The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 363: Jia Mu sets a trap
The Spring Festival is about welcoming and seeing off people.

Although the Xue family was staying in the Rong Mansion, they still had to move around.

On this day, Aunt Xue brought Baochai to Rongqing Hall to wish Grandmother Jia a happy new year.

Grandmother Jia asked them to sit down, and then said with a smile: "Bao girl has reached the age of marriage, right?"

Aunt Xue was startled when she heard this. She glanced at Madam Wang who was sitting upright and said, "That's right! After the New Year, you will be fifteen."

"Oh?" Jia's mother pretended to be surprised, "When was she born?"

"The twenty-first day of the first lunar month."

"Although it's not a full year, it's still the age of marriage, so we can't treat it lightly."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "If you don't mind me being too nosy, why don't you let me celebrate her birthday?"

Aunt Xue was flattered and said, "Oh! That is truly her blessing, she can't even ask for it!"

"Now that Feng girl is pregnant, let's leave this matter to her sister-in-law!"

Grandmother Jia hesitated for a moment and said, "In previous years, no matter whose birthday it was, everyone gave their own gifts. This has become vulgar and seems a bit strange. Today I will come up with a new idea that is neither strange nor funny. I wonder what Auntie thinks of it?"

"Whatever the old lady wants is fine!" Aunt Xue replied quickly.

Grandmother Jia turned to Mrs. Wang and the others and said, "I was thinking, let's do the same as the small families do, and use the money to do it. Do you think it would be a good idea?"

Although it wouldn't cost much to hold a birthday party for Xue Baochai, they were short of money at the moment and every little bit counted, so they might as well raise funds.

Although Grandmother Jia lived an extravagant life and was not thrifty when it came to spending money, she was very strict with her own finances.

Otherwise, that batch of ginseng would not have lost its medicinal properties and not been taken out.

In the original novel, she only took the two taels of silver after Wang Xifeng had a miscarriage and Lady Wang begged her for help.

Although there are many parents in this world who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their children, there are also parents who refuse to give up until the very last moment.

The money from the government and one's own money are two completely different things. If she hadn't wanted to find a support for Jia Baoyu this time, she would not have been willing to use her own private money to supplement him.

But even so, she still took the bulk of the money from the official position.

Seeing that Lady Jia was in high spirits, Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "This is very good, but I don't know how to put it together?"

"There's no need to be so extravagant. Her brothers and sisters who haven't married yet don't have to join in the fun. We can just invite Brother Yi and each family to contribute and spend as much as they can."

At this point, Jia's mother hesitated for a moment and took the lead in expressing her opinion: "I will give twenty taels."

When hosting a birthday party for Baochai, Aunt Xue also took the lead and said, "Then I will follow the old lady!"

Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang said, "We dare not stand shoulder to shoulder with the old lady, so we are naturally a little lower, only sixteen taels each."

The only two people who have formed a family in Rongfu are Li Wan and Wang Xifeng. Although they are not very willing, since Grandmother Jia said so, they have no choice but to express their opinions.

Wang Xifeng and Jia's mother did not say anything, but waved their hands at Li Wan and said, "You are a widow and unemployed, and we need you to help us with the work, so you don't have to pay this money. Later, ask Yi'er to pay twenty taels, which should be enough."

Although more than a hundred taels of silver are not as much as the birthday banquet prepared for Wang Xifeng in the original novel, it is far more than the twenty taels she gave to Xue Baochai on her birthday.

Aunt Xue couldn't help herself with joy, and Grandmother Jia earned enough favor, and they had a very pleasant conversation for a while.

After lunch, seeing that it was almost time, everyone said goodbye. Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said, "Madam, don't leave in a hurry. I still have something to discuss with you."

This sudden enthusiasm had already made Aunt Xue dizzy. In addition, when Lady Jia mentioned that Baochao would be married soon, she could not help but be overjoyed.

Xue Baochai did the same and quickly took her leave.

After everyone had said goodbye and left, Grandmother Jia sent away the maids and then got straight to the point: "I know that my aunt's family has a shop selling ginseng. I originally stored quite a lot of it here in case of emergency. But you also know that Brother Yi is now working in the inner court. Last time, he gave a ginseng to Lin girl for use as medicine. If this thing is kept for a long time, its medicinal properties will be lost. It is better to give it to my aunt to save people. If one or two lives can be saved, it will be considered as accumulating some good karma for the family."

Naturally, she was too embarrassed to say that she was short of money and had to sell some silver, so she deliberately put on a high profile.

At the same time, he used the ginseng that Zhang Yunyi gave to Lin Daiyu as medicine to make Aunt Xue mistakenly believe that there was really too much of it to use.

In fact, no one can have too much ginseng, a life-saving substance.

The reason why Lady Jia was willing to sell it was because she considered that with Zhang Yunyi, the family would not be short of this thing in the future.

Uh……

Aunt Xue couldn't help feeling disappointed when she heard that they were not talking about marriage. However, Grandmother Jia had just arranged a birthday party for Xue Baochai, and it was not easy to refuse such a small matter.

He immediately flattered her: "The old lady is truly kind-hearted!"

"No, no! I'm just old and can't stand seeing all these things!"

Jia's mother pretended to be modest and said, "However, this ginseng is a few years old after all. Although it has not completely lost its medicinal properties, I am afraid it is not as good as new ginseng. If you are worried, ask someone to test it to avoid harming people instead of saving them. I am not greedy for the few taels of silver. The price can be lowered. It will not be too late to settle it after it is sold out."

After all, they lived under the same roof and saw each other every day, so Lady Jia felt embarrassed to openly cheat the Xue family.

However, she had her hands full with the Xue family, and was certain that even if Aunt Xue found that the ginseng had problems, she would not return it.

Therefore, they took a step back to advance, and even made the Xue family not rush to settle the bill.

Aunt Xue did not doubt it and said quickly: "Why don't you believe the old lady? I wonder if the ginseng..."

"Wait a moment, Madam!"

Grandmother Jia got up from the bed, walked to the counter, opened the box of ginseng that was as thick as seven or eight fingers, and said, "Madam, you are also an expert. These ginsengs are less than a hundred years old. If they are left outside, they will be worthless. I also want to accumulate good karma for my descendants, so I am too lazy to be fussy. I will just round it up to ten thousand taels of silver. Madam, go back and weigh them yourself and then estimate the price yourself. What do you think?"

Although she kept saying that she didn't value money, she kept talking about it. Aunt Xue was not one to hear the hidden meaning, so she quickly said, "Just do as the old lady says. Although there is no problem selling ginseng, not many people can afford it. I'll send the money to you later so that you don't forget it."

It's not Aunt Xue's fault for being fooled. As royal merchants, although the Xue family runs a ginseng business, Aunt Xue is not the shopkeeper after all. Although she is familiar with ginseng, her knowledge is more about distinguishing the authenticity and age.

As for the medicinal properties, it is a bit too much to ask.

Although the medicinal properties of Jia Mu's ginseng had been completely lost, it still looked good. Otherwise, she would not have kept it like a treasure.

What's more, Aunt Xue never imagined that Lady Jia would trick her like this.

Therefore, the decision was made immediately.

"That really puts my mind at ease!" Jia's mother said, "Madam, please take all the ginseng back now!"

……

(End of this chapter)