[Red House + Space] Falling Spring

Luochun followed Baochai back from buying vegetables at the vegetable market, and then saw her enter the kitchen carrying a vegetable basket.Baochai saw Luochun followed in, she smiled and said, "Sixth sister, I'm going to cook, this is not the place for you, you should go back to the house and sit with my mother and the others." Luochun ignored Baochai's dismissal, reached out and took out a handful of leeks from the vegetable basket, and said, "Sister Bao, let me help you, it will take a long time for these people to eat one by one."

"You?" Hearing that Luochun said that she was helping, Baochai looked at her suspiciously. Although Jia's family was down and out and had no title or official position, Baoyu, who used to visit her house frequently, and Jia Lian said that Baochai Chai knew that the life of Jia's family was still okay, and they still called their servants at home.She looked at Luo Chunbai's tender hands and said, "My good sister, I'll take care of you if you have such a heart, but you should go back to your room. Things in the kitchen are not as simple as you think, and they are dirty. , It’s better not to bother my sister to help me here, I will do it myself.”

Baochai's words sounded nice, but Luochun knew why she didn't let herself stay in the kitchen, she didn't listen to Baochai's words and retreated, smiling: "Sister Bao, don't treat me as an ignorant child, now Our house has become like this now. I’m not like before. I haven’t even been in the kitchen. It’s just that I do less work such as cooking fires, such as choosing vegetables, cutting vegetables, frying, frying and stewing. Cooking and other chores are a lot of work, maybe I can do better than Sister Bao."

Seeing what Luochun said, Baochai didn't refuse, handed her the vegetable basket, and said with a smile: "In that case, then I'm not going to be polite. Sixth sister, please help me figure it out first." Luochun was there Baochai started to get busy when choosing vegetables. He chopped the bone that came back into two pieces with a big axe, put it in a saucepan, added water to stew the soup, and then took out a large bowl of oil residue from the basket hanging in the kitchen After cutting off half a cabbage, he took a handful of leeks that Luochun picked out and chopped off.

Looking at her like this, Luo Chun guessed that she was going to make dumplings, so she hurriedly picked up a clay pot to knead the noodles, but because she couldn't find anything, she asked, "Sister Bao, where are the noodles?"

"Let me come." Baochai put down the kitchen knife, reached out and snatched the pot from Luochun's hand, and then Luochun watched her take out the key from her body, open the locked cabinet, scooped up two scoops of noodles, and looked at She hesitated for a moment and took another scoop of the dishes on the cutting board, but she didn't pour them all into the clay pot at once. She poured half of them carefully, then poured the remaining half back into the flour bag, and then poured them from the side. Scooped a scoop of light yellow flour rice in his pocket and put them in.Luochun didn't know what the flour and rice that Baochai scooped in later was, but it was definitely not from wheat, and she didn't have the nerve to ask. When I ate it, I took it out, and the scoop at the back was taro rice.

After the family's downfall, Luochun didn't need to intervene in the purchases, so she didn't know the prices of daily necessities outside, but she could guess based on the few times she went out shopping, the wheat flour and taro Mifen is definitely not a price, and there should be a huge difference.Luochun doesn't know the financial situation of Xue's family, but she knows that since Aunt Xue still has money to take care of Xue Pan, and she still wants to go to the northwest with her family, then Xue's family should not be in such a difficult situation, but Baochai's performance is not. On the contrary, he was very stingy, as if he would break a penny in half and spend it.

Luochun is really curious, what happened to Xue's family after moving away from Jia's, why did Baochai, a wealthy daughter who doesn't know the hardships of the world, become what she is now?Although Luochun didn't know what happened to make Baochai change so much, but she could figure it out with her toes. It was definitely not a pleasant memory, so she didn't ask the question out of curiosity. .

After Baochai worked hard in the kitchen, the food was finally ready and served.Simple and homely six: fried pork slices with mushrooms, scrambled eggs with leeks, roasted pork with radish, fried shredded pork with beans, braised winter melon, stir-fried cucumber and carrot.The quantity is very large, and there is still some left after Baochai put it in a big bowl.Baochai took out what was left and put it in a carrying case, and put the two taros walking by the stove on a plate, and put them in the carrying case together.

Seeing Baochai's movements, Luochun asked curiously: "Sister Bao, what is this?" Baochai put the food box with the food aside and replied, "Oh, this is for Xiangling. Xiangling works in an embroidery workshop, which does not include meals, and there is not enough time for a lunch break, and there are still a few more stitches during the delay on the road, so I have to bring her meals."

"Xiangling is working in the embroidery workshop?" Wen Yan Luochun opened her eyes wide in surprise, she didn't see Xiangling in Xue's house, she thought that the dignitary had already been dismissed like other servants in Xue's house.Seeing Baochai busy in the kitchen, she couldn't help asking: "Sister Bao, your embroidery work is also quite outstanding, why didn't you go to work in the embroidery workshop like Xiangling?"

Baochai smiled at Luochun, and said: "My mother and I are busy with my brother's affairs, and we can't be separated from each other. But when we are free, we also do some work and send it to the embroidery workshop for consignment."

Although Aunt Xue of the Xue family is an elder, she is a person who has no big ideas when things happen. She only knows how to pay for Xue Pan's affairs and ask someone to take care of them, but there is no charter for how to analyze and deal with the feedback. , I really need Baochai to help me make up my mind.So after hearing Baochai's words, Luochun nodded to express his understanding: "Oh. That's how it is."

In fact, what Baochai and Luochun said is certainly one of the reasons, but it is also a reason why the embroidery workshop is not easy to stay.In the embroidery workshop, people are more inclined to buy people than hire people.The people hired in the embroidery workshop are actually treated no better than the female workers in Luochun's article titled "Burden Workers".In any case, Baochai was raised spoiled and pampered, so she couldn't stand the days of being called around all day long, being scolded at every turn, and being pricked with needles.Although the business of Xue Baochai's family did not involve the embroidery workshop, but when the family business was still there, the merchants who interacted with Xue's family did this, so I still know a little about the treatment of the embroidered mother inside, Aunt Xue knew He knows better than her, so naturally he refuses to let his daughter go through this hardship.

What's more, don't look at Baochai, it is very important to knit girls all day long. In fact, as Jia Mu once said, people like them don't need to do it themselves when it comes to needlework. Two is fine.Although the Xue family is not as good as the Jia family's Houmen mansion, it is also called the "Four Great Families" together with the Jia family. She has mastered needlework, but after learning it, there are not many opportunities to do it. What she calls "doing" her family's needlework is just counting out the work and handing it over to the servants to do it.It's like when Wang Xifeng told Grandma Liu about the recipe of "eggplant" dish, she said it clearly and logically, but if she was really asked to do it, it would not work, it was just lip service.Although Xue Baochai is not unable to get started, her needlework in the embroidery workshop is only at the middle or lower level, and she is not a fast hand. There is no shortage of such a level in the embroidery workshop.

Baochai poured the stewed big-bone green vegetable and tofu soup out of the casserole, and chatted: "Actually, the embroidery workshop where Xiangling works, after the accident in the mansion, Qingwen, Yuanyang, Shishu and several others from the mansion They bought all the needleworkers back, and now they work as embroiderers in the embroidery workshop."

Since the accident happened in Jia's mansion, apart from Pinxiu who were released beside her, Luochun didn't know anything about the fate of the other girls. She didn't have the ability to reach out to save them, so Luochun simply ignored it.Therefore, this was the first time she heard about the whereabouts of the girls who left the mansion. Hearing this, she couldn't help asking: "Apart from these people, do you know the whereabouts of the other girls, Sister Luobao?"

Baochai glanced at her and said: "I don't know very well, I just heard a few words from Xiangling and Yuanyang. They bought it from outside and have family members. Like Xiren was bought back by her brother, and Siqi was bought by her. The grandmother's house was bought away.... Except for Qingwen who entered the embroidery workshop, most of the remaining young girls in the mansion seemed to have no good results. After all, they all had good births. Qianxue, she helped to say a few good words when she went to pick people in the embroidery workshop, and she might be bought by the people in that filthy place. The price offered was high, and the embroidery workshop was unwilling to pay too high a price. In the end, Qianxue bought her with her savings. The rest of the stewards and stewards' wives seemed to buy her, except for a few families who had just become officials. Except for those who went back, the rest were dispersed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and sent to the Huangzhuang or Yeting below."

Qianxue?Luochun was startled when he heard the name, and after searching in his mind for a while, he remembered that although this girl was also Baoyu's girl, she was kicked out because of a trivial matter, so Luochun didn't remember it for a while.Qingwen made friends with her. At the beginning, she was avenged because of her being kicked out. Who would have thought that when she left the mansion, she felt that even though Qianxue had saved things in the mansion, her life was not as good as that of the mansion. What's more, she is serving by the "Phoenix Egg" Baoyu in the mansion, so after knowing that Qianxue has left the mansion, the maids in the mansion couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, feeling sorry for her.It's just that "Hedong for 30 years, Hexi for 30 years", and now the geomantic omens are turning, it is now clear who is the pity.It's a blessing in disguise, but you know it's not a blessing. Compared with the result of most of the old acquaintances being reduced to the land of fireworks today, Qianxue's expulsion in the past is much better.Qingwen, who had a good relationship with him, was able to escape from danger because of this, which is not a surprise.

The food was ready and served. Although there was no man in Xue's family, because Aunt Xue was the elder, she sat on the table with Jia Lian to accompany the guests.At the banquet, Aunt Xue kept saying sorry to Liu Xianglian, saying that the food was poor.To be honest, Luochun also felt a bit shabby, but judging from Jia Lian's performance, it seemed that Xue's food this time was already pretty good.

Afterwards, Luochun learned from Jia Lian that during the past few days when he came to Xue's house to help with errands, he ate green vegetables and tofu every meal, and finally put two slices of meat in it. The sorghum noodle buns divided into rice and rice, although the coarse grain of sorghum has been ground as finely as possible, it doesn't make your throat hurt when you eat it, but it doesn't mean it's delicious.Even though Jia's family lost his title and dismissed from office, Jia Lian was no longer the flirtatious prince who "rides a horse leaning on a leaning bridge and fills buildings with tricks", and the daily expenses of the family are not as good as before, but they have not fallen to this point.If it wasn't because of Xue Pan's business, Jia Lian would run outside, occasionally treat people to dinner, and if he could make improvements, he felt that he really couldn't bear it and wanted to strike.

Luochun was very puzzled by this, since Xue's family can still spend money to go around for Xue Pan, they should be very rich in their hands, so it shouldn't be difficult, right?Facing her question, Jia Lian sneered, and deciphered: "Xue's family claims to be rich in millions, but it doesn't mean that their family has millions in cash, but they have farms, shops, houses, antiques, Gold, silver, jewelry and all other family properties are added together. But since Xue Pan’s father passed away, the family’s business has been in decline. Once the thriving business goes downhill, the shopping mall is like a battlefield. The shop that should be worth 1 taels of silver is worth more than the house. Other than a little money, other things can’t be discounted, so the Xue family’s vitality can be said to be greatly damaged. Xue Pan’s branch is the eldest son’s son, and although some businesses are held in his hands, they are not It means that it completely belongs to his house, so when Aunt Xue took her two children to Beijing, it meant that she was able to take away the shops under the name of the imperial merchant, and all other aspects of the family's business were given to her by her. give up."

"Later, in order to settle Xue Pan's life lawsuit and send Baochai into the palace, the Xue family threw money into these two pits. Xue Pan was also a loose hand, and the Jia family had a group of children following him to help out. He spends money like running water. It’s okay to have the name of the imperial merchant at home. At last, he can still make some money, so that he won’t just sit and eat, but once the imperial merchant’s reputation is lost, Xue Pan is sent to prison again. Two weak women, even if Baochai is capable, but she is just a girl who has not left the boudoir, facing the outside world, and the abduction by the servants at home, there is nothing good to do..."

Hearing what Jia Lian said, Luo Chun suddenly understood why the Xue family did not see a servant.Presumably after something happened to the Xue family, after Aunt Xue moved out with Baochai, someone in the family had a different heart, and they must have stolen the money from the Xue family and ran away. The subordinates followed suit, so they were all dismissed. As for why the subordinates were not found to come back after that, it is another matter.It's just that Luochun hesitated for a while, and said: "Although our family is down and out, we can't help much, but there is still the Wang family. Auntie is the daughter of the Wang family. Could it be that the Wang family is just watching..."

"The Wang family?" Jia Lian snorted coldly, and said with a sneer, "Hmph, if it wasn't for the Wang family, how could the Xue family have fallen into this situation? After my aunt moved out of our house, she begged her brother, but the Wang family was originally Because of Xue Pan's incident, it's too late to get rid of it at this time, how can I go into this muddy water again? My aunt doesn't know, and she is still foolishly counting on her mother's family, but she doesn't want to send her to her mother's house to help get through The money that the joint saved Xue Pan was taken by the Wang family to repay the national debt owed by the family. If Baochai hadn’t inadvertently learned the truth from the Wang family’s servants, all the Xue family’s wealth might have been sent to the Wang family. After knowing the truth At that time, my aunt and my natal sister-in-law had a big fight, and the Wang family saw that they could no longer get any money from the Xue family, so they simply changed their tune and kicked the aunt out of the house, and since then the two families have cut off contact."

"There is no man in the family, only a few women. Isn't Qing waiting to recruit thieves by pretending to be rich at this time? So in order to avoid trouble coming to the door, I can only pretend to be poor. Besides, Xue Pan's matter is all right. If you want to save him, who knows how much it will cost? Besides pretending to be poor, they naturally have to try to save money, and it's normal to be stingy."

After listening to Jia Lian's story, thinking that after Jia's family fell, Jia's mother asked Jia Lian and Sister Feng to go to Wang's house for help, and the 200 taels of silver they got back, Luochun didn't know what to say. This is absolutely true.