[Red House + Space] Falling Spring

The transportation in this world is inconvenient, and the information transmission is not smooth. What happened in Yangzhou, because Jia Min didn't say anything, so Beijing and China didn't know anything.Today, because it was the day when Xing Dequan returned home from Yingxian Academy, Mrs. Xing took Luochun to Xing's house to visit this younger brother.

The Xing family's time in Beijing is not too short, counting the time when the whole Xing family ran to the mansion when they first came to the capital, this is the second time Luochun saw uncle Xing Dequan.During the period, Mrs. Xing went to the academy to visit this younger brother once, and when she came back, she said with great emotion that Xing Dequan had changed, and sending him to the academy was the right thing to do.Just for this, there is nothing wrong with letting the Xing family live in Beijing.

At that time, Luochun felt that even if there were changes in a short period of time, the changes would not be too great. She also felt that Mrs. Xing was exaggerating because she was delighted with Xing Dequan's change. After all, she still remembered the evaluation of Xing Dequan in the book, saying that he He only knows how to enjoy drinking, gambling, sleeping in flowers and willows, spends money indiscriminately, treats people carelessly, and is full of dullness. She is called "stupid uncle", but she forgot, because Xing's family came to Beijing early, although Xing Dequan has shown It has the characteristics of a silly uncle, but it is not as bad as the book says.

Moreover, the academy that Luochun chose for him was carefully selected. The recruited students were divided into two parts, one part was the students preparing to enter the imperial examinations; Or they are reluctant to be disciplined, or for other reasons of one kind or another, they are sent here by their families, hoping that they can learn well here, so as to correct their evil ways and return to the right.Luochun had inquired about the latter part of the students who went out from here, although not all of them had improved, but they were considered to have the best effect in Jingzhong Academy, and most of them have improved, so they still have a good reputation.

After seeing Xing Dequan this time, Luochun realized that in just a few months, he had really changed a lot. Although he hadn't reached the stage of being reborn, at least he didn't look as impetuous as the first time he met.People have become darker, thinner, and taller, and their words and deeds are much more organized than before. The most important thing is their eyes, which are not as floating as before, and have firmness in them.The attitude towards Mrs. Xing was not the same as before. They were clearly relatives in flesh and blood, but they showed a strange sense of distance. They were much warmer, and it could be seen that it was from the heart.But when Xing Dequan saw Luochun, his niece, his eyes flickered, and when he saw Luochun smiling at him, he shrank back unconsciously.It seems that when they met for the first time, Luochun's "sturdy" behavior of ordering him to be sent directly to the academy left a deep impression on him and frightened him.

Over there, Mrs. Xing pulled Xing Dequan to ask non-stop. Luochun sat aside and listened for a while, feeling bored, so she simply got up and went out.Because she liked the rose plant by the wall of the third courtyard when she was looking at the house, after buying the house, Luo Chun ordered someone to plant a rose plant in the house, but after planting it, she never had it. Come to appreciate it, so she walked towards the wall, only to find that the rose had been shoveled off, and turned into the gourds, courgettes and beans that she saw in front of her eyes.Seeing this very different style of painting, the corners of Luochun's mouth couldn't help twitching. The only one who could make this decision was Aunt Xing.

"You always say that my eldest sister's life in Rongguo Mansion these years is not easy, but I think she is still living very comfortably, and she has obviously improved a lot. It has only been a long time, and Brother Quan has completely forgotten that the eldest sister swept away the Xing family. All the property matters were just won over by the eldest sister. The method is really clever and really admirable." Xing Sanyi appeared behind Luochun, and said with envy.

Luochun glanced back at Aunt Xing, smiled, and said mockingly: "I don't know what uncle is thinking, but it's true that you, Aunt Xing, are thinking about the property of the Xing family. If you want to marry a good family, a generous dowry should be a necessary condition." After a pause, he continued: "Actually, I shouldn't have said this, so I am talking too much. Although my mother holds the Xing family's wealth in her hands, the amount It's really not as much as you imagined, Aunt San, including the mother's dowry, but it's only a few thousand taels of silver, and if it's used to change it, it's good to get half of the price..."

"It's impossible!" Aunt Xing interrupted Luochun sharply, and said angrily, "You think you can deceive me with your smooth talk here? What the hell are you trying to do? Don't you think I'll believe you when you say that?" What nonsense? Let me tell you, I don’t believe it. Don’t think you can fool me. The Xing family still kept the income and expenditure account books back then, and there were still a few old people who worked as errands when the previous generation of the Xing family was here. Witnesses The physical evidence is all there, how can you deny it with a few words here."

Luo Chun laughed softly, and said: "The Xing family's income and expenditure accounts should be from when my grandfather was alive, right? My grandfather was an official at that time, and as a local parent official, although it is not like the saying 'Three years clear the magistrate, ten years What Wan Xuehuayin said, but presumably local filial piety, ice respect, carbon respect... these incomes will not be small. But naturally it will not be shown in the book, it will only be included in the income of shops and farms. The reason for this , Thinking about it, Third Aunt should understand."

Even if some of these incomes are customary, they are incomes other than salary after all, so unless they are fools, no official will record it in the account book openly, so naturally they have to change their appearance, otherwise If he falls outside and is accused of corruption and bribery, then he will be unable to eat and walk away.Aunt Xing, who had studied her account books countless times, understood this truth, so she nodded, and then asked suspiciously: "You are right, but so what?" This seems to have nothing to do with the Xing family's wealth relationship?

Luochun smiled slightly and said: "Since the third aunt knows this truth, she should understand that this account book cannot be counted, because a large part of the income in it is 'floating wealth', that is to say, when my grandfather is around, there is this money. , if the person is gone, there will be no more. My grandfather died of illness in office, and only my grandmother and your mother and your children are left. In the officialdom, "people leave the tea to cool down", and the Xing family has no other in-laws to help in the officialdom. So how much do you think the Xing family’s family property can keep at that time? Don’t think that you will be fine when you return to your hometown. If the family doesn’t covet its family property, then why would the mother say that when the grandmother passed away, she would leave a message? Don't trust the clan, that's why the mother took all the family property away instead of handing it over to the clan?"

Aunt Xing was choked by Luochun's rhetorical question, and could not speak at all.Luo Chun sighed, and said: "Even if my grandmother is capable and smart, but as a woman, without her husband, the only male in the family is still young, and she has to rely on the stewards for all external affairs. The situation is, of course, what they say is what they say. Sometimes they know that what they say is false, and they take the wealth of the master's family for personal gain. What can my grandmother do? Besides, I heard from my mother that my grandmother is weak and the housekeeper There are no great talents in the world, and sometimes you can't convince the people below, you have to step up to your grandfather. When your grandmother dies, you will be left. Among them, the mother is the oldest girl in the middle of the house, who is only sixteen or seventeen years old. Although she learned some housekeeping skills from her grandmother, it was all 'on paper'. What's more, the grandmother began to linger on the sick bed shortly after taking you to Fuling back to the hometown. In this case, what can the mother learn? After that, The family's butlers bullied the Xing family and there were only a few children left. They were young and ignorant of the world, and even took the opportunity to abduct them. Instead of helping to suppress them, the family also squeezed forward and bit them hard. Aunt San, how rich do you think the Xing family is to be able to withstand such hardships? That's why I said, it's a good idea to have a few thousand silver left in the end."

After refuting the physical evidence, Luochun talked to Aunt Xing about witness testimony. "As for the old people who are still in the Xing family, they are just servants, how much can they know about the master? What's more, Xing's grandfather and grandmother passed away one after another, leaving only a few children under the age of sixteen or seventeen. The family is completely "the tree falls and the monkeys scatter". In this case, those who have earned enough in the Xing family, or those who are capable, all choose to leave the house. When the mother gets married, another group is sent away, and the rest , those who are still in the Xing family are honest people who are likely to starve to death if they leave the Xing family, and none of them are from the side of the grandfather and grandmother back then, not even the stewards of the mansion, they are all rough servants , These people may not even be able to get close to the second sect, and they have no access to the truth of the matter at all. What they know is completely hearsay or their own imagination. Third aunt, how credible do you think their words are?"

Although Luochun's explanation was suspected of "washing white" Mrs. Xing, it was also the current situation of the Xing family at that time.Of course, Mrs. Xing did not tell her these things, but she heard them from Mrs. Xing's companion Wang Shanbao's family and Mrs. Fei, and then pieced them together. Although they are not all the facts, they are still close to each other. ten.As Luochun told, Aunt Xing's face became paler and paler, and in the end she was pale, without a trace of blood. During this period, she moved her lips several times, wanting to interject, but in the end she didn't say anything.

The days of coming to Beijing are not short, and this period of time is enough for Aunt Xing to understand how deep the water in Beijing is.The neighbors of the Xing family's house are all well-to-do families. During this period, there was a sister-in-law Chen whose husband had been a petty official in the yamen for many years, and Aunt Xing had close contacts, and the two often sat together and talked.The Chen family lived in the capital city, and because her husband worked in the yamen, Mrs. Chen knew a lot of secrets and gossip about the big family.It was from this sister-in-law Chen that Aunt Xing realized that the family background she was so proud of was not popular in this capital city, not to mention that she had been talking about it all the time as a bragging rights Mrs. Xing saw from their performance after they entered Beijing that they obviously could not be relied on by her.

If she really wanted to follow San Aunt Xing's original idea, if she wanted to marry a good family, then a generous dowry would be indispensable. With this, she would have the slightest chance of marrying into a high family.However, she originally had high hopes that Mrs. Xing's family wealth was swallowed up by Luochun, but in fact it was not as much as she imagined. All the assets in Mrs. Xing's hands were not as much as she thought.For a moment, Aunt Xing only felt her mind go blank, she didn't know how to react, her original hopes for a better future were all turned into bubbles.

Seeing Aunt Xing's pale face, trembling lips, despair in her eyes, unbelievable but forced to believe, Luo Chun sighed and said: "Some things are caused by my mother's personality. It's not easy for her to tell you. After all, it involves the deceased grandfather and grandmother, as well as the Xing family. That's it. If you still don't believe me, I can show you my mother's dowry list. If you do this, if you still have doubts, then I really can't help it. As for your dowry, third aunt, don't worry , your mother will prepare it for you. It’s just the real situation, so it will definitely not meet your expectations, so I also ask the third aunt to "poverty and happiness."

Facing Luochun's sarcasm, Aunt Xing didn't respond, she just looked at her blankly, shook her head desperately, and said like a wandering ghost: "I'm tired, I want to go back to my room Rest." The footsteps are shallow, one deep and one shallow, as if stepping on cotton.

Seeing Sanyi Xing's "fleeing away" back, Luochun heaved a long sigh. In fact, Sanyi Xing had believed Luochun's words in her heart, but the blow was too great, and she couldn't accept it emotionally for a while.Although the mirage is beautiful, it is illusory and will never reach a place. I hope she accepts the reality earlier, so that she can live a down-to-earth life.