Jia Lu through the Red Chamber

The members of the Jia family were eating at a big banquet outside, and the servants and maids who came with them were arranged at the back, close to the place where the servants lived. That's enough.

The lords and wives have a heart for comparison, and so do the servants and girls. These years, the old farmers and small people outside have not had a good time, and the Jia family has become more and more prosperous. They also have a mouth for comparison, but they have no master to be subtle and euphemistic. It's as noisy as a vegetable market.

Ping An is the servant next to Third Master Cong of the Rongguo Mansion. Hearing the noise and dispute, he couldn't help frowning. It was too disrespectful. When he couldn't take it anymore, his shoulders sank, he turned his head and looked over, and smiled. road,

"Why are you here, boy?"

A thin and tall man pointed outside and said, "I have a good place to go, I wonder if you are interested?"

Ping An was impatient and noisy, going anywhere was better than staying here, there was nothing wrong with it, nodded, and followed the tall slender man out the door.

The two of them walked out of the courtyard, exited through the Banyue Gate on the east, and walked back for about a cup of tea. They came to the back of the courtyard. There was a small seat, and the tall slender man led Ping An into this Sit down.

As soon as I entered the house, there was a lot of moisture. It turned out that this place was a small kitchen, which was later abandoned, but the pots and everything are of the best quality. Prepare some wine, meat and vegetables, and add some seasonings. It can also be used. There are three or five people in it. , there are men and women, the water vapor is heavy, and they can't see clearly for a while. There are three or five dishes of side dishes on the table, which are not richer than those outside, but they are more cordial.

When everyone in the room saw the tall slender man coming in, they greeted each other,

"My boss is here, please sit down soon! Where have you been, why did you come here so late, come, come, have a glass of wine as an apology!"

The tall slender man took the wine glass very readily, took a gulp, and then said, "I've drunk this wine, you don't want to hurt me anymore."

"When did we ever harm you? It's a joke!"

"Why didn't you hurt me? What kind of boss am I? A decent boss is sitting outside at the banquet! If our master overhears your talking like this, wouldn't it be a bad thing?"

"How many people do we have here? You are the only one from the Ningguo Mansion. You are not the master. Who else is the master?" The person who spoke was a woman. By the way, she happens to be Si Qi, the eldest maid of the second girl.

Si Qi was tall and strong, and her temperament was completely different from her master's. She had a strong temper. There were many brothers in the family, and she grew up among men. Except for her cousin Pan You'an, she had never seen her treat her well. The man had any shy emotions.

This is the case at the moment, in the small kitchen, she is the only one in a girl's house, and she doesn't feel uncomfortable at all.

The tall slender man said, "I'm not arguing with you anymore, I've invited another person, do you know him?"

The tall slender man stepped aside, and Ping An was exposed, and Si Qi called out, "Ping An, why are you here?"

Ping An raised his eyebrows, he was not a stranger, he immediately found a seat and sat down, found a clean bowl, poured wine, and said, "May you Miss Si Qi come over, why can't you let me come?" gone?"

With a "snap", Si Qi hit his hand pouring the wine with a chopstick, and said, "Kids, what kind of wine are you drinking?"

Ping An was so beaten that his hands flinched, and the jug almost fell to the ground. He said, "My good sister, you are only so much older than me, why are you taking care of me!"

A short, chubby old man on the side of Ping'an, with a smile like Maitreya Buddha on his face, and also the oldest person here, persuaded him,

"Si Qi, Ping'an is not small, and the masters in front don't need us to serve you, so you can just let him drink!"

Pingan said, "That's right, Uncle Quan is still sensible, it's strange that Second Master Yun values ​​Uncle Quan so much!"

Humpty, uh, Uncle Quan is Jia Yun, the old man of Yun’s second master’s family. When he was young, Jia Yun and his father went away, leaving only orphans and widows. Life is hard, but Uncle Quan will never leave Fortunately, with the help of Jia Jing and other Jia's clan, Jia Yun can be regarded as getting up, and their life is much easier.

Uncle Quan and Si Qi knew each other, but there were two others who didn't know each other, so Ping An asked the tall slender man,

"Brother He doesn't even introduce you, who are the other two elder brothers?"

The tall slender man's surname is He. He is a small steward in Ningguo Mansion. He has some skills and abilities in Ningguo Mansion, and he is also willing to help others, so he has some close friends. Si Qi, Uncle Quan, and Ping An are among them. The other two men It is also known in this way.

Brother He pointed to a lean and shrewd man, and said,

"This man belongs to Shopkeeper Qi, and he is the most capable. The fresh vegetables grown in his family are more lively than others', and they are also liked by the masters and wives of the house. They have always been the supply of winter vegetables in our house. Shang, the most ostentatiously rich man, is generous, if any of you have any difficulties for a while, just go find him!"

Shopkeeper Qi cupped his hands, and said, "Brother He said too much, I'm just a farmer with mud legs and a copper stinky man who walks the streets and villages. I don't have much ability, but I still have two spare money. If anyone is really in trouble for a while, just come and find me."

Brother He then pointed to a handsome man and said, "This is our only master here, Jia Ai, Master Ai!"

The handsome man waved his hand and said, "What is Brother He talking about? What kind of master am I? Except for the surname Jia, the others may not be as good as the few sitting here. Just treat me like an ordinary person. "

Shopkeeper Qi flattered, "What ability is needed, your surname Jia is the greatest ability!"

Uncle Quan also said, "Yeah, Uncle Ai is young, so I'm afraid I don't remember much. Before the old man Jing rectified the family, the family of Jia's life was not better than others, thanks to the old man Jing!"

Hearing this, Big Brother He seemed to be quite moved, so he asked, "Uncle Quan seems to have something to say, please tell me!"

Uncle Quan took a sip of his wine, looked around, and said,

"You guys, I'm afraid you've never suffered. Needless to say, Brother He was in Ningfu. Ningfu has always been the leader of Jia's family. Brother Ping'an and Sister Siqi are both born in Rongfu, so they can't go hungry. I can't freeze you, not to mention Shopkeeper Qi, your family has had three to five hundred gold since your father, Uncle Ai is young and has never experienced..."

Listening to him rambling so slowly, Si Qi couldn't help being impatient, and said, "Uncle Quan, stop talking about it, and just say what you want!"

Uncle Quan chuckled twice, and said, "You young people are just impatient!"

Pingan drank Si Qi and said, "Don't worry, just listen to Uncle Quan's talk about ancient times slowly."