Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 413 Neighbors
Li Weijian returned from Yan's house. The next day, seeing that the capital was stable, he sent people to Jinmen to bring Daiyu back. Many of the Jia family's houses were burned down during the night of war. In addition, Jia Lian was convicted and it was unknown when the mansion would be taken back to the inner palace, so the Jia family had no intention of repairing it.

Due to the hot weather, Jia Zheng and Lady Xing's funeral was not very elaborate, and they were only kept for seven days before being hastily buried. In September of that year, Jia Lian was sentenced to death, and Baoyu just sobbed. It was Li Weijian who sent someone to take Jia Lan to bury Jia Lian.

Sister Feng cried bitterly. Although she and Jia Lian no longer had any feelings for each other, they had grown up together and she couldn't bear to see Jia Lian's body and head separated.

Jia Lian's funeral had just been completed when a doctor from the inner court came and said that the Rongguo Mansion had been taken back and the Jia family was required to move out within a month.

Tanchun, Ping'er, and Li Wan gathered together to discuss the move. Tanchun was still thinking about getting together, but Ping'er said, "Now that the Second Master is dead, Qiaojie and Second Sister have lost their father, but they can't be without their mother. I don't want any money in this house, and Grandma is not short of money anyway, so why don't I take Qiaojie and Second Sister to Grandma."

After the voice fell, Li Wan said: "This makes sense. The old lady, the mistress, and the master are all gone. I think the first and second wives don't need to stay together. It's better to have more branches and leaves."

Li Wan had long wanted to avoid being together with the Jia family, not for other reasons, but because she was afraid that those playboys would lead Jia Lan astray. After a pause, she continued, "The proceeds from the sale of our family property should be kept by Third Sister, Fourth Sister and Baoyu. I got some shares from Jian'er a few years ago, and now the annual interest is not small, enough for Lan'er to eat."

Tanchun sighed in her heart, knowing that people's hearts were scattered and she was afraid that it would be difficult for them to gather together again, so she turned around and asked Baoyu: "What do you think, Brother Bao?"

Baoyu nodded woodenly and said, "Since my elder sister-in-law and Aunt Ping have made up their minds, we should just follow their lead."

Xichun, who was standing by, said with a smile, "That's great. Sister Ping and the eldest sister-in-law are dividing the money. Isn't it a bargain for us and Brother Bao?"

Xichun's words were meant to be joking, but unfortunately no one could laugh at this moment. After the plan was completed, everyone came out of the meeting room. Tanchun and Xichun walked together. Tanchun frowned and said, "Second Brother Bao can't be relied on. We must send someone to look for a house tomorrow."

Xichun said, "Didn't Fourth Brother Jian say before that his old house has been empty all the time? It would be better to move there first and then take your time to choose."

Tanchun shook her head at first, then smiled and said, "If that's the case, why not buy Fourth Brother Jian's old house? After all, Fourth Brother Jian doesn't need it anyway."

Tanchun and Xichun went to the mansion to look for Li Weijian. It happened that Li Weijian came back early that day and was playing with the children in the east courtyard.

When Tanchun and Xichun entered the main room of the east courtyard, they saw the little girl Lian'er teasing her baby with a rattle.

Tanchun and Xichun also came forward to tease him for a while, and both praised that the child's eyebrows and eyes were more like Daiyu's, which made Daiyu feel mixed with joy and worry. She said, "It's good to have delicate eyebrows and eyes, but it's not good to be too delicate, because it loses the masculinity."

Xichun said, "Sister Lin has already made a plan. I'm afraid she wants her child to be like Fourth Brother Jian."

Daiyu had been married for a long time, and before she had given birth, she could not stand such jokes. But now she treated it as a common thing and just smiled and said, "Fourth sister, you have said what I was thinking. I hope that my child can have half the ability of fourth brother in the future."

Tanchun took the opportunity to say to Daiyu, "Sister Lin, my sister and I came here today to discuss something with Fourth Brother Jian. Since Fourth Brother Jian doesn't need his old house, why don't you sell it to us?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "Just ask him about this matter. I can't interfere."

At that moment, Tanchun and Xichun came to ask Li Weijian again, but Li Weijian said very straightforwardly: "Third sister, it's rare for you to ask, so just do as you say. I will send the house deed over later, and you don't have to rush to send the money, just send it when you are ready."

Tanchun and Xichun looked at each other and finally found a place to stay. They thanked Li Weijian and returned to Rongguo Mansion.

In mid-September, Ping'er first took Qiaojie and Erjie to Fengjie's place. Originally separated, the family was reunited, and the feeling was indescribable; then Li Wan took Jia Lan and many maids and old women to move to Qianjie. Li Wan was used to simplicity, and wanted to buy a small courtyard with two entrances to support Jia Lan's studies. But Li Weijian was not willing to do that? He personally went to the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household to inquire, and finally chose a three-entry house in Qianjie.

In late September, Baoyu, Tanchun, and Xichun were also going to move out. Early in the morning, several blue-wool carriages came out of the corner gate. Tanchun opened the curtains and took a last look at the gate of Rongguo Mansion. Xichun, who was standing by, sighed and said, "This family...is a failure."

Tanchun said, "Think positively. We have benefited from the glory of our ancestors and have enjoyed prosperity and wealth for more than ten years. There are countless people in this world who are living from hand to mouth and are homeless. Compared with them, we are considered to be enjoying a good life."

After walking for a while, she was stopped at the gate of Bo's mansion. Tanchun opened the curtain and looked around, and saw Hongyu leading a little maid approaching.

Hongyu said guiltily: "Third Miss, I am here to express my anger."

Tanchun hurried down and asked in surprise, "What do you mean, Sister Hongyu?"

Hongyu said, "I told my parents a few years ago that since I was in the Bo's Mansion, I might as well go there to work, so that I could at least have someone to take care of me. But my parents were grateful for the kindness of the Rong Mansion and had always refused. They finally agreed to it after receiving a letter before the New Year, but who knew that family affairs would come one after another... this..."

Tanchun understood, but couldn't help feeling sad. She forced a smile and said, "It's not a difficult matter. Why should Sister Hongyu be upset? In this case, I'll have someone send the indenture to you, and Sister Hongyu's parents won't have to follow me."

Hongyu thanked her and bowed, then went to look for Lin Zhixiao and his family. After hearing what Hongyu said, the two of them were relieved and hurried over to kowtow and thank Tanchun.

After this incident, Tanchun and her party set out again. They had no more than ten carriages and horses, including those for escorting luggage, and no more than fifty maids and servants accompanying them. Except for those who ran away that night, most of the rest were released by Tanchun and allowed to find their own way.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the place, and the carriage went straight in through the main gate. Tanchun called a few stewards to give them instructions, and suddenly a maid came back and said, "Third Miss, the concubine, Miss Bao, and Madam Pan are here."

Tanchun hurried over to greet them. When she reached the ceremonial gate, she saw Aunt Xue leading Baochai and Xia Jingui inside. Aunt Xue smiled from a distance and said, "That's great. We'll be neighbors again. We should visit each other more often in the future."

Sister Bao was feeling bitter. Xue's mother and daughter had originally planned to dispose of the inner city house and move the whole family to the outer city. But when the war broke out, Aunt Xue, Xia Jingui, Baochai and others hid in the cellar and survived, but the house was inevitably visited by thieves. Not only did they rob everything, but they also burned the outer city house to the ground before leaving. So the family had to move back to the inner city to live.

Although Tanchun felt disgusted, she still invited Aunt Xue and the others to come in and talk. When Baoyu heard that Baochai had come, he also hurried out to take care of her.

When Aunt Xue saw Baoyu, her eyes turned red. She held him in her arms and said, "Don't worry, my poor child. Although your parents are gone, you will still take care of you in the future." Baoyu was also deeply moved and could not help but burst into tears.

Xia Jingui, who was standing by, took a peek at Baoyu and saw that he was indeed very good-looking. She was immediately moved and could not help but praise him: "Brother Bao, with his red lips and white teeth, is indeed becoming more handsome."

Aunt Xue was immediately embarrassed and glared at Xia Jingui. She then said to Baoyu, "Your sister-in-law doesn't mean what she says. She is just that kind of person. Don't take it to heart, Baoyu."

As they were both in exile, Aunt Xue had the idea of ​​bringing Baoyu and Baochai together. She had asked Baochai several times before, but since Baochai was already past her 10th birthday, it would be hard for her to marry into a good family, so she was indifferent.

After that day, the two families visited each other frequently. Sometimes Baoyu went to the next door to look for Baochai, and sometimes Baochai and Xia Jingui came to look for Baoyu.

As time went by, Baochai began to give Baoyu advice. She often said to him, "Now that Third Sister is the manager of the household and my mother is helping out, you don't need to worry about the family. It's better for you to study hard."

Baoyu had no choice but to go in, close the window and read, but his mind had already flown elsewhere. He thought to himself that his parents had passed away, his concubine sister was in charge of the family, and he felt like a dependent, not free at all. His daily life was all taken care of by his third sister and Baojie, and he felt like a useless scholar.

In addition, he always hated economic articles and thought that the Jia family's downfall was caused by being an official, so he didn't want to pursue a career in officialdom again. But Baochai forced him to study. The two of them had different interests, and he was like a dried fish out of water, living alone in the mud, and was very unhappy.

While he was thinking about it, he suddenly saw the window being pushed open, and someone outside said with a smile: "Brother Bao, you must be hungry after reading for a while. Here are four plates of fruit and a small pot of wine. I'm bringing them to you, Brother Bao."

Before Baoyu could answer, Xia Jingui pushed the door open. She looked at him and burst into laughter, then put the cups, plates and fruits on the table.

Then he saw her with her hair loosely tied up, wearing a long gown and a skirt, dressed very coquettishly. Her snow-white shoulders were exposed in the autumn day, and she smiled at him with her eyes slanted.

Baoyu knew what she meant. She wanted to drag him into trouble and give him a bad name. He felt embarrassed and anxious. He was not sure what to do. He said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law. You could have asked the maids to bring it to me. Why did you bother to bring it to me personally? Besides, I'm not hungry."

Xia Jingui said, "Why do we have to say these clichés when we are family? Your sister-in-law cares about you, don't you appreciate her kindness?"

Baoyu said, "Sister-in-law, please go back. I am very sleepy now. Leave the fruit for me to eat later."

Jin Gui suddenly grabbed his hand and said, "Your sister-in-law's husband has died, and she is a widow now. Her life is very hard. Brother, why don't you come with me and leave here? Let's live out there." As she spoke, she pulled her out.

Baoyu blushed unconsciously and said seriously, "What kind of talk is this? It's absolutely ridiculous! Sister-in-law, let go quickly, or I'll yell."

Unexpectedly, Jingui was very strong and only dragged Baoyu out of the door. Suddenly, Xiren came back with a bulging belly. Seeing this, her face suddenly changed and she couldn't help scolding, "What a slut, you actually came to seduce Master Bao, come quickly!"

Xia Jingui was furious and wanted to hit Xiren in the stomach. Fortunately, Baoyu stopped her, otherwise there would be two deaths. The noise in the inner courtyard attracted the maids and old women to come and see the fight. They hurried forward to separate them. Someone called Tanchun and Xichun, who happened to be talking to Aunt Xue and Baochai at the time. When everyone arrived in the inner courtyard, Aunt Xue was so angry that she trembled all over.

He pointed at Xia Jingui and cursed, "What a shameless person! I was kind to you that day. If I had known this would happen, I should have chased you away!"

Xia Jingui puffed out her chest and said, "What do you mean by a moment of kindness? Do you think I don't know the 'three rules of not leaving'? If you weren't afraid of the lawsuit, how could you and your daughter have tolerated me until now?" Then she looked at Baochai and Baoyu and said, "I don't even have a man now, I am a widow in vain. You are happy and don't care whether I am uncomfortable or not."

How could Aunt Xue bear it? She went up to hit her, but Xia Jingui kicked Aunt Xue to the ground. Seeing this, Baochai no longer cared about being quiet and led Ying'er to knock Xia Jingui to the ground.

Aunt Xue was so angry that she cursed: "Rebellion, rebellion, even hitting the mother-in-law!"

Xia Jingui collapsed to the ground, but she kept shouting, "So what if I rebel? If you are really capable, why don't you just kill me? Otherwise, are you waiting for me to harm you?"

Aunt Xue was furious, so she stood up, found a hoe in the corner and tried to beat Xia Jingui to death, which frightened Tanchun and Xichun so much that they hurried forward to stop her. Seeing that the situation was not right, Xia Jingui stood up and ran home.

When the courtyard quieted down, Tanchun and Xichun looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Aunt Xue said awkwardly, "Move back, move back, don't let her in... No, don't let her go out."

After Aunt Xue and Sister Bao returned, the two sisters Tanchun and Xichun gathered together and were in a dilemma. Xichun said, "The Xue family... I'm afraid they are not a good match. In my opinion, it would be better to find a good girl from a small family for Brother Bao."

Tanchun smiled bitterly and said, "We are now criminals, and even the small families look down on us. Only those who are greedy for money will come to us." After a pause, she said, "It's good this way. Only Baochai can take care of Second Brother Bao's character."

After Xia Jingui returned home, she was depressed in her room for a few days, and then suddenly changed her temperament, gradually became friendly to others, knelt down in front of Aunt Xue to admit her mistakes, and chatted with Aunt Xue every day, and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law gradually became harmonious. Although Aunt Xue was suspicious, she was also quite relieved.

Baochai and Baochan didn't believe it. As the saying goes, "It's easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature." How could Xia Jingui change her nature? I'm afraid she must be planning something in private.

In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth lunar month. On this day, Xia Jingui got up early, cooked a bowl of soup and brought it to Baochai's room. Seeing Baochai had just gotten up and was washing her hands, she smiled and said, "I usually treat you badly, and I feel a little ashamed. Today I specially bring you a bowl of soup to show my appreciation."

Baochai saw her sincere and sincere offer and felt it was a surprise. She just smiled and said, "Why don't you ask the maid to bring it to me? Why do you have to do it yourself? You can put it there first. I will drink it after I wash myself."

Xia Jingui responded and went out.

Baochan happened to come over, and seeing her walk away, she hurried into the house and said, "Young lady, don't drink that soup, it must be poisoned!"

(End of this chapter)