing back and forth, the suppressed words in his chest could no longer be restrained.

He said, "Sister Bao, according to my opinion, since the matter of the Xue family's shops has been settled, just let Aunt and Brother Xue handle it.

Sister is a daughter of the boudoir, with the nobility and face of a thousand gold; pinning flowers and looking in the mirror, enjoying the wind, flowers, snow, and moon—that is the career worthy of Sister.

Why bother with these trivial economic matters? Wouldn't it wrong a person like Sister?"

After Baoyu finished speaking, he felt somewhat proud; wouldn't Sister Bao be happy to hear his words about the preciousness of young ladies?

Unlike the dissolute behavior of Jia Cong, who pulled Sister Bao, a leader among boudoir ladies, to talk endlessly about merchant matters, blaspheming young ladies, ruining civility, and being utterly senseless.

He had read so many books, yet he didn't have even a bit of pure sentiment; what was the use of achieving so many damn official ranks?

Just the fact that he sincerely cherished young ladies was enough to judge the difference between them.

Everyone in the hall, except for Lady Wang, was talking happily and harmoniously; Baoyu suddenly spoke, immediately attracting the attention of others.

Xue Yima letting her daughter handle the shop matter with Jia Cong was also done on purpose, with her own painstaking intentions.

Hearing Baoyu suddenly speak nonsense and seeing that he wanted to dissuade the matter, it was simply inexplicable, and a burst of anger arose in her heart.

Baoyu was a man who was about to be a father, and his wife was about to be married into the mansion; for him to point fingers at young ladies and still be there daydreaming—he was truly shameless.

Her own sister was also a capable person, so how did she raise such an unreliable son? She hadn't even noticed it before.

Wang Xifeng was sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, and she had always been annoyed by Lady Wang and her son; although she was chatting with Lady Jia and Xue Yima, half of her mind was on them.

Ever since Baochai entered the hall, she had noticed Baoyu's expression, his eyes looking as if they were about to fall out, and she felt some mockery and disdain in her heart.

This Baoyu didn't lack women in his room, yet he still had this shameless and restless behavior, as if he had never seen a woman in his previous life.

She saw that after Baochai entered the hall, she sat directly beside Jia Cong, not even glancing at Baoyu.

Seeing Baoyu's face turn pale and his mouth twitch uncontrollably, Wang Xifeng felt happy in her heart, thinking that chatting with the Old Lady was not as interesting as this.

Hearing Baoyu earnestly lecturing Baochai, Wang Xifeng almost laughed out loud, thinking that this Baoyu really didn't know whether he was living or dead.

It would be one thing to court death before others, but to dare to play this trick in front of the Third Master Cong—this was someone who even dared to confront the Old Lady.

Baoyu's skin was itching, wanting the Third Master Cong to peel his skin and dismantle his bones to give him a good loosening.

Wang Xifeng immediately became full of interest, and even her heart for chatting with Lady Jia faded, her pair of phoenix eyes constantly looking over here.

Although Lady Wang hated Jia Cong, she knew clearly that he was like a hedgehog; whenever someone made him lose face, he could prick them full of holes, and it had been like that since he was a child.

This Baoyu was also too slow-witted, not knowing Bao-ya's background, having already hooked up with this kid, yet still so eager to be close.

Just based on Bao-ya's character, was she worthy of her Baoyu treating her like this? Where did she have such good fortune?

Lady Jia was chatting enthusiastically with Xue Yima and Wang Xifeng, and because she was old, she was a bit hard of hearing.

Unlike Xue Yima, who was concerned with her own affairs, and unlike Wang Xifeng, who was sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, she didn't hear Baoyu's words clearly for a moment.

If Lady Jia could have heard it, she would surely have associated it with the matter of Ping'er entering the room that day and would have mostly likely stepped in to stop it, to save Baoyu from being foolish and losing face again.

It was just that Wang Xifeng had a wicked nature, waiting to watch a good show, and was worried that Lady Jia would notice something wrong and come out to interrupt.

Just as Baoyu finished his heartfelt words, she used a topic to entangle Lady Jia, leaving her with no mind to attend to other things.

Yuanyang's thoughts were on Jia Cong, and seeing him chatting congenially with Baochai, she naturally heard Baoyu's stupid words, but just dismissed them with disdain.

Jia Cong heard Baoyu's stupid words but didn't feel angry, just found it funny, and gave him a mocking look.

Baochai saw that Baoyu's words were far-fetched and unpleasant; she and Brother Cong were discussing the shop matter, yet he said something about young ladies not being involved in economic matters.

Wasn't this saying in front of Brother Cong that she didn't look like a young lady? Baochai was already so angry that her pretty face turned red.

But she was accustomed to being cautious, and because Lady Wang was present, she had some misgivings and was unwilling to fall out with Baoyu.

She said calmly, "Brother Bao's words are wrong. When my father was alive, he often taught my brother and me that the Xue family's ancestral business was obtained through the hard work of several generations of ancestors.

All descendants of the Xue family, regardless of gender, must do their best to ensure the inheritance of the ancestral business.

Although I am a woman, I cannot watch the family business be unsettled and stand idly by, enjoying the fruits of others' labor; I must do my best so as not to fail my father's teachings."

As soon as Baoyu heard Baochai's words, his round face suddenly turned red, like a pancake just baked in an iron pan.

Although he was narcissistic and arrogant, he wasn't truly stupid; he could still understand basic good or bad words.

Although Baochai's words were polite and used filial piety as a pretext, so others dared not pick any faults.

But the words "stand idly by" and "enjoy the fruits of others' labor" in her speech were so sharp, like a sharp blade that kills without blood.

Baoyu only felt his heart blocked, his face burning, as if he had been slapped on both sides.

Lady Wang was also a shrewd woman, knowing that her niece was generous and graceful on the outside, but actually had a very extraordinary mind and was a formidable person on the inside.

The words just now were polite and reasonable, but actually not polite at all, making her feel quite unconvinced in her heart.

Her own Baoyu was the legitimate grandson of the Duke of Rongguo and was only at the age of "dancing like an elephant" (15); how could the Xue family's merchant household compare to such a noble status?

The Jia family had the glory of hereditary nobility, and it wasn't like the Xue family, which made a living from money; for her Baoyu to be pampered in the inner household was his noble fate.

The Xue family's descendants were destined to rush about in the merchant business; how could her Baoyu be mentioned in the same breath?

Lady Wang was about to say a few words to regain some face for her son.

But before she could speak, she heard Jia Cong say indifferently, "Baoyu, you have always been ignorant of the way of economics, so you should ask Sister Bao for more advice.

Heaven and Earth produce Yin and Yang; there are men and women in the world, complementing each other, and neither can be missing. Heaven creates men and women, all equal and of the same rank.

The careers that men can do, women can do just the same.

To be viewed differently because one is a woman, and to say what one should or should not do, is nothing but pedantic talk.

Moreover, whether it is studying or the circulation of merchants, there is no distinction between high and low, noble and base.

Born as a human, one should take strengths to make up for weaknesses, choose a profession to work in; above, one can benefit the country, and below, one can protect one's family. Even the merchant class is not inferior to high officials with generous salaries."