I'm in the Red Mansion

After discussing with Xue Baochai, Aunt Xue took the banknotes and prepared a carriage to go to Rongguo Mansion.

Well, there is no Rongguo Mansion now, so we can only talk about the Jia family.

After arriving at the Jia family, Lady Jia, Lady Xing and Lady Wang were very happy to see Aunt Xue.

The Xue family is a rare and real relative of the Jia family.

Now their family has less than two hundred taels of silver.

This little bit of money, will it be enough for them to spend for a few days?
Now that the Xue family has arrived, we have to help them a little.

Mrs. Wang hurried out and welcomed Aunt Xue into the house.

When Aunt Xue saw Lady Jia again, she naturally had something to say.

After they had spoken a few words, a little maid brought them tea.

Aunt Xue felt a little thirsty, so she picked up the teacup and drank some tea.

The next moment, Aunt Xue almost spit out the tea in her mouth.

It turns out that this tea is really unpalatable.

In the Xue family, even the servants wouldn't drink such inferior tea.

Aunt Xue swallowed the tea with difficulty, but put down the teacup casually.

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, who were standing nearby, saw this, they both looked ashamed.

They have been enjoying themselves for many years, so how could they have ever drunk such inferior tea?
Much of what they drank was tribute sent to the palace.

Even if it is not a tribute, it is still a rare and excellent tea.

However, now they have less than two hundred taels of silver in total to live on.

Unless they really can't bear it anymore, they can take all the silver and buy some good tea.

But now, how could they afford to buy such precious tea?

You have to buy some cheap ones so you can drink them as you like.

In fact, Lady Jia, Lady Xing, and Lady Wang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were also not used to drinking it.

It’s just that they just shut themselves up in their own homes and endure hardships.

Now that they had lost face in front of their relatives, they were a little embarrassed for a moment.

After drinking a sip of tea, Aunt Xue no longer had the appetite to stay.

She talked for a while, then left a silver note of 1,000 taels and left.

Mrs. Wang didn't look very happy.

She and Aunt Xue are sisters.

When the Xue family first arrived in the capital, they lived in their Rongguo Mansion.

Mrs. Wang believed that she had never treated the Xue family unfairly.

When Aunt Xue came this time, Mrs. Wang was fully confident that she could give them at least 10,000 taels of silver.

I didn't expect it was only one thousand taels.

What can you do with just one thousand and two taels of silver?
Lady Jia and Madam Xing also looked unhappy.

After a long while, Grandmother Jia sneered and said, "It is true that when people leave, the tea gets cold. Our family has declined, and the sense of kinship has faded."

Mrs. Wang blushed but said nothing.

Not long after Aunt Xue left, Lin Ruhai came over again.

As soon as he entered the room, Lin Ruhai immediately apologized to Lady Jia.

Yan said: "My son-in-law just learned about this today, and hurriedly asked for leave to rush over."

"Don't worry, mother-in-law. I will have someone take care of Cun Zhou. When the day of amnesty comes, Brother Cun Zhou will be able to come back."

Although Jia Zheng was sentenced to exile to Lingnan, he has not yet set out on the journey.

Jia Zheng's crime was only to hide the property of a criminal official. As long as there was an amnesty, he would be able to return home.

Lin Ruhai said, "Mother-in-law, how about living here? Or how about moving to our Lin family?"

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but say: "Although this place is not big, it is enough for us to live in. There is no need to move to your Lin family."

Moving to the Lin family would certainly save trouble and effort, and also save money.

But now, Jia Baoyu has not yet married.

Moving to the Lin family means living under someone else's roof.

What should we do with Baoyu’s marriage then?
Lin Ruhai talked for a while, and finally left behind 10,000 taels of silver.

The Lin family is quite wealthy.

But when Lin Daiyu got married, Lin Ruhai gave her a lot of gifts.

Now Lin Ruhai has two sons and a daughter, so he is no longer alone.

No matter how much wealth the Lin family has, it must be left to their children.

It was already a lot for Lin Ruhai to send ten thousand taels of silver.

Unlike the Xue family, such relatives only sent one thousand and two taels of silver.

Just as Lady Jia, Lady Xing and Lady Wang were sighing, Jia Baoyu walked in.

Compared with before, Jia Baoyu looked much more haggard.

Because his title was stripped away and his property was confiscated, more importantly, all the maids in Jia Baoyu's room were also sent away, leaving only Musk Moon.

This made Jia Baoyu feel heartbroken and depressed.

In addition, the food he had eaten in the past two days was really rough and he found it difficult to swallow.

The double attack made him very weak, and even his big face began to become thin.

These days, Grandmother Jia has no time to pay attention to Baoyu.

Now seeing Baoyu like this, Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang couldn't help but feel distressed.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but say, "My son, you are a little boy, you have grown up in luxury since you were a child."

"I have never suffered such pain before. This time, my Rongguo Mansion suffered a disaster, and you were wronged."

Jia Baoyu couldn't help but say, "Grandfather, all the things in my room are useless. I want to go out and buy some things."

When he was in Rongguo Mansion, the things in Jia Baoyu's room were naturally of the best quality.

If I sell it, I might get at least 10,000 taels of silver.

Now that they have moved here, all the furniture and furnishings in the house were left by the original owner.

Just think about it, how many good things could the original owner of a three-courtyard house leave behind?
At least compared with Rongguo Mansion, it is like heaven and earth.

It is normal for Jia Baoyu to find that it is not suitable for his use.

Hearing this, Jia's mother couldn't help but say, "My son, this is really difficult for you. Just go and buy some of the things on the contract."

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia took out a hundred taels of silver and gave it to Jia Baoyu, and then said:

"Baoyu, if you buy too much, just take some money and ask the store to send it back."

Now the Jia family no longer has a carriage, and all the servants who followed Jia Baoyu have been released.

There was only one maid left by his side.

Now when he goes out, he has no one to take him with him.

Even if you buy something, you can only bring it back yourself.

This time, Jia Baoyu didn't come back until the afternoon.

He did not come back alone, but brought three large carts of things.

These things look quite luxurious.

Although it cannot be compared with the things in Rongguo Mansion, it can also be considered a fine product.

When Lady Jia, Lady Xing, and Lady Wang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, saw this, they were all a little surprised.

Grandmother Jia only gave Jia Baoyu a hundred taels of silver. How could one hundred taels of silver buy so many things?

Are prices so cheap nowadays?

But Jia Baoyu got off the car, followed by a servant carrying several food boxes.

Jia Baoyu ordered the servant to take him into the house, and then said to Jia's mother, "Grandma, the food at home has been simple these past two days, so I ordered some food from outside."

"Let the ancestors, the eldest wife and the wife have a taste."

After hearing this, Jia's mother could not help but say with joy: "After all, Baoyu knows how to show filial piety. It is worth my love for him."

Then Jia Baoyu said, "Grandfather, by the way, I don't have enough money. They said it wouldn't be too late to send the things home and settle the account."

"Their shopkeeper has come with us. I'll settle the bill with you later."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Lady Jia, Lady Xing, and Lady Wang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, all changed slightly.

At first they wondered how Jia Baoyu could buy so many things with only one hundred taels of silver.

It turns out that one hundred taels of silver is not enough. I wonder how much silver these things will cost?
Soon, the shopkeeper came over. According to the rules of Rongguo Mansion, the concubines would not meet men from other families in person.

Even if you really want to see each other, you have to do it behind a curtain.

Now we no longer have such conditions and can no longer care about so many details.

The shopkeeper said, "Madam, these furniture and decorations will cost a total of 3,653 taels of silver."

"I will give the old lady a small change. It will only cost 3,600 taels of silver."

Hearing this, Madam Xing almost jumped up and couldn't help asking, "Are all these things of yours made of gold? Why are they so expensive? Why don't you just rob them?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper clasped his fists and said, "Madam, you are wrong. The furniture in our shop is all made of red sandalwood, which is expensive."

"When this young man bought it, I told him that it was expensive. He said that it didn't matter what the price was, as long as it was suitable for use."

"And he told me to just deliver it, saying that someone would settle the bill after it arrived."

"If you think it's too expensive, I'll have someone take the things back, but you have to pay a few taels of silver for it."

Hearing this, Lady Jia, Lady Xing, and Lady Wang, the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law, looked at each other, exchanged glances, and roughly understood the reason.

Jia Baoyu has been spoiled since he was young. How could he know the tricks of the business world?
Besides, when he went out to buy things in the past, he never haggled over the price and had his servants do the accounting.

This time he went out alone to buy things, and he was afraid that the shopkeeper would see through his true intentions with just a few words.

He would have to sell the most expensive furniture in the store to him.

And this price has to be increased by some amount.

Thinking of this, Madam Xing couldn't help but frowned and said, "Grandfather, the situation at home is no longer the same as before."

"Even the servants in the mansion have been dismissed one after another. Why would we need such expensive things? It would be better to give him a few taels of silver and let him take it back."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia's face darkened.

Although Mrs. Xing was telling the truth.

If Lin Ruhai had not just sent them 10,000 taels of silver, they would not even be able to afford it.

But your arm is broken and folded in your sleeve. Are you going to say this in front of outsiders?
Wouldn't that be a loss of face for the Rongguo Mansion?
At this time, Jia Baoyu said, "Grandfather, I have already made an agreement with others. How can I go back on my word? It is only a few thousand taels of silver."

"Besides, these things are all useful to my grandson. My ancestors have always taught me, so how can I break my promise so easily?"

Madam Xing sneered, "Just a few thousand taels of silver? You are so arrogant, do you know..."

"you shut up!"

Before Mrs. Xing could finish her words, Grandmother Jia scolded her harshly and ordered her to shut up.

Then, in the end, Grandmother Jia took out the silver note and settled the account.

Soon, these things were quickly sent into Baoyu's room by the little guy.

Mrs. Xing snorted coldly and turned away.

After everyone left, Grandmother Jia called Jia Baoyu over.

He ordered, "Baoyu, our family is no longer what it used to be. All our wealth has been confiscated by the imperial court."

"Now there is no income, and now all the money is still relying on the help of relatives. In the future, this money can't be spent like today."

Hearing this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Grandfather, if the money is gone, can we go to our relatives to ask for it?"

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but feel tired.

He sighed and couldn't help saying, "Baoyu, it's not polite if you don't return the favor. If this continues, how can we be relatives?"

In the following days, no relatives came to visit.

In the past, during festivals, relatives and friends gathered together and it was impossible to entertain them all.

Now that they are in trouble, only the Xue family and the Lin family came to help them.

This made Grandmother Jia feel even more the fickleness of the world.

After a few days, there was only one maid left by their side.

The daily diet is just simple meals.

Well, actually there is no shortage of chicken, duck, fish and meat.

But it was really not as exquisite as before, which made it difficult for them to swallow.

But Jia Baoyu was not used to these foods.

I always go out to buy some food.

These expenses are naturally not cheap.

Mrs. Xing couldn't help complaining.

Even Lady Jia felt that this was inappropriate.

But for a moment, Grandmother Jia didn't know how to discipline her.

One day, Mrs. Wang found Grandmother Jia and said, "Grandma, Baoyu has grown up now, and our family has fallen into such a state."

"It's time to find a marriage partner for Baoyu. If we delay any further, as he gets older, it will become increasingly difficult to find one."

Grandmother Jia also nodded and said, "I think so too, but now that my Rongguo Mansion has fallen into decline, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to find it."

"Now I'm afraid I'll have to look for it among those poor families with small families."

After thinking for a moment, Madam Wang couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, what do you think of Shi's Yun'er?"

Previously, they had planned to choose Shi Xiangyun.

But because Yuanchun became pregnant, they changed their minds.

But now that the Rongguo Mansion has been stripped of its title and seized, they begin to remember Shi Xiangyun's kindness again.

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she couldn't help but frowned slightly.

If their Rongguo Mansion had not been stripped of its title, the two families would have been a perfect match.

But now, in fact, they are no longer worthy.

Even if I go to propose marriage, I'm afraid I'll just be courting humiliation.

But even Grandmother Jia loves her grandson more.

Grandmother Jia also wanted to try her luck, so she found a matchmaker and went to propose marriage.

And soon, they got a reply.

It turned out that Miss Shi Xiangyun had already been betrothed to someone from the Wei family, who was also part of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes faction.

Hearing this, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang sighed and had to give up.

But after that, the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law became more and more dirty.

In the past, Mrs. Xing was extremely afraid of Lady Jia, but now she is not so afraid of her anymore.

Now the Jia family has lost their property and title, and has fallen into such a state.

Jia Baoyu, however, continued to spend money like water as usual.

Although the family still has several thousand silver coins, Jia Baoyu has not yet married.

Besides, when the master passes away one day, it will naturally cost money.

I'm afraid this amount of money won't be enough to last them for long.

Therefore, Mrs. Xing couldn't help but talk back, and she and Mrs. Wang had more quarrels.

Aunt Zhao, on the other hand, was very well behaved. She never talked back or complained.

The truth is, Aunt Zhao was a concubine.

But she has a good son, Jia Huan.

Now he is not only a seventh-rank military general, but also has a title.

When the family is divided in the future, Aunt Zhao will naturally go with her to enjoy the good life.

She was confident, so naturally she wouldn't argue or anything.

……

Let’s talk about Jia Cong after he made all the arrangements for Tanchun and Li Wan and her son.

Caiyun, who had served Lady Wang before, was sent to Tanchun.

This Caiyun is having an affair with Jia Huan.

Jia Cong will naturally settle her down.

It won’t be too late to give it to her after Jia Huan returns home.

After everything is settled, it is time for Jia Cong to return to Jizhou.

After all, he was the governor of Jizhou, so it was not easy for him to stay at home all the time.

Therefore, after settling his family, Jia Cong took his personal soldiers and returned to Jizhou again.

There is no need to remember how Lin Daiyu and other girls saw him off and how reluctant they were to leave. (End of this chapter)