Last time one Grafting Life: Mother Jia deals with the fallout. Poorly.
This chapter has been brought to you by me, and Smash10101.
Chapter 52 – Red Chamber (52)
Lin Yu Tong was not concerned with what Mother Jia thought after she left. She just said what she had guessed about the old mistress’ thoughts to Lin Ru Hai after he came back home.
In reality, Lin Ru Hai had two concubines in his yard. However, both of them were not able to give birth. They had been with Lin Ru Hai for a long time. They were in their thirties now. Based on their age, they were very old concubines. These two people usually did not leave their courtyards, and were very quiet. They knew their status. Lin Yu Tong treated them according to the rules and did not slight them.
Lin Yu Tong knew Lin Ru Hai’s plans. He never planned to remarry. So she did not have anything to worry about.
Lin Ru Hai heard his eldest daughter’s story. He was first shocked and then he smiled coldly. “This father knows. They quickly will not have the attention to spare. Do not worry. However, we have to hurry up with Yang-ge’er‘s marriage. After you marry, the family cannot be without a woman in charge of the household.”
Lin Yu Tong nodded and said, “Father, if you have any candidates, tell me and let me see.”
Lin Ru Hai was not displeased and said as a matter of fact, “This is natural.”
Mother Jia returned home, and kept on thinking about this matter. The more she thought, the more she felt it was right. However, there was no woman of suitable age, so she had to give up for now. She would keep on thinking about it. She had not gone out for a long time. Now, after this trip, she felt very tired. Yuan Yang helped the old mistress rest and went to find Ping’er. She had to find Ping’er and ask about the personality of Eldest Miss Lin.
But Ping’er had no attention to spare for her because right now, Jia Lian was lying on the bed, groaning.
“What was this for? Because Eldest Master caught you and the harlot Qiu Tong together?” Ping’er was applying medicine, but her face had some hint of pleasure.
“I know that you are very wild. You hate me right now. Now that Master beat me, you should be content. He got revenge for you. Yes.” Jia Lian inhaled sharply as he lectured Ping’er.
“If I say no, Master will not believe me.” Ping’er laughed and said, “What did you do that to cause this beating?”
“What else, it is because of the fan that Eldest Master wants,” Jia Lian said angrily.
“Fan, the fan that was bought with two thousand silver last time? Why is it for the fan again?” Ping’er said nervously. Right now, all the silver had to pass through her hands to be spent. Seeing the wealth flow like water, how could she not panic?
“You know that it also cost two thousand. How come you do not think that Second Master spent three thousand and five hundred? If Eldest Master does not spend the money, and catch up to Second Master, will he feel well?” Jia Lian said in a low voice.
“Sin…… Whose silver does this belong to, he does not hurt spending it,” Ping’er muttered.
“You dare to say such things, you go say it. I do not dare.” Jia Lian sucked in a sharp breath. It hurt so much.
Ping’er knew she had misspoke and changed the topic, “Then he can just get the fan. Why beat you?”
Jia Lian sneered. “I am just receiving the rage for someone else. Master got demoted. Who does not know that Uncle-in-law Lin does not like the residence? The people who flattered us before will not answer us. The fans were ones that the eldest master wanted before. But that Jia Yu Cun is an ungrateful person. Hearing the master say the fan is better than the fan he got for two thousand last time, he thought of a way to give the idiot a crime of owing the government silver, and arrest them, stealing the fan. I don’t know which official he gave the fan to. Master was very angry, and called me to think of a way to get the fan from Jia Yu Cun by buying it. Who is Jia Yu Cun? Who am I? He does not recognize me with a turn of his face, could I steal it? I said a few words, and the master beat it. That is all.”
“We should get Uncle-in-law Lin to take care of Jia Yu Cun,” Ping’er said furiously.
A light flashed through Jia Lian’s mind. He immediately thought of an idea. He shouted, “Bring me brush and paper, quickly.”
Ping’er did not know what Jia Lian was going to do and laughed, “It is too late for you to think about studying.”
“What do you know?” Jia Lian sneered. “I cannot take care of him, I do not believe others cannot. Uncle-in-law Lin will not let us benefit from him, but if someone related to him flouts the law, I believe that Uncle-in-law Lin will not have mercy. I want to see how long Jia Yu Cun can jump up and down.”
“Master is going to write to Uncle-in-law Lin?” Ping’er asked, “Will he do it?”
“Yes.” Jia Lian said certainly. “Jia Yu Cun was once Sister Lin’s teacher. The master first used him because of Uncle-in-law’s recommendation letter. If such a person breaks the law and others find out, Uncle Lin will have the reputation of not judging a person correctly. So, Uncle will act first, and get a good reputation for being fair.”
Ping’er said in a low voice, “Master understands so much, you can be an official.”
“I want to, but who will plot for me?” Jia Lian laughed at himself and urged Ping’er. “Get ink, brush and paper for me. Why are you looking at your master?”
Ping’er turned and went to the main room, telling Wang Xi Feng the matter. Wang Xi Feng nodded and said, “He finally has grown a brain.” Then she called Xiao Hong to get paper and brush. She instructed, “After he finishes, bring it here. I will send someone with this to spare you from meeting a shut door. Tell him to not spread this matter. If others learn that you tattled on them, they will guard against us. No one will be close to us after that.”
Ping’er acknowledged and turned to leave.
Jia Lian heard Wang Xi Feng’s words and nodded, saying, “Learn from your missus, you do not have such knowledge.”
“You look down on me. It is good. Get one you like to serve you, I will not,” Ping’er said, and flipped the curtain, going outside.
Jia Lian cursed, “You harlot, wait for your master to recover and sort you out.”
The second day, Lin Yu Tong received the message that Wang Xi Feng had people deliver. She had been puzzled. After reading it, she was full of hate. Jia Yu Cun was the person Lin Yu Tong hated most in the story.
His evil was not the same as Jia Zhen and Jia She. Jia Zhen and Jia She just harmed one person with one matter. But the evil of Jia Yu Cun influenced more. The book’s wording was “while talented, he cannot avoid embezzling by habit, and is strict on his subordinates.”
He was not just corrupt, he was also very cruel to the people. Such a person was not one that Jia She and Jia Zhen could compare to.
There was a saying, “A gangster was nothing to be feared, but one would fear a gangster with learning.” Jia Yu Cun counted as a gangster with learning.
Lin Yu Tong read the letter. As Lin Ru Hai was at home right now, she immediately handed Jia Lian’s letter to him to read. Lin Ru Hai read for a while, and then recalled Jia Yu Cun.
“This Jia Yu Cun was dragged into a case and dismissed from his position. The case was very widespread, and many people were dragged in but innocent. This person has some talent, and this father liked his talent and helped him. But this person is very proud in his conduct and this father did not like that, so did not give a personal recommendation, giving him to Jia Zheng. He has many hanger-ons, and likes educated people. This one is a proper palace graduate, even if he stays in the Jia Family as a teacher, he will have a job. I did not think that this person was able to manage to get to the position of prefect. If he is an official like the letter says, then I will use him to establish myself,” Lin Ru Hai said.
It was normal for the new official to crack the whip. Lin Yu Tong could understand that.
Lin Ru Hai sighed. “It appears that you cannot judge people by appearance, this is right. While this Jia Yu Cun appeared to come from an aristocratic family, though declined, I saw he had some of the pride of a scholar. I did not expect this.”
He seemed to have understood something from this.
Lin Yu Tong slowly withdrew. She believed if Lin Ru Hai was willing to investigate, the things that Jia Yu Cun had done could not be kept a secret.
Compared to the idle days of the Lin sisters, Xue Bao Chai’s days were not good. After the Shi Family took away Shi Xiang Yun, the old mistress and the second mistress did not mention a word of her marriage with Bao Yu like they had forgotten this matter. What was worse was that Jia Bao Yu stupidly believed that he was engaged to Lin Dai Yu. Everyone in the family could see that the second master was very happy and no one dared to provoke this person.
Then, Jia Zheng was demoted. Aunt Xue learned of this. Her sister would blame her for this to some degree. She thought, if she did not bring up the marriage with the Xue Family, it would not have forced the old mistress to bring up the Lin family. If the Lin family was not brought up, Lin Ru Hai would not have acted to teach the Jia Family a lesson and force husband and wife to separate.
In reality, husband and wife would not meet unless something was the matter even though they lived in the same courtyard, and the relationship between father and son was like a cat and mouse, if the other wanted to blame them for this, they could only accept it. People in the world bullied those weaker. They could not afford to offend the Lin Family, and just blamed her and her daughter.
Thinking of this, Aunt Xue was full of anger. Right now, they did not mention a thing, just kept on delaying. What was the use in her worrying?
Just before she managed to understand such a matter, a guest suddenly came to the home. Xue Ke had come to visit the capital with Xue Bao Qin. Because of the arrival of guests to the Jia Family, it grew lively again……
Translator Ramblings: I don’t think there are many people who defend Jia Yu Cun in the original story. He is not like the other members of the Jia Family, who can be said to be ignorant or naive like Jia Bao Yu, or Mother Jia, who does care for all the girls in her care, and has the very human flaw of being more partial to Jia Bao Yu. Jia Yu Cun is an educated man who took aid from people like Lin Ru Hai to become a mandarin, but he was corrupt enough to smooth over Xue Pan’s murder case. Even though his career was aided by the Jia Family, he later betrayed them at their lowest point. Jia Yu Cun’s courtesy name is Shi Fei (with the characters for time and flight). But the homonym for Shi Fei mean “false words”, “lying”.
- Grafting Life Chapter 51 – Red Chamber (51)
- Grafting Life Chapter 53 – Red Chamber (53)
- Grafting Life Chapter 54 – Red Chamber (54)
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