The Red Mansion Big Liar

She didn't know how much thought she put into that set of round fans, and how much advantage she gave to Zhang Yunyi, but she still failed to get what she wanted.

But Zhang Yun逸 deliberately targeted her and specifically told You Erjie not to get involved.

The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, and he pounded the table and slammed the bench.

When Old Lady You heard the noise, she hurried over to ask.

"My little ancestor! What's wrong with you?"

"He...he is a bully!"

Old Lady You misunderstood for a moment, thinking that Zhang Yunyi had used some tricks, and said disapprovingly: "You have all the good food and drinks, gold and silver jewelry, so even if you were bullied by your brother-in-law, what's the big deal?"

"No!" Third Sister You stamped her feet.

"It's not what you're angry about?"

Since it wasn't the kind of bullying she imagined, then there must be something that didn't go as she wished.

Hearing this, Old Lady You was even more furious and said sternly, "I'm not saying anything bad about you, but if you get married tomorrow, you won't have this day again. Your eldest sister said that the farm outside the city has rows of glass houses with only vegetables grown inside, which are more valuable than people.

All this, just to have a bite of green leafy vegetables on a snowy day, what kind of family can afford such a grand occasion? "

"As if no one cares!"

Third Sister You seemed to be nonchalant, but her voice softened.

Apart from anything else, she has a deep understanding of the benefits of the sunroom.

In such a cold winter, not only is it warm to sit inside, but you can also enjoy the snow. It's so relaxing.

It is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, let alone go back to the past.

She couldn't get used to the days of begging for money in Ning Mansion.

Old Lady You knew her daughter's personality best, so she quickly said, "Don't you want it? And the hot spring resort is said to be ready. When I have some free time, I will take your elder sister and second sister to soak in the hot springs, but you may not be included!"

Third Sister You was silent this time. She didn't know to whom the other round fan was given.

But just by looking at who owned the remaining three, she understood why she didn't get a share.

However, the more she understood the reasons, the more aggrieved she felt.

Originally, she could still numb herself, thinking that these were earned by her own ability.

Now, the veil has finally been torn off, and it is all thanks to my sister.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 171 Gossip

It's already the twelfth lunar month.

There was no snow in the entire capital city in the twelfth month of last year. However, since the beginning of winter this year, it has snowed every few days.

Huifang Garden was already covered in silver, and the bluestone path was also covered with a thick layer of snow.

Zhang Yunyi, who got up early, didn't want to mobilize a large number of people, so he simply changed the way he did morning exercises.

"Master!~"

You Erjie's fair arms went around his waist from behind, and she pressed her jade-white body against his back. She pressed her forehead, which was covered with white sweat, against the crook of his neck and rubbed it, saying in a tender voice, "Or give my round fan to my younger sister. I see she's been feeling depressed these days."

"You can't be soft-hearted. If you don't tame her, something will go wrong sooner or later."

"Hey!" You Erjie knew her sister's temper, so she stopped talking and suggested, "I'm worried that she might get sick from holding it in. How about we take her to the hot springs to relax?"

"There are limited houses at the manor. It might be inconvenient for her to live there."

He was not trying to refuse. After all, his time was limited and he could only stay there a few times a year. There were only three or four main rooms in the hot spring villa, and he did not want to let Baozhu and Ruizhu down and make do with the maidservants.

In other words, pregnant women should not take a hot spring bath, and Xiangling and Fengshi would not follow them, otherwise they might not be able to get a room.

"Can I squeeze in with my elder sister?" You Erjie pressed the softness of her body against his back and said tenderly, "Well, we don't have to live separately. Doesn't the master like me to live with my elder sister and Qin?"

Zhang Yunyi felt short of breath. He was unwilling to admit it and just said perfunctorily: "Let's talk about this later. The roads are slippery due to the snow. It's also the end of the year and the government is busy."

Although auspicious snow means a good harvest, there were no modern means of snow removal in ancient times, and everything depended on manpower. Heavy snow also caused inconvenience in transportation.

There were still people clearing the main roads in the capital and the official roads out of the city, but the road to the hot spring resort outside the city was already blocked.

The roads were slippery due to the snow, and the women in the mansion were not very active, so Zhang Yun逸 was also worried that the carriage would slip and make the journey difficult.

In addition, the glass was being prepared for export, and it was the end of the year. There were a lot of tedious matters such as year-end assessments, condolences, and New Year exchanges. He was also hesitant about whether to wait until the end of the year to go.

Today, the output of Tianjin Institute of Technology has gradually shown benefits.

Although the imperial merchants were not under his jurisdiction, as a business unit, Tiangongyuan would also be responsible for the annual arrangements and tributes.

However, the Xue family, who is close to the water, has not come to take care of things yet.

As the roads were blocked by heavy snow, he had rarely visited the glass factory recently. When he arrived at the yamen, he saw Gu Wenhui and Lai Shangrong walking in carrying three brocade boxes as big as coffee tables.

After carrying the brocade boxes to the table in the duty room, Gu Wenhui opened the top box and said, "Sir! These are the three old ginsengs sent by Master Dong."

Zhang Yunyi stood up and took a look into the box.

The roots are so long and spread out that they fill up a brocade box the size of a coffee table. Just looking at the reeds and knots, you can tell that they are all old mountain ginseng that are over a hundred years old.

Gu Wenhui seemed to be very familiar with ginseng. He introduced: "Ginseng is easy to be eaten by insects and needs to be stored in a sealed container to keep it from spoiling over the years. I have already asked the glass factory to blow glass bottles of sufficient size for you to store them. This year's old mountain ginseng, soaking a strand of its roots in water can keep it alive..."

In fact, for Lin Daiyu, one ginseng of this age is enough for several years.

But the medical level in this era is limited, so he also needs to keep some as a backup.

Especially, Xiangling is pregnant now. There was no caesarean section in ancient times. Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. If she is weak after that, a sip of ginseng soup can really play a crucial role.

Old ginseng of this age cannot be bought just by having money.

Zhang Yun逸 immediately took a genuine painting of Mi Fu that he had bought from Boguzhai in advance and rushed to Guangchusi in person to express his gratitude to Dong Guangrun.

……

Rong Mansion, the Xue family courtyard in the northeast corner.

Aunt Xue came back in the snow. As soon as she entered the house, she took off all her heavy clothes, leaned on the warm kang, and took two heavy breaths.

He kept complaining, "The heater at your aunt's house is too strong. It's making my mouth dry."

She had now stripped off all her clothes, revealing the lavender lining underneath and a large area of ​​jade-like skin.

As he spoke, his hand gently stroked his neck, his fingertips brushed the collar, inadvertently revealing a touch of white.

Xue Baochai followed her into the room, took off her fur coat, took a blanket from the kang and covered herself with it.

"Although it's hot in the room, mother should wrap herself up tightly. The cold air will inevitably invade if the door is opened and closed. If you catch a cold, you will suffer. Even if you really feel unbearable, just drink more water."

Aunt Xue responded with a smile, threw away the blanket, propped herself up, stretched out her legs, and sat cross-legged on the kang.

Then, she stretched out her hands to hook the fleshy feet wrapped in silk stockings, bent and twisted the plump body at will, stretched her muscles and bones, and then she exhaled a foul breath and said, "Now that the New Year's arrangements have been made, I can have some free time."

Xue Baochai shook her head slightly, put the blanket on her again, and said, "Mom is confused! Everything else has been arranged, but Brother Yi's place has not been arranged yet!~"

"Yeah!"

Aunt Xue suddenly loosened her hands, and her plump body, bent like a soft bow, suddenly broke open and trembled continuously.

"You are the one who thought it through and let your brother make friends with him. Last time Lian Er came back, he specially invited him to his home. Now, not only did he not mention the share of sugar, but our family also got a share of the profits from the glass this time."

"Then how come mother has forgotten it?" Xue Baochai glanced at the blanket that she had shaken off and frowned.

"How could I have forgotten? Wasn't it just a matter of time before I thought about it?"

Aunt Xue caught a glimpse of her daughter's eyes, gathered her delicate body, picked up the fallen blanket and put it between her chest and abdomen, and sighed, "I heard that Xiangling is pregnant. I don't know whether I should give her a share of the gift?"

"I heard that the old lady and my aunt sent people to visit her. She left our house, so it's not good to pretend that she didn't know!"

Aunt Xue complained helplessly, "Your aunt sent someone without telling me, so I couldn't even get a ride. If I asked your brother to give me a ride, that would obviously be inappropriate..."

Although she was sure that she was right, she was still a little scared when facing Zhang Yunyi alone.

After all, Xiangling almost became Xue Pan's wife, and it would be inconvenient to ask him to bring some gifts.

"Let my brother take Brother Yi's and leave Xiangling's to my daughter!"

Xue Baochai pondered and said, "I heard that Brother Yi built a glass house in Huifang Garden. Not only does it not affect the view, but it is also warm and cozy. Tanchun has been clamoring to go and see something new. I will take her with me when the time comes."

"Glass... a house made of glass? How much glass does it take?"

Aunt Xue just felt a pain in her flesh.

Xue Baochai seemed to have seen something and advised, "Mom, don't think about those nonsense. This glass was made by him, how can it cost money? Besides, the caustic soda business was originally his business. The debt to the East Palace has not been paid yet. Even if he embezzled it, it would only be used to make up for the deficit."

"Oh! How much will it cost to build the glass for the house? Even if the eight families share one, they can get half a wall, right?"

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Although the imperial merchants are not businessmen, they have been influenced by this habit and think of business in everything they see.

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai pursed her lips and swallowed back what she had heard earlier, that Zhang Yunyi had built a greenhouse in his farm outside the city.

Just when she was about to persuade her not to think too much, she heard the maid outside announce, "Miss Shi is here, she's at the old lady's place!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 172 First Meeting with Shi Xiangyun

"Did you bring your luggage?"

While Baochai put on her fur coat, she asked outside.

"Bring it!"

Aunt Xue frowned when she heard this and said, "It's the twelfth month of the year and the New Year is almost over. Why are you bringing your luggage here at this time?"

"Mom is confused! It's because it's the coldest time of the year, so they sent it here! Yun's parents are not here, so she lives with her uncle and aunt. The Shi family is better than her aunt's family, so they burn charcoal like it's free. Shouldn't they send it here to save some money?"

Xue Baochai explained, put on her fur coat, turned around and said, "Mom, cover yourself with the blanket. I'll be right over."

Because the Xue family lived a little far away, she came to Rongqing Hall. Except for Yingchun who was in the east wing and did not rush over after hearing the news, Tanchun, Daiyu, Baoyu and others gathered together.

When Shi Xiangyun saw her, she immediately left everyone behind, shook her hand enthusiastically, and said with a smile, "Sister Bao is finally here!"

Baochai patted her hands, bowed to Lady Jia, and said with a smile, "Don't be in a hurry to go back this time. You have to stay a little longer."

Xiangyun's expression froze for a moment, and she nodded slightly to Baochai, smiling gratefully and saying, "I've brought all the things, and just told the old lady that I'm staying here for a long time this time!"

As she spoke, she pulled Baochai into the crowd and said with a smile, "Just now, Third Sister said that the East Palace has built a glass house, and she is clamoring to choose a day so that we can go and see the wonder together! But Second Brother and Sister Lin are being hypocritical and are making excuses. Sister Bao, please help persuade them!"

"Why bother with all this? Brother Bao listens to Sister Lin the most. If Sister Lin goes, he will definitely follow her. Why bother trying to persuade him?"

Lin Daiyu curled her lips and glared at Jia Baoyu.

Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed, "Sister Bao is indeed very clever."

She said to Lin Daiyu coquettishly: "Sister Lin, it's rare for me to come here. If I miss it this time, I don't know when I can wait! ~"

Baochai also helped to persuade her, saying, "I just told mother that I wanted to go see Xiangling!"

"Xiangling? Isn't Xiangling from Sister Bao's family..."

Xiangyun was halfway through her words when she felt her hand being pinched. She quickly stopped talking and looked at Baochai in confusion.

Not only her, but Lin Daiyu also heard of it for the first time.

Baochai explained, "You haven't been here for some time, so you didn't know that she is now with Brother Yi."

"Brother Yi?" Xiangyun hesitated for a moment and asked, "But the one who works at Tiangongyuan?"

Upon hearing this, Tanchun glanced at her calmly and frowned slightly.

"Hey! You have some knowledge. You actually know that he is in charge of Tiangong Academy!"

Baochai pinched her nose, quietly changed her duties from serving to being in charge, and said with a smile: "It's just that you are clamoring to see something new, how come you don't know who built this glass house?"

Xiangyun said carelessly, "I have heard my uncle and aunt mention it several times. They said that the late emperor came back to life and it was miraculous. Could it be that he built this glass house?"

After hearing this, Tanchun unconsciously looked at Lady Jia. Seeing her looking at everyone with a smile on her face, she calmed down a little.

Although Xiangyun is a young lady from a marquis's family, her parents are both dead and she is fostered in her uncle's home.

Moreover, the Shi family is not like the Xue and Lin families. They have a wealthy family background and are favored by Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.