Love of Friends in the Red Chamber

On that day, Baoyu sent the coffin of his parents to Jinling, and it was already winter after the work was done.He didn't have much money left in his hand, and he should have returned to Beijing immediately, but thinking that Daiyu was in Suzhou, which was close at hand, he couldn't help but went to Suzhou.At this time, there was no one else around him, and even Mingyan had already gone to seek food for his own livelihood.

Baoyu arrived at Hanshan Temple outside Gusu city alone, and had exhausted all the money he had brought with him, so he had to temporarily stay in Hanshan Temple for a few days, sweeping the floor of the temple three times a day in exchange for a bowl of porridge to eat.

On this day, the weather was warm, and Baoyu learned from the monks that the female family members of Liangjiang Governor's Mansion would come to offer incense, and she was eagerly looking forward to it, and did not dare to leave from early in the morning, lest she miss this rare opportunity .

He didn't even eat breakfast, he just cleaned up the snow in the yard and the floating dust in the hall, and then sat on the steps in a corner with his broom in his arms, not making a sound, for fear that someone would come and drive him out.

Unexpectedly, although the official status of the Liangjiang Governor's Mansion is high, the momentum is not scary, and it does not drive away the faithful men and women who offer incense in the temple.But after noon, a few servants came in to guard around, surrounded by a dozen servants and a few female family members, got off the car outside the temple gate, and the abbot himself went to the temple gate to greet him.The idlers in the temple knew that it was a dignitary who came, and although they didn't chase him away, they had already avoided it far away.

Soon, a group of beauties wearing jingle bells came in, surrounded by a young lady. The abbot bowed his waist and guided him respectfully. Very cute.

Baoyu recognized from a distance that the noble lady was Daiyu whom he had been thinking about day and night. When he wanted to go up to recognize her, he would inevitably feel ashamed, and opened his mouth a few times.

But it is said that Baoyu has not shaved her beard or trimmed her temples for half a year because of mourning. At this time, her face is covered with dust, her beard and hair are disheveled, like a savage, and her clothes are worn out, her shoes and socks are shabby, and she is extremely depressed. So no one could recognize him.

After a while, the crowd surrounded the distinguished guests and entered the inner hall to offer incense. Baoyu had no choice but to stand up. The idea of ​​knowing each other was thrown into the sky.

Baoyu stood up, brushed the dirt off his body, walked out of the gate of the Hanshan Temple in a bored way, stood on the mountainside, looked at the undulating mountains in the distance, and the surroundings were pleasant. Come.He was natural and unrestrained, so he burst into tears.

When Baoyu was crying heartily, he suddenly heard someone asking in his ear, "Isn't this the second master of Bao? Why is he here alone?" Baoyu wiped away his tears, and when he looked back, he couldn't help being surprised: it turned out to be an old man Liu Xianglian.

Liu Xianglian's description has not changed much, she is still suave and suave, wearing a Japanese satin jacket with azurite pinched silver silk sword sleeves on the outside, she is really in high spirits.Baoyu grabbed Liu Xianglian and said, "Haven't you already seen through the world of mortals and become a monk? Why are you here?"

Liu Xianglian's expression darkened, she sighed, and said: "Let's not talk about this, because I believed in the rumors of the villain, I escaped Third Sister You with my sword, and I have been depressed all the time. It saves me a lot of worries. These years wandering around the world, I feel at ease. I really feel pain in my heart every time I think of losing my third sister."

Baoyu was overjoyed, and Liu Xianglian asked him why he came here. Baoyu went away and Daiyu offered incense in the temple. .

Liu Xianglian clapped her hands and smiled and said: "It's a coincidence, I have something on my mind. I heard that the elder sister of the third sister, who was originally the mistress of the Ningguo Mansion, because of a family copying lawsuit, is now living under the fence. I want to go back to Beijing for a walk to see if we can help each other, so I can be closer to the third sister. Why don't you go with the second master Bao?" The two of them talked, and went to the restaurant down the mountain to drink and get drunk. On the second day, he set off on the official road and returned north.

But it is said that Baoyu accidentally met an old friend in Suzhou. He was originally happy. In addition, Liu Xianglian was out of the ordinary and acted casually. Wanton, but Baoyu hides a little bit of pain in his heart amidst this carefree wantonness.

All the way to the capital, it was already the end of the twelfth lunar month, and every household in the capital was busy with the New Year, watching the joyful scenes.The two entered the city from the south gate. Liu Xianglian had something on her mind, so she said goodbye to Baoyu. Baoyu saw that he had been worried since he entered Hebei, and knew that he was thinking about the third sister You, which was not comforting, so she shed tears and died. Don't, walk through the streets and alleys by yourself, go out from the west gate, and go back to your home in Huangye Village.

Baoyu hadn't returned home for more than half a year, and as he was getting closer, Baoyu also had some faint expectations in his heart.He used to have a lot of female relatives, but since he was destitute and moved to Huangye Village, Wu'er's parents came to pick up Wu'er, and went to choose a husband, while Ying'er, it was Baochai who made the decision to marry her. It was given to a clerk in Xue's cabinet back then, but Sheyue was the only one who refused to leave, so she guarded Baochai and Zhi'er to live.

At this moment, Baoyu was walking on the road through the snow, thinking in his heart, when he got home, he asked Musk Moon to boil hot water to soak his feet, then asked Baochai to fry two side dishes, and heated up a pot of lotus white, while drinking by himself. , while examining Zhi'er's poems, the so-called blessings of Qiren can also be enjoyed by oneself.

Thinking of this, I felt that my feet were getting faster and faster, and I went straight to the entrance of the village, and saw my own hut not far away.The strange thing was that it was midwinter, and it was the root of the new year, and every household was frying and cooking, preparing food for the New Year, but there were no fireworks on Baoyu's two-rafter thatched hut, and there was only a black crow standing on the top of the thatch. , blankly, motionless.

Baoyu was surprised, wondering if Baochai had something to go out?Then should Musk Moon stay at home?Thinking this way, he had already arrived at the gate of the bamboo fence. He reached out and knocked on the door, and shouted, "Musk Moon, open the door, I'm back!"

After a pause for a while, only the door of the hut opened with a "squeak" and Sheyue came out wearing a coarse cloth with tears on her face. Why did you come back? Go in and have a look, Young Master Zhi... is gone."

Zhi'er is Baoyu's only flesh and blood, so naturally she kept it in her heart. After hearing this, Baoyu seemed to have been blasted out of her soul, and quickly entered the house with one foot deep and one shallow foot. On the kang, there lay Zhi'er's small body, with a white kerchief covering her face, and Baochai sat on the edge of the kang, unable to even cry.

Baoyu rushed to the edge of the kang, touched Zhier's already cold body with trembling hands, and cried, "What's the matter? Why did Zhier disappear?" Baochai was silent, as if she hadn't seen Baoyu, Sheyue stood on the ground and cried: "It was this winter that smallpox began to spread in Beijing. Second Mistress is still cautious. It has been a long time since Master Zhi went to the city to ask his master for advice. Who knows, it was still reported..."

Baoyu couldn't make a sound, and Sheyue continued intermittently: "Second Mistress almost went crazy, and sold all the people waiting for money in the house, but invited a few doctors, but they were useless. Second Mistress has nothing to do. , so I went to ask Grandma Ping'er in Lian Erye's mansion, and finally invited Doctor Wang to give me a pulse, but several doses of medicine didn't help, and it took less than a month..."

Baoyu couldn't bear it, and finally burst into tears.That Baochai was sitting like a clay puppet, but at this moment tears were falling down like beads with a broken thread.Standing on the ground, Musk Moon was also choked with sobs.The three of them were crying at each other, even though the room was as cold as ice, and wept until dawn. Sheyue thought that she had to arrange the coffin and other things, so she urged Baoyu to go to the city to report the funeral to the Rongguo Mansion, and asked for a few taels of silver. Such a rich delivery.

Baoyu managed to move down from the kang, but his whole body was frozen stiff, and he staggered and fell to the ground. Sheyue hurried to help him.When I was in panic, I heard Ping'er's voice outside and asked, "Does Second Grandma Bao live here?"

Musk Moon hurriedly agreed in the room, and Ping'er had already come in, wearing a mink collar and a crane cloak with plain brocade in the white fox lining, as he walked in, he said, "Second Master Lian sent me to take a look." , is Young Master Zhi's illness better?"

Sheyue knew that it was Ping'er who cared about Baochai's face, so she said this-she was a kind person after all, she was grateful for it, but she couldn't stop crying again.

Ping'er came in and saw the situation in the room, he couldn't help being taken aback, and hurried over to help Baoyu up with Sheyue, Ping'er held back his tears and persuaded: "How sooner or later does Second Master Bao come back? Now that this is the end, let's mourn and let it go." Even though she said this, she finally started to cry.

Two women came in behind, and helped Baoyu to sit on a broken bench outside. Ping'er came to see Zhier and Baochai, but saw that Baochai had fallen unconscious on the edge of the kang.

Ping'er couldn't help being anxious, crying and screaming, and helped Baochai up, but felt that Baochai was cold all over, so he quickly sent someone to carry Zhi'er to the woodshed outside, and put it there temporarily, while sending people into the city to make the coffin Waiting for things, while asking Musk Moon to take a few women to light a fire to boil hot water, and take care of the living first.

However, Baochai has already survived until the end of the lamp. In the past, Zhier was there, and she still had hope. Once Zhier left, Baochai's soul followed him. How can she be saved?

Seeing that people are useless, Sheyue cried while busy lighting a fire on the side of the kang, Ping'er sent people to invite the doctor in a hurry, Sheyue suddenly remembered Lengxiang Wan, and said: "That's Bao Er Grandma's life-saving elixir, take a pill, maybe you can save her."

Baoyu didn't need anyone to support him at this time, he stumbled and grabbed a handful of heads from the corner of the house, ran to the pear tree in the courtyard outside the house, and dug the soil desperately. After a while, he dug out the grimace blue and white urn, and everyone said : "This time there is help."

Baoyu came into the house with the flower urn in his arms, put it on the table, and opened it, only to find that the urn was empty, and the cold fragrant pills had already been eaten.Baoyu let go of his hand suddenly, and the vase fell to the ground, smashing to pieces with a bang.Looking at Baochai again, she tilted her head to the side of the kang, and a ray of fragrant soul fell into Taixu.