Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 194 Borrowing (Part )

Xing Xiuyan...

Chen Siyuan was daydreaming. In his previous life, when he read "Dream of Red Mansions", apart from Chai, Dai, Qingwen and Xiangling, he naturally looked at the girl who was not surprised by praise or criticism and was indifferent to fame and fortune and had a clear mind.

But now even Third Sister You has become a concubine, and Xing Xiuyan's family background is even inferior to Third Sister You's, so I'm afraid she can't become the main wife.

While thinking about it, he looked at Madam Xing and saw her eyes moving, obviously she had other thoughts in mind.

Yes, sooner or later I will have to live in another house, and it will not be convenient for Madam Xing to come here all the time. If I have a niece here, wouldn’t it give me an excuse to visit her?
Chen Siyuan thought to himself, since I've come to this world, I can't let such a good girl go. So he pretended not to know what Madam Xing was thinking and just smiled and said, "That's good. I'm going to Suzhou to pay my respects to Mr. and Mrs. Lin Yanshi, and I can stop by my cousin's house on the way."

Mrs. Xing immediately smiled and said, "It's good to take a look—" Then she lowered her voice and said, "—their family only visited the Chen family in Yangzhou once a dozen years ago. You were still young at that time."

Seeing him approach, Chen Siyuan reached out and grabbed her hand to play with it. Mrs. Xing had given birth and had been celibate for a long time, so how could she resist such teasing? She felt something strange in her heart, but knowing it was not the right time to have a real conversation, she pulled her hand away, urging Chen Siyuan to leave quickly.

Before leaving, he said, "Those two little hooves of Miao'er and Tiao'er... you should take them in when you have time."

Chen Siyuan was naturally very happy, but he had to set off soon and was afraid that he would not be able to make it in time in the next few days.

When he came out of the main room, he was caught red-handed by the master Jia She, who called him into the outer study and raged against him.

Chen Siyuan showed empathy on the surface, but was full of contempt in his heart. He thought to himself, we are all thousand-year-old foxes, who are we playing Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio with?

Not to mention that the Lin family's property has been embezzled twice. Even if it falls into Jia She's hands intact, wouldn't that be like a mouse falling into a rice jar, waiting for Jia She to embezzle the property?

Who knows what kind of cunning ideas this guy might come up with if he steals more in the future.

At the moment he just followed Jia She's words, but Chen Siyuan insisted on one thing: the family property now belonged to Daiyu, and it was not right for him to come forward and claim it.

The eldest master Jia She was so angry that he just stared blankly, but he couldn't find any fault with Chen Siyuan, so he had no choice but to send Chen Siyuan back.

But Chen Siyuan had just walked out of the black oil gate and entered the Rongguo Mansion from the corner gate when he was greeted by the servant Qing Yu.

"uncle!"

Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Chen Siyuan remained calm and led him to the corner door next to the stable before asking, "What's the matter?"

Qing Yu said with great joy, "Master, you didn't know that Lai Shangrong's case has been judged!"

So fast?
Qing Yu said, "Just now, Grandpa Lai was mourning like a bereaved family member, and he and Grandma Lai went home wailing as if they had just lost their parents. I heard that he was sentenced to death by hanging!"

Chen Siyuan was horrified! He thought to himself, what a cruel King Ping of Yan was! Lai Shangrong had only casually made up a false accusation. King Ping of Yan was afraid that his deeds would get out, so he simply cut the Gordian knot and killed Lai Shangrong directly!

Little did he know, King Ping of Yan was certainly concerned about this matter, but the saints who followed him were even more concerned! Although it was just a casual accusation, having provoked these two great gods, how could Lai Shangrong be in any good situation?
Chen Siyuan sent his servant Qingyu away and hurried back home. It was not until the afternoon that he heard the confirmed news.

The matter was handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial. It was found that Lai Shangrong, who had donated money to the prison, had frequent conflicts with the prison student Chen Siyuan, and was jealous of Chen Siyuan's success in the autumn examination, so he spread false accusations and rumors.

According to the Dashun Law, Lai Shangrong was sentenced to death in prison, his property was confiscated, and his descendants were banned from taking the imperial examinations forever!
Chen Siyuan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that it was really true that 'Misfortunes sent by Heaven can be avoided, but those brought upon oneself cannot be avoided'. Lai Shangrong could have done something wrong. Even if he had found a bandit to take his life, the crime would probably not be as serious as spreading rumors.

On second thought, maybe this was a blessing in disguise for the Lai family.

Why do I say so? Because Madam Wang has been sharpening her knife since early morning, waiting to strike at the Lai family.

Even if Lady Jia and Jia She are involved, they cannot take action for the time being. When Wang Ziteng is promoted again, he will borrow the power of his mother's family and have Yuanchun behind him. Jia She is a money-hungry person and it is hard to say when he will change his side.

By then, Mrs. Wang will be as powerful as thunder and lightning, and how can Lady Jia alone stop her?

Now Lai Shangrong has brought about his own death, and his family property has also been confiscated - Lai Shangrong is the only one in the Lai family who has escaped slavery, while Lai Ma, Lai Da, Lai Da's wife, Lai Sheng and others are all slaves - this confiscation has wiped out all the wealth that the Lai family has accumulated over several lifetimes.

The eldest master, Jia She, would not do anything without profit, and perhaps he had to speak up for Lady Jia out of concern. With this three-way balance of power, the Lai family is more stable than before.

After thinking about it, Chen Siyuan shook his head and smiled. It is true that fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and some things cannot be said.

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

But Lai Da and his wife hurriedly ran towards their home, but after only two blocks, they fell several times.

Arriving at the door, they saw soldiers from the military command had surrounded the Lai family's house, with no escape possible. Outside, a crowd of onlookers thronged and shoved, while inside, the sounds of wailing and shouting were deafening.

The two men wanted to go forward, but were stopped by soldiers. Lai Da moved out of Jia's house, and the soldiers hurriedly found an official from the Ministry of Justice.

Unexpectedly, the official from the Ministry of Justice paid no attention to the Jia family behind the Lai family. He simply said, "Fortunately, you are all slaves in the Jia family. Otherwise... humph!"

Lai Dajin pleaded hurriedly, "Sir, my mother is old and has served several generations of the Jia family. I beg you to be lenient."

The official from the Ministry of Justice frowned and said, "Once I verify your identity, I will release you."

Lai Da's wife suddenly slapped her thigh and said, "Oh no! Crested Ibis! Crested Ibis!"

Lai Da came to plead again, but the official from the Ministry of Justice ignored him again.

The couple felt like ants on a hot pan, unable to get in. A little later, Lai Sheng arrived with his family.

Seeing Lai Da, he couldn't help but say in astonishment: "Brother, this, this... Why should Rong'er's family be confiscated for the crime he committed?"

Lai Da was at a loss for words.

Lai Sheng was accompanied by two young boys. The older one, Lai Shangwen, was Lai Sheng's eldest son. His expression immediately changed. He said, "Uncle, my brother committed a crime. If they want to confiscate the property, they should confiscate your house. Why would they confiscate our property as well?"

As mentioned earlier, only Lai Shangrong of the Lai family was freed from membership, and because Nanny Lai was still around, the two brothers, Lai Da and Lai Sheng, remained together. However, Lai Sheng embezzled property from the Ningguo Mansion and shipped it all here. I had intended to keep it for my two sons in the future, but who knew they would be caught in the crossfire!
Seeing that Lai Da was silent, Lai Sheng's wife got angry and went up to Lai Da's wife and said, "Sister-in-law, you must give my family an explanation today!"

Lai Da's wife was now heartbroken and could only cry out, "Brother Rong is leaving. How can I explain anything to you now?"

At this point, the younger Lai Shangwu could no longer contain himself and jumped up and down, cursing, "It's all Big Brother's fault, he's asking for trouble. It would have been fine if he'd died on his own, but he dragged my family down with him. Uncle, Aunt, my parents saved up twenty or thirty thousand in valuables, and we need to return them no matter what!"

Lai Da came back to his senses and said angrily, "You little bastard, do you have the right to speak here?"

Lai Shangwu stiffened his neck and yelled, "Brothers should settle accounts clearly. What belongs to you is yours, and what belongs to me must be returned!"

The argument grew increasingly violent, and Lai Da's wife, completely despairing, lost her temper and started fighting with Lai Sheng's wife. If even this old woman had started fighting, how could Lai Shangwen and Lai Shangwu hold back? Initially, they stepped forward to break up the fight, but they inevitably embraced Lai Da's wife and took sides.

A little later, Lai Shangwu, his face scratched, howled and joined the fight without hesitation. The fight became more and more intense, and even Lai Sheng tried to intervene, but in the end, the fight was still a mess.

There is no such thing as a quarrel between brothers.

Only when the gate opened again and two soldiers came out, carrying Lai Ma, who had disheveled hair, dull eyes, and a child in her arms, did the crowd stop.

At that moment, the two brothers went to welcome their mother. Nanny Lai handed the child to Lai Da's wife, without saying a word, her eyes rolled up and she died!

The group panicked again. Lai Sheng hired a carriage to take Lai Ma to find the doctor. Lai Da went to the official in the Ministry of Justice to argue, saying, "Please, sir, have mercy and release my child's mother."

The official from the Ministry of Justice said, "We have found out that Red Ibis is Lai Shangrong's maid, and her indenture is still in existence. She should be detained and held for sale later."

Seeing that he couldn't convince his opponent, Lai Da had no choice but to take his child with his wife and go to Rongguo Mansion to seek help in great sorrow.

Lai Shangrong's heavy sentence naturally shocked everyone in the Rongguo Mansion. The girls sighed slightly. Baochai, Daiyu, and Sanchun didn't say it out loud, but because of Chen Siyuan, they all felt that Lai Shangrong deserved the punishment.

Mrs. Wang was still unaware of the subsequent events, but upon hearing that the Lai family was in trouble, she was naturally pleased. She thought it would be a good opportunity to get rid of the Lai family, but she hesitated, wondering if the timing was right.
In the east courtyard, Madam Xing was even happier than Madam Wang. This was because not only had Lai Shangrong previously provoked a thief, but Lai Da and his wife had also bullied Madam Xing in their early years. Now that the Lai family was in trouble, Madam Xing was eager to hold a banquet to celebrate.
The eldest master, Jia She, was stunned for a moment, then beat his chest and stamped his feet in anger. He thought to himself, if he had known that the Lai family would be in such trouble, he should have joined forces with Lady Wang to punish them that day. Tsk tsk, the Lai brothers together have more than tens of thousands of silver coins! Now, it's all been taken into the Ministry of Justice treasury for no reason. That's all the Jia family's... no, it's all Jia She's money.

Aunt Xue stood by and watched. Whether the Lai family was in trouble or not had nothing to do with her. It was only because of Chen Siyuan that she wished Lai Shangrong dead. Then she put herself in his shoes and suddenly thought of her own troublesome Xue Pan. She was worried that Xue Pan would get into trouble when he went out. So she went to the front and grabbed the confused Xue Pan and gave him a lecture.

In Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia felt a sympathetic response. When she married, Rongguo Mansion was at its peak, and the Jia family was considered half the Jia dynasty. How rich and prosperous was that? Now, it was in decline.

As the old people around her left her one by one, Grandmother Jia felt that her time was running out and she couldn't help feeling sad.

Then Sister Feng came to ask, saying that Lai Da wanted to see her. Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "What's the point of asking me for help now? Well, I will go away. Considering that he has served the Lai family for several lifetimes, Sister Feng will go out and comfort him."

Sister Feng agreed and immediately went out of the ceremonial gate to meet Mr. and Mrs. Lai. She explained Lady Jia's intention and briefly inquired about Nanny Lai's condition. She only sent the imperial physician for a consultation and found a vacant house near the palace for her to stay in. There was no further talk.

As for the servants and maids, no matter whether they called him "Grandpa Lai" on a daily basis or those who were at odds with the Lai family, they all applauded in private!

Hate those who have, laugh at those who don’t, despise those who are poor, and fear those who are rich - it has always been like this from ancient times to the present!

On the other hand, the servants were inevitably more polite when they saw Chen Siyuan again. If they had offended another master, at most they would have been beaten with a stick and driven out of the house, and at least they could have fended for themselves. But if they had offended this Master Yuan, not only would they have died, but their house would have been raided! How could they possibly seek justice?

For a time, Chen Siyuan became notorious, which made him feel both amused and helpless.

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

Ningguo Mansion.

Yindie frowned and bit her lip as she walked through the hall. In a moment, she entered the east courtyard, passed the ceremonial gate and arrived at the main courtyard. From a distance, she could see that the doors and windows were open.

When he entered, he saw the maid Jin'e lying on the couch, fast asleep, while his grandmother Youshi was pouring tea into the charcoal basin.

Yindie couldn't help but wonder, "What is grandma doing?"

"Ah?" Yu Shi was a little flustered, then replied, "Jin'e fell asleep suddenly for some reason. I was afraid she might have been poisoned by the charcoal, so I simply opened the doors and windows and extinguished the brazier."

Yindie didn't think much about it and immediately believed it to be true. She said with a stern face: "Oh, this can't be taken lightly!"

He then helped Youshi put out the brazier and went to push Jin'e. Strangely enough, Jin'e was sleeping soundly, and no matter how he called or pushed her, she wouldn't wake up.

After the cold water was splashed on her face, Jin'e finally woke up in a daze. She yawned and said she was very sleepy.

After scolding her for a while, Yindie asked the maid to help her back to the ear room.

After the room had enough air, Yindie closed the doors and windows and lit the brazier again, and only then did the room feel a little warmer.

Yindie brought over some hot tea and said, "Anren... said she'd be leaving soon. Grandma, why don't I go and tell her?"

You Erjie's birthday is coming soon, so Yindie will go and tell her about it.

Yu Shi took a deep breath and shook her head woodenly, saying, "It's not a whole life. If she remembers, she can go. If she doesn't, she won't go. So why bother telling her? You just need to prepare the gift."

Yindie agreed, bit her lower lip and went away.

Yu Shi sat on the soft couch with her eyes blank. She looked calm on the surface, but her heart was actually like a raging storm!
Her stepmother was involved with Jia Zhen! That was her stepmother!

If it were just two step-sisters, it would be fine. Yu Shi has been used to swallowing her anger over the years. As long as they don't enter the Ningguo Mansion, she will let Jia Zhen play with them.

But this time, how could Youshi bear it anymore?

For several days, Jia Zhen and You Laoan just played and feasted in the central courtyard, treating her, the principal wife, as if she were dead!
Fortunately, Youshi was grateful for the extra dowry her stepmother had given her. She should have realized that her stepmother was just trying to get close to her. Now that she's hanging around with Jia Zhen, it's not impossible that she's wrong. I'm afraid she'll kill herself and find someone else to take her place!
Wrong, absolutely wrong! I shouldn't have coveted this wealth and fame back then, otherwise why would I have endured this humiliation?
I didn't know how much time had passed while I was lost in thought. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The maid Yindie opened it and went to check. After a moment, her brows furrowed even deeper, and she came over with an embarrassed look on her face.

Yu came back to her senses and asked, "What's the matter?"

Yindie said, "The master sent the steward to send Anren back in a carriage... Nanny Qiao saw that Anren got a lot of things." This was reasonable, so Youshi just nodded to indicate that she understood.

Unexpectedly, Yindie was in a dilemma again, and finally said, "Madame Qiao said... said..."

"say what?"

"It is said that... yesterday Rong Ge'er brought two maids and settled them in the middle courtyard."

Yu Shi blinked, then her eyes widened, the hairs on her back standing on end! Rong'er was there too? How absurd! How dare she... how dare he!

In a moment, Youshi smiled miserably, her cherry lips widening to reveal her pearly teeth, her pretty face raised, but she couldn't utter a single sound. As she smiled, two lines of clear tears welled up in her eyes.

Yindie's eyes reddened as she quickly tried to console him, "Grandma, think more positively. After all, you've recovered and now you have a child to look after. You know what kind of temper Grandpa has, Grandma..."

Yu Shi pulled a handkerchief from her waist, wiped away her tears, and smiled, saying, "You are right, absolutely right! Yes, my second sister is about to give birth, so go pack some of the 'Spring Letter in the Snow' that I made myself. I'm sure my second sister will be happy. Also, it's getting cold lately, so bring me two bottles of cassia wine."

Yindie agreed, and seeing that Youshi had indeed nothing to say, she went back to her work. A little later, Yindie led the maid to deliver the gift into the room.

While Yindie was dealing with the other things, Youshi took out a porcelain bottle and mixed some of it into the scented powder. After a pause, she poured the other bottle of powder into the albizzia wine...

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

In a blink of an eye, it was the second day of the new year.

That morning, Yu Shi had just finished dressing and breakfast when Jin'e came in and said, "Madam, the master is coming this way."

Yu Shi responded, but she was busy sitting on the couch choosing her hair and accessories, and did not get up to greet him.

A moment later, Jia Zhen came around the screen, holding a brocade box in his hand. He glanced at Youshi and saw that she was dressed appropriately. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Are you going out today?"

Yindie hurriedly said, "Master, today is the day when Second Aunt is giving birth, and Grandma is going to Nengren Temple to congratulate her."

"Oh," Jia Zhen replied, and then asked casually, "Have you prepared the gifts?"

It was still Yin Die who replied, "Everything is ready."

Jia Zhen walked over to the couch, glanced at the headwear box, and frowned. "These headwear are old. I'll ask the jewellery shop owner to bring back some new styles so you can choose a few more for yourself."

"Yes." Yushi responded.

Jia Zhen put down the brocade box and opened it, revealing a set of red gold and South pearl head ornaments, pearl hairpins, etc., a total of eleven items. Not counting the red gold, the South pearls alone were worth a lot of silver money.

Yu Shi glanced at it, then looked up in surprise. She saw Jia Zhen forcing a smile and saying, "This is a filial gift from the servants. Peifeng and Xieyuan have been coveting it. Oh, do they really deserve such a fine item? You are the only one in the mansion who is suitable to wear it."

Yu Shi thanked him indifferently and fell silent.

Being left alone, Jia Zhen felt a little embarrassed and could not help coughing, saying, "Second sister has given birth to a child, so you don't have to come back early. Just enjoy yourself."

After saying that, he walked away with his hands behind his back.

Yu Shi stood up to see him off respectfully. Turning around, she glanced at the South Pearl jewelry and felt a wave of disgust. What was this? Just a piece of jewelry, and you think you can shut yourself up?

After being in a daze for a long time, Youshi ordered Yindie to put away her head ornaments, and she herself put on the red gold, ruby-inlaid, and silk-wrapped peony head ornament.

Just as she was about to order someone to prepare a carriage, Jin'e led Xia Zhu inside. Xia Zhu bowed and said with a smile, "Grandma, my master arrived early this morning. When the third young lady heard that Wan Kelai was opening, she clamored to join in the fun. The second young lady couldn't resist the nagging, so she went along.

The second young lady said that he might not be back until the afternoon, and that a banquet would be held at 3 p.m., and they had invited a troupe of southern opera performers. The second young lady was afraid that the eldest lady would be disappointed, so she quickly sent me to explain.

Yu Shi smiled and said, "Wan Ke said this is a new business in the inner court. It's been spreading around for quite some time. I didn't expect it to open today. Go and tell Second Sister that I will be there before 3 p.m."

Xia Zhu agreed, bowed again, and then quickly retreated.

Yu-shi stayed in her room and did not go anywhere. She had a little snack at noon, but still could not eat. She felt a sense of distress in her heart.

When it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon, Yindie urged him to get up and take the carriage. In just two minutes, they arrived at the Chen family's new house near Nengren Temple.

The old man at the door had seen it early and hurried to pass the message inside. Then when You Shi got out of the carriage, she saw You Erjie, You Sanjie, and Chen Siyuan all waiting to greet her at the door.

Everyone greeted each other one by one and urged Youshi to go inside. You Sanjie chattered about the lively atmosphere of the thousands of guests, and even You Erjie couldn't help but smile.

"My eldest sister always goes to take a look when she has time. There's everything from the south to the north, Suzhou goods and foreign goods. My second sister and I originally just wanted to wander around, but we found this and that and couldn't let go. When we came out and counted the items, we found that the cart was half full."

You Erjie also said, "It's a good thing the palace prepared a carriage to deliver the goods, otherwise I don't know how I would get back."

Yu Shi agreed, glancing at Chen Siyuan from time to time.

Then I saw that the man was wearing a round-necked robe made of ivory silk with a dark flower pattern and a bean green satin collar, with a white collar lining. He wore a Zhongjing crown on his head. He had an upright posture, a smile on his face, one hand bent in front of him, and the other hand behind his back. He had a handsome appearance, and although he looked friendly, he could not hide his outstanding appearance.

As if sensing something, Chen Siyuan turned his head to look over. Yu Shi wanted to dodge, but it was too late. Her eyes met Chen Siyuan's. Yu Shi was a little flustered and hurriedly said, "I haven't thanked Brother Yuan yet. That warm uterus pill—"

Before he could finish, Third Sister You pulled his arm and said, "Sister, you've thanked the wrong person. It was clearly me who entrusted Brother Yuan with this. If you want to thank someone, it should be me."

Yu Shi smiled and said, "Of course I have to thank Third Sister, but no matter what, I am troubling Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "It's just a side thing, not worth mentioning."

Chen Siyuan was scratching his head, not knowing what to call her. Calling her "sister-in-law" was correct, based on Jia Zhen's perspective; calling her "elder sister" was also fine, based on the perspective of You Sanjie and You Erjie... The key was that no matter which name she used, it made sense. What was the cause of this incident?

Third Sister You then continued, "I sent Chunxi home this morning to tell Mother, but Mother caught a cold and said she couldn't come today."

Although Youshi smiled, her heart tightened, and then her smile became more sarcastic. Caught a cold? I guess it must be because of the shameless tossing around with the father and son!

After a while, everyone entered the hanging flower gate. A stage had already been set up inside. There were people in the left and right side rooms. It was the southern opera troupe that was being invited to put on makeup.

Everyone entered and sat down for a while, divided into host and guest categories. Then, the banquet was served to them. Yu Shi then called out to Yin Die, saying, "Hurry up and bring over the gifts."

Yin Die hurriedly brought over a small bundle and unfolded it to reveal the contents. You Erjie glanced at it and said happily, "Big Sister, do you still remember it? I'm most proud of this Spring Letter in the Snow that you prepared."

Third Sister You stared at the two bottles of wine with envy and asked, "Sister, what kind of wine is this?" Without waiting for a reply, Third Sister You hugged Chen Siyuan's arm and said, "Today we originally prepared Shaoxing Yellow and a jar of Chrysanthemum White."

Yu Shi smiled and said, "Third sister, why not open it and smell it."

Third Sister You was a straightforward person. She immediately took a bottle, uncorked it, took a quick sniff, and exclaimed happily, "Oh, it's cassia wine! I was just thinking about it a few days ago, but I didn't expect that the eldest sister would bring it to me today."

Yu Shi smiled and said, "We are sisters. How could I not know what you and Second Sister like?"

In addition to these two items, there was also a jade Buddha inside, which was of excellent quality. When You Erjie saw it, her brows immediately lit up with joy.

Third Sister You then began to ask, "Brother, how about we drink this albizzia wine today?"

Chen Siyuan said, "You should ask your second sister before she gives birth to a child."

Third Sister You turned her head to look at Second Sister You. Second Sister You was not unwilling at all, she just smiled and nodded.

At that moment, another maid brought a play script and asked everyone to choose the pieces.

You Erjie ordered first, and after a while she finally chose "The Queen of Flowers." Then You Sanjie ordered "Yanyun Pavilion," Chen Siyuan randomly ordered "Single Blade Meeting," and Qingwen ordered "White Silk Shirt."

When it was Youshi's turn, she flipped through the repertoire and said, "This Kunqu opera is the same old story over and over again. I'm getting a little tired of it."

The class leader below said, "Auntie, our class also knows some other southern tunes, they are all at the end of the folds."

Yu Shi responded and turned to the end, pointing casually: "This is it."

Yindie was waiting beside her. She took one look and whispered, "Grandma...it's not right—"

As luck would have it, Third Sister You heard this. She stood up and snatched the memorial paper, and saw that Youshi was randomly pointing to the scene "Lightly Moving Lotus Steps" in Jiaohong Ji.

Third Sister You rolled her eyes at Yin Die and said, "I was wondering what it was. It's just Jiao Hong Ji. What's wrong with that?" She then tossed the letter over and said, "Just follow this piece of music."

The old woman took the opera script, and the troupe leader below bowed and responded. After a while, stringed instruments played together, and several actors began to sing in a singsong voice.

During the banquet, everyone was toasting each other. The third sister, who loved to be lively, would sometimes clap her hands and praise the singing, sometimes play finger-guessing games with Qingwen, and sometimes snuggle up to Chen Siyuan and act coquettishly.

In just an hour, the bottle of cassia wine was empty.

As the song went on, Youshi became more and more uneasy, staring at the other bottle of wine from time to time.

Winter had already arrived, and the days were growing shorter, so Third Sister ordered the lights to be lit and the incense burner brought in. Soon, Third Sister grew tired of the smell of ice flakes, so she teased You Erjie into fumigating the newly acquired Snow in Spring.

You Erjie was reluctant to leave and argued with Sanjie for a long time. In the end, she couldn't win the argument with Sanjie, so she reluctantly took some Snow Spring Letters.

As Yu-shi watched the maid Chun-xi place the spices on the fumigation basket, her heart began to throb. Now that things had come to this, there was no turning back!

It happened that the last act, "Lightly Moving Lotus Steps," had just arrived. Yu Shi smiled and said, "What wonderful things are you? Since Second Sister is so pleased, I'll make some more and send them to you when I have time."

You Erjie said happily, "How can I keep taking advantage of my eldest sister?"

Yu-shi said, "You are too much to say such things to your own sister." After a pause, she smiled and said, "If I ask Second Sister to borrow something someday, will she refuse?"

Second Sister You repeatedly shook her head, and Third Sister You continued, "Big Sister is the head of Ningguo Mansion. Not to mention that you don't need it, even if you really do need it, whatever Second Sister and I have, Big Sister, just take it... Saying you're borrowing it is really a lie."

Smiling, You Shi rose, uncorked another bottle of cassia wine, and personally filled Chen Siyuan's glass. Then, she raised her cup and said, "Brother Yuan, please forgive my two troublesome sisters. If they have done anything wrong, I, as their eldest sister, will apologize on their behalf."

Chen Siyuan didn't dare to neglect her. He quickly stood up, picked up the wine cup and said, "Eldest sister, please forgive me for what I said... Second sister has always been gentle and kind, and Third sister and I are very close friends. Even if we occasionally bicker, it will only add a little fun and will definitely not hurt our relationship."

The two of them drank a cup together. Youshi sat for a while, then got up to change her clothes. She entered the side room next to the wing, slipped around the screen, took out a small porcelain bottle, quietly took two pills, and returned half an hour later.

Soon the banquet was over, and the southern opera troupe finished their performance. After receiving the tips, they thanked the guests profusely and left. Qingwen was the youngest and she couldn't help dozing off in her chair.

Chen Siyuan saw this and urged him to go back to the ear room to rest.

When Qingwen left yawning, only the three sisters of the Yu family, Chen Siyuan, and the three maids Xia Zhu, Chunxi, and Yindie were left inside.

Chen Siyuan held on, waiting for Youshi to get up and say goodbye, but Youshi kept talking about You Erjie.

Suddenly, a wisp of smoke drifted over and entered Chen Siyuan's nose, and he was immediately struck by a familiar sweet aroma. He felt a chill in his heart, but he was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyelids. He couldn't help but wonder: Who sent this smoke? Could it be that Liu Yan'er has a lover?
As he was thinking, his consciousness gradually became blurred and he fell asleep in a moment.

At this time, You Erjie was leaning on the chair with her head drooping, having already fallen asleep. Then, with a plop, You Sanjie, who was supporting her cheeks with her hands, suddenly relaxed and collapsed on the soft couch!
As for Yindie, Chunxi, and Xiazhu, they had already collapsed on the ground. Yu Shi pretended to have been tricked as well, dozing off in a chair for a moment. Seeing that there was no movement around, she finally mustered the courage to open her eyes.

She nudged Second Sister You and called Third Sister You. Seeing that the two sisters didn't respond, she felt a little relieved. Glancing at Chen Siyuan, who was lying on the soft couch, Youshi breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Third Sister You, "You just said that I wanted to borrow it... You will definitely lend it to me!"

　I've worked on this chapter several times but I'm still not satisfied with it, so let's leave it like this for now.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)