What does Xue Baochai mean when she says "We can't compete with them now" in a Dream of Red Mansions? Does it mean that the Xue family has declined?

The 57th time, Baochai saw Xiuyan wearing a blue Yu Pei and advised her not to lust after "heavy makeup". Among them, she said, "We can't compete with them now". On this basis, some people believe that the Xue family is defeated and poor, and cannot compete with the Jia family.

People who jump to conclusions so easily have not read the whole book well, nor have they read all Baochai's words.

In the face of Xiuyan, who is about to become her eldest sister-in-law, Baochai will not persuade her on the grounds of wealth, but advise Xiuyan to be pragmatic, that is, Baochai's second half sentence is "always be loyal to the facts, don't exceed the facts."

Jia's retirement and Xue's pragmatism are the biggest differences between the two schools. Jia Fu and Xue Jia belong to four big families, extending from the first generation to the fourth generation. There is a universal law: the grace of a gentleman, three generations decline, five generations cut. Wealth gained by the blessings of ancestors usually begins to fail in the third generation. If the third and fourth generations don't make efforts to change, they will die out completely by the fifth generation at most.

Jiafu is a typical example. The third generation and the fourth generation are "rich and magnificent", living in a drunken dream, and can't see the decline of the family.

It is precisely because of getting farther and farther on the road of leading a drunken life and dreaming of death that Jia Fu has formed a strong wind of retirement.

What is the wind of retreat? Emphasis on ostentation and extravagance, seeking dignity, specializing in face-saving projects, lack of practice. Tan Chun is the most pragmatic person in the Jia family, but he is also deeply influenced by the environment. I didn't know that "a piece of lotus leaf and a root of Prunus vulgaris" were all valuable, so she was approved by Baochai as "the mantra of a beautiful man."

It is precisely because of the deep-rooted closed-door thinking that Tan Chun will send Xiuyan Bi Yu Pei, thinking that only wearing these ornaments is the demeanor of a good girl.

In fact, a person's status is not determined by external decoration. For example, Emperor Wendi advocated frugality. It is recorded in Historical Records: "I always wear clothes, but fortunately I am cautious, so that my clothes can't be dragged on the ground, and I can't embroider my account to show simplicity, which is the best in the world." Emperor Wen of Han often wears thick clothes and asks his favorite Mrs. Shen that clothes should not mop the floor (save cloth) and curtains should not be embroidered to show simplicity and set an example for the world.

No one thinks that Wendi and Mrs. Shen have no imperial demeanor, but instead praises them for "transforming the people with morality" and paying attention to moral quality and inner cultivation.

Baochai used to be a recluse, because she was deeply loved by her father and had great wealth at home. Naturally, just as the old lady loves Baoyu, she has everything she wants. It is the same reason that Xue Pan wants to please his sister and satisfy her materially. So Baochai said, "I was like this seven or eight years ago."

"Seven or eight years ago" was when my father was here. It is conceivable that a father, who is a royal businessman and deeply loves his little daughter, will try his best to get all kinds of good-looking and delicious things for his daughter, and her little daughter will be happy to accept them.

The sudden death of her father made Baochai realize that all external things were nothing and unreliable. It was also from that time that she changed from coveting external vanity to "keeping the same color with reality."

So she said to Xiuyan, "If you come to our house in the future, I'm afraid there will be a box of these useless things."

This sentence is particularly important and must not be forgotten at first sight. Baochai's sentence contains two meanings: one is "useless thing" and the other is "there is still a box"

"There is another box" means that we don't have it. In our family, such ornaments exist in boxes, indicating that they have nothing to do with the rich and the poor.

The point is, "useless things", which is what Baochai really wants to express: these external decorations have no practical value and will only make people vain. This is exactly what Baochai has always done, "Never love these flowers and powders", and the room is like a "snow cave with no toys at all".

Aunt Xue took a fancy to cigarettes, one of the reasons is that "her family is poor and she is the daughter of Chai Qiubu". Pay attention to understand this sentence. Aunt Xue took a fancy to cigarettes, not because she was poor, but because she had no vanity. Poverty is not an advantage, vanity is an advantage.

So Baochai saw Xiuyan suddenly put on Bi Yu Pei, and warned her not to start pursuing these things and become vain. The correct attitude towards these things should be serious, whether they are serious or not, as Aunt Xue said, "Nothing is allowed", and you don't have to think about wearing them to show your identity. Therefore, when Xiuyan said "Go back and pick it", Baochai said "You've heard too much" and told her "Just know later", which means knowing that external makeup is "useless" in your heart is enough, and it's not necessary to be limited to wearing it.

Jia's retreat, speaking of face, all good things should be shown to others to show their identity, so even what level of people with a few girls, there are strict rules. Xue Jiaze is pragmatic and doesn't care about face. Even if there was a box of Yu Pei, he wouldn't wear it to show off.

This is the most essential difference between Jia Fu and Xue Jia.

"Now you can't compete with them." Jia Fu got it for nothing, and Xue Jiabai got it. "I can't compare with them now." Baochai really means "I can't compare with them." But what she means is not the value of wealth, but the way to get wealth: Jia family gets it for nothing, and Xue family gets it for nothing.

Where did Jia's wealth come from? From the perspective of topic attributes, it is also the industry that follows the topic. As long as the title is there, the wealth is there, and both work and non-work are there. You don't have to go to work, and you can get a generous salary every month. Therefore, Jia's master and servant have developed the wind of "wealth" and are used to getting something for nothing.

The Xue family is different. The Xue family "takes money to buy miscellaneous materials". I have to do things at the same time when I get money and food, and this money and food is extremely limited, which is not enough to get rich. The wealth of the Xue family mainly comes from "business in various provinces", that is, various shop businesses all over the country.

It is necessary to open a shop to do business, so as to make a profit, otherwise it will close down. Therefore, the wealth of the Xue family is earned by hard work, and a penny is worth a penny.

The ancient poem "weeding the grain" tells us that only after experiencing "corporal sweating" can we realize that "every grain is hard". It is precisely because the Jia family's wealth is obtained for nothing, so they do not know how to cherish it, but are extravagant. Xue Jia knows that a porridge and a meal are hard to come by, so he is more pragmatic and does not pursue those "useless things."

Xing Xiuyan was born in poverty and married into a rich family. In such a luxurious environment as Jiafu, it is the easiest to keep up with the joneses. But she married the Xue family to be a mistress, not a good girl. What is a mistress like? Look at Mrs. Wang, the hostess of Guo Rong Building. From food and clothing to room decoration, she is frugal and never pursues luxury. When Baochai said "no match for them", did she mean Tan Chun and their baby daughter's match? A good girl can be pampered, but mistress must be frugal, and the Xue family has a frugal family style.

Therefore, Baochai's phrase "I can't compete with them now" is not only a warning to Xiuyan not to imitate Jia's vanity, but also a reminder to see clearly her upcoming responsibilities, so "always be loyal to the facts and never exceed them."