Chapter 827: Raising funds for charity, all the beauties gathered in Xiangwu
But after Xue Baochai left Xiyun Pavilion, she couldn't help feeling regretful.
Because Aunt Xue caught a cold a few days ago, Xue Pan took both mother and daughter back to Zijin Street to take care of them.
Seeing that Aunt Xue was in good health, Baochai couldn't stand her sister-in-law's behavior, so she returned to Rongguo Mansion alone.
Who would have thought that I would encounter such a farce.
If I had known this earlier, I should have endured it for a few more days to avoid being caught up in this storm.
But after all, it turns out that Wang Xifeng is too short-sighted.
If she was willing to take the initiative to distribute the money to her family, who here would dare to refuse her kindness?
By then, the position of the mistress of the house will be as secure as a rock. Wouldn't it be better than just guarding a pile of silver and attracting jealousy and criticism?
Because they were all thinking about Wang Xifeng's matter, the master and servants didn't say much along the way. When they entered the corner gate of the Grand View Garden, they saw someone waiting by the roadside with a lantern.
Ying'er, who was leading the way, raised the lantern in her hand a little higher, leaned forward to look around, and asked in a loud voice, "Is that sister here?"
"I don't dare to call you Sister Ying'er!"
There was a crisp response from the front, and the two lanterns swayed towards them. When they came closer, they imitated Ying'er and raised them high, immediately revealing two smiling oval faces - the one in the lead was Cuilu beside Shi Xiangyun.
Cuilu bowed slightly to Xue Baochai behind her and said with a smile, "Miss, you are finally back. Come with us!"
Seeing her being so mysterious without any beginning or end, Xue Baochai raised her eyebrows and said in a half-seriously and half-fake way, "What are you and your servant doing in the dead of night? If you won't explain it clearly, I will go back to Hengwu Courtyard."
"Don't worry!"
Cuilu was used to joking around, so how could she be frightened by her words? She continued to laugh and said, "This is a good thing to do and accumulate virtue, how can we leave you out?"
Seeing that Xue Baochai was unmoved and was about to go to Hengwu Courtyard, Cuilu hurriedly revealed the truth.
However, they heard that the imperial court had set up a donation box and even the Empress Defei in the palace donated 500 taels of her own money. Shi Xiangyun and Jia Tanchun then started to make arrangements to raise some money in the name of the poetry club.
Xue Baochai couldn't help but frown when she heard this, and asked in surprise, "Why are they the two taking the lead? Where is the eldest sister-in-law?"
Although Shi Xiangyun is the most lively among the sisters, for such matters, it is better to invite a steady and older host.
"The eldest young lady may have eaten something difficult to digest at noon today, and she is still recovering At that time, she didn't know you would come back today, so our young lady and the third young lady can set up the stage first."
When Xue Baochai heard that Li Wan was also claiming to be sick and was at home, she was suddenly surprised, but then she didn't take it seriously.
Li Wan's behavior was obviously to avoid suspicion, so that Wang Xifeng would not think that she was taking the opportunity to seize power.
It was just that Wang Xifeng had just claimed to be sick, and she followed suit, which made it seem too deliberate - even if she had not thought of this originally, she was probably thinking about it more now.
However, as the green silk thread walked away for more than ten steps, Xue Baochai's heart moved again: Could it be that Li Wan's action was to attract other people's attention?
Thinking of this, Xue Baochai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Such a good family had to cause so many twists and turns. Even this seemingly peaceful Grand View Garden was filled with disturbances.
Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, she slightly quickened her pace and asked Cuilu about the rules of this "fundraising" activity.
They were originally afraid that Shi Xiangyun would act recklessly and hurt the relationship between the sisters.
But after asking about the various measures in detail, it turned out that all the rules and regulations were in order, and the smell of money was deliberately concealed under poetry, books, rituals and music, so as to avoid .
After hearing this, Xue Baochai realized that she had underestimated the third girl in the past - Shi Xiangyun would never be so thorough in her actions, so it was naturally Jia Tanchun's credit.
It's a pity that she was born into the wrong family with such a clever mind - when Jia Zheng and Aunt Zhao come back in a while, who knows what kind of trouble they will cause.
As she was sighing, she saw that Nuanxiangwu was not far ahead. Xue Baochai suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "I heard that the Xing family's sister returned home yesterday?"
After getting Ying'er's affirmative answer, Xue Baochai secretly said "not good" in her heart, because it turned out that although Jia Tanchun's arrangements took into account the uneven wealth of the sisters to a certain extent, they still required some money as a foundation.
Xing Xiuyan's monthly salary was not much, and she also had to support her parents...
Especially since this gathering was chosen to be held in Xichun's Nuanxiangwu, Xing Xiuyun had no way to avoid it. If Yingchun and Xiangyun had not thought it through, it would have been a great loss of face for her.
Thinking of this, Xue Baochai quickly quickened her pace and urged Cuilu to hurry to Nuanxiangwu.
When they arrived at Nuanxiangwu, they heard laughter in the hall. Xue Baochai slowed down her pace, and when she reached the door, she suddenly lifted the curtain and said in a feigned anger, "You have done something so great while I was away!"
All the girls, including Baoyu, were startled at first, but then when they saw that it was her, they all came around laughing and making noises.
Shi Xiangyun was the closest to her. She grabbed her frozen wrist and said jokingly, "Okay, okay, now our big money sponsor has arrived. We have a place to put the money!"
Then, he asked about Aunt Xue's illness.
When Xue Baochai heard this, she realized that the fundraising had not yet started, and she felt a little relieved.
He answered everyone's concerns one by one, then found an excuse to call Jia Tanchun to a corner and asked in a low voice, "Has Sister Xing made all the arrangements for the fundraising this time?"
Tanchun was pulled aside by her. She was a little puzzled at first, but when she heard her asking about this, she couldn't help but chuckle and quickly covered her mouth and said, "Sister, you are worrying too much this time. Don't forget that the second brother of the Sun family is very generous. Since you are living in his house, how can you return empty-handed?"
At this point, he hurriedly reminded, "But Sister Bao, please remember not to mention the second brother of the Sun family in front of her."
Without waiting for Xue Baochai to ask any questions, she whispered in her ear how the Xing family intended to form a marriage alliance, but after being rejected by Jia Yingchun, they proposed to take a concubine instead.
After hearing this, Xue Baochai couldn't help but groan inwardly.
She thought so highly of Xing Xiuyan, firstly because she respected her character of being untainted by the world; secondly, she was attracted by her and planned to find a match for her cousin Xue Ke.
Now that this has happened, no matter how much Xue Ke likes Xing Xiuyan, he would not be able to bring up the matter again because of the Sun family.
The same goes for the second brother of the Sun family. There are so many beauties in his family, and now he is about to have another one, Ping'er, but why is he still not satisfied and is thinking about Xing Xiuyun again?
“Good sister!”
Just as he was complaining in his heart, someone behind him shouted: "Save your whispers for tomorrow, I can't wait to show off my skills now!"
But Baoyu became impatient and grabbed the brush, ready to take the first place.
Xue Baochai turned around and was about to answer, but Lin Daiyu beside her had already interrupted and sneered, "Yes, if Sister Bao delays any longer, how can I have another chance to show off my ugliness?"
The sisters laughed in unison, and Baochai joined in. She secretly glanced at Xing Xiuyun and saw that her words and actions were no different from before. She felt even more sorry for Xue Ke.
