The Lady of the Farm in the Red Mansion

57 Baochai Visits

It was March in Yangchun, the willows were flying with white catkins, the peaches were spewing red clouds, and hundreds of green bamboos were already lushly covering the winding corridors on both sides. It was bright or dark, with mottled bamboo shadows. In the past, Sister Lin always liked to lie on the bamboo chair in this corridor, covered her face with silk, and listened to the cries of thrushes.

Xiuyan really wanted to know what kind of state of mind Sister Lin was in, so she also lay on the bamboo chair, covered her face with silk, stepped on the bamboo chair, and shook it once and for all. He was sleepy after calling twice, his eyes were half-closed, and he was drowsy on the shelf, the bamboo branches were blowing by the breeze, and the bamboo shadows on the wall were swaying gracefully, and the bird cage was also turning around gently, turning back and forth. The sunlight, the silk handkerchief covering the face flickered, and the bamboo chair was still shaking rhythmically at first, but later on, the rhythm became slower and slower, but now it has stopped moving.

He Xiang was also sitting on the porch leaning against the railing and taking a nap, the sun was slanting to the west, half of the sun was covered by the shadow of a cluster of green bamboos, He Xiang yawned and stretched her waist, feeling a little Y Liang shrank her body towards the corner of the railing, hugged her knees tightly and fell asleep again.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and He Xiang frowned impatiently.

The knocking on the door stopped for a while and then knocked again, louder than before.

"Who? A disturbing dream at noon?" He Xiang pulled her neck and said loudly towards the gate, with a hint of impatience in her voice.

"It's me!" A full and mellow voice came.

"It's Sister Bao!" Xiuyan lifted the silk covering her face, walked towards the door slightly trembling, and opened the door, only to see Baochai wearing a clip embroidered with a rose, purple, gold and silver two-color silk thread embroidered with a pattern of butterflies and flowers , wearing an autumn-colored floral dress, a sweat scarf tied on the chest, a peony bun, and a five-phoenix-colored hairpin hanging from the sun. Standing in the sun, the pearl hairpin is shining brightly Her white jade-like face became more and more radiant, causing Xiuyan to turn her head slightly, as if seeing a fairy concubine.

Xiuyan praised: "My sister looks a hundred times better in red than those blue and gray ones! My sister should have dressed like this long ago!"

Baochai laughed and said, "This is the clothes I wore when I was young. I accidentally found them out today. I thought they would get moldy if I put them there, so I took them out and wore them!"

Baochai looked at Xiuyan, and saw that she was wearing old homely clothes, her hair was loosely pulled into two buns, she was not wearing any makeup, her face was facing the sky, with a lazy posture, and Hexiang was dozing off , the rocking chair on the porch was still rocking, so he asked, "Your sister is taking a nap?"

Xiuyan smiled and said, "Sister, I laughed. Although this garden is big, it is very boring. Every day after eating, I feel drowsy!"

Baochai took a step forward, took Xiuyan's hand and said with concern: "It's not a good habit to go to sleep after eating, be careful if you accumulate food!"

"Aren't you in a hurry, my sister came just in time, come in and talk to me, and it will relieve the sleepiness in the afternoon!"

Baochai smiled and said, "No, I came here to find something for you?"

"What's the matter, sister just say it!" Xiuyan's voice was as green as a thrush on the corridor.

"Isn't Xiangling's good days coming soon? I think the craftsmanship of those tailors is average, not even as good as you and me, and the labor cost is very expensive. The money for making one dress is enough to buy another Satin, the number of people in the family is increasing, and the cost is also high. If you can save a penny, I am idle at home. I might as well do it myself! I was thinking about seeing my sister making shoes and socks that day. She is also an expert in sewing, so she secretly thought of inviting her younger sister to do it together, one is to have a companion, and the other is to save a lot of expenses, and the younger sister will not be too boring! I don’t know what my younger sister thinks!" Baochai Carefully looking at Xiuyan's expression.

Xiuyan is also a very righteous person, she replied without thinking: "Of course! I will go with my sister!"

Baochai smiled and said, "Sister, at least you should change your clothes!"

"Oh! Look at me, I forget it when I'm happy!" Xiuyan laughed dumbfounded.

Although the sun was sluggish outside, it was extremely scorching, and fine beads of sweat began to seep from Baochai's neck. She took off the sweat towel on her chest and wiped it lightly.

Seeing this, Xiuyan said loudly: "Sister, it's getting hot outside, you can come in with me first, I still need some time to comb my hair and change my clothes!"

Baochai tugged at the collar and said: "Seeing that the weather is getting warmer and warmer, this thong can hardly be worn anymore. We should make some summer clothes!"

Xiuyan thought to herself, Sister Bao has a plump body, so she is naturally afraid of the heat, and for a slender woman like herself, this kind of bra should be worn until April or May at least!I also thought that Sister Bao never liked people saying that she was plump, so she agreed with Baochai and said, "Yes, why don't we take advantage of this opportunity to make Xia Chang together, just right, I still owe Hexiang Two sets of clothes! Brother Mu's summer clothes should also be made!"

"You girl, seeing that I asked you to help make clothes, you brought out so many people's clothes, your own, your maid's, and your dear brother Mu's, there are seven or eight sets in total. Come on, I didn't count on you when the time came, and I wanted you to pay for your needlework!" Baochai deliberately scolded.

Xiuyan didn't expect this level, and immediately said with a smile: "Look at me, I forget it when I'm happy!"

Baochai rubbed Xiuyan's hair and said with a smile, "I'm just joking. If my sister has free hands, she will give me two injections. If her hands are not free, we will have a companion together, so we won't be too lonely!"

Xiuyan said in a crisp voice: "Sister Xiangling's clothes are important, after I help my sister make them, she will come and help me!"

"That's great!"

"Why don't we call He Xiang and Xiang Ling, they are not young anymore, it's time to pay attention to needlework!"

"That's exactly what I mean!" Baochai's voice was mellow.

Came to the bamboo garden, strolled along the stone corridor, Baochai brushed the bamboo branches, looked up at the sky, and couldn't help praising: "The sky here is extraordinarily bright!"

Xiuyan pursed her lips and replied, "It's all thanks to these green bamboos!"

Baochai felt something: "I finally understand why sister Lin lives in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. It turns out that the breath of these bamboos can not only make people clear, but the green color of the bamboos can also reflect such a bright sky. Think of my fairy in Hengwuyuan. The grass fairy vines spit out their fragrance all day and all night, which actually confused people, and when I left the garden, my mind became much clearer!"

Xiuyan smiled sweetly and said, "Each has its own advantages, but I also like this touch of green color better!"

Baochai smiled and stopped discussing this topic, Shi Shiran followed Xiuyan into the house.

The room is divided into two floors, the outer floor is a small suite, which is prepared for the maids to watch the night, and the interior is pasted with emerald green gauze, which is called the green yarn cabinet, and it is a sleeping place.

There is an eight-step mother-of-pearl bed in the green gauze cabinet. There is a silver-red gauze cover hanging on the bed, like smoke and a dream. It is scooped with a hibiscus jade spoon, and there is a wisp of autumn-scented jade cicada tassels on the handle of the spoon. There are some yarns hanging on the wall. Fans made of paste, or orchids or chrysanthemums, or mermaids, and some bamboo dragonflies.There is a table under the wall, and on the table is a flower pouch with a branch of lotus in it.

Baochai raised her head to admire, and praised, "My sister's boudoir is so exquisitely arranged!"

Xiuyan turned her head and said, "This is all arranged according to Miss Lin's bedroom!"

Baochai caressed the curtain lightly and asked, "This yarn is light and soft, isn't it ordinary organdy?"

Xiuyan replied: "My sister has good eyesight, this is indeed not organdy gauze, it's called Qianying gauze, it's a kind of soft smoke! I think Miss Lin used it to paste the windows in the garden back then!"

"At the beginning she used it to paste the windows, but now you use it to make curtains, you are all local tyrants!" Baochai covered her mouth and giggled.

"Sister, you're making fun of me again, so I'm ignoring you!" Xiuyan said with childlike innocence.

"Hey! Both of you are so good at acting like a baby, it's not good for your life!" Baochai looked at Xiuyan out of the corner of his eyes.

"Sister Bao, if you mock me again, I'll really ignore you!" Xiuyan twisted her buttocks and sat on the edge of the bed, looking like an angry little daughter-in-law.

Baochai stepped forward and touched her shoulder, eyes full of sincerity: "If a man is sincere to you, it's too late for my sister to be happy for you, so why would she ridicule you, I'm afraid that man is not sincere!"

"Brother Mu won't lie to me!" Xiuyan said firmly.

"I hope!" Baochai always questioned a man's sincerity.