Alternative Telling of Dream of Red Mansions: Cherishing Spring

Chapter 35: Yefeiye (3)
She watched Lai Yier walk out grandly, and then her family members followed her to serve her, and there were also maidservants outside the door, waiting to be ordered by her at any time.Ruhua raised her hands, and she was happy that the hands gradually became delicate and smooth. They regained the youth that she didn't have when she was 16 years old, like newly bloomed stamens.Feeling a little tired after entering the painting, she walked to the bed and slowly leaned down. The light blue cotton curtain was embroidered with indescribable flowers with luxuriant leaves.She was suddenly a little tired of her constant concern for Xichun, which made her feel that she had no self.She leaned there and looked at the flowers on the tent, sighed, and sighed: "Oh, my life is so cheap." Even so, she stood up, called the maidservant, and ordered, "Prepare me Car, I want to enter the mansion."

When entering the painting and entering the mansion, Xichun and Feng Ziying were quarreling. Xichun insisted on moving to a small house next to the bamboo forest, saying that it was clean, but Feng Ziying insisted not to let her move, and the two froze there.

Xichun rested overnight, and his face eased slightly, but his body hurts, and he leaned there not to move. Feng Ziying also leaned on the bed, his complexion turned yellow. He didn't feel tired after this night's tossing, because of Xichun. Because of being by my side, I also feel happy when I am angry, and when I vent it like this, my spirit looks better.This time he was lying outside, and the two of them were leaning against each other, close to each other, but there was a look of annoyance on their faces.

The people who were serving in the room were all scolded by Feng Ziying, and both of them were angry.Therefore, although it was sunny and warm outside, when Ruhua entered the room, he shivered a little, because of the condensed atmosphere in the room.

Seeing her coming in, Feng Ziying was even more excited than Xichun, she sat up straight and said, "Entering the painting, you came just in time!" Xichun glanced at him, but remained silent.Ruhua was originally next to the door, but when he saw him calling, he had no choice but to come forward, and said with a smile, "What do you want me to do?"

"Your lady wants to move out, I can't say no, you help me persuade her." Feng Ziying said angrily.Although Ruhua has been married for a long time, it is said that she is not Xichun's girl now, but whether it is herself or others, she is used to seeing her as Xichun's person, and she still says "you miss".

Ruhua knew Xichun's temperament very well, so he agreed to Feng Ziying, but he didn't dare to persuade him, he thought in his heart that it wasn't the two of you playing tricks and using me as a talking point.Therefore, I made up my mind to just smooth things over and not intervene.Standing by the side and calling "Miss", he didn't say much, just looked at the two with a smile.

There was silence again for a while, Fang Xichun lowered his head and said: "What do you want from me? It's not like what happened last night, your father scolded me like that, if I stay in your room, maybe something will happen next time! What should they say when people come and go and see it? Why bother to mess it up?” Feng Ziying wanted to say something at first, but when she looked at the wounds on her body, she felt guilty and said softly, “What happened yesterday will never happen again. I'll go and tell my annoying old man in a while and tell him not to come again."

Xichun glanced at him, shook her head and said: "The one who should come will come, I also heard what your mother said when she left yesterday, Yuchan still wants to come back, if she comes back, it's not sure if she sees us together What's the trouble, why bother? At that time, you're going to beg her to come back?" She sighed, and said quietly, "I also know that I won't be able to leave now, so I beg you to give me a quiet house to live in. , It’s okay to do what Miaoyu did at my house back then, as long as this is the case, there is still room for Yuchan to tell you when she comes back. I will leave when you recover from illness.”

"Where are you going?" Feng Ziying became anxious when she heard that she was still thinking about leaving, and she didn't care about being in the painting. Pick up Yuchan, it's just in time for her to go!"

Seeing that he reacted fiercely, Xichun seemed guilty, but instead felt helpless, and said calmly, "Don't be so red-faced, okay?" You said that my face was red and my ears were red, and your cold and hot words hurt people's hearts, wouldn't it be counted!"

Xichun held back her breath and said, "Who am I, wife or concubine, concubine or concubine, I beg you to be quiet and not to be talked about. I'd better die after all!" Heartbroken, the tears couldn't be held back for a while, and ran down his face.Entering the painting, she hurriedly wiped her tears with a handkerchief.Feng Ziying didn't take the painting as an outsider, so she wiped Xichun's tears with a handkerchief.He really loves Xichun. Seeing her crying, he couldn't bear it. When he spoke again, his voice softened a lot. He said: "I also know that you are in trouble. It's all my fault. It makes you difficult every time. Please help me." I need some time, I think of a way, let's go. Don't say anything about being a monk, I won't let you go with a knife on my neck, unless I die!"

Xichun spoke harshly, but she still couldn't let him go, seeing that he was willing to subdue and be condescending, she didn't want to get angry with him any more, thinking of this, her face softened, she held his hand and just sobbed.

Ruhua stayed by the side, already felt awkward, seeing the two of them reconciled, secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and because of Xichun's words, he remembered something, and said: "Girl, Ms. Miaoyu is not a monk anymore, she has returned to vulgarity."

Xichun looked up in surprise, and hurriedly said: "Don't talk nonsense, how could such a thing happen." Feng Ziying liked that Xichun didn't get angry with her, so she encouraged Ruhua to continue, saying: "Ruhua, sit down and tell you all about it in detail. Listen, girl, tell her to let go of her desire to become a monk, thank you!" He bowed to Ru Hua as he spoke.

Seeing him in such a situation, Xichun still had no time to act, and she loved and pitied him in her heart, but she couldn't help smiling when she rolled her eyes at him, "Don't bother with him, let's talk about ourselves!"

Ruhua pursed his lips and smiled, moved a short table and sat down beside the bed, and said, "Actually, I don't know the reason very well, I'm afraid I'm still familiar with it." Xichun tilted her head and glanced at Feng Ziying: "You know ?"

Feng Ziying put her hands straight beside her and said blankly: "Don't hurt me, I only heard Xichun talk about this person, I have nothing to do with her, I have never seen her before!"

Seeing his flustered look when entering the painting, he laughed and said, "I'm in a hurry to explain what I'm doing. I mean, the person she's with now is more familiar with me than us. I also heard what our family Yuanyi said." Feng Ziying was very relieved, He smiled and said, "Which one did you say it was?"

Entering the painting, he said: "The Chen family." Feng Ziying thought for a while, then slapped her thigh and said, "I know! It turned out to be him!" Just as he was about to continue speaking, a maid shouted at the door: "Master and wife have passed the meal. "

Ru Hua stood up and smiled and said, "It's not a short story. When it's time for dinner, the master and the girl will eat first, and then lie here and talk slowly. Wouldn't it be good!" He said and glanced at Feng Ziying.Feng Ziying understood what it meant, and leaned into Xichun's ear and said, "I'm hungry, aren't you hungry? Could it be that you're so angry with me that you don't even care about your body. If you don't eat, don't expect me to tell you."

On the one hand, Xichun resented him for being a sleazy rascal, but in her heart she really loved his tenderness and care. Unknowingly, she was caught by him, she shook her head and sighed with a smile: "Are you a ghost who stalks the dead and reincarnated?" Putting aside the doubts, he agreed to have dinner with him.Seeing them nodding, Ruhua quickly turned around and went out, asking the maidservant to bring in the food.

When Ruhua was serving Xichun in the mansion, Lai Yier went far away to collect rent from the Zhuangzi in the south of the city. When he got out of the Zhuangzi, he went to Baijiazhuang to get the title deed, rode through the Anding Gate, and saw the Lama Temple from afar. I can hear the sound of bells and chimes, and the color of the trees in the evening smoke sets off the indescribable majesty. This is the place where the dragon dives today. Now it has been a Lama Temple, and the incense is flourishing, so it is very lively.

Lai Yi'er thought of her father who died as a monk and practiced Taoism, her heart jolted as if on a horse, and she sighed secretly.On this side, I saw a person walking by the side of the street.Lai Yi'er shouted, "It's easy to go, sir, where are you going?" Said and jumped off the horse.The visitor was walking forward in a hurry, but he stopped when he heard the sound, and cupped his hands and said, "Hi, butler!"

Lai Yi'er led the horse and walked up to him to bow and said: "Mr. Zhang, is he going to kill the villain! This is not in the mansion, you call me that, do I have a place to stand in front of you!" It was Zhang Youshi, still wearing a plain shirt and a black cloth jacket, his face was a little pale, he looked like a schoolteacher, not like a well-known doctor who worked in a famous hospital in Beijing or Taiyuan.Hearing this, he smiled, stood and received half a salute from him, and asked, "Where did you come from?" Just as Lai Yi'er was about to speak, a land deed fell out of him, it was because he was too hasty when he dismounted Therefore.Lai Yi'er bent down to pick it up, stuffed it into his sleeve and forced a smile, "Go to Zhuangzi to ask about the annual rent on my behalf." Zhang Youshi's sharp eyes saw it was a land deed, but he pretended not to see it and typed it. Haha turned his head and only pretended to look at the sky, and said to Lai Yier: "It's getting late, I'm going home. Goodbye." Then he cupped his hands and was about to leave.

Lai Yier saw him acting strangely and asked him to ask a question, but the sudden fall of the land deed almost didn't make him confused, and he didn't bother to ask if he wanted to ask. Something, Lai Yier shouted: "Sir, go slowly, the villain has something to trouble you." Zhang Youshi had a gentlemanly demeanor, and said, "It's okay to say something." At this time, Lai Yier stabilized his mind, his smile became natural, and he said "I seem to be happy, I'm not sure, I want to invite Mr. to take a look." Zhang Youshi nodded and smiled: "It's such a good thing, I'm happy to do it. I will definitely go to the house tomorrow." Lai Yi'er hurriedly said: "Then I'll send someone to pick him up?" Zhang Youshi waved his hand and said, "I'm going to the mansion for a follow-up visit tomorrow, and I'll go find you when I'm done, and we'll go to your mansion together."

Lai Yi'er was grateful, and because of what happened just now, she was a little guilty, so she tried to persuade her to stay: "It's getting late, sir, why bother rushing back now, why don't we just find a tavern near here and go home after eating?" It’s not clean and tidy.” Zhang Youshi’s family lives in Mimian Hutong, which is not far away, but he lives alone. Although the family employs an old servant and a drug boy, the old one is too old, the young one is too young, and there are differences between the master and the servant. , the three are not too close.He was depressed today, and it was right for him to invite him to drink. Zhang Youshi lowered his head and thought for a while and said, "That's fine. But I'll be the host for this meal. If you are the host, I won't charge tomorrow's consultation fee." .”

Lai Yi'er clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "I am the host, and my husband's consultation fee is probably a lot for this meal. I want to take advantage of this." Although Zhang Youshi did not have a deep relationship with Lai Yi'er, he had always heard Feng Ziying praise him Ling Li, seeing him like this, I saw that his words and demeanor have a lot to win people's hearts, but he did it just right, not annoying, so he couldn't help being a little impressed.

The two turned half a street and arrived at a tavern on the side of the street. Someone had already taken Lai Yi'er's horse to the stables behind to feed fodder.Zhang Youshi entered the door and saw the noisy downstairs, he couldn't help frowning, he came carefully, and immediately asked the waiter: "Is there a quieter seat?" The waiter was startled, and said with a smile: "Yes, there is , It's just..." Before he finished speaking, he took out a silver ingot from his pocket and threw it away. When the clerk looked at it, there were three or two layers of silver with frosted edges, and he immediately smiled and bowed. Said: "Grandpa, the clip is broken in the shop, I'm afraid I won't be able to find it."

"What are you talking about! There are only two of us, and you will be rewarded if you have more. This is not the first time you have come here." Lai Yier said.One sentence made the waiter's heart burst into laughter: "Thank you for the reward!" Immediately, he was as light and dexterous as a butterfly wearing a flower, leading the two of them upstairs.The two sat upstairs, and Zhang Youshi raised his hand and ordered three dishes: Guotaofuhe, Wusitong, and Grilled Cabbage Heart, and smiled at Lai Yier: "These three dishes are the signature dishes of this restaurant, you need to try them." " Lai Yi'er smiled and said, "So you are the old customer! I'm being rude." Yin laughed, "I still want to eat some meat, because without meat makes people thin." Added drunk chicken and a tripe hot pot To accompany the meal, I asked for a jar of old wine, and then asked the waiter to go down to do it.

After several glasses of wine, Zhang Youshi's pale face turned red. When he saw Xichun yesterday, he touched a hidden feeling in his heart. He suffered from having no one to talk about, which made him feel depressed.It just so happens that Yier invites him to eat wine, half-cooked or half-cooked is better, just eat wine and persuade food, no matter what else.He is a man of sophistication, with one glance at his intentions and a smile on his face, he knows that it is something wrong with the land deed, if he doesn't come to eat this meal, it will become a heartache between the two of them, so he simply came to pick it up, so that he can feel at ease .The meal lasted until Shenzheng time, and the two of them broke up. Zhang Youshi declined to see Yier off, but this time Yier didn't insist on coming, and waited to see him go far before riding home.

Leaning against the wall, Zhang Youshi walked home drunk, and when they opened the door, the two families saw that he was drunk, and they didn't dare to ask more questions, so they quickly helped him into the back room. Outsiders, doing things they want to do but dare not do, seem to inadvertently open the gate of the garden that has been confinement for a long time, and even reveal some clues to themselves.

Zhang Youshi leaned on the chair for a while, then stood up slowly, went to the study, took out a box on the bookshelf, wiped the corners carefully with a cloth, and then opened it under the lamp. Inside the box was a roll of portraits .Zhang Youshi fell down on the chair for a moment, hesitantly opened the portrait, and sighed to the person in the painting: "There have been rumors recently, and I only know that she is your daughter..."

The person in the painting is Keqing. At the age of 20, she sits leaning against a flower, the corners of her mouth are raised, like a peach blossom smiling in the east wind, and her eyebrows and eyes are clear and springy.She was frozen in memory with a charming smile, and she always looked like a carefree girl, never knowing that someone would cry in front of her portrait without sleep.

Zhang Youshi looked at the portrait with a serious expression, the candlelight reflected on his face, like dust that could not be wiped off, the old things came out of nowhere, lingering on his body and mind.He silently recalled the past, honestly, when he looked back at half his life, he burst into tears.

We met on the Moshang for the first time, and we made a mistake to close the business.Among them, you love me and I wish, and the entanglement is difficult to clear up, and it can't be judged in a few words.

Drunk and dazed, Zhang Youshi stood up.He saw Xichun walking towards him, but her figure looked like Keqing, he froze there, trying to distinguish clearly.The woman smiled at him and walked out the door.Zhang Youshi didn't have time to think about it, so he hurriedly chased after him. He seemed to be fascinated by something, but he was very sober, and followed the woman all the way out. The strange thing was that no one stopped him.He went out the door, but he didn't see the woman, but suddenly he felt relieved, Shi Shiran walked on the road, as if his purpose was not to find her anymore, he just walked forward on his own.After a while, I came to a bustling and lively place, surrounded by towering towers, noisy, and boats on the lake, and the shore was crowded with people. Zhang Youshi was walking on the street, surrounded by people who carried burdens, burned incense, and sold snacks. Foot stomps.He was not greedy for the scenery, he turned around a few streets in the familiar way, turned into an alley, stood at the door and called the door, handed him a letter and a badge, and waited for someone to lead him in to meet someone.

He went in to meet the people in the hall, and only then remembered that he had already passed the examination as a scholar, and his father wrote a letter asking him to bring it to his uncle Qin Ye, who was an official in the capital.Tell him to go to his uncle's house to study, the nearest township examination.Qin Ye was very friendly, asked him about the situation in his family warmly, and praised him for his progress.He also ordered people to tidy up his residence and prepare his clothes, and at the same time asked the cook to prepare meals for him.Zhang Youshi thanked them one by one and took them.When Fang was about to leave, some family members came to report that the young master and young lady had returned home.

Qin Ye called him to stop him, and said with a half-smile: "It's all a family, let's meet." Zhang Youshi was puzzled, and thought to himself: "On weekdays at home, I only hear my parents say that my aunt died young. This uncle is old-fashioned and runs the family. Rigorous, unexpectedly so open.Thinking about it, a boy of twelve or thirteen rushed in and greeted him, but it was his cousin Qin Zhong.Qin Ye took the opportunity to give Qin Zhong a few words, telling him to follow Zhang Youshi to study more in order to improve his studies. .

At that moment, Qin Ye asked, "Where's your sister?" Qin Zhong replied, "My sister said that there are outsiders, and it's inconvenient for her to see her, so she went inside first." Qin Ye couldn't help nodding and smiling and said, "This is where your sister knows etiquette." Smiling at Zhang Youshi, "Your sister has already agreed to someone else." Zhang Youshi nodded, his heart was at a loss, he didn't know where his thoughts had drifted, and he caught a glimpse of a figure passing by outside the window, ignoring the presence of others, hurriedly After chasing him out, he shouted, "Keqing! Where are you going?"

For a while in the garden again, she was sitting in front of the flowers, and a painter painted her a portrait. No matter what Qin Zhong provoked her, she never smiled. It was because she was about to get married and wanted to keep a portrait for her father as a souvenir. The painter was dull, She was depressed and smiled unnaturally.Zhang Youshi watched silently outside the garden for a long time, and couldn't help but walked in and said, "How about I draw it for you?"

Seeing him coming in, Mrs. Qin stood up in surprise, and didn't run away because she was familiar with her. After being slightly surprised, she smiled and saluted, "So, thank you brother!" When he saw her sit down, his smile became more relaxed, and he looked at her for a while. Lifting his pen to draw her, he sat there as if for a while, and also for many years.As the painting gradually took shape, he began to feel inexplicably sour.The bitterness is like poplar flowers in the garden, drifting away, melting into the eyes and turning into tears.

With tears in his eyes, he didn't dare to look up. He was inexplicably humble and felt like a thief.Seeing Mrs. Qin get up and leave, in a blink of an eye, he put on a red wedding dress, wearing a dragon bracelet and a phoenix crown, and left on the sedan chair. He stood in the garden, looking up at the rolling red waves outside the wall. The pain is unbearable - he cannot help but deny that there is no part in this life.He was just a passer-by in her life, a stranger who stood outside the wall and had the status of a relative, but had no choice but to draw a portrait.

Struggling to wake up, still holding Qin's portrait in his hand, Zhang Youshi stood up and looked out, the yard was pitch black, presumably the boy and the old servant were fast asleep.He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and still remembered the plot of the dream very clearly. He knew that he was not remembering, but was repeating some past plots, taking the opportunity to relive the buried emotions.It's a kind of self-suggestion and release.

But Qing never knew that he loved her to the bone.Because at that time Zhang Youshi didn't know that he would love Qin Shi to the bone.The so-called lovers are all imprinted by time, and it is necessary to leave time to verify the depth of truth and falsehood.He buried his memory of her deeply, like burying a pottery under a tree, with Xinsheng lotus leaves and white jasmine inside.Converge them when they are most prosperous, so as to preserve the most perfect and vivid memory.Years and months later, if the lid is no longer lifted, it will not rot.

He used himself to make this pottery to test whether the relationship can last long.

(End of this chapter)