Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 113 The beautiful lady

It's May, and the capital is getting hotter and hotter. The business of selling ice cubes is getting more prosperous, and the prices are changing day by day. Small households can only stay away, and watch helplessly as the big households buy truckloads of ice cubes. Go.

They had few ways to relieve themselves from the heat, such as hiding in the shade of trees to enjoy the coolness, or drinking a ladle of cool well water.

By the way, this water company has been free for nearly a month, and now it finally charges.A load of clear, sweet water costs [-] yuan, and no one can deceive a child or an old man.

This move immediately aroused heated discussions in the capital. There were some who said weird things, but in the end they were still in the minority. Most people made some calculations and saved at least half of their water bills this year because they thought of the good things of the water company. My son, I also praise the saints and saints.

Xiaoshun Hutong in the north of the outer city.

Lifu pushed the water cart to the door of a house and opened the door, but only an old servant came out.Na Lifu frowned and said: "You can bring it in by yourself? No, where are those two boys?"

The old servant smiled sarcastically without saying anything. He counted out thirty copper coins from his sleeve, then counted out five more coins and handed them over together: "I'm tired, so I'd better go to the trouble of helping to carry them in today."

Lifu was happy and said: "Those two young men will also sell out, right? What do you mean, Master Fu doesn't want to be an official anymore?"

The old servant coughed and was speechless, so Lifu carried a galvanized iron bucket in one hand, entered the courtyard, and poured the water directly into the water tank in the east wing kitchen.Returning with the empty bucket, when he arrived in the courtyard, Lifu reluctantly glanced towards the west wing. However, the window was covered with green gauze, and Ying Ying Zhuo Zhuo could vaguely see a beautiful figure, but he couldn't make out its specific appearance.

Lifu secretly thought it was a pity, thinking that he might be able to catch a glimpse of it tomorrow, so he picked up the empty bucket and left.After a while, a woman came out of the west wing, spat at the back of the man, and cursed: "The toad wants to eat swan meat, it's a wishful thinking!"

The mother-in-law secretly thought to herself, no matter how downcast the Fu family was, they could still be considered a family of officials, and the girl was of outstanding appearance. How could such a lowly person covet her?

While I was thinking about it, two people came out of the main room, and the mother-in-law hurried back to the west wing.Fu Shi looked sad and said nothing, while beside him was an old gentleman with white hair and beard.

The old gentleman cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry, Dong Weng, but I'm really worried about my family. In February, a letter came. My grandson had a high fever and he finally got out. Now, another letter came, saying that my grandson is really naughty." , unexpectedly there was a quarrel with the yamen. Hey, I wanted to go out and help Dong Weng get reinstated, but I didn't expect that something like this happened. I am really ashamed."

Fu Shi nodded with a bitter face, but said nothing else. He only said: "Old sir, go early and come back early. I visited Rongguo Mansion a few days ago. I think there will be news soon."

The old man moved the corner of his mouth and wanted to laugh but held it back. He cupped his hands and said, "That's all right. If Dong Weng is reinstated, he'd better find another master. He's getting older. I'm afraid he'll just stay at home and enjoy his food." Got a grandson. '

"Hey, that's fine. I'll see you off, sir."

Master Fu Shi saw him off and returned to the courtyard, where he stood in a daze under the pomegranate tree, not knowing what to do.

A woman came out of the main room and cursed: "To put it nicely, he just saw the old man lose his official position and hurriedly went to look for his next family. Bah, you ungrateful thing, you just got five taels of silver." Cheng Yi shouldn’t give it!”

Fu Shi came back to his senses, looked at his daughter-in-law and said, "Please stop saying a few words. After all, I have also been an official, so I must retain some dignity."

The woman was annoyed: "Respectability? Only money can have dignity. What about money? I have been an official for several years, but I haven't got any money. I invite this and that to family banquets every day. Who comes to help in times of need?" "

It is not easy to be an official in the capital. Fu Shi is just a general judge of the sixth rank. He does not count lumi per year, and his silver is only 60 taels. Bingjing and Tanjing combined together are about 200 taels, which is quite a lot.

But he also spent a lot of money!
When you become an official, you have to have a master to help you with advice, right?To hire a master, you need 300 taels per year. If you have a master, you have to take a sedan when you go out, right?Not counting the one-time investment in the sedan, the four bearers are the minimum price of 100 taels. The wife and sister at home must have maids by their side, right?There must also be two boys outside to do the bidding, which is another sum of money.

Except for the first day of the lunar month and the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the official life in Beijing is extremely leisurely, so banquets and banquets have become common.Compatriots from the same hometown, same age, and colleagues. Today you have a banquet, and tomorrow I will have a banquet. This becomes a circle.If you don't go three or five times, it means you are cut off from the circle.

Because the Fu family looks at the scenery, but in fact lives a tight life.

This time Fu Shijingchao lost his official position, and the Fu family was suddenly unable to make ends meet, but within half a month there were signs of ruin.

Yesterday, four sedan bearers took advantage of Fu Shi's absence to ask for wages and had a big quarrel with Fu Shi's daughter-in-law. When the four bearers added up, they didn't want their wages and ran away with the sedan. Today, Master came to say goodbye again. ... Fu Shi just felt like his heart was filled with despair and there was no hope of recovery.

The daughter-in-law kept talking for a long time. When she saw no answer, she suddenly glanced at the west wing and lowered her voice and said, "Didn't you say you would send Qiu Fang to Jia's house? Why is there no movement?"

"Shh!" Fu Shi suddenly came to his senses, glanced at the west wing, dragged his wife into the main room, and whispered: "Don't let Qiu Fang listen to this."

The woman curled her lips and said, "You know how deep you are hiding it. Don't you know that Qiu Fang might have noticed it early in the morning?"

When Fu Shi was working as a guest next to Jia Zheng, he often praised his sister as a "beautiful lady". He only left thoughts about Jia Zheng and didn't want Baoyu to listen to him. He became Fu Shi and planned to marry his sister to Baoyu.

In fact, there is a full ten years difference between the two, and Fu Shi has never thought about it.His real plan was to marry his sister to Jia Zheng as his concubine.

Mrs. Wang was in her fifties, and she couldn't tell when she would fall ill. Jia Zheng now only has Aunt Zhao and Aunt Zhou by his side. Both of them were born in the same family, so how could they compare to his own sister?If such a day comes, it is impossible to say that my sister will fill in the house like Mrs. Xing.

In this way, Jia Zheng became his brother-in-law, and he should do his best to plan for promotion and fortune for himself.

Naturally, Jia Zheng was only one of the alternatives, and Fu Shi had previously set his sights on Yan Fengzhen.However, Yan Xiyao, that old fox, didn't hold anything back and didn't give him a chance at all.

Alas, he planned it well, but something like Xue Pan happened.One is the benefactor Jia family, and the other is Yan Xiyao who cannot afford to offend. How can Fu Shi dare to make a difference?He simply took sick leave and covered up the matter.

And before he could mend his relationship with the Jia family, the Beijing police came!It's a shame that Chen Hongmou, who concurrently held the post of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, personally presided over the Beijing Inspection. The Censor of the Imperial Inspection Yuan looked around and actually gave Fu Shi an "indiscreet" evaluation.

However, within three or five days, a document came from the official department, ordering him to return home for consultation.Fu Shi went to Rongguo Mansion again to seek help, but was turned away by Jia Zheng, who was angry.

Fu Shi knew that he had offended Jia Zheng, but he had been working in the business for several years and had never gained the attention of any powerful family. Now he had no choice but to go to Rongguo Mansion every day to order.

Hearing the woman's words, Fu Shi muttered: "It's enough to see through it. You can't say it out. If it gets spread, it will be difficult to accomplish anything." After a pause, Fu Shi stroked his beard and said, "My face is useless now." , I can’t bear to let Qiu Fang take a trip.”

"Can it be done?"

Fu Shi smiled and said: "The man in Rongguo Mansion who was born with a jade in his mouth likes a beautiful lady like Qiu Fang the most. After a while, I asked Qiu Fang to bring a four-color gift and said that I would go to see the old lady. I expected that I would always be able to meet him. It’s just one thing. If there is one thing, there are two. If I go to find the master and lie low, I will always be able to expose this matter."

The woman frowned and said, "Where is the money at home?"

Fu Shi scolded: "As a woman, if you give up, you will gain something. If you really don't have any money, I will pawn your dowry first."

The woman also knew that this matter was important, so she immediately cursed for a long time, finally found some jewelry, and pawned it with Fu Shi.At that moment, Fu Shi pawned his money and bought four-color gifts. When he came back, he begged, but Fu Qiufang couldn't refuse, so he had to follow the two women, hired a carriage and horses, and headed all the way to Rongguo Mansion.

................................................

Jia Mu's main wife.

Xiangyun was taken back to Shi's house early in the morning. Baoyu suffered from hysteria, so he decided not to go to the private school at all and spent his days playing mischief with his sisters.

It seemed that he was a little different from Sister Lin. Baoyu secretly thought that it was because he almost hit Daiyu that day. Because that day, while Daiyu was playing the piano, he led the maid to the back building.

Zicuckoo was guarding in front of the building. When she saw Baoyu coming, she hurriedly greeted her and then shouted upstairs: "Girl, Second Master Bao is here."

The sound of the piano paused and then stopped.

Baoyu sneered and led Xiren up the stairs quickly, but was stopped by Xue Yan at the top of the stairs.

"Second Master Bao, wait a minute. The girl is wearing thin clothes. I'm afraid she won't be able to see people. Please wait a moment, Second Master Bao."

Baoyu said: "We have grown up together since childhood. What is there to hide? Get out of the way."

Xue Yan got Dai Yu's orders, but how could he agree?He blocked him once and then again, which immediately angered Baoyu.

"Why are you stopping me?"

As soon as the words fell, Daiyu was heard saying: "You really can't live like the King of Hell, and you can't stop it?"

Baoyu pushed the snow goose away with his hand, took two steps forward and said with a smile: "Sister Lin, are you still angry? Hey, all the mistakes are my fault. I did make a mistake that day and never thought of hitting anyone. "

Daiyu folded one hand in front of her and clasped the other behind her. She glanced sideways and said, "The vase didn't hit me. If you want to apologize, you've found the wrong person."

Baoyu came closer at this moment and said with a shy face: "If I don't express my anger, I'm afraid Sister Lin will ignore me again. If sister is still angry, why don't she hit me twice? I have to let her vent her anger. yes."

"I don't dare. Fourth brother Jian was hit with blood all over his head and face. It really pisses you off. I'm afraid I won't be able to bear it."

Daiyu turned around and sat down on the chair by herself. Baoyu scratched his ears and cheeks anxiously. After a while, he sneered and said: "I heard that the scenery in Haizi is beautiful now. Why don't we go and enjoy it together if I ask my ancestors?"

Seeing that Daiyu was silent, Baoyu asked again: "How about I whip myself?"

The attacker behind him couldn't stand it any longer, so he stepped forward and said, "Miss Lin, our second master also made an unintentional mistake. Miss Lin has a lot of people, so why don't we just spare the second master this time."

Daiyu glanced at him and said with a smile: "I am not very narrow-minded, so I cannot be praised by a good sister-in-law."

As soon as these words came out, Baoyu didn't realize it yet, and Xiren immediately blushed.She and Baoyu tried Yunyu, but kept it secret from Shangxia, for fear that the old lady and the madam would find out about it, and be kicked out like Qianxue.

How could Daiyu know about it?

Will Daiyu tell the old lady?How can I survive if I am kicked out of the house?
Xiren's face turned blue and red for a while, he lowered his head and thought wildly, but he no longer dared to speak out to persuade.Without Xiren's help, even though Baoyu was as skillful as a silver tongue, Daiyu only elicited a response that was neither salty nor bland.

Baoyu felt bored and saw that his persuasion was fruitless, so he had to go back.

We had just arrived at Jia Mu's main room, and before she had even spoken to Jia Mu, a mother-in-law reported from outside that Fu Qiufang had come to see Jia Mu.

Mother Jia immediately made a serious face: "Fu Qiufang? But that Fu Shi's sister?"

"Exactly."

Jia Mu pondered and was about to refuse to see her, when Baoyu on the side suddenly clasped her hands and became happy and said: "Old ancestors, I have long heard that Fu Qiufang is a beautiful lady, and she is also talented and beautiful. It's a pity that she is so narrow-minded. I didn't expect that this time it would happen. coming!"

Jia Mu hugged Baoyu and said, "My dear, that Fu Shi is a double-dealer. People like us can't get involved with him anymore."

Baoyu said: "My ancestor's words are biased. What about Fu Shi, and what does it have to do with Fu Qiufang?"

Seeing the eagerness of her precious grandson, Jia Mu thought about it, fearing that if she didn't see Fu Qiufang today, Baoyu would make trouble again.No matter what, it's enough to meet them and answer them correctly. As for asking for help, just shirk everything.

Because it was Jia Mu, she happily said: "Baoyu said this, let's meet him."

The mother-in-law agreed and went to lead Fu Qiufang in. Let's not mention this.

But that day, Li Weijian found a clean cotton cloth and wrapped it around his head. He didn't wear a hat, just tied his hair, and then led Hongyu and Xiuying towards the east cross courtyard.

He was injured, and Mrs.

Hearing that Li Weijian came to the door with a gift, Jia She, who had been struggling to have anything to do with Li Weijian these days, was immediately overjoyed and quickly ordered someone to invite him in.

Li Weijian entered the outer study, greeted a few times, and then the host and guest took their seats.After the tea was served, the two of them walked around and exchanged greetings. The eldest man, Jia She, said angrily: "Baoyu is getting more and more unsightly. Look at what we have done to brother Jian. This brother of the Jia family always keeps him in the inner house." In the hands of a woman, wouldn’t it turn into a spoiled man?

Brother Jian doesn’t know, but that day I complained a lot about you in front of the old lady.It's a pity that the old lady only listens to partial beliefs and can't listen to the unfavorable advice. "

Li Weijian's face was filled with gratitude, and he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you Uncle Shi for speaking up for me. In fact, my nephew didn't take it seriously."

He secretly thought to himself that the eldest man might not be able to hold it in when he puts on eye drops right now. Let's hear what he has to say first.

(End of this chapter)