Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 3 Such a talented person

Li Weijian followed Li Wan and walked around the six glass screens when he saw the blue gauze cabinet to the west.

Turning around the screen, I looked up and saw the three words "Rongqing Hall" inscribed on the plaque above. Below was a large picture of peacocks, cranes and mandarin ducks. The front of the picture collapsed, and three people were sitting on it.

The person on the left is about ten years old. He wears a silver crown with his hair bound, holds two dragons and goes out to sea to mop his forehead. He wears white python arrow sleeves and a silver belt with beads. His face is like a spring flower and his eyes are like paint.Now I am nestling in Jia Mu's arms and looking around curiously. This person should be Jia Baoyu.
The person on the right looks slightly smaller than Baoyu, with skin like white jade, eyebrows that look like frowning but not frowning, and eyes that look like weeping but not weeping.The state of mind gives rise to the worry of two dimples, and the disease of tenderness attacks the whole body.She is wearing a small moon-white embroidered fur coat and a silver rat waistcoat. On her head is Changyun hairpin with a red gold plaque and no other flowers. She wears a Yang Fei-colored embroidered cotton skirt tied under her waist.This little girl is Daiyu;

Looking at the middle, he has silver hair and a rich face, wearing a sheepskin jacket of green wrinkled silk and a bunch of beads. He is holding Baoyu in one hand and holding Daiyu in the other. He is looking at himself with a nod and a smile.This person is expected to be Jia Mu.

Li Wan took two hurried steps and said with a rare smile: "Old lady, this is my brother Jian."

Li Weijian stepped forward to greet him, bowed his hands and said, "Bless me, old lady. I wish you long life and good health."

"Okay, okay," she said twice, Jia Mu reached out her hand and said, "Brother Zhu, daughter-in-law, please call Brother Jian to sit down."

"Hey."

Li Wan responded, and without waiting for any further work, Yuanyang and other maids brought chairs and asked Li Wan and Li Weijian to sit down.

However, the two of them were in no hurry to sit down. Li Wan introduced them one by one, "This is Sister Feng. Brother Jian should be called the second sister-in-law."

The woman sitting at the top on the left stood up. She looked to be no more than ten years old. She wore a golden eight-treasure bun with pearls on her head, a hairpin with five Chaoyang phoenixes hanging on it, and a red gold necklace on her neck. She is wearing a bean green palace ribbon, a double-balanced rose pendant, a narrow gold satin coat with hundreds of butterflies and bright red satin, a multicolored engraved stone blue and silver rat coat, and an emerald flowered crepe skirt.She has a pair of red phoenix triangular eyes, two curved willow-leaf eyebrows. She is slender and has a coquettish physique. Her pink face contains spring power without revealing it, and her lips smell red before she smiles.

"I've met my second sister-in-law." Li Weijian cupped her hands as a gift.

Wang Xifeng replied: "Hello, brother Jian."

Li Weijian looked over, and this Feng Lazi looked at him. He turned his head and smiled sweetly, his eyes lingering, and then he smiled and said: "As they say, dragons give birth to dragons, and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. Sister-in-law Zhu's appearance is already It's rare, I don't think this is the case for Brother Jian. How did you say that? Yu..."

When Baoyu in Jia's mother's arms saw Li Weijian's good looks, he immediately felt close to him and immediately said, "The jade tree is facing the wind."

Another little girl said: "Jade and gold."

Li Wan introduced them one by one, first Baoyu, then Yingchun and Daiyu.When meeting Daiyu, Li Weijian suddenly said: "Sister Lin, I passed by Yangzhou when I came here and met with your Majesty Lin."

Daiyu, who was originally indifferent and still immersed in her own little nature, suddenly became vivid when she heard this.

"I...Is my father okay?"

"Everything is fine," Li Weijian smiled and nodded, took out a letter from his sleeve, glanced at it to make sure he had got it correctly, and then handed it over: "This is the letter that Imperial Ambassador Lin asked me to bring to my sister."

Lin Daiyu took it as if she was snatching it, and then realized that it seemed a bit rude, so she quickly bowed down and said, "Thank you, Brother Jian."

"Sister Lin, you're welcome."

Jia Mu on the side said in surprise: "Brother Jian, have you ever seen Ruhai?"

"Yes, I met Yushang Lin before going to the hospital for the examination. This time when I came to the capital, I paid a visit and thought about bringing something with me."

"Okay, Brother Jian is very thoughtful." Mother Jia praised repeatedly.

Li Wan also introduced Tanchun and Xichun. The one who mentioned the 'metal phase of jade' was Tanchun.

After doing this, Li Wan and Li Weijian took their seats.He glanced up and saw the colorful flowers opposite him. Three little girls looked at him curiously. When he saw him looking over, they immediately covered their mouths and avoided them with a smile.

Jia Mu, who was weak, said: "Brother Jian, how are you doing?"

"Thanks to the old lady, everything is fine for uncle. It's just that he's getting old and he caught the wind and cold in the twelfth lunar month. Things will be better in the new year."

Li Shouzhong was only a few years younger than Jia's mother, and he had served as a high-ranking official in the Imperial College, so it was not an exaggeration to treat Jia's mother as an old relative.

Jia Mu also casually asked about the scenery of Jinling and the situation in the south of the Yangtze River.Li Weijian answered one by one, and because it was Jia Mu, she said with some emotion: "Decades have passed by, and I don't know if I will be able to come back to Jinling alive and see."

Li Weijian smiled and said: "I saw the old lady's face was rosy and her body was healthy. If I really want to go back and have a look, it wouldn't be a big deal to take a boat and the canal back to Jinling in time for the spring flowers to bloom tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, Wang Xifeng said: "It is not easy for our ancestors to return to Jinling. Everyone in this family refers to our ancestors. If you leave, will the family camp be in chaos?"

"Where did the camp break up?"

Wang Xifeng counted with her fingers and said: "Listen to my calculations. When you leave, you have to take Baoyu and Daiyu with you, right? Baoyu and Daiyu are both taken with you, and the younger sisters cannot favor one over the other. The younger ones are all gone. , how can Madam feel relieved? If Madam goes too, there will always be someone to take care of and serve on the road, and the granddaughter-in-law may have to follow. Even if all the serious mistresses in the house are gone, it is impossible to expect a bunch of gentlemen to take care of the house. Just disrupting the camp?"

Jia Mu raised her head and laughed: "You are a scoundrel, if you say so, if I want to go back to Jinling, don't I need the whole family to follow me?"

"That's right, if you want to go back, you have to go back with the whole family."

Li Weijian smiled apologetically and glanced at Wang Xifeng.I don't know whether Feng Lazi did it intentionally or unintentionally. After counting all the people in Rongguo Mansion, she accidentally missed the eldest sister Li Wan.At the end of the day, he even said "a serious mistress" and left. Isn't this a reference to Sang and Huai?
Looking at Rongqing Hall, Mrs. Wang never showed up, and Jia Mu treated her very kindly. It seems that it was Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng who treated Li Wan harshly.The reason for this is not yet known and can only be left to be explored later.

After talking and laughing, Jia Mu said, "Brother Jian is not an outsider. Girl Feng, please find a quiet place to settle down."

"Yes."

Mother Jia looked at Li Weijian: "Brother Jian, can you bring your entourage with you?"

Li Weijian said: "I have brought a servant and a maid and are waiting outside the ceremony gate."

Jia Mu said, "How can that be enough? Send two more maids to serve Brother Jian so that he can study hard."

Wang Xifeng responded again and said: "Ancestor, there are two houses in this house. One is adjacent to Lixiang Courtyard, separated by a side road. It has a corner door for entry and exit, which is convenient; the other is in the northeast, with a side door leading to a private alley. . Each of these two places has its own merits, and it’s up to the ancestors to make the decision.”

Jia Mu said without thinking: "That place in the northeast, I remember being next to Brother Zhu's daughter-in-law?"

Li Wan hurriedly said: "Go back to the old lady, there is a road in the middle."

Jia's mother smiled and said, "It's easier for you siblings to take care of each other if you are next to each other." Wang Xifeng added, "The ancestors must have thought carefully. As for the maid, the former son of Lin Zhixiao's family just asked his grandson's daughter-in-law to give her a little girl. Hong needs another job."

"Which one is Xiaohong?"

"Now she is a third-class maid at Brother Bao's office."

"Oh," Jia Mu didn't care and said directly: "Since Lin Zhixiao's family has spoken, let's give it to brother Jian." After a pause, he added: "I happen to have a girl here who has trained the big boy. Half a year is also allocated to Brother Jian."

Li Weijian hurriedly stood up and thanked him.Jia's mother asked Li Wan to take Li Weijian to settle the matter, and the two immediately stood up and left.Wang Xifeng came out to arrange various matters.

Just after they left, Baoyu in Jia's mother's arms said, "It's so easy to meet a pure and handsome man. It's a pity that he should leave such a good god to become a filthy thing like a thief and a ghost in the country."

Daiyu was holding the letter and was agitated in her heart. When she heard these words, she first thought of Baoyu's past and was grateful to Li Weijian for sending the letter thousands of miles away. She immediately frowned and said: "You don't seek to improve yourself, how come you arrange for others to improve? Brother Jian is I am afraid that my father is also a traitor to the country and a ghost?"

"Good sister, that's not what I meant. My uncle...my uncle is naturally a good official who cares about the country and the people."

Baoyu immediately chatted and smiled to please Daiyu. Daiyu held the letter and tilted her head and just ignored it.Jia Mu held one in each hand and said with a smile: "Why are you making trouble again?"

Tanchun below laughed and said, "Grandma, don't pay attention. My second brother and Sister Lin have always been good and bad at times. They are having trouble now, but I'm afraid they will make up after a while."

Mother Jia's smile became even brighter, and she felt that the two little people were particularly happy.

Yuanyang stepped forward and reported: "Old lady, the lady is here."

After the words fell, Mrs. Wang turned around the screen and stepped forward to meet Jia Mu. After sitting down, Mrs. Wang said, "Has the old lady met Brother Jian?"

"I've seen it before. It looks good. I'll send Feng Yatou to settle it in the courtyard in the northeast."

Mrs. Jia arranged this, but Mrs. Wang did not dare to comment and said, "It is indeed a good thing. Wenlong took a look at it earlier and came back and said that Brother Jian is probably the righteous man who helped that day."

"Yeah." Tan Chun exclaimed and quickly covered his mouth, his eyes full of surprise and surprise.The little girl also said that the righteous man must be a chivalrous man with a big body and a round waist. Unexpectedly, he turned out to be Brother Jian who was elegantly dressed in white from before!
The rest and Jia Mu were all surprised. Jia Mu said, "Is there such a thing? So Brother Jian is a man of both civil and military skills?"

Mrs. Wang said: "It can be said that it is true. The Li family has passed down its poetry and calligraphy to the whole family. I never expected that there would be a descendant like Brother Jian."

Jia Mu then said: "It's good to have both civil and military skills. I think Brother Jian has a calm demeanor and will definitely be promising in the future."

People in the Rongqing Hall were filled with admiration and Baoyu looked languid, partly because it was a pity that such a person had to seek career and financial support, and partly because everyone usually praised him, but now he was praising others, which made him feel a little awkward.

He secretly glanced at Daiyu, only to see Daiyu agreeing twice. Then he lowered his head and looked at the letter in his hand, and immediately felt a little relieved.

Yingchun is a gourd with a sawed mouth, Xichun is cold-hearted and cold-hearted, but Tanchun is so excited that he regards Li Weijian as a person like Zhou Yu in his heart.On second thought, I felt that Zhou Yu's death was too early, which was a bit unlucky, so he compared Li Weijian to Xin Qiji.

But Xin Qiji was frustrated, and Tanchun knew only a few characters, so he couldn't find a suitable character to compare him to.

But on the other side, Wang Xifeng led Li Wan and Li Weijian to the quiet small courtyard in the northeast. This place has been used as a guest courtyard. It is cleaned by servants every day and has all the necessary items. It can be said that you can move in with your bags.

Wang Xifeng asked Li Wan and Li Weijian to rest for a while, then she left and went to arrange other matters.

As soon as she left, Li Weijian looked at Li Wan. Li Wan suddenly panicked, fearing that he would say "harsh treatment" again, so he hurriedly said: "Brother Jian has been tired from traveling and traveling, and he is tired after thinking about it. You should rest first." For a while, I will bring Langeer to recognize my uncle later."

Li Weijian was thoughtful, but did not point out anything. He put his hands behind his hands and smiled and said, "That's fine, I'll go visit eldest sister later."

Li Wan nodded, followed Su Yun and Bi Yue to the courtyard gate, looked back, and then hurried away.

Li Weijian stood in the courtyard and looked around. Although this small courtyard was only the first time he entered, it was spacious and bright. The windows in the main room were all made of pure and transparent glass.There are three main rooms without side rooms, and there are two side rooms on the left and right.

While he was looking at it, he heard footsteps approaching, but it was the housekeeper who led a servant and a maid to the door.

The maid was about the same age as Li Weijian, of medium height, slightly stocky, and had a round face with delicate features; the servant was in his early twenties, more than half a head taller than Li Weijian, with thick hands and feet, big arms and a round waist, and a slightly fierce face. , and if you look closely, you might find that she looks a bit like the maid.

Thanks to the stewardess, there are only three masters and servants left in the courtyard.

Li Weijian greeted with a smile: "Come in, come in, we will live here from now on... Oh, Haiping has to live in the nepotism house in the backyard. Have we found a place for you?"

The manservant snorted coldly and didn't answer.The maid looked around with a pair of almond-shaped eyes and said, "It's so extravagant. Isn't this the emperor's residence?"

"Nonsense, the Daming Palace is much more luxurious than this place." Li Weijian said, walking into the main room with his hands behind his hands.

The male servant Hai Ping held a knife, a bow, and a huge bookcase on his back. He followed him into the main room with his head held high. He looked around with a pair of ruthless eyes, and then lowered his voice and said coldly: "Master Li, this Jia Mansion It’s here too, when will the 3000 taels of silver be settled?”

"What's the hurry?" Li Weijian lifted up his robe, Shi Shiran sat on the chair of the imperial master in the main hall, and said calmly: "You followed the Li family, you also went to the Lin family of the Salt Censor of the Lianghuai River, and now Duke Rong Guo is here again. Mansion. There are so many extravagant people, and a little bit of leakage between your fingers is more than the 3000 taels of silver."

"Tsk," Haiping said angrily, "I really wonder, since Mr. Li has such a luxurious person as a relative, why did he go to a pawn shop to borrow money to buy a scholar? The donation to the prison only cost 400 taels of silver." (Note [-])

"What do you know?" Li Weijian said leisurely: "Can a prisoner benefactor be the same as a scholar? In the future, master, I will work for officials. If someone finds out that I am a prisoner donator, I will be looked down upon. .”

"It's so damn weird. I've seen officials borrow money when I've grown up, and this is the first time I've seen people borrow money to be a scholar." After saying that, Haiping gritted his teeth and said, "How will Mr. Li's official career prosper in the future?" I don't care, I just want to remind you that it lasts for one year, and you will leave nine times and return thirteen times. If Mr. Li doesn't make it by that date, don't blame me for being rude."

Li Weijian half-closed his eyes and waved his hands: "I know, don't disturb me. I'll just close my eyes and rest my mind. I've put all the things in place. Go and eat by yourself."

The maid now stepped over the threshold and entered the main room. She grinned and said, "Brother, are we going to live here from now on? It looks even more luxurious than our master's!"

Li Weijian corrected him: "You live here with me, and your brother has to go to the nepotism room in the backyard to live with the boy." He suddenly opened his eyes and said, "By the way, Si'er's name is not very good. From now on, you will My name is Xiu Ying." (Note [-])

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside: "Is Fourth Master Jian here? Second Mistress sent me to deliver the maid to Fourth Master."

(Note 3000: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the people who took the county and government examinations were admitted to the college entrance exams. This was regarded as giving face to the lower officials. It cost a lot, but it did not cost [-] taels. The protagonist borrowed most of the money. Used for other expenses.

Note [-]: There are bandits and gentlemen whose ears are deaf to music.From Wei Feng Qiao. )
(End of this chapter)