The struggle of the Nanny of the Red Chamber

There was a lot of fighting outside, but the soup pot was boiling inside the hut.Jia Cong walked around the hut.She curled her lips, feeling a little uninterested in her heart.

The seventh-rank military officers in the frontier lived in such a simple environment, and their food was so casual.But what about the officials in the south of the Yangtze River, and the officials in the capital.

Each one is full of greasy intestines and has a small belly.Open your mouth for benevolence and shut your mouth for charity.In the camp outside, the trail was covered with blood.Is it really necessary to speak kindness to those who invade?

Jia Cong didn't want to say anything about his cowardice in his heart.No matter how much it is said, it is sophistry.He was not as brave as he thought.

He thought that when he came to the battlefield, he could take the lead, be invincible, and create his own mythology.

He thought he could gallop on horseback and hold a long spear like the ancestors of the Jia family.The gun cut off the invading enemies one by one.

He thought he could continue the glory of his ancestors and create a new one.

Overcoming thorns and thorns, fighting bloody battles.Fang lives up to his manhood.color.

But in fact, when he heard the sound of fighting, he was timid.

When he saw the blood, when he saw the wounded soldiers, he knew he was afraid, and he regretted coming here.

But when he looked at the future father-in-law whom he had always despised, despised, and was somewhat silly, he felt ashamed again.

A man makes meritorious deeds and seals his wife and son.His silly father-in-law did it. If it wasn't for the one in front of him, no matter how good Sister Ning was, no matter how hard he could let it go, his mother would never agree to take a wife from Bai Ding's family.

Jia Cong has been sensible since childhood, and he can think of some places that his brothers can't see.He knows that his mother likes Sister Ning very much, but he also knows that if the man in the Li family can't meet the standard of his mother's promise of marriage, and he doesn't marry Sister Ning, as much as his mother likes Sister Ning today, it may be possible tomorrow He hated her like he hated his second sister-in-law.

Of course, the premise is that the mother will show mercy and marry sister Ning into the family for him.

He knew that his mother was not a powerful person, but that was for ordinary people, not for his own son.What mother doesn't want the best for her son.

He understands that this is the mother, and this is where maternal love is the greatest and most contradictory.She would rather wrong herself than let her child be wronged a little bit.

From his point of view, he married Sister Ning's son, it was a mutual love, but from the mother's point of view, it was not like that.He is the third son, so it is impossible for him to inherit the family business, and he will not have too much family property. If he marries a white daughter, without the help of the Yue family, he will lose a helping hand.This is not what mother wants to see.

He thanked the man in front of him for giving him a chance to marry Sister Ning.

But he understands the truth of marrying and obeying her husband better.He wanted to give sister Ning a more glorious honor, and that honor was won by him for her.

But now he knew that he thought things too simply.

Because of his birth, identity, education and other reasons, he who always thought he was superior to others, was so frivolous.

Those officials who value civility over military affairs have never seen the soldiers desperate to kill the enemy with blood.After today, Jia Cong himself felt that his thoughts and life would undergo earth-shaking changes.

Of course, many years later, it was also because of such a military experience when he was young. When Jia Cong was promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War, he often confronted the big bosses of the Ministry of Households because of the military sound of the soldiers on the frontier and some welfare.

But at this time, there were still killing sounds outside, but in Li Goudan's hut, it was peaceful and warm.Jia Cong's servant dared not go to the table to eat with his master.Li Goudan had no choice but to take another big bowl and plate and put a bowl for him alone for him to sit in the outer room to eat.

On the kang inside is a low table with four legs.A big bowl of meat, big steamed buns, and a round plate, with few pitiful scrambled eggs.

"There's nothing good here, the third master just needs to eat something to fill his stomach." After placing a large rough porcelain bowl in front of Jia Cong, Li Goudan said naively.

After receiving the chopsticks handed over, Jia Cong just twitched the corners of his mouth and didn't speak.

Father-in-law, there is still a war going on outside, you really think I can still eat it.

"Hey, look at my memory, I got half a pot of burning knives before, can the third master have some?"

"...No need. Uncle Li, let's eat first." If the battle is defeated, and the two of them drink too much, hehe, the picture is so beautiful that he dare not look at it.

"Hey, listen to you. Hehe, your aunt doesn't let me drink too much. I drink this half jar of wine every now and then. I only drank it a while ago. It will take two days to drink it again. When your aunt wrote this letter, she specifically mentioned it. If you let her know, she will be angry."

Jia Cong: "...If you don't tell me, my aunt won't know." In fact, you are thinking of taking the opportunity of entertaining me to have another drink.

Li Goudan rubbed his head and smiled foolishly, "I can't lie to your aunt. I, no. I, look at me, I've been here for a long time, and my words have changed a bit. To be honest with the third master, the most important thing in my life I am happy to marry your aunt. She is a good woman, and if she follows me, she will be wronged." After saying this, Li Goudan thought for a while and then whispered, "Besides, your aunt is fierce. If you If you know that I lied to her, you can't eat me alive."

"..." Fortunately, my wife is gentle and considerate.Otherwise, wouldn't I also be depressed.

The crow landed on the pig, and the typical case of only seeing other people's blackness, but not his own blackness, appeared in front of his eyes.It's a pity that Jia Cong didn't realize it, and Li Goudan didn't even feel it.

But some things are predestined by God.The Weng and son-in-law were destined to fall into the hands of the mother and daughter of the Tang Dynasty.

"How is Uncle Li doing here? How are your colleagues treating you?" Although Jia Cong looked at the small shabby house, it wasn't much better.There is no way to rely on the four, it smells like horse dung when you come out.However, this question still needs to be asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Goudan was overjoyed. "It's good. I don't need to go out to exercise now. I can eat enough every day. I can send a lot of money to my home. I am a soldier by myself, and I can get two salaries for food and housing. .”

"Two salaries?" Jia Cong was surprised, he really didn't see that his father-in-law was still a well-hidden figure.

Li Goudan nodded, "That's not it, one for me and one for your aunt. When I was promoted, the commander of the battalion told me that he could write a copy for me and send it to the capital. Then your aunt was at home , don’t do any work, and you can get another monthly salary. Our chief is really a good man, if he didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t know.”

After a pause, Li Goudan said again, "Third Master, I have saved a lot of money and skins these days. When you return to Beijing, can you bring it back for me? Let others take it, and you have to pay for it Traveling money. With that money, why not buy something for your aunt."

"...Hehe, as long as you are happy." At this moment, Jia Cong was completely speechless.He is now full of wonder, what criteria did his mother-in-law use to find a man back then.

"Hey, third master, eat quickly, it will get cold soon." Li Goudan put a large piece of meat into Jia Cong's bowl, and gave way enthusiastically.

For some unknown reason, Jia Cong bit the piece of meat fiercely, and the way he ate the meat was a bit like a wolf cub snatching food.

From Li Goudan's point of view, his eyes were almost green.

I don't know whether it is God who loves the idiot, or whether it is taking care of Jia Cong's emotions.In short, when they had almost finished their meal, the battle ahead also stopped.

"In my stable, the horses in it are for people with official positions. You see, after this half-day battle, no one came to us to fetch horses, which shows how this war is going." Will eat the leftovers The things he had put down were picked up in the bowl shelf in the outhouse, and Li Goudan pulled out a basket of dried fruits from nowhere and put them on the small kang table.Then he turned around and went to make tea.

"There's no good tea, but it's good for greasy. Third Master, drink it."

"Okay, Uncle Li also sit down, don't be too busy. I'm not an outsider." After taking the tea and taking a sip, Jia Cong sighed comfortably.I ate a lot of meat and felt uncomfortable in my stomach.

"Uncle Li said just now that the horses here are only for people with official positions?" Jia Cong felt a little embarrassed when he thought of Li Goudan's words just now. What about the configuration of the poor frontier army?

"Well, that's right. Horses are here because they are all adults above the third rank. There are three places to raise horses in our camp. One is mine. One is below the third rank and above the ninth rank. The rest One place belonged to the hussars."

Oh, that's right, Jia Cong nodded understandingly.

Squinting his eyes, he looked at his future father-in-law carefully.It seems that although the environment is not good, it is thousands of miles away from home.It's not bad to get by.

"Do ordinary sergeants have to go out for drills?" Jia Cong is no stranger to the term "out for drills" in Rongguo Mansion, which started as a military force.Who let him have a father who was addicted to martial arts?

"It's about the same. I don't go out here, and I don't go out in the kitchen. I don't know if there are other places where you don't go out." In fact, Li Goudan used to go out.But in sparring, others are often injured.In addition, he is only a groom who can order veterinary medicine, and no one expects him to go to the battlefield.If he comes and goes twice, he will not be asked to go.

Hearing this, Jia Cong rolled his eyes.I had an idea in my heart.

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, before Laba, Jia Cong wrote a long letter and sent it to the capital.This is the first time he has not spent the New Year outside when he grows up.

As the direct cousin of King Yue, uh, one of the only three surviving cousins.The cronies of King Yue in the northwest welcomed Jia Cong's arrival.

Although it is said that not everyone can enter the barracks casually.But this year the official.two.For what, it has already been rampant to a certain extent.Naturally, no one thought of whether the pair of master and servant sleeping in Li Goudan's hut should be there.

Large chunks of pork belly are rolled in a cauldron with rice-white skin.The soup in the big urn filled the entire camp with the aroma of seasoning.And the smallest steamed bun is bigger than a grown man's fist.

Some soldiers eat in such a bold way, but Jia Cong, who was raised in the Duke's mansion, has never seen it before.But eating meat and eating a big bowl of soup made Jia Cong's belly round and he couldn't walk.

Compared to the bustle of the barracks, Jia Cong's good appetite, the capital side, is a bit mediocre.

Li Ning was picked up by the carriage of Rongguo Mansion to play for a few days, and then went home with her mother in the carriage to celebrate the New Year.

In Rongguo Mansion, she finally saw Miss Lin whom her mother had been thinking about, and Li Ning just curled her lips in her heart. She is a dry little girl, so thin that a slightly stronger wind might blow her away.Where did it fall into her mother's picky eyes?

Li Ning is 12 years old, naturally she will not be jealous of a little girl who is more than a year younger than her brother, she is just curious.

Thinking of Miss Lin's two missing baby teeth when she smiled, Li Ning became even more curious.

The little girl who is more than six years old looks good.Whether it is talking or doing things.Nothing too brilliant.But she sees what her mother means, and she needs to get along well with herself and take care of her.

I don't understand.

When the Tang Dynasty family celebrates the Spring Festival, it is very lively. The fact that Zhang Yunji finally has a body after a few years of marriage makes the family even more festive.But unlike the Li family's New Year and the excitement in the barracks, there is only Rongguo Mansion's low-key New Year.

Although the children of the Jia family have passed the filial period of marrying their aunts, in order to take care of the emotions of the Lin family siblings and the old lady, the Jia family did not invite any theater troupe this year, and even the New Year's fireworks are only one-third of the previous years. .

"Hmph, this is boring, it's also called New Year's Eve. It's really unlucky." Mrs. Xing came out from the table, whispering to the girl beside her, and walking back impatiently to change her clothes.

"Madam, just bear with it. If the old lady finds out, she will be unhappy again." Wang Shanbao's family looked around carefully, and quickly persuaded.

"What are you afraid of? I'm the serious second wife in this mansion, and I'm not the one who came to play the autumn wind in the countryside. I'm not even allowed to say a word for this New Year's Eve." Xing was also a little afraid that her words would be spread to others. The old lady's place, but being reminded like this by a servant always feels a bit embarrassing.

"Isn't that right? I've already gone back to the mansion to pay respects to my ancestors. What are you going to do in our mansion?" It's not too bad luck for those who celebrate Chinese New Year to go to other people's homes to observe their filial piety.

What Wang Shanbao was talking about was that the brothers and sisters of the Lin family returned to the Lin house in the capital in the morning.After completing some New Year's procedures there, the person sent by the old lady picked up the work around noon.

In ancient times, Chinese New Year was very particular.Since childhood, we have to open ancestral halls and worship in various ways.The ancestral hall will not be officially closed until the first day of the new year.

Lin Ruhai is not in the capital, so the house in the capital is considered half an old house.There are also ancestral halls inside.Although the younger brother of the Lin family is young, he will also be the head of the Lin family in the future.

For those who celebrate the New Year, it is not easy to let the cold pot and cold stove in the ancestral hall at home die deserted.Therefore, the butler of the Lin family personally went to pick up the two young masters to go home to the hot pot stove.

23. Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.

Although my family will do the same in Yangzhou, but the family lives in two places, so we have to offer sacrifices to different Kitchen Gods.

"Who made the old lady prefer it. What about Brother Zhu's wife? Why are you hiding in the house this New Year's Eve? Isn't she just pregnant?" After Xing finished talking about the Lin family siblings, she remembered that she had just found out that she was pregnant. Sister Feng.There was another burst of old dissatisfaction in my heart.

"My wife is in charge of her. She is precious. It's been less than a month, and you can see what it is." Wang Shanbao's family has a temperament that is afraid of chaos.For Sister Feng, who has always been aloof, she has a feeling of resistance from the bottom of her heart.

They are all the companions of the wives, so how can the eldest grandma of their second room be kind to the companions of the eldest wife, and treat them with a condescending look.Wait, then.The old lady is old, and the family will be separated in the future.See how she still flaunts her might.Instead of pleasing my mother-in-law, go to please my aunt.What tutoring.

"Bah, Jingui? I want to see what kind of precious things she can give birth to. Hmph, this is a girl born in a rich family. The filial piety period has just passed less than a month ago, and she is nearly a month pregnant. But What a long face."

"By the way, did Nanny Li go home for the New Year?" Just after talking about Sister Feng, the Xing family thought of Tang Dynasty again.He hurriedly asked his confidant and beloved general around him.

When Wang Shanbao's family heard it, they really didn't say anything.She knew it.I walked with the brothers and sisters of the Lin family this morning, and said it was on the way.

At that time, the family of Wang Shanbao still pouted when he heard about it.Flattering others, but also said so nicely.I don't know how to be ashamed.

"Yes, we haven't seen each other yet. I don't know how long I have asked for leave with the old lady. This person is also confused. The wife is the aunt of the second master Bao. She went home and didn't come to report a leave with the wife. .This is too insane."

"At any rate, he is ordered by the Seventh Order. To be a nurturing mother is to be wronged." After the words fell, he paused, and then whispered to Wang Shanbao's family, "I think the glass lamp in Baoyu's room is not bad. , I want to have a banquet tomorrow, and I happen to be short of a decoration, so you can borrow something and use it for two days."

The borrowing in Xing's mouth is not repaid.The Tang Dynasty held tight, and nothing in Baoyu's house could be leaked out.Now I just know that Tang Dynasty is not here.If she was a aunt, she didn't believe that Baoyu's child could say no.

"But, what if Nanny Li comes back and makes a fuss?" Wang Shanbao's family would think so, and it's not groundless.After all, it has happened before.

In the first month of the first two years, Xing needed to borrow things.It happened that the Tang Dynasty went home for the festival.The two little girls, Ke Ren and Mei Ren, didn't dare to stop them forcefully, so they asked Wang Shanbao's family to borrow them.

Unexpectedly, Tang Chao came back and asked for it twice from the Xing family.Xing said he didn't know where to put it.Let's talk about it when we find it tomorrow.

Who knew that Tang Chao had promised well in person, turned his head and rushed to the front yard where the second master was.

The second master of politics is the most pedantic, not to mention the seventh-rank female family members who have been ordered by the imperial court, even their own servants are servants, and they have to avoid a thing or two.

It was the first time in Mr. Zheng Er's life that he was rushed up so straightly.

I didn't mention anything else when I came here, only that the second wife lost the belongings of the first wife.She has no way to make a deal, and she has no way to reply to the second wife's natal family, asking the second master or the second wife Xing's to pay for the same one, or discount it back.

It was the first time in Jia Zheng's life that he was confronted with debt collection.But no matter what, in front of all the clean-up guests, it was a shame to lose my lord.

"Second Master Bao is a filial man, but he is young and weak, so he dare not take the relics of his late mother to please his filial stepmother. The second master is an upright person, and if he wants to come to the second room, he will not lack the relics of his first wife as a substitute." Let’s show it.” In fact, Tang Chao can also come in another way, but this kind of opportunity to stand up, which has been waiting so hard, must not be let go.

Make the matter so big that Jia Zheng has no choice but to show up.Let the Xing family dare to stretch their claws on Baoyu in the future, this is the purpose of the Tang Dynasty.

As for whether it will make Shi Shi angry.Hehe, before Tang Chao came, he was ready.She invited Mrs. Zhang to play the side drums for her, and asked her cheap daughter-in-law Yuanyang to block the news of Tang Dynasty troubles in Jiazheng.

One must know that after Lai Da's family left, Jia's mother's staff in the mansion gradually turned against each other.It may not be easy to hide this matter from Shi Shi.But to put it another way, it is possible.

For example, when Tang Chao rushed to the front yard, it could be said that Tang Chao was waiting near the second room.

Tang Chao's tone of voice is not good, and it can also be said to be a quick talk.

Etc., etc.

Tang Chao made a fuss regardless.The troubles came back, Jia Zheng was angry, and Xing was ashamed.The expected effect was achieved.

At least those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes, but those who are horizontal are afraid of being stunned.Xing Shi was a little timid for a while.

Because of this incident, Wang Shanbao's family had to remind Mrs. Xing not to mess with this shrew.

When Xing heard this, she frowned again.After two rounds of breathing, I let go of this idea.

The current Xing family, besides loving money, is the most concerned about face.Now she can only rely on this to compete for a while.

"By the way, how about Tan girl? I let her get along well with the Lin family girl, how is she doing?" The Lin family is also a big family with a high official position.If the brothers and sisters of the Lin family leaned towards her.The old lady will also give her three points of noodles.

"This old slave doesn't know yet. But Grandma Zhu received a letter from Jinling this morning, and she heard that she was very angry."

Because they lived nearby, Mrs. Xing could quickly find out what was going on in Jia Zhufeng's room.

"Do you know what it is?"