Love of Friends in the Red Chamber

Daiyu's nature likes to be separated and not to gather together. If it is a banquet for entertainment, she will feel bored. Her behavior is more than calm, but not funny enough; while the second sister-in-law, Lu Lexuan, is lively, but she comes from a small family and lacks knowledge. In recent years, she has given birth to children one after another, and is very busy raising young children, so she has little free time. Daiyu always looks forward to an old Day sisters come to talk and play.

However, the old sisters have been separated, Xiangyun is gone, Baoqin and Tanchun are far away, Xichun is a monk, Yingchun married a husband with a fierce personality, she is often abused at home, and she dare not speak and do anything wrong, Daiyu is considerate Her difficulty is that she has little contact with her. Since Baochai married into Baoyu, although she and Daiyu are still in the same heart, after all, they have disappeared. Besides, Baochai just gave birth at the end of the last year, and all her energy at this time is also devoted to her. on the child.Only Xiuyan is gentle and elegant, easy-going, and Aunt Xue's newly rented house is not far away, so Xiuyan visits her frequently, regardless of where she goes, even the maids don't think she is a rare visitor.

Xiuyan is ingenious. This visit brought homemade sweet-scented osmanthus jujube paste muffin and lotus cake. The muffin was nothing but lotus cake. Daiyu saw that the lotus cake was only about the size of a pigeon egg, but it was opened layer by layer. The outside was snow-white and the heart was bright red. , really like a blooming lotus, she couldn't help laughing and said: "This lotus cake is hard for you, it's so exquisite, it makes people reluctant to eat it." Qingzhi poured rose dew again, Xiuyan and Daiyu sat on the kang, Sunshine slanted into the room through the glass windows, and various fruits such as crystal candied dates on the Huali Xiaokang table were bright and pleasing to the eye. Xiuyan smiled and said: "I just have nothing to do, thinking about making it. In terms of dexterity, who can compare to you Where's the Qingzhi here?" He picked up a candied date and asked, "Is this date made from Qingzhi? It's not the same as the ones sold in the market, is there any secret?"

Qing Zhi happened to bring in new tea, so she replied with a smile: "Second Grandma Xue has won the award, but it's really nothing, it's just the words 'spare no expense'." Xiuyan smiled and said: "You are a caring one, Sister Lin I am blessed to have you serving me." Seeing that she was a bit lonely, Daiyu was puzzled, so she winked at Qing Zhi and the others, and the maids went out.

There are only two young women in the warm pavilion, talking and drinking.Seeing that there was no one else around, Xiuyan lowered her eyes and said, "Actually, when I came today, my wife specially asked me to make these snacks. Thank you, my sister, who sent someone to deliver things over..." Daiyu remembered that before A few days ago, the farms in the suburbs brought this year's new bamboo shoots, as well as fresh venison and venison tongue. Daiyu ordered someone to send a copy to Aunt Lin and Mrs. Xing, and a copy to Aunt Xue's house separately. Various common items such as japonica rice, wind chicken, duck and goose, eggs and duck eggs are also added.

At this time, Xiuyan sighed: "Sister is careful, if you hadn't sent the rice noodles and poultry eggs, there would be no rice to cook these days, and my wife has almost pawned her self, but before now A few days later, Big Brother Pan came with a letter, asking for money to spend. His wife cried all night, so she ordered some valuables at home and sold them. She collected 200 taels and sent them away. The boy who came back said that Big Brother Pan still thinks it’s too little. ..."

Daiyu frowned and said, "Auntie's house is not as good as it used to be, why is it still such a big hand? Auntie has to talk about Big Brother Pan, don't indulge him all the time, otherwise in the future, he will not take over." Xiuyan sighed: "Where are we waiting? In the future? At this time, I have already given up. I came today to tell my sister that there is no need to send valuables such as silver, silk and satin in the future. My wife is reluctant to enjoy it for herself, and sells it all to Brother Pan. It is a bottomless pit. .Brother Pan thought that the family still had money, but how did it happen? Now that sister-in-law Qin’s family is having a hard time, she often asks our second master for help. The shop is always stretched. How can it survive if it continues like this? At this time, there is also a famine. I thought, why not persuade him to sell the shop before there is a big hole? After thinking about it, how big the bowl is and how much rice you eat is the long-term solution.”

Daiyu will understand now, Xiuyan came to inform her, don't lend money to Xue's family again, lest the family have to muddle through and not be able to face the reality.Can't help sighing: "Since you said that, I will listen to you. It's just that my aunt is pitiful, and she said that life should not be poor when you get old..." Xiuyan was indifferent, and only said: "Now I often persuade our wife, There is no need to compare with the past, just look at how honorable the second wife was in the past. Once she is punished, she is helpless. Things in the world are often like this. At that time, it was painful to mention it. After a few years, it was just a memory. "

Daiyu heard her mention the matter of Mrs. Wang and Jia Zheng, because she was in the way of Baoyu, she kept silent, but she heard Xiuyan Xuxu say: "Recently, Sister Bao has been very worried-her house was originally used to hide for the Zhen family. The offense was only caused by property, I wish everyone would forget about it from now on, and when the old lady's filial piety is over, the second master will find a way to recover. But a few days ago, there were rumors, and I heard that the Zhen family was once again censored. Well, it is said that Zhen’s family still owed money in office before they ransacked their home, and the seized property was not enough to make up for it. Censor Tiben sent Mr. Zhen from Jinling all the way to the capital, and on the [-]th day of the Ministry of Justice, forced him to pay it back. Going short..."

Daiyu asked: "Then Mr. Zhen is not young, is he?" She was thinking that Zhen Baoyu, whom she met at the foot of Zhonghuang Mountain, became a monk, probably to avoid disaster.Xiuyan then said: "It is said that they are over 50 years old. In the past, their Zhen family was filled with silver like sea water, but now they are publicly yelled at for the shortfall of several thousand taels of silver. It is said that their family even eats old ladies and wives. Those who don’t have enough to eat, Master Zhen’s memorial said: “The guilty minister is really a reborn person. He only feels sorry for his guilt, and only knows that paying for money and food is the most important thing. The rest of the family is suffering from hunger and cold. If you can save a penny, you can make up for the shortfall of a penny...' It is said that the Long Live Lord felt sympathetic after seeing it, so the Ministry of Punishments released Master Zhen and gave him a three-year deadline."

Daiyu pondered for a moment, then asked: "Then why is Sister Bao worried?" Xiuyan said: "This is about the Zhen family, and it is linked to the second wife's house. It is said that not only did the second wife hide those belongings back then, but for the sake of the noble concubine. The second wife also borrowed money from the Zhen family for the expenses in the palace. Although the Zhen family did not mention it now, the IOUs were all in the Ministry of Criminal Affairs when their family ransacked the house. It is said that the officials who handled it saw that the Zhen family had been drained. , I want to make trouble on these IOUs, so that all the people who have borrowed money from the Zhen family in the past will make up for the deficit for their family. This chapter has not yet been decreed by the Lord Long Live."

Only then did Daiyu understand, and also knew that Mrs. Wang must not give up her face to borrow money. After thinking about it, she said: "As you said, it is only right and proper to pay back the debt. Since the second wife did this at the beginning, now You need to be responsible." Xiuyan said: "It's like this, in fact, the second wife and their family can pay off their debts if they sell their existing things, but they are afraid that people who have stolen the house can give out thousands of dollars in one go. Two silver coins came, I was afraid that the censor would make trouble and talk. So I had to insist on delaying the return. Poor Master Zhen, who was yelling outside the Ministry of Criminal Justice that day, saw Mr. Zheng without saying a word, bowed his head and tears in his eyes. When Mr. Zheng came home, he dropped a blue and white porcelain vase and blamed his second wife for making him an unkind and unrighteous person. These days, the second wife is also sad and crying every day, and Sister Bao is very embarrassing. Her worries are too Fortunately, with Zhi'er, she has hope." Zhi'er was the name Jia Zheng gave to Baochai and Baoyu's eldest son.

Daiyu smiled and said, "I haven't visited her since I came back, and I haven't seen that child either." Xiuyan smiled and said, "It's very cute, and I've never seen such a good-looking child, who just smiles at everyone, It's really Ning Xin'er. The second wife treats her like a baby, and she only says that she is exactly the same as Baoyu when she was young--I hope that sister Bao can hold it steady, and stop being spoiled and pampered and become the second Baoyu." Daiyu remained silent, but Xiuyan He said again: "It's strange to say that since the winter of last year, although Baoyu still refused to study hard, he stopped clamoring to become a monk. Now it seems that he has become a layman, which is really unexpected. That day I went to see Sister Bao, and I met Baoyu who was going out. It is said that he was going to the Imperial College, and wanted to find a teaching position to teach those royal children to draw. I asked Sister Bao why he didn't take the exam and go the right way. Sister Bao shook her head and sighed, saying that she had no spirituality in the past, but she was willing to go out to make a living, which was a surprise."

After Xiuyan left, Daiyu thought silently. She had heard about Baoyu's loss of spirituality. She couldn't help but suspect that it was because of the loss of the psychic jade. Did you abandon that piece of jade?And I heard that Baoyu is willing to take on the responsibility of supporting his family and go out to find a job, so he has grown up and matured.Daiyu thought: No matter what, throwing away the psychic jade is the right thing to do.

Because of Xiuyan's persuasion, Aunt Xue finally gave up on borrowing money to support Xue Pan, and only saved money from herself to support her son, and Xue Biao finally gave up her own shop. Xiuyan knew that as long as these shops were open , the foreign debts will accumulate more and more, and when the accumulation is hard to return, after the sale, the assets and debts are paid off, Xue Biao finds a job as a shopkeeper in a large shop in the capital, and from then on, he can live within his means and help his sister. .

Mrs. Wang did not repay the debts of the Zhen family. In the final analysis, it was because Jia Zheng was too timid.Daiyu had originally planned that Mrs. Wang would send Baochai to borrow money, but now it seems that Mrs. Wang can't bear this face after all.

However, the person who was going to come back to borrow money did not come, but a person who never expected to come to borrow money came.