The Hairpin of the Red Chamber

Baoyu never thought about such a problem.When he first took office, he secretly had some ambitions. He felt that although he might not be able to bring peace to all generations, he would also be able to make a living for the people. He would not be famous in the official history, and he would have to write a big book in the local chronicles.However, at the very beginning of his tenure, he encountered many small things, which extinguished his enthusiasm, and finally dealt with these small things. When he first entered the office, he met Liu Xianglian again, and was shocked. Wen Baochai and Daiyu wanted to confess to their family, each and every one of them was a difficulty that he had never encountered before - but Baochai was at such a critical point, and he had to ask him all kinds of tricky questions.

Baoyu hesitated for a moment, then slowly said: "Isn't the matter in my family over? Why did it involve father and mother again?"

Baochai said: "In the past, I could remind you because I had such a dream, but now the fate in the dream has changed, and no one can predict what will happen after that. Today, the Spring and Autumn is at its peak, and although your sister is not in the palace, Glory and favor, but it is inevitable to be involved in disputes, and it is at a time when the emperor is reforming and the court is undergoing drastic changes. The fate of the family is still unknown. Although you are just a county magistrate, you are already the only remaining member of the court in your family. People, the honor and disgrace of the family in the future are closely related to you, and most of the future of your father and mother will depend on you."

Baoyu thought of his father's white hair at the temples, and the body box his mother had secretly stuffed for him before leaving. He frowned and said after a while, "If it's about my parents, I...don't know."

Baochai stared at him and said, "What if it's about Liu Xianglian?"

Baoyu remembered Liu Xianglian's expression when she was injured, covered her heart unconsciously, and said: "If it's about him...I...I..." "I" for a long while, finally sighed, and said: "Sister Bao, whether it is my parents It doesn't matter, Liu Xianglian, if something happens to them, I will naturally try my best to rescue them, if something goes wrong, that's God's will, I... I can't just kill others because of my own self-interest."

Baochai stared at him without blinking, and said word by word: "There is nothing wrong now, so you can answer like this, if something really happens in the future, your answer at that time may not be the same as today. "

Baoyu was slightly annoyed: "Sister Bao doesn't believe me so much, why bother to ask again?"

Baochai said lightly: "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that you are too young to think carefully about many things, and every decision you make now will affect the future of you and your family, so I hope you Think carefully. It's easy for you to save Liu Xianglian, and it's easy to force him to speak his mind, but what about after that? If you want to be with him, you will definitely break your parents' hearts, and even destroy your own. The future will ruin the future of your family. However, if you like him, he also likes you, and you force him to speak out. If you send him away like this, wouldn’t it hurt his heart for nothing? Liu Xianglian He looks gentle, but in fact he has the highest spirit and the strongest person. What will he think if you hurt his heart like this? Who knows what he will do when he gets angry? Have you ever thought about it? Just in case One, if you and Liu Xianglian want to be together for a long time like me and Daiyu, what will you do, have you thought about it?"

After hearing this, Baoyu lowered his head to think again, and Baochai waited patiently, without urging him.The servants outside had been sent away long ago, only Mingyan was left to watch, Baochai was sitting bored, so he opened the window to look, Mingyan didn't know where, there was no one outside, it was deserted, and The fluttering fine snow looked exceptionally desolate.

Baoyu also raised his head and looked out the window. It is customary in this dynasty that all government offices, big and small, have to erect a stele of admonition. Because they are a newly built county government, the stone tablet has not yet been completed, so it is still left in the yard. The horoscope of "God is hard to bully" has been engraved. Looking from Baoyu, you can just see these two lines of characters.

Baoyu sighed slightly, and asked Baochai, "Sister Bao, in your dream, what happened to Lan'er? Do you have an heir?"

Baochai thought for a while before saying: "He won the imperial examination, and the high salary of a high-ranking official is nothing to show. In the future... he will have considerable descendants."

Baoyu said, "Does Huan'er have a son?"

Baochai raised her eyebrows and said, "He had it then, but now... I don't know."

Baoyu then said, "Sister Bao, I've made up my mind."

Baochai looked back at him.Baoyu said slowly: "I have enjoyed enough blessings in this life, but I owe too much love. My father worked hard all his life, hoping to continue the family, but when he was old, he raised an unworthy son like me. Yu leisure, not doing business, my mother only has me as a son, and regards me as a lifelong reliance, but I always make her worry and worry about me, sleepless all night, Xiren treats me so wholeheartedly, I want her body, but And she can only let her go out of the house by herself. Qingwen, who is so sharp and aggressive, was assigned to Zhuangzi by her mother just because she had some relationship with me. Needless to say, the rest of them are always delayed by me. I will not be able to pay back the affection I owe in this life, and since I can't even pay back these, I can't do any more crimes."

Baochai raised her eyebrows and said, "You mean..."

Baoyu laughed and said, "I mean, from now on, I have changed everything. First, I will never provoke others easily. Second, if I provoke someone, I will always... be responsible."

Baochai said, "You mean Liu Xianglian?"

Baoyu said: "This is the end of the matter. If he doesn't like me, it means we have no fate. I really have no choice but to try to let him go. We just forget each other. If he likes me, then I have to find a way." together with him."

Baochai raised her eyes to look at him, her eyes were full of strange expressions: "You...you decided to be with him now? You vowed to honor the lintel and pass on the family line, but now you want to regret it?"

Baoyu sighed: "Sister Bao is right. I am indeed a young man. When I think about working hard, I only think about working hard. I want to tell my father not to worry. I just want to do what my father thinks. No matter what you like and what you can do. In fact, now it seems that getting fame, taking concubines and having children, glorifying the lintel, and passing on the family line are all empty words, not to mention how much a dude like me who doesn't know the world can do it in the end Go to the official, just say that I look like this now, if I really take someone else's daughter, it's just one more debt of affection and harm to a good daughter. I think my father has Lan'er and Huan'er to continue the incense anyway , there is no shortage of me, I just need to be my county magistrate in a peaceful manner, manage the affairs of this place and the county well, be able to serve the saints at the top, support the people at the bottom, and be worthy of my parents and Liu Xianglian in the middle. If you are lucky enough to be promoted, so that your family reputation will not be degraded, and you can teach the children in your family, and help them a little bit in poetry and official career, this life is enough."

Baochai looked at him fixedly and said, "What you said is different from what you said before. You asked me...how can I believe you?"

Baoyu smiled bitterly and said, "Believe it or not, it's only in Sister Bao—Sister Bao, in your dream, I was poor and faced many difficulties. At that time, did I treat you badly? Temporary fullness and warmth will take away my true nature?"

Baochai said: "If you say that, then I have no choice but to believe you. So you have made a decision now that you will never marry another woman in this life. If Liu Xianglian is interested in you, you will be with him. If He has no intention of you, and you try to help him leave?"

Baoyu nodded and said, "Exactly."

Baochai said, "Then I have another question."

Baoyu laughed and said, "Please tell me."

Baochai lowered her eyes and said: "If there is one thing, save Liu Xianglian or save your parents, you can only choose one, who will you choose?"

Baoyu was stunned, and said: "Sister Bao, the more you ask, the more strange it becomes. There is such a huge difference between my parents and Liu Xianglian, how can we be together, and how can there be times when we can only save one side? Besides, Liu Xianglian is a People, my parents are two, how can this be compared?"

Baochai said: "Let me put it another way, if...you are together, and my uncle and aunt know about you and force you to separate from him with death, what should you do?"