Edge of the Red Chamber

The first snow of this winter fell in Suzhou.

Daiyu woke up early in the morning and saw the light outside, she thought it was getting up late, she didn't have time to call her maid, so she put on her clothes and lifted the curtain and got out of bed. Looking at the bright light on the window, she thought that the sun had already risen, and it must be very late, so she became more and more anxious When I got up, I unexpectedly saw the small western clock on the Babao Pavilion, the short one pointed to five, and the long one pointed to three, so I felt relieved.Suspecting that it was snowing, he took off his shoes and took a double-breasted gown with squirrel lining and moon white satin that he usually wears at home, and put it on. Then he went to the window and opened the inner window, looking out from the glass window.

Sure enough, it was snowing outside, half a foot thick on the ground, and there were still catkin-like flakes of snow floating in the sky, so dense that the sun could not be seen.Look at this square, it must have been down all night.

Daiyu caught sight of it for a moment, and forgot to put down the stone lion in her hand. She was already cold and afraid of the cold, and after a while, her hands felt very cold. If she was not careful, the stone lion dropped her hand on the window The bed below the Arhat.

There was a loud "bang", followed by another "gudong gudong".Today was Hongxiao's night duty, so she woke up with a start, got up in a fright, hurriedly put on her clothes and got up, first said to the outside: "What's the matter? Go out and have a look." Come here.

Daiyu hurriedly turned around and saw that the red gauze was only wearing a small jacket. She didn't have time to explain, so she scolded her and said, "Why are you wearing so little, and you caught a cold? Is it snowing outside?" Then she pointed. The cloak I wore yesterday on the hanger said: "You can't wear mine, and it's better than your thin piece."

Seeing that Daiyu didn't wear much clothes, Hongxiao couldn't care less about herself, so she hurriedly pushed Daiyu to the bed, and said angrily, "The girl still said that I am not careful when it's my turn?" Then she asked: "Miss, did you hear that sound too?" After speaking, she remembered what Daiyu said about the snow falling, and seeing that it was so bright outside at this hour, she guessed that the snow must be heavy, and she suddenly understood, "I think it's somewhere dry outside. The branches were broken by the snow."

As soon as the words fell, Ziyuan said from outside the curtain: "I don't know where the noise came from. It snowed all night outside, and the ground is half a foot thick. It must be that the dead branches in the garden at the back were broken by the snow. I will go to the back immediately." Take a look."

"No need, it's still early, go and rest." Seeing one or two of them said that the branch was broken, Daiyu's face flushed for a while, and she said embarrassingly: "I opened the window to see the snow, and held the stone lion to see the snow." Forgot to put it down, and let go of it carelessly for a moment, but it made you worry for nothing."

Hongxiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she tucked the quilt for Daiyu, and said, "Young lady is too naughty. Even if you want to see the snow, you should put on your clothes well. It's not stubborn to freeze your hands carefully." Probe touched the quilt with his hand, it was a little cold, guessed that Daiyu might have been up for a while, and wanted to say a few words, but seeing Daiyu's face of doing something wrong, he couldn't say anything to blame .

"Bring a Mrs. Tang in." Ziyuan listened to it outside and was also amused, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was nothing else, and she hurriedly responded when she got the order. How could she go to the tea room to ask for water without bringing it.

"The girl will sleep for a while, and I will call the girl when the time comes."

Daiyu shook her head and said, "No need, I won't be able to fall asleep right now, so it's better to get up. This year's snow fell earlier, and it was heavier than in previous years. Such a day is the best time to eat hot pot. You can also enjoy the snow while being warm. Why don't we take a detour, go to the Bijing Pavilion, and talk to my sister-in-law." Saying that, she was about to get up.

"Miss is too impatient," Hongxiao said, holding Daiyu with both hands to prevent her from getting up, while standing up by herself, she said, "I'm going to get the clothes, they were put on the smoker to dry last night." After coming back for a while, he went on to say: "Whatever you want to eat, girl, just tell Qingniao to go to the Bijing Pavilion, that's all. In this cold weather, why bother to go there by yourself? Grandma gave orders a few days ago, saying The weather has suddenly turned cold these few days, and the people in the greenhouse didn't notice it for a while, the vegetables were frozen, and most of them died. The girl just followed..." Hong Kao said smoothly for a moment, and the word "wife" just came to her lips. After waking up, she hurriedly mumbled, "There are no fresh vegetables, and she wouldn't even use rice. The grandma said, if the girl wants something to eat, ask someone to come over and tell her, and she will order the kitchen to make it and bring it over."

Daiyu took Hongxiao's heart.The girls around her were all left to her by her mother, are they worried and worried about her?

Daiyu didn't want Hongxiao to worry, she just kept urging Hongxiao as if she didn't notice.Hongxiao didn't think too much about it, just pretending that Daiyu really didn't notice, seeing that Daiyu had the intention to get up by herself, she walked to the bed in three steps at a time, and first put a thin jacket on Daiyu's body. .

The maids and mothers-in-law have already got up and are busy with their own tasks.After Daiyu finished washing, Xiangcheng opened the window inside and held the stone lion against it.

That day Jia Min didn't like the windows in Beijing very much. The room was already dark in winter, but the windows blocked out more than half of the light, making the room even more gloomy and lifeless.However, she is a girl, and her mother is strong, even if she doesn't like her, she can only accept it.When she married Lin Hai, the first thing she did was to replace all the windows of the Lin family's house in Beijing with large windows on the inner and outer floors, and slightly changed the small stone lion on the window to fix it. sash.

The glass was covered with mist, and nothing could be seen, so Xiangcheng called to Ziyuan, asking her to bring in a rag.

Hongxiao immediately reprimanded in a low voice: "You're so lazy, you're yelling and drinking in the room early in the morning, it's only a few steps away, can't you go to the door and call for someone?"

As soon as the words fell, Ziyuan called Xiangcheng from outside the curtain, Xiangcheng made a face towards Hongxiao, ran to the curtain in a few steps, lifted the curtain, took the rag, and ran back to the window in a few steps Standing in front of her, she wiped the glass and said, "The snow is really heavy today. I'm afraid the road will be difficult to walk. Miss, if you don't go to the husband's place to ask for a leave today, you won't be able to pass today."

"What are you talking about? How can this matter of studying be like this? It's snowing today and the road is difficult to walk, so I have to ask for leave. If it rains tomorrow, the road is even more difficult to walk. Don't we have to ask for leave? Tian'er here, it's not like you don't know that there are 360 ​​days in a year, and you wish it rained for [-] days, so you don't need to study?" Daiyu said seriously.

Xiangcheng stuck out her tongue, and she forgot that when his wife was alive, she was always responsive to the three brothers and sisters in other things, but she was always strict with her studies, and she was not allowed to be late or leave early, let alone ask for leave.

"You," seeing the blue bird outside the bead curtain approaching with a holding box, Hong Kao stretched out her green forefinger and tapped the orange's forehead fiercely, scolding: "Why don't you hurry up and set the table and chopsticks?" As he spoke, he went out to pick up the holding box.

After the meal, Zi Yuan went out to bring hot water and came in to wait for Daiyu to wash her hands. Hong Kao cleaned up the dishes and said, "Since the girls want to enjoy the snow, I will tell them not to move the snow in the yard, and only keep the verandah. Sweep out and walk."

Hearing this, Daiyu thought for a moment, and then said: "Forget it, you can go to the old lady's side later, I saw that there seemed to be flower bones yesterday, and I don't know if they are blooming, if they are, it should be Clean up the snow, the snow will not stop for a while, maybe a little snow can be collected."

"I forgot about this, girl, don't worry, I'll send someone over later." Hongxiao said, the dishes and chopsticks were packed, and they were still put back in the holding box, and they carried them out the door. Yao Huang was sitting Doing needlework before smoking the cage, I said, "Go to the old lady's yard," and then remembered that it would not be good to go there empty-handed. The crisps came out on a plate, just to be delivered to the old lady, and I stopped by to see if the snow on the plum blossoms has been cleaned up."

Yao Huang hurriedly put down the work in his hands, got up and took out a nanmu fruit box from the cabinet, and said, "Don't worry, sister, I'll go right away."

The family has the practice of collecting plum blossom snow every year, and the girls in Daiyu's room all know it, so there is no need for Hongxiao to explain anything.

"Go early and come back early, don't forget the time when you play." Hongxiao explained, handed the holding box to the little girl outside, came in and filled a plate, and took a few other snacks and put them together Plate, still took a small holding box and packed it up, then went into the inner room again.

Xiangcheng has already waited on Daiyu to change her clothes for going out, so Hongxiao didn't come forward to talk to Daiyu about the plum garden.

"I have told Yao Huang to go there." After finishing speaking, he added: "The box of walnut cakes sent by the uncle last night, the girl was writing at that time, so I didn't have time to say it, and then I forgot it when I was free. Thinking of it, I asked Yao Huang to pick a plate and send it to the old lady, and I picked another plate to take to the girl at school later."

Daiyu tilted her head and looked at Hongxiang with a smile, "Brother must have sent it to the old lady."

Hung Hom knew she was joking, so she didn't care, she still smiled and said: "What the uncle gave was given by the uncle, and what the girl gave was given by the girl. Each has his own heart. You can't think that the uncle gave it to you, and the girl will not." send it?"

Daiyu spat, and said: "You are always right. Why don't you give it away, but take the one sent by the elder brother as a favor? Turning around, the old lady scolded me, and I didn't admit it. I just said it was your idea." .”

Hearing this, all the girls in the room laughed.Hongxiao laughed, and said: "When the girl goes back to the old lady's place, she asks Qingniao to make a bowl of ginger milk. The old lady loves that, so I won't scold the girl for keeping it."

Xiangcheng laughed and fell on the floor, and it took a long time to catch her breath.

Yao Huang walked to the plum garden, saw the door was wide open, and went in directly.As soon as he entered the door, he saw a few girls walking through the plum forest, and when he took a closer look, he found rosary beads among them.

"It's so cold, what does my sister do in the snow here? I leave these tasks to the little girls." Yao Huang stepped forward to pull the rosary, and said, "Can the old lady get up?"

The rosary saw that Yao Huang was holding the holding box, so she wanted to take it, but Yao Huang refused to let it go, the two pushed back and forth, the rosary couldn't stand Yao Huang, so she still took it.

"The old lady got up early and is doing morning classes."

"It's already this hour, and the old lady hasn't had breakfast yet?" According to the past, the old lady should have finished her morning class and had breakfast by now, so Yao Huang asked this question.

"Not really," Rosary said with a smile, "Today the old lady woke up a quarter of an hour late, it's too late."

Yao Huang went in, the old lady was leaving the Buddhist hall, and the wooden fish was setting the bowls and chopsticks. Yao Huang hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, and helped the wooden fish to set the bowls and chopsticks.Rosary beads showed the peach cakes to the old lady. The old lady took a look and said with a smile: "I knew this girl didn't come to greet me, she was thinking about the plum blossoms outside."

Yao Huang just laughed, neither saying yes nor no, just learned what Hongxiao Hui Daiyu said, and made the old lady laugh once.

After dinner, the old lady dismissed Yao Huang and ordered the rosary to be sent out.

After leaving the door, Yao Huang took the rosary and said, "The old lady cannot live without her two elder sisters. Leave the matter of Meilin to me."

"Okay, anyway, it's your master who wants to drink tea from the snow on the plum blossoms."

Seeing that the matter was finished, Yao Huang pushed the rosary back and said: "Sister, go back quickly, this snowy eye is going to grow big again."

Rosary glanced at the distance, it was so hazy that she couldn't see clearly, she nodded, and said, "Forget it, I don't go out with you, be careful on the road, watch the road, and slide carefully." A woman followed.