Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 428 The Lord of Chang’an County Visits
In Rongqing Hall,

Everyone calmed down a little and took a short rest.
Jia Mu began to ask Yuanyang to arrange for the maid to change tea and serve cakes and fruits for everyone.
There were maids coming in and out, but no one made a sound. Lan Yue'er and Lan Shu'er were sitting under Qin Keqing, drinking tea and eating cakes in silence. They only glanced at each other from time to time. I knew the two of them had listened.

Wang Xifeng was sitting opposite, looking around, not seeing any of the two little moves. However, knowing that they were actually concubines, they were very important to Aunt Wang and the Marquis, so they did not dare to neglect them. He also asked Ping'er to have the maid serve a few more plates of cakes.

Aunt Xue, who was sitting on the kang, felt a little aggrieved when she heard her sister's inquiry. It was as if she had a backbone after seeing a relative, and she couldn't stop crying.

"Sister, my sister just returned to the capital and encountered that incident. I went to the Hou Mansion anxiously. I stayed overnight in the Hou Mansion yesterday and came here at dawn today. No one has cleaned up the old house yet. Wenlong Although he was old, he was extravagant and idle, and because his servants knew no good and would beat people regardless of the severity, they got into a life-threatening lawsuit. Fortunately, the magistrate noticed what was going on, compensated him with money, and punished him. It was over, and my sister didn't. Only my little girl Baochai, who dares to let him go, is always with her. She is well-educated, considerate and considerate. Now that she has entered Beijing, in addition to visiting her sister, she also goes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to close previous years' accounts and calculate new expenditures."

This speech was sincere, and the second wife knew in her heart that her brother was increasingly neglecting his family and had no contact with her for several months. Now that her sister has entered Beijing, she has fulfilled her wish.
Turning to look at Jia Mu, she seemed to be asking for help in a tactful way.
"Old lady, my sister is now old and young, and my nephew is young and doesn't know the world. If he lives outside, I'm afraid someone will get into trouble. Instead of worrying about being scared outside, it's better to look at it in front of you. We have a ten-year-old school in the northeast corner of Shanglixiangyuan. I had a spare room, so I hurriedly cleaned it. It would be nice to invite my sister and brother and sister to live there. That place happens to be not far from Feng Yatou’s pear garden. Wouldn’t it be better to have her take care of it."

Jia Mu also considered this matter in her heart, and it was indeed true. If there was no movement in Yuanchun, she could not relax for a day. Even the in-laws were jointly and severally responsible, so she nodded in agreement, looked at Aunt Xue and said,

"Of course, then please feel free to stay here, concubine. From now on, we will be closer and there will always be a place to talk."

This was what Aunt Xue was thinking in her heart. She was just thinking about how to live together in the same place so that she could be more restrained. If she lived in another place and returned to the old house, it would have been ruined for a long time without cleaning it, and she was afraid of Pan Er. If he indulges in sex and causes trouble, he is afraid that he will bring trouble to his sister if he encounters trouble again, so he hurriedly thanked her and agreed.

But Aunt Xue had her own plans and explained to Mrs. Wang privately:
"Thank you very much, old lady, for this matter. My elder sister also helped my younger sister a lot. I provided all the daily supplies in the house for free. My younger sister brought a lot of specialties from the south. I also need to be filial to the old lady. I will accept all the supplies." The usual way."

The old lady didn't say anything but looked at the second wife. The second wife had a smile on her face and knew that it was not difficult for her family to do this, so she followed her wish.

"Okay, accepted. I may not want what outsiders take, but of course I want what you brought. From now on, I will live in Lixiangyuan with peace of mind. This house of the old lady is not far away. I just need to come and talk to the old lady from time to time." .”

It turns out that Lixiangyuan is also a blessed place. It was the place where Duke Rong spent his rest in his later years. It is small and exquisite, but it is fully equipped with about ten houses, front hall, side room, rear house, yard, garden and kitchen. .

Not far away, at the corner of the courtyard wall, there is another door leading to the street. After going around a few alleys, it actually leads to the entrance of Ningrong Street, leaving the Xue family members free to come and go without having to go through the main entrance and causing gossip. There is a corner door in the southwest. , there is a passage, and after exiting the passage, it is the east courtyard of the main room of the second wife, Mrs. Wang. It is close, and it is a little more convenient for the two sisters to meet here. The arrangement of the second wife is naturally self-evident. Metaphor.

Jia Mu looked at the people in the hall and saw that they were all here, so she introduced them to Qin Keqing one by one.

"This is the first time the County Lord is here. Although I have met people, I may not be familiar with them. I will introduce them to you again."

Qin Keqing looked at the room full of people and estimated that they were about the same. Miss Sanchun and the eldest wife and others could tell at a glance and replied with a smile,

"Then I'll bother you, old lady. All the faces in the room are very familiar, except for the one across from me. I can tell who it is with my eyes closed."

As if he was joking, he glared at Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng saw Kenyi,

"Okay, the county boss is now looking for me to vent his anger. You don't dare to mess with others. If you come to me every time, wouldn't it be a place to vent your anger? Could it be that the county boss is also bullying the other henchmen of the Marquis at home? , I don’t know if the Marquis has punished you."

Once the words are finished,

Everyone was stunned for a moment and burst into laughter. Mother Jia cursed angrily,
"You are a shabby guy who dares to say all kinds of nonsense. County Lord, you are just teasing me. If the Marquis finds out, what will you do? Really, Sanchun girl is still here."

When Wang Xifeng turned around, she saw Sanchun sitting there with a blushing face, embarrassed to look at her, and a little embarrassed.

But I was not convinced. What could Mr. Hou do to him? Could he have been tossing him all night like his sister-in-law? He felt a little strange. He quietly looked back at his sister-in-law Li Wan, as if feeling something. He saw the look on the face of the grandma sitting in front of him. He changed slightly and secretly took a sip of tea to cover it up. Wang Xifeng naturally saw it.

Qin Keqing never thought that Feng Yatou was so bold and could say anything. She was really known as Feng Lazi.
"What the old lady said is right. I don't know if it's a broken household. But Feng Lazi's mouth is really known both inside and outside. He hasn't finished a sentence, but there are only a few words waiting. I don't know if Brother Lian will bear it. You are wronged."

Qin Keqing's tone of voice was also sharp, and he was beaten down.

Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows and said that others still had some considerations. When it came to Jia Lian, how could Wang Xifeng be afraid? There was no place for him to talk at home.
"The county lord doesn't have to worry about it. He has no grievances. He has never been asked to interfere with the big and small matters in the house. All food and drink expenses are provided. There is no grievances."

The words were clear, but everyone knew that what Wang Xifeng said was untrue. Qin Keqing stared at the beautiful and enchanting woman behind Wang Xifeng and smiled;
"That's really thoughtful, but there are some things that still need to be considered. As the saying goes, it's better to block things than to open them up, so I won't give you a status."

"This,"

Qin Keqing looked at Ping'er pointedly several times, knowing everything he said. Wang Xifeng even understood that Qin Keqing was talking about Ping'er, but she was angry in her heart. What she said was right. Ping'er was not young anymore, but she had old intentions. It was difficult to calm down, and I was speechless for a moment.When Jia Mu saw it, it was rare for someone to take care of Feng girl. She couldn't see who she could blame.

"Stop just talking, come and eat some cakes. This is the palace's sweet-scented osmanthus cake. The old lady gave it to you a few days ago."

"Then I want to have a good taste,"

Qin Keqing liked this taste better, and suddenly glanced in the direction of grandma Li Wan, and felt something strange in her eyes, an indescribable feeling.

The small courtyard to the west of Jia’s house,

Zijuan led Xueyan and two maids, and then set off to the kitchen of the house to bring breakfast to Lin Daiyu.

The mansion was too big, so I had to go around in a circle to get there. Xueyan followed behind, silently remembering the way, and was obedient and silent.

to the place,

Zicuckoo opened her mouth and asked,
"Sister-in-law Liu, I'm here to bring Miss Lin food, but where is it?"

Sister-in-law Liu, who was still busy, walked out of the kitchen after hearing the words. Seeing that the person who came seemed to be the maid next to the old lady, she didn't dare to neglect, she came out with a smile and asked;
"Which Miss Lin?"

"She is the granddaughter of the old lady yesterday. Why didn't you know?"

Zicuckoo looked over and asked.

Sister-in-law Liu immediately changed her expression, came out in person to apologize and said with a smile,
"It turns out to be Miss Lin. This servant was busy for a while and was a little confused. Of course she was. Second Mistress specifically told her that whatever she wanted to cook for Miss Lin was kept warm in the steamer."

After saying that, he walked to a stove and picked up the steamer lid on the pot. After the white mist passed, the steamer was filled with all kinds of food.

Zicuckoo didn't expect so many food boxes, and she didn't bring enough food boxes. Sister-in-law Liu didn't know where she saw them, so she called the kitchen helper behind and brought some more food boxes.
"Zicuckoo also has someone to rely on. Sister-in-law Liu is very envious. Take these food boxes for use first and then send them back after they are used up. Miss Lin can't be wronged, otherwise the old lady and the second grandma will know that I will be in trouble." Gualuo is not."

The movements of her hands were not slow, and she helped to clean up. Zijuan took the food box and took the people back to the small courtyard.

In the small courtyard, in the east wing of the main room,
After Lin Daiyu woke up and washed up, Zijuan took Xueyan to the kitchen and brought breakfast. There was only one table in the room, which was also filled with food, including steamed, fried, fried, boiled, and rice. Porridge, all three kinds.

As a last resort, she called several maids to finish the food. Lin Daiyu had never seen such a luxurious breakfast. At her home in Jiangnan, it was just three side dishes, accompanied by steamed buns or a bowl of porridge.
"Xueyan, did you take too much? Why are there so many?"

The little girl shook her head, looking a little confused, and replied,
"Miss, I didn't take much. Sister Zijuan took me to the kitchen to get these. As soon as I said it was the meal for the miss, there was so much brought over there, and by the way, there were also two boiled eggs."

After saying that, she took out two more eggs from somewhere and put them on the table. Lin Daiyu looked at the confused Xue Yan, shook her head and said nothing.
"Stop standing there and have some food with me. Where did Zicuckoo go?"

"Miss, Sister Zijuan is making medicine for Miss in the yard."

Lin Daiyu felt warm in her heart, but she was attracted to it.

"Go and call Zicuckoo. After the medicine is gone, let it suffocate for a while. It won't be too late after breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am."

Snow Goose jumped and ran out, dragging Zicuckoo over. As soon as she entered the house, Zicuckoo was about to salute Lin Daiyu. Daiyu hurriedly pulled Zicuckoo's sleeves.
"Since you're following me, I don't need to be polite when there's no one around. It's all thanks to you these days. Xueyan is young. Please pay more attention to matters in the courtyard. I will remember the master-servant situation." I won’t treat you badly, come sit down and have something to eat together.”

Zicuckoo had never seen such a good master before. Her eyes turned red and she nodded fiercely.
"Miss, you are so kind. Your servant will help you keep an eye on her. By the way, miss, didn't the Marquis say he was here to deliver something to you today? Why haven't you seen anyone yet?"

Lin Daiyu glanced out the window at the sky, and was surprised that no one had come yet.

(End of this chapter)