Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 260: Long-lost Xiu Mu (Part [-] in [-])

(I don’t know if it’s because I have Yang or a cold. I’m not in good spirits. I’m too lazy to split the chapters. Please forgive me.)
"Girl Feng bullied Sister Lin again!"

While they were making a fuss, they heard Baochai's laughter coming from outside.

Immediately afterwards, Baochai, Yingchun and Tanchun came in together with their maids.

I have to say that Xueyan did things very properly. He first ran to the farthest Hengwu Courtyard and called Baochai, and then all the way to Xiaoxiang Hall. On the way, he could call Tanchun and Yingchun. In this way, the three of them would come together, and there would be no one around. feel alienated.

"Brother Lai!"

"Uncle Lai!"

……

Lai Shangrong also bowed, and the three of them greeted each other with Lin Daiyu and others.

Looking at the gifts on the table, Yingchun felt mixed emotions. If the old lady hadn't disagreed, she would probably be in her Zhujin Building right now.

He walked back behind everyone angrily, lowered his head, and silently recited the "Induction Chapter of the Supreme Being".

The Siqi next to her did not move with her master, but looked at Lai Shangrong. Zijuan was transferred back to Jia Mu. She preconceived the idea that this was Lai Shangrong's preparation for his transfer to Lin Daiyu.

Taking the time to browse through the presents on the table, Tanchun leaned over to Lai Shangrong, and said with a smile, "I read in the mansion newspaper that Big Brother Lai will let Xiyi retreat from Qianxiang Kingdom this time without a single soldier?"

Although she knew she had lost the opportunity to compete, she could not suppress her desire to manipulate the situation.

Even if you can't experience it personally, you can listen to it at close range and hear the details from those who have experienced it, which can make up for the shortcomings in your heart.

Lai Shangrong pretended to be mysterious and said: "It cannot be said that not a single soldier was wasted. Although there was no damage, in the end twenty soldiers from the Shenji Battalion were used, and the Xiyi people lost a few soldiers."

The Di newspaper would not talk about those conspiracies, but only the big goals. It had been speculated that Tanchun was concerned about the affairs of the court, so of course it was to arouse her curiosity.

"Hey! Does Brother Lai still have the talent to lead an army? But why did Xiyi surrender to the enemy after a few soldiers died?"

The conversation between the two also attracted other people. Although they may not care about the affairs of the court, they all looked at him either out of concern for Lai Shangrong or to cheer him up.

The stage had been set, and Lai Shangrong vividly recounted the details of the negotiations and the arrangements he had made, cutting out the complicated and concisely.

"How come Brother Lai is so sure that Xiyi won't become angry?"

"The Western Yi are good at firearms. Firearms are different from weapons. Range is the key to victory. The reason why they were able to colonize the outer seas was because of the power of firearms. If the place they are most proud of is defeated, how can they dare to use weapons rashly?"

Tanchun wondered: "Since our firearms are far superior to those of the Western Yi, why are we still defeated in the Qianxiang Kingdom?"

"I just made this new type of firearm, and it's only been equipped with Shenjiying soon!"

"Brother Lai is indeed as talented as Su Qin and Zhang Yi. He leads the enemy away without making a move. He uses a little trick to make Xi Yi surrender."

Tan Chun's eyes flashed with excitement, and when he thought of him playing with a country's envoys in the palm of his hand, his blood suddenly surged.

It's a pity that I can't advise him from behind. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel sad.

Li Wan realized it later and screamed: "Is it the firearms factory that Shang Rong told Lan'er to go to last time?"

In excitement, she revealed that she had met Lai Shangrong in private. Fortunately, no one paid attention to this detail.

Lai Shangrong glanced around guiltily and pretended to be calm: "So this time it is also Lan'er's credit, but he has no fame yet, but I believe that the emperor knows what he has learned and will be of great use in the future. .”

Naturally, the emperor did not have the energy to study the credit here in detail, but it did not prevent Li Wan from believing it to be true, and his eyes almost watered when he looked at Lai Shangrong.

"Thanks to Shang Rong, Lan'er is now more and more prosperous."

After hearing this, Baochai felt sour and angry, remembering the private conversation between mother and daughter not long ago.

If he and his mother hadn't stopped him, his brother Xue Pan might have received such care.

even……

Thinking of this, he unconsciously stared at the gifts on the table in a daze.

She was not the only one suffering. Yingchun huddled outside and hesitated to speak. Finally, she weakly asked: "Didn't you say that the two countries are at war without fighting?"

Wang Xifeng interrupted: "So what if we behead them? How dare these foreign countries challenge us? Aren't they just afraid of being beaten?"

"That's right! Not every country is like me, Daxia. The Western Yi people are predatory. They burned, killed, looted, and colonized large areas of land in the outer sea. If they can't be intimidated, they will also treat me, Daxia, as a piece of fat. , pounced on it and bit it without hesitation."

Lin Daiyu asked suspiciously: "If you are so aggressive, don't you think there are no wise men in Xiyi?"

"Maybe there are, but not many. And according to the propaganda of the Western Yi, they invade other countries to bring civilization to the uncivilized barbarians and give other countries the opportunity to learn from them."

"The people can follow it, but they can't know it?" Daiyu asked.

"That's not necessarily true. They are just a group of pirates at heart, and they want to reap the dividends of colonization."

Speaking of this, he sighed: "In this world now, apart from our Daxia, there are few places where we can be alone."

Lai Shangrong did not spread the atmosphere of terror, but when he mentioned the evil deeds of scalping, they just felt sorry for him.

"Hey! No one came to pick me up when I came, so they were all at Sister Lin's place!"

Just as he was talking, he heard a crisp voice coming from outside, and then he saw Xiangyun in red clothes and green skirt walking in.

"Brother Lai!" Seeing Lai Shangrong, Xiangyun hurriedly saluted slightly.

Lai Shangrong looked at the pocket watches in everyone's hands, and hurriedly told Qingwen and Xiang Ling, who were chatting with Xue Yan outside, "Go back and tell my sister-in-law, and give Miss Shi a pocket watch."

Baochai hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Lai, why bother asking Qingwen and Xiangling to go back and forth? Why don't you give mine to Sister Yun first?"

With that said, he handed the box in his hand to Xiangyun.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly pulled Baochai and said with a smile: "Hey! You girls are thin-skinned. If Brother Lai forgets you, I'd be embarrassed to ask him for it. Anyway, he has to go there to discuss the rubber plantation business in his spare time, so he'd better give mine to me." Xiangyun.”

Lai Shangrong waved his hand, looked at Daiyu, and pointedly said: "There is no reason for you to re-gift the gifts given out. Besides, I am not the only one who owns the family here."

Wang Xifeng immediately understood and said: "Yes, yes, yes! I forgot, anyway, they are all your family's things, naturally it's Sister Lin..."

Baochai looked embarrassed when she heard this. It was not because she saw Lai Shangrong's hair that she wanted to compete with Daiyu. After all, they were engaged and it was too late to fight for her now.

I just wanted to be a favor, Qingwen and Xiangling were both from Lai Shangrong's house. At the beginning, he didn't show off, but he was willing to embarrass Baoyu in front of Mrs. Wang for them, which shows the love in his heart.

She had already discussed with Aunt Xue that she would improve the relationship between the Lai family members and pave the way for future marriage, but she did not expect that this gesture of goodwill would be misinterpreted and put on the table.

Originally, she and Aunt Xue speculated that Lai Shangrong deliberately spread the rumors, but now it seems that they are just being selfish.

He couldn't avoid this little misunderstanding, so how could he spread any rumors? Looking back on his family's actions to avoid suspicion, it was really ridiculous.

Baochai misunderstood Lai Shangrong on this point. He was just eating from the bowl and thinking about the pot. Although he had no intention of treating her as a real wife, he never thought of breaking this line.Privately, he didn't mind casting a wide net, but in front of Lin Daiyu, he had to draw a clear line with Baochai, otherwise there would be no difference between him and Baoyu.

It seemed like it was just a gift, but it was actually a declaration of sovereignty for Lin Daiyu. She was clearly different from Jia Baoyu, who jumped repeatedly. She was shy on the face, but she was very comfortable in her heart.

Xiangyun didn't know that the two were engaged. Although she heard that there was something in Wang Xifeng's words, it was related to her daughter's family name, so she couldn't ask openly. She was thinking about how to confirm it by making some insinuations, and slowly took the Daiyu hand in her hand. Comes in the box.

"Thank you, Brother Lai, and Sister Lin!"

He thanked the two of them, glanced around the room, and said doubtfully: "Hey! The second brother likes the excitement the most. There are so many people today, why don't you see him alone?"

Speaking of Jia Baoyu, the room suddenly became quiet.

Although Wang Xifeng and Li Wan knew the inside story, they did not want to offend Lai Shangrong.

Yingchun's matter had nothing to do with her, and she was worried about it. In addition, she had no information, so she was stunned when she was asked.

Although Lin Daiyu didn't know the inside story, based on the time when Jia Baoyu was imprisoned and Zijuan was punished, she had some guesses in her mind. The incident was probably caused by herself, but she couldn't say these guesses out loud.

Baochai is the one who knows the inside story best. When she learned that Jia Baoyu was grounded, she immediately asked Aunt Xue for information. Aunt Xue was secretive and hesitated several times. Finally, she found out after being pressed by her. Why was Baoyu punished?

Even though he was struck by thunder, there was still a hint of expectation.

In the past, the Xue family did not look down on Lai Shangrong's background, but no one would have thought that a year later, he had already reached the fourth rank, and could still be directly ranked as the doctor of Lantai Temple, and he also had the title of second-class male.

Although it is not hereditary, at Lai Shangrong's age, it is only a matter of time before this prefix is ​​added.

Times have changed, and now it seems that the Xue family is the one who wants to consummate this marriage.

But judging from Mrs. Wang's attitude, it was impossible for her vague expectations to become reality after all.

Xiangyun didn't expect that his side-talking would cause such a scene, and he was at a loss for a while.

It was Tanchun who broke the silence: "I don't know what mistake he made, but his wife punished him not to go out."

Xiangyun breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Since he made a mistake and was punished by his wife, we can't let him add to his mistakes."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Everyone hurriedly agreed.

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: "It's rare that everyone is here today, and everyone has accepted Shang Rong's gift. I think we might as well invite him to be our host together."

Li Wan smiled and said: "You get the biggest advantage. The property has been purchased to the point of death, but you still have the nerve to ask everyone for help."

"Ouch! You're such a big sister-in-law, you can't wait for me to collect the money first. Let's add two to one and make five in private..."

Lin Daiyu snorted coldly: "You second sister-in-law, you have received such great benefits, but you still have the nerve to covet our bodies!"

Wang Xifeng hurriedly bowed and said with a smile: "Girl, calm down, if you don't enjoy yourself, I'm afraid my business will be ruined."

He put on a look of pain and said, "That's all! I'm going to be generous today and treat you all as hosts in the garden."

Baochai and others didn't know, so they quickly asked.

Lai Shangrong said calmly: "My sister-in-law originally had rubber channels, so when the state-owned company set up a rubber factory, it gave her the purchasing business. During this negotiation, I helped her negotiate a rubber factory."

When Xue Baochai heard his words, she felt even more regretful.

In her opinion, neither Wang Xifeng nor Li Wan had anything to do with Lai Shangrong, but they all inherited his benefits.

However, his brother originally had a good relationship with him and gave him Xiangling as a gift, but he kept making stupid moves, which led to the current situation.

It would be fine if it was settled with Baoyu, but now...it's really hard to say.

Thinking of this, he looked sad.

Tanchun and Xiangyun made fun of Wang Xifeng.

"I've spent all my property to the point where I'm poisoned, so I can't just ask you back."

"It seems that we have taken advantage of Brother Lai, otherwise my sister-in-law would be reluctant to treat him to this meal!"

Yingchun looked at Lin Daiyu with envy, while Si Qi beside her looked at Yourong blankly at Uncle Lai.

Lai Shangrong realized that he was being spied on, so he glanced around secretly and saw that Si Qishen was not staying at home. He was afraid that she would worry about his future future because she knew that he married Daiyu.

He hurriedly told Qingwen and Xiangling: "Go back first and tell my sister-in-law that you don't have to wait for me to eat."

It was inconvenient to take Qingwen and Xiangling with them, so they were sent away in advance.

Lin Daiyu complained: "Why did you tell the two of them to go back at this moment, why don't you go after dinner."

Lai Shangrong rubbed his nose and said, "Sister-in-law Zhen is in charge of it now, and she didn't say hello in advance. It's hard to ask her to wait."

After carrying out Youshi, Lin Daiyu couldn't say much.

Baochai missed teasing Wang Xifeng, and now she recovered and said with a smile: "Then I'll join in the fun. A lot of crabs were delivered outside a few days ago, so I'll go get them later."

"That's a good relationship, and it can save me a lot of money!"

Tanchun said with a smile: "You can't do anything but rely on your elder brother for having no one to take care of you."

When a wealthy family eats crabs, they have their own maids to serve them, otherwise the food will look ugly and their hands will be stained with fishy smell.

"Hey! Are you still in need of service? I'll let Ping..." At this point, Wang Xifeng suddenly realized that Ping'er was Jia Lian's roommate after all. It didn't matter how he served him in private, but it wasn't easy to show it to the public, so He changed his words and said: "Let Ping'er ask Xiaohong to come and serve."

little red?

It's also his fault that he has so many things going on lately that he actually forgot about Xiao Hong, who has been waiting for news about him.

Secretly thinking, Wang Xifeng is now submissive, so he can put Xiaohong on the agenda.

It's already time to eat. It's just a matter of putting it together and adding more dishes. It's not complicated for Rongfu.

a while.

Ping'er called Xiaohong over, and there was a steady stream of cooked dishes, packed in food boxes and delivered.

Xiao Hong only thought that Uncle Lai had always been thinking about her, so Wang Xifeng sent her to serve him.

Although the public did not dare to violate the rules, they still served Lai Shangrong affectionately and tenderly, and finished the meal comfortably.

…………

(End of this chapter)