The Hairpin of the Red Chamber

Xue Pan only heard the news the next day. When she entered, Aunt Xue only said she was sick and refused to see him.Seeing that his mother and younger sister were sick, Xue Pan felt ashamed, and another outsider came to report that Baochai had lost the election. He couldn't stop persuading him, but he couldn't be bothered. After all, he read a few sentences from the master recommended by Jia Zheng. After a few days, he also remembered a few sentences. It was regarded as the first new thing in the family, so rumors arose. Baochai secretly told the elder The servants and maids all praised him for his tireless pursuit of learning. For a while, everyone was full of flattery, saying that the uncle has changed his temper, and he will be the number one scholar in the future. Not knowing why, she continued to read hard for a few days.

Baochai stayed at home for a few days, and while Xue Pan was studying, he sorted out accounts, servants, etc., set up regulations, and explained them in detail to Aunt Xue, because this is actually a big change in the family rules. Aunt Xue was so disturbed, she complained half-truthfully, "Son, I get a headache when I see these words and numbers, but you should take care of it."

Baochai pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Then there is a reason for calling me housekeeper when my mother is there? I should bother you more." A loyal, honest and literate girl reminds Aunt Xue every day, and Xiangling is among them.

Xiangling was originally bought by Xue Pan to be a housemate, but Aunt Xue paid special attention to it, and brought it by her side, and asked Tongfu Tongxi to teach it.

Seeing that everything was going well, Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. An Sheng was sick for a few days, and both Baoyu and Daiyu sent people to ask her. It took a while to come again, and gave me another handkerchief, saying that it was embroidered according to her appearance, and it was not well embroidered.

Baochai said: "She is not in good health, why is she in a hurry to make this thing?" Take it over and look at it, every stitch and thread, with utmost care, knowing that it would be fine if Lin Daiyu didn't do it, and when she was serious, she was very meticulous and appropriate. Put it away, and asked the Xueyan who came to deliver the letter: "What's wrong with your girl? What medicine did you take? How much food do you use a day?"

Xueyan was still childish, and replied: "That day when I came back from appreciating plums, I was angry with Bao Erye. At night, I said that my heart hurts, and I fell ill the next day. I took the medicine of Wang Taiyi, and now I can only keep warm."

Baochai said strangely: "I also went on the day of appreciating the plum blossoms. Brother Bao saw that he was doing well, why are you angry again?"

Xueyan said: "It seems that the second master Bao asked my girl to make something. The girl didn't have time to do it. The second master was fine. The day he went back to admire the plum blossoms, he suddenly had a fit. The two had a quarrel. The girl got angry. I twisted something that was half done, and then it somehow healed, tossing and crying and laughing, and then I got a fever."

Baochai frowned slightly, and sent Xueyan to say: "My dear boy, you go back and tell your girl that it's important to tell her to recover first."

She asked someone to collect some good bird's nests first, and packed them up, but at the moment she was afraid that the snow geese would not be able to do anything, so she wanted to call Ying'er, but then she thought about it, she had no reason to ask the girl to send the bird's nest, but she was afraid that Dai Yu wanted to be suspicious again, and it was not good for others to see her, so she took some maidservants and went to Daiyu in person.

When she went out, Aunt Xue saw that she had a particularly sick face, and persuaded her: "Why are you going out now? If you have something to do, just ask the girls to go."

When Baochai was told by her, she stopped and said with a smile: "I have stayed at home for so long, and I also want to go out for a walk, so I stopped by to have a look. I didn't go there specially." Why do you treat Daiyu so much alone?Immediately, he secretly laughed at himself for thinking too much.

It was still cold in early spring, and I helped the maids all the way. When I reached the gate of Daiyu, I could smell the smell of medicine outside. Going in lightly, I saw Daiyu leaning against the bedpost, reading a book.

When Baochai saw the book, he remembered something from the past, and said softly, "Okay, what are you reading?" But it is "The Complete Works of Wang Mojie". Has there ever been such a time in Baochai's life?Standing there, his face slowly turned red.

Daiyu was frightened by her, and still held the book with both hands. After recovering, she covered the corner of her mouth and coughed lightly, and said angrily, "Sister Bao, what's the matter? Why are you snatching other people's books so neatly?" The corners of the eyes and brows were full of jokes, as if to say, "So Xue Baochai looks dignified and stable, but in fact you are so frivolous at times." Baochai's calm face turned red again, and he sat as if nothing had happened, and said: "I heard that you were ill, and I happened to be here, so I came to see you."

Daiyu laughed and said, "Thank you, Sister Bao, for your concern—what kind of book did Sister Bao think I was reading?"

Baochai said: "It's far away, I just misread it for a while."

Daiyu groaned, and said: "It's wrong, what did you take it for? Could it be that Sister Bao has read some great books at home before, so when she saw me reading a book, she thought it was that kind of book?"

Baochai said: "My brothers and sisters used to read some geography miscellaneous notes, and they got so close like you, a little sneaky, so I didn't see clearly just now, and misunderstood."

Seeing that she was covering it up, Daiyu giggled and said, "My daughter reads some geography miscellaneous notes, what's there to scold? The more Sister Bao talks, the more confused I become."

This string of laughter is crisp and clear, and everyone who hears it feels pleasant, but it's a pity that Baochai is embarrassed at the moment, and wishes to seal her eloquence. On a second thought, she stretched out her hand and squeezed her face and said: "It's just you, a narrow-minded ghost, from now on Baoyu will be the only one. I can bear it!"

Daiyu smiled at her words and said, "Sister Bao's words are wrong. What has Baoyu to do with me!"

Seeing her expression, Baochai was more ashamed than angry, so she just smiled, turned her head off, and said, "I have received your handkerchief, please thank you, but your body is weak and you are still sick. Let go of all these troublesome things, it is serious to keep healthy." He handed back the "Wang Mojie Collection" to her, and said: "Books, needlework, etc. are the most exhausting."

Daiyu saw that Baochai was not a talkative person in the past, but today she was like an old woman rushing over every sentence, wondering secretly, and hurried to ask someone to bring tea and snacks. Baochai said a few words to her, and then took The bird's nest came out and said: "I vaguely heard that you need bird's nest for your illness. It happens that I have good bird's nest at home. It is usually taken with rock sugar. It is the best way to support people, so I took some. You use it first."

Daiyu said: "How can you be ashamed? Last time, Sister Meng gave a parrot, and she already felt quite ashamed. This time, I can't accept it at any rate." Because she suspected that Baochai was sympathetic to her, she smiled slightly. His face changed, but he was still not very familiar with Baochai, so it was not easy to explode on the spot.

Seeing her expression, Baochai knew what she was thinking, pressed her hand and said, "To tell you the truth, my brother gave these to me. He didn't know good or bad, and he didn't pay attention to the weight, so he took it all at once. Come on, where can I use them? You said that you want to sell these things again, that’s a joke. If you keep them for a long time, you’re afraid they will be broken. It’s better to use them for your sisters. That’s what I do. My sister's heart."

It was the first time for Daiyu to hear the saying that the bird's nest was spoiled, and she thought to herself that Xue's family was indeed a merchant's family. Besides being rich, it was unavoidably rough. It was just Baochai's kindness, and she couldn't refuse it, so she just accepted it. Think about what to give in return.

Who knows that Baochai smiled again: "Don't give me those needles and threads anymore. What's wrong with your body if you make things broken? If you really appreciate me, come and see me more and stay with me." Serious—I used to be accompanied by my cousins ​​at home, but now here, Yingchun and the others don’t go out very often, and they don’t interact with each other, and the reading is not very lively.” She just said casually, and Daiyu was fooled. Zhen, stood up and said: "Sister Bao is also afraid that no one will accompany her?"

Baochai said with a smile, "Why? You see I don't talk much, so you think I don't like excitement?"

Daiyu smiled but didn't answer, she just said: "When I get well, I must go and see my sister more, I'm afraid she is busy and doesn't want to see me."

Baochai said: "Come here, no matter how busy I am, I must see you."

Daiyu pursed her lips and smiled, not taking it seriously.

At that time, Baochai saw that Daiyu was in good spirits and had a ready-made book at hand, so he chatted with her about Wang Youcheng, from Wang Youcheng to Li Qinglian, Tao Yuanming, and then to Xie, Ruan, Yu and Bao. However, the talent and love are one, and the conversation is very happy, and they don't know the passage of time.

Daiyu was a bit annoyed before Baochai, because she was considerate in handling things for her, which made everyone happy, and Baochai was a family of merchants after all, and Daiyu was from a scholarly family, so it was inevitable that she was somewhat lofty and self-promising. But he was taken aback, and secretly said: I only know that everyone has praised her too much, but I still underestimate her. She is so talented and broad-minded, and she understands her own heart better than Baoyu. I can't help but admire her.And because one of the two lost their father and the other lost their mother, and they both lived in other people's homes, there was a sense of sympathy for each other, and the intimacy grew stronger, and they only hated how they did not have such a biological sister.

Baochai thought: It can be seen that people's nature is born after all. At the age of Sister Lin, she almost compares me with a person who has passed two lives. I am ashamed, ashamed.Feeling deeply of Daiyu's insight and magnanimity, he thought to himself: It can be seen that Daiyu's life is actually a mistake in love!If you don't meet Baoyu, not only your life expectancy may be long, but your blessings will be better. After all, such a person, even if you are a princess, you are afraid of humiliating her. There is no fate for evil.

After thinking about it again, I couldn't help sighing again, and felt that I wanted to match Baoyu and Daiyu at first, but I was afraid that my idea was wrong. What are you sighing for?"

Baochai said: "I think of an old saying, so I feel emotional."

Daiyu asked, "What are you talking about?"

Baochai said with a smile: "I also heard people mention it, saying that it is a "unfortunate country and a poet's fortune". It is Kong who has a whole body of knowledge, but has been depressed all his life and can’t find his place, so he got a good sentence, so he sighs."

Daiyu sneered and said, "I thought my sister was open-minded, why can't I see it now? Those so-called learned people, who boast such a great reputation in learning, when they become officials, they all have high-mindedness and low-handedness, so high-minded. , so the emperor didn't use him, so that's all right, because of their writing skills, they exaggerated this matter, talking about it, only saying how bad it is for people not to use him, and never mentioning their own faults. Don't believe my sister Seeing that there was Wei Wu in the front, and Ouyang and Sima Zhugong in the future, can it be said that the official is good, but the talent and learning are poor?"

Baochai smiled and said, "Yes, what Maoer said is true. I was wrong."