In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 12

Jia She had long since discovered from the original owner’s memories that this world did not strictly forbid romantic relationships between men. In fact, a man taking another man as a lover was not despised but often viewed as an elegant pursuit. Many aristocratic youths kept beautiful young male servants, and boasting about them was often seen as a sign of refined taste. Some wives even preferred that their husbands have male lovers, as such relationships would not result in illegitimate children.

Seeing Jia Zhen still gossiping about him and Situ Ruo, Jia She’s lips curled upward as he slowly rolled up his sleeves, pressed one hand firmly onto Jia Zhen’s head, and began a fierce beating. “I will teach you to spout nonsense! I will teach you to drink too much and run your mouth!”

Jia Lian was already married, and in a few years, he would be a grandfather. Situ Ruo had a wife and children of his own; there was absolutely no possibility of anything between them. If such an awkward rumor reached Situ Ruo’s ears, how would he be able to face him in the future? Since arriving in this world, Jia She had no desire to pursue a romantic partner. He had no interest in destroying another person’s marriage, nor did he want to fall in love with someone whose values did not align with his own.

Jia She was not drunk. Although he was annoyed, his deeper emotion was embarrassment, so he kept his strikes measured. He did not want to beat anyone on New Year’s Eve, but since Jia Zhen insisted on gossiping about his relationship with Situ Ruo, he could not leave it unpunished.

When Jia She returned, he had Lin Zhixiao fetch Jia Rong and told him, “Your father drank too much and fell. Have the manor doctor come and look at him; do not avoid medical treatment just because it is the New Year. He has been quite irritable lately, so have the doctor prescribe a bit more Coptis Chinensis for him to drink.”

When Jia Rong saw Jia Zhen’s bruised face, it was as clear as day. This was no drunken fall; he had clearly been beaten. Jia Rong did not know what his father had done to provoke the Eldest Master into taking action himself on New Year’s Eve, but no matter what it was, it had to be his father’s fault. The Eldest Master was clearly a reasonable man who would not cause trouble without cause.

Jia Rong had always considered himself a man of depth, but having married a woman of incomparable beauty like Qin Keqing, he had become a shallow man who judged by appearance. Only now did he realize that he was just as superficial as anyone else.

As Jia She left with Lin Zhixiao, Jia Rong had the servants carry the unconscious and battered Jia Zhen back to his room. When Qin Keqing saw Jia Zhen’s wretched state, she could not help but lower her head and let out a soft laugh. When she and Jia Rong had first married, Jia Zhen’s gaze toward her had been chilling. Later, after Jia Zhen had executed all the gossiping servants in the manor, his gaze no longer held that repulsive intensity. This laugh of hers was a moment of release; the anger she had suppressed in her heart due to those absurd rumors dissipated with that smile.

Upon returning to his room, Jia She thought about the reunion dinner they were expected to attend at Mother Jia’s. He felt full before the meal had even begun.

In the evening, after the maid from Mother Jia’s side had invited him three times, Jia She finally took Lady Xing with him. He walked toward Mother Jia’s quarters holding Yingchun by one hand and Jia Cong by the other, chatting occasionally about trivial matters of daily life. Lady Xing followed nervously, terrified that Jia She might find her care lacking and be dissatisfied. Fortunately, Jia She seemed quite satisfied with how she was tending to Yingchun and Jia Cong, allowing Lady Xing and Wang Shanbao’s wife to breathe a sigh of relief.

In the corridor at Mother Jia’s, they bumped into Jia Baoyu, dressed in red. He was accompanied only by a few maids; his eyes lit up upon seeing Jia She, and he trotted over, tilting his head up to ask, “Greetings to Great Uncle. Baoyu has not seen Great Uncle for a long time.”

Jia She was curious about Jia Baoyu, as he had not deliberately crossed paths with him before. He had broken ties with Lady Wang; if he were to deliberately encounter Jia Baoyu, Lady Wang would likely suspect him of plotting against her son. Jia Baoyu was the apple of Lady Wang and Mother Jia’s eye; if anything were to happen to him, Lady Wang would undoubtedly go mad. Jia She was a man who hated trouble; if Lady Wang went mad, she would hound him like a rabid dog.

Jia She knew a little about Jia Baoyu; he favored those who were good-looking. When Jia Baoyu saw Jia She smile at him, he smiled back, then looked up expectantly at Jia She, seeing that he was holding Jia Cong and Yingchun. “Great Uncle, I want to hold hands too.”

Yingchun spontaneously let go of Jia She’s hand to make space for Jia Baoyu. She had been raised by Mother Jia’s side and was very fond of her younger brother Baoyu; she almost never refused his requests. Jia She noticed that young Jia Baoyu was quite socially adept. After Yingchun made room, he thanked her sincerely before carefully reaching out to take Jia She’s hand.

Jia She would not let the grievances between adults affect a child. Besides, those grievances were not his. As long as Jia Baoyu was not a brat, he found he could not bring himself to dislike him. Jia She proactively took Jia Baoyu’s hand. “Let us go. It is time for the reunion dinner.”

Jia Baoyu peeked at Jia She several times, only to be caught in the act, causing his cheeks to flush red as he explained, “I am not looking on purpose, Great Uncle; you are just too good-looking, and I could not help myself.”

Jia She chuckled. Jia Baoyu was only five or six years old. To have such an awareness of beauty at such a young age—the children of the Jia family were truly precocious. Jia She pinched Jia Baoyu’s chubby cheek. “Baoyu is also very good-looking.”

Jia Baoyu shook his head vigorously, refuting him with great sincerity. “No, I am made of mud, and Great Uncle is made of fresh flowers. I am not good-looking, Great Uncle is.”

Jia She did not expect to hear this famous line and asked teasingly, “If I am made of flowers and you are made of mud, then what is your sister Yingchun made of?”

Jia Baoyu thought for a moment and replied crisply, “Sister is made of water.” Jia She could not help but laugh, his eyes curving into crescents. The servants all lowered their heads; no matter how stunning the sight, they dared not show any expression, fearing that an undignified look might startle their masters.

When Jia Zheng and Lady Wang saw Jia She enter holding Jia Baoyu’s hand, Lady Wang was the first to stand up. Pretending to be concerned about whether Baoyu was dressed warmly enough, she pulled him away from Jia She’s side. Seeing Jia She in a decent mood, Mother Jia probed, “The Wang family has invited you to dine on the third day of the New Year; take Lian’er with you.”

Jia She sat in his chair and looked at Mother Jia with a smile. “I am busy. I will not go.”

Mother Jia’s expression shifted, and the servants in the room slowed their movements and breath in unison. Mother Jia wanted to flare up, but fearing Jia She’s madness, she swallowed her anger and dared not vent it.

Jia Baoyu, unaware of the tension between the adults, ran over to Jia She from a distance holding a plate of pastries, looking at him with bright, shining eyes. “Great Uncle, try this hibiscus pastry. Sister Xiren says it is made of fresh flowers; it is fragrant and sweet.”

Lady Wang felt a stabbing pain in her heart; she had raised Jia Baoyu for so many years, and he had never once offered her a pastry. Jia She glanced at Xiren but did not correct Baoyu’s address for her. The more Jia She learned about the aristocratic families, the more he found Jia Baoyu an enigma for calling a servant “sister.” Even stranger to Jia She was that Jia Zheng never once corrected or reprimanded him for it.

Jia She took a piece of the pastry Baoyu had brought, found it delicious, and shared a piece with both Yingchun and Jia Cong. “If Great Uncle gives your pastry to someone else to eat, will you be angry?”

Jia Baoyu’s voice was crisp. “Of course I would not be angry. Sister Yingchun and brother Cong are not outsiders; we are all one family.”

Since the servants around Yingchun had been replaced, Lady Xing noticed Jia She’s affection for her and had been more attentive to Yingchun’s needs than to Jia Cong’s. Hearing Baoyu’s words, Yingchun covered her mouth with a handkerchief and giggled, tapping Baoyu on the forehead. “You! It is just a plate of pastries; you run over to offer them to my father as if they were treasures. Why would my father be short of pastries to eat?”

Baoyu leaned into Yingchun. “Of course I know Great Uncle has no shortage of pastries; I just wanted to be closer to him. Seeing Great Uncle eat the pastry I brought makes me happy.”

Jia She laughed again; his face was becoming increasingly magnetic, to the point where even Jia Baoyu was trying to curry favor with him. Mother Jia tried several times more to get Jia She to agree to socialize, but each time, Jia She shut her down. Seeing that Jia She did not want to lose his temper in front of the children, Mother Jia deliberately said in front of them, “Where does one hear of relatives not visiting during the New Year? Just take the children, eat and drink a little, and be done with it. Why spend your days hiding in the East Courtyard?”

Jia She slowly stopped his gentle smile and told Lady Xing in a calm voice to take the children out for a stroll to help digest their meal. Lady Xing did not hesitate, stood up immediately to gather Yingchun and the others, and even took Tanchun and the other girls with her.

Once all the children were gone, Jia She picked up the jade bowl in front of him and smashed it on the floor. All the servants stood shivering in their places. Mother Jia’s face turned ghastly, and she felt dizzy, nearly collapsing. Lady Wang quickly stood up to support her. Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian exchanged a glance, both remaining silent, desperately trying to reduce their presence. Jia She felt that this madness needed to be acted out periodically; otherwise, Mother Jia would always press her luck and leave him in a foul mood.

Jia Zheng stood up angrily, pointing at Jia She, wanting to say something. Jia She swept a cold gaze across him. “Whom are you pointing at with those dog claws?” Seeing Jia She’s icy gaze, Jia Zheng immediately withdrew his hand, unable to utter a single word of his planned outburst.

Jia She looked at Mother Jia expressionlessly. “What kind of bullshit visiting between relatives? It is clearly an attempt to push me out so that those noble families can vent their anger. Do you take me for a fool?” Jia She recalled what Lin Zhixiao had found out: Mother Jia had written letters to several families apologizing, claiming he had gone mad and using extremely insulting language to describe him. The more Jia She thought about it, the angrier he became, so he simply stood up and flipped the dining table.

A chorus of fearful screams echoed in the room. Jia She’s voice was icy. “Shut up! You are too noisy.” After he spoke, no one in the room dared to make another sound. Some of the timid maids covered their mouths tightly, fearing that even the slightest noise would draw Jia She’s attention. That was a rosewood table weighing hundreds of pounds; Jia She had flipped it with a single motion—his strength was truly terrifying.

Jia Zhen had executed nearly a hundred servants, including several of his own concubines. Reliable sources said this had been Jia She’s idea. Of all the servants in the Rong Mansion, if you asked who they feared most, Jia She was undeniably at the top of the list.

Mother Jia was terrified by Jia She flipping the table; she turned pale, lost her breath, and fainted. The room descended into chaos. Jia She glanced at Jia Zheng, his voice icy. “Go call the doctor. If the Old Matriarch dies, your entire branch can get out.” Jia Zheng felt a chill down his spine, and Lady Wang hurriedly ordered Zhou Rui’s wife to fetch a physician. The Old Matriarch must not have anything happen to her; only as long as she remained alive could their second branch legitimately live in the Rong Mansion. If she passed away, even if it meant Jia She would bear the stigma of being unfilial, they would be forced to move out. Jia Zheng hated that he was not the eldest son; he was legitimate and more educated than Jia She, yet the Rong Mansion was inherited by Jia She simply because he was the firstborn.