The red building is so arrogant

Chapter 725 The Eve
"Peach tree branch, peach tree branch wrapped yet?"

"Don't move around, that's the red thread that opens the face, not the red string that binds things!"

"There's a strong wind blowing outside, if it's going to be like this tomorrow, please remember to help the girl put on her hijab—the wishful money on the Xiapei will also add half a string!"

"Build ladders, build ladders quickly, and re-strengthen all the lantern hydrangeas. If half of them are blown off at night, be careful with your skins!"

On the eve of the wedding, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Xue's back house was full of excitement, but Xue Baochai was surrounded by all the noise, but there was an inexplicable estrangement. An outsider's perspective overlooks all this.

The more lively and noisy you see and hear, the more lonely you feel that is difficult to integrate into.

That feeling can't be called cold, but it took away the temperature of her internal organs, and she couldn't help but want to curl up into a ball.

Is this what it feels like to be married?

Do not!
At least that wasn't the case last time.

Xue Baochai took a deep breath, and tried not to think about what happened in the past six months and what he experienced. After all, it would be useless to think about it now. There is only one way for him to go, and he must This way works!
Just as he was thinking this way, there was a sudden silence outside, followed by the voices of several respectable women addressing him as 'Madam', Xue Baochai knew that it was his mother who came, so he quickly gathered his mind and got up to greet her.

As soon as he arrived at the outside room, he saw Aunt Xue leading the way, followed by a middle-aged woman in expensive clothes, but it was Jiao Shun's mother Xu Shi.

Seeing Aunt Xue leaning slightly in front of her, with a hint of flattery in her smile, Xue Baochai couldn't help but secretly lamented that the world was impermanent - when Xu was working as a maid for her mother, the two of them were afraid that it was a dream. Unexpectedly, there will be today.

At the same time, she feels sad for her mother, as the former mistress, but now she has to humble herself in front of the old servants, if she is a high-minded one, I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it at all!
But who can blame this?
In the past, he could blame his elder brother for not being up to date, but now that Jiao Shun has become a minister of the Qiandi Conglong, and is in the fourth rank of the dynasty at the age of his early twenties, it seems a bit difficult for him to blame Xue Pan for not being up to date.

Throughout the ages, even the lucky ministers, there are probably very few who can achieve this level.

What's more, Jiao Shun is different from the general "lucky ministers" in that he has made practical achievements. Whether it is the implementation of the work-study policy in the Ministry of Industry, or the establishment of engineering studies from scratch, the achievements he has achieved are all the same. It is obvious to all, even those imperial officials who hate and are hostile to him can't deny it.

Now he is based on the New Deal of Engineering and Learning, relying on the dragon in his residence. He is neither a warrior nor a civil servant, and he is not involved in criminal names. He is neither an enemy nor a friend with most courtiers. Basically, there is no possibility of controlling the court and usurping power. , which means that the new monarch will be in charge in the future, and the possibility of him being liquidated is also the lowest.

Thinking of this, Xue Baochai couldn't help feeling bitter. The main reason why he denied Jiao Shun at the beginning was that he was worried that his foundation would be unstable and the risk was too great. How could he have survived the initial criticism, but he was almost invincible? place.

I knew so...

"Baochai."

At this time, Aunt Xue had led Mrs. Xu to the front, and said with a smile, "Your aunt came here specially to see you."

Although Mrs. Xu is two or three years older than Aunt Xue, she used to be called "Aunt Xu" by her children. Later, she moved to Zijin Street and lived next door, but gradually changed her name.

Xue Baochai only thought it was because of the increasing power of the Jiao family, but she didn't think too much about it. Hearing her mother's greeting, she hurriedly smiled and said, "It's really hard for Aunt Xu these days. Without your help, I don't know what to do." How much trouble has been caused?"

"Haha, a family doesn't speak two languages."

Mrs. Xu waved her hand and praised again: "I don't know what kind of virtues the ancestors of the Xue family have accumulated. It goes without saying that you are an elder sister. It is praised by everyone. I don't want this Baoqin girl to manage the house in an orderly manner." , I said I was helping, but in fact I was just watching the excitement."

"She is still young, but she can't stand your boast."

Xue Baochai said, and welcomed the two into the inner room.

Only then did the yard get busy again, but the tone of voice subconsciously lowered a few degrees, and most of the whispers were transferred from this marriage to the recent situation of Jiao's family.

As the end of the month approached, Jiao Shun's Shao Zhan affairs were close to Mingxuan, and he only had to wait for the official appointment at the Great Court Meeting early next month—as for the ceremony of establishing the crown prince, it would take another ten and a half days to prepare.

It would be fine if it was irrelevant, but half of the people present had lived in Rongguo Mansion and witnessed Jiao Shun's rise from scratch.

There are even some people who are the old people brought by Aunt Xue from the Wang family back then. Thinking back to the scene when Mrs. Xu married as a dowry, and looking at the current style, who is not full of emotion?
Not to mention all kinds of discussions outside.

But after entering the inner room, Mrs. Xu and Baochai exchanged a few more words, then took off a jadeite bracelet from her wrist, and said with a smile: "This bracelet is my birthday gift from Brother Shun to honor me when I celebrate my birthday this summer. , I don’t know what to say, but thinking about it, he didn’t dare to fool the old lady—now I’m going to make you a box-pressing item, don’t think it’s me who wore it.”

The bracelet is mostly green, but there is a strip of pale white impurities running through it. This is a huge flaw, but the wonderful thing is that the pale white impurities are lingering in the bracelet, and it is faintly a head and tail with four claws. Yunlong looks like.

It doesn't look like it at first glance, but the more you look closely, the more you can understand the charm.

"How did this happen?!"

Baochai hastily declined: "Since it's a birthday gift from Brother Jiao, how can I..."

"If you tell you to keep it, you can keep it."

Mrs. Xu thrust it into her hands unquestionably, and said with a smile: "He is an official in the Ministry of Industry, can he be short of these things? I gave them to you, and I will just ask for a fresh one next year."

Baochai still wants to evade, she pretends to be annoyed.

Baochai had no choice but to accept it gratefully.

Mrs. Xu said again: "Your brother Jiao also specially prepared a novel congratulatory gift, saying that he will give it to you after you get married—by the way, he also specifically asked you not to stain and wrinkle the Fengguan Xiapei, It will be used at that time."

Xue Baochai held the bracelet in his hand, with mixed emotions in his heart, but he couldn't care less about wondering what the novel gift was.

…………

"This thing is called a camera."

In the specially arranged black room, Jiao Shun was fiddling with a delicate but bulky machine, and explained to Jia Huan, Jia Cong, and Jia Yun who came together curiously: "If you arrange it in advance, you can put people or objects printed on a piece of cardboard."

As he spoke, he showed the two photos he had taken to the children.

This camera is also one of the results of the recent exchanges between the East and the West. Europa has made a prototype, and the Ministry of Industry has improved it on this basis and under the guidance of Jiao Shun's "finishing touch".

But after all, it was developed hastily, and right now it can only be photographed in a special darkroom.

Holding the kerosene lamp, Jia Huan grabbed the photo in his hands first, and the rest of them had to poke their heads and tiptoes around him to watch, seeing that the things on the photo were indeed different from the paintings, and reflected the reality better. In such a situation, all the little ones couldn't help but be amazed.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Uncle is really capable of what no one else can. When there is a chance, I will help my nephew to print a few copies."

As he spoke, he thought to himself, if he could print the things about Uncle Jiao and Mrs. Xu on it as evidence, wouldn't he be able to sit back and relax in the future?

Thinking in this way, he began to seriously learn photography skills from Jiao Shun—to take pictures like that, it's not easy to use someone else's hands.

In the darkroom, there was a 'pleasure', and in the wedding room, from the old lady down, everyone was booing and asking about Shi Xiangyun, whom he hadn't seen for many days.

Shi Xiangyun answered countless questions one by one, and finally said helplessly: "You don't really know anything, today is the day when Brother Bao is happy, what are you always doing around me?"

As she said that, she looked around and asked curiously: "Where is Second Brother Bao? He was still there just now, why is he gone now?"

"I've already returned to Yihong Courtyard."

Mrs. Wang hurriedly said: "He hasn't slept well for the past two days. I'm afraid that he won't be in good spirits tomorrow morning, so I asked Xiren to take him back to rest early."

"So early?"

Shi Xiangyun said with some regret: "I still want to call my brothers and sisters together, and ask our master to help take a photo-you haven't seen that the people drawn by the camera are exactly the same as the real ones, and we will improve them later. , Fourth Younger Sister is afraid that she will never be of any use again."

"That's better."

Xichun smiled lightly: "Save me from socializing, and miss the cleanliness."

Everyone knows that she has been bewildered recently, and Baoyu and Baoyu can be called male and female idiots, so they don't bother with her.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Jia's mother suddenly sank and scolded: "Little hoof with a rotten tongue! Baoyu has been delusional these days, and you were the one who persuaded him. From now on, you must dare to talk nonsense to him again. Look! I won't discount your legs!"

With just this scolding, the wedding room was suddenly silent.

Xichun's face turned pale and then red, red and then white, and then the tears couldn't stop falling down.

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xing looked at each other, hurriedly smiled apologetically to divert the old lady's attention, and took Xichun outside to comfort her.

Shi Xiangyun was also taken aback just now, he looked at this and that while protecting his protruding belly, and finally approached Tanchun and whispered: "Old lady, this is..."

"I've been confused ever since I fainted that time."

Tanchun sighed helplessly: "I can't control my temper, and I can't control my mouth. When I'm good, it's better than before. When I turn my face, I look like an old child."

After a pause, she said with resentment: "That's why my wife is in a hurry to get my second brother married."

Shi Xiangyun was silent, although he had heard that the old lady was seriously ill, but just now seeing her smiling and full of energy, he thought she was well.

If the old lady really...

I don't know what reaction Sister Lin will have.

(End of this chapter)