Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 18: Cloud Board Knocking Funeral Sound

Retracting his gaze, Chen Siyuan nodded slightly, then bowed to Ping'er and said, "Thank you, Miss Ping."

Ping'er smiled and said, "It's my duty. Yuan'er, just let it go. Yes, the Second Mistress received the gift just now and seemed to like it even more. She even asked me to thank Yuan'er."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "As long as my second sister-in-law likes it, I'm afraid it's too shabby and she might look down on it."

"Brother Yuan, that's not true. The most important thing about gifts is the thought. If we only consider the value, why not just give gold and silver?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I was wrong."

Ping'er also smiled and said, "Our grandmother is still waiting for my reply. Brother Yuan, go ahead. I'm leaving first."

Chen Siyuan didn't dare to neglect her. He walked two steps forward before turning around. He glanced at Hongyu meaningfully and said, "Your original name was Xiaohong?"

"To answer Master Yuan, my original name was Hongyu, but later I changed it to Xiaohong to avoid the taboo of Master Bao."

Chen Siyuan said, "I don't have anything to hide here, so I'll just change back to my real name... Hongyu sounds much better than Xiaohong."

Hongyu smiled and replied, "I'll listen to you, Master."

Chen Siyuan called Yunxiang over and asked her to take Hongyu to settle down. He returned to his room alone, feeling secretly happy.

Xiaohong, clever and opinionated, strong-willed and competitive, ambitious and aspiring, yet also affectionate and righteous. If things had continued as they always had, Xiaohong would probably have waited until next year before boldly throwing the handkerchief at Jia Yun. But by getting involved, Xiaohong was placing her bets on herself.

For a moment, Chen Siyuan felt very proud and satisfied. It turned out that only the favor of a girl could be the best motivation for him.

At this moment, Xiangling came over with tea, put down the teacup and said, "Little... Hongyu is very clever. Master, you might as well let her take charge of this courtyard from now on."

Chen Siyuan was surprised and asked, "Do you know Hongyu?"

Xiangling nodded and said, "I've seen her a few times. Miss Bao once praised her a few times."

Chen Siyuan teased, "You're quite careless. Aren't you afraid that she'll take over your position someday?"

Xiangling was clearly bewildered, and it took her a long while to come to her senses. Xiafei's cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, "I, I can do some chores like making the bed and folding the quilt, but I can't do anything else. Why not let Hongyu do it?"

Chen Siyuan thought that Xiangling was just a non-competitive person, so he shook his head and said, "Forget it. Go read a book. You don't have to stay by my side all the time."

Xiangling happily agreed, turned around and went into the study, holding a book in her hands and losing herself in it in the blink of an eye. Seeing Xiangling's serious expression through the grille, Chen Siyuan felt only pleasure.

He immediately regained his composure, thinking to himself, "We just entered the mansion yesterday, so it's not a good idea to go look for those two swindlers now. I had something important to do to find Madam Xing, but that foolish woman has picked up Qiao now. It's really depressing."

After a while, Yunxiang led Hongyu inside and said, "Master, everything is settled."

Look at Yunxiang's head held high and chest puffed out, as if she is convinced that she is closer to Chen Siyuan.

Unexpectedly, the next moment he was struck by lightning.

Then Chen Siyuan said, "Hongyu will take care of the affairs of this courtyard from now on."

"Huh?" The little girl Yunxiang blinked and pouted. She wasn't stupid, so how could she not understand that Hongyu was going to ride on her head?

Hongyu smiled and agreed, saying, "Master, you trust me so much. I will do my best in the future."

Ignoring Yunxiang's stunned expression, Chen Siyuan took the sandalwood box from the table, called Hongyu over, and handed it to her, saying, "The Rongguo Mansion has many rules and regulations. I'm new here and don't understand them. I'll have to make some arrangements. You can withdraw the money from here." "Yes." Hongyu felt relieved. Thinking that she was right, she couldn't help but look at Chen Siyuan again.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "How do you two decide on your monthly allowance?"

Hongyu replied, "Master, Yunxiang and I are both third-class maids. As usual, we are paid 500 coins per month, which is paid before the fifth day of the first lunar month." After a pause, she added, "Master, Yunxiang and I both receive our monthly allowance from the palace."

Chen Siyuan said, "This is the mansion. It's not right for you to come to my place and not get any benefits at all. How about this: Yunxiang will get an extra string of money, and Hongyu will get two extra strings of money."

Hongyu said happily, "Thank you for your reward, sir."

Yunxiang, having regained her composure, also thanked him. A monthly pay increase should have been a happy occasion, but Hongyu's pay later increased even more than hers, so Yunxiang felt a little unhappy.

"That's it. You can go down now."

After sending Hongyu and Yunxiang away, Chen Siyuan simply went into his study. Whether it was for show or just to sharpen his sword before a battle, he had to go through the Four Books and Five Classics to avoid revealing anything later.

By the afternoon, things were getting busier up ahead, with the faint sound of gongs and drums. Yunxiang, the nosy maid, went out to listen and returned, saying, not without envy, "They've invited acrobats and a troupe, and they're going to have a banquet in the Grand Hall soon."

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was indifferent, the girl went to find Hongyu and said, "It would be great if she was still at Master Bao's place. Maybe she could come and watch the fun."

Hongyu's expression suddenly changed. "We are only third-class maids. How can we be so lucky as to go along and watch the fun? If you care about how good Mr. Bao is, just ask your parents to make some arrangements and transfer you back."

After saying that, he walked away. Yunxiang held her lips tightly and dared not say anything. After he walked away, she said, "It's easy for you to say that. My parents are not in charge of things... My two older sisters don't have any jobs yet. If I hadn't been lucky, how could I have entered the mansion to work?"

The sound of drums and music did not stop until half past the hour of Xu.

Chen Siyuan, dizzy from reading, had Xiangling help him wash up and get to bed early. Having spent money early in the morning, silver frost charcoal arrived in the afternoon. Xiangling lit the incense burner and placed sandalwood in it. Soon, the room was filled with fragrance.

Xiangling washed up and went to the west end room, clasping her hands together, feeling somewhat bewildered. She thought to herself, "Yesterday, there was no fumigation basket, so Master dragged me into bed with him. Now that there's a fumigation basket, should I... not use it?"
While thinking, Chen Siyuan parted the bed curtains and said in confusion, "What are you standing there thinking about? Come and rest."

Xiangling was already confused and had no idea what to do, so she walked over obediently and got into bed.

The cold diamond foot accidentally touched Chen Siyuan's leg, and then quickly retracted it. Chen Siyuan asked, "Why is it so cold?"

Before Xiangling could reply, she felt a pair of broad legs enveloping her feet. Then an arm passed under her neck and embraced her.

Xiangling's heart was pounding, and then she heard Chen Siyuan say, "Go to sleep."

"Hmm," Xiangling replied, but she couldn't hide her panic. After a moment, she heard the person behind her breathing more evenly, so she slowly reached out her hand and gently placed it over that person's palm.

Fearing she might disturb Chen Siyuan, she moved to move away, only to be immediately grabbed by the hand. Xiangling, her head covered, was startled at first, then a warm feeling welled up within her. Perhaps it was the peace of mind she felt that caused her to drift off into a deep sleep.

I don't know how long it was, but suddenly I heard the sound of a cloud board being knocked four times. The sound was particularly harsh in the quiet night.

Not only Xiangling woke up, but Chen Siyuan also woke up.

"What's the noise?"

Xiangling said confusedly, "I don't know...it doesn't sound like the night watchman's call."

Just then, Hongyu suddenly heard a knock on the door: "Master, Master! The cloud board is knocking four times in a row. It's a mournful sound. I don't know which master is in trouble!"

(End of this chapter)