Cold fragrance and warm jade [Red Mansion Chai Dai]

night.

Lin Fu was beaming.

Jiao Dayou was taken care of by the general in Lin's residence and lived in the servant's room.Today is the day when the three masters of the Lin family come home for the first time. The other servants of the Lin family are going to meet their masters. He, who used to be a servant of the Jia family but whose status is uncertain for the time being, has not been summoned yet.

Jiao Da lay on the bed, his eyes collapsed.

After leaving Ningguo Mansion for a few days, he gradually figured it out.

Driving him to Zhuangzi was probably just an excuse to let him leave Beijing.On this mountain road, letting the bandits hack him to death is probably the real purpose of the masters.Perhaps, the person who wanted to kill him was Jia Zhen, the patriarch of the Jia family and the ruler of the Ningguo Mansion!

Recalling the swearing words when he was drunk that day, Jiao Da can still break out in cold sweat.

During the days when he was raised in the Lin family, he didn't drink alcohol, and he became more and more sober.Those words were probably the ones that really made Master Zhen want to kill.The affairs of Jia Zhen and Qin's family are very secret, but they cannot be hidden from him.He scolded wildly that day, and accidentally said this.

Thinking of the extremely secret rumors he had heard about Qin's life experience, Jiao Da was even more frightened.

What he is afraid of is not his personal future.He is such an old man, and he has no children and grandchildren, if he dies immediately, what is there to be afraid of?

He was afraid that Jia's family would end in ruins in the future!

If Qin's background is really what he imagined...

Jiao Da recalled the time when he was recuperating in the Lin Mansion. Xu Zhong told him that if he told Lin Ruhai all the things he knew about the Jia family without reservation, maybe Lin Ruhai would be able to help Lin Ruhai in the future. The Jia family seeks a way to survive.If he refused to tell, Lin Ruhai could find out many things when he came to the capital.

Now Jiao Da can't wait to fly to Lin Ruhai immediately and tell what he knows!

One is that the Lin family saved his life; the other is that Lin Ruhai is related to the Jia family after all. Can he believe that after Lin Ruhai knows what happened to the Jia family, he will not use it as an enemy of the Jia family.

But he can't.

The Lin family is happy now, so there is no time to talk to him!No matter how straightforward he is, he also came here in Jia's mansion and other places for these years, so he understands some basic things.

On the same night, in Pear Fragrance Garden.

Baochai put aside the account book he had finished reading, and sighed, "Mom, the business of our shops is really getting worse day by day."

Aunt Xue also read the account book, and she knew it well.Hearing what her daughter said, she put down the account book in her hand, and sighed: "Why don't I know? I only wronged you."

Recalling how comfortable her daughter was living when her husband was still alive, and what kind of life she is living now, Aunt Xue is even more distressed.

"I wanted to live in Jia's house. With your uncle in charge, and the brothers from Jia's family studying with me, your elder brother can grow up. Who knows that during this period of time, there are many times when you ask for money at home. It's true. If I don't pay, he can still go to the shop to pay."

The more Aunt Xue talked, the more angry she became.

Baochai bowed her head silently.

She knows, don't listen to how dissatisfied her mother is when she talks about her brother, as long as her brother appears in front of her mother, how can her mother be so cruel?Especially after her father passed away, she knew how much her mother doted on her brother.

Just like Mrs. Jia's doting on Baoyu.Baoyu and Mrs. Jia's husband who died young looked alike, and Mrs. Jia felt sorry for Baoyu.And her mother, seeing that her elder brother looked so similar to her deceased husband, why didn't she care about nothing else but indulge?

Aunt Xue chattered about Xue Pan for a while, then suddenly asked: "Bao girl, now that Lin girl has returned home, you have to seize the opportunity. I don't think that Baoyu child may not be different from you, it's just that before With Miss Lin around, this taught him not to pay so much attention to you. Now is our chance."

Baochai lowered her eyes and said, "Mom, why should we worry about Shao'er? From my point of view, Shao'er's younger brother doesn't like Baoyu. With such a father and such a brother, how can Mao'er have a chance with Baoyu in the future?"

No matter how much Baochai suppressed her, she still couldn't help showing some sourness in her words.

That's right, her father is Tanhua, and although her younger brother hasn't taken any exams yet, he is very talented.What happened in the front hall today has long been known to everyone in the Jia family.Lin Ruhai asked Jia Zheng to come up with some questions first, and after several questions were answered by Chongyu successfully.Jia Zheng couldn't cover his face, so he made another one and ordered Baoyu to answer.This question was easier to answer than the previous ones. Baoyu faltered and hawed, and couldn't say anything for a long time.

Jia Zheng was so angry that he wanted to beat Baoyu regardless of Lin Ruhai's presence, but Lin Ruhai stopped him, saying that Baoyu was still young, so Jia Zheng should not get angry.

But how can Lin Ruhai be convincing when he says this?Chongyu is two years younger than Baoyu!

So today, after Lin Ruhai left with her children, Baoyu stayed in Jiamu's room all the time, not daring to leave Jiamu's sight, and even almost slept in Jiamu's place again.

Previously, seeing Daiyu and Baoyu getting along well, and Jia's mother being happy again, Jia's family thought that it was possible for the two to get married in the future, but after today's incident, few people have such thoughts anymore.

In the past, everyone only knew that Baoyu didn't like reading, but listening to Baoyu's talk, they also knew that this master had some ink in his stomach, and seeing him smart and handsome, they only thought that he was still young and had a childlike heart. There is a lot of promise on the imperial examination road.

As for Chongyu, it seems that he is serious about studying, but what is his level? However, people like Jia Lan and Jia Zhu who have paid attention to Chongyu at home and have consulted Chongyu many times in private know that's all.The servants of Jia's family are used to praising the high and stepping down the low. Seeing that Jia's mother didn't pay much attention to Chongyu, she didn't care how well Chongyu was studying.

Until today, when Chongyu and Baoyu really compared each other, they didn't know how ridiculous the gap between the two was.

Aunt Xue lost her mind for a while, and then sighed again: "If your brother is half as good as Chongyu, we mother and daughter don't have to be in the same embarrassment as we are now."

That's what I said, but my own child, no matter how bad it is, is the one I love the most.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside, and someone said: "Master, are you back? Why did you drink so much wine today?"

Baochai and Aunt Xue hurriedly got up and went out to have a look. As expected, Xue Pan came back, reeking of alcohol and drunk.

The two looked annoyed and worried, and hurriedly took him into the house.The maids came in with water for those who washed their faces, those who prepared sober soup, and were busy with various things.

Baochai and Aunt Xue also ignored what they were talking about earlier, and focused on him.

Mrs. Wang's side is different from here in Lixiangyuan.

The relationship between Mrs. Wang and Jia Zheng and his wife is not good, so Mrs. Wang left the main room instead of sitting in the banquet and went to the east side room.Today, Baoyu was annoyed by Jia Zheng and hid at Jia's mother.Jia Zheng couldn't teach his son a lesson, so he only told Mrs. Wang that Mrs. Wang couldn't manage her son well, so she went to Aunt Zhao's room in anger.

Mrs. Wang finished her meal at night, and she chanted for a while in the small Buddhist hall set up at home, but she didn't calm down after all, and went back to her room to sit, still only sighing.

After sitting like this for a while, it was Wang Xifeng who came and reported some family affairs to her.

At the end of the year, there are many household chores. There are a lot of things sent by some Zhuangzi shops, and there are also a lot of New Year gifts to be given to people who come and go. Be busy.

Even as Mrs. Wang listened, she also felt a bit of a headache.She used to be busy as a director, but later she had a shrewd and capable niece. She didn't pay much attention to many trivial matters, and only paid attention to the big things, and sometimes mentioned a few words to Wang Xifeng, so that Wang Xifeng knew who was really in charge. .

It's just that Xifeng said another thing today, which really stuck in her heart.

I only heard Xifeng say: "Today, another person came to the palace and asked for 2000 taels of silver, even if there are not two thousand taels, at least one thousand."

Xifeng didn't directly say who came from the palace, Mrs. Wang immediately understood that it was not the eunuchs who came to beat the autumn wind, but Yuanchun needed money.

During the holidays, it takes a lot of money to entertain people outside the palace, and the inside of the palace needs to use much more than outside.Those people in the palace are more wealthy than them, and they look down on bad things.

After thinking for a while, Mrs. Wang asked, "Did you give all the money? How much did you give?"

"I gave it, two thousand. It's just that the expenses in other places have been moved. In the past few days, I have to find a way to fill in the money."

Madam Wang sighed and nodded.

Seeing that Mrs. Wang was depressed, Wang Xifeng stopped talking and went back to her room.

Mrs. Wang was left alone in the room, sighing again.

Regarding the matter of money, she believed that Wang Xifeng could solve it by herself, but she was still very worried.Whenever she thinks of how much she and Wang Xifeng have spent for the family, Mrs. Wang's heart aches for a while.

She couldn't help thinking of the good things in Mother Jia's private treasury.

What comforted her a little was that Jia Mu had always loved Baoyu. If there was any good thing, as long as Baoyu said she wanted it, Jia Mu would give it to her. .

I can only hate Baoyu who knows how to play with her sisters, but doesn't like to study, and never thinks about where the money she uses every day comes from.

Thinking about it, Mrs. Wang thought of Daiyu again, and felt that Daiyu was more and more hateful. Her younger brother was a clever student, but she didn't know how to persuade Baoyu.

Mrs. Wang even wondered if it was Daiyu who thought Baoyu and Chongyu were about the same age, and they might take the exam together in the future. She was afraid that Baoyu would overwhelm Chongyu's limelight, so she and Baoyu helped the emperor and blindly let Baoyu mess around.

Thinking in this way, Mrs. Wang felt that Baochai was better, she was polite and sensible, and she was able to help her mother manage the house a few years ago, and now she is more and more capable.Baochai is older than Baoyu, which is not a big deal in Mrs. Wang's eyes.She even thought it would be better to be older so that she could control Baoyu to concentrate on studying.

After thinking about it for a while, Mrs. Wang thought of Jia Min who had passed away.

When Jia Min was at home, how prosperous was the Rongguo Mansion.Don't look at the fact that her natal brother Wang Ziteng has been promoted to an official position. The Wang family seems to have a bright future, but compared to the original Rongguo Mansion, what is it?

If Mrs. Jia's husband hadn't died early, the Rongguo Mansion might not be what it is now.

Now Rongguo Mansion is full of places that need to spend money. Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng both used their own dowry to make up a lot of money, and there was another request for money in Yuanchun today. Mrs. Wang couldn't help thinking about Jia Min's dowry.

The wedding scene with ten miles of red makeup that day was still in front of her eyes.

When Jia Min gets married, everything is handled by Jia's mother.Mrs. Wang followed Jia's mother, only to watch, the more she watched, the more envious she became, but she couldn't get anything, even if she wanted to steal something, she could only watch so many good things carried out of Jia's house and entered. Lin Fu.

Really tired of thinking about it, Mrs. Wang simply went to the Buddhist hall and recited the Buddha's name, but she couldn't calm down after all.