Honglou Xing

Jia Amnesty read the letter, then folded it back, smiled and said to Jia's mother: "There is nothing else, it's decided to come in spring."

Mother Jia thought of Daiyu, whom she had not seen for a long time, and became happy.Hearing this, Baoyu was even more overjoyed and stopped crying. He hugged Jia Mu happily and begged Jia Mu to stay at home to see Sister Lin.

"After the Chinese New Year, wait for the spring. How come it will take three or two months. You don't go to school, why wait?" Xing asked.

Hearing this, Baoyu wept again and begged Jiamu to keep her.Jia's mother was dissatisfied with Xing's words and scolded Baoyu. She gave her a reproachful look, and protected Baoyu and said, "It's good to have a reunion once. Don't bully him as soon as you come back."

Xing Shi smiled and said nothing.

Jia Amnesty couldn't see it, and replied: "It's not a six or seven-year-old child who doesn't understand, but a teenager, don't just talk nonsense."

Baoyu was reprimanded by his uncle, and immediately burst into tears of grievance.

Jia's mother protected the calf and Baoyu behind her, and shouted at Jia Shexing and his wife, "Do you still think of me as an old woman!"

Xing glanced at Jia Amnesty and signaled him to stop talking.Jia She frowned funnyly at his daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Wang was a little proud, raised her chin, and looked at everything with cold eyes.Why didn't she see it earlier, as long as Baoyu, the child, stood in front of Jia's mother, it would be difficult for the big house to move an inch, and Jia's mother could not be shaken at all.Mrs. Wang suddenly had an idea in her heart, and her deep eyes finally fell on Baoyu.

Jia Zheng was dissatisfied that his son didn't like reading, so he slapped the table to teach him a lesson.

Mother Jia yelled again, reprimanded Jia Zheng directly, and sent him away.Jia Zheng was speechless by his mother and wanted to keep his filial piety, so he sighed helplessly and left.

Xing blinked, but didn't mind anything, and smiled and called Jia Lan over: "My good boy, how are you doing in the academy?"

Jia Lan nodded obediently: "Well, Mr. is very knowledgeable and taught me a lot. The students in my class are also gentle, elegant and talented. I have also benefited a lot from staying with them for a long time on weekdays."

"Well, I see that Brother Lan stayed there for half a year, but he has grown a lot taller and has become more energetic." Xing said to Li Wan with a smile.

Jia Amnesty also joined in the fun and called Jia Lan to test his knowledge; all answers were fluent and logical.Mother Jia was taken aback when she heard this, and gave a thumbs up, smiling and praising Jia Lan for her great progress.

Since he was studying in the academy at the same time, Baoyu, who is a few years older, cannot be left behind.Mother Jia wiped Baoyu's tears distressedly, and coaxed him to say a few words.

Jia Amnesty looked at Xing Shi.

Xing said with a smile: "Let's wait another day, this child has only been crying for so long, how can I remember clearly."

Baoyu nodded agreeingly to Mother Jia as if she was about to receive an amnesty: "Yes, old ancestor, I am tired, so I will ask my uncle to test me some other day."

Jia She smiled: "Forget it."

Mrs. Wang didn't see anything unusual, so she laughed too.

Li Wan looked at Xing Shi gratefully, his eyes full of deep gratitude.She was really afraid that the elder would test Baoyu in public. If Baoyu was not as good as Lan Geer in knowledge, he would lose his reputation.Looking back, her mother-in-law thought she was not pleasing to her eyes again, so she couldn't help scolding her for being uninterested, pulling her son to show off and so on.In fact, Li Wan didn't quite understand why her mother-in-law liked her younger son more than her grandson.They are all blood of close relatives, why should they be divided into relatives and distant ones?

……

The next day, it will be New Year's Eve.

Li Wan came to Xing's room early to say hello.

Xing hurriedly let her sit down.

Li Wan looked at the eldest wife's belly tenderly, and said with a smile: "It looks like a boy. When I was pregnant with Lan'er, my stomach looked like my wife's, with a sharp point. At that time, Lan Ge'er's nanny Just tell me it's a male fetus. It really is when it's born."

Xing's eyes narrowed and she smiled: "I would like to borrow your good words."

"Look at Madam's day is coming soon." Li Wan continued.

Mrs. Xing nodded: "I don't know if I can make it out of the first month in the next year's time."

Li Wan thought that Xing's words meant something else, implying that children born in the first lunar month were not lucky.I didn't care too much, and quickly persuaded: "Isn't the eldest girl of our family born in the first month? It is also a blessing. A few days ago, I went to pay my respects to the second wife, and heard some rumors that the empress thinks highly of her. Now she is It will be a matter of time before the emperor favors the concubine."

"Oh? There is such a happy event! I didn't see your mother-in-law talking to us and making us happy together." Xing narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly.

Li Wan moved his eyeballs and explained with a smile: "Perhaps I dare not say anything that is uncertain. If it is not in the future, it will be a joke. I guess the second wife wants to wait until there is a certain letter. That's right. I'm talking too fast, and I'm telling you these inaccurate things."

"It's all right, I'm just listening. It's just that it didn't work out. We're all a family, so where can we laugh?" Mrs. Xing went back to Li Wan, touched her belly, and said, "I don't care. Whether she is male or female, when she was born. After all, I gave birth to him, and I, the mother, owe him everything to protect him for the rest of my life. "

Li Wan was a little moved when he heard this.

"Of course, teaching is indispensable." Xing added.

Li Wan smiled and nodded.With the nature of the eldest wife, she must try her best to teach this child to be a talent.Just look at how she mobilizes/teaches the second girl. If a child is taught by the eldest wife since childhood, how good would it be?Li Wan could almost imagine how much glory this child would bring to the Rong Mansion when he grew up.

Li Wan came here to thank the eldest wife.Lang Geer used to study in Jia's school, not to mention that his academic progress was slow, and the atmosphere there was not good.It can be described as pouring a glass of clean water into a pond of sludge.Even if she tells Lang Geer every day, if she doesn't pay attention one day, she will be blackened.However, Li Wan herself was just a widow, she was very soft-spoken and could do nothing, the only thing she could do was to stare at her son without blinking.It hurts the child, and it hurts her too.

Fortunately, the eldest wife kindly sent Lang Geer to the Qingshan Academy, where there is really a clear spring, which is of great help to Lang Geer, and she is relieved.Last night when Li Wan went back to the school to test his son, he found that she could not stop Jia Lan with something she had learned.

Thinking of Lan Ge'er's progress, Li Wan was very grateful to Xing Shi from the bottom of his heart.Can't help the corners of his eyes getting wet, Li Wan knew that he was impolite, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, and said gratefully to Xing Shi, "Thanks to your care, he is able to achieve his success today."

"You don't have to worry about casual things." Mrs. Xing patted the back of Li Wan's hand and comforted her.

Li Wan shook his head: "It's a great kindness for Madam to think of us Lan Geer. This love, Lan Geer and I, must be engraved in our hearts. I even told him yesterday that we must remember other people's love." The kindness, if you will be successful in the future, you must repay it well."

Xing smiled: "I'm happy if you can accept this kindness. Look, there are still people who don't appreciate it."

Li Wan knew that Xing was talking about Baoyu, so he smiled helplessly, and didn't want to comment.For that child, studying is a magical obstacle, and it doesn't make sense to him at all, so she has never been involved in this kind of thing.

Mrs. Xing also put on the same helpless expression, and said to Li Wan: "For this matter, how much I meddled in other people's affairs, and the old lady was angry with me for it. It's useless to complain, not to please. Just look, If they say anything about keeping Baoyu at home, I won't stop them. To say something ugly, if I touch the mud that can't support the wall, I will feel my hands are dirty."

Li Wan looked at Mrs. Xing in admiration, and nodded with a faint smile. "My wife is very reasonable."

After a while, Brother Lang also came to pay his respects.

Xing smiled slightly, their mother and son could have come together, but they came one after the other, obviously Li Wan deliberately came first to have some private words with her.Then the mention of Yuan Chun earlier, it seems that it was not accidental, did Li Wan want to remind himself on purpose?

Xing smiled and attracted Lan Ge'er, and gave Jiaohong a wink.Jiao Hong immediately understood, and turned around and wrapped a heavy gift for Lan Geer.

Li Wan politely refused.

Xing said with a smile: "It has nothing to do with you to reward the children. This one is for the New Year, and I will give you and my New Year greetings, and then I will give you a big one."

Li Wan was grateful, and Lan Geer kowtowed to thank him at a loss.

"The family don't talk heresy, and come here often no matter if there is anything to do in the future." Mrs. Xing told Li Wan with a smile while sending her away.

Li Wan was slightly taken aback, then smiled, knowing that Mrs. Xing had accepted her kindness.Her steps back were much lighter. On the way, she looked at her son Jia Lan, who was becoming more and more promising, and she had another thought in her heart.

Since Jialan's grandmother and great-grandmother don't love him, why not find someone who really cares about their mother and child.Besides, now that the elder is sitting on the servant of the Ministry of Officials, he is very promising, and he will be closer to the eldest son. In the future, Lan Ge'er will study and become an official, and the road to becoming an official will be cheap.

After seeing off Li Wan, Mrs. Xing turned around and went to the dormitory.Jia Amnesty hadn't gotten up yet, lying lazily on his side on the couch, squinting his eyes.

"Master, are you still sorry?"

"It's so easy to rest for a while, I don't want to think about it." Jia Shefeng smiled lazily at Xing, raising her phoenix eyes slightly.

Xing also laughed and came over to tuck Jia Amnesty. "Then get more sleep."

Jia She held Xing's hand reluctantly: "Are you with me?"

"I'm thirty today, and there are a lot of things to take care of." Xing said with a smile.

"Leave it to the servants, what's the use of raising them." Jia Amnesty grabbed Xing's hand and asked with a smile, "What did your nephew and daughter-in-law ask you for?"

"It's nothing, it's Xie En's visit. She specially reported the letter to me, saying that the big girl is about to get the favor." Xing replied.

Jia She raised his eyebrows slightly, he almost forgot that there was an eldest daughter who entered the palace in the second bedroom.The turmoil in the harem is inextricably linked with the court.Jia Amnesty came alive and asked Xing how he was.

"I heard that it was appreciated by the empress." Mrs. Xing replied.

Jia Amnesty smiled slightly and realized: "So that's how it is."

"How to say?" Xing looked at him sideways.

"Now in the court, Jiang Taifu and Zhou Shangshu are in a quarrel. Relying on their respective powers, these two people fight tit for tat all day long, and the fight is a joyous one. Jiang Taifu is the emperor's teacher, and the emperor should respect him three points He is a character, his daughter is also the queen, so he should be the one who beat the Minister of Industry hard. However, in the harem, only Zhou Shangshu's sister, Concubine Wan, was the most favored. Within five years, she gave birth to two daughters and a son. She is still honored and favored constantly, and she even made an exception a few years ago when she was promoted to imperial concubine. Now, the power of the two families is evenly tied, and neither one is willing to give in, so the trouble has continued until now." Jia She rubbed his forehead wearily, He told Xing, "I know why I came back late last night. It was because of these two groups of people making a fuss. Just standing there and listening to their quarrel is exhausting enough."

Mrs. Xing thought about it for a while, and said with a smile: "It turns out that the reason why the empress supports the eldest daughter of our house is to share the favor of Concubine Wan."

"Otherwise, you think that every woman is like you, and you are sincerely willing to buy a concubine for your husband." Jia She looked up dissatisfied, and hooked Xing's chin.

Xing's eyes turned, and he looked at Jia She coldly: "I will remember the opinion of the master. From now on, you want to accept it, and I don't agree with it. You won't allow any of them." Before Xing was not familiar with him, Don't care about that, it's different now.The other party has taken root in his heart, people are selfish, and the Xing family is no exception.Especially when it comes to relationships, she is a novice, sensitive, selfish and possessive.

"Pfft," Jia She chuckled, raised his eyebrows to look at Xing, "Should I show regret now?"

Xing smiled slightly, reached out and tapped Jia She's forehead: "In short, no matter how you answer me, you don't have to think about the concubine in the future."

"I'm really curious. I want to accept it. What will you do?" Jia She asked provocatively, raising his eyebrows.

Xing's eyes narrowed and she smiled sinisterly: "Master, why don't you try it?"

Suddenly, Jia Amnesty shivered with a chill down his spine, and hurriedly apologized to his wife.In the future, it's better not to make such jokes.But his wife's jealous appearance is really cute.Jia She looked at Xing shi eagerly, showing a look of desire and dissatisfaction.He stretched out his index finger and lightly poked Xing's bulging belly, and said cautiously: "Little guy, you'd better come out to me in peace, and repay my father with filial piety."

"I am the one who is pregnant for ten months." Xing said with a smile.

Jia She quickly explained: "Daughter-in-law, of course you are the hardest. In fact, I also want to express a little bit, it's not easy for me, ahem... I endured it for so long..."

"Oops—" Xing yelled while clutching her stomach.

Jia Amnesty hurriedly hugged Xing Shi, and nervously called for the doctor.

Mrs. Xing slowed down for a while, then shook her head: "It's okay."

"Why is it all right? I'd better ask a doctor to take a look at it for peace of mind." Jia Amnesty said nervously.

Xing smiled slightly: "I kicked harder this time, and I feel like the internal organs in my stomach are tied together. It's okay, just take it easy."

Jia Amnesty stroked Xing's stomach in surprise, frowned and snorted coldly: "He's so arrogant before he comes out, wait for him to be born, and see how I, a father, teach him, dare to kick his mother."

Xing said with a smile: "He still doesn't understand anything."

"You know how to kick someone if you don't know anything, you villain!" Jia She was dissatisfied, and then put her arms around Xing with a smile, and said distressedly, "Daughter-in-law, I have made you suffer."

"If he doesn't kick me, I won't worry about it." Xing Shi signaled Jia She not to worry, she was thinking that Jia She might not have been a father before.It's a pity that he inherited his father's throne. At a young age, before he had time to experience many things in life, he was killed by his grandmother and his brother-in-law in partnership.What kind of despair and pain would that be... When he came to this life, he was able to live with her calmly and freely, and how did he change his state of mind?

Xing looked at Jia She with pity, and thought: He is such a person that people can't help feeling sorry for him.

It is impossible for Xing to fully understand the past in Jia She's heart, just as Jia She cannot understand her own past.After all, the life in the previous life has become a fleeting thing, and it is worth living hard to live in the present.

Xing Shi sighed slowly.

Jia She blinked, looked at Xing Shi who had been looking at him, deliberately made her laugh, and said: "You finally see that your husband is handsome, tall and mighty."

Xing couldn't help laughing out loud and pulled him up.At this time, Xiaohong came in and whispered to Xing Shi, "Second Master Lian is here."

Jia She's eyes were fixed, and while letting the maid help him get dressed, he sneered: "But I haven't seen him for a long time, wait, I'll go with you."

Jia Lian sat in the side hall for a cup of tea, and when he saw the master and wife coming, he got up and saluted.

Mrs. Xing looked at Jia Lian and said that he was busy playing with jade and doing business recently, but today he looks worried and troubled, his cheeks are flushed, and he is whiter and fatter than before.

Seeing him like this, Jia Amnesty frowned and calmed down. "How is your business doing?"

Jia Lian lowered her head even lower in panic. "The goods have already arrived in Beijing, but my son doesn't have a suitable shop to do business."

"Are you here to beg us to give you money to buy a shop again?" Jia She raised his eyebrows.

Jia Lian quickly shook his head: "My son doesn't dare. The son got 5000 taels of silver earlier, which is more than enough. It's because the son didn't live up to his expectations, and he squandered a little bit recklessly earlier."

"Tell me, your business?" Xing asked.

Jia Lian nodded tremblingly: "Son wants to discuss with mother, can I put the jade/ware I brought in in mother's shop and sell it at once."

Jia She chuckled, "That's a good idea!"

Jia Lian raised his head and looked at his father gratefully.

Jia Amnesty's eyes suddenly turned cold: "You imitated your aunt's money-making tricks, it's fine if you can't learn it, and you want to disturb the family's business? Look at what kind of things you got, your things The purchase price is four or five times lower than here, and the quality of workmanship is completely different. The things in that shop are all sold to aristocratic families, so naturally they are all luxurious things that are put on the table. Doing business depends on integrity, It’s easy to come and go to the shop with a few old customers; if you really sell your second-rate goods as good ones, who can you fool? Not only will your things not get out, but the shop will also be troubled.”

Jia Lian frowned, he didn't expect that his father's words were used as a foreshadowing to shudder him.Who doesn't know that now that Mrs. Xing is pregnant with a child, and the master spoils her again, the attitude of the people in the house has changed, and even the maids in her room are telling him all day long that the eldest wife is grown up and the wife is short.What an annoyance!

Mrs. Xing said indifferently: "I just want to correct you, that is not my shop, it belongs to our big house. If the family is really separated in the future, our whole family can count on these shops and fields to support us. Live, I can't take this risk. If it's my private house, I can really help you and ask you to deliver the goods. "

Jia Lian stiffened her neck and said nothing, her eyebrows tugged together.

"In this way, our family still has a jewelry shop that is not doing well. I planned to ask someone to sublet it out. Since you want to use it, I will let you use it for a few months. Your father and I have opened the door for you. When the time limit is up, you haven't made a name for yourself, so don't blame us for not valuing you in the future."

When Jia Lian heard that the matter was settled, she nodded happily.This time, it was up to Xing Shi to say what he said, and he happily agreed.Jia Lian smiled and patted Jia She and Xing's chest to promise: "Don't worry, when I sell the things, I will definitely earn this amount." Jia Lian compared the meaning of "eight" with his fingers.

Jia Amnesty and his wife watched him retreat with a smile.Jia Amnesty's face darkened immediately, and imitated Jia Lian's ratio to measure "eight", then turned to look at Xing Shi: "What do you think?"

Xing held up two fingers to Jia She, "Now I don't even expect him to get the 5000 taels back. I'll be content with that."

Jia She pursed her mouth: "From your tone, it's likely that you won't be able to come back."

"Well, basically I won't be able to come back." Xing followed suit with a sigh.

Jia She squinted his eyes at Xing, raised his eyebrows and asked, "You are usually most worried about not having enough money, and you have tried everything you can to make money. Now that kid lost 5000 taels, don't you feel bad?"

Xing took a deep breath: "Husband, when I gave it to him, my flesh hurt already." Xing immediately lowered her eyes and touched her stomach.

Jia Amnesty also put his hand on it for fun, and lowered his eyes in thought: If he knew that Xing Shi could conceive this child, there was no need to restrict that disappointing Jia Lian.

After a long while, Mrs. Xing said with a smile: "Actually, it's nothing. If you lose, you will lose, and you can earn more. Now that the New Year is approaching, it is time for business to be good. After the year, all the families will come to give gifts. Those who specially go to the temple to consecrate Jade Buddha and Jade Avalokitesvara are the best sellers, and the price has tripled, but they are still out of stock. I think that by the fifteenth day of the first lunar month after the new year, most of the goods will be almost sold out.” Doing this kind of speculative business, Xing only earns Ordinary people will definitely not be able to steal the money of those wealthy and big families.So she didn't do money and food business at the beginning, only these luxury items.

"It's pretty fast! Doesn't that make a lot of money?" Jia She said happily on behalf of his daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Xing nodded worriedly: "We have the money, but if there is no goods to sell, we have to sit and eat. So I have a plan in my heart, that is, I will trouble someone."

Jia Amnesty understood: "Brother-in-law Lin is going to Beijing by coincidence, wouldn't you be?"

"Yes, I asked his housekeeper to find the goods last time. No matter how troublesome he is this time, it will be cheap and there will be no mistakes. Besides, brother-in-law Lin will go to Beijing anyway. We will send two or three ships to pick him up by the way. I can trouble him to help take care of these goods. We will send some people from the sect, and there will be people from the Lin family in charge, so we won't be afraid of those little bandits on the water."

Jia Amnesty nodded, admiring Xing's thoughtful arrangements. "Okay, I'll arrange it later. As for the guards, since the water bandits made a lot of noise a few days ago, I have to choose two strong and reliable ones to follow."

"One more thing. It's been almost a year since Wang Xifeng left. What we said was a sudden death. Lian'er has to observe a year of filial piety. It's over now. We have to give him another daughter-in-law." Mrs. Xing road.

When Jia Amnesty thought of Jia Lian, he had a headache: "Look at how useless he is, what kind of guy can we find?"

"He lacks a little bit of ability, but at least he knows how to draw from gourds. I think it's okay to have a better discipline for him." Xing is actually very satisfied with Wang Xifeng's ability, but this girl is all about her second bedroom. My aunt is there, I can't call her back.It's fine for her own daughter-in-law to be filial to others. Later, the Xing family discovered another secret of Wang Xifeng. She seemed to have a bad relationship with Jia Rong from the East Mansion.Xing's eyes are sharp, and she probably won't make a mistake about this kind of thing.But if there is adultery, it's not easy to catch.Getting caught is also a shameful scandal, it is better not to be caught.This woman is really too troublesome.Therefore, the Xing family made up their minds at the beginning, determined to get rid of Wang Xifeng.

As for the candidates for marrying a wife, as long as they can straighten up the men of this family, the Xing family still likes women who are capable and have righteous thoughts.Xing couldn't just look at Jia Lian without blinking.Therefore, the daughter-in-law chosen for Jia Lian must be such a powerful one.Otherwise, no one can control Jia Lian's lustful nature.

Jia Amnesty could no longer agree with Xing's point of view, and nodded in agreement: "Just listen to you."

From winter to spring, it was finally a smooth year.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Baoyu and Jialan should go back to Qingshan Academy to continue their studies.Jia Lan hastily packed her bags and was ready to set off early.Baoyu was unwilling, so she cried and begged Jia Mu not to go back, but to wait for Sister Lin at home.

Mrs. Wang also said: "I think he went to that academy to study, and he didn't improve his knowledge much. It's better to stay at home, the school has been rectified a long time ago, and there are elders nearby to discipline him, so he can't mess around."

Jia's mother was also very reluctant to part with Baoyu. Now hearing Mrs. Wang's words made sense, she nodded and discussed with Mrs. Xing and Jia She, "Why don't you just keep this child?"

Jia Amnesty looked at the Xing family, who paid a lot of money to send Baoyu and Jia Lan to the academy.He worried that his daughter-in-law would not agree.No matter what, he must stand on his wife's side.

Under the attention of everyone, Xing smiled with squinted eyes, and said slowly: "Okay!"

Everyone was shocked, they didn't expect Mrs. Xing to agree so simply.