It was put back on the case by Li Wan, and there were still traces of moisture on the edge that had been rolled up. Grandma Zhu sighed quietly and covered the wet volume with other books until no traces could be seen before she felt relieved.
He was lying on his side on the pillow mat, but his hands and legs could not help but hug the quilt and bury his head in it.
It seemed that only in this way could Li Wan be able to withstand the coldness and loneliness of the cold night of the first month.
Tonight is the most difficult night.
Many people have trouble sleeping this night.
In another courtyard in the same Rongguo Mansion, Xiren was sleeping in an outhouse, holding his stomach and secretly wiping tears. Next to them, Qiu Wen and Qingwen were busy shuttling in and out, finally helping Baoyu to sleep. Qingwen just looked at the injured Xi Renyan in boredom. Qingwen said calmly: "He came back proudly, but you locked him out and ruined his mood all night. It's strange that he's not annoyed."
However, Xiren had trouble saying that she was not the one who closed the door. Instead, she who went to open the door for Mr. Bao was kicked. Shrinking down, resisting the pain in his lower abdomen, he still asked with concern: "Has the second master fallen asleep?"
"Go to bed."
Qingwen looked at Xiren indifferently, feeling that Xiren was asking for his own discomfort. What's the use of being considerate of Second Master Bao? It's obvious that Second Master's thoughts are no longer in the house. Otherwise, I wouldn't think about going out every night and keeping all the maids in charge. When she was changing Master Bao's clothes just now, she smelled a special smell coming from him. She was quite clear in her heart. Second Master Bao had an old illness again, but this time it was not a servant from the two mansions, but someone from outside.
Those of them who work as maids around their brothers know more and can calculate more than those who work as maids around their sisters.
Xiren happened to be someone who didn't have too many calculations. In other words, his heart had already been set on Master Bao, and he had no other calculations from then on. She rubbed her belly and said, "Now that the second master has gone to bed, you should rest early."
Qingwen looked at her coldly and went to rest without saying a word.
The second day is the Lantern Festival.
When Jia Baoyu woke up, he remembered the agreement he made after having fun yesterday, and called the maid to come over and dress up. She changed into gorgeous clothes, repaired her face, and took two boxes of rouge and gouache from the maid in the room.
Although he was curious as to why Xiren hadn't gotten up today, he didn't ask any more questions. He was still angry at being locked out of the house at night. He hadn't eaten the night before, so Mr. Bao sneaked out of Rongguo Mansion in high spirits.
The other maids were also busy with their own affairs, leaving Hua Xiren alone on the bed, feeling sick and uncomfortable.
Dongfuli.
Uncle Rong invited Wang Xifeng to Qin Keqing's courtyard. The three of them sat together, and a group of little maids came over with food. Ruizhu, Baozhu, Que'er, Xianglian, and Ping'er were waiting on them.
Qin Keqing secretly glared at Uncle Rong, who was acting recklessly early in the morning, then looked at Wang Xifeng, and then at the five people next to him. He said: "There is no one else in the room today. Let's sit down and eat together."
After finishing speaking, Keqing looked at Wang Xifeng and said softly: "Auntie, won't you blame your nephew and daughter-in-law for not only cheating on you but also breaking the rules of master and servant in the house?"
In the past, words like aunt and nephew-in-law would have sounded strange to Wang Xifeng, but now she had no idea about them. Feng Lazi glanced at Ke Qing thoughtfully, Mrs. Qin was asserting her sovereign status as Grandma Rong.
Feng Lazi smiled and did not answer directly. Instead, he said calmly: "No matter how great the rules are, it is still a matter of human kindness. Ping'er and I often eat at the same table. Everyone, please sit down. Ruizhu and Baozhu, take your seats. Ling Er, Queer, you rely on Brother Rong to serve you at the same table."
Jia Rong also came back to her senses and glanced at Sister Feng gratefully. On the first day after entering the house, the two daughters-in-law finally did not quarrel. . However, Wang Xifeng's tone also showed that she was also a serious master, able to command Ruizhu and Baozhu, the two aunts of Dongfu.
It's hard to say whether they will quarrel in the future.
Qin Keqing figured out the meaning of Wang Xifeng's words but didn't say anything. Whether it is Wang's aunt or Second Mistress Lian, Wang Xifeng's status cannot be lowered after entering Ningguo Mansion. The only thing to look at is how to calculate the status of this aunt and uncle in Uncle Rong's room. Is it tied with Grandma Rong? Or maybe he is willing to be under Grandma Rong.
Next to him, Ping'er took the seat first, and then Bao Zhu thanked Sister Feng with a smile and then he also took a seat. Xiao Que'er was so happy when she heard that she could sit next to Uncle Rong that she also sat down. Ruizhu was still hesitant, while Xiangling was at a loss.
Grandma Rong said: "Everyone, please sit down."
Ruizhu and Xiangling took their seats because of their talents. Seeing this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but smile and said: "I came to Dongfu to recuperate. I don't know how long I will stay there. From now on, I will need you hosts to take care of me. I have also prepared a lot of gifts. After dinner, everyone will come to my yard. Just take it."
Jia Rong saw that Sister Feng and Ke Qing were secretly fighting, so she quickly stopped them. He picked out what he liked, gave it to them in bowls, and said with a smile: "Today is our reunion, we will have a long time to come, and we will talk about anything later."
Everyone at the table had different expressions when they heard the word "reunion". Ruizhu and Baozhu peeked at Wang Xifeng and Ping'er, but Sister Feng and Keqing looked at Brother Rong playfully.
Keqing said politely: "Ling'er has eaten a while ago. Let's go to Xue's house and ask Miss Bao to come over."
""
In fact, there is no need for anyone to invite Baochai. Today is the Lantern Festival, and wine has to be served in Huifang Garden of Ningguo Mansion. It's just that Jia Rong doesn't know when Xue Baochai and the others will come. He didn't even know that Li Wan, the aunt of Xi Fuzhu, was hesitating about how to come over to see him.
Li Wan was worried in his heart and had no energy on his face. Last night's scene and last night's dream made her confused and panicked.
However, Jia Rong didn't know any of these things. He didn't even remember what happened when he was drunk, and he didn't know that Li Wan had seen him while having fun with Baochai yesterday.
At this moment, he was in the study room of Ningguo Mansion.
"Qing Jing has matured a lot and grown a lot taller." Brother Rong smiled comfortingly and patted Qin Zhong on the shoulder. He said: "The matter in Ping'an Province has made Qing Jing very hard."
Qin Zhong replied shyly: "It's not hard."
"I know how hard it is, deep in my heart." Brother Rong asked Qin Zhong to sit down, and then asked Mr. Qin Ye for tea. Said: "I thought Jingqing would be able to come back on New Year's Eve, but I didn't expect to go round and round to the south of the Yangtze River. Fortunately, it happened in time for the Lantern Festival, otherwise my wife wouldn't know how to blame me."
Qin Zhongdao: "General Jade from Hongze Lake was in a hurry, so he made one more trip."
"Don't they take a break even during the New Year?"
"I'm taking a break. I'm worried that the delivery will be too slow after the new year, so I asked him to send an extra batch before the new year." Qin Zhong scratched his head and laughed, and asked: "What's wrong with Jing Qing coming back so anxiously?" Do you have any important instructions?"
"Your sister has given birth to a baby. It's the first month of the year, so we have to go home and have a bowl of reunion dinner." Jia Rong said leisurely. She saw Qin Zhong's face smiling again and said, "Today is the Lantern Festival, and the female guest in the house More. When the guests go to Tianxiang Tower later in the afternoon, call your wife to come over and meet with the master and brothers."
Qin Zhong hummed in agreement.
Jia Rong added: "From now on, the Ping'an Prefecture Kiln Factory will keep some cement every month and not sell it."
"Why do you arrange it like this? At the end of the year, I communicated with Second Master Qiang. Production is already going on in Jinling. The shopkeeper of the Xue family has also begun to rush the goods recently, thinking of dividing some parts for the Xue family to buy and sell to the public." Qin Zhong He asked doubtfully, "Now is the time when cement is most lacking."
How could Jia Rong not know? Not to mention the huge demand from river yamen, the camps in Gyeonggi are also in urgent need of cement to build canals to divert water. There are also private individuals who want to build their own fields, build bridges and dams, and they are all waiting for cement from Ningguo Mansion.
But he still had calculations in mind.
It is planned to save a batch of cement and transport it to Heishan Village after spring. It is planned to build a small kiln there for future Beiliao shipbuilding and expansion of Vladivostok port.
"Don't be in a hurry to save a lot. Anyway, keep some in the warehouse so that if Ningguo Mansion is in urgent need of cement, it will have to wait for production."
Jia Rong entertained the Qin family father and son for a while, then invited them to go to Tianxiang Tower to listen to the play. He also received the masters of Xifu and called Jia Qin to accompany him. When Xue Pan and others came over, Brother Rong asked in confusion: "Why don't you see Uncle Bao?"
"I have been to Brother Bao's yard to look for him. Not to mention my aunt, even the maids in my brother's room don't know where he is." Xue Pan sighed helplessly and said, "Brother Rong doesn't know. My aunt heard that my brother is missing. But I took the maids in my brother's room and beat them for a while. When I went over, I heard that other maids in the courtyard agreed that the first two maids were lying down."
Brother Rong was stunned. This is the atmosphere of Jia Zhengyuan in Rongguo Mansion. No matter what Baoyu did wrong, the servants will always be punished.
Even Li Wan, whom other people call a living Bodhisattva, treats his servants like a royal lady. As long as these ladies say something, people will kneel down to receive punishment. The complete opposite of Jia Zhengyuan is the Ningguo Mansion. When Jia Zhen was there, the servants of the Ningguo Mansion were almost on top of their master.
Both extremes are bad.
Now that the atmosphere in Ningguo Mansion has changed, Jia Zhengyuan has become increasingly strict under Li Wan's rule.
Jia Rong sighed secretly. He guessed where Baoyu had gone, but it was hard to tell.
I thought I would find time to have a good chat with Uncle Bao tomorrow, since they are relatives in the family after all. If we say that we are addicted to men's lust, it is not a big deal in the society of the day; but it is really unreasonable for a good descendant of the Duke of China and a young uncle of the Rong family to serve others with men's lust.
"Uncle, let's go to Tianxiang Tower first." Jia Rong led Xue Pan to Huifang Garden.
Xue Pan pulled Brother Rong back, frowning tightly, as if he had something unspeakable to say.
"Uncle?"
Xue Pan looked at him sadly for a long time and said, "Did Brother Rong have any conflict with my sister?"
Baochai?
"How could it happen?" How could he have a conflict with Baochai, unless he regarded yesterday's love as a 'spear and shield'. Brother Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he asked Xue Pan. "Uncle, why did you say this? I have always been cautious when treating Aunt Bao."
After all, the weapon is too sharp, and Baochai can be easily injured if not careful.
Xue Pan twisted his eyebrows and his expression became distorted. He said depressedly: "I don't know what happened to my sister recently. It seems that she doesn't care about things at home anymore, and she often avoids my mother and me. When she came back last night, her expression was even worse. We thought she was being bullied. But she didn’t want to say anything, and even scolded me angrily.”
Well, what happened last night did have something to do with me. Baochai must be too tired, too tired. Brother Rong said coquettishly: "Uncle, don't worry, Aunt Bao is smart. Which of the two governments can bully her?"
"Yeah, I'm confused too. Which one?" Xue Pan sighed and suddenly looked at Jia Rong, looking up and down.
"Uncle, you don't think I bullied Aunt Bao, do you?"
"I don't know about this." Xue Pan refused to let go of Jia Rong. He looked closely and said, "Although I always heard from brothers in various houses that Brother Rong is a scumbag and the best at bullying others. As expected, Ying Ying I won’t bully my relatives to come here.”
"Ahem!" What kind of beast spreads the rumor? He is down-to-earth and works hard. How can he outshine others? Jia Rong coughed twice, met Xue Pan's gaze, and said with a guilty conscience: "Uncle, when did you see me tricking people, let alone my relatives?"
Xue Pan nodded doubtfully. I didn't find out what happened, so I could only sigh. Then he said: "My sister often goes to Ningguo Mansion recently. Brother Rong, you can pay attention to what she is doing. My mother is also worried about whether she has a secret love. Alas"
Have a secret love? That's me. Brother Rong said sarcastically: "Aunt Bao is the most polite person, how could she do that kind of thing."
Xue Pan said: "I can trust my sister, but I'm just afraid that she will be deceived by others. If she is wronged because of this, how can I have the dignity to be her big brother?"
""
Jia Rong laughed dryly, not daring to talk nonsense anymore. He knew that although Xue Pan was a dandy, he treated Baochai very well. Therefore, Uncle Rong only promised that if he found out any news, he would report it to Xue Pan. He was afraid that if he leaked something, Xue Pan would catch him and give him a beating.
Uncle Rong hurriedly called someone to lead Uncle Pan to Tianxiang Tower, and ran away on the pretext of entertaining guests.
"Why did I forget about this stubborn coward Xue Pan? If he knew that he had caused trouble to his sister, a beating would probably be inevitable." Jia Rong looked at the sky and sighed. "Let's wait for a while and wait until we find a good opportunity to talk."
The guests from both houses are almost here.
Qin Keqing and Wang Xifeng also left the courtyard today. After meeting the guests at Tianxiang Tower, they joined hands and sat down in a separate room downstairs.
Jia Rong, who had just arrived at Tianxiang Tower, first went to meet his two daughters-in-law, and then talked about the Qin family and his son, so he chose a room next door to meet the Qin family and his son.
It's a scene of deep love between brother and sister, and silent father and daughter.
Qin Ye and Ke Qing didn't say a few words. Ke Qing only taught Qin Zhong a lesson and then presented him with filial piety and gifts of clothes, gold, jade and stones.
It's still early for the big banquet today, so we are all having fun in Tianxiang Tower.
Li Wan took the opportunity to come over.
Wang Xifeng joked: "My sister-in-law is not with the old lady upstairs, why did she come to us?"
"The place you have here is nice, not as noisy as above." Li Wan replied with a smile, but his eyes were like Brother Rong, calculating how to speak to urge Yi Xue.
The room was full of human beings, and one look at Li Wan's expression revealed that there was something unspeakable. Wang Xifeng was waiting to watch the excitement, but Qin Keqing went over to hold the aunt's hand and asked, "What does aunt want to say?"
Then he said angrily to Uncle Rong: "When I saw my aunt coming over, I didn't know how to avoid suspicion and leave. This is our women's world, why should you, a man, stay here?"
""
Li Wan became anxious when he saw Jia Rong leaving.
