[Red Mansions] The big maid struggles daily

Zhu Nanny sighed, and finally said bluntly: "Although it is a compliment behind the scenes, it is always good to reveal the matter of the second master Bao at this time. If it is delayed for another year or a half, those girls and him Living in the same garden for a while, not to mention Miss Shi and Miss Xue, even sisters, I'm afraid it's hard to say they are relatives. Besides, his illness, although unpleasant, gave two relatives and girls a way out. If there is trouble Others, huh, I dare not even think about it.”

Zhu Xiu thought about it, and felt that this was almost the best ending at the moment.At that time, there were many people who were frivolous. The girls in the family had to be picked and picked, and their reputation should not be polluted at all. They had a lot of demands on the girls in the boudoir.I heard from my mother that a few years ago there were people advocating the chastity archway and the new rules of admonishing women. If it hadn’t been for the chaos when the Supreme Emperor took the throne, bloodshed and drifting, those pedantic scholars in the court would have been cut down because of the failure of the righteous and loyal old prince. Bo: Today, after ascending to the Great Treasure, they pay attention to supporting the people and encouraging widows to remarry. It may be that the shackles on women are even stricter now.

"Mrs. Xue's family invites mother to watch the ceremony?"

Mother Zhu smiled and said: "No. In the past, I only thought that the eldest girl in his family could hide her thoughts at such a young age. She had always looked generous and magnanimous, which was a bit formidable, but now I look at it. Daughters follow their mothers. This Mrs. Xue is amazing. In the past, the relationship was not long and distant, but she came to the door solemnly on a happy occasion, which made it difficult for us to refuse. She even talked to your uncle through this matter, saying that she wanted to marry her. I opened a few makeup shops in various provinces, and Baba came to my door. I heard that the original business of his family was not very successful, but there are all kinds of shops in good markets in various places, and it can be done by changing the signs and selling goods. "

Zhu Xiu was taken aback for a moment, but after careful thought, she understood that the Zhen family was in charge of the weaving bureau, and there were countless salt merchants under the door, and the Xue family and his family were also old relatives, so they had a lot of success.The Zhen family fell, and now several confidant officials have joined forces to rectify the affairs of the south of the Yangtze River, killing people, shutting them down, and ransacking their homes. When a new wave of entangled relationships and interests is formed again, nothing will happen to the Xue family.What's more, the Wang family is useless, the Xue family is not close to the Shi family, and breaking up with the Jia family is better than turning faces. It is actually wise for the Xue family to cut the mess quickly and give up the business foundation to do other things.

It's just that it has something to do with his family? "Mommy, what did uncle say? And the Zhen family, what happened?" Zhu Xiu hurriedly asked.

Grandma Zhu smiled and said, "Your uncle didn't tell you about the outside world in vain. You have obtained the true biography. Your uncle also said that the Zhen family was defeated, and the foundation of his family was ruined. It's not too late to retreat now. There are no other families. , The Xue family is just an ordinary rich mansion, not involved in the important affairs of the court, this business is done. It's just supplying some goods, buying and selling are normal things, don't worry about it."

"Okay, this matter has nothing to do with us, you know it. It's just in case you go out to socialize with wives and grandmas in the future, maybe you will meet that Miss Xue, lest you don't know her background and put Get yourself into embarrassment." Speaking of this, Mammy Zhu was a little worried, since there was no mother-in-law on top of her daughter's head, she felt much more at ease, but how could a woman not go out to socialize, and a young daughter-in-law has no mother-in-law Guiding and leading is always somewhat inconvenient.

"...In another day, I'd better ask your uncle to tell his family that it would be better if there are close and proper female family elders in the Zhan clan. If not, it will be really troublesome."

Hearing this, Zhu Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and took her mother's hand: "Mum, it's too early for you to worry. Besides..." Zhu Xiu pursed her lips, suddenly a little embarrassed: "A few days ago, didn't you Is there a sister-in-law of the Xu family here as a guest? The sister-in-law of the Xu family is ten years older than me, and listening to her words, she seems to be in the family of a very close brother in the same robe..."

Zhu Xiu thought of the sister-in-law of the Xu family who whispered that she was entrusted by others, and that the Xu family and the Zhan family were very close for generations, and said that with her, she would be integrated into Zhandongpaoze's family members in the future without worrying about the communication. , in front of Mrs. Xu that day, Zhu Xiu didn't feel anything, but now she blushed quietly when she said it.

Seeing this scene, Grandma Zhu didn't understand anything, and she was very upset: Although this marriage is the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker, it can be seen that the Zhan family has a heart, and the parents would not be unhappy.

"There are many auspicious days this year, and there are also many happy events. According to Grandma Feng's message, the wedding to welcome the girl in the Rong Mansion can probably be settled." Zhu Mama smiled and broke the conversation.

"This?" It turned out that I would rather waste the girls' years than keep them in my hands and sell them for a price. Now that the Rongguo Mansion has opened up, the old lady is finally willing?

Mother Zhu smiled and said: "Your uncle told me just now that our family has a good luck and good luck, not to mention turning bad luck into good luck, how many things that go wrong will be smoothed out by my daughter. What's more, you just talked about the marriage, and you started the happy event, and you really brought out a bunch of good news... It can be seen that Mama's little girl is really a little lucky star."

Mother Zhu lovingly helped her daughter trim her sideburns. She thought to herself, that Xiu Xiu has grown to such a large size, she really is very lucky. If it were someone else, I'm afraid... so many girls in Rongguo Mansion who ended up miserable are examples.Only my own girl, speaking of it, has suffered grievances and hardships, but in major events, it has always been a happy accident, a pillow came to sleep, and all the way through, it was just the words "it's a matter of course".

Hearing this, Zhu Xiu was also taken aback, and then suddenly there was enthusiasm in his eyes: "The luckiest person is to meet my mother." At first, relying on her good ears, she struggled desperately, but since Lixiangyuan recognized her mother , there are relatives who can shelter from the wind and rain behind the head to rely on.Zhu Xiu knew very well how much wind and rain had been protected by her mother and uncle, and only with the escort of relatives could she go so smoothly.

If it's a girl's words, Mammy Zhu can't help but get red eyes...

Cheng's house is full of fragrance, but Rongguo's mansion is full of gloom.

"Old ancestor, since Aunt Xue sent the invitation, the wife has become more and more ill. Baoyu was beaten up by the master, and she was stiff and stiff. She is still not fully recovered. The younger sisters are also sick, so take care of them." .Even I was short of breath and dizzy, and it was always bad. I thought, maybe it’s because the time is not good in our house, so please invite Zhang Shenxian to have a look, or to have a happy event?” Sister Feng supported Ping’er’s chest. hands, with a yellow and white face, peeping at Jia Mu's expression carefully.

Jia's mother is not at ease. All these incidents, one after another, are all unsatisfactory and bad things. She is old, how can she hold it, she is depressed and depressed, and has a lot of minor illnesses.Sister Feng's words just spoke to Jia Mu's heart.

Just as he was about to speak, Master Lai came in and replied, "Miss Lin sent in two baskets of Taihu water chestnut and chicken head rice."

Jia Mu hurriedly called to come in, and asked, "Did Yu'er say she was coming?"

Those who depend on everyone don't dare to answer.It turned out that the old lady always sent people to go to Lin's house every now and then, either to say that she didn't feel well about Miss Lin, or that she had lost her appetite and wanted to find something fresh to eat.Aunt Lin never showed up, the housekeepers were also polite, and Miss Lin was very courteous, she always wanted to ask the women who came to Jia's house to ask a few words, and every time she gave something to the old lady, but she never came to the door by herself. .

Jia Mu sighed, and now, the matter of the two Yu'er will not be resolved if they do not give up.Fortunately, Daiyu is quite filial, with this granddaughter in her care, no matter how angry Mrs. Lin is, the two families will gradually calm down after a year or two.

"Old lady, there is one more thing. Miss Lin asked Zijuan to bring her back. She said she couldn't bear to see her miss her parents all the time, and it's not appropriate to separate her parents. She also said that Zijuan was considerate and thoughtful, and asked Zijuan to serve you for her. "

Mother Jia was taken aback, and cried, "My Yu'er, you still think about me as an old idiot. In the past, you always complained that I favored her, but now look, these grandchildren are still filial to Yu'er!" Order to bring Zicuckoo up quickly.

When Sister Feng heard this, she couldn't help curling her lips secretly. Others said that she changed her face quickly, but compared with her ancestors, she was nothing.This old ancestor of my family is really the hero of the makeup team, he is very knowledgeable about current affairs, and he is the most adaptable figure.

Zijuan is wearing brand-new silk clothes, hairpins, earrings, rings and bracelets are all fashionable styles, standing in the hall in a pretty way, which makes people feel a bit like "returning home".

Jia's mother was not feeling well, and she just said, "Okay! Okay! From now on, you'll still serve me, and you'll just live in Miss Zhu's former house."

Zijuan reported Lin Daiyu's entrustment, Jiamu called for a reward, and Sister Feng asked, "Ping'er helped Zijuan girl to pack the dressing box and clothes, and asked someone to open the back storehouse and send new bedding."

Everyone Lai hurriedly said: "Miss Zijuan saluted and brought back three boxes."

Zijuan said: "The girl said that she didn't want the old ones. I served her once. The rewards are all new ones, so there is no need to make a big order. Some girls asked me to give the little things to grandma and girls. They will be called Ping in a while." Take the son to the second grandma."

Zijuan went to settle in the backyard of Rongqing Hall, and the flower hall became quiet for a while, and there was a scene of death and solitude.

Sister Feng hurriedly raised her voice and asked with a smile: "What did the old ancestor say about me earlier? Our family is not going well. The wife is so sick that she can't even go to the palace to visit the empress on the [-]th. If I can see you again, my wife I'm afraid that the weather at home is not good, I'm afraid I'll offend my mother, I'm afraid my wife won't go. It's not a good idea to go down for a long month. I thought that my ancestors had seen a lot, so I came here to ask for advice."

Mother Jia sighed: "How can I not know what you said, this safe water and land ashram for eliminating disasters and cleansing karma, do you count, how much have you done this year? Over there, your eldest brother Zhen led all the men in the clan to kneel and worship Buddha I don’t know how many times, it’s useless after all. I was thinking that when Baoyu had a nightmare that year, a monk came to relieve Baoyu’s disaster and asked him to enshrine his piece of jade. It’s a bit of a virtue, please ask him to break the bad luck. But the whereabouts of such an expert are uncertain, Ambassador Lai has been inquiring outside for more than a month, but he can’t find him. What else can I do?”

"It would be the best if there is a happy event. But in the current situation, where is the happy event?"

Sister Feng wanted to talk about welcoming the spring immediately, but she swallowed the words temporarily, and said with a smile: "What's the difficulty? There are no outsiders here in my ancestors, so let me just say it. In my opinion, Baoyu has a ready-made happy event , he and Yun girl grew up together, this kind of love is incomparable to others, if they can get closer, it will be a beautiful thing. Besides..."

Seeing her, Jia's mother dared not say anything, and ordered her: "There is no one else, so just say it."

Sister Feng said with a smile: "One is to use his happy event to charge the jade, and it may be effective. The other is to say that the girl's temper can handle things. I am useless now, and my sister-in-law is alone. I can't make up my mind. My idea is to ask my wife for her advice. My wife is getting sicker and sicker. If there is Yun girl, she is also an arm. Three things, the rumors are not good, and the rumors are broken. What does the old lady think?"

Sister Feng weighed it in her heart.She mentioned this, but she didn't intend to harm Shi Xiangyun. Baoyu's heirs are in trouble. It's too late for others to avoid suspicion. I don't know what this girl Yun thinks, but she still moves to live in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.The Yihong Courtyard and the Xiaoxiang Pavilion where Baoyu lived were already close, and it is even more difficult to tell clearly.Ping'er was kind, but she went to persuade her secretly, but when she came back with a bad nose, the Yun girl said, "It turns out that I haven't lived in several pavilions at home, so they are not interesting."Unexpectedly, there is a Xuanguan here as a residence, and it happens to be called Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Is it destined to be useful for me? '

Sister Feng knew how much the old ladies and wives valued Baoyu, and she was afraid that they would fail to woo the Lin family and try to woo other families in vain, causing trouble for nothing and not ending well, so she thought of simply bringing Xiangyun and Baoyu together. Only when you have a mind can you be safe.

Mother Jia pondered for a while, she liked Xiangyun as a grandniece, especially when the Xue family compared her, it seemed that girl Yun was filial and affectionate.It's just that according to her mind, the one who can match Baoyu is either a daughter of a high-ranking family, or someone who has financial resources, and power and family wealth must be equal.Although Yun girl was born in the Hou's mansion, she is an orphan, and her background is a bit weak.But having said that, Baoyu's body is not healthy, and Yun girl can barely match her.

For a moment, Jia's mother thought of the empress in the palace again. Baoyu was the empress's brother, and now her downfall was only temporary.If there is a good fortune in the future, girl Yun will not be a help, but a drag.

After thinking about it left and right, he couldn't make up his mind, because he was annoyed: "Baoyu is still young, and it will not be too late to talk about it in a year or two. If it is a happy event, you and Lian'er are not up to date. How old is the eldest sister? You can't do it yet." Add one more! If you have happy news in your house, isn't this a ready-made happy event!"

Xifeng's eyes turned red, and she smiled wryly: "I'm not afraid of the old ancestor's jokes, I dream about it. I, Heping, can't do anything. Our stomachs haven't bulged in the past few years." My heart is hanging in the air every day, I have never had a safe life, dare to have a child, if the child comes, I am afraid that he will suffer along with him.

On the one hand, he said again: "The distant water can't quench the near thirst, so I won't mention this one. It's just the scene in the mansion, but how to solve it?"

Seeing that Jia's mother was frowning, Sister Feng smiled and said, "I just mentioned the matter of Baoyu, which reminds me of a few girls. The fourth girl is still young, let's not mention it for the time being, but the second and third girls are the right age."

As expected, Mother Jia didn't want to, and was about to speak, Sister Feng hurriedly held a cup of tea herself, and said with a smile: "The third girl is strong, and she is two years younger, so it doesn't matter. It's just the second girl, she is used to being a little weak and has a temper I'm also a bit bored, and I've been sick for more than a month today. The fortunes in the house are unfavorable, and I'm only worried that something will happen to her, and it's not going to add fuel to the fire, it's even worse."

Sister Feng said in her heart, first stabilize the old lady, settle the matter of welcoming the spring, explore the spring there, and then plan in the future.

Mother Jia thought about it for a while, and she was right.It is very unnecessary to keep both girls. Tanchun is more suitable than Yingchun, not to mention the bones, and she is still Baoyu's biological sister, so Yingchun is one step farther away.Besides, it would be best if the empress could give birth by herself.

After a while, Mother Jia called Lai everyone and asked, "I was in a daze to hear you say that some official matchmaker came to the door. Whose family is it?"

Lai everyone laughed and said: "What is it that Mr. Sun proposed to us, and the official matchmaker Mrs. Zhu took a post every day to inquire and ask questions."

Jia Mu smiled and said, "That's all. When she comes again, please come in and see me."

When Sister Feng heard it, she became anxious immediately. She worked secretly for several months, because everyone didn't know the background of Mr. Sun, but Sister Wang Feng knew that this was a bastard with all kinds of poisons, and even the girls around her stepmother would not let her go. Whose daughter marries him is the ancestor who lost his virtue in eighteen lifetimes, and only then did he get this reward.

Quickly interjected and laughed: "Where is the Zhu official matchmaker, Mr. Sun! The little pawns from the eighth roads dare to join our family. You know, old lady, although my uncle is gone, but the two sisters are still married. Even the youngest sister is given to the youngest son of the Baoning Hou family. If the old lady is at ease, the matter of the second girl will be taken care of by me, I just beg them."

In front of everyone Lai, he added another sentence: "If the second sister has a good family, she will be an arm to the in-laws in the future. Don't be wronged and ruined. Don't look at the name, it is true to ask for benefits."

After making so many preparations and wasting all my tongue, I finally got Jia's mother to like me.As for Jia She, Jia Lian used a pair of chicken-blood stone ancient seals as bait, and talked sweetly. Jia She didn't care about the concubine who was raised in the second room. Change.He said: "Anyway, I keep it, and it's just to clean up the mess for the second family. If someone is willing to exchange that kind of precious thing, it's because they value her. That's why I love her."

Jia Lian went back and said that the old man was cold-hearted and unworthy of his own family. He complained: "Not to mention how much effort has been spent, but also put in antiques. What good can we get?"

Wang Xifeng was very happy, when he heard this, he immediately lowered his face and sneered, "It was originally my uncle's treasure, and it wasn't from the second master's private treasury. When it comes to us, I just tell Second Master that if it is really what we think, no matter how many antique gold and silver Second Master has in the future, he will not have the luck to spend it! I advise Second Master to put more effort into it, maybe in the future, Second Younger Sister will be able to help Just one." Even if she can't save the lord, as a real aunt, she can protect the elder sister.If the eldest sister can be good, let alone a pair of ancient zhangzi, there will be ten pairs and hundreds of pairs, so why are you reluctant now!

Things go by so fast.

It seems that in a short while, it came to the eighth day of August, when the Zhan and Zhu families got engaged.

Three Letters and Six Ceremonies, Written as the third ritual, at this time, a letter of appointment is required, and the head of the Zhan family and the official matchmaker will solemnly send it to Cheng Zhai with a small Written gift.

Wending still needs to lay a wild goose ceremony.In August, it was the time when wild geese flew south, and many families replaced them with wooden carved wild geese. Zhan Dong was skilled at bowing horses, and earlier captured several pairs of wild geese, which were raised in Zhan's remote village.Wild geese are wild, and it is extremely difficult to feed them. Only the wild goose breeders who pay a lot of money can live on the village where there are rivers and lakes where there are few people.

Several close guests came to the door, and they all said that the Zhan family valued courtesy, and they could only do this if they were very happy with this marriage.

Uncle Cheng smiled very happily, and simply invited the head of the Zhan family to the garden to see the wild geese that the Zhan family had given him when he was Na Cai.

The Daqing Dynasty was different from the ancient times.In ancient times, apart from the betrothal ceremony, geese were not allowed among the six ceremonies, and the rest of the five ceremonies required a geese ceremony. The geese ceremony was usually a wild goose. After the six rituals, five wild geese were needed. The wild goose is a loyal bird. Wild geese come from south to north according to the principle of yin and yang, and odd numbers are unlucky.Therefore, since the previous dynasty, it has been changed into the six rites of asking for names, and no geese are allowed to be laid down in the lower ranks. After the marriage in this way, two pairs of wild geese will be obtained, which is more in line with the principle of loyalty and yin and yang.

The head of the Zhan family had a good talk with Uncle Cheng, and he was worried for him. He glanced at the wild goose that was carried behind him this time, and reminded: "The wild goose has yin and yang. The previous wild goose was a female. The male geese are exactly in pairs. This pair of geese meet at this time..." I'm afraid that the female goose that was sent earlier was wilted and weak, and it would be ugly to compare.

The person in charge of the Zhan family is a close relative of Zhan Da, so he naturally knew that it took a lot of effort to take care of these geese.Zhan's geese are raised in a remote village with water, and the oldest place is covered with nets. The wild goose breeders dare not take their cares lightly every day, so they can be regarded as healthy.But my relative's uncle and master kept them in the garden, and it was a fluke that the female goose was still alive, and now he has to personally send the two geese to the cage, isn't it embarrassing.

The relatives and friends of the Cheng family also came to watch with great interest.The head of Zhan's family became more and more worried, and his mind was spinning quickly, how to remedy it.

Before he could figure it out, the wild goose cage was under a huge flowering tree next to the fish pond in the garden. The wooden cage was rather big, and it was cleaned very cleanly.The head of the Zhan family didn't have time to look closely, he just squinted his eyes and looked inside. The female goose was lying inside, and no human voices disturbed it.The person in charge thumped in his heart. Didn't the goose die on the spot?

At this moment, the attendants of Zhan's family took the male goose out of the cage lightly, and unexpectedly, the female goose in the cage under the flower tree suddenly made a long cry of "嘎——" It was so loud that the guests were taken aback.

"This?!" The head of the Zhan family looked at the female goose standing up in the cage. She was fat and strong, and the light yellow feathers on her cheeks and forehead were very energetic.

When the male goose was also placed in the cage, the comparison became even more obvious. The female goose was actually a palm wider than the male goose, and she stood there majesticly, her eyes were bright, her neck was stretched out, and her wings were stretched out. Half a sheet, looking straight up to the sky and screaming...

Uncle Cheng laughed even more complacently, but he was the head of the Zhan family, and he was a bit out of touch.

On the way back, the head of the Zhan family summoned the entourage who sent the geese off, and asked quietly: "Is there a mistake? As expected, it was the female goose that was sent back last time, but this time it is the male goose."

The entourage was the eldest son of the wild goose breeder, and he said foolishly: "It's true. The uncle caught a group, except for the head goose pair, which belonged to this pair of strong ones, which was ordered by the uncle. The Dian geese we But it’s all important, how can you not be careful, it’s really like that.”

The person in charge of the Zhan family took a deep breath, "Tell your father, feed it with all your heart! Look at the ones raised in the garden, how big they are!"

The entourage laughed and said: "I have never seen someone who is so good at teasing. If I let my father know, I must ask him for advice."

The head of Zhan's family let out a snort, before I saw him, I'm afraid his in-laws couldn't take care of them well, but this one is so well taken care of, but compared to his own, why is he so suffocated in his heart.Sure enough, it was because of the ugly smile of my in-laws.

Going back and talking to Zhan Dayi, Zhan Da didn't care about it, and laughed happily: "You don't know, our Dong boy, a daughter-in-law who has never been married, is very capable, and the quails raised on her farm are very famous. .I heard that this girl read it from the agricultural book, and told them that the old way of the farm is to try to raise it, and it didn't take much effort."

Hearing this, the person in charge was also very happy. It might be said that this is the Zhan family's wife: "Is it that Zhuzhuang quail? Yes, I bought a cage at home. It would be best to fry it with wine! But let's Dongzi is not bad either, she should be a good daughter-in-law who knows both books and etiquette."

Zhan Da hurriedly said: "My uncle and lord are very polite, and often ask to send them some fresh ideas. I have a cage of good quail here, ask the kitchen to fry it, let's have a good drink!"