Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 137 Apology
Houche Hutong, Lai family.

But it is said that on this day, Nanny Lai was sitting at home, eating bird's nest with rock sugar and chatting with several maids.

Nanny Lai is very old, and unless necessary, she only visits the Rongguo Mansion three or five times a month. She is usually the ancestor of the family.

At this moment, a maidservant was massaging her legs, and a maidservant of outstanding appearance brought a handkerchief. Lai Ma Ma put down the soup bowl, wiped the corner of her mouth carefully, looked at the maidservant and said, "You are not a child anymore. Why don't you go to Rong'er's room tomorrow?"

The maid's name was Zhuni. She came into the Lai family with Qingwen a few years ago. At that time, Qingwen was still called Xi Que.

After hearing what Lai Mama said, her face flushed instantly and she whispered softly, "I'll listen to what the old lady says."

Nanny Lai pulled her hand and said, "You are the one I have chosen. Rong'er has mentioned you privately countless times, but I only stopped you because you were young. Now that you are old enough, it is difficult to stop you. Go to Rong'er's room and serve him carefully. When we have a child in the future, I will make you my concubine."

The crested ibis was instantly overwhelmed with shame and joy, stammering and unable to utter a word. Several maids beside her kept congratulating her, but in their hearts they felt extremely disgusted.

Lai Ma was about to say something else when a maid from outside suddenly replied, "Master and Madam have returned home!"

Nanny Lai was immediately shocked. Lai Da was the general manager of Rongguo Mansion, and Lai Da's wife was the internal manager. The couple rarely returned home together. What happened today?
At that moment, Nanny Lai stopped talking, and a moment later, she saw her son and daughter-in-law rushing in. Lai Da had a worried look on his face, and as soon as he entered, he bowed and said, "Mother, something terrible has happened!"

Nanny Lai's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the incidents of her embezzlement of the master's property over the years had finally come to light!
But Lai Dadao continued, "That evil creature Rong'er, I warned him countless times, but he promised me everything in person, and then forgot everything the next moment. In a fit of rage, he not only provoked Master Yuan on Lantern Festival, but now he's using money to ruin my reputation."

Now that the Madam and the First Madam have come together to accuse me, if I don’t handle this properly, I’m afraid our family will be in trouble!”

"Ah?" Nanny Lai exclaimed in surprise. She felt relieved when she heard it wasn't a case of greed, and then asked curiously, "Why would Rong'er provoke Master Yuan for no reason?"

Lai Da's wife then took over and explained the whole story.

After hearing this, Nanny Lai became even more puzzled and said, "Chen Siyuan is just a distant relative of the eldest wife's family..."

Upon hearing this, Lai Da hurriedly said, "Mother, you don't know, but Master Yuan is no longer the same as he used to be. Just from the sea trade alone, he and his family have earned more than ten thousand taels. This time he's going to do sea trade again, and he might make a fortune again. He's also quite talented. He wrote two poems during the Lantern Festival, and they're already famous in the capital."

Besides, the Madam might be thinking of using our house as a raft this time."

Nanny Lai finally understood. That's right! The Lai family had weathered the storm for generations, finally achieving their current status, and the old lady had repeatedly protected them. It was also thanks to the Lai family and other old servants that Lady Wang was able to sideline her, leaving her with only the title of head of the household, but no real power.

After this incident, Mrs. Xing might just be angry, but Mrs. Wang might have other intentions.

Nanny Lai pondered and said, "If this gets to the old lady's ears, it won't be good. I'll go and apologize to her right away."

Lai Da and his wife bowed together and said guiltily, "I'm sorry for tiring Mother."

Lai Ma Ma said nothing else and hurriedly ordered the maid to help him get dressed. Just then, another maid from outside came back: "My son has returned home from school!"

Lai Da frowned immediately and scolded, "What a wicked creature! He still has the nerve to come back now! I must teach him a lesson today!"

Seeing Lai Da stalking around, Nanny Lai immediately scolded him, "What are you trying to do? Our family has endured several lifetimes and finally raised a son. If you lay a finger on Rong'er, I will fight you today!"

Lai Dawei was stunned, clenching his fists and unable to speak for a while.

At this moment, Lai Shangrong turned around the screen, his face frowning and full of sorrow.

Lai Da gritted his teeth and asked, "You good beast, what a good deed you have done!"

Lai Mama glanced at him sideways, and Lai Da couldn't continue, so he simply snorted and turned his head away. Lai Mama hurried forward and said, "Brother Rong, why did you provoke Master Yuan?"

Lai Shangrong looked embarrassed and bitter in his heart. He said, "My grandson was just angry for a moment and wanted to make him look bad, but who knew that Supervisor Tao was in the same boat with him..."

Nanny Lai said earnestly, "Don't act so recklessly again! Our family has spent several lifetimes serving others to raise you. Your parents and I were hoping you would change your family and become an official in the future. If you offend the master now, even if you become successful in the future, how can your parents and I ask the master for an official position?"

Lai Shangrong said dejectedly, "My grandson knows he was wrong and will never do it again."

Nanny Lai breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward and pulled him, saying, "That's good, that's good—"

As she spoke, she pulled Lai Shangrong's hands with both hands. Lai Shangrong suddenly pulled out his right hand with a "hiss". Lai Ma's face changed immediately. She pulled his hand and looked at it, and saw that it was covered with purple rafters!
"How did this happen?"

Lai Shangrong said, "Today, a strict doctor came to the classroom and asked my grandson about his homework. When he couldn't answer, he slapped him with twenty slaps."

Nanny Lai frowned and said, "If you can't answer, you can just scold her. Why do you have to beat her like this?"

Lai Shangrong hesitated for a long time before saying, "Grandma, I don't want to go to the Imperial College anymore. If all else fails, I'll just donate an official position."

Lai Da couldn't hold back any longer after hearing this. He cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little bastard! Do you know how much money it takes to donate to become an official? If we rashly pay it, what will the master think of us? It's because the old lady is still alive that she protects us. When the old lady passes away, whether it's the first or second wife, you will see whether there will be room for us!"

Lai Shangrong's eyes immediately turned red with grievance upon hearing this. He had been spoiled since childhood, and even though he was twenty, he rarely took on any responsibility. In a fit of rage, he had tried to ruin Chen Siyuan's reputation, but who knew his countermeasures would be so fierce!

This afternoon, a new doctor came in, specifically to question Lai Shangrong about his homework, and if he couldn't answer, he'd get a spanking on his palm. He'd just said it wasn't enough, but in reality, he'd received a full sixty spanks, each one heavier than the last. Now his right hand was swollen like a pig's hoof, and he couldn't even lift a pen.

On the way home, Lai Shangrong pondered for a long time and finally realized that this was revenge. Fortunately, Lai Shangrong had some common sense and knew that if the news spread, not only would he not get any good results, but he would also face even more severe retaliation.

Thinking about how he would survive this revenge, Lai Shangrong began to think of retreating.

Seeing Lai Shangrong's aggrieved look, Nanny Lai couldn't help but feel distressed. She called out "darling" and "meaty" and ordered Lai Da to stop. She quickly sent the maid to find some ice to cool him down. Only after Lai Shangrong went down did she frown.

He said, "I'm afraid I can't stay in the Imperial College any longer."

"Mother?"

Nanny Lai sighed and pondered, "Since you said that Master Yuan is extremely capable, I imagine he has more respect in front of Supervisor Tao than our family... Today must be revenge. If this matter is not settled, will we have to watch Rong'er get spanked every day?"

"this--"

Lai Dajia said with a gloomy face, "Last time, I gave the master a thousand taels. It was very hard for me to get into the Imperial College. Now that I'm withdrawing, wouldn't that thousand taels be wasted?"

Nanny Lai tightened her clothes and said, "Forget it. I'll go talk to the old lady first. You should find a way to go to her house and express your grievances... If it doesn't work out, then I might as well not study at the Imperial College."

Without saying anything else, Nanny Lai hurried out of the door and took a sedan chair to Rongguo Mansion.

Lai Da and his wife argued for a while, and then she took the crested ibis back to the Rongguo Mansion. Lai Da knew that besides the irritation of Chen Si's long journey, he also had to appease Lady Xing with Lady Wang. So he gritted his teeth, opened the storehouse, and picked out several pounds of various spices, about two parcels worth 200 taels each. He packed them up and then left for the Rongguo Mansion.

............................................................

You Erjie was already in the room, so was she really going to fight You Sanjie now? Even if Chen Siyuan was thick-skinned, he couldn't hold it in. He could only comfort You Sanjie and then flee in panic under her resentful gaze.

While he admired Third Sister You's boldness and daringness, he also had a clear mind. Now that he had entered the Imperial College, everything else was just a minor detail; the only thing that mattered was completing his studies successfully.

Now that these two sisters have caused discord with the You family, their reputation has been ruined and their attention has been distracted. It is not worth it no matter how you think about it.

As for You Erjie, she can stay if she wants to. At worst, she can go out for a stroll with You Sanjie in the future. But You Erjie can't be so shameless as to go along with them, right?

Thinking about it, he walked out of Xiaohuazhi Lane and went straight into Rongguo Mansion through the back door. As soon as he entered his own courtyard, Xiao Trumpet Yunxiang came to greet him.

"Master, Master, I just saw Madam Lai rushing to the old lady's place."

"anything else?"

"Aunt Zhou caught a few maids stealing the master's tea. The mistress got furious and said she'd fire them all out of the house."

Chen Siyuan paused, wondering if Madam Wang was using this as an example to frighten the monkeys? Was she deliberately trying to scare the Lai family?

"Well, what else?"

Yunxiang blinked and lowered her voice, "That afternoon, Sister Siqi wandered around this side for quite a while, then she stood in the corner looking over here. I don't know what she was thinking."

Siqi?

Chen Siyuan felt strange, but he didn't take it seriously. Xiangling, Hongyu, and Liu Wu'er came out to greet them. As they entered the room, Xiangling said, "It's getting warmer, and Master has grown an inch taller than last year. I think spring clothes aren't going to be very useful anymore. I'll take your measurements later, and then I'll buy some fine cloth and silk to make you a few spring clothes."

Chen Siyuan was delighted. He went to the antique shelf to measure it and saw that it had indeed grown a little. His face was immediately filled with joy and he said, "I wonder how tall it will be in the future."

Hongyu said, "My Lord is of average height now. He looks only an inch or two shorter than Second Master Lian. In the future, he should be taller than Second Master Lian."

Xiangling also smiled and said, "Master, you won't be short, it's just that you're too thin. Hongyu and I have discussed this and have asked the kitchen to make an extra bowl of chicken soup for dinner every day to nourish Master."

Chen Siyuan sat down with a big horse and a golden knife, nodded at first, and then said strangely: "Do you two know whether I need to replenish my body or not?"

These words immediately provoked Xiangling and Hongyu to grumble. Because Liu Wu'er was still there, Hongyu spat and turned away, blushing. Xiangling, though she said nothing, blushed as well.

Just then, Yunxiang called out from outside, "Aunt Lai wants to see Master Yuan!"

Hongyu was startled when she heard this and quickly put down her work and went out to greet them. After a moment, she led Lai Dajia and a pretty little maid into the house.

Turning around the screen, Lai Dajia's Yaoyao bowed to Chen Siyuan and said, "Greetings, Uncle Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan's expression suddenly changed, and he looked calm. He nodded slightly and said, "Manager Lai, is there anything wrong?"

Lai Dajia smiled apologetically and said, "I know I am too embarrassed to come to see Master Yuan right now, but that evil boy is my child... Master Yuan doesn't know that the evil boy has been spoiled since he was young. The head of the family and I can't beat or scold him. He has been completely raised by my mother-in-law. Who could have known that he would become so perverse.

If it weren't for the first and second wives' warnings, the head of the household and I would not have known that the evil creature had caused such a disaster."

Xiangling brought over some tea. Chen Siyuan took a leisurely sip and then said sarcastically, "I see. Looks like I'll have to avoid Brother Lai from now on."

Lai Dajia was startled, and quickly apologized with a smile, "Oh, Master Yuan, what are you talking about? You are the master. Although Rong'er has received the old lady's kindness, it is not right for him to be ungrateful. When Rong'er came back just now, I asked the head of the household carefully. It was really because we didn't know it was Master Yuan who was in person, so there was a slight misunderstanding."

Chen Siyuan laughed: "A little misunderstanding? You almost ruined my reputation... a little misunderstanding? Haha——"

"This..." Lai Dajie hurriedly tried to make amends, "It's all that evil creature's fault. The head of the household and I have just taught him a lesson. One day, that evil creature will definitely come to the Imperial College to complain to Master Yuan. I beg Master Yuan to be magnanimous and forgive that evil creature for once."

Chen Siyuan had never spoken to Xiangling or Hongyu about this matter, but now, based on Lai Dajie's words, the two girls had a rough idea of ​​the matter. Hearing that Chen Siyuan's reputation was almost ruined, Xiangling frowned, and Hongyu was even more upset!
Then I saw the pretty maid holding the bag and looking shy. How could she not know what Lai Dajie was planning?
Hongyu was on high alert, terrified that someone else might enter the room. But this Lai family was actually sending a pretty maid who looked every bit as good as Xiangling. How could Hongyu let it go? She immediately said, "Aunt Lai, that's not what you're saying. Everyone knows that my master is incredibly talented. One day, his name will be listed in the imperial edict. Whether intentionally or not, your brother has nearly ruined my master's reputation, and now he's just saying it like that? Where in the world would you get away with something so easy?"

Lai Dajie smiled apologetically and said, "Of course I won't let it go..." Glancing at Chen Siyuan, he tugged at the maid beside him and said, "I saw that Master Yuan's room was short of a maid for menial tasks, so I took it upon myself to buy one. This is Crested Ibis, who is always very hardworking. From now on, Master Yuan can just order her around whenever there's work to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Siyuan glanced at the crested ibis with a playful expression. Hongyu, standing beside him, rolled her eyes in anger! A servant girl? How could someone with such beauty be a servant girl? Who was she trying to fool?

He stole a glance at Chen Siyuan and saw that he had an amused look on his face, but he didn't agree. Only then did he feel a little relieved.

At this time, Chen Siyuan said, "Since you say it's a misunderstanding, then I will treat it as such. However, at this point, I no longer have the final say in this matter. Why don't you go and complain to the first and second wives? If the two wives forgive you, I will have no objections. As for this maid, forget it. You should take her back."

Are you kidding me? How could Chen Siyuan dare to take a maid like this into his room? If she was a quiet one, it would be fine. But if she was full of intrigue and jealousy, I'm afraid the room would be in turmoil in the future.

He was old enough to eat anything he wanted; now he had no shortage of women around him. Not only were there Xiangling and Hongyu in his room, but there were also Lady Xing and Third Sister You outside. If he felt bored, who could he turn to? There was no need to force everyone into his own home.

Lai Da's wife was a master of reading people's expressions. Hearing this, she knew Chen Siyuan was still furious, so how could she possibly lead his men away? She immediately said, "The first and second wives will go over to the other side. The head of the household and I will go and apologize. This crested ibis... should stay with Master Yuan. Oh, this is the indenture. Master Yuan, don't worry. Tomorrow morning, that evil creature will come and apologize to you."

Knowing it was pointless to continue talking, Lai Dajia simply threw down his indenture, bowed repeatedly, and left. Hongyu picked up the indenture and chased after him, struggling with Lai Dajia for a while, but she was no match for him and had to return with a sullen face.

Glancing at the ibis standing there, Hongyu was about to ask a question when she suddenly covered her mouth and began to dry heave. Chen Siyuan was horrified and immediately glanced at the ibis's abdomen, which was slightly bulging... Could this be pregnancy?

After exchanging a glance with Hongyu, the master and servant's faces grew even darker.

Suddenly, Yunxiang from outside called back, "Master, Master Xue from next door is here to visit!"

Xue Pan is here? Chen Siyuan pondered briefly and realized that Xue Pan was probably here to give him money. The maritime trade was imminent, and Madam Xing had already collected most of the money. Chen Siyuan was planning to visit the inner palace one of these days.

Chen Siyuan stood up and walked to the door, where he saw Xue Pan wandering over. He caught sight of Chen Siyuan from a distance, then smiled and bowed, saying, "Brother Yuan, I'm here to give you some money."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Haha, Brother Wenlong isn't coming today, I'll go look for him someday. Come in."

The two of them walked around the screen and entered the room. Xue Pan suddenly caught a glimpse of a pretty little maid standing inside. He stared at her with wide eyes and asked in surprise, "Where did you find this young lady, Brother Yuan?"

Seeing Xue Pan staring intently at the crested ibis, Chen Siyuan suddenly had an idea. He invited him to sit down and said with a smile, "Brother Wenlong, don't you know that this is the Lai family's apology?"

"apologize?"

Chen Siyuan spoke briefly and explained the reason. Xue Pan frowned upon hearing this and said, "How dare a slave like Yangzi offend Brother Yuan? If I didn't know, it would be fine. But now that I know, hey, maybe one day I'll help Brother Yuan get his revenge!"

Chen Siyuan said with a look of sorrow, "Forget it, forget it. Nanny Lai is very respectable in front of the old lady. Anyway, this matter has been exposed. It's better to have less trouble than more."

Xue Pan is a man with many flaws except that he is filial and loyal. He made a mistake last time and thought that Chen Siyuan protected him so that he could avoid losing a large amount of money. This time he got involved in maritime trade. Xue Pan felt that Chen Siyuan was a good brother who loved him dearly. He also felt that he was not a good son for taking Liu Yan'er away last time. He was thinking about how to repay him, so how could he give up?

He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry about it, Brother Yuan. This matter has nothing to do with you from now on! Oh, a humble servant really has the guts to do that!"

Chen Siyuan gave Hongyu a look at this time, and the latter understood and hurriedly led the red-crowned crane away.

Seeing Xue Pan's eyes fixed on the crested ibis, and only reluctantly averting his gaze after it turned around the screen, Chen Siyuan smiled and asked, "Why? Brother Wenlong, are you interested?"

Xue Pan waved his hands hurriedly and said, "Eh? Brother Yuan, what are you talking about? Since she is your maid, how can a brother like you covet her?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Brother Wenlong, you don't know, I just don't know what to do with this girl."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

Chen Siyuan said, "That Lai Shangrong is the most sinister. He was the one who provoked the people downstairs at Qingyuan Tower, and I didn't even say a word in rebuttal. Then he went and found Supervisor Tao to ruin my reputation... Oh, how could we be sure that this maid sent by the Lai family wouldn't be secretly colluding with him? If she steals the articles in my study one day and distorts them, what will I do?"

"Oh? That's right..." Xue Pan thought for a while, clasped his hands and said, "What's the difficulty? These women are all the same. Brother Yuan, just sleep with her a few times, and I guarantee that she will be devoted to you from now on. Just like Yan'er, she... uh..."

Chen Siyuan sighed inwardly. This person's IQ and EQ were insufficient. Asking her to run the Xue family was truly a case of forcing a duck to climb a tree. If Aunt Xue insisted on having her own way, the Xue family would only decline.

He waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "I think Brother Wenlong seems interested. Why don't you take this girl back?"

Xue Pan was indeed tempted and rubbed his hands, saying, "This, this is not a good idea, right?"

Chen Siyuan said seriously, "What's wrong with that? Brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes. This girl was just sent here, and I don't want to keep her. Why not give her to Brother Wenlong?"

Xue Pan refused repeatedly, but a smile spread across his face. Chen Siyuan then tried to persuade him, "Brother Wenlong has his concubine and sister Xue to look after him. Even if this girl has some thoughts, it won't help. I'm really in a difficult situation now, so I'd like to ask Brother Wenlong for help."

Xue Pan was so happy that his back teeth were exposed. He felt that Chen Siyuan was a good friend! He immediately agreed, then frowned and said, "I don't want to take advantage of Brother Yuan. When it comes to the profit sharing in the future...why not just give me 20%?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Let's put it this way. Since we're brothers, Brother Wenlong should still take 30% and I'll just take 10%."

Xue Pan was overjoyed and said with a bow, "Brother Yuan, I appreciate your kindness. Let's see what happens next... Well, as for Lai Shangrong, within three days, hehe, Brother Yuan, wait for news!"

Chen Siyuan agreed with a smile, and Xue Pan hurriedly handed over the silver note and drank a cup of tea. Then he happily led the red-crowned crane back to Lixiangyuan.

As soon as the man left, Hongyu's face suddenly brightened. She came over and said with a smile, "Master, you handled it right. That red-crowned crane is in a state of confusion, so it's not easy to bring it into the room casually." Its lower abdomen was swollen and it was retching non-stop. It might have a twin body, so how could he dare to bring it into the room?
Chen Siyuan reached out and tapped Hongyu's cheek, saying, "I don't know what you're thinking." Seeing Hongyu smiling without saying anything, he turned and said, "But there's only Yunxiang outside, and she's really not enough to keep around. Go find Miss Ping and ask her to send two servants over."

Hongyu quickly agreed, moving closer to massage his shoulders. Chen Siyuan closed his eyes, wondering what the situation was like in Rongqing Hall right now...

............................................................

There is a flower gate outside Rongqing Hall.

Aunt Xue and Baochai came out together. Mrs. Xing wanted to go back to the east wing, so she said goodbye to everyone with a sullen face and then took the sedan chair to go forward.

Now that Mrs. Xing is of her period, the old lady has specially allowed her to travel in a sedan chair and she doesn't have to visit her every morning and evening. This is a rare grace.

Aunt Xue glanced at Lady Wang, and the two sisters gathered together. Baochai followed briefly, and the three of them walked towards the east courtyard.

Aunt Xue thought, "I don't want to owe Madam such a big honor!"

Mrs. Xing had been very sarcastic, and Nanny Lai had been vexed repeatedly. Finally, seeing she was no match for her, she knelt down and begged for mercy. Grandmother Jia, who had been sitting in the hall, had been silent until she saw what was happening, and finally spoke.

What "a momentary misunderstanding" and "I will never forgive you if it happens again"? Since the old lady had spoken, filial piety was more important than anything else, so Mrs. Xing had to agree no matter how reluctant she was.

Aunt Xue had been watching coldly just now. Even though Lady Wang said a few words on behalf of Lady Xing, she was still playing Taiping. She knew in her heart that she couldn't touch the Lai family for a while.

Mrs. Wang snorted coldly and said, "The slave is just bullying his master. Just wait and see, sooner or later, their family will have a good thing!"

After passing through the hall and seeing that no one was around, Aunt Xue lowered her voice and said, "Sister, why didn't you say a few more words just now? Maybe you can force the Lai family to give up some benefits."

Mrs. Wang sighed and said, "With the old lady's protection, even if I give it up, what good can I get? What if I don't get any benefit at all and instead arouse the old lady's suspicion? That would be more trouble than good."

Aunt Xue thought about it and nodded, then suddenly said, "Could this thought also be from Brother Yuan?"

Baochai had been following along with her head down, but upon hearing this, she immediately raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

Mrs. Wang, who had been sullen all this time, smiled a little upon hearing this. She said, "That's pretty much it. Who would have thought that the eldest wife would have such a capable relative?"

Aunt Xue's heart skipped a beat as she recalled that night. She muttered, "That's strange! How old is Yuan-ge? How could he have so many thoughts?"

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "Sister, have you forgotten that saying? A scholar knows everything about the world without leaving home. Brother Yuan is intelligent and talented. Who knows? He might even be called out for his name outside Donghua Gate someday."

What young woman doesn't have a crush on someone? Aunt Xue, a daughter of the Wang family, wasn't well-educated, but she'd listened to countless operas about talented men and beautiful women. In her youth, she'd dreamed of marrying a handsome, talented, and understanding man. But she ended up marrying the eldest daughter of the Xue family.

Ever since that night, Aunt Xue felt like she had a demon in her heart. Although she knew she shouldn't think about it, she couldn't help it.

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Suddenly, she remembered what Chen Siyuan had said that night. Aunt Xue said, "Sister, you don't know. That day, when I hosted a banquet for Brother Yuan, he also said something reasonable."

He then repeated what Chen Siyuan had said, that the Xue family should retreat and guard their homeland, waiting for the day when they could make great plans again.

Mrs. Wang doesn't know how to make a living. Not only does she look down on Xue Pan, but because Yuanchun was made a concubine, she now even ignores Aunt Xue and Baochai.

After hearing this, he pondered for a moment, thinking that if the Xue family lost the imperial merchant, it would seem that this marriage would have a reason to be cancelled. He then said, "I don't understand what's going on outside, but since my sister said that my future is getting smaller and smaller, I think what Yuan-er said has some truth to it."

Aunt Xue was reluctant to give up her title as an imperial merchant, so she sighed and said, "I'll think it over carefully."

In a blink of an eye, they passed Mengpo Zhai and Mrs. Wang returned to the courtyard on her own. Aunt Xue and Baochai went to Lixiang Courtyard.

The mother and daughter discussed it for a while but still couldn't make up their minds. As soon as they entered Lixiang Courtyard, they heard Liu Yan'er arguing with Xue Pan, and a pretty little maid was standing outside the wing room.

The mother and daughter looked at each other in shock and went to find Tongxi who had stayed behind. Tongxi whispered, "Just now, the master went to the next door to deliver some banknotes, but he brought back a maid. The master just said it was sent by Master Yuan."

Perhaps having heard the noise outside, Liu Yan'er stopped yelling and just kept sobbing. Xue Pan slammed the door and left. Just as he was about to tell Zhuni something, he looked up and saw Aunt Xue and Baochai. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Are Mom and Sister back?"

Aunt Xue pointed to Xue Pan and went straight to the main room to question him. After listening to Xue Pan's explanation, Aunt Xue recalled the color of the crested ibis and was immediately shocked. "How could this Yuan brother be sent here like this?"

Xue Pan said proudly, "Brother Yuan is the most generous. He looks down on the Lai family and thinks they are an eyesore, so he just leaves them to me."

Baochai pondered, "Has Brother Yuan ever asked me for anything?"

"Never."

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "You owe me another favor this time. You must repay me one or two in the future."

Xue Pan grinned and said, "Mom, don't you know what kind of person I am? I always give a lot of respect to others." He made up his mind that tomorrow he would find his friends, spend money to find some ruffians, and break Lai Shangrong's leg. Only in this way could he repay their brotherhood!
Aunt Xue did not suspect anything and immediately gave Xue Pan a few instructions and sent him away, making him anxious.

The mother and daughter began to discuss how to make a living, but they still couldn't find a solution. Aunt Xue said, half helplessly and half hoping, "Forget it. I'll go and ask Brother Yuan in detail in a few days."

In the outer room.

Xue Pan pulled the red-crowned crane into the room to ask about her well-being. Although Liu Yan'er was sobbing on the other side, she was terrified in her heart!

The previous time she plotted against Chen Siyuan, she had only intended to bluff him and gain some benefits for herself. But afterward, Liu Yaner regretted it!
Xue Pan and Aunt Xue were unaware of the situation. Chen Siyuan was as cunning as a ghost, so how could he not know that the wine was spiked with condiments? Liu Yan'er had been trembling with fear for the past two days, fearing his revenge, and she didn't expect it to come so soon!
That thief actually stuffed a maidservant who was even more beautiful into Xue Pan's side! He was trying to dig up Liu Yan'er's foundation!

If she loses Xue Pan's favor in the future, Liu Yan'er will be helpless!
Recalling what Chen Siyuan had said that day, Liu Yan'er immediately believed most of it. If it weren't for the noble covering up for him, how could that thief be so brazen? Never mind, the situation is not favorable. I'd better apologize tomorrow and never provoke him again.

　Note: Qingwen was originally called Xi Que. The red-crowned crane and Xi Que are both considered auspicious, so the character of the red-crowned crane was added.

　　I asked for monthly votes at the beginning of the month. This month will remain the same. I will add an extra chapter for every 1,000 votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)