Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 190 Not an Autobiography
"Master, tell me what your husband was like when you were young?" Mai Xiang never had the chance to chat with Liu Huilan alone during this time, and naturally she also had no chance to ask about the Cao family.

"What is it like? Your husband is not as hardworking as the little brother of the Wan family. He knows how to earn money to support himself at such a young age. What I said seems to refer to your husband's kindness and care for girls. Forget it, I also I don’t know, your husband wrote a book, and the character Baoyu in the book is somewhat similar to your husband.”

Mai Xiang saw that the other party mentioned "The Story of the Stone" and said: "Master, I can read almost all the characters now, can I read Mr.'s book? By the way, I am in a bookstore in the city today. I met a scholar who liked Mr.'s paintings very much, and said that he didn't bring enough money and asked him to keep it, and said that he would come to visit Mr. when he was free some other day."

Liu Huilan looked at Mai Xiang after hearing this, and asked with some displeasure: "What scholar? Didn't you promise me not to mention your husband's affairs outside?"

"Master, I didn't take the initiative to mention Mr., because people like Mr.'s paintings. He said that Mr. is a talented and proud person from Mr.'s paintings. He also said Mr.'s signature is also very interesting. I even Mr. I didn't tell him his name or surname, but he was told that Mr. is a doctor and lives at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain."

Liu Huilan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "What kind of person is the other party?"

"It's just an ordinary scholar, in his thirties, he seems to be very knowledgeable. He used to be Jie Yuan in the provincial examination. According to him, his calligraphy and painting skills are not bad."

"So that's the case. Xie Yuan, Xie Yuan is not easy to take the exam, how can such a person not have a title on the gold list?"

"I'm not sure about this, but I see that his clothes are ordinary cotton clothes, and he must not be a rich man. Also, I think he will be a Jinshi sooner or later, because he has selected a lot of books from the bookstore. , such an educated person still works so hard, it will be a matter of time before he becomes famous." Mai Xiang said something childish.

"Your husband doesn't like to associate with such people, he doesn't like fame."

When Liu Huilan said it, Mai Xiang thought of Jia Baoyu calling someone who pursues fame Lu Bei, so she couldn't help smiling. It turned out that it was really Cao Xueqin's personality.

"But he likes Mr., and said that Mr. is proud of the world and has a genius. Master, I am even more curious about Mr.'s talent when he said that. Can you show me Mr.'s book? I promise not to flip through it randomly, and I will return it in time."

"Read your husband's book? How old are you? Besides, how long have you learned characters?" Liu Huilan felt that with Mai Xiang's mentality and level, she couldn't understand this book at all.

"Master, there is still you anyway. If I don't understand, I'll ask you again. Have you finished your writing?" Mai Xiang asked a crucial question.

"Before finishing writing, he was also writing and revising, over and over again, always dissatisfied. Now Miss Biao has come, and there is another reviewer. Now the manuscripts are scattered in the hands of several reviewers. If you really want to read it, I'll help you see if the first book is there later?" Liu Huilan didn't think too much about it, it's just a novel, what can Mai Xiang see?

When Mai Xiang heard that there were several reviewers, how many people are there in Zhiyanzhai?Cao Fu, Li Xiangyun, Li Ding, seems to have a dead Fu Peng, Mai Xiang is getting more and more confused.

"Master, what is a reviewer?" Mai Xiang simply asked.

"Your husband's book was not intended to be read by outsiders. He just wrote it for fun. Some relatives and friends circulated it, because there are many past events of the Cao family and Li family in it. When relatives and friends read it and have any thoughts, they will write it down. A few strokes."

"Oh, I see, sir is writing his autobiography." Mai Xiang nodded.

"It can't be called an autobiography. There are some shadows of his youth, and some stories about his uncle and others. In short, it is a story of several generations. Of course, there are also many fictional things. Forget it, I can't tell you clearly. " Liu Huilan shook her head, she found that as long as the matter of the Cao family was mentioned, Mai Xiang would break the casserole and ask the bottom line, which has always baffled her.

After hearing this, Mai Xiang understood that "Story of the Stone" is a creation, not an autobiography, but a string of stories that happened in different time and space as the main line of the novel.I'm afraid, apart from the Cao family and the Li family, there are still many royal secrets.At least the funeral of Qin Keqing and Mai Xiang, concubine Yuan's relative, felt that the standard was ridiculously high, and Shi Taijun's tone of voice, how could it be like the widow of a prince who dared to send someone to demolish the lobby of the Tai Hospital?I am afraid that only the empress or empress dowager would dare to say this, right?
There are many such examples in the book. For example, when Shi Taijun went to Qingxu Temple to worship, he actually had to clear the road. He was sitting in a sedan chair for eight people. Others Mai Xiang didn’t know, but Yongen was the prince. Uladomin and Mai Xiang went out to see A Muxin, who only sat in a four-person sedan chair, was much less ostentatious than Shi Taijun, and didn't alarm anyone at all.

Mai Xiang had always felt that there were many unreasonable plots in the book. After arriving here, she witnessed the life of the princely couple, Uladomin and Yongen, but she didn't clear up her doubts, but became more and more confused.

To give another simple example, Mai Xiang is sick. Logically, based on the friendship between Mai Xiang, Uladomin and Yong En, Yong En can definitely find an imperial physician to see Mai Xiang. In fact, imperial physicians have strict regulations on visiting. In addition to seeing a doctor for the people in the palace, other princes and ministers want to use the imperial doctor, they must have the emperor's will.

Even if Uladomin himself wanted to use the imperial physician once, he had to follow a set of strict procedures, but the maids of Jia's mansion could get several imperial physicians to visit with a single headache. things.

"Master, do you still remember what you said last year that your husband is not celebrating the Lantern Festival? What's going on here?"

Mai Xiang suddenly remembered that Liu Huilan had said during the Lantern Festival last year that Cao Xueqin had never celebrated the Lantern Festival, so she didn't ask at that time. Later, when Li Ding's family came, Mai Xiang didn't have a chance to ask. Busy, I forgot.

"You are here again, and you said that you prefer to inquire about your husband's family, and you are here again." Liu Huilan got off the kang after hearing this and wanted to leave.

"Master, I'm not an outsider, just tell me, I want to know, don't worry, I promise I won't go out and talk nonsense, when did I tell outsiders about Mr.'s family?" Mai Xiangla Living with Liu Huilan, it was very easy to ask, and it was uncertain when the next time would be.

Maybe it was Mai Xiang's stickiness that moved Liu Huilan, or Liu Huilan was feeling a little unhappy recently, so she also wanted to talk to someone.

It turned out that Cao Fu was dismissed in the twelfth lunar month of the fifth year of Yongzheng, and the Cao family was confiscated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the sixth year of Yongzheng. At that time, Cao Xueqin was 13 years old and witnessed the collapse of the Cao family in an instant. There is an indelible mark on his childhood heart.

All the property of the Cao family was awarded to the successor Sui Hede, and the Cao family was escorted to Beijing and lived in Suanshikou Street outside Chongwenmen.Although life was hard, food and clothing were not worrying about. Moreover, the Ministry of Internal Affairs at that time sent special personnel to take care of Cao Yin's widow, Cao Xueqin's grandmother Li Shi.

After Yongzheng left, the life of the Cao family rose for a while, and Cao Fu was reinstated as a Yuanwailang, and Cao Xueqin also donated a state comrade.

The real devastating blow to the Cao family was the second raid. Coincidentally, this raid was also on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Qianlong. Cao Xueqin's most beloved grandmother also left because she couldn't bear the blow and fright. The Cao family had no chance of turning over.

I don't know if it's because Liu Huilan thinks that Mai Xiang is young, or if she doesn't want to go into details about it, she just explained to Mai Xiang roughly.

"Your husband has not celebrated the Lantern Festival since then, and the word Lantern Festival has never been mentioned at home. Who would have known that there are so many unbearable memories of a good Lantern Festival." Liu Huilan sighed.

"Master, are the husband's cousins ​​and younger sisters gone?" Mai Xiang remembered the two flower-like women that Liu Huilan and Li Ding's wife talked about last time.

It was because of them that the Cao family rose again, and because of them, they completely fell again. This is the success and defeat of Xiao He. However, fate has no right to choose for the two of them.

"It's all gone. Forget it. I can't explain a sentence or two about the Cao family. You are still young and don't understand." Liu Huilan obviously didn't want to mention these past events.

"Master, then you just asked me, what's the matter if a man's oath is trustworthy or not? What did the oath that Mr. said to you didn't keep?" Mai Xiang changed the question again and kept Liu Huilan again.

"He said too much, I'm afraid he can't remember, no, it's not that he can't remember, it's just that he pretends to be too many people, forget it, I'm also upset, and I want to talk to you " Liu Huilan also realized that this topic is obviously not suitable for discussing with 12-year-old Mai Xiang.

"Master, has the mister made you angry recently?" Mai Xiang guessed that Liu Huilan's boredom might have something to do with Li Xiangyun, right?
Li Xiangyun lived in Cao's house for a year, and Liu Huilan was the one who was by Cao Xueqin's side when he was at his worst and most helpless. Which of the two held the most weight in Cao Xueqin's heart, even Mai Xiang didn't know, but as a woman, Mai Xiang understands Liu Huilan's feelings.Presumably this is why Liu Huilan felt that a man's oath should not be taken seriously.

But from another point of view, Mai Xiang also sympathizes with Li Xiangyun's experience. She and Cao Xueqin were originally a couple, childhood sweethearts, but they were tricked by fate, so they made such a big circle.

She didn't intend to be a mistress. The problem is that women in this era have no social status and no ability to survive. Mistresses and mistresses exist legally, so Mai Xiang has no reason to criticize anyone.

"He won't make me angry, it's me..." Before Liu Huilan finished speaking, the voices of Huaici and Zhao Shi came over.

(End of this chapter)