Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 37 The money-grubbing mother and daughter (two in one)

Ning Mansion, in the You family courtyard.

"Mother and sister are leaving now, and I told you to stay for two more days!"

While Youshi was speaking, he quickly ordered the maid beside him to arrange the carriage frame.

After all, there is no blood relationship. Two years after You married into the You family, You married into the Ningguo Mansion. Three years later, his father also passed away. The two younger sisters were also brought here as spoilers. There was no family relationship between the two parties at all.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have left a polite word until they were about to leave.

Madam You said with a smile: "Your wife is not feeling well. She is in charge of such a large family business alone, so we won't bother her. Besides, there are clothes and quilts hanging in the yard at home, so we have to go back and pick them up."

He paused and then said: "It's better to ask the carriage to go directly to the back door. It's not convenient to run to the front yard!"

You Shi reluctantly agreed, and then called back to the servant girl to order the carriage to wait at the back door.

Instead, he said: "Mother and the second sister should think about it again. Although I can't afford you to wear gold and silver clothes, food and clothing are still not a problem."

He said and handed over a purse.

Mrs. You smiled and said no, she reached out her hand to hold the purse tightly, and pulled and pushed it into her arms.

This was also a helpless move by You. She was from a small family and had another marriage, even though she was the mistress of the Ning Mansion.In fact, some of the respectable servants in the house didn't take her seriously, yet they had such a money-grubbing stepmother.

Having found out the roots of the Lai family by knocking around in the house, I was already very excited, and now I need a carriage to pick him up at the back door, probably because I want to stop by to see the Lai family's mansion.

If his sister really gave Lai Shangrong as his concubine, he would not be able to hold his head high in the Ning Mansion in the future.

Went to the back door and exchanged a few words with each other.

Madam You led Second Sister You and Third Sister You into the car.

Madam You lifted the door curtain of the car, looked over and saw You turning back, and said to the coachman, "The Lai family's house is said to be on the back street, do you know where it is?"

"Are you talking about Butler Lai of Xifu?" He pointed to the other side of the street: "Hey! It's over there!"

"Let's go, drive over and take a look!"

"Hey! Sit tight!"

After sitting back in the car, I took a virtual pat on Sister You, who was looking out the window.

"What are you looking at? You're not afraid of making people laugh!"

Third Sister You flattened Cherry's little mouth and sneered: "You don't want to see what we're doing here if we don't go back!"

As he spoke, a pair of almond-shaped eyes stared straight into You Lao Niang's arms.

"How much silver did Eldest Sister give us today? I saw a bracelet the other day..."

"Bah!" Before she could finish speaking, Mrs. You spit out, "You don't need this money. If it wasn't for the second sister, would your elder sister give it to you? Besides, it's only ten or twenty taels, which is not enough for you to buy a bracelet." of."

"Eldest sister is too stingy! She is not as generous as Mr. Qin!"

"Shh!"

Mrs. You pointed outside the car.

While talking, she felt the carriage moving forward slowly, and Mrs. You lost her interest in bickering. She hurriedly opened the curtain on the side of the car facing Lai's house, and called Sister You to look in the direction pointed by the driver.

The third sister You was preempted from the favorable terrain and couldn't get close, so she had no choice but to push aside the curtain on the other side.

When the carriage was about to reach the back door of Rong Mansion, a man and a woman were suddenly seen coming out of it.

"Hey!~Hey!~Second sister, come and see if this is the one..."

He hastily raised the car curtain with one hand, and pulled it behind him with the other.

"You little hooves are going to die! Why are you touching my body!" You said angrily.

"Second sister, come and see, isn't this the one named Lai!"

When Sanjie You saw Lai Shangrong, Lai Shangrong also noticed this Ning Mansion carriage.

In ancient times, lanterns with markings would be hung on carriages, so it was not difficult to identify them. However, due to the angle, he could not see clearly what was going on inside the carriage. He could only vaguely see someone inside through the raised curtains.

He probably didn't care which relative he was sending it to.

Unexpectedly, as the car approached, a head poked out of it.

"Hey! It's really you!"

Lai Shangrong looked up and saw that it was Sister You San's pretty face that was happy and angry, but her clothes suddenly became loose. What was going on?
It turned out that when Sanjie You saw Lai Shangrong, she suggested to her mother and sister that instead of seeing the real thing from a distance, they should take the opportunity to go into the house and take a closer look.

Mrs. You wished this was the case, but Second Sister You was shy and did not agree. Third Sister You was very hot-tempered, and she would not give up when she had an idea. Hastily let go.

Since they are sisters from the You family, there is no need to avoid suspicion, after all, they have been rubbed together, so let's see what is the matter.

While staring into the curtain, he smiled and said, "It turns out to be the sister of the You family. I wonder where she is going?"

"Go home!" Sanjie You replied casually.

"It's rare to come out and take the sisters around!" You Lao Niang walked out of the car and walked to the car's shaft. She asked, knowingly: "What a coincidence. Does Mr. Lai live nearby?"

Ignoring the strange look from the coachman, he turned to the inside of the car and said, "Second sister! Why don't you come out and say hello to Uncle Lai!"

Lai Shangrong didn't know that the You family was in the southeast of Ning Mansion and that the car was going in the opposite direction to the west, so he saluted Mrs. You.

He pointed across the street and said, "Live right across the street!"

"Hey! This house looks quite small from the outside!"

"It's okay! It's okay!"

Lai Shangrong said modestly and saw Second Sister You lifting the curtain and coming out.

"Uncle Lai!"

She gave a slight blessing to Lai Shangrong, and looked at Lai Shangrong with two watery peach eyes, with a shy look that was about to speak.

Lai Shangrong's eyes also lit up. Because he was standing in the car, his slender willow waist was at eye level, and for a while he couldn't move his eyes away.

Seeing that Mrs. You didn't say goodbye and left, she was happy to chat with her and ask questions about why she was here and why she was leaving in such a hurry.

The mother and her daughter were chatting with the foreign man on the street, which was only possible because of the You family's family background.

After all, it was summer, so I thought You Lao Niang was too embarrassed to leave as soon as they met because of Qin Ye's face.

But after chatting for a long time, I saw the mother and daughter on the carriage shaft, their heads were sweating, but they still remained motionless.

He tentatively said, "Either go to my place and have a cup of tea before leaving?"

Mrs. You waved her hand and smiled, "That's so embarrassing!"

But then the conversation changed: "But my mouth is really dry after talking for a long time!"

The coachman reluctantly pulled the carriage into the gate of Lai's house, and Lai Shangrong immediately asked the You family's mother and daughter to get out of the car.

He was so sophisticated that he knew that time had been wasted and that the coachman was unhappy even though he didn't say anything. He took two pieces of broken silver in his arms and threw one to the coachman and the other to his concierge.

Mistakes must be punished and merits must be rewarded. Si Qi came over today and did a good job in keeping secrets, so of course he must be rewarded.

Wangcai and Ningfu's coachman took the money and hurriedly thanked them.

Lai Shangrong took Qingwen and greeted the You family mother and daughter to the main hall of the main house.Mrs. You's eyes originally shone when she saw how generous he was, but when she arrived at the main hall, she found it deserted, and her face grew long without realizing it.

He secretly thought, thanks to the third sister's cleverness, if she hadn't come in to take a look, she would have been confused by the scene outside.

Lai Shangrong's attention was not on her, so he naturally didn't notice this detail. He didn't live here on weekdays, so he seemed a bit deserted. He asked Qingwen to make tea and invited them to sit down.

Third Sister You was also puzzled. Could it be that someone outside the Lai family was a powerful person?

She has a straightforward character and asked hurriedly: "Why are there so few servants in such a big place?"

Lai Shangrong said with a smile: "I usually live in the garden at the back because I want to be clean. This yard has always been vacant. I only have a few servants to sweep it."

Madam You suddenly burst into laughter.

Regretfully: "What a pity that such a big house is vacant!"

I was thinking about how I would beg Bai Lai to live in her house when Lai Shangrong accepted her second sister.

The second sister is still sensible, and the happiness for the rest of her life will have to fall on her.Unlike the third girl, who dreams of being a real wife all day long, how can she know that poor and humble couples have everything to suffer from, and that status is not as secure as money.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Sister You and saw her sitting aside with her head lowered and her face red, as if she were invisible, and he suddenly felt angry.

The girl next to Lai Shangrong is also good in appearance and figure. Her silly and silly appearance may not be able to attract his heart. If she is half as clever as the third sister, there is no need for her to worry about it.

Thinking of this, seeing anxious in his eyes, he gave Third Sister You wild winks, wanting to remind her that Second Sister You is the protagonist, and let her not steal her sister's limelight.

Sanjie You misunderstood when she saw the look in her mother's eyes, thinking that it would be more serious to ask her to stop talking nonsense and observe more.

Then he smiled and said: "I wonder how the garden at Uncle Lai's house is worse than the Huifang Garden at my brother-in-law's house? Why don't you take us to see it!"

Of course, Lai Shangrong had no reason to disagree. He called Qingwen and led the You family mother and daughter to the back garden.

"Bah! You're still thirsty. I think you're here to see some furniture!"

Qingwen looked at the undrinked tea that had just been served, muttered something, and stomped her feet to catch up.

Although the Lai family's garden is less than half the area of ​​the Grand View Garden, it is not much smaller than the Huifang Garden in the Ning Mansion.

If it weren't for the problem of money and area, we would even plan to have the Grand View Garden come out ahead of schedule.

The residence where he studies daily is located in the center of the garden, next to the lotus pond in the garden. Several small courtyards scattered around are reserved in advance for the Jinchai people.

After all, I didn't want to wrong them when I moved from the Grand View Garden to my home!

The sight of pavilions, waterside pavilions, small bridges, flowing water, green pines and green cypresses dazzled the mother and daughter of the You family. After walking around for more than half an hour, Lai Shangrong was a little overwhelmed, but they were still very interested.

"It's almost done. Why don't I go and order the servants to prepare food?"

Lai Shangrong originally just thought they were just hanging around, but now that it was getting late, he didn't even eat lunch and took turns consuming it. He couldn't bear it and just felt dizzy. Even though Second Sister You and Third Sister You were dripping with sweat, he was no longer in the mood to appreciate them.

"No! No! There are still clothes hanging at home!"

Although Mrs. You wished she could live there directly, she also knew that it would be hard to stay any longer.

Lai Shangrong put the three people on the carriage all the way, looked at the direction the carriage was going, and turned back thoughtfully.

"Uncle!" The concierge Wangcai bowed and came closer.

"I had tea with the driver of the Ning Mansion earlier, and he told me that this family even asked him about our family!"

"Ok?"

Inquiring about your own home?

Before, he thought it was strange that the You family's mother and daughter behaved abnormally.

We spent a long time chatting with him on the street in the summer. As soon as he tried it out, he followed him in to drink tea, and then asked to go to the garden.

The two parties had only met once, and they were married women, so they obviously had a close friendship.

I thought they were used to Fengyue and didn't shy away from this, but now I think it's not that simple.

Combined with the Qin family's attitude towards Qin Ye's banquet, could it be that he wants to match himself and the You family sisters?
The more I think about it, the more possible it seems. After all, from what I know, Mrs. You and Mrs. You are both connected to Qin Ye, so it would not be so abrupt to arrange the second sister You and the third sister You.

Although the You sisters are not bad in appearance, if they want him to marry her as their official wives, they would not be willing to do so, and even their parents would not be able to pass the test.

Regardless of whether they are perfect or not, it is not difficult to see from the Qin family's banquet that at least they have shortcomings. It doesn't matter if they take concubines. How can they hold their heads high in the officialdom as the head wife.

What's more, my parents expect to marry a noble daughter and completely change the family.

As for taking concubines, Lai Shangrong still has self-knowledge. Although You’s family is small, Eryou is Jia Zhen’s nominal sister-in-law after all. It is impossible to hold a position as a candidate and he was born as a slave in the Jia family.

Combining the above information, it is not difficult to conclude that Lai Shangrong.

Most likely, Qin Ye intends to match up, but the You family's mother and daughter still have concerns, so they made the move to inquire about their own family.

No wonder Third Sister You said clearly that she was going home, but the carriage went in the opposite direction. She just wanted to see her own mansion before making a decision.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help regretting that I shouldn't have invited them into the mansion to drink tea and go shopping in the garden.

Most people who have seen Red Mansions know that Mrs. You is greedy for money, otherwise they would not let their two daughters be taken advantage of.

With this operation, I was undoubtedly showing off my wealth and scratched her itch.

"Ugh!"

He sighed and scratched his head.

If I hadn't seen Miss You Er's slim waist at that time and wanted to bring her to her home for a close encounter, how could I have gotten into this trouble?

Pan You'an's matter was also due to his own uncertainty, otherwise there would be no such trouble.

Fortunately, Xue Pan made such a fuss and gave him a reason to replace the old story. Otherwise, if Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang insist on killing Pan Youan, Siqi will definitely be angry with him. By then, he is afraid that disaster is not far away, let alone those who have worked hard. Set up.

After thinking about it, he unconsciously returned to his residence in the park.

"Uncle! Why did you change the sheets?"

Just as she was about to call Qingwen to prepare dinner, she heard her questioning.

"Uh!... It got dirty when I slept at noon!" Lai Shangrong said perfunctorily.

Can I not change it?

Not only was it muddy, but it was also dotted with plum blossoms.

Fortunately, he still knew where the things in the house were placed, so he told Siqi to replace them before leaving the house.

However, the bed sheet was not in the room. Could it be that Si Qi took it away?
Could it be that you want to keep evidence of guilt?But now that things are done, I think there should be no future troubles.

Qingwen looked at Lai Shangrong and asked, "Master, when have you been so diligent and changed the sheets yourself?"

Lai Shangrong secretly said that he was careless!

"Hey! You little hooves, you are becoming more and more unruly, and you are now interrogating me!"

Then he covered his stomach and said miserably: "My stomach hurts badly, I haven't eaten all day, why don't you go to the kitchen and get some food!"

The misfortune was still effective. Qingwen remembered that he had not eaten at noon, so she forgot to ask questions and rushed out.

(End of this chapter)