Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 15 Good Chen Qingshan

"Uncle Chen, our girl is here to see you."

Hearing this, Xiangling glanced back and said, "It's the second, third and fourth young ladies." Putting the basket aside, Xiangling went out to greet them first.

At this moment, Chen Siyuan's thoughts had not yet come to his senses. He realized that there might be other secrets in the Jinling case. Then he naturally understood Xue Baochai's thoughts - Xiangling was not the Xue family's handle, and outsiders should not use Xue Pan's affairs to threaten the Xue family.

Chen Siyuan raised his lip. To him, the Xue family wasn't an enemy, but rather a benefactor—otherwise, how could he have sent Liu Yan'er away so easily? Furthermore, no matter how destitute the Xue family was, it was not something a swindler like him would dare to provoke.

Collecting his thoughts, Chen Siyuan followed Xiangling out and saw from afar a group of beautiful girls surrounding the open door. However, he didn't know why the girls from the Jia family came to visit.

When Chen Siyuan came closer, he didn't bother to look at the girls. He bowed and said, "Greetings, three sisters."

Only then did he raise his head and take a quick look.

Then I saw a girl on the left, about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slightly plump complexion and a medium build, cheeks as red as fresh lychees and a nose as smooth as goose fat. She was gentle and quiet, very approachable. She wore a round-necked, apple-green satin gown with scattered flowers trimmed with light gold, a white cross-collared jacket underneath, and a dark green satin horse-faced skirt. I figured it was the second girl, Yingchun.

On the right is a small girl, not quite tall but with picturesque features. She wears a round-necked silk robe with a light gold edging and scattered ginger flowers, a white jacket with a flared collar, and a flesh-red horse-faced skirt... I imagine it must be Xichun.

The girl in the middle has narrow shoulders and a slender waist, a tall figure, an oval face, beautiful eyes and thin eyebrows, and a lively look that makes her look so charming and unworldly. She wears a round-necked robe with a flesh-pink pattern and a pink, pink and white phoenix tail pattern, lined with a white jacket with a collar, and a brown and yellow horse-faced skirt.

At this moment, the three women bowed in return. Yingchun raised her head and glanced briefly, then lowered her head shyly. She had always been kept in seclusion, never allowed to see a man outside her family. Now that she had suddenly seen one... and one so imposing, she was naturally very shy.
Xichun's face was tense, but she didn't show any abnormality. She just looked at Chen Siyuan curiously.
Tanchun, who was among them, saw Chen Siyuan's energetic face and eyes like lightning, and thought to herself: Only a person like him can write such heroic poems.

Tanchun smiled and said, "Hello, Brother Yuan. This is my second sister Yingchun... I wonder how the two of you would like to celebrate your age."

Chen Siyuan looked at Yingchun and said, "I wonder when the second young lady was born?"

"February." Yingchun replied in a low voice.

"That's my second sister. I was born on May 13th."

Xichun blinked and said, "Then doesn't that mean he was born on the same day as the Bodhisattva Galan?"

Tanchun quickly introduced, "This is my fourth sister, Xichun."

Chen Siyuan nodded towards Xichun, then smiled and said to Tanchun, "Then I guess you must be our third sister, Tanchun."

Tanchun replied, "It is my little sister."

Tanchun's forthright nature was so contagious that even Chen Siyuan felt a touch more dignified. He burst into laughter and extended his hand, inviting her: "We just settled in yesterday, so I'm afraid we weren't very hospitable. Second, third, and fourth sisters, please come in and have a cup of tea."

"I was just about to bother Brother Yuan."

After Tanchun finished speaking, the three sisters looked at each other, burst into laughter, and then followed Chen Siyuan into the house.

When they arrived in the hall, the accompanying maidservant Shishu quietly nudged Tanchun and nodded to the side. Tanchun tilted her head and saw the poem written on the wall as if it were chopped by a knife or sword.

Chen Siyuan's master had been eager to pass on his legacy, and had lavished considerable sums of money on the task, teaching him everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and literary allusions. This pretender to be a child of an aristocratic family might not be proficient in these exquisite arts, but he must understand them.

Fortunately, Chen Siyuan also worked hard and learned all these elegant skills thoroughly, and was particularly good at calligraphy.

Tanchun sat down, her eyes still fixed on the writing. When she turned her gaze to Chen Siyuan, she felt that this man was indeed as sharp as a knife and could not be insulted lightly. Chen Siyuan ordered Xiangling to serve tea, and Tanchun could not help but admire him, "Brother Yuan is a good calligrapher. He has the strength of Yan and Liu. Brother Yuan can be said to have mastered the true meaning of Liu."

Chen Siyuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "My mentor once pointed out to me when he was still alive that my handwriting was too flamboyant and I didn't know how to hide my shortcomings. I was afraid the examiners wouldn't like it. As expected, I've wasted my time and am still nothing more than a student."

Upon hearing this, Tanchun spoke up for him and said, "Brother Yuan, how old are you? Of course you can't learn from those mediocre people. As the saying goes, mediocre people are those who don't attract envy. With Brother Yuan's talent, it's only natural that he will be on the imperial examination list one day."

"Then I'll borrow Third Sister's good wishes."

Tanchun laughed again and said, "I heard yesterday that Brother Yuan had just arrived, and also heard that he had written such a bold poem. I was so excited that I dragged my second and fourth sisters along to come and bother you."

Xichun then said, "Brother Yuan is extremely talented. Do you know if he has any other excellent works?"

Was this feeling caused by the poems and essays that you plagiarized?
Chen Siyuan said, "I do have a few old works... Xiangling, go to the study and get my manuscripts."

Xiangling poured tea for Xichun, answered her question, and went to the east room to get the manuscript of the poem.

Tanchun wanted to see it right away, but she also knew the order of seniority, so she asked her second sister, Yingchun, to examine it first. Xichun, being young, was impatient and said, "It's really troublesome to have everyone look at it one by one. Why don't we all look at it together?"

It was truly rude to behave like this on their first meeting, but the Second Miss only glanced at Xichun in anger, saying nothing. Tanchun was a straightforward person, and having determined that Chen Siyuan was a man of integrity and magnanimity, she didn't pretend. She smiled and said, "Fourth Sister, you have a point, Brother Yuan. I won't pretend then."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I hate red tape the most. Second sister, my two younger sisters, please do as you please."

So the three sisters gathered together to examine the manuscript. After flipping through it briefly and seeing that the handwriting was exactly the same, Tanchun first secretly admired it, and then she began to read the poem.

The title at the top reads "Self-encouragement on leaving my hometown for Beijing on the ninth day of the eighth month."

Xichun tilted her head, scanned the poem, and recited it softly: "I am determined to leave my hometown alone, and I will not return until I have achieved fame. Why should I bury my bones in my hometown? There are green mountains everywhere in life."

The child's voice is rhythmic and very pleasant to the ear.

Tanchun felt her heart surge with pride and enthusiasm, and could not help but clasp her hands together in admiration, "Great! Brother Yuan has great ambition!"

Chen Siyuan said with a smile: "My words of self-encouragement are somewhat laughable. Second sister and two younger sisters should just watch the fun."

Tanchun said, "A good man should have great ambitions. If he doesn't have great ambitions, he will just end up being a timid and servile person."

Chen Siyuan smiled proudly. He'd lived two lives, and though his memories of his past were hazy, he was tired of servility and flattery. Since this life was earned, why not live it to its fullest?
The three sisters murmured a few words of praise. The second sister didn't say much, but the youngest sister Xichun admired her even more.

When you turn the page, you will see another poem.

The title is "Hearing Frogs Croaking for the First Time During the Waking of Insects".

Xichun continued, "Sitting alone by the pond, I crouch like a tiger, resting beneath the shade of a green tree. If spring comes, and I don't speak first, no insect would dare to make a sound."

Tanchun felt her whole body numb, and the last two sentences recited by the child's voice echoed in her ears like a loud bell, and like a thunderclap, shaking Tanchun's whole body to feel extremely comfortable!

Tanchun couldn't help herself. She walked to Chen Siyuan in a daze, and praised him with a blazing look in her eyes, "Good, good, good! Excellent Chen Qingshan!"

(End of this chapter)