The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

It is said that there is no road ahead, but the heavy rain in Yangzhou City weakened again at noon. About midnight, there was only a continuous drizzle still falling in the air.

Yangzhou people can already accept this kind of rainfall. There is a lot of rain in the south of the Yangtze River, and the people of Yangzhou, who are lazy and happy by nature, only regard these two days as the Dragon King of the East China Sea's way of turning around. As long as Lord Dragon doesn't continue to lose his temper, everyone can still live their lives smoothly.

The busiest people in the city are the boatmen who live on the water. The heavy water at the dock has brought them a lot of business. There are those who pick up and drop off people, and there are those who come with things to sell. People who want to make money always have ways to do it.

In Leyi Academy alone, groups of students and scholars wanted to leave, which attracted a large number of boatmen to park their boats near the building. The water level of the flood receded again and again, and they all wanted to take advantage of the last chance to make another fortune.

Chen Heng also stopped a small boat and took Xinda and Yinglian on board. Although the price was a bit expensive, he was so eager to ensure that his family was safe that he didn't care about extraneous things.

Xue Biao and others also left at the same time. Everyone made an appointment to meet in the city after the flood receded, and then dispersed.

The boat could not sail directly to the door of Chen's house, so it only found a location nearby where the water was not deep, and let Chen Heng and the others off the boat.

They walked a short distance through the water and returned to their house. Chen Heng was not in a hurry to go in. He only asked Xinda to go in first to report that he was safe, while he escorted Yinglian to the next room.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Someone else's daughter risked her life to look for him. If she was allowed to go back alone in the end, how could Chen Heng face the Feng family in the future?

When she accompanied Yinglian into Zhen's house, there were only a few small puddles left on the ground. The gloomy sky was reflected in the puddles, misty clouds floated away from the water, and two more figures quickly crossed them side by side and headed towards the house. Go.

mother.

Zhen Yinglian, who had been so desperate before but now so timid, had just stepped into the messy first floor when she was stared at closely by Feng Shi and Lv Shui who stopped to clean up.

My... daughter is back.

The sight in the hall was not good. Chen Heng squinted his eyes slightly and saw the embarrassed woman clearly. He quickly accompanied Yinglian and said hello, Auntie, I have sent Yinglian back.

In front of outsiders, no matter how angry Ms. Feng was about her daughter's previous act of dementia, she had to entertain the guests first. However, the two of them didn't talk much and only exchanged a few general words. Feng used the excuse that the house is too messy to entertain guests and started to drive Chen Heng out.

These words were a bit harsh, and Feng didn't even smile during the whole process. Chen Heng didn't want to stay too shameless, so he politely stood up and left.

Zhen Yinglian was worried that he would feel wronged because of her mother's words, and the worry was clearly visible in her eyes. Chen Heng, who kept an eye on her, quickly nodded towards her with a smile.

No matter what attitude Feng had towards him, Chen Heng would never be angry. After all, the other party's only daughter could be said to have left life and death behind just to see him. I deserve to receive some cold looks.

Do you still expect that as soon as you come to the Zhen family, you will be treated warmly by Feng as your future uncle? Chen Heng knew what was going on, and after bidding farewell to Mr. Feng according to the ceremony, he went to his home.

After Chen Heng left, Mrs. Feng stared at her daughter with her mouth open for a long time, unable to say a word. She just silently held Yinglian's hand and walked to the second floor.

After changing her daughter into clean and dry clothes, Ms. Feng looked at the safe child in front of her, then angrily raised her hand and hit Zhen Yinglian on the back.

If you don't think about yourself, you should also think about your mother. She has missed you for twelve years, looked forward to you for twelve years, and waited for you for twelve years. When you left, did you ever think about your mother? ? Since you are so worried about him, why would you risk your own life and go there by yourself? Why don’t you come back and tell your mother that she will go for you. It’s better than if you make any mistake and your mother goes to seek your own death.

Feng's beating wasn't heavy, and Zhen Yinglian didn't feel any pain either. But the words her mother said fell into her heart like a knife. Only then did Zhen Yinglian finally realize how much harm her impulsive actions had caused to the Feng family.

She didn't dare to hesitate at all, so she stood up from the chair, knelt on the ground, hugged Feng's waist, and cried: Mom, it's the child's fault. The child is ignorant and makes you and Sister Lushui worry.

Seeing that this child was willing to apologize and not get angry with me. The fire in Feng's heart was slightly suppressed.

She couldn't imagine what would happen if she lived to this age. She knew that she and Yinglian had reunited not long ago, although they were close relatives by blood. But in terms of relationship, compared to the mother and daughter who usually accompany each other day and night, they are a bit unfamiliar and deliberately maintained closeness.

Mrs. Feng knew that this was inevitable. Who told them that the Zhen family had suffered a disaster, and now they were reunited. In recent years, my daughter has been living a life that is neither human nor ghost, so it is a good thing that she can listen to her words.

From now on, whenever you have to do anything, think about your mother first, okay? Feng also fell to the ground, hugging Yinglian with her backhand.

Mom, the child knows. Whatever the child does in the future, I will tell you first. Zhen Yinglian nodded repeatedly, and she once again felt the feeling of being sincerely cared for.

The two mothers and daughters cried together. When Lv Shui walked into the house and saw them like this, he burst into tears and silently walked up to hug them.

Lv Shui had suffered with Feng for more than ten years, and he was no longer an ordinary domestic servant. Zhen Yinglian also apologized to her, and Lv Shui accepted it openly. He only told her: Miss, you are the young lady of our Zhen family and the lifeblood of my wife. If anything happens in the future, you can tell Lv Shui Just a word. No matter if it is a sea of ​​swords, mountains of fire, or sea of ​​green water, I will go there for you. You...you can't take any more risks.

When Zhen Yinglian heard this, she nodded repeatedly, feeling guilty.

The three of them cried for a while before their emotions gradually stabilized. Feng Shi stopped crying, pulled Yinglian and Lv Shui up, sat on the chairs together, and began to interrogate the history of the academy.

As a mother, she was very surprised when she heard Yinglian hugging Chen Heng in public. I heard that the two of them had always abided by the rules of men and women in the academy. Except for the initial solitude, Chen Heng took Xinda and stayed outside the door as a doorkeeper.

Mrs. Feng nodded and said in an incomprehensible tone: I didn't expect that their family has such a good family tradition. This child didn't do anything to take advantage of others.

Zhen Yinglian didn't want to understand what it meant to take advantage of others' danger, but she didn't dare to ask now. After all, Feng's mood had just improved.

What happened next?

There was no water at home right now, so Feng could only swallow his saliva to moisten his dry throat before continuing the interrogation.

He said that he is younger than me. If my daughter is willing, she can wait for him.

Did anyone hear him when he said this? Feng's expression was very nervous, and his tone suddenly rose.

Zhen Yinglian hurriedly shook her head. She raised her hand and gestured, When he said this, he was so far away from me. She continued, We were the only ones in the room at that time.

That's good, that's good. Feng Shi nodded repeatedly, but she couldn't help but have some questions in her heart. The people in Lao Chen's family don't look like they have gone to school. How could they raise such well-educated children?

When Chen Heng said this, he was very considerate of the Zhen family's face and did not expose the matter between the two of them in public in order to force the Zhen family to marry off their daughter.

He then handed the initiative back to Feng. If the other party felt dissatisfied, they could make a fuss about Chen Heng's age. Both families could hide the matter in an amicable manner and pretend that nothing happened.

After all, age is a matter of destiny. At any time, it is a very reasonable reason.

He didn't take anything from you, right? Ms. Feng asked finally. She was afraid that her innocent daughter would leave some token of love to her, which would damage her reputation.

No, no. Zhen Yinglian waved her hands repeatedly. When she came back, she accidentally missed a handkerchief. It was Chen Heng who found it for her and let her put it away by herself.

Mrs. Feng nodded with satisfaction, and even Lv Shui's eyes widened after hearing this, and he said to the hostess: If you let the young lady say this, I think this young man of the Chen family is really a good person.

Can you say this in front of your children? ? ? Feng felt that this girl Lv Shui was also confused, so she hurriedly explained to the two of them: It's about love, it's about courtesy. This is the way of a gentleman. He should do this.

Although he said this, Feng's face became much kinder. It seems that he is not as anxious to get angry as he was just now. Seeing that her mother looked good, Zhen Yinglian said cautiously: He also said...

What did you say? Feng's tone became less urgent as his mood relaxed.

He said on the boat back that my mother would definitely be angry when she went back this time. But it was us, the younger generation, who were at fault in this matter. No matter what my mother said, she must apologize properly and tell the truth about what happened.

Zhen Yinglian spoke softer and softer, and then added: He asked me not to say this to my mother, so as not to make her think too much and think that the child was just for show and had no regrets.

Hearing this, Mrs. Feng had to say with emotion, He is a good boy.

Now, when she looked back and thought about Chen Heng's daily behavior, she felt that it was rude to treat him coldly just now. But after all, there was nothing left to say about this matter, and it was hard for Feng to say anything more about Chen Heng in front of her daughter. The topic only revolved around Yinglian's body, and he was concerned about whether she felt any discomfort after being exposed to the rain.

Now that I talk about these caring words, for some reason, the two mothers and daughters seem to lack some of the closeness they deliberately maintained in the past. Between laughter and anger, the distance between the two of them was also narrowed.

Yinglian even took Feng's hand and started acting coquettishly, calling the latter a blessing in disguise, which was really unexpected.

They were chatting happily upstairs, but a group of uninvited guests suddenly broke into their home, standing in the courtyard and shouting, Is anyone home? Is anyone home?

The three members of the Zhen family quickly packed up their belongings and hurried downstairs. They were immediately dumbfounded. I saw a group of people standing in front of me in darkness, all of them smiling.

Sister Feng, our family is here to disturb us. The leader, Mrs. Zhou, smiled before saying anything, and pulled Mrs. Gu and Chen Qing to greet the Zhen family.

This stretched out his hand to hit the smiling man, so Feng quickly returned the favor. After getting up, he looked behind Zhou. In the courtyard, Chen Qi, Chen Huaijin and their four juniors, Chen Heng, Xinda, Chen Qingyue and Chen Yin, were busy working hard.

This this……

When had the Zhen family seen so many men? Feng was also a little dumbfounded and couldn't figure out the purpose of the Chen family's visit.

Zhou said with a smile: We are all neighbors, and we should help each other. Sister Feng, don't think too much. We just want to thank your girl for your kindness today. If she hadn't been begged by me, an old woman, she would have been willing to accompany you. You are risking your life by following Xinda. We, the old Chen family, have to be worried at home all the time.

As soon as he said this, Feng Shi understood immediately. The Chen family gave them steps to help the Zhen family hold up the scene. She looked outside again and saw that the welcoming door was also open now.

This means opening the door and speaking out. In the future, when the Chen family goes out and meets people, they will use the same words, and they will never change them at all.

Seeing this, she was also happy for the kindness of the Chen family. She smiled and said: It's okay, it's okay, Aunt Chen. Neighbors are meant to help each other. Please let the children rest quickly and go inside for a drink. Tea.

With old Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Gu present, it would be okay to let the children come in for a cup of tea. At this time, Mrs. Feng felt even more deeply that the Chen family was really well behaved inside and out, making people very happy to get along with.

These men are young and strong, so they should work more. Boys are too delicate to be successful.

Chen Heng never taught his grandma this, it was Mr. Zhou who got it himself. But she really felt that way. After she married Chen Gaishan, she worked hard to run the family well. She saw that all her children and grandchildren were successful, and the family relationship was still as harmonious as before.

This old lady always boasts about herself when she sees anyone, and she is very proud of her.

Feng didn't find it strange that anyone could live such a prosperous life. Not to mention bragging when you meet people. When I go to bed at night, I laugh a few times before lying under the quilt.

The woman in the room was fiddling with the furniture and communicating in a low voice. The man outside the house was tidying up the pergola in the courtyard and repairing various objects.

Chen Yin, Chen Qingyue, you two, stop playing with water!! Chen Heng suddenly yelled at his two younger brothers. These two little brats stopped doing business as soon as they went out and only focused on playing by themselves.

If they hadn't clamored to follow, Chen Heng really wouldn't have wanted to bring them here to be conspicuous.

Brother, we are working. Chen Qingyue was still arguing, and he quickly waved the broom in his hand to show that he was not lazy.

But he didn't know that a dark-faced Chen Huaijin was already standing behind him. Nowadays, you still dare to be naughty in other people's homes. Chen Huaijin felt that his son really needed a beating.

When you go out, listen to your elder brother. Is it because I didn't teach you?

Dad, I, I know. I'll work right away, don't hit me. Chen Qingyue shook his body as if he had seen a ghost, and immediately lowered his head, pulled Chen Yin and ran to the corner.

snort!!

With the help of so many people from the Chen family, the messy situation of the Zhen family has become tidy at a speed visible to the naked eye. After they had been busy for half an hour, Mrs. Zhou had some small and inconspicuous tasks left, leaving them to the Zhen family and her daughter to clean up by themselves.

After declining Feng's invitation to stay for dinner, old Zhou took his family back to fight in a furious manner. It wasn't until his family closed the door that Mr. Zhou pulled his eldest grandson and asked with a smile: Good boy, are you satisfied with what grandma did?

Grandma is naturally the best at what she does. Chen Heng smiled and handed over his hands, silently thanking his family for their understanding and support.

As long as you like it, grandma will support you. But in the future, you have to be careful when you meet the girls of the Zhen family again. You are a smart child, do you understand what grandma means?

Grandma, I saved it.

Okay, okay.

Zhou smiled and nodded. The more she looked at Chen Heng, the more she liked him.

How could she have such a smart grandson? Hahahahaha, it’s really all her fault.

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The rain in Yangzhou lasted until early April, with only a break for a day or two. Fortunately, it only rained heavily for a day or two. On other days, there is not much rain.

This separation greatly eases the government's disaster relief pressure.

In the case of waterlogging, the first priority is to clear and dredge rivers. As long as there is no problem with drainage and flood discharge, the city will not be flooded with water for a long time. It was not difficult for the officials headed by Lin Ruhai to work together to treat him.

Later, they resettled the people affected by the disaster and arranged for the counties to resume spring plowing. They are also very familiar with it, and everything is going step by step.

The scope of the disaster this time was not large, and it was far less urgent than the 100,000 victims faced during the drought.

But looking back, without the hard work of tens of thousands of refugees, the flood disaster in Yangzhou would be really hard to say.

In any case, the city of Yangzhou has successfully resisted this natural disaster. The lives of the people in the city have not been greatly affected.

Everything seems to be developing for the better.

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On the first day of April, when floods occurred in Jiangnan and other places, urgent documents rushed into the capital with unstoppable momentum and were presented to the court. On this day, what happened in the court meeting was naturally unknown to the people of the world.

On the second day, His Majesty issued an edict to blame himself for last year's drought and this year's floods. The edict written by the Hanlin Academy itself is naturally brilliant in diction. It's a pity that the people can't understand or appreciate it.

All they knew was that His Majesty felt sorry for the suffering of the people and canceled the draft originally scheduled for July. This made many families who wanted to send their daughters to Beijing very happy. They felt that they were not lucky enough to become relatives of the emperor, and they did not want to rely on their daughters to enter the palace to develop their own families.

When the news reached Rongguo Mansion, both families were shocked.

Aunt Xue eagerly brought Baochai to look for her sister. The Xue family went to Beijing this time because of the order of their brother Wang Ziteng to let Baochai participate in the draft and enter the palace.

Seeing that this matter was going to come to nothing, Aunt Xue was also worried. She took Mrs. Wang's hand and said repeatedly: Sister, what should we do? What should we do? Three years later, Baochai will be seventeen years old. ”

What kind of disadvantages will the 'advanced age' of seventeen have in the draft three years later? She, a womanly person, also knows this.

Among the people, families that do not want their daughters to participate in the draft will rush to designate a marriage before the draft begins. The palace will not pay much attention to this. Some people are secretive about the palace, and naturally some people are eager to see it.

This is a vanity fair that goes round and round, and no one can tell whether it is good or bad.

Mrs. Wang also had a headache. She signaled to her sister not to worry. After thinking for a long time, she said, Pick a day and let's go home.

Of course, there is no need to say much about this home.

Aunt Xue also knew that this matter could only be resolved by going to Wang Ziteng. As a woman in the capital, what she can do is really limited.

Baochai listened silently, still looking unhurried and unannounced. She always had such an expression that no one else could guess her thoughts.

No wonder the servants of Rongguo Mansion often say that Xue Baochai is actually more like Mrs. Wang than Aunt Xue.

Several people gathered in the room, and before they could say a few words, Jia Baoyu from outside ran in happily.

Seeing this precious son, Mrs. Wang had no time to blame her servants for obstructing him. He just coughed and asked his sister to change her face. Then he said to Baoyu, I have been so confused and naughty all day long, why are you so happy today?

Isn't this good news? Come and tell your wife.

Jia Baoyu seemed quite sure that the news would make Mrs. Wang happy. He directly moved the stool and approached his mother.

Seeing that he was acting like a good boy, Mrs. Wang touched the child's face with her loving hand and said calmly: Then why don't you tell me? What if you want to get some favors? I only have a few Buddhist scriptures here. I can't find any more. Nothing else comes out.”

Hahaha, there's really no need. When Jia Baoyu thought of the good news, he couldn't hold it back and said directly, Just now, news came from outside that my uncle was recruited into the palace and was promoted to be the governor of nine provinces. I will leave the capital in the next day and inspect the border with orders.

Jia Baoyu said this quickly and clearly, and he didn't know how many times he had rehearsed it in his mind. Although he was not interested in outside things, the son still deliberately told Mrs. Wang about such a great thing, hoping to make her happy together.

This... Mrs. Wang suddenly stood up from her position, not expecting such a huge good thing. Her mind was in a panic. I just feel that my biological brother from my mother's side is about to become something special.

Fortunately, Mrs. Wang remembered that there were several juniors sitting beside her. She picked up the beads and fiddled with them dozens of times before she could hold back the excitement in her heart and tried her best to whisper: In that case, I want to prepare a gift to send to your uncle's house.

Is this just a gift? Aunt Xue was shocked when she heard this. My dear sister, why don't you take the whole family and come to the door in person to congratulate your brother?

Xue Baochai sat between her mother and Mrs. Wang. Listening to Mrs. Wang's words, her eyebrows moved slightly, but she still didn't say a word from beginning to end. I don't know if I am happy about this, or if I have other thoughts.

No wonder there is a poem in the book: No matter how ruthless it is, it is also moving.

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Jia Min on the other side was sitting in her daughter's boudoir. There was lingering worry on both her and Daiyu's faces. The mother and daughter did not expect that they would encounter a flood in Yangzhou after just staying in Jia's house for a while.

Will my husband be okay? Is Jue'er scared? Jia Min lowered his head, feeling extremely uncomfortable when he thought of his relatives who were in danger.

She was confused when she was concerned for a moment, but her daughter Daiyu showed a rare general's style and comforted her mother: Mom, as early as last year, dad had already expected that there would be floods. You know dad's intelligence. Yes. The situation in Yangzhou will definitely not be much worse. You must also pay attention to your body and don't worry or hurt your mind.

Seeing Daiyu's calm expression, she could see the carefully hidden nervousness and fear. Jia Min thought of the child belatedly and said hurriedly: Mother knows, don't worry, Yu'er. She patted Daiyu's hand and pulled her daughter into her arms, Don't be afraid, mother is with you in everything.

Well, Yu'er knows. Mom is here, dad is here, and my brother is here. My daughter is not afraid of anything. Daiyu raised her hand and patted Jia Min's back gently.

Seeing that the mother and daughter's emotions had calmed down a little, Zijuan, who was packing her luggage just now, cautiously asked: Madam, do you still need to pack your things?

Just now, the hostess rushed in hurriedly and ordered the two of them to pack their things quickly and prepare their things to go home immediately.

After Jia Min calmed down, she let go of her daughter's hand, sat down and shook her head, Wait a minute, I was confused just now. I don't know what's going on outside now. I'll wait until I order someone to inquire and go back to Yangzhou. road, and then discuss the matter of setting off back.

yes.

Zijuan and Xueyan responded, then took out the things they had just packed one by one from the box, and arranged them in their original positions.

You stay at home and mother goes out and orders someone to inquire about the situation.

Before Jia Min left, he gave Daiyu a warning.

The latter nodded repeatedly, and after seeing his mother leave, he slumped down on the chair, unable to hide the worry on his face.

She asked why she had that dream.

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On the tenth day of April, Mrs. Wang, who had waited and waited, finally found a good day. After a lot of tossing around the Jia family, he took Baoyu, Aunt Xue, Xue Pan, Xue Baochai, Wang Xifeng and others to his parents' house to congratulate his brother and see off Prince Teng who was about to leave Beijing.

There is no need to say more about the matters between these two families for the time being. But on this day, there were also several urgent letters, rushing to the windy and rainy city of Yangzhou one by one along different routes.

Among them, Academician Li Bian received a letter, and the content inside was actually a few grains of salt. It took him a long time to think about it before he understood what Gu Zaiyong meant.

Soon, the news that Lin Ruhai fell ill due to disaster relief spread throughout Yangzhou City. Zhizhou Zhang Shangxian had to come out to take charge of the overall situation.

This chapter is close to 7,000 words, so I didn’t keep you waiting in vain. Hahahahahaha.