Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 275 Qingzhi holds a night banquet
Qingzhizhai.

The fine snow mixed with cold wind had been raging outside for half a day, and the air had become icy cold.

A thin layer of translucent ice had condensed on the corners of the carved window frames of the main house.

The branches of the paulownia trees in the garden, the dark blue glazed tiles on the eaves, and the edges of the seats on the verandas were all covered with thick snow.

On the porch outside the main house, there was a small red clay stove, and a slender and graceful figure was bending over and fiddling with the fire.

The red fire illuminated her pretty face, which was extremely beautiful and eye-catching.

She heard the sound of footsteps on the snow in the yard, turned around and looked over with a look of joy: "Master, you are back!"

"Yinglian, why are you lighting the stove here?"

"You'll know when you come in, Master. Why are you leaving the court so late today?"

"I came back today and went straight to Rong Xi Tang to say goodbye to the master and his wife, so I came back late."

Yinglian came over bouncing, took his hand and walked into the room.

More than twenty beeswax candles were lit in the main room, making every detail clearly visible and bright.

Zhi Shao greeted him with a smile and said, "Third Master has to go north tomorrow to do an imperial mission, so he won't be able to celebrate the New Year at home this year. Wu Er and the others have discussed this.

This year, we will celebrate the New Year in advance in the courtyard, and also practice for the Third Master. We have arranged everything, you just sit down and have a drink."

Wu Er came up to help Jia Cong change his outer clothes, with a smile on his face: "Last time when we went to Jinling, we could be taken with us, and someone would take care of us eating and sleeping, but this time there is no such thing."

Jia Cong heard the sadness in her tone and smiled, "Don't worry, it's not like I haven't suffered before and I can't take care of myself."

Wu'er thought back to when he was in Dongluyuan, he had not had a good life. He was scolded and beaten every other day, and it was really hard.

Even though it was so difficult, the Third Master still managed to earn a good future. With his ability, he will never suffer any loss wherever he goes.

Qingwen stepped forward and laughed at Wu'er: "You are worrying about nothing. The Third Master can pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. How can he not manage himself?"

Wu Er thought about this and felt relieved a little. He smiled and said, "I don't know how long the Third Master will be gone this time. Let's have a few more drinks later."

After saying that, he took Si'er to the kitchen to get the hot dishes that Mrs. Liu had prepared earlier.

Zhishao and Yinglian removed the lid of the half-person-high smoking cage and neatly stacked the silver frost charcoal inside.

He placed six or seven pieces of vegetarian incense on the charcoal, sprinkled a cup of Suhe sake, lit the charcoal fire, and covered the smoker cage with a lid.

After a while, the warm and fragrant air filled the main room, dispelling the cold air in the house.

Qingwen and Juan'er carried a round rosewood table and placed it on the big kang against the east wall. The bottom of the kang had already been heated warm.

He also went and brought a jar of Shaoxing Nv'erhong wine that he had prepared earlier, and twenty dishes of cold dishes and fruits, which were placed one by one.

Yinglian filled a pot of wine, filled a wine warming basin with water, and heated the wine in a small red clay stove on the porch, facing the fine snow falling all over the sky.

Seeing that they were doing their own things in an orderly manner, Jia Cong felt a sense of comfort and belonging, and his heart was calm and peaceful.

Only in Qingzhizhai with the gate closed did he truly feel at home.

Only here, you don't have to engage in intrigue with others, weigh the pros and cons, or take precautions and guard against unpredictable crises...

When Wu'er brought the food box and put the hot dishes on it, there was a table full of cold fruits and vegetables, and seafood delicacies, which were dazzling and fragrant.

Zhishao and the others took off their complicated pearl and jade hairpins, removed their makeup, took off their formal clothes, changed into simple long skirts and short jackets, let down their long hair, and simply tied it up in a bun.

They sat around Jia Cong, on either side, at the rosewood round kang table. Their pretty faces, as plain as water, all had soft and comfortable smiles.

It seemed that they wanted to give Jia Cong the warmest and most soothing memories before he set off on his long journey, so that he would remember to come back early when he was traveling far away.

To Jia Cong, this was the most beautiful makeup and the most wonderful sight in the world, and this was like a real home.

As long as you return with a warm heart, no matter you are covered in dust from the journey or have fought and sacrificed for battles, you can muster up infinite courage and passion and take everything for granted.

During the banquet, people played guessing games, drank wine, or told funny stories. There were laughter and joy, the candles were bright, and the smell of copper tripod smoke was fragrant...

Drinking wine and touring forever all night, smiling widely to see off the remaining years.

After drinking too much and removing her makeup, she fell asleep. When Jia Cong woke up, it was already slightly bright outside the window.

I found myself sleeping on a big kang. I don't know who put a new jade-colored gauze pillow for me, and I was covered with a thin cotton quilt. The kang under me was warm. The air was filled with the lingering scent of makeup, and suddenly I felt a slender and warm body nestling in my arms.

He lifted the quilt and smelled a very pleasant fragrance. He found Yinglian curled up there and sleeping soundly, her little face as rosy as a crabapple...

I could hear the sound of faint breathing behind me, and found Qingwen covered with a cotton coat, sleeping soundly.

Si'er and Juan'er were crowded at the other end of the big kang...

Zhishao and Wu'er were huddled on the small kang by the west window, sleeping soundly.

On the round rosewood table on the big kang, cups and plates were scattered all over the place, and the jar of girl’s red wine was overturned on the ground.

Yesterday, several people actually finished a jar of wine. Of course, half of it was drunk by Jia Cong after they coaxed and persuaded him.

Jia Cong got up and stretched his waist slightly. He drank too much last night. Fortunately, nothing happened...

I probably got drunk on the big kang yesterday, so no one else went back to their rooms and they all crowded in the main room to keep me company.

He just got off the kang and took two steps, and Wu'er and Zhishao woke up, and soon the entire Qingzhizhai woke up from a comfortable dream.

Wu'er went to boil some hot water so that he could take a bath to wash off the smell of alcohol. When Jia Cong was almost dressed and washed, they heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.

……

In Lixiang Courtyard, Aunt Xue saw her daughter get up early, wash up, and go out with the maid Ying'er.

Aunt Xue knew that Cong'er was going north today and her daughter would definitely go to see him off, and she felt helpless.

Baochai is about to reach the age of marriage. It is said that Cong'er has been in the north for a long time and will not be back for a long time. This is also a good thing. I can let my sister find out what the old lady thinks.

Otherwise, if time goes on for a long time, something is bound to happen and it will be difficult to turn back.

……

When Qingwen went to open the courtyard gate, she found a group of people standing at the door, including the three young girls in the family, Miss Lin, and Miss Bao.

Qingwen knew that although the Third Master was not liked by the Old Lady, the girls in the family were all close to him, so they must have come to see him off.

Although Qingzhizhai is not small, all these people came in and filled the main room, making it seem very lively, which alleviated a lot of the sadness of seeing off.

Jia Zheng had already arranged for a servant to help Jia Cong arrange the horses and luggage.

Outside the back corner door, Jia Cong said goodbye to Daiyu and other sisters. Everyone watched Jia Cong mount his horse, then turned back and waved to them. The sound of horse hooves could be heard, and the figure quickly disappeared at the entrance of the alley.

Daiyu couldn't help shedding tears, but quickly wiped them away.

……

Jia Cong rode his horse to the firearms workshop in the north of the city, where five hundred firearms soldiers had already been arranged to be on standby.

Originally, Liu Shizhen suggested that Jia Cong bring a few firearms craftsmen with him. After all, such a large number of firearms would have to travel a long distance of thousands of miles.

There might be collision damage along the way, and it would require maintenance by several knowledgeable people, but Jia Cong considered it and refused.

Liaodong Town is currently at war with the Jurchens, and any unpredictable situation may occur. If we carry firearms craftsmen with us, they may get lost or even captured.

There must be some secret about the firearms manufacturing technology in that workshop, and he didn't want to take the risk.

He just asked the craftsmen to pack the porcelain bombs and muskets in the most appropriate way to prevent unnecessary losses during transportation.

Moreover, he knew the maintenance and simple repairs of firearms and could handle them in case of emergency.

The fuses and mine bodies of some porcelain mines are stored separately and temporarily installed when used to ensure safety along the way.

Of course, just in case, Jia Cong still kept a small number of porcelain mines with fuses installed for emergency use along the way.

After a while, five large carts loaded with firearms drove out of the firearms workshop one after another.

Under the leadership of Jia Cong and protected by 500 soldiers from the Fifth Army's Musketeer Battalion, they walked north for more than ten miles and finally got on the official road heading north.

The wheels rolled, the war horses roared, and they marched towards Dengzhou in a mighty manner.

(End of this chapter)