Chapter 830: Spending the Eternal Day on New Year's Eve

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

After the ancestral sacrifice on New Year's Eve was completed, Jia Mu took the female relatives, including daughters-in-law, granddaughters-in-law, and granddaughters, back to Rongqing Hall to rest.

Several concubine-branch sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law accompanied them, all of whom were relatives of seniority, making the hall look prosperous.

Jia Mu, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and others chatted over tea, pretending to be happy, but each had their own depression in their hearts.

Li Wan, however, was in a good mood, holding her son Jia Lan's hand and chatting with Yingchun and other sisters, the atmosphere very harmonious.

Since the Ningguo Prefecture was executed, You Shi had been living in the inner courtyard of the Jia family, rarely showing her face. She was of the same generation as Li Wan and Yingchun, so their conversation was quite agreeable.

Wang Xifeng was even more full of smiles, her words like pearls, moving back and forth, telling a few jokes, making Jia Mu laugh heartily.

Jia Mu was, after all, a person who loved high spirits. The unpleasant things at the ancestral sacrifice were already a done deal, set in stone. Worrying more would only add trouble and be of no help.

After being teased by Wang Xifeng, she let it go, and thinking of the Rongguo family's prestige being restored, better than in the past, her mood became joyful again.

The glorious and honorable matter of Du Jinniang at the ancestral sacrifice was quickly and selectively forgotten by the Old Ancestor...

As for what kind of mood Lady Wang and Lady Xing were in, the people present didn't care.

After everyone had been idle until sunset, Lin Zhixiao's wife came in to report that the New Year's Eve banquet was ready and the hired opera troupe was also prepared.

Hearing this, Jia Mu felt happy again and took the female relatives of the family into the Great Flower Hall.

The dome of the Great Flower Hall was bright and magnificent, hanging more than ten glass hibiscus colored-tassel lanterns, surrounded by white glazed palace lanterns, illuminating the flower hall brilliantly.

Eight or nine banquet tables had been set up in the hall. Beside each table were high side tables, burning imperial lily palace incense, with small fresh flower bonsai, and small foreign lacquer tea trays.

The items placed on the high side table beside Jia Mu's table were even more detailed than others. In addition to tea bowls, rinsing basins, and foreign towels, Yuanyang also placed an eyeglass case.

Jia Mu was getting on in years, her eyes dim, and she didn't wear glasses on weekdays, only using them when watching plays.

On the banquet table, in addition to various exquisite cold dishes, there were also Tusu wine, Hehuan soup, auspicious fruits, and Ruyi cakes to respond to the auspicious signs of the New Year.

After Jia Mu and the others took their seats, Xue Yima brought Baochai in, and Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun, Xing Xiuyan, Zhi Shao, Wu'er, Ping'er, and Zhen Ying Lian also entered the hall together.

Behind them followed Qingwen, Lingguan, Douguan, and others from Jia Cong's room, as well as the personal senior maids of each person.

After that were the Second Branch's Zhou Yiniang, Zhao Yiniang, Xi Ren, Caiyun, Seeing Cai Xia, and others.

These female relatives were either outside relatives of the Jia family, or concubines of each branch, or important girls and maids in the rooms.

Not long after, the ten or so banquet tables in the Great Flower Hall were almost full, with skirt fabrics and fragrant breezes, hairpins reflecting light, flowers blooming, and pretty faces competing for spring.

Lady Wang looked around and saw Xi Ren coming over, asking, "Why don't I see Baoyu?"

Xi Ren's expression was slightly awkward, saying, "A men's banquet has been set up in the Songxuan Hall outside. Baoyu, the Master, and Cong Third Brother are all seated there."

Lady Wang frowned and said, "How can this be?"

Thinking that for many years, Baoyu had always been at the inner banquet, which was the proper principle.

Although Lady Wang was unconvinced, she also knew some of the reasons, and forcing Baoyu to join the women's banquet seemed a bit far-fetched.

Thinking that the Old Ancestor only loved Baoyu, and now he was being neglected like this, it was mostly intentional by the Big Branch.

Thinking again that she had just lost the senior maid Yu Chuan, the situation was already very unfavorable, and the matter of cutting expenses was still hanging, she didn't have the confidence to make trouble, so she had to give up resentfully.

However, Lady Wang's words were still heard by Jia Mu. Although she wanted Baoyu to come and accompany her,

Jia Mu, despite doting on Baoyu, also knew she had to consider the Big Branch's face, so even if she was unwilling, she could only give up.

Xue Yima, who was at the same table, heard Lady Wang's words and sighed in her heart. Was her sister really muddled, or was she pretending to be muddled?

Baoyu, not to mention that he was already an adult, was also a man with a marriage engagement. How could he enter the inner courtyard women's banquet?

There were several tables of female relatives from the Big Branch sitting here. Did he want this side-branch boy to come in and look around? What kind of etiquette and system would that be?

Cong Ge'er was a proper head of the family and hadn't been engaged or married yet, so even he didn't enter the women's banquet. How could it be Baoyu's turn?

Seeing Lady Wang's actions, Wang Xifeng watched coldly without speaking, just calling the maid Feng'er and whispering in her ear.

Outside Rongqing Hall, along the covered walkway, less than ten steps away was Songxuan Hall, where the men's banquet was set up.

The hall was decorated with glass colored-tassel palace lanterns according to the specifications of the Great Flower Hall, with ten or so banquet tables arranged.

Apart from the male members such as Jia Cong, Jia Zheng, Baoyu, and Jia Huan, there were also elder relatives from the collateral branches such as Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu.

There were also Jia Rui, Jia Jun, Jia Qin, Jia Yun, Jia Ling, Jia Chang, and other descendants of various branches, of different ages and generations, too numerous to mention, each sitting at several tables.

There were also elders of the same clan who came to the capital from the twelve branches of Jin Ling to participate in the sacrifice, bringing four or five juniors, all sitting at tables according to their generation.

After everyone took their seats and exchanged pleasantries, various mountain delicacies and hot dishes were served like flowing water. Wine was poured and chopsticks were raised at the banquet, and the atmosphere was festive.

As the head of the family and a person with illustrious achievements, Jia Cong naturally became the focus of the banquet, with peers and juniors often coming up to toast him.

Jia Dairu had the origin of enlightening Jia Cong. That the Jia family clan school he managed could produce a Hanlin scholar was the most glorious thing in his life.

During the banquet, Jia Dairu asked Jia Cong to write a title and couplet for the Jia family private school during the New Year to encourage the descendants of the clan to study.

As the head of the family, Jia Cong naturally agreed readily. Jia Dairu was happy in his heart and actually disregarded his generation to toast Jia Cong.

Seeing them open their mouths to talk about studying and the imperial examinations, and close their mouths to talk about the descendants' studies, Baoyu felt that everyone at the banquet was sour and rotten, almost suffocating him to death.

He also saw Jia Huan wearing a newly made robe, using top-grade rain-sky-blue dark-pattern soft silk, looking quite exquisite in craftsmanship.

Baoyu frowned, feeling that this robe was very familiar. Last time, Seeing Cai Xia made one for him, but the color and pattern didn't suit his heart, so he didn't ask again afterwards.

Recently, there were rumors in the prefecture that Jia Huan was actually studying diligently, which made Baoyu feel disgusted. With his fake virtue, he was also worthy of wearing the same clothes.

In short, he felt that the men's banquet was filled with mediocrity, everyone talking about official careers and economy, and everyone flattering Jia Cong, making him unbearable to look at.

It was just that his father was at the banquet, so Baoyu didn't dare to be presumptuous. Seeing Jia Zheng toasting Dairu, he quietly got up and left the banquet.

Walking to the covered walkway outside the hall, blown by the cold night wind, Baoyu felt a sense of relief, as if he had regained his innocence from the filth.

Thinking that in previous years he was always at the inner banquet, able to eat and talk with the sisters, peeking at their faces and smelling their fragrance—how happy that was! That was how he should be.

This year, I don't know which uninteresting thing arranged me at the men's banquet, making me eat enough rotten mud and fishy smell. It's truly hateful to the extreme.

Thinking that now the sisters in the family were all in the Great Flower Hall, and there were also people like Ping'er and Wu'er by Jia Cong's side, all of whom were rare figures in the world—thinking of this, his heart was hot, and he was full of joy.

The Lingguan he met last time was even more of a first-class wonderful person, and she was so similar to Cousin Lin. Thinking of these, his heart was hot, and he was full of joy.

He hurried along the covered walkway, quickly stepped into Rongqing Hall, and went straight into the Great Flower Hall in the back courtyard, rushing to enter the banquet inside.

Just as Baoyu walked to the entrance of the Great Flower Hall, someone suddenly came out from the side and blocked his way. It was none other than the inner courtyard manager, Lin Zhixiao's wife.

Seeing her, Baoyu felt a bit of fear in his heart and felt very disgusted by these dead-fish eyes.

Back then, when Ping'er performed the family ceremony of entering the chambers in Rongqing Hall, Baoyu coveted her beauty and had wild fantasies, wanting to enter the hall and speak wildly, hoping to obstruct this matter.

It was precisely Lin Zhixiao's wife who had received Wang Xifeng's instructions and blocked him firmly outside Rongqing Hall, which prevented him from succeeding.

After the event, Baoyu thought wildly that if it weren't for Lin Zhixiao's wife's obstruction, if he had spoken up for justice, Sister Ping'er might not have fallen into Jia Cong's hands.

Later, he got angry because of this and smashed half of the antiques in his room, and it was Lin Zhixiao's wife who led people to search like a house raid, making him lose all face.

Now he was about to enter the hall, and it was these dead-fish eyes blocking the way again. How could he not feel angry?

He asked angrily, "Lin Da Niang, blocking the way, what is the meaning of this?"

Just now, Wang Xifeng heard Lady Wang's words, which reminded her and made her think of taking precautions in time.

She knew Baoyu's temperament well. Arranging him at the men's banquet this time, he would definitely have the cheek to want to join the women's banquet again.

There were three widows sitting at the banquet, and a pile of Big Branch maids. How could the benefits be taken by an outside man?

So she sent Feng'er to pass a message to Lin Zhixiao's wife, specifically asking her to guard the entrance of the Great Flower Hall.

Lin Zhixiao's wife smiled without smiling and said, "Baoyu, inside is the inner banquet for female relatives. You cannot break in randomly, lest you ruin the family etiquette."

Baoyu's face flushed red, and he said unconvinced, "What is Lin Da Niang saying? In previous years I sat at the inner banquet, so why is it not possible now? This is unreasonable."

Lin Zhixiao's wife's expression sank slightly, saying, "Baoyu also knows that those were things from previous years. Now the situation is very different, so naturally, we cannot follow the old rules.

In previous years, Baoyu was not yet an adult, so it could barely be managed. Now you are over fifteen and are a man with a marriage engagement.

Naturally, you must observe the etiquette of avoidance with the female relatives of the inner courtyard. This is the style of a young master of a great family.

Besides, half of the people in the hall are girls and maids from the Big Branch. You are an outside man from the Second Branch, so you must avoid them even more. Otherwise, what kind of system would that be?"

Hearing that he was a man who had become married, Baoyu felt greatly insulted and couldn't help but feel heartbroken. ===== CHAPTER 831 =====