The Red Mansion is so charming

Chapter 24

Before Xue Baochai entered Jia Baoyu's room, he felt the dark fragrance and shadows, and the osmanthus haunted his heart.Xue Baochai's footsteps were wrong. Standing at the door of Baoyu's room, she heard Baoyu yelling what a little girl was doing, occasionally mixed with the voice of the attacker.

Xue Baochai sighed, this Brother Bao must be making some useless rouge powder in the house, isn't he afraid that the second master will see it?

"Why is Miss Bao standing here?"

Musk Moon appeared from some corner, holding a big bundle in her hand and looking at Baochai with a smile. "It's so cold, it's hard for Miss Bao to come to see our second master. Go in quickly."

Baochai's eyes glanced at Sheyue's bundle intentionally or unintentionally, and asked inadvertently, "What is Brother Bao doing at home? It smells so fragrant."

Sheyue handed her burden forward, her tone full of helplessness: "It's not an old problem, I'm making rouge. Look, Miss Bao, I just sent Mingyan to go outside to buy materials."

Baochai smiled softly: "It's cold, even if you make ointment, it may not be able to condense, it's better to wait for the spring of the next year to start. If the girl in your house is in a hurry, I have a shop that specializes in rouge and gouache. Things It is clean and easy to use, which one do you need, ask Brother Bao to write a list, and I will send someone to deliver it."

Sheyue knew that Baochai was always facing the sky, and the family didn't spare such things, but the Xue family was rich and generous, and even the little girls around Baoyu were more than willing to play with her.

Sheyue laughed and said, "That's naturally better. It's better than Baoyu doing it by himself. You don't know," Muskyue said, raising the curtain to invite Xue Baochai into the room. "For this, I don't even want to read books. The attackers dare not say it."

The attacker in the house heard the movement at the door, and hurried over to have a look, and saw that it was Xue Baochai, as if he had been rescued: "Miss Bao, please persuade the second master, these two days are the New Year's Eve, the master will definitely ask about your studies. Things, but look at our second master!"

Xiren stretched out his hand and pointed at Jia Baoyu. Jia Baoyu was pulling Qingwen and Qiu Wen to the top of the fire, directing this sauce for a while, and directing that mill for a while. He was very busy.

Xue Baochai asked secretly: "I just heard the second grandma order someone to send rouge, gouache and other things to your house two days ago. Could it be that the things are not good, so Baoyu has to redo them?"

Jia's family has many maids, and the ancestors are more sympathetic to the servants. The maids and servants have four pieces of clothes every spring, summer, autumn and winter.There are also rouge powder, rose salt, jasmine powder, etc., which are also supplied by Gongzhong, but the quality is slightly worse.The little maids often don’t care, they are used to being poor at home, and the master’s gift is a great gift, but the big maids like Xiren and Qingwen are not used to it, and they also follow the example of the ladies and buy them separately with monthly money. Come and use it.

The maids around Baoyu are different. Baoyu likes to work on it the most, so he often uses his monthly routine to buy materials for their use.

Hearing Xue Baochai's question, Xiren shook his head helplessly: "Of course the second grandma sends good ones, it's Miss Lin."

Xue Baochai's heart moved slightly, and he looked carefully at Xiren's behavior, and saw Xiren said indifferently: "Miss Lin just sent a letter, saying that Baoyu should send back a copy of those ancient prescriptions that she had received before. Baoyu has it." These words are simply more effective than the imperial decree, not only do you have to send the list back, but also say that Miss Lin may not be able to do it well, why don't he prepare a few first, and it will meet Miss Lin's urgent need."

Xue Baochai just smiled and said nothing, leaving behind the Xiren who were still talking, and went into the inner room.

"Brother Bao is very interested."

Jia Baoyu looked up and was surprised to see Xue Baochai, and put the small bowl in his hand aside with a smile: "So it's Sister Bao, I just heard Xiren talking to someone, so I should have guessed it was you." Baoyu pulled Xue Baochai Walking to the side of the big book table: "Sister Bao, look, this is the 'One Morning Chunhui' I just made, it is placed in a golden flower and silver box, it is most suitable for applying the face when the weather is cold, it can lighten the face of willows , the effect of removing the blemishes forever.”

Xue Baochai looked at it coldly, this rouge cream was indeed different from the ones she saw usually, the cream was condensed and snowy, and the liquid was fragrant, it should be an ancient prescription from Xiren.

Baochai laughed and said, "Brother Bao's work is of course good. By the way, I heard from Xiren that Sister Lin has written?"

Baoyu nodded again and again, and handed the letter to Baochai attentively. Baochai looked at it and pondered for a while.Seeing that Baochai didn't look happy, Baoyu asked, "What's the matter, Sister Bao?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just, I just feel a little strange." Baochai shook her head and smiled, "Maybe I'm overthinking."

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu clearly sensed that something was wrong. In his mind, as long as it was related to Daiyu, it was no small matter.Jia Baoyu stood up and circled Baochai, begging: "My dear sister, what kind of strange method are you talking about?"

Even Qingwen and Qiuwen, who were squeezing juice on the opposite side of the desk, stopped their movements and stared at Xue Baochai intently.

Seeing helplessness, Xue Baochai could only express her doubts: "You know Miss Lin, who is similar to me. She rarely uses these rouge powders, and at most she rubs some rose nitrate in spring. Why did she suddenly send someone to the house to ask for it? This? And it doesn’t matter too much, and you want Brother Bao’s ancient recipe by name?”

The attacker was shocked: "What does Bao girl mean?"

Jia Baoyu also sensed something was wrong: "But, it's just a few prescriptions, so there won't be any dirty things in it!"

Before Xue Baochai could speak, the attacker had already said: "My second master, your thinking is too simple. You know where this prescription came from. It's the Qing people around the master who like it. The second master likes this, and it took a lot of trouble to get these ancient prescriptions. We are a wealthy family, but if we use it as a plaything, it can be put in any rouge shop outside, it is the treasure of the shop."

Jia Baoyu's ears are soft, first he listened to the words of his most respectable sister Bao, and then his most trusted Xiren, Baoyu himself lost his mind when he made trouble.

Qingwen wanted to speak, but Qiuwen, who was standing next to her, tugged at Qingwen's jacket, "Don't worry too much, lest Grandma Xiren make you feel uncomfortable at night."

In normal times, Qingwen, who is so hot, doesn't mind if she doesn't listen to Qiuwen's words. If she listens to it, she will even have a fight with Xiren, but yesterday the second wife came to Baoyu's room and saw that she was lazing on the bed. Qingwen's tone became bad.Qingwen knew that the second wife liked attacking people, and if Xiren spoke ill of her in front of the second wife, Qingwen's good days in Jia's house would come to an end.

Baoyu was at a loss as she looked at the half-finished makeup on the table, "Keep sister Lin."

Baochai laughed and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking it. You should still send the list. Sister Ruolin is really urgent. If we don't send it, she will think more about it."

Xiren stood behind Baoyu and took the opportunity to say: "If I say that it will only be half a month or so before I arrive in Suzhou, you will first send our servants to deliver these finished rouges in person, and then ask Miss Lin what she used. Well, if it’s good, what’s the matter if you send the list again? These ancient prescriptions are all the wishes of the old gentlemen, and the second master hastily sent them out, once they reach the ears of the old gentlemen.”

Baoyu thought of the relationship between those clean-up customers and his father, and felt fear in his heart, so he hurriedly said, "Let's do it this way." Baoyu hurriedly called Li Gui. Then, Baoyu asked Li Gui to look for those time-honored gouache shops, no matter how much money he had, he bought only the most expensive and most exquisite ones and came back with a big burden, and asked Li Gui to follow him overnight with two servants. Jia Lian's men returned to Suzhou.

Unconsciously, the New Year is approaching, and the yamen in various places in Suzhou have also begun to take vacations. They all say that the magistrate will be cleared for three years and will receive a hundred thousand snowflakes.Although Xing Zhong is not the magistrate, Suzhou is one of the most affluent places in the world. Being able to be a small county magistrate in Suzhou will definitely earn a lot of money at the end of the year.

Xing Zhong is not that kind of greedy person, he divides the filial money from below into three parts, one part is tribute to his immediate boss Bai Youshan, one part is given to Xiuyan’s mother, and one part is rewarded to the servants in the yamen. It's a year of hard work.

Xing Zhong just took office, and the people under him are all guessing what he is doing. Seeing that Xing Zhong is not a stingy person, he is even more magnanimous and kind than Bai Youshan when he was there, and the officers and teachers respect Xing Zhong more. , Since then, he has worked harder, and Xing Zhong has been promoted step by step, which is not unrelated to this.

On this day, Lu ordered his family, who had packed up early, to get in the car at the door. Neighbors on both sides knew that the county grandpa's family was going to the countryside for the festival, so they all sent people to see them off.

The Lu family left a few young men in their prime to look after the house, and Xing Zhong entrusted the yamen servants to take care of the house, and then he drove to the countryside in a few carts.

The third aunt of the Xing family knew that her brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces were arriving today, so she was eagerly waiting at the door early in the morning. Zhang Yi was afraid that his mother would be blown by the cold wind, so she refused to listen to her advice several times.

"Come here!" The third aunt of the Xing family shouted loudly when she saw a few small shadows like ants in the distance.Zhang Yi leaped out, looked into the distance, and said happily: "It really is my uncle's house, mother, I will go to meet you."

Before Grandma Sangu had time to tell her son to wear an extra piece of clothing, Zhang Yi had already jumped a hundred meters away. "Uncle!" As he said that, he stretched out his hand to pull the horse's rein.

Xing Zhong didn't get off his horse, but just smiled and said to Jia Lian, "This is my nephew, you should call him cousin Zhang Yi."

Jia Lian already knew from Xing Zhong that when the third aunt got married, the man's family had a son, Zhang Yi in front of him, who had a very good relationship with the Xing family, and treated the third aunt like his own mother.

Jia Lian didn't dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xing Zhong, so he got off his horse and said, "Cousin."

Zhang Yi had also heard about Jia Lian's identity, but seeing this young man's good looks, he looked like a son of a wealthy family, not the son of a nouveau riche like those in the countryside.After seeing the ceremony, Zhang Yi and Jia Lian led everyone home.

At the gate, Lizheng and the third uncle from the village had been waiting for a long time, Xing Zhong was now the magistrate of the county, and he was in charge of the people of one side.

A lot of blind daters gathered at the gate, until several carts of the Xing family entered the yard, they were still reluctant to leave for a long time.

(End of this chapter)