It was a coincidence that this day was Xue Baochai's stay at Tanchun Xichun Courtyard and he only returned home after dark.

When I entered the door, I saw my mother, who was rarely dressed neatly. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch with her face full of emotions, looking at her with mixed emotions, not knowing whether she was happy or sad.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Baochai took off her cloak, stepped forward and nestled on her mother's shoulders, curiously asking: "Did aunt say anything to you again today?"

"My son."

Aunt Xue took advantage of the situation and hugged her daughter's shoulders, and said helplessly: "I didn't say anything else. I just said that when we talk about the mortgage the next day, in addition to the few of us, Brother Shun will also be present - it's about the tire business.

He knows best."

Xue Baochai's face darkened at first when he heard this, and then he felt relieved. After all, he had already guessed that his aunt was going to climb a new branch, and now it was completely fulfilled.

She took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her mother's forehead, and said with a smile: "There's no need to mobilize so much. Our family has been protected by my aunt for so many years, no matter how tight we are, we still have to scrape together this money."

Come."

After a pause, he brought up the old matter again: "It's about our family moving to the old house on Zijin Street. I can take the opportunity to mention it to my aunt."

"this……"

Although Aunt Xue was not scheming, she also knew why her sister asked Jiao Shun to attend. At this time, hearing the refusal in her daughter's words, she couldn't help but persuade her: "You must have seen what your aunt meant."

, if you ask me, this Shun brother is not as good as Baoyu, and he can be said to be a good match."

Aunt Xue had said this before, and Baochai did not refute it at that time.

But this time she shook her head slightly: "Brother Bao has his own blessings, what does it have to do with us? But this Master Jiao..."

After a slight hesitation, she sat up straight and said seriously: "Mom also knows that I have been corresponding with Mr. Jiao in my brother's name for more than a year. I have learned a lot from those letters recently."

When she originally corresponded with Jiao Shun, she only paid attention to the management methods mentioned above. At most, she lamented that Jiao Shun was able to achieve things that no one had thought of before.

But since she discovered that Mrs. Wang's attitude had changed, her subconscious regard for Jiao Shun had invisibly risen to a higher level.

In my free time these days, I often take out my old letters and read them, and my attention shifts from the so-called management methods to understanding Jiao Shun's character from the smallest details.

Xue Baochai is a very intelligent and perceptive person, and he is always able to observe words and colors and see subtle things. After careful consideration, he discovered many details that he had not noticed before.

Just listen to her eloquent words: "If we look at it from a literary perspective, Jiao Shun has a loyal and cunning appearance. He is reckless on the outside but cunning on the inside. He seems to be in harmony with the light and dust, but he has many deviant and ulterior thoughts. However, he is also a domestic slave.

Entering an official position as a fortunate minister will not be tolerated by scholars..."

"These people may rise or fall suddenly in the future, but they will never be able to follow the rules and abide by their duties. It is okay to be a helper, but if they become close friends by marriage, it will be unpredictable."

"It would be fine if my brother could live up to his expectations. I will be the only one to bear any trouble. But according to my brother's current temperament, if we really get married, our family will most likely become a vassal of the Jiao family. We will be prosperous by accompanying him."

It’s all a loss.”

"It would be fine if he wins the bet then, but if he loses the bet..."

At this point, she shook her head again, and there seemed to be something unspeakable in her face and eyes.

Baochai's analysis is naturally biased due to the limitations of the times, but in general it still portrays the "unruly" and "greedy" in Jiao Shun's heart that are unique to the time traveler.

Aunt Xue was dumbfounded after hearing this, and after a long while she said dryly: "This, this can't be possible, right? Don't they all say that Brother Shun has a bright future if he gets the Holy Family? Why..."

As she said that, she shook her head in disbelief, stared at her daughter and asked, "Is it really as dangerous as you say?"

Xue Baochai smiled helplessly: "Although I am not completely sure, there is only a 30% chance of such a thing, and we have no reason to use our lives to cover it."

Aunt Xue was silent again.

She was still dubious about her daughter's judgment, but she would rather believe it or not in this kind of thing.

After pondering for a long time, she finally nodded and said: "Come on, let's move out as soon as possible. There is no shortage of young talents in the capital. Let's take our time to find a good match."

"Mother!"

Baochai breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, and she hugged him and became dissatisfied.

The mother and daughter were arguing for a while, and Aunt Xue became more and more fragrant and sweaty, so she peeled off her pampered body and came out, wrapped her chest and abdomen with a blanket, stretched out her long nephrite legs wrapped in smoke, and said worriedly: "

Even so, how should you refuse your aunt's kindness? Could it be that what you just said..."

"Absolutely not!"

Xue Baochai quickly objected: "How dare this kind of people offend him randomly? What should we do if he gains power in the future?"

After thinking for a while, she added: "Actually, my daughter is still waiting to be chosen, so we shouldn't talk about marriage in the first place."

"My son!"

This time, Aunt Xue was anxious. She grabbed her daughter's snow-carved wrist and said: "They say that once you enter the palace, it is as deep as the sea. I can't bear to let you..."

Baochai interrupted again helplessly: "Mom, this is just an excuse. Why do you take it seriously?"

"It's okay if it's not true, it's okay if it's not true."

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, patted her heavy chest and said, "It's not easy for your aunt to go to the palace for a visit. If you really go to the palace, I'm afraid I'll cry my eyes out and I won't be able to see you again."

Baochai smiled, becoming more and more tired of her mother.

After a moment of tenderness, she suggested again: "It would be best for us to go over there early tomorrow morning. Since we don't want to start this fight, we should show our attitude early. It would not be nice to wait until we meet in person."

Aunt Xue agreed wholeheartedly.

A night of silence.

The next day, mother and daughter finished breakfast and rushed to Mrs. Wang's house together.

I originally wanted to use the alternative excuse to propose moving to the old house on Zijin Street, and then say that after several days of raising money, I had collected a sum of money, so that Mrs. Wang would not have to worry about it.

Mrs. Wang is also smart, and it should not be difficult to understand the meaning of this. By then, the messy affairs will naturally be settled.

But before I even thought about entering, I found that the atmosphere in the courtyard was very strange. None of the maids dared to express their anger, and even the respectable old nanny was silent.

Not to mention Baochai, even Aunt Xue, who had always been slow to notice, could tell something was wrong. She couldn't help but slow down her steps and look at her daughter beside her.

Baochai immediately reminded in a low voice: "You're here, I have to go in and take a look. But mom, don't speak in a hurry. If something big happens in this house, we can't make more trouble."

Aunt Xue nodded in agreement, and then mother and daughter entered the main room.

When Mrs. Wang saw her mother and daughter, she showed some embarrassment on her face. She asked them to sit down, she started to speak but stopped with a long sigh, and even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes showed a sad look.

Baochai's words before entering the door were also reminding her mother not to be troublesome.

But Aunt Xue couldn't restrain her concern when she saw her sister was so worried, and asked: "Sister, is there something wrong at home?"

As she spoke, she thought of something else, and hurriedly pressed her body forward, pressing Yushan's pair of consciences against the Kang table, and asked nervously: "Could it be that something happened to the eldest sister's marriage visit?"

When discussing the current major events in Rongguo Mansion, this is naturally the most important topic.

Mrs. Wang originally thought that her mother and daughter suddenly came to the door early in the morning because they must have heard some rumors. Now that she saw Aunt Xue making random speculations, her face immediately softened a lot.

She shook her head slightly and said with a wry smile: "The marriage proposal has not been approved yet, but it should be soon - I am really worried about Baoyu. He had two more drinks yesterday and came here to cause trouble again at night. It's so big

Even the master was alarmed at night."

Just as he was talking, a servant woman rushed in in a panic. Just when she opened her mouth to report something, she saw Aunt Xue and her daughter in the queue, and she clutched the handkerchief and started to falter again.

When Xue Baochai saw this, he was about to find an excuse to escape with his mother. Unexpectedly, a little maid stumbled in from outside. She must have been running in a hurry all the way. When she came in, she stooped her waist and held her knees, sweating profusely.

I was panting and speechless.

When Mrs. Wang saw this, she immediately became angry. She slapped the table and yelled: "I usually don't argue with you, but you are more and more satisfied. Do you still have any rules like this?!"

The maid was frightened and screamed subconsciously: "Madam, Jin, sister Jinchuan, she jumped into the well and committed suicide!"

"What?!"

Mrs. Wang stood up straight first, and then she sat back down with her legs weak. The color on her face disappeared completely. She counted the beads with trembling hands and kept chanting the word "sin" in her mouth.

Aunt Xue was also surprised when she heard this, and couldn't help but ask: "Is it the golden necklace in this house? How could she throw herself into a well..."

"Aunt."

Xue Baochai thought of Mrs. Cai Wang saying that Baoyu was causing trouble at night, and also thought that Jin Chuan had recently been obsessed with Baoyu, and he had some vague speculations in his mind. He quickly intercepted his mother's words and said: "The maids are always very naughty, and they may not be doing it on purpose.

He jumped into the well, maybe he accidentally slipped and fell in while playing around the well."

As he said that, he scolded the elder and the younger with a straight face: "How can such things be spread out based on rumors? It's no wonder that my wife said you have no rules! If the whole house is talking nonsense like this, wouldn't it cause trouble out of thin air?"

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she immediately understood and knew that the most important thing at this time was to block public opinion, so she stood up from the kang table and said: "Yes, please spread the word now so that no one can discuss it without permission!"

After a pause, he then ordered: "Let Zhou Rui's wife come over and take a look. After all, she is the one who has served me. She can handle whatever needs to be done. Don't wait for her to die."

Wait for the two maids and servants to take orders and exit.

Mrs. Wang walked to Baochai, took her hand and praised her without saying anything: "Baochai, thanks to your decisiveness and sense just now, if you let them spread it randomly, it will ruin the reputation of the house. If it affects

I don’t know how to explain it in front of the old lady and the master.”

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed: "Yesterday, because she was gossiping about my words outside, I got angry and beat her a few times and kicked her out. I thought I would pick her back up in two days, but I didn't expect...

"

At this point, I don't know whether it was because of my true feelings or because my eyes were red.

"Auntie is a philanthropic person, so that's why she thinks so." Seeing this, Xue Baochai hurriedly comforted her and said, "She is used to being restricted at the top. When she goes out, she naturally wants to go around and play. How can she be so grand?

That’s right! Even if she was so generous and jumped into a well, it only proves that she is a fool, which is not a pity.”

Mrs. Wang nodded and sighed: "Although you say this, I still feel uneasy."

Baochai smiled nonchalantly and said, "Auntie, there is no need to miss her so much, but if I reward her with a few taels of silver and send her away, it will be regarded as fulfilling my duty as a master and servant."

Mrs. Wang nodded slightly: "As of now, it can only be like this."

Because she suddenly heard that Jin Chuan had jumped into a well and died, she was confused and panicked for a while, but now she got a few words of explanation from Xue Baochai and gradually calmed down.

Thinking of Baoyu coming to see her hurriedly yesterday, making a fuss about not promising Sister Bao to Jiao Shun, and thinking about how just now Baochai was calm in the face of danger, and his few words not only helped to resolve the dispute, but also did not violate any rules...

Finally, looking at Baochai's sweet and considerate appearance, Mrs. Wang's determination suddenly wavered.

The main reason why Mrs. Wang wanted to climb up Gaozhi'er before was naturally because of the sharp rise in the price of gems.

But on the other hand, it was also because Mrs. Wang was vaguely aware that Baoyu was very repulsive to this golden match, so she simply went along with the situation.

But Baoyu's eager look yesterday broke this impression.

Although Baochai's performance just now could not completely offset the temptation of "climbing high branches", it also added a lot of weight to Mrs. Wang's heart.

Just when he was hesitating, the Zhou Rui family hurriedly came over again, but they were not in a hurry to enter the house. They just held a handkerchief outside the door and pretended to wipe their sweat while glancing at the Xue family's mother and daughter.

"You old bastard!"

At this time, Mrs. Wang would no longer avoid her sister and niece. She immediately turned back to the Arhat bed and shouted outside: "If anything happens, why don't you come in and report it!"

Zhou Rui's family understood, and then they quickly passed the threshold and cautiously reported: "Jin Chuan's family has taken the person back, and I have already given all the instructions. Her parents knew that she slipped and fell into the well, so they only said that this girl's life was

If you have little fortune, you can’t blame others.”

"Amitabha."

Mrs. Wang recited the Buddha's name, wiped her tears and said: "Although it is because of her naughty nature, she was raised by me since she was a child. You can send fifty taels of silver to her home, and let's see which of the girls makes a new work."

Clothes, get two sets to wrap her up and bury her."

"this……"

Zhou Rui's family hesitated for a moment, wondering why: "This year's winter clothes were all distributed in October, but the old lady saw that Miss Lin was thin, so she ordered two more ones, and now she hasn't had time to wear them...

…Do you see?”

Mrs. Wang frowned, shook her head and said: "Girl Lin has always been a thoughtful person. Besides, she has been in trouble all the time. This dress was personally appreciated by the old lady. If she uses it to wrap someone else's makeup, I'm afraid

The old lady doesn’t like it, and she herself is taboo.”

After a pause, he couldn't help but sigh: "If it were another girl, just reward her with a few taels of silver. But even though Jin Chuan'er is a girl, she is almost as good as my daughter in front of me - now

I had to ask the tailor to make two pieces in a hurry."

As she spoke, she shed tears again.

Baochai said hurriedly: "I made two sets for my ex. Wouldn't it be easier to give them to her? Besides, she also wore my old clothes when she was alive, and her stature is pretty much the same."

Mrs. Wang said: "Even so, don't you feel taboo?"

Baochai smiled and said: "Don't worry, aunt, I never care about these things."

As he spoke, he got up and walked out.

Mrs. Wang hurriedly called two people to follow Miss Bao, and then escorted her out of the house in person. Seeing Xue Baochai disappear outside the courtyard, the balance in her heart became four [Baochai] and six [High Branches].

After returning to the house and chatting with Aunt Xue for a few words, I suddenly remembered that mother and daughter came here this morning, and I don't know why.

So I asked Aunt Xue why she came.

Aunt Xue was not a scheming person to begin with, and without Baochai as her backbone, she barely managed to support her with a few words, but in the end she gave up.

I heard from my sister that the money has been raised, and she also said that she would move to Zijin Street and wait for selection.

Mrs. Wang felt bad in her heart, feeling ashamed and sore at the same time.

Without the foreshadowing of the previous events, she would have probably accepted the situation, but now these words had the effect of retreating into advancement.

Thinking that Baochai would have to find another good match from now on, all the good things she had done in her life came to the fore in Mrs. Wang's heart.

The more she thought about it, the more reluctant she was to give up. She couldn't help but pull Aunt Xue to persuade her: "What are you doing moving out at this juncture? Don't you want to meet my eldest sister?"

After a pause, he added: "Besides, it's freezing cold here. If we really want to move, we can wait until spring next year before making any plans."

In the end, Mrs. Wang still couldn't let go of the high branches and thought about it, so she deliberately left some room to spare time to consider carefully.

Just this time...
Chapter completed!