Chapter 870

Upon hearing that it was a festive gift sent by the Xia family, Jia Cong had no interest at all.

He took the black fur-lined jacket and saw that the workmanship was fine and luxurious, and the buttons were carved from white jade.

The fur was dense and smooth, moist and slippery to the touch, and felt very good.

As the skin rubbed against the fur, a hint of warmth emerged; only the finest fur had this quality.

Jia Cong had served in the army in Liaodong, and his own farms were also in Liaodong; various precious furs from outside the pass were famous local products of Liaodong.

Whether it was gifts from comrades in the army or the output collected from his own farms, Jia Cong had been exposed to all kinds of furs.

So he had some discernment regarding the quality of fur.

He said, "Pure black bear fur is common, but adult bear fur is dense and coarse, and does not have this kind of fineness and smoothness; this seems to be fox fur.

But black fox fur is very rare; Qingwen was right, this jacket is indeed unusual."

Qingwen said, "Cong Sanye is right, this is fox fur, and it is the very rare black fox fur.

Look at how it shines pitch-black, without a single strand of mixed-color hair.

This is a top-grade item; I didn't recognize it originally, but when I served in the Rongqing Hall before, the old lady had a black fox fur.

But that fox fur of the old lady's wasn't big, and couldn't be made into clothes to wear; it was always spread on the Arhat couch in winter to cushion the old lady's waist and back.

I also heard the old lady say that black foxes are even rarer than white foxes, and some hunters never encounter one in their whole lives.

She also said that black fox fur has heavy yang energy, promotes blood circulation, wards off evil, dispels cold, and clears blood; it is a top-grade fur treasure.

This black fur jacket of Cong Sanye's must have taken at least three black foxes to make; this thing is truly precious.

Xia Gu Niang is the future Second Young Mistress Bao, and Cong Sanye is only the cousin of Bao Er Ye Bao, even if they are close, they are still cousins from different branches.

It's just a festive gift for the Lantern Festival; exchanges between families are usually simple gifts, just to celebrate the festival and join in the fun.

They say the Guihua Xia family is very wealthy, and it seems that is truly correct.

Xia Gu Niang sending Cong Sanye a festive gift is just because of Bao Er Ye Bao, just a casual gift, yet she gives a black fox jacket.

Not treating silver as silver, this future Second Young Mistress Bao is too generous."

……

Because Qingwen was skilled in needlework and clothing, she was familiar with and paid attention to precious fabrics, so she spoke casually, just out of curiosity.

But she spoke without intention, while Jia Cong listened with intention.

Ever since Xia Jingui appeared in Jia Cong's field of vision, because he knew her background and temperament, he had always kept her at a distance.

Because Seeing Tan Chun was a daughter of the Second Branch, hindered by family etiquette, when the Xia family mother and daughter came to visit, Seeing Tan Chun was often called to entertain Xia Jingui.

Jia Cong worried that Seeing Tan Chun didn't know her background and would suffer losses in front of Xia Jingui, so he privately reminded Seeing Tan Chun to be on guard many times, which showed that he harbored deep misgivings.

Since the Jia and Xia families interacted frequently, and eventually the two families concluded a marriage, the Xia family came and went often, and Jia Cong and Xia Jingui met many times.

With his wisdom and keenness, he could naturally perceive that every time Xia Jingui saw him, there was an unusual heat in her gaze.

Jia Cong was a normal man, and possessed the experience of many lifetimes; he naturally understood why a young woman would look at a man like this.

But he wouldn't be half-pleased because of this, and instead became even more vigilant, increasingly distant and aloof, to avoid getting into trouble.

Whether it was caused by the infighting between Wang Xifeng and Lady Wang, or out of the clan etiquette of the two branches.

Jia Cong was happy to see Baoyu move out of the West Mansion as soon as possible, and even pushed it along.

It was not only to maintain the stability of the First Branch's family business and the cleanliness of the West Mansion's inner chambers.

It was even more to prevent Xia Jingui from marrying into the Jia family and adding more trouble and entanglements to the Rongguo inner chambers because of Baoyu's lingering ties in the West Mansion.

……

Since Baoyu was moved to the East Courtyard, the impact of this strange golden-jade marriage on the East and West mansions was suppressed to the minimum, and could not stir up any waves.

The current situation was the result Jia Cong wanted; he was about to go on an expedition and would be away from home for a long time, so he hoped even more for the stability of the two mansions.

He didn't want any changes to cause this situation to become unbalanced, or even give rise to gossip and variables.

Now that Xia Jingui had sent precious fur clothing for no reason, there was something abnormal about it; he didn't think it was a good thing, so why invite more karma?

……

Ping'er heard Qingwen's words and felt curious, so she stepped forward to fiddle with the black fox jacket.

She laughed, "This fur jacket is indeed top-grade, and what Qingwen said makes some sense, but it's nothing much.

Although the Jia family is wealthy, the wealth comes from the noble estates or shops and houses purchased over the years, and the annual harvest is a fixed amount.

Although the Xia family has no official rank, they are great imperial merchants and do huge business; the annual market varies, and the gold and silver they obtain is not fixed.

Just talking about the family fortune in gold and silver, I'm afraid it's above the Jia family's; they have an only daughter, and the vast family fortune is passed down to one person, so they wouldn't be soft-handed when spending silver.

Cong Sanye is now the head of the two mansions and a top-tier figure in the Divine Capital; Xia Gu Niang is the future daughter-in-law, so her return gift must be thorough and decent, and naturally she wouldn't want to be lacking in the head of the family's gift.

The things she sends out naturally wouldn't be too light; she can send Cong Sanye a black fox jacket, and what she sends to Baoyu must be even better, which is also in the realm of reason.

It's nothing more than a wealthy family doing things with a rising tide, so thinking about it carefully, it's not strange."

Qingwen laughed, "Sister Ping'er is knowledgeable, but I didn't think of these reasons; but it's really good to have silver, even black fox fur is given away casually."

Jia Cong heard Qingwen's interesting words and laughed, "Since you like this black fox jacket, I'll give it to you to wear; it's not worth much."

Although black fox fur was precious, Jia Cong felt it was inappropriate for him to receive such a heavy gift from Xia Gu Niang.

But regarding the etiquette of marriage exchanges, he wouldn't return the gift just because it was precious; that was the style of a small, petty family.

The East Mansion's warehouse had many top-grade medicinal materials and furs, so he would just make the return gift heavier.

He would absolutely not wear this black fox fur, regardless of his misgivings.

Since he had already accepted the thing, he could give it to anyone, to avoid being associated with it, and he wouldn't have any extra misgivings; it was just a piece of clothing anyway.

……

Qingwen was stunned and said, "Cong Sanye, such a precious thing, I don't have the fortune to wear it; Cong Sanye should keep it for yourself."

Jia Cong laughed and scolded, "It's just a piece of clothing, what fortune is there to talk about? Just take it; I have better ones."

Qingwen laughed, "So Cong Sanye is even more generous than the Second Young Mistress Bao, giving black fox fur to a maid casually; it's really a bargain to be Cong Sanye's maid, hee hee."

Ping'er laughed, "With that mouth of yours, you still act coy after getting benefits; just accept what Cong Sanye gives you."

Jia Cong suddenly asked, "Sister Ping'er said that what was sent to Baoyu was better; have you seen the Xia family's gift list?"

Ping'er laughed, "I haven't seen it, but according to human feelings and worldly wisdom, it must be like that.

This gift for Cong Sanye was sent directly to the East Mansion by the Xia family's old woman, and there was another one sent directly to the East Courtyard, which must contain Baoyu's.

This afternoon, when I was managing household affairs in the West Mansion, I heard Lin Zhixiao's wife mention that there was another gift sent to the old lady, and the gift list also went into the Rongqing Hall.

This Second Young Mistress Bao does things in an orderly manner, and is capable inside and out; she will surely be a formidable daughter-in-law in the future."

……

Jia Cong smiled slightly and said, "She is naturally a formidable one..."

……

Jia Cong said, "I didn't say anything; this black fox jacket is a bit eye-catching, don't talk about this to anyone, and don't go to the West Mansion to talk about it.

You all know the Second Aunt is a calculating person, so avoid causing family gossip; that would be too meaningless."

Qingwen didn't care when she heard this, and just agreed casually.

Ping'er was a housekeeper, intelligent and clever, and understood human feelings; she was much more meticulous than Qingwen's simple and straightforward nature, and understood the meaning in Jia Cong's words.

She said, "Cong Sanye, don't worry; we know the weight of this. I will instruct the sisters in the courtyard tomorrow morning.

Among us, except for me and Wu'er who often go to the West Mansion, others don't go a few times a year, so they won't easily spread the word."

Jia Cong said, "Leave this matter to Sister Ping'er to look after; I'm truly tired after a day of tossing and turning, you all go back and rest too.

I'll have Second Sister return the gift tomorrow; it's not good to owe too many favors."

……

Qingwen saw Jia Cong enter the inner room and suddenly said, "Sister Ping'er, Xia Gu Niang is quite polite; every time there is an exchange of gifts, she never misses Cong Sanye.

But Cong Sanye seems indifferent, and always feels like he is keeping the Xia family at a distance; is it just me thinking too much?"

Ping'er heard this and felt a slight movement in her heart, thinking of Cong Sanye's words just now, which indeed vaguely carried a sense of guard.

But Xia Gu Niang was outstanding in appearance, and had the demeanor of a great family's daughter inside and out, which wouldn't make people feel disgusted.

Cong Sanye's words always carried a chill, wishing he could keep people eight feet away; what was the reason for this?

But she said, "Even so, it's not strange; you don't know, Bao Er Ye Bao causes trouble every time, and the Second Aunt is very selfish.

Xia Gu Niang is Bao Er Ye Bao's wife, so Cong Sanye naturally doesn't want to interact too much, to avoid unnecessary entanglements.

And even if Xia Gu Niang enters the door, she is still separated from us by branches, and is not like Third Young Lady, whom everyone grew up with.

Even if Cong Sanye keeps her at a distance, that is family etiquette, which is very normal."

Qingwen's thoughts were simple, and she had asked on a whim; hearing Ping'er's reasonable words, she didn't take it to heart, and the two went back to their rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, Yingchun and the other sisters came over as usual, and everyone gathered for breakfast, chatting about daily trivialities.

Before Jia Cong went out, he privately instructed Yingchun to prepare a return gift to repay the Xia family's favor.

Just as he walked to the courtyard gate, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Second Sister, help me pick two nimble maids; I have a use for them."

Yingchun was about to ask what for, but Jia Cong had already hurried out of the courtyard gate.

The various armies summoned by the Five Armies Camp had already left the city to head north yesterday, and with the last batch of porcelain thunder ammunition off the line, he also had to lead the army out of the city.