[Red House Chai Dai] Salted Pork Knuckle, Crab Rice Wine

Aunt Xue was shocked when she heard the words, and said, "Why do you need to spend so much money?"

Baochai smiled and replied: "What is this? Yesterday I went to the old lady's room to say hello. I was just in time for the drawing of the garden presented by the superiors. Everyone was vying to see it. I think that according to the direction of the painting above, I am afraid that there will be something for you." I'm busy, and thanks to the help of capable people, I saved a lot of money. First, the land is ready-made and you don't need to buy it. Besides, bamboo trees, rocks, pavilions and railing plants can all be purchased from Huifang Garden and Rongrong Garden in Dongfu. Even if it is still not enough, what can be added is limited.”

Aunt Xue wondered, "If you say that, how can you spend one or two million taels of silver?"

Baochai said: "Mother, think about it carefully. Where does the garden not need money? The manpower and the wood, bricks and tiles used for construction are still trivial matters. When the real one is completed, it will cost money. I heard from my brother a few days ago that the rose Uncle took a few people to the south of the Yangtze River to buy opera actors, hire teachers and buy musical instruments, how much do you get for this bet alone?"

Aunt Xue made up her mind and said: "I looked at it with a cold eye. If it is based on their family's usual sex, I'm afraid it will cost [-] to [-] taels of silver."

Baochai said with a smile, "this is the price of knowledge. Although this matter is not very big, there is a lot of hidden things in it. Now we talk behind closed doors, and we are not afraid of others knowing. I will tell the truth. I am afraid Qiang Qiang The uncle is young and not good at it. Although there are a few people who go to negotiate the price seriously and be a broker, it is still far away. Mother, think about it, can there be less oil and water in it? It also costs two to thirty thousand taels of silver."

Aunt Xue nodded and said: "My son, what you said is very true. Fortunately, Jia's family has a big business and can spend a lot of money. There are rumors in Jia's mansion that Uncle Qian has brought 5 taels of silver. "

Baochai said: "I've heard from my brother that it's not 5 taels. It's the silver that his family kept in the Jiangnan Zhen's house. He said that 3 taels were used to buy opera actors, and the remaining [-] taels are ready to be bought." Fees for candles, lanterns and curtains of various colors."

Aunt Xue couldn't help but chant the Buddha and said: "Amitabha! It's almost as good as when our palace was preparing to pick up the driver."

Baochai laughed and said, "That is to catch up quickly. With the Jia family's prudence, how dare they go beyond the limit. Apart from the two things mentioned above, there is nothing rare in making gold and silver vessels, placing furnishings everywhere, and even buying birds. Have you got the silver?"

After hearing this, Aunt Xue was silent for a while, and then said: "If they really want more than ten or two hundred thousand taels of silver, where did they get so much money? We have lived in this mansion for two years, but we have never heard that other than the farmhouse What industry is there?"

Baochai thought for a while and said: "Their family has accumulated for a hundred years, and they always have some family background. Among other things, the Zhuangzi in the northeast of their family may earn nearly ten thousand taels of silver in a year! Even if there is a harvest In a bad year, if you discount it in half, there is still a small 5000 taels."

Aunt Xue reminded: "Could it be that they don't eat or drink?" She is the mistress of the house, so she naturally knows what is going on with daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea, not to mention all kinds of weddings, weddings and ceremonies, as well as human relations. expenditure.

Baochai then said: "Uncle is a fifth-rank official. One year's salary, the ice and charcoal tributes of various officials who come to Beijing, how can you say that you can have several thousand taels of silver a year. With this sum, you can pay for a year." It is enough for daily expenses and human relations. When the harvest in the fields is good and the rent is high, I am afraid that there will be a lot of surplus. Even if the mansion has a large population and many things to do in these years, the previous generations always saved it. Besides, the eldest sister has become the imperial concubine, and there is a lot of traffic at the entrance of the Rongfu, so don't the subordinates have any filial piety?"

The gate of the courtyard is closed, this day coincides with Mrs. Wang's fasting day, she should practice in her room, presumably she will not come to talk to Aunt Xue.As the days grew longer, Aunt Xue inevitably felt bored after her afternoon nap. She went to sit in Baochai's room and chatted with Baochai while watching Baochai's needlework.Since it was a private conversation behind closed doors, they were not afraid of being overheard by others. The mother and daughter just casually counted the various expenses for the province's relative's house, and they were full of admiration.

After a while, Aunt Xue suddenly remembered something and asked Baochai, "So, since building a garden is such a big deal, shouldn't we also contribute?"

Although as a relative, Aunt Xue had said long before the construction of the Provincial Hospital started, if there is anything that can help, feel free to ask, the most important thing the Xue family lacks is money.However, due to the face-saving of Mrs. Wang and Jia Mu, and because they were afraid that they would not be able to predict the expenses of the provincial hospital, they naturally refused to speak up.Aunt Xue was originally worried that the Jia family would not accept it, and her own family would not make too much of a mark. She was afraid that it would be unsightly to offend relatives.Therefore, she only gave a generous congratulatory gift when she learned that Yuanchun was a concubine, but she didn't express anything extra to Jianyuanzi.Now that she knew that building a garden would cost so much, she was also a person who had gone through the storm, so she naturally realized that Jia's family was decent on the outside but bitter on the inside, so she moved her mind and came to discuss with Baochai first.

Baochai thought for a while, and thought to herself, "If the Xue family lives in their own house, that's all.But now, for the convenience of talking between mother and Mrs. Wang, and taking care of each other, they live in Jia's house.Although borrowing a house for a few years is not worth much, anyway, Jia's house is idle, but this friendship is rare.

Thinking of this, Baochai hesitated and said: "Since we are renting at his house, it is really not good for us to stand by and watch such a big event happen to his house. Even if his house is not short of money, what we take out is ours." A lot of thought."

Aunt Xue thought for a while, then said boldly: "Since that's the case, I'll tell your second aunt tomorrow, how about our family taking out 1 taels of silver?"

Hearing what Aunt Xue said, it was Baochai who was surprised this time.

In fact, the Xue family was originally a millionaire, and Baochai has been managing the business these years. The few shops she owns, because of Baochai's good management and the ability of her subordinates, the business is getting bigger and bigger, and every year there are small The prospect of a few thousand taels of silver, so she didn't take 1 taels of silver very seriously.

But at the same time, she also knew that 1 taels of silver was quite a large sum in the eyes of others.When the prostitute daughter of a noble family gets married, I am afraid that all the dowry added up may not be this amount! 1 taels of silver, I am afraid that a noble lady has accumulated a lifetime of wealth.

In addition, Baochai also knew that elderly people like her own mother were actually the most thrifty by nature.Now it is really rare to be willing to take out 1 taels of silver all at once.

Aunt Xue seems to have made up her mind.Seeing that Baochai also said that there was nothing wrong with it, she took action and urged Xue Pan four times that day. She insisted on calling Xue Pan back from the outside.

In Xue Pan's hands, there are now more than a dozen shops of different sizes in the capital alone, and the Xue family earns tens of thousands of taels of silver every year.Aunt Xue thought that even if the business had declined over the years, it would be easy to scrape together 1 taels of silver.Unexpectedly, Xue Pan looked distressed, and spread his hands and said: "Theoretically, we have lived in Jia's house for so long, and his family's building a garden is such a big matter, it is really difficult for us to not do a few. But mother, you want 1 taels of silver all at once. , This stumps me! Where can I get you 1 taels of silver now?"

Both Aunt Xue and Baochai refused to believe it, they only said that Xue Pan was trying to evade it.Aunt Xue first said angrily: "When did you become so mean, kid? We have lived in your uncle's house for the past few years, thanks to the hospitality from the whole Jia family, and they are always kind. You are on good terms with his men again, We hang out together every day. Now that his family has such a big matter, how can we not say something? 1 taels of silver is a bit too much, but who doesn’t know that our Xue family has money? We have to take out the 1 taels , so as not to dishonor our family's reputation."

Xue Pan said with a bitter face: "I know what mother said. But now the shop is struggling to turn over, how can we come up with so much money?"

Hearing this, Baochai asked in amazement: "When the account was closed last year, I remember that the old man paid more than 2 taels of silver. At that time, I advised you to change it into gold, which is convenient for storage. There are only a few Moon, is it all gone?"

Xue Pan stammered, "Not all of them are gone."

Aunt Xue's nose was almost crooked. As the head of the house, she was frugal and restrained her servants in order to save more money for future generations.Unexpectedly, Xue Pan didn't appreciate her trying to save money here. In just three or four months, Xue Pan had wasted more than 2 taels of silver.When Aunt Xue thought of this, she was extremely angry, she pointed at Xue Pan with trembling fingers, and was speechless for a long time, when she suddenly remembered something, she felt sore, and tears rolled down her face.

Baochai was also startled, and was busy consoling her, and asking Xue Pan what he had spent his money on.

Xue Pan faltered at first, pretending to be mysterious and refused to say anything, but when Baochai forced him into a hurry, Fang said loudly, "Mother, you don't have to be sad. My son didn't do anything bad this time. You guys are always nagging that you have steel to use." When it came to the point of the knife, I listened to it. The more than 2 taels of silver were all used for business. I said earlier that if I want to earn a phoenix crown and Xiapei for my mother, I'm afraid it will be the situation in the past few years. gone."

Seeing Xue Pan's smug look, Aunt Xue asked, wiping her tears, "This 2-odd taels of silver disappeared without even hearing a sound. Could it be that you were tricked by some villains. You should speak carefully, I'm so relieved." Even so, I believed it in my heart.

Xue Pan shook his head and said: "This is what the elders did, how can I tell you." He insisted on refusing to talk about it carefully.

Aunt Xue was helpless, and was about to leave it at that, but Baochai pursed her lips and said with a smile: "What else could be the matter? It must be something that Uncle Feng said, and my brother got hot-headed, so he took the money and passed over. I just hope Seeing that Uncle Feng is a talented person, don’t use the bamboo basket to fetch water in vain.” She looked relaxed, and obviously felt that at most it would be in vain to fetch water from the bamboo basket, and it’s not because of the money, she absolutely can’t think of some things being messed up , Not only will you lose money, but you may also implicate your family.