Love of Friends in the Red Chamber

The weather is getting warmer day by day, Daiyu's illness is getting better, Qing Zhi and others are serving food more and more meticulously.Nowadays, the daily food is provided by the small kitchen in the garden, originally for more convenience, but even Jia Cong can feel that the variety of dishes is getting worse and worse, the meat is only chicken, duck and pork, ordinary vegetables, tofu and eggs, etc. Speaking of wild game, even small vegetables such as mushrooms, fish and shrimps are rarely eaten, so the sisters in the garden often ask for additional vegetables in the kitchen, but people who are knowledgeable about current affairs like Baochai and Tanchun know how to send hundreds of dollars to them. Like Baoyu's, the kitchen is too late to fawn on, and naturally there is no shortage, just like Yingchun, Xichun, etc., where a dish is added every ten and a half months, the woman in charge of the kitchen complains endlessly, although she dare not say it in front of the girls. Day and the maids can't finish talking.

At noon that day, when the weather was clear, Xiuyan came to see Daiyu.Entering the room, Daiyu was pointing to a screen embroidered by Biye, Xiuyan smiled and said, "My sister is getting more and more capable, but you have just recovered, so don't be busy." Daiyu laughed and said, "It's just a lie. , I still don’t have the patience to use needles and threads.” She pointed to the screen and said: “Because I saw Biye embroider a fan with random stitches that day, Pinghu Qiuyue, it’s really beautiful, so I had a whim, Let her imitate the ink marks of the ancients, embroider a screen, and give Baoyu a birthday present in two days."

Hearing what she said was novel, Xiuyan walked over to look, and saw that the red sandalwood frame was stretched with shallow water-red silk, embroidered on both sides with extremely thin silk thread, and the embroidery was "a flower on a lonely cliff", with strange rocks On the edge of the cliff, a branch of crabapple flowers protruded abruptly. The flowers bloomed luxuriantly, with a beautiful face and green temples, looking up and looking graceful.There are only a few petals falling at the bottom of the cliff, which is very charming.In the large blank space under the flowers, cursive characters were embroidered with black velvet: "Dongpo layman tasted that he lived in the east of Dinghuiyuan, and there were flowers all over the mountain, and there was a crabapple. The earth is full of vegetation, but the famous flowers are bitter and lonely. With a sweet smile, among the bamboo fences, the peaches and plums are full of evil and vulgar. I also know that creation has a deep meaning, so I send the beautiful woman to the empty valley..." There are still dozens of characters at the bottom that have not been fully embroidered, but The handwriting of the frame is all from famous artists.

Xiuyan praised: "The painting is good, the writing is good, and the embroidery is better. It can catch up with the pair of necklaces that the old lady put out when she held a banquet in the Dahua Hall on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year." "Hui Wen" embroidered, I think that although Hui Niang is superb in embroidery, but more importantly, she is good at calligraphy and painting, so the color selection and materials are all elegant, and it is not ordinary things that are sold in the market. The handwriting is strong and hateful The colors are colorful and vulgar. So I found the ones I liked from the authentic paintings of the ancients, sketched out the general layout, and then let Biye embroider them according to this. It really looks good." Xiuyan smiled and praised: "After that Biye's embroidery can also be called 'biwen'." Biye was happy in her heart, and said in her mouth: "Although the girls made fun of it, I can't afford it." Xiuyan said: "What is worthy of it? I’m so excited, I’m so jealous, please let me embroider two stitches.” Then she took her hand, and Daiyu realized that Xiuyan was also very skilled in embroidery.

After working on embroidery for a while, Zijuan brought the beauty finger grapes that had just been delivered, and Xiuyan and Daiyu washed their hands together, then went into the inner room to drink herbal tea and eat fruits.Xiuyan saw that the grapes were green and crystal-like, shaped like pendant beads, so she knew that they were not longan grapes grown in the garden. She twisted one, peeled the skin and tasted it, and it was indeed sweet and refreshing.Then he praised: "Is this the Western tribute grape 'Beauty Finger' that my aunt said several times the day before yesterday?" Daiyu smiled and said yes, and said: "This is what my eldest cousin got The emperor's reward, a total of two small baskets, my aunt sent a basket, but I tasted it was not as good as the longan grapes in the garden." Xiuyan said: "The longan grapes in the garden are not yet ripe, so it's better to have this one first. Not bad." Daiyu wondered: "Why are you not familiar, haven't you already given it away twice?"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Daiyu came to her senses—it must be that the woman who contracted the grapes did not send a copy to Zilingzhou, so neither Yingchun nor Xiuyan had eaten this year's grapes.Xiuyan lowered her head, and Daiyu said angrily: "These aunts and aunts really see people ordering dishes, so blatantly, but is it worth it?" She immediately asked the maid to tell Tanchun and Li Wan, Xiuyan Yan hurriedly stopped and said: "Actually, I didn't dare to despise Zilingzhou openly at first, just because the second sister's maid, Siqi, wanted a bowl of steamed egg custard the day before yesterday, so she smashed the kitchen in a fit of anger, and offended everyone in the garden. Mother-in-law, now they are joining forces to suppress the people on the side of the second sister. Although the elder sister told them to go, they thought they were negligent and sent the grapes there next night, but they didn't know what to do to embarrass the second sister in the future. Second sister is too honest, isn't it double-sided?"

Daiyu heard that what she said was reasonable, so she gave up with a sigh, and then ordered Xueyan to send a food box to Yingchun with grapes and other high-quality fruits.As soon as Xueyan left here, Baochai and Xiangyun came in hand in hand.After exchanging greetings, Baochai went to admire the screen that Biye was embroidering, but Xiangyun sat in the armchair where Daiyu usually sat, and called Qingzhi, "Hurry up and serve the good snacks here! The former Baoyu I said I ate here some sweet-scented osmanthus basil and milk sago dew, which tasted so delicious, I came here to taste it today." Qingzhi smiled and said, "It doesn't have those two things today, if you want to try it It’s easy, I’ll make it another day. Today I learned the Western method and baked cheesecake and soft peach balls.” As he spoke, he brought two plates of dim sum, both of which were served in glass trays, looking delicate and soft. Tender and milky.

Xiangyun was full of praise, only to hear the parrot hanging on the corridor say: "Zicuckoo, quickly lift the curtain, the second master Bao is here." Everyone laughed, and Baoyu and Jia Cong came hand in hand. Both Chai and Xiangyun laughed and said, "It's such a long mouth, and it came just after smelling it." But Baoyu said with a smile, "Now I think about Qingzhi's afternoon tea every afternoon." Baochai said: " That’s right, Westerners have this habit of drinking afternoon tea, and they have light refreshments every afternoon, but the tea is black tea, with sugar and milk added, I don’t know what kind of taste it is.” Jia Cong then said: “It must be good , I would like to try it." Qingzhi had already received Aunt Lin's order, and did not dare to underestimate Jia Cong, and after hearing what he said, she hurriedly made black tea, and brought milk and sugar jars.Jia Cong really made a cup of milk tea by himself and drank it. Although it was not as good as the silk stocking milk tea, it was better than the original taste without adulteration, and it was very fragrant and delicious.Others laughed at him for wasting the best Keemun black tea for nothing.

Baoyu then said, "It would be even better if it goes with a glass of wine from that day." Daiyu smiled and said, "My aunt sent it to nourish me, but most of it got into the mouth of the second master." , but asked the servant girl to bring two glass bottles, both of which were pasted with light yellow paper, one was written "Cinnamon Grape Wine for Superior Use", and the other was written "Peach Kernel Grape Wine for Superior Use".When poured into a tall glass wine glass, it is crystal clear like a ruby, but Jia Cong knows that in this era, wine is not regarded as a wine product, but a kind of high-quality nourishing medicine, which can nourish yin and qi, especially for curing diseases. Heart palpitations.Everyone drank half a glass at the moment.

At that moment, Baoqin also came in, and Daiyu laughed and said, "What's the matter today? It's as if I'm inviting you in the next post." There were many people in the small room, so Jia Cong retreated to the porch to tease the parrot.That Xiangyun was the most interested, seeing the delicious food and the people are ready, so he immediately sent someone to invite Li Wan, Tanchun and others to start a poetry club again.Baochai hurriedly stopped her and said, "Don't make trouble, but I don't know how busy the two of them have been these past few days. Since the wife's troupe was disbanded, the girls who were studying opera have been assigned to different houses and courtyards. , together with their godmothers and others, there are more than [-] more people in the garden out of thin air, but these girls are very ignorant, pick and choose every day, and keep talking. The old lady and the wife recently passed away because of the old concubine. After going to send the spirit away for a month, there were more than a dozen incidents of fighting, drinking, gambling, and stealing in the garden, and they were related to the people from the eldest wife and Aunt Zhao. Tan Yatou was not only angry, Besides, what’s so heartwarming, where is the leisure to write poems?”

Jia Cong listened to Baochai's eloquent talk outside the curtain, and vaguely saw her calm and calm posture through the curtain, secretly admiring in his heart: "She is also the person entrusted by the wife, and she should be very busy, but she has not forgotten her work. Walking around in the room, no one can be offended, it can be seen that the talent and heart are above Tanchun again."

We were chatting here, but saw two women came in carrying two big boxes. Everyone knew that the two women were the housekeepers of the Lin family, so they knew that it was the Lin family who came to deliver things to Daiyu again.The housekeeper then came in to salute respectfully and greeted her, and said: "Our second master came back from Yunnan to handle the goods, and just sent to the old lady here a standing statue of Avalokitesvara carved in black sandalwood and an enamel nine lotus red gold incense burner. , and sent two boxes of silk and satin cloth to the wives, these two boxes are earthen rituals specially brought for the girl, please keep it for the girl to play with." Daiyu hurriedly asked them to go back to thank her, and said that she would go to Lin's mansion in person the next day Seeing the second cousin, the mother-in-law said: "The wife gave orders before we came, saying that the things are not worth anything, the girl is just better, don't go out and get windy again. And the second master can't stay at home. After coming back from the south, I will go north again in a few days, saying that I have to go to Russia to buy goods." Daiyu then ordered her maids to give them a reward, let them go back to thank them, and greeted Aunt Lin and others, and the women kowtowed Xie Shang went out.

Daiyu then ordered the servant girl to open the box, and everyone looked at it together, only to see that there were two boxes full of exquisite and precious things, and one could tell at a glance that it took a lot of hard work and financial resources to buy them.There are many woods, silverware, emeralds, and tea leaves in Yunnan, so the box contains all kinds of teak, red sandalwood, golden nanmu, red rosewood and other carved ornaments, pen holders, pen holders, boxes, etc., all of which are meticulously carved and exquisite. , there is also a silver box filled with high-grade emerald jewelry decorations, such as bracelets, rings, hairpins, pendants, etc., which are moist with water, and silver rabbits, deer, galloping horses, Maitreya, ladies, boys, etc. , Simple and cute.

The other box contains various kinds of tea, including top-grade Dianhong, seven-seed tea cake, pumpkin tribute tea, etc., dried bamboo fungus, matsutake, chicken fir, Panax notoginseng, and Cordyceps, purses and kits made from various batik cloths. , sachets, Miaoyin’s jewelry is mainly flowers and peacocks, embroidered cloth shoes are bright in color, horn combs of various colors, bracelets made of Vajra Bodhi seeds, spices, cosmetic powder, dried flower baskets, bamboo wind chimes, monkeys carved from coconut shells, All kinds of playthings made of earthen pottery...Xiangyun Baoqin is young and loves novelty, and he can't put it down. From time to time, Xiangyun asks Daiyu for his favorite things. After counting and matching all kinds of items and giving them to all the people in the garden, Jia Cong also got a few good things: a silver galloping horse, a red sandalwood carving of Hehe Erxian, a red rosewood woodcarving plum branch pen holder, and an ivory handle. Silver teapot, a cake of top grade Dianhong.Of course Baoyu got the most and the best, but Jia Cong didn't compare with him.

The people who went to give gifts in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion also came back one after another, and they all had gifts and rewards. The maids reported to Daiyu one by one, and everyone talked for a while about the customs of Yunnan. , I still had an impression, so I asked Daiyu with a smile at this time: "Why is the second brother of the Lin family always so obsessed that he can't see himself? If he can see him, he can also listen to the local customs. Is there any change from what I saw when I was a child?" She herself had a disharmonious marriage and a natural and unrestrained nature. She had a natural liking for the Lin family's second master who traveled from place to place, so she asked without hesitation. Baochai was the most polite and cautious. Seeing that his sister's words were inappropriate, he glanced at her and said, "The second master of the Lin family is a man who knows about the economy and does important things. How can he have the time to chat with girls who don't go out of their homes?" Baoyu didn't realize it, but Baoqin knew she had made a mistake, blushed, and soon left with Baochai, and returned to Hengwuyuan, Baochai naturally had a lesson.

The author has something to say: It may be because I write these articles just because of my hobby, so I don't have any utilitarianism, and I don't like it.I only write what I want to write, and the sense of substitution brings me into the red building, to care about the life inside, and to enjoy it.Cao Gong’s writing of the Red Chamber is a kind of compassion, and he does not underestimate any character, and I am the same. The fate of the characters is different, but he will not blacken any one, but the personal words and deeds lead the personal fate.