Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 166: Exchanges and Collusion

Liu Yan'er is definitely not a good girl. She is the type who will not release the eagle until she sees the rabbit. If she had no ulterior motives, how could she be with Jia Liandou?
This time, he was probably afraid of Xia Jingui, and because Xue Pan was not in the capital, he took the risk, took the money that Jia Lian had extorted, and then ran away?
Seeing the two men heading south, Chen Siyuan quickly ducked down and hid in the flowers. He vaguely caught a glimpse of Jia Lian giving a few instructions, stuffing a purse into Liu Yan'er's handkerchief, and then quickly leaving. Liu Yan'er tidied herself up, took out the purse, frowned slightly, looked around, and then walked back slowly.

After the two left, Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Liu Yan'er was really courting death.

As the saying goes, it's easy to change a country, but it's hard to change one's nature. If she had just been content, it would have been fine, but she was too scheming! She wasn't just any concubine; she had a proper banquet. If word got out, Xue Pan and Jia Lian would probably have a fight. Regardless of what would happen to the Xue and Jia families, Liu Yan'er was definitely doomed!

If Liu Yan'er had left without anyone finding her, it would have been fine. But if she was caught by the Xue family by mistake... I'm afraid she would be in trouble.

Chen Siyuan thought about it for a moment, and then thought that since this woman was asking for trouble, in order to avoid being dragged down by her, he might have to take ruthless action.

He rose and headed for the cave, about to pass through it quickly, when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something inside. Frowning, Chen Siyuan bent over to pick it up, taking a closer look before realizing it was a sachet. Judging by its shape, it must have been the one Jia Lian wore around his waist.

Chen Siyuan put it into his sleeve, walked up the winding mountain road, and soon came out from the back garden gate and entered his own courtyard.

Little Trumpet Yunxiang chirped and came over to greet them. Chen Siyuan wanted to tell her to keep an eye on Liu Yaner. But then he thought again, it wasn't a good idea. He was afraid this matter would require more careful consideration... maybe he would have to consult with his three good brothers.

The next day, Chen Siyuan indeed went to the outer city. His three good brothers were now employed as clerks in the inner court, and their lives were quite good. Ma Panlong was particularly radiant. After Chen Siyuan inquired, he learned that Xixue was pregnant.

Chen Siyuan offered his congratulations, but a change of heart occurred to him. In the past, the three of them had no fear of shoes, even barefoot. Now, with their lives fulfilling, why would they risk so easily? Even out of their past affection, Chen Siyuan didn't want to drag them down with him.

So they just ate and drank that day, and after they had enough food and drink, Chen Siyuan returned to Rongguo Mansion.

For several days, Chen Siyuan racked his brains for a solution, and even considered helping Liu Yan'er escape. However, even if Chen Siyuan went to her house and swore an oath, Liu Yan'er might not believe him.

These two people can be compared: when colleagues meet, they will be wary of each other.

Unable to think of a solution, Chen Siyuan simply put the matter aside for the time being. Jia Lian didn't have much money in his pocket, and if Liu Yan'er wanted to escape, she would need to coax two or three thousand silver coins to her, which would take several months to accomplish.

But it is said that on this day, Chen Siyuan returned to his own courtyard and had just washed his hands when Aunt Xue came to find him.

Chen Siyuan didn't bother to change his clothes and hurried out to greet her. When he looked up, he saw Aunt Xue frowning, as if she was worried about something.

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and wondered if Aunt Xue really regarded him as her think tank.

He then invited them in, seated them as host and guest, and ordered Xiangling to serve tea.

Aunt Xue suppressed her emotions and chatted with Chen Siyuan for a few words. Then she said, "Brother Yuan, I came here today because I couldn't make up my mind about something. That's why I came to look for you. But this matter shouldn't be known to outsiders."

Chen Siyuan nodded and winked at Xiangling, and Xiangling went to the outer room to play with Hongyu, Liu Wuer and Tonggui.

When only two people were left inside, Aunt Xue said worriedly, "Ever since listening to Brother Yuan'er's advice last time, I've asked someone to investigate the Cao family's daughter's character. Although she's only pretty, she has a very good personality. She's well-educated, good at needlework, and helps her mother with household chores. Everyone, from top to bottom, is impressed by her.

I had been planning to ask a matchmaker to come and talk to you in the next couple of days, but I happened to learn that Doctor Cao was involved in a lawsuit."

"In trouble with a lawsuit?" Chen Siyuan frowned.

"It is said that during Doctor Cao's tenure, the Fengchen Court had accumulated a considerable deficit. Some time ago, an imperial censor reported Doctor Cao to the emperor. Upon hearing this, the emperor was furious and ordered the Imperial Household to conduct an investigation."

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "My concubine, you are not mistaken. You are really checking yourself?"

Aunt Xue said, "I went to look for the imperial gazette and saw that it was indeed a self-investigation."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "That's fine... From what I know, Doctor Cao is a cautious person and would never make such a big mistake. I think the censors heard about the accumulated debts over the years, so they made a report."

Aunt Xue still refused to believe him and hesitated, saying, "Even though that's what he said, he's still in trouble... Will Doctor Cao be stripped of his position and thrown into prison someday?"

Chen Siyuan thought it would be best to avoid bothering two masters with one matter, and he also thought about how long it had been since he last saw Prince Ping of Yan. So he said, "Since my concubine is worried, I will go to the palace one of these days to find out about this matter and then talk to my concubine."

Aunt Xue's expression softened immediately, and she smiled, "Thank you for troubling me, Brother Yuan... This is a truly serious matter. Even though the daughter of the Cao family is a perfect woman, she can't be involved in a lawsuit."

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "I know what my concubine is thinking. As the saying goes, 'Parents' love is the most compassionate in the world.' Wenlong's marriage should be handled with caution."

Aunt Xue smiled and nodded, then added, "Pan'er sent a letter yesterday saying that everything is being done according to Yuan'er's idea. I expect good news will come soon."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded. Seeing that he was calm and composed, Aunt Xue felt her heart stirring again.

Aunt Xue had been busy these past few days arranging Xue Pan's marriage. She was originally a woman of the inner house, and when her husband was alive, how could she have ever taken care of the messy affairs outside?
After her husband passed away, she was forced to support the family. There were countless times when Aunt Xue had taken a trivial matter lightly, only to have it cause great trouble – like the Xue Pan case; and countless times when Aunt Xue had been anxiously anticipating a major event, only to find it was all a false alarm.

The more she supported the family, the more exhausted Aunt Xue felt. She would often think about finding a suitable helper to protect herself and the Xue family from the wind and rain.

Seeing Chen Siyuan so calm and composed, and solving his own troubles with just a few words, Aunt Xue couldn't help but feel more and more strange.

Her thoughts were in a mess, and she couldn't help but hesitate, her words coming out incoherently. Sometimes she asked Chen Siyuan about his schoolwork, and sometimes she talked about how hot the weather was and how he had to be careful about getting a heat stroke.

After a few random words, Aunt Xue felt that if she stayed any longer she would lose her composure, so she quickly stood up and said goodbye.

Chen Siyuan sent her out of the hospital, feeling somewhat strange. Then he thought, perhaps it was because of the seriousness of the matter that Aunt Xue was so flustered?

Just as he was about to return to the main room, Miao'er came looking for him.

"Master, the master is looking for you to talk to."

After not seeing each other for two days, Miao'er looked Chen Siyuan up and down with her eyes, as if she wanted to eat him alive.

Chen Siyuan came closer and asked, "Sister, do you know what's going on?"

"It must be a good thing. I saw the master stroking his beard and laughing, pacing back and forth in the outer study."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and followed Miao'er to the east side of the courtyard. When they arrived at the outer study, they found it just as Miao'er had said. The eldest master, Jia She, was smiling, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his beard, and walking around with a look of satisfaction and contentment.

"Brother Yuan is here? Come sit down and talk."

Chen Siyuan bowed and thanked him, then lifted his robe and sat down at the bottom.

Jia She didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I received a letter today saying that the interest from the sea trade has been sent to the capital in the form of a bill of lading. The Imperial Household will soon return the principal and interest together."

Chen Siyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile: "The nephew congratulates his uncle."

Jia She laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "It's all thanks to Brother Yuan, otherwise how would I have earned any money?" He paused, then continued, "I heard that there are still some issues to be resolved regarding the sea trade. Was it Brother Yuan who came up with the idea?"

Chen Siyuan was disgusted. Jia She was truly insatiable. Previously, the Imperial Treasury had little money, so he was resorting to borrowing chickens to lay eggs. Once the sea trade payments were paid back, the Imperial Treasury would have no shortage of money. How could he allow others to interfere with the Imperial Treasury's livelihood?
Because it was Chen Siyuan, he said, "Uncle, although I was the one who came up with the plan, it is ultimately the business of the Imperial Household, and I'm afraid it's not appropriate for our family to get involved."

"Well, that's true." Jia She frowned slightly and said, "Your aunt has been talking about it these past two days. Go and take a look at her in the back."

"Yes." Chen Siyuan stood up and took his leave. He left the outer study and headed towards the third-floor ceremonial gate.

When Miao'er led Chen Siyuan into the main room, she saw Madam Xing sitting on the couch, her belly already bulging. Counting the months, it was already eight months, and the baby was due in August, so Madam Xing was having difficulty moving around.

The two chatted for a while, and after sending away the maids and the old women, Chen Siyuan asked, "Have you heard about the distribution of interest in the inner court?"

Mrs. Xing's face immediately lit up with joy. She said, "I heard from the Master that I did some calculations privately, and I think we can get at least four thousand taels this time!"

The share of the previous maritime trade was only 50,000 taels. The eldest master Jia She, Lady Wang, and Feng Jieer each took 3,000 taels, Lady Xing paid 1,000 taels, and Xue Pan paid 8,000 taels. The remaining share of just over 30,000 taels was mixed up by Lady Xing.

The interest rate offered by the Imperial Household was 40%, and Madam Xing profited 10% by simply flipping the coins. Thus, including principal and interest, Madam Xing should have received approximately 4,400 taels.

After a pause, Madam Xing smiled and said, "You don't know, I've been short of money for the past six months. I even felt a little reluctant to give out the rewards during Duanyang Festival. So, are you still short of money now? I'll give you half of these four thousand silver coins?"

Seeing Madam Xing's reluctant expression, Chen Siyuan immediately waved his hand and said with a smile, "Just keep it for yourself. I'm not short of money right now. The pill business is just starting to take off, and I estimate I can make at least three thousand taels of silver this month. Once word of mouth spreads, let alone five thousand, even eight thousand will be common. By the New Year, maybe I can even give you a share of a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver."

Mrs. Xing squinted her eyes and giggled endlessly. As the baby in her belly grew older, Mrs. Xing had inevitably gained some weight, looking even more plump and round, like the majestic female bodhisattva in the mural.

Suddenly remembering the eight thousand taels from the Xue family, Mrs. Xing said, "I should take 10% of the Xue family's income, which is still eight hundred taels."

Chen Siyuan curled his lips and said, "How much is that?"

He had no shortage of money now, so why would he offend others over a few? Perhaps because Mrs. Xing was in a good mood today, she didn't say anything else after hearing this. She just said, "It's your money anyway, so make your own decision."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Xing frowned suddenly. She lowered her head and saw a bulge on her belly. She didn't know whether it was the fetus's hand or foot.

Chen Siyuan looked at it in surprise, stepped forward to take a closer look, then reached out and touched it, and the bulge suddenly shrank back.

Mrs. Xing's expression suddenly changed. She poked Chen Siyuan on the forehead and scolded him, "You're almost going to be a father, why are you still so naughty?"

Chen Siyuan chuckled, but something strange was brewing inside him. This was his second life, and his first as a father. His emotions were a jumbled mess, and he couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. Perhaps he was just confused, perhaps?

Chen Siyuan didn't need to inform anyone about the distribution of profits from the inner court. Madam Xing arrogantly sent Miao'er and Tiao'er around, and soon everyone knew about it.

It is said that just today, Feng Jieer had answered the question correctly to Jia Qin, the steward of the temple, when a servant came and happily told her about the division of silver in the inner court.

Feng Jieer was immediately delighted and jumped for joy, so she simply picked a golden hairpin and gave it as a reward for the note announcing the good news.

After Ping'er sent the note away, the master and servant began to discuss the matter privately, saying, "Brother Yuan is indeed a trustworthy man. He said he would return the money in half a year, but it's been less than five months already."

Ping'er said, "Who doesn't know Mr. Yuan's ability? He made an extra 1,200 taels of silver just from this trip." 1,200 taels, that's the amount Fengjie earned by lending money in a year.

Sister Feng smiled and nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "This time, thanks to Brother Yuan. Let's have your Second Master invite Brother Yuan over tomorrow. We can't forget the well-digger when we enjoy the water."

Ping'er agreed with a smile, and then she heard a noise coming from outside. It was Jia Lian who came over with an embarrassed look on his face.

The master and servant looked at each other, and Ping'er said, "Second Master, you may have been sunburned. I'll go get you a cup of sour plum soup."

Jia Lian nodded, sat down next to Sister Feng, and fanned herself with his folding fan.

Sister Feng frowned and said, "It's like fishing it out of the water. Where did it go?"

Naturally, he went to find Liu Yan'er to make love, but the vixen burst into tears, saying that she was sorry for Xue Pan and wanted to cut off all ties with Jia Lian. Jia Lian was already enjoying the taste of the marrow, so how could he give it up so easily? He then tried to persuade her and stuffed his purse into her.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yan'er weighed her purse and immediately threw it back, saying that she was not a slut who was blinded by money. She also said that she had been tricked into losing her footing by Jia Lian and felt very sorry for the Xue family, so she would go to Aunt Xue to confess her guilt.

Jia Lian was so frightened that he almost died. If this matter really got out, what would happen to him? He begged for mercy and gave Liu Yan'er the jade ring he had obtained when he went south to Yangzhou. Only then did he get the answer.

Now that his purse was empty and he had a jade ring on his finger, Jia Lian always felt that something was wrong, but he was itching to give up Liu Yan'er's seductive charm. Hearing that the inner court had distributed the income, Jia Lian was short of money and hurried over to find her.

Hearing Sister Feng's question, Jia Lian chuckled and said, "Chang'er is in charge of the twelve young actors. He said he's rehearsing a new piece and wanted to ask my advice. He just stood in the sun for half an hour. Isn't he sweating all over?"

Fearing that Sister Feng would ask again, Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Yes, what were you and Ping'er laughing about just now?"

Sister Feng rolled her eyes and said, "It's just a girl's private conversation, but Second Master wants to listen in?" Jia Lian smiled and said, "Never mind, I can't listen in on this matter. But there is one thing... They say the Imperial Household has distributed interest. How much silver did you put in when Brother Yuan came last time?"

Feng Jieer was alarmed and said, "Don't you know how much I have? I scraped together a thousand taels from here and there. Brother Yuan only let me in because of our past friendship."

"Only one thousand taels?" Jia Lian frowned and said nothing, feeling a little disappointed.

Seeing this, Sister Feng knew exactly what Jia Lian was thinking. She said immediately, "I've got this 1,400 taels, and I'll have to spend it in a few days. My brother said last time that he wanted to buy a house in the capital, so he wanted to borrow some from me first."

These words completely blocked the words that Jia Lian was about to say. Jia Lian's interest immediately waned. He had said, "I'd ask Sister Feng to give me a few hundred taels of silver to buy Liu Yan'er some headgear. That little bitch would definitely do her best next time." Now that there was no hope, Jia Lian was speechless.

He answered Feng Jieer's questions randomly, said he had some chores to do outside, and stood up and left.

Feng Jieer was full of suspicion, but she couldn't find Jia Lian's tracks for the time being, so she had to suppress the matter in her heart.

Meanwhile, Aunt Xue, having been advised by Chen Siyuan, went to talk to Lady Wang. Lady Wang hadn't even taken Baochai's marriage seriously, so how could she care about Xue Pan's?
Because they didn't care, Mrs. Wang was very patient. The two sisters whispered to each other for more than half an hour.

Suddenly, Jin Chuan'er came in and said, "Madam, concubine, the eldest lady sent Miao'er, one of her attendants, to announce the good news."

The two sisters looked at each other, and Lady Wang asked in surprise, "What's the good news? Quickly call Miao'er in to talk."

Jin Chuan'er smiled and agreed, then turned around and led Miao'er in. Miao'er bowed as she entered and said, "Congratulations to the Madam and the Concubine. Today, the Master heard that the Imperial Household will soon distribute the sea trade bonus."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "It's indeed a happy occasion... Didn't they say the money would take half a year to come back? It's only been five months."

Miao'er smiled and said, "I don't know about the affairs of the inner court."

Aunt Xue was even more delighted. Xue Pan invited her to a banquet, forced her to pay eight thousand taels of silver, and promised her a 10% bonus. Even so, the return payment was a full ten thousand four hundred taels.

Only those who manage the household know how expensive firewood and rice are. The old shopkeeper, Zhang Dehui, once told Aunt Xue about business: it's easy to make a thousand taels of silver with a thousand, but it's much harder to make another ten thousand taels with ten thousand. Once the sums are large, the business becomes difficult to turn around; any mistake can lead to total loss.

In less than five months, a full 30% profit had been made, which was enough to satisfy Aunt Xue. The only drawback was that Yuan Ge'er lived in a different house from hers. If he was her own nephew, she could have simply given him 5,000 taels of silver and the Xue family would have taken the remaining 50,000 taels. This way, she could have made 15,000 taels of silver!
Mrs. Wang had no idea what Aunt Xue was thinking, so she quickly ordered Jin Chuan'er to reward Miao'er with two silver grains. Then, turning to Aunt Xue, she said with a smile, "I've taken advantage of Brother Yuan this time, but I can't pretend I didn't know. The Wang family sent some brocade a year ago. I'll pick out two pieces and send them to Brother Yuan later."

Aunt Xue pondered for a moment, "Sister has sent me clothes, but I can't bring her anything like them. Brother Yuan has been borrowing carriages and horses from the mansion, which is always a hassle. I'll find a fine horse to send over later."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "It's only right. My sister invested a full eight thousand taels, so she deserves a fine horse as a gift."

Everyone in the Rongguo Mansion was filled with joy that day, and the whole mansion was filled with praise for Chen Siyuan.

Two days later, Chen Siyuan took a day off. At noon that day, Chen Siyuan returned from Xiaohuazhi Lane with dark circles under his eyes.

This situation was seen by all the girls, and even Xiangling, who had the best temper, complained a lot. Chen Siyuan humbly agreed, with a bitter smile in his heart.

Second Sister You and Third Sister You also fell on the bed like lotus flowers. Even Chen Siyuan, who considered himself knowledgeable, could not resist such temptation. So last night, they tossed and turned until dawn. The feeling inside was naturally not easy to share with outsiders.

When Liu Wu'er came to persuade him, Chen Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it. I'll go find my three good brothers tomorrow. I have to learn some ways to strengthen my body. Oh, where's the black porcelain bottle I brought back the other day? Hurry and get the pills!"

Hongyu pursed her lips as she fetched the black porcelain bottle and served him some warm tea. Chen Siyuan gulped down a pill of Huanchun Pill. Still feeling incredibly empty, he swallowed another Bu Tian Pill.

Feeling slightly relieved, Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "I'm strong and powerful right now, relying solely on my resources, but I can barely subdue these two little demons. When my sisters are all married tomorrow, will I end up returning empty-handed?"

No, no, it's urgent to strengthen the body. I'm afraid that the Huanchun Pill with Shilajit as the main ingredient will have to be taken regularly.

Just as he was thinking about it, the little maid Yunxiang called out, "Master, the concubine is here!"

Aunt Xue is here again?

Chen Siyuan stood up to greet him. Aunt Xue had a smile on her face, but when she saw Chen Siyuan's sunken eyes, her expression suddenly changed in fright.

"Ouch, what did Brother Yuan do?"

Chen Siyuan simply said, "Well, I was too eager to sleep and only managed to sleep for a while at daybreak."

Aunt Xue didn't suspect anything. She frowned and said, "Although studying is important, it's not good to harm your health." She turned to Tongxi and ordered, "Go to the kitchen and get a bowl of ginseng tea."

Tongxi agreed and turned to go to the small kitchen in the garden.

Chen Siyuan led Aunt Xue inside. Aunt Xue chattered on for a long time, her concern so intense that Chen Siyuan felt very strange. Then she changed the subject and said, "Thanks to Brother Yuan, there was a letter from the Imperial Household yesterday. I sent someone to retrieve the money with interest in the afternoon."

As he spoke, he placed the eight hundred taels of silver on the table and said with a smile, "This is the amount agreed upon by you and Pan'er. I also picked a horse for you privately."

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Madam, you are too polite. Brother Wenlong and I were just joking that day. How could we accept this money? Madam, please take it back quickly."

Aunt Xue said, "A man cannot stand without trust. My son has already made his promise. How can the Xue family go back on their word and enrich themselves?"

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "Never mind. I'll take it, but Aunt Xue should take the banknote back." Without giving Aunt Xue any time to refuse, Chen Siyuan added, "Speaking of which, I went to Prince Yanping's mansion yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue stopped mentioning the banknotes and frowned, asking with concern, "The palace? Did Brother Yuan hear about that?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, saying, "That account is already an arrears, and has little to do with Doctor Cao."

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's great."

Aunt Xue was naturally happy and thought of finding a matchmaker to go and propose marriage to Xue Pan in the future. If it worked out, Xue Pan would have nothing to worry about in the future.

Chen Siyuan looked embarrassed.

He had visited Prince Ping of Yan the previous day and, naturally, had been thoroughly ridiculed by the teasing prince. Furthermore, the English delegation was due to arrive in the capital soon, and Prince Ping of Yan was busy negotiating reception arrangements with the Ministry of Rites, so how could he have the time to answer Chen Siyuan? He immediately handed him over to two doctors, who grabbed Chen Siyuan and questioned him about the bank for a long while before releasing him from the palace.

Aunt Xue was thinking about Xue Pan's marriage, and Chen Siyuan was thinking about the British delegation.

This delegation was supposed to arrive in Beijing in March, but the envoy contracted an epidemic in February and took two months to recover. Now they are traveling north by sea and will probably reach Tianjin by the middle of this month.

Chen Siyuan knew England's character and wanted to take action, but his influence was too weak to intervene in matters of diplomatic ties.

When Aunt Xue came to her senses, she saw Chen Siyuan staring at her.

Aunt Xue's face flushed, and after a moment of confusion she realized that Chen Siyuan was distracted, and she felt a little disappointed.

Today she wore a white silk front-opening gown with a gold floral pattern edging, lined with a white cross-collared jacket, and a cinnabar-colored horse-faced skirt embroidered with a gold floral pattern.

Aunt Xue couldn't help but wonder if what she was wearing today was too old-fashioned.

By this time, Chen Siyuan had regained his composure. Seeing Aunt Xue's flushed face, he thought it was simply the stuffiness in the room and said, "However, I'm afraid Doctor Cao's lawsuit won't be settled until he pays the fine."

"Oh." Aunt Xue responded, but she looked as if she was in a trance.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but elaborate, "Doctor Cao's family fortune isn't great, and I'm afraid he can't afford the compensation... If the concubine comes to my rescue, I think the marriage will be a success."

Aunt Xue finally came to her senses and said gratefully, "I see, that's how it is. Thanks to Brother Yuan for his advice. But I wonder how much silver it will cost?"

Chen Siyuan said, "The debt of the Fengchen Court is not much. If it falls on Doctor Cao, it will be around 10,000 or 20,000."

Aunt Xue thought to herself that it was worth spending 20,000 silver coins to find a good marriage for her son. She thanked him profusely and, seeing that Chen Siyuan really did not want any money, she told him to leave the horses in the front stable and let the Xue family servants take care of them. Chen Siyuan did not have to worry about anything.

Seeing that it was getting late, Aunt Xue stood up and said goodbye.

Her mind was in a mess all the way, sometimes thinking of Chen Siyuan, sometimes worrying about Xue Pan's marriage, so she kept her head down and didn't even see Jia Lian who was not far away.

Jia Lian bowed from a distance, but Aunt Xue didn't respond after he called her twice.

Just as she was feeling strange, her companion Tongxi hurriedly informed Aunt Xue, and Aunt Xue finally came to her senses. Seeing that it was Jia Lian, she immediately smiled and said, "It's Lian'er! I was thinking about something just now and didn't notice it."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "That's all right. Madam, I have a business to discuss with you this time."

"make a living?"

"Exactly... I wonder if my concubine is interested in the business of Bu Tian Wan and Huan Chun Dan?"

Aunt Xue was taken aback. The Xue family was certainly involved in that business. A couple of days ago, Chen Siyuan had told her that this month's revenue would be four thousand taels, and after deducting the capital, there would still be over two thousand taels left for profit. It was a truly excellent business. So why did Jia Lian suggest that he was selling his stake in the business?
Aunt Xue asked, "Brother Lian, are you planning to sell your shares?"

Jia Lian smiled wryly and said, "That's right. If my wife is interested, I'm willing to sell it at the original price—"

Before she finished speaking, Aunt Xue kept shaking her head.

"No, no, no, with this kind of business, who wouldn't keep the shares? How could I give them away? If Feng Ge'er knew about this, she would definitely find fault with me one day. I also advise you, if you really want to give it away, why not settle it with Feng Ge'er first."

"This..." Jia Lian was choked and was speechless.

Aunt Xue continued, "If you are short of money, just ask me for it. I will make up for it when you have money."

"Thank you, Madam," said Jia Lian, "a friend of mine is in urgent need of money, and I am at a loss at the moment. Since Madam has said so, I will take a thousand taels from you first. I will pay you back later when I am successful."

Aunt Xue said, "Okay, okay." She counted a stack of banknotes and gave Jia Lian one thousand taels of silver.

Jia Lian thanked him profusely and left.

Aunt Xue took Tongxi home. As soon as they entered, Tongxi said, "Madam, why didn't you agree to meet Mr. Lian? Who knows, that thing might be even more valuable in the future."

Aunt Xue said, "What do you know? Miss Feng is not someone you can easily mess with. She's in charge of the Rongguo Mansion now. If she knew that this benefit had fallen into the hands of our Xue family, do you think Miss Feng would secretly make things difficult for us?"

Tongxi suddenly realized, and then Aunt Xue thought: "It's not good to hide this from Feng girl. You should go and tell her, so that she won't blame the Xue family in the future."

Tongxi agreed and went to Fengjie's courtyard.

At this time, Feng Jieer had just finished her evening meal after a tiring day. When she heard that it was Tongxi who came, she hurriedly asked Ping'er to take her inside.

Tongxi followed Aunt Xue's instructions and told the story of what had just happened. Finally, he said, "Our lady thought that there is no reason why Master Yuan's business would not make money. I am afraid that Master Lian's shares will be earned back in the future. Isn't it killing the goose that lays the golden eggs if we give them away now?
Because he had given Second Master Lian a thousand taels, he also hurriedly sent me here to tell Second Madam about it."

Feng Jieer's eyebrows jumped when she heard this! Even if he was a spendthrift, he would never be so wasteful!
Others may not know, but Sister Feng knows that this month's profit from the business is over two thousand taels, and Jia Lian will get over two hundred taels. This is only the first month, and I'm afraid the profit will increase from now on, and by the end of the year, it's possible to make three or four thousand taels.

Are you selling your shares because you're currently short of money? What's your thinking?

Sister Feng thanked him solemnly and said to Ping'er, "Go and call the Second Master back. I want to see which of my friends is short of money!"

　Today is New Year's Eve. I wish everyone: the latent dragon leaps out to bid farewell to the old year, and the snake presents gifts to celebrate the new year.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)