Last time, because of Mrs. Zhang's instructions, Huangfu sang for a few days in a row. Lin Daiyu also read the whole book of "Yanyun Pavilion", very satisfied, just remembering the old father, thinking that Zhang Hui was in Yangzhou, and he would be able to come to Nanjing for the reunion of father and daughter in two days, and he was looking forward to joy; However, fortunately, it was my cousin Zhang Hui who went to Yangzhou, although he was young, he was calm and capable, meticulous and thoughtful, and he wanted to be able to help his father. Since she has something in her heart, her interest in watching the play and having fun will inevitably decrease.

On the evening of this day, Mrs. Wang came back from Zhongxian Bofu and told Mrs. Sù Zhang: "Tu Guangxian of the Criminal Department had a sudden stroke five days ago, and the news from the capital came here yesterday, saying that it was gone. The Tu family's ancestral home is Chunxi, and they also bought a house in Nanjing for his old lady to travel and the old lady to support. The old man means to go over early tomorrow morning to pay respects, and if there is anyone who can help, he will help. ”

Mrs. Zhang was taken aback when she heard the letter, and said, "This Tu Guangxian is the same year as the third master of our family. Why did he go all of a sudden when he was not very old? It can be seen that the world is impermanent. Because he said to Mrs. Wang: "I remember that he also worked under the eldest master before he became a Lang official in the Criminal Department, although it was only a few months, he was a capable one. Now it's a pity. I don't know how the old lady of his family mourns. I can't say it, it's better to go over and have a look right away!"

Mrs. Wang hurriedly persuaded: "It's too late today." The old lady also toiled during the day. I'd better wait until tomorrow morning. I'll send someone to inquire first. If there is anything, it is better to prepare in advance. ”

So he arranged a number of things: invite the master of the opera troupe to come to the account, agree to do a church meeting in the future, and reward a group of excellent musicians and musicians at two tables and seats; the housekeeper and daughter-in-law of the head and face of the house also divided the things and things in equal shares, and the same is just some wine, vegetables, fruits and dishes, rulers and cloths, although there are many fragments, in the end, a heart, send his group of people out happily. Then he instructed the steward to come, to pack up the condolences for the slaughter tomorrow, and the tonic herbs for his family, and to prepare the chariots and horses, and so on. And because all the elders and daughters in the family will go over tomorrow, they will make another dispatch and command on the daily affairs of the house. When I returned to my room after all the discussions were over, it was already late at night. Hong walked to Lin Daiyu's house, and saw that she was still not asleep, so he hurriedly hugged her and said, "My son, why haven't you stopped at this time?" When you are young, these places are taboo, so you stay at home, or talk to your sisters, or read and write and play by yourself. If there is anything, send someone to tell the lotus fragrance in the old lady's house, and tomorrow she will be on duty in the upper room here. Seeing that Daiyu responded one by one, Fang urged Zijuan and others to serve and rest.

Early the next morning, the obituary of the Tu family arrived, and everyone in the Huang Mansion went out separately. Daiyu and Huang Rong and other daughters sent Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Wang, Hong, Cui, and Chai to board the car under the Hanging Flower Gate. Huang Rong invited the sisters to her. Huang Wei said: "It's boring to stay in the house, so it's fun to go to the garden." Everyone laughed: "Isn't this girl crazy? "They all hugged and went to the garden.

Unexpectedly, before the group reached the gate of the garden, the sky poured heavy rain suddenly. Everyone hurriedly avoided the approach, and there was a laughing Huang Wei on the side, saying: "Ah, this can't be as you want, it can't be played in the rain!"

Huang Wei said with a smile: "Who said you can't play on a rainy day? Now that the rain is heavy, just as the water is accumulated, isn't it a hundred times stronger than the birds in the cage and the dull grass and trees when it moves up and down?"

Huang Rong said: "Those wooden shelf things, you can see that they are interesting." I don't think there's anything to look at. And the house is no better than other places in the garden, the little maids come and go a lot, pickled and not cleaned up, the sisters are all girls' families, how can they get off their feet? The sixth sister still went back to the room with us, turned the rope, chased Go, and solved the nine consecutive links, which was a serious trick. ”

Hearing this, Huang Wei's face sank. Huang Qian next to her smiled and said: "Although the second sister is reasonable, don't you know that our six girls were born with the same temper as the third brother, so they love these instruments? ”

Huang Rong said: "How is this good? With such heavy rain, which part of the mountain stone turf in the garden is not slippery? If you don't fall carefully, there will be no big accidents." He said to Huang Wei again: "Today, the old lady and the wives are not at home, and the brothers have something to do." I don't dare let you go alone without someone to take care of you. You don't have to say more, but go back to the house with me, and don't play, and write and draw under the window, but don't leave my eyes. As he spoke, he instructed the men to prepare their own houses, and slowly led the crowd there.

Huang Wei had no choice but to follow Huang Rong, but she didn't want to read books with Huang Rong, play chess with Huang Qian, pick flowers with Huang Li, and press the line with Huang Bei. Suddenly, seeing Lin Daiyu, who was playing against Huang Qian, holding a chess piece in her hand, her head turned sideways to the rhombus window, and her eyes were outside the scale, Huang Wei hurriedly leaned over and asked, "What did my sister hear?"

Lin Daiyu said: "I don't know what it is. It's like a bamboo knot knocking on a pebble, and the sound is weird and good. The rain was heavy just now, and it was not obvious, but now that the rain is light, I can't help but be distracted to distinguish it. ”

Listening to her, Huang Qian and Huang Wei paid attention to it, and immediately cleared their ears. Huang Qian nodded and said, "It's really good." It is also thanks to Sister Lin's keenness. Otherwise, I really think how unbearable I am on the chessboard. ”

Before Lin Daiyu could answer, Huang Wei next to her sneered and said: "The fourth sister is the best chess player in the family, but to say this, is it a joke on us? Pull Daiyu and whispered: "Don't play this, look at the fourth sister's mouth is crooked, it's scary." My sister is familiar with the rhythm, it's raining outside at this time, let's use the piano, flute, sheng and drum to match the sound of the rain, okay?"

Lin Daiyu said with a smile: "I originally wanted to win, but Sister Qian's chess skills are really high, and this platoon of soldiers was only revealed, so I knew that I only had to lose today." It's easy to pretend, and bluff her with the two sons of Hu Ying, you little thing came over and yelled again, ruining my calculations, see if I don't screw you!"

Huang Wei told her to twist it, and she was stunned. Huang Qian snorted and laughed: "I can't understand the intention of these two steps when I say how to live or die." Sister Lin also made it bad, and the sixth sister helped a lot. ”

Daiyu said: "But isn't it? I still admitted defeat one step earlier, so as to save myself from being killed in the back until I lost my armor and watched Ghost Li once in vain. ”

Huang Qian was laughing, but suddenly came back to his senses and shouted: "I was compared to a reckless man, if I don't take revenge, I won't follow!" This Lin Daiyu is naturally afraid of itching, just looking at her movements, she couldn't help laughing at first, hiding while laughing, and shouted: "Wei girl still doesn't stop her for me? There was a lot of laughter in the room.

It's easy to stop, Lin Daiyu went back to the room to change clothes, and only then went out, when she heard Huang Wei coming behind her, stepped forward and grabbed her hand, and said excitedly: "I'm impatient to play with them." Just as we played our go. Lin Daiyu smiled: "Then you can tell sù when you come out?" Then he ordered Qinghe and Huang Wei's eldest maid Wenying to go back and explain and confess on their behalf. After a while, when I went to the upper room, the lotus fragrance on the courtyard door was already waiting, and when I saw the two of them hurriedly catching up, I said with a smile: "I heard that Miss Lin and the sixth girl want to tune with the rain, and the slave and maid are brave, so I first opened the sound of the old lady's small Buddha hall." It's just that the flute and piano in it can only be retrieved if the sixth girl takes the key. ”

Huang Wei said: "You still need to say this, I already asked the Lancui family to get it." He also told Lin Daiyu and said: "When I first learned the flute two years ago, I didn't play it very well, and my wife and master didn't like it, so I didn't need to learn it." When the old lady heard about it, she asked everyone to come here to practice in the future, and along with other musical instruments, they were all ready, and she also pointed to a cabinet for me to put things. ”

Daiyu nodded and said, "Sure enough, the elders in the world are average. ”

Huang Wei hurriedly asked, "My sister's grandmother also likes to listen to my sister's music?"

Daiyu said with a smile: "There is a pianist in the Liguo Mansion who is the same as my childhood piano master, and my grandmother often invites a family to teach me a thing or two. ”

Huang Wei clapped his hands and said, "That's good." I often hear that Yangzhou pianists have unique techniques, which are very different from Nanjing, and they can be heard the most. I also wanted to learn, but my father said that he was greedy and not rotten, and he should not learn the zheng and flute, and he wanted to learn the piano well, and he was afraid that the time to eat and sleep was not enough, so he must refuse. Sister Shanqin, and the voice of Guangling from it, just happened to be played in an ensemble to listen. ”

Daiyu smiled: "I also learn at random, and I can't call it a 'good' word." Don't laugh at me for a while. ”

Huang Wei said: "I know that anyone who is modest and does not speak well is a true chapter under his subordinates. As long as my sister doesn't hide her selfishness, I can't laugh if I want to. ”

The two were talking, and the maids in this room had already gathered around to change clothes. In order to facilitate the performance of instrumental music, the clothes were changed to narrow sleeves, and a pair of gold pendant feet holding the moon were pressed against the placket. As soon as it was time to clean up, the two cousins smiled and went to the music room. Seeing that the piano, zheng, flute, flute, etc. are all well, and a furnace is elegant and light. Daiyu and Huang Wei don't say much, one strokes the qin, the other plays the kite, just like "Rain Hitting Basho", the fingertips are smart, brisk and calm, and the original poignant and resentful song is played into a happy and bright one. At the end of the song, the two looked at each other, couldn't help laughing, and their hearts were full of joy.

Then the two played a "Flat Sand and Falling Geese" together, Daiyu played "Qiao Song" solo, and Huang Wei played a song "Remembering the Old Man" with a flute. Huang Wei said: "This should be a song like the Qiang flute, and if you use the flute to blow it, it won't taste it after all." ”

Daiyu smiled and said: "My sister is just not parting, so she can't have three flavors, what does it have to do with flutes and the like?"

Huang Wei sat solemnly, and after finishing the song, he was playful again and again, and asked: "Sister, did you remember your first aunt?" However, the two times of sorrow, the subdivision seems to be different. ”

Daiyu said: "It's just two long trips, blending into the song, and slightly making up for the omissions of my technique." ”

When Huang Wei heard this, he lowered his head and said nothing, only sliding his fingers back and forth on the strings of the zither. Seeing this, Daiyu nodded secretly, did not make a sound, quietly withdrew from the music room, and instructed the maid to serve carefully outside, but not to be disturbed if Huang Wei called. Daiyu herself went back to the room, changed into light clothes, and read a book under the window. At daytime, Qinghe, Zijuan, Feiwen, and Hexiang were waiting for dinner, when suddenly there was a loud noise, and Huang Wei rushed in, and he threw Lin Daiyu to the ground deeply, and said, "Thank you sister for teaching me." With that, he turned around and ran straight outside. Daiyu hurriedly shouted: "It's raining heavily outside." Where to go is not busy, eat together first. Huang Wei smiled: "I'm going to reply to Xuan." I just feel that this time is not only not hungry, but there is a song gushing out of my stomach, if I don't write it down, I am afraid that it will be gone in a while. So he went back without touching the ground. Hexiang next to her glanced at Daiyu and said, "The girl is safe to use here, I'll go and look at the sixth girl." Lin Daiyu nodded. Sure enough, after a while, the sound of the piano and the rhyme came through the sound of the rain, one after another, until one or two minutes before it rested. Then Hexiang walked in and said, "The sixth girl is tired, and she was persuaded to eat two pieces of snack, so she slept directly in the small room next to the music room." Daiyu asked: "Can the futon be used?" Although it is still in the summer, it is raining today, so don't catch a cold. Hexiang said: "Miss Lin is thoughtful. However, on weekdays, Yishengxuan has also prepared a rest for people. Daiyu smiled: "Then let her fall asleep and don't wake up again." ”

Here, Zijuan stepped forward and said, "The girl has also worked hard for a long time, so it is better to be crooked in the house." Daiyu said: "I think it's okay." Looking at the rain outside, I am afraid that it will not stop for a while, and it will get dark early. What is the point of sleeping at this time, listening to the sound of rain at night with great spirits. I'll just read the book. Pour a bowl of tea. Zijuan was helpless, knowing that it was not easy to persuade, so she had to remake the solid tea soup and serve it to Daiyu. Daiyu took one or two volumes from the collection of "Adorned Qiu" sent back a few days ago, sat on the Xiangfei couch under the windowsill, and played with the text carefully.

I heard someone say "the second girl is here", but it was Huang Rong who walked in. Lin Daiyu hurriedly got up and asked, "Why is the second sister here?" It's raining heavily outside, and the road is slippery. ”

Huang Rong said: "I heard that the sixth sister has been making trouble for a long time, so come and take a look." Why is it quiet?" he said, and he looked in all directions to hear and discern. Daiyu told her that Huang Wei was sleepy and had fallen asleep. Huang Rong couldn't help laughing, and thanked Lin Daiyu again, saying: "The sixth sister is a villain, but she has her own reason to act, and it is rare to fall in love with others. Please don't blame Sister Lin. ”

Lin Daiyu said: "Listening to what the second sister said, is it true that my sister feels sorry for Sister Wei, so I don't want to treat her as my own sister?"

Huang Wei smiled: "Oh, but I can't speak." Although my sister's surname is Lin, they are all the same. Then he asked, "Why don't you sleep?" The light is not good on a rainy day, although it is under the window, it is limited in the end. It's good that my sister loves to read, but she also hurts her eyes. ”

Daiyu said: "Thank you sister for reminding me, just watch it for a while, just a little pastime." ”

Huang Rong nodded, looked carefully at the Hunan concubine couch again, and asked with a smile: "What book does my sister read?" But when she saw that the book turned a page, and there were a few words "Huansha Ji" on it, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and said, "My sister likes to read lyrics and dramas?"

Daiyu said: "I haven't been to school for a few years, and the articles are written and written, and the poems and songs are written and read at the eye, and I don't particularly love them." This time, I didn't bring any books with me. I got this the day before yesterday, but I happened to have nothing to do today, so I took it and read it. I haven't turned a few pages yet. What books does my sister read on weekdays?"

Here, Huang Rong was holding the book and lowered her head in a daze, and suddenly heard her ask, Fang turned around and smiled: "I'm also reading randomly." The family orthodox "Anthology" was followed, and a few poems were read. Because he pulled Daiyu to sit down by the window, he said: "A few days ago, the house was lively, my sister listened to the play, heard that she liked it, and it was common sense to find a book to read." It's just that the drama is a small way after all, in the final analysis, it was nothing more than the stuff of the rural slang market and the pawns of the peddlers. Although there are literati and doctors who have written and written it, they have gradually become a style and a vulgar voice, but after all, there are still many inappropriate places in the boudoir. Occasionally, it is okay to watch perfunctorily on the stage, and I took the music book and studied it word by word, which is not what I should do ordinarily. My sister is young and doesn't know the depths, so she just looks at it for a while, but if she uses this model to set herself up and set up things, and brings out one or two things in her words and deeds, others don't investigate the roots, but only treat them as vulgar and vulgar in her bones, then she will become a big shame at home and in her own body. ”

Daiyu listened to her words, thinking that there was really no shortage of village customs and wild people in that episode, lingering and charming, which could move the heart and seduce people's souls, she couldn't help but be shocked and ashamed, and hurriedly said: "My sister's teachings, I remember them." I will never look at it again. ”

Seeing that she was afraid, Huang Rong hurriedly hugged her body and soothed her softly: "It doesn't have to be like this, overkill, the gentleman will not take it." Just do it for fun. As for reading books on weekdays, when it comes to grandeur and elegance, elegance and orthodoxy, we should also start from the classics, such as the Book of Poetry, Lisao, Wei and Jin ancient poems, and Tang and Song Dynasty new laws...... There's so much to see. And not only men can see it, but women can also see it. Although the family doesn't dare to say that the sweat cow is full, if the sister wants to see something, tell sù to take it. ”

Daiyu smiled when she heard this: "In this case, I will write a book list to the second sister later, and the second sister is not allowed to shirk." ”

Huang Rong said: "Don't worry. If I dare to answer you, I know it in my heart. ”

The two sat down again and talked and laughed for a while. Soon Huang Wei woke up, and the three sisters came to Yixuan again to listen to Huang Wei play the new song she had just composed. Just as they were in a trance, Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Wang, and Hong's entourage returned from outside, and everyone hurriedly greeted them. Later, there should be miscellaneous things such as saluting, greetings, and talking about the situation of the slaughtering family, and there is no need to talk about it in detail. Until Mrs. Zhang waited for dinner, she ordered: "Today is busy, everyone is tired, and go early." Everyone went back to their houses and didn't mention it.

When Hong arrived in the house, he saw Lin Daiyu instructing Zijuan to receive the box of the "Adorned Qiu" collection and put it away. Hong smiled and said, "Why did you pack up the box this morning and evening? Although your father has arrived, as long as we are still in this house, Mrs. Gu will not let us go." ”

When Daiyu heard this, she hurriedly asked, "My father will go to Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty?"

Hong smiled: "It's not the Ming Dynasty, it's the Later Dynasty." I heard your uncle say that it was just these two days. As for the exact time, there should be a letter from Yangzhou early tomorrow morning. When I receive the letter, shall I take you with me and go to the docks with your uncle to meet him?"

When Daiyu heard this, she immediately bowed down and said, "Thank you, Auntie." ”

Hong Shi hurriedly helped her up, and said with a smile: "Why does the family still talk to two families? I don't like such a lot of courtesy." Then he said, "I heard from Fei Wen and Hexiang that you haven't slept today, and you must be tired this time." Don't you want to rest soon, don't Ming'er your father arrive, and he goes to greet him with grape water bubbles, which startles him a lot, and that's what makes it really lively. ”

Daiyu then packed up and went to sleep. The next day, I got up early in the morning, called Zijuan to make up, and sent Qinghe away: "I went to see my aunt." ”

Qinghe smiled: "I'll listen attentively, my uncle and wife have just gotten up and are getting dressed." The girl's hurried question may have startled her again. ”

When he was young, Hong's came over, and when he saw that Daiyu was already dressed up, he smiled and said: "My son, it's so pitiful, your father knows, and he doesn't know how to hurt you." Because he instructed Bai Wei: "Go to the second gate and ask, are the boys who went to Yangzhou back?"

Bai Wei responded, and before he could turn around, there was a report outside: "Young Master Hui sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that Master Lin will come to Qingliangmen in the afternoon today." The news was reported to the eldest lord and the eldest lady here. ”

Hong clapped his hands and smiled at Lin Daiyu and said, "Now you can rest assured? casually rewarded the little guy who reported the news, pulled Daiyu again, and said, "Let's go, let's go to Mrs. Gu - since your father arrives, he must wash the dust and catch the wind, let's ask the charter to go." No matter what habits and taboos your father has, you have to worry more or less about the layout of the house and courtyard. So they rejoiced and went to Mrs. Zhang's room together——。