Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

When Mrs. Wang entered the hall, she saw Wang Xifeng talking to Lady Jia. She was slightly stunned and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

She chose to go to Rongqing Hall in the afternoon because she knew that at this time, there would be the fewest people walking around in Rongqing Hall, and it would be the most suitable time to talk to Lady Jia about personal matters.

With Wang Xifeng present, her words were always less forthright, but she wanted to help Baoyu find someone to sleep with him, and this matter would not hinder Wang Xifeng, so she didn't have to worry about it.

She looked at Wang Xifeng and smiled, "Feng girl looks very well. She is four or five months pregnant now. She should move around more often. The delivery will be much smoother."

Mrs. Wang exchanged a few pleasantries and then returned to the main topic, saying, "I came here today to talk about some personal matters. I wanted to talk to the old lady. Feng girl is here too, so she can help me with some advice."

Mrs. Wang's words were very warm and full of joy. She kept looking at Yuanyang, who was massaging Lady Jia's legs, with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

Yuanyang was depressed and absent-minded because of what Wang Xifeng said just now, so she naturally didn't notice the strangeness of Mrs. Wang's expression.

But Grandmother Jia was a person who had been immersed in the imperial palace all her life, and she knew her second daughter-in-law's personality very well. After hearing her words and the look she gave Yuanyang, she guessed some of her intentions.

"Yuanyang, I see that you are not in good spirits. I think you have been busy since early in the morning. You can go to the back and rest first. We women can stay and talk."

When Mrs. Wang saw Yuanyang return to the back hall, she felt a little relieved.

It is said that Baoyu was once the treasure king of Rongguo Mansion, surrounded by flowers and dazzling brilliance, and all the maids in the mansion loved Baoyu. Mrs. Wang was very sure of this.

But now the second branch has fallen into decline and has moved out of the Rongguo Mansion. The most dazzling young man in the Rongguo Mansion is no longer her own Baoyu, and Mrs. Wang no longer has that confidence in her heart.

Last year, Jia She forced Yuanyang to be his concubine. Yuanyang refused to obey and almost committed suicide with a pair of hidden scissors.

Although she is a maid born in a family, she is very strong-willed. If she doesn't want to do something, no one can force her.

Mrs. Wang knew clearly that only the old lady had the final say in this matter, and Yuanyang was a loyal servant, so she would probably agree for the sake of the old lady's face.

Besides, Baoyu himself is handsome and young, so he is no match for the half-buried thing of the eldest master.

Mrs. Wang said, "Madam, Baoyu will be old enough to dance with an elephant in April, and according to the rules of our family, we must choose two maids to go into his room.

I have paid close attention over the years, and among all the people around Baoyu, Xiren is the best. After all, she was trained by the old lady and is three points better than the others.

But apart from Xiren, there is still one person missing. The master and I have discussed this, and among the maids around the master and me, there is not a single one that we are proud of, and no one can compare to Xiren.

The old lady loves Baoyu, so she naturally knows that he is a naughty boy. When we are not around, she can only hear a few words from Xiren.

But now, as the years go by, Xiren is more or less alone and it is difficult for her to do anything. Only if there is another person like her serving Baoyu can it be truly appropriate.

My master and I have the same idea. Among all the people in the house, the ones trained by the old lady are the best and most capable, and Xiren is a living example.

So I came here now to shamelessly ask for favors from the old lady."

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she was also stunned.

Wang Xifeng's expression was even more interesting.

I just shut the old lady up with words to prevent her from sending maids to Cong Lao Sanfang and setting up trouble in the territory of the first house.

My own aunt actually came along and had the nerve to ask for a girl from the old lady's room.

Without even looking at how many maids there are in Baoyu's room, he shows off his wealth even more than the master of the house. He even wants to steal things from the West Mansion. He is really shameless.

……

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Today is a good day. The aunt and niece actually said they were going together. Feng girl was also telling Cong about this."

After hearing this, Madam Wang felt uncomfortable and said, "Everyone in the mansion knows that the maids that Cong-ge has are all very good-looking. Why does she need to reward him with more gifts, Madam?"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "A maid who enters the room cannot just look good, she must also be knowledgeable and polite, and be considerate. She must not only be able to guide young men, but also be able to produce blood.

Cong'er and Baoyu are both my grandsons. I gave Xiren to Baoyu before, so it would be bad to favor one over the other, so I thought of picking one for Cong'er as well. I was talking about this with Feng girl.

Tell me, which one do you like now?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Of course, everyone the old lady has taken care of is good, but the best one is Yuanyang."

Grandmother Jia was a little surprised to hear this. No wonder the second daughter-in-law's eyes and words just now asked him to send the maidservants away and wanted to say something private.

It turned out that she was here for her mandarin duck, no wonder she hinted at me to send people away so that she could ask for it.

When Wang Xifeng heard that Mrs. Wang wanted to ask for Yuanyang, she was slightly shocked.

She didn't like that Lady Jia used Yuanyang to drive nails into the main room, but she also didn't want to see Yuanyang become Baoyu's concubine.

Ever since Jia Cong inherited the hereditary title of Rong, the second branch of the Jia family has completely lost its foundation, leaving only Baoyu to hang around in the West Mansion.

Wang Xifeng was waiting for Baoyu to get married so that she could leave the West Mansion quickly, but if Baoyu married Yuanyang, things would be different in the future.

Because Yuanyang and the old lady have a very special relationship, if she were to move into Baoyu's room, the second room and the old lady would become closer, and their entanglement would become even more complicated in the future...

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Madam, you have good taste. Among all the maids in the mansion, the one that we are most proud of is Yuanyang. It is only with the methods used by our ancestors that we were able to raise such an outstanding maid.

However, although Yuanyang is a maid, she has a strong temper. Although the lady wants to promote her, she must be willing to do so, and only then can it become a good thing. "

When Grandmother Jia understood what Wang Xifeng meant, her heart tightened slightly. She was the maid she had trained since she was a child, and she knew her temperament best.

When her eldest son wanted to take her as his concubine, she was unwilling, so she carried a pair of scissors with her and cut off a lock of her hair. If she was forced into a corner, she would end her life!

Yuanyang is Lady Jia's personal maid. She knows her mother's temper best. She is a stubborn person who cannot be persuaded even by eight oxen.

She had already secretly chosen who she liked, and Grandmother Jia knew it better than anyone else.

According to Lady Jia's personality, she would have left all her good things to Baoyu before returning them, but as for Yuanyang, she never thought about it because it was simply not feasible.

If I really listened to my daughter-in-law's plea and really let Yuanyang enter Baoyu's room, I'm afraid someone would die...

Even though Yuanyang swallowed her anger and obeyed, she was in Baoyu's room, thinking about the other boys, who were all young and could control themselves...

These two brothers will cause scandal sooner or later. Such things are not uncommon in big mansions. By then, it will be out of control.

In addition to this, Grandmother Jia had another worry in her mind.

Things in this world are just so strange sometimes.

Whenever you give something voluntarily, you will be generous and cheerful, and won't have any suspicions or hidden thoughts.

However, when someone came to ask for it, and it was her daughter-in-law, it was easy for her to doubt the motives...

Just now, in order to help the eldest house guard the gate tightly, Wang Xifeng used sweet words in front of Lady Jia, but Lady Jia did not think it was unreasonable.

This is not only because Wang Xifeng is smart and knows Lady Jia's temperament well.

The more important reason is that Wang Xifeng is Jia Mu's granddaughter-in-law, and the two are of different generations, so Jia Mu naturally has less grudges and guard against Wang Xifeng.

However, the dirty things between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are probably an eternal theme...

When Lady Xing helped Jia She force Yuanyang to marry, Grandmother Jia could see through her eldest daughter-in-law's plan at a glance. Now that Lady Wang wants Yuanyang, doesn't Grandmother Jia understand at all?

Grandmother Jia smiled at Mrs. Wang and said, "It is her blessing that you like Yuanyang, but what Feng girl said also makes sense.

Yuanyang is a good child in every way except that she has a strong temper and is very stubborn. I can marry her off to someone else and I think she won't object.

But it also depends on her own thoughts. Otherwise, if she is unwilling, what's the fun of this kind of thing?

I'll think about what you're talking about. After all, Baoyu and Cong'er both have birthdays this year, so it's not too late as long as we can get them married this year."

When Mrs. Wang heard what Lady Jia said, she was stunned. How could she not hear that Lady Jia was making an excuse?

According to the old lady's words, how could Yuanyang not be used to a handsome boy like Baoyu? How could this be possible? Her own Baoyu was born with a jade in his mouth...

Or maybe Yuanyang doesn't want to be the master's concubine, and is willing to be the old lady's servant forever, unless she is really out of her mind.

Also, I was just talking to the old lady about Baoyu, why did the old lady also bring up Cong'er?

Could it be that the old lady was referring to Yuanyang when she said she would also give that boy a maid? Otherwise, why did Feng say such cold words just now? When Mrs. Wang thought of this, she became furious. Although she suppressed her anger, her face became a little stiff.

That little beast in the East Mansion is simply lawless. He will come and snatch away anything that belongs to Baoyu, no matter if it’s Baoyatou or Yuanyang!
……

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiang Garden.

In March, there are seven or eight pear trees in the yard. Their branches are not only lush and green, but also dotted with bright white pear blossoms that sway in the wind, exuding an intoxicating fragrance.

In the inner room of the main house, the west-facing window lattices were propped up, and the spring sunshine mixed with the fragrance of pear blossoms flowed into the house, illuminating the embroidered bed, tables, chairs, vases and other furniture.

Baochai was sitting beside the Luohan bed under the west window, flipping through a copy of "Pipa Xing" in her hand.

She wore a light yellow double-breasted jacket with pink trim, a tea-white tube top underneath, and a long skirt embroidered with orchids.

The jet-black bun on her head shone with a shiny black luster in the sunlight, setting off her picturesque eyebrows, sparkling eyes, and fair and smooth skin, making her appearance even more beautiful.

The curtain at the door was lifted, and the maid Ying'er trotted in with a rectangular wooden box in her hands, looking happy.

He said, "Miss, the top-grade Korean snow ginseng you wanted has been bought by Shopkeeper Zhao in the shop. He said it was a wild animal that was thirty years old and it was very hard to get it."

Baochai put down the book in her hand, her face lit up with a charming smile. She took the wooden box from Ying'er's hand, in which was placed a pair of milky white ginseng with neatly arranged roots as thick as fingers, more than two palms long.

She leaned over to smell the medicinal aroma of the snow ginseng and said with a smile, "It is indeed the best Korean snow ginseng."

Then he asked, "You told Shopkeeper Zhao to follow my instructions, but you didn't tell him that I prepared it for Brother Cong?"

Ying Er smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. You have explained it to me in detail, so how could I say something wrong? I just said that you were suffering from weak qi and restlessness, so you bought it to replenish your body.

When Manager Zhao heard that the girl was going to use it herself, he handled the matter with extra care.

It’s just that the girl originally prepared it for the Third Master, and it’s also a favor from our family relatives, so why won’t you let me say it?

Originally, Madam wanted to move out of Rongguo Mansion, but Third Master was so loyal that he let us stay. Just out of this favor, Miss is a little worried about Third Master, but it’s just a courtesy.”

Baochai said, "How can you know the depth of the matter? In a few days, Brother Congcong will take his place in the imperial examination. The whole world is watching the Spring Examination, where the good and the turbulent will mingle and waves will surge.

A few days ago, several shop owners came to my house to report their accounts and talked about the rumors that the candidates in the capital were paying homage to officials and establishing connections, which was causing a lot of noise.

The Cong brothers were extremely talented and were the top scorers in Yongzhou. They were not only famous among the candidates in Yongzhou, but also popular figures in this spring's imperial examination in the eyes of candidates from various states who were going to Beijing.

He attracted so much attention that some people admired him, while others were jealous of him. Under such circumstances, it was very easy for disputes and accidents to arise.

Haven't you heard that in the past two months, the number of candidates who came to Beijing to pay a visit to the Earl's Mansion has almost broken down the threshold of the East Palace, and how many visiting cards have been handed in?

The Cong brothers both closed their doors to visitors, refusing to receive anyone, on the grounds that they were preparing for the exam and in mourning. They did not want to cause any trouble at this critical juncture of the Spring Examination.

We must be on guard against others now. If people knew that we bought the top-grade snow ginseng for Brother Cong, it would be very dangerous if someone did something bad to the ginseng!"

Ying'er looked a little frightened when she heard Baochai's words. She said, "Thank goodness the young lady thought it through carefully and said only that it was for her own use. The shopkeeper at home will be even more afraid to make the slightest mistake."

Baochai took a pair of clean scissors, cut off a few ginseng roots, put them into Tan's mouth and chewed them gently. After a moment, she smiled and said, "The medicinal power is strong. It is indeed a good ginseng."

Jin Chuan, who was standing by, asked curiously, "I know that the girl is very good at knitting and sewing, and can write and compose poetry, but I didn't expect that she even knows about the pharmacology of plants and trees?"

Baochai smiled and said, "I can't say I understand it very well. When I was a child in my hometown in Jinling, there were many brothers and sisters in my family. None of them could read serious books with peace of mind.

I was very naughty when I was a child. I spent the whole day reading miscellaneous books for fun. My father was a book collector and he never restricted me in these matters.

So in my daily life, apart from serious books like The Book of Filial Piety and Admonitions for Women, I also read all kinds of other books, such as collections of poetry and prose, miscellaneous works of drama, Buddhist scriptures, medical books, and stories about dreams and strange things.

In addition, he had a chronic illness since childhood. Before he got the Lengxiang Pills from the sea, his family had used countless precious medicinal materials to suppress the disease.

I have eaten a lot of this kind of Korean snow ginseng since I was a child, so I know the pharmacology of snow ginseng very well. I can tell whether it is good or not just by tasting it.

Brother Cong has a farm in Liaodong, and I think he has a lot of good Liaodong wild ginseng in his warehouse. However, Liaodong wild ginseng is hot in nature and very nutritious, so it is suitable for people with weak diseases, but not suitable for ordinary people to use frequently.

Korean snow ginseng, on the other hand, is a warm and cool substance that can best replenish qi and gather spirit, generate essence and invigorate energy. It is most suitable for the Cong brothers to use when they are about to take the spring examination.

He will stay in the prison for nine days, and his eating and sleeping habits are not as good as at home. He also has three consecutive exams, which is very exhausting. Bringing some high-quality snow ginseng to replenish his energy and spirit will be very useful. "

……

Baochai wiped the snow ginseng twice with a clean cotton cloth.

Let Jinchuan take out the exquisite carving tools that had been prepared earlier, cut the snow ginseng into thin slices by hand, and then place it under the west window to dry in the sun. After the moisture evaporates, the medicinal properties will be more mellow.

These things could have been entrusted to an outside pharmacy, but Jin Chuan and Ying'er saw that Baochai was handling them personally, which naturally reflected her feelings for Jia Cong, but she was also probably quite cautious.

Jin Chuan tried to probe: "Young lady is so attentive to Third Master, you should let him know, he will be happy."

Baochai blushed slightly and said, "What's there to say? We are sisters and brothers who have lived together for many years. I am just doing my best to show my affection."

In fact, every time Jia Cong was given a title and a promotion, or won the imperial examination, Baochai felt very complicated.

Every time Jia Cong was in high spirits, she was happy for him and also quite proud of him. She thought that the person she had chosen was indeed so outstanding and rare in the world.

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel worried and disappointed. The more outstanding and dazzling Jia Cong was, the farther the distance between him and a daughter of an imperial merchant like herself would be...

What's more, after this incident, Jia Cong will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi.

I have often heard that the current emperor values ​​him very much and that he has made many contributions, but his actual civil service rank is only fifth grade, because due to the official system of the dynasty, it is difficult to be promoted above fifth grade without being a Jinshi.

After he appears in the spring examination this time, it may not take long for him to be promoted to the fifth rank. By then, it will probably be even more out of reach.

……

However, she thought of that hug in the rain, his arms around her waist, so strong, making her feel a sense of belonging and security she had never felt before.

This was a special feeling that she had never experienced in the more than ten years of her growth, and it made her feel strangely intoxicated.

She even felt that the unexpected intimacy and the inexplicable emotions that permeated it were not just hers...

Maybe that was just her wishful thinking, but she was actually certain in her heart that it was a woman's natural intuition.

Later, her mother was bullied by her aunt, and the family wanted to move out of the Jia Mansion to avoid suspicion. Although Baochai knew that her mother was playing hard to get,

But if the Jia family did not try to keep him, this fake thing would become real.

At least with Baochai's shrewdness and intelligence, she could see that the old lady and her aunt were both happy to see such a result, and even couldn't wait...

However, in the end, Jia Cong, as the head of the family, tried to retain her with earnest words, giving his mother enough face and a way out.

Could it be that he also has me in his heart and doesn't want me to leave the Jia Mansion, so that we will become strangers and rarely see each other...

Although such sad feelings made Baochai a little distressed.

But even if it was just a one-sided delusion, it made her deeply entangled in it. In that bitter confusion, there was still sweetness that was rotten to her heart and bones, making it difficult for her to extricate herself.

Perhaps because they have lived in the same mansion for many years, although she and he are not as close as Daiyu and Tanchun, their relationship has already become somewhat different.

Every time the sisters spend time together, are those unintentional smiles and frowns just touching her?

Every time she thought about him, Jia Cong could sense it keenly and would always express his praise and gratitude.

Alone in the study, they talked to each other, their words were in tune with each other, the breeze was cool and their clothes were warm and affectionate, and she could actually be very close to him.

He even found a famous doctor for Lin Daiyu and invited him to come for a consultation, which greatly improved his old illness.

These little things that were not noticed in daily life gradually eroded the rationality of Baochai, who was originally smart and ambitious...

As long as she thought about these sweet and bitter things, she would not care much even if the results were confusing in the future, and she would be willing to do anything for him.

Ying'er asked, "Last time when Third Master was taking the examination, Miss prepared some ginseng and poria cake for him. Can you prepare some food for him this time?"

Baochai smiled and said, "We won't prepare that this time. Brother Cong's friends Wu'er and Lingguan are the most knowledgeable about food and cooking. They will take care of it for Brother Cong."

She thought for a while and said, "Ying'er, I'll write a note later. Please ask the shopkeeper to buy me two sets of jewelry. They don't need to be too ostentatious. I can use them." (End of this chapter)