The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 47 Sister-in-law, please don't be alarmed

Youshi was originally sitting in the carriage when she suddenly heard Master Zhan's voice coming from outside. Then the curtain of the carriage was lifted and a man came in.

This frightened Youshi so much that she jumped back and leaned against the carriage, protecting her chest with her hands, and asked in a trembling voice:

"W-What are you going to do?"

Zhan Ershisi took a quick look and found that the carriage was indeed spacious, more than enough to accommodate four or five people.

The interior of the car was padded with a fur mattress, and in the middle was a small square table with a heater under it. On the table were teapots and cups, but the cups were upside down, obviously not used.

Youshi was facing the door, away from the table, leaning back and close to the end of the carriage. Another maid was sitting on the other side of the table, her face full of vigilance, holding the teapot in her hand, as if she was about to throw it.

There was actually a little maid in the car, which made Master Zhan's expectations come to nothing.

Although he had been giving out rewards and money continuously these days, he still hadn't won over all the servants in Ningguo Mansion, especially the maids around Youshi and Qin Keqing. He could only gradually win them over through the Xue family.

He himself had no chance of contact at all, so he couldn't find any reason to reward them, let alone win them over.

Zhan Ershisi smiled and bowed, "Don't be alarmed, sister-in-law. It's me, not a thief. Sister Yindie, put the pot down quickly. If you hurt yourself, it's not a joke."

You Shi also realized at this time that her reaction was a bit too extreme, and even the look from Yin Die beside her became a little strange. She quickly sat up straight, returned to the table and sat down, forcing a smile:
"I was wondering, how could a thief dare to break into someone's car in broad daylight in Beijing? It turns out to be Mr. Zhan."

"Master Zhan is too impatient. At least wait until the car stops and let me get off."

"If you come here like this, there will be no misunderstanding."

Zhan Ershisi then sat down at the table with his back to the car door, smiling, and apologized:

"I was too impatient. I was afraid that if I came too late, my sister-in-law would have already returned home. I couldn't chase her to your parents' house!"

"Besides, it's freezing outside. I'm here to ask my sister-in-law for a favor, and I don't want her to stand outside and talk to me in such a cold weather."

"If my sister-in-law gets cold, Brother Zhen will blame me to death!"

You Shi thought to herself that since Yin Die was present, no matter how bold Zhan was, he would not dare to force himself on her in person, so she calmed down and asked with a smile:

"Master Zhan, do you have other ideas about the etiquette of taking a concubine?"

"It's nothing new. I just thought that I should hold a grand ceremony for the concubine and invite more guests to come and celebrate."

Normally, there is no need for a banquet to take a concubine. The simplest and most common situation is to use a sedan chair to bring the woman into the mansion through the side door.

If you can invite a few friends over for a drink and introduce them to each other, that would be a great favor to the woman.

Only high-ranking officials and wealthy families would hold such a grand ceremony, but the purpose was not just to take concubines, but also a social activity.

This was great news for the second sister. Yu Shi smiled happily, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and said with a smile:

"Then I have to thank Master Zhan on behalf of my second sister..."

She was halfway through her words when the smile on her face froze.

A large hand pressed on her leg under the table and kneaded it gently, just like the familiar feeling the night before.

She quickly glanced at Yindie next to her, only to see Yindie sitting upright, with no strange expression on her face, obviously unaware. "What are you talking about, sister-in-law?"

"If it weren't for the rules of this dynasty, which only require one legal wife, I would have formally married my second sister as well..."

Zhan Ershisi saw that his sister-in-law did not refuse, which obviously meant that she also had that idea in her mind and must have tacitly agreed to it. So he kept working and talking nonsense with a smile on his face.

For fear of being discovered by Yin Die, You Shi had to force herself to be alert and cooperate with Zhan Ershisi in acting.

The two of them talked about the wedding banquet, and they haggled over the details, talking enthusiastically.

If you didn't look under the table, you would really think that the two of them were seriously discussing the wedding.

Youshi only felt that big hand moving back and forth on her legs, touching her left hand, then the right hand, then the right leg, then the left leg, making her feel hot all over and uncomfortable. She felt like the days were passing by like years, and she wished that the carriage would fly to her parents' door the next moment to free her.

But who would have known that this coachman, who had received money from Master Zhan, wanted to show off his skills, so he drove the carriage very steadily, without any vibration inside the carriage; however, the speed was as slow as a snail, very sluggish.

Mr. Zhan was a good speaker. Mrs. You was so thirsty from listening to him that her mind wandered off and she was almost talking nonsense. She had no choice but to pour out the tea in the pot and gulp down several cups of tea.

It was cold today, and even with the heater in the carriage, the tea was still a little cold.

The cold tea immediately sobered up Yu's confused mood, allowing her to continue chatting with Zhan Ershi.

It was unknown how long it had been like this before the carriage finally stopped and the coachman's respectful voice was heard outside.

"Madam, we have arrived."

This sound was like a signal to retreat. You Shi immediately noticed it. The big hand on her leg withdrew, the warm feeling disappeared, and the coolness of the air filled it up again.

She didn't know why, but she should have breathed a sigh of relief, but she always felt like something was not yet accomplished.

Zhan Ershisi didn't know what she was thinking at the moment, so he stood up first, bowed, and said goodbye contentedly:

"Since we have arrived at my sister-in-law's house, I will leave all matters concerning the wedding banquet to my sister-in-law. I will take my leave now."

Yu Shi subconsciously said politely:
"We're already at the doorstep, why don't you come in and sit down?"

She just said it casually, but Zhan Ershisi was thicker than a city wall. After hearing this, he immediately took advantage of the situation and said:
"My sister-in-law taught me that!"

"How can you not enter the door?"

"Since you're here, come in and sit down!"

After saying this, he got off the carriage without waiting for Youshi to refuse, and stood in front of the gate, waiting to enter the house.

Yu's face froze and she wished she could slap herself a few times.

You know clearly that this guy is a dirty bastard, but you still try to be polite to him!

Now that there are only women in the family, inviting him to meet them is like fearing that a rat will not get into the granary!
But the words had been spoken and there was no way to take them back. He could only complain in his heart, let Yindie help him get out of the car, and walk into the yard, hoping that this man named Zhan would be concerned about his second sister's marriage and would not do anything too extreme at home.

(End of this chapter)