Let’s talk about the news in Xifu.
Since the Spring Festival a few days ago, Grandma Zhu, the head of the Xifu inner house, has been working hard and exhausting her heart and soul for the past few days. It took several days just to pack up the furnishings in the other courtyard after the wedding ceremony.
I was tired every day and had nightmares at night, and now I was exhausted. But Mistress Lian was left in Dongfu to confine herself, and her roommate, Tanchun, was much younger, and there was no one around Li Wan to help her. However, in the past two days, Yuanchun, who was in the palace, ordered the eunuch Xia Zhong to pass the order: "Ming Baochai and others live in the garden and cannot be locked up; Ming Baoyu also goes in to study."
The West Mansion was tidying up again, and a group of maids were first arranged to go in. Needless to say, the three girls at home, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun, just ordered them to move in. Daiyu was also brought to the mansion by the old lady because of the calmness of the Lin family in Shenjing, and she was also given a place in the Grand View Garden. The Baochai mentioned in the imperial edict turned out to be very reluctant to move into the Grand View Garden.
During this time, everything was done by her, a beautiful lady, who made her look even more haggard.
Now Li Wan is thinking about the free school again, and it is important for Brother Lang to go to school. After hearing that Brother Rong had come back from outside, Grandma Zhu couldn't wait to call Su Yun to invite him. She first dealt with the affairs of the inner residence of the West Mansion, first asked Lin Zhixiao's family about the things missing in the yard, and then went to the Xue family's small courtyard in the east to persuade Baochai to move into the Grand View Garden.
As time went by, the sky turned dark.
When Grandma Zhu Li Wan came back to the yard, Suyun was not back yet. I thought to myself, could it be that Brother Rong was delayed by something? He also thought that his wife was worried that there were many girls in the garden and that Baoyu and the sisters would need someone to take care of them when they lived there, so she actually asked Grandma Zhu to move into the garden.
With all these things on his mind, Li Wan couldn't help but lose consciousness for a while while sitting alone in the room. I used to envy Sister Feng when I was not in charge, but now that I am in charge, I envy Sister Feng even more to have Ping'er by her side.
He looked back at Biyue, and then at the two little maids in the room who were working. Li Wan couldn't help but shake his head. After Uncle Zhu passed away in the past, all the concubines in Uncle Zhu's room were let out, and only Su Yun was left by his side among the maids. Except for Suyun, all the maids in the room now are newcomers.
Although Suyun is reliable and articulate, she rarely comes into contact with these housekeeper matters. Usually he just takes the keys and is busy sending messages to various places. Otherwise, he serves tea, carries the dining table and waits on the master.
After all, he doesn't have Ping'er's ability to act alone.
Grandma Zhu felt sleepy while sitting for a while, and soon she fell asleep.
After a while, she listened to the movement outside and raised her eyes. It was Suyun who brought Brother Rong over. When she saw Jia Rong's face, she couldn't help but feel friendly.
Brother Rong entered the room in confusion. At this time, he felt a little unhappy. He had been tired for so long outside and couldn't even take a good rest when he returned home. I have to be called to Xifu, and even the good things I did at night are disrupted. How can I have a good attitude?
He complained in his mind. Now there are free lecturers and discipline officers, and except for the headmaster, they are all good people. Such a large configuration, basically everything is missing, and there are also great scholars like Mr. Li to provide tutoring for Langeer.
In the whole world, except for the upper study, the Imperial College and major academies, there are only a few free schools from a farming and studying family that can surpass the teachers in the Jia family's free school.
Brother Rong couldn't figure out what else Grandma Zhu could be dissatisfied with? He asked dryly: "Auntie called my nephew here for what purpose?"
I don't know how he managed to ask this question. Then he saw that the look in Li Wan's eyes was quite different from before, with a sense of familiarity and intimacy.
Hearing Aunt Li Wan sigh, goodbye, Li Wan raised the slender fingers on his right hand and gently touched his eyebrows. The white silk on the fingers was carefully rubbing his eyes.
Li Wan said softly: "It's really my aunt's fault to call brother Rong over now. However, there are many things in the house, and I can't leave for a while. I'm afraid that brother Rong will leave the house again early tomorrow morning, so I Please ask Suyun to call you."
Hearing her soft tone, Brother Rong didn't want to be too harsh at the moment. Although Li Wan was only a few years older than him, he was still the elder; and he was surprised to feel that Li Wan's attitude today was different from usual. As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. Jia Rong asked angrily: "But there is another disaster in the free school, which disturbs Brother Lang's enrollment?"
"It can't be said to be a disaster." Li Wan also noticed that Brother Rong's attitude was gentle, as if he was in a dream. Feeling relieved, Bi Yue served tea to Uncle Xiao Rong, and invited Brother Rong to sit next to her.
She quietly told Brother Rong face to face about Jia Shifei and Jia Yucun.
"Auntie, are you only worried about this?" Brother Rong said with a smile. "Although Jia Yucun is a diligent person, he has real skills, and his background as a Jinshi was also obtained through serious examinations. Back then, Jia Yucun taught Aunt Lin in Yangzhou, and even the third-highest-ranked aunt recognized him. Knowledge. With Jia Yucun teaching you face to face, outsiders can’t help but ask for it.”
Jinshi in this era is comparable to the top scorer in the college entrance examination in each province, and in some sense is even more valuable than the top scorer in the college entrance examination.
There is one subject every three years, and one or two hundred people will be admitted to the imperial examinations in each subject. The two hundred best people in the country were selected over the past three years, regardless of age and regardless of the number of exams. There is a saying that goes: "No one who is not a Jinshi can enter the Imperial Academy, and no one who is not a Hanlin can be in the cabinet." Although this is not entirely true, it still shows how rare it is to be a Jinshi.
Only a family like the Jia family can be cured by the people such as Juren, Jinshi, and officials.
Li Wan said worriedly: "Jia Shifei's talent is definitely not bad, but he has some ulterior motives. Not to mention whether he will teach the brothers in the mansion bad, but the brothers in the mansion don't want to see him, I am afraid that this person will harm the brothers. Thoughts on studying."
Jia Rong said in surprise: "Is there such a thing?"
Grandma Zhu nodded and said in a low voice: "No brother in the house wants to see him. It's not that I want to make a fuss, but in Yi Xue not only Lan'er hates him, but Baoyu also dislikes him. Everyone knows that Jia Shifei is trying to please the master. We are happy, but he is a brother in the house who suffered in the free school. Now he is actively going to Mr. Li, which makes Lan'er even more miserable."
Jia Rong frowned, Jia Yucun's performance was indeed a bit too much. He smiled and comforted: "Don't worry, aunt, my nephew will have time to talk to the second master tomorrow."
"Sorry for bothering Brother Rong." Li Wan smiled and couldn't help but said with concern: "Actually, I'm also worried about what kind of benefits this person will ask for from our family in the future. Nothing is cheap in this world. He behaves here Yes, you have to ask for something in return. Brother Rong is more concerned about this, but don’t tell me about Jia Shifei’s intentions in person, otherwise he will become suspicious of you. "
Brother Rong nodded, feeling that Li Wan was even weirder today. How could Grandma Zhu be concerned with these things in the past? Even if she only talked about Lange'er, she would always talk about it in a way that would be beneficial to Jialan.
I feel weird in my heart.
He thanked me and said, "My nephew will pay attention. Does Auntie have anything else to say?"
Li Wan shook his head and saw Brother Rong leaving immediately, and the strong figure was about to leave the room. She suddenly called out again, "Rong'er, stay."
Brother Rong turned around in confusion.
"I just remembered something, but now I suddenly forgot it." Li Wan looked at the figure at the door and said with a smile: "You should go back early. When you remember it someday, I will go to Dongfu to look for you."
strangeness.
strange.
Jia Rong left Li Wan's yard, but her mind was still thinking about Li Wan's smile just now. Although this change of attitude became bizarre, he couldn't help but sigh that it turned out that Grandma Zhu was so beautiful when she smiled.
After all, her beauty has faded. Such a beautiful person became a widow before she was twenty. She stayed widowed for several years, and there were countless lonely days ahead.
I sighed secretly, but I felt less prejudiced. Li Wan's only hope in this life is Jia Lan, and it's no wonder that she is so concerned about Lan Geer's affairs. It's better than being a dead tree with no hope at all.
Uncle Xiao Rong didn't know that when he first came to open Li Wan's room. Grandma Zhu's body was like a deflated rubber ball, and she collapsed on the couch. She squeezed one hand on the small table to support her head, her face was slightly red.
The slightest concern just now was the most deviant behavior that Li Wan could show. At least in her mind, it was so artificial, and that concern was already out of line. Behind her, someone called Ronger, which made her feel even more shy. She even seemed to be able to hear the sound of trickling water lapping at the shore.
Li Wan held his head and looked sideways at the spot where Brother Rong had been sitting just now. She sat there with her knees crossed, her legs tightly clamped and quietly rubbing back and forth.
"Grandma is not feeling well?"
Biyue asked a lot, but received a cold look from Grandma Zhu.
Li Wan frowned and said, "I'm a little tired, so prepare some hot water to scrub and rest."
Suyun also glared at Biyue, as if she was talking about something that has no eyesight. Don't ask too many questions about the master's affairs. Su Yun said: "Go and get ready quickly, don't keep grandma waiting for too long."
Besides, Jia Rong, who had just left, first came out of Li Wan's courtyard, turned around and reached a fork in the middle of the courtyard. Suddenly a voice came to mind: "Uncle Xiao Rong!"
Brother Rong turned his head when he heard the sound and saw someone walking out from behind the Yimen next to him. It was Ying'er, the maid next to Xue Baochai.
"Why are you staying here?"
"The girl heard that Suyun went to find the uncle, so she asked Ying'er to wait for the uncle to come out at the intersection." Ying'er smiled sweetly, "The girl has a lot of things on her mind, and she is waiting in the small courtyard for the uncle to talk about it."
Baochai is waiting for me?
Brother Rong ignored the word "worry" and immediately became energetic, and his heart couldn't help but surge. He still felt tired from before? At this time, I wasn't sleepy at all. I felt like I was full of energy and had endless strength.
Uncle Rong chuckled and said, "Miss Ying'er, just lead the way."
I haven't seen Baochai for a few days. This girl must be thinking about herself. Uncle Rong thought proudly, and couldn't help but feel itchy in his heart.
Originally planning to leave Rongguo Mansion through the west corner gate, Uncle Rong followed Ying'er to the Xue Family Courtyard to the east of Rongguo Mansion.
Entering the back door of the small courtyard, Brother Rong asked curiously: "Isn't my concubine in the courtyard today?"
It is better to clarify some things, lest Baochai's voice is too loud and Aunt Xue hears it. That's not possible.
Ying'er replied: "My wife and my aunt are very close friends. Today I went to my aunt's courtyard again, and I haven't come back yet. For several days in a row, my wife only comes back late at night every day."
Brother Rong nodded. It turned out that Aunt Xue had gone to Mrs. Wang's place, and he felt relieved now. In addition, Xue Pan traveled between Ping'an Prefecture and Jinling due to business matters, and also left Shenjing a few days ago.
At this moment, there was only Baochai in the Xue family's courtyard.
Uncle Xiao Rong was so excited that he wanted to scream twice. She was led outside the room by Ying'er, and before Ying'er signed up to draw the curtains, Uncle Xiao Rong put his arms around Ying'er's shoulders and covered her mouth.
The bastard whispered: "Don't make any noise, I will quietly go in and see what your girl is doing."
Ying'er's mouth was covered but no sound could be made. She just nodded her head stiffly with her eyes wide open. She had never been touched by a man, not to mention her shoulders, even her hands.
There was a strange feeling in my heart, which slowly spread to the skin all over my body, making my whole body numb. Uncle Xiao Rong not only touched her shoulder, but also covered her mouth with his hand. This maid was actually too embarrassed, her pretty face was red under the dim light.
Jia Rong didn't have the time to take care of the maid, so she slowly let go of Ying'er and walked gently into the room.
Under the candlelight in the room, Xue Baochai was looking at the book on the table, holding a brush in his hand and writing something.
When Baochai heard the slow footsteps approaching, he frowned without raising his head. There was only the sound of someone's footsteps and no reply from Ying'er. Baochai asked coldly: "Brother Rong, why didn't you come together again?"
The footsteps stopped behind her, but she didn't reply. Xue Baochai felt a little angry. What happened to Ying'er today? Could it be that he really wanted to sell her?
There was serious business at hand, so she didn't ask any more questions. He planned to wait until he finished writing the letter in his hand before settling the score with Ying'er.
Without thinking for a moment, a head stretched out, leaving a blurry shadow on the table. Baochai became even angrier, and Ying'er became more and more unruly. She even dared to come and peek at her own letters.
He turned his head angrily.
She really wanted to open her mouth to punish Ying'er, but now she screamed in surprise.
Just because the person behind him hugged her from behind, put his hands from her shoulders to the front, and also held a pair of old sweethearts. Baochai was ashamed, shocked and angry.
"Rong"
Before she could say anything, the lower hand let go of the pair of hands and turned her head sideways. The nasty guy actually blocked Baochai's little mouth tightly.
When there was a gap again, Xue Baochai couldn't speak and could only curse Brother Rong in his heart for his glib tongue.
If Brother Rong could hear this scolding, he would definitely bend his hands and fingers into claws, and shout with grief and anger: "I didn't say anything, why am I so glib."
It's just that Jia Rong couldn't hear Baochai's thoughts. Only after they separated after everything was done, did Xue Baochai quietly talk about the recent events in Xifu.
Uncle Rong laughed heartlessly and said, "Even the empress has told me that you can just move into the Grand View Garden. There is nothing to worry about. After entering the garden, it is actually cleaner than in the Rongguo Mansion."
Xue Baochai glanced down and said meaningfully: "Brother Rong, do you really think so?"
Brother Rong smiled and said: "It's very convenient to enter Huifang Garden from the garden." (To be continued)
