Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 403 Wang Xifeng came to the door urgently

An Hubei section,

The building boat broke through the water on the river and rushed towards the dock quickly. There were also many merchant ships and fishing boats on the river, shuttled here.

Jia Lian had a happy face, looking at the dock not far away, secretly thinking that he was finally going back to the capital, but when he thought about Lin Daiyu leaving with the Marquis, and what he had explained to the second wife in private, he was a little irritated, which was okay.

Thinking of the old lady's instructions, she must take Lin Daiyu back, and felt a little embarrassed. Most of the money the old lady gave her had been spent, so she couldn't help but ponder for a moment. Should she find a restaurant in the capital to stay in first, and then go to the Marquis Mansion to discuss it? That's fine, but it's definitely not appropriate to come and ask questions by yourself. Suddenly I thought of Wang Xifeng. It would be easy if she helped.

But when he thinks of Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian always feels unspeakable pain.

Xue Pan, who was walking around on the ship, was obviously a little impatient. When he came to the deck at the front of the ship, he saw Jia Lian's figure and walked over hurriedly.
"Second brother Lian, what are you thinking about here? It seems that the capital is coming soon. Second brother Lian, when we get to the capital, Brother Pan will definitely go to the house to find the second brother. Let's go out and have fun. I will definitely make the second brother Lian happy. Happy."

Xue Pan also has good intentions, and he also knows that he is unfamiliar with the capital city, so it is better to have someone to take care of him. Although his uncle is in a high position and has a high position, he cannot just ask his uncle for help with trivial matters, so even though Xue Pan is a bit confused, his thoughts are clear. .

Jia Lian didn't care. There was one third of an acre in the capital. Anyone who saw the heir of Rongguo Mansion would give three points of courtesy. Xue Pan was no outsider either. He nodded and said,
"Brother Pan, you don't have to be polite. We are all relatives. After you settle down in the capital, you can come to my house to find me and recognize me. We can find a better brothel or the best restaurant. We can get drunk and stop. Let’s catch up on old times.”

Jia Lian's words simply spoke to the bottom of Xue Pan's heart. He felt comfortable all over, especially when he heard the word brothel and knew that Jia Lian was also a member of the same group, his attitude became even more enthusiastic.

"Brother Lian, you're welcome. I won't let you spend any money. When we get to the capital, I'll be the host. I don't want any restaurants. Just tell me where the best brothel in the capital is. Let's book a table together. For a banquet, ask for two top names, have a good drink, and then have fun, that’s what it’s like to enjoy.”

Seeing Xue Pan so enthusiastic and excited, Jia Lian was also said to be very excited. He had not enjoyed this much in the capital for a long time.

Earlier,
Because I don’t have any money, I don’t go to the best brothels often, and the top picks are very few. Knowing that Xue Pan and the Xue family are imperial merchants, they must have a lot of money, so I don’t want to be polite anymore.

"Thank you, Brother Pan, for your kindness. When the time comes, I will call a few more friends and let's get together and get to know each other."

"The more, the merrier. I, Xue Pan, am not good at anything else, but I love making friends with my brothers. Just call Brother Lian and I will cover all the expenses."

Xue Pan grinned and patted his chest, which made the purple robe on his chest tremble. He was wrapped up in a big hug. The two looked happy and talked softly. They began to talk about Jinling in the south of the Yangtze River and the women in the brothels in the capital. It's different. When I talk about the wonderful things, I still laugh out loud from time to time.

Beijing,

Rongguo Mansion,
Wang Xifeng led Ping'er and then Xiaohong, got into the carriage and rushed to the Hou Mansion.

The three of them did not chat on the road. Instead, they opened a corner of the car curtains and looked towards the street. Although Ping'er was puzzled, he tilted his head and followed for a while, but he couldn't find a clue.

"Grandma, what are you looking at?"

"Look at the people on the street. Sure enough, when the weather gets cold, there are fewer people. In the past, these streets have long been crowded with people. What other kinds of supplies are sold in those shops? , I’m also thinking about whether I should prepare some valuable business for my next trip.”

Wang Xifeng was bored and wanted to take a look outside the window, but when she passed by the market and saw so many people shouting there, she thought about the caravan and wondered if she could buy some valuable goods and earn more in one trip. .

Ping'er listened behind him, pulled the second grandma's sleeve and said;

"Grandma, Ping'er thinks it's better to buy those urgently needed supplies. The quantity is large and it can be collected directly from the Marquis Mansion. The Shangda of the Chamber of Commerce has also said that as long as it is grain, cloth, tea, raw silk, and porcelain, it can be purchased directly. , otherwise it would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and we don’t have the time to sell there.”

Wang Xifeng thought about it, turned her head and took a bite.
"You little hooves, do I know this? I just want to have this plan. If I really want to do this, I should buy a few shops in Pingyang City and have a stronghold to sell there. But when it comes to Guorong Mansion, I say no. Cleared."

Wang Xifeng naturally thought of the Jia family, and couldn't help but feel dark in her heart. It would be better to separate the family, but Jia Lian had not inherited the title yet, so nothing could be done.

And one thing came to mind. This time it was said that Baoyu was going to take part in the imperial examination. Although I didn’t know how well Baoyu studied, I thought that Jia Zhu, the second wife’s family, was also admitted as a scholar. If he hadn’t been in good health, it would have been easy to pass the exam. , with this lesson learned, Baoyu has never been forced by the second wife.

But with Zhuyu in front of me, if Baoyu, the real jade, puts in the hard work to study, he will definitely be able to go to high school. At that time, the second bedroom’s own good aunt will have achieved her wish, and the property of the Duke’s Palace is still in the hands of the old lady and the second wife. No matter what, he and Jia Lian can only watch. When the time comes, it will be detrimental to him and Jia Lian to separate the family.

Still deal with it this way, make money first and then talk about it.

"Grandma, the Hou Mansion has arrived,"

"So fast."

Wang Xifeng was thinking about things all the way and arrived at the Hou Mansion unknowingly. She opened the curtain and looked outside. There were indeed many bicycle racks parked on the street outside the mansion. The boys and servants were carefully carrying the boxes. It looked like they should come back. .

After getting off the carriage with Ping'er and Xiaohong, they went to the side door of the Hou Mansion. The concierge saw the second grandmother's figure in the distance and saluted and said hello.
"I've seen my second grandma, but I haven't been here for a while."

"It turns out to be Butler Wang. May I ask if the old lady and the Marquis have come back?" Wang Xifeng responded with a smile and asked casually. The steward smiled happily and replied,
"As for Second Grandma, the old lady came back in the morning, and the Marquis went to the palace. I don't know when he will come back. It's a coincidence that Second Grandma came."

"That's good. I'm afraid I haven't seen my aunt in two months. I'm just here to say hello to my aunt."

"Second Grandma, please come to Dongyun Tower and go inside."

Naturally, the steward did not dare to delay any longer and made way for the Second Mistress to enter.

Wang Xifeng waved her hands calmly, hurriedly crossed the threshold and walked into the yard. She arrived at Dongyun Tower by a familiar route. She opened the door and entered the house without informing her. The maids around her saw that they were the old lady's nieces. It’s not easy to stop either.

Wang Xifeng entered the room and walked around the screen.
Then we came to the main hall,

I was surprised to see no one in the hall. Suddenly I heard voices in the east room, so I knew that someone must be there. I greeted Ping'er to follow, and walked over following the sound.
Before I even reached the house, I shouted from a distance with a smile;
"Oh, my good aunt, my niece misses you so much. I want to ask you to be well first."

This charming voice reached the house, and no one heard it before seeing it!

Mrs. Wang was sitting at the main seat, drinking soup. She paused for a moment, looked up and saw a voluptuous figure. She wore light green clothes, a red cloak, and a snow-white fox fur shawl. She was so beautiful. The woman walked in, it wasn’t Wang Xifeng, she couldn’t help but smile and said,
"You are so punctual. You can help with everything. You come just in time. You came just after dinner. Sit down and eat some together. Yue'er, bring a bowl of soup to Feng Yatou."

Then he pointed to the second seat on the left. Wang Xifeng was not polite. He took off his cloak and handed it to Ping'er behind him. Then he sat down on Mrs. Wang's left hand and sat opposite Qin Keqing.

"My good aunt, you have been away from Jiangnan for more than a month. My niece can't bear to leave you for such a long time. When I heard that you were back, my niece was eager to come to greet you."

Mrs. Wang laughed and said,
"They say that you, little girl, are very sharp-tongued. Sure enough, if you can spread the word, it must be a breeze without a storm. You even came here specifically to say hello. I think it is a storm without a storm. Come on, take a few sips of soup to warm yourself up. What else can you do after that?"

It happened that Yue'er also brought the soup and put it on the table. The rosy color on Wang Xifeng's face rose. She picked up the soup and took a small sip. She didn't know what kind of soup it was. The aroma was fragrant and it tasted spicy in her mouth. It feels warm in the stomach and quite delicious.

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but take two more sips, then put down the bowl and asked;

"Aunt, what kind of soup is this? Although it was a bit spicy just after I drank it, it has a special taste in my belly. My niece has actually tasted this kind of soup."

Mrs. Wang smiled and replied,
"You just have a sweet mouth. This soup is called Hu spicy soup. Jin Yu came up with it. It uses broth mixed with spices, and there are other fancy things put in it. However, there is still no chili pepper. It is a relatively small amount of spices. .”

Wang Xifeng looked over in surprise and picked it up with chopsticks. There was no chili pepper, but a bowl full of aroma. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue. These spices were as good as gold. The Hou Mansion was really willing to give them up.

"Aunt, it's true, the spice has been released a lot this night, and my niece can't afford to drink it."

"Come here if you want to drink, tell me, what's the matter?"

Mrs. Wang put down her bowls and chopsticks and looked over. She hadn't seen her for two months. She was quite haggard. It looked like she was worried about her hard work. Wang Xifeng suddenly felt aggrieved and her eyes were red.

"Aunt, have you ever met Jia Lian in Jiangnan?"

Mrs. Wang didn't expect that Feng Yatou would ask about Jia Lian, but she understood what she was thinking. However, Feng Yatou was too strict. Some things were better blocked. She reached out and touched Wang Xifeng's cheek and comforted,

"See, he has nothing wrong with him. He returned to Jinling from Yangzhou, and he came back together on the Marquis Mansion's boat. It's almost here now. Jia Lian should be with the Xue family, and it will only take these two days. Now, why, I can’t bear to be apart for this little time.”

Wang Xifeng felt relieved, and tears actually flowed out. She felt a little aggrieved, but there was no one to tell her.

When I saw my aunt today, I felt as if I had someone to support me. I unconsciously felt pity and sadness in my heart, but I really couldn't hold back the grief in my heart.

When Mrs. Wang saw it, she took a handkerchief and wiped it.

"Look, this is really aggrieved."

Qin Keqing, who was opposite, raised her eyes charmingly and asked with a smile,
"Sister Feng cried happily when she heard that Brother Lian was coming back. If Brother Lian finds out, can you please love her well?"

Then there was shy laughter. Wang Xifeng held back her tears and was a little annoyed.
"How can you say this here? Auntie, look at what the county lord's wife has become."

After listening to the shameful words, Wang Xifeng took a special look at the woman sitting next to Qin Keqing. Her peerless appearance looked a little cold, and she felt like she was thousands of miles away. Although she didn't know her, she knew that since she could sit on the table, she must not be an outsider. .

But how could such a little thought be hidden from Mrs. Wang’s eyes? She didn’t hide it and asked,
"Girl Feng, do you know who is sitting next to Ke Qing?"

(End of this chapter)