Chapter 418 Baoyu Wants to Go South
"It must have been tough for her, but relatively speaking, your Lin sister is doing quite well. She has freedom of movement and is not restricted at all."
Grandmother Jia felt a pang of emotion as she thought of Yuan Chun, whom she had only met recently.
Yuan Chun lived not far from home, but they could hardly see each other even once a year.
Although Daiyu and Lin Ruhai were separated by distance, Lin Ruhai had to submit a memorial to the capital every year to report on his work. Logically speaking, for an official of his rank, reporting on his work in the capital once every three years was sufficient.
Lin Ruhai, however, came every year.
It's all for the sake of seeing his precious daughter.
"Speaking of which, Princess Lin just went to the grasslands and has only been back for a short time. Now she's going on another southern tour. Can her body handle it? I only saw her once when she first came to our manor. She didn't look very strong back then."
This lady's family runs a clinic, and she has also studied some medical skills. She also has some knowledge of health preservation.
Grandmother Jia was getting old and paid special attention to these things, so she would often invite her over to chat.
"You don't know, but my wife is skilled in both literature and martial arts. When we encountered bandits on our way back from the grasslands, she was the one who did the most meritorious service!" the old woman said proudly.
"Our family comes from a military background, but now, none of our children are known for their martial arts skills. Only Daiyu makes me feel that our family has a worthy successor; she truly is a woman who is just as capable as any man!"
When the old matriarch praised Daiyu, she didn't blush at all, as if she had forgotten that Daiyu's surname was Lin, not Jia.
But what does it matter? Half of her granddaughter's blood is from the Jia family!
It's perfectly normal to carry the spirit of the Jia family ancestors in one's veins.
Baoyu blushed a little when he heard what Grandmother Jia said, but Grandmother Jia didn't feel it at all. On the contrary, she felt it wasn't enough and wanted to tell Daiyu's martial arts skills again.
Baoyu quickly interrupted Grandmother Jia,
“Grandmother, hearing you say that makes me feel a little ashamed. I am a child from a family of military officers, but I have never even been on a long trip, let alone gone to suppress bandits. Why don’t I catch up with the southern tour group and go to Suzhou to see my uncle?”
Grandmother Jia was in high spirits and found these words to be reasonable.
"It's good that you have this ambition, and I support it."
After saying that, he felt it was a bit inappropriate. He had agreed, but what if the second son and his wife didn't want Jia Baoyu to go out?
After all, this possibility is quite high.
"However, I can't make the decision for you; I still need to ask your father and mother first. As long as they agree, I have no objections. I also need you to run an errand for me and bring some gifts to my old friends over there. They are old relatives and friends I haven't seen for more than ten years, and I may never see them again in this lifetime. Please go and see them for me."
After a moment's thought, Grandmother Jia said that she was inclined to let Jia Baoyu go out and broaden his horizons.
A good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown. Although their children have inherited wealth, if they are ambitious, they will naturally not be satisfied with the legacy left by their ancestors.
Like Jia Lian and his wife today, they have taken a different path, but it has also expanded the family business, which is a good thing.
Jia Baoyu was very pleased to hear what Grandmother Jia said.
The old lady assigned all the tasks to me, probably because she was afraid I would be obstructed by my parents. She even prepared excuses for me!
"Rest assured, Ancestor, I will certainly do what you have instructed."
Jia Baoyu had another meal with the old lady before returning to his study.
He was pondering how to bring it up with his parents when, unexpectedly, while Jia Zheng was on duty that day, someone asked him why he hadn't gone on the southern tour with them.
After all, the destination, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Lin Ruhai, was his brother-in-law.
He should have applied to go on a southern tour; it would have been a good idea to use official business to visit relatives in Suzhou.
How could Jia Zheng not have applied? To put it bluntly, this southern tour was just about accompanying the emperor for fun and entertainment, which would easily win the emperor's favor.
Moreover, there were many officials along the way who wanted to curry favor with him and offer him benefits, so quite a few officials wanted to follow along.
However, Jia Zheng's application was rejected without even a reason.
Since his southern tour, he has been asked about it several times. Every time he is asked, he feels embarrassed. It's because he was not discreet in his actions. He was too high-profile at the time and thought that he was sure he would go on the southern tour. Who knew that he would be sent back?
Actually, it was because of Jia Zhen that he was implicated.
As soon as Jia Zheng finished his business at the yamen, he turned around and went to the study to vent his anger on Jia Baoyu.
He always needs to vent his anger. If, by chance, this unfilial son hasn't been studying properly, then he'll have an excuse to vent.
Unexpectedly, Jia Baoyu was very good at pleasing him this time. He recited the book well, wrote the characters well, and wrote the essays that pleased him.
He had no excuse to punish Jia Baoyu, and just as he was feeling frustrated, he suddenly noticed that his desk was empty.
When he came over the other day, there was a pot of lotus petal orchids that looked like it was about to bloom. I thought it would bloom in a day or two, so why did it disappear?
"Hmm? What about the lotus petal orchid?"
Jia Zheng finally found an excuse.
"You brat, you've ruined such a beautiful orchid! You're a disobedient son! Guards, bring out the family discipline!"
Without even distinguishing right from wrong, they ordered someone to bring out the family law.
“Father, I saw that the orchids were blooming beautifully today, and I dared not admire them alone, so I sent them to the old lady.”
Jia Baoyu stood tall, neither humble nor arrogant.
His words left Jia Zheng speechless.
He showed filial piety to the old lady, so he couldn't say that Jia Baoyu had done something wrong. Even if he wanted to vent his anger by beating him, he couldn't use that as an excuse.
"Father, did something unforeseen happen at the yamen today? Now that I'm older, I can help you with some of the work. If you don't mind my stupidity, please tell me a thing or two."
Jia Baoyu wasn't stupid. He noticed that his father's expression was not good when he returned today. When his father came to the study to test his studies, he was also in a bad mood, as if he was sure that his father would punish him if he couldn't answer the questions or made even the slightest mistake.
In particular, he brought up that orchid for no reason.
The orchids were a gift from someone outside, and I never entrusted their care to anyone else.
My father had never asked about the orchid before, but he suddenly brought it up today.
Jia Baoyu immediately guessed that his father was making excuses to punish him.
He thought and thought, but couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong. The only explanation was that his father had been upset elsewhere and came back to vent his anger on him.
Jia Zheng was surprised that Bao Yu could say such a thing, and for the first time, he looked at Jia Bao Yu properly.
It was only then that she suddenly realized that her chubby son, who used to be all pampered, seemed to have grown up. Not only had he grown taller, but even his eyebrows had become quite dashing.
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