The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 220 Borrowing
Wang Xifeng was even able to consult the Great Zhao Law?
Upon returning, Shen Ning had someone investigate, and sure enough, whatever she instructed Wang Xifeng to learn, Wang Xifeng copied exactly.

That's good!

Shen Ning wasn't afraid that she would learn; she was afraid that she wouldn't learn.

Now the two mansions are in good economic condition. Yuan Chun, who used to spend the most money, has gotten married. Jia She, who used to squander money, has settled down. Jia Zheng is supporting himself now. The servants in the mansions have been purged several times. Although it is not as thorough as in the East Mansion, it is certainly better than before.

Wang Xifeng was a skilled housekeeper; with such a positive cycle, she was bound to have a peaceful end, right?
In the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Shen Ning still really likes Sister Feng.

If she had been more wary of her aunt, Lady Wang, she wouldn't have ended up in this tragic situation: "Once she obeyed, twice she was ordered, and three times she was forced to comply; weeping towards Jinling, her sorrow only deepened."

That night, Shen Ning slept well again, which was a rare treat.

But the Prince of Jin couldn't sleep.

He was very cold.

Both the broken leg and the broken arm are very painful.

Today he tried his best to crawl and ask for help, but no one stopped for him. Some people even kicked him because they thought he was blocking their way.

If it weren't for a few beggars taking pity on him and sharing some food with him...

The Prince of Jin was on the verge of tears!

He waited for dawn, trembling.

He wanted to bask in the sun, he wanted a warm drink, even just a bowl of water.

Time finally passed slowly amidst his repeated calls, and dawn gradually broke.

Early in the morning, Jia Zheng carried the couplets he had written to the city.

He didn't know why the journey of more than ten miles was so long and so tiring!
But the couplets have to be sold!
He had already heard from the village chief that one of the young officers confiscating the property was a woman.

That must be Lan Zhi without a doubt.

Yes, she came from the border town.

The generals who came from the border towns had no roots or connections in the capital, so the emperor should trust them more.

Once the blue thorn takes root in the capital...

Jia Zheng was afraid that if he couldn't repay the money, she would come and beat him again.

Two bamboo poles, a rope, and a long bench—that's his stall.

Jia Zheng carefully hung the written couplets on the rope, letting others choose. If no one could be chosen, he could write one on the spot.

Of course, he also hung up a sign advertising letter writing services, hoping to earn a few coins.

You really have to lower your expectations, because farmers are all very good at bargaining.

To date, he has given away fifteen "Fu" characters and two "Five Grains Abundant Harvest" characters in the village.

Not only did I lose the ink, brushes, and red paper, but I also had to listen to them ramble on and on.

Jia Zheng didn't know what was wrong.

This is not the idyllic life he envisioned.

His ideal rural life is one where he can read and write, and is also full of natural charm.

He had once thought about herding cattle, but who would have thought that cattle would produce such large amounts of dung, and that a single urination could resemble a small river...

This is not his idyllic life.

He used to imagine getting up to study when the rooster crowed, but now that the rooster is crowing... he can't help but feel annoyed.

There was no hot tea, no hot and fragrant food, not even a hot towel to throw in one's face.

I have to do everything myself.

He had to get up shakily, boil water to wash his face and brush his teeth, and every day it was just porridge.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but this porridge... often has a strange taste.

That's something even the third-class servants in their household wouldn't eat!

After Jia Zheng swallowed a large bowl of strange-tasting porridge with tears in his eyes today, Wang Shi discovered that there was a rat dropping in the porridge.

This day...

Sometimes Jia Zheng thought fiercely that living like this was worse than dying a quick death.

But as long as you think about it, you still have to live.

He and Wang lived a makeshift life together.

How much are these couplets?

An old woman came over, and seeing her shrewd eyes, Jia Zheng braced himself and went to meet her.

From afar, Long'er watched as his second master haggled with someone, and in the end, the other party managed to take away quite a bit of the eight coins. He couldn't help but shake his head.

The Second Master is really at a huge loss!

At the end of the year, red paper was already quite expensive, but he ended up not even keeping the price of the red paper after all his hard work writing the characters.

At this moment, he didn't know if the Second Master and their Master were equally unfortunate brothers.

Their master now carves wood and stone, but the things he makes are often not as valuable as the original wood or stone.

Hey~
"I'd like a bowl of chicken soup wontons!"

Long'er stamped his foot and shouted at the shopkeeper.

"Hey, sir, please have a seat!"

Soon after, the shopkeeper brought over a bowl of wontons sprinkled with scallions and cilantro.

Fragrant chicken soup wontons are not something ordinary people can afford.

Everyone was only eating wontons, and there was no chicken soup.

Long'er ate a bowl of soup and a wonton, and soon a little sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.

Jia Zheng, who had received eight coins, also wanted to have something hot, but he lost money again. Moreover, these eight coins were the first time in his life that he had earned money on his own.

Jia Zheng was very reluctant to part with it.

He put the eight coins in his pocket, touching them for a while, then touching them again.

He didn't know that many beggars had already seen his appearance.

Jia Zheng wrote another letter to someone while he was hungry, and read two more letters aloud, barely earning thirty-two coins.

At noon, he was starving. Looking around, he found that flatbread was the cheapest and most filling option.

Of course, the main reason is that he's had enough of the thin porridge.

"Boss, how much is this pancake?"

"Two cents each."

"one comes!"

Jia Zheng happily took out his money, but as soon as he took out the money bag, it was as if a gust of wind had hit him.

"Ouch~"

He was knocked off balance and stumbled. By the time he came to his senses, his money bag was gone. "Thief! Thief! Stop thief! My money!"

Jia Zheng cried out in despair; this was the first time in his life he had ever earned money!
A caravan was entering the city in the distance. Xue Baochai heard the noise and peeked out from behind the curtain, but was stopped by her aunt, Xue, who said, "It's cold, don't catch a chill."

"Mother, shall we go to Uncle's house or Aunt's house now?"

My cousin, Yuan Chun, was also the wife of the Marquis of Xinping.

It seems like everyone in the capital is a relative, but if I were to actually stay at someone's house...

Xue Baochai always felt it was very difficult.

"Go to your aunt's house."

"But Auntie..."

"How would we know about your aunt? We've only just arrived in Beijing."

Aunt Xue wanted to send her son to the Jia family school, but since her eldest son wasn't home at the Wang family's place, she had no hope of getting him there.

Her son is already a troublemaker; what if he follows in his second brother's footsteps...?

Aunt Xue never thought of returning to the Wang family.

"Besides, your cousin is also on the Jia family's side."

Wang Xifeng?

Xue Baochai pursed her lips and remained silent.

There were letters between her family and her maternal uncle's family. Her uncle's family believed that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. Her cousin only knew a few characters and could write... Xue Baochai had seen her inquire about the family's affairs, and her handwriting was incredibly ugly.

“Feng girl is different now than before.”

Aunt Xue sighed, "Originally, your aunt thought that the marriage would strengthen the family ties, and if anything happened, she could just tell Feng'er. But she didn't expect the two families to suddenly separate."

With this division of the family property, the relationship between the first and second wives was reversed.

Now that Feng is the de facto matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion, what is her sister compared to her?

"Jia Lian became the Director of the Military Treasury, so she would be a fifth-rank Lady of the Court."

Aunt Xue was also very upset. No matter how wealthy the Xue family was, they were still just merchants.

"If you see them, show them respect!"

Aunt Xue knew her daughter well. Because she often corresponded with her sister, she knew her sister's attitude towards Feng'er, which inevitably led her to look down on her. "Things are different now. Your aunt is not at home, and we still have to rely on her to stay in the Jia family."

While being selected to enter the palace was one path, just look at Yuan Chun to see how difficult it was.

Although the Xue family could use money to pave the way for their daughter, they were both in Jiangnan and relied heavily on the Zhen family. With the Prince of Jin in charge, the Zhen family would not allow them to establish their own household.

"Mom, I still want to go to the palace."

Xue Baochai knew that her family wanted to turn their lives around, and that marrying into another family would be considered a form of dependence.

In that case, why not go to the most prestigious place in the world?
"My father wanted me to enter the palace from the beginning."

Her father regretted that she wasn't a boy and couldn't carry on the family line, but he didn't want to waste her intelligence, so he hired a tutor who was supposed to teach his older brother, but in reality, he was teaching her.

"Alright, alright, we'll handle this one step at a time."

At this time, they were unaware that a mutiny had just occurred in the capital, that the Prince of Jin had fallen, and that the Zhen family was already in dire straits.

The Xue family's convoy headed towards Ningrong Street.

When Wang Xifeng heard that Aunt Xue and her family had come, she was completely dumbfounded.

She sent someone to inform the old lady and the madam, while she and Li Wan headed towards the second gate.

Li Wan is her nephew's wife. Since her aunt isn't home, who else can take her place?

As for Xue Pan...

With Jia Zheng not at home and Jia Zhu at the Imperial Academy, only Jia She could receive them out of respect for Wang Xifeng.

The family was forced to greet the guests, so their smiles inevitably looked a bit forced.

But what kind of person is Aunt Xue?

Pretend you don't see it.

If she didn't live in the Jia family home, how could she, a widow and orphan, intimidate those head stewards?
Now that the Jia family is doing so well, if they've said they'd come to join us, then they should.

Of course, this etiquette...

That's a full amount.

Even Madam Xing received quite a bit.

"……old lady……"

After bowing to the old lady, Aunt Xue looked like she was trying hard to hold back her tears, saying, "I really didn't know my sister would be so confused."

"Ah~"

The old lady had no idea how terrible her son was about to suffer.

However, compared to Wang Shi, who was a spendthrift, it was truly remarkable that Aunt Xue was able to raise her two children and devote herself to them after the head of the Xue family passed away.

"I won't talk about her."

The main problem is that the second son is useless.

Grandmother Jia waved her hand, gesturing for her to sit, "You're coming to the capital now..."

"...To be honest, Madam, the main reason for coming to the capital at this time is to seek refuge with my sister and Feng'er."

Aunt Xue gave birth to Wang Xifeng.

My niece is the matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion, so it wouldn't look good to turn her aunt away. "As you know, with my husband gone, Pan'er has no one to teach her, and she's becoming more and more naughty. My sister told me before that the Jia family has excellent family traditions, so if all else fails, we can come over."

It's better to say she came by invitation than to say she came on her own.

“My hesitation has delayed me for a long time, but now Baochai is getting older and needs to enter the palace to be selected.”

Aunt Xue had a kind and gentle appearance and spoke softly.

Of the four great families, the Shi family has made some progress, but their financial resources are limited. If they really rely on old family ties to get closer to the Xue family, their wealth may be depleted even faster.

"Grandma, I never expected things to change so much here. The house hasn't been cleaned up at all..."

As she said this, her eyes quickly scanned the crowd, and noticing that only the old lady's expression softened, she quickly pressed her for more information, "How about we stay here for a few days and move back after we've tidied up the house?"

This?
If you say no, they've already said it.

Okay then...

Grandmother Jia sighed, "As you know, the household has already split up. Now your sister and her family live in Pear Fragrance Courtyard. How about this, there's a small courtyard next to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. If you don't mind it being crowded..."

"Not at all, not at all..."

How could I possibly complain?
Aunt Xue looked longingly at Wang Xifeng and Li Wan.

When the two people led her to the main room, they talked a lot about the difficulties, but didn't explicitly say anything. "I'll have to trouble my niece-in-law and Feng'er."

"...It should be."

Li Wan never expected that after her mother-in-law left, there would be another elder in the family.

Wang Xifeng used to like to show off, but now, because of Jia Lian, she has to consider things more carefully in many situations.

One wrong move, and I might end up like my aunt...

Wang Xifeng was afraid!
She doesn't have children yet.

The men of the Jia family are now highly sought after.

Jia Lian was even worse.

That is to say, they got married early.

"Since Aunt doesn't mind the crowd, I'll have someone tidy it up right away."

Wang Xifeng was thinking about the layout of that small courtyard.

Since Xue Pan was an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for him to come into the inner quarters, so they could only open a gate in the courtyard.

She doesn't like opening doors!

A few days ago there was a mutiny. There are so many gates in the East Mansion, I don't know how many people would have to be sent to guard them.

Could we not open the door and let them stay in the guest courtyard outside?

It doesn’t seem to work either.

Look at my aunt like this...

Since they've already come, they probably won't leave easily.

"go Go!"

Grandmother Jia didn't think much of it. She saw that Baochai was very pretty and said, "You are Baochai. Come here and let me see you."

Xue Baochai quickly stood up and bowed, then let her pull her close to examine him properly. "Hmm, he's a decent-looking child." As a relative, she thought it was good that the child was fortunate enough to be by the emperor's side.

"The old lady praised me."

Xue Baochai said shyly, "My aunt said that the younger sisters in the mansion are all very nice."

"What's so great about them?!"

Speaking of her granddaughters, Grandmother Jia was very pleased, saying, "Each of them has learned some exquisite mischief." She wanted to show off, so she said to Yuanyang, "We have guests coming from afar, so ask the girls for leave."

"Eh~"

Yuanyang smiled and readily agreed.

Are my sisters going to school?

Xue Baochai was very curious.

She never caused her husband any worry about her studies. Not only did her father regret her talent, but her husband did too.

Xue Baochai wanted to know the difference between herself and the daughters of these noblemen and marquises.

"Just knowing a few characters."

On behalf of her granddaughters, Grandmother Jia asked modestly, "What books has Baochai been reading?"

"...I just read the Four Books for Women."

Xue Baochai glanced at her mother and shyly recited the Four Books for Women.

Anyway, saying this is absolutely correct.

By the time Shen Ning learned that the Xue family was coming to the capital and would be staying at the Rongguo Mansion, the place was already almost ready.

Regarding Xue Baochai...

She really wanted to see him!

She is the foremost of the Twelve Beauties, on par with Lin Daiyu.

If you say she's bad, it's only because she's too scheming; you can only admire her from afar, not up close.

"So, what arrangements did Master Xue make?"

Shen Ning immediately thought of Xue Pan.

Unlike in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, where the Jia family's moral character was utterly terrible, he learned even worse in the novel. The Jia family's moral character now...

Xue Pan would probably cry if he went in.