The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The moonlight is hazy, and the lanterns are shining brightly. What a beautiful word, how could you meet a bastard like Xue Pan? Xue Biao sighed inwardly, quickly cleaned up, and stepped forward to greet: Brother.

If this waiter hadn't called you Uncle Xue, I really wouldn't have recognized you. Xue Pan chuckled, spitting out the smell of alcohol in his mouth. After saying a few words, he pulled Jia Lian beside him and introduced him, This is the second brother Lian of Rongguo Mansion, and he is also your eldest brother.

Xue Biao bowed and bowed again, Brother Jia.

Hey, they are all relatives. Jia Lian waved his hands. He had really drunk a lot tonight, and he couldn't stand up. I have also heard about the reputation of the wise brother for a long time. The landscapes, flowers and birds painted by Erlang of the Xue family, His reputation in the capital is also very high.

It's too much praise, it's too much praise. Xue Bian smiled modestly and blocked Baoqin behind him, trying to find a reason to send them away. Xue Pan was already excited and said: It's like meeting an old friend in a foreign land. I just said that on the way back, there were birds chirping to guide the way. It turns out that there are some gentlemen waiting for me at this end of the inn.

Xue Pan stepped forward enthusiastically and took Xue Pan's hand. These cousins ​​are both well dressed. However, this expression and appearance are completely different. Xue Pan must be much stronger, and his face must be more fierce. It would not be too much to call him a reckless man. Xue Biao looks more like a weak scholar and a rich man.

Brother Xue Pan, come in quickly and have two glasses of wine with me. Xue Pan stretched out his hand to grab Xue Pan and dragged him into the house without any explanation. During the break, he turned to Bao Qin and said, Sister Qin, please go back to the house and rest. If you are hungry, just ask the waiter to bring it to you.

The waiter.

Hearing Xue Pan's instructions, the waiter holding the lamp hurriedly leaned over and replied: Master, what are your orders?

Go, bring one of your shop's specialty dishes to my sister's house. Remember, keep it in our courtyard's account. If you dare to let my sister pay, I'll beat you to death. Xue Pan's instructions, The waiter was really startled, he nodded in response, and trotted away hastily.

Xue Pan, who had drunk too much, laughed even more when he saw his appearance. He waved his other hand to signal Bao Qin to go back to the house first. He knew that if this cousin followed, everyone would definitely have a hard time drinking.

Only with brute force did he drag Jia Lian and Xue Biao into the inner hall. The three of them stood in a bright place, picked a table at random, arranged three chairs together, and called the waiter to bring the wine quickly.

On the way, Baoqin saw that the situation was not good. He only covered his face with a fan, came over to say hello, and then hid in the wing upstairs. She just smelled not only the strong smell of alcohol on Jia Xue's body, but also a faint smell of powder.

I think these two people were in Yanliu Alley, just back from having fun. How could Baoqin be willing to stay with such a person for too long, so he left his brother alone and led Chunyan to escape quickly.

Is this...? The drunken Jia Lian glanced at Bao Qin's back a few more times. This frightened Xue Biao so much that he didn't even have time to speak. Xue Pan was already shouting from the side: Second brother, don't look at it. That's my sister!

Harm. Jia Lian breathed out. Apart from drunkenness, all that was left in his mind was the compassion of the saint. He didn't care whether his daughter belonged to his daughter's family. Why are you so impatient? I just look familiar to you.

It doesn't look familiar, Xue Biao muttered, quickly picked up the wine glass from the table, poured a glass for the two of them, and diverted their attention.

When did Brother Squid come to Songjiang? Xue Pan asked.

I just arrived today. Xue Biao took a sip of wine. He often goes out to socialize now. Although he drank a lot, he became more cautious. When you encounter these two evil stars, you can't help but feel anxious.

What a coincidence, what a coincidence. Xue Pan couldn't help but slap the table and said with a smile, If I had known you were coming today, I should have kept some energy and waited for you.

So much to talk, let's drink first. Jia Lian pushed the excited Xue Pan with his hand, and he shouted excitedly. When I put the glass down, it was still half full.

Second brother, you don't know. Xue Pan smacked his lips and said sadly, My cousin and I haven't seen each other for many years. We rarely met in the capital last year, and he didn't have much chance to come to the house to find me.

Why is this?! Jia Lian burped and asked in confusion, Rongguo Mansion is also a relative of yours, so there is no need to meet him. Xue Erlang.

Seeing that Xue Pan was also looking at him, Xue Pan had to laugh awkwardly and explained: I came and went in a hurry that day. After I failed in the examination, I hurried back to my hometown and wandered around.

Pleasant. Jia Lian praised and said, This is the life we ​​should live.

Drink. Xue Pan took advantage of the wine to get close to Xue Ban, put his arms around each other's shoulders and said, Brother Xue Pan, let's get close to each other today. We grew up together when we were children. If it hadn't been for your family to move. When we go to Yangzhou, how can our current relationship become unfamiliar?

Xue Pan is so confused that he may have forgotten why our family moved to Yangzhou. In recent years, except for Qingming Festival, their family has never returned to their old home in Jinling even during the Chinese New Year. But after all, it was not easy to be embarrassed in person. Xue Biao cheered up and said perfunctorily with a wine glass: Here's a toast to you brother.

It's easy to talk about. Xue Pan finished his drink and said, You came back just in time. Brother has a way to make a fortune. When he wakes up tomorrow, I will tell you in detail. Just drink tonight, you Don’t be anxious.”

I...I...I didn't say I was in a hurry. Xue Biao muttered and had to say perfunctorily: My sister has the final say in the family business.

Xue Pan only thought he was joking and waved his hand without paying much attention to the remarks. Baochai, a person with a sharp temperament, never interfered too much in the family business. What's more, it's a Baoqin?

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Miss, do you want Changqing to go down and keep an eye on the uncle?

After waiting for Bao Qin to wash up, Chun Yan listened to the faint sounds coming from downstairs and asked the young lady who was sitting in front of the mirror, thinking.

The scholar's robe covering the outside has been taken off, and he is wearing a silk summer single. Baoqin turned his head slightly, looked at Chunyan and said, Don't worry about him. Cousin and the others may not be able to calm down in this posture for a while.

Let's rest early. You can accompany me to walk around the streets tomorrow. Baoqin seemed to think of something and said to Chunyan again, Bring me the account book and let me take a look.

Oh. Chun Yan responded, and after leaving and returning, he asked happily, Does our family really want to buy a shop in Songjiang? As he held his chin in his hands, Chun Yan looked inquiring and curious. On the carriage back earlier, she thought she was just fooling the uncle.

Since when has your young lady been a target for nothing? Baoqin raised her eyebrows in a manly manner. After checking the accounts, she secretly said happily, This trip to Guangzhou is indeed worthwhile.

That's right, when our young lady takes action, she is naturally extraordinary. Chunyan stood up diligently, stood behind Baoqin and began to rub his back and shoulders.

Baoqin laughed and ordered: Remember to remind me tomorrow to go to Shanxi Bank to pay one thousand taels of silver.

What is Miss going to do? Chunyan blinked, a little curious. No matter how rich you are, there is no such thing as buying a store on the same day you see it.

It's going to be donated to Sister Lin's academy. Bao Qin chuckled and revealed the answer.

What? Chun Yan looked confused. She already knew about this when she was watching the young lady chatting with Mrs. Chen in the backyard of the county government office. She thought the young lady would only donate three or four hundred taels, but how could she donate a thousand taels in one go?

Don't be afraid, the money we spent is worth it. It was Sister Lin who remembered us and specially left a jackpot for our family. Baoqin comforted her and taught her, Sister Lin told me privately that there will be a meeting in the academy immediately. A stone tablet to remember the people who donated money and materials. When the time comes, I plan to mention the name of our shop.

Chun Yan had been following Bao Qin for a long time and knew the benefits of this matter as soon as he heard it. Not only to make his family famous, but also to form a good relationship with the female students in the academy. The little maid thought for a long time and then came up with an idea: How about when the money is donated, we can hire a few more band members like we did in Guangzhou, exchange the banknotes for silver, and send them over with gongs and drums?

Just listening to these words, I knew that the experiences of the Xue brothers and sisters in Guangzhou were probably very interesting. Unexpectedly, Baoqin shook his head after hearing this and said with a smile: After all, this is the territory under the jurisdiction of the eldest brother. In Guangzhou Prefecture, we are not familiar with the place, so we need some means. In Songjiang Prefecture, we have to keep a low profile. There are eldest brothers on the left and right. With Sister Lin here, we can’t suffer any loss.”

That's right. Chun Yan just remembered this and muttered, Without the help of the young lady, how could he have the comfortable life of marrying two wives?

You. Baoqin closed the account book and teased, Even without me. As long as Sister Lin is here, the result will not be much different.

Anyway, he owes our young lady a huge favor. Chun Yan was slightly dissatisfied and continued to speak sternly.

Baoqin didn't bother to pay attention to this girl in the nest, and Chunyan could only mutter a few words in front of her. When I walked out of the door, I saw some menacing figures. They would just close their eyes and block in front of me. They didn’t even know where the knife was coming from. Speaking of which, it is better than a tortoise.

Pulling the little maid to the bed, the two of them lay down. Chun Yan, who was not yet sleepy, turned sideways, looked at Bao Qin with bright eyes, and asked: Miss, is there really an academy in this world that only accepts daughters?

What, you want to go? Bao Qin joked, Miss, I have money on hand. If Chunyan wants to go, just nod and Miss will send you there directly.

That's not possible. Chun Yan lay down again and rested his chin on the back of his hands, I just suddenly felt that this Mr. Chen... is really a good man. No wonder the young lady is so fond of him.

When Baoqin heard this, he was angry. He directly raised his hand, slapped Chun Yan on the buttocks, and threatened: If you keep talking nonsense, see if I don't tear your mouth apart.

How could Chunyan be afraid of her? She just curled up and crawled into Baoqin's arms.

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The next day, the sky was clear and the wind was gentle.

Baoqin, who had changed her clothes again, asked Changqing a few questions about Xue Biao's situation and found out that her eldest brother was still asleep. So he directly took Chun Yan and took a few guards to look for Yunjian Academy.

This academy is already a famous place in Songjiang City. If you stop anyone on the road and ask, you'll be sure to find out. I stopped at a Shanxi bank on the way and waited until I got the banknote exchanged. Bao Qin couldn't wait to walk into the academy. Daiyu, who had been waiting for a long time, only heard the sound of her entrance. He quickly put down what he was doing and walked out to greet him with a smile.

You came very early, why didn't you ask me to go out to pick you up.

Where did my sister find the concierge? He is really strict. Baoqin smiled bitterly, If I hadn't shown the soles of my shoes just now, I would have thought I was some kind of slut, and he wouldn't have let me in.

Daiyu laughed, clapped her hands and explained: Blame me, blame me. If I had known this, I should have left you a door sticker last night.

Bao Qin couldn't help but nodded and said in agreement: It's really my sister's fault for almost blocking the boy who gave the money away.

That's a big opportunity missed. Daiyu suppressed her laughter before reaching out to hold Baoqin. He pulled her and slowly played around the pavilion. Occasionally when passing by a certain school, Mr. Lin would suppress his smile and show himself solemnly. Baoqin looked at it and exclaimed repeatedly: All the masters in the world are indeed the same.

Daiyu raised her hand and patted Baoqin on the shoulder, threatening: If you are naughty again, I will drag you here to study.

Wrong, wrong. Please show mercy to Chief Lin Shan. Baoqin quickly clasped his hands together and followed Daiyu's footsteps to an unengraved stone tablet.

Daiyu pointed at this stone tablet and said, Have you thought about it? Do you really want to leave a name for the shop? Don't you want to leave your own name?

Yeah. Baoqin smiled and nodded, There are so many celebrities in history. If there is one more Xue Baoqin, others may not be able to explore the ins and outs. But if there is one more Lanting Trading Company, and future generations will mention Wang Shusheng's Lanting Collection Preface, I'm afraid there will be many more You rarely think of us. This is called Zhanguang.

As the business grew bigger and bigger, the hastily chosen name was no longer enough. Baoqin thought again and again and changed the name of the shop to Lanting Trading Company.

Okay, it's all up to you. Daiyu said grandly. When she took over the academy from her husband, the first person she thought of was Baoqin, the female Fan Li.

Go back to the house quickly and help me find a way out for these children.

Okay. Baoqin took another look at the stone tablet and found it very interesting to think that the name of his shop should appear first on the first line.

The two chatted for a long time in the reception room of the academy when they met Yinglian and Qi Jun entering. The four of them had lunch together, and in the afternoon watched Yinglian and Qingwen's prostitute class.

After everything was done, just before dinner, Bao Qin led a group of people back to the inn, only to realize that Baochai had been waiting for them all day.

If you come back, hurry up and see her in her room. I'm looking at her, I'm afraid she might find you something.

Xue Biao, who woke up after noon, conveyed Baochai's message to his sister.

After all, he couldn't write two characters of Xue in one stroke. Baoqin nodded and just led Chunyan towards the courtyard of the single-family house. As soon as we arrived at the door, we saw the eagerly awaited Ying'er. When the latter saw the figure of the Xue family's master and servant, he hurriedly called to the room: Madam, it's Miss Tang who is here.

Qin'er. Someone called out from inside the house, and Baochai, who was dressed as a lady, walked out of the house eagerly.

Cousin. Baoqin responded with a smile, before she could stand still. Baochai had already looked at her outfit carefully and couldn't help but said, You are falling in love with this outfit even more now.

I'm away from home. Bao Qin explained with a smile. Following Baochai into the back room, the two sisters reunited after a long absence and just sat together. Baochai raised his hand to motion for the other to sit closer.

You are at ease now. I just heard that you were in Guangzhou a while ago, and in the blink of an eye, you are in Songjiang. Baochai held Baoqin's hand and said in an envious tone.

I just don't dare to go home, for fear of blaming my parents. Bao Qin showed a wry smile. People are most afraid of others saying that they are proud of themselves. The benefits of freedom are rotten in your own stomach. When others ask, this is suffering and that is tiring.

You deserve it. When you get home, you may not know what your aunt will say to you. Baochai nodded, took the teapot brought by Ying'er, and poured tea for her sister with a smile.

It should, it should. Bao Qin chuckled, sipping the tea slightly. As soon as she entered, she felt something was wrong. The taste of this tea doesn't look like it was made by the Jia family.

Sister Bao has loved drinking local tea from Jinling since she was a child, and the Jia family also loves drinking tribute tea with a more authentic and honest taste. But this tea tastes great. Although it is similar, it is slightly dry. Although it's much better than what's on the market, the taste is quite different from what I've had at Jia's before.

She blinked calmly and found out some details about the Jia family from here. I'm afraid life in the house is already very tight. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be hanging on to a daughter-in-law who is traveling far away on tea leaves. Such unimportant things can best reveal the condition of a home.

How is sister now? Baoqin couldn't help but ask.

Back then, she and Daiyu tried hard to persuade Baochai, but they still couldn't stop Baochai from marrying into the Jia family. Now that the other party finally got what he wanted, all he can do as a sister is to express concern at this moment.

Baochai smiled when he heard this, took a sip of tea as if no one else was watching, and said with a relaxed expression: Everything is fine. Your brother-in-law also likes to read more than before. When he has nothing to do, he will accompany me to listen to plays.

No matter what Baoyu was hiding in his heart, the couple's married life was just getting along. Baochai would not lose Baoyu's face at this moment.

As long as my brother-in-law can be nice to you. Baoqin was noncommittal, just slowly rubbing the edge of the tea cup with his fingertips.

The two talked about some interesting childhood stories. Baochai occasionally mentioned Baoqin's marriage, but she laughed and dealt with it. Halfway through the conversation, Baochai finally got down to business.

Qin'er, sister wants to ask you something.

What is it? Sister, just ask.

A few days ago, brother-in-law Chen introduced a business to your elder brother.

Brother-in-law Chen? Oh, it's my eldest brother. Bao Qin smiled and nodded, listening to Baochai continue to tell.

Brother Jia talked about this with him, and I didn't listen to the details. I only knew that they were going to do some spice business. This brother-in-law wanted our family to recruit people for a shop in Songjiang Prefecture. The council also strictly ordered us not to move our shop to Songjiang within five years.

The more Bao Qin listened, the more something felt wrong. The underlying meaning of Sister Bao's words always sounded a bit wrong.

Brother Jia came back very drunk that day and said some confusing things...

Bao Qin couldn't help but interrupted: If sister is worried, you can just ask Sister Lin directly. Your relationship with her is not bad.

Bao Qin really found it strange that with Daiyu's temperament, whenever a friend came to ask for something, there was no reason to extrapolate it. Sister Lin is only as good as her mouth. I'm actually very kind at the bottom of my heart. As long as Sister Bao recognizes Sister Lin's friendship, Bao Qin believes that Sister Lin also recognizes Sister Baobao.

Baochai was speechless for a moment, so she had to say: I was just thinking about asking her, but you just happened to be here. I can't write two characters of Xue in one stroke, shouldn't I ask you first?

Baoqin also understood a little bit, nodded and asked, Then what are you worried about?

This... Baochai hesitated, then said, Does my sister think the business introduced by brother-in-law Chen is reliable?

Baoqin took a breath after hearing this. Weird, really weird. Ordinarily, it is normal for people who make a living to have such worries. But these two families are both bright people, one represents the Huating County Government, and the other holds the status of the young master of the Rongguo Mansion. Both parties are people of high status.

Although the eldest brother is a bit evil, he will not play any role in this matter. If the news leaks out, it will be your own reputation that is damaged. There are so many ways to harm others in the world, so there is no need to risk your own good reputation.

Bao Qin shook his head secretly, unable to tell for a moment whether Baochai was simply worried or had something to say.

But one thing is, you can't run away. Being able to ask this question can only mean two things. Either the Jia family's life is already very difficult and they can't bear the trouble. Either Sister Bao has other plans and plans in mind.

It can't be Sister Bao's insight, because once you get married, it starts to become smaller and shallower.

Bao Qin couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he had to test: If sister is worried about eldest brother, there is no need. Most of our family's current business is his help. As long as he nods too much, it must be a matter of making money. .”

With your words, I feel relieved. Baochai couldn't help but clasp her hands, as if she had put down her worries for a long time.

Baoqin suppressed her thoughts and chatted silently with her for a while before standing up to leave.

On the way back, the more she thought about it, the more something was wrong. When he was going upstairs, he happened to catch up with Xue Biao changing his clothes and going out. Baoqin was stunned for a moment and asked, Where are you going, brother?

Xue Biao said angrily: Where can I go? Let's drink with my cousin and the others. Every day, when it comes to dinner, I have to make noises to get people to drink. If I had known this, it would be better to go to the abbot's house and have a drink together. It’s time to eat and drink tea.”

Bao Qin's eyebrows moved, and she leaned close to Xue Biao's ear on the corridor and whispered: Brother, please help me with something tonight.

Seeing Xue Biao blinking, Bao Qin continued: Go and help me find out and ask, who is in charge of the Jia family now? Who has the final say on my cousin's business in Songjiang?

Okay. After hearing his sister's instructions, Xue Pan couldn't help but smile, What a coincidence, that Xue Pan told me yesterday that he wanted to talk to me about this matter.

Bao Qin nodded and hurriedly warned, Drink less, I'll wait for you to come back.

Okay, sister, please wait for me in the house. Xue Biao waved his hand and went downstairs directly carrying his robe. As he was about to leave the door, his muttering was still faintly heard.

It's really not good to drink like this every day. I'll move to Zhixing tomorrow.

Come as promised, come as promised. Coding is such a joy.