Practical Life in the Red Mansion

Ping'er sent away Hu Po who came to report the letter, and went back to the house to help Wang Xifeng change clothes. Ping'er helped Wang Xifeng straighten the clothes, and said: "It's getting dark, I don't know what the old lady called you for."

Wang Xifeng picked up a pendant collar inlaid with gold and jade lotus inlaid with jewels, stood in front of the western dressing mirror, looked it over carefully, and said: "Didn't I receive a letter from my aunt today, there may be some good news."

After saying that, he took Ping'er to the Rongqing Hall where Jia Mu lived, and smiled as soon as he entered the room: "The old ancestor is so anxious to call me over, but what a happy event."

There was a smile on Jiamu's brows and eyes: "It's not a big happy event." Wang Xifeng pretended to be puzzled and said: "Could it be that my aunt has some happy event."

Just as Jia Mu was about to answer, she heard the little girls shouting: "The eldest lady and the wife are here." Then they came in surrounded by Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang.

Mother Jia hurriedly let Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang sit down, and said, "Yang'er is going to participate in the Spring Festival in Beijing next year. Min'er is worried about him, so she took the three children to Beijing together."

Mrs. Xing still looks like Mu Mu, while Mrs. Wang is secretly pinching the handkerchief in her hand, but Wang Xifeng exclaimed: "My aunt is coming to the capital. I have heard that my aunt is the most like the old ancestor. I don't know what it is. A person who looks like a fairy."

Jia Mu laughed and said, "You'll know when she comes, but I also have something to tell you." Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang stood up quickly. "I'm just this girl, and I married far away to the south. I haven't seen her for more than ten years. She came to Beijing with great difficulty. Naturally, I feel a little bit fond of her. She is a married aunt. She has a noble status and can't afford it. You guys To be a sister-in-law is to take care of my old wife's face."

Then he said to Mrs. Wang: "Although Feng girl is a good housekeeper, she is young after all, and she is not as good as you who know what Min'er likes. You will lead Feng girl to tidy up a yard tomorrow. It must be clean and exquisite, and the decorations inside are also unnecessary Just get it out of the official business, and just get it from my private treasury. Don't make any mistakes, if she is wronged, I won't forgive you."

The handkerchief in Mrs. Wang's hand was pulled even tighter, and she lowered her head and said, "Don't worry, old ancestor. My daughter-in-law will definitely take good care of you." Jia's mother said "hmm" and said, "I'll send a mandarin duck to help you, so it's easy What's wrong?" Mrs. Wang gritted her teeth and forced a smile: "Yes."

Wang Xifeng looked at her aunt's almost unbearable smile, and hurriedly said: "Sister Yuanyang was trained by the ancestors, she is the most dexterous, I have to learn from Sister Yuanyang well."

Jia Mu smiled and said: "If you are close to you, you can learn from me." Wang Xifeng sighed, with a look of embarrassment on her face: "I also want to learn from my ancestors, but my ancestors and I are There is a mountain top and a valley, I want to learn but I can't reach the top of the mountain for a while, so I can only climb up slowly."

Mother Jia laughed when she heard the words, Mrs. Xing curled her lips, and seeing that she had nothing to do, she excused that there was something in the house, and Mrs. Wang also took the opportunity to leave. Mother Jia nodded and said when the two had just walked out: "Min'er The three children of my family also came together, it is the first time for them to visit my grandmother's house, you aunts must give some gifts, I will say the ugly words first, please don't lose face to our Jia family." Jia's mother thought of the eldest daughter-in-law He was always stingy, and his tone was a bit harsh: "If you can't come up with a decent gift, my wife will help you out, and you are not allowed to choose some watermelon split dates."

Wang Xifeng, who stayed behind, looked at Jiamu's expression and said, "Old Ancestor, how about looking at Lixiangyuan? It's small and exquisite with more than a dozen rooms, the scenery is good, and there is a door that leads directly to the outside."

But Jia Mu shook her head and said: "It's too far away, and the name of the yard is not good, Li, Li." Jia Mu thought for a while and said, "The Xianghai Courtyard behind my yard is very good. The few plants in it bloom in winter. Jun, your aunt also likes it." He took Wang Xifeng's hand and instructed carefully: "It's much colder here than in the south, remember to send someone to burn the kang, choose the best silver frost charcoal, Min'er likes it Flowers and plants, remember to put more potted flowers in the house."

Wang Xifeng said yes one by one, seeing Jiamu with a tired look on her face, she waited for Jiamu to leave and then left. As soon as she left Jiamu's yard, she saw Jin Chuan beside Mrs. Wang asking Wang Xifeng to come over.

As soon as Wang Xifeng entered the room, he saw a set of broken porcelain pieces of a tea set left on the ground, and hurriedly signaled Jin Chuan to send someone to clean it up.Mrs. Wang is sitting on the kang, and Zhou Rui's family is giving her comfort.

Wang Xifeng said: "Madam, don't be so angry."

Mrs. Wang squeezed the Buddhist beads in her hand and said: "What is the old lady leaving you for? But what did you tell Jia Min to go to Beijing?" Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid of losing your life.” Then he rebuked Wang Xifeng: “In the future, this mansion will not belong to you, but the old lady will give her a share of any good things first. If there is not enough in the public house, I will have to buy more in the private treasury. , I have never seen her treat you so well!" Mrs. Wang could not help but raise her voice.

Wang Xifeng had heard about the discord between her aunt and sister-in-law when she was in her natal family, and persuaded her: "Auntie, why don't you come back once, madam, bear with it first, and no one will say that madam is magnanimous afterward."

Mrs. Wang snorted coldly and said: "You have always been able to do it, so I will leave this matter to you. Anyway, it all came out of the old lady's private room, and there are good things in it. I don't think she will look down on her."

"By the way, there is one more thing for you. Your aunt who married to the south brought your cousins ​​to the capital and said to celebrate your uncle's birthday. You should clean up a yard first." Wang Xifeng laughed when she heard that. Get up: "This is great, the family is very lively. I am young, and I don't know what my little aunt and cousins ​​like."

"They don't pick it anymore, you just look at it and clean it up."

Wang Xifeng flattered Mrs. Wang a few more words, and then returned to her yard exhausted.Jia Lian had already returned, and she lay lazily on the bed and said, "It's late at night, where have you been?"

Wang Xifeng untied the hairpin and said, "I went to the old lady and wife. Auntie and Xue's aunt are going to Beijing. The old lady and wife asked me to clean up the yard."

Jia Lian became interested: "Auntie is coming to Beijing from Yangzhou?" "What's the matter?" Wang Xifeng smiled coquettishly at the mirror.

Jia Lian crossed his legs: "My uncle is in Yangzhou as the capital transfer history. That's a fat job. If you flatter my aunt well, maybe what she leaks out of her hands is enough for us to eat."

Wang Xifeng twitched her lips: "Don't lie to me, he is just an outside magistrate, not to mention comparing with our Wang family, even our family is not comparable."

"What do you know, just look at the festival gifts that my aunt gives every year." Jia Lian said, "I heard that my aunt's cousin is already a juren." There was envy in his tone.

Wang Xifeng didn't take it seriously, her aunt still wanted to betroth her cousin to the Lin family's cousin, but was rejected by the Lin family. Well, it’s everywhere in the capital, and we who have titles naturally don’t have to compete with those people.”

She got up and sat next to Jia Lian and said, "Aunt Xue's family is also going to Beijing together. Let me tell you, the Xue family was originally an imperial merchant, and later donated an official. The family must have a lot of money. My wife asked me to arrange a yard for preparation. Does that look good to you?"

Jia Lian narrowed his eyes and said vaguely: "You just look at the arrangement." Wang Xifeng pushed a few times angrily, but Jia Lian hugged Wang Xifeng and said: "My friend, I always ask what other people do at night. Between us That's the right thing to do."

Mu Zheng also received the news that the Lin family was going to Beijing, so he naturally understood that Lin Hai was sending his family to the capital to avoid disaster. He originally left two secret guards at the Lin family, but this time it was different, and sent two more secret guards to Yangzhou.In another letter, Lin Yang asked him to help repair the Lin family's house.It was his duty to order the housekeeper of the Princess Mansion to take care of the matter.

After Mu Zheng was appointed as an official, he lived in the Princess Mansion with his grandmother. His grandmother, Xi Jing, had been eating fast and praying in the Buddhist hall in the backyard. Mu Zheng lived alone in the front yard. He remembered that he lived in the Lin family. Time passed, and suddenly felt that the huge princess mansion was deserted, only him and his grandmother.

Thinking of his grandmother, Mu Zheng went to the Buddhist hall to pay his respects to his grandmother. He arrived early, and Princess Puyang hadn't come out yet.Mu Zheng stood at the door of the Buddhist hall and waited. After a while, he heard the door creak. Mu Zheng hurriedly helped Princess Puyang who was covered in sandalwood fragrance.

Princess Puyang supported her grandson's hand and said: "You came back early today." "There is nothing to do in the yamen." Mu Zheng whispered, he is still very young, in the eyes of outsiders, he was only seen by the emperor because of the honor of his ancestors Among them, naturally no one dared to entrust him with the work.

Princess Puyang patted her grandson's hand lovingly and said: "Don't worry, how old are you? When others are your age, they are still being held up by your family members. If you are as competitive as you, you should watch others do things carefully. Learn, when you get older, other people will naturally leave things to you." Mu Zheng was noncommittal, and her grandmother never fought or robbed, but sometimes some things don't just wait.

Mu Zheng told Princess Puyang about the Lin family going to Beijing.

Princess Puyang counted the time and said regretfully, "It's unfortunate that I was still in the monastery on the day they came." After a while, it will be Queen Zhaohui's birthday, and Princess Puyang will always go to the temple at this time. I fasted for a month in the temple to pray for Empress Zhaohui.

Mu Zheng frowned and said: "Grandmother is getting old, and the monastery on the mountain is cold, fasting at home is the same." Princess Puyang shook her head and remained silent.Mu Zheng knew that his grandmother had made up his mind, so he wasn't trying to persuade her. As far back as he could remember, Princess Puyang had to fast for a month every time Empress Zhaohui died or was born.