Evening Shaohua in the Red House

The next morning, the boat sailed, and Fang Jiaozheng had arrived at Shao Bo, which was still tens of miles away from Yangzhou. It was just at the top of the boat that the wind was blowing, and the sails were fully drawn, riding the wind and waves, and arrived in Yangzhou not long after.

The boatman anchored the boat and went ashore to replenish some fresh water. The daughter-in-law of Jia's family, Dong's family, also brought a few women and servants ashore to buy some fresh chicken, duck, fish and vegetables.

After finishing the arrangement, it was already noon, and everyone was about to go back to the boat, when they suddenly saw four or five women coming from the opposite street, followed by seven or eight young men carrying food boxes, and they were also heading towards the ferry wharf just like them. Walk.

Looking at the attire of this group of people, the Dong family knew that it was the servants of the rich family who came out to buy food. Seeing that although their attire was not very gorgeous, their speech and behavior were quite good, so they couldn't help but take a second look, but they didn't pay much attention. think.

When everyone arrived at the pier, the Dong family watched the boys load the things they bought onto the boat, and turned to greet the women, "It's getting late, let's hurry back to the boat, eat and go on our way."

One of the women heard this, and immediately sighed, and said: "I was hurrying along this journey. I was dangling on the boat all day. I was dizzy and vomited all the way. I finally landed on the ground. My legs are still weak."

The other also complained: "People in the mansion previously said that the Second Mistress Lian was powerful, and Grandma Zhu was kind and compassionate, but I saw that the Grandma was three points more powerful than the Second Mistress, she looked like a Bodhisattva. , but it’s a little bit unreasonable, this journey is just rushing day and night, and it’s not enough to take a break to catch your breath.”

The Dong family frowned immediately after hearing this, turned to look at the woman coldly, and reprimanded: "Are you out of your mind?! What are you talking about? Masters, you can chew your tongue too?"

The other women were smarter, and when they saw this, they hurriedly said to the woman: "You are also confused, so don't think too much about it. Uncle Xiaolan is seriously ill at this moment. Not to mention that Grandma is worried, we are also worried. , it is serious to arrive at Gusu earlier, not to mention that I have not sent any hard work to you, nor asked you to go to pull the boat, so what are you tired of?"

The Dong family sneered and said: "I don't think she is confused, it's because the grandma treats you too well, and she is more and more ignorant!"

After finishing speaking, he said to the woman: "At the beginning, you agreed to come to Gusu by yourself. Before you set off, each of you was rewarded with a sling of money. You only served tea and water along the way, and poured water at twelve hours a day. There are ten hours of free time, and three meals a day are enough to eat and drink, and there is a meal of wine and food every now and then.

You go outside to inquire, there is

Which family's servants can be as comfortable as you?Not happy yet?That being the case, you can go back on your own, and I can't afford your big Buddha here! "

The old woman was only quick-talking for a while, and complained a few words because of Li Wan's usual good nature. At this time, seeing the Dong family's anger, she regretted it in her heart, lest she would be sent back. At that time, Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang would know Sure enough, she couldn't tolerate her, and most likely she would be kicked out. At the moment, she regretted and was afraid, secretly hating herself for breaking her tongue, and quickly said with a smile: "It's because I'm so fat, and I lost my head and talked nonsense for a while. Fart, don't be as knowledgeable as an old woman."

The Dong family sneered, and was about to speak, when they suddenly heard a hesitant voice asking: "My sister-in-law, let me ask, are you from Rongfu in the capital?"

The members of the Dong family were startled when they heard the words, and when they looked back, it was just that group of servants who had just been preparing to board the boat.

The one who spoke was the head of a group of servants, about forty years old, wearing a blue satin straight-collared double-breasted jacket, a maroon horse-face skirt, fair skin, a slightly plump figure, and looked very kindly, looking at him in surprise. watching them.

The Dong family took a closer look, only to feel that she had a kind face, but for a moment she couldn't remember where she had seen her before, so she only agreed: "We are from the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion. I don't know what the name of this mother is?"

The woman was overjoyed when she heard the words, and hurriedly said: "My husband's family name is Wang, and he is the steward of Mrs. Lin, the former salt department censor in Gusu. I met my sister-in-law a few times when I went to the house to pick up our girl two years ago. Just now when we saw each other at the market, we felt a little kind, but we didn’t dare to admit it for a while, but now we know that we didn’t admit our mistake after listening to a few people.”

It turned out that this woman's husband was Wang An, the second steward of Lin's house, who had been Lin Ruhai's companion since childhood, and Wang An's family had served Jia Min before, she was always loyal and behaved appropriately, and the couple had always been very close to each other. Lin Ruhai relies heavily on it.

The Dong family was surprised and happy when they heard the words, and hurriedly said: "So it's Mama Wang from the uncle's house. Ask mother, is our brother Lang's illness better?"

Wang An's family also laughed and said: "We came to Beijing this time to give New Year's gifts to the family, and secondly, for this matter. This time is also blessed by God, and we met a miracle doctor. Uncle Xiaolan's illness has passed. It's all right.

Our girl knew that the family must be worried, so she specially wrote a letter to be handed over to the young mistress, please ask my sister-in-law to let me know. "

The Dong family couldn't help but read it

Buddha, said: "Amitabha, it is safe and sound."

I didn't care about the old woman for a while, so I hurriedly ordered the boy to row a small boat to report the news on the boat, and then invited Madam Wang to go there together.

Wang An's family ordered the others to go back to the boat first, then he took the letter and followed Dong's family to Li Wan's boat.

But he said that the boy's boat had helped the big boat, and the servant woman on the boat heard the movement and went to the bow of the boat and asked, "Who sent you here?"

The servant replied: "Mother Dong asked me to report the letter. Just now I met a mother in charge of my aunt's house, saying that our uncle Xiaolan's illness is no longer a problem. Miss Lin still has a letter to Grandma."

When the maid heard this, she didn't dare to stay in the pavilion, so she hurried back to Li Wan in the cabin.

Li Wan had just eaten, and was watching a few servants clear up the leftovers. He was surprised and happy when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "Where is the person, please come in!"

Just as they were talking, Dong's family had brought Wang An's family onto the big ship. Aunt Liu hurriedly passed on Li Wan's words and asked to come into the cabin to find out why.

Wang An's family invited Ann first, and Fang took out the letter from his sleeve and presented it.

Li Wan didn't have time to read the letter, so he asked Jia Lan about his condition first.

Wang An's family said: "Speaking of which, it is really blessed by gods and Buddhas. My brother was having a high fever that day, and the master and the girl were in a hurry. By chance, I met a doctor Zhou who took medicine like a god, and my brother retired within half a day. I had a fever, and then I took a few doses of medicine, and now I'm fine."

After hearing this, Li Wan was overjoyed, and finally let go of his hanging heart.

Danju and the others were both surprised and delighted when they heard the words, and they couldn't stop chanting Buddha's name.

Aunt Liu also smiled and said: "I just said that our brother is blessed by a Bodhisattva, so grandma can rest assured now."

While talking, Wutong brought tea, Li Wan said: "This is really troublesome mother, please have a cup of hot tea."

Wang An's family hurriedly said: "This is all a matter of duty, thank you for not daring to be a grandma."

Only then did Li Wan open the letter and read it carefully. It was written by Daiyu. It turned out that the doctor Zhou was none other than the uncle of the Zhou family that Fu Ling had mentioned that year. His name was Zhou Jing, and he had been a scholar in his early years. After repeated attempts, he abandoned his books and sold some medicinal materials to make a living.

This Zhou Jingben is a scholar, he is proficient in medical theory, and he makes a living with medicinal materials, and he loves it very much. After years of study, his medical skills are extremely superb, but he does not practice medicine as a profession, and he is away all the year round, so he is not well-known in Gusu area .

Coincidentally, this person is also Miss Zhen's neighbor.

A few years ago, the Feng family and Yinglian returned to their hometown of Gusu to settle down. Because there was no male in the family to set up a household, and Yinglian was born well, living outside would inevitably lead to troubles, so the mother died.

The two women have always lived with the Zhou family.

Because of Li Wan's order, and because Fuling also liked Yinglian as a person, she specially asked her clansmen to take care of her. Fuling's husband, Zhou Maoxiu, was also a juren, who was quite important in the Zhou clan, and Daiyu secretly took care of her, so no one was there. Embarrass her mother and daughter.

When Zhou Jing came home a month ago, Feng and Yinglian were worried about Jia Lan's serious illness. Hearing that Zhou Jing was skilled in medicine, Feng rushed to the door to beg Zhou's wife, and then invited Zhou Jing to Lin's for a consultation.

At that time, Jia Lan was in a critical condition and was dying. Fortunately, Zhou Jing traveled all over the world for more than ten years, met many folk doctors, collected a lot of folk remedies, collected medicines everywhere, went to famous mountains and rivers, and accumulated a few life-saving spirits. medicine.

This time, Jia Lan's high fever was thanks to one of his folk prescriptions, and the secret medicine was given in time, which turned the crisis into safety and saved him.

After reading the letter, Li Wan finally felt completely relieved. He was extremely grateful to Yinglian and her daughter. She helped Yinglian at the beginning, but she just did it casually. She never thought that there would be today's good results. She made up her mind to wait until Suzhou It is necessary to come to thank you in person.

After handing over the letter to Dan Ju, Li Wan remembered something, and said to Wang An's family puzzled, "Why did Sister Lin prepare the letter early, and she was sure that you would meet me?"

Wang An's family hurriedly laughed and said: "This matter is our girl's idea, that day when Uncle Xiaolan's condition improved, our master immediately sent people to the capital to deliver the letter.

But the girl said that if the family got the news, grandma would definitely come in person, and it would definitely be by water, but the master's letter was sent by land. Although it was faster, grandma might not see it. I don't know how urgent it is at this moment Well, so I wrote two more letters and went to Beijing with the fleet. The preparation was to inform grandma as soon as possible if we met on the way. "

Li Wan was startled when he heard the words, and wondered, "Why are there two letters? Where is the other one?"

Wang An's family hurriedly said: "A letter was delivered to the prefect Jiang's family's New Year's gift ship half a month ago, and grandma didn't meet her, so she probably missed it halfway.

The other letter is the one in my grandma's hand now. The girl repeatedly asked us to be careful on the way, and to deliver the letter as soon as we saw the boat from Rongguo Mansion, so as not to worry grandma. I can really meet you here. "

After hearing this, Li Wan was very grateful, and secretly sighed that Daiyu's seven-aperture exquisite heart knew her own thoughts very well, and she was really thoughtful.

After hearing this, everyone praised: "Miss Lin is still thoughtful."

After having some tea, Wang Anjia

Then he got up to say goodbye, and said: "I bothered grandma's good tea, because I have to rush to Beijing to send New Year's gifts. It's cold and the river is freezing, so I should set off on my way."

Li Wan didn't stay much when he heard the words, but ordered Danju to take a pair of money and two horses to reward her, and took another two shillings for her: "I've troubled my mother along the way, and these are drinks for the other mothers." Eat to drive away the cold."

Wang Anjia's smile deepened, he took the things and thanked him.

The boats of Li Wan and others also sailed towards Yangzhou.

Knowing that Jia Lan was fine, Li Wan felt relieved, his brows relaxed, and his mood improved a lot, so he leaned against the boat window and looked at the river view.

Although it is November at this time, the weather in the south of the Yangtze River is not very scattered, and the green pines and cypresses are still flourishing.

I can only see the light of the water and the shadow of sails, covering the long embankment, and looking at the green poplars and the city outline in the distance, the scenery is still the same, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

After the boat sailed for a long time, the sky suddenly gradually darkened, and the clouds were densely covered. After a while, snowdrops started to fall.

Wisps of drizzle accompanied by a gust of cold wind came head-on, Li Wan felt the chill was overwhelming, couldn't help shivering, and said: "Why is it suddenly snowing today?"

Seeing this, Danju hurried back to her room to get a moon-white satin cloak embroidered with magnolia and flying butterflies to put on with her, then went forward and closed the window, saying: "It's cold now, grandma, don't sit in the wind." Stand up and catch the cold carefully."

Li Wan said with a smile: "I'm not so weak yet, I'm just so sick." While talking, he opened the round hand stove with cloud patterns painted with enamel blue ground and white flowers in his hand, and saw that the charcoal fire inside was almost burned out, so he had to do something warmed up.

Seeing this, Dan Ju took it over and cleaned the ashes with copper chopsticks, buried a few pieces of red-hot silver frost charcoal in it, and then stuffed it into Li Wan's hands, saying: "Grandma, don't take it seriously, it's cold in the twelfth lunar month. It’s not about being stubborn.”

While talking, Xiuzhu brewed a pot of red date tea and came over, opened the eight treasures box and packed a plate of crystal goose oil sugar rolls, a plate of soufflé fruit stuffed pastry, and a few delicate tea fruits on the table in the cabin, Said: "Grandma didn't eat anything for lunch, let's make up for some snacks, and a cup of hot tea will keep you warm."

Suyun Wutong and the others were drying clothes by the brazier, and they all said after hearing this: "It's not just today, grandma hasn't eaten anything raw during this trip, she's almost lost her shape."

Aunt Liu also said after hearing the words: "Now that my brother is safe and sound, grandma should also relax and take good care of her body."

Suyun heard the words and said hurriedly: "If it's cold today, it's suitable for tonic. I see that I bought a lot of fresh mutton today.

I took some ginseng to the kitchen and asked the cook to stew a cup of mutton soup for grandma. "

Xiuzhu laughed and said, "It's a little dry. I think it's better to stew a squab or an old hen with wolfberry and red dates. It's nourishing and doesn't get angry."

Li Wan ate a few pieces of snacks and drank half a cup of hot tea, and his body became much warmer. He hugged the stove and listened to their chatter. This one said that he was going to cook wolfberry pigeon soup, and the other said he was going to stew ginseng and mutton soup. He couldn't help but laugh. , Said: "Okay, okay, I can't eat this much for a while, and I can't get used to the soup all day long. You just watch the stew or two."

After hearing this, Xiuzhu and Suyun smiled and went out to make recipes.

It was a good day, and all the boats were full of tents, but they arrived in Yangzhou at the beginning of the year.

Li Wan thought that everyone was really tired after traveling day and night since leaving Beijing. Although he had no complaints, he felt a little sorry, so he called Mrs. Liu over and said: "Go down and give orders, just say that you have worked hard these days. Today is a good day to rest for one night, so I don’t have to hurry, I will take some money and go to the shore to buy some good wine and food, and send it to Dr. Wang and Dr. Sun’s boat, and the boatmen’s helmsmen will also add some wine and food.”

Aunt Liu agreed, and went out to send a message to Liu Youfu.

After hearing this, Liu Youfu said, "This is easy. I'll call a boat, and I'll take people ashore right now, and everything will be ready before sunset. I just need to bring a few slings of money."

Aunt Liu heard the words and said: "Bringing money is a burden, I will pay you 20 taels of silver to bring it to you, and we will settle it after we do it."

Liu Youfu nodded in agreement, and went to cook without mentioning it.

At this time, the boat had entered the small harbor, willow trees lined up on the shore, Polygonum flowers danced, and a city wall could be seen in the distance. There were people coming and going in the pier market, and there were faint sounds of hawking and shouting, which was very lively.

Sitting in front of the window and looking into the distance, Li Wan saw several thatched huts on the opposite river bank, with bamboo fences half covered, small bridges and winding streams, and smoke from cooking, as if he was in a painting of ink and wash.

The boatman put down a few small boats, Liu Youfu pocketed his silver, and took the boys to row ashore, within half an hour, he picked up several big food boxes of fat goose, roast duck, cooked meat and fresh fish and came back.

Everyone was very happy, and several tables of wine and food were set up on both sides of the boat, and they went back to the cabin to rest after the lights were lit.

From that day on, everyone stayed overnight for a few days, and they were very safe. They had walked for four or five days without knowing it.

That evening, Li Wan was reading a book under the lamp, when Aunt Liu came to ask for instructions: "Grandma, you've arrived in Suzhou."

Hearing this, Li Wan put down the scroll, raised his head and glanced out of the window. It was the cold winter season, and he saw thousands of cold stars and a crescent moon, so he asked, "What time is it?"

Xiuzhu took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, and said, "When we just started dating."

Li Wan thought for a while and said: "It's getting late, it's inconvenient to disturb Uncle Lin's house now, so I ordered the boatman to moor the boat for a rest, and I'll pack my luggage tomorrow morning."

Aunt Liu agreed and went out to spread the word.

The author has something to say: Cough, that's right, I just found a reason to let the heroine come out to play in the mountains and rivers