Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 184: Deer Scratching its Head and Hesitating
Cuicui Temple.

At the beginning of the night watch, the candlelight in the nunnery was dim and the scent of ambergris was lingering.

Miaoyu sat cross-legged on a cushion, holding in her hands a rare Ming Dynasty copy of "Meeting the True Love". She flipped through the pages gently with her delicate hands, and soon reached the last page.

After reading it, Miaoyu sighed secretly in her heart and couldn't help reciting in a low voice, "The shy flower is eloquent, the gentle jade emits fragrance."

The two maids had already gone to bed. At this moment, with a creak, the little maid Chanyue came in with a basin of water.

Miaoyu hurriedly tucked the solitary copy of the True Notes under her cushion, her face as calm as a still pond. Chanyue approached and said, "Master, it's time to wash up."

Miaoyu responded and rustled up from her cushion. The maid, Chanyue, pushed the door open and went out to look for something else. Miaoyu sat upright in front of the diamond-shaped mirror and took off her Miaochang bun herself.

She was still feeling aggrieved, sighing for the infatuated men and resentful women in the book, feeling sorry for herself, and thinking of her own life experience.

Just as she was about to lose herself in thought, Chanyue suddenly rushed in, her face filled with anxiety. She trembled and whispered, "Miss...Ghost, ghost!"

Miaoyu frowned in displeasure, turned around and scolded, "How can you be so flustered? Don't forget, from now on you must call me Master."

Chanyue pleaded with a mournful face, "Master, there really is a ghost. If you don't believe me, come over and let me hear what's going on."

Miaoyu saw that his expression did not seem false, so she walked over curiously. She pushed the door open slightly and was hit by a cool breeze.

It was late autumn, and the croaking of frogs and the noise of insects were all gone. Outside, only the rustling of branches and leaves could be heard. Miaoyu was about to scold Chanyue when suddenly, a sound like sobbing and complaining, intermittent, came to her.

Miaoyu was shocked!
She was only nineteen years old, how could she have ever heard such a strange sound? Her heart was trembling, and when she saw the little maid Chanyue trembling and pulling at her sleeve, she forced herself to calm down and said, "It's just the sound of the wind, it's nothing serious..."

Before he could finish his words, a woman's heart-wrenching scream was heard!

Miaoyu was so frightened that her body trembled. She quickly raised her palm and chanted: "Om Benza Saduo Hum! Om Benza Saduo Hum! All Buddhas appear in golden bodies. The gods Jala and Hora. Recite the Buddha's name a thousand times. Ghosts will leave the body. The body will leave the bed. The disease will leave the body. All evil spirits will turn into dust—"

This is the Vajra Mantra, which can slay demons and remove obstacles.

Seeing that his daughter was incapable of doing anything, Chanyue, without caring about anything else, tremblingly went to the meditation room nearby. A moment later, two maids who had just gone to bed came out of the meditation room, one holding a broom and the other a feather duster.

He frantically protected Miaoyu, still shouting, "Where did this filthy thing come from? Get away!"

Another woman screamed. The two old women, who were originally panic-stricken, looked at each other in confusion when they heard the sound.

One of them glanced awkwardly at Miaoyu, who was still reciting the sutra, and said with a wry smile, "This... young lady, I'm afraid your Buddhist teachings can't solve this problem."

Miaoyu opened her eyes in wonder and fell silent. Then another woman said, "I don't know where these wild mandarin ducks came from, but now they're having fun outside the mountain gate. You can't bear to see such a thing, young lady. Cover your ears quickly."

The woman in front muttered, "It's probably that Miss Duo... Tsk tsk, I wonder who she's been hooking up with lately."

Miaoyu's face, originally pale, now flushed with anger and shame. She frowned and said "shameless" before turning around and running back into the room.

The two maids caught the young servant, Chanyue, and teased her for a while before letting her in to serve. Chanyue was also new to hearing about this, and although she felt embarrassed, she was more curious.

But she also knew that her daughter always liked cleanliness, so she slightly expressed her annoyance and hurried to help Miaoyu wash up. After everything was done, Chanyue couldn't bear the sleepiness. Although she thought about it randomly for a while, she fell asleep in a few moments.

Miaoyu was distracted and tossed and turned for a while, unable to fall asleep. When she fell into a daze, she had a series of strange dreams. In her half-awake state, she suddenly felt a cold and slippery feeling under her body, and Miaoyu woke up with a start.

When she stood up and lifted the quilt to take a look, she was instantly filled with shame! She found some underwear to change into, and seeing that there was still some fire in the charcoal brazier, she threw all her underwear into the brazier.

Flames rose, and smoke filled the room. The little maid, Chanyue, who was still soundly asleep, was coughing repeatedly. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, got up, looked at her daughter, and said, "Master... Master, what's wrong with you..."

Miaoyu said angrily, "Burn it all! Burn it all! To prevent it from being contaminated by that screwdriver!"

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

At the curved entrance to the White Stone Bridge, Chen Siyuan first peered in for a moment, then quickly pulled Aunt Xue along, hiding on the sloped embankment behind the round pavilion. Aunt Xue's face was flushed, and she paid no attention to the woman carrying a lantern patrolling across the river. She simply rested her face against Chen Siyuan's chest, tilting her pretty face upwards, her watery eyes fixated on Chen Siyuan.

After a while, the night watchwoman entered the winding cave and came back out, laughing and making noises.

Chen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief, and when he looked down, he saw Aunt Xue staring at him in a daze.

Chen Siyuan smiled and whispered, "It's really inconvenient to stay here. I have to visit an honored guest tomorrow, and there's also a Luming Feast in the afternoon. Are you free the day after tomorrow?"

At this moment, whatever he said was what he meant, and Aunt Xue just kept on responding silently. After Chen Siyuan worked for a while, the drunkenness had mostly dissipated, and he immediately led Aunt Xue across the white stone bridge, and only when they reached the rockery did he let her go first.

Aunt Xue looked back every few steps and paced for a while. When she heard a maid holding a lantern at the entrance of the garden calling her, she responded and left quickly.

The ones who came looking for her were none other than Sister Bao, who was worried about them, and Tongxi and Ying'er.

Two lanterns shone brightly, and seeing Aunt Xue return safely, Sister Bao could not help but say angrily, "Mother, how could you have forgotten the time while you were out for a walk? It's already this late, and you haven't come back yet?"

Aunt Xue sneered and said, "Just now I saw the withered osmanthus flowers scattered all over the ground behind me. It made me miss you... By the way, has your brother come back?"

The lantern was dim and could not clearly illuminate Aunt Xue's charming face, so Sister Bao did not suspect anything. She just turned and took a half step back, frowning and said to Aunt Xue, "Don't mention it. It was someone from Jinxiangyuan who sent it back. I don't know how much she drank!"

Aunt Xue was immediately displeased and said, "This useless person is still discussing marriage with the Cao family. If this gets to the Cao family's ears, how can this marriage be discussed?"

Baochai nodded and said, "I heard from the servant that this time I was invited by the son of the Earl of Jinxiang."

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "With your brother's personality, who would consider him a friend? I'm afraid he invited him to Jinxiang Courtyard just to have some fun!"

Sister Bao remained silent, thinking to herself, "Doesn't her mother understand everything?" Under normal circumstances, Sister Bao might have offered a few words to excuse Xue Pan, but now she had other thoughts. She was hoping that Aunt Xue would be greatly disappointed in Xue Pan.

The mother and daughter entered the courtyard, went to the main room in the front, took a look at the drunk Xue Pan, then covered their mouths and noses and went to the main room in the back.

After some time, the blush on Aunt Xue's face faded early, and although her pretty face was slightly flushed, it was only because of the cold autumn wind.

The mother and daughter chatted briefly, and seeing that Aunt Xue looked tired, Sister Bao tactfully withdrew.

At that moment, Tongxi and Tonggui went in to help Aunt Xue undress and wash. Tongxi felt the front of her coat was cool and smooth.

Just as he was frowning in confusion, his friend beside him said, "Oh, who's so disgusted by bird droppings? I'm afraid these clothes can't be worn anymore. Quickly soak them and send them to the laundry tomorrow."

Aunt Xue's heart trembled when she heard this, and she hurriedly said, "Bird poop? I was wondering why I felt like I bumped into a branch just now, but when I looked up, I couldn't see anything."

Tongxi held the clothes and walked out, feeling more and more strange in his heart... The color does match, but can bird droppings be so thin?
Thinking that his wife had been out for about an hour, Tongxi's heart began to beat wildly. He had some vague suspicions, but he didn't dare to think them. He just pretended nothing happened, soaked his clothes, and came back to help Aunt Xue with her washing and dressing.

After a while, Aunt Xue washed up and went to bed, covered with a brocade quilt. Inside, the charcoal fire in the incense burner was red, and the aroma of camphor filled the room.

Her hair was loose, with a few strands playfully hanging on her cheeks, and her face had a lazy look after a bit of joy.

The small dress was casually wrapped around her body, with the collar slightly open, revealing a white neck that was faintly illuminated by the dim candlelight and had a soft luster.

Lying on her side, curled up slightly, one hand resting gently on the pillow, her eyes slightly closed, as if still savoring the beauty of the winding cave. A slight breeze blew in through the cracks in the window, and the curtains beside the bed fluttered gently in the breeze. The person inside lay lazily, one plump diamond-shaped leg peeking out from the brocade quilt, its shape like a painting of a beautiful woman in repose from the Tang Dynasty, revealing a unique charm.

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The next day, leaving aside Chen Siyuan's early morning departure for Prince Yanping's mansion, let's talk about Rongqing Hall. Around noon, Jia Mu and Daiyu had breakfast as usual. Although the two looked normal, everyone, from Yuanyang and Amber to Zijuan and Xueyan at Daiyu's side, knew that they were no longer the same.

During this time, they only talked about ordinary things, not even a mention of yesterday's events. Then, Feng Jieer and Mrs. Wang came to pay their respects. After asking about Lady Jia's condition, they inevitably expressed concern. Then, the topic of Baoyu came up, and Mrs. Wang said, "You don't know, old lady, but when the master heard about Baoyu's outburst yesterday, he was extremely angry. If I hadn't tried so hard to stop him, I'm afraid he would have picked up a stick and beat Baoyu!"

Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "How old is Baoyu? He has never taken care of me before, and now he is showing off his power again. If this happens again, just let me know and I will go find the master and tell him!"

Mrs. Wang said with a gloomy face, "That's what you say, but this is all because of Baoyu's mischief. The marriage certificate was written by Ruhai on his deathbed, and Magistrate Jia, my uncle, the master, and even my niece all acknowledge it. The previous agreement was that it would only be final if Yuan-ge passed the imperial examination, which was already awkward. Now that Yuan-ge has passed, if we continue to refuse... let's put it bluntly, if Yuan-ge beats the drum and spreads this matter, how will the world view our Jia family?"

Upon hearing this, Jia's mother also became distressed. Chen Siyuan was used to using his power to bully others. As soon as he entered the mansion, he forced the Xue family to come to the door to complain, and forcibly sent the prepared concubine to Chen Siyuan's room.

After that, the Lai family fell into his hands, and Lai Shangrong was forced to drop out of the Imperial College; Jia Rong from the East Palace fell into his hands, and his legs were broken by Jia Zhen. He was detained at home for more than half a year, and is only now gradually showing up.

If the situation is really as Mrs. Wang said, I am afraid it will drag down the imperial concubines in the palace.

Thinking about this, Jia Mu couldn't help but feel more and more withdrawn, and sighed: "Baoyu just acted foolishly once, why should we make such a fuss? In two years, Baoyu will be older and will improve himself——"

Mrs. Wang nodded repeatedly, but inwardly she rolled her eyes, thinking that if she didn't cut off her love now, when it became too deep, her Baoyu would probably fall seriously ill, if not die. The old lady was truly confused!

He immediately said, "What the old lady said makes sense." After a pause, he added, "But now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying anything else. I think, to prevent Baoyu from quarreling with his niece again, should Daiyu move to the back building to keep Yingchun and the others company?"

Seeing Grandmother Jia frowning and looking over, Mrs. Wang whispered, "I asked my niece yesterday, and she also wants to move to the back building."

Grandmother Jia was indecisive with a bitter face, but in the end she still valued her precious grandson more, so she nodded and said, "Okay, let's move there."

After receiving Lady Jia's nod, Lady Wang spoke for a while before assigning Sister Feng the task. Before leaving, Lady Jia, of course, gave Daiyu a lot of instructions, mostly things like, "It's just the front and back yards, come and keep her company from time to time," and "Even if she acknowledges the marriage certificate, she's still her granddaughter," which made the grandmother and granddaughter's eyes tingle for a while before she let Daiyu go.

There were so many clothes and books in the green gauze cabinet that more than a dozen maids and old women were busy all morning before they finally sent the items to the back building.

The three sisters helped to settle in for quite a while, and only left when it was almost noon. Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun were all clear in their hearts, and they knew why Daiyu had moved to the back building for no reason.

Yingchun is a gourd with a sawed-off mouth, Xichun is still young, and Tanchun knows that she cannot live without the care of Lady Wang and the old lady in the mansion, so since they are the three sisters, she said nothing.

In the east wing of the back building, Daiyu was still sorting books after Sanchun had left. Then Zijuan, frowning, placed a pile of books on the table. Unable to contain her feelings any longer, she pleaded, "Miss, do you really want to acknowledge that marriage certificate?"

Daiyu glanced over coldly, and before she could say anything, Xueyan frowned and scolded, "How strange! The marriage certificate has been confirmed by the master and the elder, and Mr. Yucun has personally promised it. Now that Master Yuan has passed the imperial examination, do you still want the young lady to break her promise and gain wealth?"

Zijuan said, "I, I am also thinking about the girl. Master Yuan is a good person, but how can he compare to Master Bao who knows everything about her? Besides, the girl grew up with Master Bao since she was a child. They are childhood sweethearts, so it is natural that -"

"Wait!" Daiyu frowned slightly and said, "I'll just pretend I didn't hear what you just said."

"Miss!" Zijuan cried out, and then she said bluntly, "Mr. Yuan has only been here for half a year and he already has two children outside. If you really marry him, I don't know how much you will suffer in the future!"

Xueyan, who was standing by, was so angry that she pushed Zijuan and scolded her, "Girl, do you know all the treasures in your belly? You just thought that your whole family is in Rongguo Mansion, so you thought of climbing up the ladder of Master Bao so that you can protect your family in the future.

You said Master Yuan was a playboy, but Master Bao is a carefree person? It's okay that he was just having an affair with Miss Bao, but I'm afraid all the girls in that room were tasted by Master Bao this morning!"

Zijuan's thoughts were exposed, and she quickly said, "You're talking nonsense. I'm just thinking about the young lady."

Xueyan said, "Don't talk nonsense under the pretext of doing good for the young lady. Let me ask you, the young lady is responsible for the Lin family's ancestral lineage. Will Master Bao agree? The Lin family has been a noble family for generations, and since the master, it has been a family of scholars. Master Yuan has passed the imperial examination and can inherit the Lin family's reputation for scholars in the future. Will Master Bao agree?"

You say you're always thinking about the girl, but I'm surprised you haven't mentioned anything about what she's thinking about day and night."

These words left Zijuan speechless.

At this moment Daiyu sighed deeply and said, "If you don't want to stay with me, I will ask Sister Feng to transfer you to serve somewhere else."

Zijuan, who had originally felt aggrieved, was suddenly shocked upon hearing this. Transferred to another position? The seats around Master Bao and the three girls were already filled. Where else could she be transferred?
If it's good, she'll be back with the old lady, and when she's old enough, she'll be sent off to marry a boy; if it's bad... I'm afraid she'll be transferred to the unwelcome Third Master Huan and Third Master Cong! Being bullied by such a useless master, I'd rather die!
Zijuan was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed: "Miss, please forgive me, I am just... I am just..."

Daiyu said softly, "We are master and servant after all. If you don't want to leave, I won't drive you away. But don't keep nagging me about all that nonsense from now on."

"Yes, I will never dare to do it again, never again!"

Zijuan's eyes turned red in her anxiety. She was thrashing around like crazy, and Daiyu couldn't bear to watch, so she ordered Xueyan to help her up.

Xueyan had been suppressed by Zijuan for several years, and now he felt happy and closer to his own girl. He couldn't help but chatter around Daiyu about Chen Siyuan.

Zijuan lowered her head and went to the outer room to clean up. She was confused and worried that the marriage would be difficult to turn around. She thought that little bitch Xueyan must have said a lot of bad things about her in front of Master Yuan. How would she cope with it in the future? She couldn't really marry that boy, could she?

Meanwhile, Daiyu, annoyed by Xueyan's nagging, dismissed her with a few words and gently placed the lone copy on the bookshelf. She thought of the ink-stained letter and thought to herself, "Whether it's Baoyu, Chen Siyuan, or even just any random person, marriage is all about the well-being of one's own family."

It's all very well to be affectionate, but what good is it to be heartless? But a few decades have passed, and when I finally rest in peace, I'll have done my duty to my late father.

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

But it is said that Chen Siyuan went to Prince Yanping's mansion early in the morning and waited for a full hour before he was able to see Prince Yanping.

King Ping of Yan made a casual joke about the matters concerning the Autumn Examination, and then he started to discuss the matter of "Wan Ke Lai" with Chen Siyuan.

From cheap needles and thread to southern goods and foreign goods, no matter how big or small, Chen Siyuan was forced to be extremely alert to deal with them.

It was not until near noon that King Ping of Yan finally felt satisfied. He said that he would have invited Chen Siyuan to stay for dinner, but the Luming Banquet was approaching, so he would not keep him any longer.

Chen Siyuan naturally complained in his heart, he was ordered around for a long time and not even given lunch, this is not the way you treat animals!

In the afternoon, he hurried to Shuntian Prefecture to attend the Luming Banquet.

The Deer Singing Banquet originated in the Tang Dynasty, and went through the Song and Ming Dynasties. By the time of this dynasty, it had become a strictly regulated event.

The attendees included the Zhili Governor, Shuntian Prefecture Prefect and other Zhili officials; the examiners and supervisors of the provincial examination; the local celebrities from all over the country; and the last guest of honor was the newly-appointed Juren.

Chen Siyuan mingled among the other candidates and, according to the rules, exchanged greetings with the examiners and supervisors to express his gratitude. The musicians played "Deer Singing", and then Chen Siyuan danced the Kuixing Dance with everyone.

After the Kuixing Dance, pigs and sheep were offered as sacrifices. The examiner raised his glass and invited everyone to drink. After everyone sat down, they drank and ate, and then wrote a few lines of sour poetry. After receiving some encouragement from the local sages and officials present, the ceremony was completed.

Chen Siyuan was only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet he stood out among the other candidates. Even though he tried to hide his incompetence, the governor, the prefect, and others singled him out for poetry.

Seeing this young man with such outstanding talent, the examiner couldn't help but feel a liking for him. He was just considering taking him in as a disciple when he heard the supervisor say, "I heard that Chen Siyuan is a distant relative of the Rongguo Mansion. It seems he is still living there?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the examiner suddenly felt disgusted as if he had eaten a fly.

Most of the provincial examination examiners came from the Hanlin Academy, and they always considered themselves to be upright and honest people, completely looking down on all the nobles. Although Chen Siyuan was talented, he had deep ties with the nobles. If he was implicated with them, wouldn't he be implicated with the nobles in the future?

The examiner sighed inwardly and simply ignored Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan was very depressed because all his classmates knew his poetic talent and no one challenged him to a poetry competition. He was also thinking about finding a teacher to protect him in the future, but the examiner and the supervisor were so cold to him.

You must know that according to the rules, the chief examiner of the provincial examination should be his teacher. On the contrary, the Governor of Zhili and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture treated him with great praise.

He was puzzled for a long time, until the Luming Banquet was over, Chen Siyuan finally came to his senses... Could it be that this master disliked his relationship with the Rongguo Mansion?

Chen Siyuan was naturally at a loss for words, thinking to himself that he had inherited this reputation and would have to bear the consequences. Well, since he couldn't please the provincial exam instructor, he could only hope to please the imperial exam examiner one day.

I went back in disappointment and didn't say any more about it.

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In front of Nengren Temple, the Chen family’s new house.

Behind the main gate in the southeast corner, the old man looked at the three maids helplessly. On the left was Chunxi, on the right was Xiazhu, and in the middle was Qingwen.

The old man coughed and said, "If the master comes back, I will take care of the three young ladies. It's cold in autumn, so why don't you go back and wait?"

At this moment, Aunt Qu came over mumbling, "You old man, just go outside and greet us, and don't meddle in other people's business!"

The old man stammered without saying a word, and had to turn around and go out to observe the alley.

Madam Qu came closer and tugged at Qingwen's sleeve, and the two of them walked to the corner of the wall. Madam Qu laughed softly and said, "Second Aunt is here today too!"

What's coming? It's the climax of the day.

Nanny Qu first followed Zhen Fengshi, and then followed Qingwen for several months. Naturally, she was biased towards Qingwen.

Qingwen knew exactly what Madam Qu was talking about, but she stammered, "Come if you want to. What does it have to do with me?"

Madam Qu, angry at Qingwen for not fighting for her, reached out and poked her finger, saying, "Young lady, the master has become the master now. If you don't fight for him, you'll probably just push him to someone else!"

Without waiting for Qingwen's expression to change, Madam Qu turned and left: "I have told you everything, good and bad. You can decide for yourself what to do in the end."

After saying this, Nanny Qu had already left.

Qingwen opened her mouth to speak, but when she saw Chunxi and Xiazhu, she swallowed the words back.

She couldn't help but ask herself, did she admire him? Of course she did... but it seemed like something was missing.

After thinking about it, it seems that it is because we have been together for too short a time?

Qingwen had no idea. She was naturally proud and never bothered to use her seductive tactics to please her master. She was naturally delighted that her master had won the imperial examination. And since they hadn't seen each other for a few days, she temporarily put aside Madam Qu's instructions and simply waited eagerly at the door.

After a while, the old man suddenly called out, "Here he comes, the master is back home!"

Before Qingwen could react, Chunxi and Xiazhu had already come out chattering to greet her.

Qingwen hurriedly followed behind, and when she exited the main gate, she turned and saw Chen Siyuan approaching on horseback. In a flash, he approached, and everyone came together to congratulate Chen Siyuan on his success.

Chen Siyuan smiled and dismounted, waving his hand and saying, "Rewards, everyone will receive a reward."

Chunxi said, "Our aunt gave out the usual reward yesterday."

Chen Siyuan looked at Qingwen and smiled, saying, "Let's buy some more wine and meat tomorrow and share it among the people. We'll have a feast at home and invite a troupe of actors over so we can have some fun."

All the servants and maids were overjoyed and accompanied Chen Siyuan inside.

Qingwen was about to go forward, but Chunxi and Xiazhu surrounded Chen Siyuan on the left and right.

This one said, "Master, Third Aunt is feeling better now. She said it was thanks to the Cordyceps you gave her, otherwise she would have been in so much pain that she couldn't sleep."

The other said, "Our Second Aunt originally wanted to come and greet the Master herself, but unfortunately, today happens to be a small day."

Chen Siyuan walked with his hands behind his back, nodding his head repeatedly. He thought to himself, yes, Second Sister You and Third Sister You had their periods close together. Third Sister You had her period earlier, so it was reasonable for Second Sister You to have her period two days later.

He felt a little disappointed. He had made such a fuss with the two sisters, and this time he was afraid he would have to sleep alone.

He then went to the back building and found that Qingwen had disappeared after passing through the hall. He guessed that she had returned to the side room. Chen Siyuan went to the back building first and talked to the two sisters.

The third sister was fine at this time, and although she had difficulty moving, she was able to get up. The second sister was on her first day and couldn't even get up.

Chen Siyuan chatted with the two sisters for a long time before he said, "I want to go back to Jiangnan in a while, first to pay my respects to my parents, and second to take care of some personal matters—"

Before she could finish her words, Third Sister You suddenly shouted, "Brother Yuan, I want to go, I want to go!" A smile spread across her face, and she said, "They say that Jiangnan is a place of great talent and beauty. I have been wandering around the capital all my life and have never been to Jiangnan."

You Erjie said from the side: "If my sister passes away, who will take care of Baicaotang?"

Third Sister You blinked, then frowned in distress, "Yes, if I follow Brother Yuan, won't there be no one to take care of Baicaotang?"

She was about to have her period, but she and Dongmei also settled the accounts for the previous month. Because the pills were so famous, they had attracted a large customer from Mongolia to spend a fortune. So after deducting various expenses, the profit from the previous month was close to five thousand taels!
Third Sister You was planning to take out 4,800 taels as profit sharing, and she calculated that Brother Yuan could get 1,200 taels just from the shares!
This morning, Old Lady You and the eldest sister, Youshi, came again. Since she had promised to give Mama thirty taels of silver a month for her support, Old Lady You rarely refrained from throwing a tantrum, and when she saw Third Sister You, she was even more affectionate than Second Sister You.

Third Sister You was about the same age as Chen Siyuan, so she couldn't help but show off by letting him know a little about Baicaotang. Her words naturally made Old Lady You look at her differently, and because Chen Siyuan had passed the imperial examination, Old Lady You was inevitably annoyed.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have stopped Third Sister that day. These two are so in love, if Third Sister becomes the principal wife, wouldn't she be in control of all the income from Baicaotang?

Now, look what happens. I've become a bad guy and even made Third Sister dislike me. After making trouble a few times, I only get thirty taels of silver every month... It's really not worth it.

Old Lady You tried to ease the situation deliberately, and actually said a lot of personal words, especially repeatedly reminding them to keep a close eye on the business of Baicaotang.

Of course You Sanjie was reluctant to leave Baicaotang, but after thinking about it, she suddenly bit her lower lip and said, "Brother Yuan, why don't you let me take care of the business? Anyway, I want to follow Brother Yuan." As she spoke, You Sanjie pouted coquettishly, hugged Chen Siyuan's arm again, and rubbed her little head against it back and forth.

You Erjie, lying on the bed, was overjoyed, but she knew that Chen Siyuan had to make the decision on this matter, so she suppressed her voice and just listened to what Chen Siyuan said.

Chen Siyuan was deeply moved. He thought to himself, "This Third Sister You is so devoted to me that she's even given up her job of transferring thousands of taels of silver every month. And most importantly, she never stops me from messing around with other women... A girl like her would be hard to find, even with a lantern."

He wanted to take Third Sister You south with him, but who could he leave the Baicaotang to? Second Sister You? Forget it. Leaving it to her would be like a rat falling into a rice jar—Qing would just wait for her to rob him.

Since it was Chen Siyuan, he said, "I'd like to go south with my third sister...but how can we find someone capable of running this business right now? Everyone in the pharmacy, from the shopkeeper to the clerks, is newly hired. It's one thing if they embezzle money, but I'm afraid if they steal the prescriptions, we'll be left with nothing."

Third Sister You naturally refused to give in and pestered him for a long time. Chen Siyuan smiled and soothed her, saying, "Why worry, Third Sister? I'm not going there just this once. When I find someone to take care of you, I'll take you on a tour of Jiangnan again."

Third Sister You was a bit sullen for a moment, but then, realizing that Chen Siyuan was right, she pursed her lips and agreed. Glancing up at Second Sister You, who looked disappointed, Third Sister You narrowed her eyes and suddenly said, "We've been so overwhelmed with accounts lately that Dongmei and I can't handle it all...Brother Yuan, why don't you let Second Sister learn how to manage the accounts too? That way, we can at least handle emergencies in the future."

How could Chen Siyuan not know Third Sister You's little thoughts? She simply thought that if she couldn't go to Jiangnan, her good sister wouldn't be able to go either.

You Erjie was a woman with many thoughts and a penchant for money, so Chen Siyuan needed to constantly urge her. Yin simply agreed and said, "Third sister, you're absolutely right." He turned to You Erjie and said, "How about you stay and learn how to manage accounts?"

You Erjie was suddenly in a dilemma. She wanted to travel around the south of the Yangtze River, but after learning how to manage accounts, she might be able to manage Baicaotang's business in the future - that was a good business that made a lot of money every day. You Erjie was not greedy and only needed a few dozen taels of silver every month for her own use.

Knowing that Third Sister You had ill intentions, Second Sister You smiled and agreed, "Okay. We are sisters after all, and since Third Sister You is too busy, it's only natural for me to help out."

　New extra chapter: "The Two Beauties of the Yu Family" (Part 1)
　　In addition, my husband and I couldn't bear it anymore, so we had to ask my mother-in-law for help, so that we could at least take a break.

　　It's said that young people don't want children. The cost of raising children is ridiculously high. It's not just about money, but also about energy.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)