The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

Second brother, it's time to set off.

Just after breakfast, Xinda packed her bags. He came behind Chen Heng who stopped writing and thought, and said softly.

Well, wait a minute.

Chen Heng was still having a headache as to what to write on the rice paper in front of him. Seeing this, Xinda retreated to the window and helped his brother watch the sky.

Today is a cloudy day, as it has been for the past few days. The clouds were gathering, as if it was going to rain heavily. But the people of Yangzhou had been looking forward to it for a long time, but they didn't see a drop of rain fall, so they could only worry about the dark clouds.

However, days like this are suitable for traveling far away.

The weather is getting warmer, and beautiful boys and girls can take off their heavy winter clothes and put on bright spring clothes.

Miss Lin's travel date, remember, is today. Xinda happened to see a ray of morning light piercing the clouds, and the golden light looked bright. He thought it would not rain today. As soon as he stopped thinking, he turned his head and looked at his brother with some worry, fearing that the other party would delay his farewell.

Fortunately, Chen Heng didn't let him wait long. He only heard a I thought of it. Xinda saw Chen Heng pick up the pen and start swiping ink on the paper with concentration.

Soon, Chen Heng put away his pen, stood up and left his seat with a comfortable expression, and smiled at his younger brother: When the ink dries, we will set off.

Okay. Xinda stepped forward quickly. He had been following Chen Heng for a while and knew how to deal with such objects.

He took out a moderately sized book bag from the bookshelf, took a fan to the far side of the desk, and fanned the rice paper pressed with gentle breeze.

When Chen Heng saw his brother's behavior, he couldn't help but said with a smile: It's okay, just put it there, we have time.

We are going to see someone off, so there is no way we will arrive later than the host's house.

Xinda felt that his brother was a bit stupid, as he was a member of the prefect's family.

We ordinary people are lucky enough to be friends with each other, so how can we not be cautious in everything?

But begging his brother is useless, and Xinda doesn't want Chen Heng to let others find fault with the details.

Chen Heng saw it and knew that the other party was thinking about himself. Simply don't reveal the other person's thoughts. After all, it's not a big deal.

The key to this problem is that one's own foundation is weak, which makes people around him cautious about everyone they meet.

For this kind of thing, you can only rely on yourself to strive for success in the future.

Chen Heng didn't think too much, waited until the rice paper was packed into his bag, took Xinda and rushed to the dock in the city.

Passing over the tourists and vendors in the streets and alleys, they walked slowly down the long streets. When they arrived, there were already many people standing on the pier.

The sun appeared briefly once, but was obscured by gathering dark clouds. But that golden halo still rendered the world in front of us through the clouds.

In the world of pink walls and black tiles, the soft light of pale yellow spreads to the end of the sight.

The waves pushed the official ship that docked, and the officer patiently explained to the travelers who were catching the ship what happened to the prefect's wife's trip.

In the open area circled by the officers, there were people from Yangzhou City who came to see him off, as well as Uncle Lin's family.

Chen Heng encountered some obstruction at the guard's office, but several servants saw the young master having difficulty in passing and hurriedly came up to usher him in.

Brother. Lin Jue saw Chen Heng at a glance and ran over from Uncle Lin. He noticed what the other person was holding and couldn't help but asked curiously: Brother, is this a gift from you to your sister?

Yes. Chen Heng nodded, I'm not too late.

We have just arrived. Brother, I haven't seen you give me a gift. Lin Jue's expression was a little unhappy, always feeling that he had suffered a big loss, If I had known, I would have followed my mother and sister to visit the capital together. ”

Because Lin Jue was still young and Jia was worried about his health, he simply let him study at home with Wang Xianming. Taking only Daiyu with him, he went to the capital to visit his grandmother who was sick of her daughter.

Okay, when it's your birthday, I'll give you a gift. When Chen Heng heard this, he showed a funny and subtle expression.

This kid is just ignorant. I don't know that Chen Qingyue is now afraid that he will mention the word gift.

Brother, are you serious about this? Lin Jue was overjoyed and quickly asked Chen Heng to be his guarantee.

Of course, a gentleman's words are hard to follow. Chen Heng smiled and shook his head, walked to Lin Ruhai, saluted and said hello, Uncle.

Have you eaten? Lin Ruhai looked very tired. He had been busy with river channels and river embankments recently, and often rushed outside the city. Today I also squeezed in half a day's free time to give my wife and daughter a gift.

Chen Heng nodded quickly, and the two chatted for a while, chatting about home affairs. He stood up again and looked at Jia, who was socializing in the distance. There were many officials and ladies in the city coming to see him off. Those who can come are all qualified, and each family naturally carries different gifts.

For those who couldn't make it, they also asked someone to forward gift lists and gift boxes. These things are naturally registered by the Lin family's steward.

When Mr. Jia comes back from the capital, those who want to make friends should return some small gifts, and those who want to have a deep friendship should wait until after the festival. As for people who are treated the same as the Wang family, they can stop thinking about moving around in the future.

Chen Heng stood far away and couldn't hear the inside story. Just watching the scene was very lively, especially when I saw Daiyu, who had to force a smile to keep her company, I felt secretly happy in my heart.

However, he looked around and found two people who were extremely rare on weekdays. Miaoyu and her master, whom they haven't seen for an unknown amount of time, seem to be accompanying the Lin family to Beijing.

This was a strange thing. Chen Heng felt surprised and couldn't ask Uncle Lin beside him.

You must know that since the pair of masters lived in the Lin family, they have been living in seclusion in the backyard. The Lin family specially set aside a courtyard for the master and apprentice to eat and pray, and they have supported the master and apprentice to this day.

Unexpectedly, we would meet again at the dock when we were saying goodbye.

Chen Heng visited Lin Mansion several times but never had the chance to see Miaoyu. It can be seen that the temperament of this pair of master and disciple is cooler than ordinary people.

But monks can understand it. Chen Heng stayed with Uncle Lin for a while and then saw Mrs. Jia coming with her daughter.

After talking to other ladies, Jia also had a headache. But the Lin family is becoming more and more prominent now, so there is no way to have this kind of communication.

Chen Heng noticed his aunt's tired look. When she stood in front of her, he simply said hello.

Heng'er.

aunt.

The two greeted each other, and Chen Heng saluted Jia Lian again. The two of them didn't talk much. They only smiled and said a few words.

We are not from the same world, so we just need to maintain polite communication.

After Chen Heng finished speaking to the others, Lin Daiyu kept a straight face, shook her head slightly, and looked straight at her brother.

This little girl is still holding back her anger over the quarrel with Jia Lian, and doesn't want to make any gestures in front of him.

Chen Heng looked at the thick dark circles under the other person's eyes and knew at a glance that Daiyu had not had a good rest in the past two days. He couldn't help but frown, No matter how uncomfortable you are, you should pay attention to your health. The beads that Aunt Shui gave you specially are for you. I want to keep you safe, but I don’t mean to make you miss others and feel sad secretly.”

It’s been three days since I recognized him, and I should be impressed. Lin Daiyu blinked, not knowing that her brother was so good at coaxing people.

These words, using Aunt Shui's thoughts to encourage her, are much better than simply asking her to pay attention to her health.

He wouldn't go behind my back and secretly seek advice from someone, would he?

When Daiyu thought of this, she pursed her lips and said, Brother, don't be a bad example.

Jia Lian's recent behavior at the Lin family has taught Lin Daiyu a good lesson. This little girl really couldn't comment on her cousin's behavior, so she had no choice but to become a mute monk. Just after hearing about those colorful worlds, the girl's knowledge was different from before.

The heads of these two people were brought together, with Lin Jue in the middle, and Lin and his wife on the other side saying goodbye, which made Jia Lian look like a guest. He was bored when he was idle, so he had to look at Chen Heng and Daiyu.

Chen Heng was confused by what his sister said. Seeing Jia Lian looking over, he straightened his face and scolded: What nonsense are you talking about? He turned around and waved to Xinda, taking the things he had prepared from him, You can't make it for your birthday this time. I’ll give you the gift in advance. This time, don’t blame me for not giving you anything.”

When Lin Daiyu heard this, she felt happy in her heart. Looking at the other person's tired look, he said with some distress: It's not that I won't come back, it will only be a month or two at most. Brother, it's the same thing if you wait until I come back.

I believe there is something wrong with what you said. Chen Heng pretended not to hear and said to himself.

It was mainly a coincidence. When I had free time a few days ago, I went out to look around, trying to find something that suited your liking. As a result, I actually came across it.

Chen Heng carried the wooden cage covered with black cloth and lifted a corner in front of Sister Lin. He saw a little tabby cat sleeping in the cage.

I can't think of anything to give as a gift. Chen Heng explained calmly, The store said that its mother has a gentle temper and never hurt anyone. I think it also likes to catch flying insects and has a very lively temperament. If you think it is suitable, I will buy it for you. coming.

Daiyu took the wooden cage from her brother, but was a little reluctant to hand it over to someone else. She just stood silently, listening to Chen Heng continue to chatter, I have written the matters about raising cats in the book. You remember to go with Xueyan Look. You have to be careful when raising them.

He took out a book bag and a letter from his arms. Seeing that Daiyu was holding the wooden cage and not letting go, Chen Heng simply handed it over to Xueyan. Everything that needs to be said is in the letter. He emphasized again, Be careful on the road... pay attention to safety.

Brother, are you reluctant to let go? The corners of Daiyu's mouth curved. She hugged the wooden cage and did not dare to move. She only smiled and poked her head, Don't worry, Yu'er will go back as soon as possible.

Chen Heng didn't comment, just looked at the little sister who grew up together, and said helplessly: If you encounter any difficult or annoying problems. If you can't solve it, just write and tell me.

I know. Lin Daiyu nodded with a smile and glanced at her brother in front of her. He quickly looked away, and happened to see the servants of the Lin family carrying boxes of things to the ship.

The wind blows the waves and the sound of the tide comes.

Seeing Jiang Feng urging the guests to see off, the girl who had been nodding her head suddenly smiled and said, We're leaving now.

The feeling of parting just arises between the two of them. The slightly cold wind in February passed through the gaps in their clothes.

Lin Daiyu was shocked to realize that since Chen Heng came to Yangzhou, this was the first time that they had to be separated for so long.

Yeah. Chen Heng nodded.

Brother, wait for me to come back.

good.

Lin Jue watched for a long time, watching the two people finally finish talking, and then came closer to take a look at the kitten in the wooden cage. As a result, as soon as he stretched out his hand, his sister slapped him away.

Brother. Lin Jue was also speechless and began to cry out to Chen Heng, No, you have to give me a cat.

Okay, okay, I got it. Before Chen Heng had time to comfort him, Lin Ruhai, who had made peace with Jia, said to everyone: It's almost time, don't delay other tourists from getting on the boat.

Jia's trip was on an official ship. In order to avoid being squeezed and bumped by others, Lin Ruhai had no choice but to temporarily clear the dock.

It was rare for their family to go back to the capital, and they had to take too many things with them.

But this would inevitably cause inconvenience to others. As a parent officer, Lin Ruhai was urging his wife and daughter to leave quickly.

Mrs. Jia gave the other party a few more words, signaling Lin Ruhai to take good care of her health, before taking the reluctant Daiyu onto the official ship.

Chen Heng held the book bag given to him by sister Lin before leaving. He watched the official ship disappear into the blue waves before heading back home with Lin Ruhai.

Don't forget to review your homework when you go back.

Yes, so is uncle. He is patrolling the river embankment and pays attention to safety.

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After returning home, Chen Heng prepared to start reading as usual. But before that, he opened the book bag Lin Daiyu gave him, took out the items, and prepared to sit down and read slowly.

The top one is a storybook handwritten by Sister Lin. The paper is not thick, but Chen Heng reads it very carefully. This story is quite simple and can be told in a nutshell.

It is about a daughter of a poor family who was harmed by a natural disaster and had no choice but to sell herself to the Duke's palace, and was harshly criticized by her master. In the end, he planned to escape from the Duke's mansion and was rescued by a farmer outside the city. He raised a son who won the first prize in the exam.

This story seems ordinary, but it can't stand up to Daiyu's excellent writing style. It makes people catchy when reading it. What's more, judging from Daiyu's notes at the end of the article, it seems that it is only a first draft and has not yet been completely finalized.

Brother, I can't go to Aunt Shui's mourning hall, so I can only ask you to burn this manuscript to Aunt Shui for me. My sister once told Aunt Shui that she should be the first to see the written script.

That's right, Chen Heng already knew it. He had guessed that the prototype of this storybook was Aunt Shui. But from his perspective of reading books for many years, this story still has few twists and turns.

However, as Daiyu's debut, it is already very good. Moreover, the current literary world is willing to develop novels with women as the main characters. Except for his The Legend of the Heroes of Shushan, there is really only Daiyu's work, which is a blank area.

In addition, with Daiyu's literary background here, Chen Heng is still very optimistic about the prospects of this storybook.

He put down his storybook and opened the letter written by his sister. I saw a short article written on it. In the name of Xiaoxiangzi, I wrote an article about how a woman who was oppressed in the capital fled all the way to Yangzhou and eventually died of illness.

Just looking at the writing style and choice of words, this short article is much simpler and sharper than the script.

Chen Hengguang guessed from the way it was written that Daiyu wanted to send it to the newspaper.

Looking back, it turned out to be true.

Please ask my brother to help my sister send this article to the newspaper.

Chen Heng turned the article to the night before and stared at Daiyu's last summary sentence: Life is like a flower that withers, falling on the paper and turning into an article.

Such vernacular sentences are very similar to Chen Heng's writing style.

The two of them studied and grew up together. When Lin Daiyu wrote articles, her style was very similar to Chen Heng.

Chen Heng had discussed the pros and cons of this with her.

The articles in newspapers are meant to be read by ordinary people after all. The style of writing that scholars like may not be liked by ordinary people who farm.

I think a storybook is a storybook, and a newspaper is a newspaper. The former can be written in any way, but the latter is better to be more simple. Let more people see and understand it, which is the meaning of running a newspaper.

This passage was said by Chen Heng to Sister Lin when they were discussing the meaning of newspapers. Unexpectedly, the other party actually listened. And on top of it, he improved the writing style.

This is the first time that my sister has independently published an article in a newspaper. The quality of the article is also excellent, taking into account the beautiful wording on the basis of realism.

In just a few hundred words, the life of a suffering woman is written on paper. After reading it, one can't help but sigh at the plight of the people in the article.

Chen Heng thought for a while, then directly put the pen on the paper and added: The beauty of the words has the style of Qin and Han Yuefu. The far-reaching intention has the style of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The signature is, of course, Mr. Yuan He.

He wants to help his younger sister.

When Xinda walked into the room with tea, he saw Chen Heng busy at the table and quickly said in surprise: Second brother, why don't you close the window before doing anything?

Chen Heng realized later that when he went out, Xinda opened the window to ventilate the room.

Haha, I didn't pay attention. Chen Heng smiled and continued to copy things.

After Xinda closed the window, she walked to her brother. When she saw him copying Miss Lin's things, she couldn't help but wonder, What is brother going to do?

Finish copying. Chen Heng couldn't explain, so he could only say something perfunctory.

This is his own selfishness.

The sister's storybook is quite commemorative, and Chen Heng plans to keep it. When she writes better stories in the future, he will show the storybook to her so that she can look back on her own growth.

As for the portion that was given to Aunt Shui, Chen Heng had to write and hand-copy it himself.

Oh. Xinda didn't hesitate to ask. He found a book from the bookshelf and sat next to his brother with a stool.

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At this time, Daiyu was also opening her brother's letters. The official ship sailed smoothly on the canal, and the civet cat was released from its cage and curiously looked at the new world and its new owner.

Xueyan liked this gadget very much, and while the lady was busy, she started playing with the kitten.

Daiyu glanced at Xueyan and opened the cat breeding manual written by Chen Heng. The above things are described in accordance with the items. Chen Heng's knowledge of cat raising in his previous life was recorded in great detail, and he also focused on the temperament of civet cats.

After reading the manual, Daiyu handed it to Xueyan and asked him to study along with him. She continued to open the book bag, which contained a document specially written for her by Chen Heng.

The first article is about the life story of Tan Yunxian, a female doctor in the Ming Dynasty. Chen Heng was reading the history of the Ming Dynasty recently and happened to notice this gentleman among doctors.

This female doctor is also quite legendary. Chen Heng took Tan Yunxian's turbulent life from his indomitable spirit and regarded the war as a good opportunity as his bones, and told Tan Yunxian's feelings and aspirations in pieces to his sister.

Life is like a wave of ups and downs, and I set sail to cross the sea.

This half-sentence poem was written by Chen Heng when he was rescuing refugees outside the city.

Facing the chaotic and uneasy situation at that time, Chen Heng only had the thought of revenge. He didn't really want his sister to learn from his methods, he just hoped that she wouldn't feel too sad about Aunt Shui.

Matters of life and death have their own destiny. For the rest of you, just be a traveler worthy of this life.

Sister, what is in the other envelope, I often use it as my ambition and put it on the table to warn myself. I hope you and I can encourage each other.

Lin Daiyu opened the last paper bag, took out the rice paper and spread it out. I saw a line of words flying like dragons and phoenixes, leaping onto the paper with a rush of vitality.

Heaven moves in good health, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement.

Her brother tried so hard to persuade her, so why didn't Daiyu understand the other person's thoughts?

Chen Heng was worried that she would fall into a state of self-pity and think that everything in the world was as cruel as Aunt Shui.

Only then did he come up with a method of admonishment, using civet cats as companions and using examples from his predecessors and himself.

Feeling the other party's deep concern, even though she was half a day away from Yangzhou, Daiyu was still surrounded by warm care.

In front of Xue Yan, she held the rice paper in her arms like a treasure and said dreamily, I'm starting to miss it now.

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The official ship the Lin family was traveling on was already conspicuous, with wooden signs such as Yangzhou Magistrate and Rongguo Mansion on the bow. All merchant ships and passenger ships along the way saw it and gave way.

Jia Lian's room is at the bow of the ship, and when you open the door there is a platform. Putting up a soft-covered bench, you can not only have a clear view of the boats dodging on the river, but also enjoy the pleasure of riding the wind and waves.

There will be times when the wind and waves break, and the clouds and sails will rise directly across the sea. Li Bai's poems are really refreshing to read.

He couldn't help but feel a little proud in his heart. He successfully invited his aunt's family back today. He didn't know how much praise he would receive from the old lady when he returned home.

The servants accompanying him saw that the second master was in a good mood and hurriedly made some polite remarks. What he said was nothing more than As expected, the second master still needs to take action and so on.

A more clever servant suddenly pointed to a ship with a similar shape in the distance and said, Second Master, look. The sign on that ship seems to be a relative of ours.

Jia Lian stood up from the recliner. He held a clairvoyant sent from the West in his hand, which was just suitable for inspection. In the circular hole, I can see the words Jinling Xue Family standing on the official ship breaking through the waves in the distance.

There are still a few Xue families in Jinling who can use such a large official ship. Jia Lian thought about it and agreed with his servant's judgment.

It's actually them?!

Jia Lian didn't expect this to happen. The relationship between his family and the Xue family was too complex. But there is no way around the Wang family, but with this seniority, do you have to settle with Madam? Or should we start with the second aunt?

After thinking about it, Jia Lian suddenly laughed. What's wrong with him? There's an elder on board.

It is appropriate to leave this matter to my aunt.

Jia Lian happily ran to Jia's room with the news about Lu Yuxue's family.

I thought it was a chance encounter made in heaven, where someone meets an old friend in a foreign country.

Thinking of the smiling Jia family, after listening to Jia Lian's words, he said neither softly nor hardly: When sailing on the river, you must pay attention to safety. Let's wait until the capital.

Fortunately, Duan Duan was disappointed, and Jia Lian had no choice but to leave. My good aunt, how do we know where the Xue family disembarked?

He shook his head helplessly, but he could also tell that Mr. Jia didn't want to have contact with the Xue family, so he had to give up.

But some things are just such a coincidence. Seven or eight days later, wait for their ship to arrive at the Capital Pier.

The Xue family's boat actually docked here.

Although I came late, the number of words is enough. I started polishing it at seven o'clock, and I haven't changed it until now. Ahhh, the pain. I haven’t played games or read novels for several months