The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 213

Jia Lian is coming back, and naturally Wang Xifeng is the happiest person. He is so excited that he can hardly sleep all night.As the saying goes, a break is better than a wedding. I haven't seen her for several months. What I miss is that I only have one regret, that is, my husband failed to bring back the rich wealth of the Lin family this time.

According to Jia Lian's letter, Lin Ruhai is now alive. As for how he came back to life, Jia Lian's letter did not give details. We can only ask him in detail when he arrives at the house tomorrow.

"It's a pity that Mr. Lin has served as Yangzhou's salt inspector for seven years. This position is very fat. It's not difficult to make a few hundred thousand taels of silver with just a few clicks. The key is that the Lin family is still sparse, and only Sister Lin An heir, if..." Wang Xifeng tossed and turned on the bed, sometimes happy, sometimes regretful, and sometimes annoyed, and she didn't fall asleep until almost four o'clock in the morning.

Early this morning, Wang Xifeng got up and washed, and then rushed to Jia Mu's house to wait on her.

At first, because the usury loan incident was exposed, Wang Xifeng was deprived of the power of the housekeeper, but then something happened to the Wang family, and Wang Xifeng's father and brother were deposed and exiled. Seeing that she was pitiful, and because she had been following the rules recently, she decided to She continued to be the housekeeper, but the right to issue monthly payments was still in the hands of Lin Zhixiao's family.

Let's say that when Wang Xifeng arrived at Jia Mu's house, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Li Wan, Aunt Zhou, and Sanchun also came to say hello one after another, and then everyone sat and chatted together.Jia Baoyu skipped school again today, and also went to Jia's mother's house and stayed there, because when Jia Lian came back, he would definitely answer the old lady first.

Although Sister Lin did not return to Beijing with the ship, Jia Baoyu felt very disappointed, but he still wanted to inquire about Lin Daiyu's current situation from Jia Lian.

"My concubine and Miss Bao are here." Amber lifted the door curtain and said with a smile.

After a while, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai, mother and daughter, walked in one after another, greeted everyone and sat down.Xue Baochai today wore a emerald blue water-patterned silk jacket, a jade-colored silk skirt, a gold belt around her waist, a pair of embroidered shoes, a popular girly bun on her head, a golden necklace on her chest, and more Her eyes are bright and her teeth are bright, she is gentle and dignified, quiet and generous, just like the peony in full bloom, crowning the crowd.

When Jia Baoyu saw it, he immediately felt close and affectionate. He came closer and whispered: "Sister Bao, your clothes are so beautiful. I don't think I have seen you wearing them before." After saying that, he went to touch the sleeves.

Xue Baochai frowned slightly. Jia Baoyu's behavior without any sense of boundaries made her feel a little uncomfortable. However, she was well-controlled and just calmly pulled her sleeves back and said softly: "I've worn it several times, Brother Bao." I just didn’t notice it before.”

"Impossible, if Sister Bao wears it, I will definitely remember it!" Jia Baoyu vowed, and wanted to reach out and touch it again.

Xue Baochai finally got a little annoyed. He patted Jia Bao's hand with a round fan and said angrily: "Brother Bao, you are getting older every year now. Even between brothers and sisters, you should be more careful and teach others." I saw disrespect.”

Jia Baoyu blushed with embarrassment and retracted his hand, feeling ashamed and a little lost.

Xue Baochai has always been gentle and gentle, but this was the first time he said harsh words, which obviously shocked the big-faced Baochai, making him feel ashamed and depressed.

Jia Mu was talking to Mrs. Wang when she caught a glimpse of the "intimate" gestures between the two. She couldn't help but smile knowingly and asked, "Baoyu, what are you and Bao Ya talking about?"

Jia Baoyu had just eaten Gualuo and was embarrassed, looking confused as to how to answer.

Xue Baochai said hurriedly: "Brother Bao said that the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Please lend me my fan." As she said this, her face turned a little red. She rarely lied, especially when it was her first time in public.

Mother Jia smiled and said, "It's summer, and the weather is indeed getting hotter and hotter. Let's go back to the kitchen and make some sour plum soup to relieve the heat."

As Jia Mu was talking, she heard someone reporting from outside: "Second Master Lian has returned to his house. He just entered the second door and was heading to the old lady's house."

Jia Baoyu perked up after hearing this, and temporarily put aside the embarrassment. She stretched her neck and looked out the door. Xue Baochai also had some expectations in her heart. As for what she was expecting, she couldn't tell clearly.

While it was time to drink some tea, Jia Lian walked in, sweating profusely, and went straight to Mother Jia's seat to kowtow in greetings: "My grandson Jia Lian would like to express my greetings to our ancestors."

Jia Mu nodded and said, "Go and say hello to your mother!"

Jia Lian turned to his stepmother, Mrs. Xing, to say hello, then greeted Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue, and then said hello to Jia Baoyu and Baochai.

After some pleasantries, Jia Mu asked, "How is your Uncle Lin doing now?"

Jia Lian replied: "Back to my ancestors, when my grandson left, Uncle Lin's illness had improved and he should be fine. My uncle also asked his grandson to say hello to our ancestors, and to say hello to his father, uncle, and aunts and sisters-in-law. In addition, We have also prepared some special products for our grandchildren to bring back to honor their ancestors, and every master, wife, brother and sister will have a share."

Hearing this, Mother Jia smiled from ear to ear, nodded and said, "That's good, Uncle Lin is interested."

"What kind of disease does your Uncle Lin have? You wrote back before and said that he was almost useless and that you had to start preparing for the funeral. It made the old lady wipe her tears. How come you suddenly got better again? , but have you met a famous doctor?" Mrs. Xing asked.

A strange look flashed in Jia Lian's eyes, and he replied: "Uncle Lin is not actually sick, but was poisoned."

"Poison?" Mother Jia lost her voice: "Who is so bold?"

Jia Lian said: "It was Diao Sheng, the housekeeper of the Lin Mansion. This thief had an affair with Mr. Lin's concubine. The two conspired to poison the master's family and tried to steal the Lin family's money. My grandson did not expect that this person was so vicious. He almost I also fell into his trap.”

Everyone present couldn't help but change their expressions. Wang Xifeng clicked his tongue and said: "You really know people but not their hearts. As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against thieves day and night. So how did things break down later? Was anyone arrested?"

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, but then told the story of how Jia Huan came to visit and how he discovered Diao Sheng's conspiracy. After that, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone present had different expressions.Jia Huan!

This name has been out of everyone's sight for three years, and almost no one mentions it anymore. Now when I hear it suddenly, I feel familiar yet unfamiliar, and a little caught off guard.

"Great, it was Huan'er who saved Uncle Lin!" Jia Tanchun was extremely happy, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

Xue Baochai was also surprised and happy, thinking: "Brother Huan is always so smart and careful. Brother Lian was kept in the dark even after staying in the Lin family for so long. As a result, he saw through the thief's plot as soon as he arrived and saved Uncle Lin." life."

Jia Baoyu had mixed feelings in her heart and murmured to herself: "It turns out that it was Huan Laosan who saved Uncle Lin, which is a good thing. Otherwise, Sister Lin would have been heartbroken, but... now wouldn't Sister Lin be with me?" Huan Laosan together?"

Thinking of this, Jia Baoyu suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and also felt a faint worry. As the saying goes, love grows with time, and he was a little worried that Sister Lin and Jia Huan would "change their hearts" after being together for a long time.

Aunt Xue patted her chest and said: "Amitofu, it's so scary. Thanks to Brother Huan's cleverness, he saved Lin Yushi's life in time. Otherwise, girl Lin would have lost her parents at a young age and would be helpless." Damn, isn’t it pitiful?”

When Jia Huan was less than [-] years old, she passed three primary and secondary schools and achieved the title of scholar. Jia's mother still valued this concubine. However, after the incident of Aunt Zhao that year, the conflict between Jia Huan and Mrs. Wang became irreconcilable. Jia's mother had to choose between the Wang family and Jia Huan, and finally she agreed to Jia Huan's "self-exile."

Of course, this does not mean that Jia Mu has completely given up on Jia Huan. At least she allowed Ping'er to leave with Jia Huan and arranged for Lin Zhixiao to accompany him and take care of things, which saved Jia Huan a lot of trouble.

However, after all, Jia Mu is an old man who is over seventy years old. She has little energy and a lot of forgetfulness. She has to be carefully cared for in her daily life and food. How can she still have the energy to take care of a concubine and grandson thousands of miles away? He was also controlled by Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng's aunt and nephew. As for Jia Zheng, he was a traditional feudal parent who was always unpretentious towards his children. Since Jia Huan didn't send a letter of greetings, he would definitely not take the initiative to write a letter to show concern. It is even less possible to visit Jia Huan in person.

As a result, in the past three years, apart from exchanging letters with Jia Tanchun, Jia Huan's contact with the Jia family has been almost severed. As for Mrs. Wang, she is not happy that Jia Huan does not ask about the food or needs of the family. Come on, out of sight is clean, just think that he died outside. The people below are also very sensible and will never mention Jia Huan in front of Mrs. Wang and Jia Mu.

So when everyone heard Jia Huan's name again in this way, everyone felt it was unexpected and surprising, both familiar and strange.

Mother Jia was silent for a moment, and then continued what Aunt Xue said: "Brother Huan is indeed a very smart child, and it's really thanks to him this time. Well, by the way, I remember that Brother Huan should be full of filial piety, right? It's good luck to meet the Emperor Jia Kai Enke, but I don't know if he will end up this year."

Jia Lian replied: "He should be ready to die. It is said that Brother Huan has been studying hard in the past few years. I also saw him returning several boxes of books to Uncle Lin that day. They were all the reading notes that Uncle Lin lent him a few years ago. And old work or something.”

Jia Mu nodded when she heard this and said, "Brother Huan is a good student and is willing to work hard. It's no wonder that he passed the exam in one go."

Mrs. Wang felt very uncomfortable when she heard this. At first, she wanted to suppress Jia Huan and prevent him from taking the county examination. But the master spoke up and she couldn't stop him. As a result, the son of this servant even passed the three-level examination for primary and secondary schools. He has gained the reputation of being a scholar, but if Aunt Zhao hadn't been too greedy and stupid, it would have been hard for him to handle him.

Originally, I thought of taking advantage of Aunt Zhao's incident and sending him to Jinling from afar, out of sight for the sake of cleanliness. Unexpectedly, less than three years after the quiet days, this little brat made this noise again and spread it to the old man. In Mrs.’s ears.

Lin Ruhai passed the imperial examination, he is an undoubted talent, and Jia Huan, a kid, is also very good at reading and taking exams. With Lin Ruhai's guidance, it is better to be even more powerful. The chance of passing the provincial examination is very high, and if he passes the provincial examination It's about recruiting people, and initially gaining the qualifications to be an official.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang felt even more uncomfortable. Although Aunt Zhao died, Jia Huan's identity as the concubine has not changed. The better he behaves, the greater the threat to his treasure, not to mention because Aunt Zhao The conflict between myself and this brat is irreconcilable, and this brat must hate me in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't even have a letter from the family in the past three years, and he wouldn't even bother to pretend.

Such a brat is a nuisance. The more outstanding he is, the greater the nuisance he will bring to himself. In the past, he dared to take advantage of the situation even though he had no fame. He plotted against Feng Yatou and his precious jade. If he really won the Jinshi and became an official, this The little cub has not yet gone to heaven, how can he still have his mistress in his eyes?

Mrs. Wang's mind was spinning, and she had secretly made up her mind - Jia Huan must not be allowed to get ahead.

At this time, Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "The ancestors are right. Brother Huan is indeed a scholar, but he is too heartless. He only knows how to be filial to Aunt Zhao. In the past three years, he has not even received a family letter. During the New Year holidays, those who have three birthdays and two birthdays do not greet their ancestors, masters and wives."

Mrs. Wang said calmly: "It doesn't matter if you don't greet me, I can't bear it anyway, so I just pretend that I don't have this son."

As soon as these words came out, both Tanchun and Baochai couldn't help but change their expressions slightly. As Jia Huan's aunt, Mrs. Wang's words were undoubtedly very serious, and she almost didn't explicitly say that she would expel Jia Huan from the house.The country governs the world with filial piety. Once a person is accused of being unfilial, his reputation will be ruined in the streets. Let alone the imperial examination, he may not even have a foothold.

Mother Jia's face darkened and she said, "Brother Feng didn't mention it, but I don't remember it. It turns out that Brother Huan has never sent a letter home in the past few years. Don't say that you are angry with Zheng's daughter-in-law. He is also angry, but you are his mother after all, and you can bear it even if he kneels down and kowtows without saying a word of greeting."

Although Jia's mother was scolding Jia Huan, everyone could tell that she was trying to smooth things over and admitted that Jia Huan was still a descendant of the Jia family.

Mrs. He doesn't look like a heartless white-eyed wolf. He must have been busy studying in the past few years. Jinling is far away from the capital, so he didn't send letters home. By the way, I heard that Brother Huan also I didn’t live in the old house in Jinling. I just built a thatched shed in the deserted village to guard the grave. I lived here for three years and didn’t ask for a penny from the government. It’s good to be able to survive. I don’t have any spare money to pay for postage. .”

Xue Baochai and Jia Tanchun both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't expect that the eldest lady would speak for Jia Huan at this time.

Mother Jia was silent after hearing this, and turned to ask Lin Zhixiao's family: "Brother Huan's monthly money has not been released in the past few years?"

Lin Zhixiao's family was speechless, and Wang Xifeng quickly smoothed things over: "The monthly money is free, but Jinling is thousands of miles away. How can I get these two taels of silver per month to Brother Huan? I'm afraid it's not enough to pay for it. , I can only save it and wait until Brother Huan returns home to release it."

Jia Mu nodded and said, "That's right."

(End of this chapter)