The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 186 Seeing
The Hua family in Daliu Village, on the southern outskirts of Beijing.

Since selling their daughter into the Rongguo Mansion, the Hua family's life has gradually improved, especially since Ruizhu has been sending money out through intermediaries from time to time.

Two years later, thanks to the daughter who had been renamed Xiren, the Hua family acquired two more acres of medium-sized land. Life seemed to be getting better, but unexpectedly, Hua Zifang hadn't paid attention the other day and kicked off the covers at night. When she woke up the next day, she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Hua's mother hurriedly called a doctor for her son. He had been half-recovered yesterday, but when she asked him to get up for breakfast this morning, he didn't respond for a long time. When she finally pushed open the door, she found that her son had somehow fallen to the ground and had been freezing all night, so his body was already half-cold.

"Oh, my son..."

When a loud cry came from the courtyard, the two men who were awakened in the nearby haystack looked somewhat excited.

It became.

This job is still easier.

If you die young and recklessly, you'll have to be buried tonight.

The two waited quietly for Hua's mother to find someone to bury her son, and their moods relaxed.

Even if Lord Dong and Constable Lu of Shuntian Prefecture were incredibly capable, they certainly wouldn't have imagined that they would do something like this.

You can't find any bodies in the mass grave, right?

According to their steward, why should it be a mass grave? We've all worked together, and even if we can't have a grand funeral, we should at least have a place to rest in peace.

The reason I mentioned the mass grave last time was simply because I didn't want to bother with Shuntian Prefecture.

If you insist on digging, then go ahead and dig.

The Prince of Jin's family is upright and has nothing to fear.

In the cold winter, although the body doesn't decompose easily, if it survives for ten days or half a month, it's not so easy to find anything on the face.

The two waited here for the Hua family to bury the person. Several villages away, the same scene was playing out.

……

Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning Courtyard.

After practicing martial arts with Jiao Da, Baoyu was so tired that he could barely walk. He simply told his maid to go back and inform her that he would be having dinner at his aunt's house.

"Auntie, I'm so hungry too."

While waiting for the food to be served, Baoyu had already eaten two roasted chestnuts by the brazier.

"Haha, you make it sound like you're so pitiful."

Shen Ning offered half of the sweet potato she had been waiting for, saying, "I think you want to eat my roasted sweet potato, don't you?"

"Whee!"

Baoyu smiled and accepted it, "Thank you, Auntie!"

These things are too crude and unrefined; they are not available in the Western Prefecture.

But when my aunt buried it in the brazier like that, it smelled really good and felt really warm when she took it out.

Once you peel off the crispy outer skin, the unique aroma of sweet potato will waft out, making your mouth water.

The golden-yellow flesh of the sweet potatoes is incredibly tempting; some even seem to be coated in syrup. One bite…

Oops~
The meat inside is tender and delicate, sweet but not cloying, with a unique sweet flavor.

Shen Ning felt a little sorry for the half-eaten sweet potato she had just given away.

Upon seeing this, Baoyu quickly turned his small body to the side.

His sweet potato was still very hot, so he had to blow on it while eating.

"Is it tasty?"

Shen Ning asked him.

"Mmmmm~"

It doesn't taste like the one at home.

A single eggplant dish at home requires twenty chickens to prepare, and although it tastes very good, Baoyu doesn't know why, but he always feels that the eggplant at his aunt's house is sweeter and more fragrant.

Did the old lady ask you what you ate yesterday?

"asked."

Baoyu turned his little body around, his eyes shining. "I told Grandma about Rong-ge'er's appetite, and Grandma laughed for a long time. She even said that if I eat here again in the future, she will have someone send two dishes over."

"Is this because you're worried you won't have enough to eat?"

Shen Ning was speechless.

"no!"

Baoyu quickly shook his head, "Grandmother is worried that Rong-ge'er won't have enough to eat."

"...Poof~"

Rong-ge'er, who strode in just in time to hear this, said, "Then Uncle Bao can eat here from now on!"

He and his grandmother could eat two more dishes.

"Mmm-hmm." Baoyu nodded vigorously. "Auntie, now that I've practiced martial arts, may I stay here and eat and rest a bit?"

"nature!"

Nothing is off limits.

Don't say you have enough food at home. Even if you did... how much can a child eat?
"If you don't want to go back, just send someone to the kitchen to tell Aunt Li."

The more people there are, the better the food tastes.

Especially since Baoyu was a handsome boy.

Shen Ning also didn't want him to be spoiled by Grandmother Jia.

Clearly, that old lady could barely manage raising girls, but raising boys... was truly impossible.

The characters Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, and Bao Yu in *Dream of the Red Chamber* are all useless.

If the men in the family can't support the family, they can only sell their daughters in a roundabout way.

"She'd be happy to cook more of your meals."

Aunt Li is writing her recipes.

In order to write that recipe, she is now learning to write from Qingzhu and a few others.

In Shen Ning's courtyard, there were thirty-six people, including the old women who swept, cleaned, and guarded the gate.

It's impossible to cut jobs.

This is the dignity of a large family.

Because she has Jia Yue here, and last time Madam You said that she had too few people here and needed to add a few more.

Shen Ning did not object.

When you come to her place, you can learn to read in your spare time and exchange experiences on needlework, food, and other things.

When they go out into the future, everyone will make a living.

"That's right, Aunt Li is most happy to cook at Ningcuixuan."

Rong-ge added with a laugh, "The aunts all give their opinions. Last time, Aunt Lin even showed Aunt Li a travelogue with pictures of delicious food. Then we got to eat Tibetan butter tea and crab roe soup dumplings from Jiangnan."

"Then...should I also offer my opinion?"

Baoyu had not eaten the two dishes he had just mentioned.

Hearing this, I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

"It's done!"

Rong-ge nodded. "Which dish did you think was bad yesterday?"

“They are all delicious.”

Baoyu said, "But I think Auntie's roasted sweet potatoes could also be a dish."

"..."

"..."

You're really good at praising!
She has such a sweet tongue.

Seeing his grandmother's happy expression, Rong-ge decided to learn from her in the future.

"Right? I also think my roasted sweet potatoes are especially delicious."

"But Grandmother, I didn't get to eat any."

Rong-ge'er was full of resentment.

He had eaten roasted sweet potatoes with his grandmother before, but today he only smelled them.

"You can't blame me for this. Go find your Uncle Bao."

Upon seeing this, Baoyu quickly took the last bite of the sweet potato, saying, "It's gone."

He said in a muffled voice, "The food is here, we can eat now."

Just then, Xiren and Sheyue came over carrying a food box.

"Madam, our old lady said she'd like to add two more dishes for you."

"Okay!" Shen Ning nodded. "Put it on!"

She noticed that Xiren's expression was different from usual today; her eyelids were a little swollen.

But I'm too lazy to ask.

But instead of asking, Baoyu did, "Sister Xiren, what's wrong?"

Even when everyone else treated him badly, Sister Xiren remained the same as before.

"...No, it's nothing."

Once she was sold in, she was no longer herself.

Even though her brother is dead, she... can't go back.

Upon receiving news of her brother's death at noon, Xiren secretly wept bitterly.

I feel so sorry for my brother who died so suddenly from an illness, and I'm even more worried about my mother.

How will my mother live without my brother?
She didn't know which member of the clan would benefit from the land her family had worked so hard to acquire. She desperately wanted to go home and see it.

But when the master went to pay his respects to the old lady, he said something that made her angry.

After much effort, Grandma and Second Grandma accompanied him to play the card game, and he felt better, but it was already late.

Xiren wanted to talk to Baoyu that night and ask him to ask for leave so she could go home, burn some paper money for her brother, and settle her mother in.

"What do you mean nothing's wrong? Did you cry?"

"I'm really fine."

Even when they were in the West Mansion, Xiren didn't dare to say anything, let alone in the East Mansion.

The first wife clearly doesn't like her.

Xi Ren whispered, "Second Master, please eat well. The Old Madam is waiting for you."

"Oh~"

Baoyu looked at the two dishes his grandmother had brought: one was rouge-colored goose breast, and the other was shredded chicken and shark fin soup. Both were still steaming hot, obviously freshly made and served. “Auntie, this shredded chicken and shark fin soup is delicious. Please have a bowl first.”

"good!"

Shen Ning patted the little one's head and let Qingzhu serve her a small bowl.

Because of the two extra dishes brought by the old lady, Rong-ge'er even let out a satisfied burp after finishing his meal.

Upon hearing this, Baoyu hurriedly asked Xiren, "Sister Xiren, did you bring the hawthorn pills for digestion that I asked you to bring?"

"Bring it."

Xiren hurriedly took out a small porcelain bottle from her purse.

"Rong-ge'er, why don't you eat a hawthorn pill?"

"Haha, I think Grandma wants to eat it more."

His grandmother ate half a bowl more rice today.

Rong-ge'er chuckled and poured out two hawthorn pills, popping one into his mouth and offering the other to Shen Ning.

"Hmm, it's fine to have a hawthorn pill tonight."

Shen Ning has plenty of hawthorn pills here.

After being transported to this world, delicious food became her biggest motivation to get up and exercise every day.

To avoid becoming obese, she has to find ways to control her eating every day.

But even the most restrained person can lose control sometimes, like today.

Leaving aside the rouge-colored goose breast, what about the shredded chicken and shark fin soup...?

Shen Ning forced herself to suppress the urge to have a second bowl.

Even so, I still ate half a bowl more rice.

Moreover, before eating, she recklessly ate half a sweet potato.

If I had known, I would have left it for Rong-ge'er.

Shen Ning took Rong Ge'er's hand and ate Bao Yu's hawthorn pills. They were sweet and sour, which was quite nice.

"The old lady is worried about you, so go home early!"

"Uh-huh!"

Baoyu bowed to Shen Ning and said, "Then, Aunt, I will come again tomorrow."

Xiren couldn't wait any longer. She helped him put on the raincoat, bowed to the master, and quickly pulled Baoyu away.

"Sister Xiren, what's wrong?"

"Sister Xiren's brother is gone."

Musk Moon said, "I received a letter from home at noon. She wants to go home tomorrow."

"...Then let's go back!"

Baoyu said, "Just tell Sister Lian."

Lian's second sister-in-law manages the household.

Because she was both his sister-in-law and cousin, she had always been very good to him.

When Baoyu saw that Xiren was crying again, he quickly tugged at her hand and asked, "Do you want me to go and tell them?"

"...Today, the master paid his respects to the old lady, but she was very unhappy in the end."

Xi Ren wiped away her tears. "Second Madam Lian has been staying with the old lady the whole time, so I haven't had a chance to say anything."

“It’s alright, I’ll go talk to her,” Baoyu said. “We’ll go over now, and I’ll have her arrange another carriage for you.”

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something. "You know where the money box is. Go get it yourself."

He didn't pay attention to these things before.

But over time, Baoyu gradually realized the benefits of money.

He gives his servants money, and some of them will treat him better for a while longer.

"This servant thanks the Second Master for the reward on behalf of my brother!"

Xi Ren's tears fell in large drops.

Going home without money is like going back for nothing.

With money and the government sending a carriage, the village and clan dared not do anything to her mother.

The next morning, Wang Xifeng indeed sent a carriage to Xiren.

When she returned to Daliu Village, her mother was already bedridden.

"My son... why are you only coming back now?"

Hua's mother's voice was already hoarse from crying, "Your brother... your brother is gone! He abandoned us, mother and son."

Xiren hugged her mother, tears streaming down her face, "Mother, how could my brother..."

"I don't know either. He was sleeping soundly. I even tucked him in before he went to sleep."

Hua's mother couldn't accept her son dying like that.

He was almost fully recovered.

Her lively and energetic son...

"Who knew he would just lie there on the ground so early in the morning?"

The mother cried until her vision blurred, "My son, it hurts so much!"

"Mother~mother~~~~"

Xi Ren's tears also streamed down her face. "Is my brother with Father? I'll go see him."

"Ughh ...

Flower Mother cried bitterly.

She raised her son to death and was too ashamed to face her husband after her death.

Xiren cried for a while before she finally calmed her mother down. She then took the paper money and ingots she had bought on the way and headed to the place where her father and brother were buried.

After crossing a small hill, it was almost there, but unexpectedly, someone was digging something there.

Xi Ren's heart suddenly raced, and she quickly stepped back.

Working in the Rongguo Mansion, she became close with the maids and old women there, and heard many stories.

Of course, during the past six months, the Great Proclamation was still popular in the Eastern Prefecture.

Second Grandmother then had her literate sisters read the Great Proclamation to them.

That great proclamation not only contains laws, but also frequently includes local case studies...

Xi Ren's mind was filled with a lot of scary stories and cases, and she didn't dare to go forward.

Her brother's grave might be being dug up; she's alone, while the other party has two...

The snowflakes were still falling sparsely, and there was hardly anyone outside.

Xi Ren didn't dare to delay and ran to the village chief's house after leaving the basket behind.

Before long, three gongs sounded, startling all the villagers of Daliu Village.

A group of people, carrying carrying poles and hoes, rushed towards the cemetery in a great hurry.

……

At the Rongguo Mansion, it's time, but Xiren hasn't returned yet.

Wang Xifeng was very angry.

Their maids were not allowed to stay out overnight.

In particular, the old lady's decision to give Xiren to Baoyu was partly intended as a gift to her future wife.

Although according to the current Jia family rules, Baoyu can no longer take Xiren as a concubine, but her spending the night outside like this... is absolutely unacceptable.

"Ping'er, go find Lin Zhixiao and tell him to send someone to Liujia Village immediately."

In the East Mansion, someone even broke into a house a few days ago.

Even if they didn't say anything, Wang Xifeng could tell from various things outside that the people from the Prince of Jin's mansion were still keeping an eye on the Jia family.

In this situation, if Xiren were to spend the night outside...

If he were bribed by someone, that would be terrible.

Wang Xifeng made a quick decision and sent Lin Zhixiao to find someone.

Ping'er left in a hurry.

But she came back shortly afterward.

Xi Ren also returned with them.

At this moment, Xiren was in a sorry state. When she saw Wang Xifeng, she immediately knelt down and begged, "Second Madam, please do justice for me."