Love of Friends in the Red Chamber

But when Jia Mu saw that all the people had come, she ordered Xiren to fetch a tray with foreign lacquer dots and emeralds inlaid with eight treasures, and a box with pine orioles, double cranes and many treasures. When everyone looked at it, they saw twenty pieces on the tray. Several antique playthings are all brilliant in literature and shining in red gold. Looking at the box again, there are many treasures. There are turquoise, agate, jadeite, jasper, beeswax, pearls, ivory and other colored beads in the lattice. To understand, Jia Mu laughed and said, "Yesterday, I asked Xiren to search through the boxes and found some antique toys that were bestowed by the elders in the family when I was young. Although they were ornaments, the earliest ones were Hanyu, which ordinary people can no longer get. I think it’s useless to keep it for nothing, it’s better to wear it for my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and it’s not a waste of things. Besides, I always talk about women and others, and they are always good at needlework, but that stuff is slow work, I thought it would be better for us to make female reds, and we also use needles and threads, but not embroidery, but stringing beads. Let's see who is ingenious and beautiful. Everyone discusses it, and the rest are hers. ,how?"

There is no woman who does not like jewelry, and everyone present today has seen good things in their eyes. Naturally, they can see that the plate of antiques Jiamu has collected is of great value, so they are naturally happy.They all praised: "The old lady is still elegant, this way of playing is very unique."

Mrs. Xing was already jealous, her hands were itching uncontrollably, her eyeballs were circling on the plate, and she had her eyes fixed on a piece of mutton fat jade the size of a fist. It was naturally purple in color and exquisitely carved. Mouthwatering grapes.Mrs. Xing held the mutton fat jade in her hand, she just felt warm and pleasant, knowing that it was priceless, she couldn't help being overjoyed, so she said: "The old lady still has something good. That's okay, but what kind of chain should I wear?"

Saying this, Mrs. Xing searched for the beads in the treasure box with eyes full of eyes. Those beads were all top-grade. But regardless of those, he grabbed some top-grade beads of southern red and green pine, and strung them into long chains—the more the better, the jade hanging around his neck almost tired his neck.

Mrs. Wang disdained her behavior of not being on the stage, so she smiled and said: "My eyes have been blurred in recent years, and I'm afraid I can't even find the pearl hole. Didn't the old lady make me look ugly? I won't play anymore. " Jia Mu laughed and said, "Won't you ask your wife to string it for you? It's just an idea, but you have to take it yourself." Mrs. Wang chose a hollowed-out sapphire double-ruyi dragon-shaped jade pendant at random, and ordered Baochai to match it with only one. The lotus-shaped turquoise drum beads are tied with concentric knots with blue silk threads to make a pendant.

Then everyone selected their favorite objects one by one, and each tried their best to match them with beads and weave them together.I saw that both Baochai and Daiyu chose small jadeite to make pendants for their bracelets.Daiyu chose a pair of ice water violet emeralds carved into hibiscus flowers, which are exquisite and meticulous. She also chose eighteen auspicious fretwork beads made of Hetian seeds, with golden skins on the beads, and paired with icy translucent purple jadeite. Laigu beads, a water-red coral drum bead, and a high-porcelain dark green lotus-shaped turquoise bead, except for the jadeite pendant, the other beads are not noble, but they match very well. They are worn on Daiyu's slender wrist. Looking at it, it is so beautiful that it makes people hold their breath, and looking at the long string of nondescript pearls and jade hanging on Mrs. Xing's chest, I can only feel sorry for that flawless Hetian beautiful jade.

Everyone said that Daiyu had exquisite color matching, but when we looked at Baochai again, it was a small jade cicada, and weaved pearls the size of rice grains into three strands, intertwined layer by layer.

What Youshi chose was a gold vessel, named "Golden Toad Carrying Honey", the golden toad was carved vividly, and on its back was a longan-sized bead of wax jelly. Youshi loved gold ornaments the most. Instead of beads, I chose a gold chain to wear, which is also unique.

But Xiangyun likes to be independent the most, but she chose a black jade gluttonous beast face pendant, using a huge dark green oriental bead as the top bead, twisting it into a lanyard with black bead thread, Daiyu laughed She: "Did you make this for yourself?" Everyone knew that she was for their son-in-law, so they all laughed. Xiangyun blushed and pushed Daiyu with a smile.

Tanchun chose a Nanhong happy eyebrow pendant, and used Hetian Suixingzi jade as the matching rope. The atmosphere is informal, which is her consistent style and hobby.What Yingchun chose was a palace lantern carved in the shape of a jade rabbit with a lanyard. Everyone laughed at her for saving trouble.Li Wan chose a topaz pendant of integrity and incorruptibility, and decorated it with high-quality jasper beads.Xiuyan chose the Hehe Erxian black leather mutton jade handle, paired with a lanyard made of coral rice beads, which is very eye-catching... Even everyone's attendant maids chirped with ideas to help her family The master chooses silk threads, strings, colors, and beads. Everyone is busy at the moment, and Daiyu has her heart, but she sees sister Qiao coming in from outside.

It turned out that Sister Qiao lived with Daiyu and often missed her mother, so every time Daiyu came to Jia's mansion, she took Sister Qiao with her and sent her home to visit Wang Xifeng.It was the same on this day. Sister Qiao saw her mother and was unhappy, so she came to the room of Jia's mansion. Seeing Sister Qiao coming in, Mother Jia asked her to choose too.Qiao Jie chose a set of five amber monkeys for her birthday, and strung them with amber beads of the same color to form a waist ornament.Jia Mu said softly, "My good boy, did you wear this for yourself?" Sister Qiao shook her head.Xiangyun talked quickly, and asked, "Is that for your mother?" Sister Qiao still shook her head, holding it in her hands and offering it to Mother Jia, saying: "It's for the old ancestor." Mother Jia put her arms around Sister Qiao and said, "Qiao Sister is such a good boy." As she said this, she was about to cry, and hurried back, Xiren took the waist ornament from the side and put it on for Mother Jia, and everyone agreed.

So the public commented that Sister Qiao was the first, and Mother Jia asked someone to hold the remaining antique utensils on the plate, and went back to Wang Xifeng's yard with Sister Qiao to show her, and then ordered people to say: "Tell Feng girl, let her Don't think about it, get better soon. Why did I get sick these two days, and she was sick too? If you say filial piety, I get better, and she should get better too, so she should come and take care of her. Could you let me see her? "The people below agreed, and went to talk about it. Sister Feng's original illness was mostly a heart disease. She thought that Jia Mu and others had rejected her since then. Seeing that Jia Mu still loved her, she came back to her soul. , Day by day seems like a day, which is not to be mentioned later.

But it was rare for Jia Mu to be happy that day, so she said to the people in front of her, "You don't know why I found out these things at the bottom of the box today. Is there nowhere to put them? I was thinking, instead of keeping them for nothing, wait When I close my eyes, I don’t know how my children and grandchildren will fight for these things. Wouldn’t it make others laugh? How about when I understand, I will gradually distribute them to you, and you should wear them as much as possible, and have your own. Where it is used, it is a treasure.”

Mrs. Wang could understand that the second room was struggling financially recently, because Jia Zheng's salary was not enough to support the family, and the real estate recorded in each party's name when the family was divided was actually already full of food, and it was difficult to save it for a while. When it came time to sell off jewelry to support the family, when Mother Jia said this, she naturally knew the inside story. Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang looked up at Xi Ren, and Xi Ren lowered her head. Feeling ashamed, she said: "The old lady's words make us feel ashamed as daughter-in-laws. We can't share the old lady's worries, but let the old lady worry about us. How can I say this?"

Mother Jia waved her hand and said, "You don't need to say anything, I just wish you well. You two come to my room at night, and I have something to say." Mrs. Xing quickly agreed.Jia's mother left Xiangyun and Yingchun to live with her for a few days. Yingchun was naturally eager, and Xiangyun agreed, but Tanchun had to go back to the palace, and she came home this time. , You must also tell the princess and the concubine, how can you be self-sufficient in your actions?Jia's mother knew her difficulties, so she had no choice but to do so.After seeing off Tanchun and leaving, Xiuyan also left here. Mother Jia knew that she and Xue Biao were in love, so she didn't want to keep her. After dinner, Youshi's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also left, and Daiyu Baochai and the others went to the back room. The sisters here talk about some private conversations.

Only Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang were left in Mother Jia's room, so she sent someone to invite Jia Amnesty and Jia Zheng. Mother Jia ordered the maids to bring four boxes and said to the two daughters-in-law: "These boxes There are 5000 taels of gold and large antiques in each of them, each worth about 5 taels of silver. I have been a daughter-in-law since I came to this house, and almost all the money I have saved over the years is here, and now I share it with you. For the rest, I love Baoyu and Daiyu the most, and I will leave them to them. You are all my sons, and I don’t favor anyone. I just live in harmony from now on. Don’t worry about it anymore. If things make brothers discord, I can go to see your father in a dignified manner."

Jia Amnesty and Jia Zheng couldn't help being ashamed. Seeing Jia Mu's clear conclusion, the two knelt down and wept together, begging their mother to take back their orders. Jia Mu sighed: "These things will belong to you sooner or later. I don’t have a lot of money, so instead of me taking it for nothing, I’d rather share it with you now, and each of you can make a living, so that I can be comfortable when you live comfortably.” So even Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang also shed tears.

But Jia Mu said that she was tired and sent them back. The two couples watched the people carry the box back to their room and went to make arrangements. The children, grandchildren and daughters-in-law gossiping for fun, only hope that the children and grandchildren will be smooth and successful, and don't worry about other things.

However, after Jia Cong received the order to return to Beijing to report on his duties, he rushed back non-stop, thinking about the secret affairs in the court that Lin Jiarui said, for fear that the fall of the King of Beijing would affect Jia's mansion.Who knows that others are still on the way, Jia Yucun has already acted.Overnight, the situation in the court changed drastically. More than a dozen censors participated in the court of the King of Beijing. They were charged with various crimes, ranging from harsh treatment of tenants to conspiracy to rebel. The court hall was terrified by such wave after wave of questioning, mouth gaping, kneeling there shaking clothes, how could there be anything to refute?