The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 7 Deceiving Aunt Zhao

Aunt Zhao was not a loving mother in the traditional sense, but considering her current situation, Jia Huan understood her thoughts to some extent.

Lady Wang appeared virtuous and kind, with a renowned reputation for gentleness and filial piety, but in reality, she was intolerant of others. She was cunning and resourceful, quietly controlling Jia Zheng's household for nearly twenty years. However, in her old age, she unexpectedly found herself vulnerable to Aunt Zhao, who even bore her two children. How could she not hate her?

Especially after Jia Huan was born, Lady Wang subjected him to countless forms of suppression, both overt and covert.

Aunt Zhao was a servant born into the Jia family. In her youth, she was a bright and beautiful woman. She thought that by becoming Jia Zheng's concubine, she would at least be half a mistress, and good days would be just around the corner. Little did she know that Lady Wang would suppress her at every turn. If she hadn't been so shrewish, she would probably have ended up like Aunt Zhou, languishing in obscurity in the Jia household, enduring the days like oil being boiled.

Aunt Zhao's way of survival was to be ruthless; if anyone crossed her, she would make a scene before she would let it go. As time went on, the people in the mansion learned about her character and kept their distance from her, fearing that they might get into trouble.

It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that it's not worth provoking her!

When Jia Huan left Rongxi Hall and officially opened his own courtyard, Lady Wang was happy, Jia Huan was pleased, and Jia Zheng had nothing to say. However, Aunt Zhao was extremely unwilling.

Without Rongxi Hall, I'm afraid I won't see the master for ten days or half a month. How can we maintain our father-son relationship?

Aunt Zhao harbored a secret desire for Jia Huan to inherit Jia Zheng's family fortune. Whatever Bao Yu possessed, she would relentlessly flatter and pester Jia Zheng, hoping to secure a share for Jia Huan. She also frequently sowed discord between Jia Zheng and Bao Yu, straining the relationship between father and son. Bao Yu became like a mouse before a cat whenever he saw Jia Zheng, trembling with fear at the mere mention of his name, and even afraid to pass by Jia Zheng's study.

As she forged ahead through thorns and brambles, she looked back and saw that Jia Huan had surrendered first, which made her furious!

She dared not be presumptuous in front of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang. After serving the two masters, Aunt Zhao went straight to Qingfeng Courtyard.

Aunt Zhao came in a fierce manner, and no one dared to stop her.

Without waiting for anyone to lift the curtain, Aunt Zhao slipped into the room herself, took a few quick steps to the west side room, stood in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), put her hands on her hips, and snorted fiercely at Jia Huan.

Several maids serving inside the room were startled by her imposing manner, thinking she was about to cause trouble, and quickly stepped in front of Jia Huan: "What is this Madam doing?"

Jia Huan knew that Aunt Zhao was coming to make trouble, so he wasn't surprised. He directly said to the maids, "Aunt Zhao has come to talk to me. You can all go downstairs. Also, tell everyone in the courtyard to go back to their rooms and not to eavesdrop outside."

The group obediently agreed and left the room one by one. They didn't go far, but stayed not far from the doorway, watching to prevent anyone from getting close to the main house.

"Auntie, why are you dressed so lightly? Aren't you afraid of getting cold? Come and sit on the kang to warm up. Luckily, I just made two plates of pastries in the kitchen. Please sit down and have some."

"Pah! You good-for-nothing, you idiot, all you do is eat, eat, eat! You can't even tell good from bad words. Someone says a few nice things to you, and you think they really care about you?"

Aunt Zhao always scolded Jia Huan without hesitation. They were her own flesh and blood, so what was there to hold back?

However, this Jia Huan is not the same as that Jia Huan.

Jia Huan never heard a kind word from Aunt Zhao, but fortunately, he already knew what kind of person Aunt Zhao was and was mentally prepared, so he didn't get angry when he heard her words.

"Why does Aunt say such things to me? What did I do wrong to make Aunt even angrier?" Jia Huan sat up straight, put down the book in his hand, and said calmly.

Aunt Zhao was only focused on venting her anger, and seeing his unhurried demeanor made her even angrier: "You really are stupid beyond belief! You are my son, but you are just a son born of a concubine. There is still Baoyu ahead of you. If you don't show your face and perform well in front of the master, what good will you get in the future! Do you expect to go out and beg for food?"

“You know what kind of woman your wife is. If you don’t plan for yourself now, it will be too late when that day comes.”

"It's not a good thing that she's letting you open your own courtyard now. She's just throwing this courtyard out to you to keep you out of the Grand View Garden. If she really cared about you, how could she give you such a dilapidated place! Don't you think about what good things in this mansion could possibly fall into your lap?"

"You're so brainless, you got tricked and you're still happily thanking the person..."

Aunt Zhao talked on and on until her throat was dry, but Jia Huan was not annoyed at all. Instead, he kindly pushed a cup of tea towards her.

Aunt Zhao picked up her teacup and downed the tea in two gulps, then wiped her mouth and started drinking again.

Arguing is not a one-person affair. No matter how harsh the insults are or how loud the voice is, if no one pays attention, the person who is hurling insults will find it meaningless.

Just like Aunt Zhao now, she was cursing and spitting as she spoke, but Jia Huan just sat upright, showing no sign of anger and giving no response. Aunt Zhao became uncomfortable and finally sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), took out her handkerchief, and burst into tears.

After crying for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jia Huan still didn't react, simply letting her do as she pleased.

Aunt Zhao couldn't cry anymore: "Your mother is crying like this, why don't you have any reaction at all?"

"I'm really stupid and don't know how to comfort my aunt," Jia Huan said with a somewhat guilty expression.

Aunt Zhao.

Finished!

Her son used to be quite clever, but now he's become mentally challenged after an illness. What will she do for the rest of her life?

Aunt Zhao was suddenly overcome with grief. Before, she had been pretending to cry, but now she was genuinely heartbroken, and her handkerchief was soaked with tears.

Seeing that the time was right, Jia Huan handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said in a gentle voice, "I know what you're thinking, Aunt. You hope that I can inherit Father's property so that my mother and I can live a life of wealth and glory. But Aunt, don't you think that even if Father loves me, according to the patriarchal system and the law, I will never have any chance of inheriting the family property? I still have Baoyu ahead of me, and even after Baoyu, there is the eldest grandson Jia Lan. How could it be my turn?"

Aunt Zhao has always been short-sighted. Since birth, she has followed the rules of the Jia family, and she doesn't care about patriarchal clan laws or the law. As long as she can please Jia Zheng, she will naturally get what she wants. Upon hearing this, she immediately retorted:

"What do you know? If Master's eldest son, Jia Zhu, were still alive, you naturally wouldn't be able to compete for this inheritance. But now that he's gone, his son Bao Yu spends all his time among women. What great future can he possibly have? And there's Jia Lan, a mere child. Can he possibly get involved in this? You just need to please Master, and you'll have your own benefits. I've been in this mansion for half my life. What don't I know? Just listen to me. Would I ever harm you?"

Aunt Zhao's mindset is already fixed; continuing down this line of thinking will not lead to any results.

“My aunt would never harm me, but I can’t stand up to the others!” Jia Huan did not refute her words, but changed the subject.

"Others? Who?" Aunt Zhao's eyes widened, and she instantly became focused.

Yes! That's the right spot!