Save the Bachelor of Heaven

Afterwards, Grandmother Jia took Granny Liu to visit Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Qiushuangzhai, Hengwuyuan and other places.

Xiaoxiang Pavilion was quiet and elegant, and the bookshelves were filled with books, so much so that Granny Liu thought she had entered the young master's study.

Qiu Shuang Zhai is where Tanchun lives, and she has decorated her own courtyard in a very grand manner.

There stood a large rosewood marble desk, on which were piled various famous calligraphy works, dozens of precious inkstones, and pen holders and pen holders of various colors filled with pens like a forest.

On the other side was a huge Ru kiln flower vase filled with white chrysanthemums with crystal balls. In the middle of the west wall hung a large painting of Mi Xiangyang's "Mist and Rain", with a couplet in Yan Lugong's calligraphy on the left and right, which read: "A leisurely temperament amid mist and clouds, a wild life amid springs and rocks."

Hengwu Garden was where Xue Baochai lived. It was like a snow cave, with no toys at all. On the table was a clay vase with a few chrysanthemums in it, two books, a tea box, and teacups. The bed was hung with a green gauze curtain, and the quilt was also very simple.

Grandmother Jia was a little unhappy at the time, "This child is too honest. If you don't have any furnishings, why not ask your aunt for some. I won't argue, and I didn't expect that you naturally didn't bring your things from home."

"The old lady doesn't know, but Bao girl has never liked extravagance since she was a child, and she doesn't like flowers or powder." Aunt Xue explained with a smile.

"She didn't want it herself. We originally sent it to her, but we returned it all." Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng also nodded.

"That's not possible. Although it saves trouble for her, it won't look right if a relative comes. Secondly, it's taboo for young girls to have such a plain room. We old women should live in the stable." Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said.

When Xiang Nan heard this, he immediately laughed.

In fact, he understood Xue Baochai's arrangements quite well.

It is said in "The Way of Heaven" that people with complex minds have a special psychological need for simplicity.

Xue Baochai's mind is just too complicated.

According to the verdicts of the Twelve Golden Hairpins in A Dream of Red Mansions, Xue Baochai is the crystal snow among the mountain hermits, the noblest, the purest, the most detached from the world, and the one who does not care about money or material things.

But she was born into a family of fame-seeking businessmen, and had a cowardly and incompetent mother and a brother who was always causing trouble, making it impossible for her to escape from the situation or keep herself out of it.

She could only rely on her own intelligence and wisdom to try her best to get around in the world, interact with everyone, please everyone, and take care of everyone from Lady Jia to the maids in the Jia family.

Just like in the book, Jia Baoyu didn't even know Xiaohong in his yard, but Xue Baochai recognized her just by hearing her voice, and also knew that she was a cunning, eccentric person.

This shows how delicate Xue Baochai's mind is.

According to her own words, "I am just worried that I will not be able to respond to everyone."

The so-called "yinghou" means to receive and serve. In the whole book of "Dream of Red Mansions", this word only appears twice, once when Xue Baochai claimed to be waiting for the people in the Jia family, and once when Wang Xifeng wanted to blackmail the eunuchs in the Yinghou Palace.

From this we can see that "Yinghou" is not a good word. Xue Baochai didn't want to associate with so many people, and would rather live in seclusion in the mountains, away from the world, but she couldn't let go of her mother and brother.

Moreover, the social environment in ancient times did not allow her to live in seclusion and leisure, which was her trouble. Therefore, she often fell ill and needed to take Lengxiang Pills to suppress the heat and poison in her heart.

…

Afterwards, Jia's mother and others came to the Rongcui Temple where Miaoyu lived.

Miaoyu was a nun who practiced Buddhism with her hair uncut. She was invited by the Jia family after the completion of the Grand View Garden.

The reason why the Jia family invited her over was because the Grand View Garden, as the Queen's villa for visiting her parents, was actually equivalent to a royal garden, and it must have temples and Taoist temples.

Since there are temples and Taoist temples, someone must take care of them. Miaoyu's master is good at innate numbers and is quite famous in the religious circles of the capital.

Miaoyu herself came from a family of officials. She was proficient in literature and Buddhism, and had a very beautiful appearance, so she was invited by the Jia family to be the abbess of the Rongcui Temple.

Xiang Nan knew her, but had never met her.

Firstly, he was not like Jia Baoyu, who wanted to meet a beautiful or talented woman just because he heard about her; secondly, Miaoyu was a nun who kept her hair uncut, and it was not convenient for him, as a foreigner, to meet her.

So this was his first time to come to Longcui Temple. He saw that the temple was full of flourishing flowers and trees, clean and tidy, and more peaceful and quiet than other places.

"After all, they are people who practice cultivation, so they often repair it when they have nothing to do. It looks better than other places now." Jia's mother said with a smile.

Miaoyu hurriedly brought the Taoist priestess to greet them, "Old lady, please~"

When she turned around and saw Xiang Nan, she was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red, and she quickly turned her head away, "Please come into the nunnery and talk~"

"We have just eaten meat and wine. You have a Bodhisattva inside, which has washed away our sins. Let's sit here and give us a cup of your good tea." Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said with a smile.

After hearing this, Miaoyu hurried to make tea.

A moment later, she presented a small tea tray with a crabapple-shaped carved lacquer and gold-filled dragon offering longevity, and a small Chengyao five-colored mud-gold covered bell inside, to Lady Jia.

Grandmother Jia drank half a cup, then smiled and handed it to Granny Liu, saying, "Try this tea."

Granny Liu took it and ate it all, saying with a smile: "It's good, but a little bland. It would be even better if it were thicker."

She was a farmer, and she drank tea to quench her thirst. But the water in the capital was bitter, and it was easier to swallow with a handful of tea leaves, so she was used to drinking strong tea.

In comparison, the Jia family drank sweet water and drank tea for tea tasting, and tea tasting is best when it is "clear and light", which is different from drinking tea to quench thirst.

As Miaoyu said, "One cup of tea is for tasting, two cups is for quenching thirst, and three cups is for drinking like a cow or a donkey."

…

Sure enough, when she heard Granny Liu say this, Miaoyu showed a trace of contempt. Then she quietly pulled Daiyu and Baochai and led them to her meditation room.

Xiang Nan did not follow, but continued to accompany Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang, Granny Liu and others to view the scenery.

After a while, Miaoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai came back, and Grandmother Jia was ready to leave.

He knew that Miaoyu was a germaphobe and since she saw that the teacup had been used by Granny Liu, she decided not to take it.

But Chengyao was an official kiln during the Chenghua period. I can't say it's priceless, but it's also quite valuable. It's such a pity to just lose it and smash it.

So he stepped back two steps and whispered to Miaoyu, "Although the teacup is dirty, isn't it a pity to leave it there? In my opinion, it is better to give it to the poor woman. She can sell it to make a living. What do you think?"

Miaoyu was surprised to hear Xiang Nan talking to her, and a subtle expression appeared on her face again. Then she said, "That's fine. Fortunately, I haven't eaten from that cup. If I had eaten from it, I would have smashed it and would not have given it to her. If you want to give it to her, I don't care. I will just give it to you. Take it quickly."

"Thank you." Xiang Nan nodded and smiled, "When we get out, how about I ask a few kids to fetch some buckets of water from the river to wash the floor?"

"Okay, just ask them to carry the water to the mountain gate." Miaoyu instructed again.

"That's natural."