The Royal Merchant of the Red Chamber

After the soup was served for a while, the Lantern Festival was offered again.Looking at the colorful Lantern Festival in Cheng Kiln's multicolored clay gold bowl, Jia's mother couldn't help but be taken aback, "Are these also Lantern Festival?"

Mrs. Xue on the side smiled and said, "It's the latest style of Fuyuan Pavilion, let a hundred flowers bloom, how about the ancestors try it?"

Mother Jia also became stubborn for a while, pointing to a golden Lantern Festival in the bowl and said with a smile: "Give me a taste of this."

So Yuanyang quickly bent a golden Lantern Festival with a spoon and brought it to Jiamu's lips. Jiamu lowered her head and took a bite, only to feel a sweet aroma spread in her mouth. After chewing, the stuffing actually smelled like a lily. , Mother Jia smiled and said, "It's strange."

Xue Pan hurriedly explained: "The old ancestors should have cornmeal skins and lily flower stuffed Yuanxiao just now. There are also buckwheat skins, black sesame stuffing, glutinous rice skins, and lotus root stuffing... The same skin, the same stuffing, add up to make a hundred flowers bloom.”

After hearing what Xue Pan said, everyone quickly lowered their heads and ate the Lantern Festival in their own bowls.This one exclaimed "I am scented with rose flowers", and the other exclaimed "I am scented with apricot blossoms".Being playful and fresh, no one ate an extra bowl than usual, even Jia Mu couldn't help but ate a few more.

Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "The business of Weidao Fuyuan Restaurant is much better than that of the nearby restaurants and shops. Sure enough, this thing is also extremely exquisite! It can almost catch up with the imperial banquet in the palace."

Xue Pan smiled and said: "My aunt really flattered us, but it's just a new trick, how can it compare to the exquisite food in the palace?"

In my heart, I became more and more impatient.I don't know whether Mrs. Wang is really dull or intentional, who would dare to compare the things in her own house with those in the palace.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Wang didn't understand the meaning of Xue Pan's words at all. Instead, she smiled and said, "Why not, I often have rose dew at home, and the taste is not as pure as the rose stuffing in your Lantern Festival! It's so clear , the things in your shop are really good."

The smile on Xue Pan's face froze, and he glanced at Mrs. Wang in disbelief.People like them can't use the advanced things, even the Xue family's status as an imperial merchant, and the honor and favor of the Holy One dare not presumptuously.Why did Mrs. Wang dare to speak out in public?Breaking the rules and breaking the taboo... If it is serious, it is a deception, and if it is not done well, it will lose your head.

For a while, everyone in Jia's family also looked at each other, looking at Mrs. Wang in silence.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Wang lost her position because of Yuan Chun in the palace. Now she sighed secretly when she saw the prosperity of the Xue family. She didn't notice everyone's abnormality at all. For one thing, Baochai's life after entering the palace will be much easier in the future. It won't be like Yuanchun now..."

As he said that, a look of intimacy flashed in Xue Baochai's eyes, and then he secretly felt in vain.Now that the Xue family has a high family status, and Xue Baochai has the identity of a beautiful girl and is preparing to enter the palace next year, it is obvious that she doesn't like her family's Baoyu.Otherwise, telling Baochai to Baoyu, firstly, Yuanchun will lose a competitor, and secondly, Xue's family can also be helped, wouldn't it be the best?

Because her actions were too abrupt and obvious, most of the people present could see what Mrs. Wang was thinking.Mrs. Xue's expression faded with displeasure, and before she could speak, Mother Jia suddenly said, "Let's take a break from the show!"

Saying that, he waved his hands and said, "It's all a small play in the palace. If you think about it, you'll be pampered and pampered on weekdays. Let's eat with them and sing with them."

Wang Xifeng responded in a low voice.Jia Mu asked people to take all kinds of fruits and Yuanxiao to eat with them.A certain action diverted Mrs. Wang's abruptness just now.

Seeing this, Xue's mother and son stopped pursuing the matter.

After the play stopped for a while, a woman brought in two female gentlemen who often walked by the door.Mother Jia smiled and said to Mrs. Xue, "What book does my aunt want to hear?"

Mrs. Xue apologized and said with a smile: "I don't care about this, everything is fine."

Mother Jia asked again, "Are there any new books recently?"

The female gentleman replied: "There is nothing wrong with the new book, but recently everyone likes to listen to "The West Chamber."

Jia Mu frowned and said, "It's still these Fengyue operas. From our time, it's "The West Chamber", "The Peony Pavilion", and "Peach Blossom Fan". ,Means nothing."

Hearing what Jia Mu said, the female gentleman could only stand aside and apologize.

Xue Pan pouted while sitting down, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and put them in his palm out of boredom.When Jia's mother saw this, she originally wanted to please the Xue family because of Mrs. Wang's gaffe.Then he laughed and said, "What book Pan'er wants to hear, you can tell the lady."

Xue Pan knocked the melon seeds disapprovingly and said, "She doesn't know what I like to hear."

Hearing this, the female gentleman said with some dissatisfaction: "Depending on what this young man likes to hear, as long as there is something in the world, there is nothing I can't say."

Xue Pan glanced at him, feeling a little dry mouth, reached out and took out the apple on the plate, took a bite, and said casually: "Then you call it a ghost blowing the lamp!"

The female gentleman couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and after a while, the fox asked: "What is this, I haven't heard of it."

"Then "Yi Tian Tu Long Ji", "The Eight Parts of the Heavenly Dragon", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"... you can just name any one!" The female gentleman's face became more and more black, and finally she bowed her head in shame and said: "Now I can see I'm so ignorant. I haven't even heard the titles of the books that the uncle said."

It's just that even though he said so in his mouth, the expression on his face was still somewhat unconvinced.She probably thought that Xue Pan just casually babbled about a few book titles to make her unable to come down.But if the master paid for it, even if they made things difficult, they wouldn't say anything more.

Only Lin Mozhi gave Xue Pan a helpless look, and shook his head.

Jia Baoyu loves Fengyue dramas the most, and now he has heard many from Xue Pan that he has never heard of.He couldn't help but stepped forward and grabbed Xue Pan's sleeve and said, "Good brother, good brother, I have never heard of the books you mentioned. Can you lend me a couple of days to read?"

Xue Pan shook his head and said with a smile, "You know I am the most impatient to read books. I just heard people say these things. Where did I get the text for you to read?"

Jia Baoyu curled his lips in disappointment.For a moment, all the girls in the flower hall looked at Xue Pan with burning eyes.

Seeing this, Xue Pan also became interested.Putting down the apple in his hand, he stood up and said, "Why don't I tell you something!"

All the girls and daughters-in-law hurriedly clapped their hands and laughed, "Wow, wow."

Xue Pan cleared his throat and said, "Then let me tell you about my favorite part of "The Legend of Condor Heroes"! It was probably in the Song Dynasty..."

These martial arts novels once saved his poor and boring primary school life.Every time he was in class, he took these big books to review and read them no less than ten times.Later, when every version of TV was broadcast, he was even more invincible.Among them, Li Ruotong and Gu Tianle's version of "The Legend of Condor Heroes" is my favorite, so although I can't recite it backwards, I still don't forget the general plot.

"...Then this little guy named Yang Guo couldn't bear the humiliation, defected from the Quanzhen Sect, and came to a place called the Ancient Tomb Sect. If you want to say that the Ancient Tomb Sect and Quanzhen Sect also have some unclear connections. Inside... Now there are only a few people left in the Ancient Tomb Sect. Among them is Li Mochou who we mentioned before because of love and hatred, and now living in the Ancient Tomb Sect is Li Mochou's junior sister Xiaolongnv If you want to say that this little dragon girl looks so pure and pure, she is peerless. After Yang Guo saw her, she worshiped her as a master. Later, she took a stinky Taoist priest from the Quanzhen sect as a cutie, saying that she could not be called Xiaolong. The daughter is the master, so I call her aunt." Xue Pan paused at this point, drank the tea cup on the table in one gulp, shook his head and said, "I'm thirsty to death."

All the girls urged with bright eyes: "And then, and then."

"Then I got tired." Xue Pan lay down on the table, patted the table with both hands and said: "If you want to know what will happen next, let's listen to the next chapter to break it down."

"No..." All the girls got up and surrounded Xue Pan, begging softly, "Brother, hurry up!"

"I'm done talking." Xue Pan stretched out his hand and rubbed his cheeks, "There's still a lot to come, I can't finish talking all night!"

"Big Brother..." When the girls heard this, the one who poured the tea and the one who handed the fruit said, "Big Brother has tea, let's talk about it after the tea break!"

Even Baochai came forward to squeeze Xue Pan's shoulders with a smile and said, "Brother is tired, can Baochai give you a squeeze?"

All of a sudden, Yingying and Yanyan gathered around, Yanfu envied others!

Even the boys on the corridor laughed and said, "Go on, go on!"

Xue Pan shook his head, looked at the girls around him and suddenly his heart moved, he said with a smile: "This "The Legend of Condor Heroes" is too long, I can't finish it anyway, why don't I change it for you?"

Lin Daiyu tilted her head and smiled, "What does Big Brother want to tell us, but is it better than this?"

"Anyway, you must love to hear it." Xue Pan said, clearing his throat, and said, "It is said that there is a scholar named Ning Caichen who came to Beijing to take the exam. It was raining heavily one day, and Ning Caichen carried the bookcase to a The place called Lanruo Temple sheltered from the rain. This temple has been abandoned for a long time, and it is quite dilapidated and gloomy among the high mountains. Ning Caichen wiped off the rainwater on his body, and lit a pile of firewood to keep warm. Take out the book to review. Suddenly, I heard a very beautiful piano sound..."

"...In the end, Ning Caichen gave up the chance to return to the sun, and instead stayed in a painting with Nie Xiaoqian, staying together forever. As the saying goes, ten miles of Pinghu is covered with frost, and every inch of blue silk is full of sorrow. I only envy mandarin ducks and not immortals." At the end, Xue Pan recited a poem mentioned on the painting in the play very literaryly, and snatched the freshly brewed tea from Lin Mozhi's hand and drank it And do.

"Ten miles of Pinghu is full of frost, and every inch of blue silk is full of sorrow. Looking at the moon to protect each other, I only envy mandarin ducks but not immortals." Lin Daiyu sat at the table, reciting poems with a catkin on her cheek. Splendid again and again. "Big Brother wrote this poem. It's really good. It expresses all the feelings of idiots and resentment in the world... I only envy mandarin ducks, not immortals."

"Ah?" Xue Pan's eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing this.This poem was composed by Tsui Hark and has nothing to do with him.But now Tsui Hark and his ancestors don't know where to stay!

Xue Pan rolled his eyes, looked at Lin Mozhi beside him and said with a smile, "This poem was filled in by your brother after I finished telling the story."

For a while, everyone turned their envious and surprised eyes on Lin Mozhi again.

Lin Mozhi almost choked on his own saliva.He glared at Xue Pan viciously, and remained silent.

So all the girls gathered around Lin Mozhi and chatted.He was originally the No. [-] Scholar of Sanyuan Jidi, even if he added an extra poem, everyone thought it was nothing.I just think that the number one scholar is really talented, not to mention handsome.For a moment, many young girls in the hall had secret hearts, and they all looked at Lin Mozhi affectionately.

The troubled Lin Mozhi frowned again and again, gouging Xue Pan one after another.

Xue Pan didn't dare to tease him so much that he provoked Lin Mozhi anxiously, and quickly laughed and said, "Actually, there is a song that goes with this story. Which of you wants to hear it?"

All the Yingying Yanyan were attracted attention again, they turned around and laughed, "I want to listen, I want to listen."

Xue Pan chuckled, cleared his throat, and sang: "The road of life, sweet dreams are like long roads..."

Xue Pan loved clubbing and karaoke in his previous life, so his skills are naturally good after repeated practice.The rebirth in this life not only gave birth to a good family, but also a good appearance and a good voice.When Pu opened his mouth, his voice was melodious and clear, full of affection.Everyone was shocked when they heard it, and after singing, they still felt the lingering sound lingering in their ears.

After a moment of silence, suddenly there was a sound of silk and bamboo on the stage.Everyone listened carefully, but it turned out to be the song "A Chinese Ghost Story" that Xue Pan just sang.The sounds of flute, pipa, guzheng and other musical instruments are mellow and full of affection, and after a moment of running-in, they become completely natural.

Suddenly, he sang again on the stage: "The road of life, sweet dreams are like long roads..."

Everyone looked intently, and it turned out that the two Xiaosheng Xiaodan who had just stepped down swayed onto the stage, and sang with the sound of silk and bamboo.There is a touch of singing in the correct accent, and it sounds lingering, and it actually has two points more charm in it than Xue Pan's singing.Everyone listened with gusto for a while.

At the end of the song, everyone applauded again and again.Xue Pan also smiled pleasantly and said: "As expected of a theater troupe with the word "Huang" at the beginning, this skill is really tough."

Mother Jia also waved her hands with a smile from ear to ear and said, "Reward."

So all of a sudden, the sound of copper coins clattering was accompanied by the applause and applause of the crowd, making the whole flower hall a hundred times more lively.

Jia Baoyu moved to Xue Pan's side in joy and praised: "Big Brother sings really well. Although it is not the same as today's little songs, it has a little more novelty. Although the rhetoric is straightforward, but after listening to it too much, it feels like It has a lingering aroma. It's really good."

Xue Pan grinned and took a mouthful of vegetables and put them in his mouth. He chewed and said with a smile: "I just like to listen to this kind of music. That kind of Yiyi Yaya drama is the most boring."

Jia Baoyu said with admiration: "It's really interesting. But it would be great if the story that big brother told just now can be made into a play."

Xue Pan's heart moved when he heard this, he immediately put down his chopsticks and looked straight at Jia Baoyu.

Jia Baoyu was looked at inexplicably. He lowered his head to look at himself, then raised his head and asked, "What is big brother looking at me for?"

"I see you are so talented." Xue Pan reached out and patted Jia Baoyu's shoulder, sighed and said, "Why didn't I think of that before! I don't like listening to their singing, so I can tinker with something myself!"

When Jia Baoyu heard this, his eyes lit up. "Big brother, do you want to make up your own play?"

"I will compile A Chinese Ghost Story." Xue Pan clasped his hands together and said.Squinting his eyes slightly, he looked at the group of opera singers below, and couldn't help thinking.

Jia Baoyu shouted excitedly: "Count me in, count me in."

Everyone in the flower hall looked at Xue Pan and Xue Pan with smiles, and whispered a few words between each other from time to time.There is also Tanchun.Xichun and the girls laughed and said, "If big brother really makes up a new play, don't forget to show us."

"Of course." Xue Pan agreed wholeheartedly.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew, causing everyone to shiver subconsciously.Jia Mu frowned and asked, "What day is it?"

A busy person below replied: "It's already three o'clock."

Jiamu looked up at the sky and said with a smile, "So it's already this hour, it's strange that it's getting cold."

While talking, Yuanyang quickly took a heavy dress and put it on Jia Mu.Mrs. Wang has long since lost the interest to play because she made everyone unhappy with her previous gaffes.Hearing what Jia Mu said, she apologized and said with a smile: "If the old lady thinks it's late, why not leave here."

Jia Mu frowned and said, "It's so easy to laugh so hard...I haven't had enough fun yet!"

Wang Xifeng quickly interjected: "The old lady might as well move to the heated kang in the warm pavilion, it's warmer there."

Jia Mu laughed and said, "What's the point of me going there alone? Everyone should go there!"

Mrs. Wang said again: "I'm afraid there won't be room for you to sit inside."

Jia Mu laughed and said, "Then put the tables together and let everyone sit together. This will not only keep you warm, but also make it easier to talk."

Jia Baoyu clapped his hands and laughed, "Okay, okay, I'm sitting with Big Brother Xue and Brother Lin. Let's have a good talk."

So everyone got up and left their seats to enter the Nuan Pavilion.After the maids and women set up the tables and chairs and added fruit and delicacies, everyone took their seats one after another.Sitting facing west, Jia's mother gave up the front seat to Mrs. Xue, but Mrs. Xue refused to accept it.Baoyu and other three men naturally sat together, with Mrs. Wang at the bottom, and Mrs. Xing and Youshi at the bottom. Mrs. Xue actually sat at the bottom of Youshi.Mother Jia didn't look like it, so she hurriedly said, "My auntie, sit over here."

Mrs. Xue said with a smile: "My family doesn't have to be so polite, old lady. I just happened to talk to Youshi, so it's good to sit like this."

Mother Jia asked again and again, but Mrs. Xue just refused.Mother Jia had no choice but to go with Mrs. Xue.Instead, he called the three of Baoyu to sit beside him.

Mrs. Wang saw it, and her face paled with embarrassment.Madam Xing glanced at Madam Wang with a half-smile.

For a while, Jia Zhen came in with all the brothers to toast.Seeing this, Jia's mother smiled and said, "Take these brothers back home! I have something to do when I get up early tomorrow, so don't delay."

Jia Zhen responded in a low voice, and said, "I asked Rong'er to stay and serve the old lady."

Jia Mu laughed and said, "I said, I seem to have forgotten someone. It turned out to be him. Tell him to come in and sit with his wife for a drink. The Lantern Festival is supposed to be a reunion, how can the couple be separated!"

Then he said, "Just call Lian'er along the way."

After a while, Jia Lian came in at the sound.Although he was friendly on the surface, he was somewhat unwilling in his heart.Watching Wang Xifeng show off her talents below with cold eyes, and kept flattering Jiamu Zhang Luoxiu, she felt bored for a while.But after sitting for a cup of tea, he shirked that he had something to do tomorrow, resigned Jia Mu and slipped out.

After meeting with Jia Zhen and others, what kind of romance it was, I don't need to elaborate on chasing joy and laughing.

Holding the cup in her hand, Wang Xifeng looked at Jia Lian's back in a hurry, then turned her head to look at the passionately in love with Rong'er and his wife, and sighed in disapproval.Turning his head around, he continued to pull himself together.It was also clamoring to beat drums to pass on the order of plum wine, and it was also a glib talk about things, which made everyone laugh from ear to ear.The quarrel lasted until the fourth watch, and I was really tired and sleepy, so I set off fireworks, served tea and rinsed my mouth, and the banquet was over, and everyone went to rest——