The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 148 Thick-skinned Wang Xin
Tuobi Villa corresponds to Aojing Pavilion.

Tuobi Villa is on the mountain, and Aojing Pavilion is at the foot of the mountain next to the pool. The two buildings are close to each other, and the distance between Hengwuyuan and Tuobi Villa is even closer, but Hengwuyuan pays attention to hiding and not leaking.

The center is a large exquisite rock that reaches the sky, and various stones surround it to block out the view of the house. There are no flowers or trees in the garden, but it is covered with vines and strange grasses, such as Duruo, Hengwu, and Cilanthus, with branches and leaves hanging down from the eaves and around the pillars. The fruits are like coral beans, with a rich fragrance that cannot be compared with the fragrance of ordinary flowers.

Xue Baochai lives here. When she wants to be quiet, she stays in Hengwuyuan. When she doesn’t want to be quiet, she goes to the front to find her mother.

The daughters are all thoughtful and meticulous, and Baochai is even more so. A few days ago, she helped out at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion and had not visited her mother for several days. Aunt Xue became worried and sent someone to look for her in the garden. Xue Baochai came the next day.

"Your uncle has nodded, so the marriage is done."

The maid was not in the room. Aunt Xue held her daughter's hand and spoke with tears in her eyes. Her brother agreed, and her daughter was so virtuous and beautiful. Aunt Xue had already made up her mind about this matter.

Xue Baochai was too embarrassed to ask in detail. When she heard her mother's words and saw that her mother was about to cry, her eyes also became moist. The mother and daughter looked at each other in silence.

Xue Pan is no longer a successful person and dares not act like a spoiled child at home. The mother and daughter have depended on each other for many years. Aunt Xue is reluctant to leave her daughter, and Xue Baochai is reluctant to leave her mother and is confused about her own future.

Aunt Xue had also been through her daughter's life, so how could she not understand her daughter's worries? She took the initiative to comfort her: "Wang Xin has no father or mother. I was most worried that he would be an unruly bastard, but he turned out to be a very gentle person, which turned out to be the best."

There are no parents-in-law to serve, and you will be the hostess in your own right.

The man has a good character and will not be abused.

"Given your character, I'm not worried about anything else. I'm only concerned that Wang Xin is young and full of youthful energy. He might become complacent due to his composure. People are most afraid of laziness, so you must advise him well."

Aunt Xue had just finished speaking when she became concerned that her daughter's advice might offend Wang Xin, so she quickly warned her daughter, "Young people are impatient, so don't be too direct with your words. Always go along with him."

Although Xue Baochai was shy, she didn't need to hide anything in front of her mother. She said dissatisfiedly, "You are my mother if you say that. If you say that, it's still my mother. What should my daughter do?"

Aunt Xue hesitated for a moment and suddenly smiled.

He reached out and pulled back the hair that had fallen on his daughter's temples, revealing her fair and flawless face. His eyes were full of pride: "You know what's going on, why should I worry about you?"

Aunt Xue must be proud of her daughter's character and beauty, but her concern for her was so great that she lost her sense of proportion.

Xue Baochai blushed and threw herself into Aunt Xue's arms.

When she opened her eyes, she was thinking about Wang Xin. What did he look like? Everyone said he was good, but she didn't know what was good about him. Was she really going to marry him? The more she thought about it, the more crazy she became, and the more curious she became.

Aunt Xue held her daughter's back with both hands and coaxed her like she did when she was a child.

My brother is going back to Beijing. I'll wait for him to come forward and discuss this matter, or he can ask someone to propose a marriage. However, I have to ask someone to clean up the old house, otherwise it will be too late to clean up the old house after the marriage is settled.

You have to ask the women in the inner courtyard who know the etiquette to do needlework, and also purchase brocade and other items.

Although the products sold in stores on the market are good, they are only for ordinary families. How can people like them use them? They must hire reliable people with good skills to make them individually. However, I heard that Wang Xin doesn't have his own house yet.

What should I do? Should I give him a house?

It's not impossible to give it as a gift, but it's too much of a subsidy. It's not that I don't want to give it as a subsidy, but it seems like it will make it impossible for Xue's daughter to get married, so there has to be some reason for it.

Even though the Xue family was indeed in trouble, according to General Dalan, the Li and Zeng families in Xuanfu were not satisfied with their original shares. Although they didn't say it directly, their words implied that the Xue family had taken too much.

The amount of land each family took was agreed upon by my husband and them, and it has been like this for many years. Even when the Xue family was at its proudest, they never asked for more.

Now that her husband is gone, the Xue family has declined a bit, and they act like this. Aunt Xue is dissatisfied but can do nothing about it. She can only let the general manager Zhang Dehui maintain the family. Can she, a woman, go out like this?

Originally, it should have been her son who handled it, but Aunt Xue was reluctant to let her son suffer, and there was no need to let her daughter know.

Xue Baochai stayed with her mother for half a day, then returned to Hengwu Garden with her maid. She did not go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion again, and looked towards the mountains in the east from time to time.

Zijuan came to Hengwu Garden for a stroll and told Daiyu after returning.

Daiyu came back. Xue Baochai saw Daiyu coming and smiled. She thought that if Daiyu called Wang Xin uncle, she would probably call her aunt. Daiyu said, "This person is so strange. She stares at me and smiles. I don't know what she is thinking."

"Sister Lin, you're like a fairy. I've been eyeing you for a long time. If I take a bite of you, maybe I can achieve immortality."

After saying that, Xue Baochai went to pull Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu pretended to push her away and said in a panic, "Someone come quickly! This Baochai girl has gone crazy."

Zijuan, Ying'er and other maids were amused, and the whole room was filled with girls' laughter.

After laughing and joking for a while, Lin Daiyu stated the purpose of her visit. Although she was sure that Sister Baochai would not refuse her, she was still nervous. Xue Baochai hesitated for a moment, and Lin Daiyu became uneasy.

Could it be that he had guessed wrong? Lin Daiyu had just been fooling around with Xue Baochai. Now her hair was disheveled, her face flushed, and she was feeling uneasy. She looked like Xi Shi, and I felt pity for her.

Xue Baochai didn't know whether she should agree or not. She knew she should refuse, but she couldn't help her curiosity and nodded after a long while.

Lin Daiyu didn't know what Xue Baochai was thinking. Although she was willing, she didn't want to force anyone. She explained, "It's not a big deal. I thought you were different from others, so I came to ask you for help. If it's inconvenient for you, don't make it difficult for me. Otherwise, it will be my fault."

Although this was not clear, Xue Baochai understood Daiyu's meaning. She knew that Daiyu thought highly of her and had her own ideas, so she smiled and said, "You are so nice to me. I have already agreed, but you still have to think about it."

Since that was the case, Lin Daiyu had nothing to say.

Lin Daiyu provided the money, Xue Baochai provided the land, and Zijuan and Ying'er went to invite Ping'er.

Wang Xifeng is in charge of the affairs of the mansion, and Ping'er is considered to be Wang Xifeng's half-helper. Asking the kitchen staff to buy ingredients and cook a table of dishes is not a big deal, so there is no need to disturb Wang Xifeng. It is most appropriate to ask Ping'er to come forward.

When Ping'er heard what Zijuan and Ying'er said, she would not refuse even if it was just about Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, let alone Wang Xin. What's more, it was about Wang Xin, so of course she agreed.

After finalizing everything, Lin Daiyu carefully wrote the invitation and asked Zijuan to deliver it to Tuobi Villa.

When Qingwen received the invitation from Zijuan, it was never so formal before. She accepted it seriously and waited for Wang Xin to come back.

Wang Xin and the Ministry of War have already determined the date for the rotation of guards. Although it is not specific, it will be at most half a month. Therefore, the camp has been given a holiday, and the soldiers have taken advantage of this time to deal with their own affairs.

It was not convenient for him to stay in the camp for too long, as he would spend more time back in the village.

Also, because we were going to a dangerous place for rotation and had to catch up on training, the schedule was tight. We knew when to show up during the day, what tasks to do, and then we would leave and come back every night.

After returning, Qingwen told Lin Daiyu about the dinner party.

"I haven't even thanked her yet, but she wants to treat me to a meal first." Wang Xin found it funny.

Qingwen also smiled and said, "Ever since Miss Lin helped Master Xin, everyone can see that she smiles more often."

"People can't just sit idle." Wang Xin said casually, "I'm helping her."

Qingwen was speechless and could not help but say, "Mr. Xin is so shameless."

Qingwen used to speak without any rules, but now that she is at Tuobi Villa and has Wang Xin's indulgence, she has started to tell jokes. Wang Xin doesn't mind because Qingwen has a good personality.

Qingwen has a strong sense of ownership, but it can be said that she was born in the wrong era.

Thinking of Lin Ruhai's kindness, which could make Daiyu's life easier, it was also a small way to repay him, so he readily agreed: "Tell them tomorrow that I will be there on time."

The place where I will have dinner is Hengwuyuan, which is where Xue Baochai lives, so I might meet Xue Baochai.

I heard from Qingwen that it was Lin Daiyu who set the questions, but it was not only Zijuan, Qingwen, and Xueyan who helped to write them down, but also Xue Baochai and the three young ladies in the mansion. I owe them a favor.

(End of this chapter)