The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 81 Xue Baoqin

Where the thatched eaves hang low, the crooked fence is covered with morning glories. The flowers on the vines have withered and died. The yellow mud and bamboo reinforcement walls are full of grooves, but they are sturdy and durable, warm in winter and cool in summer.

Where there are people, there is life.

It's obvious that the owner of this place is hardworking. The water tank under the eaves is filled with clean water, and the dirt floor is also very clean. A few bluestone slabs have been specially laid, winding their way to the old locust tree in the distance.

"Wang Wang Wang."

Under the old locust tree.

The village dog jumped and fro, the hen with catkins led her chicks to dig for food, the naughty children played, riding bamboo horses and chasing each other with wooden swords, and the old man leaning against the roots of a tree was weaving a bamboo basket on the millstone.

Under the eaves of the thatched hut, in front of the khaki wall, stood a graceful young girl.

Out of place, yet exceptionally dazzling.

She wore a silver-red flowered jacket, an emerald silk crepe skirt, and a five-colored butterfly silk ribbon tied around her waist. The bow danced lightly in the wind, adding a bit of girlish playfulness and agility. Her lively big eyes watched the village children playing with great interest.

Little did they know that those older teenagers didn't even have the courage to look over and became much shyer.

On the contrary, the younger children were still having a lot of fun, and even accidentally touched the cradle. The baby in the cradle was woken up and started crying, and the children hurried to comfort him.

"Qing'an, Qing'an, don't cry."

"We'll take you out to play."

"Look, what is this."

A child waved a wooden sword in front of the baby, and the baby was awakened and stretched out his little hands to grab at the air.

"Pfft."

Xue Baoqin found it very funny. She covered her mouth with her silk scarf and couldn't help laughing.

But after watching it for a long time, I found it boring.

Xue Baoqin looked into the room again and saw General Wang discussing serious matters with his father. It turned out that he was really young, even younger than she had imagined, and also handsome. Her face blushed and she quickly covered it with a silk scarf.

It’s indeed different from others.

After seeing himself, instead of showing shock and confusion, he looked at his father with admiration in his eyes.

How could I not know the attitude of outsiders mocking my father?

But because of his father's face, no one dared to say it to his face. Many people even flattered him, but they didn't really think so in their hearts. Only General Wang faced his father calmly and did not treat them as different people.

Xue Baoqin bit her lip and looked inside quietly, but a smile had unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth.

The battle robe he was wearing was very clean, as if it had just been washed, unlike the others who were covered in dust. He looked clean all over, and like the women, he even washed his hands before eating.

Xue Baoqin quickly lowered her head, her tender shoulders shaking, trying very hard to hold back her laughter.

He doesn't even laugh at me, so how can I laugh at him? The more he does this, the harder it is to endure. Xue Baoqin's ears turned red. She wanted to laugh so much. There was actually such a lovely person.

inside the house.

Wang Xin looked serious.

The Xue family is a hereditary royal merchant. With this title, the Xue family can do business all over the country. Even though the Qi family is a local tyrant, they can only hide in Dantu and be easily wiped out.

Not to mention that the Xue family is still helping him a lot and is also his important partner.

The Qi family is gone, and the spoils he obtained must be cashed in through the Xue family.

Xue Yan stood up. He had said what he needed to say. The purpose of his coming had been achieved. As for what choice the young general in front of him would make, Xue Yan did not meddle in it and stayed true to his duty.

Wang Xin stood up to see him off.

Xue Yan didn't care about the final outcome of the matter, as it had nothing to do with the Xue family. He was simply curious about the other party's choice, so he asked, "What are you going to do, General?"

Wang Xin did not hide it either.

"We must suppress the Japanese pirates, and we must also suppress Wang Zhi."

"That's a pity for Wang Zhi."

Xue Yan sighed with regret.

"What's the pity?"

Wang Xin asked back.

As a member of the same clan, Xue Yan was eager to understand the character of this rising star, so he asked curiously, "Isn't it a pity? After all, this person is loyal to the Great Zhou and doesn't want the Japanese pirates to run rampant. If there is a chance, it won't be difficult to recruit him."

Wang Xin shook his head.

"For the sake of selfishness, the people of cholera have already been condemned to death, and death is not worth regretting."

Xue Yan thought for a moment and explained, "He was also forced."

"so what."

"If someone is wronged or has no other choice, and chooses to harm the people, does he deserve sympathy? Over the years, tens of thousands of people have been humiliated and killed because of him. Who should the people turn to for redress their grievances?" Xue Yan hesitated to speak.

Wang Xin sneered at this and said, "People die for money and birds die for food. This has been inevitable since ancient times. I cannot control the affairs of the world, but as long as I see it, I will eliminate anyone who harms the people."

The two arrived at the door.

Stop here.

It was quite interesting, but Xue Yan didn't plan to discuss it and was ready to leave.

Looking at this person's style of doing things, he has some of Mencius's thoughts, that is, if you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. However, Mencius also said that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important.

It was not appropriate to talk too much since it was their first meeting. Xue Yan planned to wait for a chance in the future to ask this person about his attitude towards the new learning.

The new school of thought called the emperor a tyrant, which was quite radical. Many people opposed it, not because they disagreed with it, but because they thought it was too radical. Therefore, it could not be put on the table and could only be circulated quietly in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xue Baoqin, who was standing under the eaves, mustered up her courage, raised her head, and stared at Wang Xin as he walked out. She looked into his eyes intently, as if expecting something, and asked crisply, "Do you know if Sister Lin is in the capital?"

"Baoqin, don't be rude."

Xue Yan felt a slight headache.

It was the first time that Wang Xin had met a little girl with such a personality, but he was not disgusted. This little girl was knowledgeable and had even talked to foreigners. She had made friends with foreign women and exchanged gifts with them.

This is better than me.

I have never made any foreign female friends.

His personality was indeed different, so he smiled politely and said, "Miss Lin is doing well in the capital."

"Have you seen her? Have you seen my sister Bao?"

Xue Baoqin asked happily.

"The rules in the capital are very strict, not like those in Jiangnan. I've never seen that before."

Wang Xin answered everything in detail with a gentle and calm attitude.

Xue Baoqin wanted to ask again.

Xue Yan quickly pulled his daughter back and said with a smile, "My daughter is unruly. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, General Wang."

Xue Baoqin was unwilling to hide behind her father, so she stubbornly showed her little head, made a face at Wang Xin, pressed her eyelids lightly with her fingers, and stuck out her tongue.

Wang Xin couldn't help but smile. Without any lies, he said truthfully, "Ling Qianjin is naturally romantic. There's nothing wrong with that. Why laugh?"

Xue Baoqin looked very proud.

I know I didn't make a mistake.

Xue Yan was also in a good mood. How could he not see that General Wang was indeed different from others?

Wang Xin personally saw Xue Yan off.

At the dock, Wang Xin bowed and pleaded again, "I'll trouble Master Xue with the matters concerning the bird guns and the Portuguese lances."

Xue Yan replied admiringly, "General Wang's foresight is truly admirable. He even understands the wonderful uses of the bird gun and the Portuguese lance. These two weapons are not widely circulated in Fujian and many people are unaware of them."

Not only can the spoils be cashed in through the Xue family, but also equipment can be purchased.

The bird guns and Portuguese arquebuses will be of great use to the Hexi Small Camp in the future. Originally, they were to be ordered by Tang Ping and the shopkeeper of the Xue family. Now that they have met Xue Yan, the effect will of course be better. Only the Xue family can get them as soon as possible.

The shopkeeper Du Song, along with his employees and Tang Ping, had already counted the goods and were waiting at the dock.

Xue Yan and Xue Baoqin boarded the boat.

Xue Baoqin left reluctantly. This island was indeed much more interesting, like a paradise, and she didn't need to care about the rumors outside.

The ship departed.

The people on the dock began to disperse as the ship sailed away.

"I forgot to remind General Wang."

Xue Yan suddenly said, "Wang Zhi also has a cavalry squadron. If General Wang is careless, he might suffer a loss."

Xue Baoqin panicked and urged repeatedly: "Dad, how could you not tell him about such an important matter? Hurry up and turn the boat back."

The ship did not stop.

Xue Yan laughed.

He had already agreed to help General Wang purchase weapons. So far, the Xue family had given him enough. Everything is excessive, and giving too much would make people look down on him.

After the eldest brother's death, many people became jealous of the Xue family and wanted to take over the Xue family's businesses in various places.

Interests can move people's hearts, so it is important to maintain a sense of propriety.

(End of this chapter)