Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 661 Meet Miss Shi Jia
In front of the Baolinghou Mansion,

Opened the side door,
The old steward looked the visitor up and down. Although the clothes were not very gorgeous, they were made of fine brocade from Jiangnan. They were dressed in smart clothes and had a resolute face. He should not be lying, especially those eyes, which concealed the essence. The old steward Although he is old, he has never seen anyone, and this junior is also an upright person.

Those who can live in alleys and alleys and have houses are also members of the clan. As for why the clan members don't go to the master's house to make a living, it is obvious that the Shi family is not as wealthy as the Jia family in the capital. The master's family spends money carefully, so Up and down the Shi family, as well as other members of the family, had no choice but to find other ways.

These people can also be seen as door-to-door customers for other nobles, even wealthy families, and many handymen in chambers of commerce. It is also a tacit understanding in the capital.

The old steward made an estimate and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then come in. Miss lives in the west courtyard. What's the matter? To make a long story short, you can't stay too long. In addition, I still need to send someone to follow you there, you understand."

The old steward did not embarrass Mrs. Shi, but he still had to give some instructions. After all, the Baoling Hou Mansion is still a Hou Mansion, and there are still rules. Shi Xiangyun is a young lady from the Hou Mansion. When meeting a foreign man, he still needs to keep an eye on him. He cannot Something extraordinary happened.

"Yes, steward. I understand. I only stand in the courtyard and leave after saying something. I don't dare to waste the lady's time."

Shi Tai nodded and quickly agreed. He came today just to reminisce with the young lady. If not for the young lady’s recommendation in the early years, he might have become a coolie at the dock. It was only by chance that he got his way out today. How could he dare to break the rules? Thank you very much.

"Okay, in that case, come in, you two, go with him and lead the way."

Seeing this, the old woman didn't dare to show off. After thinking for a moment, she introduced,
"Back to Madam, I naturally remember that the back looks familiar. If the old lady guessed correctly, it seems to be in the alley on the east side. The three-bedroomed children of the same clan should be named Shi Tai. In the early years, when he asked to see the young lady, he entered He worked as a gardener in his house, watering flowers and weeding, and he was alone and without a wife. "

in the courtyard,
The stone benches in the pavilion were covered with a thick layer of cushions, and the railing behind them was blocked by the maid holding brocade cloth to block the wind, so sitting in the pavilion did not feel so cold.

"Madam, this is not a rare visitor. It seems that they are also from the side house clan living in the alley. They must have come to ask for something, so they came to the house to pay their respects."

"Madam, from what you said, there are not many people in the house. In the early years, many people who served in the house were dismissed. In addition to the slaves who were bought and sold, many of the brothers in the side houses have not left. Although I don’t know when we left, it was just a few days before and after we were sent away, so I think we left together at that time.”

Looking at the people sitting in the pavilion, they are the Baolinghou Mansion. Now Shi Nai's first wife, Lang Shuhui, and the girls waiting around are all the lady's confidants. There is a woman in charge, looking up and looking at her back. It seemed familiar, as if I had seen it before somewhere, and suddenly I remembered the gardener who used to work in the front yard of my house.

Although you can't see clearly, the person who can be served by so many maids in the courtyard of the master's house must be from the master's family. You must not disturb him.

But even this small gesture was seen by the people in the pavilion.
a little,

Lang Shuhui sat back, her maid Shui Zhu was close to her, and someone brought a few quilts to cushion her back. She leaned back to make it more comfortable. She looked seriously at the mother-in-law in front of her. There were not many servants in the house. In order to save money, Expenses, except for the necessary face, the rest of the people have been dismissed, and the rest, more or less, I have some impressions.

Shi Taiyi clasped his fists, thanked him, walked into the side door, and followed the two boys to the small courtyard to the west.

Shuizhu gently placed the pastries brought on the stone table, made a pot of tea and put it there, and explained in a low voice,

By the way,

Shi Tai was suddenly startled, immediately lowered his head, followed quickly, walked around the wall in the corner, and disappeared.

"Oh, what are you asking for? Do you recognize that person?"

"Yeah, so it turned out to be arranged by that girl from Xiangyun, a gardener. That's not right. Why haven't I seen it before?"

Entering the Hou Mansion,

The wife of the house came and asked with interest. She looked at the person who came and was sincere. She even had a hint of the aura of a warrior, which can only be seen in Nanwang Mansion. Shijia, when did such people appear? Aren't they all cowards and fearful people? Troublemaker.

It's still vaguely the way I remember it,

In the pavilion, a lazy voice sounded;
"This is rare today. No one has come to the house for a long time. It's almost noon, but someone comes to the door. I don't know who is here?"

The old steward stepped aside to let Shi Tai walk in, and then appointed two concierge boys to lead the way.

Mrs. Shi couldn't help but raise her eyes and look around. There was a spacious area inside the door. The flowers, plants and trees carefully planted in the courtyard surrounded a pavilion. The main hall was located directly behind the attic, and there was a pond on the side. It seemed that in the pavilion Someone,

The old woman was stunned. She only knew that the man's name was Shi Tai and that he had entered the yard. As for whether he left or when he left, she didn't know. The way he acted just now was obviously not the aura that a gardener should have. It seemed like he had an errand outside. , after all, very few people of the same clan can afford to wear those clothes. At this time of difficulty,
Shui Zhu, the maid serving beside her, opened her mouth and solved the problem;

When the old woman saw it, she quickly agreed,
"Yes, madam, since then, no new people have entered the house, only the old people have stayed."

The old woman didn't dare to talk about anything else. Just because of this matter, the historian became the laughing stock of the nobles in the capital. As a talking point after dinner, the large Marquis Mansion could not even afford to maintain a servant. At that time, every family in the capital , were all watching the joke. The Jia family of Rongguo Mansion even sent someone to inquire about this matter. How could she, the head wife, not know about this matter? After thinking about it, she was very angry.
"Although this matter is a last resort, it is something the Hou Mansion did wrong. It is a pity that the Hou Mansion has the difficulties of the Hou Mansion. Doing such things that attract gossip must have its difficulties, and we cannot talk about it outside. As the head wife, I can only Encourage yourself to hold on, otherwise, like the Jia family in Ningguo Mansion, they are used to being arrogant and domineering. The masters of the family have all been sentenced to prison, and there will be many disasters. But you know what the children of the family do to make a living after leaving the house. ”

Lang Shuhui sat there with a complicated expression on her face. She didn't know why her father wanted to marry her from a place thousands of miles south to a historian in the capital. She only heard that the historian was a double prince, but she didn't expect that there was such a thing inside. My father was so ruthless at that time, and I don’t know why, but I still hold it in my heart all these years!
"What Madam said is absolutely true. In the capital, the affairs of the Jia family in Ningguo Mansion are spreading a lot. Now they don't know how to tide over the difficulties. Those noble relatives seem to be watching from the sidelines, with no one to help them. As for the younger members of the family, they are out of trouble. It’s not difficult to find out what happened after the house, but it’s just a little hard to ask, lest it taint my wife’s ears.”

The old woman in front of her was rushing to answer, and she suddenly thought that in recent days, many children of the Shi family had gone to the Rongguo Mansion, as if they were following the work arranged by the second mistress of the Rongguo Mansion to earn a living, and she still complained in her heart that she Why did you open your mouth again?
Involuntarily, his face became a little tangled, and in his words, it was all his fault.

This made Lang Shuhui see it, and wondered if there was something hidden inside, so she asked,
"Why, is it possible that you can't talk to me, the head wife, about what you do for a living?"

When the old lady heard this, she knelt down in panic. There were so many people, and some people couldn't speak. How could they dare to speak, but they couldn't hide it from the madam. She replied with a look of reluctance;

"I don't dare to lie to my wife. The sons of the clan who worked in the house all found other ways to make a living after leaving the house. Some went to the dock to work as coolies, some went to the capital to work as waiters, and some went to help in the village, etc. There were also some men who had their penises done, and some women from the tribe were allowed to work in the brothel, receiving customers every day, which was a shame. However, things have gotten better these days. Many of them came back, went, went. "

The old woman hesitated and hesitated but couldn't explain clearly. What she said just now was that a woman from the same clan as the Shi family's side house actually became a kiln sister. She was secretly angry and shy in her heart. Ten thousand people would taste a little bit of red lips. How could it be possible? After all, she also had the surname of Shi. This
Seeing this, Lang Shuhui's eyes narrowed and she asked seriously;

"If you have something to say, say it. If you are willing to fall, there is nothing you can do about it. The remaining people will come back as soon as they come back. What else can you hide?"

"Don't dare, don't dare, madam, this matter is strange to say, and for some reason, there is a rumor in the capital that when Ningrong Street becomes wealthy, the luck will change. The Jia family in the capital, east and west, Nowadays, the east is declining and the west is expensive.
Rongguo Mansion is getting more and more impressive. Hundreds of Jia family members are living in Rongguo Mansion. I heard that it was all arranged by the second mistress of the Rongguo Mansion. Some time ago, hundreds of Shi family children came back. I also went to the Rongguo Mansion. I heard that the second mistress of the house did not refuse anyone who came, and all of them stayed and worked as helpers to make a living. Everyone in the Shi family was grateful. "

After saying that, the old woman was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed. This was indeed the case. Even many other noble disciples rushed over. It was widely spread in the capital that the second grandmother of the Rongguo Mansion had a bodhisattva heart, and the money she scattered was like running water. .

The voice just fell,

The wife of the Shi family, Lang Shuhui, immediately changed her face. The second mistress of the Jia family's Rongguo Mansion seemed to have heard of it somewhere. She was not the legitimate daughter of the Wang family. The one who was married into the Rongguo Mansion by Wang Ziteng seemed to be called Wang Xifeng. Her methods were unexpected. So great,
Then why was the Ningguo Mansion shocked and secretly thinking that the so-called decline in the east and prosperity in the west may not have been arranged by Mrs. Shi.

As Mrs. Shi’s mother-in-law, how could Lang Shuhui not know how powerful that Aunt Shi was? She couldn’t explain that this situation was caused by her aunt.
"Do you know why the Jia family is like this? The Ningguo Mansion has fallen into such a predicament, and I have not seen the Rongguo Mansion to rescue them."

"Madam, these things are only known to me and other slaves. They are nothing more than rumors in the market. They all say that the family of the Ningguo Mansion offended Marquis Luo Yun, which caused this disaster. Some say that Marquis Luo Yun was responsible for this disaster. Adding insult to injury caused the nobles to be unable to advance or retreat, mostly due to rumors.”

The old woman rolled her eyes and told all the rumors in the market. However, almost everyone knew about the Ningguo Mansion's robbery to marry Marquis Luo Yun.

When Lang Shuhui heard that Marquis Luo Yun had intervened, she thought about it, and it should be like this. At that time, when Marquis Luo Yun first entered the capital, the whole capital was laughing at the wedding commotion. Now that it is adding insult to injury, there is no need to People dare to ask, just
"Get up, everything you said still makes sense,"

"Thank you, Madam." The old woman wiped her sweat, stood up and stood aside, not daring to breathe. Only the maid Shuizhui poured tea and water from time to time.

"Well, this cloud cake is delicious, but I bought it from Yaoji Store."

Lang Shuhui, the wife of Shifu, reached out and pinched a cloud cake and put it into her mouth. It was soft, glutinous and sweet, and melted in your mouth. It was a pity that it couldn't be kept for a long time, otherwise it would be better to send it to Nanwang Mansion for her father and brother to try.

"Back to my wife, it's ready-made at Yao Ji's store. If you buy it from him, you need to make a reservation in advance."

Shui Zhu, who was waiting next to her, pouted and replied, "Every time I go shopping, I have to go several days in advance.

"Well, there are so many people buying, so naturally we have to make reservations. By the way, I was thinking just now, over there at Rongguo Mansion, I heard who is coming, and the wife of Luoyunhou Mansion lives there."

While eating,

Lang Shuhui suddenly remembered that her husband seemed to have said that after Marquis Luo Yun came back from Jiangnan, he was granted a marriage by His Majesty, and the woman still lived in Rongguo Mansion. Who forgot it,
"Mrs. Hui is Lin Daiyu, the only daughter of Lin Ruhai, the salt censor in the south of the Yangtze River."

Shuizhu remembered clearly. She still remembered what the master said, so she reminded her in a low voice. Lang Shuhui suddenly realized that it was her.
"Remember, it's that Lin Daiyu. She is the granddaughter of the old lady. Now she is the common wife of Marquis Luo Yun. She also has an earl title with her. The old lady is very calculating."

Can't help but,
Lang Shuhui sat there and sighed deeply. Ningguo Mansion made enemies everywhere, but Rongguo Mansion made friends and even made marriages. The old lady did not arrange the decline of the east and the wealth of the west. Anyway, it is time to find a time to go there. The old lady of Rongguo Mansion sat there and talked.
The other purpose is to see what the second wife of the family does for a living, and how much money she makes. There are many children in the Jia family, and the monthly calendar is fixed. Every noble family has a fixed number, and they all have a living. One hundred people per month The monthly calendar has two hundred taels of silver, so if there are three hundred people, it will be six hundred taels of silver. If it is more, how can the profit be so huge?

How could the historians live in such "abject poverty" if they could share more profits.

"Shui Zhu, remember to go outside and buy some gifts and cakes. When things at home are more stable, we will go to Rongguo Mansion."

Lang Shuhui narrowed her eyes slightly, and suddenly thought of Shi Xiangyun, the girl from the West Courtyard, who was a good excuse.

"I understand, madam, I'm thinking of you."

In the west courtyard of the house,

Shi Tai followed the two of them to a small, shabby-looking courtyard, with a strange look in his eyes. When he met the young lady in the early years, he still lived in an attic. Nowadays, this kind of courtyard is occupied by servants. , could it be said that the young lady is being criticized so harshly now?

The good impression I had towards the Hou Mansion suddenly disappeared.

The two young men leading the way knocked on the door, then pushed open the courtyard and said;
"This is the courtyard, go back quickly."

Neither of them went in.

Shi Tai nodded and walked in through the opened door.

inside the hospital,

There are two main houses, and two side rooms with an east and west side. The middle place is actually a vegetable field, and some vegetables are planted in it. There are also washed clothes to dry on the west side. Although the house is dilapidated, it can still shelter from wind and rain. .

It's just that nothing in this courtyard is suitable for a young lady from the Hou family.

Shi Tai walked around the vegetable patch and came to the main house, clasped his fists and shouted;

"Miss, my old friend Shi Tai is visiting and disturbing my rest."

Shi Taiben is a martial arts practitioner, so his voice is naturally louder.
inside the house,

The master and servant, who were still eating pastries, heard someone shouting outside and choked with fright. Shi Xiangyun hurriedly picked up a bowl of water and drank it as a gift. This made him feel much better.

"Who's yelling over there,"

As he spoke, he opened the window and saw a sturdy young man standing in the yard. He looked quite familiar. Mrs. Shi, it was him.
"I've seen you, Miss. I'm down here."

When Shi Tai saw the lady opening the window, he hugged his fists and bowed. If the lady hadn't been considerate in his early years, he wouldn't have been able to survive the most difficult days.

"It's you, Shi Tai. Why are you back when you have time? Are you encountering difficulties again? Cuixi, there is a bag of loose silver inside, bring it over."

Of course Shi Xiangyun remembered him, a member of the Sanfang tribe. Unfortunately, the Hou Mansion had a hard time, so he left after all. This time he came, he must have encountered difficulties, so he hurriedly asked Cuixi to get some of his private money.

Cui Lu in the house was obviously very reluctant after hearing this. These were the hard-earned money of their master and servant. How could they give it to him?

"Miss, what's wrong?"

"Go quickly,"

After another urging, Cui Lu reluctantly went to the inner room.

The reluctance in my heart is all on my face,

But there was Mrs. Shi standing outside. Although she was not shocked in her heart, the young lady was still so kind and hurriedly stopped her.
"Miss, I am not in trouble, nor am I short of money. Now that I am serving as a deputy general in Princess Yongcheng's house, I do not need to spend any money on you. I will keep what happened back then in mind, and I came here specifically to repay my money today."

After saying that, he took out three ingots and twenty taels of silver, walked to the window, placed it by the window, and then took a few steps back.
"This is so much money, miss."

Before Shi Xiangyun could say anything, Cui Lu excitedly accepted the money. Shi Xiangyun looked a little confused.

"Shitai, just tell me if you have anything to do. I will tell you whatever I know, but something happened."

"Miss, I have nothing to do. I just came here to see you. In addition, I am sorry to talk too much, but I am getting older. As a direct descendant of the Hou family, living like this is not a stable place. I need to do more. Intend,"

After a pause, Shi Tai finally spoke and asked;

"Miss, do you still remember where Rongguo Mansion was?"

"Why don't you remember?"

"What do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)